The Shen family was not particular about "not talking while eating". While eating, Mr. Shen taught Changgeng a lesson about "College". However, as he talked, he lost the main point and talked about "how to take care of steel armor in winter." Mr. Shen was an omnivore, so he spoke whatever came to his mind. Once, he even told Changgeng how to prevent and cure the horse plague. Even Shi Liu, who was deaf, could not bear to listen to him and forced him to shut up.
After eating and talking, Mr. Shen tidied up the plates and bowls. He said to Changgeng, "I have to clean up these steel armor today. They are old and they don't take good care of their armor. Some of their joints are rusty. In the afternoon, I may go out to pick some herbs. Ge Pangxiao and the others have asked for leave to play. What do you plan to do? "
Changgeng said, "Then I'll go to the General's Slope to practice …"
Before he could say the word "sword," Shen Shiliu had already hung his iron sword on the wall. He announced, "Son, let's go. The giant kites may be entering the city. Let's go and see them."
Changgeng said helplessly, "Godfather, I just said to Mr. Shen …"
Shen Shiliu said, "What? Louder. "
Okay, here we go again.
The giant kites came and went. They were the same every year. Changgeng could not think of anything new to see. However, before he could protest, Shi Liu had already pulled him up and half dragged and half dragged him out.
The heat of the late summer had not dissipated, so the clothes on people were thin. Shi Liu's whole body was pressed against Changgeng's back. The faint smell of herbs in his arms suddenly enveloped Changgeng, just like in his dream.
Changgeng felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He subtly lowered his head to avoid his godfather. He covered his nose, turned his head, and pretended to sneeze.
Shi Liu smiled and teased him, "Someone is missing you. Is it the round-faced girl from Old Wang's family?"
Changgeng finally couldn't bear it any longer and said stiffly, "Is it appropriate for adoptive father to joke with a junior like me?"
Shen Shiliu didn't take it to heart. He smiled mischievously and said, "Not suitable? Oh, I've never been a father before, so I don't know my limits. I'll be more careful next time. "
If anyone dared to take Shen Shiliu seriously, he would definitely explode in anger.
Changgeng shook off the gangster's hand that was about to touch his shoulder and took the lead to walk out.
Mr. Shen reminded him from behind, "Shi Liu, come back early and chop the firewood!"
Shen Shiliu said shamelessly, "I can't hear you. See you later!"
Changgeng was being pushed by him as they jogged. He asked, "When did you become deaf?"
Shen Shiliu smiled but didn't say anything. His expression was unfathomable.
At this moment, the two of them just happened to pass by Changgeng's front door. The door suddenly opened with a creak.
A woman in a plain long dress walked out. Changgeng's face, which was a mixture of helplessness and annoyance, instantly froze when he saw the woman.
It was as if a ladle of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. His eyes, which had been suppressing the anger just now, suddenly became empty. Even his anger and liveliness disappeared.
The woman was Xiu Niang, Changgeng's nominal mother.
She wasn't young anymore, but her beauty wasn't damaged at all. Standing in the morning light, she looked like a quiet and quiet beauty.
Such a woman, even if she was a widow, shouldn't be wronged by a small baihu in a small border town.
Xiu Niang nodded and curtsied. She bowed to Shen Shiliu and greeted him, "Shi Liu."
Shen Shiliu only acted like a hooligan in front of Shen Yi. As soon as he met a woman, he immediately transformed into a graceful gentleman. He turned his body slightly and didn't look directly at Xiu Niang's face. He politely greeted her, "Madam Xu, I'm taking Changgeng out to relax."
"Thank you for your concern," Xiu Niang smiled without showing her teeth. She then turned to Changgeng and reminded him softly, "Your father is coming back today. If you go out, remember to bring a box of rouge back for your mother."
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito, which could be blown away with a breath. However, before Changgeng could answer, Deaf Shen had already responded, "Yes, don't worry, Madam."
Changgeng was speechless.
At this time, he had a rough understanding of his foster father's deafness. Whatever Shen Yi said to him, he couldn't hear. Whatever other people said to him, he would selectively choose not to hear, depending on whether he liked to hear it or not. As for those young ladies and young wives, even if it was a female mosquito buzzing, he would be able to hear them without missing a word.
Not only was he lazy, but he was also a pervert!
The phrase, "Gold and jade on the outside but rotten on the inside," was simply tailor-made for him.
When the giant kites returned, there were children waiting to pick up the food gathered at the city gate. There were also people from the nearby villages who came to watch the fun. When there were more people, some smart people came out to sell food. Slowly, a large-scale market was formed. The local people called it "Wild Goose Market."
Shen Shiliu never looked at other people's faces — even if he could see, he pretended not to see.
It was as if he didn't notice his godson's gloomy mood at all. He excitedly walked around the overcrowded wild geese. He was very interested in everything he saw.
Changgeng had a head full of complaints, but he still had to follow him closely. He had to be careful not to get lost in the crowd.
These years, the world was not good, and the people were poor. Most of the things sold in the market were small things that were produced by the farmers. There was nothing good to eat or drink, and it was very boring.
It was said that the bad days were because of the war, and the tax burden was getting heavier year by year. However, in the past, there was still a war. After a war, they could always rest for a while. However, these years, for some reason, people always seemed to be unable to breathe.
It had only been 20 years. Daliang had first conquered the North, then conquered the West. The Celestial Empire was a big country, and there were imperial courts from all directions. How majestic was that?
However, the people were getting poorer and poorer. It was really strange.
Changgeng was bored to death and wanted to yawn. He only hoped that Shen Shiliu, this country bumpkin who was curious about everything, would be able to enjoy himself and let him go back soon. He would rather be Mr. Shen's assistant.
Shen Shiliu bought a packet of grilled black salted beans. He ate them with his hands as he walked. As if he had eyes at the back of his head, he reached out a hand and accurately stuffed a salted bean into Changgeng's mouth.
Changgeng was caught off guard and accidentally licked his finger. In a panic, he bit the soft flesh in his mouth. Blood immediately came out. He hissed in pain and glared angrily at Shen Shiliu, this big trouble.
"Flowers bloom with another day, but people are no longer young." Shen Shiliu did not look back. He picked up a bean and held it up, facing the direction of the sun. His hands were really good. They were slender and fair, like the hands of a rich family's son. They should be holding a scroll or playing chess. They were very incompatible with the grilled beans covered in black ash.
Shen Shiliu said like an old man, "You will know when you grow up. A person's youth is only the size of a bean. It will be gone in the blink of an eye. You can't go back in your lifetime. By then, you will understand how much time you have wasted."
Changgeng was speechless.
He really could not understand. How could Shen Shiliu have the face to say that other people "wasted their time"?
At this moment, the people near the city gate suddenly burst into cheers.
Even if they were half blind, they could still see the "giant kites" in the distant sky.
Countless flaming wings rose to the sky. All the white steam burst out at the same time. The steam was like a ball of cotton wool falling from the nine layers of clouds.
Then, a huge shadow of a ship appeared from the vast expanse of smoke. The eight lifelike giant dragons at the bow of the ship were entrenched on the side. They looked disdainfully at the clouds.
Shen Shiliu was stunned at first. Suddenly, he tilted his ear. The cinnabar mole on his earlobe seemed to have a red light flashing. He frowned and whispered, "Why is this ship so light this year?"
However, the surroundings were filled with the deafening rumbling of the giant kites and the clamorous shouts of the crowd. His sigh quickly disappeared without a trace, and even Chang Geng, who was following closely behind him, did not hear it.
The children began to hold their small bamboo baskets. They pushed and shoved each other to get a place, waiting to receive the food.
A group of soldiers on the city wall trotted out in formation. The messenger stood still and waited for orders behind the three-zhang-tall "copper roar".
The "copper roar" was like a big trumpet lying on the city wall. There was a circle of green copper rust on the periphery. The rust was disorderly and picturesque, like a carving.
The messenger took a deep breath and aimed at one end of the copper roar. He opened his mouth. The sound from the huge "copper roar" was magnified dozens of times. It echoed endlessly like a large bell.
"Wild goose returns, open — dark — river —"
The two rows of soldiers responded and grabbed the handles of the huge wooden wheels on the city gate tower. At the same time, they shouted loudly. Their upper bodies were naked, and their muscles and bones were exposed. They exerted their strength together, and the mountain-high wooden wheels creaked as they spun down. The bluestone road below the city gate tower split into two. Countless interlocking gears twisted, and the stone brick soldiers on both sides split into two, moving with their backs to each other.
The earth cracked open, revealing a deep underground river that ran through the entire Wild Goose Town.
The messenger blew a long and hoarse horn. The sound came from the copper roar and penetrated everything.
The giant kite also responded with a long horn. Then, countless fire wings exerted strength at the same time. The steam surrounding the clouds and mountains surged crazily. It was ready to land.
The first batch of "wild goose food" flew down like a fairy scattering flowers. The children below went crazy and reached out to grab it.
Unfortunately, the path to scatter the wild goose food was not long. Soon, the giant kite sank into the underground river and stopped steadily on the water surface. It landed in front of people.
The hull of the ship was strict. The cold iron glimmered with an indescribable murderous aura. The horn from the ship was inexplicably tragic and echoed for a long time. The whole Wild Goose Town was resonated by the humming sound. It was like the souls of the dead in the battlefield for thousands of years had all woken up and were singing in response.
The giant kite slowly sailed into the city along the underground river. The sound of the water was loud. The messenger shouted again.
"Extinguish — lights —"
The fire wings of the giant kite were extinguished. The smell of slightly burnt firecrackers came from the air. The giant kite moved forward along the river. The flood dragon around it was like a kind of totem that was frozen in time. It had a demonic divinity.
Changgeng watched the giant kite from afar in the crowd. Even though he said that he didn't want to come, he had indeed seen the giant kite return many times. However, when he faced it directly, he was still shocked by the size of the giant kite.
If the giant kite patrolling the north was like this, then what kind of style would the three battalions of the Xuan Tie be?
The teenager was trapped in this remote and narrow corner of Wild Goose Town. He couldn't even think about it.
As the giant kite approached, the remaining heat of the extinguished fire wings hit his face. Changgeng subconsciously grabbed the person beside him and said, "The giant kite is coming. There are too many people here. Let's move back a little."
No one answered, and he grabbed empty air. Chang Geng turned around and found that his annoying foster father had disappeared at some point in time.
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