After the night rain, the crisp chirping of birds could be heard outside the window.

When the light was clear in the morning, they knew the pain in the words of the old nun last night, and who was willing to leave their hometown and leave the residence for half their lives.

Because this ancient nunnery is too dilapidated, the main hall is a place of worship, it is already lacking bricks and corners, mottled, and the low south room where the monks and nuns live behind is even more dilapidated.

Rui Zhu came in with a bowl from the outside, looked at the slanted beams on the roof, shook her head again and again, and whispered: "Miss, no wonder that old nun is leaving, I still think she got our silver, I don't want to stay anymore, it turns out not." ”

"When I went out to see it just now, the entire beam of the house is crooked, and if the snow is thicker this winter, maybe it will collapse."

Ruizhu sighed and put the bowl on the table as she spoke.

"If she was really greedy for money and profit, she wouldn't stay alone in this miserable place." Tan Wanqing sorted out the poor belongings of the two of them, wiped her hands and sat down, and looked at the food on the table.

A few pieces of black millet bread in a sea bowl, a small stack of sauce-colored pickles, and nothing else.

"The rice jar in the kitchen is empty, and there are only a few handfuls of brown rice and a small scoop of black millet noodles, which are pickles or drawn at the bottom of the jar, and there is not even a little oil star." Ruizhu complained a little.

"Alright, it would be nice to have something to fill your stomach." Tan Wanqing reached out and picked up the coarse millet cake, put it to her mouth and took a bite, then picked up the chopsticks and took a thing that couldn't distinguish the rhizome of wild vegetables in her mouth and chewed it slowly.

Ruizhu had no choice but to sit down after hearing this, watching the young lady bite the black and rancid mixed dough cake and eat the salty vegetable root, and couldn't help but wipe the corners of her eyes with her hand for a while, thinking of the young lady's fine clothes and jade food not long ago, and then eating bran vegetables like this now, she always felt uncomfortable, and thought in her heart that it would become like this, and the young lady should not be like this.

Tan Wanqing looked at Ruizhu, who was crying inexplicably, and took the hand of chopsticks for a moment, raised her eyebrows and said in surprise: "Although this dish is not refreshing, you won't cry in disgust, right?" ”

Ruizhu immediately wiped away her tears and picked up a piece of millet cake: "Miss doesn't dislike it, Ruizhu has nothing to dislike." After speaking, he took a hard bite and said, and he didn't know who he was choking his breath with.

After eating, the old nun turned out some of the clothes left by the nun before she left home, and Tan Wanqing and the two of them were still wearing clothes that were taken off the thieves' bodies, which was really a bit nondescript.

Rui Zhu took the clothes back to the house, rummaged through them, they were all coarse clothes and coarse cloths, as well as patched and moth-eaten holes, which was extremely vulgar for Rui Zhu, who had been in charge of the delicate clothes and hand-decorations of the young lady, even the lowest-class maids in the Tan Mansion were a hundred times better dressed than this, how could the young lady wear such a thing out of the door.

Tan Wanqing thinks it's good, thick clothes and wide pants are the best to hide her identity, but the clothes have been left for too long, and there is a musty smell that needs to be washed before you can get on.

Ruizhu went out with her clothes complainingly, but Tan Wanqing asked her about the surrounding towns and left the ancient nunnery, and they didn't know where to stay.

Lao Ni didn't want to think about it, so he said that Wei'an City could go.

Although the boundary of Yizhou is large, but when it comes to peace, it is still necessary to count the area of Wei'an City, not only the city wall is high and strong, but there are also officials and soldiers stationed in the city, I heard that many merchants around have defected to the past, and it is the most suitable for two women to settle down in Wei'an City.

And Wei'an City is not far from here, two days' journey, if you take a donkey cart, you can arrive in one day.

Tan Wanqing didn't have any other choice, so she planned to take a look.

They did not wait for noon to change into half-dried clothes, there was no rice or food in the nunnery, and they would be hungry if they stayed any longer.

The road down the mountain is also flat, after crossing a river, there are a few scattered villages on the bank, although the old nun has been staying in the middle of the mountain nunnery, but the old people of these village households are quite familiar, probably the villagers who have been to the nunnery to incense.

There were not many people in the village, and there were few livestock for the journey, so the old nun looked for a family to talk about, and took out some odd and thin money, and finally hired a donkey cart from an old farmer in his sixteen years old to make peace.

The three of them stayed in the farmhouse's empty room that night, planning to leave early the next morning.

After entering the empty room, the two turned around and thanked the old nun.

If it weren't for the fact that Mrs. Shi knew the villagers, the world was chaotic, and the two strange women of them would not have agreed casually no matter how much money they gave, and the old nun took care of it so much, and thanked him again and again.

His kindness was accepted, and the old nun was also proper, and saw that the two of them were cordial, and there was no nobleman's shelf, and the three of them lived in the wing room at night, so they gave a little guidance to the two, an old lady as old as her, it was not eye-catching when she went out, but the two young women were different.

Especially the words and deeds of the two at a glance, it is clear that they are the pampered masters in the mansion.

The little maid is okay, smeared with incense ash, and pretended to be a peasant girl, but this master, the old nun looked at it with a trace of sorrow.

Even if you change into a coarse coat and paint incense ash, you can make every move, where can it be covered by a layer of ash, which can be confused in the nobles to dress up ugly, but in the native peasant family, it is a violation, it is piercing, the old nun looks at the end of the measure, and finally finds out some clues, takes the incense ash and paints her neck and hands, corrects the posture of walking, and lets her meet someone desperately press down the neck, the best to press low, so bend the spine for three points, a little more humble knee is better.

Fortunately, this noble man listened to people very much, learned quickly, and immediately became a look.

Before dawn on the second day, the farmer fed the donkey, so he rushed on the road, knowing that someone was going to Wei'an City, and the mother and son from the neighboring village begged for a ride early in the morning, and the car was full of six people.

The mother and son who hitchhiked were farmers in Zhuangzi thirty miles away, the woman was wearing a shabby red jacket, the original bright wash was white, and her face was sallow.

In this world, thieves are infested, thorns are rampant, once they enter the village, the people in the village are unlucky, the woman's bull head village was slaughtered not long ago, fortunately, the mother and son are out of the house, so they can save their lives, but unfortunately the rest of the family did not escape.

"Uncle him, you people in Zhuangzi didn't think about moving away? That group of brutes slaughtered our cattle head village this time, maybe next time they rush in again, and you villagers are so close to us......" said the woman, wiping away her tears.

"Why haven't you thought about it?" The old man shook off his whip, "But the people of this village have been in the village for several lifetimes, and they are all the root of life, how can it be said that they will move, even if they move, where will they settle down?" Once you are homeless in this world, you will become a homeless person, and if you say that you will starve to death, you will starve to death, it is better to guard the land of your ancestors and live one day at a time......"

"I heard that many homeless people have gone to the border city of Guard'an, where the wall is high and thick, so there is no need to worry about the tile thorns rushing in, and they also divide rice and grain and land and farm tools according to the head, and the land opened up belongs to their own families, as long as they pay a little grain to the city." The woman's son was a twelve-year-old boy, looking at it was already half an adult, and he was sitting in front of the car with the old man at this time.

"How's that going to work?" The old man said: "When you settle down there, you will become a military household, and the strong men in the family will be dragged to become soldiers, and their ancestors will not be able to get rid of their military registration for generations, no, no." "The old man's head shook like a rattle.

But the woman thought about it, and said to herself: "Why not, it's better than being slaughtered, you don't have to worry about it, you can still eat and dress warmly, if our Zhuangzi is still ......" After speaking, she couldn't help but reddened her eyes.

"Mother, don't cry, beware of swollen eyes."

"Yes, big sister, you two have relatives in Wei'an City, and they will live in the city in the future, but it is enviable, Wei'an City is a good place, I heard that last year, the new town guard of Ancheng led the army to behead more than 800 tile spurs, which is very tight."

"It's Lord Xie!" Half of the eldest son is the age of worshipping heroes and heroes, and when he heard this, he immediately said excitedly, "My mother and I have heard a lot of people talking along the way, saying that Lord Xie's soldiers and horses are extremely brave, and they beat those thorn thorns and tartars to flee from the wind, and they also robbed those thieves of a lot of grain and grass, and everyone said that there are his old people inside and outside Wei'an City, and every family is relieved." ”

"Ouch, this is good, you and your mother are blessed to enter the city, it is not easy to have a place to live in this chaos." The old man said enviously.

The woman's face also improved when she heard this, "I also heard from many traders on the road, since the soldiers and horses of Lord Xie are stationed in the city, there are many fewer hairy rats and thieves, and the people have a good life, and many people with relatives in Wei'an City want to move into the city with them, I have no choice but to go to my sister-in-law, and I don't know how she is now." The woman was also disturbed, but also with a new hope.

Along the way, the old nun was silent, only holding the bead string in his hand, Tan Wanqing and Ruizhu also sat quietly in the back of the car, until they heard Lord Xie, Tan Wanqing asked softly, "This sister-in-law, I don't know that adult...... What is your name? ”

"The name of the garrison, how can people from the countryside like us know, but I heard someone talk about Lord Xie on the road, and I guess it is surnamed Xie." The woman

Tan Wan said secretly, when she was in the capital, she had never heard of a four-rank military attache surnamed Xie, probably out of the city, and then put her mind at ease, the women in the Tan Mansion are not restricted from going out, and it is inevitable that someone will remember their appearance, and now that they have escaped, it would not be bad if they were recognized by the people sent from the capital again.

After a period of rural road, it entered the official road, and the pedestrians, oxen and carriages gradually increased, until they crossed the mountain and entered the territory of Wei'an Zhou City, everyone felt that their eyes were bright, compared with the poor mountains and remote areas before, the terrain here is open, the river is meandering, and it is a very suitable place for the people to open up fields and live.

Not only the old man and his party stretched their necks, but also some pedestrians who also entered Wei'anzhou City from other places also exclaimed.

As far as the eye can see, although it is late autumn, the river is still clear, and there are large areas of abandoned and uncultivated land, but the rivers and canals here are all over the place, and these branch rivers are moistened, and it is conceivable that as long as there are enough manpower, as long as these fields are reclaimed, they will be good fields for growing crops, and there is no good life for them.

But it is also because of the superior environment here, the land is fertile and watery, and the grain is more productive than the side, it has always been a dazzling red place on the border, and the fortress built by the border defense has been broken several times, and the barbarians have rushed in in large numbers to plunder and slaughter, and even the officials and soldiers have run away, where do the people dare to stay, so that the people who originally lived here have to leave their homes, and a large area of good fields is barren there, and no one has cultivated it, which is really a pity.

"Look, there's someone over there." Pedestrians on the road found something and suddenly said something.

"Are there already military households living in the outer city?"

"I heard that after the new garrison of Wei'an City took office, the first thing was to build an additional fortress in the outer city, and enclose all this piece of land, I have a distant cousin over there, he said that the city walls are watered with glutinous rice juice, and the built city walls are high and strong, and there is no need to worry about the siege of the city......" A few pedestrians in ragged clothes who listened swallowed their saliva fiercely, glutinous rice, people can't eat it, and it is used to fill the wall, what a pity!

But then it also dawned on the eyes, if there is an outer city, which is not affected by the scourge of the tile, then you can reclaim farmland in the outer city with peace of mind, have grain and fields, and do not have to worry about being looted and slaughtered at any time.

"This field also needs to be opened by many people, right?" That's not a small amount.

"Wei'an City now takes in a lot of displaced people who have fled, and they will not refuse to come, and once they settle down in the outer city, every family will be given food, clothing, and a place to live."

"How much does that cost, the garrison of Wei'an City is really capable......"

"That's it, I heard that last time, the garrison lord took his soldiers and horses to smash the nest of the tile spur and his party, and snatched back more than a dozen boxes of gold, silver and jewelry, and several carts of grain, grass, cattle and sheep from their hands, all of which were thrown into the soldiers and horses camp to defend the border city.

"The people of Wei'an City are angry now."

"That's not it, there is such a garrison who is brave and good at fighting, and is willing to think for the people, if it were me, I would be angry!"

……

These people are one by one, and their tones are all proud and yearning, and then look at the current Wei'an Zhou City, which has built more than half of it, and they feel that it is very good, and even the old man who is driving the car is a little shaken.

Tan Wan Qingyao looked at the winding city wall, listened to the surprised words of those pedestrians, and felt that the garrison was really a talent, not only brave and good at fighting, but also loyal and benevolent, both experienced and dare to think and dare to do, otherwise how could it be so popular and listen to the meaning of the words, this Yizhou leader has been faintly belonging to this Wei'an City.

Tan Wanqing didn't have anything else to think about, just a place to live, there was such a guard praised by everyone, thinking that it was very suitable for living in this city, so he immediately smiled at Ruizhu and settled down.

The carriages and horses entered the outer city, the population began to sparsely populate, and there were military households passing by in twos and threes in the field, looking up at them from time to time, and after walking for most of the day, they arrived at the gate of Wei'anzhou, and the guard was immediately much stricter.

Nearly four zhang of the city wall, people have to look up with their heads up, not to mention the black pressure of the city cannon, straight to the outside of the city, people are frightened, and those who are not honest have to line up honestly at this time.

If you want to enter the city, anyone has to pass through this city gate, there are guards on both sides of the gate, and not everyone can enter the inner city, like some homeless people with a family, without a household registration certificate or the like, they can only stay in the outer city, and they are all forbidden to enter.

Other traders and hawkers, or people visiting relatives and friends, can come and go as long as their household registration is correct.

The temple where the old nun defected was in another town, so Tan Wanqing and the two were sent to the city gate, and they left with the old man who was driving the car, leaving only Tan Wanqing and Ruizhu and the mother and son.

There were many people coming and going in the city, most of them lined up in a long line, and it took a long time before it was the turn of the mother and son in front, and the sergeant guarding the door only glanced at it, and then was waved to give way, and when it came to Tan Wanqing and Ruizhu, the sergeant instead took the two household registrations and looked at them repeatedly, and then squinted at them for a long time.

This made Tan Wanqing's heart immediately hang, and said secretly, is there anything wrong with the household registration? She lowered her head more and more, and it was obviously a cold day, but cold sweat broke out on her forehead.