Zhuge Liang looked at Yan Jian and laughed twice. Yan Jian is about ten years older than him, and since he met, he has taken care of him like a brother, and he is much better than his eldest brother Zhuge Jin, who went to Youzhou. Although one of them is from Pengcheng and the other is from Yangdu, they have not had any contact before.

"Brother Mancai, you think too much, it's not that I think I'm a strange thing, but General Sun does have a lot of affairs now, and it's not appropriate for me to disturb him now." Zhuge Liang looked at the pedestrians on the side of the road. "Do you think that all this money, food, wine, meat, and cloth fell from the sky?" He raised his new clothes again and shook them. "After the epidemic, a large number of displaced people poured into Yuzhou, according to common sense, prices should rise, but now the new clothes are about 20% cheaper than in previous years, why?"

Yan Jian also felt strange. "yes, I don't quite understand, it doesn't feel like it's after the catastrophe, it's like a good year."

"It's a last resort. After the pandemic, people are panicking, if prices rise and the people's lives are difficult, not only will it be difficult for the displaced people to persevere, but even the local people will complain, and they will have to be angry with the people from outside. At that time, do you think that the locals will be so kind to us who speak with foreign accents? ”

As he was talking, a girl in brocade suddenly grabbed in front of Zhuge Liang. "Where are you from, boy, can you tell me your name?"

Zhuge Liang was not in a hurry and greeted with a smile. "Thank you sister for your concern, just a cheap name, don't dare to have dirty ears."

The girl frowned, tilted her head, and looked at Zhuge Liang in puzzlement. At this time, her female companion came over, pulled her away, and teased: "Don't be a nymphomaniac, this young man is a child of the family at first glance, how can it be your turn." ”

"What's wrong with the children of the family?" The girl in brocade said unconvinced, broke free from her female companion, walked quickly in front of Zhuge Liang, and inserted a flower on Zhuge Liang's head. "I am the second daughter of the Meng family in the west of the city, fifteen this year, and I am not yet married, if you are free, come to my house to sit. My brother is Meng Jianmeng Gongwei, who works in Taifu Mansion, you will know as soon as you ask. ”

Zhuge Liang was a little embarrassed, his face flushed slightly, and he didn't know how to deal with it. When the brocade-clothed girl saw this, she giggled and ran after her female companion. Yan Jian couldn't help but laugh. Although Zhuge Liang is only fourteen, his figure is no different from that of an adult, coupled with his handsome appearance, although his face still has the youth of a teenager, his eyes have a little more calmness that is rare among his peers, and it is very easy to attract the attention of passers-by. Along the way, several girls were already staring at him intently, undisguised the admiration in their eyes, but it was the first one who took the initiative like this.

"Since the three generals' Yulin Wei became an army, this peaceful woman has become more and more generous." Yan Jian smiled and said: "Joining the army, studying, what men can do, they can do, women don't let their eyebrows go." In my opinion, sooner or later, there will be a place for them in the court. ”

"It's unlikely." Zhuge Liang said lightly.

"Why do you say that?"

"The gentleman's morality, the villain's morality, and the change of the people's customs are all upward and downward effects. Do you see that General Sun's wives and concubines are officials? ”

"The third general is the chief general of Yulin Guard."

"Yu Linwei is just a song, at best, as a guard, it is impossible to form an army independently. Because of their physiology, women are not naturally suitable for politics and the military, and it is rare to be knowledgeable. ”

"Kong Ming, you can be careful, don't say these words in front of the three generals, otherwise you will look good."

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you Brother Mancai for reminding me, I must be careful."

The two walked all the way and chatted all the way. When they went out of the city, they rented a carriage and negotiated the price, and asked for thirty dollars when they went to Gepi. Although it was about half more expensive than usual, it was not too much for the two to share equally, so they got into the car. The car was very tidy and spotlessly cleaned, and there was a pot of hot water and a few bamboo cups, which were washed cleanly and hung upside down. Zhuge Liang took two bamboo cups, poured two glasses of water, handed one to Yan Jian first, and brought a cup himself. A sip of hot water not only quenches your thirst, but also keeps you warm.

"Uncle, how do you keep this water warm?" Zhuge Liang opened the front window and asked loudly.

The old style of driving was very happy, and the sound was so loud that Zhuge Liang had to avoid it a little. "This pot of water was freshly filled and buried in the grass, and it was still hot until Ge Pi. If you drink quickly, this pot of water will be drunk by the time it arrives, and then you will fill a new pot and return to Pingyu. Our handlebar type is an old customer of the tiger stove, and the old stove will fill the water well, and we can directly replace the empty pot with a full pot. ”

"How much does this pot of water cost?"

"Not much, not much, one money can be filled into two pots, we calculate it on a monthly basis, and fifty yuan a month is enough for him."

"That tiger stove doesn't make much money?"

"Alas, of course, it is not much compared to you gentlemen who study, but five or six thousand yuan a month, a few people in a family are enough to live. Like this wax moon, it is estimated that you can earn one or two hundred thousand. At the beginning of the year, there is still a big shrine in Pingyu City, and there will be no shortage of people at that time, and they can earn a lot. This year, as long as you are willing to endure hardships and are not lazy, food and clothing are more than enough, and you can eat a meal of meat and drink two cups every other day. I have eaten more meat and drunk more wine this year than I have ever lived before. ”

Zhuge Liang chatted with the old guy all the way. When they arrived at Gepi, they got out of the car, and before they could pay the fare, someone rushed over to Pingyu. Yan Jian hurriedly paid the fare and walked towards the workshop with Zhuge Liang. The workshops have been closed, most of the workers have gone home for the New Year, and only a few workshops are still working.

"Kong Ming, according to what you said just now, General Sun sent so much money, grain and wine cloth in order to stabilize people's hearts, but in fact, he can't make ends meet?"

"Isn't it?" Zhuge Liang asked rhetorically: "In the first half of the year, the army fought, and all kinds of materials were consumed very much, and then there was a great drought in Guanzhong, General Sun urgently transferred money and grain to support Guanzhong, and the autumn harvest just collected some grain, and the epidemic came again, you go to the county treasury to see, how much grain is still in stock?" The purpose of distributing grain is to stabilize people's hearts, otherwise there is no way to talk about tuntian. The shortage of grain could not be alleviated until the end of spring when the wheat was harvested, and if Yuan Shao had acted quickly and attacked before the wheat was harvested, the wheat would have become Yuan Shao's trophy. After all, Yuzhou is not a suitable place to guard......"

Zhuge Liang said as he stepped into the door of Xu Yue's small courtyard, and there were a few people standing in the front yard, dressed in military uniforms, who were gossiping with Xu Shu, and when they saw Zhuge Liang and Yan Jian coming in, they all turned their eyes. Zhuge Liang was stunned. The clothes he knew about these people were the military uniforms of the guards knights beside Sun Ce, and their appearance here meant that Sun Ce was here.

Zhuge Liang's heart suddenly beat faster, and he subconsciously stopped and straightened up.

Xu Shu greeted him and glanced down at the burden in the hands of Zhuge Liang and Yan Ji. "Yo, you've made a windfall, buying all these clothes?"

"I saw that it was cheap, so I bought two more pieces. If we didn't know you wouldn't have to worry about wearing them, we'd bring two for you. Zhuge Liang said, took out a book and handed it over. This is for you, and please don't be suspicious of my brother. ”

Xu Shu took it and took a look. "Yo, metaphysics originally, whose book is this?"

"I heard that it is the metaphysics of the Western Regions interpreted by a Hu doctor in Nanyang Materia Medica. I flipped through the bookstore and thought it was good, and it was very different from our Central Plains Metaphysics, so I bought two copies. You have one, I have one, and see who can figure it out first. Bo Yuan, who is here? ”

"General Sun." Xu Shu said while flipping through the book: "You're talking to me inside." You came back just in time, and General Sun asked about you as soon as he came, and I want to see you later. ”

"Okay, then I'll go back to the house and put my things down."