Volume 1: When I was young and wore a thin green shirt Chapter 3: The journey is ongoing, where the autumn waters are full

  At that time, on this day at noon, Xing Yan was walking back and forth among the tables and chairs in the Liangxiang Wine Building. Suddenly, he heard a clear and crisp female voice outside the noisy tavern, which was like a drop of dew on a clear morning, shattering on the bluestone in the colorful morning light.

  "Oh, this girl's voice is really nice!"

  The self-conceited and knowledgeable young man was taken aback for a moment, then hastily perked up his ears amidst the hustle and bustle, making an effort to search for this string of wonderful sounds.

  "The wind comes from next door, three, four, drunk! After drinking, the wine is opened, ten miles away, fragrant! Brother Cheng, I didn't expect this wine house to be quite elegant."

  Judging from her accent, she was clearly not a local, but rather seemed to be speaking the Mandarin dialect used by merchants from the north. Just as I was trying to make out what she said, an old voice laughed and said

  "Not bad, this couplet is quite interesting. Well, after rushing for so long, let's take a break here."

  It's probably this old man who is the Cheng Shu mentioned by the girl. As soon as the words fell, a loud and rough voice shouted:

  "Hey, young fellow! Take our horses down and lead them away. Give them plenty of water and grass to eat."

  It must be that this rough and simple fellow was the coachman of Miss Wang and Sheng Daifu.

  "Don't worry about you! Go upstairs to the elegant seat!"

  The little Hu downstairs yelled this time, it's also very professional and sonorous.

  Somehow, Wakin's hearing has become more acute recently; although the old man's voice was not loud and was quite far away downstairs, he could still clearly distinguish every syllable and tone of that conversation in this noisy tavern.

  Thanks to his good ears, he heard the sweet voice of a beautiful girl who was about to come up the stairs. He couldn't help but feel excited in his heart and took the opportunity to serve dishes to guests, making an effort to sneak a few glances at the staircase. After all, it's not often that you see someone fresh and outstanding in this small city of Raozhou.

  In the gaze of anticipation from the young boy, the girl and her elder uncle finally ascended to the upper floor after a thousand eager glances, walking over to sit down in a cozy window seat. The carriage driver did not come up, probably due to his low social status, and instead ate some food haphazardly in the large hall downstairs.

  As soon as the two sat down, Xing Yan hurried forward to greet them and skillfully asked what dishes they wanted; naturally, he also took a glance at the young girl. At this glance, the young man felt a few points of disappointment - although the girl's voice was so good, her appearance was only average; only that pair of eyes was clear and transparent, revealing a hint of spirit, which made her entire face look much more vivid.

  This girl looks like she's just fourteen or fifteen years old, with a loose-fitting dress that makes it impossible to discern her figure. But what's the point of looking anyway? At this age, young men are hardly capable of truly appreciating the beauty of a woman's physique. All he can vaguely sense is that this girl exudes an indescribable aura of youthfulness.

  Looking at the old man again, his voice sounds somewhat aged, but his face does not have as many wrinkles as one would imagine. It seems that this old man is good at taking care of himself and looks radiant and full of energy.

  Having observed the two of them, she began to evaluate them in her heart:

  "Hmm, this girl is just a little bit prettier than Xiaomei. But this Cheng Shu, is far more spirited than Old Man Qinghe... Heh!"

  Although his mind was a mess, his hands didn't falter. He warmly recommended several of the restaurant's signature dishes to the two out-of-town guests.

  "Cough cough, this young fellow——"

  Just as the little girl was excitedly trying to taste the steaming braised pork hands that had just been served, Cheng Shu suddenly spoke up and asked. After coughing a few times, he finally brought the young man who was staring at the girl's silly expression back to reality.

  "What instructions does the honorable guest have?"

  He hastily replied. Seeing him come back to himself, Cheng Shu asked warmly:

  "Is there anything famous or scenic around here that I should know about? Especially mountains and scenery. My young lady wants to go sightseeing in the vicinity of Raozhou."

  "Ha! You're finally asking the right person!"

  As soon as the old man asked this question, the young man immediately gained momentum:

  "I, Zhang Xingyan, don't dare boast about anything else, but when it comes to the scenic spots of Raozhou City, I'm the most familiar with them!"

  Then the old and young were left staring blankly as they listened to the youth's lengthy and grand speech:

  The young shop assistant, with a somewhat boastful tone, described the scenery of Raozhou City in great detail, not missing a single corner or cranny; yet his narrative was surprisingly clear and logical.

  It seems that Xing Yan is indeed a worthy disciple of the old academician, and his long-term hard training has finally paid off! As the saying goes:

  Suddenly speaking wildly and astonishing everyone present, two sparkling eyes flashed back momentarily!

  "Be careful!!!"

  Just as Cheng Shu wanted to speak up and stop the young man's lengthy speech, he suddenly heard a loud shout from behind the young man, and then both the old and young men looked at each other in extreme surprise as the young man immediately shut his mouth, covered his head, and scurried away instantly disappearing from sight...

  "Don't just listen to this kid's nonsense, sir. He's always up to no good! Look, the dishes are getting cold, you two should eat first. We can order more if it's not enough!"

  "Haha, actually, this small shop doesn't have any other special features - the dishes are just super delicious! The portions are also very generous! And it's not even that expensive! Haha!"

  It's unclear if he received a tip from the fat account room, but Liu Zhuang, who was full of "special" words, suddenly appeared on the scene like a heavenly warrior, and promptly chased away the young waiter who was trying to prevent potential consumption by the guests.

  "Ah, then trouble the shopkeeper again, and have that young fellow from earlier come over. I have some important matters to ask him."

  Cheng Shu still looked nonchalant despite Liu's exaggerated words.

  "Huh?"

  This time, it was Liu's turn to get scolded; after all, customer needs come first, and he had no choice but to slink away with his tail between his legs, calling the waiter over again. However, when no one was paying attention, he quietly threatened the young man to be careful in serving the customers and try not to affect their ordering more dishes. Then, Liu disappeared behind the counter without a shred of dignity, waiting for the next unexpected situation to arise.

  With a lesson learned from the previous experience, Cheng Shu directly asked the young man, "Is there any mountain worth visiting near Raozhou City?"

  Having heard Cheng Shu's words, the young man who didn't want to lose face in front of Raozhou people scratched his head for half a day and after rummaging through his mind, he could only helplessly tell the old man in front of him:

  Don't laugh at me, although our Raozhou City has many famous scenic spots, there are actually no notable mountains worth visiting in the suburbs.

  "Not far from Raozhou City, there are many hills in the territory of Boyang County. But in my opinion, they are just ordinary. The ones that are a bit worth seeing are all very far away from Raozhou City. As for the surrounding area of Raozhou City... um, our family has an ancestral mountain estate, although it covers a large area, but the terrain is low and flat, can only be considered a wild hill."

  "Wow! Does your family have a mountain?"

  As soon as she heard the words, the girl immediately let go of the plate of braised pork in front of her and asked the young man with great interest:

  "What's the name of the mountain in your hometown? Doesn't it have a name? If it doesn't, I'll give it one!"

  "Hmm"

  Seeing the girl's enthusiasm, the boy also responded with a kind smile and said:

  "Our family's mountain, everyone calls it Mati Mountain. Because the old people nearby say that this hill was where the Jade Emperor rode his heavenly horse down to earth, and when he rolled over, he created Lake Poyang, and before flying away, he stamped a hoof print. My family's Mati Mountain is exactly the center of that hoof print."

  When they heard the words "Ma Ti Shan", both Cheng Shu and the girl's eyes lit up at the same time:

  "What an interesting story! I wonder if this big brother can take me to see it?"

  This is a young girl who has not yet experienced much of the world and happens to be at a loss for how to spend her afternoon.

  "Well, it's just right to accompany the young lady together. Here, this little brother, if you are willing to take the trouble, this silver ingot will be yours!"

  This is the always steady and dignified Uncle Cheng. However, a clever young man can see that this Uncle Cheng is not just so enthusiastic because of the girl's interest, but clearly has his own interests too.

  "I really don't get it! What's so great about that desolate mountain? These two outsiders are really enthusiastic. Could they have been moved by the legend of this little village? However, this silver ingot is not light, it's worth a couple of months' wages for me..."

  "Huh? No way! Why is this old man being so generous? This silver can't be fake, can it?"

  A young man who was lost in thought, suddenly felt two bright and piercing eyes staring at him - it turned out to be the girl, who found him to be sometimes clever and agile, but also sometimes stupid and foolish, and thought it was very interesting, so she stared at him with her eyes.

  For some reason, the young man suddenly felt very embarrassed, and that face, which had been tempered by countless times with Qinghe Lao Dao, actually turned slightly red for the first time!

  Cheng Shu and the young girl finished their meal, but they didn't immediately follow Xing Yan to visit Ma Ti Shan. It wasn't because they lost interest or changed their minds, but rather that the little girl suddenly decided she wanted to take a stroll around the city first, to get a feel for the local customs and culture of Raozhou City. Cheng Shu didn't object much, and tour guide Zhang Xing Yan also had no opinion; after all, skipping afternoon classes wasn't a first-time occurrence. Whether they went to play at Ma Ti Shan or strolled around Raozhou City, there was no essential difference.

  Then, Cheng Shu and the girl began to stroll around Raozhou City under the guidance of Xing Yan.

  As mentioned earlier, Raozhou is not a big city after all. Compared with other cities in the world, there is no significant difference in the specifications within the city. It's just a street with willows on both sides, and the streets are filled with vendors calling out their wares, nothing particularly remarkable.

  At that time, there was no such fashion as compiling the "Ten Scenes of City Walls", but Zhang Xingyan had followed Mr. Ji to read poetry and books, although he was forced by his livelihood to "fish for three days and dry nets for two days" and often had to mix with the common people in the streets; but he was originally clever and what he learned in his heart was more thorough and profound than those wealthy and noble classmates.

  Therefore, although the scenery in Raozhou is ordinary and unremarkable, the young man often uses his imagination to embellish it, taking simple scenes and giving them elegant names such as "Ancient Temple Bell", "Autumn River Beauty", "Flowing Water People's Home", "Ring City Emerald" and so on. Combining these with the strange stories he heard from the guests at the Fragrant Rice Building, he can always turn an unremarkable scene into a fascinating tale, reeling off references to classical literature like a treasured family heirloom. This mix of fact and fiction is not only deeply attractive to the young girl, but also often wins the approval of the experienced Uncle Cheng.

  After a long afternoon of playing together, the three people had become quite familiar with each other. Especially the two young people, who were much more harmonious and natural than at the beginning.

  The words had already been spoken, and that uncle was called Cheng Shu. However, the surname and name of that young girl, although at that time the customs of men and women in the city were not as strict as they were in later generations, generally speaking, a woman's surname and name would not be easily told to a strange man. So the young man often suffered from not knowing how to address that young girl, and finally couldn't help but ask Cheng Shu about the girl's surname and name.

  Unexpectedly, the girl was quite compatible with Xing Yan. When he asked her name, she slightly shyly and proactively told him:

  "My name is Ju Ying."

  "My name is Zhang..."

  Just as he was about to tell her his name, Ju Ying smiled shallowly and said:

  "Wake up! Your boss's voice is so loud that the whole street can hear him calling your name!"

  Without mentioning the laughter and joking of the young couple, it is said that when they passed by Li's grocery store, the young man's words inadvertently revealed his admiration for Li Xiaomei, so Ju Ying couldn't help but tease him for not having seen a real beauty.

  When he heard his idol being belittled and his own aesthetic views doubted, the young man couldn't help but feel a little indignant and angrily said:

  "Jū yíng, suī rán xiǎo méi kě néng méi wài miàn nà xiē piào liang nǚ zǐ hǎo kàn, dàn zài zhè ráo zhōu chéng zhōng, yī wǒ kàn yě shì shù yī shù èr de!"

  Translation: "Jū yíng, although Xiao Mei may not be as beautiful as those women outside, but in this Raozhou city, I think she is also one of the top two!"

  At this time, in order to win, he has promoted Xiaomei, the number one beauty of the two streets around Fangyuan, to a ranking of first or second in the whole city.

  Unexpectedly, Ju Ying heard this and asked with great interest:

  "Then you know there are beautiful women outside?"

  "This..."

  The majestic young man was suddenly choked; after all, the farthest place he had been to was only Boyang County in the southeast of Raozhou.

  Watching these two young people arguing, Cheng Shu didn't interrupt, only maintaining a faint smile.

  After being stunned for a while, he suddenly spoke up and said that he was often in the wine tower, his mind was quick-witted, looking at Ju Ying's smile, after a little thought, he had a plan, and opened his mouth to say:

  "Hmm, the beautiful woman outside, of course I know. The first recommendation is naturally our Emperor's little daughter, Princess Qingcheng. The wine guests at In Xiang Lou are all spreading her beauty! They have seen a lot and know a lot, they can praise her as the number one in the world, it should be not bad."

  The clever young man first pushed out a woman recognized as the world's number one beauty, ensuring he would be unbeatable, then began to counterattack:

  "Of course, everyone knows that Princess Qingcheng is beautiful, so I'll just use a ready-made example,"

  He said this and deliberately paused.

  "Hmm? What's an example of this?"

  As expected, the girl fell into the trap.

  "So it's you! Hehe~"

  Just as I was waiting for Ju Ying's exaggerated reaction, she just smiled awkwardly and didn't say another word.

  Time flies quickly, although the city wall of Raozhou is not big, but after a circle, it's already late in the day. After finishing telling the story of the well in Liu Zhu Lane and the sad story of a widow, Xing Yan got on the horse carriage with them two to head towards Ma Ti Shan.

  On the bus, occasionally a glimpse of waking up and finding that Jingying's eyelashes still had a faint glimmer of tears, probably just a simple girl, still immersed in the sad and touching story he told earlier.

  "Girls are really emotional!"

  The young man decided that next time he told stories to the little girls, he would change the ending to a happy one.

  Tuo Ju Ying's good fortune brought about this ordinary journey, which created several firsts for the young Sheng Yan in his lifetime:

  First time riding a horse-drawn carriage

  The first time I didn't walk back home on my own two legs.

  For the first time in this life... for the first time I've touched a girl's body!

  It was the first time, when the carriage turned a corner, due to inertia, the girl slightly leaned towards him, her arm touching his elbow. Although it was just for a moment, this light touch had already made the usually bold boy's ears hot and heart racing all the way!

  When I arrived at Mati Mountain, it was already sunset. The afterglow in the western sky shone obliquely on Mati Mountain, making this inconspicuous small hill look like a magnificent red jade sculpture with flowing light. The lush grass and trees on the hill also seemed to be covered with a layer of crimson powder at this time.

  Perhaps it was because she had never praised Ma Ti Shan before, but Ju Ying thought that Ma Ti Shan in the sunset looked quite good too. Unconsciously, the girl followed the boy's tour guide style from this afternoon and blurted out in praise:

  "What a beautiful horseshoe-shaped sunset!"

  。