After lunch, Shi gossiped with his monk brother for a while, and estimated that the time was almost up, so he stood up and said goodbye.

Shang Cheng said, "Sit a little longer." It's rare for the two of us to see each other again, if you don't go back today, let's talk. "He still has many things to say to the stones.

"No. I only took half a day's leave from the Chinese army, and now it's almost time to apply, and I have to go back. You know, the Chinese army's marching law only looks at the ban and does not recognize the reason. Stone said. This is, of course, his excuse. There are many people in Yanshan Wei who have entered Beijing this time, such as Zhongshan, Shao Chuan, and Zheng Qiqian, the third of them, the senior generals in the guard, in addition to the fact that they must come to visit the door, there must be some military affairs to report to Shang Cheng for advice; Maybe they carried Zhang Shao, Ximensheng's letters, with them. Whether Zhongshan and the others want to talk to Shang Cheng about military affairs or say something else, he is not qualified to know, let alone participate; He had to recuse himself. Even if he came over today, he was sure that everyone else was drunk yesterday, and it was difficult to get up in the morning, so he asked for leave in the army and came to Shang Cheng. He smiled and said, "Anyway, we can stay in the capital for ten days, and after these three or five days, I will come back." ”

Shang Cheng knew what he was thinking. On the letters brought by Huo Shiqi in front of him, Lu sent Zhang Shao and they were all complaining, saying that Zhu Xu had made people angry and resentful in Yanshan; This time, when Zhongshan and they enter Beijing, they will definitely have to tell him the rights and wrongs of the order; Also, be sure to talk to him about the grassland. He stopped holding on to the stone and said, "Well, remember it when you are free." Then he said, "Wait a minute, I'll send some money." ”

"No, you don't." The stone hurriedly stopped him and said, "I have money." When I was in the Ancestral Court, I caught a few kinds of booty, and when I came back, I was rewarded by the imperial court with dozens of thousands, which was about two or three hundred thousand. I'm a bachelor, and I have to go through the army for food and clothing, and this amount of money is enough to spend for several years. ”

Since the stone said that the money was not bad for the time being, Shang Cheng did not insist. He thought, anyway, that Stone would come back again before he left, and that it would be the same if he gave him the money then.

He kept sending the stone outside the instrument gate. Outside the door, he also took the hand of the stone and said a lot of words. It wasn't until the stone climbed on the war horse that he repeatedly told him to remember to come again when he was free.

They had already reached the end of the street corner, and when the stone turned his head to look, Shang Cheng was still standing outside the Yimen and waving at him. His nose soured suddenly, and tears immediately flowed out of his breath.

He also waved his hand at Shang Cheng, wiped the snot and tears from his face, and then pulled the bridle to make the horse turn and no longer walk the way he came. He had seen in the distance a few men on horseback; Although he couldn't see the appearance of the person from a distance, he knew by feeling that it was Zhongshan and Shao Chuan. He was reluctant to teach them to see his ugly appearance of crying and crying, so he walked down a street randomly.

However, he has never been a sentimental person, so he didn't go far, and the little sadness just now was thrown away by him beyond the nine heavens.

He sat on the back of the horse, holding the reins loosely, and didn't care about the direction of the horse's aisle, just staring at a pair of bright big flower eyes.

Now, almost a decade has passed since the sting, and it is the season when the plants and trees of the almanac say that "the otter sacrifices the fish and the wild goose come". The street trees on both sides of the street are covered with green, and the roots of the walls are clustered in the east and the grass nests in the west. Through the low walls of the households, you can see the red peach blossoms and white plum blossoms in the yard, and from time to time you can hear the melodious chirping of yellow warblers among the leaves in the treetops. Even if it is a tall house, two or three people high, the blue brick hat and the big black wall can't close the bright spring light, and the air everywhere is filled with a fragrance that soaks people's hearts.

The weather is getting warmer, and there are more pedestrians on the streets than in previous days. Nowadays, people can no longer wear cotton jackets and furs, and have changed into jackets. Some big girls and little daughters-in-law who love to dress up can't wait to wear seasonal short clips and colorful long skirts that have been shelved for a winter. From time to time, you could see three or five young men on horseback on the streets, surrounded by one or two cars with colorful lanterns, talking and laughing and walking past him. He could see that these young people were probably in a hurry to go out of the city for spring.

He was soon out of the inner city.

Not far from the city gate, there is a fang market. He got off the horse, led the horse in, walked around, and bought a few small things that were relatively rare in Yanshan. He came to the capital anyway, and he had to bring some gifts to the three little nephews and nieces of the Baokan family. He also measured a few zhang of rare high-quality silk in Yanshan in a large store selling southern silk, and prepared to go back to give it to several aunts in Baokan. In a corner of the market, he also bumped into a shop. Gambling has always been forbidden in the military, and he has not been in the shop to make money for a long time. However, after returning from the grassland a few years ago, everyone escaped death, and the Chinese army did not enforce the law as strictly as in the past, and it also turned a blind eye to such things as playing money behind their backs. He's been winning a lot of money lately. However, everyone has a sense of proportion in playing money, and three or five good friends can play a few games, and no one dares to shout and gamble. And everyone also understands in their hearts that the Chinese army is about to relax a little during this time, and after returning to Yanshan, if anyone dares to engage in this kind of deed, it is estimated that the forty military sticks will not be able to escape......

Now, I walked around the door of the shop several times. Listening to the shouts and lamentations in the shop, his heart itched as if there were a dozen cat's paws scraping.

He walked back again, and kept glancing at the blue curtain of the shop. The guy who was guarding the door had been looking at him for a long time, but because he was wearing a black gauze hat and a soapy white robe, a pair of thin-soled fast boots under his feet, and a tall horse in his hand, he didn't look like an ordinary person, so he didn't have the courage to come forward to greet him. Seeing that he stepped over again, and mustered up the courage to take a step forward and was about to solicit business, he heard a crisp female voice shouting:

"Captain Zhao, Captain Zhao! Is Yiyi Captain Zhao? ”

The stone turned back.

The person who called him was in a car. The light veil on the small window of the car had been lifted, and a little girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old looked at him through the small window and asked, "You are Captain Zhao from Yanshan, right?" ”

Stone nodded in surprise. It's really strange, he doesn't know this little girl at all, how can this girl know him?

"Hah! I knew I couldn't be the wrong person! The girl clapped her hands and cheered happily. At this time, the train had stopped, and she got out of the carriage, sat down on the side of the carriage, looked at him and said, "You entered Beijing with the general, right?" ”

"Huh? One by one, oh, yes. The stone said. It seems that this girl really knows him. However, why didn't he even have the slightest impression of this girl? It's terrible that people know him and he can't remember who they are!

"Don't you know me?" The girl asked. She could tell that the stone had barely remembered who she was.

Stone nodded awkwardly.

At this time, another woman came out of the carriage. She also sat down on the side of the carriage, first bowed to the stones, and then asked the coachman to drive the carriage to the side of the street, which was parked in the middle of the road, and was a little obstructive, and had blocked the way of the two or three carriages behind. It's just that the little girl called Shi Shi "Captain Zhao", which made the people in the carriage behind him dare not lose their temper and make a noise.

When the car stopped, the little girl jumped down first, and then dragged a low wooden stool from the carriage and placed it on the side of the car as a footrest, and then carefully helped the woman get out of the car.

Only then did the stone see the woman's appearance clearly. This woman was in her early twenties, and although she was also dressed in silk and satin, and the workmanship of her long skirt was also very exquisite, she knew at a glance that she was not from a wealthy family. The woman's face was pale, as white as if she had smeared a layer of plastered ash on her face. The worst thing is that there are two deep lines on this woman's face, from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth, which are the bitter life lines mentioned in the "Xiangjing......

Shi looked at her appearance, and immediately remembered who she was This is the daughter-in-law of Gao Ting Gao Xiaosan, who he had seen several times when he was in Yanzhou! By the way, he also remembered who the little girl was, and who was the sister of the junior high school!

He hurriedly walked over to help the little sister of the Gao family support her sister-in-law, and said, "Third sister-in-law, don't come down." You're not well, don't take the risk! He knew that Gao Xiao's third daughter-in-law's health had always been very bad, and she was raised by decoction on weekdays. At the same time, he was also very puzzled, what was she doing when she didn't stay in Yanzhou to nourish her body and bones, and came all the way to the capital?

The third daughter-in-law said: "Let the brother of the Zhao family worry; One by one, I'm fine. I also sat in the car for a long time, and I was so angry that I just came down to catch my breath. After just saying such a few words, she was already a little out of breath, and she gasped for breath after speaking.

The stone, of course, didn't listen to her explanation. He talked to the little sister of the Gao family, and finally persuaded the third daughter-in-law to return to the carriage, so he asked her through the screen window: "Third sister-in-law, when did you arrive in the capital?" You're here to see a doctor, right? ”

Tossing up and down one after another, the third daughter-in-law was already panting and couldn't speak. While serving her sister-in-law, the little sister of the Gao family replied, "We arrived in the capital after the first watch yesterday. It's not for my sister-in-law to see a doctor......" Her voice suddenly dimmed. "My brother, my brother...... My brother ......" Speaking of her brother, her voice had already brought out a crying sound, and she said a few times, but after all, she still choked up and couldn't continue. The third daughter-in-law also wiped her nose while panting and sobbing.

Stone was taken aback by their sight. The third sister-in-law and the little sister of the Gao family are sad to become like this, no need to ask, it must be the third brother who has an accident!

One of his hearts sank! It doesn't matter whether Gao Xiaosan is the big shopkeeper of Liu Ji Warehouse, the key is that Gao Xiaosan and his daughter-in-law, the two families, have a great kindness to Shangcheng. He didn't know exactly where this favor came from, and he didn't inquire about it; The Gao family and the Yue family of Gao Xiaosan never talked about it. However, Shang Cheng still calls the three sons of Gao Xiaosan his brother and sister-in-law, and it is also a junior ceremony to meet the elders in their family, obviously the relationship between the several families is extraordinary!

Fortunately, he didn't see the third sister-in-law and the little sister of the Gao family with filial piety, obviously things haven't come to the worst yet. That's it! As long as people are still around, there is always a way!

He suppressed his anxious mood and first comforted the two of them with warm words. In this case, the third sister-in-law couldn't even breathe when she was crying, so he only asked the little sister of the Gao family about the reason for the matter. He asked, "Don't be busy crying. What happened to my third brother? ”

The little sister of the Gao family wiped her tears and sobbed as she told why their aunt and sister-in-law rushed to the capital. She babbled for a long time before Shi finally understood what happened to Gao Xiaosan.

In the early autumn of last year, Gao Xiaosan took a few powerful guys from the warehouse to the south. It wasn't a big deal. He is the big shopkeeper of the warehouse, and for twelve months a year, he spends most of the year running around the Central Plains, so the third sister-in-law didn't regard it as a matter of importance at all. According to what he said before leaving, he was going to Quanzhou this time. He discussed with several owners of the warehouse, bought a large ship in Quanzhou, and then sailed across the ocean to do business with the Hu people. This is also commonplace. In the eyes of the third sister-in-law and the little sister of the Gao family, the so-called "crossing the ocean" is basically the same thing as going from Yixian to Yanzhou. Of course, not only them, but also in the eyes of He Yue'er and the second girl, "crossing the ocean" is not far from "crossing the state". Because they have only heard about how vast the sea is and how terrible it is, but no one has actually seen the sea, so it is difficult to imagine what the sea looks like.

However, this time Gao Xiaosan crossed the ocean and the sea, but it was completely different from before. In the past, when he went out to travel a long way, his daughter-in-law was not very worried, although she also had to worry about it. But this time, Gao Xiaosan only left on the front foot, and she felt that her heart was always empty, and she always felt that something terrible would happen. Just a month ago, on the night of the seventh day of the first lunar month, she actually had a nightmare, dreaming that Gao Xiaosan fell into the water, holding a bathtub while crying and shouting and struggling...... What's even more terrifying is that. She was not the only one who had this dream. On the same night, the little sister of the Gao family also had the same dream, she also dreamed that her brother fell into the water, and her brother soaked in the water, crying and shouting and struggling. The water was deeper, more muddy, and more rapid than the water of the Maiden's River outside Lihujiabao in summer...... This dream was so terrible that they didn't dare to tell the elders in the family at all. As soon as the two of them discussed, they pretended that the third sister-in-law wanted to go to Beijing to see a doctor, found a few reliable people from the warehouse, and rushed to the capital in a hurry.

The stone is the head of the cavalry who braved the bullet forest to break through and run against the rain of arrows, and the most believed in his life is that the ghosts and gods are not blessed by the gods and goddesses, and he can live with all his arms and legs until now? As soon as he heard the words of the third sister-in-law and the little sister of the Gao family, he was dumbfounded. He walked through the Yellow River when he entered Beijing. When crossing the river in Enzhou, I was scared by the turbulent river and my legs and stomachs turned straight, and now I think about it, I feel that my legs are a little unbearable. Could it be that the sea over there in Quanzhou can be higher and more fierce than the wind and waves in the Yellow River? Hey, how many times does Gao Xiaosan go back and forth on the Yellow River every year, but something happened in a broken pond!

He settled down and asked the little sister of the Gao family, "Then what do you want to do now?" ”

The little sister of the Gao family wiped her tears and said, "Do you know where my sister of the Liu family lives? "Neither she nor her sister-in-law dared to tell her brother about it, so she could only discuss it with Yue'er and them to see if they could have any good ideas.

Stone nodded with a heavy heart.

It's too big a matter for him to help at all. Although he didn't think that they could turn things around by finding Yue'er and Erya, he could only lead them to find Yue'er at this time. He thought, even if Yue'er can't help with this matter, the monk brother can always find a way to solve it......