The wind suddenly picked up, ruffling the blue waves of the lake, and causing the wine glass outside to flutter in the wind. This made Zhu Gui, who was sitting at the counter, frown slightly and said softly: "I'm afraid there won't be any customers coming today." ”
Zhu Gui's hotel is located next to the official road five or six miles away from the foot of Liangshan Mountain. On weekdays, the business is good, and it has become an important eyeliner and ears for Liangshanbo. They can often detect threats when they arrive. The news will be passed back as soon as possible.
Zhu Gui, who has been running a restaurant for more than ten years, is already in his mid-thirties this year. Although he is quite tall, he looks a little thin. Coupled with the two beards on his lips, he looks as thin as a bamboo pole. , hence the nickname Dry Land Hulu.
Precisely because he has been running the store for ten years and has rich experience, when he saw the gust of wind, he judged that a heavy rain would come soon. Coupled with the fact that it was approaching dusk, it was even less likely that there would be customers coming. But not long after he said these words, a man stepped into the store, causing several waiters to snicker.
Zhu Gui originally planned to say something self-deprecating, but after seeing the appearance of the visitor, the signature smile on his face suddenly dropped, and his eyes showed a look of surprise. The waiter winked and told them to go out and guard outside the store immediately.
These guys were stunned when they saw the person coming, but they all reacted quickly and hurried out. Not only were they keeping an eye on the official road in front, but they also looked after the mountain village and the water park behind to prevent this. Suddenly, brothers from the village came to see someone they shouldn't have seen. These guys are also brothers who have followed Zhu Gui for many years, so naturally they are completely on his side at this time.
It wasn't until all the men were sent outside that Zhu Gui looked solemnly at the smiling short, fat man in front of him and whispered, "Why are you here?"
"As a brother, I miss my brother and come here to pay my respects. Is there any problem?" The visitor was none other than Smiling Tiger Zhu Fu, Zhu Gui's direct brother. Although these two brothers have the same father and mother, their looks are very different. If they hadn't admitted it themselves, it would be impossible for anyone to recognize them as biological brothers.
"You... you also know your current status. Since you have surrendered to the government that day, you are my enemy in Liang Shanbo. Aren't you afraid of falling into their hands? Even if I want to protect you, I won't be able to do so." Zhu Guiman said He said worriedly, as if he wanted to send the person away immediately.
"Brother treats me the same as before, and I'm really ashamed. But don't worry, I've checked the area before coming to see you. No one will come for the time being. And it looks like heavy rain is coming. People in the village I wouldn't choose to come here in the rain at this time, so I should be safe." Zhu Fu smiled honestly, then dragged a stool over and sat down in front of the counter.
Seeing his behavior, Zhu Gui quickly thought of something: "I'm afraid you're not just here to see me. What else do you care about? Just tell me what's going on between you and me."
"Brother really understands me. In that case, I'll tell you the truth." Zhu Fu turned around and glanced outside the store, and found that no one else was paying attention, so he said softly: "I'm here to save my brother from the sea of suffering."
"Um
What do you mean? Zhu Gui frowned and said a little puzzled.
Zhu Fu looked at him and said: "Brother, don't you understand? What future can you have if you stay here and become a Liangshan bandit? Do you plan to waste your whole life like this? You have never thought about getting rid of the current environment and doing something upright." personal?"
"You...you came to be a lobbyist under the order of the government?" Only then did Zhu Gui understand. He looked wary and said: "You were also a brother in the village of Liangshan at the beginning, and now you have no regard for loyalty and want to fight with everyone in the village. Are brothers enemies?"
"Haha, loyalty..." Zhu Fu responded with a disdainful sneer: "Brother, you are really loyal to them, but are they loyal to you and me? If you are really loyal, they will leave you in this place, brother. Let's go out? Once the government sends troops to kill you, your restaurant will be the first place they want to capture. Brother, do you think you can escape, do you think they will risk all their efforts to rescue you? "
These few questions made Zhu Gui stunned. He really hadn't thought about such safety issues in detail. Now that his brother exposed it, his heart was naturally tight. Upon seeing this, Zhu Fu continued: "Brother, haven't you figured out why Song Jiang and others made this arrangement? After all, don't they just don't trust you enough? Because you are not one of them at all. They I never really regarded you as a brother.
"Brother, please think about it carefully. How did Chief Wang Lun and you brothers treat Chao Gai and others when they went to Liangshan? What did they get in exchange? Not only did they occupy the magpie nest, but they also killed people in the village. Of the many old brothers, how many of the original brothers are still alive now? Apart from you and Du Song, and a few old guys from this restaurant, have you seen anyone else?"
It's okay not to think about some things carefully. Now that Zhu Fu reminded him, when Zhu Gui thought about it carefully, he felt a chill in his heart. Indeed, as his brother said, over the years, the old brothers in the village have long since fled to death, and even those who have not left have been completely marginalized.
Take myself as an example, I am still somewhat useful, but I was assigned to be an informant in this tavern far away from the village. Now everything in the village has nothing to do with me. As for the two old brothers Du Qian and Song Wan, although they are still in the village, they have almost no authority. Although they are leaders, they are actually not much different from minions.
If we really want to talk about it, the three of them are the ones who have been in Liangshan for the longest time. They were already here when Wang Lun first built the village. As a result, after a few years, they almost no longer have a foothold here. The root cause is, as Zhu Fu said, just because he is not from Chao Gai or Song Jiang. Or if they think about it a step further, they are worried that some of them are resentful and want to avenge Wang Lun.
Just by looking at the change in Zhu Gui's expression, Zhu Fu could guess that his heart had begun to waver, which made him sigh with emotion. Sun Dujian was really powerful and could easily grasp his brother's heart. Yes, it was impossible for Zhu Fu to think of these words. Everything was taught by Sun Tu, and he just conveyed the meaning. Zhu Gui was a key point for Sun Tu to provoke internal conflicts in Liangshan.
Seeing that his brother was already shaken, Zhu Fu struck again while the iron was hot and said: "Brother, if you stay here, you will definitely die in the end. Why do you have to do it for those guys?"
Risking your life? I remember clearly that more than ten years ago, when you left home, all you wanted was to open a hotel to make ends meet. But now, you have opened a hotel, but you are using it to harm people. This is really What did you originally hope to do? Brothers will never harm you. At this time, the most correct choice is to abandon the darkness and turn to the light! "
"You want me to follow you to Qingzhou to join Sun Tu? Will he accept a person like me who has a background as a bandit?" Just seeing him ask this question shows that he is completely tempted.
Zhu Fu said hurriedly: "If my brother can submit to the government, Sun Dujian will naturally welcome it. But if it goes like this, not to mention that it will easily be suspected, even Liangshan will not give up. So, in my opinion, , Brother should use his current status to make contributions first, and then return to the court. Wouldn't it be much better to gain a prestigious official position by then than to be a thief now?"
Zhu Gui looked at his brother thoughtfully. He was not a fool. He had already heard some intentions from the other person's words. He came here not only to persuade him to abandon the dark side and turn to the light, but also to use it for himself. This should be the real purpose of his adventurous coming here.
Zhu Fu was smarter than his brother. As soon as he saw the slight change in his expression, he guessed his thoughts and said: "Brother, to be honest, I am here under the entrustment of Sun Dujian, hoping to You convince me to submit. At the same time, Sun Dujian also has a bigger plan, but this matter is indeed dangerous. If you don’t want to take risks, my brothers will never force you. You can leave with me now. From here, return to Qingzhou. Even if I give up my current official position to you, I will definitely ask Sun Duian to pardon your crime and let you become an official!"
What he said was really sincere, and it moved Zhu Gui's heart. After a moment of hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I will read this and promise you to submit to the government and stay in the government." Being an internal correspondent in Liangshan! This should be regarded as repaying Wang Lun’s village leader for his kindness and revenge for his murder that day!”
In the final analysis, Zhu Gui is still just a reckless man. What he values most is brotherly loyalty. In comparison, his younger brother Zhu Fu is much more cunning. It is precisely because he knows his brother well enough that he will take this step to retreat and completely convince the other party.
Seeing that Zhu Gui had already made up his mind, Zhu Fu was naturally happy: "Brother, you have to be careful. Also, Sun Dujian wants to ask my brother to do something secretly..." As he spoke, he lowered his voice. Go even lower and tell Sun Tu what he meant in detail.
Hearing these words, Zhu Gui was frightened again, and his face turned a little pale: "You... they are really insidious..." At this time, the wind and rain came heavily, and the wind brought the slightest drizzle from the heavy rain. When he walked in through the open door of the shop, Zhu Gui shivered unconsciously. Although it was already spring, the weather was still cool.
"Liangshan is difficult to break, and sometimes extraordinary means must be used. What's more, those guys don't act very openly on weekdays. This is just retribution." Zhu Fu explained immediately.
Zhu Gui pondered for a moment, and finally nodded again: "Then I'll give it a try. I just hope it can be effective."
When it got completely dark, the hotel was closed, and Zhu Fu took advantage of the rainy night to quietly leave and return to Qingzhou to report the news.