Chapter 73 Traveling to Pingzhou on the Spring Equinox in the Second Year of Mingde
Chapter 73 Traveling to Pingzhou on the Spring Equinox in the Second Year of Mingde
In the money shop, the clerk was cutting silver.
The calico cat was playing in circles all over the floor.
The journey to Pingzhou is a mountainous road for hundreds of miles. It is rarely inhabited, but it is not uninhabited. It is just that there are few people and there is no big city, so it is difficult to buy a place to stay. Song You feels that it is inconvenient to use money, but there is not much copper left. Today
So I specifically asked a money shop to come and exchange it.
Dayan's official silver is flat, wide at both ends and thin in the middle, making it easy to cut.
The waiter was also very skilled in the business. He just cut out a small corner, took out the gun and weighed it. He immediately smiled and showed it to Song You.
"My guest, no more, no less, just one or two."
“Good craftsmanship!”
"It's also luck."
The clerk took the corner with a smile, returned the remaining piece to Song You, and then took out a large bunch of copper coins, an extra small bunch, and some more.
"Other places are not full, but for the sake of convenience, our place is full. Please rest assured, sir."
"I'll count them."
"Just count!"
"Well."
Song You smiled and sat down, and actually started counting.
The recent silver-to-money ratio in Xiangle County is one thousand two hundred and one.
Song You asked the restaurant manager when he was having dinner, and the owner said the same price.
Of course, money shops charge a commission for exchanging money.
I had exchanged money once in Yidu before, and that time the exchange rate of one tael of silver was only 1,190. I don’t know whether it was due to local factors or time factors, but it was higher here.
Don't think that money shops should value trustworthiness, and think that most money shops in the world are fair people. In fact, in Dayan, it is a common phenomenon in society to do something with copper coins, and everyone has even become so accustomed to it that they don't think it is a thing.
To the extent that I feel guilty, I feel that it is natural. Everyone is like this anyway, and it is natural for both parties to come and go.
But generally I don’t do anything with the clothes.
Firstly, many people, not to mention exchanging money, even use silver to buy things, but also bring their own money. Secondly, the court is strict about this. The money is fake and violates the law. On the contrary, if a string of money is less, no one will hold it accountable.
, who forbids me from counting wrongly?
Anyway, I have some free time today to count my money.
There are more than a thousand articles, which is not easy to count.
Fortunately, Song You was patient enough.
At some point, the calico cat also sat over, sitting upright next to him, raising its head and stretching its neck, looking at him eagerly.
Not long after, Song You put down the money:
"This is a big batch of nine hundred and eighty, which is short of twenty cents."
"Ouch!"
The waiter yelled in a very surprised tone: "Even if the waiter who counted the money was careless and made a mistake, I'm sorry sir, I'll make it up for you."
Without counting, he turned around and went to get the money.
It’s already obvious——
I always make nine hundred and eighty here, and there's not much difference between left and right. If you don't care about it, then treat it as if I earned an extra twenty cents. If you care about it, it's a thousand cents. You can count it. You're right after counting.
, then I will apologize to you without saying anything and just make up for you.
It's actually hard to say.
Of course it is human greed and petty thoughts, but it is also the inertia of society, a common phenomenon.
There is also quite a bit of room for contemplation and savoring.
However, Song You still asked:
"Don't you count?"
"I'm not good at counting. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. Besides, I'm a master in spiritual practice. How could I lie to you?" the waiter said in a very natural tone while counting the money. "Even if you make a mistake in counting, it's only a few cents at most."
It’s just a small gap. All the guests who come in are distinguished guests, so just treat it as a small shop and be friendly to the gentleman.”
"Good."
It's also a bit interesting.
After collecting all the money, Song You went out and put it on the horse without saying anything.
However, the calico cat still sat in the money shop, sometimes turning to look at Song You, sometimes at the clerk at the counter. When Song You was about to leave and the clerk wanted to remind him, she suddenly jumped up on the counter and faced him.
The guy let out an angry sigh, and immediately jumped down again to chase Song You.
Run fast.
The man was left standing there stunned.
…
Most of the county towns are built near the water. When you walk out of the city gate of Xiangle County, you will immediately see a small river. The stone arch bridge is very charming and spans the small river. It is lunch break at this time. There are no people walking on the bridge, only the riverside.
The willow tree at the head of the bridge hangs down its silk ribbons, which are thin and long, swaying in the spring breeze.
When he reached the middle of the bridge, Song You refused to leave. He stopped and stood by the bridge, holding on to the railing and blowing the spring breeze. He looked at the small river in the distance and the old man beating his clothes. He didn't know what he was thinking.
"Bang bang bang..."
The sound of beating clothes came from far away and echoed in the air.
"Yan'an."
"gentlemen."
A swallow fell on the guardrail of the stone bridge.
Before Song You could say anything, he said first: "I just went to ask for directions for your husband. The road in front of you is about thirty miles away and is the boundary of Pingzhou."
Song You was a little surprised:
"You asked?"
"Yes, I flew forward, transformed into a human form, and asked the local farmer. This is what the old man said." Yanzi paused for a moment, and said ashamedly, "In the past few days, I was supposed to see Mr. off, but in the end,
Whenever I ask for directions, I have to ask my husband in person, which is really shameful."
"Those who are good at martial arts should follow martial arts, and those who are good at literature should follow literature. You have your temperament and ability. You have been a great help along the way, so why do you need to do this?"
"Sir, there is no need to comfort me. I only found out after asking about it that it is simpler than I thought."
"That's fine."
Song You didn't say much more, and just continued to say what he originally wanted to say: "Since the front is the boundary of Pingzhou, just send it here. You should go back."
"..."
Yanzi didn't speak for a moment, but looked at him with a pair of dark eyes, and then said: "I have been walking with you during this period. I have been taught by your words and deeds, and you have been nourished by your spiritual energy. I want to thank you."
"It's my turn to thank you for your kindness."
"The ancestors want to send the swallows of the tribe to search for crops in other places. I have thought about it for a long time. As a member of the tribe, I should also go." The swallows seemed to be still in the stage of changing their voices, and their voices sounded very juvenile, "If this were not the case,
I really want to follow you, stay by your side, search for streams and paths for him, and see this vast world."
"Have you decided to go overseas?"
"yes."
The one-word answer "Swallow" was very similar to Song You's habit. He thought for a while and then continued: "I was originally afraid that the south was too far away, I was afraid of walking with other swallows, and I was afraid that I couldn't find it even after searching for a long time.
However, as I walked with my husband, I felt that the distance was not far away. Although the mountains outside the mountains were different from the mountains in front of me, the essential differences were not big. If I think about it carefully, it is my family’s natural habit to go south, and the vastness
It’s time for me to experience the world...”
"Actually, it's good to be alone." Song You said with a smile, "But it's better this way. Maybe if you go out, you will feel better. Maybe if you go out, you will feel lonely. In short, if you go out, you will feel better.
Know."
"If I come back and feel that it is better to be alone, I will do what my heart does, just like your husband. If I come back and feel that the world is vast and the fun is endless, I will do what your heart does, just like your husband."
"You are smarter than me." Song You smiled, "When I came down the mountain, my master said to me that I hope I can find the joy of this world and find peace of mind during this trip. Now I give these words to you.
.I hope you can find your freedom and peace of mind as soon as possible."
"It's just a goodbye at this time, I don't know..."
"I just hope you and I can see each other again."
"Take care, sir."
"Take care of yourself too."
The swallow said no more, flapped its wings and flew into the blue clouds, becoming a small black dot that became smaller and smaller.
The calico cat raised its head and stared, and then looked back when it was out of sight.
"he's gone!"
"yes."
"It's just us again."
"Are you reluctant to let go? You even helped him catch butterflies."
"I have no idea……"
"Then you're not smart."
"?"
The calico cat was stunned for a moment.
Just as he was about to retort, he saw that the man had turned around and walked away, leaving only his back and the words: "Let's go, it will only be us for a long time in the future."
The calico cat had no choice but to follow with small steps.
As soon as they got off the bridge, there were pedestrians in front of them, walking in their direction, as if they were going into the city.
It was the old woman who was beating her clothes just now.
The two old men looked very old, with gray hair, short stature, and became even shorter when they became rickety. They were also dressed very simply, barely keeping warm, and the spring water was still a bit cold. At this age,
Even though it was a common thing these days, Song You still felt a little pity for him.
The two old women were both carrying large buckets of clothes. Because they were too heavy, their bodies tilted involuntarily to one side and they fell over when walking, which made them even more sad.
But at this moment, Song You saw the old woman walking behind raise her hand with the mallet and poke the old woman in front of her on the back. The old woman in front didn't bother to pay attention at first, but after two more
He couldn't help it anymore, so he turned around, held up the mallet and stumbled back a few steps to chase him, as if he was going to hit him. The latter also stumbled back a few steps and avoided it with a smile.
At one age, they are like two children.
With such a simple life and a bright smile, the few remaining teeth can be easily counted at a glance.
After a few commotions and a moment of stalemate, the two gray-haired old ladies panted, picked up their clothes and walked back, but they walked side by side, with no one daring to go ahead.
Song You quickly and respectfully retreated to the roadside.
Two old men passed by him.
"Meow?"
"What's wrong."
"Um?"
"I'm afraid of blocking the elderly."
"Oh I can't stop it..."
"yes."
Song You stepped forward to chase the calico cat.
Horse bells jingle.
The Taoist holding a bamboo stick and the old man carrying clothes completed an ordinary encounter.
When he turned around again, he saw the two old women looking back at him and whispering to each other. Their voices were muffled by the wind, and they were discussing where this young and strange little Taoist priest came from.
The steps don't stop.
Not far out of the city, there were few pedestrians on the road.
I arrived in Xiangle County yesterday and spent a night in a hotel with a nice room. He asked the owner and said that this road was originally an ancient road, but it was really difficult to walk. This road was used when the world was in chaos.
This is one of the reasons why Xuzhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The previous dynasty spent a lot of effort to open another road, and fewer people took this road.
When there are fewer people, there are more monsters.
When there are more monsters, there are fewer people.
If the court doesn't care, it will be a vicious circle.
To this day, I still don’t know if the imperial court has any control over it. There are few villages along the road, but there are a few cities with very few people. There are also a few pass military towns, so this is still the territory of the King of Dayan.
With a stick and a light body, we can travel thirty miles and arrive in no time.
"Pingzhou boundary."
Song You walked to the boundary monument again and stopped to look at it.
Yesterday was the vernal equinox, and today is also the vernal equinox.
One step further and we will leave Xuzhou.
It's a new state again.
I saw the sky in front of me was heavy and rainy, and what I saw was a landscape like ink and wash. The mountains were covered with shadows and fog, and each mountain was higher than the other. I couldn't tell where the mountains were. It was like a picture of mountains and rivers thousands of miles away.
Just like the hotel owner said——
This road is difficult.
Pingzhou is also mountainous, but it is different from the mountains in Anqing, Xuzhou. Anqing is a small mountain with thousands of peaks forming a forest at a glance. Pingzhou is a big mountain. Not to mention tens of thousands of peaks at a glance, even a mountain is full of trees.
When I looked in front of my eyes, I saw that part of it was in the clouds and mist, and another part was in the clouds, so I couldn't see it completely.
Not only are there mountains, but there are also many canyons and cliffs.
This road passes through the mountains, along the mountainside, through canyons, and past cliffs. If you encounter something you can't get around, you have to go all the way up, through the sea of clouds, and over the pass.
It was fine during the day, with occasional sightings of people.
At night, the mountain monsters cry and the wild ghosts blow fire.
Song You couldn't see this.
I only saw the clear springs in the mountains, the wild fruits in the forest, the free little monkeys, the wild trees and flowers scattered all over the ground after a spring rain, the sea of clouds covering the sky and the earth, and the fungi that emerged after the rain.
Even the abandoned huts on the roadside, coupled with the leisurely mood and countless falling flowers, seemed to him to be a scene of their own.
I recommend "Into Unscience" by the novice fishing girl. It is an experienced author, the story is wonderful, the volume is large, and it can solve the book shortage!