Hong Xi'er said: "Honoring the elderly is also something that our younger generation should do!" ”

The old man saw that the two young men were so enthusiastic about him, and when it came to this part, it would be really unkind to make excuses, so he readily agreed: "Okay! Look at your two sincerity, the old man has to follow your wishes! ”

Fang Lei and Hong Xi'er helped the old man into the tavern, the three of them found a secluded place and sat down, Fang Lei hurriedly said: "Dare to ask the senior's surname?" Last time, I said goodbye in a hurry, but I didn't have to ask for advice! ”

"The old man's surname is Li, and his name is Dengzhou, may I ask the son's surname?"

Fang Lei said: "The junior is free of your surname Fang, the single name is a Lei character, the girl's surname is Hong, called Xi'er, she is a senior's little girl, the two invited each other to come out to play, and they actually walked to Biyun Town!" ”

Hong Xi'er stood up and blessed the old man and said, "The concubine has seen the old man Li, and she is polite!" ”

Senior Li stroked his gray beard, and said with a smile: "You two young people are really polite, and the old man met today, and it can be regarded as fate!" ”

When he spoke, the store sent wine and food, Fang Lei hurriedly poured three glasses, and Hong Xi'er respected the old man together, and said: "The junior respects the seniors with a cup, today is the second time to meet, the so-called first raw, second cooked, now invite the seniors to drink, it is not abrupt!" ”

The old man said: "Don't hide it from the two, the old son opened a few mines, hired a dozen miners to mine, and earned some silver taels to support his family, and his life has been settled, and there is nothing to do during the day, and the old man always likes to come to the tavern for a few drinks to pass the time!" ”

Speaking of opening a mine, Zheng Fang Lei was relieved, hurriedly went up the pole, and asked: "The junior has heard the seniors say that Li Sigui, the king of the mine, is the second largest boss in the local area, what is his reputation in Biyun Town?" ”

"Although he is the old man's in-laws, but he doesn't dare to compliment, the people in the town call him the iron rooster, ask the miners to open the mine, the wage is lower than any mine owner, and the people who help him open the mine also complain a lot!" The old man said.

Fang Lei asked: "Then why are so many people working for him?" ”

"Fang Gongzi doesn't know, generally miners, are from poor backgrounds, hungry, poorly clothed, three meals a day, his salary is paid once a day, work in the morning, receive money in the afternoon, the whole family will not starve at night, other miners will only pay money to workers after leaving the mine, and the first half a month is uncertain, so everyone has to be exploited by him, one thousand is not better than eight hundred!"

Fang Lei asked: "In this way, his mine is not short of manpower!" ”

"Yes, he has an abundance of miners, and he produces ore quickly, this is the difference between less capital and more capital!" The old man said.

Fang Lei asked: "So what about Biyun Villa, which can be called the largest boss in the local area?" What about word of mouth? ”

Senior Li took a sip of wine, smashed his mouth and said, "What do you say?" In terms of power, he is a local tyrant, since the government sent several mayors were assassinated, Biyun Town has implemented autonomy, and now he is covering the sky with one hand, raising seventy or eighty Zhuang Ding, the personnel of the town office, all of them are appointed by him, and the taxes are also determined by him, but the construction of bridges and roads, the construction of temples and ancestral halls, are all funded by him, and there are many good things done, and he has won the title of Zhang Dashan, but the reputation is very good! ”

"Did he open a mine?" Fang Lei asked.

Senior Li said: "I heard that his business is on the side of the Central North Buzheng Division, and he is doing very well, and he is making money every day, so there is no need to run such a dangerous enterprise as opening a mine, but no one knows what kind of big business he is doing there?" ”

"How far is Biyun Villa from here? If the juniors want to go over to visit, it is not in vain to come to Biyun Town! Fang Lei was interested.

Senior Li said: "There are seven or eight miles of road, and there is a big road leading to Guò on the street in the east of the town, but the high walls around the villa are towering, and the scenery inside is rare to see, and the guards are strict, so it is even more difficult to enter the village!" ”

The three of them were chatting and gossiping while drinking, and the old man usually drank alone, and it was rare to chat with people, so he was full of interest today, and as soon as he opened the chatterbox, he talked endlessly.

What Fang Lei wants is this effect, the more things he knows, the more detailed he is, the more convenient it is to investigate, the more confident he is in his heart, and the more accurate he is to judge.

At noon, Senior Li was already drunk, and said goodbye: "If people are old, they will not be useful, they will always lack energy, and they will go back to rest!" ”

Fang Lei hurriedly asked, "Senior Li!" Do you want the juniors to help you go back? ”

"That's not necessary, next time we meet, the old man invites you!" Senior Li said sincerely.

Don't pass the seniors, pay for the wine and food, Fang Lei decided to take Hong Xi'er to visit the beautiful scenery of Biyun Villa, and the two walked along the main road of East Street.

Before coming to the villa, it is really a high wall, the big iron gate is closed, you can't see the situation inside, the whole villa is built on the slope of Biyun Mountain, covering an area of dozens of acres, the mountain peak behind is towering and cloudy, which is breathtaking.

Fang Lei said to Hong Xi'er: "Let's go up from the back mountain, can't we see the inside of the villa?" ”

As he spoke, he took Hong Xi'er's hand, turned the villa, climbed up from the back mountain, and then walked through the dense jungle to the halfway up the mountain, and the entire villa was really in full view.

Biyun Villa, inside is a beautiful building complex, pavilions and pavilions, elegant and chic, the corridor is tortuous and orderly, contrasting with the lotus pond, the flower garden path, walking through it, the back half of the mountainside, a clear spring straight to the deep pool after the village, the flowing water is murmuring, the breeze is gusting, it is indeed a good place in the world.

The two stayed for a long time, and it was not until the evening that they reluctantly left Biyun Mountain and returned to the town inn. How's it going? ”

Fang Lei said: "According to the people in the town, the owner of Biyun Mountain Villa does not have a mine, and there is no need to forcibly take laborers. ”

"That's what the old man knows, but where can he hide people?" Gang Master Zhong asked.

Fang Lei said: "This requires us to investigate in detail!" ”

The group went out for dinner, and when they returned to the inn, it was getting dark, Fang Lei returned to the room, took out the night clothes and put them on, he wanted to take advantage of the cover of the night to rummage through Biyun Town to see how many little-known secrets were hidden.

In the middle of the night, he came back dejected, really "taking advantage of the excitement and returning in defeat", and searched for most of the night, but found nothing.

Just as he approached the inn, he suddenly found a dark shadow by his window, and looked inside.