Chapter 192 [Strange Mountain Village]
Although winter has just entered, some places in the north have already started to snow.
Especially in mountainous areas, Fang Chang walked among the mountains, and he could often see certain peaks covered with thick snow, no matter whether it was rocks or vegetation, they were all in one color.
Seeing that the position of the sun was noon, Fang Chang stopped.
He didn't take the road, but walked directly through the mountains according to his temper. After all, his feet were so strong that even cliffs could not stop him from moving forward.
Around the place where he stopped, he found a leeward place behind a few big rocks, and found a few dead branches to sweep away the snow, which was much thinner than other places. Take out the fire pocket, shake it slightly, light the firewood, shake it again and put it away.
It’s just that after traveling for so long, the self-made straw paper has already been used up, and now it is filled with the fire paper he bought at the market, and the kindling he borrowed from the hotel when he came out in the morning.
Roasted two pieces of dry food and ate them while they were hot. Fang Chang also scooped up snow and roasted it beside the fire, and drank a couple of sips.
Not far away, plum blossoms bloomed all over the hillside.
Plum stands upright in the snow, stretching its branches like arms, and the small white flowers gather to form a sea, and the fragrance spreads everywhere, which complements the white land covered with thick snow. If you don't look carefully, it's hard to tell whether it's flowers or snow on the ground under the blue sky.
"Mei Xu is three points inferior to Xue Xue, but Xue is less fragrant than Mei Yi Duan, haha."
Looking at the beautiful scenery, Fang Chang said to himself happily.
He got up to extinguish the fire, changed direction and walked around Merlin.
Not far away, there is a faint smoke rising from the kitchen, maybe it is someone's house.
...
Two mountain villages face each other far away, on both sides of a valley, there is a little smoke coming out of each.
The valley is relatively flat. It is considered to be the fields of two villages, but it is also covered by snow. It is hard to see where are the ridges and where are the rice paddies. However, some fruit trees on the slopes are more distinct and easy to identify.
The road can already be seen here, and many footprints left on it.
Following the road, he walked towards the nearby mountain village.
Although the weather is cold, due to the collection of enough willow catkins, reed flowers, and furs, the villagers have more means to keep out the cold, and many people can be seen talking outside the house. There are also children running wildly outside the house, singing nursery rhymes, jumping and playing, or chasing each other with snowballs in their hands.
Although there are several cooking smokes in the village, it is not the village people who are cooking lunch.
Due to poverty, three meals throughout the year have not been popularized like other places in the world. During the slack season in winter, the village usually only eats two meals a day, but one of the meals is dry rice, which is also a gift from successive years of harvest.
Fang Chang walked into the village.
According to the normal situation, when a stranger enters the village, someone has already come up to talk to him. But it seems that due to busyness, everyone just looked at him today, and then went about their own business, no one came up to ask questions.
He did not go to chat with the villagers, but walked slowly from one end to the other.
It was the chat content of the villagers in some mountain villages that interested Fang Chang very much.
"... how long until departure?"
It was the voice of a peasant woman, she seemed to be asking about her husband.
"Don't worry, we won't start until another hour, and we have to wait until the people from the mountain village are ready, and they will come to inform us at that time." The man comforted in a relatively calm voice, "It's like this every year, and it's always been smooth. .”
The peasant woman is still a little worried.
The man's voice continued: "Well, if the time is approaching and no one comes, the two team leaders will send people to go down to the mountain village to ask. Don't worry, there will be no delay. Prepare dry food, the journey will take a long time Time, without strength, can’t do it.”
"Sigh, I don't know why the mountain lord set the tribute time in the morning. He has to spend the night on the mountain, and he has to burn a lot of firewood." She complained slightly.
"The mountain lord is also the one who can talk too much? Be careful when you hear the punishment." The man's voice suddenly rose, showing a little panic, "Not only the mountain lord, but if the Yellow Flower God and the Five Stone Gods heard about it, they might punish the mountain lord and cut us off. The whole family makes a living. When we leave, you go to the temple at the end of the valley to offer incense and worship one by one, and then don’t talk too much.”
"I was wrong, I was wrong, blame me for talking too much, the mountain master don't blame me." The peasant woman patted her cheek lightly, indicating that she had been punished, and confessed a few words to the sky, and then asked her husband:
"Whose family is paying the tribute this time?"
"The old family of Yang in Xiashan Village, let's come from Shangshan Village and Xiashan Village in turn. This year it is Xiashan Village's turn. They will pay tribute. We just need to go with them. It will be our turn next year."
"Sigh, I don't know who's going to be next year. It's a pity that Zheng Dashi's fifth daughter was lost last year."
"Yes, but for next year's harvest, these are worth it..."
Fang Chang in the village frowned.
He has very good hearing. Although the size of this village is not small, it is far inferior to the city. There are no dead ends for him, and he can hear anywhere, so he just overheard these words at the bottom of the wall by accident.
But the meaning of the conversation between the two couples made him a little wary.
While thinking about it, the Lingquan sword on the back even made a slight "ding" in the sheath.
Fang Chang moved his feet and walked towards another village. He was going to go to Xiashan Village to have a look first. Since he met him, as a nosy practitioner, he would not ignore it.
The sun is strong in the afternoon, and the surface of the snow will melt slightly and then freeze after being exposed to the sun, so the surface is no longer as soft as when it just fell, but forms a hard shell. The wind blows in gusts, and the direction changes, but it can't blow anything from the hard snow surface. It can only roll up a few pieces of snow and then fall away.
Outside Xiashan Village, what Fang Chang saw was similar to that of Shangshan Village.
But there is a half-grown girl dancing on the snowdrift, but there are no children watching, alone.
He walked over and asked:
"Little girl, are you dancing?"
"Um."
The girl stopped, looked at Fang Chang, and said, "I like dancing, and I will dance here again today."
There was a little Xiao Suo in his tone that didn't match his age, which made Fang Chang a little curious, so he asked, "What's your name?"
"My name is Yang Xiangyu, and my father is the third child of the Yang family."
The people in the village choose names very easily, and so do the girls.
But then, the little girl looked at the village, and the other party said: "Uncle, I can't chat with you anymore. I have to go home when the time is up."
Then she ran quickly into the village.
Fang Chang watched her run into the village, frowning and listening.
No matter where it is, it is common for human beings to have different sorrows and joys. There are newlyweds bickering, some are cooking and eating, some are still doing handicrafts in winter to sell before the year, and there are the sounds of idlers playing mahjong. Fortunately, Fang Chang has a strong spiritual sense, and he has long been used to it, just looking for the conversations he cares about.
Thank you Wang Banxian and Eslaiya for your reward.
(end of this chapter)