I really don't want to be a teacher

I really can't bear to part with this boat that has been with me for so many years..."

"I'm sorry, young man, you came out to play, I said these don't spoil your interest... Now that I'm old, I just can't help rambling."

Hearing this, Lian Ge shook his head,

"Old man, you can continue to talk. Since I am willing to go out and have a look, isn't it just to listen to other people's stories."

Looking away, Lian Ge looked at the scenery by Qinhuai Lake gradually passing by, and said casually.

"Well, since you're willing to listen, young man, I'll tell you about it. By the way, I'll tell you about the Qinhuai River..."

The old man who was holding the boat put away the poles and sat down on the bow.

However, the painting boat did not stop because of this, it still seemed to be propelled by the current, and continued to move forward slowly along the Qinhuai River.

Chapter 85

"...Young man, don't look at these Goulan cottages, pavilions, towers and pavilions are all like that, but let me tell you, some of them are handed down from the Ming Dynasty, some are from the period of the Republic of China, and some are from that period. They were all rebuilt after liberation...Look at that...that building was built in the Ming Dynasty, when I was young, it was there...Hey, it's still there now that I'm old."

On the painting boat, the old man held a pole and pointed at the buildings passing by on both sides of the boat, with a smile on his wrinkled face.

Lian Ge, who was sitting on the painting boat, also followed the direction pointed by the old man's words, looked at these weather-beaten buildings and people, felt the cool wind blowing from time to time on the Qinhuai River, and smiled on his face.

"...When it was first liberated, there were not as many people here as there are now. At that time, there were only a few boats parked on the small pier, from Zhang's family, Li's family, Xu's family, and others. It's my home...

At that time, my father was still punting the boat. Sometimes, when the boat floated on the water, he could not earn a few dollars a day. I could often hear my mother scolding my father for being worthless, saying that he only knew how to guard the boat all day long. Boat, every time this happens, my father just laughs and doesn't answer...

Afterwards, my father got sick, and his feet were so swollen that they glistened. At that time, medicine was not as advanced as it is now, and before any diseases were found out, he died..."

As he spoke, the old man shook his head, then raised his head to look at the river and the distance.

"Young man, sit still, we are going to cross the bridge soon, and the water will be rushing when we cross the bridge..."

The old man said hello, but didn't get up, and let the boat be pushed by the water, slowly approaching the bridge,

Hearing this, Lian Ge looked forward along the river, nodded, but didn't make a sound.

As for the old man who punted the boat, he looked at the surface of the Qinhuai River and continued to say,

"When my father was about to leave, my mother and I stayed by my father's hospital bed. On the afternoon when he left, my father woke up again for a while. After waking up, he didn't say anything, just looked at him like that. I,

I know that he wants me to guard the boat, but he himself has suffered all his life, and he doesn't want me to suffer another lifetime...

In the end, he didn't say anything. "

"Hey, at that time I was so proud and arrogant, I didn't want to stay on this boat and live like my father for the rest of my life... But there was no way at that time, I didn't read much, I didn't have a high education, and I didn't have any other skills , I was almost eighteen at that time, so I can't let my mother take care of me, right?"

The old man shook his head, held the pole in his hand and continued,

"... I just took over my father's class, just like my father, holding a boat in the Qinhuai River. This pole is like many things. Once you pick it up and put it down, it's not so bad. easy.

In a blink of an eye, it has been decades, and I have just guarded this ship for the rest of my life. "

"...However, in one thing, I can do better than my father. At least my son doesn't have to support this boat anymore."

Saying that, the old man showed a proud smile on his face,

"It's the small pier where you boarded the boat, young man. Now my son is in charge, and my family is also in it."

Accompanied by the words of the old man full of time, the painting boat passed the bottom of the bridge with the current.

Lian Ge raised his head slightly, looked at the blue stones at the bottom of the bridge reflecting the sparkling water, and smiled slightly,

"Then old man, you should have no regrets in this life, right?"

"The family is still harmonious, and the children are still promising, so I have no regrets..." The old man shook his head, "I just can't let go of this boat."

"Young man, look at this..." The old man pointed to a place on the top of the cabin of the painting boat. There were some vague and old scratches on that place.

"These marks were drawn when I was young when I was able to touch the top, but my father beat me up severely, and I cried and complained to my mother..."

The old man stretched out his hand to gently stroke the blurred mark, with a knowing smile on his face.

"Hey...it's been so many years.

I didn't understand before, it's just such a broken ship, what makes my father unable to let it go, now I also understand..."

"...This year, my granddaughter and granddaughter also persuaded me, saying that I am so old, don't punting...but I still can't let go of this pole...

However, after all, I am getting older. Sometimes this boat really can't hold it anymore. When you come next time, young man, I'm afraid you won't be able to see me. "

As he spoke, the old man stood up again, and walked to the bow of the boat with the pole.

In the cabin, Lian Ge also got up and walked out of the cabin.

Looking at the passing scenery on both sides, Lian Ge said calmly:

"Old man, it's time to let go."

Hearing this, the old man paused slightly when he punted the boat, and without turning his head, he smiled,

"Yeah...it's time to let go." The old man looked at the surface of the Qinhuai River and continued, "But young man, just let me push this boat to the end."

Hearing this, Lian Ge glanced at the old man, didn't reply, just went back to the cabin and sat down again casually,

"Hold on, old man. By the way, tell me about the ten miles of Qinhuai."

"Okay." The old man nodded, "Since you are willing to listen, young man, then I will tell you."

"Young man, look at that three-story building some distance away from the shore, that is the best of the ten miles of Qinhuai, his home's sesame seed cakes, I have always been greedy since I was a child, and I always pestered my father to buy.

But at that time, I was poor, my father could only buy one for me every few months, and I had to keep it from my mother, otherwise both my father and father would have to be scolded..."

Said, the old man smiled,

"But the taste of the cake is really good, it's oily and fragrant... But it's a pity, after the old man passed away in the [-]s, the cake can no longer taste that taste..."

Shaking his head, the old man looked away from the building, pointed to the ancient building next to him and continued,

"Look at that, it's the Jiangnan Gongyuan in ancient times. I often went in when I was young. At that time, the yard was full of grass, and there were some large and small vats, just placed in that yard...now there The grass in the yard is gone, and there are more people going there..."

While talking, the old man pointed out to Lian Ge the Goulan tile houses, pavilions and houses on both sides of the bank.

Lian Ge half leaned on the seat in the cabin, listening to the voices coming from the bow of the ship blowing in the wind, and the sound of the water surface being scratched under the ship.

"...Young man, sit still, we have to cross the bridge again..."

The old man yelled, and then moved the water surface with the pole.

The painting boat then drilled under the bridge hole.

"...After crossing this bridge, the ten-mile Qinhuai River is halfway through, young man, look ahead, the scenery is beautiful. It's a pity that you didn't come at night, young man, otherwise the lights will be even more beautiful..."

Accompanied by the slow voice of the punting old man,

The painting boat slowly moved forward along the Qinhuai River, and the scenery on both sides of the river kept receding.

……

Finally, the painting boat slowed down and stopped slowly on a shore.

"Hey... it's the end, it's the end..."

The old man put away the pole, looked around, and shook his head.

Lian Ge then got up from the cabin, walked to the bow,

"Young man, the boat has come to an end. If we go any further, we will turn back." The old man turned around and said with a slight sigh.

Hearing this, Lian Ge looked at the old man and smiled slightly,

"Then come here."

Raising his head, Lian Ge glanced at the surrounding scenery, retracted his gaze, and looked at the old man again,

"Old man, I don't have any money that you can use to pay your boat fare. But since you took my ride, I'll take your ride too."

Chapter 86 The Temple

"...Young man, you have already seen it."

Drawing the bow of the boat, the old man put down the pole in his hand and said,

After the words fell, he shook his head again,

"That's right, I've been standing on that pier all day, and you are the only one who answered me, young man."

Hearing this, Lian Ge looked at the old man, nodded, and asked:

"Old man, when did you go?"

"Last night, as soon as I got off the boat, my eyes went dark, and when I woke up again..." The old man shook his head,

"Then I don't know what happened, but I still can't let go of the boat, and I still come here."

"Young man... are you an underworld messenger?" the old man couldn't help asking.

Hearing this, Lian Ge shook his head,

"No, it has something to do with the underworld."

Lian Ge paused slightly, looked at the old man and continued,

"But old man, ashes to ashes, ashes to ashes, it's time to let go of some things."

Hearing this, the old man was silent for a while, then nodded,

"Yeah, it's time to let go."

Raising his head, the old man looked at Lian Ge,

"Thank you, young man, for allowing me to drive tourists around the Qinhuai River for one last time."

Hearing this, Lian Ge smiled slightly, and at the same time took out the standard communicator of the underworld.

……

In a very short time, the nearest underworld ghost messenger appeared in front of Lian Ge.

"I pay homage to the Heavenly Master." The ghost messenger bowed in salute.

Hearing the sound, Lian Ge nodded,

"Do me a favor and take him down."

"Yes, Heavenly Master."

The ghost guard glanced at the soul of the old boatman beside him, and immediately responded.

"It's troublesome." Lian Ge nodded and said.

"Don't dare, it's our negligence that caused the ghosts to stay in the world." The official of the underworld bowed again and said.

Hearing this, Lian Ge nodded, didn't say anything more, and turned to look at the old man,

"Old man, this is the underworld messenger, you just go with him."

"Thank you...thank you Heavenly Master." imitating the title of a government official in the underworld, the old man on the boat thanked Lian Ge.

Lian Ge nodded and said nothing more.

And the government official of the underworld said at the right time: "Teacher that day, I will take him down first."

"Go."

……

Lian Ge shook his head slightly as he watched the civil servants of the local government disappear from sight with the soul of the old man on a boat.

After glancing at the scenery along the Qinhuai River for ten miles, and at the sparkling water surface, Lian Ge then looked away,

With a jump, Lian Ge got off the boat and returned to the river bank.

Although it is already ten miles downstream of the Qinhuai River, you can still see ancient buildings with mottled traces of time.

Lian Ge looked around, and paused slightly on a hilly peak not far away,

It was a low mountain peak, but apart from the part that was obscured by the nearby buildings, there were faintly visible long and long stairs extending from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain.

And at the end of the stairs, there are several splendid and magnificent halls, and the smoke is still lingering on the splendid buildings, and it is a temple.