Chapter One, Sanlang, Wuliao, and Liulang
After a moment of waiting, the person in bed finally slowly opened his eyes. Once his pupils gradually focused, he looked at the two children and couldn't help but smile. Although weak and powerless, he still joyfully remarked: "Whose adult is so out of touch, thinking they are the Bull Demon King, turning the children into, cough cough, the Red Boy?"
He cried uncontrollably, and upon hearing this, another boy felt as if his heart were being cut by a knife. Tears welled up in his eyes as he exerted all his strength to grip that hand tightly, fearing that the person lying there might disappear.
Even if someone helps, and even if each cart carries only one-third of its capacity, it is still an excessive and prolonged labor for two children around ten years old. Since the water cart broke down over a month ago, the two brothers have been enduring this situation, no wonder Chen Wulang has such a deep expression of suffering and resentment
Therefore, some say that the most reliable engineering achievement in China is not the Great Wall, but the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. A thousand years after its inception, the Han people had already lost the protection of the Great Wall, yet the people of Sichuan continue to enjoy the blessings of Dujiangyan. They have fertile fields stretching for miles, vast forests and bamboo groves, an abundance of vegetables and fruits, and the delights of rice, fish, and shrimp. Everywhere, there is the joy of the populace, free from the worries of famine, all thanks to its blessings
The Yizhou Road in the western frontier of the Song Dynasty refers to the Sichuan Basin, which is well known to people
This small arched hut, surrounded by bamboo walls and topped with a grass mat, is dilapidated and poorly maintained, providing only minimal shelter and failing to protect against wind and rain. It stands in stark contrast to the white-walled, black-tiled buildings in the village
The two children obediently closed their mouths and sat quietly by the edge of the couch, allowing him some peace.
At this time, it is the peach blossom flood season, and the river rushes down from the towering mountains at the junction of Sichuan and Gansu, seemingly on the verge of a catastrophic surge. However, with the presence of the Dujiangyan irrigation system, the wild and violent river transforms into a gentle stream, nourishing the land of Sichuan. Since then, the region of Bashu, known for its unpredictable droughts and floods, has become a land of abundance, where water and drought are managed by human effort, and hunger is unknown in this land of plenty.
"Is it really necessary?" the child hesitated, clearly feeling somewhat intimidated by that lady.
In this seemingly blissful land, there are faint sounds of weeping that can be heard...
In the third month of spring, outside the city of Qingshen County, which is one hundred and eighty miles south of Chengdu, layers of mountains rise and fall. Each mountain and ridge, with deep ravines, is shrouded in mist and clouds, all adorned with lush green bamboo, creating a scene of verdant splendor. As the spring breeze sweeps through, waves of green undulate, thousands of bamboo sway like a tide, and the mist transforms in myriad ways, presenting a breathtaking spectacle that makes onlookers forget both honor and disgrace, feeling as if they are floating towards the celestial realm
But how could Chen Lao Er's three children be living in a shack at the charcoal yard
A ten-year-old child has a simple mind, only knowing that once their father left, the three brothers were driven here by their aunt. The older brothers, Sanlang and Wulang, have to work every day. Making charcoal requires a large amount of water. There was originally a water cart in the yard, but it broke in the spring, and their aunt did not find anyone to repair it. Instead, she made the two brothers fetch water together, and they must transport enough water each day in order to receive dinner for the three of them.
"Is it possible that the third brother wants a copper mirror?" The child, guessing and speculating, saw him nodding and then said dejectedly, "The empress surely will not give it..."
How is it that upon waking up, he has reverted to the childish state before his teenage years? What is going on? It makes no sense! The more he thinks about it, the more his head hurts, the pain intensifying as if it might split open! At the peak of the pain, with a loud bang, it felt as if his head and consciousness truly cracked open, and a flood of memories that clearly did not belong to him surged in from all directions, causing his vision to darken and he fainted again
The two children were also stunned, watching him lie there as if possessed, not daring to breathe a word. Then, seeing him struggle to get up, the older child hurried over to help him. Being young, they didn't know what to say, and just stared at him in a daze.
Upon careful searching, the sound emanates from the largest kiln site on the eastern side of the lake. It is during the lunch break, and the kiln site is quiet, allowing one to hear that the sound comes from a shed in the northwest corner.
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It is evident that this shack is not Chen Laor's home; Chen Laor's residence is in the village, featuring a spacious courtyard. To be precise, it is the shared home of Chen Laor and Chen Laor II. Although both brothers have established their own families and have lost their parents in recent years, they have yet to separate their households.
Why is it that everyone falls into the water, yet the outcome is a complete transformation? Am I him now, or is he me, or is he within me, and I within him? This leaves him perplexed, and he probably won't be able to figure it out even after a hundred years
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He is ultimately an optimistic person, deciding to temporarily pretend to be this child before finding a solution, in order to avoid being mistaken for a monster and getting cut down...
In my memory, this child is surnamed Chen, with a father but no mother, and he has four brothers. The two in front of me are his two younger brothers, the elder named Wulang and the younger named Liulang. The reason it sounds a bit confusing is that in this era, uncles and brothers are ranked together. His father had two brothers, and together they had six sons, ranked from oldest to youngest.
The one lying down, although it was also exhausting to listen, found the sentences in the book simple enough to understand. He widened his eyes and said, "You... what do you call me?" As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand to push away the child who was rubbing his face against his cheek, saying, "Little friend, you should use a handkerchief to wipe your nose, not your uncle's face..."
He calmed down and began to organize his thoughts... He had originally been exercising by the river in the morning, but unexpectedly encountered a van that had lost control and plunged into the water. At that moment, he did not know what had possessed him; without a second thought, he jumped in. He forgot how many people he had saved; in any case, he eventually exhausted himself, inhaled water, sank, and then lost consciousness.
The Min River, wide and long like a jade belt, runs through the northern and southern parts of the western Sichuan plain. The "Shan Hai Jing" states: "The Min River is one of the three rivers, the first of the great rivers, originating from Mount Wen." From the pre-Qin period to the present dynasty, it has been regarded as the true source of the Yangtze River. Therefore, although the Min River flows southward, it is still referred to by many literati as the great river flowing eastward.
The ample supply of bamboo and water resources has provided Shiwancun with the conditions necessary for producing bamboo charcoal. During the Northern Song Dynasty, coal was predominantly used in the north, while charcoal was more common in the south. In the region of Shu, bamboo charcoal was widely utilized, made from the local giant bamboo. This charcoal is highly flammable, smokeless, and durable, making it particularly favored by the residents of the city
"Don't just look at yourself; where's the mirror? Let me take a look too." He glanced at the honest child with a completely bald head, yet with a short braid on each side, and felt quite a sense of familiarity.
There are two boys, one big and one small, kneeling by the edge of the bed. The older one looks about the same as the one lying down, tightly holding his hand. The younger one appears to be only three or four years old, simply lying there crying, repeatedly calling out in a dialect-inflected Mandarin: "Third brother, wake up, Xiao Liu doesn't want to eat the steamed buns anymore..."
At that moment, they heard a faint cry of pain from https://m.hetushu.com, and the two children immediately widened their eyes
His accent was peculiar, and his speech was vague. The two children did not understand him, yet they were completely unconcerned. The younger one suddenly pounced on him, hugging his neck and rubbing against him, saying: "Third Brother, you are awake..." The older one also no longer wore a face of deep sorrow; while wiping away tears, he smiled and said in a muffled voice: "Third Brother, you really scared us to death."
The renowned Shiwancun Village is nestled among the sprawling bamboo forests, surrounded by green mountains. To the east of the village lies a large lake, its waters remaining crystal clear like a mirror throughout the year
A ten-year-old child, despite exerting all their strength, is unable to provide enough water. Fortunately, the hired workers, seeing the two brothers in such a pitiable state, take the time to lend a hand, allowing the three brothers to have food to eat
The Chen family made their fortune by producing bamboo charcoal and owns the largest charcoal production facility in Shiwancun. Although they cannot be considered extremely wealthy, they have a pair of hardworking maids at home and employ over ten workers at the factory, making them the most prominent family in Shiwancun
He is not demanding anything now; the child has started to speak properly, as if this is just the way he naturally speaks. ... Thus, he quickly calms down ... ... The current situation is truly bizarre; it is better not to make any noise until the situation is clarified: "Forget it, let me be quiet for a while."
Alright, alright..." He no longer wasted words on the little brat and slowly lay back down, saying, "Bring your adult over, the one who is the big lady, right..."
What on earth is this? This is not the arm of an adult. Could it be that after falling into the water, he was devoured by a water ghost until only the bones remained? A chilling sensation spread throughout his body. He reached up to touch his chin, smooth as an egg. Further down, there was no Adam's apple. Even lower, a hairless little bird... At this point, he was completely stunned and immobilized.
Scattered along the lakeside are charcoal kilns approximately one zhang high, indicating that the people here have not squandered the bounties of nature. In fact, the bamboo charcoal produced in this village is of the highest quality throughout the bamboo sea, not only finding a market in the county and Meizhou City, but also attracting merchants from Chengdu for procurement, reflecting the region's natural abundance
His name is Sanlang, and he has an elder brother named Chen Erlang, who started studying in the county town last year. As for this child's father, the second son of the Chen family, he is a scholar. Since it is the year of the imperial examination, he is traveling and studying with peers, leaving this child and his two younger brothers at home
By the time he woke up again, the sky had darkened, and the shed was even darker. However, he did not mind, as the darkness perfectly concealed the look of terror on his face. In his mind, there was an additional memory of a ten-year-old child from ancient times.
Through the slightly ajar door, one can see that inside, apart from a bamboo board serving as a bed, there are no other furnishings, and certainly no household items can be accommodated. A thin, small boy lies on the bamboo board, covered with a thin blanket, his eyes tightly closed and his complexion pale.
However, today, the old lady behaved unusually; instead of taking a look upon arriving at the site, she spent the entire morning supervising the work. This made things difficult for the two brothers, who had been fetching and transporting water since early morning, working for nearly two hours, leaving them dizzy and weak. ... As a result, during the last water-fetching attempt, Sanlang, who was physically weaker than his brother, lost his footing and fell into the water ... . ... This became the child's final memory. During the last water-fetching attempt, Sanlang, who was physically weaker than his brother, lost his footing and fell into the water ... . ... This became the child's final memory.
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly froze, for with that gesture, he saw a wrist resembling a reed stick... A sense of horror crept in as he looked down the wrist, connecting the wrist to the forearm, the forearm to the upper arm, and then to his own body