Chapter 7 Chapter 6 The Big Man

Although as soon as I saw Zhu Xiangxiang's mother, I felt that she was very kind, and I could confide to her all the grievances in my heart.But I also don't want her to treat me as a child—I have already left the child stage, and I can have an adult conversation with her, at least, with a mature attitude. Of course, I also had to maintain a mature attitude.But I couldn't live up to it, because I was so excited, my body was trembling involuntarily! I took a deep breath and turned my head to one side. When people want to express the arrogance in their hearts, they will have such body language.

So, I saw that round of sunset.The setting sun has turned red, and it looks more like a big fireball, but I can't feel the power of the fire at all. The setting sun is surrounded by thick clouds, and the setting sun reflects an indistinct red color, which makes me know Why this kind of cloud is described as "Tongyun" in words. And even though there is a high city wall blocking it, the howling north wind is still like a bayonet, making my whole body stabbed and painful. Because of my excitement, I sweated all over, and when the cold wind blew, the sweat evaporated and took away the heat, making me feel colder, so my body shivered more and more violently.

I knew that I must look extremely embarrassing, and I really wanted to run away without further embarrassment.And at this moment, two hands touched my shoulders, and at the same time there was a soft and pleasant voice: "Do you want to hear a true story?" When I turned around, Xiangma was looking at me. I could undoubtedly feel that it was a friendly look, and I also felt that she didn't treat me like a child. I pursed my lips tightly and nodded.She pointed to the city wall: "The wind is less at the foot of the wall, it won't be so cold!" My body was still shaking, but my mouth naturally protested: "I'm not cold!"

Xiang Ma showed a naughty look and raised her eyebrows: "Then why are you trembling? Are you afraid of hearing the story I want to tell?" My voice was louder: "I'm not afraid of anything!" She laughed: "I believe this sentence! You are brave...very brave. Your performance just now has proved your bravery!" There is no one who does not like to hear compliments, not to mention that she praised her so sincerely and sincerely, which made people feel extremely comfortable, and naturally, they stopped trembling.I said very decently: "Thank you, I think, people should be brave to face life!"

She nodded and walked towards the foot of the city wall first, and I followed and sat down on a big rock.The wind was much less windy there.Xiang Ma sat down and looked up to the sky, looking at the fading red clouds, I was waiting to start telling stories, but she said: "It's going to snow soon!" I didn't make a sound, just looked at her carefully, the more I looked, the more I felt that she was similar to the woman who appeared on the "Ghost Bamboo", she was the same person at all! (At that time, and for a long time, I couldn't imagine why there would be a human figure on the "ghost bamboo", and I couldn't even imagine what the "ghost bamboo" was!)

(Of course, whenever I have a chance, I will mention this experience of my youth to others--people who can listen to my narration of the past are naturally people with rich imaginations, and they, like me, cannot To explain, more people sigh: "There are too many wonderful and incredible things in the world!" Some people are even more sad: "The level of human knowledge is still at an extremely low level!") If she doesn't speak again, I will ask her why her appearance appears on the magical "ghost bamboo". She first sighed softly: "A few years ago, before such a snowy day, two passionate youths felt that the country was suffering and needed their help, so they left school, followed the example of the ancients, and joined the army. A young man with similar interests, a true good friend, a life-and-death acquaintance."

She spoke rather slowly.I have been impatient since I was a child, and I also like to express myself. From her opening, I can guess the identity of these "two young people". So, I said very bluntly: "Among the two, one is Xiangxiang's father!" Xiang's mother was not surprised how I guessed right, she continued: "The reason why they became good friends is very interesting-they have the same first name, half of the last name is the same. It was found on the roster that there was a classmate whose name was 84% ​​identical to mine, so they found each other and introduced themselves, and hit it off right away. Their name is Zhiqiang, which is a very common boy’s name. Xiang Xiang's surname is Zhu, you already know—"

Her last sentence is tantamount to admitting that I guessed it right just now—I just found out that Zhu Xiangxiang's father is Zhu Zhiqiang, which is indeed a very common name.And Xiang Ma's expression at this time was obviously saying: Can you tell what the other young man's last name is? There are so many Chinese surnames, it is very difficult to guess, but she has already given clues in the words: 84% of the names are the same. For a name composed of three characters, the two characters of "Zhiqiang" are the same, accounting for 66.6%. If half of the surnames are the same, it happens to be about 84%.

I thought about it for a while, and I remembered from the radicals that the word "Zhu" belongs to the "Shi" department. I thought of "Qi" and "Zu", and also thought of the very rare surname "Xiang", and then suddenly a " The word "Fu" popped up in my mind, and I blurted out: "The surname is Fu!" Xiang's mother looked a little shocked: "Is there anyone with the surname Fu?" I answered fluently: "Yes, a great general in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty was named Fukang'an!" (This Fukang'an is an important figure in legendary novels, and it is said that he is the illegitimate son of Qianlong, so he appears in many novels, but he was not really carried forward until Jin Yong's novels. I love reading all kinds of novels, so Subconsciously, I am deeply impressed by this.)

Xiangma smiled: "Fu Kang'an is from Manchuria. His surname is not Fu, but Fucha." Fortunately, it was getting dark quickly at this time, and she couldn't tell if I was blushing. As I thought about it, I procrastinated: "It's not Fu, it's—" At this time, I had given up searching along the radicals, and the other half of the character "Zhu" was the character "Brother".Originally, it was not easy to find a surname along the word "brother"! But I had the answer right away, and the reason was naturally mentioned later.But I said that I suddenly thought of the surname of that other young man. Instead of calling out the word, I jumped up suddenly, opened my mouth wide, and without making a sound, I pointed at Xiang Ma with a look of astonishment. .

When Xiang Ma saw my expression, she nodded, "You have a quick mind, you have thought of it!" I still opened my mouth wide, letting the cold wind pour into my mouth.She ignored it, and told her "story" to herself: "A pair of good friends, fought the enemy side by side on the battlefield, robbed the enemy under the hail of bullets, and charged into battle. I don't know how many times you saved me and I saved you. They truly became life-and-death friends. During the war, they got married at the same time, and their wives also became pregnant at the same time..." When I heard this, I snorted, expressing my dissatisfaction. Xiang's mother took a breath: "Even after they all became senior officers, they were still brave in battle. Finally, one of them was seriously injured. His good friend, his wife, and his wife who was about to give birth felt extremely sad. , His heart was pierced, but he looked away from us, pointed at the two pregnant women, and said: "Let our friendship continue, preferably a man and a woman, and let them become a couple!" His good friend couple Hearing this, they both knelt down and swore, 'If it's a man and a woman, let them become a couple!' The matter went away like this, and he passed away with a smile. There were more than 30 wounds caused by guns on his body. General!" Xiangma's voice sounded very flat—it was only after many years that I realized that the great sorrow was not contained in the screams, but contained in the flat tone. I was silent for a long time before I said: "Another fought bravely and became a famous general, and he kept his promise to marry him with his fingertips. This general is now visiting the county, and there are people all over the city." Welcome General Kuang Zhiqiang's banner and slogan! That domineering boy with a motorcade and two guns on his waist is the son of General Kuang!" Xiang's mother nodded: "That domineering kid grew up in the army. He is not as annoying as his appearance, and he has perfect marksmanship. He—" I was so impatient that I waved my hand: "Then what does it matter to me? It has nothing to do with me!" Xiang Ma looked at me with a strange expression: "It has nothing to do with you? Did you forget the agreement between you and him so quickly?" I was taken aback for a moment—yes, I seemed to have agreed to a challenge from that guy, but what was the content of the challenge? When that guy challenged me, because I couldn't accept the fact that he was Zhu Xiangxiang's husband, I didn't listen to it at all, so at this time, I couldn't think of what kind of challenge it was. Xiang Ma first looked at me with puzzled eyes, and then her expression gradually became dignified.I could tell something was wrong, and it looked like I had made a mistake, but I still didn't think it was a big deal.Yes, that guy (later I found out his name is Kuang Yinghao) is the son of General Kuang, and General Kuang commanded millions of troops, with a very high rank and power for a while, but so what, this is not the era of the emperor’s autocracy after all Yes, power is not everything! ("Might is not everything" is an extremely lovely situation, but it is a pity that such situations are rare in Chinese history!) When I thought of this, I naturally showed a proud expression—later, Xiangma said that my natural expression was full of pride and confidence, and it was easy for others to feel it, but it was also It was unavoidable to have an air of ignorance, so I tried to show this air as little as possible later, but unfortunately it was very difficult to do it before I was young. Xiang Ma's voice sounded very calm, but she could tell she was doing it on purpose, so as not to surprise me too much, she said: "You agreed to shoot him." I was taken aback for a moment, and couldn't help clenching my hands into fists. Although the sky darkened quickly and the cold wind became worse, I felt a "boom", and my whole body felt hot! There are quite a few talents in my family, and some of them became soldiers, but they lived a life of civilians in my hometown. A civilian boy like me has never had the opportunity to touch real firearms. The Kuang Yinghao shootout with guns earlier than chopsticks? In the feeling of fever all over my body that I knew I was bound to fail, I smiled wryly: "I don't know how to use a gun at all, at most I should admit defeat at the time!" Xiang's mother shook her head slowly, and I was very angry: "Even if his father is a general, there is no reason not to let people admit defeat!" Xiang's mother was still shaking her head: "He told you the content of the competition in detail, and asked you if you dare, and you dare to say anything, and Xiangxiang heard you agree to it!" I couldn't help laughing bitterly, I didn't hear what Kuang Yinghao said at all! Seeing my hesitation, Xiang Ma sighed, "Although it's hard to follow a man's word once he says it, but I can do it for you!" I wanted to yell: "Don't refuse!" But before I yelled, I put my hand on my chest and asked in a deep voice: "What is the content of the competition...I didn't hear it clearly at the time." Xiang Ma looked at me for a while before she believed my words. She told the content of the competition: "Each person must choose an assistant, and two people form a team. Among the two people, it doesn't matter who shoots. The target is an egg on the head of his companion." After I heard this, I couldn't help being stunned for a while, and Xiang Ma added: "This kind of competition evolved from the apple that William Tell shot on his son's head with an arrow." I was still silent, Xiangma's voice was softer, but her words sounded cruel, she said: "Suppose you can find an assistant, you will shoot, or you put eggs on your head and let your assistant To shoot?" I thought about it for a while, and I already understood her intentions. No matter what kind of situation she said, she was joking with her life. In a small county, there is no one with such accurate marksmanship that can be my assistant! The first thing I thought of was, where would Kuang Yinghao go to find such an assistant?I raised my eyebrows, but before I asked this question, Xiangma had already answered me, and her answer made me heartbroken! She said: "Xiangxiang will become his assistant──I know he will definitely ask Xiangxiang to be his assistant, and I also know that Xiangxiang will agree!" I lowered my head very low, agreed to the challenge and backed down, that is already extremely useless, and I have to look at the girl I like, as the assistant of the enemy who is showing off his power, what will it be like, I don't even think about it Dare to think. It seems that I am desperate!It was my tenacious character that made me react differently from ordinary people. At the same time, because I thought of a person, I had a glimmer of hope. I actually asked very calmly: "When is the competition?" Xiang Ma's expression was extremely surprised: "Tonight, after the county government's grand banquet──Public competition." I turned around: "I'll be there on time!" Xiang Ma didn't tell me to stop, think again, and advised me to quit.Facing the cold wind, I strode away. Remember one of my classmates nicknamed "Big Eyes"?He has the ability to shoot a hundred shots with a slingshot.I called him out of the house and told him what had happened. After he heard this, his face turned green with fright, and he shook his hands again and again: "Wesley, although we are good friends, I dare not let you shoot...eggs on my head!" I shook my head: "You shoot the eggs on my head!" The big eyes cried out anxiously: "Wesley, I have never touched a gun, no! No! No!" He said "no" three times in a row, and I stamped my feet: "How do you aim the slingshot?" The big eyes stopped crying: "To tell you the truth, I have been taught by an expert. The secret master taught me is that as long as the mind is focused on the target, the shot will follow the mind and hit the target .” At that time, I had never heard of this mysterious "mind aiming method". It was not until many years later that "laser-guided missiles" appeared in weapons. The two have similarities in theory. I paused every word: "Then use your method to shoot me!" The big eyes were so anxious that they held their heads in their hands and turned around: "If you make a slight mistake, your head will explode and you will die!" I said it more firmly: "I would rather die under your gun than suffer such humiliation!" As I said that, I dragged my eyes and left—it was several miles to the place of the feast, and I had to drag and push along the way, and it took a lot of time. By this time, it happened to be the feast. Before entering the hall, I heard Kuang Yinghao laughing like an adult: "That kid named Wei won't come, he doesn't dare to come, and he can't find a partner either!" His words made me furious, but another girl's clear voice sounded: "Wesley will come, even if he can't find a partner, he will come alone!" Zhu Xiangxiang's voice! In an instant, my blood boiled with enthusiasm, I pulled my big eyes, held my chest high, and walked in with great strides. As soon as I entered, the lights were brightly lit, and I didn't know how many people there were. I saw a table in the middle, and there were a few very powerful people sitting there. Zhu Xiangxiang and Kuang Yinghao were also there, and two of them were my elders. , If you say you are not nervous, it would be abnormal, but the big eyes beside me also straightened up, his face was extremely pale, but his expression was very resolute. All the people fell silent when they saw the two of us. A majestic middle-aged man (he was wearing casual clothes, but I believe he was General Kuang) asked, "Two young men, have you practiced shooting?" I responded, "I've never seen a real gun!" General Kuang turned to his big eyes, and before he could ask a question, he said, "I've only shot a slingshot!" The roar of laughter in the hall is like a flood that can drown us.But ridicule is ridicule. With our insistence, the competition is still going on.Kuang Yinghao's partner is indeed Zhu Xiangxiang. When Xiangxiang and I put a small circle on our heads and put another egg on the circle, hundreds of people fell silent.Zhu Yinghao held two guns, came over and asked the big eyes to choose first, and the big eyes picked one at random. The distance was ten meters, and General Kuang threw a cup as a signal. Since the two guns were fired at the same time, there was only one shot. After the gunshot, I only felt a viscous liquid flowing all over my head and face. At that time, I really thought it was eggs and brains, but of course it was just egg whites and egg yolks! The big eyes succeeded, I wiped it with my hand, and saw Zhu Xiangxiang opposite, also with egg white and egg yolk all over her head and face! The cheers and applause in the hall continued for a long time.General Kuang stood up and could see that he was extremely excited, the applause stopped for a while, and he said loudly: "Everyone, you should be like this!" When he was talking, he pointed at me and stood close to me with big eyes. I had already settled down, and my answer to him was: "I dare not, but one of the three conditions of a man is that you can't be subdued by might, but you can." It can be done!" When I said that, I looked at Kuang Yinghao, and he applauded me louder than everyone else.