The first Taoist priest of the Tang Dynasty

Every time Zhong Wen heard these words from his mother, he had to repeat them. Although he knew that his mother was worried about them, he still hoped that his mother would not always be like this in the future.

"Xiaowen, did you trap these hares in the wasteland? There are a lot of snakes and insects there, so you have to be careful."

Zhong Mugen carried the basket containing the hares, flipped through them, and found that there were quite a few, but he still agreed with his son's ability, and then gave instructions, and went to the pool below to start picking up the hares.

For dinner, we still have porridge with wild vegetables and rabbit meat, but today we put a little more rabbit meat, which can be said to be generous today. In the past, we would not put half a hare like this, at most it was only a quarter of the size. .

Maybe it's because Xiu gave her sons and daughters more meat flavor, as most mothers do.

Originally, Xiaohua and Zhong Wen had agreed to make Beggar Rabbit for her parents to eat, but they didn't do it. One was that time was running out, and the other was that they were afraid that their parents would blame them, so they could only choose tomorrow or a day when they were free. Do it again for your parents to taste.

At night, Zhong Wen was lying on the thatched mat with his eyes closed, and many characters began to flash in his head.

Xiaohua originally wanted to talk to her brother, but found that her brother seemed to be asleep, so she didn't bother her brother. Not far from the house, a torch was lit, and Zhong Mugen and his wife were rubbing some hemp silk.

At this time, in Zhongwen's mind, many characters began to appear, gradually becoming clearer and more confused.

Zhong Wen sometimes thought, why is his brain so easy to use?Not to mention his excellent memory, he can still recall everything he has seen in his mind, frame by frame, just like watching a movie.

Zhong Wen doesn't know if this is the so-called superpower, but it doesn't seem to be the case. It's just that the memory is better. Zhong Wen remembers that there are some memory trainings, which seem to be memorized by pictures, and those memory masters are even more so. .

Although I suspect that my memory is a bit amazing, I can basically remember things after a glance, but I don’t know if this ability will decline as I grow up. After all, memory is a thing , No one can tell, the older you are, the less you can remember things.

Half an hour later, in Zhong Wen's mind, various phrases and sentences were formed, but for a Zhong Wen who didn't know much about ancient Chinese, he was completely groping for coal balls in the dark, and his eyes were completely dark.

Zhong Wen didn't know ancient Chinese, even classical Chinese, not to mention these older ancient Chinese, which made Zhong Wen start to suspect that he had made a mistake.

With this kind of thought in mind, Zhong Wen began to recombine, over and over again, but in the end he always found that no matter how they were reassembled, they were not smooth.

For the current Zhong Wen, it can only be said to be a kind of torture, want to know, but don't understand, want to find out, but don't understand, everything is so at a loss.

Moreover, there are still many missing words in this sermon, which makes this sermon even more difficult.

If Zhong Wen's classical Chinese or ancient prose was a little better, maybe he could find something from it, but at this moment, in Zhong Wen's mind, apart from being stupid, he was just confused.

Zhong Mugen and his wife extinguished the torch, ended the business for tonight, and climbed onto the thatched mat to sleep. In their eyes, their sons and daughters had already fallen into a deep sleep, but they didn't know that Zhong Wen just closed his eyes. The eyes and the head are very active.

It began to drizzle gradually outside the house, which added some coolness to the already cool weather at night.

The gentle breeze, blowing the leaves outside, brought a trace of sound to the already silent night, making it easier for people to fall asleep.

Gradually, Zhong Wen also began to fall into a deep sleep. In the middle of the night, because it was a little colder, he consciously pulled the torn quilt from Xiaohua's side and covered himself.

As the night passed, the sky gradually brightened. The sky that was supposed to be a rainy day looked cloudy. After a drizzle last night, it rained for a while, and it gradually ended at dawn.

Zhong Mugen and his wife climbed up, covered the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters with quilts, and then went out to work in the field against the farm tools.

As for the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters, they had been soundly asleep, with no sign of waking up.

This is especially true for Xiaohua. In addition to sleeping soundly, in her dream, there are chicken legs, hare meat, and even a whole big fish floating all over the sky, and she is holding a whole beggar rabbit in her hand, laughing loudly.

With the passage of time, the small village has gradually become lively from the quietness of the early morning. Although it is not as crowded as the market, it is still very lively.

There were cocks crowing and dogs barking, adults shouting and cursing, and children crying. If Zhong Wen came over and listened to these sounds, he must know that some adults in the village were beating children again.

This is a daily thing in the village. In the village, adults beat children because they are disobedient, or the elders in the family dislike girls. As for boys, it’s not that they don’t want to beat them, but the frequency is relatively less than that of girls. Some.

In ancient times, patriarchal thinking was so serious that the elders didn't like it, and fathers generally didn't like it. Only their mothers liked it, just like Zhong Wen's father, who cared about him. Most of them are Zhong Wen, and the care for Xiao Hua must be relatively less.

After getting up, Zhong Wen came to the open space and began to do some radio gymnastics to stretch his body, so as to achieve a good state in the following days. Of course, Zhong Wen made the exercise decision the night before, It seems like it hasn't started yet.

It's not that I don't want to start, it's just that this body is a bit unbearable, and I'm afraid that I will accidentally collapse my small body, and then it will be really troublesome.

People who wake up in the morning are basically in a state of false awakening, just like Xiaohua, who is standing by the door at this time, looking lazy, looking at Zhong Wen in front of the open space.

"Little sister, hurry up and wash up and tidy up your hair."

While doing radio gymnastics, Zhong Wen yelled at Xiao Hua.

"Brother, help me with it."

Xiaohua fell in love with the scene where her brother helped her tidy her hair. For Xiaohua, except for her mother who would help her tidy up, her father would never do it for herself, even if Xiaohua's hair was so messed up that she couldn't help it. I won't even meet people.

Chapter 28 Difficulties

The sky was gloomy, like rain but not rain, Zhong Wen didn't know what to do today.

The ground is wet, even if you want to pick up some firewood, you may not be able to burn it. You can only temporarily choose to stay at home and wait for God to open his eyes.

Holding a small wooden hoe in his hand, he started digging the gutters behind his house. If it really rains, he doesn’t know if the thatched house can stay. Drain the rainwater.

Xiao Hua also held a wooden stick in her hand, and helped Zhong Wen paw and pull the soil. Although it didn't help much, at least the little man had a good heart.

"Brother, what are we doing today? Are we still going to be a beggar rabbit?"

Xiaohua has always been in the aftertaste of yesterday's Beggar Rabbit, just like she ate it several times in her dream last night.

"I don't know. If it rains, we definitely can't go. If it doesn't rain, we can't go either. The outside is all wet by last night's rain. It's hard to light a fire."

Zhong Wen struggled to dig the drainage ditch in front, and responded to Xiao Hua without raising his head.

In fact, there is another delicious thing in Zhong Wen's heart, and that is mushrooms.

As long as it rains, a lot of mushrooms will inevitably emerge from the ground.

Of course, the people in the village would also pick some to eat, but because they didn't know much about mushrooms, they only picked what they knew, and the types were very rare. For Zhong Wen, it was a waste.

Although you can't go deep into the forest, you can at least pick some mushrooms nearby.

However, it is impossible to go today, and the mushroom will have to wait at least two or three days, otherwise, if we go at this time, it will only just emerge from the ground.

Two or three days later, Zhong Wen will definitely go to pick some mushrooms, plus a hare, the taste is even more delicious.

After one morning plus half a morning, the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters finally dug some drainage ditches from the front and back of their house.

When Zhong Mugen and his wife returned home, seeing how the two little guys made their home look like this, they wanted to scold them, but they couldn't bear it.

"What are you two doing before and after digging this house? There is mud everywhere, and it is inconvenient to step down."

Although Zhong Mugen felt a little unhappy and couldn't open his mouth if he wanted to scold, he had no choice but to say a few words.

"Father, we are digging a drainage ditch. If it rains, the water will easily gather together. With this drainage ditch, the water will easily flow down."

Zhong Wen had no choice but to respond and explain to his father, at least let him understand the function of the gutter, otherwise, being scolded is a trivial matter, and if he was beaten, it would be a big injustice.

Zhong Mugen and his wife looked at each other, then at the dug drainage ditch, and when they thought about the rainy weather before, they understood.

It turns out that my son is so smart, these things should belong to the adults, but now, my son thought of it, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Ever since his son was injured, he found that Zhong Wen had become more and more intelligent. Although he was not extremely intelligent and could be compared with outside scholars, in the eyes of Zhong Mugen and his wife, he was definitely very intelligent.

From wild rabbits, to fishing, to cooking salt, the two of them didn't know whether their son's head was smashed, and then they began to understand.

It's hard to say how happy I am, as long as my son is smart, maybe my family will get better and better in the future, and it won't be as difficult as before.

Zhong Mugen and his wife did not have much knowledge, let alone read or read. Many things were not explained clearly to them, and so were the people in the village. Coupled with the inheritance and teachings of the elders, Their basic thinking has already been finalized, and it is impossible for them to be in a state of being curious about everything in the world.

For Zhong Wen, these things are normal, but in the eyes of people at this time, they are extremely smart.

For most people, the thinking in their hearts is habitual, and when they get used to it, it is normalized. If anyone really does something strange, they will definitely be opposed.

Fortunately, Zhong Wen's parents were more open-minded, and they wouldn't beat Zhong Wen into a pig's head. If he were placed in some village, he would be served with sticks by the elders.

Breakfast is still the same as usual, not much changes, Xiu, for the meat at home, is very fancy, usually just cut a little bit and put it in the porridge to cook, so as to increase the flavor.

As there was more salt in the house, Xiu began to be more generous, and sprinkled a pinch or two of salt into the porridge.

But Zhong Mugen and his wife didn't know that the increase in salt intake also gave them endless strength.

After the meal, the sky began to rain lightly, but the weather still couldn't stop Zhong Mugen and his wife from going to work in the field. They wore straw cloaks and went to work against the farm tools.

As for the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters, because of the light rain, they could only sit at the door of the house, staring at the sky outside in a daze.

Bored, Zhong Wen had no choice but to get out from under the thatched mat where he slept, and took out the sixteen pieces of wood, placed them one by one in front of the house door, and began to watch them carefully.

He picked up a small stone from outside the house door and started to write and draw on the ground.

As for Xiaohua, she looked at her brother boredly, and started doing stupid things to those characters again. As for whether it is good or bad, she has no standard in her heart.

There are thousands of characters, so Zhong Wen doesn't know which is the head and which is the tail, so he can only compare them one by one, and arrange and combine them one by one.

As for those incomplete characters, Zhong Wen can only put them aside for now, and there is no good way to correct them. In addition, there are some of these incomplete characters that he does not know, so he can only rely on guesswork to avoid being forced. Replace it with a similar word.

No right and wrong, above the sky, darkness and light, the enlightenment of Tao, no yin and no yang... These things are in Zhong Wen's mind, and I don't know if there is a problem with the combination.

I can't read it well, and I can't understand it, let alone know what it means. Of course, all this is just Zhong Wen's current interpretation, and it can't be true. As long as some scholars come, it may be possible to explain it.

Zhong Wen squatted on the ground, quietly looking at the characters on these wood chips, his mind running at high speed.

Zhong Wen just wanted to translate this Taoist essay as soon as possible, so that while Li Daochang was around, he could sell it to Guanli, even if it was just for some food, and he could solve the crisis that the family was about to run out of food.

Xiao Hua was no longer by Zhong Wen's side, but now she was lying down and sleeping on the thatched mat, with large pieces of saliva coming out from the corner of her mouth. I don't know if she was eating that beggar rabbit again in her dream, or even something more Good meal.

Zhong Wen shook his head helplessly, for Xiao Hua's state, no one would blame her for anything, such a small person, Zhong Wen would not say anything about her, let alone at this moment, there was nothing to do.

Zhong Wen came back to his senses and continued to study those characters. Even if there was a little progress, Zhong Wen would be happy for a moment.

An hour later, the light rain gradually stopped, and Zhong Wen has been immersed in his world, ignorant of the outside world.

Xiao Hua had already got up from the thatched mat and sat not far from Zhong Wen, staring outside in a daze.

"Brother, the rain has stopped."

What Xiaohua dislikes the most is staying at home, being boring and having nothing to do. She likes to go out the most, even if she follows her brother to pick up some firewood, she can enjoy it for a while.

Of course, she would sometimes go to the village to play with her second sister and the others, but in rainy days, if she wanted to go out, she would have to get wet, so she could only stay at home and pass the boring time.

"The rain has stopped. Let's go to the wasteland to see if there are any hares."

Zhong Wen raised his head and looked at the sky. The rain had stopped and the sky was also bright, as if there was a sign of the sun rising.

This kind of weather is what Zhong Wen likes, at least the weather can be cooler, and after a while, it will be a hot summer.

"Brother, let's go."

Xiao Hua went to the kitchen, carrying the basket, in which the kitchen knife was already placed, but the small wooden pick and the spear were placed outside the door.

Zhong Wen looked at Xiao Hua, then packed up the wood chips and stored them under the thatched mat, then walked out of the house, closed the door, carried a spear in his hand, and walked towards the wilderness.

The two brothers and sisters came to the wilderness and began to beat the thorns and thatch. In addition to scaring away the snakes and insects, they also knocked off the water droplets on the thorns and thatch that was stained with rain, so that they could pass by without getting wet. clothes.

Although the two of them don't have any shoes to wear, they do have some straw sandals at home. Most of the children in the village are like this. They try not to wear straw sandals, mainly because they are used to it.

After a search, there were only three hares in the basket Zhong Wen was carrying, not many, but for Xiao Hua, it was extremely happy.

In the process of searching, Zhong Wen changed the position of those intact slings, and the distance is relatively far away. After all, the slings have been placed in this place for two days, and it is time to change their positions. .

"Brother, let's go home and make Beggar Rabbit later? Even my parents haven't eaten it yet."

Xiao Hua helped Zhong Wen with the spear, and Zhong Wen was walking out of the wilderness with a basket and a kitchen knife, but he was talking about the beggar Huatu.

"Okay, I'll go get some wild onions later, and go home to make Beggar Rabbits. I don't think they have eaten them before."

Zhong Wen has no objection, after all, he has delicious food, so he can't eat alone, and besides, it's also his parents.

After leaving the wilderness, Zhong Wen started to pick some wild onions, ginger and garlic, and some big leaves by the way, and then walked home with the little flowers.

After returning home, because it is not in the wild, it is impossible to dig a pit and burn a fire, so I can only choose to cook hare meat in that pot.

The two hares that have been processed are thrown directly into the pot, and water and wild ginger, garlic, and onions are added to remove the smell of blood. After putting salt on it, they wrap it with big leaves and put it in the pot. In the pot of water, I picked up a lot of small stones and went in, covering the two hares directly, and put the lid on.

Zhong Wen didn't know if this would crack the clay pot, but that's the only way to do it at the moment, and it can't be burned in an earthen stove. The wild rabbit meat was also made inedible.

An hour and a half later, the fire gradually stopped, and Zhong Wen left the stove regardless of the rabbit meat in the pot, waiting for his parents to come back. As for Xiao Hua, she had already smelled that strange fragrance, but she knew it in her heart. , I have to wait for my father and mother to come back to eat.

Chapter 29 Mushrooms

"Brother, the wild rabbit meat in the pot is delicious, even more delicious than what we ate yesterday."

Xiao Hua also came out of the kitchen, raised her head, and looked at Zhong Wen, still swallowing saliva.

"Little sister, don't worry, we can have dinner after Father and Mother come back later."

Zhong Wen didn't know if he would be scolded by his parents in turn if he made two rabbits today, but he probably wouldn't.

A few quarters of an hour later, Zhong Mugen and his wife returned home with farm tools and straw raincoats in their hands, and a basket of wild vegetables in Xiu's hands.

"What's the smell? It smells so good. Does anyone make such delicious food?"

Xiu, who had just walked to the open space, twitched her nose, smelling the fragrance wafting everywhere.

"Father, Auntie, I'm going to make a delicious beggar rabbit, it smells so good."

Xiaohua is like a little intelligence agent, always saying something in advance every time, good things are easy to say, and if there are really bad things, she will not hide them.