The escape route was arranged by Taji in advance.
First, use hemp rope to climb down the cliff, then go to the river ditch, and escape from the Miao village by taking a bamboo raft down the river.
Jiang Xiaoli was lying on the back of the raft, looking at the burning home, her voice almost hoarse from crying.
Song Che didn't dare to neglect the pole in his hand and shook the bamboo raft with all his strength. He didn't relax a little until he climbed over two hills.
He knew very well that if Wujiazhuang could not find his body, they would definitely not give up and they might catch up at any time.
So, he found a nearby beach, abandoned the bamboo raft, and took Jiang Xiaoli to the shore.
The night is very dark.
Man, it's sad.
Not daring to take the main road, let alone stay, they walked through the wild paths and woods in the dark.
Gradually, dawn breaks.
Mountain darkly, vista.
In the early morning, with the smoke coming from the kitchen, I saw a house in the depths of the forest.
After running away all night, Song Che and Jiang Xiaoli were both hungry, thirsty and tired. However, to ensure safety, Song Che asked Jiang Xiaoli to stay in the forest temporarily while he knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door was an old woman in her sixties, with gray hair on her temples and a kind face.
"Auntie, we got lost in the mountains and passed by your house. Can you ask for a bowl of water?" Song Che was humble and polite.
The old woman glanced at Jiang Xiaoli who was hiding behind a tree in the forest, and said with a smile: "It's rare to see other people in the mountains. Ask your friend to come in with him."
It is a house of generosity and kindness.
Song Che waved to Jiang Xiaoli and waited for her to walk into the thatched cottage together.
There is a family of two in the house, an old woman and an old man, both in their sixties. They are here to escape the world, relax and enjoy their old age.
The old woman brought two bowls of rice porridge. Although there was more water and less rice, it was better than the most delicious food in the world.
Song Che asked the old woman some questions again, and learned that this place was not far from Tongchuan City, about a hundred miles and two days' journey.
After filling their stomachs with enough porridge and water, Song Che and Jiang Xiaoli bid farewell to the old couple after a short rest.
Before leaving, the old woman packed a few steamed buns and stuffed a few eggs and asked them to take them with them to eat on the road. The old man used a donkey cart to take them to the nearest market town.
The old couple are destined to live a long life.
After arriving at the market town, Song Che bought his clothes and shoes, changed into commoners with Jiang Xiaoli and dressed up in disguise. Then he used the remaining silver to buy an ox cart and headed towards Tongchuan City on the main road.
Song Che's bloodshot eyes were staring at the surroundings all the time, while Jiang Xiaoli curled up on the cart and fell asleep. The tears in the corners of his eyes and his pale face were so haggard that it made people feel sad.
In this way, after a day's journey, Song Che finally couldn't stand it any longer and opened a guest room in a roadside shop, intending to have a good night's rest.
Unexpectedly!
My head was just glued to the pillow.
"Da da da……"
The sound of horse hooves came from outside the store.
He suddenly lost all sleep.
Jiang Xiaoli was also frightened and opened his eyes.
"Shh..." Song Che made a silent gesture, walked softly to the window, opened the window slit and looked outside the store——
Two men in green clothes with swords dismounted in front of the shop. They seemed to be holding a portrait in their hands. They walked straight towards the shop.
He is from Wujiazhuang.
Song Che immediately closed the window, picked up the candlestick on the table, walked to the door, opened the door slightly, and looked towards the counter.
Two bankers came to the counter, held up the portrait and asked:
"Shopkeeper, have you seen the person in the painting?"
You can see through the crack in the door that the portrait in the painting is none other than Song Che.
The shopkeeper was in his fifties, and it was almost night now, so he was probably out of sight. He looked at it for a while and shook his head: "I haven't seen it before."
The banker slapped the portrait on the counter and said: "This man stole something from our Wujiazhuang. Now the village is searching for him. This portrait will stay in your store. Please pay more attention to the food and accommodation. If anyone finds his trace and comes to report, he will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver; if he comes with his head, he will be rewarded with one hundred taels; if he can be captured alive, he will be rewarded with two hundred taels!"
After saying that, he walked out of the shop, got on his horse, and rushed to the next shop.
But the shopkeeper picked up the portrait and squinted his eyes thoughtfully.
Seeing that the situation was not going well, Song Che suddenly came up with a plan, opened the door generously and walked out, and greeted the shopkeeper with a smile:
"Shopkeeper, I just heard there was a transaction in the house!"
The shopkeeper said: "What kind of business is this? I am an old man who kills and arrests people. I don't want to make a fortune in this."
"Is it?"
Song Che took the opportunity to take the portrait and took a look. The painting technique was really worrying. Except for the hair ornaments and the face shape, the facial features were completely different from the real person.
Today, he has already changed his hairstyle and appearance. As long as he is not recognized in person, there is no need to worry at all based on this portrait.
"Shopkeeper, I see that the person in this portrait is somewhat similar to me. How about you take the portrait to Majiazhuang and knock them out for fifty taels of silver, and then we both split it equally?" Song Che asked tentatively. ask.
The best way to get rid of suspicion is to "dark under the light".
The shopkeeper quickly waved his hand and muttered: "Young man, you have to be wise in making money. What kind of place is Majiazhuang? I wouldn't dare to steal their money even if I had ten guts."
Song Che put the portrait into his arms naturally: "Then I will keep this wealth for you?"
The shopkeeper didn't care at all.
Song Che returned to the guest room, closed the door, and took a long breath. At least tonight, he could have a good sleep in this small shop.
Early next morning.
The sky was slightly bright, so Song Che and Jiang Xiaoli got up early. In order not to be recognized, he put a mustache on his mouth.
After daybreak, many "bounty" hunters appeared on the avenue. Most of them were in groups, carrying hemp ropes and sticks, and holding portraits of Song Che in their hands. Anyone who saw a similar face would be caught and compared. Fan.
To be on the safe side, Song Che also found a wooden stick and used the portrait he got from the shopkeeper last night to pretend to be a bounty hunter.
"Boy, I see you look a bit like this portrait. Where did you come from?"
"If you don't ask me, I haven't noticed yet that you look a bit like this portrait. Where did you come from?"
"Oh, stop arguing. We are all in the same group. Last night, the bad gambler Li Laosan felt that he was very similar to the person in the portrait, so he colluded with his cousin to extort fifty taels of reward. You guessed it? , but in the end, I didn’t even get a penny, and I was beaten to death by the people from Majiazhuang!”
"There is such a thing, so you have to be more careful. Brother, I suddenly feel that you don't look like you anymore. I misunderstood, I misunderstood..."
Want to cast a net for fishing?
Simply whimsical!
afternoon.
After passing by Niu non-stop, we arrived at the outskirts of Tongchuan city.
Now I encountered another difficulty.
Officers and soldiers set up checkpoints in front of the road to check the road and quote ultimatums.
Not far from the checkpoint, there were several Wujia dealers sitting, holding portraits to compare with the passing business travelers along the way.
Song Che's guide should have been led into Tongchuan City by Shen Wenjun and the others. As for Jiang Xiaoli, she was a Miao family girl, let alone such a thing.
But this city must be entered.
In desperation, Song Che could only bite the bullet, lower his head, walked to the checkpoint, said that he had lost his way, and asked if he could be accommodating.
(To be continued...)
