From a distance, you can see a large number of people coming.
Four military horses opened the way at the front, followed by the cavalry team carrying the military flag of the Zhenbei General's Mansion.
Then came the guard team with the official title plate of the official of the Ministry of Etiquette, which said avoidance and silence. They escorted three special carriages for the imperial court in the rear, and visually there were more than twenty ordinary vehicles behind the official carriages.
The magistrate of Pingzhou County led a group of officials to greet him early.
His heart was pounding.
At present, Tao Zhixian and Liu Xianwei are being careful with General Zhenbei in the county and only send him to greet the third-rank officials. It is not known whether these important officials of the Ministry of Etiquette will find fault.
These sesame officials, generals from Zhenbei and officials from the Ministry of Rites, could not afford to offend anyone.
To be honest, they would rather not get a chance to be promoted, and would rather keep this place poor than have ancestors come one after another.
Moreover, the mutual trade is imminent. Even if they only assist the Zhenbei Army, those in official uniforms will have to be dragged out as mules or horses.
The real situation in Pingzhou County can no longer be hidden.
The county magistrate was thinking about this in his mind, but his face became more respectful as the team got closer.
Behind the county magistrate, the Yi Cheng and other post office servants were kneeling, as well as everyone at the civilian inn across the official road was also kneeling by the roadside.
Liu Laozhu's eldest brother had already received the letter from the Yi Cheng across the street, and even he had boiled hot water and prepared dry food.
He was a little nervous. As the vehicles stopped, the officials passed by in front of them. They saw Zaoxue but did not dare to see them. He was kneeling in the back row without even daring to raise his head.
Liu Laozhu's eldest brother is like this, not to mention the sons, nephews, sisters, brothers-in-law and others behind him.
Liu Laozhu's sister, Xianghua, kept tugging at the hem of her clothes. She came out wearing the most decent clothes so as not to taint the eyes of the nobles. Observing her carefully, she seemed to be trembling. Her man quietly looked at her sideways and asked her to stop shaking, lest he would be affected too.
Liu Laozhu thought to himself: There are a bunch of finished things, how can they be so exciting on weekdays.
If these words were spoken to Old Mrs. Xu, she would definitely complain on the spot: Are you finished? If you are really better than your sister, why are you trembling when you just saw Huo Jiajun?
I think you are following your roots.
When the man named Shi'an was questioning him, Liu Laozhu's knees almost went weak and he knelt down. He was still mumbling and couldn't say a word. Standing next to him, he couldn't breathe and was suffocated. I am really afraid that others will not know that I have done something wrong.
Doesn't that mean he behaves badly because he has some evil intentions in his heart?
Liu Laozhu still dared not mention to anyone that Lei's home was secretly taken away for questioning a few days ago. He and Lao Lei also made a mute vow to come over. So when I saw Huo Jiajun's true appearance, I felt that someone had already taken advantage of him and that I had nowhere to hide. It was strange that I wasn't nervous. I was so afraid that the other person would say, "Take him away."
That's too far.
At this time, Liu Laozhu stood in front of his eldest brother with a secretly happy expression and said, "Brother, it's me. People are starting to unload the trucks, so why are you kneeling down?"
Liu Laozhu's eldest brother slowly raised his eyes, and first saw a pair of broken shoes, which were covered with shit and mud. Then he heard the girl behind him making a surprised sound, and then he quickly raised his eyes, and then his eyes widened in shock.
How dare you think about this? My younger brother came with the imperial court official.
Originally, I was still thinking about my brother two days ago, but the scheduled return date didn't come. I was wondering where it would go, but I didn't expect it to appear in this way.
"What's going on?" Boss Liu grabbed his younger brother's sleeve and asked continuously: "How did you get into the same team as the New Town Beijun and the third-grade officers?"
Liu Laozhu saw his eldest brother's expression of not daring to speak loudly but eager to know, and he felt even more relieved. Ever since he was a child, he had never been able to ascend to heaven by one person, and even just following the team was too awesome.
He has begun to look forward to the scene of the county being watched by the whole city. It would be best for his wife and sister-in-law to show up.
When Liu Laozhu felt proud, he boasted wildly: "Isn't it a coincidence? Later he became familiar with the Zhenbei Army. Have you seen General Zhenbei? He specially left a message not to leave us. "
Mrs. Xu passed by Liu Laozhu to help the vanilla and glanced at him when she heard this.
Liu Laozhu coughed immediately, but because he finally straightened his back in front of his eldest brother, he said somewhat flatteringly: "Even if I am not familiar with him, the old girl from the Xu family is."
Mrs. Xu still didn't buy it, thinking: Why is the vanity so strong? Don't let serious officials hear it and say it as if it's the truth. We are rescued as drag oil bottles, so we can pretend to be whatever we want.
Mrs. Xu only smiled with Vanilla and the others and introduced the other two groups of people. Those two groups would also stay at Liu's Inn tonight. She meant that they would be charged as much as they should, but it was best to find an affordable house.
Liu Laozhu and Xu Tianxin have a good relationship. He was the first to respond when Xu Tianxin handled wild boar skins. Later, when I was so smoked that I almost vomited, I couldn't say that grandpa could hold on. He also said that his hands were rough, so don't brush those little hands of your little girl.
So Mrs. Xu ignored him, and when his elder brother became more and more confused and began to distrust him as he listened to the explanations, Liu Laozhu had Tian Xin'er's trump card.
"Tian Xin'er, your uncle said that the Guanjia Post Station can't accommodate. His place has been designated by the county government to accommodate about fifty people. He doesn't dare to ask where the fifty people live. You can find a soldier in armor to help. Ask, when are you going to eat, when are you coming to stay, so we can prepare in advance."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
"Take a look." Liu Laozhu pointed at Xu Tianxin's back and smiled showily.
Liu Laozhu's eldest brother's eyes changed when Xu Tianxinzhen pointed at him and told the soldiers where to rest. He looked at Mrs. Xu and Xu Youcang, who were taking the lead in unloading the truck in the inn yard. They still looked the same as when they came. Once again, I couldn't help but take a look at Xu Tianxin, who was talking to the Zhenbei Army without any hesitation.
I reluctantly suppressed the idea of discussing with the Xu family immediately and ordering fifty jars of velvet, and first tried my best to accommodate the guests staying in the hotel.
And with the settlement, Liu Laozhu's eldest brother thanked the Xu family from the bottom of his heart.
Because he didn't dare to ask, Xu Tianxin would come forward to help. Mrs. Xu also helped to organize, shouting: "Soldiers, wash up first."
When he was too busy, Xu Tianxin simply took care of himself, washed his little hands, and even ran to help carry the dishes. Mrs. Xu and his sister's family were cooking in the back stove.
Even another partner of his inn envied Liu Laozhu's eldest brother and said: "You also said that you have never been able to borrow the favor of the villagers, so what is this? They are all working for you sincerely. You find that there is no , even the county magistrate, who always has his eyes on the top, secretly glanced at the girl named Xu from your hometown? Whose child is that? "
Don't mention who the child is and who the parents are. Zuo is just a sad story, and she is also a good girl with a tiger father and no dog daughter.
Liu Laozhu's eldest brother felt warmed by his partner's words. In previous years, he really didn't dare to think that he would borrow the help of Erdaohe's hometown. This time I realized that everyone was really sincere to him, and they were much more affectionate than other people outside.
He realized what local sounds and feelings are. If everyone in his hometown lives a good life, his face will be bright outside.
So he can't borrow his strength in vain.
The Erdaohe people were still crowded in the same room where they lived last time.
Late at night, Mrs. Xu was very tired from cooking a big pot of rice.
Brother Liu Laozhu came here with his partners. When he found Mrs. Xu, he talked about ordering fifty jars of velvet.
"Fifty altars?"
For the next words, Brother Liu Laozhu deliberately did not take the lead in the negotiation, but let his associates talk to Mrs. Xu in person. Only in this way did he appear formal and impartial.
"Yes, fifty altars, isn't this the Northland's mutual trade? You have heard the news, right? Our life will get better and better, and it is always right to prepare more. And the ten altars you left earlier have been Send it to the inn opposite."
They guessed that officials from the Ministry of Rites would eat it when they had porridge tomorrow morning.
The partner added:
“I know that it is still difficult for farmers to prepare so many ingredients in advance, regardless of whether they make money later.
Sometimes we don’t have the discernment to discover whether something is making money or not? no.
The difficulty is that I have no capital. I am a farm boy and I know all too well the difficulties of starting out before the first three steps are taken.
So Brother Liu and I have just had a private discussion. Since we are sincerely cooperating and we know who we can't escape, I will take away twenty cans of order money from you on this trip. "
After hearing this, Mrs. Xu just wanted to sigh. Although she was delayed for a few days on the way back and the living environment was a little worse, she and her granddaughter seemed to have met all the good people.
How can such good things happen? One after another, I can’t believe it.
If she can get twenty jars of velvet money in advance, that's eighty taels, which will solve the problem of her boss. She had to go from not having a lot of money in her pocket to becoming a sly person who was always afraid of thieves and wanted to take the money back home.
The partner continued: "However, I still have to be a villain first and then a gentleman. There are a few ugly words before me, and I need to establish a written record. For example, it stipulates that the delivery must be on a certain date, and there may be flooding at home. If there is fish in your ingredients, you must not use dead fish or bad fish, even half-dead fish. Food here is expensive, and those who can buy it are all noble people. The more expensive it is, the more we must pay attention to which one will spoil us. I can’t afford to offend you.”
Mrs. Xu quickly expressed: "You have to have it, it's a must. You don't need to tell me that I will demand it of myself. Others don't dare to sing high-key, but I have a good conscience when cooking. I, the two bosses, I dare to say that I am ranked second and no one dares to be ranked first. Our Xu family has always relied on being down-to-earth in doing business."
"That's right, I guarantee it." Liu Laozhu suddenly said. He had completely forgotten that Mrs. Xu used to brag in the village.
Brother Liu Laozhu is helpless, no one asks you.
Whether you ask me or not, I guarantee it.
This time, the two owners of the civilian inn were so generous in making the advance payment because they finally received money from the county government.
Normally, the government would arrange for people to stay here and wait with the IOU. It was uncertain when the bill would be paid, and I would come back empty-handed every time I went there. There is no way to do business, and scholars, peasants, industrialists and merchants bully people like this.
But this time when the Zhenbei Army came, the county government not only didn't dare to pay the bill, but also gave the money check first for fear of poor hospitality. As soon as the county magistrate arrived yesterday, he summoned Brother Liu Laozhu to have a talk, and asked him to make sure that the New Town Beijun troops were well fed and well-fed, and treated at two taels of silver per person. He also said that when asked about something by any general, no matter what, Don't talk nonsense.
After Liu Laozhu's eldest brother and his partners left, his sister Xianghua came in again holding a quilt.
"Take it away quickly. It looks like the quilt is newly made. We are quite dirty. We haven't washed it properly for several days."
Mrs. Xu's words were true. It was all thanks to the lice medicine Guan Ertuo made that she didn't have lice all over her head, so that's what she expected. We need to resolve this matter first when we get home, otherwise opening a shop and cooking food will make people sick to death. She had seen it on the head of another group of girls. How old was the child? He had it on his head. All the nutrients you eat are fed to mosquitoes and lice.
The quilt that Vanilla brought was indeed newly made, and she planned to take it back to her husband's house during the New Year and pile it on the kang box, so that the son could show off the thick quilt to the woman when they saw each other. This was also a reflection of the family's wealth.
But right now, I can't care about it. It's more important to form a good relationship first.
Vanilla was so enthusiastic that she insisted on letting Xu Tianxin cover it, "Don't tear it apart, it's for the kids, it's cold at night."
Vanilla felt that her blindness was cured, and she was completely relieved for her second sister-in-law. How could she have guessed that the old sister in front of her could have an affair with her second brother in the village? Look at her second brother's wet crotch diaper. Besides, how stingy is he willing to spend money on women?
…
The next day it was almost noon before Mrs. Xu and her party followed the team and set off again.
Three days later, we successfully arrived in Pingzhou County.
They left with the official team and borrowed all the money, so the city tower didn't bother to check their goods.
On the day we arrived, there was not the scene that Liu Laozhu expected, with his wife and his sister-in-law standing by to welcome him.
Because it is said that four villages along the river and with low terrain around the county were flooded. Counting the county and farms, more than a thousand houses were damaged to varying degrees.
At this time, there were many refugees queuing up outside the county government granary, and new refugees were arriving one after another after hearing the news. County residents were not allowed to go out without any reason to cause trouble, and a government official stood guard on the main road every ten steps to maintain order.
Mrs. Xu and the others also saw many Huo Jiajun who had left earlier.
As for the donation site, Mrs. Xu walked by and took a look. There were probably hundreds of tents of different sizes, with two pots inside to ladle porridge for people.
The strange thing is not that in addition to the officialdom, there are also many well-off and wealthy households who are giving alms, but that the women here don't leave the house and don't step out. Unexpectedly, I saw many well-dressed girls scooping porridge to the refugees themselves, with friendly smiles on their faces. Dressing up like that when giving alms seems to be against the rules, and that is not the way to work seriously.
Mrs. Xu also saw the girl who she met by chance in a restaurant and envied her for her well-dressed clothes. What's the reason for this? It was windy and drizzling, and my mouth turned white from the cold, so I had to scoop the porridge myself.
Mrs. Xu stayed in the county for half a day to ask about Yuhuan Noodles. The restaurant owner said: You are finally here. If you refuse to sell, then order another two hundred catties, but you must do it as soon as possible.
Until he turned to the brothel and said, "Can I get it? Should I replenish the goods?"
Only then did Mrs. Xu understand why girls from wealthy families and government officials ran away.
He said that General Zhenbei was majestic and handsome the day he entered the city, and he thought he might be favored.
Xu Tianxin is also one of them.
When grandma was placing second orders in various places in the county, she specially waited for General Zhenbei near the county government office.
Xu Tianxin was thinking about his appearance on the live broadcast, and he could get more reward money.
Unfortunately, when she heard the background music: "He's coming, he's coming, he's coming in with his feet stepping on the auspicious clouds. This is my good big brother. He has a house and a car. Come on, give me some gifts. Needless to say, thank you big brother..." "
When Xu Tianxin turned around and looked over, she saw a group of generals walking into the government office with their backs crowded. She lowered her head and tugged on her pants without registering them. She was really speechless.
And when Erdaohe and his party left the county town, Liu Laozhu's sister-in-law opened the door and was dumbfounded.
Just looking at the horses at the door, Jia Lai, wearing a helmet and tassels, and two of his men stopped by to look for Xu Tianxin.
Hearing that Xu Tianxin went to the county government office and asked someone to deliver fifteen pieces of soap to him, Jia Lai smelled the cool breeze in it and gave it to the general. . Thinking of this, I would like to ask you to order more.
