The next day.
Xie Fan arranged the affairs of the village well and set out on the road with one hundred taels of silver.
There is still a lot of money in the cottage, enough to last for a while.
Moreover, the business with Liao Yong is still going on, and there is no short-term crisis.
Lin Yue ordered a soldier to follow.
Xie Fan looked at the other party's worried look and agreed.
This soldier was none other than Zhu Ran, and he was no stranger to him.
The carriage set off for Liulin, a journey that took about two days.
Liulin is a relatively prosperous city-state on the border of Luo Kingdom.
Xie Fan looked at the scenery outside the window, holding a map in his hand, identifying his location.
Zhu Ran's home is in the village next to Liulin, and he is quite familiar with Liulin.
It was very pleasant to stop and go along the way.
"Master, there is a small town ahead called Shakou. It's getting late, let's take a rest here?"
Xie Fan looked into the distance, "It's not far, let's get out of the car and take a walk!"
Xie Fan walked in front, and Zhu Ran led the carriage behind.
Whenever he is in a strange environment, he always realizes how big the world is and how small people are.
Not far away, an old man squatted on the roadside with a towel on his shoulders.
Xie Fan also squatted over, "Farmer, what are you doing?"
The old man glanced at Xie Fan and said, "Master, are you a stranger?"
"I'm passing by here and getting ready to stay in Shakou."
The old man stuffed tobacco leaves into his cigarette bag, "The dog boy next door and the silly girl from the village are right in front!"
Xie Fan raised his eyes and saw that there were so many trees and vegetation that he couldn't see anything at all, "What do you mean, they are doing that?"
"Hey, if you don't do anything, why am I squatting here!" The old man lit his cigarette leisurely and wiped his forehead with a towel.
Xie Fan sat on the ground and looked with interest not far away. There were indeed swaying shadows of grass and trees, "Tell me, what does this silly girl look like?"
Zhu Ran stopped the carriage, leaned down, and quietly crouched behind.
"Silly girl, she's not bad looking, but she's a little crazy. She used to be a pretty pretty little girl, but she disappeared for a few days and then went crazy when she came back."
"Missing? Where did you go?"
"Young master, I don't know, but there has been a lot of flower-picking thieves here for a while, so they were probably ruined." The old man puffed out smoke rings faintly, showing a look of regret.
"The flower picker, has he been caught?" Xie Fan heard such rumors for the first time and was very interested.
"I was caught. It is said that I was sent to guard the border. I don't know whether I will live or die!"
Xie Fan was shocked. Could such a scum happen to be in the Xie family?
He turned to look at Zhu Ran, who shook his head desperately, "It's not me!"
It seemed that Xie Fan was wise to keep Zhang Chao.
The darker the sky gets, the quieter the fields become.
After a while, a woman with disheveled hair staggered through the grass.
The woman, with a fair face and her clothes hanging off her shoulders, stumbled onto the road.
She seemed to be smiling, but she made no sound.
That trivial pace has a different kind of charm.
The old man put on his pipe and stood up, "Go home!"
Xie Fan was stunned for a moment and then stood up, "Slow down!"
Zhu Ran leaned forward and whispered, "This old man must be following the silly girl!"
Xie Fan stopped the other party, "Go to the city, we can't control this matter!"
The two set off.
Xie Fan looked to the side where the crime occurred. The man named Gou Wa never appeared.
The inn is very simple, with no delicious dishes, no ready hot water, and only two shabby rooms.
Among them, one room was already occupied, so the two had to squeeze into the other room.
Zhu Ran went to the street and bought some cooked meat and noodles. This was their dinner.
"Zhu Ran, are there many women like Silly Girl?"
"Master, this is not a strange thing. There are people like this in every village!"
Xie Fan recalled the memories of his past life. It seemed that in everyone's memories, there was a fool and a madman.
What is the principle? He doesn't know either.
In this era, once people's thoughts are defeated, it is difficult to survive without strong beliefs.
He cannot protect everyone, he only hopes that the Xie family can stay away from such right and wrong.
It was with this in mind that he implemented the policy of marrying a wife to settle down early.
However, as the population increases, security problems will also arise.
After Xie Fan finished dinner, he asked Zhu Ran to look at his luggage and went out.
There is still some time before curfew.
He wandered around the county government office, which was now closed.
He walked up the stone steps and touched the drum outside the door. It had accumulated a lot of dust.
While shaking his head, he walked down the stone steps. It seemed that the official in Shakou was living a very comfortable life.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
A man dressed as a government official stopped Xie Fan.
Xie Fan saluted respectfully, "It's official business, I'm just strolling around!"
The yamen officer looked around and pulled Xie Fan aside to a quiet place, "What grievances do you have? Just come here and I will make the decision for you!"
"Business, I'm really just passing by!"
The officer clenched his fists and said, "Believe me, even if the official doesn't care, I will definitely give you an explanation!"
Xie Fan could see that this was a breath of fresh air among the government officials.
He remembered what happened to the stupid girl and told the other party, "I don't know if I need to report this to the official. I am a foreigner!"
The officer turned around and turned his back to Xie Fan, "What's your name?"
"Xie Fan, ordinary Fan!" Xie Fan replied politely, not knowing whether his words would bring trouble to the other party.
"I am Zhan Tang! I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!" The officer spoke righteously, half of his face hidden in the moonlight.
Xie Fan put a hand on the other person's arm, "Brother, I don't need to explain. Listen to me, if something cannot be done, don't force it!"
Zhan Tang turned to Xie Fan, his eyes were deep and distant, "You don't believe me?"
Xie Fan was silent for a moment, then pointed at the county government office, "If what I see is true, the official should not want to care about these things, right?"
Zhan Tang lowered his head, his voice trembling, "How can you not protect the people with your salary? Does Brother Xie mean for me to join them?"
Xie Fan shook his head, "If you do this, it won't do you any good?"
Zhan Tang smiled contemptuously, "When a man walks in the world, how can he judge success or failure based on gains and losses?"
Such talents are really rare, Xie Fan said sincerely, "Brother has great ambitions, why not follow me to Xie's house, I will definitely be able to fulfill my ambitions!"
Zhan Tang was stunned, "Do you have an official position?"
"No."
After a brief silence, Zhan Tang raised his knife and left, "Brother, thank you for your kindness! I have some important things to deal with!"
Xie Fan sighed, looked for the way he came, and walked back.
It was already curfew time, and it was inconvenient for him to stay on the street.
Back in the house, Xie Fan told the story about Zhan Tang, "I really shouldn't have told him about it!"
Zhu Ran stood up and stood at the door, "Master, I know Zhan Tang. I will go and persuade him!"
"Be careful on the road!"
