kingnovel Chapter 701: Fold a plum blossom and go out
Chapter 701: Fold a plum blossom and go out
Because the weather was hot, Li Changxiao dug a cold spring in front of the Laiqu Inn, about ten feet long, ten feet wide, and half a foot deep, and covered it with three or two wooden boards.
The backyard was cleaned up by Qing Chunhua, and Li Changxiao thought it would be a waste if he didn't use it, so he bought some watermelon seeds and planted them in the backyard.
After about ten days, the flowers bloomed and the fragrance attracted butterflies. It would take some time for the fruits to bear, but Li Changxiao could not wait any longer. One night, he stayed up all night watching the watermelon vines, watching the watermelons bloom and bear fruit, gradually ripening. By the next morning, they were full and sweet and ready to be picked.
This was against common sense, but Li Changxiao was in control of the universe and knew everything about fate. When it happened to him, everything was 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 a night, when he took it out, a layer of frost formed on the surface of the watermelon. When he tapped it with his hand, it made a crisp "bang bang" sound.
When he broke it open, the flesh was bright red. He took a big bite and the melon fragrance filled the air. It was icy and cool, and instantly swept away the heat, making him feel cool from the inside out. From then on, whenever a fruit was ripe, Li Changxiao would throw it into the cold spring to soak.
Sometimes when the melons were being picked, there were guests staying at the inn. The polite ones would negotiate with the innkeeper and try to buy a fruit with a few copper coins. The less polite ones would ask directly for it. Li Changxiao would always agree, because sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone.
Sometimes the inn was crowded with guests, about seven or eight people, including literati, warriors and monks. At noon, they all went down to the lobby to enjoy the cool air.
Li Changxiao was happy to see so many people around, so he would fish out a basket of fruits from the cold spring, scatter them on the dining table, and let everyone enjoy them to cool down.
People come and go in a hurry. People of different identities and statuses meet here briefly. The geographical location of the inn is also special. It is at the junction of the four northern regions and the four southern regions. In this way, no one should be surprised when they come here.
The story of the famous easy-going innkeeper gradually spread. Sometimes, young people from the surrounding towns would sneak into the inn to steal watermelons and ice cream when they were greedy.
The shopkeeper always turned a blind eye, but sometimes when he was in a bad mood, he would make an example of them and catch a few of the more naughty ones, take off their pants, beat them with bamboo sticks, and then ask the elders in the family to claim them.
Li Changxiao found a few jars of leftover Spring and Winter Plum Fragrance Wine in the cellar. Li Changxiao put them in the cold spring and kept them frozen. He was really greedy, so he took them out and had a sip.
It's strange to say.
In the eyes of some guests, the shopkeeper was generous and easy-going. Even if he stayed in a fancy hotel and ate fancy meals, he would always laugh it off and not pursue it too much. But he was unwilling to share that sip of wine.
The days passed like this. In autumn, when the leaves turned yellow, the scenery in front of the inn was different. The summer heat gradually faded away, replaced by coolness.
A few little kids who often came to steal fruits in the summer were forced by their parents to bring some rice and coarse grains during this harvest festival. Seeing that they were simple and kind, Li Changxiao did not want to ruin their good intentions, so he accepted them.
On a chosen day, he would bring some fruits and visit the families. After a few visits, he became familiar with several families.
Because the winter is very cold, once autumn comes, people need to prepare dry firewood in advance to keep warm in winter. More and more people go to the mountains to cut firewood.
Just like this, the days passed by and winter came again.
During this whole year, Qingxiao never came back. Li Changxiao was alone, and although he was happy and at ease, he sometimes looked at the door of the inn with anticipation, and suddenly several familiar figures appeared.
Li Changxiao never left his house, but he heard all the news in the world from the visitors who came and went in a hurry.
Qing Chunhua robbed the execution ground and became a big star. He then attended a martial arts banquet and made a name for himself as soon as he entered the world.
The four statues of the mermaid tribe showed their power and launched a flood that was tens of millions feet high, trying to swallow up Xuanyu. The four powerful men joined forces to fight against the tsunami and quell the disaster that killed all living beings.
Ten people from Kunlun world joined together to support Fuyao and settled in Dingyu.
Earthquakes frequently occurred in the Endless Forest, the strange disease spread further, and countless people were killed and injured in the Red Domain.
……
The general trend of the world is all in your words and my words. The people who come and go in the inn are just bystanders of some major events and some grand scenes. They are busy but do not leave their names. It is just that at a certain time and moment, they happened to pass by a certain inn and chat with the innkeeper for an incense stick or an hour.
As winter deepened, several families who were on good terms with Li Changxiao invited him to their homes for dinner. Li Changxiao agreed and brought many gifts, including carefully carved wood carvings, sweet fruits, and tea leaves that he had dried himself.
Because the New Year is coming soon.
Li Changxiao also prepared lucky money. As soon as he entered the house, the cute children bowed with both hands and asked for lucky money. Li Changxiao generously put the heavy lucky money in the children's hands.
There was a kid who didn't know what was going on. He thought the lucky money was too heavy and questioned whether Li Changxiao had stuffed stones into it. Li Changxiao didn't care and just laughed. But the kid's parents slapped him in the face, picked up a carrying pole, and gave him a severe lecture.
Several families invited Li Changxiao to dinner, just to be polite, but unexpectedly Li Changxiao really came. They were flattered and moved the table to the yard, killed chickens and ducks, and cooked a sumptuous meal.
After eating and drinking, Li Changxiao left the gift behind and went back to the inn. Several families watched him for a long time. Suddenly, he remembered something, snatched the New Year's money from the child, and opened it to take a look.
Seeing the full amount of copper coins inside, he roughly counted them and was secretly shocked. He thought, "Who would give such a large amount of New Year's money? I'm afraid it's all the profit for the year. Does he not want to work next year?"
Although I felt strange, I didn't ask any more questions.
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 sky, and silver flowers bloomed instantly.
Li Changxiao stopped and quietly watched the silver flowers bloom. After a long while, 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.
She murmured, "You never come back, but the plum blossoms are blooming again. I should send them to you to see."