Before Shang Cheng walked out of the straw mat market, a person came over, and he greeted him happily a few steps away: "Ha, old guest!" ”

Shang Cheng was taken aback by this warm greeting, and opened his eyes to look over, but he didn't know him. The person in front of him was holding a towel on his shoulder, and Zaza's hands were carrying a string of several packs of snacks in one hand, and a black lacquer food box in the other, looking like a guy in a store, smiling so much that even his eyes were squinted into two slits, and he greeted with a smile: "It's rude to the old customer, I have both hands, and I can't give you a gift one by one, and I will bear with you." And he said, "I haven't seen you for two years, is this always good?" ”

Shang Cheng really couldn't remember where he had seen this person, and it was not easy for him to ask directly when others greeted him with smiling faces, so he nodded and said vaguely: "It's okay." ”

"Old customers don't remember me? One by one, I am Zhang Xiao, who lives in the north. ”

Shang Cheng knew that Beiqiaoju was a big song building run by Yanzhou Jiaofang, and in the past two or three months, the Huo family's father and daughter had become obsessed with the singing girl Sang Aiai, who was invited by Beiqiaoju; However, Zhang Xiao in front of him was not impressed at all. He was worried about things, and he didn't want to be verbose with Zhang Xiao, so he said, "It turned out to be Brother Zhang." I've got something to do right now, and I'll sit with you when I'm free. ”

Zhang Xiaowei smiled and said, "The senior shopkeeper of Liu Ji in front of him also mentioned you. I also said I hadn't seen you in a while. He stepped aside. You go slowly. ”

"The shopkeeper?" Shang Cheng couldn't help but be stunned, and the foot that stepped out was withdrawn, frowning and staring at Zhang Xiao carefully, and asked, "Is it the high ...... of Liu Ji Warehouse in Yixian County?" Gao Tinggao shopkeeper? He remembered that Gao Xiaosan's big name was Gao Ting. And he also remembered who Zhang Xiao was in front of him, one by one, when he and Gao Xiaosan were eating tea and talking together in the autumn of the previous year, the guy who greeted the guests in the tea shop was in a trance and was the person in front of him.

"That's him."

"When did he come back?" Shang Cheng was shocked. After his injury recovered in the winter of last year, he also went to Liu Ji to find Gao Xiaosan in the Yanzhou branch, but he didn't meet anyone twice. I heard from the people in the store that throughout the nineteenth year of the Eastern Era, Gao Xiaosan stayed in Shangjing Plain Mansion and never returned to Yanzhou. He originally wanted to ask again after the New Year, but he forgot about it as soon as he got busy after the New Year; Unexpectedly, Gao Xiaosan would come back. He felt a little strange in his heart, how could Gao Xiaosan mention himself in front of a tea shop guy? He didn't bother to think about the reason for it for a while, and hurriedly asked, "Have you heard him say how long he will stay when he comes back this time?" ”

"Shopkeeper Gao only came back from Shangjing at the end of last month." Zhang Xiao said with a smile, "I can't say how long I can stay in Yanzhou." Forgive me, if you don't talk about this kind of thing, we don't want to ask around......"

Shang Cheng knew that he had asked abruptly. He thought about it for a while, and decided not to go to Tao Qiyi for the time being, anyway, dealing with the garbage in the city, and the "dirty and messy" environment is not something that can be done in a day or two, so he simply went to the warehouse to find Gao Xiaosan first. Gao Xiaosan and he knew each other the earliest, although the two did not have much contact later, but the relationship was definitely not shallow! He still inherits a great part of the little third brother's affection......

“…… But the shopkeeper is in our store right now. Zhang Xiao looked up and smiled and finished speaking.

Shang Cheng smiled and scolded: "Plague things! Can't you finish it in one sitting? Don't hurry up and lead the way. ”

Zhang Xiao led Shang Cheng to walk back in the crowd. Before he walked out of the halfway road, Zhang Xiao had already seen that the few Shang Cheng's personal soldiers who followed him were not ordinary people; Seeing Shang Cheng raise his feet and walk calmly, guessing his identity and origin in his heart, after a little hesitation, he asked cautiously: "Haven't you asked the old guest about his respect and banner?" ”

"My surname is Shang." Shang Cheng said. He touched the scar on his face and glanced at the teahouse guy, and asked, "You don't know what my surname is, how did the shopkeeper mention me to you?" "He's got it. It must be because of his face that Zhang Xiao remembered himself; He wanted to earn two bounties, so he casually pulled the words to Gao Xiaosan. Let's just say, with the temperament of a senior junior, how could he mention himself for no reason.

The lie was exposed on the spot, Zhang Xiao was not nervous and ashamed at all, squinted his eyes and said with a smiling face: "Old customer forgive...... The high shopkeeper is indeed Yanshan, who only returned from Shangjing some time ago; Before half a cup of tea, he was indeed eating tea in the building. To tell you the truth, after the old guest showed up in our Beiqiao Residence, I have been thinking about you for the past two years. Don't hide from the old guests, I learned physiognomy from a master for a few days when I was a child, and I can look at people for seven or eight points, the old guest before the first time I went back to our Beiqiao residence, I think your face is extraordinary, either rich or expensive, everything is smooth sailing...... "The mouth chattered non-stop, and Shang Cheng was introduced into the tea house, and handed over the dim sum food that the two guests ordered to buy in his hand to the guy next to him, and he took Shang Cheng to go straight to the stairs around the noisy lobby at the bottom of the building.

At the top of the stairs, Shang Cheng instructed a few pro-soldiers not to go up with him, but to eat tea downstairs and wait; He just went upstairs by himself. He thought, he was going to see a friend, if a few pro-soldiers surrounded the left and right to support him, not to mention the scenery, it would definitely make Gao Xiaosan uncomfortable. In that case, the two of them might as well not see each other.

Zhang Xiao followed behind Shang Cheng upside down, and sighed while going up the stairs: "Open your eyes!" There are a lot of distinguished guests who come and go, but it is the first time I have seen such a gang discipline like an old guest, and it is not a little worse than the strict family law of Patriarch Lu and Master Taishou Tao! With such a casual hustle, the business of old customers must not be done to the edge of the sky? One by one, after talking for so long, I forgot to ask the old customer what kind of business he did......"

For the teahouse guy's flattering words, Shang Cheng just smiled and asked curiously: "Patriarch Lu and Tao Taishou also come over often?" ”

"The two elders are regular customers of ours, and they always come once or twice in ten days and a half months. You watch out for your feet, there is a hole in the floor here, and I found out at noon, and called Carpenter Li to repair it early tomorrow morning. Zhang Xiao reminded. He stretched out his hand and helped Shang Cheng with a hand, and then he picked up the topic just now. “…… The two old men don't come here to sit. They like to listen to big songs, and when they come, they always go to the West Garden or the East Courtyard. This is a lively place for small people in the market, and the adults and men of the health department and the state capital generally do not come. ”

Only then did Shang Cheng know that Beiqiaoju was not only this building; And this is not only an ordinary tea house, but also a place where officials usually gather for banquets.

At this time, he had already climbed the stairs upstairs, glanced left and right, and was about to ask Gao Xiaosan which private room he was in, when a door at the end of the corridor creaked softly and opened, and a bearded girl with a high nose and deep eyes and long brown and red hair came out, as if it was the Kabuki who had seen him when he came back and saw him standing on the side of the stairs, so he bowed slightly sideways and made way for him.

Zhang Xiao also went upstairs and immediately asked the bearded girl: "Miss Xiu, have you resigned?" Liu Ji's shopkeeper didn't leave, right? ”

"Yes." Miss Xiu didn't look up, and replied softly, "Just now Huo Gong wanted to listen to "Fire Roll Red Cliff", and Sang Niangzi asked the shopkeeper Gao to go over and help her with the drums. As he spoke, he took two steps closer and pinched a stack of copper coins to Zhang Xiao, "Brother Zhang, thank you." ”

Zhang Xiao picked up the money and said, "Then you won't go in?" Don't let the shopkeeper wait for a long time. He pointed at Shang Cheng again and said, "Miss Xiu, do you remember the old businessman?" I came two years ago, and I also ordered you to sing tunes. One by one, he came to visit the shopkeeper Gao today. ”

The show girl raised her knees and bowed deeply to Shang Cheng, and was about to greet and speak, when Shang Cheng suddenly turned around and went downstairs. Miss Xiu and Zhang Xiaozheng looked at each other and didn't know what to say, and in the blink of an eye, Shang Cheng stepped up one step at a time. He took out two finger-sized silver beans from the purse he was holding, stuffed one into one of the two people, shook his head and grinned, and said with a strange expression: "...... Forgot to bring money. "Since he was the direct commander of West Malaysia, his food, clothing, housing and transportation are almost all official expenses, and there is almost no place to spend money on weekdays, so he gradually developed the habit of carrying no money with him. Thinking about it, it makes people sigh, two years ago, he owed a debt to buy a house on a river beach, and the two of them spent the New Year, and they had to cut a piece of meat and measuring cloth, but now? He hadn't asked about money for a long time, and all of his salaries and allowances were collected and kept for him......

Zhang Xiao got the reward, and immediately smiled with joy, and listened to Shang Cheng ask, "Who is Huo Gong?" Immediately, he lowered his voice and said: "Huo Gong is the most powerful celebrity in the hands of the Admiral at the moment, and the deacon Huo Shiqi Huo of the Yanshan General Fu Division; It's in that room now. If Shang Gong is interested in getting acquainted, now is the right time. Huo Gong likes to read history the most, and he loves to listen to Luohuataizi Sang Aiai's talk about it, and when others greet him, they almost have to ask Miss Sang to accompany him......"

Shang Cheng glanced at the private room that Miss Xiu had just walked out of, and let out a "hmm" in his mouth, thinking about why Huo Shiqi didn't go to the garden behind to listen to the music and came here with great fanfare, and asked, "Where is the shopkeeper Gao?" ”

Zhang Xiao took two steps and lightly buckled on a door twice, and heard someone in the room ask, "Which one?" ”

Zhang Xiao whispered through the door: "Is the shopkeeper Gao?" Say goodbye to the shopkeeper, and your old friend businessman came to visit. ”

The door shaft turned and made a hoarse whisper, and Gao Xiaosan walked out with a confused face. The light in the corridor was dim, and he only saw Shang Cheng's tall figure in a shadow, so he asked, "Who is looking for me?" ”

"Third brother," Shang Cheng took a step forward and arched his hand towards Gao Xiaosan, "Don't come here to be harmed, right?" ”

Gao Xiaosan shook his head vigorously as if he couldn't believe it, blinked his eyes, and said in amazement:

"Monk! ……”