It's really funny. Zhang Fei has been in this world for more than three months, but everything in this world is still very unfamiliar to him.
Because he had only been here for half a day when he was caught by the yamen runners, and then he lived in prison ever since, never seeing the sun.
Having just been released from prison, he did not have the leisure time to appreciate the local customs and culture, but he was somewhat surprised by the prosperity of the business here. Wine shops and teahouses could be seen everywhere, and the goods on both sides of the street were dazzling.
Most feudal dynasties adopted the market system, and business was not allowed on the streets. However, the Song Dynasty was a little special, as business could be done freely and there was no curfew.
This gave Zhang Fei great convenience. He first found a hotel nearby that looked relatively clean to stay in.
He took a bath and changed into the old clothes given to him by Xu Zun. However, as his hair was neither long nor short, he didn't know how to take care of it, so he spent money to find a skillful maid from the shop owner to help him.
"Tsk... It seems that the old man's eyesight is all used in judging cases. As for tailoring, I really can't praise it!"
Zhang Fei stood in front of the bronze mirror and pulled his collar hard, but it still looked a little short. He shook his head in dissatisfaction and touched his cheek. The young man in his prime had become vague in his memory. The self in the mirror was very thin, with blue cheeks and sunken eyes, as if he was seriously ill.
For a moment, I felt extremely sad.
Suddenly, Zhang Fei saw from the mirror that the maid behind him was shyly looking at him secretly. He couldn't help but smile, turned around, took out ten coins, handed them to the maid, and said, "This is a reward for you."
The maid suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at Zhang Fei in disbelief.
Xu Zun lent him two strings of cash. If he used it sparingly, he would be able to get by for a month. After all, the consumption in Dengzhou was not comparable to that in Bianjing. However, if he continued to live this way, he would not be able to sustain it for too long.
Seeing that the maid was dumbfounded, Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask, "Is it too little?"
The maid shook her little head.
Zhang Fei said: "Then take it."
The maid then took the copper coin from Zhang Fei, bowed and nodded, saying, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."
Zhang Fei laughed hoarsely: "I should thank you. You helped me regain a little confidence, which is very important to me now."
As he spoke, he touched the headscarf on his head, nodded with satisfaction, then walked out, leaving the maid with a silly look on her face.
... ..
Arriving at the hotel lobby, Zhang Fei directly ordered four plates of meat dishes and four large steamed buns, and then swept away the entire table like a whirlwind, which stunned the bartender next to him.
They couldn't imagine that this handsome man could eat better than those big men who did hard labor.
It is true that you cannot judge a person by his appearance and you cannot judge a person’s stomach by his size!
"Well?"
After drinking a cup of tea, Zhang Fei almost vomited it out. He quickly covered his mouth with one hand and forced himself to swallow it, only to feel that his tonsils were full of food.
There was no other way. He had been eating bland soup, leftovers and rotten vegetables in prison all day long. His stomach was empty. This was definitely the most delicious meal he had ever eaten in his life.
After a long while, he finally came over.
Just then a bartender came over to clear the bowls. He asked, "Bartender, do you know how to get to Weijia Village?"
"I know!" The bartender nodded and said, "Go out of the city through the west gate and walk about thirty miles, and you will reach Weijia Village."
"Thirty miles?"
Zhang Fei glanced outside the door and thought, it’s getting late today, maybe I should go tomorrow!
After the meal, he returned to his room, lay on the bed for a while, and fell into a deep sleep.
This sleep was really dark and gloomy.
All the things in the past and today flashed back and forth in his dream. He was awakened by the nightmare, but it was as if he was still in a dream.
I was in a daze, not knowing whether I was awake or asleep, and I didn't know whether I was in the Song Dynasty or in later times.
When I got up the next day, it was already afternoon and I couldn't go to Weijia Village. I could only go back to rest after dinner.
On the third day he did get up early, but as soon as he reached the west gate and had not yet left the city, he was out of breath, as if a gust of wind could blow him down. Now there were no taxis, and he had to go everywhere on foot. He had no choice but to return to the hotel.
It was not until the seventh day that Zhang Fei felt that his body had recovered a lot, and he felt that this case could not be delayed any longer.
That morning, after tidying up, he left the hotel, bought a few big buns on the street, filled a pot of tea, and headed towards Weijia Village.
After walking for most of the day, Zhang Fei finally came to a hillside. He saw him sitting cross-legged on the hillside, sweating profusely and breathing heavily. He thought to himself, it seems that I overestimated my body. How can I win this lawsuit with such a body
After resting for a while, Zhang Fei gradually recovered and looked at the small village with more than 30 households at the bottom of the slope. He said, "This should be Weijia Village."
After going down the slope and arriving at the front of the village, he happened to meet a man carrying a pile of rice and walking towards the edge of the field. He thought, it's so late, and you're just going out to plough the fields. However, this thought only flashed through his mind. He quickly stepped forward and asked with a smile: "Big brother, may I ask...!"
Before he could finish his words, the man glared at him fiercely and walked straight past him.
Zhang Fei scratched his forehead in embarrassment and thought, are all villages in the Song Dynasty so xenophobic
This bad start made him feel a little scared. He couldn't help wondering if he would get beaten if he went in rashly. After hesitating for a moment in front of the door, he finally mustered up the courage to walk in.
Nowadays, most people are busy working in the fields. The only sounds in the village are barking dogs and crowing chickens, and rarely any talking.
"oops!"
Zhang Fei suddenly slapped his forehead and thought, I am so stupid. Everyone is farming now, what am I looking for here
He just turned around and was about to go to the farmland to take a look when he suddenly heard a cry.
And it was the cry of a man.
Zhang Fei frowned slightly and looked around. Suddenly, his eyes locked on a small farmyard. He walked over carefully and looked inside from the outside of the yard for a while, but he could not see what was going on inside.
He looked around again and saw that there was no one around, so he quietly pushed open the wooden gate, went to the door of the house, and looked inside. He saw a big man lying on the bed crying.
I have to say, this guy is extremely ugly.
He has a wide nose and a wide mouth, and his face is like the surface of the moon, full of potholes that probably hold water on rainy days. Not to mention his Mediterranean hairstyle, there is also a large purple tumor on his forehead, making him look like a human unicorn.
This guy is really... well, too... what? Zhang Fei suddenly looked at the man's right hand and saw a white cloth wrapped around his little finger. He immediately looked happy, but at this moment, he suddenly heard a shout from outside the courtyard, "You are so bold, you dare to steal in broad daylight."
Zhang Fei looked back and saw that the person coming was the man he had just met outside the village. While he was speaking, the man had already rushed into the yard.
At this time, the ugly man in the house was also awakened. He immediately got out of bed, picked up the hoe and rushed out of the house, staring at Zhang Fei with sunken eyes, as if he saw the murderer of his father. Coupled with his appearance, he was really terrifying.
"Don't misunderstand me, my two brothers. I'm here to help you."
Zhang Fei retreated to the corner, waving his hands in panic.
The ugly man seemed to be deaf, staring at Zhang Fei with bulging eyes. Another man stopped and asked subconsciously: "Are you helping us?"
"Yes Yes!"
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "My name is Zhang San. I am here to help you at Ayun's request."
"Ayun?"
When the ugly man heard the name, his ferocious face became distorted with pain and fear.
The man next to him was furious and said, "That vicious woman almost killed my brother. How could she be so kind?"
The ugly man was none other than Wei Ada, the protagonist in the Ayun case, and the other man was his younger brother Wei Aer.
Zhang Fei immediately said: "It is precisely because of this that she knows that she has committed a grave sin, so she asked me to come and compensate you."
"How to compensate? Can you reattach my brother's severed finger?" As the man said this, tears welled up in his eyes.
Zhang Fei shook his head and said apologetically: "Sorry. I can't do that."
He immediately added, "But it's better than nothing! In the whole case, your elder brother is the only real victim. Ah Yun deserves what she got, but even if she dies, it's hard to make up for the damage she caused to your elder brother. Now your elder brother has difficulty working in the fields. What will he do in the future?"
When Wei Ada heard this, he thought about his dark future and was overwhelmed with grief. He threw away his hoe, squatted down, and burst into tears with his head in his hands.
Seeing his elder brother in such pain, Wei Er couldn't help himself. He wiped away the tears that were about to flow with his sleeves and asked Zhang Fei, "Who are you to her? Why are you helping her?"
Zhang Fei hesitated and said, "She is my savior."
Wei Er snorted, "That evil woman also knows how to save people?" Then he glanced at Zhang Fei's face and said sarcastically, "She must have saved you because she saw that you were handsome."
"Thank you!" Zhang Fei smiled and said, "But I'm here to help you, not to discuss my personal affairs with you. If you don't want to, I won't force you."
Wei Er looked at Zhang Fei and asked, "How are you going to help us?"
Zhang Fei said, "I will try my best to make your elder brother worry-free for the rest of his life." Having said this, he paused for a moment and added, "It would be best if he could marry a wife."
The crying subsided a little, but Wei Ada still didn't raise his head.
Wei Er glanced at his elder brother and asked Zhang Fei, "Really?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "But first, you have to tell me the whole story."
Wei Er questioned, "Didn't that evil woman tell you?"
Zhang Fei said: "There are some things she doesn't know, for example, how you negotiated this marriage with their family."