(2)
Yuyi Town had little rain all year round, so when the Han people first took over, everyone worked together to dig a large well near the town.
The special thing is that the size of this well is no less than any ordinary lake, so the Han people call it "Goddess Lake", while the Xianbei people call it "Goddess Eyes" because during the day, The lake here is as pure and blue as the eyes of Xianbei beauty.
With the groundwater stored over the years and the nectar that occasionally falls from the sky, Yuyi Town no longer has to worry about water problems. The Goddess Lake also serves as a testimony of the friendship between the Han and Xianbei people, and has been nurturing the people of Yuyi Town until today.
Later, the Yuyi Zhao family funded the construction of a canal to guide the water from the Goddess Lake to the town for the use of every household. This not only facilitated the daily life of ordinary people, but also promoted the harmonious coexistence of the two ethnic groups.
Before, people had to go to the lake more than ten miles away to fetch water. Now, as long as some people are sent to guard the water source, they can fetch water at their doorstep.
Culverts large and small are flooded under the streets of Yuyi Town, and gurgling water flows quietly among them. By accomplishing such a feat, the Zhao family naturally won the hearts of the people. Therefore, even if Zhao Xiaomei is just walking on the road and playing around, she will be supported and admired by the townspeople from time to time.
Some foreign businessmen who don't know the situation will ask people in this town: "Why do you bow your knees to such a little lady and respect her so much?"
And everyone will answer of course: "This is the daughter of Mr. Zhao Wei, a noble man in this town. If anyone can get her favor, good things will definitely happen!"
This prosperous town standing in the vast wilderness, with the support of the Zhao family, became famous and powerful in the ten years after the "Seven Towns Rebellion", and no one dared to despise it.
The group of people walked a few steps and saw a mother and her children fetching water from wooden barrels under a culvert. Several street teenagers were playing and fighting among high-rise buildings; vendors were hawking, and footmen were driving livestock loaded with goods. Officers patrolling the road will help clear a path to avoid accidents.
These scenes are very difficult for homeless people to see, but now, they can also find a sense of belonging in them.
It's night, and the autumn wind carries the fragrance of wine overflowing from the deep alleys. The Zhao family's business was brightly lit, and every room had its doors and windows open. There was an endless stream of boys serving wine and food, and posing dancers spinning, tumbling, and swaying their skirts to the music.
This extremely joyful banquet was specially prepared by Zhao Kuo for Lou Jinghua, Bai Feng and others. The so-called "receiving the wind and washing the dust" means to welcome the wind of success and wash away all the worldly things contaminated by the journey.
And wine is an indispensable part of this ceremony.
Many people who were staying in the trading house but were not part of the Lou family's caravan were also attracted to join the feast. They first had a simple meal in the house, and then sat together on the banquet, holding glasses and chatting.
Although their topics were not far-reaching and just short-lived, they were interesting enough. Sometimes it made everyone burst into laughter, and sometimes they started arguing, which was very lively.
Zhao Kuo and Lou Jinghua, the hosts and guests of honor at the banquet, sat firmly in the high hall, watching the joys and sorrows of the servants, and sometimes they couldn't help but follow their emotions and shouted "good" several times.
However, after a while, Lou Jinghua began to realize that something was wrong and gradually became depressed.
Taking advantage of the moment when Zhao Kuo came back to rest after toasting, the daughter of the Lou family quietly grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Why hasn't your father come yet? I'm not here just for pleasure!"
"Oh, why are you so anxious!" Zhao Kuo replied impatiently: "You have a few drinks first, maybe my dad will come... Huh? Why don't you see Brother Bai? Doesn't this guy really like drinking?"
"He's so injured and he's still drinking. You want him to die!" Lou Jinghua responded with even more resentment, not even wanting to look at Zhao Kuo.
"Yeah, why did I forget it!" Zhao Kuo held his forehead and looked like he was extremely drunk: "Oh no, I have to go to sleep. If dad sees me like this, it will definitely not end well. .”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lou Jinghua took a closer look and found that Zhao Kuo had already stood up and moved away from his seat, preparing to run straight to the door. Suddenly, the daughter of the Lou family began to realize Zhao Kuo's guilty conscience. She picked up the wine glass and threw it away, yelling: "You bastard, how dare you lie to me!"
Then he picked up his skirt and trotted to follow.
Zhao Kuo somehow ran very fast and disappeared in the blink of an eye. He took the opportunity to hide in the room where Ajuan and Zhao Xiaomei were eating.
Logically speaking, a girl who has not yet left the palace cannot dine with other men at will, so Ajuan and her younger sister need to make other arrangements. However, Lou Jinghua has gone beyond this common sense, because in Zhao Kuo's view, she is no different from him.
"Your brother, I just want Jinghua to get used to being a caravan leader as soon as possible, so when she comes later, you will say that you have never seen me and let her go back and get along well with her servant!"
After Zhao Kuo's explanation, the younger sister and Ajuan naively believed it and agreed to hide Zhao Kuo together.
But after a while, Lou Jinghua came to the door as expected. She stared fiercely at the two women who were closest to Zhao Kuo in front of her, guessing the worst, but she was deceived, and in the end she had to look back.
When leaving, Lou Jinghua left a message: "Since Uncle Shi won't come tonight, why waste my mood. If Zhao Kuo dares to lie to me next time, I will kill him. Don't stop you two then." I!"
The intense emotion in this sentence was so sincere that others believed it, so much so that Zhao Kuo did not dare to come out of the darkness for a long time after Lou Jinghua left.
After that, Zhao Kuo walked outside the trading house in the dark. He didn't even light a lantern, for fear that others would find out that he had sneaked out. Although he was not doing anything bad, he just wanted to find traces of Bai Feng, but he still felt lingering fears about Lou Jinghua's soft temperament.
Regarding Bai Feng's whereabouts, he asked everyone he could ask along the way. No matter it was the boy in the inn, the yamen on the street, or the child delivering goods, no one had ever seen such a young swordsman.
Just when he had no clue, he looked up at the highest point in Yuyi Town - the Magpie Bridge.
I saw two figures leaning against the bridge, on top of a huge gem.
Zhao Kuo immediately knew where Bai Feng was, and paced away with a snicker.
Time passed and Zhao Kuo walked to the magpie bridge. Bai Feng and Murong Yan waved to each other as if they had expected it.
"Brother Bai, why can't you come to the great banquet and why do you have to come here?"
"If you are injured, you should abstain from eating meat and alcohol."
"How are the injuries on your body?"
Murong Yan spoke up from the side: "The injuries are not serious. They were beaten until they passed out. I really don't know what you were planning at that time..."
"Oh, Miss Murong, this is because of helplessness!" Zhao Kuo looked at the lights of thousands of families in Yuyi Town under the bridge and said with emotion: "Look, isn't it very beautiful here?"
"It is indeed very beautiful and peaceful..." Murong Yan said, "I haven't enjoyed the peace like this for a long time."
"Such peace, even if it is exchanged for life, is worth it."
After Bai Feng said this, several people suddenly felt that such peace was extremely heavy, and then they all silently admired the night.
At this moment, no one wants to recall what kind of hell Yuyi Town was ten years ago...
