Chapter 2(2)()

Taihang Mountain Foothills.

On a winding mountain road, the autumn wind blows the yellow leaves all over the ground. Two horses gallop along the way, and the horse's hooves step on the yellow leaves, like flying on the golden river, and the crisp foot sounds echo in the mountains.

"Sir, we set out from noon and ran all the way to now, it's time to take a break." Li Yuanfang shouted to Di Renjie on the horse while galloping.

Di Renjie also urged the horse to run quickly and replied loudly: "What's wrong with Yuan Fang? I, an old man, haven't called me tired yet, are you going to rest?"

"Sir! It's not that I'm tired, it's that your horse is tired!" Li Yuanfang clamped his legs suddenly, and the horse under his seat rushed forward, immediately blocking Di Renjie's front. He gently stretched out his hand and grabbed Di Renjie's horse's reins firmly in his hand. The horse neighed, stepped on his hooves a few times, and then stopped obediently.

"Uh? Yuan Fang, what do you mean?" Di Renjie gasped and looked at Li Yuanfang in confusion.

"Sir, look at it." Li Yuanfang gently patted Di Renjie's mount. Di Renjie looked down and saw that the horse was sweating all over, with sweat flowing down his mane. His legs could clearly feel the horse's body trembling slightly, and four hooves stepped on the ground one after another, as if it was difficult to maintain the center of gravity.

"It, how could it happen?" Di Renjie said suspiciously.

"You are too hurrying today, too fast." Li Yuanfang said.

"No, the station obviously exchanged the best horse for us. Besides, your horse is still fine?"

Li Yuanfang smiled faintly, and glanced at Di Renjie's waist casually. Di Renjie looked down at him, and couldn't help but smile relieved.

Li Yuanfang jumped off the horse, stood in front of Di Renjie, stretched out his right hand and said, "Sir, it will be dangerous to ride this horse. Please dismount. I will accompany you for a while. Go ahead and change my horse."

Di Renjie turned over and got off the horse helplessly. Li Yuanfang took two horses and followed him slowly. The two of them were speechless for a moment and walked silently. Di Renjie sighed and said, "Yuanfang, do you know why I am so in a hurry today?"

Li Yuanfang shook her head.

Di Renjie looked around and muttered, "It should be nearby." Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he quickly walked towards a steep slope in front. Li Yuanfang saw that the path was extremely thin and narrow, shook his head, tied two horses to a tree next to him, and quickly followed.

The two of them climbed up the steep slope in three or two, and their eyes suddenly became clear. The mountains were stretched under their feet, and the clouds were covered with deep mist. They looked up at the clear sky, and only a few faint clouds were floating in the distant sky. Di Renjie sighed infinitely melancholy and said, "Yuan Fang, I walked this same road thirty years ago."

"Thirty years ago?"

"Yes. At that time, I was recommended by my teacher Yan Liben to be promoted from Bingzhou to the Dharmakaya of Bingzhou. I went north to Taiyuan through this Taihang Mountain. Back then, I walked to this place, and thought about my father who was idle in a job in Henan. Looking south at Heyang, I was filled with emotion and tears. I finally realized the truth that "loyalty and filial piety are not the same, and my son and ministers are hard to achieve both relationships. I never thought that these thirty years have passed in a blink of an eye. Now I am also at the time of retiring and unemployed, and I am still following the same path."

Di Renjie said, his eyes couldn't help but feel a little wet. He suppressed his heart and looked at Li Yuanfang beside him, and smiled and said, "Thirty years ago, you were just born. I'm afraid it's hard to resonate with these things to you. Ah? Is it? Yuanfang?"

Li Yuanfang smiled gently and said, "Sir, as long as you don't say you are playing the piano for a cow, I'm very grateful."

Di Renjie was amused by him and laughed loudly: "Okay, I haven't seen such a smart cow before."

Li Yuanfang said: "Sir, if you have finished your feelings, let's continue to rush forward. There should be a pavilion to rest. We go there to drink horses and drink water, and then we will climb over this cliff before sunset."

"Okay, let's listen to the general."

"grown ups......"

The two walked back to the mountain road side by side again. Di Renjie was still immersed in the melancholy feeling just now. He felt his heart rippling, and thousands of thoughts surged into his heart, but it was difficult to understand. He looked at the silent Li Yuanfang beside him, and always felt that he was with him when he walked this path thirty years ago. Although he knew it was impossible, he was still stubborn in this idea. His fate with him was definitely not only in the tent of the ten years ago, but in a longer past. But that past is hard to retrieve.

"Sir, look." Li Yuanfang's voice woke Di Renjie from his meditation. He looked up and saw a few steps ahead. There was a pavilion.

In the pavilion, an old man set up a small tea stall. Next to it is a simple manger for horse riding guests to feed horses, and a large bamboo cage, which is set up on a small fire built by wooden sticks. Several rocks are built around to block the wind. The cage is covered with snow-white trellis, which is steaming.

Di Renjie was happy: "Haha, it seems we have a good time today."

When the old man saw someone coming, he quickly called Di Renjie to sit down. Li Yuanfang tied the horses to the side of the trough, and saw that the two horses began to chew the fodder in the trough, then walked over and sat next to Di Renjie. At this time, Di Renjie had already talked with the old man for several conversations.

"Oh, the weather is getting colder and colder. There are fewer and fewer pedestrians on this mountain road. I will keep it here for a few days and it will be time to take it home for winter." The old man complained while pouring two bowls of hot tea.

"Brother-in-law, what good thing is steaming in your cage?" Di Renjie asked with a smile.

"You said this, that's a specialty of our Taihang Mountains, called Pengyan Cake." The old man lifted the lid and a fragrance came to his nose. The old man looked at Di Renjie and said, "You old man, you seem to be a local person in the accent, why don't you know this?"

Di Renjie laughed: "Ah, my father-in-law listened accurately. I am from Bingzhou. I have not had the opportunity to eat the delicious food of this hometown for many years. Today, I have to take this opportunity to taste it. My father-in-law, I will give us one piece. Come, come, Yuanfang, I will treat you today."

The old man put the cake into the bowl in front of the two and said, "Why are you two fathers and sons so polite? Why are you invited?"

"Oh? Daddy, how do you know we are two fathers and sons? Do we look similar?" Di Renjie asked with interest on the heat on the cake.

The old man looked at Li Yuanfang carefully, then looked at Di Renjie, and said, "If you want to say it, it doesn't look like it. But I am so old and I have seen many people. You are obviously two fathers and sons, so I will never read it wrong."

Di Renjie looked at Li Yuanfang with a smile, nodded and said, "Yes. My father-in-law has such a good eye, you read that right."

The old man looked at the fire and said to Di Renjie: "You two will eat first. This firewood is not enough. I'll go to the bushes behind me to find a few."

"Hey, you're busy with yours."

Di Renjie saw the old man walking into the bushes, and looked at Li Yuanfang with affectionately ate the cake, and said in a low voice: "Climb this mountain today, and walk another day tomorrow, you will arrive in Bingzhou City. It's time for me to introduce the situation at home to you."

"Sir, please speak."

"Yeah." Di Renjie nodded, and his expression slowly became serious: "Although Bingzhou is my hometown, I told you just now that my father had been an official in the court for a long time. I followed him to work everywhere and traveled around the land of China since I was a child. In fact, I did not live in Bingzhou for long. However, when I was in Bingzhou as the Grand Governor's Office, I stayed here for more than ten years. That period was also the longest time I had in Bingzhou. Now, my eldest son and second son have also become officials, one in Weizhou and the other in Yizhou. They are all very filial and took my two wives over. Therefore, today the only ones who stayed in my hometown are my eldest wife and my younger son Jinghui. Speaking of Jinghui..."
Chapter completed!