"It's getting dark. If you, sir, want to find an inn to stay for a few days, go out of this alley to the right and there will be one diagonally opposite. It's not too luxurious, but it's still a good place to stay. Gao and the innkeeper are familiar with each other, so when they arrived at the inn
You can also get a discount by raising someone's name." Butcher Gao's face turned red after drinking. "There is no need to deliberately raise someone's bad name. When you go to the store, you just need to say that the person was introduced by Butcher Gao. Usually Gao
I also have some friends in Jianghu, and I often stay there, and the shopkeepers often buy meat from me, so you can understand it after hearing this."
"That will be a big help to me."
Song You smiled slightly, held his hands again, and then left.
That inn has been open for many years. If the owner of the inn had not changed, it should still be the same one. Song You himself planned to stay there.
After taking a few steps forward, we entered darkness.
Nowadays, the nights in Yidu seem to be a little more deserted than before. Maybe there are more rumors about ghosts and ghosts. People naturally dare not go out alone at night. The already quiet alleys have become even quieter. The sound of horse hooves can be heard clearly.
The sound of the ground and the sound of footsteps also became obvious.
Instead, the sound of two people talking was heard again.
"Sanhua Empress seems to still remember that one time Sanhua Empress was lying on a tree and you drew a picture for Sanhua Empress."
"Yes, that painting was given to Yu Zhizhou, and it is still kept by Yu Zhizhou. He also took it to Changjing and is probably hanging in the Prime Minister's Mansion."
"The plum blossoms you painted are red!"
"Yes."
"It's yellow!"
"Empress Sanhua knows everything clearly."
"When we were in Changjing, one time we went out and when we came back, there was a plum blossom on the door, which was also yellow."
"Ms. Sanhua has an extraordinary memory."
"It's from the fox!"
"..."
The Taoist did not expect that this little thing could think of the plum blossoms given to them by a fox from Changjing when he visited them based on the plum trees in Yidu's courtyard. Nor did he expect that she could still remember them.
Then he shook his head and said to her:
"Miss Sanhua is so smart..."
Two figures walked out of the yard, followed closely by the horses.
After all, it is Yidu. It is no better than other prefecture cities, nor compared to those remote small towns in Xingzhou in the Western Regions. There are many shops with lights on the streets outside.
The two of them arrived at the door of the inn.
Song You first asked about the price, and then said that it was recommended by Gao butcher in Tianshui Lane, and it actually worked. The shop owner immediately gave him ten cents less and enthusiastically helped him carry his luggage up to the second floor.
The room was quite nice, much better than the carriage shop where I stayed in Yucheng. The bedding and everything were very clean, and you could even smell the sun. There were tables, chairs, benches, teapots and bowls, and there was a place for people to sit by the window.
Looking out the window, I admire the bustling wooden coffee table, which has shelves for storing things, a bedside table, an oil lamp, a washstand, a washbasin, and a large wooden basin for taking a bath.
The positioning of the inn itself is higher than that of the carriage and horse shop.
Song You put down his luggage, thanked the shopkeeper, and asked for enough hot water for a bath. Then he closed the door and returned to the house. He went to the window, opened it and looked out the window.
It took a long time for the waiter in the store to fetch water and heat the hot water.
After about half an hour, a waiter came up and knocked on the door. Then he brought up buckets of water and poured them into wooden buckets. After brewing them to the appropriate temperature, a bucket of boiling water was left for boiling.
The Taoist added it to the water when it was cold halfway through washing, which can be said to be very considerate.
Of course the price is not low either.
It costs money to buy water in the city, and it also costs money to buy firewood. A large bucket of bathing water requires at least several buckets of water to be carried and several buckets to boil. Adding labor costs, the money earned by the innkeeper is really not cheap.
“So expensive!”
Sanhua Empress was the first to speak.
"I'm back in Yidu, it's so dusty, I should take a shower."
"You can also wash in the river, and it's free of charge."
"Cold water is not as comfortable as hot water."
"In the past, we boiled water and washed it ourselves for free."
"But we no longer have our own courtyard in Yidu."
"Well……"
"Sanhua Empress, please go out and catch mice, and come in after I finish taking a bath." Song You said to her, "Or I can give Sanhua Empress a bucket of warm water, and Sanhua Empress will turn into a cat and wash herself in the bucket.
Of course, the bucket must also be lifted outside the door. Before I finish washing, Sanhua Empress cannot come out before me."
"Huh?"
The cat turned to look at him doubtfully.
The Taoist looked at her with no room for discussion.
The cat turned its head and walked away.
About half an hour later——
The Taoist had already changed into clean clothes and was packing his bag and taking out things.
The bathtub was filled with water again. The water was still warm at this time. Sanhua Empress turned back into a cat and scratched the dog in the tub. She was as fluffy as a worm and swam back and forth in circles.
lock up.
By the time the Taoist packed up his things, took out pens, inks, papers and inkstones, and spread them out on the table in the room, the water vapor had filled the whole room with smoke. When the cat heard the sound of spreading paper, he immediately jumped out and shook himself slightly when he landed.
A burst of smoke came out, making the water mist in the room even heavier, but her body was already dry.
"Canopy..."
The cat turned into a human form, wearing three-color clothes, with its hair loose, and consciously sat on the other side.
The two of them picked up their pens and dipped in ink at the same time, with almost the same posture.
The oil lamp swayed, reflecting the figure on the wall.
But then the Taoist took up his pen and wanted to write down his state of mind at this time and his thoughts after returning to Yidu, but the tip of the pen could not be put down for a long time, and he did not know how to describe it.
On the contrary, the girl opposite kept writing.
While writing it, prevent him from reading it.
"..."
Song You shook his head and said nothing.
After a while, the innkeeper came to knock on the door and took out buckets of bath water.
At least it was a good night's sleep tonight.
Early the next morning.
Sanhua Empress seemed to have predicted when the Taoist would wake up. When he woke up, she just bought steamed buns from outside, stuffed with meat and still hot.
The sound of vendors hawking could be heard outside the door.
"Grass herbal medicine, the effect is good...
“Skinny people can gain weight by eating them, and they can be eight feet tall by peeing on them!
"Everyone wants to ask how to eat it? It can be soaked in wine with wine, soaked in urine without wine, without wine or urine, and dry chewing is all effective!"
The sound is very loud and penetrating.
Even in Song You's dream.
Song You was woken up by him.
However, the Taoist didn't say anything. He just took the steamed bun from Tong'er's hand, thanked him, and started eating.
Just after taking a bite, he raised his head and asked, "Isn't it possible that Sanhua Empress made the steamed buns secretly by herself at night?"
"bought!"
"Then did Sanhua Empress wash her hands after catching the mouse?"
"!"
The girl had a serious look on her face, frowned and thought for a moment, then said to him: "The rice you are eating was also crawled by mice! The noodles you are eating are also eaten by mice!"
The Taoist laughed after hearing this.
This little thing has made great progress.
"Then where are we going today?" Sanhua Empress asked while watching him eat.
"Go out for a walk."
“Wander around!”
"You can go and see if your old friend is still there."
"Old friend!"
Empress Sanhua repeated his words, paused for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Will we meet that heroine named Wu?"
"Nvxia Wu..."
Song You also paused while eating the steamed buns, then shook his head: "That depends on fate."
"Well……"
After breakfast, the two of them went out.
A swallow followed them.
There are many familiar shops and buildings on the street. Empress Sanhua often feels familiar, so she turns her head and stares at that place without blinking, trying to search for it in her memory. When she remembers it, she pulls the corner of the Taoist's clothes and points to that place.
The Taoist recounted the images and events in his memory with great interest and even excitement.
At this time, she seemed like an ordinary human child, sharing her own things with adults.
It just so happens that adults feel the same way.
Encountering someone selling candied haws on a stick, Song You bought three bunches, one for Sanhua Empress, one for herself, and another bunch to take back to the swallows.
Walking on the street with a candied haws on your hand, you immediately feel more relaxed.
That was what they were like more than ten years ago.
Until we walked to Beiwazi and then to Yunshuo shed.
While still outside the shed, I heard a very emotional and rhythmic storyteller inside. The voice was very similar to that of Mr. Zhang many years ago. After only listening to a few sentences, I felt that the story was very good.
Song You slowly walked into the shed.
There was a young man outside the door who was responsible for collecting money. At this time, he was leaning against the railing and looking up at the sky. He seemed to be listening to the storyteller inside, and was shaking his head along with the storyteller's words. He was actually a little intoxicated by the storyteller's words.
Until I felt someone coming in front of me.
When the boy saw it, he saw that he was a Taoist man and he was leading a girl.
"Is your guest here to listen to a book?"
"yes……"
Song You looked inside slightly: "I don't know..."
"Hey, why did your guest come here? Mr. Zhang has already talked about it, and we are almost halfway through it." The boy said in a somewhat embarrassed tone, "Sir, if you want to go in, please give me two cents less for tea. If you go in,
Please be sure to keep your voice down and sit in the back so as not to disturb other guests."
"Mr. Zhang..."
"Exactly!"
"How will my child receive money?"
"It's quite high, and there are so many."
"good."
When Song You heard that it was Mr. Zhang, he paid the money decisively and walked in with the girl quietly.
When I was in Yidu, I often came to the Beiwa Ziyun Talking Studio to listen to Mr. Zhang's stories, and I even spent most of my time like this.
Not only for entertainment, but when I came down from the mountain, I started to understand the world and many strange and magical things from here. Just like the Yunding Fairy Mountain in Pingzhou, the Qingtong Forest in the north of Yuezhou and the Phoenix Divine Bird.
, the Earth and Fire Kingdom in the Western Region, and the Land of Tenglong in Yunzhou that I was about to go to but had not yet visited. They all heard about it from the mouth of this old Mr. Zhang.
It can be regarded as a quite deep fate.
When we entered the shed, we found that it looked much the same as it did back then, but it looked a bit older.
The storyteller is a thin old man wearing a gray cloth robe.
It's at least 70-80% similar to what I remember.
When the old man was talking about something exciting, he saw someone else coming in and looked at him again. When he paused, he nodded slightly to him before continuing.
The Taoist sat down in the last row. Although there were many guests in the booth, there was no one in this row. When the boy at the door came to pour tea for him and Sanhua Empress, he picked up the tea.
Listen carefully to what Mr. Zhang above is talking about.
It’s just that I feel a bit regretful——
This was not the Mr. Zhang he remembered.
Although he looks 70-80% similar to Mr. Zhang in Song You's memory, and his voice is 70-80% similar, he is not older than Mr. Zhang back then.
Although he has the same old face and is also called Mr. Zhang, he looks better than the old Mr. Zhang and looks several years younger. And thirteen years later, even if the old Mr. Zhang still has the strength,
He should be much older when he is telling people stories on the stage.