All beautiful stories about punishing evil and promoting good always have a beginning full of kindness. I think if Xu Xian was not a poor scholar but a woodcutter in the mountains, he would have stewed the White Lady into snake soup nine times out of ten.
.Zhao Daque was not a poor scholar, nor a woodcutter in the mountains. He made a living by hunting, and was a real pragmatist. Therefore, in more than fifty years of life, the birds, animals, fish and insects that died under Zhao Daque were
There are eight hundred without Qian'er.
You rely on mountains to eat mountains, and you rely on water to drink water. Talking to a hunter about the principle of "one life is worth a thousand gold" or "it is better to build a seven-level pagoda" is as shameless as standing in front of this person and shouting: "Hey! This hunter
, you go jump into the river and commit suicide!" - You don't have to wait for the old man to hit you with his fist, you can deeply feel how the three words "unkind" were written in the past?
But a hunter is a hunter after all, not a butcher or a murderer after all. Zhao Daque, Mr. Zhao, still understands the principle of "you can't kill chickens to get eggs, and fish in dry lakes". Under normal circumstances, if you catch small rabbits, deer, etc., the old man will let them go without saying a word.
Well—however, today is an exception.
Although simple philosophical principles are wise sayings, neither wise nor philosophical principles can be eaten as food. On this twelfth lunar month day when the mountains were covered with heavy snow, Mr. Zhao narrowed his eyes and confirmed that what was lying on the ground was not a snow dumpling but a small white bird.
At that moment, the old man grinned, showing his big yellow teeth, and slapped his thigh:
Dinner is ready!
Without thinking much at the moment, Mr. Zhao rushed to the snow, picked up the little white bird by its neck - this guy seemed to be very cold, and he only fluttered his wings lightly.
He stopped moving, didn't even scream, and just stared at the old man with his dark brown eyes.
The old man bared his teeth and smiled very kindly at the little white bird. He also kindly picked up the bird's neck and shook it, shaking off all the snow covering its feathers——
Very good! At least one and a half pounds!
After weighing the weight, Old Man Zhao was so happy that his brows were filled with smiles, and the wrinkles on his brows were so full that it was like "peaks upon peaks"! Just as the old man was happily carrying the bird by the neck and walking down the mountain, it started to snow again.
Already.
The snowy feathers all over the sky slowly fall, and a gray-white curtain opens between the sky and the earth. If you are a literati, 80% of the time you will recite the poem "Ten thousand people's traces have disappeared, and I am alone fishing for the snow in the cold river". Ordinary people
Even if his consciousness is not that high and his artistic conception is not that far-reaching, he still rubs his hands and exclaims "It's snowing like a feather".
However, in the eyes of Mr. Zhao, the white ice crystals floating in the sky have become sweet white sugar or flavored fine salt - in other words, the old man has already made a difference between "salted duck" and "osmanthus flower".
I hesitated for a long time between the two options of "sugar duck", although it is obvious that this white bird is not bred from ducks.
The snow slowly covered the mountain road, and the road down the mountain was covered thickly. It was white in all directions, and the sky was so gloomy that the sun was not shining. Now I couldn't even distinguish the east from the north. The old man originally planned to go down the mountain to go home and have a fire.
A large pot of boiling water can be used to scald bird feathers.
At this moment, he looked at the sky and the earth and was in trouble. He couldn't see the road clearly, he was terribly cold, and he was half hungry. The old man had no choice but to pick up a few branches, then sit down on the snow and pull out of his arms.
He took out the flint and started to light the fire——
Tsk! If you can’t eat salted duck, let’s go to the roast duck headquarters!
Thinking of this, the old man got excited and rubbed the flint more vigorously - the sparks popped out, but the firewood had already been wetted by the snow, how could it be burned?! After trying no less than ten times, the old man became angry.
He curled his lips and let out a "poof" sound.
Seeing that there was no more roast duck to eat, I couldn't eat any more. It didn't matter if I ate raw meat, but if I didn't roast the bird feathers and skins, it would ruin my stomach?! Although Zhao Daque had always believed that "no"
It’s not clean, you won’t get sick after eating it.” But facing the soft fluff, he still didn’t have the guts to put his mouth down.
The little white bird was held in the palm of his hand, but it could not be roasted. The old man could only watch it and get anxious. After being depressed for a long time and cursing "What a thief", he finally had no choice but to let it live -
He threw the white bird aside casually on the snow, and saw that it could not move. Its white wings were gradually covered with snow, and soon it was almost out of sight. The old man was also very cold, and suddenly there was a ball in his head.
A flash of inspiration——
Hey! Isn’t this a ready-made duvet?
After thinking about this, Zhao Daque immediately carried the little white bird back. Just as he was about to put it in his arms to keep himself warm, he saw that the bird was not dead yet, and its dark brown eyes were still looking at people. The old man was very nervous.
He let out a "hum":
"Dead bird! Listen to me! If you dare to peck me, I will break your neck!"
Still looking at him with bright black eyes, the old man said "tsk tsk" twice and put the little white bird into his cotton coat - as expected, the down insulation was really good! He immediately felt much warmer.
In the snow, the old man just sat on the ground. The snow quickly covered his half-white hair, and gradually dyed it into a head full of silver threads. The howling north wind blew on his face like a pain.
It was cut with a knife. The old man's hands and feet were stiff from the cold, but the area in his arms was still warm.
In the ice and snow, besides the sound of the north wind, there was the sound of falling snow. Close to the patch in my arms, I could still hear the faint heartbeat. Gradually, the bird began to stir, and its wings moved, perhaps slowly.
The excitement has come.
One thought of kindness saves two lives.
When the snow stopped, the old man rubbed his frozen hands, but his movements were no longer very agile. Before he could do anything, the little white bird in his arms poked its head out of the cotton coat and jumped.
Get on the old man's hand and squat down.
The warm feathers warmed the old man's hands in a short time. The old man bared his yellow teeth and said, "You idiot is still useful! Come on, warm my ears, they are almost frozen!"
The little white bird seemed to really understand what he said, its bright black eyes flashed, and then it jumped on the old man's shoulder, rubbing its neck and wings against the old man's ears.
"Tsk tsk!" The old man smacked his lips, "This fur is warm, it will definitely be soft to make a quilt!"
The little white bird was so frightened that it didn't dare to move, and bent its neck stiffly on the old man's shoulder.
Zhao Daque grabbed the bird by the neck and slid the little white bird in front of him: "Silly bird! I'm in a good mood this time, so get out! Next time I see you, I will make you a sweet and sour bird!"
As he spoke, he threw the little white bird to the side. The little white bird flapped its wings and flew around the old man twice, and finally flew eastward and was no longer visible.
The old man wrapped up his cotton-padded clothes and walked on the snow, humming a ditty as he walked: "I'm Zhao Daque, Que, is the word for missing a duvet..."
two
This year's winter seems to be particularly long. Heavy snowfalls cover the mountains every three days. The old man cannot go up to the mountains to hunt, so he can only eat the bacon made in the autumn.
The bacon was very salty and tasty, but after eating it for seven days, the old man's mouth was full of salty taste, and he had to drink water from time to time. The other food had no taste at all in his mouth, just when the old man cursed and yelled "In my mouth"
Come out like a bird!" When the sound came, there was a knock on the firewood door.
Gently, knock twice first, then twice.
The old man's place is a remote place, where birds don't lay eggs and turtles don't come to the shore. You may not meet a passing guest all year round. It's strange that the old man is used to being lonely and doesn't bother to answer the door when he hears it. The door knocks twice.
The old man shouted impatiently:
"Have you brought any meat?! Come in if you have meat, get out if you don't!"
The door stopped ringing.
The old man felt strange now: Everyone knew it was nonsense, could it be that the idiot who knocked on the door really went back to buy meat?!
After thinking about this, the old man walked to the door and opened it:
There was not even a single figure on the white snow. There was a neatly folded quilt lying across the ground.
The old man touched it with his hand and found that it was soft and gentle and filled with feathers.
The next day, it still snowed non-stop. The man outside the door knocked gently again, first twice, and then twice.
Zhao Daque let out a "hum" from his nostrils. Just when he was about to shout, he heard the person outside the door whisper:
"I brought meat."
Without saying a word, the old man immediately ran to open the door in three steps at a time.
Outside the door, stood a handsome young man in white. The young man's head was slightly lowered, his back was a little hunched, and he was staring at the ground as if he could see a hole. He was holding a straw rope in his hand, and two ropes were tied to it.
fish.
"Damn! You bastard, how dare you lie to me?!" Mr. Zhao roared, "Where's the meat?"
The young man was stunned for a moment and raised the straw rope in his hand.
"Damn! Is this considered meat?!" The old man was lecturing as he snatched the straw rope holding the fish and threw it into the house. "Fish is not considered meat. Only pork and beef are called meat. Understand.
No?"
The young man lowered his head and responded softly: "Oh."
The old man glanced at him: "Remember to bring some meat tomorrow!"
"Yes." The young man nodded, still looking at the snow with his head lowered.
"Then why are you still standing there?!" The old man slammed the door, and after a while he heard a shout from inside the room: "It's better to have braised beef! Bring two more pots of wine!"
On the third day, the young man brought wine and braised beef. This time, for the sake of meat, the old man let the young man in. Then, he grabbed the wine jar without hesitation and drank it with his head held high.
After taking two sips, the old man glanced sideways: "You brat! What's your name?"
The young man hung his head and was stunned for a long time, frowning deeply, and then slowly replied: "Bai...Bai Wen."
"What are you here for?"
"Report..." The young man had just said one word, but suddenly he hesitated and stopped speaking, hesitating and falling silent.
The old man glanced sideways at him and looked the young man in white up and down. In the end, the old man rolled his eyes and said: "I, Zhao Daque, lack is the 'que' that lacks a son. From now on, you will
He is my son!"
"oh."
"Damn! You're a worthless idiot!" The old man slapped him and shouted, "Call 'Dad'!"
"Yeah." The young man didn't cry out in pain, and raised his dark brown eyes to look at the old man, "Dad."
From that day on, Zhao Daque had a son.
Zhao Daque never called Bai Wen's name. When he was happy, he would call him "Little Bird Man", and when he was angry, he would call him "Stupid Bird".
The "stupid bird" was very capable. But what pleased the old man the most was that the "little birdman" ate less, worked more, and never competed with him for meat.
Spring goes and spring comes, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The mantra of the old man changed from "I am short of Zhao. What I am missing is that I am not short of a son." to "I am short of Zhao. What is missing is that of a daughter-in-law."
As soon as the old man read this, "Stupid Bird" would immediately turn around and go out: "Dad, I'm going to chop wood."
No matter how cunning a fox is, it can't escape a good hunter. No matter how fast the "stupid bird" runs away, it can't escape its father who is a hunter. It can't hide for a while. When it comes back from cutting firewood, the old man often picks up its ears and twists them three times.
: "Stupid bird! You dare to sneak away, don't you?! I don't even listen to what I say. If I don't teach you a lesson, you don't know who is the father!"
As he said that, the old man pinched the little birdman's ears with two fingers and twisted them around. At first, the stupid bird held on without making a sound. The longer he held on, the worse Mr. Zhao got.
When the fire comes, the hand will be more energetic.
Bai Wen was so painful that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. After holding it in for a long time, he finally muffled out three words: "It's going to fall."
The old man let out a loud "hum" and let go. Bai Wen covered his ears with both hands, as if he was afraid that his ears would fall off like this.
It hurts, but after the pain, I still have to light a cigarette for me. Seeing the old man sitting on the threshold without saying a word, Bai Wen walked over gently, picked up a flint and lit a cigarette for the old man.
The old man took two puffs and puffed out smoke that filled the room. As he smoked, the smoke drifted gray and white, blurring the old man's face. The gray temples flickered in and out of the smoke, and Mr. Zhao suddenly
Take a breath:
"Stupid bird."
"Um?"
"Whatever you have to do, do it! Don't live like this for most of your life. Don't be like the useless father you are."
"..."
Bai Wen didn't respond, and he didn't know how to respond. The little stupid bird was just a little stupid bird. Through the misty smoke, he couldn't understand the old man's face, and he couldn't figure out what the old man's "Chongyong" was talking about.
three
Spring goes and spring comes again. The days in the mountains are always ordinary. There are no other people, only Old Man Zhao and Bai Wen. They go hunting at sunrise and return to their dens at sunset to smoke and drink.
Bai Wen didn't smoke or drink, so he sat on the doorstep and played the flute. As he played, he watched the old man puffing away smoke: raising his head and taking a sip of wine, and lowering his head to take a sip of cigarette.
The flute was whittled by the old man himself. At first, Zhao Daque had no interest in watching Bai Wen, so he made a short whistle for him, which sounded like a bird. The little stupid bird got more energy from playing it, and the old man
So my son cut a flute for him and taught him to play the flute.
Time has passed, and now, Bai Wen plays better than the old man.
I thought that life would go on like this day by day, just mixing in the smoke, wine and the sound of the flute. Mixing in, without summer, when the leaves of the trees begin to fall from the tops, I never like it.
The old man who was going down the mountain suddenly came down the mountain and ran into the town.
When he came back, the old man was so drunk that he couldn't even walk in a straight line. He took one step, turned two steps, stepped forward three feet, and stepped back one foot. He walked in a straight line and turned into a snake fist posture, turning straight.
As soon as he entered the door, the old man smelled of alcohol and poured straight onto the couch.
Bai Wen frowned and helped the old man take off his shoes.
The old man kicked the dirty shoes directly onto Bai Wen's white clothes. Then, the old man got into the bed and began to sleep soundly, making a loud sound of "ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah".
Sleeping until midnight, the old man suddenly sat up and sat on the edge of the bed: "Stupid bird!"
Bai Wen, who had always been sleeping lightly, straightened up when he shouted: "Dad? Do you want tea?"
"I want a lot of tea," the old man said in a daze, banging the bed board, "I want a daughter-in-law!"
"..."
Bai Wen looked up. The moon outside the window was round and bright: Well, it's a good time to chop wood.
"If you dare to go out, don't come in again! Give me a high-five if you can!" The old man heard the drama from somewhere. He spoke with great enthusiasm and quoted scriptures. "I'll go to the city with you tomorrow! Let me ask you a question.
I’ve been a matchmaker, there’s a girl in town who’s waiting to be married, she’s pretty good!”
"..." The little stupid bird was silent for a while, "Dad, I can't take a wife."
"No shit! Are you a man? If you are a man, you can ask for a wife!" The old man thought something was wrong and quickly changed his mind, "That's wrong, wrong, wrong, are you a male? If you are a male, you can ask for a wife!"
"Huh?!" Male...male bird?!
The old man patted the back of his head and said to himself while he was drinking: "Are the birds said to be male and female? Or are they male and female..."
Bai Wen was shocked, and immediately felt his whole body go cold: "Dad...you...you know?"
The old man glared at him sideways: "Nonsense! You have been called a 'little birdman' for so many years for nothing?!"
"I...I thought you were swearing."
"Damn! How can you hide your frivolousness from me?!" The old man scolded his son and immediately became energetic, "You idiot, how can a normal person send you a duvet in the snowy mountains and wild mountains?!"
"..." The little stupid bird was speechless at once: He never thought that on the first day he was looking for the old man, he had already betrayed him.
He didn't realize how shocked the little stupid bird was. The old man's drunkenness hadn't passed yet, so he kept repeating:
"...Who can you fool, you stupid bird?! You pretend to walk like a human, you don't know how to straighten your neck, why are you bending it? Are you staring at ants on the ground?! If you don't like rice, it's okay.
Eating the chaff secretly! I told you to eat meat instead of eating it, you idiot. Are those caterpillars on the vegetable leaves for you to eat?! I wonder why we haven’t been able to find even half a cockroach in our family these years!..."
Bai Wen suddenly felt that his head was filled with mushy seeds: It turns out... it turns out that dad has known for a long time... dad has known for a long time that he is not a human being, and has known that he is the white bird. But after all these years, why hasn't dad been surprised?
If you are not afraid, why do you still recognize him as your son even though you know he is not a human being?
Xiao Bai Wen was silent and depressed. He was not one ten thousandth as good at talking as his father, and he couldn't understand the depression in his heart. He could only turn his head, grab the flute on the table, bring it to his mouth, and start playing——
The old man kept mumbling, and the little stupid bird kept playing the flute. The big moon hung on the treetops, reflecting the two people in the small hut. The long flute sound wandered among the mountains and forests, suddenly long,
It was short, but the breath was extremely soft, and the music was extremely gentle. It was as gentle as that winter, close to the warmest feathers in the cotton clothes.
The old man got tired of talking, so he took a sip of cold tea and began to make his closing statement: "...In short, the bird is getting married and the girl is getting married! What are you afraid of? This girl is petite and petite, how can she eat you?!"
Come with me to the city tomorrow to meet this girl! Maybe Sesame and Mung Bean have fallen in love with each other, and I won't be happy if you don't marry her!"
This...this day can't be lived.
The little stupid bird shook his hands and played a note. Bai Wen, who had always been obedient and well-behaved, finally couldn't bear it anymore and threw down the flute and slammed the door.
After dawn, when Bai Wen returned to the house, the old man was not angry:
"Stupid bird."
"Um."
"I thought about it carefully yesterday," the old man frowned. "If you don't want to marry me, forget it. I just thought about it. You are a beast. If you harm another girl to lay an egg, I will
How do you explain this to your in-laws?"
"..."
"Let's do this. I'll go to the vegetable market for you tomorrow and look for it. What kind do you like?" The old man thought very seriously, "Pigeon? Quail? Teal?"
"..."
After three hours, the little stupid bird slammed the door and walked out again.
Four
How do you say that? When domestic chickens circle around in groups, pheasants can fly even if they don’t fight.
The little stupid bird obviously belonged to the former. Although the momentum of slamming the door was quite impressive, after a few hours, he had to go back to the dilapidated wood door, gently push the door in, and shout: "Dad.
"
Mr. Zhao was sitting on the ground drinking. He raised his head and took a sip of wine, then put his head down and took a puff of cigarette. There was a strange smell in the room. The old man's face could not be seen clearly in the white smoke, but the wine burp made a loud noise.
Bai Wen walked over quietly and started to clean up the wine jars scattered on the floor. The old man over there suddenly curled his lips and said: "Stupid bird! What is there to do with an old man like me?! You have such free time!"
, why don’t you go find your partner?!”
The little stupid bird frowned, always feeling that the word "companion" coming from the old man's mouth was indescribably weird. After living with his father in the mountains for five years, the old man was used to being lonely and never heard of it.
Said he wanted a companion.
The old man might have been drunk, so he actually talked more than usual. When Bai Wen said nothing, he began to curse. At the end of the curse, he suddenly grabbed the little stupid bird by the collar:
"Stupid bird! Say it!"
"Um?"
"Tell me, are there any dragons in this world?! Even you, a bird monster, must have a dragon, right?! Right?! Right..."
As he was talking, the old man suddenly started to "wuwu". He slammed the wine jar on the ground and buried his head in his knees.
dragon.
The little stupid bird heard this word from the old man's mouth for the first time.
The old man has always been a manipulative and arrogant person, but he has never been like this. After drinking too much, he started crying and asking for a dragon.
It turns out that Zhao Daque was not originally an Orion, but a "dragon slayer" with unique skills.
"Slaying the dragon", as the name suggests, takes killing dragons as one's own duty. Mr. Zhao learned a good skill in vain and spent forty years traveling all over famous mountains and rivers, hoping to slay dragons to show his talent, but he never found a real dragon. Until the year of
After half a century, the old man finally put away his dragon-slaying sword in depression, called himself an "old madman", and hid in the mountains and forests, never to be seen again.
After vaguely piecing these together from the old man's words, the little stupid bird suddenly remembered what the old man meant by the phrase "useless" that he often said.
I have studied hard all my life, but I have nowhere to do anything. I have been searching for a dragon my whole life, but I have never seen a scale or even a claw.
How could the old man be willing to be a mediocre hunter?! However, he has made no achievements in his lifelong pursuit. For most of his life, it is like chasing a floating dream. No wonder it is useless, no wonder he is shy to see people, no wonder... he lives in seclusion in the mountains and is alone.
Bai Wen carried Mr. Zhao to lie down on the couch and covered him with a quilt. Looking at the old man's hair with gray hair on his temples and a river on his forehead, the little stupid bird suddenly felt that he could do something for the old man——
At least, he knows that dragons do exist and where they are.
Dongting Lake.
The dragon is a sacred beast, how could the Dragon King of Dongting show up so easily?! Bai Wen knelt down by the lake for three days, unable to ask for the Dragon King's side. So, the little stupid bird had no choice but to change his tactics——
To kill the enemy on the battlefield and to provoke the enemy to fight, the method of "war scolding" is often used.
Bai Wen was not good at words, but he still had the courage to speak, imitating Old Man Zhao's posture, saying "I" all the time: "Old...I..."
After scolding a few words, he couldn't continue. After all, the little stupid bird was not that good. After thinking for a while, he stood by the lake and started playing the flute.
He knelt for three days and three nights, cursed for half an hour, and played the flute for seven to forty-nine days.
The distant sound of the flute carried far away on the water waves of Dongting Lake. Fortunately, Xiao Baiwen was not a mortal. If he were a mortal, he would have starved to death for more than fifty days without eating or drinking. But he still played,
He kept playing the flute and tried his best to play the most beautiful music and seek the side of the Dragon King.
Even though the formed spirit had been playing the flute for forty-nine days with one breath, Bai Wen began to feel a little unable to hold on. He felt dizzy, and his limbs and bones seemed to be filled with vinegar. Until the sound of the flute gradually became turbid,
My throat started to smell fishy and sweet, and suddenly there was movement in the Dongting lake.
The water parted from both sides, and the Dragon King flew into the air, waiting for Bai Wen condescendingly with his golden eyes.
"Dragon King, cough..." As soon as Bai Wen said this, he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood. After a long time to catch his breath, he quickly knelt down and begged: "Your Highness, Dragon King, please come with me to see my father.
"
Who is the Dragon King? If he can be summoned by a little white bird, then he is called the "Dragon King" in vain. The Dragon King did not get angry and asserted himself, and calmly said three words: "Why?"
With one sentence, Xiao Bai Wen was speechless. He was just a little white bird with no wealth and no morals that lasted 500 years. Why could he invite the Dragon King?
After thinking about it, the little stupid bird was in trouble. His head was pounding, but he could not think of a reason that would satisfy the Dragon King. He lowered his head and looked at himself, and was silent for a long time. Suddenly——
He raised the knife and dropped it.
There was a piece of blood and flesh on his back. As soon as he raised the knife and dropped it, the flesh and blood turned into a white aura and condensed into a pair of snow-white wings.
"Your Highness the Dragon King," said the little stupid bird with a pale face, holding back a cold sweat, "Bai Wen is just a little monster with nothing worth lifting with chopsticks. With just these pair of spiritual wings, he can practice for five hundred years with just a fraction of the price.
, it’s the only one that I can barely handle. I beg you, His Highness the Dragon King, to show mercy and show up to see my father.”
The Dragon King stared at Bai Wen with his golden eyes. He saw that his figure was swaying, but he managed to straighten his back. He saw that he was dressed in white, and his back was gradually stained red by the blood. He saw that he was looking at him sincerely——
The Dragon King moved his fingertips and retracted his spiritual wings. Without saying a word, he transformed into a black dragon and flew away.
Winds and clouds were surging, sweeping through the mountains and forests. Mr. Zhao, who braved the wind to go out to clean up his half-sun-sun fur, just walked out of the house when he suddenly saw a scale and a half of claws exposed in the clouds. He was immediately dumbfounded.
The black dragon danced in the sky. When the mythical beast showed its dragon head from the clouds and stared at the tiny human beings with its golden eyes, Zhao Daque could only open his mouth in a daze, hold his neck up, and stare at the clouds in stunned silence.
.
In just a moment, the wind stopped and the clouds dispersed.
Mr. Zhao, who seemed to have had a big dream, was stunned, stunned, and suddenly sat down on the ground and started laughing.
Smiling and laughing, the wild laughter of "haha" gradually turned into a sound of "wow". The old man buried his face in his wrinkled hands and muttered to himself:
"Dragon... there really is a dragon... I haven't lived in vain for so many years, I haven't lived in vain..."
Bai Wen stood on the top of the hill, watching from a distance. He watched his old man squatting on the ground and howling. After howling, he straightened up again and danced all over the yard.
Suddenly, a serious and deep voice sounded above Bai Wen's head. When he raised his eyes, he could not see clearly amid the dark clouds.
"You know, if you cut off your spiritual wings, your hundreds of years of practice will be in vain."
"I know."
The answer without thinking made the voice in the clouds pause: "Is it worth it to be a mortal?"
The little stupid bird who had always been silent and expressionless and was scolded by the old man as "facial paralysis" suddenly raised the corners of his lips slightly, writing a smile on his face and into his dark brown eyes:
"Of course it's worth it. He is not a mortal, he is my father."
Suddenly a snow-white object fell from the clouds. Bai Wen took a closer look and saw that it was his own spiritual wings.
I just heard the Dragon King say in a deep voice: "The damage to your spiritual wings is irreparable. I will give you a golden elixir. As long as you immediately enter the mountain to practice for three years, you can keep your Taoist practice for more than four hundred years. You can take care of yourself."
When he pushed the door open and walked in, the little stupid bird was holding a pot of hot wine and a bowl of sweet and sour wings.
"Stupid bird!" The old man's voice was much higher than usual, with a look of excitement on his face, "Did you see it?! Did you see it?! There was a huge black dragon in the clouds earlier!"
"Yeah." The little stupid bird nodded, and gently placed the hot wine and sweet and sour wings on the table, "I saw it."
The old man sat down, put one foot up on the bench, drank wine, grabbed the wings, and chewed them. While chewing, he vividly told how the dragon came to be.
Bai Wen had never seen the old man so excited, so he sat at the table and listened quietly.
The sky outside the window is getting darker.
The little stupid bird thought for a while and did not dare to delay any longer. He slowly said: "Dad."
"The black dragon's glasses are bigger than a lantern! They're so bright..." The old man chewed until his mouth was full of oil. After a while, he suddenly realized, "Ah? You called me?"
"Well," Bai Wen nodded slightly, "I have to go back to the mountains tonight and practice for three years."
"..." The old man's hand holding the wine bottle paused in mid-air, staring at him, "...What are you doing?"
"Uh... because..." Little Stupid Bird frowned and thought for a moment, "Because there is something."
"Crack!"
The old man slammed the wine bottle on the table and scowled angrily: "What a stupid bird! This brat can fly when his wings become stiff, right?! If you don't make any sound, you have to leave tonight?! Why didn't you make a sound so early?! What the hell?
It’s the other way around!”
Normally, the old man would get excited sometimes and would often send him out to find his companions, but this time he suddenly acted like a naughty little bird, scolding and making trouble, and wouldn't let the little stupid bird go.
The little stupid bird scratched its head and turned to look out the window. The moon was slowly climbing up the treetops.
The cold sweat on his back gradually trickled down his spine. The little stupid bird knew clearly that if he didn't practice according to the instructions of the Dragon King, it would be too late.
"father."
"Damn! This birdman still has the nerve to call me daddy?!"
"I'm sorry."
"..." Upon hearing these three words, the old man stopped talking as if he was suddenly struck by lightning. Looking at the little stupid bird whose face was pale and sweating coldly, the old man lowered his head and waved his hand:
"If you want to get out... just get out. Get out early!"
"father."
"..."
"Take good care of yourself," Xiao Baiwen scratched his head and squeezed out, "Soon, when three years are up, I will be back soon."
"What a stupid bird!" The old man threw the knife at him, "If you want to leave, just leave quickly, why are you holding on!? I'm in great health and it tastes great! Don't say three years, I'll have no problem living for another thirty years.
!”
The little stupid bird tilted his mouth, straightened up, and opened the door.
Mr. Zhao did not move, and squinted furtively. He saw that thin white shadow walking out of the house, slowly walking up the mountain step by step.
Don’t birds all use flying?
The question that suddenly popped into his mind made Zhao Daque stunned for a moment. Then he thought about the stupid boy with a pale face and sweat on his forehead, and then thought about the slow boy who seemed to be leaning over if he took just one more step.
Looking from behind, the old man was suddenly shocked:
Looking down, the sweet and sour wings in the bowl were shiny.
"Silly bird! Next time I see you, I will make you a sweet and sour bird!"
Suddenly, I remembered the snowy winter that year and those words. The old man buried his head on the table without saying a word. After being silent for a long time, he suddenly straightened up, grabbed the wings in the bowl and started to chew them!
"It tastes bad! It tastes so damn bad!" The old man cursed while chewing.
The oil was all over my hands.
Tears rolled down my face.
five
The old man was right. This bowl of sweet and sour wings was made by the little stupid bird using his own spiritual wings.
The little stupid bird, like the old man, was born poor and could not bear to waste anything.
Bai Wenxin said: Anyway, the spiritual wings have been cut off, so why not cook some food to replenish the old man's health?
——Look, the children of the poor have become parents early. What a thrifty and frugal spirit it is!
Who knew something might have happened on this holiday?
After all, the old man is a mortal, how can he afford such a big supplement?!
If you overdo it, your Qi and blood will surge, and your orifices will bleed.
The old man passed away the night Xiao Baiwen left.
Spring goes and spring comes again. Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
When the little stupid bird came back, it was winter again.
When I walked into the small thatched house at the foot of the mountain, I saw at first glance that a thick layer of dust had already fallen on the table.
The old man had been buried a long time ago. The woodcutter who occasionally went up the mountain to cut firewood saw the old man's body lying on the ground when he passed by the hut, so he picked it up.
It was buried outside Chaimen, in the yard where furs were often dried. Now, a layer of thick snow had accumulated, covering everything, and nothing could be seen.
The little stupid bird walked outside the house, looked down at the white snow, and said nothing.
The sky was cold and gloomy, and snowy plumes fell all over the sky from the thick clouds, opening a gray curtain between the sky and the earth.
The little stupid bird suddenly remembered that winter many years ago, the old man picked him up by the neck and carried him into his arms. The heat in the cotton clothes warmed the freezing man. He heard the old man's voice in the thick cotton wool.
The heartbeat is "thumping, thumping".
Later, the old man, whose lips were trembling from the cold, grinned and sang a ditty: "I, Zhao Da, need a son."
The little stupid bird subconsciously began to hum that little tune and the phrase "que is the lack of a son."
Humming, the little stupid bird squatted on the snow, buried its head in its knees, hummed and whined.
The snow fell on the little stupid bird's head, condensed in the black hair, and slowly dyed the temples white.
It's snowing.
[Extra chapter of the "Journey to the Sea" series? "White Bird" Ended]
