"Okay, I'll serve it myself." Mei Yue ran to the kitchen and filled a bowl of rice. She took a chopstick and took a bite. It was pretty good. Unexpectedly, the rice was cooked well.

Mei Yue ate her meal and ran back a little disappointed.

"Are you full?" Li Chu looked at Jiang Zuilan and asked.

"I'm full." Jiang Zuilan nodded and said while clearing the dishes.

"Don't go out this afternoon. The leg will probably heal tomorrow." Li Chu was afraid that she would run around again. Although the people in the village were all fine, he was afraid of meeting people with ill intentions. After all, such a pretty little girl

, it would be troublesome if a single man saw it.

"Um."

After dinner, Li Chu took some books and read them in the yard, while Jiang Zuilan also sat next to him.

Jiang Zuilan saw at a glance where he was sitting just now, he had made many writings on the ground with small branches.

When Li Chu saw Jiang Zuilan looking over, he erased those words with some embarrassment. Jiang Zuilan didn't look at what those words said. Although her eyes were a little blurry, she might not be able to see clearly. Even if she could see clearly, she was too lazy to do so.

look.

She glanced at the somewhat torn book Li Chu was holding and asked, "Are you reading?"

"Um."

"Are you literate?"

Li Chu glanced at Jiang Zuilan, she must be literate.

"Um."

Jiang Zuilan said nonchalantly, "Aren't you also literate?

"I only went to private school for two years, and I have almost forgotten everything I learned at the beginning."

Jiang Zuilan glanced vaguely, and it turned out that what he was reading was a Zhongyong book.

I can barely eat anymore and still read a book. It’s so relaxing.

"Some things are confusing to me. Can you help me take a look?" Li Chu looked at it intermittently, frowned and thought for a while, and then asked Jiang Zuilan, "Alan, what are these two lines of poetry?

what?"

Jiang Zuilan took the book and read it carefully, and said, "When joy, anger, sorrow, and joy have not emerged, it is called Zhong; when they are all in harmony, it is called Harmony. The one who is in the middle is the foundation of the world, and the one who is harmonious is the prosperity of the world."

Tao."

"What does this mean? Can you tell me?" Li Chu was a little confused. He could recognize most of the words, but the meaning of these words was too difficult to understand. He still couldn't figure it out for a while.

Jiang Zuilan thought for a while and said, "If the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow and joy do not occur, it can be called Zhong. If the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow and joy occur, but they are all moderate and measured, it can be called harmony. Zhong is the best in the world.

Fundamentally, harmony is the law that the world follows. When harmony is achieved, heaven and earth will be in their proper place, and all things will grow and develop."

Jiang Zuilan said softly, Li Chu's eyes lit up, but Jiang Zuilan did not look.

"Isn't it great now? Why do you want to learn so much?"

Li Chu frowned with thick eyebrows and said while thinking hard, "Is this okay now? Do you really think so?"

Jiang Zuilan turned to look at him, and Li Chu smiled innocently at Jiang Zuilan, "But..." I want to give the people I like a better life.

His smile was innocent, trying to make himself appear more solid and reliable, more worthy of her.

Jiang Zuilan heard what he didn't say and didn't ask. She was not interested in these things. Studying was always good. No matter what it was for, it was only his business.

Li Chu read another sentence, "Then the destiny is called nature, the willful nature is called Tao, and the practice of Tao is called teaching. The Tao is not to be separated for a moment, but it is not the Tao to be separated. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful not to see what he does not see.

, be afraid of what you don’t hear. Don’t see what’s hidden, don’t show what’s subtle. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful about what he alone does. What does that mean?”

Jiang Zuilan took the book and read it for a while, then said, "What God has given to humans is nature, following nature is Tao, and following Tao to cultivate oneself is teaching. Tao cannot be left for a moment, but what is left is not Tao. Therefore,

A gentleman should be careful where no one can see him, and should be fearful and reverent where no one can hear him. Even when he is hiding, he will be discovered, and even the smallest details will be exposed. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful when he is alone."

In fact, Jiang Zuilan usually doesn't read these books. The main purpose of Zhongyong's entire chapter is to discuss neutrality and explore ways to achieve neutrality. She is not interested in these.

I didn't expect that Li Chu would still study this book. There was no one to teach him. It was really difficult to learn this way, and learning it might not be of any use. It was just used to pass the time.

That's right, now we only have time to kill. Jiang Zuilan also took a book, and the two of them exchanged words from time to time while reading.

Time passed quickly, the early summer evening breeze was trembling, the moon was high in the sky, and when she looked up in the night sky, she saw countless fireflies dancing in the night sky.

At night here, there are only oil lamps illuminating the small area, flickering brightly and dimly.

Li Chu saw Jiang Zuilan looking at the firefly, then turned around and limped out.

Jiang Zuilan saw Li Chu going out and thought he had gone to the latrine, so he ignored him.

After a while, I heard inconsistent footsteps coming from outside.

When she looked up, she saw Li Chu running up to her panting, with a lot of grass clippings and soil in his hair.

"What did you do?" Jiang Zuilan wondered, did this guy go fight with someone in the middle of the night?

Li Chu chuckled and took out the hand hidden behind his back.

Suddenly, Jiang Zuilan's eyes flashed with fluorescence.

If you look carefully, you will see that he is holding two translucent washed gauze balls in his hands, and they are emitting a faint fluorescent light, like two small lights.

Li Chu chuckled and said, "I just went to catch him. How is it? Now you can see a little brighter. Your eyes happen to be too hurt by using an oil lamp. This is just right."

As he spoke, he eagerly put the pack of fireflies in front of Jiang Zuilan.

The light of fireflies is very faint and flickering, very beautiful.

Li Chu could clearly see the bright eyes in front of him and the expressionless face.

He looked at her and his heart trembled.

"How is it? Is it bright?"

"Bright," she said.

Li Chu held the two gauze bags in both hands and handed them to Jiang Zuilan.

Jiang Zuilan opened the gauze bag and released the fireflies. Li Chu was smiling when suddenly, a ray of starlight drifted past his eyes.

Taking a closer look, it turned out to be fireflies.

The fireflies surrounded them as soon as they came out, and the little bits of fluorescent light kept flashing, flickering on and off, as if countless little bits of starlight were surrounding them.

Jiang Zuilan carefully stretched out her hand and let several fireflies rest in her palm. The light reflected in her eyes dimmed and brightened according to the rhythm of the fireflies. Such beauty could survive longer in the night sky.

Fireflies emitted a faint light in the night sky. He looked at her profile and was so beautiful that he fell in love with her at a glance.

The fluorescent light shone in her eyes, as if they were filled into a dreamy sea of ​​stars, and her features were deeply imprinted in his mind.

It turns out that nothing in the world is as good as her eyes. The summer fireflies are flying in the night sky, sparkling like her eyes. Li Chu reaches out to grab the fireflies, holds them in his hands, and puts them in Jiang Zuilan's eyes.

before.

The chirping of various birds and the chirping of insects added a lively atmosphere to the otherwise peaceful night. Looking at this scene, Li Chu thought that this moment could stay forever. Stars were shining in her eyes, and Li Chu was paying attention with all her heart.

Feel this moment and want to engrave it all in your heart.

The night sky and the fireflies suddenly became the background, and now Li Chu only had her in his eyes.

"So beautiful." Li Chu looked at the person in front of him, suddenly in a trance, and his heart was beating fast.

He looked at Jiang Zuilan, whose clear eyes reflected fireflies, and there was an indescribable touch of clarity, like a clear spring, so clean and refreshing that it made people reluctant to stir up a little ripple.

The people are beautiful and the scenery is beautiful. Li Chu will often think of nights like this in the coming years, and every time he thinks of it, a happy smile can't help but hang on his lips.

If they could stay in that night, that past, would everything be different?

Can he remain unknown as a villager who lives by collecting medicines, and uses his savings to support her with difficulty? She may not have enough to eat or wear, but when she doesn't, he will leave rations for her.

When she couldn't wear warm clothes, he would warm her with his chest.

At that time, he slowly raised his head and looked at the familiar and cold face in front of him through the prosperous Kyoto in front of him. She was still the same as before. She was still the same as before.

It's just that... he can never go back to the past.

Many years later, Li Chu looked at Jiang Zuilan, his eyes filled with clear eyes reflected by fireflies in the darkness and a face that had been peaceful with time. Nothing seemed to have changed, except that his steps towards her never stopped.

"Let's go, let's go cook." Jiang Zuilan said and left.

Li Chu seemed to suddenly wake up from a dream. He stood on the same spot, surrounded by fireflies flying everywhere, but he stood in the midst of the flickering fluorescence, but he did not leave for a long time.

.

The next day, Li Chu's legs were no longer swollen and he could walk normally.

Li Chu had cooked the meal early in the morning. He was a little embarrassed to let Jiang Zuilan cook for the past two days. Since his feet were healed, he hurriedly cooked the meal in advance and was determined not to trouble her.

It was just that when Li Chu was delivering food to his mother, he smiled when he heard her mother nagging that the food was not as delicious as yesterday.

After dinner, Li Chu was about to go into the mountains to collect herbs. Thinking of the fact that he had not gone into the mountains in the past two days because of his legs, and the rice that was about to bottom out, he felt a little guilty. It was really hard for him to let her follow him.

"Do you want to go into the mountains to collect herbs? I'll go too." Jiang Zuilan was going to get some small animals to replenish his body. After all, his body was still too weak and he needed to recover quickly.

Li Chu looked at her in surprise. Hearing that she wanted to follow her into the mountains, he frowned, "No, it's too dangerous inside."

"You forgot that I went there yesterday, and don't you go there often?" Jiang Zuilan disagreed with him. People like him can go, why can't she go?
To be continued...