Mountain streams in March become plentiful due to the melting of snow. The clear stream swirls and meanders through the valley, bringing with it a unique sweet smell and translucent color.
If there is a poet here, he might recite something like "Recently, the water in the stream in front of the door has risen, and Lang Chuan has visited me secretly several times." But if you wash clothes in the stream in March, the taste is really sour.
A little girl with a thin body and patches all over her body was rubbing the clothes in the tub vigorously. After beating it twice, she would clench her cold and red fingers and "ha" twice to slow down her breath. Her fingers had long been reddened by the ice of the stream. Now her knuckles were swollen and red, and her little hands were already itchy and painful.
"Lemon Maozi, you big lazy boy, are you slacking off again?!" A voice like a silver bell came from behind.
The little girl who was exhaling couldn't help but paused and turned to look over. I saw a girl in purple clothes about the same age, holding a basket and standing on the high ground by the stream, looking at her with a smile.
The little girl known as Xiang Maozi looked at the girl coldly and said, "Keep your pigtails on. You don't have to do laundry today?"
"Bah!" the girl in purple was furious, "Lemongrass, you bitch, my name is Zi Wan, listen carefully, it's Liu Zi Wan!"
Xiangmaozi's real name is Xin, and she is the eldest daughter of Xin Dalang's family in Yexi Village at the foot of Qishan Mountain. Her mother died at birth. The family thought her life was bad, so they picked up a handful of grass, but it turned out to be dogtail grass, so they called her Citronella. A country girl can be raised casually. If she is raised in the future, she will be nothing more than Miss Xin. When she gets married, she will become the Xin family. Who cares about a country girl's name.
Aster and Lemongrass are neighbors. They are the same age and live close to each other. You have to compare everything. When Aster was born, her mother Liu asked her father to go out and pull a flower. His father went out and saw an aster flower when he looked up, so the name aster was decided.
Little girl Liu Ziyuan felt that she was better than Xiangmaozi in every way. Her parents were both biological, and even her name was countless times better. Therefore, we often ask for this verbal advantage.
But Xiangmaozi has a very stubborn character and never gives in to Aster verbally. As soon as Liu Ziwan calls her name, she responds by saying "leave pigtails" because in the countryside, aster flowers are commonly called "pintails", and Aster flowers My surname is Liu. In the past few years, the two of them have fought countless verbal lawsuits because of this name, but they never get tired of it.
Liu Ziyuan knew that she couldn't win against Lemongrass in this aspect. She walked down the slope with a smile and chose a dry place to sit down. "My mother is reluctant to let me wash clothes." After saying this, she looked at Lemongrass proudly. With his red fist, he raised the basket in his hand and said, "This is not pigweed. I can kill it in an afternoon. How much longer do you want?"
Xiangmaozi knew that she was here to show off, so he refused to let her be proud, so she pretended to be relaxed and said, "I'll have it soon." After saying this, she beat her clothes hard, pretending to be relaxed.
In just a moment, the two little fists were already red.
At this time, Liu Ziyuan stopped trying to squeeze Xiangmaozi. She sighed, "Your mother is so cruel. Forget it, I'll do it for you for a while." After saying that, she stretched out her hand to hold down Xiangmaozi's little fist.
The little fist was red and swollen, but it was cold.
Xiangmaozi was stunned for a moment and said quickly, "Hey. Stop it, it will be over soon. This water is very cold."
Liu Ziyuan glared at her, "Who doesn't know that the water is cold, but your mother is willing to do it for you. She comes to wash in the stream in March. What's wrong with boiling a pot of hot water at home?!"
When Xiangmaozi saw someone taking over, she quickly put her hands under her armpits to warm them. "It's also a waste of firewood," she argued.
Zi Yuan is a little girl with a fierce personality, "What's wrong with spending some firewood? You don't get all the firewood in your house. But you can't do it? Humph, it's not because we are not biological children."
When Xiangmaozi heard this, he didn't respond.
He just lowered his head and clamped his armpits hard, hoping that his hands would relax faster.
Zi Wan used to know that she didn't speak ill of her mother outside, so she stopped talking. He just sighed.
Xiangmaozi asked repeatedly, "Is it cold? It's better for me to do it. You can't get used to this. Even if you have frostbite, Aunt Liu will still curse."
Speaking of this, Zi Wan's eyes suddenly turned red, "It's better to get used to it sooner, maybe in a few days, I will have to dress in ice water every day." After saying this, Zi Wan beat her clothes harder, as if to vent her anger.
Although the two little girls quarrel every day, they actually have a great relationship. Lemongrass comforted Zi Wan, "Your mother treats you very well. She doesn't want to use you much. How could she let you wash clothes in ice water?"
Zi Yuan choked in a low voice and said, "You don't know, my mother has been proposing marriage to my brother recently."
Xiang Maozi opened her mouth wide, "Brother Rusong wants to discuss marriage." Rusong is Ziyuan's biological brother, Liu Rusong. He is 5 years older than Aster and is now nearly sixteen years old.
Zi Yuan nodded, "My mother fell in love with the daughter of Cheng Orion's family at the foot of Qishan Mountain, but his family must give her a bride price of 20 taels of silver."
"Twenty taels!" Xiangmaozi sighed sincerely.
In a remote and poor mountain village like Qishan, most of the villagers are self-sufficient, and their daily needs are bartered in the market. Silver is a rare commodity for them. For most people, when they marry their daughter, it is extremely respectable to have a bride price of 1 to 2 taels of silver as a gift. Cheng Orion's daughter asked for a gift of twenty taels of silver. In the little Xiangmaozi's heart, it was already an astronomical amount.
"Why is her daughter so noble? She has never seen such a large amount of money, she has never even heard of it." Xiangmaozi sighed.
"It's not because the second son of his family was chosen by Huang Xianzhu to be his apprentice. Everyone said that his family has a destiny, but even his daughter's worth has risen." Zi Yuan heard her mother talk about this every day, so she knew it clearly.
"Huang Xianzhu?! Is he the Taoist from Huangshi Town next door?" Xiangmaozi asked.
"That's him." Aster said.
Among the seven villages around Qishan, there is only one Taoist temple, and there is only one Huang Xianzhu in the Taoist temple. Ziyuan and Xiangmaozi do not know what magical magic Huang Xianzhu has, and they have never seen it. But they have known since childhood that whenever there is a big or small matter in the family, whether life, old age, illness or death, they have to carry the chickens and ducks to pray.
If there is a patient, Huang Xianzhu will also draw a talisman on yellow paper and give it to someone to take back. Burn it and drink it with wine. Of course, this talisman requires additional money, at least ten coins.
Naturally, Xiangmaozi had to fight hard when she got sick. However, two years earlier, when her younger brother fell ill, her stepmother took her chickens, ducks and money to pay homage to Huang Xian. She brought back a narrow gray-yellow note and prayed devoutly before burning it. Her brother took it. Sure enough, my brother was fine.
Her stepmother told everyone she met that it was Huang Xianzhu who saved her son. Later, I sent fresh mountain goods several times.
"Tell me, are there really immortals in this world?" Lemongrass asked Aster in a low voice.
"You are seeking death!" Zi Wan was startled by her question. She looked around, as if there was an invisible person staring at them, and replied in a lower voice, almost a whisper, "Of course. Immortals all live in Heaven knows everything and is omnipotent!" After saying this, he pointed to the top of his head carefully.
Lemongrass followed her finger and looked up. There was only a clear blue sky without clouds. Her neck was sore and her eyes were dizzy, but she couldn't see anything.
"There's nothing." Lemongrass complained.
"Of course you can't see it. Immortals are all blind," Zi Wan said proudly, "Do you know why my mother must hire a girl from Cheng Orion's family?! That's because his second son can enter Huang Xianzhu's sect, which shows that he He has a fairy fate. What about his sister? If her sister also has a fairy fate, won't all the sons and daughters of our family belong to our family in the future?! My mother said that we must hire a daughter from the Cheng family, so that the children of the family can transcend the mortal world and become immortals. , become heavenly beings. That is when the whole family ascends to heaven!"
Xiangmaozi listened to what Ziyuan said and couldn't help but sigh, "Aunt Liu thinks really far."
Aster nodded proudly. But before she was proud of the incense, she began to feel depressed again, "Cheng Orion also knew that his family's immortality was rare, so he offered such a sky-high price. But my mother must hire a girl from the Cheng family. She can only try to get mine. On my body."
"On your body?" Xiangmaozi repeated blankly, not understanding.
Zi Yuan looked sad, "I am the only one in our family who is still worth a few taels. My mother has been asking around these days to see if anyone is willing to hire a girl at a high price. But anyone who pays a high price to hire a girl is either stupid or crippled. Lame. In short, he is not a regular person. I may be miserable in the future." At this point, she couldn't help but began to mourn, hugging her knees and crying.
Xiangmaozi stared blankly at her friend crying heart-breakingly, but had no words to comfort him. Girls like them are just an object in the family. Their parents want to sell them off, so what can others say? She could only hug Zi Yuan's shoulders tightly and push harder, trying to pass on comfort and courage in this way.
After a long time, Zi Wan had enough crying. Their eyes were red and swollen, and the two of them were afraid of being scolded if they went back. I also picked up pebbles from the mountain stream and froze them for a long time before taking the washed clothes home.
Because she had been delayed in the mountains for a long time, Xiangmaozi went home and was busy lighting the fire, warming the stove, boiling water, making pancakes, cooking wild vegetables, and finally simmering pig food with water. Xiangmaozi was busy all the time.
But just like that, when her father and stepmother came home, she had just finished her work and was feeding chickens in the yard. There is a bundle of firewood at my feet that I haven't had time to chop.
"Why are you so slow today?" Her stepmother looked at her suspiciously.
"Yeah." Xiang Maozi responded. No explanation.
"Mom! Xiangmao Zi must have gone out to play again to stop working! You should beat her quickly." Her six-year-old brother Xin Mao gestured with a thin reed pole.
Xiangmaozi quickly brought up the prepared meal, poured a basin of hot water for her father, and put up a cloth towel. With this action, no one cared about her being late for cooking.
The family eats around the table.
But on the table, apart from a bowl of paste for each person, there was only a small plate of fried chicken in front of his father. How big can an egg be? Even though a lot of lemongrass seeds have been mixed into it, it still looks like only a few small pieces. Except for her brother, no one reached into the bowl with chopsticks.
"Goddess Yu has been coming to the village these days." Her stepmother told her father.
"The weasel has entered the house." Xin Lang is a strong man who doesn't talk much.
"Talk nonsense, don't offend the gods." Her stepmother was afraid that Xin Dalang would offend the gods, so she knocked on the table three times, "I heard that this year is the time for the mountain god to marry a wife. This is probably why Goddess Yu came here this time. "
"Hmph!" Xin Wang snorted heavily, but said nothing more. Madam Xin's warning just now had an effect.
"What does it mean for a mountain god to marry a wife?" Xin Mao's younger brother asked crisply.
When Mrs. Xin looked up, she found that both Xiangmaozi and Xin Mao were looking at her curiously, waiting for the answer.
She wanted to scold her, but then she thought about it. Now that her children are growing up, they need to know these things to some extent, so that they have some scruples so as not to offend the gods.
"There are immortal caves in the sky, which are in charge of the sun, moon and stars, and the world's major events. But the rivers and rivers are also guarded by immortals. They protect the world of peace and good weather. The immortals in the river are called river gods, and the immortals on the mountains are called mountain gods." Lady Xin Explained to the children, "But it is hard work for the mountain god to protect the human world. Therefore, every few years, people will choose the most beautiful girl to marry the mountain god to express their gratitude. It can also bless the human world for the next few years." Good weather."
"Then why do you have to marry a girl to the mountain god every few years? Aren't you already married?" Although Xin Mao is young, his mind is obviously very clear.
Her mother was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer her son.
However, his father slapped the table hard and said, "You don't have to talk so much while eating."
Xin Mao was obviously more afraid of his father, so he didn't dare to ask anymore, but his big eyes moved around, obviously planning something.
Lady Xin ignored Xin Mao's mischief and continued chatting with Xin Dalang, "In recent years, the mountain god's temper has become worse and worse, and girls are hard to find. I heard that this time Goddess Yu paid a high price of twenty taels of silver. Here's the betrothal gift!"
Xin Mao coughed heavily and cursed, "It's all money for evil."
Mrs. Xin stopped talking.
Twenty taels of silver!
This number struck Xiang Maozi's heart like a bolt of lightning.
Aster, Aster needs twenty taels of silver.
Lemongrass quickly took a few mouthfuls of rice paste into his mouth, not knowing what it tasted like. She thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't hold it back and asked her stepmother, "Now that I'm married to a mountain god, can I come home and see her? Will I get beaten?"
Her stepmother didn't expect that she would ask this, and gave her a sideways glance, "I don't know how many girls have married mountain gods in recent years. They always carry a big red sedan with eight people up there, and then pick up the sedan again seven days later. That's it."
Finished? ! Xiangmaozi didn't understand, she asked blankly, "Well, where is the bride?"
Her stepmother sneered, "The bride? She will probably become a fairy from now on. Anyway, no one will see her again. In a few years, the mountain god will lose his temper, so he will send another girl up."
Xin Mao shouted with a smile, "The bride has become an immortal, the bride has become an immortal."
Only Xiang Maozi, whose face was pale, clutched the chopsticks tightly with his fingers, as if he was frightened.
Twenty taels of silver.
It turns out that twenty taels of silver is the money to buy a life!