The young Taoist had already thought of a lot of words to deal with the question of "who" the straw-shoe boy was, but unexpectedly, the courtyard door opened quickly, and it was obvious that the back alley boy skipped that link directly.
Mud Bottle Alley is one of the narrowest alleys in the town. It is impossible for the Taoist's two-wheeled wooden cart to be placed outside to block the road. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an looks skinny and has only a few kilograms of strength. In fact, He was very physically strong and helped the young Taoist man carry the rather heavy cart into the yard without much effort. From the beginning to the end, the young man said nothing, which made the young Taoist priest a little embarrassed behind the door. It was like a person who shamelessly went to the door to borrow money. The host entertained her with good tea, wine and meat, and the guest always had some leftovers. Conscience will become increasingly difficult to speak of.
The young Taoist thought that it was embarrassing anyway, so he might as well have a good time, so he lifted up a cotton mattress covering the cart, revealing a girl in black who was lying on her side and curled up. The curtain that did not fall off still stubbornly covered the face of the owner. For some reason, when the thin layer of quilt was lifted, a smell of blood suddenly hit his face. Only then did Chen Pingan realize that she was dressed in black and there was a faint trace of blood. seep out. Chen Ping'an didn't expect that a small quilt could completely cover up this strong smell. The young man just took a few steps back and asked, "Taoist Master, what are you going to do?"
The young Taoist said. : "Save her! She was seriously injured. No one in the town is willing to save her. No wonder they are all trying to save her, so I thought about it and thought you might be an exception."
< p>Chen Pingan hit the nail on the head and asked: "How did she get injured?"The Taoist said without blushing, "When the poor Taoist was pushing the cart past the archway just now, he saw this The young woman from out of town actually said that she was going to carve a plaque for the "Qi Chong Bullfighting" plaque. She took a rubbing bag, a brush and other things and climbed up. As for carving the monument, well, that's it. The copying activity was generally carried out by the scholars after they had eaten enough. I couldn't explain it for a while. Anyway, after the little girl climbed up, she sat on the beam with her head bowed. The sight made the poor man feel frightened and had to stop. From time to time, Remind her to be careful. Who would have thought that she was still too absorbed in the end, suddenly, with a bang, she fell firmly to the ground. You also know that the ground over there at the archway is not as hard as your Mud Bottle Alley, which is as hard as Fu's. The bluestones on Lu Street are almost the same. This is a good thing. She probably hurt her internal organs and intestines after the fall. I am a monk and must be compassionate. I can't ignore it, right? Every household along the way dislikes her for being covered in blood. Just now. Not long after the New Year, it was too unlucky to carry her into the house. I knew this was human nature, so I had no choice but to come here to find you. To put it bluntly, if not even you If he is willing to take her in, Pindao is not a fairy who can pull people from the dead. He can only wait for the girl to take her last breath, then try to find a place, dig a hole, erect a monument, and call it a day.
The Taoist deliberately spoke very fast and his articulation was not clear. He was obviously trying toThe young man was confused because he was going in circles, so he had to get through it first. Everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as you make a beginning, you can take it one step at a time. The road is endless and there will always be a bright future.
Chen Pingan's eyes were complicated. He glanced at the young Taoist priest who was full of hope, and then glanced at the lifeless girl in black. After a battle between heaven and man, he nodded and said: "How to save?"
The young Taoist suddenly became energetic, "Come on! With your words, Chen Ping'an, it's half the battle. Even though her injuries look terrible, it feels like the Lord of Hell has checked off her name in the book of life and death. It's actually not as exaggerated as you think... Of course, what Pindao said just now is true. There are various mysteries involved, such as this girl's desire to survive is extremely strong, and she also seems to have some family traditions. , it can protect her vital apertures and alchemy chambers, etc., and our town is a very interesting place with many strange things. Eating or catching them will be of great benefit."
The young Taoist came back to his senses and realized that he had revealed a lot of secrets. He laughed dryly and said: "You don't understand anyway, right?"
The young man said seriously: "I don't understand. But most of them remember it."
The young Taoist asked tentatively: "So when you heard the knock on the door, you knew it was Pindao, the fortune teller?"
Chen Pingan hesitated for a moment and said: "Yes."
The young Taoist asked curiously: "You have a good memory? How good is it?"
The young man looked at it Looking at the dying girl in black, the young Taoist smiled and explained: "She is now in a more mysterious and mysterious state." Move your body at will, it's better to wait for a while."
Chen Ping'an was doubtful, "It's easier for me to remember things when I see them than when I listen to others talking."
The young Taoist asked: "For example?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a while, "For example, Master Yao, the kiln head of our dragon kiln, his 'jump-knife' technique is the best among all the masters in the town. It's amazing. I actually remembered all the details after reading it once, but..."
The young Taoist smiled and took over the topic, "But your hands and feet can't keep up, right?"
Chen Pingan's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.
The young Taoist smiled knowingly, "Then have you ever thought about what is really great about Old Man Yao's unique skills?"
Chen Pingan's face was dark, "What happened before?" I couldn't figure it out, but later Liu Xianyang told me that Old Man Yao said that if you want to be the best in the art of dancing, you must have a steady mind, not just a steady hand. After hearing these words, I understood a little bit. . I was too anxious before. The more impatient I am, the messier my hands will be. The messier the hands, the easier it is to make mistakes. Once I make a mistake, I can clearly see where I am not like Old Man Yao, and I will be even more anxious next time. I have always been the worst at drawing blanks."
The young Taoist said calmly: "There is an old saying, Master.It’s up to the individual to be led by his father to practice, but if someone is a master, he doesn’t even think about bringing you in, so how can you practice? "
Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "I am clumsy. Not only compared with Liu Xianyang, but even ordinary apprentices, I can't compare. It’s not surprising that old man Yao looks down on me.
The young Taoist priest suddenly smiled and said: "Chen Ping'an, do you know how difficult it is to understand the word 'stable mind'?" It’s hard to figure out, so don’t underestimate yourself.
Chen Ping'an still shook his head and said: "It's like catching fish in a stream. I stand in the water no deeper than my knees and bend down to catch the fish. It's a catch." Some people are good at water. They plunge into a deep pit and hold their breath for a long time to catch a fish. That is still a catch. They also catch a fish, Taoist priest, but the two are different, right? "
The young Taoist laughed, without comment, and suddenly said: "We can save people.
Chen Ping'an was stunned on the spot, and the young Taoist was also stunned, "Why are you so dazed? Take that girl to the bed in the house!" "
Chen Ping'an remained motionless, "Then what? "
The Taoist said in a matter-of-fact manner: "Of course, we need to help the girl change into clean clothes first, and then go to the drug store to grab some medicinal materials that can nourish Qi and nourish the body. At that time, Pindao will need to go out in person. It’s time to show off your skills. "
Chen Pingan asked with a dark face: "When the girl wakes up, will I be beaten to death by her? "
The young Taoist said resolutely: "No! You are her savior. How could there be such an ungrateful person in the world? ! "
Chen Ping'an remained silent.
The Taoist coughed and his momentum dropped sharply, "Maybe not? "
Chen Pingan sighed and asked tentatively: "There is a girl named Zhigui in the house next door. Let her do these things? "
The young Taoist said helplessly: "No, the crux of the problem lies here. "
Chen Ping'an did not insist. He squatted on the ground and scratched his head with both hands.
The young Taoist suddenly asked: "Is there anything you want to ask? If you ask, Pindao may not be able to answer all the questions, but try to pick some that can be answered, okay? "
Chen Ping'an sighed, stood up and said: "Save people first. "
The young Taoist smiled broadly and said, "Good! "
He quietly flicked his sleeves and suppressed a flying sword that was about to move in its sheath.
Chen Pingan carried the girl into the house and gently placed her on the mat. The wooden bed with quilts had collapsed after Liu Xianyang sat down on it. It had just been repaired, and a bench was placed under the bed.
The young Taoist followed behind him and stepped into the threshold. He looked around and saw that the house was bare. But that's it.
The young Taoist shook his head and went out to get some paper and pen, preparing to make a prescription for the young man to take medicine.
After returning to the house, the young Taoist shook his head. I deliberately didn't look at the wooden bed, thinking that this poor boy would definitely be unable to eat and walk away.
It turned out that the boy was sitting on the edge of the bed.Years ago, the girl in black had taken off her hat, revealing a pale face covered in blood.
The so-called bleeding from the seven orifices probably refers to the scene under the young man’s nose. < /p>
(This chapter is not finished, please turn the page)
Beside the wooden frame, there is a small water tank covered with wooden boards to block mosquitoes and flies. The water tank is filled with iron locks from the Xinghua Lane For the well water brought over there, the young man took a wooden basin and a gourd gourd, squatted next to the water tank, scooped out the water from the pottery jar and quickly poured it into the wooden basin, then put a piece of clean cotton cloth on the edge of the basin and brought it to He placed it on a stool next to the bed and began to help the girl who took off her curtain wipe the blood.
The young Taoist priest turned his head and raised a piece of paper in his hand, "There is a small pharmacy over there on Fulu Street. You can use this prescription to get some medicine."
The young man said doubtfully. : "Didn't the Taoist Master say that before?"
The young Taoist looked confused and blinked: "Yes, the poor Taoist said that you should be careful when taking medicine and not be too high-profile, so as not to cause trouble. There was a storm in the city, which ruined the girl's reputation."
Chen Ping'an said, "Does the Taoist have money for medicine?" while cleaning the cotton cloth."
The young Taoist suddenly became nervous. Get up, "You don't have one?"
Chen Ping'an put the wooden basin on the table, took out a golden copper coin from nowhere, and gently pressed it on the table, "Taoist priest, I have I will exchange it with you for ordinary copper coins. As for the method of exchange, it is up to you, Taoist priest."
The young Taoist thought for a moment and said, "The copper coins on the table are enough to buy the medicine. Pindao will go get some money for you right now."
Soon, the Taoist brought back a bag of ordinary copper coins and a few grains of silver, which he handed over to Chen Ping'an. < /p>
The young Taoist said solemnly: "Chen Pingan, don't you have any questions you want to ask?"
Chen Pingan stood where he was, roughly weighing the copper coins and broken silver. After knowing it in his mind, he put it away carefully and looked at him to indicate that he should go out to talk. After the two of them walked out of the threshold, the straw-shoe boy raised his head and said slowly: "I know you are not ordinary people. Old man Yao said long ago when he was drunk that our town is different. It's ordinary, everything is strange, everyone is strange, but old man Yao can't explain what is strange, and of course I don't understand it. This time Gu Can said that the storyteller was an ordinary big white. The bowl can pour out a large tank of water. Although Gu Can is quite annoying, I know he is not lying about this, just like..."
The young man paused and continued: "Just like today, there was a very tall woman. In the alley outside the door, she flicked my forehead once with her finger and patted my heart with her palm. Finally, she said that I was going to die soon. I knew sheWhat you say is true. "
The young Taoist priest's face was heavy.
Chen Ping'an finally said: "The Taoist priest said that the talisman paper you wrote will bring good luck to my parents after it is burned. I actually believe in the Taoist priest. So the Taoist priest came to my door and asked me to save people. I didn’t say anything just now, but I hope that the Taoist priest will promise me something. If I agree, no matter what the Taoist priest wants me to do next, there will be no problem. If the Taoist priest asks me to do something, there will be no problem. If you don't agree, I'll grab the prescription this time and help the Taoist priest finish cooking the medicine, and I'll drive him away. "
The Taoist asked: "What are the conditions? Please tell me. ”
The young man who always gave the impression of being stable and mature was actually a little uneasy and replied: “My parents passed away early when I was very young. I don’t know why, but I remember many things when I was a child. The appearance of my parents is always vague and cannot be clearly remembered. Later, I ate a lot of food for a while and survived by relying on my neighbors. Once I accidentally heard someone say that I was born on the fifth day of May. From what they said, it shouldn’t be very auspicious. There was someone next door who spoke more directly and frankly..."
The young man kept taking detours, paused, and finally went straight to the topic, lowered his head, and said in a dull tone, "After helping the Taoist priest save people, If, I mean if, if I suddenly die one day, can Taoist Master help me reincarnate in my next life, and reincarnate me as my parents' child? "
The young Taoist remained silent.
Chen Pingan grinned and scratched his head, "If it doesn't work, forget it." Indeed, there is no such thing in the world. It is because I have grown up. "
The Taoist smiled bitterly and said: "What should we do about that girl? "
Chen Pingan suddenly turned around, turned his back to the Taoist, raised his fist and waved, and for the first time made a joke: "She is so handsome, I would be a fool not to save her!" ”
The young Taoist looked at the straw-shoe boy who pretended to be relaxed and opened the door to leave.
The boy walking in the clay bottle alley seemed to have thought of someone and burst into tears.
(End of this chapter)