From the high dense forest on Mount Fanjing, two clear streams flowed out. The streams gradually merged into two rivers, one called Dajiang and the other called Xiaojiang. Ups and downs, thousands of twists and turns, converge together, so there is Jinjiang and Tongren.
Tongren was called "Wuxi" in ancient times, and it is a place where barbarians live together, so it is also called "Wuxi Man" or "Wuling Man". Today's Tongren is no longer the smoky and wild scene of the past. Boats go back and forth, and merchants gather. It is naturally incomparable with the prosperity of Dafu, a big city in the Central Plains, but it is a prosperous resort in Southeast Guizhou.
Ye Xiaotian hurried to Tongren Mansion, he didn't go directly to see Zhang Zhifu at the magistrate's yamen, but first went to visit his mentor Li Zhongyin and Li Jiaoyu, hoping to get some information from him, so that he knew what was going on. The government school will not start classes until after the first month, so Ye Xiaotian went directly to Li Jiaoyu's house.
Li Jiaoyu lives in Qinglang Street, which is a very bustling place. At this time, the first month is not out yet, and Tongren City is still in a festive atmosphere. The Venerable Master came and went, and the shouts of merchants and vendors kept coming and going.
Ye Xiaotian and his group slowed down and walked slowly. When they reached Qingping Street, they had to get off their horses and lead the horses on foot.
At the corner of the street, a lady in her twenties, wearing a red dress, led a young girl in a green jacket, walking slowly on the street. Beside him was a tall man in a white robe in his thirties, leading a horse. , with an elegant face, walking side by side with this pretty woman, she looks like a man of talent.
The beautiful woman in the red dress looked around uneasily, and whispered: "It's broad daylight, why are you following me, this place is coming to my house soon, be careful not to be seen."
The white-robed man smiled and said: "What are you afraid of? The more careful you and I are, the more people will inevitably see our flaws, so what if we walk together generously? We met by chance."
The woman in the red skirt spat at him lightly, and glared at him coquettishly while he was unprepared, but the man in the white robe looked lazily tired and didn't care at all. The beautiful woman in the red dress had no choice but to stamp her feet and let him go.
"Songyue, since the new year, you and I have not seen each other. I really miss you very much. In two days, let's go to Fanjing Mountain to relax."
The man spoke softly, and gave the woman in the red skirt a ambiguous look, and the woman naturally understood what he meant by "relaxing her mind", she couldn't help but blushed, and said in embarrassment: "You're talking nonsense again. What nonsense, how can I go out with you to relax."
The man was overjoyed when he heard that there was a door, he laughed and said: "Don't worry, I will let my wife invite you out, so it will be a matter of course."
When the woman heard this, her face paled immediately, and she said nervously: "Your wife? Could it be that she...she already knows us..."
The white-robed man hurriedly said: "How is it possible, you don't have to worry. I just said that I invited you out through her, in order to get closer to your father and husband. Hehe, when the time comes, let my wife invite you a few more times." I’m going with someone else’s wife, and I’m just responsible for seeing off my wife and everyone’s carriages, isn’t that fair and upright?”
The woman in the red skirt raised her eyebrows and said: "I went up the mountain with your wife, what about you and me... how..."
The man in the white skirt said: "My lady doesn't pay much attention to my affairs. As long as we have the opportunity to climb Fanjing Mountain together, are we afraid that we will not have the opportunity to make love?" Then he stretched out his hand to grab the woman's catkin.
As if stung by a scorpion, the woman quickly withdrew her hand, glared at him and said, "Under the eyes of everyone, how dare you have such courage."
The man in white robe touched his nose and said resentfully: "I don't know what you are afraid of, how many people on the street know you and me."
The woman in the red dress couldn't tell him apart, and she was afraid that he would not be cautious and would do something wrong, so she said, "We're almost at Qinglang Street, you should go first."
"Hey, wait!"
The man in the white robe suddenly saw a persimmon cake stand by the road, he hurriedly called the woman in the red skirt, and walked forward quickly.
"Come on, last year's freshly made persimmons, big pumpkins, not astringent ones, change them if they are astringent... yo! Guest officer, do you buy persimmons?"
The white-robed man bought a few persimmons, wrapped them in oiled paper, and returned to the woman in the red dress excitedly, saying: "Songyue, this is the persimmon you have loved since childhood, try it quickly."
The woman in the red skirt was not willing to make love with him in the street, and said nervously: "Take it back quickly, it won't look like it's crazy."
The white-robed man was still holding the dried persimmons, and said with a smile: "When I was studying in the government school in the past, there was a little girl who was shameless and came to steal my dried persimmons. Today I bought them for her, so why don't you open your mouth?" .”
The woman in the red dress recalled the first time she met him, when she was only six years old, she was greedy and went to steal his persimmons, but he caught him. How could she have imagined at that time that a few years later, this man would become her lover and friend today.
The woman in the red skirt felt sweet, but immediately became vigilant. She felt that such an appearance was too revealing, and she was afraid that someone who knew her would see her, so she said, "Okay, okay, I'll accept it." . The white robe shrank his hand and said: "No, you must eat with my hands!"
The woman in the red skirt was angry and ashamed, but if this stalemate continued, she was afraid that she would attract more attention. She hurriedly looked around and saw that no one she knew was there, so she leaned over and took a bite of the persimmon from his hand.
At this time, Ye Xiaotian was leading the horse and leading a few guards and just turned around. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but think to himself: "This couple is really loving, but this appearance is here. If it is in the Central Plains, it is a newly married couple." Men and women, even if they are afraid, they dare not make love in the street."
The woman in the red dress hurriedly took a bite of the persimmon, raised her head, her almond eyes were curved, she seemed ashamed and angry, so charming. The man in white robe lifted the persimmon with a crescent-shaped gap on it, and said with a smile, "A beauty is a beauty, even the persimmons that a beauty has bitten are so beautiful."
After finishing speaking, without waiting for the woman in the red dress to get angry, she stuffed the half-bitten persimmon into her mouth. The woman in the red dress glanced at him, her eyes rolled, and there was a hint of embarrassment between her brows, just like the pink apricot blossom that first bloomed on the branches in early spring and March. At this time, Ye Xiaotian had already led the horse and walked past them.
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Li Zhongyin was delighted to see Ye Xiaotian come to the door. Although it is said that Ye Xiaotian was just a random puppet for a scholar in order to deal with the appearance, but Ye Xiaotian was lucky enough to get another cheap candidate, and he was named as the classic history of Hu County, and then he was defeated by his own ability. Two county magistrates and one master secretary, finally became Bapin County magistrate, this is the most promising one among Li Jiaoyu's disciples, and he was often talked about when he was teaching in the government school.
Li Zhongyin happily let Ye Xiaotian sit down, and asked him about the situation in Hu County, clapping his hands and sighing while listening. Ye Xiaotian said: "Sir, don't be too busy to be happy, the student was originally just a canon history, as long as the county is safe and there will be no major disturbances, but now that you are the county magistrate, you will immediately have a big problem. Sir, please enlighten me."
Li Jiaoyu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said: "Ah! Could it be that you came here for the imperial court's relief?"
Ye Xiaotian said: "Mr. is wise, the students are here for this matter. In the past years, Hu County has always given the least amount of relief funds allocated by the imperial court. Now, many people in Hu County have responded to the act of changing customs, so they have reduced or exempted taxes. , this makes the county even more financially constrained, if you can't take some money back this year, I'm afraid life will be difficult."
Li Jiaoyu shook his head like a rattle, and said repeatedly: "Difficult! Difficult, difficult, difficult..."
Ye Xiaotian frowned and said, "Sir, what's the problem? Is there no need to discuss it at all?"
Li Jiaoyu explained: "Little God, you have a teacher-student friendship with this old man. If you have anything to say, this old man will tell you face to face, and don't hide it. Hu County and other places have a close relationship with Tongren Mansion. That's a big difference, which I'm sure you'll understand even if I don't say it.
Even if you have a relationship with the magistrate, it can't compare to this closeness. It's the friendship of many generations, plus the marriage for many years, they are direct descendants. If it were you, who do you favor more? If someone else's child can't open the pot, you will give him half of your own child's bowl? I don't think you are such a kind person, are you? "
Ye Xiaotian said: "However, the situation in Huxian County is different this year from previous years. Because of the change of customs, people who changed their surnames to Han have their money, food and taxes reduced. Huxian County's self-collected taxes this year will be reduced by at least half. If Tongren Prefecture If there is no support, once something goes wrong..."
Li Jiaoyu interrupted him and said, "What does that have to do with the magistrate? At the beginning of this matter, the bureaucrats in Hu County were the ones who got the benefits, and Tongren Mansion didn't get any benefits. Besides, the counties How the county allocates relief funds has long been established. This ratio is a balance that can be accepted by all parties after constant games between the parties and the mediation of the magistrate’s office. Now even if you only If you want 10%, who will distribute it to you? The entire distribution ratio will be completely overturned, and the game will be re-gambled. Think about it, will the prefect agree? It’s not feasible, it’s not feasible.”
Ye Xiaotian's heart suddenly turned cold, and he was dazed for a while, before he tentatively said: "If sir, please say something kindly to the students..."
Li Jiaoyu's head turned into a rattle drum again: "No, no, no, little boy, you don't know, my school is very poor, and it was agreed that a sum of money will be allocated from the relief fund every three years to make up for it. Our school, the old man is going to ask the magistrate for money this year, how can I help you out."
Just as he was talking, a young man ran in to report: "Sir, Miss is back."
Li Jiaoyu let out a soft "ah", and said to Ye Xiaotian: "My daughter and son-in-law are here, you just met, and we will take care of each other in the future. Don't rush to leave today, the old man will set up the banquet later, Have a few drinks with my virtuous son-in-law."
The young man said: "Sir, my uncle didn't come, Miss came back alone."
Li Jiaoyu frowned, and said displeasedly: "This child, going back to his mother's house alone, is not afraid that his parents-in-law will dislike him..."
"Father, why don't people often go home to see you?"
There was a coquettish sound from outside the hall, and then a fiery red figure floated into the living room. Ye Xiaotian looked up, and couldn't help being slightly startled. The woman in the red shirt in front of him was the one eating persimmons he saw at the intersection of Qingping Street. woman.