Jiangning City was like the carcass of a huge beast.
Most of the west wall of the city had collapsed, and no one had repaired it. Autumn had arrived. Small flowers bloomed on the weeds, some white, some yellow.
Ning Ji stood near the city gate and watched for a long time. It was rare for a fifteen-year-old boy to be so sentimental. But after watching for a long time, he only felt that the defense of the whole city was really inadequate.
The crowd near the city gate was bustling, and the whole road was trampled into a broken mud. Although there were also soldiers to maintain order, from time to time, there would be curses and noises because of traffic jams and queue-cutting. The line of people entering the city stretched along the road beside the city wall. There were all kinds of people in gray and black. From afar, they looked like a colony of ants gathering on the carcass of a beast.
He remembered that last year in Chengdu, his brother told him that he was learning from his father. A road in the city could only pass a certain number of people at a time. If the pedestrians on the road were to maintain the maximum speed, how to expand and divert the traffic when the road was not enough. Ning Ji was bored and said, "Build another one. If one is not enough, build another one."
His brother just shook his head and looked at him as if he was looking at a silly child. He put his hands behind his back as if he knew everything. "Alas, the planning and governance of the city is a big problem."
"Who are you looking down on? Sister-in-law probably doesn't understand …" he thought at that time.
…
"Alas, the planning and governance of the city is a big problem."
Ning Ji sighed in the crowd and walked forward slowly.
He used to be the most impatient child and hated to wait in line slowly. But at this moment, Xiaoning Ji did not feel too impatient. He followed the team and slowly moved forward. He looked at the wind blowing from the wilderness, rustling the grass in the fields and the willow trees by the river. He looked at the tall and dilapidated city gate of Jiangning City, and the traces of war on the black bricks on the city gate...
At home, it was usually his mother who talked about the things in Jiangning City in detail.
Their father was a man who did great things and was often not at home. When they were young, there was a period of time when there were rumors that their father had passed away. Later on, although he returned home, his interaction with each of the children was mostly sporadic. He would either tell them some interesting Jianghu rumors or secretly take them to eat delicious food. It was easy to recall, but such days were not many.
The aunt supported many of the family's businesses and often had to look after them. When she was at home, she was most concerned about the children's schoolwork. Ning Ji was a slacker in his studies, so he often saw his aunt smiling and asking him, "Little Ji, how's your homework recently?" Ning Ji felt a pang of guilt.
The First Aunt never hit him. She would just pull him aside and earnestly talk to him. Sometimes, she would press her forehead while talking. Ning Ji knew that this was caused by the First Aunt being too tired. There was a period of time when the First Aunt tried to give him special attention and accompanied him to do his homework for a few days. The First Aunt's academic performance was not good. Except for math, the two could not discuss the other courses, so they had to ask Aunt Yun Zhu.
Of course, in the end, his aunt should have finally given up the idea of improving his grades. Ning Ji breathed a sigh of relief. Occasionally, when his aunt asked him about his schoolwork and gave him a few simple explanations, Ning Ji knew that she really cared about him.
Aunt Hong's martial arts was the best, but she had an excellent character. She was born in Lv Liang. Although she had experienced many killings, her swordsmanship had become more and more gentle over the years. When she was little, she would play with the children in the mud. She was often the one who fed the pile of chickens at home. Two years ago, Ning Ji felt that Aunt Hong's swordsmanship was becoming more and more ordinary. But after experiencing the battlefield, he suddenly realized that there was something terrible in the gentleness.
Because of her work, Aunt Hong did not spend much time with everyone. Sometimes she would look at the surrounding situation from a high place in the house, and she would often go to the surrounding sentry posts to check on the situation. Ning Ji knew that during the most difficult times for the Huaxia Army, there were often people who tried to capture or assassinate his father's family. It was Aunt Hong who always guarded the family with a highly vigilant attitude.
She often watched his group of children play from a distance. As long as she was there, the others absolutely did not need to worry too much about their safety. Ning Ji also realized after experiencing the battlefield how reliable Aunt Hong's wings were. She often watched from a distance but did not come to play with them.
Aunt Gua's martial arts were two poles apart from Aunt Hong's. She rarely went home, but because of her lively personality, she was often the king of the children at home. After all, the title of "the tyrant of the family, Liu Dabiao" was not undeserved. Occasionally, she would take a group of children to challenge their father's authority. In this regard, Aunt Jin 'er was similar. The only difference was that when Aunt Gua went to provoke their father, they often had a battle of words. As for the specific victory or defeat, their father would arrange to settle it "in private" with her, saying that it was to give her face. And when Aunt Jin 'er did this kind of thing, she would often be teased by her father.
Their mother was the housekeeper of the family.
She did not care too much about the outside world. She was more concerned about the lives of the people at home. The meals that a group of children had to prepare for school, the clothes that the whole family had to wear every day, the bedding when the seasons changed, every meal … As long as it was a family matter, it was their mother who took care of most of it.
When the group of children were young, or when they were at home during holidays, they would often get together with their mother. In the spring, their mother would take them to play green balls under the eaves. In the summer, when they were tired from playing in the courtyard, they would drink sour plum water under the eaves … At these times, their mother would tell them about the time when the whole family was in Jiangning.
The courtyard with white walls and green tiles, the little flower garden that had once been carefully taken care of, the antique two-story building, the wind chimes and lanterns that hung on the small building, the dusk after a shower, the sky was as blue as ink, and the lanterns would light up one by one in the courtyard … There were also festive occasions and grand occasions like fairs. The boats on the Qinhuai River were woven together, the procession was like a long dragon, and fireworks were lit … At that time, their mother, according to their father, was still a stupid but cute little servant girl with two buns on her head …
Of course, their mother claimed that she was not stupid. She, Aunt Juan, Aunt Xing, and the others had grown up together with their aunt. They were about the same age and were like sisters. At that time, many people in the Su family did not amount to much, including Uncle Wen Fang and Uncle Wen Ding, who were already very powerful now. At that time, they were just young people who lived at home to eat and drink. Aunt had been interested in business since she was young, so their grandfather often brought her to the shop. Later on, he also let her manage a part of the family business.
At that time, Aunt and their mother were only thirteen or fourteen years old, but they had already come into contact with these things. One year, when they were about fifteen years old, a few carts of goods could not be brought back in the heavy rain outside the city. Aunt and her servants braved the rain to urge a group of people to go on their way. A large cart slid into a sunken slope at the side of the road. The people escorting the cart were tired and stayed by the side of the road, slacking off. In response to the young girls who did not know the severity of the situation, Aunt, Mother, and Aunt Juan braved the heavy rain to push the cart in the mud, and arranged for Aunt Xing to go to a nearby farmer's house to buy hot tea and food. The group of workers escorting the cart finally could not stand it anymore, and helped the young girls to lift the cart in the heavy rain … from that time on, Aunt officially took charge of the shop. Now that she thought about it, Aunt Su Tan'er and Mother Chan'er were about the same age as she was today.
Mother would also talk about her father's situation after he came to the Su family. As Aunt's little spy, she would follow her father to go shopping and walk around the city of Jiangning. At that time, her father had been hit in the head and could not remember the past, but his personality became very good. Sometimes, he would ask this and that, and sometimes he would deliberately bully her, but he was not annoying. Sometimes, even if it was a very knowledgeable old grandfather, he could still get along well with them, and when they joked, he would not be at a disadvantage.
Then, his father wrote a powerful poem that shocked everyone. Gradually, he became the number one scholar of Jiangning. He was extremely powerful ….
The blurry memories in Ning Ji's mind started from Little Cang River, then to Liang Mountain, Zhang Village, and Chengdu. He had never been to Jiangning, but the Jiangning in his mother's memory was so vivid that he could effortlessly remember these things.
When he left the southwest, he just wanted to join in the fun, so he went all the way to Jiangning. But now, he realized that perhaps his mother was the one who had been thinking about Jiangning.
Mother had followed her father and experienced the devastation of the Jurchen. She had followed her father through the chaos of war, and experienced the life of being homeless. She had seen soldiers bathed in blood, and civilians lying in pools of blood. For everyone in the southwest, there was no doubt that there was a reason for those bloody battles, and they were all struggles that had to be carried out. Father had led everyone to fight against the invasion, and the anger that burst forth from him was as magnificent as lava. But at the same time, his mother, who arranged the lives of everyone in the family every day, naturally missed the past days in Jiangning. In her heart, perhaps she had always missed the calm father of that time, and also missed the scene when she and Aunt rushed into the muddy roadside to push the truck. In that kind of rain, there was also her mother's youth and warmth.
Ning Ji had never experienced such days. Occasionally, when he saw the concept of youth or peace in books, he always felt that it was somewhat pretentious and distant. But at this moment, when he came to the foot of the city of Jiangning, his mind recalled these vivid memories, and he could more or less understand some of them.
But at this moment, when he came to the city of Jiangning, he could more or less understand these vivid memories in his mind.
He raised his head to look at the dilapidated city.
Mother was still in the southwest, and he didn't know when his father would bring her back here again …
After queuing for a long time, he finally entered through the west gate of Jiangning City. After entering, he saw a messy market near the city gate. This place used to be a small square, but now it was filled with all kinds of wooden sheds and tents. Many members of the Fairness Party with strange looks in their eyes seemed to be waiting here to peddle their wares, but no one spoke. The flag of the shitty baby was hung in the middle of the square, proving that this was his territory.
Beyond the small square was a street that had suffered from the disaster of war, but was still relatively lively. Some shops were in repair. In Chengdu, this could only be considered a slum that was waiting to be repaired. Everything was colored in a dirty and messy gray and black. Dirty water flowed unrestrainedly on the roadside, and most of the trees in front of the shops had withered. Some only had half of their leaves that had turned yellow. When the leaves fell to the ground and were stained by the dirty water, they immediately turned black. People from all walks of life walked on the streets.
Ning Ji asked for directions to the Qinhuai River and walked in that direction.
When he was in Liang Mountain, other than his mother, who often talked about the situation in Jiangning, Aunt Zhu would occasionally talk about things here. She had redeemed herself from a shop that sold people and lived in a small building by the Qinhuai River. Sometimes, his father would run past that building. At that time, it was really a strange thing. She didn't even know how to kill a chicken. After spending all her money, with his father's encouragement, she set up a small stall. His father drew on the small cart, and his drawings were quite good.
At that time, Aunt Zhu and Aunt Zhu had some animosity, but after passing through the Little Cang River, the two sides were in a stalemate, and this animosity had been resolved. Sometimes, they would speak ill of his father together, saying that he was eating from the bowl and looking at the pot. But many times, they also said that if she hadn't married his father, her life might not have been good, and might have been even worse. Ning Ji didn't really understand, so he didn't participate in this kind of gossiping.
When Aunt Zhu talked about Jiangning, she actually talked about Grandpa Qin, who sat by the Qinhuai River and set up a chess stall. It was a very, very special thing that his father and Grandpa Qin could become friends. This was because that old man was indeed a very powerful person. For some reason, he became friends with his father, who had just married into his family. According to Aunt Zhu, this was probably because he had a discerning eye for heroes.
Of course, if his father joined in the conversation, he would sometimes mention another old man in Jiangning who had married into his family. Grandpa Kang Xian of Princess Cheng's residence played chess shamelessly, and his mouth was quite unforgiving. However, he was a good person that was worthy of respect. When the Female Zhenren came, Kang Xian's grandfather died in the city for his country.
The Qinhuai River, Aunt Zhu's small building, the old house of the Su family, the place where Grandpa Qin set up his stall, and Grandpa Kang's home in Princess Cheng's residence were the coordinates that Ning Ji estimated should be in Jiangning.
He first followed the obvious coordinates of the Qinhuai River, passing through the busy streets and alleys, as well as the relatively remote paths. The city was dilapidated. The houses were black, the walls were gray, and the mud on the roadside gave off a foul smell. Other than the various flags of the Fairness Party, the brighter colors in the city were the fallen leaves of autumn. There were no beautiful lanterns or exquisite street decorations.
He came to the Qinhuai River and saw that there were still some crooked houses in some places. There were also black remains that had been burned into frames. There were still small sheds by the roadside. Refugees from all over occupied these areas. There was a slight stench in the river, and strange duckweed floated in the air.
For a moment, it seemed that he couldn't find the small building that Aunt Zhu mentioned or a suitable place to set up a chess stall.
He put on a kind face and made some inquiries at the roadside food stalls. This time, he easily asked about the original residence of the Inner Demon, Ning Yi, and the old house of the Jiangning Su family.
"… Are you going to the Inner Demon's old house to play? Let me tell you, young man, it's not peaceful over there. There are two or three kings who are fighting over it."
"Why?" Ning Ji stared at him and asked innocently.
"Oh, it's hard to say. Some people say that it's a place where dragons flourish, and if you occupy it, you'll have Dragon Qi. Others say that it's good for business because it's where the God of Fortune once lived. If you take away a brick and use it as a town house, your business will always be prosperous. Besides, it seems that there are also people who want to burn that place down to establish their power … Hey, who knows who has the final say …"
Ning Ji was speechless for a moment. He asked for the location and headed there.
By the time he arrived at the house of the Su family, it was already a quarter past five in the afternoon. It was nearing dusk, but not yet. The autumn sun shone lazily and powerlessly. The original old house of the Su family was a rather large house, and there was a side courtyard next to it. At its peak, there were three hundred people living there, and it was made up of dozens of courtyards. At this moment, what came into view was a stretch of uneven courtyard walls. Most of the outer walls had collapsed, and there were dilapidated houses in the outer courtyards. Some places had tents set up like on the streets, while others used the original houses to open up shops. One of them was obviously a casino under the banner of the King of Hell.
There was no door, no signboard, and the original door frame of the courtyard had been completely torn down.
Ning Ji stood outside and looked in. Many of the courtyard walls inside were also uneven. Unlike the general post-war ruins, this large courtyard looked as if it had been demolished with bare hands, and most of the various things had been moved away. Compared to the other houses around the street, it looked as if most of it had been "eaten" by some strange monster, and only half of it remained in the ruins.
As for the surrounding houses, even if they had been burned, the ruins seemed "complete" …
He remembered those difficult days when his mother sat in the courtyard and talked about Jiangning with a group of children.
Xiaochan's words were gentle. She talked about everything she had experienced in that period of ups and downs, and talked about the warm hometown and home. The little child listened on the side.
All of that …
No longer existed.
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