After returning home from the village, Zhang Xujue was very nervous. In order to relieve his nerves, he took out a book from the old wooden box in the pit, opened it gently, and read silently. The old wooden box was his grandfather's treasure.
, it was filled with ancient books, and his grandfather did not allow him to touch them until he was ten years old. He was only allowed to read them at will after he turned ten.
Zhang Xu has been fond of reading ancient books since he was a child, influenced by his grandfather. He is familiar with hundreds of schools of thought and various scriptures. He also has a strong photographic memory. He has read Laozi, Zhuangzi, Zhouyi, Shanhaijing, etc.
I have done in-depth reading and analysis of ancient books such as the Huangdi Neijing, so I can always put forward my own unique insights into some ancient legends and classics, which is deeply loved by my grandfather.
"There is a mixture of things, born before heaven and earth. It is lonely, independent and does not change, moves around without dying, and can be the mother of the world. I don't know its name. The word is Dao, and the strong name is Great. The Great is Passage
,…”
Zhang Xu was deeply mysterious about Laozi's view that "Tao" is the origin of the world, and that "Tao" as the most basic substance is the mother of all things in the universe and runs through the universe, society and life, but he is more interested in it.
The question is why whenever I see the word "Tao" mentioned in ancient books, there is always a lingering sound in my mind like chanting scriptures, "The Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao...", just like that, why?
For "Tao"? This has become a lingering question that Zhang Xu often thinks about. Can it be said that "Tao" makes the world repeat the cycle of civilization? Or is "Tao" the inheritance of ancient civilization? Then what is "the way of heaven"? The sky
Are the giant eyeballs appearing on the screen the "Way of Heaven"?
Zhang Xu thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. The room was too hot and stuffy. He closed the book, put it in the wooden box, turned around, opened the door and walked towards the ancient ferry.
Over the Yellow River, the sun hung like a fireball, scorching the earth, as if it was about to evaporate the water in the Yellow River. Only dragonflies were hovering at low altitude. Not far away came the noisy voice of "Cicada, Cicada"
It makes people irritated. A snow-white puppy is lying under the shade of a tree, sticking out its red tongue and panting heavily.
Six or seven young urchins were sitting under a large leafy tree next to the ancient ferry, taking a nap in the shade. However, the steaming heat on the ground made them restless and unable to sleep.
"If this damn weather gets any hotter, people will be roasted to death. I really want to go down to the river and take a bath to cool down, cool down!" a childish voice complained.
The speaker was a child of fourteen or fifteen years old. This child had good facial features and a figure that was a full head taller than his peers. He was wearing an ordinary linen buttoned-up jacket with trousers rolled up to his knees, and his feet were bare because
The reason for staying by the Yellow River is that his cheeks are slightly dark, his nose is high, and his eyes are as big and black as black gems. It seems that as soon as his eyes clear up, a clever idea comes to him. His whole person looks simple, rough and shrewd.
"Brother Zhang Xu, please stop complaining. If your grandfather hadn't warned the adults at home to keep us from going into the water, it would have been cool to go into the water by now." The person who spoke was a slightly younger boy next to Zhang Xu, who was blushing.
He has a small red face, is not tall, but is very stocky, and his arms and legs are as strong as a big carp stick in the river. When he speaks, he reveals a pair of small tiger teeth.
Zhang Xu glanced at the naughty boy who was talking, snorted, and said: "Huzi, don't rely on grandpa. That's because Uncle Qiao and Auntie are watching you closely, otherwise you would have run away. These days, adults
I didn’t even go out to the river to set the net. If I can’t catch fish, I won’t be able to get supplementary household income. It’s so urgent!”
Mr. Zhang is old and can no longer catch fish. The family can only rely on Zhang Xu to make ends meet. Although he is only fourteen or fifteen years old, he has already regarded himself as an adult and even speaks in an imitating adult tone. Because of this, he became Killed the children in the village.
The person who is called Hu Zi is Qiao Lei, a playmate who grew up with Zhang Xu. When Zhang Xu was a child, Hu Zi’s parents took care of him, but Uncle Qiao’s family did not live a rich life. They only relied on a thin piece of land near the village to make ends meet. The rest can only be exchanged for pocket money by going down the river to fish and catch shrimps.
The sun made people restless, and they felt impatient to enjoy the shade under the trees. The tiger couldn't bear the heat and moved inside again.
"Brother Zhang Xu, why don't you take us down to the river? If we don't tell anyone, who will know? Besides, we can also touch a few fish and bring them back to burn for grandpa." The girl who spoke was thirteen or fourteen years old. She has an oval face, thin lips, lively eyebrows, and a small dimple on her face, which makes her very delicate and beautiful.
"Sister Xiao Yi, it's not that I won't take you there, it's just that there seems to be something strange these two days, so I don't dare to take you there for fear of something going wrong!" Zhang Xu glanced at Xiao Yi, who was wearing a white and blue flowered coat. , said kindly.
Xiao Yi's parents also died in the plague. During his lifetime, he was a small businessman who collected antique cultural relics salvaged from the Yellow River and exchanged them for money to support his family. He had a good knowledge of ancient characters and cultural relics. Xiao Yi followed his parents in reading and writing since he was a child. , and learned a lot. After his parents died, he was adopted by Aunt Wang next door.
Since childhood, Xiao Yi has been following Zhang Xu around like a follower. When she became a eldest daughter, she would go over to help Zhang Xu cook for her grandfather every day, but sometimes she would look at Zhang Xu with a somewhat agitated look. Strange, slightly shy, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Xiao Yi, Zhang Xu won't take you there, I will take you there. I just want to talk to you alone about something." A naughty smiling face came to Xiao Yi's eyes at some point. The sixteen or seventeen-year-old , a head of black and thick hair, two eyebrows moving, but underneath are a pair of slender peach blossom eyes, curved, as if they are always smiling, but also a little unruly...
"Cheng Yuanpeng, stay away from me. I won't go with you. I haven't settled the matter with you last time for stealing my hair!" When Xiao Yi saw this face, she stayed away as if she was avoiding the god of plague. .
Cheng Yuanpeng's family was one of the big deserters in the city. This boy had studied in a foreign school for a few days. According to his own boasts, he studied astronomy or something like that. With his money, he either picked up girls in the village or bullied his peers. , everyone ignored him. The only person he didn't dare to bully was Zhang Xu, for no other reason than that although Zhang Xu was two years younger than him, he was a head taller than him. He was defeated in several contests. Zhang Xu returned home with a bruised nose and swollen face using Tai Chi techniques passed down from his ancestors.
"Humph, was I trying to rob him? Just for a look, later..." Cheng Yuanpeng saw the angry look on Zhang Xu's face and was so frightened that he couldn't even continue.
"Everyone, listen, I have big news!" Someone suddenly said from behind Zhang Xu.
"I heard that treasures appeared in Yingchoujian. Someone saw Mr. Lin going there and picking up a large piece of gold as big as dragon scales. He said it fell from the sky the night before and could be worth a lot of money. !" A young man named Ji Feng said mysteriously with his bare upper body and a straw hat on his head.
When they heard that there was a treasure, everyone's eyes immediately opened wide, and a strange light emitted from their eyes.
Zhang Xu had been thinking about what happened that night in Yingchoujian. When he heard this, he was suddenly startled. He looked at Ji Feng with a strange look and said, "Are you crazy because you want the baby to be successful?"
Did any treasure fall from the sky?"
"It's true. After I heard about it, I leaned over Mr. Lin's window and peeked in. He was holding it in his hand, and while fiddling with it, he said to himself, 'Is this a dragon scale? Yingchoujian Abyss.
What on earth...is there else below? It's obviously gold, but he could say it's dragon scales. Listening to what he said, there must be treasures under the water!" Ji Feng was eager to prove himself, so he spoke out all at once.
"It's good to have treasures. Let's go pick one out and sell it for money. Then our family won't have to suffer from poverty anymore!"
"It must be, the old people say, every time there is a flood in the ancient Yellow River, a lot of treasures can be washed out!"
"Zhang Xu, take us there quickly! If you don't go, we will go by ourselves. What a coward!"
All of a sudden, the six or seven children were shouting together.
Zhang Xu suddenly changed his color and said: "What are you talking about? Who is a coward? Go ahead, let's go back now to get the diving bell and the donkey skin air bag. Maybe he is a coward!"
In fact, Zhang Xu was not completely aiming for the treasure, but wanted to find out what shocking secrets there were under the abyss at the bottom of the river. If there were really dragon scales, would there be gods under the abyss? I heard it from my grandfather,
Immortals are omnipotent. They can eat fairy fruits, drink fine wine, ascend to heaven and earth, and live forever, which makes him very envious. If he really encounters it, it is possible for his grandfather to take the elixir and be rejuvenated! Then he decided to try it out, otherwise
If so, he would not dare to run around with his grandfather on his back.
The children had grown up together since childhood, so they naturally understood that Zhang Xu's temper could not be tolerated the most. He would disperse with a cheer.
"Wait a minute, there are two people here who can't go!" Zhang Xu stopped and pointed at Xiao Yi and Cheng Yuanpeng.
"Why can't I go? Are you afraid that I am better at water than you and will steal your winnings? Not only am I going, but I also have to take two servants with me!" Cheng Yuanming rolled his eyes and said.
Zhang Xu said coldly: "Then we agreed in advance that if something happens to you, don't let your fat dad, who is overwhelmed by money and can't breathe, come to us to ask for someone!"
"Who cares about you? I am blessed with great fortune and fortune, but I am just a poor boy like you!" After saying that, he was afraid that Zhang Xu would come and beat him up, so he turned around and walked away.
Zhang Xu had long been accustomed to this boy's virtues and ignored him. He turned around and said to Xiao Yi: "Don't go there. It's a girl's house. Don't get involved in the boy's affairs. Besides, the water there is deep."
The surge is too dangerous."
"You're still going if it's dangerous? You go there and I'll follow you. I'm no worse at water than you! If you don't let me go, I'll tell Grandpa Zhang that none of you can go!" Xiao Yi said, biting her mouth tightly.
Children who grow up by the Yellow River, both men and women, have good water skills, and there are also many women who go down to the river to fish for pearls.
Zhang Xu looked at Xiao Yi and was speechless for a moment. "Brother Zhang Xu, let her go. If the news is revealed, we won't be able to go either!" Zhang Xu had no choice but to nod.
As soon as Zhang Xu agreed, all the little eyes shone with excitement, and amidst the noise, they went back to prepare their diving equipment.