Chang Geng took the boiled medicine and went into his little godfather's room.

There was only a dim small oil lamp lit in Shen Shiliu's room, with a bean-sized halo of light like a firefly.

He was sitting by the window, with most of his face submerged in the light, revealing only a little bit of his features. He was probably about to go to bed. Shen Shiliu did not wear a crown, his hair was disheveled, and there was a small cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye and under his earlobe, which looked like needles. The only light in the room was collected by him and reflected in the two small moles, which were almost blinding.

Looking at people under the light can add a little more color than usual.

Everyone loves beauty. Even though he was used to it, Chang Geng couldn't help but hold his breath. He blinked quickly, as if he wanted to blink the dazzling cinnabar mole out of his eyelids. He cleared his throat and raised his voice, "Sixteen, take your medicine."

The boy's voice was changing, so it was a bit difficult for him to talk to the half-deaf man. Fortunately, Shen Shiliu heard him this time, and the sound of the xiao that made people pee came to an abrupt end.

Shen Shiliu narrowed his eyes to see Chang Geng standing at the door: "Who are you calling so disrespectful?"

In fact, he is only seven or eight years older than Chang Geng and has not yet started a family. Perhaps he has some understanding of his useless nature and is prepared to be lonely and helpless if he cannot find a wife. He finally has such a cheap son who does not need him to support him, and he wishes he could hold on to him tightly and always emphasizes his identity as a "father".

Chang Geng ignored him and carefully brought the medicine bowl to him: "Drink it while it's hot. It's getting late. After you finish drinking, lie down quickly."

Shen Shiliu put the xiao aside and took the medicine bowl: "You ungrateful bastard, why don't you be my son? Bai has been so good to you."

He had no difficulty in drinking the medicine, and was obviously used to it. He drank it all in one gulp, and then took the mouthwash that Chang Geng handed to him and drank two sips, then waved his hand and said, "There's a fair at Changyang Pass today, and I brought you something fun, come over."

After saying that, Shen Shiliu bent down and fumbled around on the desk. He couldn't see clearly and his nose was almost touching the table. Chang Geng had no choice but to say, "What are you looking for? Let me do it."

Then, he couldn't help but complain: "I'm already this old, why do you always give me a bunch of things to amuse children?"

If you have the time, you might as well stop making trouble so that I can have more time to learn something useful - Chang Geng thought about the latter part, but when he said it, he felt it was a bit hurtful, so he didn't say it out loud.

Shen Shiliu was a playboy who wasted his time and always dragged Chang Geng along, either asking him to go to the market or taking him horseback riding. One time, he even picked up a "puppy" from somewhere and gave it to him to raise - that time, Mr. Shen was so scared that his face turned green, because the blind man couldn't tell the difference between a wolf and a dog, and brought back a wolf cub.

Captain Xu was away from home most of the year and was a dull person. Although he was very kind to Chang Geng, he did not often communicate with his stepson. It seemed that Chang Geng had spent the two crucial years when he was twelve or thirteen years old with his unreliable adoptive father Shen Shiliu.

From a young boy to a handsome young man, how much self-control does it take to ensure that he will not be led astray by Shen Shiliu?

Chang Geng simply couldn't bear to look back.

He was not a playful person by nature. He had his own plans for everything and was very strict in their execution. He did not like to be disturbed and was often annoyed by Shen Shiliu.

But the annoyance usually does not last long, because Shen Shiliu does not just take advantage of him verbally, he really treats him like his own son.

One year, Chang Geng fell seriously ill. Captain Xu was not at home as usual, and the doctors said that his condition was in danger. It was his adoptive father who took him home and took care of him day and night for three days.

Every time Sixteen went out, no matter how far or near, or where he was going, he would bring some small toys and snacks for Chang Geng. Chang Geng didn't like small toys, but he could not help but love this heart that was always thinking about him.

In short, Chang Geng would get extremely angry every time he saw Sixteen, but he would be worried about him all the time if he didn't see him.

Chang Geng sometimes thought that although Shen Shiliu was not good at lifting things, and was neither good at literature nor martial arts, who knows, there might be someone who would be deceived by his good looks in the future?

My stepfather will eventually marry and have children in the future. So when he has his own children, will he still miss this adopted one?

Thinking of this, Chang Geng felt indescribably upset. He found a square box on the table, briefly shook off his random thoughts, and handed it to Shen Shiliu with little interest: "This?"

Shen Shiliu: "This is for you, open it and take a look."

Maybe it was a slingshot, maybe it was a cheese bag, anyway, it was nothing serious - Chang Geng opened it without any expectation, and said casually: "Even if you have enough money, you should spend it sparingly. Besides, I..."

The next moment, he saw clearly what was in the box, and immediately shut his mouth, his eyes suddenly widened.

There was an iron wrist buckle in that box!

The so-called "iron wrist buckle" is actually a part of the light armor in the army. It only surrounds the wrist and is very convenient, so it is often removed and used separately. The iron wrist buckle is about four inches wide and can hide three or four small knives. The knives are made with special technology and are as thin as cicada wings. They are also called "silk in the sleeve".

It is said that the best sleeve silk is able to split a hair several feet away into two at the moment it is hit out by the spring in the iron wrist buckle.

Chang Geng was surprised and asked: "Where did you get this?"

Shen Shiliu: "Shh - don't let Shen Yi hear it, this is not a joke, if he sees it he will start nagging again - do you know how to use it?"

Mr. Shen was watering flowers in the yard. He was not hard of hearing and could hear everything the people in the room were saying clearly. But there was really nothing he could do about this half-deaf person who judged others by himself.

Chang Geng learned from Shen Yi how to dismantle the steel armor, and put on the iron wrist buckle skillfully, only then did he discover the special features of this item.

Sleeve silk is not easy to make and is rare among the people. Most of the iron wrist buckles on the market are second-hand goods from the military, and the sizes are of course the sizes for adult men. The one that Shen Shiliu brought back is obviously thinner, just right for young people.

Chang Geng was stunned for a moment, and Shen Shiliu knew what he was going to ask, and said slowly: "I heard from the seller that this is a defective product, there is no other problem, it is just a little small in size, and no one has been interested in it, so he sold it to me at a low price. I have no use for it, so you can play with it, but be careful not to hurt anyone."

Chang Geng rarely showed joy on his face: "Thank you..."

Shen Shiliu: "Who are you thanking?"

Chang Geng shouted happily: "Godfather!"

"Whoever gives you milk is your mother, you bastard." Shen Shiliu laughed, put his arm around Chang Geng's shoulder and escorted him out, "Go home quickly, don't hang around outside in the dead of night during the Ghost Month."

Chang Geng remembered after hearing this that the day was the 15th of July.

He walked back to his home through the corner gate. The moment he stepped into the house, he suddenly felt that the music played by Shen Shiliu on the xiao sounded familiar. Although it was completely out of tune, but when he listened carefully, it vaguely resembled the tune of "Sending Off to the West" played at folk funerals.

"Is it appropriate for the occasion?" Chang Geng thought silently.

Shen Shiliu saw Chang Geng off, lowered his head and searched for a long time before he could barely see the outline of the threshold. He carefully stepped over and closed the door.

Mr. Shen, who was waiting in the yard, held his elbow with an expressionless hand and led him into the house.

Mr. Shen: "The wristband is made of the best black iron. The three sleeve silks inside were made by Master Lin himself in autumn. They have become out of print since the master's death... defective product, huh?"

Sixteen didn't respond.

Mr. Shen: "Come on, stop playing dumb with me - do you really want to raise him as your son?"

"Of course it's true. I like this child, Renyi," Sixteen finally spoke up. "That person probably means the same thing - if I can really adopt this child in the future, those people will be relieved, and his life will be much better. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

Mr. Shen was silent for a while, then whispered, "First you have to make him not hate you - aren't you worried at all?"

Shen Shiliu smiled, lifted the hem of his robe and pushed the door open to enter the room.

He said with a jerk look on his face, "There are many people who hate me."

This night, the lights on the river are shining, and the souls return to their hometown.

Before five o'clock in the morning, Chang Geng woke up feeling hot all over, with a thin layer of sweat sticking to his back and his underwear was also wet.

Every teenager will experience such a panic when he grows up - even if someone guides him beforehand.

But Chang Geng was neither panicked nor at a loss. He reacted dully. He just sat on the bed for a moment, then got up and tidied himself up casually, with a hint of barely perceptible disgust on his face. He went out to get a bucket of cold water, scrubbed his newly formed body from head to toe, took the neatly folded clothes beside the pillow and changed into them, drank the overnight tea in one gulp, and started his day's homework as usual.

Chang Geng didn't know what other people were like.

But he didn't actually have any erotic dream. What he dreamed of was a heavy snow outside the Great Wall that was so heavy that it could freeze a person into a coffin.

The wind that day was like white hair, rushing past mercilessly. The blood in the wound had not yet flowed out, but had already solidified into ice. The howling of wolves came from far away, but his impaired sense of smell could not smell the fishy smell of blood. Every time he inhaled, he would choke on a salty and sweet chill that penetrated his bones. Chang Geng's limbs were stiff, and his lungs were burning. He thought that he would be wiped out in the snow.

But no.

When Chang Geng woke up again, he found himself being carried away by a man wrapped in a cloak.

He remembered that the man had a snow-white collar and a long, bitter smell of medicine in his arms. When he saw that he woke up, he didn't ask anything, but took out a wine jug and gave him a sip of wine.

He had no idea what kind of wine it was, and Chang Geng never tasted it again. He only remembered that the liquor sold outside the Great Wall was not as strong as that. It was like a ball of fire that rolled down his throat and set all his blood on fire in one gulp.

That person is Sixteen.

The dream was so clear that the hands of Shiliu holding him seemed to be still on his body. Chang Geng still couldn't figure it out. Wasn't that person a sickly person? In such a terrible world of ice and snow, how could there be such a steady and strong pair of hands?

Chang Geng looked down at the iron wristband on his wrist. He didn't know what it was made of. It didn't warm him up at all after being attached to his body all night. With the coolness of the cold iron, Chang Geng quietly waited for his restless heart and blood to calm down. He sneered and threw away the absurd idea of ​​"dreaming about his adoptive father", and then lit a lamp and read as usual.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound in the distance, and the ground and the hut began to shake. Chang Geng was stunned, and then he remembered that according to the date, the "Giant Kite" on its northern tour would soon return.

The "Giant Kite" is a large ship more than 5,000 feet long. The ship has two wings on its back, which are made up of tens of thousands of "fire wings". When the Giant Kite takes off, all the "fire wings" spew out white steam together, like mountains, like tides, like lakes, like dreams. Inside each "fire wing" there is a bowl-sized piece of purple gold burning, flickering a purple-red glow in the vast smoke and waves. At first glance, it looks like a handful of lights from thousands of homes.

Ever since the northern barbarians paid tribute fourteen years ago, every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a dozen giant kites would set out from the major border towns to patrol the north, each taking a predetermined route, and intimidating the barbarians thousands of miles away, so that they could detect any unusual movements.

In addition to deterrence and patrols, the Giant Kite was also responsible for escorting the annual tribute from the northern barbarian tribes back to the court, mainly "Purple Flowing Gold".

A giant kite was loaded with nearly a million kilograms of purple gold. Even the sound of its footsteps returning was heavier than when it went out. The loud sound of its fire wings blowing could be heard from twenty or thirty miles away.

The giant kite set out on its northern tour in the first month of the year and was gone for half a year, returning only at the height of the scorching sun.