Looking to the Thirteen Rivers

At the beginning of the spring rain, Cangzhou ushered in a sunny day, swallows flew obliquely, mountain flowers bloomed, and the world was a good scene again.

The caravan went down the official road, turned into a mountain path, and crushed dead branches all over the place. The road became narrower and narrower, crossed a narrow canyon, passed countless streams, and then saw the branches and leaves again. At daylight, a basin surrounded by mountains appeared in front of my eyes, deep in a valley.Cliffs cover the sky, forests and seas are vast, gurgling streams form a circle, stone bridges and plank roads are connected, green lotuses are paved with jade belts, cool breeze blows, and pear blossoms are blowing all over the sky, just like winter snowfall, pure white and pure, with a fragrant fragrance. All over the body.

Yin Qiu smelled the fragrance of flowers while he was drowsy, and seemed to feel something. He opened the curtain of the car and was amazed by the beautiful scenery in front of him.

"This is the Brahma Valley." Shen Wang slowed down, walked side by side with the carriage, and said to Yin Qiu, "There are very few people visiting the valley, and most people in the rivers and lakes don't know where the Brahma Valley is. Miss It's a rare visitor."

Yin Qiu stands at the front of the car and looks ahead. At the end of his line of sight is row upon row of low houses. There is no majestic and magnificent high-rise palace like Yunhua Palace. There are only green tiles and white walls, green willows everywhere, and dense pear trees all over it, like a long stretch of land. Flying snow, embellished with red apricots, like rouge on the lips, makes people unforgettable and amazed by it.

"Girl, you might as well come down for a walk. After driving these days, it's good to do some exercise." Shen Wang got off his horse, ordered a disciple to go to Guzhong to teach, and then walked to the side of the car and stretched out his hand to Yin Qiu. This meant that Shen Wang didn't need to help, he jumped out of the car and walked with Shen Wang.

"I was the first one to follow my adoptive father," Shen Wang said, "It was also by fate. My father passed away early, and my mother also went with him, leaving me alone and helpless. Later, I met my adoptive father. Take pity on me and accept me as a adopted son. I have watched Fanxingu grow stronger day by day. Now I know that the girl is actually the biological daughter of the adoptive father. I am also happy for him. The younger brothers and sisters in the valley have seen you , I should be very happy, girl, don't be cautious when you go later, just treat this place as your home," said with a smile, "it was also your home."

The two walked along the stone road to the trestle bridge, the lotus leaves were floating in the flowing water, green eyes were everywhere, Yin Qiu looked around and said sincerely: "This place is really good, far away from the world, and it is rare to hear the noise."

Seeing that she was standing on the bridge enjoying the scenery, Shen Wang didn't seem to have any intention of going forward, so he happily said: "Girl is exhausted from traveling and traveling, so let's go in and rest quickly. My adoptive father must have been waiting for these days, and he definitely wants to see you very much."

Along the way, Yin Qiu had already adjusted her mood, and she was no longer nervous on the way, but when she finally arrived at Brahma Heart Valley, the unspeakable uneasiness in her heart could not help but come back again.

The two got off the bridge and walked towards the gate through clumps of flowers and forests. Yin Qiu's eyes wandered, and he found that the gate of Fanxin Valley was built in a very simple way. There was no high wall, only a bamboo fence surrounding the stream. It's very ordinary, it's an ordinary wooden door, extraordinarily simple, and there are no disciples guarding the door.The scenery of this place is superb, surrounded by mountains and rivers, it really doesn't look like a school of Jianghu, but more like a beautiful village in the mountains, without the slightest smell of Jianghu.

Shen Wang pushed the door and led Yin Qiu to the valley, and the rest of the disciples followed behind with their horses. After the previous disciple's announcement, there were already many people standing around looking around, seeing Shen Wang When people came in, they all looked at Yin Qiu curiously, and greeted her one after another, very enthusiastically.

Yin Qiu nodded and responded one by one, thinking that he was born in Yunhua Palace, so he couldn't embarrass the teacher when he came here, so he also paid special attention to his words and deeds, trying to be polite and courteous, and anyone who greeted her , she also returned the greetings with a smile, not pretending to be aloof. In this way, it was inevitable that the crowd would surround her like a star, talking and laughing around her, and asking questions.

"When the girl comes, we are about to fall out of favor. The adoptive father will definitely throw us aside when he has a real daughter."

"Our Fanxin Valley has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the beauty is unparalleled. Girl, please tell me, which one is better compared with your Yunhua Palace?"

"Hey, take a look, don't they look alike?"

"Ah, it's true, it looks familiar at first glance, but it really looks like it when you look at it again!"

……

Yin Qiu gradually couldn't cope with the chatter and noise, but when someone said the last few words, he stopped and asked, "Are you talking about me? Who do you look like?"

A famous female disciple laughed and said: "Of course it looks like the portrait hanging in the adoptive father's room. Except for these eyes, the girl is exactly the same as that portrait. When I saw you just now, I thought it was the person in that painting. Come out!"

Just hearing her words, Yin Qiu had already guessed who the person in the portrait was. She couldn't help her heart beating faster, and secretly clutched the skirt tightly.Shen Wang ordered his disciples to disperse, and led her around a group of houses for a long time. The two of them walked through the orderly streets and went to the outer periphery of the north side. In front of them was a river full of lotus leaves. On the other side of the small bridge, there is an independent courtyard close to the mountain, which is covered by pear blossoms and apricot blossoms that look like clouds and mist.

Shen Wang didn't move forward after sending it here, but stopped and introduced: "That's the foster father's yard, he always likes to be quiet, he doesn't want us to serve by his side, he lives alone all year round, and we rarely go there except when necessary Disturbed his cleanliness. Just now, a disciple said that the adoptive father is taking a medicinal bath at the other end." He raised his finger and pointed to the west side, "That is the medical pavilion in our valley. The girl can go to the other side of the small bridge by herself, and wait for the foster father to clean up. I'll come to look for you when I'm done, I still have some things to do, so I won't see you off."

Yin Qiu responded with "OK" and said with a smile, "Thank you so much, I'll be your escort all the way, it's hard work."

Shen Wangdao: "Where is it, if the adoptive father hadn't told me, I should have entertained the girl, but since the adoptive father wants to be alone with you, I don't want to disturb you, the girl please feel free."

The two bowed their hands to each other and walked in different directions. Yin Qiu crossed the bridge and entered the quiet courtyard. There were also no luxurious things inside. There were only three houses, all of which were made of wood and bamboo, with a bamboo fence. Surrounded by a small world, it is peaceful and quiet, with a special interest.

Yin Qiu picked up a flower branch, held it in his hand, walked and stopped, looked around, and two female disciples came to meet him, and asked, "Is it Miss Yin? I've come, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Yin Qiu smiled and said, "Hello, two senior sisters."

"Girl is also good. Brother Shen is a man. It is inconvenient for him to come and entertain you. The foster father has calculated that you will come back today, so he specially asked the two of us to come here and wait. The girl is full of dust, and there is hot water and fresh water in it." clothes, take a bath first, change into clean clothes, and when you tidy up, foster father should be back."

Yin Qiuchu has just arrived, and he is not familiar with the place where he lives, so it is very desirable to have someone to guide and take care of him.The two female disciples had arranged everything and there was no need to wait. Yin Qiu led the way to the soup room and took a comfortable hot bath. A female disciple served her hot tea, and they both went to the Medical Pavilion to report. Yin Qiu sat in the hall for a while, but his mood gradually calmed down.

I didn't notice it when I came here before, but now I saw that the yard was divided into many flower gardens and grids. There were all kinds of flowers and plants, and a lot of green plants and fresh vegetables were planted. Yin Qiu found it interesting, so he knelt down and carefully identified it. Except for flowers and plants There are many other medicinal materials.

The Wenxin Peak in the palace also planted a lot of medicinal materials. Whenever Yin Qiu went to see Meng Jing, he would humbly ask her for advice, but he knew a little bit, but he didn't know much about flowers and plants.Yin Qiu bent his knees and squatted halfway, stretched out his hand to gently caress the dew-stained grass leaves and petals, and suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him saying: "That is the dripping lotus, also known as the dripping Guanyin, which can be used for medicine."

Yin Qiu paused, and before he could turn his head, the light in his eyes suddenly dimmed. A hand wrapped in a black sleeve robe carried the scent of medicine and brushed over the tip of her hair, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her away. up.

"Although it has medicinal value, the leaves are poisonous and it is best not to touch them."

Yin Qiu's heart moved slightly, he glanced at the pale and thin hand, then raised his head to look at the person who came, Gongzi Fan was wearing a wide black robe, a thick cloak, and half a silver mask was still covering his face, and he was also looking down. look at her.

There was no one else in the yard, only two people stood facing each other, the pink and white residual flowers were transported by the breeze, surrounding the whole body, the pleasant fragrance of the flowers was so obvious, but it couldn't conceal the medicinal aura on Gongzi Fan's body.Yin Qiu's wrist was icy cold, as if the hand holding her was not someone's hand, but a lump of ice. She wanted to hold Young Master Fan back, but she didn't.Yin Qiu asked: "Then what will happen if I touch it?"

With a smile in his eyes, Young Master Fan asked back, "How old are you?"

Yin Qiu said: "This winter will be eighteen."

"That's good," Gongzi Fan said, "If you are only three years old, you will definitely bite your fingers to play, and it will be troublesome if you eat the poison."

Yin Qiu said: "That's not necessarily true. What if I didn't bite my fingers when I was three years old?"

Gongzi Fan led her to the well, fetched a ladle of water for her to wash her hands, and said with a smile, "Then you're lucky, that's a good thing."

Yin Qiu looked at him.

It's already mid-April, except for places where the weather is cold, most people have changed into spring clothes early, but Gongzi Fan is still wearing winter clothes, and the big cloak on his shoulders is also very thick, which is very effective in keeping out the cold inside and out. fluff.Although he was wearing a mask, his face was still unclear, but the lower half of his face was extremely pale, his lips were bloodless, and his whole body was filled with a heavy sickness, which made Yin Qiu feel that a gust of wind would be enough to make him feel sick. Like blowing him down.

The well water was cold, but not piercing. Young Master Fan rolled up his sleeves and bent over to wash Yin Qiu's hands. Although he was skinny and skinny, his palms were still generous, and he could hold both of Yin Qiu's hands with one hand.Those nervous and bewildered feelings were all wiped away on the way, but when they met at this moment, Yin Qiu felt another indescribable feeling. She looked away, looked at the flower garden and said, "These You planted them all?"

Gongzi Fan let out a "hmm", took out a handkerchief to dry her hands, and replied: "I have nothing to do to pass the time. I don't have many hobbies, so I like to grow flowers and vegetables."

"What is that?" Yin Qiufu went to the edge of the fence and squatted down, pointing to some of the flowers and asked.

Young Master Fan took two small benches, sat down behind Yin Qiu, and said, "It's the blue bird."

"what about this?"

"Four Seasons Spring."

"this?"

"Pine Leaf Peony."

Yin Qiu lowered his head and smelled it, and saw a bamboo basket with some tools in it, so he took a small shovel and turned the soil, and said, "There are so many plants, can you take care of them?"

"You have to plant, but you have to take care of it no matter how busy you are." Young Master Fan didn't look at the flowers, his gaze was fixed on Yin Qiu, and he said, "You don't know flowers and plants, but where are the herbs?"

Yin Qiu raised his eyes and looked around, and replied: "Aerial Star, Pinellia, Honeysuckle, I can recognize these flavors, but I don't know anything else."

"What about the vegetables?" Young Master Fan smiled, "You are well-fed in Yunhua Palace. Apart from studying and practicing swords, you have never been in contact with farm work. How many dishes do you know?"

Yin Qiu glanced at the field lattice beside the flower garden, and said a little embarrassedly: "I only know how to eat, but I don't recognize... Are those potatoes?"

"That's sweet potatoes," said Gongzi Fan. "The leaves of potato seedlings are bigger and rounder. Sweet potato leaves can be fried and eaten, or boiled and mixed."

"I've never been in the ground," Yin Qiu said, "I can recognize common vegetables right in front of my eyes, but I don't know them when they're buried in the ground."

Gongzi Fan said: "Let me teach you, the clump next to the sweet potato is peanuts, the one behind is taro, and the ones in front are radish, water chestnut, and ginger and garlic."

Yin Qiu listened carefully, and asked curiously, "Will so many things not be messed up if they are planted together?"

"How can it be messed up?" Gongzifan said, "Of course, I just sprinkle some seeds casually every spring, and see if they can grow out of their own good fortune. I don't grow vegetables for food, but for entertainment. It's not as good as growing flowers." Take care."

Yin Qiu loosened a small piece of soil, flattened it with a shovel, squatted on the spot for a while, and said, "I'm hungry."

Gongzi Fan took a look at the sky, got up and helped Yin Qiu up, and said, "You should be hungry too, I'll cook for you."

Yin Qiu tilted his head to look at him: "Can you cook?"

"Yes." Gongzi Fan smiled, "As for whether the craftsmanship is good or not, it depends on whether it suits your taste."

Yin Qiu said, "I'm not picky about food," and added after a while, "But I'm not very good at spicy food, I like sweet food."

Gongzi Fan said: "I know." He took Yin Qiu into the kitchen and moved a chair for her. "There are candies on the table, which are all you like, but don't eat too much. You have to eat later. .”

Yin Qiu said "oh", and opened the small box lying on the table. There were all kinds of candies in it, and there were many pastries, which smelled delicious and sweet.Yin Qiu was eating sweets, and obediently sat at the table watching Young Master Fan build a fire, wash rice, and boil water. This scene was so strange. Yin Qiu never thought that Young Master Fan would cook for her in person. , both novel and unbelievable in my heart.She was a little restless, especially when Young Master Fan was ill. Yin Qiu only felt that he was the one who should be busy, so he asked, "Do you want me to help you? When I was in the palace, I often cooked for him. Uncle Master, although I don’t know how to grow vegetables, I’m still very good at cooking.”

Gongzi Fan took off his cloak and hung it by the door, poured the washed rice into the pot and boiled it, stirred it with a spatula and said, "No, you go and play."

Yin Qiu didn't stand or sit, so he had to ask again: "Then what do you want to cook? I'm free on the left and right, so I can choose something first."

Gongzi Fan looked at her and said, "That's fine, the vegetable basket under the window has everything, you can do whatever you want."

Yin Qiu ran over to take off the lid, picked two potatoes, and sat on a small bench to peel them wholeheartedly.Gongzi Fan felt that the pot was almost done, so he took a dry handkerchief and sat behind Yin Qiu to wipe her hair.Gongzi Fan said: "It's cold in spring, and it's still cold. After taking a bath, remember to dry your hair in time to avoid catching cold."

"understood."

Yin Qiu peeled the potatoes, soaked them in clear water, and took out a handful of vegetables to clean.Gongzi Fan dried her hair, stood up and continued to stir the rice in the pot, the stove was hot, white mist was steaming, and the smell of burning firewood filled his breath, Yin Qiu had washed the dishes, but did not know what to do .

Gongzi Fan took out the cooked rice, changed the steamer and continued to stuff it.Yin Qiu held the small box and shook it, picked out a pine nut candy and fed it to him, saying, "I like this one the most. It stays sweet in my mouth for a long time after eating it, not sour."

"Yeah," Young Master Fan tasted the taste, "It's delicious."

Yin Qiu looked at him again.

"This place is far away from the town, and there are no restaurants." Young Master Fan dragged the chair to the door and sat down, beckoning to Yin Qiu, "There is no banquet to welcome you, only simple tea and light meals, will you be unhappy?"

Yin Qiu kicked the small bench over, sat beside him, and said, "No way." After that, he put his hands on his knees and rested his chin, and said, "It's rare for people to cook for me. I go there often, and there is nothing new."

As they get closer, the corners of their clothes touch each other, and the remaining warmth is passed in the wind.Gongzi Fan leaned on the back of the chair, looked at Yin Qiu's gentle and quiet side face, and asked with a smile, "Can Man Jiangxue know how to cook?"

"Master...?" Yin Qiu thought for a while, then bent his eyes and said, "Master, you don't need to know it, I just need to know it."

When she smiled, her eyebrows and eyes were curved, and she looked very pleasing. She was not such a showy person, and her every frown and smile were dignified. She was a quiet and gentle girl.The two met, talked for a long time, and did things for a long time. When Man Jiangxue's name was mentioned, Yin Qiu showed the first smiling face after coming here. He still patted Yin Qiu's head, stared at her and said, "Have you been to my room? There is a portrait of your mother there."

"I haven't gone yet, I haven't seen you." Yin Qiu moved to his side.

"You two look alike." Seeing her approaching, Gongzi Fan opened his arms, and Yin Qiu rolled his black eyes a few times, looked at him for a moment, but hesitated and didn't move.

Gongzi Fan didn't urge him, but just maintained that movement, and asked softly, "Can I give you a hug?"

This seemingly plain sentence concealed countless intricate meanings, which made Yin Qiu's mind flicker when he heard it.

Counting it, she and Young Master Fan have known each other for so many years. In the past years, he taught her knowledge, taught her kung fu, and even held her hand and hugged her.But at this moment, this question is no longer the same as in the past, and there is a different kind of emotion. Although Yin Qiu talked with him before, it seemed that there was no difference from the past, but he could still feel the relationship between the two. There was an unavoidable strangeness in the atmosphere of the room, but no one showed it.

Gradually a warm feeling filled his heart, Yin Qiu nodded, moved the small bench, and leaned carefully in the arms of Young Master Fan.She never thought that she would be so intimate with this person, she had thought a lot in her mind, but after careful study, she seemed to have thought of nothing, so Yin Qiu simply abandoned those chaotic thoughts, and laughed from the bottom of her heart , Said: "Is it really that similar?"

"It's basically like her, but there are also differences." Gong Zifan raised his hand and took off the cloak, wrapped Yin Qiu in his arms, and said softly, "Your mother is lively, cheerful and loves to laugh. Where she is, cloudy days are also sunny. You are much more restrained than her, and you are more reserved and stable. If your mother is there, the three of us will be more lively. She never seems to be in a low mood. She can be with anyone. Talking and laughing, very rowdy."

Yin Qiu imagined the appearance of Shen Mandong in her heart, with beautiful brilliance flowing in her eyes, she pursed the corners of her lips, and said: "I was quite noisy when I was young, but when I first arrived at Jingyue Peak, my uncle couldn't control me, so I called her It’s a headache, but I still don’t feel what I did wrong. When I grow up, I gradually calm down. Thanks to my uncle’s precepts and deeds, I followed her side by side, and I learned a lot from her. If I didn’t When I meet Master Uncle, I might not be who I am today, maybe my words and deeds are vulgar, my behavior is weird, and no one will like me."

Gongzi Fan said: "Not necessarily, you are pure and kind by nature, and you are not so easy to imitate bad people. Besides, even if you imitate badly, there will always be people who will treat you kindly and like you."

Yin Qiu curled up in his arms, the warm body temperature brought her another sense of security different from what Man Jiangxue could give her, Yin Qiu closed her eyes and said, "Maybe, my luck is still pretty good, In addition to my uncle, I have also met many people who have been kind to me."

Gongzi Fan's chest trembled, and he coughed twice. Yin Qiu immediately opened his eyes to look at him, and asked, "Am I too heavy, squeezing you?"

"No." Young Master Fan smiled gently, "You are not heavy at all, you are lighter than a cat."

Yin Qiu looked at him, pointed to Young Master Fan's lapel and said, "Are you injured here?"

Gongzi Fan said: "I promised Manzhen that I would attack your Yunhua Palace for her, but in the end she broke her promise. She was very angry, so she taught me a lesson."

Yin Qiu was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Is the wound deep? Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt," said Gongzi Fan, "it's almost healed."

Yin Qiu just remembered something, got up and went to the table to pour a cup of tea, and took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve pocket.

"This is the antidote to Gu poison, are you willing to take it now?"

Gongzi Fan nodded lightly, and Yin Qiu poured out the antidote and handed it to him. Watching Gongzi Fan swallowed it, he served the tea again, and said, "Meng Jing said that after taking this antidote, he would fall asleep for a while and wake up. It's all right, I'll help you back to your room and lie down."

"Then why don't you tell me earlier," Gong Zifan shook his head, coughed and smiled, "I just steamed the rice, what do you eat when you fall asleep?"

Yin Qiu said: "I don't feel hungry after eating some candy. I will watch here. I can rest assured that you have been detoxified. I can eat a few more bowls of rice when you wake up."

Young Master Fan paused, and replied: "Alright."

Seeing him leaving, Yin Qiu hurriedly supported Young Master Fan, and the two went back to the room. As expected, Young Master Fan soon became listless and drowsy. Yin Qiu let him lie on the couch, covered him with a quilt, and went Sitting quietly by the couch and watching over him.

The faint golden light came through the window paper, casting a hazy light and shadow in front of the bed. The mask on Gongzi Fan's face reflected the light, and reflected it in Yin Qiu's eyes again, like a piece of floating fireflies spreading out, flickering indefinitely , Flickering like a star.

Yin Qiu lowered her head, didn't look at the layout of the room, but just watched Gongzi Fan silently, hearing the sound of even breathing, she slowly raised her hand, and touched the cold silver mask.

But after only touching it once, she retracted her hand again, sighed lightly, sat on the soft satin-padded pedal and fell asleep beside the bed.