Seeing the clouds

Chapter 74 Chapter 73 Meeting an old friend in a foreign land

Xiaohe Village is located under Qingyun Mountain. At first glance, it looks no different from other villages. However, once you actually enter the village, you will find that its scale is much larger than that of ordinary villages. There are also all kinds of inns, wine shops and other places in the village. .The day after tomorrow is the quadrennial Youth Conference, where heroes from all over the world will gather in Qingyun Mountain to start a battle between dragons and tigers. Therefore, Xiaohe Village, located at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, has become the best place to stay for members of the sect. Passers-by and tourists in the village are also bustling. There was an endless stream.

In front of a wine shop in Xiaoshanhe, a scholar in white clothes was telling anecdotes about the world surrounded by countless people.The scholar in white clothes is clean and tidy, and his face is like jade.His speech was also clear, smooth, humorous, and not at all nervous or timid because of the gazes of everyone.The scholar in white is sitting on an ordinary bench, with a cup of brewed tea placed on the table in front of him.Every time he told a story, he would take a sip of the fragrant tea on the table, and then someone would help him fill it up.The audience is not only large in number, but also of different ages and occupations: there are local old women and children; there are also foreign travelers.Everyone gathered here, no one was talking or making any noise, only the scholar in white could be heard speaking in detail, creating a happy scene.

After about an hour, when it was time to eat, the scholar in white finished his story with a short story, ended his morning story-telling trip, and asked everyone to go to rest and eat, and come back in the afternoon.So among their respective discussions, the crowd gradually dispersed.Of course, there are also some people who are immersed in the story just now and have not realized that the story has ended. They are stunned in place.

The scholar in white didn't pay attention to the departure of everyone. He raised the teacup in front of him, took a sip carefully, and then said to himself: "Second brother, were those stories that eldest brother just told you exciting?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there were four figures approaching slowly from a distance. The leader walked up to the scholar in white and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that even if I changed my face, brother would still be able to notice me."

Listening to this familiar voice, the scholar in white raised his head, looked at the familiar but not so familiar face of the young man in white in front of him and smiled: "If it were anyone else, I'm afraid I wouldn't be sure. But for you, second brother, even if you change thousands of things, Even if you have a face, big brother can recognize it."

Then the scholar in white stood up and the two hugged each other.

Zhang Chuchu hugged his sworn brother and recalled the experiences along the way. He choked up and said, "I didn't expect to meet you here, my eldest brother. It's really great..."

Wang Xuechang's eyes were also a little sore: "Since we said goodbye at Yumen Pass, I have been thinking about my second brother all the time. I am afraid that you will encounter danger along the way, but as the eldest brother, I am unable to help. Later, I thought that you might pass by Qingyun on your way eastward. Shan, we rushed all the way here, looking forward to seeing you. I am very happy to see you safe and sound here today. "

The four joys of life are: sweet rain after a long drought; meeting an old friend in a foreign land; the night of flowers and candles in the wedding room; and the time when the gold medal is named.

For the two people who became sworn friends in Jinlan due to fate and congeniality, nothing in the world at this time could be more joyful than meeting again here.The two didn't say much, they just hugged each other tightly regardless of others.

The three people who came with Zhang Yue looked at the scene in front of them of the two people reunited and embracing each other, and their hearts were filled with sincere joy.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the two ended their embrace.Zhang Chuchu thought of the three people he had left behind, and smiled apologetically at them: "I was so happy to meet my eldest brother that I forgot about my three younger brothers. I'm really sorry."

Zheng Baiyu smiled and said: "Cousin, why are you so polite to us brothers?"

Li Jingxiong and Xu Dingzhou also smiled and nodded.So Zhang Chuo introduced Wang Xuechang and the three of them to each other. With Zhang Chuo's connection, the four of them smiled and bowed to each other.

Then Wang Xuechang asked the four of them to sit down, and arranged for the waiter to make a cup of tea for each of them, and the five of them began to chat.

Zhang Chuchu said: "When I was at Yumen Pass, I heard my eldest brother say that I traveled to the Western Regions with my uncle and the Youfang brothers. Why didn't I see you two at this time?"

Wang Xuechang smiled and replied: "My father has gone back to Jiangnan ahead of us because he has no interest in the affairs of the Jianghu. But my younger brother is completely different from my father. He likes to carry a wooden sword to 'pretend', and he is also interested in the affairs of the Jianghu." Extremely enthusiastic. He heard that I wanted to visit Qingyun Mountain and also observe the Youth Conference, so he followed me. At this time, he was probably wandering around because he couldn't control his curiosity. I guess I should be back in a while, so I'm sorry. Brothers, please wait with me."

The four of them naturally nodded in agreement.

Wang Xuechang continued: "Actually, I said goodbye to my second brother Yumenguan. After my father and younger brother and I met, we followed my second brother's footsteps eastward and visited Governor Zheng and Governor Fang successively. I also asked in private Regarding your movements, second brother, although the prefect had no idea, fortunately General Tianding gave me some guidance and learned that you might come to Qingyun Mountain to observe the Youth Conference, so I came to Qingyun Mountain to see if I could meet with you. See you, second brother."

Then Wang Xuechang turned to look at Zheng Baiyu and said with a smile: "Brother Baiyu, the prefect's wife asked me to give you a message: I want you to return to Jincheng as soon as possible, otherwise your legs will be broken and you will not be able to leave the house for the rest of your life." .”

Zhang Chuchu also laughed and joked: "I remember someone once told me in Tianshui: I relied on great principles to get my aunt to agree to this trip. Why does it feel like this is not the case?"

Zheng Baiyu complained with a bitter look on his face: "It's true for my mother, I just go out for a walk with my cousin, how can I be so serious? This will make me unable to hold my head high in front of everyone in the future."

The other three people did not mind the excitement and laughed.

The five of them are of similar age, and they are all honest people, and they have become familiar with each other over time.After chatting for a while, Wang Youfang also returned here.

Although Wang Youfang and Wang Xuechang are three years apart in age, their body shape and appearance are similar to Wang Xuechang.But compared to Wang Xuechang, Wang Youfang's face is less gentle; his eyebrows are more heroic.

Except for his appearance and body shape, Wang Youfang's clothing was completely different from Wang Xuechang: he was dressed in white and carried a wooden sword on his back. The wind was blowing under his feet when he walked, and he saw four strangers sitting next to his brother. It’s not surprising, but instead he greeted him carelessly: “Hello, brothers, I’m very polite to you!”

Wang Youfang's extroversion was somewhat beyond Zhang Yue's expectation: he originally thought that his eldest brother Wang Xuechang was calm and calm, gentle and courteous in his dealings with others, but as his younger brother Wang Youfang was probably the same.Unexpectedly, as a scholar, Wang Youfang is not only far from the image of a capable counselor and minister who "turns his hands to clouds and rain" as mentioned in the book, but is more like a young knight-errant who rides fast and wields a sword to the end of the world. Lang.

Wang Xuechang introduced the four people to Wang Youfang who was standing nearby. Wang Youfang saluted the four people one by one with cupped fists, and the four people naturally cupped their fists and returned the salute.

Then Wang Youfang smiled at Zhang Yue and said: "So you are the adopted brother Yue that my brother often mentions... Brother Huizhi, I have always been curious in my heart, who can make someone with such a temper like my brother, who is the adopted brother who I always miss? What a heroic figure. It’s better to see him than to hear him a hundred times, and today I finally met him. I will definitely have a good chat with Brother Huizhi later."

Zhang Chuchu replied with a smile: "Thanks to my brother's love, I am not a hero. In this case, why don't we find a place to eat and communicate slowly?"

So everyone found a restaurant and started eating.Perhaps because of the joy of meeting old friends, everyone's appetite increased greatly.Zheng Baiyu, who was the most active among the six, ordered a full table of dishes without hesitation.As a scholar but full of charlatanism, Wang Youfang did not disappoint everyone. He directly asked the waiter for a few jars of good wine and handed them to everyone, and he just said "I won't come home until I get drunk today".This move of the two people not only amazed other guests, but also made the shopkeeper and waiters of the restaurant smile.After all, there are always guests, but not the God of Wealth.

Several people who have experienced ups and downs along the way have a rare opportunity to relax and have such a happy time, and naturally they are no longer restrained.A few people were chatting and eating, and it was a happy scene.

It also echoes the sentence: Today is a good banquet, and the joy is hard to express.

Today's luncheon ended quickly amid the laughter of the six people.After lunch, Wang Xuechang had to go back to read a book and could not accompany everyone, so everyone discussed how to spend this rare free time.

Wang Youfang said: "Brother Yue, do you want to go out with me for a walk? I still have many questions that I want to ask you."

Zhang Chuchu then smiled and said: "Of course you can."

Then the two of them walked out of the restaurant together.

Xu Dingzhou's cheeks were slightly red, and he looked at the two people's backs and said: "Okay, there are only three of us left. Is there anything you two want to do? I don't want to sleep all day. "

At this time, Zheng Baiyu's drunkenness was still not dissipated. He thought for a moment and said, "Xu, why don't we go fishing?"

"Fishing?" Xu Dingzhou frowned at first, then smiled, "Can you catch fish with your 'monkey ass' temperament?"

When Zheng Baiyu saw Xu Dingzhou making fun of his impatience, he said unconvinced: "Compared with patience, fishing is more important than skill! Xu, do you dare to make a bet?"

As soon as he heard that Zheng Baiyu wanted to bet with him, Xu Dingzhou raised his eyebrows and became interested: "How to bet?"

Zheng Baiyu replied: "Let's compare who can catch more fish before sunset. The loser will walk back to the inn while the dog barks and stands on his head. How about it?"

Xu Dingzhou smiled and said: "In order to complete the tasks assigned by the sect, I stayed in one place for a day and a night without moving. If you try to be patient with me, you will definitely lose, stinky Bai Mao!"

Zheng Baiyu snorted coldly: "It's still unclear who will win. Xu, don't be too happy too early!"

Then the two of them walked towards the shop, but after taking just two steps, they both looked back in unison.The two found Li Jingxiong standing there without moving at all.

Xu Dingzhou asked: "Stone, why don't you leave?"

Li Jingxiong was a little at a loss and said: "I don't know how to fish. I haven't fished since I was a child."

These words amused Zheng Baiyu: "It doesn't matter, we just teach you, let's go!"

Then the two of them ran to both sides of Li Jingxiong, and one of them pulled Li Jingxiong towards the shop.

On the other side, Zhang Yue and Wang Youfang were walking in the village.

Wang Youfang asked: "Brother Yue, I heard my brother told you about you. It must have been difficult along the way, right?"

Zhang Yue smiled calmly: "You and I are no longer children. Nothing in life is easy. There are miserable people everywhere in the world, but I don't have to worry about food and clothing, and I have a like-minded brother like you by my side. With them In comparison, I’m lucky enough.”

Wang Youfang nodded and said: "Youfang admires Brother Yue's broad-mindedness. No wonder my brother, who is rarely close to others, is willing to befriend you, Brother Yue. Youfang is also lucky to know such an outstanding person as Brother Yue."

Zhang Chuchu patted Wang Youfang on the back and said: "Okay, we two brothers are not in official circles now, so there is no need to flatter and flatter each other here. Otherwise, if others hear it, they may secretly criticize us for our hypocrisy. .”

Wang Youfang stretched out his left index finger, scratched his face and said with a smile, "Yes."

The two of them were walking all the way out of the village. Suddenly, a middle-aged man who was drunk on the ground on the roadside shouted to the two of them: "You two little brothers who are passing by, please stay."

Just before the two of them figured out what was going on, another voice came from the other side: "It's you!"

Zhang Yue turned his head and looked to the other side. It turned out that the person speaking was the young man who had fought with him outside Chang'an City before.

Red-haired Liu Xuan.

(End of this chapter)