The boat passed through Chenzhou, and it was two days before arriving at Heyang, when it was already dark. A boatload of children was brought ashore by the teeth. Zhang Xing disembarked after the stone, and after rocking on the water for three days, she stepped on land again, she was a little top-heavy, looking at the dark lanterns hanging along the street, and was in a trance for a while. The stone tugged at her hand and whispered, "Watch your step." Zhang Xing hurriedly grabbed him and walked a few steps closely.

At about Moxu, there were few pedestrians on the street, and it seemed that Heyang was indeed far less big than Huaiyang. Zhang Xing was even more suspicious in her heart. He led them through the streets and alleys for a while, and entered a house. Twenty or thirty children lived in two separate rooms, and they were still not allowed to walk freely. After using some water, the helper closed the doors and windows and shouted at the children to calm down.

Zhang Xing had something in her heart, she couldn't sleep well, and in the middle of the night, she heard a sudden noise outside, so she immediately got up and leaned against the window to listen to the movement outside.

Someone outside was shouting, "Hurry, hurry!"

After a squirming sound, twenty or thirty figures of various sizes passed through the window, and at the front should be a burly adult, dressed in short clothes, carrying a horsewhip, and behind him were small heads of various heights, looking mostly children in their teens.

Zhang Xingzheng was fascinated by what she heard, and someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head and saw that it was the stone. He also leaned over and listened for a while, just about to speak. Zhang Xing motioned for him to whisper. Shi lowered his voice and asked, "Where did you get so many people?" Zhang Xing thought about the origin of several of them. It is guessed that most of these children are like them, the children of poor families who sold themselves in the Huai River flood this year. There were twenty-six of them in the first wave, and with those who had just passed, there were forty or fifty children in this yard, to say the least.

Where are people going to sell so many children? If you don't go to the Pinjin Cave in the south of the Yangtze River, you won't go to the imperial city in the north, but you will go to the west. In the west, the boy in the same boat, who was black and thin, and was nicknamed a thin monkey, said that the mountains in the west were barren, and most of the people did not grow food, but raised more horses and sheep, because further west was the barbarian grassland. The barbarians are extremely fierce and often enter the customs to plunder, so most of them, whether they are officials or traders, are reluctant to go there. Although these thin monkeys have also heard of it, and it is not true for a teenager to spread it, Zhang Xing guessed that many counties and counties in the west are probably similar to the great northwest in her memory, with vast and barren land and sparse population, and they are far less prosperous than Jiangnan.

Since the west is far less prosperous than Jiangnan, why did that person go all the way to sell them to the west? Although she did not know much about the way of this world, she also felt that this thing was unusual.

Someone at the window brought a basin and a bucket over, apparently to deliver water. Zhang Xingshi and the two squatted under the window, and when the figure passed, they eavesdropped on their ears again. The door next door opened and closed, but no one could be heard. Zhang Xingshi and the two waited for a while, and the person who delivered the food and water took the empty plate and went over with the strong man with the whip, talking while walking.

"In the past few days on that boat, Lao Tzu almost didn't suffocate to death, and he finally made a mistake. ”

"It's not a bad deal now, it's all over the eyes of Zhu Ye, and it's not over until you get the money. ”

"When is Zhu Ye coming?"

"Tomorrow morning......"

The voices passed, and there was silence outside. Seeing that Zhang Xing and Shi had waited for a long time and did not move, Shi stabbed Zhang Xing, yawned, and said, "Sleep." Zhang Xing nodded. The two of them went back to their places and fell asleep.

The next morning he woke them up, urged them to eat and drink quickly, and when they had finished eating and drinking, they drove them to the gate of a courtyard and stood up. Zhang Xing looked up and saw that this courtyard was about the size of three rooms, and there were people standing all around, dressed in green clothes and short clothes, holding a horse whip, and his face was not good. In the middle of the courtyard stood about forty or fifty children, large and small, and in addition to those who had been on the boat with her for three or four days, there were many more fresh faces. These children vary in age, the youngest is about seven or eight years old, and the oldest is no more than twelve or thirteen years old, all of them are ragged and yellow-skinned. Xu had never seen this face, and most of these children cowered and lowered their heads, huddled together.

The door of the house facing the courtyard creaked open, and Zhang Xing was about to look up, when his vision suddenly darkened. The stone that had been standing beside her silently moved in front of her. Zhang Xing knew that he was probably afraid that she would be frightened, so he stopped in front of her. Zhang Xing was not afraid in her heart, but she felt more and more uneasy. So he moved to the side slightly.

The door of the house opened, but it was not any important person who came out, but two helpers who carried a rattan chair out and carefully placed it under the eaves.

As soon as the chair was set up, Zhang Xing heard the voice from behind. She turned her head to look. Ren Yazi accompanied a middle-aged man about forty years old, with a fat head, big ears, and a big belly, was turning around from the shadow wall. Ren Yazi smiled all over his face, very respectful, and said as he walked: "Master Zhu, please here, everyone is here." ”

That Zhu Ye sat down on a rattan chair under the eaves under the beckoning of the human teeth. Ren Yazi took the tea handed over by the helper next to him and handed it over with a smile. That Zhu Ye stretched out his hand to take it, but he didn't drink it, he just put it on the small few children next to him, and then began to look at the children in the yard. Half a sound, he said with a smile: "Hu San, why did you find all the milk babies for me?"

The human tooth was almost half bowed, laughed, and said: "Master Zhu, how dare I fool you, the youngest of them is eight or nine years old, but he is not a milk baby, but he is a little smaller." ”

That Zhu Ye turned his head and smiled at Ren Yazi, and said, "I can't ask for all of your goods." The man paused, and said with a smile: "Zhu Ye just picks up the points that can be seen." These are the babies who have lost their parents in the Huai River flood this time, and I will also pull them first to let Zhu Ye take a look at them first, if they can be seen by you, it is also their creation. ”

Zhu Ye's chin trembled, and he gestured to a tall and thin entourage behind him. The entourage bowed, walked out from behind Zhu Ye, and looked at the children in the courtyard one by one. Ren Yazi immediately glanced at the helper behind him. The gang hurriedly followed and pulled out the tall and thin entourage who had taken a fancy to the child.

Several people quickly arrived in front of Zhang Xingshi and the others. The tall and thin entourage swept over the two, and although Zhang Xing was standing behind the stone, he couldn't help but feel cold all around.

The tall and thin attendant nodded at the stone, and the help of the human tooth immediately tugged at the stone and said, "You, come out." ”

The stone was ripped open. The entourage only looked at Zhang Xing twice, then looked away and continued to go down. He turned around and ordered twenty or thirty children to come out, Zhang Xing took a rough look, and the children who were pointed out were about the same age, all of them were about ten years old, looking at the stronger children.

Seeing that the good goods were almost finished, the rest were mostly crooked, and they laughed and pulled with that Zhu Ye for a while, and then helped to take a look. The two of them fought for a while, each taking a step back, and Zhu Ye let his entourage pick out a few more, but the price was lower than before.

After Zhang Xing was pulled out, he stood not far from Ren Yazi and the others with his head down, listening to their fists and exchanges, and he was a little apprehensive in his heart, not knowing what kind of encounter he would face next. Suddenly, there was a slight blow on her shoulder, and as soon as she turned her head, she saw the smiling face of the stone. Under the sun, his swarthy face was dazzling with white teeth, and a pair of red phoenix eyes almost became a crescent moon.

Somehow, the apprehension in Zhang Xing's heart suddenly disappeared without a trace.