The man was wearing an official uniform, with his hands in his arms and walking leisurely, like a wandering mountain scenery. There were two small followers behind him, one with thin white face, a cloth bag on his arms, and the other with black hands empty.

The vendors on both sides of the street were nervous. Before they could get close, they all smiled and bowed, saying, "Tax officer, you have been on patrol early today." "Master, can you eat some breakfast?" "Master, I'm a fresh fried oil cake. Please try two pieces."

The tax officer responded hummingly and walked forward step by step. The vendors handed over the tax money in the gray cloth bag behind him. Whether it was meat, vegetables, fresh fruits or peanuts, they just looked at the master's eyes and stayed for a while. They all put them in bags and delivered them together. After walking less than half a street, the cloth bags had become heavy. Another young follower was already holding them in his arms, and he couldn't take them down.

When he arrived at Changsun Xiaochi's stall, the tax officer glanced at the neatly coded fish and burst into laughter. When the two young followers laughed, they all laughed. The thin white face with the tax bag was holding the tax bag and said with a slanted look: "Sir, look at the smelly fish he was posing so neatly, like a treasure. Isn't it ridiculous?" The voice was also full of stinginess. Changsun Xiaochi nodded and said, "Even though he was laughing, he even gave the tax money into his pocket. The tax officer's eyes fell on the largest fish. He said, "Stinky fish and rotten shrimps. Enemies to deliver food."

In the past, when I saw them collecting taxes, as long as my eyes fell on the fish, Changsun Xiaochi gave them without hesitation. But today, when I looked at the fish, I looked like I saw two pairs of embroidered shoes. My body froze for a moment. I was stalemate and I was about to open my mouth. But when I saw him rubbing his hands and laughing: "Oh, this master seems to be a little unable to take it anymore. How is it good? How is it good?" As he said that, he turned around and pulled out a willow branch from the basket, hooked the twig into the big fish's mouth, lifted it up and handed it to the thin white face. He smiled and said, "You are suffering."

The thin white-faced snorted softly from his nostrils, as if he was saying, "You know what you are." He held his nose and took the fish, followed the tax officer and continued to move forward. When the tax officer saw that the follower was indeed full of arms, the stalls passed by were all charged only taxes and no longer collected anything.

Changsun Xiaochi seemed to sigh, and shook his head and smiled as if he was blaming himself. He slowly squatted back to the back of the stall.

At this time, the tax officer had collected money from a vermicelli stall. The white-faced face seemed to think of something. He stopped and asked, "Is this powder stewed?" The person who looked at the vermicelli stall was an old farmer with wrinkles on his face and firm lines. He squatted there and replied, "Why can't it be stewed? It's so serious." The tax officer also stopped and looked back at the answer. The white-faced face squatted down and pulled the vermicelli. He asked, "What grated? Sweet potatoes are not delicious." The old farmer said, "Sweet potatoes are yellow. My white-faced strips are serious and good potato flour." The white-faced face is a little impatient: "Is it strong?" The old farmer said, "If it's not stewed, it's not strong. If it's not strong, it's not stewed. If it's not serious, it's not stewed. If it's serious, it's slippery and vigorous."

When the vegetable seller next to him saw this, the old man was really not open. Someone asked this question, just to ask you to take the initiative to send it. Stewed fish with wide flour. Why don’t you understand this? He immediately took a handful of coriander, wrapped it with ropes, tied it into a small bundle, and handed it on his thin white face. He smiled and said, “Corari is indispensable for stewing fish. Remove the fishy and evil. The more you eat, the more you enjoy it. Hahaha.” He winked at the old farmer when he turned around.

The old farmer pouted his lips, his eyes widened. It seemed that his heart was as clear as a mirror. He just didn't want to give this handful of pink. His thin white face was a little uncomfortable. He smiled and said, "Forget it." He stood up suddenly. With the strength of getting up, he swung the cloth bag in his hand. With a "splash", he was throwing it on the old farmer's face. The bag was filled with copper coins. He swung one or two jin of pounds. The force was extremely heavy. He beat the old farmer to the point of tilting his body. He threw it into the mud behind him. The mud was splashed everywhere.

Changsun Xiaochi saw clearly from the side. Suddenly he stood up and held the scale rod tightly in his hand.

The old farmer gushed blood in his mouth, his jaw was crooked on one side, and half of his body was covered with black mud soup. It didn't matter. When he saw the good vermicelli splashed into mud strips, he felt heartbroken. He took a deep breath and wanted to get up. Unexpectedly, the blood blocked his throat. His eyes turned white. His head thrust backwards and he stopped moving. People around him watched and no one dared to help him.

Xiaobai's face seemed to have never expected the old man to be so careless. He was also a little scared. The tax officer frowned: "I'm quite old. I'm jealous of money. You can touch the tax bags randomly." He winked at Xiaobai's face: "Forget it. Let's go."

The three of them walked away quickly, and they didn't even collect the remaining taxes. People gathered around. Someone looked into the old farmer's breath and exclaimed: "No." Changsun Xiaochi felt a little hesitant before. He couldn't take this step. He heard this. He hurriedly threw the scale rod and came in and said, "Let's see." He squatted down and put his fingers on the old farmer's wrist. The pulse was still there. He hurriedly moved his body into a side position. He stretched his palm and gently pressed his vest. The internal strength penetrated. The old farmer's mouth and nose "woo" and waste blood gushed out. Then he took a long breath and opened his eyes.

Everyone onlookers shouted happily: "Wake up, wake up, no one dies, no one dies." Sister Yu Si looked surprised: "Oh my great scholar. I didn't expect you to be able to do medicine." The dog-mouthed grandson said: "It's true that literati is a doctor." The old farmer coughed and spit out two teeth. Split his legs and looked at his mud vermicelli. He immediately burst into tears. He struggled to settle the score with the tax officer. People tried to persuade him: "It's good to pick up your life. What's the point." "Just. I'll give him the vermicelli early. Why bother." The old farmer shouted: "My vermicelli was blowing from the strong wind." Changsun Xiaochi said: "It hurts your body very much. You should relieve the fire first. Look, this bag of vermicelli is also dirty. People are also injured. There are more and less."

"Fuck." The old farmer cursed: "There are only a few acres of land in my family. The old couple planted potatoes and flipped potatoes. They flipped potatoes and flipped vermicelli. They pointed to this entry point in autumn. There are some fish in the water. It's useless to beat them. How can I compare with you?"

Changsun Xiaochi said, "Old man..."

The old farmer tried his hand and scolded, "Don't pretend to be good people here. If you didn't give him fish, how could they have thought of asking for vermicelli?" Sister Yu Si said, "Look, this is not right. He is also for you. He hasn't offended you. If it weren't for a scholar, you held up your mouthful of blood in your heart. Now I'll see the King of Hell..." The old farmer suddenly held up his eyes and grabbed Changsun Xiaochi's wrist: "Yes, you are a scholar. You can write." Before Changsun Xiaochi answered, Sister Yu Si laughed first: "No, don't watch him sell fish..." The old farmer didn't have the heart to listen. He pulled Changsun Xiaochi and said, "Let's go. Write a complaint for me. I'll go to the county to complain."

When people heard this, they immediately scattered. The dog-mouthed grandson shook his head and said, "Look at the bad guy. The masters in the yamen like to push his ditch. He is also a person with a foundation. Don't be stupid. You would rather bear the ventilation of the walls than jump into the fire pit further. The drums are knocking and buzzing. People will not be able to sue the officials." They shook their heads and led their grandson back to see the stall.

Changsun Xiaochi pressed on the old farmer's hand: "Old man, clean the mud on your vermicelli. It's still possible to sell it. It's soaked in mud for a long time. I'm afraid it won't work." As he said that, he went back to pump the willow branches and put two big fish on it. He handed it to the old farmer: "There are some that can't be washed, and the appearance is really bad. So he just took this fish. He went home and stewed it. He endured the calm for a while. He took a step back and the sky was wide open..."

The old farmer's feet were pulled back half a step, tilting his head tremblingly to look at him. A layer of water suddenly appeared in his two turbid yellow eyes. It looked like a dead fish on willow branches. The autumn wind swept over and shaking him again. The rag shirt on his body shook and thumped.

"The sea is wide... the sea is wide... the sky is wide... the sky..." The old man repeated the words. He said these four words twice again. Suddenly he raised his head to the sky, as if he had poured tears back into his eyes. The wrinkles on his face were squeezed. He couldn't say whether he was crying or laughing. After a while, he glanced at the people who were away from him. He looked down and looked at his vermicelli. He finally felt sorry for the thing. He pushed the fish back with his lips tightly, bent down and trembled to close the stall. He pretended to carry it and turned home.

Changsun Xiaochi held the two fish and looked at him. Seeing his back as he was leaving, he raised his hand from time to time, as if he was covering his cheeks, and as if he was wiping tears. His expression dimmed and he sighed silently.

It was not until the afternoon. A basket of fish was short. The little fish was sold out cheaply. There were a few large ones left. No one asked. The pedestrians saw the news. He asked people around him to help him see the stall. He took the money out and chose a thick white, blue cloth armor with windproof in the ready-made clothing store. He wrapped it and put it under his armpit. He bought salt and rice and two jars of water and wine. He tied it with a straw rope. On the way back, he saw that the dessert shop was placing mooncakes outwards. He was lit by piece of oil and bright and steaming. He talked to the shopkeeper. Then he realized that tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th. At this time, the copper coins in his hand were already spent. He was with the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper smiled: "It's good. Anyway, my family will buy fish for holidays." Changsun Xiaochi went back and picked a big one. He came back and handed it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper smiled: "Oh, this one is not small." He put it next to him and pulled out a piece of yellow straw paper in his hand. He said: "Wu Ren'er, date paste, egg roll, chestnuts, and chestnuts. You can choose anything." Changsun Xiaochi thought to himself: "Xiaoxiang loves sweets." So he chose a piece of date paste and handed it over a piece of chestnuts. The shopkeeper took it and held it up and said: "Take another one. It's not tight." Changsun Xiaochi smiled: "Enough. Enough."

The shopkeeper smiled and took the straw paper bag. He pulled the paper thread and tied a cross flower and handed it to him. He said, "I'm a lie. I'm still a scholar. I'm very particular."

Changsun Xiaochi came back with the mooncakes in his arms. He squatted behind the stall. Looking at the grain and rice beside him, he felt much more at ease. The mooncakes in his hand were hot and warm, and the temperature was coming out of the oven. There was a little breeze in the sky, making the leaves rustling. He kept guarding for a while, but there was still no buyer. The street became more and more deserted. Seeing that it was dark, I was too lazy to wait anymore. I put the baskets and packed them home.

I was holding a pole all the way upstream. Soon I saw Muxi Xiaozhu was already looking at me. A lazy song and the pipa came intermittently with the sound of water. Changsun Xiaochi thought to himself: "Xiaoxiang hasn't sang for many days. I don't drink wine at home today. Why do I feel so good?" When I listened carefully, I was singing: "...it's you. You are the one who is as bright as the wind and the things are. I am biased... I am always speechless. I start two or three sentences. When the love is deep, the love turns thin. Heroes are boring..."

“Born…”

He felt depressed and painful when he heard it. He heard the man laughing loudly in the thatched cottage again. He couldn't help but frowned slightly. He quickly pointed a few poles to the shore and put the bamboo raft onto the stone. He carried the fish basket straight to the cottage. He suddenly pushed the door and entered.

The music stopped suddenly. Shui Yanxiang was holding the pipa in her arms, pressing her nails on her side and leaning against the table. The man opposite heard the sound of the door and looked at the door. Her skin was dark and bright, and the smile on her face still had a lingering charm.

Changsun Xiaochi was stunned: "Brother Chang. It turns out it's you."

"Ah." Chang Sihao smiled and said, "I'm sorry to disturb your seclusion again." Changsun Xiaochi smiled stiffly and said, "Where do you think?" He put the fish basket on the ground and glanced at him. He saw several plates of cut beef tongues, pig ears and other cooked food on the table. There were two bamboo cups, and a sealed jar with red letters on it. The wine smelled so good. I knew that the water and beauty were not going out. Then these wines were brought by Chang Sihao.

Chang Sihao came over with a smile: "Oh. I bought a lot of things. Is there anything delicious? Take it out to taste it." As he said that, he squatted down without any politeness. He reached out to flip through the fish basket. He stroked his fingers and touched the two jars of wine first. He raised his face and smiled: "Haha. I knew there was something good." He grabbed a jar and slapped Kaifeng and sniffed it. He immediately frowned: "Huh. What's the smell? This wine is broken."

Changsun smiled and said, "This is the wine in the countryside." But he saw him shook his head repeatedly: "Nothing is there? It's far from the mixed grain wine I drank last time. The ones I bought on the road are better than you." He then opened another jar and sniffed it. He immediately looked disgusted and moved his nose away: "This jar is rotten. Can't you succeed? You have to ask him to change it."

Changsun Xiaochi smelled the wine smelling bad, but it was far from being "sorry". It was a bit exaggerated to say this. When he looked up, Shui Yanxiang held the pipa with one hand and held the bamboo cup with the other hand. She looked out the window with no expression. She slowly drank a cup without looking at it. He was speechless for a moment. He lowered his head and took out the salt and rice and other things. He took it under the kitchen. When he came back, he saw Chang Sihao still squatting beside the fish basket, holding the oil paper bag in his hand. He opened it and saw that it was a moon cake. He smiled immediately: "Okay. OK. The Mid-Autumn Festival will be over August 15th. I was just rushing to the road. I didn't buy a moon cake to taste it." As he said that, he stood up and put the paper bag at the table. He sat down and picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

He chewed a few bites and looked at the stuffing and said repeatedly: "Okay. Haha. The moon is the beauty of my hometown. Moon cakes are the sweetness of date paste. I remember the last time I came here, I ate the moon cakes. This time I came here, I had already eaten the moon cakes. This day was really fast." He grabbed the bamboo cup and ate a big mouthful of wine. The moon cake was half a palm. He finished eating in a few bites and touched the second piece again. He found that there was nothing under it. He looked surprised and said, "Oh, why are there only two pieces? Ah... This is what you and your sister-in-law want to eat during the holidays. Oh, one piece for each person. As a result, I asked me to eat this piece. What's the saying? Sin." As he said that, he put the chestnut back carefully.

The thickness of the mooncake is there, and the quantity is very easy to distinguish. His behavior is so artificial that no one can tell. Changsun smiled and said, "Brother, don't make us happy."

Chang Sihao raised his legs and bowed his hand. He smiled and said, "I dare not, I will break a piece of mooncake in half and eat it. This makes you and your wife share the same joys and sorrows. I am deeply in love with you. I also want to fulfill you."

Shui Yanxiang stood up and quietly hung the pipa on the wall. She turned around and entered the inner room. Changsun Xiaochi glanced at her back without saying a word. She lowered her head and said, "Last time, I left with anger. My husband and I were very uneasy." Chang Sihao smiled and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions. It's my fault for making others difficult. How can I blame my brother?" Changsun Xiaochi looked at him for a while and said, "It's good that you don't blame me." He sat down at Shui Yanxiang's original position: "I don't know why my brother is here."

Chang Sihao raised his knees and hugged them. He smiled and said, "It's nothing. I'll be passing by here when I'm doing business. Let's see if you're used to it."

Changsun Xiaochi saw that his words were insincere and intentional, but he didn't ask any more questions. He responded, "It's okay." Chang Sihao smiled, "Hey, like you, who are used to being rich, like to treat poor days as fresh. Now I am used to eating white rice fragrant meat. When I go back to chew the roots of the tree and eat yam, I'm afraid I can't swallow it anymore." As he said that, he poured wine into the glass of Shui Yanxiang and muttered: "I really admire you.

It's good to say. The poor are rich, the breasts are shy, the rich are poor, and the steps are hard to move forward. You two turned out to be so glorious in the world. Now they stay by this small river. There are no food, no fun, and dry days can still be gone day by day. This is not simple. Especially my sister-in-law, a woman's house, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, was not willing to suffer this from you," and said that, as he pushed the full glass forward and poured him for himself.

Changsun Xiaochi smiled: "Humans and gods are so clear and disturbed by their hearts. People's hearts are so quiet and want to be attached to them. Happiness is not about the wealth and poverty, but whether there is any concern or persistence in their hearts. Xiaoxiang and I have experienced all the prosperity. We have long lost interest in those sounds, colors, dogs and horses. Now we have rice and vegetables for three meals. We play and sing freely. We enjoy Yunxi. We don't feel lonely."

"Beautiful." Chang Sihao put down the wine jar and slapped his thighs: "I don't listen to things outside the window. My wife and children are warm on the kang. This is the life that gods live. Come. I wish you a noble son soon. Do you do it." Chang Sun Xiaochi raised his glass and laughed: "I borrow your good words." The two chatted. Chang Sihao seemed to learn his lesson. He deliberately did not mention what happened outside. Chang Sun Xiaochi didn't ask. He ate a few cups in this way without saltiness and silence. Seeing that it was getting late, Chang Sihao stood up and said goodbye. He didn't try to keep it. He sent it outside the door. Chang Sihao took out the three rivers from the back of the house. After saying goodbye, he took the horse and walked through the stream. The white water splashes were connected and gradually disappeared.

Changsun Xiaochi stared at the moonlight for a moment. He turned around and returned to the room. He lifted the curtains in the inner room. Shui Yanxiang sat sideways on the bed in the darkness, silently.

He calmed down and asked with a smile, "Why don't you light the light?"

Shui Yanxiang didn't answer.

The floating clouds pass by the moon, and the clear light comes through the window, and silver lines are plated on the back of her clothes.

Silence caused an invisible tension in the room, expanding the space between the two people.
Chapter completed!