There are more than a dozen fishing boats moored along the Zhongbakou River, but these fishing boats are a local name, in fact, the people on the boats either sell grains or groceries for a living, but these people who make boats their home can fish, and often carry some fish and shrimp to the shore to sell.

Most of them claimed to be from Xinghua, saying that Xinghua had suffered from the flood and could only come out to beg for a living.

The local people all thought it was true, and never thought that Xinghua could not suffer disasters every year, and fishermen like them existed dozens or even hundreds of years ago, but they all took the boat as their home, and they would not stay in one place for too long if they were here today and there tomorrow, so most of the people they saw were fresh faces.

Although the local people are easy to deceive, they are also timid, and they do not know whether they are good people or bad people. Aside from buying a little groceries or selling some whole grains, I hardly deal with them. Over time, every family has two sayings when teasing children: one is to send you to the fishing boat if you are disobedient, and the other is that you are picked up by me from the fishing boat, so the local people have an inexplicable affection for the fishing boat, especially the child always thinks that the fishing boat is very mysterious.

Xu Lequn has not returned to the yamen since he came out yesterday, and has been staying on this canopy boat by the river, from the outside, this boat is not only small but also very old, but the cabin is very clean.

There were thick curtains hanging at both ends of the cabin, and thick bedding was spread on the cabin, and he was lying in the quilt and hugging an eighteen or nineteen-year-old woman, caressing the woman's fiery delicate body, and it was already afternoon, and he still had no intention of going ashore.

A woman in her thirties sat on the bow of the boat and shouted in a low voice while collecting the soles of her shoes: "Master Xu, Master Xu!" ”

Xu Lequn moved his body, changed his posture and hugged the woman in the bed, and asked unhappily: "What's the matter, what are you calling me for?" ”

The woman put down the soles of her shoes and reminded: "Master Xu, it's not early, I know that you are reluctant to give up my Aya'er, but you are a person who does a big business, and you can't delay your business because of Aya'er." ”

Xu Lequn was annoyed by the woman outside, let go of the woman in his arms, took out a handful of broken silver from the clothes resting on the side, and stuffed it outside from under the curtain: "Master, I'm fine, don't you just want money, master, what I have is money!" Stop bothering me and get some food and drinks. ”

"Master Xu, who doesn't want to make money, we can't meet a few guests like you a year, it's just ...... It's just that we can't stay here any longer, we really have to go, or you can go to Jiangyan with us, and you can go to Rugao if you think Jiangyan is far away. ”

"Why can't you stay any longer, why do you want to leave?"

"I went to the shore to buy meat in the morning, and I heard from the people in the town that the new inspector was selfless, he really didn't want money, and he arrested a lot of people, and he wanted to send them all to Taizhou to the big man of Zhizhou, either a hundred rods for three years or a hundred rods for three thousand miles, and some were hanged! The business we do can't be on the table, if the inspector knows that we are here, eighty percent will let the official come to lock it. ”

The more the woman spoke, the more nervous she became, and she couldn't help but lift the corner of the curtain and said, "Master Xu, I've been worried about it for half a day, and the husband and wife are still a hundred days old. ”

Xu Lequn didn't expect that what she was worried about was, and couldn't help laughing: "I thought what was the matter, don't worry, don't say that the inspection master may not know, even if he does, he won't embarrass you." ”

"Why not, you didn't go to town to see, the town is all fried."

"Master, I came out of the yamen, and the new inspector is my friend, so you can rest assured."

"Master Xu, the inspector is your friend, do you know the inspector?"

Xu Lequn picked up a handful of peanuts and threw them over: "Why are you so annoying!" ”

The woman sitting at the bow of the boat hurriedly shrank her head, not daring to ask any more.

She was skeptical, still unsure, and was about to let the man watching the wind on the shore keep an eye on it, when a strong man ran over from the shore, jumped on the boat selling peanuts on the left, stood on the bow of the boat and held the boat shed and said, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu." ”

"What's the matter?" Xu Lequn got up and picked up the padded jacket and put it on.

"Just now, a boat came from the north, leaning on the 'gap' on the side of the City God Temple, two people came up, picked up a load of things, and went straight to the yamen, saying that it was Li Xiucai's friend and gave Li Xiucai a New Year's gift."

Li Xiucai didn't recognize Xu Lequn, but Xu Lequn recognized Li Xiucai, and knew Li Xiucai's details very well, he looked down at Aya'er, who was flashing with big watery eyes, and muttered: "Whether in Hai'an or Fu'an, the surname Li is also the number one person, what's the fuss about someone coming to give him a New Year's gift." ”

"Listening to the accent, those two people who came to give New Year's gifts are not locals."

"Where's the accent?"

"Sounds like from the Huaibei area." The big man standing on the boat on the left glared at the old bustard who got up subconsciously, and said, "And those two guys don't look like they are trading people, nor do they look like scholars." ”

"Have they entered the yamen?"

"Go in, Master Han's family surnamed Pan took them in."

Xu Lequn thought for a while and said lightly: "It's none of our business, you go back and continue selling peanuts." ”

"Yes."

"Wait."

Xu Lequn didn't dare to take the life of his old club as a child's play, the reason why he stayed on the ship was not only waiting for news from Fu'an's side, but also waiting for Han Xiufeng's soldiers to move from Taizhou. Thinking that the surname Han was a newcomer after all, he didn't necessarily know the details of Li Xiucai, and if he didn't know the details, he would fall short, and muttered: "Who can be from Huaibei, just keep an eye on it." ”

"Mr. Xu, they are in the yamen right now, how can you let me keep an eye on them."

"Keep an eye on the yamen, if Master Han asks them to come out, you will keep up quietly."

"And then?"

"Then do things, find a place where no one is around, and don't alarm the people nearby."

"I know, I'll go to the yamen and keep an eye on it first."

Everyone knows that the salt merchants are rich, and they are the easiest to be remembered by thieves, so the salt merchants in the salt field are not only all high-walled compounds, but also all invited Lian Jiazi to be the nursing home, and the strong man who spoke just now is the nursing home of Master Bao's family. Xu Lequn was not worried that the nursing home would suffer at all, so he threw the padded jacket to the side and got into Gentle Township.

……

Seeing that the New Year is coming, giving New Year's gifts is a normal thing, and even Su Jueming went to the countryside before going to Taizhou to give New Year's gifts to his two uncles. Han Xiufeng had no reason not to let Li Xiucai see the guests, as if he didn't know anything, he sat in the signing room of the second hall and read a book while roasting the fire.

"Young master, the king of the post shop is like a sea and asks to see you."

"Please."

As soon as he put down the book, Pan Er invited Wang Ruhai in.

Wang Ruhai put down two oiled paper wraps tied with strings, and grinned: "Master Han, this is the candy we all have to eat during the New Year, fried with noodles, sweet, crispy and fragrant." My nephew gave me two packs of New Year's gifts in the morning and brought them to you to taste. ”

"You're too polite, you bring something every time you come."

"Master Han, this is not worth a few dollars."

"Okay, I'll take it first." Han Xiufeng motioned for Pan Er to go outside and stare at it so as not to let outsiders get close, and said in a low voice: "Speaking of business, what are the people in the town talking about?" ”

"How else can you talk about it, Master Han, it's not a small compliment, the neighbors in the town all say that you are a Qing official, you are a good official! If you put aside the previous years, every household will not be able to sleep well at this time, and you will always worry that the little New Year's goods you bought with thrift will be stolen. Whoever dares to steal chickens and dogs again this year will be fine if they sleep at night without closing the door! ”

Wang Ruhai didn't dare to sit down, so he just stood and said: "There are also those who are disobedient, these days one is more filial than the other." Dean Gu and Master Wang, they said that this is the road...... What is the instrument, the night ...... What's the night, anyway, it's just that you come to the folk style,"

"The road is not left behind, and the night is not closed."

"Yes, yes, it's just that this road is not left untouched and the door is not closed at night."

Han Xiufeng smiled and asked again, "What about Chen Youdao?" ”

"I didn't go to the pawnshop again in the past two days, and I didn't go anywhere else, so I stayed at home, as if I had a fight with his mother-in-law, and his mother-in-law was so angry that she went back to her parents' house."

"Anything new."

"No, even those people who live in our post shop have gone home for the New Year, they will naturally not be happy, but they really have no complaints about Master Han, and they can only blame their son for a lot of debts." Speaking of this, Wang Ruhai suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly said: "Master Han, aren't you worried that if you want to use a boat for the New Year, but you can't find the boat, I went to the river in the morning and asked if those fishing boats could go away for the New Year, do you know who I saw?" ”

"Who?"

"I saw the person who came to Yamen with Dean Su's boy a few days ago, and when I went, he happened to be standing at the stern of the boat wearing his clothes and peeing. But the boat he's staying in is probably not going to be needed if you want to use it, unless it's requisitioned. ”

Han Xiufeng secretly thought that the original surname Xu was hiding on the boat, and couldn't help asking, "Why can't you use it?" ”

"It's a flower boat from Taizhou, I don't know if I think it's a family of three on the boat, but in fact, the one who holds the boat is the turtle father, the mother-in-law who does the laundry and cooking is an old bustard, and the one who stays in the cabin all day is not their daughter, but the girl who doesn't know where they bought it, the girl who specializes in picking up guests!"

"He'll enjoy it, hahahaha."

"Master Han, don't you know?"

"I didn't ask, he didn't say, how do you say I know."

"Why is he like this, he won't tell you where he goes!"

"Regardless of him, let's talk about the boat, if you want to use the boat for the New Year, can you help hire a few?"

"There are four in the town, and then there are those fishing boats by the river, if you need it urgently, Master Han, you can hire eleven of them standing here. If you are not in a hurry, Master Han, I will go to Jiaogang, Jiangjiazhuang and Zhangjiaozhuang to help you find them, there are five or six boats in these three places. ”

"Okay, I'll trouble you then."

"Master Han, what are you talking about, these are all small things that should be done." Wang Ruhai looked back behind him, and took out two letters from his arms with a little nervousness: "Master Han, this is just delivered from Baimi in the morning, let me send Rugao quickly." Didn't you tell me to pay attention to the correspondence, and I will show you first. ”

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