Lingxian Zhenjun

Chapter 50
"Dongzhu, Shitou, Shunzi, the three of you go to the city early and come back early. The wedding banquet is still waiting for drinks, and there is also a theater troupe coming to perform, but you, Brother Xiaonan, paid a lot of money to invite them."

The early morning wind is comfortable for people, and the three teenagers driving the donkey cart are bathed in the morning sun, pulling the reins excitedly to say goodbye to the elders in the village.

Today is Brother Xiaonan's big day. The bride is from his own village, and she is the most beautiful of the village head. People in his village hold weddings, so it is naturally lively. Every household has food, dishes, tables, chairs and stools.

Dongzhu also accepted the errand, got up early, fetched water to wash up, put on new clothes that he only wore during the Chinese New Year, and drove the donkey cart to Tongshan to buy drinks with Shunzi and Shitou, who had a good time.

Maybe he could sneak some drinks on the way. After all, he is an adult, and the family is also preparing to tell him about a marriage. If he can marry a woman like Xiao Nan's wife, Shitou and Shunzi should be so envious.

It was almost noon, and he ordered drinks for the wedding at a restaurant in the city. Although it was the cheapest, he was ridiculed by some drinkers, but the smell of the wine made him forget his anger. The two happily pulled the donkey cart back to Zhuangzi, maybe the theater troupe should also arrive.

After the wedding banquet, watching a big show with everyone is more comfortable than New Year's Eve.

In the afternoon, there were many servants wearing yamen costumes on the road, which made Dongzhu envious for a while. When he was about to reach the village, the roadside was full of people. Let the onlookers approach.

For some reason, Dongzhu's body was trembling, and as he walked forward, the voices of the people around him became 'buzzing', and the stone and Shunzi beside him should be the same.

Dongzhu squeezed past, but in fact he didn't squeeze. The onlookers were all from nearby villages. Seeing the three of them, he consciously moved out of the way.

What came into view was a group of people, lying motionless on the ground, as if they were dozing off, just lying on the ground and fell asleep.

It's just that Dongzhu understood what it was, he was shaking like chaff, and suddenly sat down on the ground, his vision gradually blurred, watching the yamen servants with knives and the policemen walking around beside the villagers.

He saw Brother Xiao Nan being carried away and put together with his father and the bride.

Seeing the elders in the village, they were let down from the stone mill by the yamen servants.

I also saw my parents being carried out of the house and just put them on the ground... They were still wearing new clothes that they only wore during the Chinese New Year, and they said that they would watch a big show together today.

However, it was gone after all.

Turning back time, in the dim candlelight, whispered words told stories that Chen Yuan had never heard before.

"What did the government say?"

Dong Zhu sucked his nose, and when he raised his face, his eyes were already blurred by tears.

"...just say that the whole village is suffering from a contagious disease...Shitou and Shunzi...couldn't take the blow, and soon hanged themselves...Sir, everything I said is true, I just want to let...Brother Xiaonan, Xiaonan Sister-in-law, there are many folks who have finished the banquet and watched the big play. But no one here dares to come, and the opera singers in the city are reluctant to come after hearing about it... Sir, there is really no Method."

Fat Taoist suddenly realized.

"No wonder the master said why Shitou and Shunzi haven't come back yet. It turns out that they died separately. It's been ten years. They must have gone to hell long ago. Then why don't you leave here?"

Dong Zhu wiped away his tears, pursed his lips and took a deep breath, but the tears slipped down again.

"... My parents are still here. Every year at this time... I can see them, just like when I was alive... Ask me why I don't wear new clothes... I grow thin again...Although it is the same every year But I always feel that they and the folks are still alive. I just want them to watch the show well..."

In the dim shadows, Chen Yuan came out and helped the man up silently.He suddenly turned around and walked out the door, the fat Taoist hurriedly followed him and asked him where he was going.

What is returned is simple two words.

"start!"

The fat Taoist walked out of the room tremblingly, and saw the figures standing in front of the round tables in the sunba, and Chen Yuan, who was in sight, walked straight over.

He raised his sleeves abruptly.

The carriage opened with a clatter, and the wooden boards on the bottom of the carriage flew out one by one, and a simple stage was set up on the open space. The puppets of Laodan are also normal.

On the stage, Huadan's puppet waved its blue sleeves, and a female voice with mana imitation babbled and sang the song.

"White birds are fluttering, green water is surging, butterflies are circling the beauty's fan. The wind is soft and the reeds are ringing in the hall, and the green clothes are empty and cold..."

With a soul-stirring female voice, it is crisp and melodious, echoing the night.

Outside the quiet Zhuangzi, torches lit the official road, and the sound of eager footsteps spread towards this side. Hearing the sound of Qu'er, they stopped their feet one by one, and looked at Zhuangzi with the red lantern hanging in front of them.

"Why do you have Zhuangzi again?"

"There are still people singing... just go back."

"Look first."

The old farmer leaned on his hoe, and when he thought of the young man who didn't listen to persuasion today, he felt a little angry, but he took people to the entrance of the village, but saw empty round tables there, and there was no one around.

Right in front of it is a small stage, and the sound of music is being sung from the mouths of Huadan puppets on the stage.

"Lizheng, why is there no one?"

"Although I can't understand what it's singing, it's really nice."

"Don't go in!"

The old farmer hurriedly grabbed the man who wanted to enter the village, looked at the tables and chairs, and said in a low voice: "There is no place for us inside, just stand here and don't go in."

"Is there room inside..."

The man's words stopped, as if his eyes were dazzled, in the originally empty seats in his vision, there were blurred figures standing or sitting quietly watching the stage.

"The living can die, and the dead can live. The things in the world are beyond the reach of the world... A little affection, three parts of the shallow soil, half of the setting sun, dreams and dreams are all dreams, what is the year after year!"

The short melody is sad and touching, but also hopeful.

It was just a song, and then there was a martial arts scene. The puppets came to the stage with swords and soldiers, performed the plot, sang dialogues, and when they encountered fights, swords and guns were yelling... There was a lot of hustle and bustle, and it was fascinating to watch. Fascinated.

……

The sky gradually turned pale, and the distant village could faintly hear the crowing of roosters.

Only then did the performance on the stage stop, and the gloomy figures on the banquet slowly drifted over at this time, scaring Sun Zhengde to hide behind Chen Yuan.

"Brother Xiao Nan..." Dongzhu couldn't help shouting when he saw the villagers and parents rushing, "Father and mother!"

A couple with gray hair in a bun looked at him with a smile on their faces.

At this time, Chen Yuan stepped forward, arched his hands and said to the figures rushing forward, "I have invited this party's errand, everyone can go on the road."

next moment.

There was the sound of iron chains clanging outside.

A group of people at the entrance of the village felt a piercing hell blowing past them, and their consciousness was loosened to the ground. In their invisible field of vision, a slender figure covered in mist was dragging chains and standing in the crowd. behind the villagers.

Silent figures looked at Chen Yuan and bowed gratefully, then drifted out of the village without saying a word.

"Father and mother are leaving... Dongzhu, you have to live well in the future..." The couple smiled and looked at their 20-year-old son, and followed the souls of the crowd before the first ray of sunlight with a smile on their faces. Gone far away.

Sunshine pushed the edge of Qingming, wrapping Zhuangzi inside.

The surrounding houses and wine tables gradually disappeared, leaving only a tomb with floating graves, withered old trees, and unburned incense candles and yellow paper all over the place.

Chen Yuan waved her hand, dismantled the stage and put it into the bullock cart, walked to the tearful man's side, and looked at the former village entrance together.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"Stay here... maybe in the future, sir, if you pass here again, you will see the new Liuzhuang."

Chen Yuan laughed: "I'm afraid it will take a long time."

"Not afraid."

Dongzhu looked over there as if he saw his parents' smile again, and said again: "Don't be afraid, I will live well."

After a long while, there was no reply from the side, so he turned around quickly and saw that the ox cart had left the cemetery, he quickly followed up a few steps: "Sir, Dong Zhu hasn't asked for your name yet."

The one who answered him was the outstretched hand of the bullock cart and waved him a few times before heading north on the official road.

……

kuang kuang~~
The wheels rolled over the potholes, and on the rickety bullock cart, the fat Taoist was full of doubts.

"Boss, when did you hire an errand?"

"Hehe... when I went to the toilet!"

Chen Yuan laughed, replied loudly, and slapped the whip, causing the old cow to roll his eyes. He still stepped on his hooves, let out a 'moo', and pulled the carriage away quickly.

The sun is above the clouds.

Not long after, the bullock cart drove past the monument standing on the side of the road, and saw a town named Yongxiang in the distance.

　This is not a simple plot.

　　If Chang Weng is the introduction, then this story is the beginning of the main line.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)