The sky was clear and bright. Cao'er's mother carried a bucket of washed clothes and went out of the back door of the supermarket. The pole set up in the open space at the back door was already full of clothes and quilts. Cao'er's mother hummed a country tune and stretched out her arms to hang the clothes on the empty pole.
The children were running wildly in the open space with their toys, and their laughter seemed to break through the sky.
After hanging up the last piece of clothing, Cao'er's mother hammered her waist and turned to look at Cao'er who was practicing firing a crossbow with others.
Cao'er's hands became more and more steady. Even her mother could see that her archery skills were not better than others, but not bad either. She was taught by her mother every day, so even if she wanted to be lazy she couldn't. Her body became visibly stronger.
Perhaps because Chen Shu serves as a role model, women do not think there is anything wrong with women being strong, and men dare not object.
As a result, their flesh became firmer and their arms became thicker. Although they could not compare with Wu Yan and other men who trained every day, if they stood next to Zhou Yuanhe, they would immediately become noticeably stronger.
Cao'er wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was lucky if she could hit the bull's eye once out of ten attempts. Fortunately, the others were not much better.
Wu's wife, who was standing aside holding the child, was the only one among all the female family members who had not received training. It was not that she was unwilling, but that she could not get away. A child will always be a baby and needs to drink milk all the time. Even though there is milk powder now, she still cannot stop drinking milk.
With small babies, the mother always spends more time.
When the child cried, Wu's wife couldn't stand it. Even if Wu Yan was holding the child, she would still take the child over to comfort him.
Being a mother is completely different from being a father.
A woman is pregnant for ten months, experiencing firsthand the formation of the baby in her belly. She may not feel anything at first, but as her belly slowly swells, she can feel the movement of the baby in her belly and experience the process of life's birth. Even if the baby has not yet been born, she has already developed feelings for the little life in her belly.
Men, on the other hand, do not have to become pregnant or experience the pain of childbirth, so their feelings for their children are not as deep as those of mothers. They have to raise children themselves before they can develop feelings for them.
Wu's wife also wanted to give the child to Wu Yan, but as soon as the child started crying, she forgot everything.
The child is just over one year old and almost two years old. Now he looks like a baby less than one year old. He still only knows how to eat, drink, defecate, urinate and sleep. He either cries or sleeps every day. Even if Wu's wife has a kind heart, she can hardly bear it.
She can't raise a baby for decades, right?
Wu's wife was extremely worried. When Wu Yan's training was over, she pulled her husband aside and said with a sad face, "Why don't you go and tell the immortal to let us go back first? We have to wait until Niu Niu is older before letting her into the supermarket."
Wu Yan took a sip of water and felt a little worried: "But if we go back, will we be able to come back again in the future?"
Such an opportunity is not something you can easily come across. Although the immortal is kind, you can imagine that it is impossible for him to always remember them and go out of his way to pick them up.
Wu's wife looked at the child sleeping in her arms and said helplessly, "Can you bear to see Niuniu stay like this? Always a baby? Don't you want to see her grow up?"
Wu Yan wiped his face and said, "Okay! I'll tell the Immortal when he comes back."
"We are lucky to be able to come to the supermarket and stay for so long." Wu's wife advised her husband, "People should not be greedy. If they are greedy, their lives will be hard. After we go back, if the immortal still remembers us, it means we are lucky. If not, it means we are not sincere enough."
Wu Yan sighed: "Hey! I know."
Others are not like them. After all, other people's children are grown up, and the youngest is six years old. Stopping for a year or two is not a big deal. On the contrary, parents think it is better this way. When children are young, they always suffer. It is not easy for them to live a stable life for a few months, so there is no need to rush.
It is always safe to follow the immortal. Although the place is always changing, they have seen even monsters, so there is really nothing to be afraid of.
They waited for a few days, and when the immortal came back, Wu Yan immediately went to find him.
Wu Yan was very nervous when he told them his intention - he had received great kindness from the immortal, and logically he should repay the immortal with his life and work for him forever. What's more, this job was not hard and was much easier than running his own oil mill. However, he wanted the immortal to send them away because of his personal affairs.
Thinking of this, Wu Yan felt so ashamed that he couldn't even face his face. He couldn't hold back his tears when he was halfway through his words.
He cried so much that his face was covered with snot and tears, looking very dirty.
Ye Zhou didn't feel much, and he didn't think Wu Yan's request was excessive - taking care of a baby is indeed not easy, and if the baby is always a baby, it will be even more tiring, not to mention which parents would want their child to be a baby forever?
After Wu Yan had cried enough and looked calm, Ye Zhou said, "It's a good time to go back to Daliang Dynasty and stay there for a few days."
Wu Yan didn't dare to look up. He shouted excitedly: "Master Immortal! I kowtow to you!"
Ye Zhou, who hadn't heard the words "Master Immortal" for a long time, was caught off guard again.
Maybe because of cultural differences, he didn't feel anything when Ryan and the others called him Lord Moon Goddess, and he didn't feel ashamed.
But the four words "Master Immortal" were too destructive. Every time he heard them, he felt embarrassed. He was so embarrassed that he could have dug out a five-bedroom apartment.
Anyway, he had just come back from the cliff, so there was no problem for him to stay in Daliang Dynasty for a week. He could also make some money.
Ye Zhou: "It just so happens that you stay in Daliang Dynasty, and there are things for you to do."
Now supermarkets can open branches, so it would be a good idea to let Wu Yan and his team open one. They are all acquaintances, and Ye Zhou also has confidence in the character of Wu Yan and his wife. What's more, Wu Yan can use a pistol. If he can reach a cooperation with Lin You, his safety can be guaranteed.
Wu Yan kowtowed again. He kowtowed with great sincerity. His forehead was bruised and swollen, and there were even drops of blood when he stood up.
There was also blood residue on the floor.
But maybe the blow was hard enough, and Wu Yan felt at peace.
The immortal master did not despise him! He was willing to send him and his wife and daughter back, and even found him a job!
Wu Yan burst into tears again, thinking that there was no better immortal than Ye Zhou in the world. He was willing to die for the immortal, but his life was too fragile, even a little too precious.
Before Wu Yan left, Ye Zhou reminded him, "Go to the infirmary and treat the wound on your head."
He still failed to correct Wu Yan and the others' habits. Although under his mandatory requirements, the first batch of employees had learned to bow instead of kneeling, when encountering problems, they would still kneel down and kowtow subconsciously.
It seems otherwise, and this cannot prove their sincerity and gratitude.
It’s the characteristic of the times, that’s all Ye Zhou could think of.
It may take more than five or six years for them to change.
There was no need to make any preparations for the plane transfer. After all, their things were all in the supermarket, and the entire supermarket was moved together. The only thing that needed to be packed was the tent.
After receiving the notice, the employees began to move their things from the supermarket, preparing to return to Daliang Dynasty and set them up again.
Fortunately, they didn't have much stuff, just some clothes. Since they had a modular wardrobe, they could just move the wardrobe into the warehouse and then deflate the air mattress and put it away.
Feng Ling also wanted to go back to Luoyang Base to see her companions, but she had not been there long and did not miss them that much, so she just thought about it and did not say it out loud. She could not go back anyway, as her contract stated that she could apply for a vacation to return to her original plane.
However, because she signed the contract, she could not reveal the details of the plane jump to anyone after she returned.
"What was the Daliang Dynasty like?" Feng Ling was a little curious. Although she knew that Cao'er and the others were "ancient people", except for the tone of their speech, there was actually not much difference between them and her.
As Cao'er packed her things, she said, "When we left, it was a time of disaster! The north was suffering from drought. I heard that the south was not so bad, but we didn't go to the south."
Although a man does not mind being poor, Cao'er still tells the truth: "Daliang is poor."
"Even when there is no drought, human traffickers come to the village to buy people. Boys are worth two taels, and girls are only worth one tael." Cao'er pouted, "Boys are sent to the government as slaves, and girls have more places to go."
Cao Er frowned and said, "If she is sent to the mansion, it would be fine. She can be a maid and help with cooking. But if she is sent to a dirty place, it would be the end of her."
Feng Ling: "When I read stories before, they were all about ladies from wealthy families."
Cao'er didn't take it seriously: "How many ladies are there? Those ladies are locked up in the house. I don't think they live very well."
"It's just that the suffering is different." Cao'er sighed, "I just know that the daughter of a wealthy family in our town, the daughter of the county magistrate, was given to Shangfeng as a concubine by the county magistrate."
Cao'er used to envy her. What's wrong with being a concubine? She has food to eat, won't starve to death, doesn't have to work, and has someone to serve her. It's better than being a farmer's legitimate wife.
Isn't the purpose of life to have enough food and drink?
A peasant girl like her couldn't become a concubine of a wealthy family.
Now that she can work and earn money, she no longer thinks so. She can even appreciate how difficult it is for others.
She said: "She was like an object, being sent from one family to another. She had no choice. Whether she was to be the wife or the concubine was not up to her."
Cao'er sighed: "I heard that she can read and write poems."
"But even if she becomes a legitimate wife, she may not necessarily live a good life. Marrying a man she has never met, having no feelings for him, and being trapped in the backyard, what good or bad can you talk about? Most of them are not good."
If a man is not satisfied with his wife, he can go out to seek pleasure, and if he has money, he can find a few female confidants.
But if a woman marries an unsatisfactory husband, she can only hold her nose and bear it. Enduring all her life, and gaining a reputation as gentle and loyal, is considered perfect in the eyes of the world.
Feng Ling nodded: "It was like this in ancient times."
Cao'er: "My sister told me that it's not because we did anything wrong, but because wives and children are our father's property. If we meet someone with a conscience, then life will be better. If we meet someone without a conscience, we will suffer for the rest of our lives."
"Are those ladies different from us? They are all the same. They also have their own sufferings, but they can't speak them out. If they do, they will be laughed at for asking for trouble." Cao'er, "I am not without conscience, but if you ask me to go back, I don't want to go back."
"Now that I have been a human being, I don't want to go back to being a cow." Cao'er said, "I am not afraid of hardship, but I want to be a human being."
"Even if I die, I want to die beside the immortal."
Feng Ling looked at Cao'er's determined expression and finally understood why Ye Zhou did not use any threats or bribes to bribe these employees, nor did he manage them strictly, but these employees had been here for so long and were still loyal to Ye Zhou.
People are sensitive. They know clearly what they can gain by staying with Ye Zhou. For the common good, they will only become more and more loyal to Ye Zhou, because if they return to the Daliang Dynasty, they will have to live a life of hunger, poverty, uncertainty, no dignity, and no control over their own lives.
They had nothing before, so of course they didn't know what they had lost.
Now that they have it, they don't want to lose it.
As they were talking, the voice of the immortal was heard over the radio.
Cao'er only recently found out that the sound transmission from outer space is called broadcasting. She excitedly grabbed Feng Ling's hand.
The immortal said on the radio: "We will be going to Daliang Dynasty soon, don't run away anymore."
The employees immediately shouted, "All are here, Immortal, all are here!"
Ye Zhou came out of the broadcasting room. After hearing what the employees said, he walked to the lounge and pressed the button for dimension jump.
This was not the first time they jumped, and no matter how the scenery outside changed, people in the supermarket were no longer frightened.
·
The sun is shining brightly.
The sound of horse hooves continued, and the wind blew the flags, making them rustle.
Lin You was dressed in tight clothes, having shed his former youthfulness and tenderness, and had a scholar's beard. He was riding on a horse, and behind him were endless carriages, horses, and soldiers. Halfway through the journey, he suddenly tightened the reins and stopped in the middle of the road.
The man in soft armor beside him also stopped beside him. He asked in a low voice: "Sir, what's wrong? What's wrong here?"
Lin You looked towards the woods, pursed his lips, and sighed helplessly: "Nothing."
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are now grown throughout the Daliang Dynasty, and there are no more starving people on the roads. He still remembers that when he rushed here non-stop after growing the first batch of sweet potatoes, he kowtowed three times with every step, thinking that he could see the immortal again.
However, when I got to the "supermarket" almost exhausted, I found that the land had turned back into part of the forest.
More than a dozen towering trees have sprouted where the supermarket once stood, as if they had always been there and never moved.
Time flies, and until today, if it weren't for the things he brought back, he would probably think that what he saw and heard back then was just a dream.
Immortals come and go quickly, but mortals cannot let go throughout their entire lives.
Every time he passed by here, he couldn't help but stop, and every time he couldn't help but go again, but every time he returned disappointed.
Lin You pursed his lips, but he couldn't help himself and said to the people beside him, "You go first, I'll follow."
Just as the man next to him was about to try to persuade him to stay, he saw Lin You riding his horse onto the country road.
The man had no choice but to say to his personal soldiers: "Watch them!"
Then he rode away.
Lin You dismounted when he reached the end of the path. He held the reins familiarly and led the horse forward. He had not walked this path many times, but it was deeply engraved in his mind. Even with his eyes closed, he would not go the wrong way.
"Sir!" When the man arrived, he saw Lin You leading the horse himself, walking on a muddy path, and he didn't care about the mud on his trouser legs.
Lin You turned to look at the man, and he smiled: "Since you are here, let's go together."
The man asked in confusion: "My Lord, you always stop here when you pass by. Is there any treasure here?"
Lin You smiled and said, "Treasure...where is the treasure?"
"I just want to have peace of mind." Lin You murmured.
He was always worried that if he didn't go and see, he would miss the immortal's second coming.
Only by going to see it can he feel at ease.
The man didn't understand what he heard, and he just thought that Lin You had some illness that couldn't be told to anyone, and that he had to go into the forest to get better.
Times have changed. The Daliang Dynasty is still there, but it can no longer be said to be there.
During the severe drought, people had a hard time, and people in various places who could not survive rose up in rebellion.
But most of them were not successful. How could farmers know how to march and fight? How could they know how to distribute food and fodder to the army? They were either recruited by the court or died in internal strife before they could make any progress.
But the country was in chaos after all. The emperor in the palace became a decoration. Officials from all over the country stopped paying tribute and became local emperors behind closed doors.
The general became the real emperor, and the tributes sent to him by officials every year were greater than what they had ever sent to the emperor before.
Lin You took over his father's position and became the new prefect of Anyang City.
It's funny to say that he thought he had to make some achievements or pass the imperial examination to be able to be considered an important official. He never expected that his father would give a valuable gift to the general and get a document in return. He, a commoner, could become an important official so easily.
Perhaps to the general, being the governor of a small city is not a big deal as long as he does not enter the royal capital and does not sit in the court.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes can save lives, but they cannot save people’s hearts.
Farmers now grow these two things, but they have not become rich. He has also seen children in the countryside eating dried sweet potatoes, but they are still pale and thin, but they are not starving to death.
Lin You had no choice but to pray to God countless times to let him see the immortal again.
The immortal is well-versed in history and there is nothing in the world that he doesn't know. In the past, he was willing to show up, give out grain seeds, and save the lives of the people. Perhaps the immortal is willing to show him a way now.
Mortals are unable to do anything, so they can only seek help from gods and Buddhas.
The man followed Lin You. He felt that his superior had "an attack" again. It always happened to him every time he passed by here.
But the man didn't dare to say it - he was not tired of living by questioning his superiors. Lin You looked good-tempered, but he was stubborn. Once he made up his mind, ten horses couldn't pull him back.
Otherwise, they would not have made this trip.
Originally, the matter of suppressing bandits had nothing to do with them, but after Lin You found out where the bandits were being suppressed, he submitted a memorial to the court himself - he was a civil official, and he was actually going to lead troops to suppress bandits? The court actually agreed!
The man just felt that he was unlucky. Why was he assigned to Anyang City? He was a martial arts champion, and although he was not as "valuable" as the literary champion, why was he assigned to Anyang City?
The two men didn't know how long they had been walking, and their bodies were already drenched in sweat. Seeing that Lin You didn't complain, the man tried not to cry out either.
When he reached a big tree, Lin You suddenly stopped. He frowned and seemed to be afraid of something.
The man asked cautiously, "Sir?"
Lin You pursed his lips lightly: "Let's go."
He is scared.
I’m afraid that when I go there this time, I’ll still see those dozen trees.
After passing through the last patch of grass blocking the road, Lin You stepped onto flat ground. The sunlight made him a little dazed. When his eyes fell on the front, he felt dizzy.
This scene seems like a lifetime ago.
The square house remained the same as it had been many years ago, and the plaque had not changed at all, it was still the same as he remembered.
The glass door was closed tightly, but he could already see the shelves inside through the door. They were still filled with a wide variety of goods, like a fairyland.
Lin You's legs trembled slightly.
He suddenly squatted down. It was the first time he felt the sun was so hot since he had been out for so long.
He was tanned so hard that his whole body was burning hot.
The man was also stunned by the scene before him. He couldn't help but widen his eyes and asked with trembling lips: "What, what is this?"
Such a seamless whole, like a house hollowed out from a huge rock, was something he had never heard of or seen before.
"This is the residence of immortals..." Lin You supported himself on his knees and stood up. His voice was trembling with unignorable ecstasy. "This is called a supermarket! It's the residence of immortals!"
The man just watched Lin You stumble like a child towards the building called supermarket.
Even if he tripped over a rock, he would quickly get up and continue running forward.
"Immortal!"
Lin You shouted: "Immortal!"
He thought he was shouting so loudly that it shook the heavens, but he didn't know that his voice was as faint as a mosquito.
Lin You fell on the steps of the supermarket, but he could not feel the pain. This was the place he thought about day and night, and his only hope in despair. He could not save the world! He could not save it!
Only the immortal, the only one he can count on is the immortal.
The people in the court are all good-for-nothings. They only care about their own salaries and the filial piety from the lower classes. They don't see the people selling their children, nor do they see how many people are fighting for the wine, meat and food they pour out.
The world is in such a mess, yet they are still living a life of drunkenness and dreams.
Lin You took a deep breath and was about to get up, but he saw the glass door slowly open.
He looked up and saw a familiar face.
Cao'er's mother and the other women came out holding buckets of clothes that had not yet dried. They wanted to put up the clothesline again and hang the clothes out to dry.
For Cao'er's mother, the last time she saw Lin You was a few months ago. Although the other party had grown a beard, she could still recognize him.
She was no longer as scared and intimidated as before when facing Lin You. She asked curiously, "Why did you grow a beard, sir? You look ten years older for no reason."
Lin You opened her mouth and revealed an expression that looked like she was laughing but not crying: "Auntie Li, it's not for nothing. It's been twenty years since we last met."
Cao'er's mother was stunned.
Lin You slowly got up. He even forgot that there was someone behind him. He stared at Cao'er's mother's face.
She became better. The timidity between her brows disappeared. She was neither humble nor arrogant, and she was clear-headed.
Just that face.
Just like in the past.
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