Chapter 271 The national scholar is waiting for him
Xie Lingjiang did not go up together, but stood quietly under the stage in the shade of the trees.
It is worth noting that behind her is an inconspicuous dark wooden box.
"Good Han."
"Mingfu."
Li Dalang and Yan Liulang climbed up the steps together, climbed onto the high platform, and approached.
Li Dalang called softly, with a rather embarrassed tone.
Ouyang Rong had a skirt knife slung on his waist, silently got up from the ground, and handed the wine bottle in his hand to the nearest old craftsman.
Other old craftsmen were also carrying several wine bottles in their hands. The young county magistrate must have been drinking with these old craftsmen just now. I don't know what they talked about.
Ouyang Rong calmly sent away the frightened old craftsmen, clapped his hands, and turned to look at the two friends who came.
He didn't ask any more questions.
He sat back down again, patted the ground next to him, and nodded to them.
Li Dalang and Yan Liulang walked over and sat down next to each other.
At the edge of the high platform, the river wind blew swiftly like a knife. The three of them stood side by side, their clothes and hair swaying in the wind.
On this dragon-slaying platform where many lonely and innocent souls had been sacrificed by Emperor Sui and the Liu family for hundreds of years, only three silhouettes were left.
"I'm out of wine, so I won't be polite to you anymore."
Ouyang Rong said with a smile.
Li Dalang couldn't help but say: "I feel like Lianghan has changed a lot after recovering from his illness this time."
"What has changed?" He asked with a smile: "Have you become thinner?"
"Yes, but more... it's in terms of momentum." Li Dalang looked at it a few more times and said softly:
“The momentum before was extremely sharp, moving forward like a sharp sword.
"Now, it's like a sharp sword being sheathed, sheathing its edge and hiding its weakness. It gives people a deeper and more mysterious feeling, making it harder to see through..."
"The teacher and junior sister also said so."
Ouyang Rong nodded, his reaction was mediocre, and he lowered his head and went about what he was doing.
"Lianghan, this is..."
Li Dalang and Yan Liulang looked over and found a wooden bucket beside him, with a towel on the edge and half a bucket of water left, shining brightly in the sun.
The sleeves on Ouyang Rong's arms had already been rolled up. He went to grab a handful of wet towels, unfolded them and folded them into squares. With his palms resting on them, he lowered his head and carefully wiped the floor next to him.
Li Dalang vaguely saw dried red stains on the floor here.
Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke:
"Old craftsmen said that at the beginning, his body was facing the direction of Butterfly Creek and the county seat, but his separated head was facing them in the audience behind him."
Li Dalang couldn't help but said: "Brother Ashan's matter...Liang Han, please give me my condolences."
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
Under the noon sun, the wet towel dried quickly. He wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, squeezed a handful of water into the towel in his hand, lowered his head and wiped the floor carefully, with a serious face:
"That's not the case. In fact, I don't feel sad. On the contrary, I feel a little happy."
He nodded:
"After I recovered from my illness, I suddenly figured out a truth. This truth may be a bit strange. Do you want to hear it? It may be quite nagging."
"Of course." Li Dalang sat upright: "I would like to hear the details."
“I have always felt that in life, one needs to establish a goal or a little bit of hope to pursue and strive for.
“This is how I used to keep moving forward.
"In the past, I also hated living in a muddle along, eating and waiting to die.
"But later I discovered that this principle is not suitable for everyone, and it also denies many innocent people.
“Because sometimes ‘living’ itself is already very difficult and hard-working for many people, so how can we force anything else?
"This is so different from 'why not eat ground meat'.
"To adhere to such high requirements is just to subconsciously make oneself appear noble and special, and in this way, gain a sense of superiority from others, which serves as a deformed motivation."
Speaking of this, Ouyang Rong smiled.
"No, it's Lianghan who is being humble." Li Dalang shook his head vigorously and couldn't help but said:
"Actually, not only me, but also my father, mother, sister, and many, many people who know Lianghan, think Lianghan is very special.
"You always make it difficult for people to guess their next move, and they also exude a temperament of riding the wind and waves, as if nothing in this world can defeat you."
Li Dalang's square, bearded face gradually turned red, and his tone was a little excited:
"I believe Miss Xie and the others have similar feelings to me. As soon as they see Lianghan, they feel that they can overcome any difficulty, and their confidence is restored.
"This is one of the reasons why everyone believes in you,
"How can such a good man not be special in the world?"
Ouyang Rong was slightly stunned, looked at Li Dalang more, and shook his head slightly:
"There is no need to glorify me. I am not special. For example, Ah Shan, he will not miss me."
He waved his hand, faced Li Dalang who hesitated to speak, and continued to speak seriously:
"After experiencing what happened in Ashan, I suddenly realized a truth that is more universal.
"Everyone in this world actually lives with a mask.
"These masks are not something bad that is imposed. To be more precise, they are identities that each person is born with or acquires.
"There are all kinds of identity masks, and everyone has one. The difference is that some people's masks are heavy, and some people's masks are light.
“But no matter whether it is heavy or light, it is something that must be carried and should be taken seriously.
"Just like Ah Shan, he is the identity mask he was born with. He is the 'son of man', the 'brother', and the 'son of Longcheng'. He is a member of this country at his feet."
Ouyang Rong turned around, with a bright smile on his tanned and thin face:
"I'm not sad, Ah Shan has a deep understanding of his identity.
"As an elder brother and a son of man, he stood up without hesitation that day and saved my sister and mother.
"As the brave son of Longcheng, that day, he raised his unyielding head high in the face of Xiao Xiao, the traitor in the land beneath his feet.
"He denounced happily and laughed heartily, and he violently woke up the numb countrymen in the audience.
"This is a heavy mask that Ah Shan has put on himself. It is his passionate choice. How can I cry like a woman afterwards to snatch and tarnish the glory that belongs to him?"
Ouyang Rong asked and asked himself.
He sat on his back and looked at the sky:
"There is no need to mourn, so why mourn?
"The only thing I feel a little uncomfortable about is that he has put on an extra mask, an identity mask that should be mine..."
Li Dalang and Yan Liulang were stunned. They saw the young county magistrate in front of them say this and take out a bronze mask from his sleeve.
With a "clang" sound, he threw it on the ground. He looked at it and said softly:
"At that time, for the sake of some illusory distant place, I temporarily took off this identity mask, and also got rid of all other masks, and went to find the so-called pure land alone.
"But this should...be my responsibility."
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then turned his head suddenly, his voice sonorous and powerful in the wind, speaking word by word:
"A mask has weight, and identity is responsibility.
"If you look at it carefully, I, Ouyang Lianghan, also have masks and responsibilities.
"I am Aunt Zhen's only 'nephew',
"I am my junior sister's 'elder brother',
"I am the teacher's 'eldest disciple',
"I am the 'master' that Ah Shan and Ah Qing call affectionately,
"I am the 'parent official' of thousands of people in Longcheng.
"Even I am still the 'upright gentleman' in the hearts of people all over the world!"
Ouyang Rong suddenly bent down, picked up the bronze mask on the ground, put it into his sleeve, turned his head, and spoke calmly:
"This time after I recovered from my illness and came back from the mountain, I no longer avoid these masks at all.
"From now on, they belong to my identity and my responsibility."
Yan Liulang scratched his head when he heard this. Li Dalang was silent for a while and said with a stunned expression:
"What Lianghan said is very reasonable and inspiring, but... Lianghan is so conscientious, will it put too much pressure on himself?"
Ouyang Rong smiled, waved his sleeves and pointed to the blue sky in the distance:
"Where's the pressure? This is the endless hell that people outside the world call, yes, but I don't want to be a saint and savior to completely wipe out hell.
"I just counted each mask clearly and fulfilled my responsibility. There are too many people in this world who have neglected their duties and failed to see clearly their own masks.
"If my existence can make the people around me become a little better, that's enough. Even if it can never be eradicated and falls into hell forever, so why not?
"Da Lang, Liu Lang, I used to think that 'I' couldn't do it alone, that I couldn't be the savior on my own. But then, I saw Ah Shan who stood up and stood up, and suddenly I realized that 'we' can."
"us?"
Yan Liulang and Li Dalang couldn't help talking to themselves, chewing on the word.
Ouyang Rong nodded vigorously: "Yes, us!"
On the high platform, there was silence for a while.
Li Dalang lowered his head and thought for a while, nodded heavily, and immediately raised his head and said:
"Lianghan, I also have my identity mask and my responsibility. I am here today because of my responsibility."
Ouyang Rong asked: "What?"
Li Dalang gently pushed the food box he was carrying forward:
"My family is waiting for you to return in Meiluyuan.
"Although I know Lianghan is busy with something, I can't just watch my father and mother work so hard. I have to do something, so I came here shamelessly today.
"I hope Liang Han won't be surprised."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said: "Nothing, I understand."
Li Dalang clenched his fists and put them on his knees, leaned forward and said:
"Liang Han, you should already know about my family's fortune and situation after the messenger from Luoyang sent gifts last time.
“I have been hiding it before because I was afraid of being implicated. I’m really sorry.
"I am ashamed to say that after seeing Liang Han's strategy and actions in Longcheng, we were shocked by heaven and earth, and we all regard Liang Han as an unparalleled national warrior.
"I heard from my mother that my father has not thought about tea or food these past few days. He has been unable to sleep at night and has trouble sleeping and eating. He has been thinking about it. Liang Han can help and give some advice.
"My father, he sincerely wishes to treat Liang Han as a national scholar."
Ouyang Rong was a little surprised by his friend's direct hit. For a moment, he lowered his eyes and remained silent.
“My sister and I have seen this matter, and as family members, it’s really hard for us to just sit back and watch.
"I don't want to hide anything from Lianghan. My sister has always urged me to talk, saying that Lianghan and I are good friends and it is easy to talk about feelings, but she is good at clarifying the pros and cons and is not good at this.
"But after I just listened to Liang Han's words, I suddenly realized that Liang Han was burdened with too many 'identity masks' and was under too much pressure. I was afraid that he would be burdened with more heavy responsibilities, dragging down Liang Han, and have an uneasy conscience.
"Such things are definitely not done by friends.
"But having family on one side and close friends on the other is really a dilemma."
Li Dalang made no secret.
Ouyang Rong looked sideways.
He glanced at the exquisite food box that was handed to him, then looked at Li Dalang who looked expectant and self-reproaching, and suddenly asked:
"The previous name 'Su Fu' was a pseudonym, right?"
After a pause, he said with a faint smile:
"Da Lang has never said what his full name is. He doesn't even know his name. This doesn't look like a close friendship."
Su Dalang said quickly:
"I almost forgot to mention, my surname is Li and my first name is Fusu."
"Fusu?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head, "Bad name." But he paused, nodded again, and sighed: "Good name."
Li Fusu didn't know why, his eyes were confused.
"Your family knows how to name it."
Ouyang Rong muttered and turned his gaze back to the food box in front of him.
"Liang Han, just call me Da Lang."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong opened the food box and found ice inside. After opening the lid, cold mist hit his face, making him feel even cooler.
The food box has several layers. The top and bottom layers are filled with ice cubes, and the three compartments in the middle each have a plate of cold food to relieve the heat.
Li Fusu took the initiative to remove the upper ice cubes, took out the first plate of food from below, and introduced:
"This is Sushan made by my mother. It is a unique ice dish for the palace. My sister and I have loved eating it since we were children. Liang Han also wants to try it."
Ouyang Rong looked down and felt a bit like the ice cream in his previous life.
This ice snack called "Sushan" is made by pouring a kind of "su" dairy product and honey on crushed ice and condensing it into the shape of a hill. It has a wonderful taste.
At present, in the Zhou Dynasty, only the nobles can enjoy it.
Ouyang Rong picked up the silver spoon, took a bite, put down the spoon, picked up the mountain of cakes, and handed it to Yan Liulang:
"Rokuro, give it to junior sister, you can try it too."
"Yes, Mingfu."
Li Fusu had no objection and brought out the second serving of iced food.
Look, it's a bowl of iced drink. In the hot summer, the cold mist pours out of the bowl. Just looking at it makes you feel cool and refreshing.
"This bowl of iced rice wine was brewed by my father and I together. It took many days. Liang Han tasted it. It is sweet and glutinous, but not intoxicating."
Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows when he heard this. You all cooked it yourself, right?
The whole family came together to serve him, which was full of sincerity.
Ouyang Rong was quite moved.
Immediately, he couldn't help but cast his eyes on the last plate of iced food in the box.
"This is what your sister prepared."
"That's right."
Li Fusu nodded and took it out.
Ouyang Rong glanced at it.
It has green patterns, bright red flesh, and is dotted with black particles. What is it if it’s not a watermelon?
He thought for a while and asked: "So, it seems like your sister grew this melon? Or did she cut it herself?"
Li Fusu coughed twice and said sincerely:
"Ahem, my sister picked it out with her own hands. She said the melon is well cooked. Lianghan can try it."
"..."
The corners of Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched slightly.
What a hand-picked one.
Ouyang Rong had no doubt that the little girl with plum blossom makeup might just bend down, lift up two fingers, tap the body of the melon, put her hands behind her waist, and walk away gracefully, asking the maid Cai Shou to take it back and cut it open.
Yeah, that's right, that's pretty far-fetched.
Ouyang Rong was speechless and funny.
Li Fusu felt a little nervous and looked at his side face where he was eating melon.
Waiting for a friend's opinion on something.
It’s coming, it’s late but it’s coming, I will do what I say! Also, I’m afraid of oversleeping, so the update may be a little late at night, so I won’t be able to do it exactly at 12 o’clock.