"Chou Chou, do you think this is also a tributary of the Yellow River? It's winter, and the river water is still very muddy."
After driving to the stone bridge, Qingyan looked at the river below and said.
Chou Chou saw that there were no passers-by outside, so he jumped out, stood beside her and looked into the distance.
Although it can also be seen with spiritual consciousness in space, it is still different from vision, and it is not so three-dimensional and vivid.
Just like when you see glaciers and magma on TV, you can only see them but cannot feel the severe cold and heat.
"Probably, as long as the water here is not stagnant water, it belongs to the Yellow River Basin after all.
By the way, there was some movement in Yunzhou City just now, and the tiger was transported away. "
Qingyan lowered her head and looked at it, "It's broad daylight, so it's hard to transport the tiger out of the city."
Chou Chou nodded, "Of course, he didn't leave the city and was transported to a big house in the west city. I checked the yard and found that there was no suspicious person inside. It seems that we have overthought it. They are pets raised by wealthy families. "
Qingyan frowned, feeling that it was not that simple, but if the distance was too far, it would be very tiring to have Chou Chou stare at her all the time.
So he said: "That's it, you can take a look over there when you are bored, but don't stare at it normally.
Now help me take a look at the Zhou family's side to see if there is any movement. I can't see over there now. "
Although she was walking forward before, her spiritual consciousness would still explore Zhoujia Town from time to time, wanting to see the follow-up development there.
Chou Chou shook his head, "There is no movement, that Bai Yansheng is still looking along the official road and is about to turn onto the path to the village.
Over at the Zhou family, Zhou Fuling's mother was rubbing medicated oil on her legs. Her father went to a yard not far away. He must be a relative of his family. The two were discussing how to let Bai Yansheng leave on her own. "
Qingyan nodded. In ancient times, reconciliation was a very preachy thing, even if the fault was with the man.
It seems that the Zhou family is not ruthless enough. Of course, it is also related to the fact that the other party has not succeeded yet. They may not feel the seriousness of the matter yet. After all, it is just speculation on her side.
The only thing that is certain now is that the other party raised an outhouse and gave birth to a son, and the aspect of seeking wealth and killing has not yet been fully revealed.
People are like this. As long as it doesn't become an established fact, they all take chances. What if the other party doesn't think so, what if the other party has difficulties, what if it's because they think too much.
Anyway, I just don’t dare to strike first, for fear that I will misunderstand and regret it later.
The Zhou family must have made this wrong thinking. Anyway, the Xue family would never handle things this way.
Their family values strike first and nip danger in the bud, especially her father, who would never put himself and his family in danger, even if it was a threat.
That's why her father was able to make his business bigger and stronger, and become an important underground force abroad. This is not something that can be done by ruthlessness. As long as there is a foreseen danger, he will never let it develop.
Qingyan was able to directly kill the robbers and robbers several times without hesitation, because she was imitating her father's style. As long as the danger came to her, she would kill her without leaving any further trouble.
Just as I was thinking this, the person from before came and slapped me in the face.
"Hey! I planted this mountain and planted this tree. If you want to live forever, I will leave money to buy the road!"
Because I was thinking about something, I didn't pay attention to the situation in front. As soon as I got off the stone bridge, I was surrounded by a group of people.
It can't be said to be a group, only five people, including two half-grown boys and a five- or six-year-old little boy.
One of the two adults was so skinny that there was only a handful of bones left, and the clothes hung on it. The other was missing a leg, and he had a Y-shaped crutch under his arm, which was placed under his armpit.
What is relatively uniform is that they are all wearing tatters, and each one does not look like clothes, but like a piece of cloth.
This combination of young, sick and disabled people directly defeated Qingyan. She felt that these people did not need to rob here, they could just squat on the street in some city and get a mouthful of food with a bowl in front of them.
"What are you doing in a daze? Are you scared? If you are scared, just... hand over your money and food!"
One of them, a boy with a square face, tried his best to put on a fierce face, but he couldn't do it, so he shouted in a stuttering voice.
"Pfft~"
Qingyan couldn't help but laugh, because the expressions of these people now looked like they were carved from the same mold. They must have practiced watching each other.
"Why are you laughing? Are you scared?"
The little Douding asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Qingyan glanced at them again. She really couldn't bear to beat them. She was afraid that she could push them to the ground and rub them with just one finger.
He sighed and said: "You all have your own characteristics, so it's not easy to assemble a team.
Okay, stop pretending. Baring your teeth and grinning will not make you look fierce, it will only make people think you are funny.
Tell me where you are from and what you did before. Tell me and I will give you food. "
It just so happened that she was bored right now. Although it was cloudy, the snow had not fallen yet, so she would stop and listen to their story.
She used the Chou Chou method to look at the faces of the five people. Although they were all thin and somewhat disfigured, their features and eyes were all pure. This must be the first time for this calamity.
It was probably because she was a girl that she dared to jump out and give it a try, in case she was afraid to just give him some money or food.
"That's great!"
When Xiao Douding heard what she was giving him, he immediately threw down the stick in his hand and looked at her with bright eyes. He was about to run over if the round-faced boy next to him hadn't grabbed him.
The thin man and the lame man looked at Qingyan carefully and wanted to know whether what she said was true.
They have been hungry for two days, and they have been relying on drinking water for these two days. They don't have the strength to do anything, so they are just relying on the bluff of the crowd.
But they are also afraid that the other party will lie to them, even though the other party is just a little girl.
Qingyan nodded affirmatively, jumped out of the car with Chou Chou in her arms, walked to the back of the car, used the box as a cover, and took out a basket of sesame cakes.
Of course it wasn't the one from ChouChou's space. The one was just like the one fresh out of the oven, which was too abnormal. She took it out from the storage bag. It was already hard and could be eaten after it was warmed up.
When the five people saw that she had actually brought out food, they couldn't hide their excitement. However, none of them dared to step forward impulsively. They all stood there and watched eagerly, swallowing. saliva.
Qingyan waved to the five or six-year-old little Douding, "Come here, tell me your name, and I'll give you this sesame seed cake."
"Really!"
Little Douding broke free from the restraints of the boy next to him and ran to Qingyan's side. He even risked his life for food.
In fact, the young man didn't really pull him hard, because he didn't see the girl in front of him as a villain. At least there was no malice or the disgust they were used to seeing on her face.
When Xiao Douding took a hard pancake and gnawed it directly, the five people also lowered their guard and gathered around Qingyan.
But he was still nearly two meters away from her. Firstly, he was still a little defensive and could run away at any time if there was any problem. Secondly, he was afraid that the stench from his body would inhale the other person.
Qingyan was dressed in clean and warm clothes, with a fair face and a delicate air about her. If she hadn't been driving the oxcart and the carriage didn't look luxurious, they would have thought she was the eldest daughter of a noble family.
It doesn't look like it belongs to a small family, at least it can be raised by a merchant family.
The little Douding on the side had already swallowed half of the cold sesame cake in one breath. Maybe he was full of energy and was looking at Chou Chou curiously.
Chou Chou didn't have time to return to space before. However, it still looks like the little monkey before. It doesn't look strange or scary, just a little ugly.
Although Xiao Douding looked at Chou Chou with a strange expression on his face, he did not reach out to touch him. He just stared at Chou Chou, and Chou Chou stared at him with big eyes and small eyes.
In the end, Chou Chou got impatient and bared his teeth to scare the other person. As a result, the little guy was not frightened and did not say anything, and was actually happy.
The other four people were shocked back to their senses by his laughter. Seeing that Qingyan really meant no harm, they reached out to grab the sesame cakes in the basket.
Qingyan shrank back, and the expressions on their faces changed slightly. They thought she had gone back on her word. Just as she asked her, they heard the other party say: "This pancake is too hard and cold to eat dry. Why don't we make a fire and bake it?" After eating, you can also tell me why you came here to rob."
The four of them breathed a sigh of relief and took Qingyan directly to a piece of flat land behind a few trees.
A piece of weeds on the flat ground has been cleared out, and a pit has been dug in the middle, surrounded by some gravel and dots of sparks in it.
This is obviously where they rest temporarily. Except for a few trees in the direction of Gaoguan Road, there is no obstruction on the other three sides. It can be said that there is ventilation on all sides.
Qingyan parked the bullock cart and then sat around the fire with them. The fire had just been filled with firewood and the flames were already rising.
Except for Xiao Douding who was beside her, the other four people tried to keep some distance from her.
In fact, in this winter, it’s hard to say how smelly they are. They are really dirty. I have worn these clothes for who knows how many years. I don’t even dare to wash them, for fear that they will turn into powder once washed.
Qingyan saw that Little Douding wanted to get into the fire with his whole body, and then she realized that his clothes looked quite thick and piled on his body. As soon as he sat down, the gaps between them leaked out. They were not sewn together at all, they were just tied up randomly. .
Looking at the other four people, they were also like this. I really don't know how they managed to survive until now.
After handing the basket to them to bake and eat, she went back to the car and pretended to take out four sheepskins and a cotton-padded jacket from the carriage.
It's definitely not possible to give them all cotton-padded jackets. Her cotton-padded jackets are all women's. Besides, if they are all given to her, she won't have anything to wear.
She had a lot of sheepskins, not only the ones she bought before, but also the ones Chou Chou later collected from the yards of bandits in Liuyuan County.
As for Xiao Douding, I just gave him the one that Fang Zhicheng wore before. She wouldn't be able to wear it anyway, so it would be a pity to throw it away. It was just right for Xiao Douding.
After they put on their sheepskins and cotton-padded jackets with great gratitude and finished eating the crispy sesame cakes, Qingyan asked the previous question again.
The five people began to warm themselves over the fire while answering her. It turned out that these people were beggars from the county where Qingyan said she was going.
The county seat is called Wu County. In the past, they were begging in the city. Not to mention food and clothing, they would definitely be hungry. Sometimes the rich families in the city would give out rice and porridge when there were happy events, or they would scatter copper coins when some shops opened. You can always catch some.
Even if you are in trouble, you can go to Nanshi to pick up some rotten vegetables and leaves to eat. However, a new county magistrate was transferred half a month ago. The first thing this new magistrate did when he took office was to rectify the county's bad habits. .
He gathered all the beggars in the city and selected the young and strong ones to clean the alleys and streets in the city every day. They did not give any money but provided them with three meals a day. No one objected to the selected beggars.
But he didn't care about the old, young, sick and disabled, but drove them all out, and even demolished their shelter, the abandoned house that had been empty for many years.
It is said that leaving it on is offensive and affects the beauty of the county.
In this winter, many of those beggars are struggling to survive. Driving them out of the city will undoubtedly make them die.
After all, there are not many beggars in this era who are too lazy to eat because they are lazy. Most of them are young children who have been abandoned by their families or some disabled people. They do have physical problems and cannot do heavy work. Otherwise, it would be better to do some work than sit down. Begging for strength there.
This is the case for these five people. Among them, the thin man Zhang Fengnian is the oldest. He is twenty-six this year. Because he was born with a weak body and often fell ill, his family was completely depleted. His parents also died of overwork, leaving him alone. .
He can't do heavy work because he's not in good health and has never put on weight. He doesn't have the ability to do easy work like this. Not only is he incapable, but others don't dare to use him. He's too skinny.
Another lame man named Li Hu, who used to be a waiter in a store, had his leg crushed by a passing carriage when he was delivering goods to a family.
The other party actually lost money, but the family took it away. Not only did they not treat him, but they also threw him into a beggar's den, saying that he would no longer be in the family. He was also disheartened, so he just Lived in a beggar's den.
Two and a half young men, one named Xiaoan and the other Xiaokang, were both abandoned in the beggar's den. They are the healthiest among the five, but they are not very old. They are just twelve years old this year.
And because they had been starving since childhood and were relatively thin, the county magistrate did not ask for them when recruiting people. Because Zhang Fengnian and Li Hu usually took care of them, they came out with them.
Little Douding's experience was similar. He was also thrown outside the beggar's den. His name was Xiao Le. The names of the three were given by Zhang Fengnian. Only he had read books when he was a child. I hope they can be safe, happy and healthy in the future.
As for them appearing here, it is because they want to go to other counties or towns to see if they can find a job or continue begging. (End of chapter)
