A snowstorm came suddenly, bringing the winter cold to the extreme, and the snowflakes flying in the sky shrouded the whole land in a white expanse of gloom, which made people feel intimidated.

On the official road leading to Fenyang, because of this sudden snowstorm, it was extremely bleak, and the escort team escorting Yin Tuzi to Beijing was marching hard in the wind and snow. Although they were protected by thick cotton clothes, the faces of the officers and men who could march were still as pale as snow from the severe cold.

Advancing in the snow, not only was the journey slow, but also the physical consumption was huge, and the officers and soldiers who escorted Yin Tuzi were already exhausted at this time. Although the official road is only a dozen miles away from Fenyang City, it has become an unreachable distance in the hearts of many people, and I really hope to have wings to fly into Fenyang City at once.

When he was struggling, a small tea shed suddenly appeared next to the official road not far away, and the curtains woven with cattails on all sides cut off the cold outside, and the white air continued to escape from it. After walking for a long time in this cold and freezing weather, how can I not be moved to see such a warm place all of a sudden?

Although the appearance of the tea shed is so tempting to this team of hungry and cold officers and soldiers, how can there still be people selling tea here on such a cold day and sparsely populated? ! The leading officers and men immediately became alert.

The leader was thinking about whether there was any fraud in it, but a brother next to him couldn't help jumping out and asked in his ear.

"Head! After driving for so long, the brothers are stiff in their hands and feet, why don't you go to the tea shed and drink a cup of hot tea to warm up your body? ”

Although the leading officers and soldiers had some doubts, in an instant, the brothers behind them, who had been frozen for a long time, agreed with this mentions, and immediately burst into echoes. The leading officers and soldiers stopped and looked around at the brothers behind them, and their frozen faces also moved the leader's heart.

After hesitating for a moment, the brothers all need to take a breath now, and the leader still lets go of the concerns in his heart and answers.

"Okay. Everyone went to the tea shed in front of them to rest for half an hour, warm up and then walk. ”

"Head wise!"

As soon as the leading officers and soldiers let go, the brothers behind them suddenly praised one after another, as if they were really frozen by this heavy snow, and they couldn't help but become lighter in their steps.

The prisoner car was escorted to the tea shed and stopped, after all, the officers and soldiers who were in the lead did not dare to be too careless; So he took two brothers and went into the tea shed to observe first.

The straw tea shed has a low roof, and the space inside is not very spacious; Three simple square tables were scattered, which could hold up to twelve or three people for tea, and a large stove was set up facing north, and a pot of fragrant tea was boiling. The shop is small but the shop is intimate, not only are the four sides of the tea shed covered with pampas grass, but also the four corners are warmly charcoal fires, and the warm tea shed suddenly makes the faces of the three officers and soldiers who came in to investigate feel comfortable.

"I'm sorry sir! The little old man was clumsy, he was busy making tea and didn't see a few of you entering the store, hurry up and sit, sit!! ”

The shopkeeper's warm greeting did not cause much surprise to the leading officers and soldiers, in fact, he had just seen the old man in front of the cauldron, but he couldn't see it really through the misty moisture.

carefully looked at the old man who stepped forward to greet the guests, dressed in a gray old cotton jacket, a few ugly patches could not hide the overwhelm of the inner flesh of the cotton clothes, in such a cold weather, such thin clothes looked strange and pitiful; And Lao Er's whole look is also unremarkable, except for the word "old" on a face full of vicissitudes, the leading officers and soldiers can't find any words to describe him.

As if there was nothing suspicious in the old man of the shop, the leading officers and soldiers followed his warm greeting and sat down at a nearby square table.

"Old man, are you still doing business with such a big snowstorm? There are no merchants on the official road. ”

Rubbing the table with a white linen cloth, the old man also reluctantly returned to the leading officers and soldiers: "I can't help it, old man." There is no labor at home, and the family is counting on me to make a living by buying and selling tea on this official road. Seeing that the New Year is coming to an end, I want to earn a few more broken silver to add new clothes to my grandson, but I don't want to encounter such weather, hey~~"

Although he sympathized with the old man's situation, the leading officers and soldiers were still wary and hurriedly asked the old man beside him.

"Where is the old man from?"

"Lao'er, I'm from Liujiazhuang, five miles outside Fenyang City, what's wrong official?!"

"It's nothing, just a casual ask."

The leading officers and soldiers laughed at the old man's rhetorical question, it seemed that he was really suspicious, and the old man in front of him was indeed an innocent ordinary person.

"Old man, I don't know what you have in this tea shed? Our brother was also a little tired after traveling in the snow and wind. ”

"Back to the official, the little old man's tea shed is simple, and there is no tea that can be used, so I boiled some ginger tea to ward off the cold, and the sweet potatoes grown in my own field are roasted with the fire in the stove. I don't know if the officials dislike it?! ”

As soon as they heard that they were all hot things, the leading officers and soldiers immediately showed a smile on their faces.

"It's a lucky thing to be able to eat something hot on such a cold day. If it weren't for the old man's tea shed, our brothers wouldn't know how long they would be starving and cold. The things in your tea shed, our brothers have all packaged, and you can just go to the old man. ”

"Good, good, good! Wait a minute, old man, I'll go and prepare immediately. ”

Seeing such a big business coming to the door, the old man happily returned the salute, and hurriedly ran to the stove to get busy.

The leading officer and soldier lowered his head and stomped the melted ice on his boots, and his body gradually warmed up, which made his somewhat wooden brain think of something, and quickly got up from the bench.

"My body is also a lot warmer, I will guard the door first, let the brothers warm up and eat some tea before coming to change me."

"Head, how can you be kept at the door? Let's just go, you can rest in it, you're tired enough these days. ”

The two brothers who volunteered were about to get up to take the lead, but the leader pressed their shoulders and spoke considerately.

"I've got my own measure. You are no more relaxed than me, and you can sit here and rest in peace. ”

With that, the leading officers and soldiers walked to the door of the tea shed and beckoned the other brothers who were guarding Yin Tuzi outside.

"You all go in and warm up, I'll watch here first."

As soon as the other officers and soldiers waiting in the heavy snow heard what they said, they couldn't hold back for a long time and poured into the small tea shed with joy; The leader stood majestically at the door, his hand pressed on his saber and looked at the prisoner cart a few steps away.

"Officials, hot ginger tea and roasted sweet potatoes are here!"

The old man of the shop shouted like this, and immediately provoked a lot of response in the small tea shed, and all the officers and soldiers immediately started to scramble for the roasted sweet potatoes on the table like hungry people who had been hungry for a long time. I don't care about the hot hands, more than a dozen old men break the sweet potatoes and bite them in their mouths, looking at their beautiful appearance, how can this baked sweet potato be covered with a "fragrant" word.

It's just that although it's good to eat this sweet roasted sweet potato, it seems that I have a little dry mouth after eating it. The officers and soldiers picked up the ginger tea in their hands and were about to send it to their mouths, when suddenly the leader who was guarding the door stopped drinking.

"Wait!"