Envy

In the afternoon Yan Zhaohan left early and went to the bank of the Xinghua River alone.

Just in the evening, a young man in white clothes came to the tea stand, wearing a shirt with branches and leaves, tall and handsome, with a pair of peach blossom eyes.This son of a noble family speaks with a foreign accent.The temperament is gentle and the conversation is gentle.

He put the sword on the table and ordered a pot of tea.He asked: "Mother-in-law, is there a family with the same surname here?"

The mother-in-law had a good impression of him, poured a big bowl of tea for him, and said kindly: "It seemed to be there before, but now it's gone."

"Have you ever seen a young man who is blind, about this tall?" He measured it, "He is very thin and handsome, with a tear mole under his right eye. If you have seen it, there must be one. impression."

"I haven't seen it." After listening to his description, the mother-in-law turned around to prevent the young man from seeing her flustered expression, and went back to the stove to pretend to be busy, "You...what do you want him for?"

The young man looked a little gloomy, and said disappointedly: "It's just a private matter."

"Have you been looking for him for a long time?"

"Yeah. I've been looking for it for more than a year." The young man played with the cup on the table and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I've searched all over this town."

The mother-in-law asked cautiously: "Since you can't find it, have you ever thought about looking for it elsewhere?"

"I already have that intention." He drank the herbal tea in his cup and said, "Leave early tomorrow morning."

……

Egrets fly across the river bank, blending with the sunset.The water and the sky are the same color, and the red sun shatters and gathers in the river.A dilapidated boat was stranded on the shore, which had been abandoned for many years.

Yan Zhaohan sat down on his knees, the long grass in Fengze was already higher than his head.He placed some fruits in front of the grave and lit some incense.He was afraid of causing wildfires, so he did these things carefully.

His aunt, who was impoverished during her lifetime, will also suffer from poverty after her death.Her son was blind and alone, so he couldn't help burning paper money for her from time to time.

His fingers traced his mother's name engraved on the green stele.There was only his mother's name on the stele, not "Yan Shuhan's wife".

"Mom, I'm back."

"The winter in Zhao Lin was too cold. I couldn't stand it, so I fled back to Fulian... My eyes are broken." He smiled softly, "The yin spirits in Zhao Lincheng rioted, and I paid back all my cultivation. There is nothing left to owe."

"If you think about it, you also know that the Yan family was destroyed, and Yan Shuhan, Yan Yun, and Yan Miao all went to you. Those people came in a turbulent way, and it was my Yan family who ruined it. I know everything, and I haven't thought of a way yet. Not even a chance to avenge it."

"Fulian doesn't need the Yan family. They don't need the Yan family. I still remember, it's just the pain and hatred that ebb and flow."

"I've become a useless person now, and I'm afraid I'll have to stay in this small town for the rest of my life."

"I wish my mother-in-law found a wife for me. Her name is Zhou Fang. She is very gentle and virtuous, just like you. I will bring her to see you next time."

"I've always lived alone, and it's always good to have someone with me..."

He talked for a long time to the green stele.He hadn't confide anything to others for many years, and there were some things that had been suppressed for too long, which made people's hearts ache.Although his mother has returned to the grass, he still believes that she is by his side.

Yan Zhaohan finally said: "Aniang, I still miss him, crazy, but I can't in the future."

He stood up and shook the grass clippings off his clothes.

Fisherman's songs are singing in the distance, and flocks of birds draw long lines along the sky.He walked slowly in the grass until the afterglow of the setting sun burned out, startling clusters of fireflies.The flying insects have not yet burned out the light.

……

When he returns home alone, he meets a stranger.

The man smelled heavily of alcohol and dragged him into the dark.There is still a damp smell in the green alley.His back hurts against the rough wall.

In the struggle, he fell to the ground.The man covered his mouth and begged in a low voice: "You promise me once, just once." But before he could reply, his rough palms brushed against his waist and roughly ripped open his shirt.

He remembered the voice.It turned out that this guest often touched him.

He has felt since he was a child that the Xi people are different from others, they will always be discriminated against, and they can only swallow their humiliation when they are insulted.A Niang always wore a veil and a bamboo hat when she went out.But if one needs to hide one's appearance, what is the use of having one's appearance?Did the Mi people have this appearance just for the sake of being dominated and enjoyed? He couldn't agree more.

When he stretched out his hand, he accidentally touched a hard stone, grabbed it without hesitation, and slammed it down on the back of the man's neck and back.

The man was in pain, so he slapped him hard with his backhand, grabbed the stone in his hand, and threw it into a dark and wet corner.

Yan Zhaohan heard the familiar ringtone.He heard the little Taoist's name mentioned before, so he struggled to call out "Song Jingran" a few times, but the man covered his mouth again.This time they covered his nose together, intending to kill him.

A cultivator's hearing is very sensitive, and even the slightest sound has already caught his attention.As soon as he reached the entrance of the alley, a black figure flitted out, running fast.He didn't even have time to see the man's face clearly.

He walked into the depths of the alley and saw the familiar blind man.The blind man was very embarrassed, not as tidy as usual, and stood up by himself.

Song Jingran said: "That person just now..."

"It's okay," he walked slowly while leaning on the wall, "Thank you, Taoist priest."

He walked out into the empty street.The skin was scratched on his hands and legs, and he didn't feel any pain until he calmed down.

When he returned home, he chose a quieter road, avoiding the townspeople who gathered around the well to enjoy the shade and chat.Before he opened the door of his own room, he said: "Thank you, Taoist priest, for sending me back. You should go back earlier."

Song Jingran came out from the dark and said in surprise, "I took the bell away, how do you still know it's me?"

Yan Zhaohan said, "The sound of footsteps is a bit light, with some cultivation."

Unconvinced, Song Jingran asked back: "Then what if the person following you is someone who knows how to do light work?"

Yan Zhaohan stood quietly at the door of his house without saying a word.He tapped his head and smiled sheepishly.That's right, whoever knows how to do light work is so bored, he followed him back in the middle of the night.

Song Jingran said, "I want to know your name."

"Meng Yan."

"It's the same surname as Meng Tou... my master." He grinned, his eyes bright, "Are you from the Chang clan?"

"Ah."

"You must not lose hope. There are also very powerful practitioners of the Dao clan. You see, like Shaojun Yan from Xiqie Palace, he is also a member of the Dao clan. He..."

Yan Zhaohan pushed open the door, slowly stepped over the threshold and walked in: "Farewell, Taoist priest."

Song Jingran rubbed his nose: "Okay, okay, I won't bother you anymore, then I'm leaving, late..."

Before the word "An" was spoken, the door was closed.The blind man of the Meng family didn't give him any face.