There is a well in Xinghua Lane, called the iron lock well, an iron chain as thick as a young arm, year after year, hanging in the wellhead, when there is this well with this iron lock, and who does this boring thing strange thing, no one knows the truth for a long time, even the oldest old man in the town, can not say that he is ugly.
It is rumored that there were good people in the town, trying to test how long the iron chain is, despite the dissuasion of the old people, for "those who pull the iron lock out of the well, every foot out, lose a year", this old rule passed down from mouth to mouth, the man did not take it seriously at all, but after pulling a stick of incense, he pulled out a large number of iron chains, but still did not see the end of the sign, the man was exhausted, so he let the iron chains that were dragged out of the well, coiled beside the wheel of the well, saying that he would come again tomorrow, he did not believe in this evil. After the man returned home, he bled that day and died violently on the bed, and he did not blink his eyes, no matter how hard the family tossed, the corpse just couldn't close his eyes, and finally there was an old man who had lived near the well for generations, and let the family carry the body to the well, and "watched" the old man put the chains back into the well, and when the whole chain was again straight into the deep water at the mouth of the well, the corpse finally closed its eyes.
An old man and a young man slowly walked to the iron lock well, the little guy was a child with two slugs still hanging, but when he told this story, he spoke clearly and methodically, not at all like a little country doll who had only been studying for half a year, at this time the child was raising his head, big eyes, like two black grapes, he gently sniffed, and the two snot snakes retracted, the child looked at the storyteller who was holding the big white bowl in one hand, Nunu's mouth, and said: "I'm done, you should also show me what you have in the bowl, right?" "
The old man smiled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, wait until you get to the edge of the well and sit down, and then show you enough." "
The child "kindly" reminded: "Don't go back, or you won't die well, just get to the side of the iron lock well, you will be planted in it, then I won't fish for you to get the body, or there will be a sudden thunder, just split you into a piece of coke, then I will take a stone, little by little to break the ...."
The old man listened to the child's bamboo tube pouring beans, a large string of vicious and obscure words without repetition, he really had a headache, and hurriedly said: "I must show you, by the way, who did you learn these words from?" "
The child said categorically: "Follow my mother!" "
The old man sighed with emotion: "It is worthy of being an outstanding person, Zhong Lingyu is beautiful." "
The child suddenly stopped, frowned, and said, "Are you scolding?" I know that some people like to say good things in reverse, such as Ye Tang! "
The old man hurriedly denied it, then changed the topic and asked, "Do strange things often happen in the town?" "
The child nodded.
The old man asked, "Tell me about it."
The child pointed at the old man and said seriously, "For example, you carry a big white bowl and refuse to let people put copper coins in it. Before you finished telling the story, my mother said that you told it well, but it was confusing and you looked like a swindler, so she asked me to give you a few coins, but you refused to accept it. What's in the bowl?"
The old man didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It turned out that the storyteller who had finished telling the story under the old locust tree asked the child to lead him to Xinghua Lane to see the well. The child was not happy at first, so the old man said that his big white bowl was very particular and contained an extraordinary and rare thing. The child was naturally lively and active. His parents said that he forgot to grow a butt when he was reincarnated. He liked to follow Ji Chenru and his gang of playboys to wander around when he was very young. However, in order to catch an eel or loach, the little brat could stay in the sun for half an hour without moving, with amazing patience.
So when the old man said what was in the white bowl, the child immediately took the bait.
Even though the old man made a strange request at the beginning, saying that he wanted to try to lift him to see how heavy he was and whether he weighed 40 kilograms, the child nodded and agreed without hesitation. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to lift him a few times.
But something happened that made the child roll his eyes again and again. The old man, who held the bowl in his left hand, tried his best to lift him with his right hand for five or six times, but he couldn't lift him up successfully once. The child finally glanced at the old man's thin arms and legs and shook his head, thinking that Wang Gu'an, a poor guy, was much stronger than this old man, even though they were both thin. Just thinking that he hadn't seen the scene in the white bowl yet, he refrained from saying something that would embarrass the old man, just like a child who was born with early enlightenment. You know, in the area of Niping Lane and Xinghua Lane, this child ranks third in quarreling and swearing, especially speaking in a sarcastic way. The second is the scholar Ye Dan, and the first is this child's mother.
The old man came to the well, but did not sit on the wellhead.
The ancient well was built with blue bricks.
Invisibly, the old man's breathing became heavy.
The child walked to the well, turned his back to the well mouth, jumped back, and sat on the well mouth.
The old man was sweating coldly at this scene. If he was not careful, the bastard would fall directly into it. With the historical origin of this ancient well, it would be difficult to collect the body.
The old man slowly stepped forward, squinted his eyes, leaned over to examine the iron lock, one end of which was tied to the bottom of the well wheel.
"A Feng Shui resort, the best in the world."
The old man looked around, with mixed feelings, thinking: "Who will end up with this important item?"
The old man stretched out his free left hand and stared at the palm of his hand.
The palm lines were mottled and complex.
But a new line appeared, slowly extending, like a crack in a broken porcelain.
When a god looks at a palm, it's like looking at mountains and rivers.
It's just that the old man was only looking at himself at the moment.
The old man frowned and exclaimed: "It's only been half a day, and it's already such a bleak situation. Aren't those people the same?"
The child was already standing on the well, with one hand on his waist and one hand pointing at the old man, urging loudly: "Are you going to show me the white bowl?!"
The old man said helplessly: "Come down quickly, come down quickly, I will show you the big white bowl."
The child was skeptical, but finally jumped down the well.
The old man hesitated for a moment, his face solemn, "Little boy, you and I are destined to meet. It's okay to show you the mystery of this bowl, but after you see it, you are not allowed to tell others about it, even your mother. If you can do it, I will let you see it. If you can't, even if you poke your back, I won't let you see it at all."
The child blinked, "Let's start."
The old man walked forward to the well mouth solemnly, and when he lowered his head, he found that the bastard had changed to sitting on the well mouth with his legs apart. The old man regretted provoking this lawless little kid.
The old man gathered his distracting thoughts, faced the well mouth, grasped the bottom of the big white bowl with five fingers, and began to tilt his palm slightly, with an almost undetectable amplitude.
The child felt that he had been waiting for a long time, but there was no movement from the white bowl above his head, and the old man kept that posture all the time.
Just before the child's two slugs were about to hang on his mouth and his patience ran out,
A stream of water as thick as a finger poured out of the white bowl and fell into the depths of the well without a sound.
The child bared his teeth and was about to curse.
He suddenly closed his mouth, a little surprised. After a moment, the child's face had changed from shock to confusion. Then, the child began to be afraid, suddenly came to his senses, jumped down the well and fled to his home.
It turned out that the amount of water that the old man poured into the well with the white bowl was more than a large water tank.
But water kept pouring out of the white bowl.
The child thought he must have seen a ghost during the day.
————
Ji Chenru casually broke a newly sprouted branch from the roadside and started practicing sword. The whole person was like a rolling wheel, spinning crazily, not caring about the new boots on his feet at all, and raising countless dust on the path.
The tall boy left the town and walked from north to south. As long as he crossed the covered bridge built by Mr. Ye and walked another three or four miles, he would reach the blacksmith shop opened by the Ruan family father and daughter. Ji Chenru was actually always arrogant, but Master Ruan only needed one sentence to make the boy admire him, "We come here just to open the furnace and forge swords."
Sword forging is good. When Ji Chenru thought about having a real sword in the future, he couldn't help getting excited. He threw away the branch and started running and shouting, howling like ghosts and wolves.
Ji Chenru thought about the boxing postures that Master Ruan taught privately, and began to practice them. He was quite good and vigorous.
The boy was getting closer and closer to the covered bridge.
Four people were sitting on the steps at the north end of the covered bridge. A beautiful and plump woman was holding a boy in a red robe in her arms. He raised his chin high, like a general who had just won a great victory. At the other end of the steps, a tall old man with frost on his head was sitting next to him. The old man was whispering to comfort a sulky little girl. She was as delicate as the most exquisite porcelain doll in the world. Her tender skin was crystal clear under the sunlight, so that the veins under her skin could be clearly seen.
The two children had just finished quarreling. The little girl was about to cry, and the little boy was more proud.
The old man was burly, like a small mountain. The woman next to him cast an apologetic look, but the majestic old man turned a blind eye to it.
At the bottom of the steps, there was a young man named Lu. He was the eldest grandson of the head of the Lu family, named Lu Zhengchun. Perhaps it was true that the land and water of a place could nurture the people of that place. People who were born and raised in the town always had better looks than men and women from other places. However, Lu Zhengchun had long been drained of his foundation by alcohol and sex, and in the eyes of the four people sitting on the steps, he was even more unbearable. The number and scale of dragon kilns owned by the Lu family were the highest in the town, and it was also the family with the most children leaving the town and spreading out to other places. However, Lu Zhengchun, who used to be very powerful in the town, looked reserved and pale, and his whole body was tense, as if he would be confiscated and his entire family would be executed if he made a mistake.
The boy said something that the townspeople couldn't understand, "Mom, this little bug surnamed Liu, his ancestor is really that..."
When he was about to say the name, the woman immediately covered the child's mouth, "Before leaving, your father has told you many times that you can't easily name anyone here."
The boy pried open the woman's hand, his eyes were burning, and he lowered his voice and asked, "Did his family really pass down the treasure armor and sword scripture from generation to generation?"
The woman touched the young son's head lovingly and said softly, "The Lu family has guaranteed with half of the family tree that the two things are still hidden in the young man's home."
The boy suddenly said coquettishly, "Mom, mom, can we exchange treasures with Xiaobai's family? The treasure armor we are planning is too ugly. Mom, think about it, if we exchange it for that sword scripture, we can use the flying sword to take the head in a dream, which is really unnoticed by gods and ghosts. Isn't it much more powerful than a turtle shell?"
Without waiting for the woman to explain the origin of the matter, the girl next door said angrily: "You think you can get your hands on our long-lost treasure? This time we come here to return the property to its original owner, not like some shameless guys who are robbers, thieves, or even beggars!"
The boy turned his head and made a face, then sneered: "You said it yourself, it's the treasure of the mountain, it's just the seniority of the mountain gate, it's great?"
The boy suddenly changed his playful expression, stood up from the woman's arms, and looked down at the little girl with pity, like a school teacher scolding a childish child, "The great way of longevity, acting against the will of heaven, just arguing about words. If you don't even understand this truth, how can you inherit the family business in the future, and how can you abide by the ancestral precepts? You, the descendants of Zhengyang Mountain, must raise Zhengyang Mountain by at least 100 feet every 30 years. Stinky girl, do you think it's easy from your grandfather to your father?"
The little girl lost her momentum, looked depressed, and hung her head, not daring to look at the boy.
The burly old man with frosty hair said in a deep voice: "Madam, although children's words are innocent, if you harm my young master's moral integrity, you will have to consider the consequences yourself."
The woman smiled charmingly, pulled the gloomy young son back into her arms, and said with a hidden needle: "The children are just quarreling, why do you have to make such a big deal, don't ruin the thousand-year friendship between our two families."
Unexpectedly, the old man had an extremely strong temper and directly said, "I have been in Zhengyang Mountain for 2,600 years. I will repay kindness even if it has been a thousand years, and I will repay grievances without overnight grudges!"
The woman smiled and did not argue.
Everyone had a heavy responsibility on this trip to the town, especially her, who was gambled her life, her son's future, and her mother's family's foundation.
Although the woman was dressed in simple clothes, she was graceful. However, the people in the small town had never seen the world and did not know the secrets.
From beginning to end, Lu Zhengchun always had his back to the steps of the corridor bridge.
The first time he saw these distinguished guests in the Lu family mansion, his younger brother was just young and energetic, and lacked self-control. He temporarily forgot his grandfather's warning and could not help but sneak a peek at the beautiful woman's chest. He was then dragged down by his grandfather who was trembling with anger and was beaten to death in the courtyard. It seemed that his mouth was stuffed with cotton cloth during the execution. Therefore, Lu Zhengchun, who continued to accompany his grandfather in the lobby to discuss matters, could neither hear his brother's miserable wailing nor see the bloody scene. After the discussion was over, they went out together to look for the young man surnamed Liu. When Lu Zhengchun stepped out of the lobby, he found that the bloodstains in the courtyard had been cleaned up. The four guests who came from afar, even the two children who looked like a golden boy and a jade girl, did not feel strange about this, as if this was a matter of course.
At that moment, Lu Zhengchun was a little confused.
How could the death of a person seem worse than the death of a dog?
What's more, the man's surname was Lu. Late at night the day before, when he was drinking with his brother to boost his courage, he was extremely excited and said that he would definitely rise to prominence and bring honor to the family. The two brothers would no longer be frogs in the well, but would join hands to create a world outside.
Lu Zhengchun's mind was still blank until he walked out of the Lu family mansion.
After that, Lu Zhengchun began to feel fear. When strange nobles asked questions, his voice would tremble, and when he led the way, his steps would be erratic. He knew that he would be laughed at, disappointed his grandfather, and brought shame to the family, but the young man really couldn't control his fear, as if his whole body was oozing cold from the bones.
At the end of last year, the grandfather took them into a secret room and told them a piece of news. The Lu family would soon work for some nobles. It was a great blessing. They must be careful. If they succeeded, the Lu family would use the reward as a stepping stone to cultivate the two brothers. As long as the nobles were willing to nod, there would be a bright road under their feet in the future, and they would rise to prominence and eventually gain unimaginable wealth and honor. At that time, he understood why he and his brother had to learn so many strange dialects since childhood.
Lu Zhengchun looked at Liu Yangxian, who was getting closer and closer to the corridor bridge. He suddenly began to hate this person very much. This poor guy who was once blocked in the alley by him and his men was lying on the ground like a dead dog. If it weren't for a little bastard who ran to the alley and shouted that someone was dead, he and a few of his best friends would have taken off their pants as agreed and rained down a sweet rain on the head of the ignorant boy on the ground. Until now, Lu Zhengchun still didn't understand why these nobles who were high above him would look at Ji Chenru with new eyes. As for what they called treasure armor, sword scriptures, Zhengyang Mountain, longevity road, and fighting for opportunities and luck, Lu Zhengchun seemed to understand them all, but in fact, he didn't understand them all.
But Lu Zhengchun could be sure of one thing, that is, he hoped Ji Chenru would die here.
As for the real reason, Lu Zhengchun didn't dare to admit it, nor did he want to think deeply.
Deep in his heart, Lu Zhengchun absolutely didn't want Ji Chenru, who was as humble as a dog, to see that he, the eldest son of the Lu family, who was well-dressed and well-fed, had fallen to the same level as his surname Liu.
There is no greater shame than this.
The beautiful woman looked at him and murmured, "Here it comes."
The tall boy had been punching all the way, and later he punched swiftly, faster and faster, so that the boy's body was wrapped up in the punches and staggered a little.
In the eyes of experts, the initial form of the fist has revealed a sense of hardness and softness.
There is a saying in the martial arts boxing: If you don't understand the true meaning of the fist, you will be an outsider for a hundred years. Once you understand the true meaning of the fist, you will fight ghosts and gods in ten years.
The beautiful woman felt relieved. As expected, this young man surnamed Liu was the one they were looking for. He was indeed talented. Even in their immortal mansions, his aptitude should not be underestimated.
Of course, in the vast world of beautiful women and burly white-haired old men, the largest number of people are precisely this kind of people.
The beautiful woman stood up and told Lu Zhengchun at the bottom of the stairs: "Go and tell the boy what he wants before he is willing to give up the two heirlooms, the armor and the book."
When Lu Zhengchun turned around, he bowed his head and answered in a dialect that the people of the town absolutely understood: "Yes, madam."
The woman said calmly: "Remember, when you talk to the boy, you must be kind and careful."
The boy pointed his finger, looked down at him, and said sternly: "If you mess up, I will skin you and pull out your tendons, and then refine your soul into a wick. I want you to live a life worse than death every moment before the lamp goes out!"
Lu Zhengchun was so scared that he shuddered, bent down more, and said anxiously: "I will never make mistakes!"
The little girl finally felt that she had won back a point, and sneered, "In front of these ordinary people, you are so majestic. I wonder who was called a bastard by his peers on the way here, but he didn't dare to fight back."
The burly old man actually had a very bad impression of the snobbish mother and son from the beginning, so he added, "Miss, you are wrong. It's not that you don't dare to fight back, but you don't dare to talk back."
The boy in a bright red robe gritted his teeth and stared at the girl. His face was gloomy, but he didn't say anything harsh. In the end, he smiled brightly.
The woman kept her eyes on the road ahead, her face was calm, and as for whether she had any grudges, God knows.
The little girl snorted coldly, ran down the steps, squatted by the stream, and looked down at the fish swimming in the water.
Occasionally, groups of carp swam past her sight, the number varied, and there were both red and green colors.
When some elderly people in the small town were chatting under the old locust tree, they often said that when they passed the covered bridge during thunderstorms, they had seen a golden carp swimming under the bridge.
Some elderly people said that the carp with golden scales was only the length of a palm, while others said that the strange carp was very big, at least half the length of a person, and it was almost a spirit.
There were many different opinions, and the elderly people argued back and forth, so that no one who listened to the story was willing to take it seriously.
At this time, the little girl stared at the clear stream, holding her cheeks with both hands, and her eyes were fixed.
The white-haired old man squatted beside her and laughed softly: "Miss, if the Lu family did not lie, this great opportunity would have fallen into someone else's pocket."
The little girl turned her head and grinned: "Grandpa Yuan, maybe there are two!"
So she showed a funny scene with a missing front tooth.
The little girl quickly realized this and quickly reached out to cover her mouth.
The old man suppressed his smile and explained, "The dragons that have not yet crossed the river are most particular about dividing their territory and do not allow their own kind to approach. So..."
The little girl said, "Oh", turned her head again, held her cheeks with both hands in a daze, and murmured, "What if there is a chance?"
The old man, who had always been kind and benevolent on the little girl's side, showed the look of a dignified elder for the first time, stretched out his hand and gently pressed the girl's head, and said in a deep voice, "Miss, remember, the word 'what if' is really the number one enemy of our generation, and you must never take chances! Although you are a princess..."
The little girl pulled out a hand and waved it vigorously, complaining sweetly, "I know, I know, Grandpa Yuan, my ears are going to be callused."
The old man said, "Miss, I'll keep an eye on the movement over there. Although the other party is our ally on the surface of Zhengyang Mountain, the character and behavior of that family, haha, it's better not to mention it, so as not to dirty your ears."
She just waved her hand to drive them away.
He had no choice but to leave.
This burly old man who looked like a family servant, had his hands hanging down on his knees. When he walked, his back was slightly hunched, as if he was carrying a heavy load.
The girl on the shore suddenly rubbed her eyes vigorously.
She found that the water level in the stream had clearly begun to rise slowly, visible to the naked eye!
If she were outside the town, such as in Zhengyang Mountain, or anywhere in her hometown, she would not be surprised even if the entire stream dried up in an instant.
The little girl wondered, "Isn't it said that all mysterious arts, magical powers, and Taoist methods are naturally banned here? And the higher the cultivation, the more severe the backlash? Grandpa Yuan said that even the legendary person, who has stayed here for a long time, is now in a difficult situation like a clay Buddha crossing the river, and it is difficult to really stop anyone from fighting for it..."
She finally shook her head and was too lazy to think about this puzzle anymore.
The little girl turned her head and looked at Grandpa Yuan's tall back.
She thought happily that after the ban was lifted here, she would ask Grandpa Ape to move the mountain called Piyun Mountain away.
After taking it back to her hometown, she would use it as her small flower garden.