The group of people walked in the wind and snow, their heads almost hanging into their collars. They thought they had walked a long way, but when they looked up, they had not yet walked beyond the length of the Bai family's caravan. Fei Nu turned back frequently, and Hua'er couldn't help but mutter: "We have never been the Bai family's errands, and the Bai family only heard about it, but those things are true. When Uncle Bai was alive, someone stole from the Bai family. A piece of white marble was sunk into the pond by the Bai family. We have also seen the corpse, floating on the moat in the summer, rotting and smelly." She half-truthed and half-falsely frightened Fei Nu, even if Fei Nu's brain was alive again, but I have never done anything out of the ordinary. After saying that, the tip of his nose wrinkled and he pretended to smell: "Oh, I can still smell it now!"
Little Ah Song imitated her: "It stinks, it really stinks." The others laughed out loud.
The Bai family's caravan stretched to two or three miles outside the city. In addition to the usual horses and mules, there were actually two camels at the end of the team. The camel stood in the snow and vomited from time to time. Ah Song had never seen a camel before, so he pointed at it from a distance and said, "That's a monster!"
The people in the caravan laughed at her: "Little girl has never seen the big world, this is a camel."
"It's an ugly monster with two bow pots." Asong Tong said without restraint, making others laugh.
Although the scene was full of joy, Hua'er shuddered and looked around, but there was nothing strange. Maybe she heard and saw dirty things yesterday, and she was really thinking about it. She always felt that the square-head shoe was going to hit her on the head, so she lost all mood. She urged her to leave quickly, but she was frozen to death, and she held Asong with one hand. Holding the cicada with one hand, he walked quickly.
The person in the caravan's sedan behind asked, "Did you smell it too?"
The person outside the sedan replied: "I smell it."
It was quiet for a moment, and then he said: "Kill."
The people outside the sedan didn't say anything, and they didn't know if they heard him, but they curled their lips.
Hua'er and the others walked outside the city and walked along the river. The road was snow-white and they couldn't tell the distance from near, so they had to rely on their intuition. There was a row of new footprints on the snow on the river beach, varying in depth, stretching forward.
"Isn't this going in the direction where we are fishing?" Ah Hui was worried that someone would discover where they were fishing, and that there would be some trouble. Xian Chan was on the side to explain to him that the river was not theirs and the fish was not theirs. If anyone else found out, it would just be for each of them to make a living based on their own abilities. After walking another foot, the footprints disappeared. Ah Hui tripped over something and lowered his head to look. A hand was vaguely exposed in the snow. Several people stopped, looked at each other, and finally decided to dig the person out.
Dead people are common, and people who freeze to death are also common. Even the young Ah Song did not panic because of this, and even helped to plow the snow when digging people.
It's a man. His face was dark purple with a trace of blood, and his face was almost cut in half, looking hideous and terrifying. Hua'er put her hand in front of his nose. He was still breathing weakly, but he probably wouldn't die soon.
"You're still alive." She said, "You have a great destiny. It's your good fortune to meet us today."
"He's about to die. Don't worry about it." Fei Nu looked around. These days, it's as easy to encounter dead people as it is to encounter rats burrowing holes.
"You can't just die without saving him." Hua'er rolled her eyes and said, "Save him, but search him and take away anything that can be used as money, okay?"
Fei Nu felt a little relieved when he heard this: "Look at the wounds on his face, ordinary people can't be hurt like this. Don't look for trouble. I told you before going out, be careful and don't look for trouble." Despite this, people I still knelt down and opened his eyes. The pupils were blurred, and I thought he was going to die soon. Hua'er remembered that there was an abandoned hut in front of her, so she said to Ah Hu: "Let's try to be kind and carry him to the hut first. Even if he dies, he is not a wandering ghost on the roadside. At least he has a shelter from the wind and snow." place."
Several people stopped talking. They raised their hands and feet to hold their heads, and with all their strength, they carried the man into the hut. The hut was dilapidated, the roof leaked, and there was a patch of snow in the middle of the ground. They put the man in a corner, found dead branches, and lit a fire beside him. The bonfire crackled, and the hut suddenly felt warm. At least the man didn't have to freeze to death.
"The world is not good. Don't be a human again in the next life. Don't be a beast in the mountains, an eagle on the grassland, even a toad in the river. Don't come back to this world again." Xianchan said. After saying these words, I felt a soreness in my nose as I thought about my two missing brothers at home.
Fei Nu went to search him, but Hua'er stopped him, but he said, "You said it, search me and take away the valuables."
"It's not authentic!" Hua'er grabbed his sleeve to stop him.
"Your grandma will be out of medicine soon. Who cares if she is authentic or not!" Fei Nu pushed her aside and quickly touched the man's clothes. The man snorted. Fei Nu was startled and withdrew his hand: "That's all! Take it to the underworld!"
Before leaving, they looked back and saw that the man was motionless. Whether he lived or died was left to God's will. When I wasted no time reaching the river, I couldn't help but feel a little sad because of the dying man, and I kept silent while digging a hole in the ice.
Fishing in the extremely cold weather is really life-threatening. Several people used ice picks to carve out bit by bit. Fortunately, the water they found was not deep. In addition, Ah Hui had magical powers. It took more than an hour to completely dig through the river surface, and they were able to hear the roar. The sound of rushing water. A Song put his head in to look and shouted: "There is a fish! There is a fish!"
When they heard about the fish, several people became happy again. They could no longer remember the last time they had eaten meat and teeth as a sacrifice. The fish swimming in the groundwater seemed to be fragrant. Even the usually calm Xian Chan laughed.
They took out their home-made nets to catch fish. The mouth of the water hole was so cold that it was freezing when they put their hands in. After several attempts, they caught a few small fish.
"This is a matter of time and effort. I got the salt and then salted the fish and froze it to keep it for a long time." Feinu chuckled, but Hua'er asked him: "Where did you get the salt?"
"Don't worry about it."
"He will be beheaded if found."
"If you chop, chop, sooner or later you will die. Either you will be beheaded to death, or you will freeze to death and starve to death and be taken away to fight in the army."
Hua'er wanted to say something else, but Ah Song tugged at the corner of her clothes: "Sister Hua'er, do you see someone riding a horse from afar?"
When Hua'er looked at it, it was true. The few of them looked at each other and quickly threw the fisherman into the pit. Xian Chan took Ah Song with him to hide in the woods with the small bamboo basket containing the fish. The rest of the people covered the dug river surface with snow and then blocked the front.
The horse was very fast, galloping across the river beach. The snow mud brought up by the horse's hooves was thrown on them and into Ah Hui's mouth. He spit out the mud and was about to curse, but the horse turned around and ran away again. Come back. Only then can we see clearly the person on the horse, who is wearing a tiger skin hat on his head, an ax on his waist, and a thick rope wrapped around his waist. The man is extremely tall, and he looks like a legendary beast sitting on the horse. His only exposed eyes are covered with white frost, and he is full of murderous aura, which is very frightening. His horse galloped around them as if to trample them flat.
The man's eyes fell on Hua'er through the frost and snow. He stretched out the riding crop in his hand and asked her in a deep voice: "What do you do?" She was wearing square-toed shoes, and it was unclear what was embroidered on them, but she was frightened by the glance last night. Her legs went weak and she sat on the snow. Lift your face and look at him.
"answer."
Hua'er's fear came and went quickly. At first she was really scared, and then she was just pretending. He stared at the horse's hooves, as if he was afraid that it would trample him to death. He looked petrified. She acted really well, kicking her feet alternately on the ground and stepping back to get further away from the horse. Her face, which was red from the cold, was also a little more anxious. His eyes were innocent and full of fear, making it impossible for anyone to doubt him.
Ah Hui and Fei Nu understood, and stood aside to explain to her: "This sister is pitiful. She was kicked by a horse when she was a child and suffered from the disease. She is like this when she sees horses. If you have anything to say, just ask us."
"You're not clever to begin with. Being kicked by a horse makes you even more stupid."
If Hua'er hadn't encountered something rare, I'm afraid she wouldn't be like this suddenly. They had grown up together since childhood, and it was somewhat guessed that there was something going on. Looking at Hua'er again, one could almost call her stupid. The snowy weather was so cold that she looked inhumane. Her face was so red that she could hardly see clearly, and only her frightened and slightly stupid eyes were blinking at the person coming.
The man took back his riding crop and rode his horse slowly around the three of them for several weeks before asking: "Can you see someone with an injury on his face?"
"No." Ah Hui replied. The man's injuries were unusual and indeed had some origins. When they left, they put him in the hut, but no body was found.
The visitor looked at them again and then rode away. Hua'er breathed a sigh of relief and told the two about what happened last night. After hearing this, they frowned and told Hua'er not to be the watchman. The little girl had no power to restrain a chicken and it was too dangerous.
"In a few days, Sun Po will finish drinking the decoction. When the medicine is gone, Sun Po will be out of breath, and she may die from suffocation. Not only does she have to watch the clock, but she also has to do the day's work. Fei Nu Xun's job of going to Xinzhi County's house should also be considered." Hua'er sighed: "I used to be able to make a lot of money doing needlework with Xian Chan, but now no one wants embroidery work."
"This world!"
They froze for most of the day by the river and caught half a bucket of fish. When the night came, I went to find a safe place in the woods to set up a fire and cook some. The fire was so noisy that the miserable world had nothing to do with it anyway. The women huddled together to warm themselves over the fire, while the men grilled fish. The fish was small, and it was eaten after a few bites after being grilled. Even so, you could still taste the aroma and satisfy your craving.
"The Bai family doesn't have enough meat to eat, and the leftovers are fed to dogs and hawks." Fei Nu said: "They are more impressive than officials."
"You are interested in the Bai family." Zhaoye patted him to wake him up: "The servants of the Bai family didn't give anything for free. They caught the thief and beat him to death with sticks, and then buried him outside the city without anyone noticing. . Those who are officials will pay more attention. Although the Bai family is engaged in business, it is not worth it to support so many officials and make a small amount of money for the government to turn a blind eye. "
"Let's find some work in the Bai family." Ahui suggested from the side: "At least we can eat well and wear warm clothes. It is said that anyone who enters the Bai family's courtyard will be given a new set of clothes that day, and the servants can all eat steamed buns. You can still eat meat every few days.”
"It's not easy to get into the Bai family. The old housekeeper has a bright mind and knows everything. He is the living doorkeeper of the Bai family. If you want to work as an errand in the Bai family, you must go through his gate first. His gate is probably a ghost gate. How many people are looking for ways to get in? They were all stopped by him. That old man is a freak and can't handle it."
"Even if you don't go into the hospital, how about doing a temporary errand?"
"For temporary errands, I can think of ways to do it. For example, in a few days, the Bai family will hold a funeral for Uncle Bai. It is said that it will be a grand spectacle, and there will be hundreds of mourners. The news just broke out this morning. If everyone If you don't think it's unlucky, just go and cry." At this point, Fei Nu became interested and simply talked about the grievances between Bai Lao Da and Bai Lao Er.
It is said that the parents of the two Mr. Bai died young and they were raised by the ancestors of the Bai family. Before his death, the ancestor divided the family wealth into two parts and asked them not to fight, but he was partial when dividing the wealth. The one nearby, connected to the lifeline of Yanzhuo City, was given to Boss Bai; the one in the wild land far away was given to Boss Bai. Bai Laoer, in other words, if Bai Laoer wants to have a family fortune, he can leave Yan Zhuo City, which is equivalent to exile.
As for the second brother Bai, he was obedient on the surface and had a smile on his face. He ran away for three years, but he was actually designed to kill the second boss Bai. Coincidentally, Mr. Bai was newly widowed and had no children, so all the wealth fell back into his hands.
"So cruel and ruthless?" The others opened their eyes wide. Tigers don't know how to poison tigers, and rabbits don't eat grass beside their nests. The old man actually killed his brother for the sake of family wealth. His conduct was so bad that it was outrageous.
"I won't die well!" Little Song said suddenly. Apparently he followed the adults and heard someone curse someone. Hua'er hurriedly covered her mouth: "Little ancestor! Don't talk nonsense! You want to curse in your heart, but what should you do if someone hears you? Only by smiling in front of others and pretending to be honest in everything can you survive in this world, do you understand?" Hua'er told little Ah Song the words that Grandma Sun used to teach her.
"But Sister Hua'er also fought with Wu Xiucai in the autumn, saying that Wu Xiucai is not a scholar at all. He only knows how to bully girls." Little Ah Song was unconvinced and pouted: "Sister Hua'er said it, I I can’t tell, huh!”
When Hua'er saw that the little guy was angry, he went to coax her again. The days passed by, and the frozen fish was wrapped tightly and stuffed into my clothes and tied up. Before entering the city, Hua'er felt a coldness in her neck again. She looked back and saw that there was nothing but the forest she had just walked out of, open in the dark.
"Second Master said to kill, who should he kill? Have you understood it?" someone asked softly.
"If I understood everything, would they still have a chance to get here?" Another person answered softly.
"That's all, just kill the one who kept the secret!"
"Okay, anyway, the second master likes to be clean."
After all, Yan laughed strangely behind their respective trees, which was so frightening that the sparrows on the branches were so frightened that they fluttered their wings and flew up.
