Looking to the Thirteen Rivers

Meng Wugui sat alone in front of the window, there was neither tea nor rice on the table, only a fat roasted duck, which smelled delicious just out of the pot.

The sky was gloomy, it was still early, there were no diners in the restaurant, and the people coming and going were all the shop assistants. A young boy served a pot of hot tea and asked, "Guest officer, it's early in the morning. You ordered the little ones to cook the duck for you before it was steamed, so you can’t eat it dry? You really don’t want to order porridge, noodles, etc. to eat with it?”

The morning sun had not yet appeared in the sky, and the window was as dark as if it was still night. The lantern under the eaves had not been taken out yet, and the dim yellow light came in through the window frame, making Meng Wugui's bloodless face even paler.

She didn't answer.

This man came to the store before dawn and ordered a roast duck. He didn't see her eating it, and he didn't see anyone else coming. Although the young man felt that the woman in front of him was a bit weird, he didn't want to ask more questions, and saw that she didn't know her for a long time. Answering himself, he put down the teapot, sat down by the counter and dozed off.

This restaurant is not facing the street, but is hidden behind all the lanes. It is close to a small river passing through the city. On the side of the stone bridge is a long-standing weeping willow. The open ripples are quickly smoothed by the lowered wind, and there is a sense of tranquility far away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

The last time Meng Wugui came here, there were a group of children squatting under the willow tree like radishes. They were all young, thin, sallow, and ragged. They were refugees who came in from outside the city to beg.

The weather was very bad that day, it was very cold with snow in the rain.Meng Wugui was invited here to discuss business with the other two hall masters. Halfway through the meal, she listened to the noise outside the window and looked around. The children hid here to avoid the rain, and a dozen of them crowded together , stomach growling, all looked at her eagerly.

Seeing this scene, one person closed half of the window and said with a little disgust: "I said why I suddenly smelled a bad smell, and I thought it was the back kitchen of this shop who spilled the slop. It turned out that these beggars rely on Come here, it's really disturbing your appetite."

"Go ahead," said another person, "you chatter, how can you talk about things with such noise?" After saying that, he stretched out his hand and closed the remaining half of the window.

I don't know if the words of these two people were heard, once the window was closed, the children outside became silent and stopped making noise.When the matter was over, the two hall masters left first, and Meng Wugui called the waiter to pay for the meal. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a slight sound behind him, as if someone had carefully pushed away window.

She stopped and turned her head, and saw a pair of dirty little hands coming in through the crack of the window. She quickly touched the table, and after finding out that there were leftovers, the child withdrew his hands. Going back, he gestured to the willow tree by the river.

Meng Wugui saw this scene by accident and thought it was interesting, so he stood there and took a second look.Soon, a sharp arrow made of bamboo was suddenly shot in from the window, and it hit the half-roasted duck very accurately. The end of the bamboo arrow was tied with a rope, and the arrow shooter was outside With a pull, the duck flew out along the window sill.

Several voices of childish cheers sounded outside the window immediately.

Meng Wugui smiled silently, turned the direction of his shoes, bypassed the diners in the hall, went to the back door, and stood by the door to watch from a distance.I saw a little messy little girl hiding on the willow tree, holding half a roast duck in one hand, and a curved bow with particularly rough craftsmanship in the other. The rest of the children stood under the tree and looked up at her with full faces. They couldn't hide their joy.

The little girl lowered her voice and laughed twice, slid down from the tree, shared the duck in her hand with her companions, but she only licked the oily smell on her hands.

Meng Wugui glanced at her, and with a thought, he walked out the door. The children heard the footsteps and looked at her, as if they recognized her as the owner of the roast duck in an instant, shouting and swarming escaped.

But after running for a long time, a figure flashed in front of them, and Meng Wugui blocked their way again.

The children panicked and didn't dare to run anymore. They all knelt down and kowtowed to her, apologizing repeatedly.Meng Wugui didn't blame him, but asked the little girl holding the bow: "The archery skill is pretty good, where did you learn it?"

The little girl looked at her timidly, said as thin as a mosquito's feet: "I, my father taught me."

"Who is your father?" Meng Wugui asked again.

"He died," said the little girl, "he died of illness last month."

Meng Wugui said "Oh": "What about your mother?"

"My mother is also dead," the little girl clutched her sleeves with a dazed expression, "We are all orphans, we are so hungry that we can't help it... I didn't mean to steal from you."

Meng Wugui smiled and said softly, "Is the duck delicious?"

The little girl was relieved to see that her attitude was gentle and she didn't intend to be harsh, she nodded and said, "It's delicious."

"You know it's delicious without even tasting it?" Meng Wugui said.

"I see that they are all eating very happily, it must be delicious." The little girl said.

"Then why don't you eat it yourself?" Meng Wugui looked at her, "Aren't you hungry?"

The little girl said honestly: "Hungry, but I can get food anytime, they can't get it, so I want them to eat first."

Meng Wugui showed a clear face, and calmly said: "Then you stand here and don't move, wait." After saying that, he went into the restaurant again without looking back.

Seeing her leave, a child immediately said: "Let's run away, she is definitely going to ask the boss to come out and clean us up, I don't want to be beaten."

"Yes, yes, let's run."

"Don't be dazed, let's go!"

The little girl followed a few steps, stopped hesitantly, and said hesitantly: "She doesn't seem to be a bad person."

"Are you stupid? You got caught stealing people's things, and you will be blamed if you don't get beaten!"

"No, if you don't leave, we will leave!"

The children turned out of the alleyway in the rain, and disappeared after a while. The little girl looked around and was still thinking about whether to leave. Meng Wugui pushed the window in the hall, waved to her, and called Said: "Come in."

The little girl glanced at her and said hesitantly, "Are you going to hit me? Let me apologize to you, okay? You won't eat that duck either, and you will throw it away. Just treat it as if I picked it up from the ground, okay?" ?”

Meng Wugui didn't comment, just asked her: "What's your name?"

The little girl walked slowly to the window, and saw that there were many hot dishes and a freshly baked roast duck on the table, she swallowed and said, "I, my name is Afu... "

"The blessing of good luck?"

"That's not it...my mother said it's the Fu of Fuquhua, but I haven't studied for a few days, so I don't know if it's the same word."

"That's not it," Meng Wugui dipped his fingertips in the tea, and wrote on the table for her to read, "The left side is blessing, and the right side is you."

Afu tilted his head and looked.

As they got closer, Meng Wugui noticed that the little girl had pretty features. Although her expression was restrained, there was a cleverness in her eyes, so she called her, "It's cold outside, come in and sit down."

Afu looked bewildered, shrunk her toes that were exposed outside the shoe hole, looked at Meng Wugui and said, "The boss doesn't allow Hanako to enter, I'm too dirty, I'm afraid I will taint others."

Meng Wugui thought for a while, jumped out through the window, and said, "Then stand here and eat."

"What to eat...?" Afu blinked her big eyes, pointed to those meals and said, "Do you want to treat me to something?"

"There is nothing for free," Meng Wugui leaned against the wall and said calmly, "Go to the other side of the river, if you can shoot the roast duck on this table with an arrow, then this table of food will be yours. "

Afu was flattered and said, "Really?"

Meng Wugui said: "Really."

Afu's eyes lit up, and she said with joy, "Then if I get shot, can I call my friends?"

"They left you and ran away," Meng Wugui said, "what else do you care about them?"

"They didn't abandon me, I refused to leave," Afu said, "They were just afraid."

"Then why don't you leave?" Meng Wugui said.

Afu smelled the fresh and elegant fragrance, looked at the well-dressed and beautiful strange woman in front of her, and said sincerely: "Because... because I don't think you should be a bad person, and..."

Meng Wugui waited for a while without waiting for her next words, and asked: "And what?"

Afu blushed, and said with some embarrassment: "And... you are like the fairy my mother said. The fairies in the story are kind and gentle, and I am not afraid of you."

Hearing what she said, she looked at her eyes full of envy and yearning, Meng Wugui was silent for a moment, shook her head and said: "You are wrong, I am not a fairy, I am also a person standing in a mud pit, and I am not even as good as You and your friends."

Afu was puzzled: "Why? You are as good-looking as a fairy, and the portraits of gods in the temple are not as good as you. If I can be like you, that would be great."

Meng Wugui said, "Do you want to be someone like me?"

"Of course I want to!" Afu said, "I also want to wear beautiful clothes, and I also want to have enough food every day. My father always said that people should be content and happy. You are already so good, why do you say that about yourself? ?”

Meng Wugui did not expect that one day he would be "taught" by a child, and what the child said made sense.Meng Wugui smiled and said: "It's a pity that people are not satisfied. You will know when you grow up. I can give you what you want if you want, but the premise is that you have enough. It's my ability to keep you by my side."

stay with you?Afu was faintly happy, and said uncertainly: "You, are you going to take me in?"

Meng Wugui said: "It depends on whether you can do it or not."

Afu was very upbeat, she did it.

What Meng Wugui asked her to do was actually a bit difficult for her, but Meng Wugui gave her three chances, she grasped it firmly, ran to the other side of the river and shot the burning bird with her own archery skills. duck.

The whole one belonged to her, and no one snatched it from her, but she still called the children back and shared the meals she earned with her skills with her friends.

On the day of Meng Wugui, he did not take her away directly, but watched secretly for several days, and confirmed that the child was indeed gifted in archery, pure in nature, willing to help others, and a good seedling that could be cultivated. On the fifth day , Meng Wugui asked Afu if she would like to worship herself as a teacher.Afu happily said yes, and the two simply went to the ceremony of apprenticeship, and Afu followed Meng Wugui to the Nine Immortals Hall, staying by her side to practice Chinese characters, practice archery and martial arts.

At that time, Meng Wugui hadn't approached Fu Xiang yet. She was thinking that if Fu Xiang didn't want to follow her, then she would send Afu to Mingyue Tower and find a way to make arrangements. Fu Cen had never met Fu Xiang before. , as long as Meng Wugui says that Afu is Fu Xiang, then she is.

But Fu Xiang also became a teacher later, she was better than Afu, her character and kung fu were much better than Afu, so she didn't adopt the original plan and handed over all the important responsibilities to Fu Xiang.Of these two apprentices, Fu Xiang is not often by his side, and Afu is the one who has been with Meng Wugui for a longer time.

For a long period of time, the master and apprentice were inseparable, seeing each other when they looked up, and they were closer than anyone else.

However, things are impermanent, and this person who has accompanied Meng Wugui for many years and brought her countless laughs and laughter suddenly walked away like a gust of wind on a spring day.

She will never come back.

·

The weeping willows outside the window were still swaying in the wind, but the roast duck in front of him had already cooled down. Meng Wugui seemed to have lost his sense of smell for a moment, and he couldn't even smell the scent of the duck.

Those years that have passed away like flowing water are still vivid in my mind. Afu's face, Afu's voice, her every move, voice and smile are still flashing in front of my eyes.Having experienced many life and death partings, and having seen all the changes in the world, Meng Wugui still couldn't help thinking at this moment: Why is it so easy for a person to say nothing?

Parents are like this, Shen Mandong is like this, and now even Afu has left.

Did these people really exist?She... what else is left?

She seemed to have nothing left.

The cold wind was surging, blowing the trees and green colors, and the rustling sound seemed to be mixed with someone's sigh.Meng Wugui took out the money and put it on the table, opened the back door and walked out of the restaurant. She stood on the stone bridge, watching the ripples of the water, and let the willow branches caress her temples. She heard footsteps behind her, but She didn't look back.

The haze dissipated, the sky gradually turned white, and a faint golden light poured down, illuminating the slightly cold world.Fu Xiang led the horse, walked to the bridge head step by step and stood still, standing side by side with Meng Wugui, the two of them were silent in the wind, neither of them spoke.

After a long time, Fu Xiang said in a low voice, "Master, I'm here to say goodbye to you."

Meng Wugui turned around to face her, didn't ask her where she was going, just drew out the sword and handed it to her, and said calmly: "Before you leave, I will give you a chance to take revenge."

Fu Xiang pressed her hand down, and said softly: "I don't want revenge, I just want to leave here, go to a place where no one knows me, and start over."

Meng Wugui held the hilt of the sword and looked at her quietly.

"I want to travel all over the world, travel all over the mountains and rivers, and go far away," Fu Xiang said, "I'm not afraid of coming and going, and that's exactly what I want. There's nothing wrong with being rooted, but I prefer to wander anywhere. Be a piece of duckweed. I think the bright moon in other places is no different from my homeland. I can see it when I look up, and I can think about it when I close my eyes. From now on, I will live for myself."

She knelt down and kowtowed three times to Meng Wugui.

"I can't repay Master's kindness, but I will always remember it in my heart and never forget it." Fu Xiang raised his face, and his smile was bright again. "When we meet again, I will die for Master's retirement."

The sunlight pushed away the remaining clouds and completely illuminated the sky and the earth. The river passed through the bridge, carrying the heavy past to an unknown direction, leaving a piece of clear water.

The morning mist in early spring has not dissipated, lingering around the body, but it does not make people feel cold.The two looked at each other in the lingering fog, after a while, Meng Wugui bent down and helped Fu Xiang up.

She didn't say anything, just retracted her hands in her sleeves, and said after a long time: "Go."

Fu Xiang stared at the dream and said: "The mountains are high and the water is long. See you again in the future. I hope you will cherish it."

The cloud boots shifted, and the skirt drew a sharp arc in the wind. Fu Xiang got on the horse, held the reins tightly, and slowly got off the bridge.She didn't bring any extra luggage, only an old purse, a saber, and a jug of water.The horses and the people walked slowly out of the alleyway and onto the spacious stone road. The small town has not yet awakened, and the streets are not crowded with pedestrians.The horse's hooves got heavier, crushing the dust and fog all over the ground, and Fu Xiang rode the horse into the distance in the faint golden light and the fog that was about to dissipate.

She didn't look back.

Meng Wugui stood where he was, watching the figure gradually disappear from sight, and a voice asked behind him, "Aren't you going to stay?"

The corners of the lips drew a vague arc, Meng Wugui looked back, and asked sideways: "Is there any need to keep it?"

Young Master Fan stood on the other side of the stone bridge, holding a snow-white carrier pigeon in his arms. He pinched the bamboo tube on the pigeon's leg and said, "I will fulfill my promise."

Meng Wugui started to walk towards him, only briefly stopped in front of Gongzi Fan, and passed him again.Meng Wugui said: "You go too."

"I said, when the matter is over, my life will be yours." Young Master Fan turned around and looked, "No matter what method you use, I will accept it calmly."

"Yin Qiu already knows who you are, do you think I can still kill you?" Meng Wugui said as he walked, "Besides, I never really thought about killing you, it's pointless."

Young Master Fan said, "Manzhen."

Meng Wugui looked back at him, and suddenly gave a rare smile, even though her smile seemed a bit lonely, her tone of voice was much clearer.Meng Wugui said: "Shen Man is really dead, and no one in the Shen family is still alive. I used to be afraid of not having a place to return, so I wanted to rebuild Ruyimen, but now I understand that some things have already passed away, and they cannot be retrieved, nor can they be restored. Come, but as long as I put those things in my heart, no matter what it is, it will last forever and never disappear. What I am looking for is just a dream, but the dream will wake up one day, fortunately I'm still awake, but I still remember."

She flicked her sleeves, as if she had shaken off the wind and frost all over her body, and said flatly: "You should also take off that mask."

Gongzi Fan was silent, looking at the back of Meng Wugui leaving, there was only a deep sigh.

He lowered his head, took off the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, and tied a new one from his bosom. Then he turned around, raised his arms, and let the pigeon fly into the warm spring.

The dove fluttered its wings, brushed past the silent weeping willows and flew into the blue sky, carrying a letter to the other end of the cloud.

And there is no one standing and wandering on the small bridge, only a piece of cool breeze passing by and the long river flowing.

The author has something to say: The National Day period should be coming to an end.