Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 11 Into the Village
Feeling tired from walking around, Wang Cai sat down under the archway and said, "Let's eat some sweet-scented osmanthus cake to replenish our brains first."

Mr. Wei and Wang Heng also followed suit and sat on the floor. They ate and thought, and fell silent for a while.

A flock of pigeons flew up in the blue sky in the distance, circling around the village, sending out clear dove whistles. The sun's rays warmed your body, making you feel comfortable.

Wang Heng said: "This village is so weird, I still don't believe it. I'm waiting here at the archway to wait for a villager to pass by."

Wang Cai also said: "Let's just sit here and guard. If we don't believe him, no one from Gaolong Village will come in or out."

Everyone stared into the distance with their eyes, for fear of missing someone, but they heard several sneers: "Hey, hey, hey."

A voice floated over: "Go back, go back."

Suddenly there were voices, and everyone was startled. They saw a teenage shepherd boy wearing a bamboo hat, driving cattle, who appeared out of nowhere.

This is a rather strange accent. It seems that Jinqu dialect is fused with some northern dialect. Wang Heng and the other three speak Loudong Wu dialect to each other, but they fully understand Lanxi dialect and can also speak a few words.

Mr. Wei looked happy and waved to the shepherd boy: "Brother, could you please lead us the way?"

The little shepherd boy jumped off the ox, glanced at the few people, and said with a curl of his lips: "Guests, please don't enter Gaolong Village unless you want to. This is a traditional rule. Please go back where you came in."

Mr. Wei chuckled lightly, took out a few pennies from his pocket and said, "Brother, I'll buy some candy with you, but I won't waste your time by taking us to the village to have a look."

The shepherd boy's eyes were rolling, and he was obviously a little moved. At his age, the attraction of candy was obviously greater than the deterrent power of ancestral rules.

When Mr. Wei saw him secretly glancing at the copper coins, he smiled and said, "How about I reward you with some precious coins?"

The shepherd boy smiled, looking very satisfied, and said, "Sir, where are you going?"

Mr. Wei said: "The third house to the west of the archway, whose house is it?"

The shepherd boy thought for a moment and said: "It was an old house. The owner was originally from a farming family. His surname was Liu. The father and son went to the province to seek officials together. No one was there until the Chinese New Year to pay homage to the ancestors. It seemed that there was an old servant who usually cleaned the house. , if you want to go, I will take you to have a look, I don’t care if the door can’t be knocked open.”

Wang Cai immediately beamed with joy, took out the sweet-scented osmanthus cake from his bag and handed it to the shepherd boy, saying, "Brother, you are really our nobleman, come and try this sweet-scented osmanthus cake."

The shepherd boy was so happy that he stretched out his chubby hand to pick it up. He spoke in an old-fashioned way, but after all, he was still young and had not yet reached the level of spiritual practice.

The shepherd boy tied the ox to the trunk of the neem tree next to the archway and bowed to invite Wang Heng and the others to accompany him.

It was getting sunk in the west, and the bluestone road faced the west facing the glow. After walking a few steps, the small courtyard of the first residential house I had seen appeared again. The door was still closed, and the shepherd boy stepped in gently. Pushing, the door was slowly opened, and there was a passage inside. Stepping in and walking out of the passage, the world has changed.

A huge lake appeared in front of me. A pool of clear water was rippling gently, hitting the stone bank and sending out ripples.On the revetment, two or three women were washing rice and vegetables.There were several boys and girls playing with feather shuttlecocks not far from the women, making giggling childish sounds.

Yes, Gaolong Village is doing such a big business, how can it be a deserted village with no people in it?

The houses in the village are all built along the lakeside, one next to the other, with continuous horse head walls.The small courtyard house we just entered and exited is the first, second, and third house in the west, right next to it.

The third house does look a little different. The whitewashed walls are not as white as the ones next door, and the door is not as dark as the neighboring ones. How should I put it, it has a bit of a dilapidated look.

Arriving early is worse than arriving by chance. The door of the third house is half open.The shepherd boy said to Wang Heng and the others: "It seems that the old servant of this family is here. I'll say hello to him and ask him to let you in to have a look. There must be an excuse so that I can pass on the message."

Mr. Wei thought for a moment and then said: "Let's just say that we are teachers and students of the county academy, students of his master Mr. Liu, and we are passing by the village to visit."

The shepherd boy soon returned and invited the three people in.

There was just a hint of dilapidation on the exterior walls. When we entered the patio, we found that the house was extremely shabby.

The old servant was growing vegetables in the patio. When he saw guests coming, he hunched over and hid in the corner of the patio.

Mr. Wei nodded slightly to the old servant. The old servant was at a loss. He lowered his head and rubbed one foot back and forth on the other. It was obvious that he was extremely embarrassed.

Mr. Wei seemed to have discovered something. He smiled at the shepherd boy and walked directly to the hall.

The furnishings in the hall are fairly neat, all made of low-quality wood, the walls are bare, and there are no paintings or calligraphy hanging on them.

Wang Heng and Wang Cai saw Mr. Wei following the eaves to the second courtyard. They didn't know what he wanted to see, so they hurriedly followed him.

The second time we entered the courtyard, there were several locked rooms that looked like the master's bedroom. A quick glance revealed that they were very crude buildings. Some of the unlocked rooms contained farm tools and looms. A dark utility room.

Mr. Wei walked hastily around and returned to the hall facing the patio. The old god sat down on the rough wooden lamp hanging chair on the ground, glanced at the shepherd boy sideways, and said with a smile: "Master Zhuge, how long are you going to tease us?" .”

The little shepherd boy suddenly heard what Mr. Wei said. He couldn't help but feel excited. He pretended to be calm and said: "Why do you say this, sir? You are going to the third house in the west, and I brought you here. Could it be that you are reluctant to give up my precious money?" ”

Mr. Wei laughed and said: "Master Zhuge, what does the "Qing Geng Yu Read" on the archway at the entrance of your Gaolong Village mean? Oh, maybe we should call you Zhuge Village."

The little shepherd boy raised his chin and frowned, and said for a long time: "Of course it comes from Zhuge Wuhou's "Longzhong Dui". Zhuge is famous throughout the world, so he doesn't want our village to admire him as well."

"Young master must fool me, you are so dishonest." Mr. Wei's face was stern and he said seriously: "Young master wears a bamboo hat on his head and a rough kudzu on his body. He thinks that he is invulnerable. The jade-colored cloth is exposed under your collar. It is clearly... The market price of Songjiang Sanshuo cloth is as high as three taels per piece. I have three teachers and students, and they are considered to be small industrial families in the county. No one can afford such good cloth. The young master led us over from the edge of the pond. The clear water is full of mysteries. The place where the lake ripples is for yin fish, and the place where women and children play is clearly for yang fish. The water in this pond is like the yin and yang fish of Tai Chi. The connected residences by the water naturally coincide with the meaning of the eight formation diagram. So previously we had no way to go and couldn't move."

Seeing the shepherd boy dumbfounded, Mr. Wei talked about what he was proud of, pointed to the old servant growing vegetables in the courtyard and said: "This old servant must have been temporarily hired from the farmers in the countryside. We pushed the door in first, and the old man was so nervous." With the left foot stepping on the right foot, just imagine that the servants of a rural eunuch's family are waiting and responding to guests, and they can always treat guests so-so. If you said at the beginning that it is a rich peasant family, and this old man is a long-term employee of a rich peasant family, it will be somewhat similar. . It can be seen that you are talking nonsense, your purpose is to bring us here to have a look and find nothing, and then send us out of the village."

"Master Zhuge, I also ask you, the elder Zhuge, to come and meet you. This is a matter of great importance to human life, so be careful about it." Mr. Wei looked solemn and bowed.

The little shepherd boy blushed, raised his hands and returned the greeting: "Sit down for a moment, I'll be back soon."

(End of this chapter)