Sure enough, there were several holes in the roof of the county government office, and the most serious one was Tao Mo's room, which was almost exposed to the air.
The broken tiles that had fallen had been removed, but there were signs of damage throughout the room. It was the first time Tao Mo found out that his room was so bright, he couldn't get used to it for a while, he looked up at the blue sky, and couldn't recover for a long time.
"Master, natural disasters and man-made disasters are inevitable, don't take it to heart. I'll pack your luggage for you." A done deal, even if you don't want to, it's in vain. Hao Guozi then took out the package he used when he moved to Tanyang County, and packed it wholeheartedly.
Tao Mo looked at his busy figure, feeling unreal. Do you really want to move into the Gu mansion? Thinking of Gu She, his heart turned back and forth from cold to hot.
"Master? Do you have the tickle stick?" Hao Guozi put the tickle stick vertically and horizontally, but always showed one end.
"I think," Tao Mo said slowly, "shouldn't you go?"
Hao Guozi's eyes lit up, "Master, have you thought about it?"
Tao Mo said: "Going there will also cause trouble."
"Where is the trouble, master? After becoming the county magistrate, won't the master solve their troubles all the time?" Hao Guozi saw that he was hesitating, and knew that he wanted to get close to Gu She very much, so he finally couldn't bear it, and said, "Actually, it's just an excuse for a few days. , it doesn’t matter. According to Master Mu, that Gu She has some contacts in Tanyang County, if we can make friends with him, it will be good for the young master to take root in Tanyang County in the future.”
Tao Mo said: "Actually, I don't have any friendship with Gu She." Even though he wanted to get close in every possible way, the closer he got, the smaller he felt. Gu She is like an insurmountable mountain, one can look up to and admire, but it is always difficult to approach the peak.
Hao Guozi moved her lips, and said in a low voice, "I think that Gu She treats the young master differently."
Tao Mo's eyes brightened slightly, and then he said in frustration, "He's a good man."
…
Hao Guozi really couldn't connect that indifferent person with a good person, but seeing Tao Mo's muddy feet, he couldn't bear to pour cold water on him, so he said, "If you don't want to go anymore, young master, why don't you stay in my room, and I will do whatever you want." Just find a place to squeeze in."
It happened that Mu Chun came in from the door, his eyes lit up when he saw the package, "Has it been packed?"
Hao Guozi said: "Master, I don't want to go."
"Don't want to go?" Mu Chun smiled kindly, "Why?"
Tao Mo said: "Gu She and I are not close, not because of each other..."
"The county magistrate is the official of the parents, and Gu She is a commoner of the county, how can it be said that they are not relatives or relatives?" Mu Chun said.
Tao Mo said: "But I don't have a deep friendship with Gu She."
Mu Chun smiled and said: "I can tell that Mr. Gu and his master have a shallow conversation."
Tao Mo wondered, "But he never said anything?"
"Really not?" the old god Mu Chun said, "Although Mr. Gu cherishes his words like gold, he is absolutely precious." A person like Gu She would never talk nonsense. Since it's not nonsense, of course it's every word.
Tao Mo thought for a while, and he really felt that although Gu She didn't say much to him, when he thought about it carefully, he really had a lot of meaning.
Mu Chun said: "As a man stands in the world, a promise is worth a thousand gold. Since you have made an appointment with Mr. Gu in Gu's residence, you should keep the promise. It is not a man's doing to turn back his promise."
Tao Mo was said to be full of guilt.
Hao Guozi looked at Mu Chun suspiciously and said, "Master Mu, why is he pushing the young master towards Gu She?"
Mu Chun didn't change his face and said: "Since my master has hired me as a master, I have to make suggestions for my master. There are so many litigators in Tanyang County, Mr. Yichui and Lin Zhengyong's two hands are almost as good as this day. Although the two of them are at odds in private , but they are scheming and good at calculating, and they will never give the owner a chance to win the fisherman's profit. If the owner wants to have both sides, they may be expelled by them." His words are not alarmist, It is true that some county magistrates were demoted and relocated because of this. "So, instead of wandering between the two like walking on thin ice, it is better to use the hands of one of them to gain a firm foothold first."
Hao Guozi made sense and nodded again and again.
Tao Mo frowned and said, "I don't want to use Gu She."
"Gu She is probably no less intelligent than Mr. Yichui. If the boss wants to use him..." Mu Chun kept silent, but the implication was self-evident.
Hao Guozi was confused by him. "Didn't you just say that you want to use one of the hands to gain a firm foothold?"
Mu Chundao: "Of course, this is just my opinion, but it's easier said than done. If you want to do it, you can't do it unless your master is more scheming than Gu She."
Hao Guozi stopped talking. This time, it's not that he wants to grow others' ambitions and destroy his prestige, but that he has self-knowledge. In terms of calculations, his young master may not even be ranked among the top 100 in Tanyang County.
"Or," Mu Chun continued slowly, "treat each other with sincerity."
Tao Mo hurriedly said, "I have absolutely no intention of playing tricks on Gu She."
"..."
Hao Guozi looked up at the sky.
The sky is high, blue and clear.
Mu Chun coughed dryly and said, "I trust my boss."
Tao Mo knew that he used the wrong words, so he said awkwardly, "I mean, I have no intention of taking advantage of it."
"The gentleman is open-minded. Since the master has no intention of taking advantage of it, why should he be afraid to live in Gu's residence?" Mu Chun made a big circle, and finally returned to the topic.
Tao Mo hesitated to speak. Although he has no intention of using it, he may not have no intention of plotting.
When Hao Guozi saw that this matter was mentioned, it seemed that it would be difficult to gain a foothold in Tanyang if he shied away, and persuaded him instead: "It's just a few days. The young master only needs to sleep there at night, and return to the county office for half a day."
Mu Chun raised his eyebrows.
Tao Mo's eyes lingered between the two, before he nodded and said, "That's it."
But to show his sincerity, he went to the street with Hao Guozi to buy a small gift himself, and then came to the door with a bag.
Gu Xiaojia seemed to know when they would come, so he was waiting at the door early in the morning, and saw that they were carrying big bags and half of their head was exposed with a tickle stick, so he couldn't help but twitched his lips and said, "Could it be that you gave away all your belongings?" Are you ready to live here?"
Hao Guozi was about to choke back when Tao Mo grabbed his sleeve.
Tao Mo took a step forward with the gift in hand, "It's a small thing, it's not a respect."
There are many Gu Xiaojia who give gifts, but there are not many such poor ones. But he knew that his young master looked at him differently, and he didn't dare to make things difficult, so he nodded to the porter standing beside him.
The concierge picked it up immediately.
Tao Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Follow me, I'll take you to the guest room." Gu Xiaojia turned around and walked in.
Tao Mo and Hao Guozi hurriedly followed.
There are many houses in Gu's residence, so Gu Xiaojia specially chose Liuxianju, which is farthest from Qingyinju where Gu She lives, to settle them down.
Hao Guozi got a headache from being turned left and right by him, and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you live so far away?"
Gu Xiaojia said: "There is no way, the mansion is so big, it takes half an hour to walk casually, I have already picked a building that is very close. If you can't remember, I will draw a map for you."
Tao Mo smiled and said, "Thank you. But I will remember."
Gu Xiaojia was slightly surprised. He deliberately went back and forth a lot just now, even if he had to walk it all over again, he might not remember it all, but he actually remembered it all? "Are you sure?" He was dubious.
Tao Mo nodded.
Hao Guozi cast a proud glance at Gu Xiaojia.
Gu Xiaojia said: "Since you remember, I won't come to pick you up for dinner at dusk, you just follow the path just now to find the main hall."
Tao Mo repeatedly thanked.
After Gu Xiaojia left, Hao Guozi complained: "He is obviously a servant, but he is as proud as his own prince and grandson."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Tao Mo lightly reprimanded.
Hao Guozi said: "Master, really remember those roads? Why do I feel that some roads seem to be walked twice?"
Tao Mo said: "It is true that the garden and the two bridges have been walked twice."
Hao Guozi said bitterly: "I knew that Gu Xiaojia was uneasy and kind!"
Tao Mo said: "We are dependent on others, don't care about it."
Hao Guozi looked at him, feeling relieved. Although I know that the young master has matured a lot since what happened to the master, but at this moment, this feeling is extremely strong. "Yes, sir."
The sun is setting and the lights are coming up.
Tao Mo led Hao Guozi through the many arches, and finally came to the main hall that Gu Xiaojia mentioned.
They thought that they were the only two eating in the hall, but they didn't expect that Gu She was also present.
"Please." Gu She said lightly.
Tao Mo swept away the loneliness of living under the fence, and happily sat down.
Hao Guozi saw Gu Xiaojia standing aside to serve him, and also stood behind Tao Mo.
Tao Mo looked at Gu She anxiously, waiting for him to ask some polite words such as how the place is and whether he can get used to it, but after waiting for a long time, he only waited until Gu She picked up a piece of eggplant with chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
"..."
Seeing him staring blankly at herself, Gu She couldn't help but also looked over.
The four eyes are facing each other.
Tao Mo's face turned red.
Gu She raised her eyebrows, "Hot?"
Tao Mo said: "It's okay, it's okay." He hurriedly picked up the chopsticks, and stuffed several chopsticks of eggplant into his mouth.
Gu She didn't speak anymore.
After finishing dinner in a muffled voice, Tao Mo was trying to find a topic when he heard Gu She ask, "Can you play chess?"
Tao Mo nodded quickly.
Gu Xiaojia arranged the chessboard wisely.
Tao Mo saw Hao Guozi standing aside hungry, so he couldn't bear it and said, "Go down first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hao Guozi's stomach started rumbling.
Gu Xiaojia burst out laughing.
Gu She said: "You take him down for dinner."
"Yes." Gu Xiaojia looked at Hao Guozi's ashamed face, felt relieved, and readily obeyed.
After Gu Xiaojia and Hao Guozi left, only Gu She and Tao Mo were left in the main hall.
Tao Mo looked at Gu She's handsome face so close at hand, his heartbeat couldn't help, and his moves were messy, but he was killed by Gu She in a moment.
Seeing the appalling situation on the chessboard, Gu She calmly threw the chess pieces back into the chess box.
As if seeing his displeasure, Tao Mo said, "Can we play another game?"
Gu She raised his eyes.
Tao Mo raised his index finger, looking pitiful.
Clap clap clap clap.
Gu She took Tao Mo's sunspots, and presumptuously helped him lay five sons.
Tao Mo was taken aback and said, "You let me have five and a half sons?"
Gu She said: "Not enough?"
"Enough." Tao Mo thought for a while, then added, "It should be enough."
In fact, although he is illiterate, his chess skills are not weak. The two of them were talking, and Gu Sheluozi slowed down.
This round lasted for an hour and a half, and Gu Xiaojia and Hao Guozi looked around the door several times before it ended.
Gu She won, but only narrowly by one eye.
Tao Mo said in shame, "I'm not good at chess."
"Let's go down tomorrow."
"Ah?" Tao Mo's face showed joy.
Seeing Gu She get up, Gu Xiaojia and Hao Guozi rushed in to clean up the mess.
Gu She suddenly asked: "Where do you live?"
Gu Xiaojia's heart tightened.
"Liuxianju." Tao Mo couldn't read, so he answered Hao Guozi.
Gu She gave Gu Xiaojia a meaningful look.
Gu Xiaojia suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and his kitchen life seemed to be beckoning to him again.
Tao Mo went back to his room, still replaying every bit of the chess game with Gu She in his mind, he couldn't hold back his joy at one moment, and at the other he was annoyed that he was not good at learning. After tossing and turning like this until midnight, I barely fell asleep.
In the early morning, before Hao Guozi called the door, he woke up naturally. Thinking of being in Gu's mansion now, I can't help but feel a little dreamy.
When he opened the door, Hao Guozi had already woken up, and was bringing him hot water to wash with a basin.
After all, it was not their own territory, both of them were a little cautious, and they were speechless for a long time.
The east is fading.
Tao Mo was about to go out to the county government office when he saw the doorman of the Gu residence rushing over and said, "Lord Tao, there is an officer asking to see you."
His heart skipped a beat, "Come in, please."
Hao Guozi murmured beside him, "Is there another case? It's only the beginning of the year, why are you so uneasy?"
It was also Tao Mo's first time as a new official, he didn't know if this was normal, so he kept silent.
After a while, the guard came in, but what he said was a private matter. "Master Mu said that Master Tao's old friend is here to visit."
"Old friend?" Tao Mo's heart skipped a beat.
Hao Guozi immediately frowned.
I'm afraid there is only one person who can be called an old friend within a hundred miles, right