So he pretended to be casual and asked again if there were any other cities going east.
"Yes, more than sixty miles to the east is Yunling County. It is the largest county in Lueyang County. If it were not close to the border and located in a remote place, it might become a prefecture. Girls can go to the county to have a look. Look, we are passing by anyway. There is a Mijia Restaurant in the county town, which is opened by our boss. Girls can also go and visit..."
From what the shopkeeper said next, Qingyan knew that he was originally a slave of the Mi family. Later, because of his good performance, the young master of the master's family removed him from the slave status and released him to help manage the tavern.
There are many Mi family slaves like him. As long as they are relatively loyal slaves and have smart children, they will be arranged to study and read with the young masters in the clan school.
Of course, it is not to let them take the imperial examination, but to send them out to manage outside industries, because the elders of the family are still in the Mi family, and there is a high probability that they will not betray them even if they are not slaves.
Mijia Taverns are basically found in some towns within the jurisdiction of Yunling County. It can be said that they have a monopoly on the restaurant area in almost all towns in Yunling County.
So many people know that the owner of Mijia Tavern comes from a big place, has a lot of experience, and knows much more than other people in the town.
Some locals or outsiders who want to inquire about things will subconsciously point them over. This also makes the business of Mijia Tavern better, and the shopkeeper also knows more things.
After all, when some outsiders come to inquire, they will also reveal some things about other places, which can be regarded as information exchange.
Qingyan felt that the Mi family was somewhat interesting. It had established an intelligence network. Although it was said that it was only within the scope of Yunling County, it was hard to say. It might also exist outside Yunling County.
Once again, I saw that the wisdom and methods of ancient people cannot be underestimated.
Think about it, communication is not convenient now and traffic is very slow. So where did the method of transmitting information come from?
Sometimes the information has already passed before the parties involved arrive. They must have their own way of delivering it.
After that, I don’t know how I talked about it, but I talked about the pond on the east side of the town.
Qingyan was also very interested in that pond, so she followed the conversation and said, "Before I came here, I heard an elder brother say that it was called Wangba Bay, and he told me not to go near it, saying that many people had died inside, and I don't know who those people were. What happened? Why did he die inside?"
Looking at the curious little girl, shopkeeper Mi smiled and said: "The origin of the name Wang Bawan was passed down from a long time ago. The exact date is no longer available, but someone has seen a bird crawling out of it. The huge tortoise, who is said to have practiced Taoism for thousands of years, may have become a spirit.
Since then, people here have often gone there to offer offerings and burn incense, hoping that the immortal will bless their families with health and longevity and make a fortune.
As a result, there was a woman who went to worship there more than thirty years ago. She lost her footing and fell into the water. There were many people there at the time, and those who knew how to swim went down. However, many people went in, but they couldn't find her. Less than.
As time went on, everyone felt that there was no hope of saving, and they could only wait for the body to float up on its own.
But the woman's family waited for several days, but did not wait for the body to float up, so they had to set up a tomb.
Later, I didn't know if it was the ghost of the woman who was causing trouble, but every three years, someone would drown there.
Even if Li Zheng found a monk to practice the method, it would not help. Gradually, no one dared to go near it anymore.
But even so, it didn't stop people from dying inside. Some were driving a cart and their horses were frightened and were thrown in. Some were drunk and stumbled. There were even more people who couldn't think of anything and threw themselves into the water there.
The strange thing is that whether they die accidentally or commit suicide, they only happen once every three years. So far, more than ten people have died. "
Qingyan felt that there was indeed something evil. She had heard that if the water ghost looked for a scapegoat, it would take three years to find one. Only when the scapegoat was found could the previous ghost be reincarnated.
But it’s a bit strange that the body couldn’t be recovered after it fell into the water. Chou Chou clearly said that there were many skeletons in the water, which meant that the bodies were all there, so why couldn’t they be recovered?
After telling Chou Chou this question, Chou Chou said: "Of course they can't salvage it. The water is very deep. I don't know how the puddle was formed before. It is visually estimated that it is at least dozens of meters deep, and the water below is It leads to an underground river.
It was like a swimming pool, with not only an inlet but also an outlet. The bodies of those people must have been sucked in there when they sank to the bottom and could not float at all. "
Qingyan heard that this situation still existed, which could explain the reason why the corpse could not float, "What about one every three years? How could it be such a coincidence? Is there really a water ghost looking for a scapegoat?"
Chou Chou scratched his head in the space and wanted to say yes, but he was afraid of scaring Yanyan, but he couldn't hide it as it would make her defenseless.
After thinking about it, he said truthfully: "There really is, not just here, but also in later generations. Have you forgotten the villa area in Lion Rock in Hong Kong City that your mother told you?
A lot of people died there, and the corpses were used as the base to form an extremely yin formation. I also absorbed a lot of resentment there and recovered a lot. Otherwise, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly. I fought with Xiangxiang again. One plane.
"And in your hometown, there is an intersection where one dies every three years. I heard your grandma said that he was accidentally hit by a car and died in the first year, and then he died in strange ways.
Some found an out-of-control car and ran to the door of their home, but were still chased and hit by the car. And one was even more strange. A truck knocked down the wall of his home and was crushed to death by the wall. .
Now the houses at that intersection are empty, and no one dares to live there anymore. "
Qingyan thought about it, and it was true that she didn't have a deep impression of the port city. She just listened to it as a story at the time, but she really knew about it in her hometown. Every time she passed by that intersection when she went back, her father would pay special attention to that T-shaped intersection for going home. It is a must-go road and cannot be circumvented even if you want to.
The vertical road at the T-junction has a slope of about 20 to 30 degrees, not very steep. There is a yard below, and the wall collapsed.
She heard from her parents that it was hit by a truck, but she didn't know that one person died there every three years. She probably didn't tell her because they were afraid of scaring her.
At this time, the food she ordered came, so she had to stop talking, thank the shopkeeper, and return to her table.
Then she realized that she didn't order any staple food, so she wasn't in a hurry. She took a sip of the mutton soup first. Well, it tasted delicious. After drinking it, she felt warm and comfortable.
Then she tasted the lamb meat, which was even more delicious than what she had eaten with her parents before!
And it’s not salty, so you don’t need staple food.
The pot of lamb meat and the large plate of sheep head meat were quite large. Fortunately, Chou Chou sneaked into the space and ate with them, otherwise she wouldn't be able to finish both meals by herself.
While eating, Chou Chou sent a message to her: "Pack more of this later, it will be delicious soaked in sesame seed cakes!"
Qingyan: "There is already a mutton steamed bun dish. When we went to eat before, we ordered it. The staple food and vegetables are all available. It is best to eat in winter, it is especially warm to the stomach."
Because it was a cold dish, there was still a lot of braised lamb head meat left in the last dish, but Qingyan found a way to cover it up, and Chou Chou took it into the space and put it away.
After glancing at the waiter who was busy greeting the new customers, he walked to the shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, pack me two more portions of stewed lamb, as well as a portion of roasted lamb leg and lamb wrapped with green onions.
After hearing this, the shopkeeper said with some hesitation: "Girl, the roast leg of lamb is okay, it can be wrapped in oil paper, but the lamb has soup, and the guys in our store don't have much to do. Look..."
Qingyan understood what he meant, waved her hand and said, "I have a food box that I brought with me. It's on the carriage. I'll get it right away. Just let the kitchen do the work first."
The shopkeeper nodded and went to the kitchen door in person to say something.
Qingyan waited for him to return to the counter before going to the carriage outside, asking Chou Chou to put the food box inside, while she pretended to take it out of the carriage.
There are large soup bowls and plates in the food box. They are all relatively deep. They are called plates, but they are actually relatively deep open bowls. They are specially packed for people. They are too shallow and can easily be carried while walking on the road. , it comes in handy at this time.
The food box has three layers, and the lower layer is the highest. The soup basin can fit two portions of lamb, but of course the soup will be less. The roasted leg of lamb can be placed in the middle. She asked the waiter to put the roasted leg of lamb. Shave off the meat on top and omit the bones, which won’t be easy to put in a food box. Just put fried mutton with green onion on top.
Give the food box to the waiter and ask him to take it directly to the kitchen. When the food is ready, just put it in it, and then go to the shopkeeper to pay the bill.
The shopkeeper was already making an abacus, and quoted to her while typing: "Three portions of lamb are two cents each, a total of six cents, a portion of lamb head is one cent, roast leg of lamb is two cents, and a bowl of lamb is two cents." The soup is thirty cents, and the mutton fried with green onions is eighty cents, so the total is one, two and ten cents, so just take the girl one tael."
Qingyan paid the bill happily.
When the shopkeeper saw that she had packed so much, he knew that she was not going to spend the night in this town. It seemed that she was going to eat on the road. If she stayed here for one night, she could come here to eat at any time. There was no need to do it now. Just pack it.
After thinking about it, I couldn't help but remind: "Girl, don't blame me for talking too much. If the girl is on her way now, it's best to find someone to stay overnight before dark, and then hit the road after dawn the next day. Don't sleep in the wild. ."
Qingyan asked with some confusion: "Why is this? Are there robbers on the road?"
The shopkeeper shook his head and said: "That's not true. Although there are few people here, it is close to the border and the military camp. All the bandits and bandits before have been cleared away. Now most of the people we encounter are temporary. The chance of encountering a bad guy with bad intentions is not great.
The most dangerous thing on this road is wolves. There are many uninhabited places on the road, and wolves are often encountered, especially at night. If you sleep in the wild, it is easy to attract wolves. Many people have been killed by wolves before. .
Therefore, safety is the first priority for girls. If you encounter a village before dark, try to stay overnight in the village. Where there are villages, wolves will generally avoid them and rarely attack.
If there really is no village, go on the road at night and try to take the main road instead of the small road. If you don't stop, the wolves will not run onto the road. "
Hearing this, Qingyan nodded seriously, "Thank you, shopkeeper, for reminding me. I will pay more attention and try to find a good place before dark."
Although she was grateful for the shopkeeper's kindness, she didn't take the wolves too seriously in her heart. It wasn't that she was ungrateful, but that there was Chou Chou, not to mention the wolves, and even the tigers she wasn't afraid of.
As long as they are beasts, they can be intimidated by Chou Chou. Compared with the wolves, she is more worried about the robbers. She can only resist them except to avoid them.
She really met the wolf pack, and it is estimated that it will eventually become her guardian beast. Of course, she cannot tell outsiders this, otherwise they will think she is crazy.
After a while, the waiter came out with the food box, opened it on the empty table next to her, and let her see the food inside.
"Girl, look, the dishes are all here. Do you have any other instructions?"
Qingyan nodded and said, "No more, I'm busy."
He thanked the shopkeeper again and said goodbye. Then he and the waiter carried the food box out of the tavern and worked together to put it on the carriage.
It's not that she can't carry it by herself, it's just that this food box is really heavy. It's hard for a man to carry it. If she can take it easily, it's a bit too eye-catching, so it's better to keep a low profile.
After putting the food box away, she took out five coins and stuffed them into the waiter's hand, "Here you go, brother."
The waiter didn't expect to receive a tip, so he was so happy that he bowed to Qingyan several times before returning to the store.
Qingyan got on the carriage and was about to continue walking west to buy other things. She found that the previous family had also finished eating, and the four people who came out got on the donkey cart one by one and headed east.
Qingyan raised her eyebrows, wouldn't this family also go to Yunling County? Of course, it’s not necessarily true. Maybe they go to some villages in the middle.
Without thinking any more, he asked Chou Chou to put the food box into the space after leaving the door of the tavern. The dishes left outside would get cold after a while. Although there is already a pot now, it can be kept fresh, so why go through extra procedures?
I just finished a meal of mutton and drank hot mutton soup. My whole body felt warm and quite comfortable.
While walking west, I was thinking about what else to buy.
At the entrance of an alley, Qingyan saw that no one was around, and asked Chou Chou to put the big pot and coarse cloth into the space.
I need to buy some grains and seasonings soon, and I also have to go to the grocery store to buy a lot of things. I'm afraid I won't have room to put them.
You need to buy at least a few pottery bowls and pots. Those were taken away by the three people of the He family before, and now they are gone in Chou Chou's space.
When she walked to the carpenter's shop, Qingyan went in and asked. The carpenter said that it would take two days to build a carriage, but she had to wait. They had a batch of work in hand now, and they could not do it for her until they were finished.
In the end, Qingyan had no choice but to buy ten wooden strips ten centimeters thick and two meters long from him. Then she could make a simple shed by herself.
