Guanqingzhai

Sigh at Naihe by the bridge of Naihe, Sansheng is fixed on the Sansheng Stone.There is no way to return to Huangquan here, who will be treated with a green light.

As soon as the summer rain falls, the lotus leaves seem to be covered with a layer of green wax. In the distance, you can vaguely see a boat passing between the lotus leaves, and a small song suitable for summer is also faintly transmitted in the summer rain.

It has been raining for a long time, and it has never stopped.The water storage tank was already full of water, and the tick-tock was rippled by the rain. Because of the heavy rain, there were few pedestrians on the road.

At this time, a man wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat came out from the depths of the willow forest, holding a jug in his hand. He was muttering something from time to time, and he listened carefully to some drunken words.The corners of the mouth slightly raised, although not smiling, but coquettish.Who is this person if he is not Hu Yue?

I saw Hu Yue raised her bamboo hat slightly, watching the rain from the corner of her slender eyes, without any intention of stopping. There are also summer-specific fruits and seeds (soak beans in a container of water) by the woods. Germination, called seedling in the Song Dynasty, is more common in the custom during the seventh month of the lunar calendar).Business is not good in such a rainy day, and the stall has not been closed at this time.The stall owner looked up at the person, thinking that the visitor would not buy his goods, so he lowered his head and dozed off again.

The stall owner closed his eyes and said, "The young man is going to take a boat?"

Hu Yue bowed and said, "Exactly."

"There are no boats in such heavy rain. There have been several shipwreck disasters here."

Hu Yue straightened her bamboo hat and said with a light smile, "The boat I'm on will definitely come today."

The stall owner tilted his head, seemingly really asleep.

Hu Yue wiped the rainwater off her face. Although Xia Yu was very anxious, she didn't feel cold. Instead, the water vapor that couldn't evaporate made the surroundings dull.Create an unnatural sense of isolation around you.

Hu Yue walked towards the moat alone. The moat was filled with mist in the heavy rain, and the distant scenery could not be seen clearly. Hu Yue stood by the river and burped.He raised the hat of the bamboo hat slightly, squinted at the moat, the rain was heavy, and he couldn't hear the sound of boating in the distance, so he could only wait slowly.It's just true, how can there be ships in such a heavy rainy day?

Hu Yue looked to the side, there was a mother and daughter leaning against a willow tree, Hu Yue nodded to them, and the mother also bowed slightly.

The lady's expression was a little sad and anxious, her brows were slightly frowned, her whole face didn't look bloody, pale and thin, beside him was a girl who was also thin, although the girl didn't have such a sad expression, but she The same lean.They also looked at the gray lake.

After an unknown period of time, the sky became darker and darker, and the rain finally stopped, but the gray and black clouds were still thick. Hu Yue looked at the sky, and he murmured, "Sure enough, the rain has stopped."

At this time, from the blurred water mist, some lights slowly reflected.There is a faint silhouette of a black-covered boat among the wobbles.

The mother and daughter got up and walked towards the river bank. Hu Yue squeezed the flagon in her arms and followed, just as the three were about to board the boat.A cry came from a distance, "Wait! Boatman! Wait for me!"

A young man wearing a rucksack and a turban waved towards the black boat.The young man didn't open an umbrella or bring a coir raincoat in such a heavy rain, and his whole body was soaked through.

He wiped his face, panted and stood beside Hu Yue, looking up at the boat slowly approaching the shore.Hu Yue asked: "It's raining so hard, why doesn't your brother carry an umbrella?"

While wiping his face, the young man straightened his turban that was already in a mess and said, "I came out in a hurry, just kidding, just kidding."

At this time, the little girl who had been holding her mother's corner pointed to the young man's head and said, "The more you pull the hat, the more crooked it becomes."

As soon as the young man stopped moving, he was even more embarrassed and could only smile dryly and look towards the river.The awning boat finally docked.The boatman was wearing a thick coir raincoat all over his body, so he couldn't see his face clearly, so he yelled towards the shore, and the four of them boarded the boat.

But Hu Yue found that there were still three people in the Wupeng, they were huddled in a corner, apparently to make room for the visitors.It's just that the inside of the awning is very dim, and there is no light at all.But the location is just big enough for the four of them.

Suddenly Hu Yue paused, and turned back suddenly: "Aren't there lights on the boat ahead? Why can't I see a single light now? Could it be that the boat lights were washed out by the rain?"

Just when Hu Yue was hesitating, the boat had already sailed away from the shore. Hu Yue was sitting near the bow, and the boatman was at the stern, so he couldn't see the boatman.He looked towards the other three people, who happened to be looking at them too.The eyes of Hu Yue and one of the thinnest people among them met, but that person's eyes were very loose, but there was a trace of strangeness in such loose eyes, Hu Yue just smiled, then turned his head and looked at the dim lake outside the window .

Apart from looking at each other, the seven people sitting there didn't have any conversations.Maybe the child couldn't bear the silence and boredom, so she shook the corner of her mother's clothes and said softly, "Mom, I'm thirsty."

The woman looked at her daughter in embarrassment. It was obvious that she had no water. Hu Yue looked at her flagon and said a little embarrassedly: "There is only wine. Is it not appropriate for children to drink it?"

The young man quickly put the cloth bag away, and said, "I have water here, give it to the little girl."

The little girl didn't dare to pick it up, so she looked at the woman cautiously, and the woman took the teapot after bowing her head and thanking the young man.Gave the girl some water.Her complexion also improved a little bit, she seemed to be a little tired after driving for a long time, and fell asleep on her mother's lap after drinking water.

The young man said to the boatman, "It's not easy for a boatman to make a living in such a heavy rain. I thought no boats would come when it rained."

The boatman did not answer, and the young man felt a little uncomfortable.Hu Yue frowned, and one of the three people on the boat spoke up, "Where are you all going?"

The young man replied first: "From Caihe to Huaihe, to Sizhou. Hehe, I am just an apprentice."

Because of the love of young people for giving water, the woman was not as unfamiliar as before, so she said: "The slave's house is not far away, just go to the bank of Zhu Bridge. My father is seriously ill and wants to take a last look at my granddaughter. It’s been a long journey. Just cross the river and you’ll be there.” After speaking, he patted the little girl’s head reassuringly.

Hu Yue smiled slightly and said, "I'll go..."

Before he finished speaking, the boat began to shake violently.The boatman shouted to the cabin: "There is a storm, hurry up, if it doesn't work, I will stop the boat to the nearest river bank, rest and go on the road."

The girl was also awakened, and she grabbed the woman's arm in fear, and everyone firmly grasped the railing, but even so, there was still a haze outside the cabin, and it was hard to see where was the river and where was the sky.The wind was so strong that no one could do anything other than hold the railing.The lady grabbed the railing with one hand, hugged her daughter desperately with the other, and kept praying.

Before the seven passengers could react, the boatman turned his head. Everyone was too scared to say anything. They felt as if the boat fell into the huge sea waves like a leaf, and the boat would tilt to the right for a while. , turning to the right after a while, I don’t know how long it was shaking violently, and finally something was loaded on the hull, almost knocking the little girl out, but fortunately, Hu Yue grabbed the girl, and the girl was pulled back by Hu Yue arms.But after that impact, it became much more stable.

The seven people waited on the boat for a while, but there was still no movement. Hu Yue poked his head out, only to find that the boatman had disappeared.

At this time, the weather outside was calm, but it stopped in a strange forest. Hu Yue looked outside and said, "Strange, where is the boatman?"

This is when other people looked out of the boat, but they still couldn't find anyone. Suddenly, the woman shouted: "Look, what is that?"

In the distance, there was something that looked like a human being floating.From a distance, it looks like a boatman.

Hu Yue said meaningfully, but then the young man trembled with fright, and said, "If...if that's the boatman, then...who tied the boat to the shore? Someone killed him? Here Can I report to the officer?"

He pointed to the tree the rope was tied to, and the girls let out a whimper, obviously terrified.

And there seemed to be lights in the depths of the forest, and there were voices of people talking.

The three boat passengers who had been very silent all this time said: "Look, it's going to rain heavily again today. We are not safe on this boat. If the rope is accidentally broken and the boat is blown into the river, we will be in trouble. Go ashore first." Bar."

But at this time, Hu Yue said: "If someone killed the boatman and threw the body in the river, wouldn't the voices on the other side be very dangerous to us? If it is a bandit on the river, we will fall into a trap if we go."

As soon as Hu Yue finished speaking, the sky thundered as if joking with him, and then it started to blow strong winds, and it looked like it would rain heavily at any time.And the boat began to shake violently again, and the rope made a very fragile creaking sound.

Hu Yue sighed and said, "It seems that we can only get off the boat."

The seven people had just disembarked when the rope seemed to be made of paper and broke with a click.The boat was slowly blown away from the river bank by the wind and drifted towards the center of the lake.

Seeing this situation, the seven people felt terrified, and they had to wait until there was a boat to leave here.Everyone looked around thoughtfully.

The forest doesn't look very big, and it doesn't look like a deserted forest. Instead, there are traces of being built, and there is a path for people to walk.

The seven of them walked straight into the forest along this path. There are many flowers and plants blooming very lushly, and some of them are even very rare. The surrounding vegetation is pleasant and elegant.You can even see some decorations similar to courtyard decorations. In short, this is the backyard of a big family.

The seven of them were not as scared as before as they walked. After all, the end of such an elegant forest path should not be a bandit cottage.

The little girl pointed to a gardenia and said, "Mother, it smells so good."

The woman took the girl's hand, shook her head and said, "No, maybe the owner here planted it."

The young man and Hu Yue walked side by side, the path was quiet and very long.Hu Yue took off the bamboo hat and coir raincoat, and patted on the clothes.The young man looked at him and said, "My lord is so young?"

Hu Yue raised her eyebrows and said with a smile: "I just look young, but in fact I am not young."

The young man blushed, he bowed and said: "Ah, I'm being rude, I hope you won't take offense."

Hu Yue laughed, but didn't answer his words.The young man knew that he was a bit abrupt, so he quickly followed up and said, "My lord, guess what this place is?"

Hu Yue shook her head and said, "I don't know, but there's something you haven't noticed?"

The young man said, "What is it?"

Hu Yue pointed to the three people in the front and said: "They seem to have been here before. Although there is a trail here, if you come here for the first time, you should be like you and me, or the mother and daughter, pay more attention to this place. , be cautious. But these three people didn’t look at the surrounding scenery at all, they were already walking ahead, as if they knew what was ahead.”

The young man said in a low voice: "Could it be that the three of them did something wrong? They killed the boatman?"

Hu Yue didn't answer this time, he patted the girl in front of her on the head and said, "Hurry up, it's going to rain again today." The girl nodded obediently.Holding her mother's hand and rushing forward, Hu Yue looked around while drinking. The scenery here is very pleasant, but it makes people feel an indescribable suffocation, the air seems to be very thin.

Hu Yue wiped her neck, the little girl suddenly grabbed her mother and whispered, "Mother, there seems to be someone here."

The woman stopped and looked around. It was so quiet that there was not even the sound of birds and insects, let alone human breath.

The woman pulled her daughter, telling her not to talk nonsense.But Hu Yue also felt like someone was watching, but even he didn't see anyone. He patted the little girl's head and said, "What kind of person does my little sister see?"

The little girl huddled half of her body behind her mother, and she said, "A big brother with a lamp in his hand."

Hu Yue's eyes lit up, and the woman looked around again, and she said: "There is no light at all here, and even the sky here is gray, where do people and lights come from?"

The young man smoothed things over and said, "Maybe it's because the little girl is too scared, she sees the branches as people and the banana leaves as lanterns."

The woman nodded slightly, and the little girl bit her lip and dared not say any more.After walking for about half a stick of incense, Hu Yue and the others saw the three people standing outside a house with gray tiles and white walls. The house looked very old, but all the materials were of top grade. It looked like a rich family's home other courtyard.

The three stood outside the house, but did not go in.It wasn't until Hu Yue and the others caught up with them that they raised their heads and said, "There is a room here for us to rest. Let's go on our way tomorrow."

The young man looked into the room, and there were only seven places in the room, on which were placed food and bowls and chopsticks, and the number was exactly seven.

The young man opened his eyes wide, he looked at Hu Yue along the spit and said, "This?"

Hu Yue said: "It seems that we came here not by accident, let's go into the house to see if there are still people here."

After speaking, he entered the house, and the house was already lit with incense.The delicacies of mountains and seas on the table are all mouth-watering.Everything here feels very comfortable except no one is there.But still can't feel a trace of popularity.

In addition, all the furniture and furnishings here are made of stone.

The little girl opened her eyes wide and said, "Mother, I have never eaten those dishes! That little bun looks like a little rabbit."

The woman was holding her daughter, and she had been hungry all day.But seeing this scene, I dare not take my seat first.

Hu Yue knocked on the stone stool, then on the stone vase and incense burner.He said, "These things are all made of high-quality white marble. These dishes, tsk tsk, let alone a little girl, even I have never eaten them."

Hu Yue thought to herself, if Chu Jue was here, maybe he would be able to make a name for him, but it's a pity, it's a pity that the person here is Hu Yue, a poor scholar.

The little girl was so hungry that she couldn't stand it, so she shook her mother's hand and said, "Mom, I'm hungry, let's eat first."

The woman wondered: "But the owner of this house has not been found yet, what if it wasn't prepared for us?"

The young man said: "But there are seven servings of bowls and chopsticks, and there are exactly seven of us. How can there be such a coincidence? Besides, along the way, the surrounding layout is also very elegant. Compared with the owner here, it is definitely an elegant person." People, you won’t be harsh on the few of us who are in trouble.”

Hu Yue sat on the stool, knocked on the dishes with chopsticks and said: "That's it, it's even more weird. Although this meal is delicious and tempting, how many of us are blessed to eat it? Why can he guess that we will come here?" Don’t forget that there is also the floating corpse that is suspected to be the boatman.”

The woman hugged the girl tightly, for fear that the child could not resist running to eat.The young man looked at Hu Yue with a calm expression, and he clasped his fists and said, "Who is the young master? Judging by the young master's expression, he should not be an ordinary person."

Hu Yue returned the courtesy and said, "It's just a literati who has been in the rivers and lakes in the lower district. His surname is Hu, his name is Yue, and his style name is Mu Zhi."

The young man bowed his crown and said: "My surname is Fang, my name is Yan, I... hey, why can't I remember who I am?"

The young man was stunned, and the woman was also stunned. She looked at Hu Yue and said, "No, I can't remember either. I only remember that my husband's family name is He, and my maiden name is Chen. She is my daughter. The name is Yu'er."

You'er raised her big eyes, looked at her mother and looked at everyone and said, "You don't remember? I remember it very clearly. My name is He You'er, and I live in West Street, Lijiaxiang. Mother, you forgot What? Our family sells tea."

The lady of the He family covered her head and said, "Yes, yes, yes. Why can't I remember, why do you remember, You'er?"

Hu Yue was looking at the other three, their faces were pale and expressionless.They didn't participate in the conversation between the four, Hu Yue looked at them and waved his hands: "Where are the three from? Can you remember the past?"

The three looked at each other, and then one of them said: "The three of us are foreigners, and we originally wanted to go to the capital to do business."

Hu Yue snorted and said, "Then that means, the three of you remember the past, but only Mr. Fang and Mrs. He's can't remember?"

The lady of the He family and Fang Yan looked at each other, but couldn't find a clue.The older of the three said to the four, "There should be no one else in this room."

But the shortest of the three said, "The meal should be for us."

Hu Yue said: "But there is a courtyard here, so there must be a master. Since there is a master, let's wait until the master comes, and then make plans."