The Wushu army gradually came westward, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. The Jin army has already captured strong men in Yingchang Prefecture, saying that they are going to Zhengzhou to transport military supplies. Suddenly, the surrounding states and counties were in a state of uproar. Everyone understands that if they are caught, they will never come back.
Lin Shengyuan stood under the eaves of the guest room with a sad face. I was very happy when I left Xiangyang, but I didn't expect to be trapped here when I arrived in Xiangcheng. The Jin army has a bad reputation, and the people have learned to be good and avoid it if they can.
Tens of thousands of troops could not just run along the road. What did they eat on the road, where did they stay, and how did they protect themselves from enemy ambushes. There were also people who helped them transport grain and grass, transport heavy baggage, cook, fetch water, and even make beds and quilts. There was no peace for several states along the way. Wu Shu's 35,000 elite soldiers came west, and at least 350,000 young men and women must be recruited along the way. The Central Plains area is in ruins. How can we conquer it all?
Huang Yuanwai came out of the room and stood beside Lin Shengyuan. After a while of silence, he said: "I'm sorry for bothering you, Brother Lin. Once these goods are sold, I will definitely thank you deeply when I come to Xiangcheng! To be honest, Brother Lin, I also have important people in Daming Mansion to help me. It's just that the fourth prince sent troops, which one Dare to lick the tiger's beard? You can only avoid it for a while. It can take as little as one or twenty days, as long as one or two months, it doesn't have to be too long."
Lin Shengyuan said: "Winter will come in a month or two. It's summer when we come here, and I didn't bring an extra piece of clothing. How can I wait?"
"Buy, buy! There are many shops in Xiangcheng County. As long as you have money, you can buy anything?" Huang Yuanwai is a big business person. Although he has not received payment for the goods, he has a lot of money.
Lin Shengyuan sighed helplessly: "That's all we have to do. It's just that if I don't come back for a long time, I'm afraid my daughter in Xiangyang will think too much."
Huang Yuan said: "My dear friend, haven't you seen the post office next to the delivery shop outside? I heard people say that as long as you pay a small amount of money, you can have them deliver letters just like delivering official documents. If you write a letter back to Xiangyang, it will definitely not work. thing!"
Lin Shengyuan had also heard about the post office, especially those in the military who liked to use it. Not only can you deliver letters, you can also post money, and you can even deliver goods. Postage is not expensive and most people can afford it.
Just then, a young woman came out of the house next to her. Jing Chai is wearing a cloth skirt and a green handkerchief on her head. She has a beautiful face and graceful gait. After standing there and looking around for a while, he saw Huang Yuanwai and Lin Shengyuan. He looked happy and walked over quickly.
When they arrived in front of the two men, the woman bowed and said, "I have seen my two brothers."
When Huang Yuanwai saw the woman, his heart trembled. He said hurriedly: "Young lady, you don't have to be polite. What's the matter?"
The woman said: "My officials came to meet today. Nunu went out and bought a chicken and a fish to celebrate him. But there are only Nunu and a maid here. How can two women dare to kill? Look at my brother's expression. , please step forward and lend a helping hand."
After saying that, he smiled slightly at Mr. Huang. This smile was like the warm sunshine of spring, melting Huang's heart.
Lin Shengyuan on the side was also shocked when he saw this woman. However, in the past few years, I have been on the move, and my ambition is no longer what it used to be. He immediately retracted his thoughts and watched coldly.
When Huang Yuanwai heard that this woman was waiting for his official to come back, he couldn't help but feel sad. Seeing that the woman looked pitiful and shy, I really couldn't bear to refuse. He said yes and followed Lin Shengyuan without even saying a word.
Lin Shengyuan deliberately called out to Huang Yuanwai. How could he be so careless when he was away from home and doing business? I stayed in this inn for a few days and didn't see this woman. Why did I suddenly see it today and come over to ask for help? But before he could shout, he saw Huang Yuanwai following the woman.
When they arrived at the door of the nearby house, the woman asked Huang Yuanwai to wait here. He returned to the house, rolled up his sleeves, exposed a section of his frosty arm, and lifted a tied chicken from the ground. He turned his head slightly, as if he was very scared.
Throwing the chicken on the ground, the woman said, "I'm sorry, brother."
Huang Yuanwai hurriedly said it was okay. He grabbed the chicken, held its neck and twisted it, and said to the woman: "Sister, please see, this chicken is no better than other livestock. If you cut it with one knife, it will not die for a while. You have to hold it down until the blood is drained out." ”
The woman covered her mouth and turned pale with fear. He whispered: "My mother has been fasting all her life, how do you see this?"
While talking, a maid came out of the room carrying a knife. He said: "It's really annoying to have to eat chicken and not see the chicken being killed. I'm lucky to have this brother today, otherwise what should I do?"
As he spoke, he handed the knife to Huang Yuanwai.
Officer Huang saw this little maid who was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a delicate face and a pleasant appearance. He smiled at her, took the knife, and smeared it on the chicken's neck. He put his hand on the chicken head in the bowl and said, "You only need to be ruthless to kill a chicken. It's actually very simple!"
The two women didn't dare to look and turned their heads.
Lin Shengyuan watched from the side and felt that this was not a good idea. I just couldn't tell what was wrong, so I hesitated to ask Huang Yuanwai to come back.
When the chicken stopped moving, Huang handed it to the maid and asked her to go aside and pluck the chicken feathers. The woman went into the house and brought out a fresh carp, and asked Huang Yuanwai to kill it together. I was alone, chatting with Huang Yuanwai.
After a while, after finishing everything, the maid went to the store in front to borrow firewood and burned it herself. In this era, many inns allowed guests to cook their own meals. Pedestrians often bring rice with them when traveling and borrow firewood from inns to burn. The inn sells very little food, and most of the tenants eat outside.
Huang Yuanwai stood there, having nothing to do and not wanting to leave. He said something here and there, looking for a topic to chat with the woman.
At this moment, a big man strode in from outside. He just stepped into the yard and said loudly: "Honey, is there anything to eat? I can't rest on this journey. I'm really hungry."
The woman turned her head and saw the big man, her face filled with joy. He said: "My lord, wait a moment, Aluo is cooking there. Knowing that you are coming today, I specially bought a gourd of wine and bought a chicken and a big fish."
"Best, best!" The big man quickly walked up to him and wiped the sweat from his head.
The woman looked at Mr. Huang and looked a little embarrassed. He said: "This is Huang Yuanwai who lives next door. We are two women who don't want to see blood, so we asked him to come over and help kill chickens and fish. If Huang Yuanwai hadn't come to help me, how would I have made this meal?"
The big man looked at Huang Yuanwai, raised his hands and saluted: "Thank you so much, Yuan Wai! I'm Tang Zhe, this is my wife."
Huang Yuanwai returned the gift. Looking at Tang Zhe's rough appearance and loud voice, I don't know how such a rough man managed to marry such a beautiful wife, and I couldn't help but sigh secretly. A smile appeared on his face and he returned the favor with Tang Zhe.
When other couples meet, Huang Yuanwai takes his leave.
Tang Zhe said: "How can we leave like this? My wife said we bought wine, and there are chickens and fish, which is just right. Let's go into the room. Let's have a drink together at noon today! We are destined to meet each other thousands of miles away, how can we miss it like this!"
Huang Yuanwai wanted to leave, but he couldn't bear to part with the woman's face. With a few words of pretense, he followed Tang Zhe into the house.
The room was simply decorated, with a small table and a few stools placed in the middle, as if it was ready. Mr. Huang was invited to take a seat outside, and the woman served tea herself. Tang Zhe pulled up a stool and sat next to Huang Yuanwai, talking with him. Just like meeting old friends again, there is no trace of life.
