The setting sun hung over the top of the mountain, and the canyon was dyed with a faint golden color under the setting sun.
In the kitchen, Xu Buling hung the fish he just caught on the window. The fish could be kept for a longer time in the cold winter. As long as he ate fish for the next ten days, the food problem would be solved.
He had found a fish nest today, so he could probably catch a lot of fish tomorrow. The dry food he brought with him was only enough to fill his stomach. Xu Buling still took a fish and took out firewood and a small stool from the kitchen. He piled them near the melon rack in the yard and lit them up. He pierced the fish with a wooden stick and roasted it over the fire. Then, he sat in front of it and carefully cut it with his sword. With Xu Buling's martial arts skills, it was a piece of cake for him to cut out a bowl.
The burning bonfire made a light crackling sound, echoing the sound of the loom in the house. The smell of the roasted fish quickly spread. The little dog in the house must have smelled it as it pulled on the wooden door and whimpered.
As the sky darkened, the light in the house was probably too dim, so the loom stopped.
After a moment of silence in the house, the door opened and the black dog jumped out. It ran to the bonfire and was no longer afraid of Xu Buling. It stared at the roasted fish and drooled. It was obvious that the food it usually ate was not that good.
Xu Buling thought for a moment and looked at the house, "Miss, are you hungry? I can catch more fish tomorrow. The fire is already lit, so I can roast two more fish. "
The village girl stood behind the door. She cast a few glances before she slowly walked out.
"I'll roast it myself. One is enough for me and it."
She walked into the kitchen and took a fish. She pierced it with a wooden stick and walked to the other side of the fire. She held the wooden stick with both hands and roasted it seriously.
Xu Buling looked up while he was cutting the wood. He felt that it was a bit weird to just stand there like a fool, so he dragged the recliner under the melon rack over and said,
"Sit down and roast it."
The village girl did not refuse. She walked to the recliner and turned it around so that the back of the chair was facing Xu Buling. She lay on it and stretched out the wooden stick to roast the fish. She even swayed back and forth leisurely.
Seeing this, Xu Buring shook his head and smiled. He had always been a good judge of character. People's behavior and thoughts were traceable. He could basically understand a person's personality and temper with just a few words. However, he couldn't figure out this little village girl. He always felt that she was mentally retarded. The way she spoke and did things were quite abnormal. But when he thought about it carefully, there was nothing wrong with it. In any case, she was just weird.
The black dog squatted in the middle and the two were silent for a moment.
The black dog squatted in the middle and the two were silent for a moment.
"Miss, why are you living alone in this deep forest?"
The village girl rocked back and forth on the recliner. Her tone wasn't very polite. "I want to stay here, so I'll stay here."
"Uh … Looking at the oil, salt, and utensils in the kitchen, I don't think you've lived here since you were young. Did your family send them to you, or did you buy them yourself?"
"You talk too much. I don't like talking."
"…"
Xu Buring nodded, sighed softly, and silently shut his mouth.
Soon, the red sun had completely sunk below the top of the mountain and the sky was completely dark. The sky was clear and the snow stopped. A sea of stars and a crescent moon hung in the sky.
Xu Buling looked up and realized that the beauty of the canyon was a little dreamy. He secretly pinched himself to make sure that he was not floating in the river and fainting. He was in a dying state and was in an illusion.
The village girl was also looking at the starry sky. After a long time, she suddenly stretched out her roasted fish and pointed to a bright star in the west.
"Hey, do you know what that star is called?"
Xu Buling looked up and said, "There is Qiming in the east and Chang Geng in the west. It should be the Chang Geng Star."
The village girl's eyes popped out from the back of the chair. She was slightly surprised.
"You've read the Book of Songs?"
Xu Buling could tell that the village girl was not a stupid country woman from her speech and behavior. It seemed that she had read a lot of books. He nodded and said, "The Four Books and Five Classics are compulsory subjects, so of course I've read them."
"Do you know how to write poems?"
Xu Buling blinked and shook his head with a chuckle. "I don't know how to write poems, but I've memorized a lot."
The village girl seemed to be very interested in this. She turned her chair half a circle and held the roasted fish with both hands. She sat with her elbows on her knees and tilted her head to look at him seriously.
"Memorized which ones? I think you remember correctly. "
Xu Buling was a little amused. He thought for a while and looked at the ten thousand peach trees outside the fence that stretched to the end of his sight.
"Hmm … Peach Blossom Temple in Peach Blossom Cove, Peach Blossom Fairy in Peach Blossom Cove …"
After reciting two lines, the village girl frowned and shook the roasted fish.
"There's no such poem. You're lying."
Xu Buling naturally knew that there was no such poem. He explained softly, "In the past two years, a scholar from Jiangnan wrote it. It's very popular and famous. You don't care about the outside world here, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it."
The village girl's personality was indeed different from others. She asked, "Who wrote it?"
"Uh … Tang Yin, Tang Bohu, a scholar from Suzhou's Wu County."
"You're lying. There's no such person in Suzhou."
Xu Buling naturally knew that there was no such person. Even if there was, it would only be a few hundred years later. It seemed that this girl was not ignorant of the outside world. She was quite knowledgeable about the outside world. He could only continue to explain.
"He just became famous. It's normal that you haven't heard of him."
"Who is Tang Yin's father? Who is his master? "
"…"
This question clearly stumped Xu Buling. This world was very particular about respecting teachers. As long as one was a scholar, they would introduce themselves as' My master is so-and-so 'to show respect for the teacher who taught them. This was even more so for famous scholars.
For others, it was the same as in Jianghu. When they felt that a hero was very powerful, the first thing they would ask was, 'Who taught such a powerful disciple?' Since he had memorized someone else's poem, how could he not know this?
Xu Buling hesitated for a moment and said with a smile, "Tang Yin was born into a poor family. He was self-taught. I haven't asked about his family."
The village girl frowned slightly, obviously not believing him. She shook her head and said, "You're the same as the people outside. You like to lie. Forget it. Recite the poem. "
Xu Buling looked a little helpless and continued, "… The Peach Blossom Immortal planted peach trees and plucked peach blossoms in exchange for wine money …"
The stars were like the sea, and the night fire was quiet.
Xu Buling cut the wooden bowl and calmly recited the peach blossom poem.
After listening for a while, the village girl supported her chin with her hand and put her elbow on the armrest of the chair. Her eyes were very serious.
After reciting the poem, Xu Buring revealed a slight smile.
"How is it?"
"It's pretty good. Why are you reciting this poem to me?"
"It's just touching the memory."
Xu Buring smiled. He tilted his head to look at the hundreds of saplings outside the fence and asked,
He asked, "Why did you plant so many peach trees?"
The village girl thought for a moment and said seriously, "To pluck peach blossoms in exchange for wine money."
？？
Xu Buring looked at the desolate wilderness within a radius of dozens of miles.
"You're not going out. How are you going to exchange them?"
"They'll blossom in February or March next year. I can pluck them out and exchange them. It's not like I don't have legs."
Xu Buling was speechless. He felt that he was not on the same wavelength as the village girl, so he had to change his tone.
"Why did you plant peach trees in the past?"
The village girl's answer was still very straightforward, "The peach blossoms are beautiful."
"Okay …"
Xu Buling nodded.
The fish was gradually roasted and the fragrance assailed his nose. Xu Buling roasted it first, so it was naturally done first. He immediately pulled out the wooden stick stuck in the ground and handed it to the village girl.
"You eat first. I'll cut the bowl first."
The village girl looked at it and took out a handkerchief from her bosom. She took the wooden stick wrapped in it and then turned the chair around. She turned her back to Xu Buling and began to eat the roasted fish. The black puppy also lay in front of her.
Xu Buling continued to cut the wooden bowl. Perhaps it was because the surroundings were too quiet, so he said,
"There are many beautiful flowers in the world. This sea of peach blossoms is only beautiful in early spring. The rest of the time is just so-so. I know a place where there are hundreds of kinds of flowers. All the flowers in the world can be found everywhere. The scenery is different throughout the year. If you go there now, you will see endless wintersweet, camellia, kaffir lily … "
The village girl peeked out from behind the chair and asked doubtfully, "There's such a place?"
Xu Buling smiled and said, "I'm not lying to you this time. I was born there and lived there until I was seven or eight years old."
The village girl thought for a while and gently shook her head, "I like to grow them myself. You guys must have grown them in a mess."
"It's not a mess. It's very neat."
"Can it be as neat as mine?"
"Uh …"
Xu Buling tilted his head and looked at the saplings outside. They were so neat that he felt a little obsessive-compulsive. He really couldn't compare, so he didn't say anything.
The recliner rocked back and forth. Soon, the little village girl and the black dog finished eating the fish.
Xu Buring used a sword that could cut through iron as if it were mud to carve a small bowl and handed it to the village girl.
"See if it fits."
The village girl still wrapped the small bowl in her handkerchief and held it in her hand. She nodded in satisfaction and said, "There are chopsticks."
Then she got up and walked into the kitchen. After washing up with hot water, she returned to the side room and locked the door.
The courtyard was completely quiet. Xu Buling hesitated for a while and finally shook his head with a smile. He didn't know how to comment …
