In winter, the territory of East Hebei Road was even more desolate and dilapidated because of the previous wave of homeless people, the trees, bark, and vegetation had all been dug up.
But at any rate, there was no panic like before, the road was bustling with noise and excitement.
In a small town not far from the Daming Mansion, people from far and near came here just in time for the temple fair to sell and purchase daily necessities, rice, oil, salt and various mountain products.
"It's not a good business."
"Life is not easy these days."
"Yeah, there was a war."
A few woodcutters squatting at the gate of the city were talking with each other while waiting for the business with their hands in their hands.
Among them a man in his thirties was very silent.
"This brother has a lot of firewood." Someone took the initiative to chat and said.
The man hummed, looking shy.
"My brother has never seen it before." Another woodcutter asked curiously.
There is no firewood in this town, and the firewood sellers always come and go with this group of people, who are more or less familiar.
"Oh, it's my first time here." The unfamiliar man said.
People on both sides laughed, and the accents from the same place were very familiar.
"What about Weidian?" the previous person asked.
The unfamiliar man hummed and nodded.
"You have too much firewood." The person next to you enthusiastically pointed out, "You shouldn't have collected so much, and it's worthless when it's wet."
"However, maybe, I've heard people say that a lot of firewood has been collected recently." Someone also said, "De Shengchang from Daming Mansion."
That was a rich family, and everyone became curious at the moment.
"What do people like De Shengchang need so much firewood for?"
"Except for cooking, they don't burn firewood, they all use charcoal."
It is unimaginable for these hard-working people who are full and hungry to live a life of the rich.
"It's funny to say," said the man, motioning for everyone to get closer.
The man from Weidian also squeezed over with some curiosity.
"Have you heard that Deshengchang is in the branch?"
Some people have heard of it and some don't know it. After all, for them, they have never had the opportunity to deal with banks in their entire lives.
The man briefly described the matter.
"So now the two ladies are sharing the ticket number of the Daming Mansion with the young master's. They are all veterans for many years, and they are astute as each other. In order to let them go away quickly, Young Master Fang bought firewood on purpose. Burning a fire to keep warm, the whole house is smoky, and a person coughing incessantly in it is simply laughable."
It was really funny.
"It's so embarrassing."
"What do you know? My brothers and sisters clearly settle accounts, and these rich people are the clearest."
Everyone laughed and discussed until the sound of horseshoes stopped beside them.
"Hey, how much firewood do you have here? I want it all." At the same time, a haughty male voice asked.
No way, is it really...
The woodcutters looked over in disbelief.
"However, we have to send it farther, to Deshengchang in Daming Mansion." The man said, "Of course, the firewood will be paid separately for you."
Sure enough, it was De Shengchang, who had great luck, and the woodcutters suddenly became excited, answering in a hurry and packing their firewood in a hurry.
The Daming Mansion was much more tightly guarded than before, and De Shengchang, who used to be able to drive straight into the Daming Mansion, had to be interrogated. These woodcutters were no exception, and Chai Du was also stabbed with a long gun.
"Don't you want to stop fighting? Why are you so strict?" the woodcutter couldn't help asking in a low voice.
"You don't know yet." The people who were inspected next to him whispered, "Mr. Cheng Guo fled in fear of crime, and now they are arresting his family."
Cheng Guogong's name is well known to everyone, and the firewood collectors' eyes widened.
"How could Cheng Guogong rebel?" They couldn't help shouting.
The surrounding people waved at them in fright.
"Die, do you want to be arrested as accomplices?" They whispered.
The woodcutters kept silent and did not dare to speak out, their expressions were terrified.
"But how could Cheng Guogong rebel?" Someone still couldn't help but whispered.
This is not an inquiry, this is a denial.
These words made everyone silent for a moment. To the people of the Northland, Cheng Guogong is like a god.
"How do we know about the above." Someone sighed in a low voice.
"Okay, don't talk about it, let's go to the city." The people behind urged, "Mind your own business."
They are small people who are struggling to survive by themselves, so how can they manage these important matters above.
The gloom at the gate of the city quickly dissipated when seeing the word Deshengchang.
"I'm talking about Weidian, you've had good luck getting rich this time." Someone said, looking at the man with the tallest firewood pile among the group of people.
The man smiled shyly, although he didn't say anything, his eyes were shining brightly.
"Where are you from?" De Shengchang's steward asked casually as he watched them carry the firewood in one file at a time.
The woodcutters answered one by one, and when it was the man's turn, the man took one more look at Steward De Shengchang.
"Weidian." He said, pausing, "My wife's family is from Runan."
The country people would not talk when they were nervous, but there were also those who were nervous and talked a lot. The manager was not surprised that this man reported his wife everywhere, but just said oh.
The man lowered his head and was about to go in with the woodpile on his back, but the steward raised his head again and let out a groan.
"You have a lot of firewood." He looked at it, "You have a lot of strength."
The man is flirting.
The steward pointed inward.
"Just right, there's a lot of firewood inside, you go and help fight into the house." He said, "I'll pay you extra."
What a job, the other woodcutters looked at the man enviously, the man thanked him, carried the firewood on his back and followed a fellow to the inner courtyard.
The yard was really smoky, and the back yard was a bit better. An old man in a brocade robe was sitting on the porch drinking tea.
"It's still quiet here, I'm almost suffocated to death, and these guys can't carry it." He complained to the boy standing in front of him, "Go sell firewood again, burn, burn hard."
The boy answered yes with a smile, and the old man took a sip of tea and saw the man walking in.
"Master Zhou asked me to come in and move firewood." The man introduced.
The old man looked at the man.
The man lowered his head a little nervously.
"Does the old man like playing chess?" He suddenly gritted his teeth and said.
Is this talking for nothing? Guys are kind of funny.
The old man also laughed.
"You countryman can also play chess?" He asked, he paused for a moment, "Have you heard of pig chess?"
What kind of chess piece is pig chess
The guys laughed again, what kind of pig chess is there in the world, the old shopkeeper is just teasing the country people.
"I have heard." The man raised his head and said seriously, "My daughter-in-law's natal family is from Runan."
Really
The guys were a little surprised, and the old shopkeeper laughed.
"Not bad, it's really a game over there." He said, waving his hands, "Go, go, go and work."
The man walked away as promised.
"Work hard, this money will reward you to drink and eat." The old shopkeeper stopped him again, and took the money bag from his waist and threw it away.
The money bag fell at the man's feet. He was obviously too frightened to take it, but a clerk picked it up and handed it to him.
"Our shopkeeper's wish, don't hesitate to take it." He said indifferently.
A bag of broken silver is a lot for a woodcutter, but it is like fine sand to the old shopkeeper of Deshengchang.
The man thanked him repeatedly and took it, his simple and honest face couldn't hide the smile, and the smile lasted until he left Deshengchang.
The fellow woodcutters looked enviously at the heavy money bag hanging around his waist.
He earned the most money this trip, but there was no way he could work harder.
The inspection at the gate of the city is still very strict, and they will not let them go out of the city. They checked carefully one by one. Except for money, these people did not bring anything else out. The money is not a problem, after all, it is sold for firewood.
The guards quickly waved them through.
The man didn't go very far with these woodcutters, and left when he said he was going to visit a relative. Even if they met by chance, everyone didn't care and dispersed.
The man walked along the road in a dull manner until it was dark, when he entered a village and went straight into a courtyard.
The lights were on in the house, and there was the sound of a woman weaving, and it was as quiet and peaceful as the households in all villages.
The man pushed the door open and entered the house. There were more than a dozen people in the small room or the cargo station, and the door was closed.
"Brother, I got it." The man looked at one of the bearded men with his head bowed and said excitedly, holding up the money bag.
The bearded man raised his head, his face was a little old, but his eyes were young and bright.
"Is there really?" he asked.
"That's right, De Shengchang is really waiting for you, big brother, when he preaches firewood like this." The man said excitedly, "Everything you asked me to say is right, it's almost as good as what you said."
That is, it is not nonsense to say that you have a clear understanding.
A smile spread across the face of the bearded man, and he stretched out his hand to remove his beard, revealing Zhu Zan's face, brilliant and bright.
"Is it her arrangement?" he asked.
The man shook his head.
"I didn't mention anyone, and I don't know if Miss Jun arranged this." He whispered.
The smile on Zhu Zan's face dimmed, but he nodded again immediately.
"That kid is very clever." He said to himself, "But she is still the best. If it weren't for her, the kid would definitely have caught me to exchange money."
That's right, the little bastard surnamed Fang would definitely do this, he was a ruthless person.
He was silent for a moment, no news is good news, he cheered up and stretched out his hand.
The silver in the purse was poured on the table. Several men squeezed the broken silver with their hands. After a while, many of the broken silver cracked and turned out to be hollow silver. But everyone was not angry that they were cheated. A small piece of paper was pulled out of it.
By the light, you can see that all the place names and directions are written on it.
The notes were placed on the table one by one, and there were more than a dozen densely packed.
Zhu Zan stood in front of the table, stroked the notes one by one with his fingers, and then raised his hand.
"Let's go, get the money." He said, picked up one by himself, and went straight out.
The rest of the men, like him, each picked up a file and left the room to disappear into the night.
When the sky was getting dark, several horses and chariots drove towards each of the four gates of the Daming Mansion.
Seeing the Deshengchang logo on the car, the guards opened the city gate without any doubts, and laughed a little bit.
"Finally couldn't bear it and was smoked away?" A city guard said with a smile.
The steward headed by De Shengchang smiled and shook his head.
"I can't bear it anymore." He said, "That's about it."
The city guard shook his head.
"The richer people are, the more they care about everything," he said.
The steward stepped forward and handed him a heavy bag of silver, and the city guard took it without hesitation.
"However, we need to investigate." He said solemnly.
The steward smiled and stepped aside.
"Naturally, my lord, you have checked us and we are innocent, and it is convenient for us to travel and do things." He said.
The general waved his hand, and the waiting soldiers stepped forward holding their knives and guns. Several vehicles were opened, revealing the white silver bricks placed inside. Seeing that everyone was dizzy, he endured the dazzle and poked the knives and guns in the silver bricks.
It was so full, not to mention Tibetans, it couldn't even fit a fly. The general waved his hands impatiently, and the soldiers put away their weapons and returned.
"Let's go," said the general.
The steward smiled and thanked him, and jumped into the carriage.
"Go, send the money." He raised his voice and said.
The general watched the carriage drive out of the city gate heavily and shook his head and sneered.
"It's so happy to give money." He said, ignoring it, and inspected the inside and outside of the city gate solemnly and vigilantly.