Chang'an in February is the height of summer. In Lao Xu's memory, at this time of year, the rolling dark clouds are a frequent visitor to the Chang'an sky, and the surging clouds and the rapid and swift summer breeze will bring a rare coolness to the sweltering city.

But that was decades ago.

Somehow, the summer months have been very different in recent years. If nothing else, this cold rain is a bit cold, and it shouldn't be summer.

Lao Xu wrapped his thin coat tightly and sat in the carriage and refused to go out.

He had just sent a few guests over, and he was still resting, and he had to let the horses drink water and eat grass, so he couldn't pick them up immediately. In addition, there are not always guests who can afford to sit in a private carriage.

At the customs exit not far away, staff in red uniforms pulled up the barriers, and the newly arrived passengers came out in a disturbed manner, looking for suitable transportation.

Lao Xu's brown eyes scanned the crowd, and his gaze was quickly attracted by a tall man. The man wore a beige straw hat, a khaki trench coat, a pair of dark brown trousers with a straight trouser line on his legs, and a pair of leather shoes of the same color.

He thought the man would be willing to ride in his car, so he rang the bell on the front of the car.

The man, hearing the hurried bell, turned his head to look at the carriage parked at the edge of the square, holding his hat in one hand to prevent it from being blown away by the rain and wind, and with the other a suitcase, he struggled to squeeze his way through the crowd.

Lao Xu jumped out of the carriage, walked forward, reached out and took out a small handful of coarse salt from the pocket hanging from the horse's neck, and fed it to the horse's mouth: "Old man, it's time to work." ”

The tall jujube red horse glanced at Lao Xu, snorted, and the moist air sprayed on Lao Xu's face, obviously reluctant.

Lao Xu smiled, he didn't have the same knowledge as his own horse, climbed into the car by himself, and instigated the horse to turn in the direction of the man.

A few minutes later, the man opened the carriage door, sat down on the seat, took off his hat and hung it on the small hook next to the door, and smiled at Lao Xu, who was driving the horse, "Master, go to the West District." ”

"Okay, sit tight." Lao Xu pulled the reins, and the red horse ran reluctantly.

The man leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the bustling street. It's a lot different from the last time I was here.

The last time I was here was more than three years ago, almost four years ago, right? The man thought.

The gas street lamps in the streets became dense. The last time I visited, only the roads in the West and North Wards could enjoy the glow of gaslighting. As for the South and East Districts, only the main roads get a pitiful light.

The bluestone slabs on the pavement are well repaired, at least much better than Hai'an City, the capital of Eastern Province. It is no wonder that Chang'an is the capital of the republic, and this infrastructure still needs to be taken care of.

("I guess the councillors and senators are uneasy about the crime rate in the South and East Wards, right?") Who would expect them to take the initiative to fight for the welfare of the common people? The man chuckled and withdrew his gaze)

"Master, has the ripper been found?"

Lao Xu looked at the man in the rearview mirror and said, "Hey, that ripper Wang Ming, he has already shot targets at the execution ground in the south of the city." ”

At this opening, Lao Xu opened the conversation: "You said he was a ...... What the hell is he, he fucking read some novels, and he really thinks of himself as a character, going out every night to hurt people, and throwing them at the door of the police station. He coughed and spat into the ditch by the side of the road. The dog was caught on the fourth day, and the Senate instructed him to be punished severely. The patriarch has spoken, and the court must not hurry up to do it. It was also the anger of the guy who did it, and the jury voted for the death penalty, and the total was dragged to death after a week of arrest. ”

"It's just a pity for those girls, I heard that they are all good families, and the family is so poor that they have to go to work during the day and come out to do it at night... Alas..."

The passenger nodded, stopped talking, and just continued to look out the window at the street.

Through the gap in the rain, he saw a man in dirty clothes sitting in an alley, leaning against a mossy wall with a bottle of wine in his hand, tilting his head and looking at the sky that was squeezed by the cramped houses.

The passenger turned around and found that Lao Xu was looking at him in the rearview mirror, so he asked with a faint smile: "Master, what do you think I do?" ”

Lao Xu smiled: "Guest, you are a naval soldier, right?" ”

The passenger raised his eyebrows somewhat unexpectedly, showing some interest: "Why do you say that?" ”

Lao Xu showed a somewhat smug smile: "I can see from your qualifications to ride in the car that you are a soldier, because ordinary people will covet comfort to rely on the soft backrest, and you have always been upright." Judging by the way you dress, you should be a navy, after all, the GIs in the army don't like this kind of gentleman's garment—they can wear a gray coat for a week; Also, you have a faint fishy smell on you, which is the kind of breath that only the old navy can carry. ”

The passenger looked at Lao Xu in the rearview mirror with amusement and smiled dumbly: "Your reasoning is generally correct, but slightly flawed. As he spoke, he opened the suitcase he was carrying: "You see, the smell on my body comes from the shredded squid in the box, not the smell I carry. ”

Lao Xu smiled a little awkwardly and explained: "I read the serialized "Sherlock Detective" in the newspaper, and there is a paragraph in it that the coachman recognizes Sherlock, so I want to try to deduce the identity of the passenger. ”

The passenger smiled and nodded, turned his gaze back to the car, and added softly: "And I used to be in the navy, but not now." ”

Lao Xu raised his eyebrows: "Please forgive me for being curious, what are you doing now?" ”

The passenger smiled, and his wheat-colored face lifted up, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: "Now it's unemployed." ”

Lao Xu nodded, as if thinking of something, and did not continue to speak.

The cabin fell silent, except for the soft sound of rain hitting the window, which sounded sleepy.

The passenger slowly leaned back on the backrest, rested his head on the pillow, closed his eyes, and swayed slightly with the bumps of the body, as if to be asleep.

I don't know how long it took for me to wake up by Lao Xu, and then I realized that I was really asleep.

After all, it's been easy for too long, and I can't bear this tiredness. I laughed at myself in my heart.

"Guest, we're in the West End, where are you going?"

I looked up at the window and said, "Go to Suzaku Avenue." ”

Lao Xu swallowed, pulled the reins and began to run.

Zhili is the core of the republic, Chang'an is the core of Zhili, and the western district is the core of Chang'an. The people of the whole country know this.

Xuanwu Avenue is the core of the civil department, Qinglong Avenue is the seat of the Senate and Parliament, and Baihu Avenue is the key point of the economic department. And Suzaku Avenue is the heart of the military headquarters of the Republic. Everyone in Chang'an knows it.

(Author's note: The paragraphs in parentheses are those that are not allowed to be published)