Lemongrass frowned and started to think, but couldn't think of anything.

　　"Sister, sister!" Xin Mao had finished eating the pancake and called her in a low voice. Xiangmaozi was interrupted by Xin Mao and turned around with a frown.

　　Probably because Xiangmaozi's expression was too ugly, Xin Mao was so frightened that he shrank back again. He even swallowed back what he originally wanted to say. Looking at Xin Mao's ungrateful appearance, Xiang Maozi suddenly remembered something.

　　When Xin Mao was ill, the stepmother once asked her uncle next door to drive an ox cart and take her and Xin Mao to Huangshi Town next door to pray for Huangxian blessings and talismans. Xin Mao did get better after drinking Fu Shui.

　　Xiangmaozi was thinking, he couldn't stay in the village, he had to find a way to hide in a safe place.

　　But she was a little village girl, and she didn't know where to go. There wasn't even a standing adult around her.

　　Xin Mao came over cautiously, leaned against the lemongrass, and held her slightly rough palm, "Sister, I miss my mother, and I miss my father too."

　　Xiangmao Zixin said, I think so too. But she couldn't tell her brother about this. Now that her parents are gone, she is his backbone.

　　Xiangmaozi whispered to Xin Mao, "Xiao Mao, let's go to town!"

　　Going to town? !

　　To Xin Mao, a six-year-old village boy, the town is as far away as another country. He had only been to the town once in his life. Unfortunately, he was so ill that he had to ride back and forth in an ox cart and had no memory at all.

　　Instead, Xiangmaozi made up her mind, "Yes, let's go to the town! In the town there is Huang Xianzhu, who treated you last time, and there may be other powerful people. When we go to the town, we don't have to be afraid of wolves or monsters. .”

　　Xin Mao has a deep-rooted superstition about the town. A place as majestic and high-end as the town, where aloof demi-gods like Huang Xianzhu live, must be safe. He nodded vigorously, and then asked Xiangmaozi, "But how do we get there? Do you know the way?"

　　How could Xiangmaozi recognize her? She had never even been out of the village. Xin Mao finally went there with her eyes closed. She had never set foot outside the village in her life.

　　At this time, a faint scream came from the west of the village. The two children shook their heads and listened carefully, but they heard nothing.

　　Xiangmaozi said decisively, "I know, keep walking along the dirt road to the east of the village. When you get to the old fork, take the first one to the south!"

　　In fact, she didn't know if she was right or not. This was the same way she had quarreled with Zi Wan before. Zi Wan laughed at her for being a country bumpkin who had never left the house or even been to the town.

　　At that time, Xiangmaozi was very strong, so in order not to lose her status, she claimed that she had been there. She had also made up her mind at that time. If Ziyuan asked her how big the town was, she would say it was bigger than Yexi Village. If Zi Wan asked her how many small buildings there were in the town, she would say that she was walking in a hurry and didn't finish counting. At that time, Xiangmaozi's biggest wish was just to go to Huangshi Town and count how many buildings and bridges there were.

　　But Aster didn't ask these questions. She asked Lemongrass three questions: "First, should you take the east road or the west road to get to the town? Second, when you reach the old fork of the Dacha Road, which direction should you take to the south? Article? Third, when we get to Huangshi Town, how many resting places are there in the middle?"

　　Naturally, Lemongrass couldn't answer any of these questions. She could only purse her lips and scratch her neck stubbornly.

　　Little girl Liu Ziyuan felt that she had won, so she showed off to her loudly and lively, "You still pretend to have been there and you don't even know this?! I'll teach you to be a good boy. Remember: Go The town has to be walked straight from Cundong Road; when you reach the old fork, you have to take the first road to the south, but don't choose the wrong one. In the end, there is only one resting place in the middle called Wang's Old Shop. Their family is prosperous, and there are no cars or foot soldiers. Rest here. There is a very large copper teapot at the door. It boils water day and night. The white tea in it is free. Use it as you like. This is the style of Wang's old shop!"

　　Xiangmaozi was envious and unconvinced, so she kept it in her heart, fearing that she would forget and be laughed at again.

　　Lemongrass still remembers what Aster looked like at that time. She was wearing a small dress with a red background and yellow flowers, and her two pigtails were neatly braided beside her ears. She came to show off her new dress, her brows filled with sparkling pride.

　　Aster, Citronella's heart ached slightly.

　　Perhaps her expression was too mournful, so Xin Mao carefully pulled her, "Sister?"

　　Xiang Maozi wiped her face hard, now was not the time to think about this. "Let's go now." She quickly walked back to the house, pulled the furoshiki on the bed, and put Xin Mao's quilt and the only 37 large coins she could find at home in the package. Tied diagonally on the body. He pulled a few more handfuls of sun-dried millet from the door. The thick, hard black shells were still on, but he didn't care. He put another basket in, buried his only kitchen knife under the millet, and carried it for Xin Mao. .

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　　Xin Mao didn't dare to argue with Xiangmaozi at this time, so he could only hold the basket, which was not much shorter than himself, and obey him obediently.

　　Walking to the door, Xin Mao then remembered, "Sister, we have gone to town, where are our parents?"

　　Good question!

　　Xiangmaozi was stunned for a moment, yes, what if the monster left and his parents couldn't see them when they got home, how could they find him?

　　Lemongrass quickly raked the messy hair on her head, and finally she came up with a solution.

　　She picked up a branch from the ground, and then drew three long vertical lines on the ground in the yard.

　　Xin Mao tilted his head and looked at it for a long time, "Sister, what is this?"

　　Xiangmaozi looked at his masterpiece and nodded with great satisfaction, "Silly, it's incense! Look, there are 1, 2, 3 incense sticks in total, add incense! When my parents take a look, they will know that we have gone to the town. , we can only offer incense in Huangmiaozhu’s Taoist temple!”

　　Xin Mao showed a look of astonishment, and then nodded in admiration, "Sister, you are so smart!"

　　Xiangmaozi felt slightly proud, then took Xin Mao's little hand, left the house, and ran hand in hand to the east of the village.

　　Along the way, they saw many damaged houses and pools of blood on the road.

　　The only thing I didn't see was the living person. Adults, children, old people, no one.

　　Xin Mao was so frightened that he clung to Xiangmaozi, and his little feet wished he could step on Xiangmaozi's instep. Xiangmaozi held his younger brother with one hand and held a piece of firewood as thick as a fire stick in the other hand, and walked quickly out of the village.

　　Many years later, Xiangmaozi has seen many aspects of the world. She has been to the Immortal Palace that rises to the nine-fold cloud sky, and has also been to the Hundred Thousand Mountains to encircle and suppress ferocious evil beasts. Experienced cruel and fierce sect battles, and faced the killing of thousands of troops...

　　But never again could she be so scared.

　　Silence, not a sound. Even the wind went dormant, the chirping of insects and the chirping of birds disappeared. In the air, there is only a thick and sweet smell floating in the air.

　　It will take a long, long time for Lemongrass to know again in despair that it is the taste of blood.

　　That's the smell of blood after slaughter.

　　The two children pulled each other out of the village and set foot on the dirt road to the east of the village.

　　This was the farthest distance they had ever traveled. Because their parents have repeatedly told them, "Don't go too far, you will be picked up by wolves! You will be kidnapped!"

　　However, now they have to embark on this strange and unsafe road by themselves.

　　Xin Mao raised his head and looked at Xiangmaozi, "Sister, I'm scared."

　　In fact, Xiangmaozi was also scared, but she said, "Don't be afraid, there is a sister here."

　　Two pairs of little hands holding each other, two pairs of little feet, taking the first step out together!

　　One step, one step, and another.

　　The road of life is also measured in this way.

　　Lemongrass has heard that human feet are also called measuring rulers, because they can cover all the places in the world and measure all the land step by step.

　　At this moment, she was hunched over and sweating profusely. I can only tell myself, one step, one step, and another step.

　　The package has been wrapped horizontally around Lemongrass's waist. The basket was put around her neck and hung on her chest. Every time she took a step, her knees would hit the basket.

　　Xin Mao, lying on her back, was sleeping soundly.

　　Half an hour ago, Xin Mao started complaining about pain in his legs, feet and stomach. Lemongrass pulled him away. After walking for a while, he squatted on the ground and refused to leave. Citronella threatened him that he would not be able to walk even if the monster came.

　　There was no other way, Xiangmaozi could only carry his younger brother on his back.

　　The little lemongrass carries an even smaller Xin Mao on its back. Probably because he was too frightened last night, Xin Mao didn't sleep well. Now on his sister's back, he quickly fell asleep.

　　Xiangmaozi could only bend her waist and encourage herself, one step, two steps. A person's feet are as long as the sky. One step is a step closer.

　　Sweat ran down the temples and concentrated on the tip of the chin, then fell to the ground and fell into the dust.

　　Xiangmaozi didn't know how far it was from the town, but she was confident because she had just passed the old fork, where there were seven roads, three heading east, one heading south, and two heading north. Citronella made a careful distinction before facing the sun and choosing the southward path.

　　Aster said that she should take the first road to the south.

　　Thank you, Aster. Citronella recited in my heart.

　　After passing the old fork in the road, people began to appear scattered on the road. This made Xiangmaozi feel at ease. The road was no longer lonely and silent.

　　However, people on the road were very frightened, and those who could afford it were rushing to get there. There are lavish ones with horse-drawn carriages, ordinary ones with ox-carts, and some people pushing wheelbarrows and carrying burdens, and so on.

　　The shabbiest ones here are the Xiangmaozi siblings, but everyone is in a hurry and no one pays much attention to them. Xiangmaozi stays silent and steps up her pace, following the flow of people. Gradually, the distance between the people coming and going is getting closer. opened, forming a mighty army on the road.

　　Xiangmaozi didn't know how far she had walked. Just when she felt she was about to collapse from exhaustion, the noise in front of her gradually started to boil. There was a roadside bamboo shed in front of her, which was crowded with people. In front of the bamboo shed, there is a big, bright copper kettle. It is sitting on a stove and is steaming, as if it has boiled water.

　　Lemongrass couldn't help but think of Aster's third sentence, "There is only one resting place in the middle called Wang's old shop. Their family is prosperous, and all the riders and footmen rest here. There is a particularly large copper teapot at the door, which can boil water day and night. Stop, the white tea inside is free. Use it as you like, this is the style of Wang’s old shop!"