Ji Chenru quickly ran back with a basket on his back. Wang Gu'an was watching the well digging and soil transporting next to the well. Ji Chenru kicked Wang Gu'an in the butt, almost making the boy in straw sandals fall to his knees. When he turned around and saw that it was the tall boy, he didn't care. Ji Chenru said carelessly, "It's done. Master Ruan told me to stay here honestly these days and not run around. I'll dig wells during the day and work iron at night. After ten and a half days, I'll be his first apprentice in this town, or what's called a pioneer apprentice. I brought you a basket to help you feel the stones, from the blacksmith shop to the covered bridge. We've agreed in advance that I can't help you with the puddle in Qingniubei. Master Ruan said that if I dare to take half a step north and west of the covered bridge these days, he'll break my legs."
Ji Chenru put his arm around the boy's neck and whispered, "Master Ruan said that things won't be lost in a small town. He also said that those outsiders follow a very strange rule. They can be fair merchants, swindlers, and even beggars who pick up rags, but they can't be sneaky thieves. They say that here, God won't take a nap or close his eyes, and he's just staring at us. Don't you think it's creepy? Anyway, it scares me."
Ji Chenru suddenly threatened, "Mr. Wang, you can continue to live in my house, but don't wait for me to come back. You've already sold my armor!"
Wang Gu'an punched Ji Chenru in the chest, causing the tall boy to let go immediately. He rubbed his hands a few times before catching his breath and cursed: "How can you have so much strength, you skinny little monkey! Can walking a hundred miles of mountain roads with old man He every now and then, or chopping wood and burning charcoal in the mountains for a few months, increase your strength to death?"
Wang Gu'an smiled and said, "Anyway, I can run back to the town before you with a basket of stones on my back."
Ji Chenru squinted and said, "Then let's see who can hold his breath longer underwater?"
Near the stream, Wang Gu'an bent down and rolled up his trouser legs, saying casually, "I won't do anything that only compares one breath."
Before entering the water, Wang Gu'an pulled a lot of spring grass from the stream to pad the basket, and also nagged that he should pad more grass after picking up twenty stones. Ji Chenru was so annoyed that he wanted to throw the basket on his back to Wang Gu'an, but the latter refused, saying that if he carried the basket himself, given Ji Chenru's impetuous temper, he would definitely throw stones into the basket, and he would feel bad. Ji Chenru almost gave up on the spot. These colorful stones have been worthless for thousands of years. Why do you, Wang Gu'an, become so precious and delicate? You dare to complain that Uncle Liu's method is not gentle enough?
But in the end, the tall boy was still reluctant to go into the water to touch the stones, and Wang Gu'an followed him on the left and right, intending to thoroughly sweep the stream. The stream here is still mostly knee-high, and only in some slightly higher places will the water level reach the waist. Occasionally, there are small puddles as tall as a person, mostly where huge rocks gather. When it comes to these places, it is time for Ji Chenru to show his skills. First, he took off the basket and handed it to the straw sandal boy squatting on the boulder. He dived to the bottom of the water in one breath and took out the snake gallstone he wanted from the gaps between the huge rocks and even the layers of piled stones.
Of course, Wang Gu'an can do it, but it will be very hard and take much more time and effort than Ji Chenru.
Before he touched the corridor bridge, the basket was already 70% full. There was a dark green snake gallstone in it. Ji Chenru touched it three times at the bottom of a deep pit before he finally found it. It was as big as a palm, mixed with golden stars, with wavy patterns, and the stone was hard and fine. It was very heavy to touch. When Wang Gu'an rubbed it with his hand, he felt a glittering and sharp feeling.
Anyone who is not blind will know that this stone is very special.
Finally, the two young men sat side by side on a huge rock in the stream. Ji Chenru rested his hands on the rock, looked at the slowly flowing stream, and asked, "Wang Gu'an, have you ever thought about leaving the town in the future?"
Wang Gu'an replied, "I haven't thought about it yet. You need money to go far away, and after leaving, what should I do with the house? No one will help me clean it up. What if it collapses one day? And I need to pull weeds at my parents' graves frequently."
Ji Chenru said helplessly, "Why do you always think about so many useless things? It's boring. No wonder Ye Dan said that you are destined to be trapped in a ghost wall. You will never get out of such a small place in your life."
Wang Gu'an turned around and asked with a smile, "Do you remember what I told you last time, that tree."
Ji Chenru said unhappily, "Is it worth making a fuss if there is a tree growing on the grave? Besides, that is the grave of another ancestor of the Wang family. It has nothing to do with you, Wang Gu'an!"
Wang Gu'an sat cross-legged and sighed softly, "I wonder if there are many people with the surname Wang outside the town."
Ji Chenru teased, "I don't know about people outside the town. I only know that there are only a few people with the surname Wang in the town, and except for you, it seems that all of them are the children of the four surnames and ten clans, and they have been slaves for generations. The funny thing is that these people are treated like cattle and horses in the house, bowing their heads, but as soon as they leave those big houses, they immediately change their faces when they see everyone, and they like to look down on people the most. So what old man He said is right. If you, Wang Gu'an, become their servant one day, then your branch of the Wang family that has not moved out of the town will be wiped out."
According to old man He, there were originally two branches of people with the surname Wang in the town, but one of them moved out very early. Wang Gu'an's branch was also prosperous in the past, but this "before" was too long ago. Even old man He couldn't tell clearly whether it was hundreds of years, five hundred years, eight hundred years? Or a thousand years? Later, they were divided into several branches, and the population became increasingly scarce. The luck was probably taken away by the branch that moved out. The incense was often cut off, so that many graves were gradually left unattended. In addition, the hills where most of the graves were located were gradually turned into forbidden mountains by the supervisors sent by the court.
The last time Old Man He took Wang Gu'an into the mountains, when passing by one of the hills, he pointed to a place and said that it was the burial place of the ancestor of another branch of the Wang family. The grave was on that mountain and the feng shui was very good. As for Wang Gu'an's branch, Old Man He said that even the gods could not find it. In the past few hundred years, the descendants of this branch of the surname Wang have been useless. They are all poor people. Except for struggling to not serve as slaves for the four surnames and ten clans, they are useless.
Wang Gu'an once secretly went to look for the grave of the ancestor of the Wang family. When he arrived at the place, he saw only weeds and many foxes and rabbits, but no grave. Among them, there was a tree that the boy in straw sandals could not recognize. It was not tall and was much shorter than the old locust tree in the town.
The weeds were overgrown, foxes and rabbits were everywhere, and the tree was lonely and thriving.
Wang Gu'an shook his head and said, "Before my mother passed away, she asked me to swear that I could beg for food, but even if I starved to death, I would not be allowed to be a servant of those rich families."
Ji Chenru blurted out, "Before your mother died, didn't she also ask you to swear that you would never be an apprentice in the dragon kiln?"
The boy in straw sandals looked gloomy. He did not refute, nor did he get angry after being exposed.
Ji Chenru felt a little guilty, but he was not the type to say "sorry" after doing something wrong, so he had to pretend that nothing had happened. He stood up and said, "Let's go, dig a well. By the way, I'll talk to Master Ruan and try to get you to come here as a temporary apprentice. It will be easy to touch stones then."
Wang Gu'an said, "Don't worry, wait until those two groups give up and leave the town. I'll help you look after the house during this time."
Ji Chenru asked curiously, "Why do you think I can escape the disaster by learning from Master Ruan?"
Wang Gu'an thought about it and said uncertainly, "Just like when it rains suddenly, you have to find a roof to hide, right?"
Ji Chenru turned his head and looked at the Jianlu Iron Shop, "Who do you think Master Ruan is? He doesn't look like a very powerful person. Can he suppress those two groups of people?"
Wang Gu'an comforted him, "Don't judge a person by appearance."
Ji Chenru turned his head and said, "You, Wang Gu'an, look like a poor man, so are you a poor man?"
Wang Gu'an grinned, speechless.
Ji Chenru stood up and asked, "Do you want me to carry it to the covered bridge?"
Wang Gu'an shook his head and said, "No, it's not heavy."
"Remember to return the basket to me next time."
After Ji Chenru finished speaking, he jumped off the boulder and walked quickly in the stream, splashing countless water.
Wang Gu'an carried the basket, carefully got off the boulder, and after getting ashore, he slowly walked towards the covered bridge.
After Wang Gu'an walked for a while, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Ji Chenru.
In the warm sunshine of early spring, the tall boy snatched the basket from the boy in straw sandals, carried it on his own, turned around and said sarcastically, "From a distance, you look like a little grasshopper carrying a big stone with the basket on your back. It's really pitiful. I'll be kind and help you carry it to the covered bridge first."
In the spring breeze, the two boys walked together.
"Mr. Wang, if I succeed in my studies, I will definitely go out and see the world, marry a wife prettier than Shi Hui, drink the most expensive wine, live in the biggest house, and ride the fastest horse!"
"I want to see mountains as high as the sky, and rivers that are countless times bigger than our stream."
"In short, I, Ji Chenru, will never stay here and wait for death for the rest of my life."
In the spring breeze, the tall boy looks forward to the future, and the boy in straw sandals chews grass roots, one talks, the other listens.
————
Wang Gu'an carried a basket of stones back to Ji Chenru's yard. He still picked out the most attractive stones and took them to the side room. The rest were still left in the kitchen. After locking the door and the gate, he ran to Niping Lane. When he arrived at his own yard, he saw the girl in black sitting in the yard basking in the sun. Wang Gu'an greeted her and started to boil medicine.
There were constant chopping sounds from the yard next door. This was very strange. Although Ye Dan lived a life without a father or a mother in the eyes of outsiders, he had been well-fed and well-clothed for so many years, and he was even well-off. He dared not say that he lived better than the young masters in the four surnames' houses, but he was indeed not worse than the direct descendants of the ten clans. The four treasures of the study, the elegant toys on the desk, the study room, and many luxury items that Wang Gu'an had never seen or heard of were moved into Ye Dan's house every now and then. In fact, Ye Dan never had any real dirty and laborious work. Pickled vegetables were too smelly, so Ye Dan did not allow his maid Shi Hui to do it. Chopping wood was too tiring, so Ye Dan bought bundles of firewood and bags of high-quality charcoal every year.
When Wang Gu'an brought the medicine soup to the black-clothed girl, people in the next yard were still chopping wood intermittently. When Ning was drinking medicine, Wang Gu'an could not help but walk to the wall of the courtyard, and looked on tiptoe. He found that Shi Hui was holding a kitchen knife and chopping "a person". It was a wooden embryo. Wang Gu'an had been firing porcelain for many years, and he had seen many good things, and he had chopped countless trees, so he could tell the depth at a glance. The wood was as jade-colored, and it must be a very old object. Moreover, the puppet was covered with dense red and black spots. The puppet had been chopped and chopped by Shi Hui, and it was chopped into many pieces.
The girl suddenly turned around and found Wang Gu'an. With her face covered in sweat and stains, she raised her arm, wiped her face, and said with a forced smile: "You are back. I wanted to borrow a hatchet from you before, but your guest was unwilling to open the door for me."
Wang Gu'an was stunned for a moment, "I will get you the hatchet now. Don't use too much force at the beginning. The hatchet is not like a kitchen knife. It is easy to slip. Don't hurt yourself."
The girl sat on the small bench, exhausted, and waved her hand, saying: "I know, go get it quickly."
When Wang Gu'an took back the hatchet, the girl was already standing on the other side of the courtyard wall and asked with a smile: "Do you know what that is?"
Wang Gu'an shook his head and said: "I don't know."
Shi Hui did not give an answer either. She turned around and continued to sit on the small bench and chop hard.
Wang Gu'an was very anxious because of her awkward and stagnant movements and her thankless and wrong postures. However, since she didn't ask for help, Wang Gu'an didn't take it personally. He turned around and found that Miss Ning was no longer in the yard. Wang Gu'an remembered something and walked quickly to the house. He put something on the table opposite the girl in black.
It was a snake gallstone, which could be held in one hand. It was like a piece of frozen honey, with fine texture and very bright color.
Ning He was a little surprised.
Wang Gu'an smiled and said, "Miss Ning, this is for you."
The girl in black, who never left her knife, suddenly asked, "Do you like this one the most?"
Wang Gu'an was a little embarrassed, "This one... probably ranks fourth. I have hidden the best three pieces."
She took the stone, twisted it with two fingers, and raised it above her head. The light entered the house through the window and shone on the stone.
She raised her head, squinted her eyes, and carefully observed the subtle lines of the stone.
She looked at the stone.
The boy looked at her.
————
In the middle of the night, a boy sneaked into Niping Lane, like a wild cat walking at night, silently, and quietly came to Gu Can's yard. He found the big water tank placed in the corner of the yard. After squatting down, he found that the snake gallstones that were originally neatly stacked had been picked up by someone, as if this person knew the value of stones earlier than Wang Gu'an. Gu Can was the only freak in the town who liked to collect snake gallstones, and no matter how many he found in the stream, he only took one home each time. The child only picked the most pleasing stone. Over time, he saved up fifty or sixty stones, which he used to cover the gap at the bottom of the water tank.
After Wang Gu'an moved away many dried snake gallstones, he saw that there was no trace of excavation at the bottom of the water tank, and he was relieved.
He began to dig the soil with his right hand bit by bit, and finally when he touched the butter paper, his heart was shocked and he slowed down.
Finally, he took out an object wrapped in butter paper, which looked like a book.
After hiding it in his arms, Wang Gu'an filled the soil back again and looked at the snake gallstones carefully. The remaining stones were all "dead". Compared with the stones Wang Gu'an had picked up from the creek twice, they were completely different in color, texture and weight. The stones in front of him were like lifeless old people, while the ones Wang Gu'an picked up were like newborn babies, full of vitality.
Wang Gu'an thought about it and planned to leave Niping Lane from the direction of his house.
When he walked to the gate of Ye Dan's house, he heard a creaking sound and the door opened. Wang Gu'an had to pretend to knock on his door and shouted, "Miss Ning, are you asleep? I'm back to get something."
The lights in the house soon came on, and the girl in black opened the gate for Wang Gu'an.
Next door, the maid Shi Hui walked out of the house slowly. After arriving at the yard, she saw the shadowy figure of Wang Gu'an, holding a large yellowed book in her arms. She shook her head and smacked her lips, as if she had just caught a pair of adulterers.
She walked alone in Niping Lane, jumping and skipping.
Her golden double pupils looked particularly cold and sacred in the alley at night.
The slender and graceful girl looked like a dragon wandering in a narrow crevice, as if she would turn into a dragon as soon as she walked out of the alley.
————
Although Ning He let Wang Gu'an enter the yard and even the house, her face was not good. She sat at the table, one arm resting on the scabbard, and her fingers gently tapped the handle.
After Wang Gu'an confirmed that Shi Hui had walked into the alley, he explained awkwardly, "I went to Gu Can's house to get something, but she was just about to go out, so I had to hide here. Miss Ning, please don't think too much."
She asked, "What is it?"
Wang Gu'an hesitated for a moment and took out the butter paper package, "I don't know now."
She turned around and said, "Open it yourself first, and then decide whether to let me know."
Wang Gu'an nodded, sat across from her table, opened the layers of butter paper, and mud kept rolling on the table, and finally an ancient book was revealed.
There were only two words on the cover of the ancient book, and Wang Gu'an only recognized one of them, mountain.
He put the ancient book on the table, turned it around, pushed it to the girl in black, and asked curiously, "Miss Ning, how do you read this word?"
The girl turned around again, glanced down, and said, "Shake."
The title of the book is Shake Mountain.