The battle situation on the front line of Zhennanguan has now become the matter of greatest concern to the entire Chu State.
Just because the man leading the troops is named Tian Wujing, and just because the troops under his command are called Jingnan Army.
The Chu people did not dare to slack off, because the Jin people also slacked off before, and then the Jin Kingdom was gone.
The princess has not been found yet. Although Li Mu, the general of Congzhou City, was ordered to lead his troops back to the border area, it is said that the wizard has also returned to Yingdu to take charge;
But the surrounding areas The soldiers and horses continued to search for the whereabouts of the princess.
Xiayong City is not big. One side is connected to Mengshan Mountain, and the first floor is far away from Qishan Mountain. The locks on the other two sides not only make it impossible for caravans to pass, but also Pedestrians who planned to take advantage of the money they made before the Chinese New Year to go home had to stay. There was also a gang called the Lard Gang.
The Lard Gang is the name of a beggar gang. It has about thirty or forty gang members, all teenage boys and girls, that is, little beggars. They got together and became a gang.
The name is not domineering, but it represents a yearning for a better life in the future.
Due to the external closure of the city, the Lard Gang members who originally planned to leave Xiayong for Ju'an City at this time had to stop in Xiayong City and continue to live a hard life.
Originally, their gang leader was thinking about the wedding of the princess and the eldest son of the Qu family. When the gang members went to Ju'an City, they could pick up several opportunities to "have fun with the people" and have a few good meals. Food is a must. If you are lucky, you can get some reward money distributed in the street. It can be considered a good start for the new year.
On this day,
Fan Mansion held a funeral ceremony, and
Ms. Wen, the head of the Fan Mansion, died of illness.
The affairs of a luxurious family are naturally no small matter. A single affair is enough to alarm the entire Xiayong City.
Under the leadership of the gang leader, the members of the Lard Gang used their gang savings to buy a lot of coal and firewood. They burned a lot of hot water and started taking baths in the settlement of Antmin Alley. .
Beggars like them rarely take a bath on weekdays. Firstly, it is not so convenient to go out to beg for money and food if they are too clean. Secondly, the weather is cold in winter, and an extra layer of dirt on the body is too much. A layer of warm clothing that costs nothing, but I can’t bear to wash it off.
But it’s different today. Although the beggars’ clothes are in tatters, they are clean. They go to the gate of Fan’s house in groups to get work. The funeral arrangements are cumbersome, and the people who need them are also If there are many people, they will naturally have their work. After completing the work, they will get a bamboo stick, and you can get profit by relying on the bamboo stick.
It is also a red envelope, but unlike the red envelopes for happy events, the Fan family is generous and there is no shortage of this little money. For the Lard Gang, this is indeed a big deal. Gang income.
In a mutton soup shop across the street from Fan Mansion, a dirty child about fifteen years old was drinking mutton soup with a seven or eight-year-old girl in his arms.
The older children eat mutton, while the little girls drink soup and pancakes.
The two of them consciously sat by the window of the shop. It was winter, and the window seat was cold. There were not many people sitting there, so they could avoid disturbing other customers and make themselves more pleasing to the shop owner.
There were two bamboo sticks placed on the table between the two of them. They were issued by the Fan family. The bamboo sticks came in different colors. Some of them could be exchanged for money, while others could be exchanged for a snack.
At this moment, a group of people walked into the soup shop.
The leader is a man, wearing a brocade robe, who looks extraordinary. Beside him, there are two women and one man.
A woman is mature and beautiful, and she becomes romantic after sitting down. Another woman looks like a little maid. There is also a man who is sitting in the corner consciously, holding a bottle of wine and drinking his own. .
When ordinary people come to a soup shop, they basically order a portion of mutton soup and a piece of pancake. The pancake is included with the soup order and is considered a set meal.
Customers who are better off feel that the mutton in the soup bowl is not pleasant to eat. For example, the table we just sat down ordered three bowls of mutton soup, plus two plates of cold-cut mutton. A plate of beans and a plate of wild vegetables.
In this winter, drinking mutton soup with side dishes is a real enjoyment.
Xiayong produces delicious food. Because Fan Mansion is here, there are many merchants coming and going. The proportion of wealthy people is much higher than in other counties. Naturally, they are picky about food. Moreover, there are many visitors. , has brought about many taste demands from other places, and food also needs to be improved through constant exchanges and collisions.
So, Zheng Fan was very satisfied with the soup in this store.
When the shop owner came up to say hello earlier, he also said that the master of Fan Mansion, also known as Fan Zhengwen, was very kind to them. He often sent people over to order take-out food for delivery to the house, so this time Fan Mansion held a funeral, and their family also A silver gift was given.
What the boss said is true, because Fan Zhengwen originally introduced this store to Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan also asked Fan Zhengwen, with the financial resources of the Fan family, wouldn't it be more convenient to take over this store and let the cook enter the house?
Fan Zhengwen, who was busy attending to the funeral of his wife, showed a rare free and easy attitude and joked,
said:
" If a woman from another family really wants to be brought into the family, it won’t be that exciting.”
Uncle Zheng thought Lao Fan was joking at first.
It wasn’t until he returned home. Realized it,
This guy is a bit of a pun.
When Uncle Zheng drinks soup, he will not tear up the pancakes and dip them in, because in his previous life, he was fascinated by the mutton steamed buns. Later, when he actually went to eat the steamed buns, he found that he was a little disappointed.
When I drank soup in this world later, I was willing to take two sips of soup and a bite of pancake to eat clearly.
Therefore, Si Niang did not help Zheng Fan tear it apart, but the princess who had been disguised took the initiative to take the pancake and began to help Zheng Fan tear it into pieces.
Uncle Zheng was stunned for a moment, but did not stop her.
As for food, if it goes to the sky, its main function is to satisfy hunger, butThe added value on food is different.
Across the street, the young man continued to eat meat, while the girl was biting into pancakes.
Zheng Fan saw the table and saw the young man staring at him, so he couldn't help but wave.
The young man put down the soup bowl without hesitation and trotted over, and knelt down to Zheng Fan:
"Better greetings to me, may I be well."
"Why are you just giving your sister soup and eating meat by yourself?"
"As for me, my sister has a bad gastrointestinal condition and meat is not easy to digest."
Zheng Fan nodded Head, said nothing more.
The young man took the initiative and said, "Are you going to leave the city?"
Zheng Fan shook his head.
The young man hesitated for a moment and said: "If I want to leave the city, I have a way here, just to make some money."
"Who said we are going out of the city? ? I just want to leave the city, can I go out now? "
"Looking at the clothes of the aunts and uncles around me, I know that I am planning to go away."
"I do have some discernment."
"Master, just leave it to me, I will take you out of the city."
Zheng Fan still shook his head, waved his hand, and said: "Don't bother me anymore."
"Yes, Master, the villain immediately stepped away."
The young man returned to his table and saw his sister After eating the piece of pancake almost till the end, he hurriedly shouted: "The shopkeeper has made a fortune, give my sister half of the pancake to eat, and we brothers and sisters will give you the dirty water from the kitchen later." Take it away."
When the boss saw this, he shook his head with a smile, but also ordered the waiter to send two more pancakes.
The boss knows who these two beggars are. The young man is the leader of the so-called Lard Gang. Even though this gang is full of beggars, if you really want to do evil, keeping them will allow you to buy and sell them. It doesn't work smoothly.
In addition, although this group of people are also begging for food, they are still honest and do business. There is no need to get angry with these gangsters. It is just a matter of two cakes.
The young man gave another piece of pancake to his sister, and went to make another bowl of soup. You can add more soup, but no meat is added, only soup.
After returning with the soup bowl, the young man continued to look at Zheng Fan's table with his eyes while tearing into new pancakes.
Zheng Fan was eating and drinking, but no one spoke. After they had finished eating, Siniang went to pay the bill, and everyone got up and prepared to leave.
The young man also stood up and asked the girl to run back by herself, while he followed Zheng Fan and his group.
While walking, Zheng Fan stopped at the door of a teahouse, and the group entered the teahouse.
The young man hesitated, touched his pocket, and walked into the teahouse.
However, after entering the teahouse, the young man couldn't find any trace of Zheng Fan and his party. He was glad that he had saved money for a meal while rubbing his head suspiciously.I walked out of the teahouse and quickly walked around to the back door of the teahouse, but still found nothing.
After a while,
The young man sighed and walked back to the door of the teahouse, only to see Zheng Fan sitting alone by the window of the teahouse, looking at him with a half-smile. .
"Hehe."
The young man laughed twice, and without feeling any embarrassment, he ran into the teahouse again, got on Zheng Fan's table unceremoniously, and took out the tea bowl for himself After pouring a cup of tea, Zheng Fan ordered warm tea, not hot, and the young man drank three bowls in one go.
Zheng Fan didn’t ask the young man what he was doing with him, he just silently smoked a cigarette.
The young man discovered that none of the group of people who were following Zheng Fan were now gone.
On the tea table opposite, someone is playing chess.
The young man glanced over, looking a little hot.
Zheng Fan saw this and reached out to the teahouse owner to play a game of chess.
Soon, an old chess set was served.
The young man did not need to be reminded, he stood up and helped Zheng Fan place the chess pieces together.
Uncle Zheng's chess skills are terrible, and the young man's chess skills are very good. After a while, Uncle Zheng was checked to death.
Zheng Fan smiled and clothed himself again.
The young man stood up again to help.
After two more rounds in a row, Zheng Fan lost two more heartily.
Uncle Zheng lost interest, and instead of showing off, he stretched out.
The young man got up, went to the teahouse waiter to refill the tea, and trotted back to pour it for Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan did not drink, but left the tea money, got up and left.
The young man immediately took the silver to pay for the tea, and gave the change carefully before running out in a hurry.
After running out, he found Zheng Fan standing on the street. The young man immediately followed him and stood next to Zheng Fan.
As if aware that he was following, Zheng Fan started to walk forward, and the young man continued to follow behind.
Zheng Fan walked into a small alley, and the young man continued to follow.
Uncle Zheng stood at the end of the alley and hesitated for a while, then walked out, and the young man continued to follow.
After going around in a circle, Zheng Fan stopped at a cowshed and sat down on a haystack. The young man squatted down in front of Zheng Fan with a silly smile.
Zheng Fan pointed at the young man and said:
"You really dare to keep following me."
The young man touched his own Head, said: "You may die if you follow me, but if you don't follow me, you will definitely be dead."
"Where are you from?"
"Hey, Master, you ask this "It's too broad."
The young man touched his pocket and took out three tokens from the lining of his ragged coat.
“This is from the Secret Service, this is from Fengchao, this is from Silver Armor Guard, and there are also some brands from small countries. We don’t have the nerve to carry them all with us..
Sir, you want to ask me which family I belong to. I really can’t answer. I just know that since I gathered these little brothers together to form a gang and wander around, people from many families have come to me. The tiger's body was shaken in front of me. As for me, I just bowed my head and bowed, and then threw me a sign. ”
The Silver Armored Guards, the Secret Service, and the Fengchao are the intelligence agencies of the three major countries. However, these departments are not gods. They will concentrate their efforts on the goals they care about and understand everything. , but in other aspects, it is difficult for them to fully take care of it, especially the lowest level of eyeliner organization, which seems a bit sloppy when it develops.
Anyway, it is just a fake brand. A small amount of money and a dream of a bright future, all at no cost.
But this young man, Xu Shi and his gang are so suitable that he chose so many "dreams" by himself.
The young man silently took all the signs back and said, "Sir, it was the Silver Armored Guard who asked me to keep an eye on the Fan family, so I came. Who would have thought that I would meet him?" Thank you. "
"Do you recognize me? ”
“Look what you said, master, if I had recognized you, wouldn’t this villain have been dead long ago?” The villain has bad luck, he was hit by you as soon as he came here. ”
“Haha. ”
Zheng Fan smiled.
At this time, the fourth princess walked out of the cowshed at the back, but the fourth princess had changed her clothes and looked like a female beggar. .
The princess is not that old.
The young man opened his mouth, as if realizing something, and then knelt down and kowtowed to Zheng Fan. .
It’s not that he had bad luck today and was bumped into by Zheng Fan;
It’s that
he was chosen by Zheng Fan.
p>
“Take her out of Xiayong City. "Zheng Fan pointed to the princess behind him and said.
"I..."
Zheng Fan took out a piece of gold from his arms. Yes, it was just a piece of gold. It was not made into a piece of gold. The appearance of Yuanbao was placed directly in front of the young man.
"As for me, I don't like to talk about dreams with others, and I don't like others to tell me dreams. What I prefer is to use money to do it. Insult me.
I hope you do too. ”
“Yes, the villain will obey.” "
The young man reached out and grabbed the gold nugget and held it in his hand.
"Can you tell me when to leave the city?" "
"You can leave later. ”
Zheng Fan stood up,
Xiong Liqing came over and reached out to help Zheng Fan pat the grass clippings on his trouser legs, but Zheng Fan grabbed his hand and stopped him.
"You will be free soon. "Zheng Fan said.
Xiong Liqing smiled bitterly and said: "I thought that a better way would be arranged for me, such as in a ruined temple, for example, if a few more people die, I don't like this suit. ”
“Not many people will like it. ”
“I like Mr. FengMr. Feng said that you like the pants with small holes on your legs. I think I can wear them for you in the future. ”
“I can’t say that your dream will come true right away, just poke holes in my whole body. "
Xiong Liqing smiled and said: "I can understand, are you afraid? ”
“A little bit, but I think it’s also fun. Zheng Fan said, "Actually, I didn't want you to stay with Siniang." "
"Yes, even if I stay by your side in the future, I won't be able to do anything big. "Xiong Liqing nodded.
Because I am a woman, I can understand women better.
"Have a nice trip and see you on the Lantern Festival. "
Xiong Liqing put her forehead on Zheng Fan's chest, rubbed her chest with her palms, and said, "Wait for me. ”
Then,
The young man took Xiong Liqing away.
Zheng Fan stood where he was, and a carriage came slowly. On the carriage sat It was Fan Zhengwen.
The driver was Weng Zanghai.
Zheng Fan got on the carriage, and Fan Zhengwen said with a smile: "Uncle, are you feeling reluctant? "
"No, the one who should be reluctant to let go should be Brother Fan. ”
“Fan feels that he has already made a profit. ”
“That’s good. ”
……
The next day,
Qu Peiluo, the eldest son of the Qu family, personally led three thousand elite private soldiers of the Qu family into Xiayong City and went straight to Fan Mansion. .