Chapter 368 – Spring Breeze Far Away

The indistinct old Taoist stood there, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was chanting in bits and pieces.

Suddenly, he kicked off that bench and laughed out loud, ”Being a farting Daoist! From this day on, I’m the guest minister of Hui Mountain! First class!”

It was obvious that even if the old man intended to continue to set up his stall to interpret the divination, no one would still be interested in seeking the divination.

A slightly snickering voice suddenly sounded in the old Taoist priest’s ears, “Old Immortal Master, this is in Wudang, which is full of Taoist priests, it’s not proper for you to talk like this.”

The old Taoist, who was full of vigor, frowned and turned his head to see a young man whom he felt could barely be called Jade Tree, the old Taoist snorted coldly, “So what if I said so? Poor Taoist is the top guest minister of Hui Mountain! Even if the two of them, Old Deity Chen and Old Realist Yu, if the Poor Taoist met them now, I think he would still be able to ask for a cup of tea!”

The young man stuck out his thumb and exclaimed, “Amazing!”

The woman beside the young man laughed in exasperation, “Old Wu, just now it was this gentleman who helped you speak, you’re blinded by lard, aren’t you?!”

The old Taoist was stunned, and immediately changed his face and said with a smile, “It was the poor Taoist who was rude, don’t blame the gentleman.”

The old Taoist monk strides towards the woman’s stall, Taoist robe big sleeves swaying greatly, quite a dragon and tiger style, “Han sister, to come, to come, to help the old brother and this gentleman to come to the two Wudang spring pancakes, remember to spread the pancake bigger, the old brother does not lack of that silver, not to mention that we are not from the small-minded people!”

The woman shook her head, somewhat helplessly.

Her hands and feet, and practice makes perfect, and soon handed each of the two a full portion of Wudang spring pancakes, steaming hot, fragrant.

When receiving the spring biscuits, the old Taoist wanted to touch the woman’s hand, but the latter drew back her hand even faster, not letting the old man have his way.

The old Taoist bit down a big mouthful of spring roasted cake, smilingly said: “Han sister, still do this hard work for what, get up early in the morning, can’t earn a few silver, or else accompany my old brother to go to the Hui Mountain how?”

The woman said with blank eyes: “Go to the Central Plains for what?”

The old Taoist heatedly laughed: “Older brother my mind, sister you are still not clear?”

The woman first froze, then became irritated and said, “Get lost!”

The old Taoist did not die of heart: “Sister, your man is not very early in the Liangzhou pass outside the side of the no well, so many years after remarriage and so what, your family orphans and widows, how poor, there is a dependable man to take care of the good thing is ah. Besides, didn’t you let old brother interpret the sign before?”

The woman who was already furious turned pale, took a few steps forward, pulled the spring biscuits from the old Taoist’s hands, and slammed them on the ground, “Scram! I won’t sell spring biscuits to anyone, not to a disgusting person like you! Even if I give more silver, I think it’s dirty!”

The old Taoist priest was not angry, but just regretted, “Alas, Han sister, you are a good woman, but it is a pity that you do not have the life to enjoy the blessings. It’s just a matter of time, let’s just say we’re destined for each other.”

The woman no longer paid attention to this disrespectful old man.

The old Taoist monk sighed a bit to himself, turned his head to the young man and laughed: “Well, the poor Taoist had to go to the Central Plains to enjoy their own happiness. The green mountain does not change the green water flows forever, sir, in the future, if you go to Hui Mountain to play, report the name of the poor Taoist can be.”

The young man laughed, “Okay.”

The old Taoist left in style.

The young man asked, “Old Taoist, don’t even want the stall?”

The old Taoist did not turn around, waved his hand, seemingly open-minded, “What do you need such worthless objects for, it’s not worth it! If you like it, it’s yours!”

Waiting for the old Taoist monk out of a long way, the woman whispered to the young man: “Even what is called what is called did not know with the Prince, but also reported his name, have seen the thick skin, really have not seen such a thick! Luckily I heard that this old guy is from the Hezhou side, otherwise it would really be a disgrace to our Northern Liang.”

Xu Fengyen asked with a smile, “Listening to the accent, sister-in-law is from Lingzhou in Northern Liang?”

The woman’s eyes were odd, and it was only after half a second that she came out with a sentence, “What is your son asking this for?”

Xu Fengyen, who was swallowing the Wudang Spring Cake, almost choked.

The woman covered her mouth and laughed, “See how scared you are, sister-in-law is just teasing you.”

Xu Fengyen couldn’t help but cry and laugh, while biting into the spring baked cake, he walked towards the next stall, picked up the bench, turned his head and smiled, “Sister-in-law, the guy who invited me to eat the spring baked cake ran away, or else I’ll solve a sign for you, just as cake money?”

After the woman with the intimidating aura tossed around, causing the woman’s stall business to go cold and quiet, she sat on the bench and reached out to gently pound her waist, looking at the smiling and gentle young male, skeptical: “You know how to read a fortune stick?”

Xu Fengnian nodded his head and said, “Old school!”

The woman shook her head and laughed, “You, gongzi, can’t be as good as that old guy who can cheat people, where would sister-in-law fall for this, don’t worry, the cake money is even, sister-in-law treats you.”

Xu Fengnian curiously asked, “Sister-in-law, why did you come from Lingzhou to this Wudang Mountain to set up a stall?”

The woman said in a calm and quiet voice: “My mother’s family is this side ah, some time ago to come to the mountain to burn incense and pray for blessings, after seeing the light here, pondered that I happen to be able to do these handicrafts, idle is also idle, so I think that setting up a stall can earn some more.”

Xu Fenian asked with a smile, “I guess all the children of sister-in-law’s family are studying in the Mengkuan school, right? That’s right, on our side of Beiliang, books are expensive and the most expensive.”

The woman stopped talking again, staring straight at Xu Fenian.

Somewhat stifled, Xu Fengnian helplessly said, “Sister-in-law, I’m really not the kind of person Old Man Wu is!”

The woman couldn’t help but say, “You really can’t stand being teased, not like our Northern Liang men.”

Xu Fengyen feigned anger, “Sister-in-law, don’t scold me.”

The woman waved her hand, brought a small bench and a bowl of tranquilizing soup, sat down opposite Xu Fengnian, and laughed: “The cake is for you, and this bowl of tranquilizing soup is considered to be the money for the sign. Sister-in-law can’t read, don’t lie to me.”

Xu Fengyen finished the spring roasted cake, leaned over and took a big gulp of the God Fixing Soup, “How can I.”

The woman cupped the bamboo tube with both hands, her eyes devout.

Xu Fengnian sat upright, smiling and silent.

The drop sign was behind the table, she carried the head and tail with her thumb and forefinger of both hands, probably since she was illiterate, she didn’t need to go through anything more than necessary to look at it in detail.

She also used both hands to hand it to Xu Fengnian.

The heavy solemnity without words, as if delivering his life.

The people who have never had a chance with history always believe that there is a god three feet above their heads, that they will die as if they were alive, that they are willing to believe in the blessings of the afterlife, and that they will go out of their way to climb up high and burn incense to pray for sacrifices.

Xu Fengyen finished the bamboo stick and after reading the sign, the corner of his mouth curled up and softly said, “‘Forgetting the foot, the footwear is also suitable. Forgetting the waist, the belt is also suitable.’ Seventy-second sign, upper sign.”

The woman could not read or write, but the content of the signature was roughly understandable, as for the word “upper signature”, it was even more concise and unquestionable.

She smiled with relief.

Xu Fengyen took back the bamboo stick and put it into a bamboo tube, drank a mouthful of tranquilizing soup and laughed, “Sister-in-law is a good person with good karma.”

She smiled quietly.

Afterward, the two of them casually chatted, mostly her talking and him listening. She talked about the rural landscape of Lingzhou in her eyes, of course, the most is still the family’s two children’s schooling situation, she said that the older children are not bad, not so naughty and unruly, although no one has ever heard of Mr. School praised what, most likely not to win the Xiu Cai, that is, through the county exams to become a child student is estimated to be quite difficult, but every time she looked at the child picking a lamp to read, posing as a scholar’s unique shaking head, she will not come from the very first time, she will not be able to see the child. But every time she looked at that child picking a lamp to read, and put on that unique head-shaking look of a scholar, she would be very happy for no reason. At the same time that smaller children let her a headache, would rather work in the fields, but also not willing to go to private school to memorize, young age is thinking of war to kill the barbarians. She finally said that now I do not know how the rest of Northern Liang, two years ago at least Lingzhou side of the size of the private school, the children can get very cheap books, cheap to let her poor family feel cheap, because before the Lingzhou there is a big official surnamed Xu, is his idea, seems to be that the official said that the Northern Liang people less, but the readers can be more. She also does not know whether it is true or not, anyway, those a few books of Montessori than the previous five or six years, it is indeed cheaper by a large margin.

So she said, that big official surnamed Xu, is a good person, it’s just a pity that she heard that he left Lingzhou to become an official in Liangzhou.

Xu Fengyen smiled gently, looked into the distance, and said softly, “Orange he ah, everything is good, it’s just that his wine taste is poor.”

The woman didn’t understand and didn’t ask more questions.

There was business on her side of the stall, the woman asked, “Sir, can I have that sign back?”

Xu Fengnian laughed, “Then I have to look for it, sister-in-law you go ahead and get busy, I’ll send it to you when I find it.”

She nodded, after getting up, the woman suddenly blushed slightly and said, “Gongzi, it’s good to call me aunt, don’t call sister-in-law!”

Xu Fengyen was confused, the woman snorted coldly and went to the next stall to get busy.

Xu Fengyen shook his head, not knowing what was going on, he lifted the bamboo tube upside down and poured out the bamboo sticks, after Yuchi Readquan and Xuanyuan Qingfeng, the original one hundred and eight marriage sticks, there were five less.

He found out the bamboo stick that the woman shook out and got up to deliver it.

She realized that the young man who was so idle that he went to become a fortune teller still didn’t seem to understand what she meant, so instead she was a bit embarrassed.

She glanced at the bamboo stick and carefully put it away, looking up and asking, “Is it that stick? Don’t lie to me.”

Xu Fengnian shook his head and said with a straight face, “No lies.”

She smiled and said, “Go on, go on, sister-in-law won’t delay you from cheating people for silver.”

Somewhat depressed, Xu Fengnian sat back down at the table and resumed his old business, familiarizing himself with the door, and began to solicit business with a big grin.

Just goatee old Taoist left such a mess, good things do not go out, bad things spread thousands of miles, coupled with the nearby stalls identified Xu Fengyen is a drill money in the eyes of the head of the magician, and young, at the same time did not cloak a bluffing Taoist robes, naturally give people the impression of the mouth on the hairless work is not firm, a set of incense visitors passing by, apparently did not stop to draw the interest of the lottery, the rare two or three young women want to talk about, want to come forward! Shake a lot, the results are given to the elders of the family or around the men of the same age politely rejected the matter. Xu Fengyen could only sip on his tranquilizing soup, but he was really bored. Xu Fengyen gradually from the moral appearance of sitting upright, into crossing his legs, and then into lying on the table shaking the signet cylinder, and finally simply shook out a bamboo stick, do not look at the sign, and casually thrown back.

The woman next door wiped the forehead sweat, teased: “Which have you so business? The hardest thing under the sky is to take money from other people’s bags, but you are good!”

Xu Fengnian sighed, “Do you really want me to borrow a robe from Wudang?”

The woman wondered, “You don’t look like you’re short of money, do you really care about that silver?”

Xu Fengnian subconsciously glanced in the direction of the hut and softly laughed, “My daughter-in-law is the most useless, she only likes to collect copper coins, big or small, she doesn’t mind, just like a miser.”

The woman was overjoyed, “It’s a good thing your daughter-in-law isn’t around!”

Then she persuaded, “Women are all like this when it comes to household management, son, you should think about it.”

Xu Fengyen thought deeply, “Swallows are like that, a little goes a long way, that’s how it is.”

The woman let out a long breath, raised her hand and ran it through her sweat-soaked temples, “Sister-in-law, I’ll go back first.”

Xu Fenian asked strangely, “Going down the mountain so early? There are so many objects in bits and pieces, can you move them?”

She pointed to a young woman who was walking slowly from the mountain road outside Lu Zu Pavilion, smiled and said, “She is my niece, selling rouge and powder at the Yu Qing Guan side higher up the mountain, I guess it is sold out early, used to be much later to help me get a hand, this day I am also lazy, go down the mountain earlier.”

Xu Fenian got up and said, “From here down the mountain, there are still quite a few mountain paths to walk, sister-in-law, I’d better help you pick a section of the road, right?”

She shook her head and firmly said, “No need, I have a lot of things here, but actually none of them are heavy.”

Xu Fengnian joked, “Sister-in-law, consider me as having bad intentions, at least send you to the pagoda at the foot of the mountain, okay?”

The woman spat lightly, glared at the mouthy Xu Fengnian, and laughed, “You’re not afraid to speak out of turn, but my sister-in-law is! My niece is very spirited. What, is it possible that you have fallen for her? Then sister-in-law can be a matchmaker.”

Xu Fengnian glanced at the young woman who was getting closer and closer, and drew a breath of cold air, her waist, not a willow tree, but a big acacia tree ah, and bitterly laughed: “Let’s forget about it.”

She took advantage of the young niece has not yet approached the two neighboring stalls, facing Xu Fengnian, her eyebrows softly low convergence, softly asked, “What on earth do you think?”

At this moment, she saw that young man, handsome in appearance, especially his eyes were clear and clean like the Elephant Wash she saw when she first climbed Wudang Mountain when she was young.

Xu Fengnian said, “I’ve been outside Liangzhou Pass, I’ve been to Huaiyang Pass, and I’ve also been to Tiger Head City.”

Her face was calm as she said, “That’s so.”

Xu Fengnian grinned.

For no reason, she asked, “Do you think the Northern Mang barbarians will fight all the way here, will they hit Lingzhou?”

Xu Fengnian looked resolute and said, “As long as there is one of us left in the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, then the hooves of the Northern Mang Barbarians won’t be able to step on a single blade of grass or a single tree within the Northern Liang Pass.”

She nodded, then spread her smile and said, “What a big mouth, talking as if you are a big official.”

Xu Fenian snorted, “I am not an official.”

She didn’t have the good sense to say, “That’s something to say.”

Xu Fengnian was still unwilling to die, “Sister-in-law, do you really not need to help with the burden?”

Her next sentence made Xu Fengyen dumbfounded, “Don’t be silly, I’ve seen a lot of people in the jianghu these days, and I heard them say that when our young king was wandering the jianghu, he had a catchphrase, which was, ‘Tastes good but is not as good as dumplings, and is not as fun but is not as fun as your sister-in-law!’ ”

Xu Fengyen reached out and wiped his face in grief.

The sentence I said at the top of Da Xue Ping, ‘return the fart’, no one has mentioned it to you? Isn’t it more bullish than this mantra?

Besides, this sentence is also a certain dangling wooden sword ranger, do not know where hearsay and then have to teach me ah.

The woman’s eyes were narrowed, she stopped talking and turned around to pack up the objects.

Xu Fengyen looked at her back, finally did not dare to call her sister-in-law, just asked: “The government side of the pension silver can be deducted or delinquent?”

Her movements stalled, she did not turn around and shook her head, “No, his old military chief often sent us extra silver some years ago, but not until last year.”

She paused for a moment and said softly, “It was only this spring that I heard that the old chief of the army had died in Tiger’s Head City.”

She never turned her head after that.

She actually knew that the first marriage sign she shook out was not the bamboo sign in her arms; she couldn’t read or write, but she remembered the number of characters in that sign.

But this is nothing important.

The people, no matter how hard the life is, as long as there is hope, gritting their teeth, they can live on.

Her hope lay in her two children, and it didn’t really matter whether the sign she drew today was good or bad.

Finally, before she and her niece picked up their burdens and left, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the young man who always felt clean and tidy, sitting behind the table with his back straight, his hands clenched in fists on his lap, quietly.

Not so much like a young man, but like an old man in his old age, the spring breeze is far away, can only silently bask in the warm autumn sun.