There were many cities in the Ming Dynasty, but Linqing was particularly different.
Especially after the first year of Chongzhen, the pace of life in Linqing was accelerated invisibly.
People are always slow to respond and adapt best.
A roadside tavern opened its doors for business in the morning.
Near noon, a group of people came to the door. I was stunned and didn't dare to enter for a while.
One of them fearfully pressed his hand on the window, then shrank back in fear, and kept opening and closing his mouth without knowing what he was yelling.
The shopkeeper looked inside and felt happy in his heart.
"These are these old haters from out of town."
With a smile on his face, he went over and opened the door.
"Oh, it's extremely cold today. Guests, please come in and warm yourself up."
When someone greeted them, the group calmed down a little. When they walked in quietly, everyone still glanced at the window.
Seeing that there were many of them, the shopkeeper went inside to greet them and prepared several tables.
Unexpectedly, this group of people was even more extraordinary. They actually dispersed in twos and threes, occupying a large area.
At the middle table, there was only an old gentleman with a fair face and a young man with an equally fair face. Many seats were empty.
The shopkeeper smiled and said cautiously: "Guests, it looks like it's almost noon, and there are quite a few people eating. Can you please give me a compliment and make do with it?"
The fair-skinned old gentleman ignored him at all, but a brash man at the table next to him got angry and slapped his hand loudly.
"You old man, you don't know what's going on. Are you going to shortchange you?"
As he spoke, a five-tael silver ingot was thrown on the table.
Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper didn't even look at it, but still said: "A few guests don't know something. Although our shop is small, we have many regular customers. People like to come over at noon to join in the fun. There are not many seats, so please invite me Forgive me."
"Hey, that's interesting. This is the first time we've met him. He doesn't like silver."
The fair-skinned old man's words were a bit sinister and strange.
Seeing that his subordinates were still angry, he gave a warning look.
"Still not coming over?"
Those domineering men all became as honest as rabbits in an instant. They stood up one after another and gathered together to occupy three tables.
The shopkeeper thanked him for his help.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, sir."
He turned back and shouted: "Tell the kitchen to send these gentlemen two plates of braised peanuts and shredded potatoes."
"Shopkeeper, this store of yours is not simple. You dare to use this kind of unparalleled medicinal jade to make windows. It's the only one in the world."
When the fair-skinned old gentleman spoke, his eyes were filled with greed.
Seeing him pointing at the window, the shopkeeper was startled, then fell down laughing.
"Ouch, hahahaha... Don't be ridiculous, sir. What a peerless treasure? It's just a piece of broken glass. It only costs seven cents a dozen. It's thrown on the street and no one wants it."
This group of people were all frightened, and at the same time they also noticed that they were timid.
Fortunately, someone else came in and saved them from the embarrassment.
Three people came in, all wearing very strange black clothes. I couldn't tell what it was, but it looked so neat and tidy all over my body, it was heart-stopping.
But the shopkeeper was not afraid and greeted him with a smile.
"Hey, Captain Wu, why are you so early today? Are you still the third child?"
That "Captain Wu" smiled and waved his hands, and at the same time glanced around the hall, staring at this group of people for a while.
For some reason, they felt as if they were being targeted by wolves, and their hair stood on end.
"It's business today."
Captain Wu asked his men to bring over a large piece of paper.
"Your store is really busy with regular people coming and going. So it's troublesome to use this precious place to post a notice."
The shopkeeper hurriedly took it over.
"It's a public matter, so why bother? If it weren't for the public, my store would have closed down a long time ago. How could it be as prosperous as it is now?"
Then he asked curiously.
"What kind of notice is this?"
Captain Wu searched for the place where the notice was posted and said with a smile: "The latest announcement of the Administrative Committee is the abolition of slavery. From now on, in our territory, slavery and low status will be abolished, and everyone will truly be equal."
The shopkeeper was overjoyed.
"Oh my god, this announcement has finally come down. How many people are looking forward to the stars and the moon, just looking forward to it."
He was so excited that he called his assistant and ordered: "Xiao Shuanzi, go and put the notice on this screen wall."
Even Captain Wu was frightened.
"There is a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva on your screen wall, so you are not afraid of collision?"
The shopkeeper spat as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I'm afraid of him. These gods in the sky just eat and drink from us, and never do anything. From now on, if you want to worship us, you must worship our commander-in-chief and the gentlemen of the administrative committee."
Watching Xiao Shuanzi take the notice, his movements were trembling, and he couldn't help scolding: "Little bastard, be careful, if you break the notice, I will beat you to death."
The guy is not afraid.
"Shopkeeper, you don't dare. Look carefully, the slave abolition order. We are not your slaves. If you dare to hit me, Captain Wu will put you in jail."
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth angrily.
"Hey, I didn't expect this. If I can't beat you, I'll deduct your wages, right?"
Xiao Shuanzi has already posted the notice, and he is not afraid after hearing this.
"If you dare to deduct my wages, I won't work anymore. I'll go work in the factory. They'll give you much more than what you get here."
The shopkeeper was completely helpless and went to Captain Wu to complain.
"Hey, let me tell you, everything is good now, it's just that it's hard to find people. My guys here are paid 600 yuan a month, and they still want to run away."
Captain Wu laughed.
"There's nothing we can do about it. There's a shortage of people everywhere. As for you, you have to find someone to recruit."
After talking and laughing, Captain Wu took the people away.
The fair-skinned group of people stared blankly at the notice on the screen wall.
They knew every word on it, but when they read it, their hearts felt cold.
A large group of people suddenly poured in outside the store, and everyone was beaming with joy.
When the shopkeeper saw it, he immediately understood what was going on.
"Did everyone read the notice? Congratulations!"
"How can you not see it? They are posted all over the streets today, and they are all crazy."
The shopkeeper only looks at the leader.
"Brother Lu, I heard that you are very useful in the Lu family. Are you coming out now?"
The man was delighted.
"You don't know yet, right? Our young master... our boss has already informed us. Although we are no longer servants in the house, we are still in charge. My boss sent me back this time to do one thing It’s a big deal.”
After hearing this, other people held their hands in congratulations.
"Congratulations to Brother Lu on getting rid of his slavery. He will be free and at ease from now on."
The man sighed with emotion.
"Let me tell you, our commander-in-chief is Renyi. Without him, how could we live like human beings?"
A group of people were even more passionate, praising that "commander" as if he were the Jade Emperor or the Tathagata Buddha.
The man surnamed Lu seemed to be really happy. He waved his hand and shouted: "Today is a happy day, and we are happy. The money for everyone's food and drinks at noon today is on my head."
The crowd laughed and sat around him.
"On such a happy occasion, I should treat you to a drink."
"After drinking this drink and enjoying Brother Lu's happiness, I hope that the eldest son of our family will be admitted to a secondary school."
The whole hall was lively, but the fair-skinned side was as cold as ice. The table was full of food and wine, but no one touched it.
Everyone pricked their ears, hoping to hear more.
