The early morning mist has not yet dissipated, and the hazy sun has already revealed half of its face.
In late autumn, the weather is getting cooler, especially for farmers in these mountains. Some frail old people and children have already put on flower jackets, or are lying on wooden rocking chairs having morning tea and chatting, or chasing each other and playing, enjoying
The morning dew is cool.
Everyone in the village, men, women, old and young, got up early. Some simple earthen houses were already burning with smoke, and occasionally the childish voices and mother's nagging could be heard.
After the men finished breakfast, they would go out with a quiver on their back, a long bow in one hand, and a simple water bag in the other. They would gather at the entrance of the village to chat. After everyone arrived, they would go into the mountains to hunt together.
There are about half a hundred households in the whole village, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one trail extending outside the mountains. Some traveling merchants will come here every spring and before the winter solstice to buy some unique animal skins and rare medicinal materials in the mountains.
, trading twice a year can basically meet the food and drink expenses of a family for a year, so although the families in the village are not rich, their lives are still barely manageable.
By the time the sun had fully emerged, more than thirty men had gathered at the entrance of the village. The leader was a shirtless man in his fifties, with hair and beard that had turned a little white. He glanced at the crowd and saw that they were almost there.
Nodding, "Let's go!"
As soon as the voice fell, a group of people walked towards the mountains with bows and arrows on their backs, followed by a group of small children chasing after them, holding wooden sticks and bamboo sticks in their hands, laughing and shouting as they went forward, and they were still talking about beating a tiger and a leopard.
return.
The men just laughed at these children and ignored them. When they were about to reach the mountain pass, if there were still some sturdy children who refused to leave, they would be scolded by the adults and forcibly driven back.
But just as the leading man said the word "go", a delicate female voice suddenly came from behind, "Uncle Niu, wait for me!"
Everyone turned to look, and then shook their heads helplessly. In front of them was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, with her hair tied up with a piece of floral cloth. Her big, watery eyes were very beautiful, and with a healthy wheat complexion, she looked very lively.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this beautiful embryo is like a lily in every nook and cranny in this mountain.
Even though it was already late autumn, the woman was still wearing a slightly thin coat with many patches, which looked a little distressing. But everyone who knew her knew that the girl named Xun'er was just like her father.
The temper is quite stubborn.
Xun'er's family is also a native of Bainiu Village. Her mother passed away when Xun'er was born, leaving behind the father and daughter and their elderly grandmother. However, since Xun'er's father died unexpectedly while hunting in the mountains three years ago, the family was still alive.
The days of being able to live with enough food and clothing are gone forever.
People in the village allocate rations according to their contribution. Without the backbone, the allocated rations will naturally be reduced. Xun'er has a stubborn temper and has refused help from the village many times. Since his father's death, he has stirred up trouble in the family.
Daliang, following these men into the mountains for hunting, most of the money they earned was used to buy medicinal materials for my grandmother.
However, Xun'er doesn't often go into the mountains to hunt. Only when the family can't open the pot or the medicinal materials are not enough, will he follow these uncles into the mountains. Of course, these uncles also take good care of Xun'er, and generally they won't
Let him take risks, and on weekdays he also sews and mends for the villagers, or grows some wild vegetables. This is Xun'er's entire life.
At this moment, Xun'er was carrying a long bow that was quite out of proportion to his body, and was followed by a native dog, following him inseparably.
"Uncle Niu, I'm sorry, I'm late!"
Xun'er wiped the sweat from her forehead and said breathlessly.
The uncles who knew Xun'er's temperament wouldn't say anything. Uncle Niu chuckled and waved his hand, "Let's go! You girl, when the filial piety period is over in two months, find a young man to marry. , and save yourself such suffering. I think that boy from the Liang family is good. After this spring, when boy Liang becomes an official, you will get married, and Uncle Niu will make the decision for you."
Hearing this, Xun'er just pursed her lips and smiled, and shook her head stubbornly, "Uncle Niu, you also know that Xun'er's husband must be like my father, a heroic man who can fight tigers and leopards. I don't care about that. Those idiots who only know how to write and write.”
After hearing what Xuner said, Uncle Niu babbled a few more words, and the group of people walked towards the mountains.
There is a private school at the foot of Bainiu Village. Some people in Bainiu Village who have no worries about food and drink have settled down, so they want to send their children and grandchildren to a private school to learn some words. Although it is expensive, these simple farm men can only grit their teeth and learn some words. After surviving, if there can be a talented person in the mountains, it will be a blessing to the whole village.
Among them, Liang Junfu is the leader. At the age of only 21, he passed the Tongsheng Provincial Examination one after another and became a veritable master. It was precisely because of this status that the family moved out of Bainiu Village two years ago and bought a house in the town. A piece of land was acquired and two brand new wooden houses were built.
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he has been educated and literate since he was a child and has never done any menial or heavy work. This talented man from Liang Dynasty is fair and handsome. He also got up early at this moment. After becoming a teacher, he started teaching in a private school.
It has been less than half a year since the Chunwei Examination. Once you pass the examination, you will become a parent official, and you will be very successful in the future. It is the dream of every scholar to be able to benefit one party, gain fame, and even be favored by history. Liang Dacaizi Naturally, he was no exception, and he personally took over the task of teaching in a private school from his mentor. On the one hand, it was a way to review the past and learn new things, and on the other hand, it was also a filial piety to his mentor.
After teaching at noon, Liang Dacai came to the town, picked up two boxes of cakes, and walked all the way towards Bainiu Village.
The town is not far from Bainiu Village, but the mountain road is rugged, and the mountains are full of water vapor, muddy and slippery, making it difficult to walk. It took Liang Dacai a full two hours to reach the village. Some elderly people in the village said He greeted him warmly, and some children who were fumbling around immediately gathered around him. He shouted "Great Talent" from the left and "Master Ju Ren" from the left. Liang Junfu just laughed and took out two handfuls from his arms. Nuts, "Take them all, take them all"
After having food, the group of children dispersed in a hurry, while Liang Dacaizi straightened his clothes and walked straight towards the leaky house of Xun'er's family.
Everyone in the whole village knew about Liang Da Cai's pursuit of Xun'er. Although Xun'er had rejected him many times, Liang Da Cai had the stubbornness of a scholar and would come every few days. , regardless of whether the other party wants to see him or not, he still goes his own way. The villagers see it and give mixed reviews.
Seeing that Xun'er was not at home, Liang Dacaizi visited Xun'er's grandmother, and then he got busy by himself, helping to clean the yard, carrying two buckets of water, and weeding and fertilizing the wild vegetables in the backyard. After all the tossing, the sun was gradually setting in the west.
Just when Liang Dacai was considering whether to leave first, a burst of noise suddenly came from the entrance of the village. Some men's scolding and children's chirping and laughter could be vaguely heard. Liang Dacai looked happy and hurriedly walked out of the yard towards the village.
When he went to greet him, Liang Dacai knew that Xun'er was back.
As soon as he walked out of the yard, Liang Jun's house paused, but he found that the thin and small Xun'er was walking quickly carrying an unconscious young man about fifteen or sixteen years old. The men around him were scolding each other and wanted to
The children who surrounded him made way for a long passage and did not dare to get close.
Behind Xun'er, a khaki wolf dog followed from a distance. It let out two fierce barks from time to time. It also didn't dare to get close, as if it was afraid of something.
Seeing this scene, Liang Dacai suddenly felt a little unhappy. As a scholar, he valued secular etiquette the most. He had heard about the principle of not being intimate between men and women since he was a child, and it had been engraved in his bones. However, people in the mountains did not pay much attention to these.
No one took it to heart; on the other hand, they were also a little angry at a group of men watching a young girl carrying this person on her back but no one came forward to help. Thinking of this, he rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to take it, but before he could
When he got closer, he was stopped by Xun'er.
"Don't touch him!"
Xun'er said and walked straight into the hospital. When passing by Liang Dacai, a blood-crowned snake head suddenly appeared from the sleeves of the unconscious young man. The snake spat out, which startled Liang Dacai.
After coming back to his senses, Liang Junfu looked at Xun'er's back, with a look of anger on his face. Just as he was about to say something, he was patted on the shoulder by a big hand. He turned around and saw that it was Uncle Niu.
.
"Young man Liang, are you looking for Xun'er again? Alas, how many times has Uncle Niu advised you to give up this idea? You also know Xun'er's temper. You have liked those heroes who can carry the cauldron since you were a child. You are so weak.
"
Before he finished speaking, Liang Dacaizi shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I also know that I just grew up with Xun'er, and I really can't untie this knot in my heart. Before Xun'er gets married, I have to stick to it no matter what.
.By the way, Uncle Niu, who is that unconscious person?"
Seeing Liang Junfu changing the topic, Uncle Niu sighed softly and said no more. He just said that when he said that person, there was a strange look in his eyes, "I met that person in the mountains. When I found him, I met him in the mountains."
He is unconscious and has many wounds on his body. If it were not for the protection of three small snakes, he would have been swallowed whole by the wild beasts in the mountains."
"Guardian by three little snakes?"
Hearing this, Liang Dacai was excited and thought of the snake head that had just poked out of the young man's sleeve.
"That's right, based on my many years of experience, the little blood-colored snakes are extremely poisonous. The three little snakes are extremely spiritual. Only Xun'er can get close. Others dare not get close at all. And when they found out, there were many people around this person.
Many wild beasts have been bitten to death by the three little snakes, No, look."
Uncle Niu said, pointing to the dozens of large beasts on the backs of those men.
“I don’t know if the meat of these beasts can still be eaten.”
Liang Dacai opened his eyes wide, and he saw some tiny fangs wounds on these beasts. They looked extremely small, but they made these beasts die, and he was horrified for a moment.
"Haha, maybe the snake keeper in the mountain had an accident when he entered the mountain, but the injuries on this person were too serious, and according to Xun'er, the bones in this person's body were broken in many places, and it seemed that he fell off the cliff.
But the wounds on his body don’t look alike, so we can only wait until he wakes up and ask for more information!”
After Uncle Niu finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a group of men carried the prey and walked towards a larger house in the village.