pillow mountain river

South of Xiazhou and east of Meichuan, there is a village called Maocun, with a population of less than [-] households.Because a market was set up, the mountain goods in the west were transferred here, and the population gradually became denser, forming a small county town.

Mao Village is not considered prosperous, but there are more mountains and less land in a radius of a hundred miles, far less than the continuous towns of Xiexi, and the mountain people always go to Mao Village to exchange goods.

From the eyes of the nearby children, Mao Village is one of the most lively places.

Er Dong also wanted to go to Mao Village. He learned about the existence of Mao Village from an old woodcutter.

Ke Erdong couldn't go, just talking to the woodcutter, he was punished by his master to kneel all night on the cold stone steps in the front yard.

His knee hurt from the cold for a few days, the pain made him grin his teeth, and he never dared to say that he wanted to go to Maocun.

The master is not strict with him, it can even be called casual, even if Er Dong digs earthworms in the ground with his butt sticking out, the master will not care about him, but he will be punished if he shows any intention of going down the mountain .

Mao Village is surrounded by mountains, ten miles away, there is an unnamed mountain.

The mountain is no different from other mountains, and it is located in the shade of the mountains. After winter, it is cold and humid, and even the weeds will die a lot.

There is an ordinary bamboo courtyard on the mountain, which is similar to the small courtyards of ordinary people at the foot of the mountain. There is a main house, two side rooms, and a courtyard at the front and back.

The accumulated rain in the mountains merged into a stream, meandering down, just passing the backyard.

The backyard has not been repaired, and it looks shabby. The peach blossom tree in the center of the courtyard has many branches and few leaves, and a few peach blossoms here and there, which are pitifully thin.

There was a boy lying under the tree, his body shape was similar to this thin peach plant, he was pitifully thin, his face was pale, and his lips were as pale as peach petals soaked in rain for several days.

Compared with the strong and dark peasant boy at the foot of the mountain, he really looked young, at most fifteen or sixteen years old.There is a huge silver collar on his slender neck. Although he is not wearing a longevity lock, it still makes him look small.

Er Dong loosened the soil for the peach tree and was sweating profusely, so he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

The dead leaves of the peach blossom twirled and fell, just landing on the tip of his nose, itching him so much that he sneezed, and instantly woke up from his dream.

The luxuriant peach tree in the dream disappeared, and it was still this thin peach tree that caught his eyes.It is unimaginable that such a thin peach tree can survive several winters, let alone bear fruit.

Er Dong sighed, picked up the dead leaf, and covered his left eye.

Gray sky, dry leaves.

He didn't know how many years he had watched such a scene. He had stayed in the yard as long as he could remember, never went down the mountain, and rarely saw strangers.

If he hadn't met a woodcutter begging for water by chance and heard about the noisy and prosperous Mao village full of goods, he wouldn't have thought of going out to have a look.

It's a pity that Master won't allow it.

Er Dong sighed again, and looked up at the peach tree.

This speechless tree can be regarded as half of his playmate. Er Dong asked the master countless times how to raise it.The master said lightly, "There is a life in the dry and prosperous."

Er Dong waited for the peach tree to grow for a year, but in the next year it still only had a few scattered peach blossoms. The buds were thin and small, and they were blown away by the bitter wind before they fully bloomed.

Er Dong went to bother the master again, and the master was disturbed by his quarrel, so he had to say a few ways.He regards those methods as treasures and takes good care of them every day.

But in the early spring of next year, the peach tree will still be that peach tree.

After much deliberation, Er Dong didn't know what went wrong, and he never believed that it was the master's method that didn't work, so he could only attribute it to the tree that didn't live up to it.

In his heart, the master is the sky and the earth, which is more important than the sky and the earth.

Master's words are absolutely correct, as for not letting him go down the mountain...it is also correct.

What's good about the foot of the mountain, just a few more people, a few more houses, too many people, noisy, big place, how tiring to walk... However, there is still a little bit in his heart that wants to go The desire to take a look, even from a distance.

"Er Dong."

The man in the blue gown stood under the eaves and called him.

Er Dong responded, quickly patted the dust off his body, and ran over like a milk dog.

The man didn't pay attention to his dirty cat-like face, turned around indifferently, and walked from the backyard to the front yard.Er Dong followed him, Master's steps were bigger than his, he had to walk faster to keep up, "Master, what are you going to do?"

The man didn't answer him.

"Do you want to make wine? Last year's wine is so fragrant, will you still make it this year?"

Er Dong babbled on non-stop, the man was annoyed by his babbling, and glanced at him, Er Dong covered his mouth with both hands, indicating that he would not speak again.

But before walking a few steps with his mouth shut, Er Dong saw the medicine seedlings in the courtyard, and crackled again, "Why do we need to grow grass again? You can't eat it."

The man reprimanded, "Keep your mouth shut."

Er Dong had already practiced the ability to act according to Master's face, and knowing that he was not angry, he said with a smile: "To be honest, it's better to plant some trees that can grow fruit."

The man ignored his gag and said, "Control the gap yourself, it's hard to survive if it's tight."

"I know, I don't know how many times I have done it. How many plants have died of the grass I planted?"

"Medicine," the master looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"They all look similar," Er Dong finished speaking, and quickly changed his words: "I know! Don't worry, wrap it on me."

After giving some instructions, the master left him and went back to the house.

Seeing a field of medicine seedlings, Er Dong scratched his head and leaned over to tidy up.

In fact, he wanted to say a few more words to the master, but the master ignored him, maybe because he thought he talked too much, or maybe it was because the master had a cold temper and didn't like talking to people.

But he can only talk to the master. In this yard, the only one who can return to him is the master.

Even if he said ten or eight sentences and could only get back one answer, Er Dong was already satisfied, which was better than talking to the hare and peach tree to himself.

Er Dong loosened the soil for the medicine garden in the front yard, and when he put down the shovel, he was already sweating profusely, and was so tired that he sat on the ground panting.His physical condition is not good, otherwise he would not look like a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old.

But his appetite is not diminished on weekdays, and he never takes medicine. If it is not for his pale complexion, he can't tell that he is a weak person.

Er Dong continued to work after a break, and within a short while, the medicine garden was full of new shoots.

However, these medicine seedlings are not easy to take care of, and watering and loosening the soil will be indispensable in the next month or two.

After all, it was his master who sent him the task, and Er Dong has always done an excellent job.At this age, there are few people who can bother with a boring chore like him.

After finishing the medicine garden, Er Dong happily went to the house to find his master.

The master will not give him any rewards, not even a word of praise.He knew the result a long time ago, but every time he couldn't help it, he returned disappointed as he expected.

Master was reading in the room, and that room almost became Master's study.

The bookshelves fill up the two walls, and the books fill up every empty space on the bookshelves.The master did not forbid him to turn the pages of the book, but the densely packed words made his head hurt. After reading for a while, when he put down the book, honey was swirling around his eyes.

The illustrations in the book are quite interesting, a little man full of needles.While looking at it, he felt pain, and at the same time, he followed the position of the needle eye to find the acupuncture point with relish.

It's just that Er Dong is not a material for studying after all, and he doesn't know how Master can read it for an hour or two.

For him, reading a book is better than fishing shrimp in the stream in the backyard, although he has already fished out all the shrimp in the stream.

"Master!"

The man put down the book, his face was as cold as ice as if he couldn't bear Neerdong's ghost-like voice.

"It's over, this time is much faster than last time."

The master picked up his book again, without even bothering to give him a look.

Er Dong had long been used to the indifference of men, so he moved a bench and sat down on his own, staring at the man intently.No matter how long he watched it, he still felt that Master looked good.

In fact, Er Dong hasn't met many people since he had memories, but although he doesn't know much about the world, he still has a lot, and sometimes he himself is surprised how those cognitions come from.

After thinking about it, I can't get an answer, and it can only be attributed to it being left over from the previous life.

The man was disturbed by his fiery gaze and asked, "What do you want?"

After hearing this, Er Dong immediately smiled.This method was just discovered by him, but it was very effective.

The master didn't want to give some rewards, so he squatted in front of the master and looked at the man pitifully.

Those puppy eyes were too deceiving.Annoyed by his staring, the man finally asked him what reward he wanted.

"The bean cake from the last time, the one wrapped in lotus leaves," Er Dong laughed so hard that his teeth could not see his eyes, and he talked like pouring beans one after another, "The one wrapped in oiled paper is too unpalatable." , not afraid of being..."

"Shut up," the master squeezed between his brows, and waved to Er Dong, signaling him to go out quickly.

Er Dong achieved the goal and left the house in a hurry.

When the man looked up again, the boy was no longer in sight.Er Dong has never been down the mountain, but Master is different.Zhenhanshan would occasionally go to Maocun to buy goods, going back and forth in a day.

The bean cake that Er Dong had been longing for finally arrived in his hands at dusk when the rays of the sun scattered.Holding the dim sum in his hand, the tip of his nose lingers with the sweetness of mung beans, mixed with the aroma of lotus leaves.

Lifting the lotus leaf, the light green pastry is shaped like a five-petal flower, neatly stacked, and each piece is complete.

Bean cakes cannot withstand the bumps, so the master must have been careful to put the cakes on top of the goods, so that the fragile bean cakes can remain intact.

Er Dong's index finger moved wildly, but he stuffed a piece into his mouth without haste.He excitedly ran to the man and held up the pastry, "Today's bean cake is very delicious."

Zhen Hanshan raised his head following the sound.

The young man rushed in through the door, his posture just settled, a slight blush appeared on his pale face.

"Eat it yourself."

Er Dong laughed and said, "Eat a piece, I can't make such a sweet snack."

Zhen Hanshan was made uncomfortable by him, and he let Er Dong pick up a small piece of snack and hand it over.Er Dong carefully chose a piece of bean cake with the most beautiful pattern, and carefully placed it in the man's mouth.

The dregs were held by his palm, and none of them fell on the man's blue gown.

Seeing that Master didn't despise his behavior, Er Dong smiled and stuffed a few pieces of snacks into his mouth, a small bag suddenly bulged on one side of his cheek.

A small bag of bean cake made Er Dong have a sweet dream, and the mountain breeze at night seemed to be full of the fragrance of mung beans and lotus leaves.

But Er Dong didn't dare to tell the man that what he wanted most was not sweet pastries, but to go down the mountain and have a look at the outside world.

Er Dong didn't know why the master didn't let him go down the mountain. He was full of doubts, but he didn't dare to ask the master, because once such questions were involved, the master's face would become covered with a thin layer of ice like a dead leaf in winter.

He had no choice but to talk to himself in front of the peach blossom tree, and he couldn't help fantasizing about the scene below the mountain.

Er Dong never expected that his seemingly impossible wish would come true so quickly.

Zhen Hanshan sat quietly on the chair without saying a word.

Er Dong lowered his head, worried in his heart, when did he accidentally make a mistake.Every time he made a mistake, the master must have looked like this, with a blank face, and his frozen eyes fell on him.

Could it be that the day before yesterday, when he was digging for earthworms, he accidentally pulled out a few medicinal seedlings and was discovered by his master?But he obviously buried it back, and stepped on the soil specially, but it was firm, and there was no trace of being moved at all.

Could it be because he chopped down a bamboo secretly yesterday?But the baked bamboo has been buried in the soil in the backyard, so it is possible that it can still take root and sprout and be discovered?

Er Dong guiltily raised his head and glanced at Master.

"The end of the year is approaching, you and I will go to Mao Village."

Er Dong froze for a moment, and said: "Are you going down the mountain? It's snowing, and the mountain road is slippery, so it must be inconvenient to travel." Halfway through his speech, he was stunned, and then he opened his mouth and said, "I'm going too?"

"Yes," the man said with a normal face.

Er Dong froze all over, "No, won't you let me go down the mountain?"

Zhen Hanshan showed a faint smile, "Don't want to go?"

Er Dong immediately denied it, but Master's attitude made him puzzled.

For a long time, the master and him guarded the small courtyard on the mountainside.At the beginning of the month or the end of the month, the master will go down the mountain to buy some daily necessities, but he still can only guard the yard.

"Since you want to go, return the things you stole from the bookshelf first," Zhen Hanshan said coldly.

Er Dong was stared at by him and couldn't breathe. He lowered his head and said, "Master, you don't know that I don't read books."

"Si Fang Zhi."

After hearing this, Er Dong's pale face was even more bloodless.He did hide a book.

It is the only book that won't give Erdong a headache. It records the geographical customs of the four directions, the northern region frozen for thousands of years, the South China Sea where the sharks weep, and the nests of thousands of birds.

Although there are some side notes in the book by later generations, most of them are just the imagination of the ancestors, but Er Dong still can't help but think about the lakes and mountains thousands of miles away.

"Er Dong, you asked me why you are not allowed to touch things outside the mountain," Zhen Hanshan said in a low voice, "The territory is huge, with Duguang in the west and Xiexi in the east. However, from this foot, at most you can reach Maocun , it’s already your everything.”

Master's voice was too cold, Er Dong couldn't help trembling, pursed his white lips, and asked the reason after a long time.

"Ask for fate."

Zhen Hanshan stood up, leaving Erdong alone in the room.

The author says: