The inn occupies a large area, and there are two courtyards behind the building. One is used to house the horses of the business travelers and the inn's firewood and fodder. The other is used for the inn's own pig pens, sheep pens and free-range chickens.
In the vast desert, almost all towns, including Juxian Town, have no government influence. The people who come and go include business travelers traveling from south to north, as well as sand bandits who haunt the desert. They can gain a foothold in the town and Almost everyone who survived had something unusual about them—either force, relationships, or both.
As one of the top inns in Juxian Town, Juxian Inn naturally has the capital it can rely on and its inviolable heritage - almost no one who dares to cause trouble in Juxian Inn can make it ten miles away from Juxian Town alive.
However, Juxian Inn is not a black shop that kills people and seizes treasures. Instead, it is a favorite shop for travelers who are familiar with the vast desert.
Because of one person.
This person is the female shopkeeper of Juxian Inn, Tong Xiangyu.
Tong Xiangyu is extremely beautiful, with a well-proportioned figure and a well-proportioned figure. Although she wears ordinary clothes on weekdays, in the eyes of a caring person, she can always vaguely "see" the graceful and charming figure underneath through the coarse clothes, which makes her look dull. The boring desert journey adds endless wonderful reverie...
Although Tong Xiangyu is only in her early twenties, she is exceptionally good at dancing. Externally, no matter what kind of guests she meets, she can treat them obediently and happily; internally, in the inn and with the waiters, There were more than a dozen people, including the chef and the chef, among whom there were many retired thieves and former gangsters. All of them obeyed Tong Xiangyu's words and never disobeyed.
If anyone thinks that Tong Xiangyu can do this only because of her beauty, they are totally wrong.
Because the weapons she really relies on are her own mind and strength.
Many people say that Tong Xiangyu is a rose with thorns blooming in the vast desert, which cannot be touched.
There were once wealthy wealthy people who wanted to use their money to pluck the flower, and there were also murderous charlatans who wanted to take the flower away with swords, but they all failed in the end.
Those who abide by the rules and retreat when faced with difficulties are fine, but those whose brains are controlled by the lower body and try to use force have now fed several sheep on their graves.
Someone also asked Tong Xiangyu that with her appearance and ability, she would have a better life wherever she went, so why did she have to stay in such a ungrateful place?
Tong Xiangyu only said that she was waiting for someone.
…
On this day, Tong Xiangyu was sitting behind the counter settling accounts as always. Xiao Liu, the waiter, sneaked up to her side and whispered in her ear: "Shopkeeper, another one has arrived without any luggage. This is already the fifth time recently. Already."
"Okay, I got it." Tong Xiangyu said without raising her head while playing with the abacus, "It's a good service, try not to let them get together."
"Okay!" Xiao Liu nodded, turned around and went to the kitchen.
Tong Xiangyu raised her head slightly and looked at the new guest at the window. She saw a man wearing a blue robe, sitting there quietly looking out the window.
Looking carefully, I saw that the man had a slim waist and a tall back. He had an angular face under a short and thick beard. He was holding a tea cup in one hand and placed his other hand casually on the table with his index finger. There is also a golden ring on it.
The man's senses were very keen, and he seemed to have noticed Tong Xiangyu's gaze immediately. He turned around and looked at Tong Xiangyu. Their eyes met, and Tong Xiangyu saw the man's face.
The man looks to be about thirty years old, with a square face, regular features, a resolute face, clear contours, rough but handsome. For some reason, Tong Xiangyu suddenly felt a little panicked. She hurriedly smiled at the man, and then naturally turned her eyes to the guests at the other table. Someone at the table of guests happened to be waving to him, and he stood up and walked over with a busy smile.
"Shopkeeper Tong, another jar of wine! Plus two roasted lamb legs!" A black-faced man said drunkenly.
Tong Xiangyu said with a smile: "Brother Liu, drink less! I've already finished a jar, if I drink any more, I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to the guest room."
The black-faced man said drunkenly: "Where are you talking? Hurry up and bring the wine! Don't you know Brother Liu's drinking capacity? Besides, it's not easy to meet my good brother who I haven't seen for many years here. Today we have to get drunk." !”
"Yes!" The person sitting at the same table as the black-faced man was a lean little man, about forty, with a weather-beaten face and a pair of small eyes shining brightly. At this moment, he was also a little drunk. He looked at Tong Xiangyu with unconcealable heat in his eyes, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect the boss lady's wine to be good and her people to be better. If you are afraid that we will get drunk, why don't you have a few drinks with us?" ?" He said, stretched out his thin paws and pulled Tong Xiangyu's hand.
Tong Xiangyu smiled and waved the handkerchief in her hand, reached out to pick up the empty wine jar on the table and shook it, blocking the little man's hand by chance, "The wine brewed in this small shop is famous for hundreds of miles around." Eight cups of wine. Since you two are good drinkers, I will get you another jar." After saying that, seeing Xiao Liu coming out of the back kitchen, he hurriedly greeted, "Xiao Liu, add a jar of wine to Brother Liu's table. , two legs of lamb!”
"Come on!" Xiao Liu turned around and picked up a small wine jar from behind the counter, and brought it to the front in two steps.
"Take it easy, you two!"
Tong Xiangyu said hello and turned around to leave, but unexpectedly the little man grabbed Tong Xiangyu's wrist and said, "Madam boss, why don't you have a drink together before leaving? Are you looking down on our brothers?"
"Look what you said!" Tong Xiangyu was not angry. She reached out and grabbed the wine jar to fill it up for the two of them. Then she took an empty wine cup and poured it for herself. She gently took her other hand out of the little man's hand and smiled brightly. He said, "Since Mr. Hu invites you, let's have a drink. Here's to you two! Go ahead!"
As he said that, he picked up the wine cup and touched it with the two of them, raised his neck and drank it all in one gulp. "Take your time, you two. I'll go and see if the leg of lamb is ready." After that, he turned around and left.
The little man still wanted to pull Tong Xiangyu away, but the dark-faced man grabbed him under the table and urged: "Why are you still holding your drink? Drink it quickly! Drink it quickly!"
The little man was a little puzzled. Just as he was stunned, the black-faced man had already whispered in his ear: "Don't provoke her, be careful if you turn around and she will chop up your stuff and feed it to the dog."
The little man was stunned when he heard this, but his eyes were still staring at Tong Xiangyu's back reluctantly, and he asked nonchalantly: "How do you say this?"
"Her skills are not weak, even seven or eight people can't get close to her! A woman who can open a shop in the vast desert is not something we can afford to offend!"
The little man shrank his neck when he heard this, and his voice became a little softer: "Are you serious?"
"Is that still a lie? When I passed by here last year, a few strangers came to the store and wanted to tease her. Judging from the appearance, they must be horse bandits who escaped from elsewhere. She was also smiling at the time, and she dealt with everything well. Then These people didn't take any advantage at all, but got drunk by her. The next day, they walked for half a day, and then when I walked to the wasteland ten miles away, I accidentally discovered the bodies of those people. Kill with one sword!"
"Isn't it normal for several people to die in the desert? How can you be sure that it was her?"
"Because I have seen her sword! Her sword is slightly wider and shorter than ordinary swords, but it is extremely sharp and can cut iron like clay. One year, several desperadoes came here and they wanted to kidnap shopkeeper Tong in public. , she killed them all with one strike of her sword. From the beginning to the end, it only took less than two breaths! Among those people, three of them were cut off with the sword and others. "
When the little man heard this, he was so frightened that he almost woke up from the wine. He felt his neck suddenly felt a little cold, and asked in a low voice: "Then didn't I just..."
The black-faced man laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's not that bad! Haha, that shopkeeper Tong is quite chivalrous, how could he be so stingy? When joking with familiar old guests, he would make such dirty jokes , you can talk better than me! You’re not going too far, it’s okay, come on, keep drinking!”
"By the way, you haven't told me why you suddenly traveled so far to Juxian Town? Could it be... that there is work to be done in this vast desert?"
"Of course I have work to do." The little man lowered his voice, looked around and saw everyone paying attention to his table, and then said, "Don't make any noise! Three months ago, Master Long Jiu gave me a gift I wrote a letter and asked me to bring the food guy to Juxian Town, saying that I can have this amount after finishing the work!" As he said that, the little man stretched out five fingers and shook them.
"Five hundred taels of silver?" The dark-faced man's eyes flashed, slightly surprised.
"Five hundred taels of gold!" the little man curled his lips and said mysteriously.
"So many?" The black-faced man took a breath, then put on a flattering smile, "What kind of job? Can you bring your brothers with you?"
The little man shook his head and said: "If you're not a brother, I won't promise you. But I don't know the specific situation. Master Long Jiu just said that I would wait at the Juxian Inn in advance according to the date, and then someone would take me to do things. Specific details. I'm not allowed to ask any more questions, and I'm not allowed to mention it to others. If it weren't for you, brother, I wouldn't have mentioned this matter to anyone else. However, haven't I been here for two days? No one has greeted me until now. , If it weren’t for the fact that the handwriting and private seal of Master Long Jiu were on the letter, I would have doubted that someone was playing tricks on me.”
"That's such a pity..." The black-faced man seemed to know the rules of Long Jiuye, and sighed, "I have to set off on the road tomorrow. Although I can't make much money running this batch of goods, But there are still several mouths waiting to be fed at home.”
"Brother Liu, don't sigh. Of the dozen brothers who were with us back then, we are the only two who are still alive now. Although your current job is harder, at least it is stable. I am the one who feeds the whole family. I'm not hungry, and I don't know how to make a living, so I have been doing this. However, after this trip, I also plan to quit. I will go back to Ruohan to open a shop and find a wife, and I will be comfortable for the rest of my life. It’s time to serve and retire.”
"That's right! You have to change your habit of gambling and lust. I haven't seen you accumulate any wealth in so many years."
"Brother Liu's lesson is, come on, brother, I'll give you a drink!"
"Come on, come on, do it!"
While the two of them were changing glasses and whispering, they didn't notice the strange look on the face of the guest at the table next to the window...
