Beijun, Longle County, Tianqian Mountain, where the climate is pleasant, the water and grass are abundant, and a river close to the mountain constantly nourishes the people and fertile land here.
Although Longle County is located on the northwest border of the empire and borders the grasslands, the livability here is not much worse than that in the hinterland of the Central Plains. In the Age of Nations, the Jin State rose rapidly and marched its army westward, defeating the nomadic tribes entrenched here and expanding their territory thousands of miles away. , finally expanded the empire's territory to its limit.
Through nearly seventy years of imperial construction, the entire Beijun County and Longle County have become the granary of the empire's rear and a solid barrier against the southward invasion of the northern nomadic tribes.
In a prosperous town dozens of miles away from Longle County, shopkeeper Wu was leading a donkey and cart, pulling the goods purchased in the town to his inn dozens of miles away.
Shopkeeper Wu looks to be in his forties. He has been here for more than three years and is very familiar with the residents of the town. He smiles and greets every town resident in a friendly way. The residents of the town also treat Wu. The shopkeeper is very polite.
A few hours later, shopkeeper Wu pulled the trolley to an inn. The inn was standing quietly on the roadside. It was located in a remote place and there were not many merchants coming through, but it was enough to maintain the normal operation of this small inn. .
Arriving in front of the inn, shopkeeper Wu shouted: "Old Liu, come out and unload the goods."
At this time, a middle-aged man ran out of the inn. When he saw his boss coming to the door with goods, he stepped forward to help unload the goods and move them into the back kitchen. Including Lao Liu, the chef, the handyman, and shopkeeper Wu himself, there were only three people in the inn. .
There were not many merchants on weekdays, and only a few people would come in a few days. The inn seemed very deserted. After unloading the goods, shopkeeper Wu turned around and took out a jar of wine and sat at the low table to have a few drinks.
Shopkeeper Wu was very tipsy and thought there wouldn't be many customers coming today. At this moment, people and horses were neighing outside the inn. Shopkeeper Wu took a closer look and saw a graceful woman wearing a bamboo hat, tying the reins of the horses outside the inn, and then entered the inn.
When a guest came to the door, shopkeeper Wu naturally did not dare to neglect him. He stepped forward and said, "Does the guest want to stay in a hotel or work in a hotel?"
The mysterious woman wearing a bamboo hat and veil covering her face threw out a few gold leaves and said, "Fine wine, three kilograms of cooked mutton, and five cakes."
Shopkeeper Wu was a little surprised by the woman's appetite, but he didn't take it seriously. These days, a woman who dares to go out alone is not a simple person.
Shopkeeper Wu accepted the gold leaf with a smile and said, "Sir, please wait a moment, and we'll get ready now."
Shopkeeper Wu turned to call the handyman Li Sand and said, "San'er, a distinguished guest is here. Go and get a pot of good wine."
Li San smiled and said: "Okay."
After a while, Li San held a pot of good wine and placed it in front of the mysterious woman's table. The woman poured a bowl of wine slowly and gracefully, took out a silver needle and tried it, then raised the wine bowl to her nose and smelled it carefully. After a while, he lifted a corner of the veil and took a sip.
I only saw the small corner that was opened. The mysterious woman's skin was as fair and translucent as a baby's. Her red lips touched the wine bowl and took a small sip. Just this little bit of spring light revealed, and both Boss Lu and Li San were stunned. I was stunned. I really didn’t know how gorgeous this girl would be after taking off her hat.
After the woman drank a bowl of wine slowly and gracefully, she praised: "I didn't expect that you can drink such good wine in such a small place."
The woman's praise finally brought shopkeeper Wu and Li San back to their senses. After all, it was the mystery of not being able to see the whole picture that touched their hearts. Even with that little bit of spring, they could roughly tell that this woman was rare. The beautiful woman at first sight.
When shopkeeper Wu heard this, he looked pleased and said, "Girl, you're welcome, I brewed this myself. Apart from this inn, this wine is unique."
"What's the name of this wine?" the woman asked.
Shopkeeper Wu sighed softly and said, "I'm homesick."
The woman said: "It's a good name, and the wine is also good. What a pity, what a pity..."
Shopkeeper Wu and Li San looked at each other in confusion. Shopkeeper Wu smiled and said, "We still have a lot of this wine in stock. If the guest likes it, you can take a few jars back with you."
The woman said: "Okay, thank you boss."
Shopkeeper Wu winked, and Li San went to the inner hall and fetched several jars of wine and placed them in front of the woman's table. The woman threw out a small piece of gold leaf as a reward, and shopkeeper Wu naturally stepped forward with a smile and accepted the offer.
At this moment, chef Lao Liu carefully placed the freshly cooked mutton and flatbread in front of the woman's table. Lao Liu was also a little surprised that so much food was ordered by just one woman? He still thought that three strong men came into the store.
The woman looked at the steaming mutton in front of her and nodded slightly and said, "Thank you." After saying that, she slowly took off her bamboo hat and placed it on the table. She picked up the mutton, opened her red lips and ate it slowly and elegantly.
Shopkeeper Wu, Lao Liu, and Li San, who was leaning on the counter and pretending to settle accounts, finally saw the true face of this mysterious woman in Lushan, and they actually stayed on the spot for a while.
The beauty of this woman is truly rare to see. She has bright eyes, white teeth, and picturesque eyebrows. Especially her eyes like autumn water are the most beautiful. There seems to be a faint flash of purple light.
When had Li San, the handyman, seen such a beautiful woman? He stared at her non-stop, his throat rolled, and he swallowed involuntarily.
The woman ate half of the food slowly and gracefully. When she looked up, she saw that the three people just didn't say a word and just stared at her eating, as if they were possessed.
She chuckled and said, "Everyone, does this girl look so good when eating?"
Shopkeeper Wu was the first to react and scolded Old Liu Lisan: "It's really rude to stare at this girl while she's eating. Please step away quickly."
Lao Liu and Li San agreed repeatedly, but when they left, they turned around every step of the way, as if they couldn't bear to leave the woman.
Shopkeeper Wu scolded the two men and walked away, but he still stared at the woman and couldn't help but admire: "Girl, don't blame me, they are from a small place and have never seen the world. They were really rude just now."
The woman said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter, I've long been used to it. Everyone has a love for beauty. I can't just sew people's eyes shut wherever I go, right?"
Shopkeeper Wu also wanted to take the opportunity to chat with the woman and praised: "The girl is really an open-minded person. Wu admires her. May I ask why the girl came to this remote place alone?"
The woman said meaningfully: "Looking for someone."
Shopkeeper Wu asked curiously: "Oh? What a coincidence. I, Wu, know many people in a hundred miles around here, and I also have many friends in the world. If a girl needs help, just ask."
The woman said sheepishly: "Shopkeeper Wu is so polite, I'm so sorry."
Shopkeeper Wu smiled and said: "Well, meeting is fate, let's make friends. I am Wu Jin, Koutian Wu, Jin with a bright future, a native of Lingjiang County. I, Wu, have made many friends in the world, maybe I can really help you." Get busy."
The woman cupped her hands and said, "My surname is Fang and my given name is Yunyi. I am from Anyang County. I am considered an unknown person in the world."
Wu Jin was a little surprised: "Are you from Anyang County? Your ancestors were also from Lu?"
Fang Yunyi nodded slightly and said, "Yes, yes."
Wu Jin clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Oh! It's true, we are fellow villagers! Although I am from Linjiang County, Lu Di, in this northwest land, you and I can be regarded as fellow villagers."
Fang Yunyi smiled and said, "That's right!"
Wu Jin turned to call Li Sand and said, "San'er, go get a few more jars of wine for Miss Fang, the one with the oldest vintage."
Li San quickly glanced at Fang Yunyi's beautiful face and hurried to the inner hall to get some wine.
Wu Jin saw Li San placing the wine jar on her table and said with a smile: "Miss Fang, a small gift is not a sign of respect."
Fang Yunyi quickly refused and said, "Shopkeeper Wu, what's the matter with this? You are also running a small business."
Wu Jin said with a smile: "Hey! Take it, I am a person who makes friends from all over the world. Since we are reunited today by fate, and the girl is my fellow Wu, this little gift is nothing. Please don't push it away. Refuse, otherwise you won’t be my friend Wu.”
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Fang Yunyi had no choice but to sigh slightly and said: "Okay, then I will be disrespectful to refuse."
Wu Jin smiled and said: "That's right, this is my friend Wu, hahaha."
Wu Jin and Fang Yunyi were drinking and chatting, really like friends they hadn't seen for many years.
Fang Yunyi asked curiously: "Since Shopkeeper Wu is from Lingjiang County, why did he travel so far to run this small inn in this borderland?"
Wu Jin drank a glass of wine, waved his hands and said: "Oh! Forget it, I committed a crime in my hometown, and I was going to be assassinated and punished as a prisoner. Fortunately, our Wu family has some connections in the local area and learned the news in advance. So I came here incognito to avoid trouble."
Fang Yunyi suddenly said: "Your Wu family is also a famous surname in Lingjiang County. I think Shopkeeper Wu's family background is unusual? The Jin Dynasty has strict laws. It is indeed extraordinary to escape here."
Wu Jin looked like he had been seen through and said with a smile: "To tell you the truth, my uncle was appreciated by the county magistrate and worked as a meritorious service officer in Lingjiang County. He also smoothed the relationship with everyone and got Lu Yin, so I was able to come here safely. .”
Fang Yunyi nodded slightly and said, "No wonder Shopkeeper Wu is so low-key."
Wu Jin still remembered the matter of searching for Fang Yunyi and asked: "Miss Fang, didn't you say you wanted to come here to search for someone before? Who is his name? If I can help, I will do my best."
Fang Yunyi stared at Wu Jin's eyes and said slowly: "Shopkeeper Wu, his surname is Sun, and his name is Zeng. He was originally a wealthy man in Dong'an City. He usually fights cocks, walks dogs, and indulges in leisure activities. He eats, drinks, whores, and gambles. In private, he also He opened an underground casino and took advantage of both black and white in the local area. He was a famous libertine in Dong'an City."
"About five years ago, around March of the 20th year of Datong, he suddenly abandoned his big business and disappeared from the world of Dong'an City. I asked many local people who were familiar with him, but they didn't know that this person was gone. He Fang seems to have never appeared before. I wonder if Mr. Wu knows the whereabouts of this person?"
Wu Jin looked troubled when he heard this, shook his head slightly and said: "Miss Fang, to be honest, this is the first time I have heard of this person's name. Back then, I hid all the way in Tibet, and only came here three years ago to barely put down roots. Although Dong'an City I have some old friends, but we haven’t contacted each other for so many years. What’s going on now? I’m really confused!”
Fang Yunyi looked slightly disappointed and said, "How can I say that Shopkeeper Wu has really never heard of this person?"
Wu Jin frowned, shook his head slowly, and said, "I have never heard of it, but please don't worry, Miss Fang. I will write a letter tomorrow and ask my old friends in Dong'an City to help patrol this person."
Wu Jin continued to ask: "Miss Fang traveled thousands of miles to find this person, why did she do it?"
Fang Yunyi said: "Entrusted by others..."
