The sky is high and the clouds are far away, and it is gradually entering the cold winter. After the town of Jinshan immediately sent away the last and largest caravan of the year, every household began to prepare for the winter grain bacon pickles. The pickled fish and meat of the big families are hung all over the racks, and the common people can also have a half salted chicken with a few sausages, so that they can also taste the taste of meat in the cold winter wax moon in the depths of the northern land.

However, there are always some lonely children, who are in rags and have a hard time. Fortunately, the nearby mountain town is also rich, and it is not a burden for every family to take a little help to feed some homeless children.

Jinshan Town is a resource town in the north of the Shenwu Empire, and its own commercial trade is average, but relying on cattle, mutton, and meat and Xueyin Stone of Xueyin Mountain and some other mountain specialties, there are also some anecdotes of Xueyin Mountain, and people come and go every year. Three hundred miles south of Syracuse is a town that belongs to the Tianwei Empire but has an important border trade with the Shenwu Empire - Syracuse, and the goods can only be sold through the Syracuse Near-Mountain Town, and outsiders can only come from Syracuse, and the external communication and transportation of Syracuse Town is completely dependent on Syracuse.

It was noon, from the south gate of Jinshan Town, an old man in a fancy costume walked in, and it was strange to say that this person was tall in a fancy costume but a little rickety, with a roast chicken in his left hand and a pot of wine in the right hand - the snow was burning red, while wandering around half of the food and drink.

If you want to come to Syracuse Wine Snow Roasted Red and other good wines, you don't taste it slowly, but the roast chicken with the earthy flavor is really a terrible thing, even if you want to come to a gorgeous costume, it is covered with oil stains and wine stains, which attracts the attention of people on the street.

There are new caravans coming to trade in Jinshan Town every year, and a few strange people and strange people don't care much, thinking that this old man is stupid and has a lot of money, and he goes back to do his own business, shouting and soliciting guests.

The old man in Huafu frowned and said silently: "It took a lot of money to invite the disciples of the Shence Sect to make a fortune for me, saying that I have the opportunity to be in the north, and it is a pleasure to play this way north, but where is this opportunity? After that, he took a bite of the fatty roast chicken.

Jinshan Town's south and north streets are called Vientiane Street, and the east and west streets are named Feixue Street, these two avenues are the most prosperous, and the car and horse vendors are very crowded. The original bustling street, but could not suppress the noise from the north, a big man riding a tall horse all the way through the street, passing out of the horse turned over. The big man roared angrily: "Little thief, Uncle Ben's things, you dare to steal them, see me grabbing you, don't break your skin!"

He looked around again and said: "Past friend, Chen can't help it, this person stole my Chen family's important things, the Chen family must recover it, if you are offended, I hope you will forgive me, if the goods are destroyed, please hold the physical evidence in the Chen family in Syracuse City to find compensation! Hearing these words, the people around him who were originally going to reprimand silently shut up, silently cleaned up the damaged goods, and silently got out of the way if the goods were not damaged, the so-called Chen family is not easy to mess with.

The big man rode a horse and galloped, it turned out that he was chasing a thief, and this person was dressed in tattered clothes, and his face was black and white, and his face was not real. The body is slender and muscular, but the blocks are bulging, and he is about twelve or thirteen years old, and he is very good at it, drilling around in the crowd, and the carriage and horse through the crowd are running faster than the big man on horseback, seeing that the thief is about to turn into the alley by the side of the road and disappear, the big man is in a hurry and jumps and points his fists at the young boy.

The little thief saw that he couldn't hide, so he squatted down with his head in his hands and hurriedly said: "Don't run, don't run, don't run away, return the things to you, don't hit me, don't hit me!" After speaking, he threw the package in his hand into the sky, and was about to get into the alleyway. When the big man heard this, his legs kicked falsely, and his body was three points higher in the air, and he reached out to grab the package. Spun and landed on the ground, twisting and swerving towards the thief. The last hand grabs the person, and the other holds the object. said viciously to the thief: "My Chen family runs the family with righteous words, and everyone on the road knows it." But this is an important thing for my Chen family, and I must search your body to prevent private possession. If you return to Chen, see that you are pitiful, I will give you a few taels of silver to make you better for the winter, if there is a private collection, then I will break your two dog legs and only count you unlucky!"

"Okay, well, I'm not cheating. The young man took out a bag from his arms again, lowered his eyebrows and handed it to the big man and said: "It's really not there now, I haven't opened it yet, I was caught up by you, you won't break the contract and beat me, and you have to give me the nine taels of silver that promised me! There are witnesses here, you can't fool me!"

The big man grinned, flew up and kicked the young man's buttocks, and when he seemed to be in a big position and kicked the young man, he retracted his strength, and the young thief fell to the ground and cried: "Didn't you say that you won't hit people?"

"You little thief is really clever, give you a kick to make you have a long memory, not anyone is like my Chen family, don't steal from the wicked and leave the flesh and skin you eat, this kick is to teach you a lesson, next time you do things, remember to put the highlights. After speaking, he stepped lightly on the young man's buttocks, began to check the bag and package, and made sure that the important thing was indeed not lost, so he did not search the body of the thief, looked down at the young man with a smile and said: "You little thief, count yourself lucky, reward you with a kick and remember the pain." ”

"But you stinky boy has good legs and feet, and your brain is even more clever, I said that if you return my things, I will reward you with a few taels of silver. Nine-tael? Why are you still lying to me? You know how to do business?!"

When everyone around heard this, they all laughed.

"Okay, my Chen family does what it says, you haven't touched the Chen family's things, I'll give you nine taels of silver for the winter. After speaking, he threw a money bag to the young man who was lying on the ground and rubbing his buttocks, turned to the surrounding people and hugged his fists and said: "Friends, Chen Yan of the Chen family is here to thank the previous concession for his help, if the goods are damaged, please hold the physical evidence to obtain compensation from the Chen family in Syracuse, and the Chen family will not be in arrears." ”

"The Chen family's style is indeed decent, and the righteous word is the head, and it is really my northern domain tyrant. Someone returned the salute.

The people around him also nodded their heads and whispered in agreement with the man's statement.

Not long after, the big man left with the package and the horse, and the people who had gathered dispersed. The boy grabbed the money bag and limped away while rubbing his buttocks, and no one saw him smile coldly with his head down.

The boy walked through the alleys of the mountain town familiarly, like a fish returning to the sea. Flipped the money bag in his hand, and smiled: "This Chen Yan is not shallow, but he is a trustworthy person, but it's a pity, the master is a bad person, he really repays you all if he says that he will pay you back?" took out nine taels of silver from the money bag, and threw the money bag away, he knew that there were many capable people in the big family, and he might be able to find him. I poured a few sips of drinking water from the door of a family to send thirsty passers-by, and filled a few more bowls and washed my face fiercely, all kinds of waste.

I saw that the small water tank was about to bottom out. He smiled and said, "Aunt Gu, the drinking tank at the door of your house is running out of water, come and add some." After saying that, he turned around and ran.

"Worry about the baby, you little rabbit cub knows that I have an old well in my house, and I come to build it every day?! Next time I see it, break your little dog's leg. From inside the tiled house, a woman in her thirties came out scolding.

The sun shines, the face looks ordinary but very friendly, even after being a wife for many years, the collar of the body is still plump and trembling, and after speaking, he lifted the bucket and poured some water into the tank.

"Aunt Gu, although you are a little ordinary, it is better to remarry for the sake of Gu Xiaozi, so that Gu Xiaozi and you don't have to endure hardships, it's really not good, you buy some rouge to paint, I can also consider it, although Gu Xiaozi calls me eldest brother, I don't mind being his father." The thief grinned.

"Get out of the old lady, you still want to take advantage of the old lady with your bean sprouts, can you stand up? Don't take my Gu boy badly, by the way, tomorrow I will go up the mountain to pick up some firewood and catch some hares, remember to come to dinner." The woman leaned against the door frame and smiled as she put her hand on the water tank.

"Well, I'll try your craft tomorrow!" the boy turned and disappeared into the alley. When the woman turned to go home, she found a large white bowl with a missing mouth on the stool beside the water tank, which was the bowl for drinking water. "How big is it, it's still so unruly," he said, turning over the bowl, but saw a piece of snowflake silver in two taels at the bottom of the bowl.

"This kid has a worse mouth than anyone else, but in his heart he remembers that everyone is good to him, and these few taels of silver are afraid that they will be sneaky again, and they will come by the way. The woman sighed, "Sorrowful baby, the name is pleasing to the eye, but this life is really bad." Worried baby's father, you have to bless the baby's peace, he is stronger than anyone else and kinder than anyone else, he shouldn't suffer such a sin. ”

The woman put away the money, entered the house and sat on the stool, remembering the young man's teasing, "This stinky boy, knife mouth tofu heart, if you are really five or six years older, what can you do if you are remarried?"

Thinking of this woman, she smiled shyly like a girl, and then sighed deeply, and gently slapped herself: "What nonsense, the eldest brother ordered the eldest brother and sister-in-law to take care of you as a young widow back then." When people go, entrust the worries to you, and you have to bring them up. Thinking of this, the woman stretched her brow again, got up and went about her housework.

The young man was worried about the baby, after leaving Gu Daniang's house, he turned around in the town and finally went straight to the west of the town, and the last stop of the day was here.