Zhang Di was a young scholar in Luoshan County, Xinyang Army. He had read few classics and historical records, and especially loved all kinds of legends and legends. In order to make ends meet, he also wrote several storybooks for storytellers. Because of his fluent writing style, he actually became a style collecting official.
Two days ago, after listening to Wang Xiaolie's words, I felt my blood boiling. I didn't expect that such an inconspicuous official as myself could have such a big impact. The Feng Collection Institute assigned officials to collect folk customs in various places, and Zhang Di was assigned to Xin'an County. After two days of hurried journey, we arrived at Xin'an County.
Because there were many wars in Xin'an, the county seat was renovated. A main road comes from Luoyang. The road is flat and covered with willows on both sides. On the road, carriages kept passing by. This road connects Luoyang and Jingzhao Mansion, and it is indeed very prosperous.
After entering the city gate, Zhang Di entered the Tongfu Inn under Xuanfu Division. As soon as his official identity was revealed, the boy hurriedly led Zhang Di to the backyard.
After entering the backyard, the servant asked: "Do you want the official to stay here permanently, or do you want to stay for a few days and then leave?"
Zhang Di said: "I have to stay for a while before leaving."
The boy said: "I wonder if the accommodation fee will be paid by you yourself or by the government?"
Zhang Di smiled and said: "What's the difference? I'm here on official business, so of course I'm paid by the government. But I only have fifty coins a day, and that includes food and accommodation. If the accommodation is good, the food will naturally be poor."
The boy said: "Xin'an is a small county, how much can you spend on food? If you want to live well, there is a small courtyard there, which only costs 20 cents a day. It is very quiet. If you want to save some money on living, There is a row of houses here, and each house costs nine cents a day."
After saying that, the boy added: "Don't you want to share a room with other guests? If so, it only costs five cents a day."
Zhang Di hurriedly said: "Of course you can't share it with others! I'll just live in this nine-cent room. - By the way, check out the small courtyard over there too."
The boy said: "The guest wants to stay for a long time, so of course it needs to be quieter. The houses here are all ordinary, with a bed, a table, nothing else, and nothing interesting. Let's go over there and take a look at the small courtyard. Well. After all, an official has an official status, so of course he should live in a more dignified manner."
Zhang Di didn't say anything, just followed the boy and walked forward.
It sounds like he has an official status, but Zhang Di is the lowest civil servant and his salary is really not high. Wang Xiaolie increased the salary of low-level officials. The most junior civil servants like Zhang Di received a monthly salary of 11 yuan and nothing else. Fortunately, under Wang Xiaolie's rule, all the salaries were provided, with no deductions and no worries about life problems.
Walking to the side, the boy opened a small courtyard and led Zhang Di inside.
This is a very small courtyard, with only two main rooms and a wing room on the left. There is a small garden in front of the house, with several peonies planted in it, which are in full bloom at the moment. Next to the peonies, there are several crape myrtles planted, which have not yet bloomed.
The boy led him into the room. Zhang Di liked the furniture a little when he saw that although it was simple, it was very neat. When he saw two rooms, one with a bed and the other with a bookshelf, he said decisively: "This is it! But the store has to make the bed for me. I just have to wait until I come to live there." .”
The boy agreed repeatedly.
Here in Wang Xiaolie, only a handful of officials will give out post coupons because of official business, and most people have to pay to live in the inn. It's just a business trip, and the travel expenses can be reimbursed after returning, or the money can be borrowed in advance. A petty official like Zhang Di would rather stay in a hotel to avoid a lot of trouble.
Tongfu Inn is a chain of inns affiliated to Xuanfu Division and can be found in almost every county. Officials don't live in the inn, so they like to live here, with less trouble. Moreover, official inns are clean and tidy inside and have good service, which is better than private hotels.
After bowing and paying the deposit, the servant was busy making the bed and so on. Zhang Di was bored and strolled out of the small courtyard to look at the scenery in the backyard of the inn.
There is a large green peony planted in the yard, which is in full bloom at this time. There are very few green peonies in this era, and the flower blooms late. This is a good time to appreciate it.
While Zhang Di was bending down to admire the green peonies, the door of the nearby courtyard rang and a pregnant woman walked out.
This pregnant woman was eighteen or nineteen years old and extremely beautiful. The face is like a peach blossom, the skin is like gelatin, and there is a lot of charm in the eyes and brows. With a big belly, it looked like she was already ten months pregnant and was about to give birth.
Seeing Zhang Di looking at her intently, the woman couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, put her hands on her hips and straightened out her belly. She pointed her other hand at Zhang Di and cursed: "Look at you, you look like a scholar, but you have evil thoughts! It's a good thing that I'm pregnant, otherwise you would eat me alive if you saw my beauty!"
Zhang Di woke up with a start and said hurriedly: "Why are you scolding me? I see that you are beautiful, so it is human nature to look at you twice. What's so strange about it? Once you have seen it, you will naturally know how to be polite in the future, and you will not look at it more."
The boy heard the yelling and cursing outside and hurriedly came out of the yard. He grabbed Zhang Di and said, "Officials, come in quickly and take a look. Is there anything else you're not satisfied with?"
Zhang Di was dragged into the yard by the boy, feeling very proud of himself.
Entering the courtyard, the young man shook off Zhang Di's hand and said, "Sir, please don't be angry. That's the outer room of Yuan Mo, named Han Chunchun. She is favored by Yuan Wai and is very domineering. She treats people who are not as good as her. He was either beaten or scolded, and everyone had a headache."
Zhang Di said: "Who is this Yuanwai Mo? In Xin'an County, no matter how bad my status is, I am just like the chief secretary or county lieutenant. Am I afraid of a Yuanwai?"
The boy was stunned for a moment and said: "I forgot. The official himself is an official. Why should he be afraid of Han Chunchun? Yuanwai Mo is a Yuanwai from Xin'an County. He runs a Yichun Garden Restaurant in the county. There are thousands of acres outside the city. Fertile farmland, countless net worth. This member of the Communist Party of China is friendly to everyone in appearance, but in fact he is ruthless. If someone doesn't suit his liking, he will remove them secretly, leaving people with no clues. Because he is too vicious, the whole county has They are all afraid of him."
After hearing this, Zhang Di said bitterly: "This member, Mo, please don't fall into my hands. If not, let him know what it means to be ruthless!"
The boy said: "Officials, don't say harsh words. It's better not to run into people like Mo Yuanwai. We are all kind-hearted people, and we don't know what disaster will happen when we meet such a person. Fortunately, this person is Mo Yuanwai." , has a quick mind and never antagonizes people in the officialdom. As long as the officials avoid him, it won't be a big problem."
Zhang Di agreed, thanked the young man and asked him to go to the front to answer his orders.
Because Zhang Di was an official, the small courtyard was kept extremely neat by the servants. The bedding in the room is neatly spread, the windows in the study are bright and clean, and the store owner has taken special care to place a few books on the bookshelf. Zhang Di looked at it and saw that there were only a few volumes of Buddhist scriptures, a copy of "The Analects of Confucius" and a collection of Tang poems.
After taking the collection of Tang poems, Zhang Di walked out of the room, took a chair, and sat under the crape myrtle tree. In the sunshine, I read Tang poems casually and enjoyed myself.
Suddenly, a black shadow crossed the turning wall and fell in front of Zhang Di. Zhang Di was so frightened that he jumped up from his chair. Looking closely, it turned out to be a fish's intestines, a mess.
I heard people clapping their hands from outside the wall, and Han Chunchun's voice said: "How dare you dare to look at me! Hmph!"
Zhang Di couldn't bear it any longer. He quickly opened the courtyard door and saw Han Chunchun standing outside the courtyard wall, looking at him with provocative eyes.
Zhang Di said angrily: "Our well water does not interfere with the river water, how can you throw this pickled thing into my courtyard?"
Han Chunchun raised his face and said, "How do you know it was me who threw it?"
"There is no one else here except you. If it wasn't you, could it be that Yu Wei Chang climbed over the wall and got in by himself?"
Han Chunchun said with a smile: "Maybe that fish has wings and flew across your yard. Oh, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and it fell into my yard."
At this moment, a woman came out of Han Chunchun's courtyard. He said, "Madam, the fish has been packed. Do you want to cook it or make soup?"
Zhang Di heard this and said: "People in your own family can say that your family is killing fish. How can you blame this?"
Han Chunchun said: "Why? What happened to my family's killing of fish? How did my intestines end up in your yard when my family killed fish?"
Seeing this pregnant woman looking arrogant, Zhang Di was so angry that he was so angry. He could not be beaten or scolded, and Zhang's face was red from holding back. After thinking about it there, I suddenly thought of a way.
Quickly returning to his courtyard, Zhang Di grabbed the fish intestines on the ground and walked out quickly. He saw Han Chunchun standing there, staring at him fiercely. Zhang Di ignored her and rushed straight into Han Chunchun's courtyard.
The yard is huge. Next to the well under the pomegranate tree, a fish with its intestines and stomach dislodged was placed on the chopping board.
Zhang Di quickly walked to the well and held up the fish intestines in his hand: "This fish is just right for this set of intestines! What do you say?"
Han Chunchun walked to the door, leaned against it and said, "This fish is quite worthy of such a belly, but so what?"
Zhang Di said: "It's obviously you who slaughtered the fish here and threw the fish intestines into our courtyard. Now everyone's internal organs have been harvested. How dare you deny it?"
Han Chunchun said nonchalantly: "So what if I admit it? So what if I don't? You are really funny. You take a pair of fish intestines like this and come to my yard to gossip. There are only two of us in the yard. Women, are they easy to bully?"
Zhang Di said: "It was you who threw the fish intestines into my courtyard. I'm here to ask for an explanation. Why?"
Han Chunchun said: "It's obvious that you came to our house to bully us because you were two prostitutes. - Oh, could it be that you fell in love with my beauty? I tell you, I'm pregnant and can't do anything. of."
Zhang Di pointed at Han Chunchun and was so angry that he couldn't speak. I felt my eyes were moist and I almost cried.
Han Chunchun didn't care. He sent a maid to find the owner of the shop and said that Zhang Di had some evil plans and brought a pair of fish intestines into his yard to frame him.
She raised her head, stared, put her hands on her hips, pointed at Zhang Di and said: "Master, don't look at him wearing a green robe, he is a scholar. In fact, this scholar has a lot of thoughts. When he saw me just now , His eyes, oh my, he didn’t know any shame, he looked straight at me. He also looked specifically at, you look at, just look at my place. Is that place in a woman’s house allowed to be looked at casually? "
As he spoke, he made gestures on his body with his hands, making Zhang Di stunned with anger.
The shop owner didn't speak and waited quietly for Han Chunchun to finish. Cai Dao said: "This Zhang Guan is an official of the imperial court. Although he is not a very high official, he is equivalent to the county captain and chief secretary in Xinguan County. With his status, it is absolutely impossible for him to do what you said. "
After hearing this, Han Chunchun couldn't help but be stunned. How could this down-and-out scholar be an official?
(End of chapter)
