Bianshanhan [farming]

When Li Qingwen was explaining the benefits of silage fodder to Lao Xingtou and his family, bad news came from the northern outpost. One of the outpost officers and soldiers was taken away because he hadn't contacted the other outposts for a long time and was waiting to be found. When I passed by, I found that the two corpses outside the outpost had rotted, and the bloody sheepskin on the ground said that they were under siege.

After hearing this, Li Qingwen's heart stopped for a few breaths, then he got up and ran to find Zhou Fengnian. Zhou Fengnian was questioning the officers and soldiers who had returned from Lin Tan's sentry in the north, so he could only find Zhou Congxin.

"It's not you, Big Brother Jiang." Zhou Congxin said with a tired face, "According to the officer and soldier who reported the letter, those people should be from the Luoche Kingdom. They are very fierce, but fortunately there are not many of them..."

Otherwise, the northern outpost might be completely wiped out.

Soon, the camp sent officers, soldiers and food to the north for reinforcements.

Watching those officers and soldiers leave the camp on horseback, Li Qingwen stared down at his left hand. There was a wound there before, but it has disappeared now, but the injury a few months ago is still vivid in his memory.

He regretted it. He shouldn't have been angry before Jiang Cong left. He only hoped that Jiang Cong and the others could come back safely.

"Boy, baby..."

A sound of calling woke up Li Qingwen, he opened his eyes, and saw his mother looking at him anxiously.

His body was sore, and Li Qingwen found himself lying on the table and fell asleep while reciting.

Chen looked at his youngest son worriedly. Ever since he heard that there were enemies in the north, he had been in this distraught state. He knew that he was afraid of Jiang Cong and the others' accidents, and he was too far away, so he couldn't even take a look.

"What's the matter, mother?" Li Qingwen stood up and asked.

"Miss Tao is here."

Chen Shi stepped aside, Tao Ruoning came over, her head was a little wet, she was holding a bag in her hand, and the outside was also wet.

Only at this time did Li Qingwen realize that the room was dark and it was raining outside.

After waking up her son, Chen opened the door curtain and went out. Li Qingwen gave up his seat, and Tao Ruoning wiped off the water from the outside of the bag with a cloth towel, and then took out a roll of thick paper from inside.

These are all paintings, I don't know how many, the top one is a scene of an older child leading a group of children to plant trees, after staring at the paper for a long time, Li Qingwen realized that the tallest one might be himself.

"Is my chin so round?" Li Qingwen turned to look at Tao Ruoning and asked in confusion.

Tao Ruoning wiped the water from her hair with the towel stuffed by Mrs. Chen, and said, "It was pretty round at the beginning of spring, but now I'm tired and thinner."

There were dozens of these papers at a glance, but there were only a few in the past. Li Qingwen flipped through them and said, "Why are there so many?"

"I took everything I drew at will."

These paintings are all made in spring and summer, some are scenery, some are people, not only there are pictures of pulling horse-drawn carts, but also scenes of wild ducks playing in the water, and scenes of smashing city walls.

Li Qingwen doesn't know how to paint, but he thinks that Tao Ruoning can draw so much, he should be in a better mood. If he is in a bad mood, he may find it difficult to write. For example, he fell asleep after reading a book for a long time without memorizing a single word. ...

With a long breath in his heart, Li Qingwen continued to turn over the paper.

When he turned to the bottom one, Li Qingwen's fingers did not move. On it was only the profile of a man in a short brown shirt. He was tall, with long hands and feet. Under the rolled up sleeves was a strong forearm. Holding it in his hand, the veins on his hand were bulging, as if he was enduring something.

There are no frontal facial features, all you can see is a sharp side face like a knife, a tall nose, and half-length hair...

Li Qingwen's chest throbbed violently, and he turned to look at Tao Ruoning, "This, this is..."

"It's Jiang Cong." Tao Ruoning sat on the wooden stool and looked at him.

Hearing this, Li Qingwen's eyes froze when he looked at her. Although he didn't speak, the question he wanted to ask was already written on his face - why did he draw him?

Being stared at by him, Tao Ruoning couldn't help sitting up straight, and explained: "I came to look for you last time, and saw that you two seemed to be arguing, so you didn't make a sound. After you left, Jiang Cong stood there the whole time. ..."

As a painter, Tao Ruoning has always been observant. She saw the unbearable pain in Jiang Cong's eyes at a glance. After going back quietly, she wrote on the paper like a ghost.

Although Li Qingwen seldom said anything to her, Tao Ruoning felt that he should also miss Jiang Cong a lot, so he brought this painting with him this time.

Seeing that Li Qingwen was fascinated by the painting, Tao Ruoning couldn't help persuading him: "I heard from Ma Yongjiang that the two of you have always had a very good relationship. If there is any awkwardness, you should talk about it earlier. I know you are not stingy. No, hurry up and make up."

Li Qingwen thought to himself, if the quarrel was okay, but he and Jiang Cong weren't quarreling, they were just angry. Jiang Cong bandaged his wound in the dark, and he was about to leave the next day, but he didn't tell him personally. , and left alone.

Until now, he wanted to know, what happened?

Everyone said that Jiang Cong was close to him, like brothers. Li Qingwen felt that none of his four older brothers would leave without a word like Jiang Cong. Know why now it looks like he was thrown out.

It's just that he never thought that if any elder brother taught him like this, he wouldn't miss it for so long.

Li Qingwen was in a daze all the time, Tao Ruoning looked at the sky outside, and asked, "Did something happen to the sentry post? Do you know what happened to Ma Yongjiang?"

Hearing her question, Li Qingwen realized that it was not suitable to deliver paintings on rainy days. Tao Ruoning came to him because he wanted to inquire about the north.

Li Qingwen relayed Zhou Congxin's words, and like him, Tao Ruoning did not get much comfort.

The rain stopped outside, and after Tao Ruoning left, Li Qingwen rolled up the painting again, took it to the West Room, opened the wooden cabinet, and put it together with the others.

Before closing the cabinet, Li Qingwen took out the scroll again, took out the last one alone, sat on the kang and looked at it several times carefully, seeing the sullen face and clenched hands, as if he saw that day when he was in front of him. Jiang Cong behind him.

He doesn't think about those messy things now, he just wants to see Jiang Cong sooner.

It was getting dark outside, Li Qingrui went to the west room to get something, saw the motionless black figure on the kang, was startled, opened the door curtain, saw Li Qingwen by the fire in the stove, and said: "Boy, you sit stupidly." What are you doing, the silage fodder you mentioned, how will the grass be dried before it can be put into the cellar, father and the others are preparing to find time to dig the cellar."

Li Qingwen moved his mouth a few times, Li Qingrui heard that he had no strength, so he pushed him onto the kang and lay down to sleep, "Take a rest, don't get tired and stupid."

Going to the outhouse, Li Qingrui said to Li Maoxian: "Father, why don't you let Zi'er go to the capital early, because I happen to be studying and taking exams with my second child. I have been studying and working for the past few months, and I am exhausted... ..."

This year the guards sent the exiles over, and they also received many letters from the capital. The reopening of the imperial examination by the imperial court is a good thing for all people in the world, but Li Qingzhuo's upcoming big exam was stopped abruptly because of an imperial decree. The exams of the previous years were all invalidated.

The new emperor's new policy, regardless of their family background, treats everyone equally. No matter if they are peasants or disciples of aristocratic families, they must take the subjects approved by the court together. Li Qingzhuo will now start again like Li Qingwen.

In the letter, Li Qingzhuo was not depressed, he had learned everything he had learned in the past few years in the capital, and starting over would only give him more time to study.

Li Qingwen didn't hear what dad said clearly, he just felt too tired, he just wanted to close his eyes, he didn't want to see or listen.

Just when Li Qingwen closed his eyes, a thousand miles to the north of the camp, it was raining heavily. In the rain, two groups of people were galloping on the vast meadow, one behind the other.

The people in front were all tall and strong like a bear. They had fierce faces and cursed loudly incomprehensible words. Someone took off the ax from his waist and threw it behind him.

The ax hit the head of the front horse, and the horse screamed and fell, and the people on it were thrown far away.

Most of the chasers slowed down, only one horse was still unaffected, the black horse took off with all four hooves, and the rider on the horse pulled his body round in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the darkness, bright as day, and clearly illuminated the chase on the grass, except that it couldn't shine into those eyes that were as dark as a deep pool.

The whole body of the man who drew the bow was already drenched, and his wet face was calm and unwavering.

No sound came out, and the person on the horse in front suddenly froze, and his heavy body fell into the muddy water.

The thunder continued.

After chasing for more than 200 miles, the number of people in front has changed from 53 to [-]. No, the neck has been pierced from the back to the front just now, and now there are [-] left.

There is only one rider left in the back, but the people in front dare not stop.

The heavy rain blocked too much movement, and they lost their way, but the arrows behind them seemed to have eyes, and one of them took a life.

The grass was too slippery after it rained, and the fast-running horse lost its balance, and immediately fell down with its tall body. Before it could hide, the dark ghost behind it had arrived, with a sharp knife and the cold rain running across its neck. Those blue eyes full of fear stared at the sky.

Fifteen more.

The rain is getting heavier and heavier, and this life and death struggle is not over yet.

The thunder rumbled, and the people on the kang moved uneasily.

Suddenly being patted, Li Qingwen turned his head, and the familiar person leaned tightly behind him, "Shoulders open."

He obeyed, and the people behind him patiently corrected his posture and taught him how to exert strength.

Li Qingwen was puzzled, why did this man change his face today, when his mind was distracted, the arrow went astray in one click.

"What are you in a daze for, draw the bow away..." The person behind him handed him another arrow.

"You won't teach me today?" Li Qingwen asked unexpectedly.

That handsome face smiled and asked, "Then what lesson do you want to learn?"

Li Qingwen wanted to say, what did you do before that you yourself forgot so quickly?It made me feel uncomfortable for a long time, why are you acting like a normal person?

Before he made a complaint, the man hugged him and put his hand underneath, a familiar voice rang in his ear, it was very low and hoarse, "If you are not serious, you should be punished..."

No matter what, he couldn't break free from that big hand. His cheeks were as hot as his body, as if on fire. He shrank his body, but stuck even tighter to the person behind him who was hotter than the fire, and he couldn't stop panting. .

The moment the body tensed, the person on the kang woke up, his round and black eyes widened.After a long time, the slender body bent and turned to the other side, still holding the paper tightly in his hand.

The side face of the man on the paper was stiff, not as gentle as in the dream.