Lu Zhong kept an eye on it and said: "My father has thought carefully. All the gold cakes I received have been given to Brother Bai. Now I have no gold left, what can I do?"
Unexpectedly, Lu Bojie said cheerfully: "If you bring the money back, there's no harm in paying the money the next day."
This generosity actually moved Lu Zhong's heart, and he wondered if his previous bad impression of Bo Jie was wrong, and he hurriedly said: "How lucky I am that my father takes care of me like this!"
Lu Bojie didn't say anything, got up and walked to the back house, leaving Lu Zhong alone in the side pavilion in the lobby. After a while, Lu Bojie came back, carrying a heavy thing in his hand. Before he went to the hall, he shouted: "Zhongzi, help me."
Lu Zhong hurriedly ran out of the pavilion. Lu Bojie pointed at the guy in his hand and said, "I'll give you the money."
Lu Zhong took the thing. It was indeed heavy. If you look closely, it looked like leather armor. The front and back bottoms were folded and sewn with cowhide thread to form a bag. It was very strong. The bag was heavy, and it sounded like it contained money. When the two of them entered the hall, Lu Bojie couldn't wait to say: "Take off your shirt."
Lu Zhong didn't know what was going on, so he put down his leather bag, took off his robe, and then unbuttoned his coat. Lu Bojie took it off, pointed at the leather bag and said, "Put it on your head."
Lu Zhong took a closer look and saw that there was a hole in the center of the leather armor, which was just right for his head to drill through, so he drilled his head in as he was told, and placed the bags on the two ends one behind the other on his chest and back. Lu Zhong put his hand into his bag and felt that it was full of copper coins. He didn't know how many. Then he pulled out his head and saluted, "How much money did your father give me? What is this skin bag for?"
Lu Bojie looked at Lu Zhong like a fool and said: "It is said to be three thousand dollars, so why doubt it? Three thousand dollars, how can we carry it if it is not in this bag!"
Lu Zhongdao: "This leather bag is very good. The leather is tough and the sewing is firm. How long will it be worth?"
Lu Bojie said: "This bag is for me to travel far away. It is not a gift, let alone a price. But if you are traveling far away, you can take it with you... If it is lost, you will be fined two gold."
Lu Zhongdao: "Three thousand coins are not easy to come by. Times have passed. I dare to ask my father to keep it temporarily and collect it tomorrow."
Lu Bojie looked at Lu Zhong again and suddenly asked: "Who is your respected father?"
Lu Zhong was a little surprised and said: "My father's name is Shiping..."
Lu Bojie said: "Your father has a great reputation, why are you and Kunzhong only equal to each other?... Shiping died young, and Rukunzhong was still young...Who will you follow when you grow up, and what will you do in business?"
Lu Zhongdao: "When I was thirteen, my brother left Kunlun with his father Shiliang and Shijia to the west to deal in pearls and jade. It has been twenty years now!"
Lu Bojie said: "No wonder you are not surprised by changes, are not surprised when you are flattered, and are not surprised when you get benefits. You can have everything in the world."
Lu Zhong was shocked and said: "What do you mean, Father?"
Lu Bojie said: "If you wander for a moment, you will enter the scorpion - not all the coins in this bag are copper coins, but many of them are tin and lead."
Lu Zhong's body was covered in cold sweat. He didn't dare to stay any longer, so he said goodbye: "I'll remember what my father taught me. It's getting late, so I'm willing to leave. I'll teach you again one day."
Lu Bojie said: "How about tonight? How can I do it if I don't have money?"
Lu Zhong did not dare to receive further advice, but said: "Thousands of copper coins are inconvenient to carry; even if there is a skin bag, it is also heavy and difficult to carry; if there is any mistake, it may damage the virtue of the father of the class. If it is useful to come at night, I will go to the class again the next day. Redeem it from my father."
Lu Bojie said: "In this case, we will not stay together. I hope that Kun Zhong will travel thousands of miles."
Lu Zhongdao: "It all depends on the virtue of my father."
After coming out of Luxing, Lu Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, only to feel that sweat had soaked his underwear. His whole body was exhausted, his face was hot, and his forehead was throbbing. Recalling the scene just now, I still feel frightened. I still can't figure out what kind of person Lu Bojie is. His words were rash and he seemed to have no ideas, but he came up with such a carefully planned conspiracy, and he almost fell into it; but he was considerate and caring, and seemed to be doing it out of good intentions... The evening breeze blew, and Lu Zhong couldn't help but shiver; his soaked underwear clung to his body and became cold. The hot flashes on his face gradually receded, and his mind slowly cooled down. He carefully recalled today's negotiations one by one, looking for possible omissions. He also thought about how to tell Brother Nai all this. The face of the world is so unreal, waiting to be uncovered layer by layer. Hypocrisy and fraud have been with them ever since the brothers set out on the road to business, especially in the jewelery business, where almost all light and dark rules are designed to deceive and counter-deceive; guarding against deception has almost become a survival instinct. But even so, he almost stepped into a trap... Why?
When Lu Zhong came to his senses from his wild thoughts, he had already turned from the west of the city to the north of the city and walked along the north road for a while. At this time, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have lost his way. Under the half-waning moon, the fields in the area were so similar, and the distant Songshan Mountain was hidden in the darkness. There was no clue as to where to turn to the trail and return to Xiaoyi where Masan was. Lu Zhong was a little flustered. He tried to recall the details when he walked there, trying to find some landmarks that he could refer to, but he couldn't remember anything. He didn't dare to go any further, nor did he dare to just turn along a road and ask for directions in a town - you don't know who lives here, and if you break into a powerful man's home, he might He lost his life quietly. He knew that he still had three pieces of gold cake left on him. In despair, he had decided to find a sheltered place to stop. If he couldn't find a place, he would reluctantly spend the night in the wild. At this time, he noticed someone appeared in the field. He stopped, and just as he was wondering what to do, the other side shouted loudly: "Forerunner, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Zhong heard that it was Zheng Anping from the voice and was overjoyed. He shouted back: "How dare you be Mr. Zheng?"
When the two sides come to a place, they meet each other. It turned out that Ma San saw that Niu Er arrived first, Zheng Anping and Tang Shu arrived later, and Lu Zhong had not returned yet. He felt uneasy, so he hurried back to Lu Bo and took Zheng Anping and Niu Er out.
Masan said: "When I was young, the elders often taught me to return home at sunset, otherwise I would be deceived by ghosts."
Lu Zhongdao: "It's not far away! Regardless of Niu, Mr. Zheng and Uncle Tang are also new arrivals. How can we find the place?"
Zheng Anping said: "There is a lying stone beside this road, so I know it."
Lu Zhong looked back and saw a lying stone at the end of the path. The stone is not big, so you can’t see it without paying attention. He then asked Ma San: "Three brothers have lived here since they were young. Would you like to teach them how to know the way home? - I hope that all roads are the same and it is difficult to distinguish them."
Ma San said: "There is a hidden ditch at the entrance of the road. When it rains, the water flows down the ditch and enters the fields. It is so violent that it cannot be stopped. The road is often cut off. I often wade through the water and may not be able to stand."
Lu Zhong stopped and turned back to take a closer look. He saw that there was a shallow ditch at the entrance of the trail, which cut from the main road. It was not deep nor wide, but it was just enough to drain away the accumulated water on the main road. With Ma San's guidance, it can be faintly discerned under the moonlight. I can’t help but wonder, can this also provide guidance? I can only remember it secretly in my heart. Since Masan, who has lived here for many years, can't find a more obvious landmark, it can only be this.
