Jianghu a dream

A dream in the rivers and lakes.

Fifty steps away from the stone forest, there is a teahouse, which sells tea but not wine, and only entertains Jianghu guests.

The tea is not good tea, it's just freshly harvested from the tea field next door, but there are all kinds of people coming and going.

It has become a tradition to make a pot of tea and start with a certain tea guest to tell a story about the rivers and lakes.

One day, a traveler with gray temples and a bent back drank two pots of tea, pondered for a long time, and said:

"I want to tell a story."

I used to be a domestic servant, and my master was General Ji, who was once quite famous for repelling the invading barbarians.

His only son is called Ji Dezhang, which is taken from "Ling Wen Ling Wang, Rugui Ruzhang".The general didn't want him to practice martial arts, so he ordered him to study hard and get fame.

The little master was disobedient since he was a child. I remember it very clearly. When he was a teenager, he made a fuss about going out into the rivers and lakes, and was locked up by his father.

It's funny to think about it now, I grew up in the general's mansion, and I thought that Jianghu was dangerous, but I secretly supported him, presumably it was all caused by those scriptures.

The general ordered me to deliver some food to him. Holding the food box, I walked carefully through the long corridor, feeling the clouds under my feet, and a flower blooming in my heart.

I opened the door and went in. The little master knelt on a high-backed chair, with his back to me, staring at the window in a daze.

Outside the window is a field of water lotus, crowded and open.

He didn't look at me, and shouted directly: "I won't eat, I won't eat, Tan Wang, don't come here."

When I was young, the general also taught me, hoping that I would take good care of my little master.At this time, I was afraid that he would faint for a while, so I twisted his jaw, forced him to open his mouth, and stuffed it into a mouthful of rice.

The little master covered his mouth and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Tan Wang, do you know martial arts?"

I took two steps back subconsciously, and said respectfully: "Little master, let's eat quickly, it was the slave who was quick and offended you."

"I don't care, you know martial arts, can you teach me?"

Facing those big eyes, my heart softened for a moment, and I actually complied.If I had known this earlier, even if I died on the spot in front of the little master, I would not have taught him 01:30 martial arts.

I probably secretly taught the little master three or four years of martial arts, he learned it very seriously, and every move is decent.

One night, I remember that the moonlight was very good, and the little master climbed on the roof to practice the sword. I specially made the sword for him from the blacksmith shop.With a bright moon behind him, he seemed to come out of the moon, so beautiful.

When I was watching, a figure passed by very quickly and landed on the roof.I was terrified and thought it was a villain. When I was about to shout, that person said: "Your move is derived from the Duanyang swordsmanship of the owner of Duanyang Villa? Why is there only an upper move but no lower move?"

When I heard this, I was a little embarrassed. Last year when the owner of Duanyang Villa visited General Ji, I was fortunate enough to observe a few moves, and later taught them to the young master.

The little master looked back at me in surprise, and that person also looked at me.After a while, the man smiled and said, "If you want to know the next move, I can teach you."

Before the little master could speak, I jumped onto the roof and stood in front of him. "No need, I don't know who you are or where you come from. I'm afraid I won't agree to it so rashly."

That person was very hearty, "In Xu Shiwan, people from Ruzhou usually like to travel around the mountains and rivers, and walk around, so you can be regarded as a person from the rivers and lakes."

The little master tugged at the corner of my clothes, "Tan Wang, can I learn?"

I saw that the man had a bold personality and didn't look like a bad person, so I nodded, and I still didn't go away. I was still drinking tea in the original seat in the yard and watching them practice swords.

Maybe it's because of the night, or maybe it's because of the people passing by. From the beginning to the end, I don't remember Xu Shiwan's appearance clearly. I only remember that he was dressed in black. I really envy him for his chic and cheerful appearance.

After that day passed, it was another seven or eight days, and the man named Xu Shiwan appeared on the roof every night on time to wait for the little master.

The tenth day happened to be the Lantern Festival, the little master took me to the street to watch the lanterns, the city was full of flowers, and the moon invaded the clothes.Most of them are young women putting lanterns by the river.

The little master asked me: "Tan Wang, do you want to let go?"

I helped him hold a few lamps, and shook my head upon hearing this.

The little master put two lamps and left a star lamp in his hand, saying that he would take it home and hang it up.

After returning home, Xu Shiwanzao waited on the roof for a long time. The little master was very sorry, and half apologetic and half grateful, he handed him the star lamp.

Xu Shiwan picked it up, and only smiled at the little master, showing a good demeanor, the beauty is like jade and the sword is like a rainbow, his sword is named like a rainbow sword.

That day, Xu Shiwan came over with a jug of wine, and the little master sat next to him with a lantern, watching him drink and listening to him tell stories.

And me?I was still drinking tea in the yard, looking up from time to time.There are tens of thousands of lanterns on the street, but they are not as bright as the lanterns in the hands of the little master.

The lantern was on all night, and the tea in my cup was cold early.

The next day, the little master was absent-minded in doing things and couldn't read the book. I handed him a piece of crispy candy between classes, and he stuffed it into his mouth absent-mindedly, looking disgusted.

That night, I knew why.

"Tan Wang, I really want to go to the rivers and lakes with Brother Xu. I also want to learn about the experiences he talked about last night. The world is so big, why do I have to spend my life here? "

I said what was in my heart: "It may not be a bad thing to go for a break, but the general is old and you are the only child."

He interrupted me: "Tan Wang, I promise, it will only be two years, and I will come back after two years. I will listen to him no matter whether it is to obtain fame or other things."

At that time, I thought it was not a bad thing, so he left with Xu Shiwan that night.I looked at his back and felt that the tea tonight was a bit bitter.

After all, I am a domestic servant, and it was my fault for not keeping the little master. I thought about packing up, going out to start a small business, and spending the rest of my life.I just hope that the general and the young master are all well.

Who knows, I have also become half of the rivers and lakes.

I haven't been to other places since I was a child, so I can't help but have a lot of dreams.I haven't seen the Longjing shrimp by the West Lake, the red maple on Tianping Mountain in Suzhou, the white walls and black tiles in Huizhou, the majestic five mountains, and so many scenery in the world.

Just walk the rivers and lakes like this.Because of my martial arts skills, I often fight for other people's injustices. After a long time, I have lost a good reputation.Sometimes alone, sometimes with some loyal partners.Watching the beauty of the world is really a great joy in life.

Sometimes I also think of my little master, wondering if he is living as carefree as I am now.

Another year passed in a blink of an eye. When I was tasting tea in a teahouse, I heard that the tea guest said that the barbarian was about to move, and he wanted to capture the Central Plains.The emperor has ordered General Ji to train and prepare for war.I also heard that as long as General Ji is around, the barbarians will never dare to step into the Central Plains.

General Ji's name as God of War is not something to brag about, he is a solid barrier protecting this land.But this barrier was broken.

When I heard the news that General Ji had been assassinated, I was only a short distance away from Feng.I thought that the two-year period had come, and it would be good to go back and see the young master. When I heard the sad news halfway, I almost shed tears.

The catkins in spring sprinkled on me as I was driving the horse. For the first time, I felt that the fate of myself and the Southern Dynasty was the same as that of the catkins, letting the wind blow and not knowing where to fall.

Kneeling in front of the general's mansion was a group of people dressed in sackcloth and filial piety, including the general's subordinates, wives and concubines, and domestic servants.

I stood a little further away and saw many familiar faces.Among them is the little master.

I haven't seen him for two years, he has grown taller, and his eyebrows are a bit like his mother's, with a faint softness.At this time, he was filial, kneeling in the front row and weeping bitterly.

I suddenly felt someone pat me on the shoulder, and when I looked back, it was a familiar person, who smiled slightly: "Brother Tan, don't you remember? My name is Xu Shiwan." I nodded to him, speechless explain.

But he said to himself: "The general is dead, and the barbarians are afraid that they will attack soon. Now there is no one commander who can convince millions of troops. How should we fight this battle?"

I was speechless and stood quietly.

The little master on the opposite side stood up, held the tablet, and said with a choked voice: "Everyone, the general has gone, and the barbarians are about to attack. If you trust me, I am willing to rush to the border immediately, inherit my father's will, and guard this land."

On the same day, the little master received the emperor's military order and set off for the border. Xu Shiwan was going to help him. I thought it would be useless to go by myself, so I went to meet the little master and say goodbye to him.

The little master has changed a lot, riding a horse heroically, and waved to me: "Tan Wang, we will see you soon."

I nodded with a smile and walked away.

In the following days, I still lingered in the rivers and lakes, often going to teahouses, ordering a pot of Biluochun, and listening to gossip.Some people said that Ji Dezhang led his troops well, and he was like his father. Some people said that Xu Daxia did not know where he went?I haven't seen him for a long time, and some people say that Cheng Guan, the only son of the Shangshu family, is also in the world.There are all kinds of things, all of which are described in different ways.

In the second half of this year, the barbarians really came. I heard people describe them, they bared their teeth and looked like evil gods.General Ji Dezhang, on the other hand, is wise and powerful, and he firmly holds on to the strategically important Qinkou Town.

The war has been fought for several years and finally won. The barbarians probably did not expect that after the death of General Ji, there would still be someone who could incarnate as a backbone and support the sky.The emperor wanted to reward the young master, but the young master would not accept it.He openly handed in his token and wanted to resign from his official position and return home.The sage dissuaded him, but approved it.

I think I can understand the little master. He doesn't like the officialdom, and he doesn't like the bitter cold of the frontier. What's more, the man is from the rivers and lakes. It's understandable for the little master to follow him back to the rivers and lakes.

It's just that I didn't expect to see him in that situation.

One day, when I stopped in Yangzhou.Suddenly, I saw a man walking through the street drunk, haggard, unkempt, like a beggar.I caught a glimpse of his face and couldn't help being taken aback.

Trembling, I helped the little master to my residence, and helped him take a bath and change clothes.Thinking that he must have recognized me, he let me manipulate him like a puppet.

When he finally looked like a son, I knelt down in front of him with a "plop".

The little master stretched out his hand to pull me up, but I refused, crying: "May the master forgive the servant, the servant did not take good care of the master, I am really ashamed of the general in the sky."

The little master sighed slightly, and said to me, "I originally thought that being a beggar would be a dream, and I would be so self-respecting as I am now. Tan Wang, I figured it out, I just want to be a handsome young man."

I was puzzled for a moment, he told me that Xu Shiwan was dead, he died in the last battle.

I wasn't surprised, just listened to him.

"When I first heard the bad news, of course it was so painful that I resigned from office and wandered around. At first I could maintain my personality, but then looking at this familiar scene hurt my heart. I became a beggar after drinking and having fun. People on the street threw fruit at me. Shell, the children made fun of me, and my dignity has already been ground into the soil. Now that I calm down and think about it, it’s better to be a human being.”

The little master stood up, still at the original pace, unhurried and unrestrained, he took out a hairpin from the original rags, and stuck it on his head.He cupped his hands to me: "Tan Wang, the sky is big, the earth is big, thank you for today, I'm leaving first."

I hurriedly asked: "Where is the master going?"

He smiled at me, and this smile remained in my memory, "Who knows? Maybe in Jianghu, maybe somewhere else. The world is big, and there is always a place to go."

After all, he turned and left, just like when he was 20 years old and 22 years old, and I have been watching him leave behind him and walk into a new world.

In that world, he will meet other people, these are what I don't know.

So, goodbye, little master.

After this person finished speaking, the tea on the table was already cold, and he didn't mind, so he took a sip and said with a smile, "I, Tan Wang, drink the most cold tea all my life."

Someone next to him asked, "What are your plans?"

"The sky is big and the earth is big, there is always a place where I will stay, and I am willing to stay for the rest of my life. Maybe I will just be a traveler for the rest of my life."

He said again: "This is considered chic."

After finishing speaking, he stroked his sleeve and left happily.

The author has something to say: just like that 1