Sword.

On February 2, the dragon looks up.

Town in the dusk, secluded place named bottle mud lane, a thin boy alone, as he according to custom, one holding a candle, a handheld peach sticks, shining on the place such as beams, walls, wooden bed, with peach branches tapping, hoping to drive snake, centipede, mouth murmured, is traditionally handed down the town's adage: February 2, candlestick beam, peach hit the wall, the human snake insect nowhere to hide.

Young Chen, name peace, parents died young. The town's porcelain is very famous, since the founding of the dynasty, it has taken on the responsibility of "in order to supervise the burning of mausoleum offerings", there are imperial officials stationed here all the year round, supervision of the kiln affairs. Helpless, have long served as porcelain potter, can only do some chores at first life, with a bad temper halfway teacher, hard boil a few years, just wondering to porcelain doorways, impermanence, as a result, the town suddenly lost kilns made do this amulet, dozens of surrounding the town if the wolong kiln, are all government ordered to shut off overnight.

Chen Ping 'an put down the newly folded peach branch, blew out the candle, went out of the house, sat on the steps, looked up, bright stars.

The boy still remembers clearly that the old master, surnamed Yao, who only admitted to be half a disciple, was found sitting on a small bamboo chair, facing the kiln head, with his eyes closed in the morning of the late autumn of last year.

However, such as Yao old man such people, after all a few.

For the generations to come will only town of porcelain craftsmen, afraid to trespass fire sacrifice kiln, also dare not to give the people called China bootlegging, had to have a plan b, 14 Chen Pingan also wiped out, after the bottle back to mud lane, continue to keep the already crumbling old curtilage, almost none of the dismal scene, is Chen Pingan want to be the black sheep of his family, I don't know where to start.

When a period of time to float about ghosts, young really could not find the business to earn money, by the point meager savings, juvenile barely fill the stomach, riding a dragon outside of a few days ago I heard a few streets lane, to a surnamed ruan away the old blacksmith, seven or eight blacksmith declared to apprentices, don't give wages, but GuanFan Chen Pingan ran a chance, Never thought that the old man just glanced sideways at him and turned him away. At that time, Chen Ping 'an wondered, is it possible that the work of hammering iron depends not on the strength of the arm, but on the appearance of the face?

To know Chen Pingan while looking at a weak, but the strength to be reckoned with, this is young in those years is throwing out of exercise, and besides, Chen Pingan still followed the old man surnamed yao, mountains and rivers, all over town in the hundreds, tasted the flavor of the soil around, work hard, willing to do any dirty, not sloppily. It's a pity that the old yao always don't like Chen Pingan, abandon the young without understanding, and is the yu wood a knot in one's don't begin to understand, than a great disciple Liu Xianyang, this also no wonder that the old eccentric, the teacher brought into the door, practice in person, such as the casting is also boring, Liu Xianyang within half a year's capability, it is worth Chen Pingan hard for three years.

Although he may not need this skill in his life, Chen Ping 'an still closed his eyes, imagined himself with a green SLATE and wheels in front of him, and began to practice pulling. Practice makes perfect.

Every quarter of an hour or so, the boy would rest for a while and shake his wrist, and so on, until he was completely exhausted. Then he got up and took a walk around the courtyard, slowly stretching his muscles and bones. Chen Ping - an had never been taught this, but he had figured it out by himself.

The original sound of silence between heaven and earth, Chen Ping An heard a harsh laugh, stopped, sure enough, see that peer squatting on the wall, grin, do not hide his disdain.

This man is Chen Ping 'an's old neighbor, is said to be the former overseer's illegitimate son, who was afraid to clear the flow of criticism, said the official impeachment, finally returned to the capital alone to report, leaving the child in the hands of a personal friendship of the successor officials, to help care for. Now the town inexplicably lost the official kiln firing qualification, responsible for the supervision of the kiln for the imperial court, their own mud Bodhisattva across the river itself, where also care for the official colleagues of the illegitimate son, drop some silver, on the rush to the capital.

He had become a neighbour who had abandoned his son, but he still lived a leisurely life, wandering about the town with his servant girl, doing nothing all the year round, and never worrying about money.

The loess walls of every household in Mud Bottle Lane are very low. In fact, the neighbors do not have to stand on their heels to see the scene of the yard. However, every time they talk to Chen Ping 'an, they like to squat on the wall.

Compared with Chen Ping 'an's vulgar name, the neighbor boy will be elegant, called Song Jixin, and even with his maidservant, also have a literary title, Zhi GUI.

The girl was standing on the other side of the wall. She had apricot eyes and was timid.

At the gate, a voice called, "Will you sell this maid?"

Song set salary Leng Leng, follow the voice turn head look, is a smiling Jinyi boy, standing outside the hospital, a completely unfamiliar face.

Beside him stood a tall old man with a pale, kind face, squinting gently at the two young girls in adjoining courtyards.

The sight of the old man in Chen Ping An swept away, and no stagnation, but in the Song set salary and maid body, more stay, smile gradually rich.

Song set salary squint way: "Sell! Why not sell it!"

The boy smiled and said, "Name your price."

The girl stared, her face strange, like a panicked young moose.

Song set salary rolled an eye, stretch out a finger, shake shake, "silver twelve thousand!"

The young face of brocade dress as usual, nod a way: "good."

Song set salary to see that boy is not like joking appearance, hurriedly change words way: "is gold ten thousand liang!"

Jinyi young corner of the mouth turned up, way: "tease you play."

Song set salary face gloomy.

Jinyi youth no longer ignore Song set salary, offset line of sight, looked at Chen Ping An, "today thanks to you, I can buy the carp, buy back, I see more happy, think must say thank you face to face, so let Wu grandpa take me to find you at night."

He threw out a heavy embroidery bag and threw it to Chen Ping 'an. Smiling brightly, he said: "This is a reward. You and I are even."

Chen Ping An just want to talk, Jinyi boy has turned away.

Chen Pingan frowned.

Day oneself inadvertently saw a middle-aged man, walking in the street, carrying only the fish basket to capture a golden carp tail slap length, it's in the basket for him badly, Chen Pingan only a glimpse, will feel very happy, then ask, can use ten pence to buy it, the middle-aged reward himself was just thinking of the five zang-organs temple, see profitable, starting at sat, The lion opened his mouth and asked for thirty dollars to sell. Cash-strapped Chen Pingan where there is so much extra money, is loathe to give up the golden carp, eyes is bigger with middle-aged, impending nuptials, think to cut down the price to 15, even if it is twenty to also go, as middle-aged people have held on signs, jinyi young and tall old man pass by, they word, with fifty pence bought carp and fish basket, Chen Ping An can only watch them go, helpless.

Staring at the back of that pair of Ye Sun more and more far, Song set salary back fierce eyes, jumped off the wall, seems to remember what, said to Chen Ping 'an: "you still remember the first month of the four feet?"

Chen Ping 'an nodded.

How can I not remember? I almost do.

According to the centuries-old custom in this small town, if a snake enters the house, it is a good sign and the owner should never chase it out or kill it. Song set pay when the first day of the first lunar month, sit in the sunshine, the threshold and then there's the snake gadgets, commonly known as the only four feet in he's been to the house, grabbed song set salary went broke out in the courtyard, never think that has eight fall off seven meat four feet of the snake, hit back, again and again, the letter of ghosts and gods never said a set from the song dynasty was so angry, In a fit of rage, he threw it to Chen Ping An yard, where to think, Song set salary on the second day under his bed, saw the squat curled up four-legged snake.

Song set salary noticed that the girl pulled his sleeve.

Young and her heart, subconsciously will have been to the mouth of the words, swallow back to the stomach.

What he meant to say was that the grotesquely ugly four-legged snake had recently developed a bump on its forehead like a horn on the top of its head.

Song said, "Je-kyu and I will probably leave next month."

Chen Ping 'an sighed, "Be careful on the road."

Song SET salary half true half false way: "SOME objects I CERTAINLY CAN'T MOVE, YOU can't take advantage of my home no one, unscrupulous ground to steal things."

Chen Ping 'an shook his head.

Song set suddenly laughed, with a finger point Chen Ping An, smiling face said: "it is no wonder that the humble family has no noble son, mo said that this life poor and humble people bully, maybe the next life can not escape."

Chen Ping An was silent.

Each returned to the house, Chen Ping 'an closed the door, lying on the hard wooden bed, the poor boy closed his eyes, whispered: "broken peace, peace, peace, peace......"