Jincheng flower hour

Gouzi is very busy every day. He has to feed pigs and sheep, weed and water the fields, catch fish and pick up fungi, and he has to wander around to see if there are any waterfowl to shoot to improve the food for their mother and child.

Recently, the beans have blossomed and produced pods, and Gouzi catches worms in the bean field when he has time - strangles them to death, and dares to compete with him for rations.I was concentrating on doing it, and suddenly heard a sentence: "Brother Dog Zi."

It was a girl's calling, and I knew it was Zhuang Lan just by hearing the voice.

"Brother Quanzi, Ah Chun and Ati robbed our mulberry tree, you help us get it back."

"..."

Quanzi is not interested in helping people fight, he is not as idle as the children of the dealer, nor is he as arrogant as those poor children in Zhuli.He wouldn't fight if he hadn't had to.

"Brother Quanzi, take the mulberry tree back, and you will get half of the mulberry tree."

Zhuang Lan wants to make a deal, she is worthy of being the daughter of a merchant family.

"There are a lot of mulberries on the mountain."

It is the time when the mulberries are ripe, and there are many wild mulberry trees in the bamboo, which is not uncommon.

"Then let's catch the worms for you, can you help us get back the mulberry tree?"

Zhuang Lan rolled up her sleeves, ready to help.Behind her stood A Ping and A Li, and a little yellow dog omelette.

Quanzi ignored it, he was not interested.Atina's gang hadn't been to the west bank for a long time, and the two sides seemed to divide the river, with clear divisions, and no one provoked the other.

Seeing that Quanzi was indifferent, Zhuang Lan knew that brother Quanzi would not help, so she simply chased Butterfly in the bean field.Instead, A Li and A Ping were squatting in the bean field, helping the dog catch worms.

For children from rich families like them, pastoral life is very interesting, just like playing games.

"Brother Dog, can you teach me bow and arrow?"

After catching the worms, the three rested on the embankment of the field, and it was rare for A Ping to ask the dog.

Quanzi shook his head. He didn't think that Ah Ping could learn bow and arrow well, not to mention that he had to work and had no free time.

"For nothing, for nothing."

Zhuang Lan went to the pigsty to tease the little pig with leaves.The little pig was lying on its side, full of food and drink, too lazy to move.

Hearing the cry of the pig, Ah Li walked towards the pigsty to see the piglets raised inside.

Yi's family has two pigs, both of which are fat. They roll on the ground all day long, they are dirty, and they can't avoid them.Let's look at the pig from Quanzi's family. It's so small, with clean fur.As a pig, the reason why it is so clean is because the pigsty is flushed.

"Bai Bai, don't sleep, get up quickly."

Zhuang Lan dropped the branch, clapped her hands, and made noises.The little pig wobbled its ears and found it noisy, so it ignored Zhuang Lan.

"Alan, don't quarrel with pigs."

When A Ping came over, he saw Zhuang Lan slapping the bamboo fence hard, making a pattering sound.In the past, it's okay to be annoying, even his pigs are not spared.

"It's been sleeping all the time, when doesn't it sleep?"

"Don't sleep while you eat."

A Li answered Zhuang Lan's question, A Li had seen pig raising.

"Does it eat vegetable leaves?"

"eat."

After getting the answer he wanted, Zhuang Lanfei also ran across the bridge and ran towards his yard.

No, Zhuang Lan came over with a bamboo basket, which contained two dried radishes and some discarded plant roots.Seeing that all the pigs could eat, Quanzi let her go too.

Zhuang Lan threw a radish beside the little pig, and the little pig immediately got up, ran to the radish, happily gnawed on it, and wiped away his lazy image.

A Li was by Zhuang Lan's side, and the two of them threw carrots and roots, making the little pig very busy.

Only Ah Ping was serious. He didn't go to see the pig, but followed the dog, watching him do the farm work.

Gouzi collected the fungi that had been picked up this morning and had been hanging outside the house for a long time, and put them into clay pots.A Ping was watching, but he didn't see what kind of fungus it was.

"You want to learn bow and arrow, do you have a bow?"

Quan Zi asked suddenly, probably A Ping has been with him all the time, he thought A Ping was pestering him to teach archery.Zhuang Lan, the son of the Zhuang family, is such a pestering person, unrelenting.

"Have."

A Ping was very happy and quickly responded.

The children of rich and noble families not only need to study, but also need to know how to bow and arrow.Aping's eldest brother Zhuang Bing and Zhong brother Zhuang Yang can both bow and arrow.When the eldest brother taught Zhuang Yang how to bow and arrow, he called A Ping to learn together, but A Ping felt rude and didn't want to learn.Aping also doesn't know why his mentality changed, maybe it was because of Atti's bullying, which aroused his fighting spirit; maybe it was because Quanzi was good at bow shooting and was a ready-made teacher.

When Ah Ping went back that day, he told Zhuang Yang that he wanted to learn bow and arrow from Quanzi, and Quanzi also agreed to teach him.

"Brother, I need to buy a bow."

"Brother will go to the county to buy it for you tomorrow."

Tomorrow I happen to be going to the county town to buy pens, ink, needles and threads, and I will also buy a bow by the way for A Ping to practice.

In the county town, there is a Sun bow craftsman with superb craftsmanship. Many people buy bows from him. The bow that Zhuang Yang's brother always carries around is made by this craftsman. It is a beautiful sandalwood bow.

Carpenter Sun's bows are good and not cheap.

Zhuang Yang goes to the county at most once a month, and he will buy a lot of supplies, all for his family.Occasionally, he would visit someone in the county seat.

The Confucian scholar Zhou Jing who taught him back then had two disciples, one was Zhuang Yang, and the other was two years older than Zhuang Yang, who lived in the county. He was senior brother Zhuang Yang, called Yuan Anshi.

The banker has a carriage, so it is convenient to enter the county.Early the next morning, Yi Sou took Zhuang Yang into the city.

Zhuang Yang bought pens, ink, needles and thread, cloth and herbs for his family, so he went to Sun Bowsmith to buy wooden bows.Sun Gongjiang recognized Zhuang Yang and received him warmly.

"A small bow and a big bow are needed."

Zhuang Yang wants to buy a bow for Quan Zi as a reward for teaching A Ping how to shoot.

Craftsman Sun asked his apprentices to fetch two bows. Zhuang Yang saw that the bows were painted with lacquer, and the quiver was made of leather with bronze decorations, which can be regarded as luxurious.

"What material is the bow made of?"

Beauty is beautiful, but also practical.

Carpenter Sun made a statement about the material of each part of the bow body. The material used for the big bow is better than that of the small bow, and naturally it is much more expensive.Aping is a novice with little strength, so he is suitable for using a small bow, while Quanzi is suitable for using a large bow.A bow is cherished and used well, and it can last a lifetime.

Zhuang Yang thought that the big bow was really expensive, but if he wanted to give Quanzi a bow, he gave him a good bow, which was worthy of his superb archery skills.

After buying two bows, Zhuang Yang got into the carriage and prepared to return home.

The county town is naturally busier than Zhuli, with many merchants and shops.There are many wealthy businessmen living in Linqiong, and many of them, like the Zhuang family, moved from Jinguan City to Linqiong a few years ago.

I once heard my uncle say that when Jinguan City was prosperous, there were many merchants and carriages, and the prosperity was no less than that of the capital city.

The chariots and horses moved slowly, and Zhuang Yang looked at the people selling in the shop. He thought of his elder brother, but he didn't know when his elder brother and uncle would return home.The two of them sold horses in Guchang and went deep into the barbaric land. Although they made a lot of profit, it was also worrying.

Zhuang Yang's father was a cloth merchant. Back then, Zhuang Yang's grandfather made his fortune in Jinguan City and was once a wealthy man in the west of the city.

"Erlang, are you going back now?"

The carriage has driven out of the county seat, passing through the countryside.Yisou carried Zhuang Yang to the county several times, and knew that a friend of Zhuang Yang lived nearby.

"Go and visit An Shi."

Zhuang Yang laughed and looked at the wild flowers blooming on the mountain path.

Yuan An's family is poor, and the family works in agriculture. Although the family circumstances are not good, they are the sons of a former family.

Zhuang Yang's carriage arrived at Yuan's house, and An Shi's elder brother went out to meet him, telling Zhuang Yang that An Shi was working in the fields, and pointed to the several acres of farmland in front of the house.

"He's in the field, and Erlang is resting here. I'll ask Xiao Er to call him."

"I'm still going to find him."

Zhuang Yang smiled and bowed to salute.

The peaches planted in Yuan's courtyard are in flowering season, and the branches are full of flowers.Two children were chasing and playing in front of the yard, Zhuang Yang heard the dogs barking and geese beside him, thinking it was really lively.

"Ahe, take Uncle Yang to find your uncle."

"it is good."

An Shi's nephew had two ram's horns pierced on his head, and he looked no more than six or seven years old.He bounced and led the way, and Zhuang Yang followed closely, in case he slipped into someone else's rice field accidentally.The embankment at the foot of the field is narrow, making it difficult to walk.

Ah He's footsteps were brisk as if the ground was being ground, while Zhuang Yang was wearing a silk and brocade robe, walking in step among the grass.

The child led Zhuang Yang to a bean field where the bean vines were growing luxuriantly and covered with bamboo frames.Zhuang Yang looked for Yuan Anshi's figure among the bamboo frames, but he couldn't find anything.

"An Shi."

Zhuang Yang yelled, and as soon as his voice fell, a young man in blue came out of the bamboo frame. He wore a straw hat on his head and held a short-handled stalk in his hand. It was obvious that the cat was in the field just now. Weeding.

"Ayan, why are you here?"

Seeing that it was Zhuang Yang, Yuan Anshi greeted him cheerfully, and led Zhuang Yang to rest beside the stream.

"To buy cloth in the county today, drop by."

Zhuang Yang brushed away his wind-torn hair and smiled slightly.He was dressed in a white robe, elegant and quiet, standing in this green farmland, it should have been very unsuitable, but for some reason he felt that it fit.

Yuan Anshi looked away from Zhuang Yang, stepped off the stone slab, and bent over the stream to wash off the mud from his hands and feet.He is a scholar, but he has to work in the fields all year round.

"Ayan, come, come to my house."

Yuan Anshi wiped his hands and warmly invited Zhuang Yang.Every time I see Zhuang Yang's gentle and handsome appearance, I will think of their master Zhou Jing.

When the two started their jobs together, Zhuang Yang was still a child.

"Recently, the county magistrate put up a list to seek talents, and I almost went to respond."

Yuan Anshilang laughed, he himself escaped from the world in the countryside, in such a time of turmoil, scholars are not very willing to become an official.Helpless, his family is poor, and he is an adult, a seven-foot man, he will not sit at home and suffer from poverty.

"Why didn't you go there later?"

"Didn't you come to collect the tribute a few days ago? It's fine to collect the tribute in spring, but even collect the children's. The county magistrate will be finished sooner or later."

When Yuan Anshi mentioned this matter, it was obvious that he had the same concerns as Zhuang Yang.

Zhuang Yang nodded slightly.There was no one around in the field, otherwise Yuan Anshi's words would be heard, and it would be bad.

Unknowingly, the two had reached Yuan's courtyard, and Yuan Anshi invited Zhuang Yang to sit under the peach tree.

There is a straw mat with a stone case under the peach tree, where An Shiping reads on a daily basis.

"Oh, Ayan, you have to come here often."

An Shi excitedly laid out the chessboard and gave Zhuang Yang a box of chess pieces.

"Come to play chess with you?"

Zhuang Yang laughed, rubbed the rough homemade stones, and tapped them lightly on the wooden chessboard.

The peach blossoms are in full bloom on the head, the cows are mooing and the sheep are bleating in the fields, the chickens and ducks are calling in the courtyard, and there are a few children's laughter from time to time, it is really leisurely and leisurely.