Chapter 701 Pick a Plum Blossom and Go Out
Because the weather was hot and the heat was getting intense, Li Changxiao dug a cold spring in front of the Lai Qu Inn. It is about one foot long, one foot wide and half a foot deep. It is covered with three or two wooden boards.
The backyard was cleaned up by Qing Chunhua. Li Changxiao thought that it would be useless if he didn't use it, so he bought some watermelon seeds and planted them in the backyard.
In about ten days, the flowers bloomed and attracted butterflies. It was still some time before the fruits were born, but Li Changxiao couldn't wait any longer. One night, he didn't sleep, so he guarded the watermelon vine all night, watching the watermelon blossom and bear fruit. Gradually mature, and by the morning of the next day, they will be plump and sweet, ready for picking.
This matter is against common sense, but Li Changxiao controls the universe and understands nature, so if it happened to him, everything would be normal again. He picked the watermelon, threw it into the cold spring, and then covered it with a wooden board to prevent the cold air from escaping. After soaking for a day and night, when you take it out, a layer of frost forms on the surface of the watermelon. When you tap it with your hand, there is a crisp sound of "bang bang".
Break open from the middle, the flesh is bright red, take a big bite, the melon is fragrant, ice-cold, and the heat is gone in an instant, and you feel cool from the inside out. From then on, whenever there were ripe fruits, Li Changxiao would throw them into the cold spring to soak them.
Sometimes when the melons are being opened, there are guests staying at the Laiwang Inn. Those who are a little polite negotiate with the shopkeeper and want to use a few copper coins to buy a fruit to taste the saltiness. If you are a little rude, just ask for it directly. Li Changxiao would always agree that having fun alone is not as good as having fun together.
Sometimes there are many guests in the store, with about seven or eight people checking in, including literati, poets, warriors and monks. At noon, everyone went down to the lobby to enjoy the cool air.
Li Changxiao felt happy when he saw the crowds of people, so he fished out baskets of fruits from the cold spring and scattered them on the dining table, allowing everyone to divide them up to relieve the heat.
Coming and going to the inn comes and goes in a hurry. Different identities and different statuses all meet here for a short time. In fact, the location of the inn is really special. It is at the junction of the four northern and southern regions. In this way, there is no need to be surprised if anyone comes here.
The news about the famous and easy-going shopkeeper of Laigu Inn gradually spread. Sometimes young people in the surrounding towns are greedy and sneak to and from the inn to steal watermelons and ice fruits. It is also a common thing.
The shopkeeper always turns a blind eye and closes one eye, but sometimes when he is in a bad mood, he will kill the chickens to scare the monkeys. He will catch a few of the more naughty ones, take off their pants, beat them with bamboo sticks, and then call the elders in the family to claim them.
Li Changxiao found several jars of spring and winter plum-flavored wine left in the cellar. Li Changxiao put it into the cold spring and kept it frozen. I was really greedy, so I took it out and took a sip.
It's strange to say.
In the eyes of some guests, this shopkeeper is generous and free-spirited. Even if he stays at Bawang restaurant and eats Bawang meals, he will always laugh it off and not pursue it too much. But that sip of wine was something I didn’t want to share.
The days passed like this day by day. In autumn, when the leaves have fallen and turned yellow, the scenery in front of the inn will be another sight. The heat of summer gradually fades away and is replaced by coolness.
Several little kids who often came to steal fruits in summer were forced by their parents to bring some rice and whole grains during this harvest festival. Li Changxiao saw that they were simple and kind-hearted and did not want to ruin their good intentions, so he accepted them.
Choose a day, bring some fruits, and pay a visit. After going back and forth, I actually became familiar with several families.
Due to the severe cold in winter, once autumn comes, people need to prepare dry firewood in advance for winter heating. There are more and more people on the firewood mountain.
Just like that, the days flew by and it was winter again.
In this whole year, Qingxiao never came back, and Li Changxiao was alone. Although he was at ease, sometimes he looked at the door of the inn without expectation, and suddenly a few familiar figures appeared.
Li Changxiao never left home, but he heard all about the world from the visitors who came and left in a hurry.
Qing Chunhua robbed the execution ground and made a big splash. She also went to the martial arts feast and became famous as soon as she entered the world.
The four gods of the Shark clan showed their power and launched a flood of tens of millions of feet, trying to swallow up the mysterious realm. The four strong men worked together to resist the tsunami and quell a flood of life.
Ten members of the Kunlun world have joined forces to support Fuyao and are settling in the Ding region.
Earthquakes occur frequently in the Endless Forest, strange diseases spread further, and there are countless casualties in the Red Territory.
…
The general trend of the world is all determined by your words and my words. The people who come and go in the inn are just bystanders of some big events and some big scenes. They are busy but do not leave their names. But at a certain time, at a certain moment, I happened to pass by a certain inn, and spent an hour chatting with the innkeeper with a stick of incense.
Winter was getting deeper, and several people who were close friends with Li Changxiao invited Li Changxiao to their homes for dinner. Li Changxiao agreed and brought many gifts, including carefully carved wood carvings, sweet fruits, and tea leaves dried by himself.
Because the Chinese New Year is coming soon.
Li Changxiao also prepared New Year's money. As soon as he entered the house, the cute children clasped their hands and asked for the New Year's money. Li Changxiao was generous and placed the heavy New Year's money in the child's hand.
Some ignorant boys thought the New Year's money was too heavy and questioned it, asking Li Changxiao if he had stuffed stones into it. Li Changxiao didn't care and laughed. But the boy's parents slapped him, then picked up the pole and gave him a hard lesson.
Several families called Li Changxiao to dinner. They were being polite, but unexpectedly Li Changxiao actually came. I was flattered for a moment, so I moved the table to the yard, killed chickens and ducks, and cooked a sumptuous meal.
After eating and drinking, Li Changxiao left the gift and hurried back to the inn. Several families looked at his back for a long time. Suddenly I remembered something, grabbed the lucky money from the child, and opened it to take a look.
Seeing the copper coins filled inside, he roughly counted them and was secretly shocked, thinking: "Who would give such a large amount of New Year's money? I'm afraid it's all the profits for the year, and he doesn't want to work next year?"
Although he was surprised, he didn't ask more.
Li Changxiao left the town and walked alone on the mountain path. Suddenly, he heard a sharp sound, and then the sky and the earth were bright, and a bunch of fireworks bloomed in the air, and the silver flowers bloomed instantly.
Li Changxiao stopped and watched the silver flowers bloom quietly. After a long time, he lowered his head and hurried back to the Laiqu Inn. He did not go in, but locked the door of the inn and turned away.
Passing by the back mountain, he picked a plum blossom, put it in his pocket, and walked towards somewhere.
He murmured: "You never come back, but the plum blossoms are blooming again. I should send it to you to see."