Before dawn, Wu Ban got up. He didn't have a night shift last night, and today he has to go to work in the iron workshop early.

The woman Ji Guo also got up, and she woke up her son Xiaoer.

Xiao Er yawned: "Grandma, I still want to sleep." ”

Ji Guo said: "Get up son, didn't we say okay last night?" ”

Xiao Er said, "I know." Shall we go now? ”

Ji Guo said: "Let's eat something first, and then leave after eating." ”

Xiao Er got up, and the family sat down and ate slowly. Wu Ban put down his rice bowl and said, "You are waiting for me in the place where you said it was good." ”

Ji Guo said: "Why do you do this? Isn't it good for you to go straight with me? ”

Wu Ban said: "You know a fart, if I suddenly disappear, will the world still be dissatisfied with arresting me?" Listen to my brother. ”

Ji Guo said: "But I always feel unsteady. ”

Wu Ban said: "What's not down-to-earth. My brother won't lie to me. ”

Xiao Er said, "Daddy, where are we going?" ”

Wu Ban said: "We, go to a place where no one bullies us and no one discriminates against us!" In his eyes was the look of the sky and the earth, far away.

The things were packed up last night, and the poor family didn't have anything valuable, just two burdens. Wu Ban and Ji Guo carried a burden and went out of the house.

It was not yet dawn, and the neighbors were still asleep. There was not a single figure in the alley. Walking out of the alley, there was a horse-drawn carriage parked on the side of the street. Fan Li stood beside the car. Another man stood to the side, whip in his hand.

Fan Li greeted him: "Big brother, sister-in-law." This is also my brother, and his name is Shu Chang. ”

Wu Ban clenched his fists and bowed: "Brother Shuchang, thank you for your hard work." ”

Uncle often said: "Big brother is welcome, sister-in-law, get in the car with the child,"

Wu Ban helped Ji Guo get into the car, and Fan Li carried Xiao Er into the car. Uncle Chang jumped, then sat sideways on the pole, grabbed the reins and shook it, and shouted: "Go!" The carriage walked around.

The horses' hooves beat against the stone-paved street, making a "clang" sound. Break the silence of the early morning.

As he spoke, the sky was bright. When the carriage came to the south gate, it was just the time to open the city gate, and the soldiers slowly opened the heavy city gate, and the villagers who were waiting outside to enter the city to catch the morning market flocked in. People who went out of the city to do business also came out of the city.

Because it was a time of peace, there was no need to check the people who went out of the city and entered the city, and the carriage went out of Gusu City smoothly with the flow of people.

Out of the city, the view is broadened. The distant mountains are in a fog, there is a touch of green, and there are a few gray villages in the distance. Winter wheat spreads all over the ground, green to the horizon.

Xiao Er shouted happily and laughed. Ji Guo hugged his son, not knowing whether this was a curse or a blessing, and he looked worried.

The carriage walked ten miles and came to a small town, stopped at the door of an inn, and the boss ran out and bowed to Fan Li: "See the general!" ”

Fan Li said: "No courtesy. General Fu Ying. Pointing to Wu Ban, he said, "This is my eldest brother, and this is my sister-in-law." ”

Fu Ying saluted Wu Ban and Ji Guo: "I've seen my eldest brother and sister-in-law, please get out of the car and go into the store to talk." ”

Around Gusu City, there are inns opened by Fu Ying, which is actually an intelligence station, specializing in collecting information about Wu and sending it back to Yue.

Fan Li said: "Sister-in-law, you and Xiao Er will rest here for a while, there is not much time, and the eldest brother will come to meet you." ”

Ji Guo said: "Be careful, be careful." ”

Wu Ban said: "Don't worry, listen to my brother, there will be no mistake." ”

Fan Li and Wu Ban got into the carriage, and as soon as the canopy was pulled, the people outside couldn't see them. Uncle often turned the head of the car, and with a flick of the horsewhip, the horse trotted up. The carriage moved fast through the bumps.

In less than a meal, they returned to Gusu City.

On a secluded street, the carriage stopped. Fan Li said: "Big brother, you go." When you see that there is a fire, you run out, and then, all the way here, I have been waiting for you. Rest assured, no one will see you. ”

Wu Ban jumped out of the car and said, "Brother, big brother has gone." Then he took a big stride and hurried straight to the iron workshop.

Fan Li was in the car, lying down comfortably and closing his eyes. Uncle often pulled down the cloak to cover his head and face. Lean on the wheels and take a nap.

The time was just right, and when Wu Ban arrived at the workshop, the craftsmen on the night shift happened to be off work, and the craftsmen who replaced them were waiting at the door.

The fire in the furnace was never extinguished, and the morning worker, picking up the guy, immediately resounded in the workshop with a clanging forging sound.

Due to social discrimination and government repression, those who work not only have low income, but also have a very low status. Therefore, Nuoda is a Wu country, and the folk craftsmen are gone, and there are some government-run workshops left, and there is no successor.

What's more, there are soldiers who supervise them, like prisoners.

It is really hard to imagine that in such a harsh environment, the craftsmen of Wu State actually invented a complete set of technologies such as mining, smelting, and beating, and changed weapons and agricultural tools from bronze to iron, advancing an era.

The workers are forging and the soldiers are patrolling. It's the same as ever, everything is normal. No one would have thought that an accident would happen at this time.

Moreover, the furnace is no more than two feet high. The sparks splashed by forging are dead fires and will never cause fires. But that day there was a fire.

Until much later, people couldn't figure out how this fire came about.

The blacksmith shop caught fire, and the damage was not large, the ironware inside could not be burned, and the blacksmith's furnace could not be burned, and the biggest loss was the burning of the house.

The most embarrassing thing is that Wu Ban, the craftsman with the best craftsmanship, died in this fire.

He was the most ingenious, and the iron plough had been perfected by his constant improvement, so that the rake he designed had been used for more than two thousand years without major changes.

However, he was burned to death. He could have escaped, but he didn't. No one could figure out what was going on.

At that time, everyone was concentrating on their work, when they heard the thief shouting: "Run, there is a fire." ”

When everyone looked up, the roof had been burned red by the fire. Dozens of people scrambled through the gate, and when the last one ran out, someone shouted, "Is there anyone else inside?" Come out! ”

So everyone shouted, "Is there anyone in there?" ”

Suddenly, someone said: "Brother Wu Ban hasn't come out yet!" ”

Everyone checked in the crowd, and sure enough, Wu Ban was gone. So he shouted, Brother Wu Ban, come out quickly, danger! ”

Suddenly. The roof collapsed, and under the scorching heat, people stepped back and shouted together: "Brother Wu Ban—"

There was no sufficient water source nearby, and even if there was water, there was no way to save it, and the fire started too suddenly. Everyone watched as the collapsed roof burned, and there was nothing they could do.

After the fire was extinguished, a charred body was found in the ashes, and it was blurred to see who it was. But everyone decided that this was Wu Ban. Because among the living workers, only Wu Ban is missing.

Someone went to Wu Ban's house to report the news, but the door of Wu Ban's house was locked, and the neighbor said that he had not seen anyone from Wu Ban's house for several days.

In the end, the workers pooled their money, bought a coffin, and buried the body. That's the end of it. Since then, no one has mentioned Wu Ban again.