Shaanxi Cheng announced the political envoy of Ningxia Station

The whistling north wind blew people's hearts mad, the fallen leaves and fine sand swept by the wind chimes like wind chimes across the gloomy low sky, although it was still early winter, it was already quite cold here, as if a heavy snow could be ushered in at any time.

There are eight conjoined thatched houses with earthen walls, the soil outside the earthen walls cannot withstand the erosion of cold wind and rain, and falls off like psoriasis, near the east side of the main entrance in the middle, there are several nearly vertical cracks on the wall, from top to bottom, almost as high as the wall.

The thatch on the roof had long since lost its original color and faded into a messy withered white, and when the cold wind blew, the rotten leaves of withered grass flew up like catkins, and suddenly enveloped the whole house.

The eight low thatched huts, with almost the same entrance, have long since faded and turned black, as bleak as the grass and trees of early winter, and perhaps they have never enjoyed the treatment of red and purple at all.

In the third room on the left, the door was ajar, and an old man with a hunchback had just come out of it, he sighed slightly, looked back at the house, shook his head and left quietly.

There was a simple bed made of planks and clods, the edge of the bed was no more than three feet from the window, and the young man lay on the bed, covered with a sweat-smelling tattered quilt, with only half of his head exposed.

He fell asleep in bed for a day and two nights because he was drunk, but when he woke up, he did not sleep, did not eat or drink, and his eyes were staring blankly at the leaky roof of the house.

In the afternoon, the temperature rose slightly, but it was still dry and cold, and it seemed to be freezing outside.

The old man was holding a wooden tray, the tray had long lost its original color, there were a few places that looked like the ink black that had been burned by fire, and there were two white-flour steamed buns, two buckwheat nests, and a bowl of green vegetable soup.

The old man was just about to push the door into the house, but was stopped by Yang Long, a poster who happened to be passing by: "Old grandson, how is he?" ”

"Lord Yicheng, Hongji has not spoken, just looked at the roof in a daze, except for breathing and occasionally blinking his eyes, he ......" The voice of the old grandson was much lower than Yang Long, probably worried that the young man on the bed would hear it.

Yang Long frowned, his thin eyes blinked subconsciously, "Don't die at the post station, you will have to accompany a coffin when the time comes." ”

"Lord Yicheng......" The old grandson wanted to refute two sentences, but his arms couldn't resist his thighs, he swallowed and spit, and swallowed what he wanted to say.

Yang Long's face instantly became even more gloomy than this early winter, "Old Sun Tou, tell Li Hongji that no matter what, he must leave the post station tomorrow, and now the food in the post station is tight, and he, a person who has been laid off, can no longer eat in vain." ”

"Lord Yicheng, Hongji's current situation ......"

"That's his business, he's not from the post station anymore......" Yang Long suddenly found that a tall figure was standing against the door, and two cold lights were thrown into his eyes like daggers.

Yang Long shuddered unconsciously: "Li Hongji, you ......"

"Don't worry, Lord Yicheng, tomorrow, I will definitely leave the station." Li Hongji almost said a word, because of the lack of breath, he was already slightly out of breath before he finished speaking.

"That's the best, the food allocated by the top is according to the number of people in the post station, and there is no surplus grain in the post station to feed the idlers." Yang Long's voice was even colder than the early winter in Ningxia Town, and as soon as he finished speaking, he stopped looking back at Li Hongji and returned to his post house by himself.

Lao Sun Tou waited for Yang Long to go far away, and then pulled Li Hongji into the back room: "Hongji, you haven't eaten for two days and three nights, eat these steamed buns while they're hot!" ”

"The old man bothered!" Li Hongji was not polite, first poured a mouthful of vegetable soup, then picked up the nest head, swallowed it in three or two bites, and when he picked up the white-flour steamed bun, he hesitated a little, "Old man? ”

"Hongji, don't worry, I've already eaten," the old grandson burped, "Hey, in the entire station, only Hongji Ken called me an old man." ”

"You're older, and you deserve respect." Li Hongji glanced at the white-flour steamed buns, probably because he was hungry in his stomach, he still ate them.

Old Sun Tou's face was a little relieved, "Hongji, what should I do?" If I don't talk to Lord Yicheng, let's delay it for two days! ”

"No," Li Hongji shook his head, "I have been dismissed, so naturally I should go back, and staying at the post station is not a long-term solution!" ”

"Hongji, your body...... What should I do when I go back? Any plans? The old grandson's face was full of worry.

"Don't worry, old man, I'm still young, I have strength, I shouldn't starve to death." Li Hongji swallowed the last steamed bun and drank the vegetable soup in the bowl, feeling much better in his stomach.

"Hey, these ...... years" the old grandson only shook his head and sighed.

Li Hongji wiped his lips, he was much more optimistic, "Old man, what about the other people in the station?" ”

"It's all gone, the people who were laid off left as early as the day before yesterday, and the current post station, together with the post man and my gang, is only six people."

"Ao," Li Hongji replied, "what about the salary owed by the imperial court?" How many were sent? ”

Old Sun Tou shook his head, "No, there is no penny." ”

"Huh?" Li Hongji was shocked, he didn't even have the salary he owed, let alone the severance pay, his home was in Mizhi, hundreds of miles away from Ningxia Town, there was no salary and silver to entangle, how could he go home?

"Hongji ...... What to do? Lao Sun Tou saw Li Hongji's difficulties, but he was a gang of husbands and had no savings, so he couldn't help Li Hongji at all.

Li Hongji is now penniless, on weekdays at the post station, although the court owes money, but there are still three meals a day, and now he has to leave naked, what should he do when he eats? What should I do if I stay in a hotel? He had no idea for a while, but Li Hongji didn't want to bother the old grandson, "I understand, old man, I have to pack up my belongings and hurry early tomorrow." ”

"That'...... Hongji is busy first, if you need anything, feel free to come to the back hall to find me. ”

"yes, got it."

The old grandson left, Li Hongji didn't pack up his belongings, he didn't have anything to pack, except for a few clothes, everything was a post station, he only had the right to use it, but he couldn't take it away.

After a full meal, Li Hongji's physical strength recovered a little, his face was not too pale, he lay on his back on the plank, and relived his series of encounters in the past few days......

As soon as the morning dawned, Li Hongji got up, the winter coat was already on his body, he looked at a few summer clothes, not only a musty smell, but also blinked his eyes like stars, such clothes were worn out, I was afraid that I could see a man and not a woman, only an old felt hat looked a little pleasing to the eye.

Li Hongji felt unlucky, he threw away these clothes, simply didn't want it, and then tied the quilt on the bed in a cross knot, carried it behind him, and prepared to find a corner at night, curled up in the quilt to deal with it overnight, it is early winter, the night is cold, without this quilt, people may be frozen.

Lao Sun Tou sent Li Hongji six nest heads, probably made of sorghum, with some bright black in the purple red, "Hongji, this is today's breakfast." ”

"Old man, so many?" Li Hongji suspected that Lao Sun Tou had kept his share to himself.

"Hongji, it doesn't matter if you can't eat it, keep it on the road and eat it slowly, it's far from home! Hey...... "In addition to sighing, the old grandson could only give Li Hongji an encouraging look, "Hongji, be careful all the way......"

"Thank you!" Li Hongji accepted the nest head, he planned to eat two for breakfast, and the rest would deal with this day, "If Hongji has a coming day, he will definitely not forget the old man, and he will not forget everything in this station." ”

"Hongji, go home and live a good life," the old grandson is almost sixty, where can he expect Li Hongji's future reward, "This world is ......"

"Whether it will be developed in the future, only God knows," Yang Long suddenly appeared, and he broke off: "Li Hongji, put down the quilt at the post station first." ”

"Quilt?" Li Hongji had just gnawed half of the nest, he carefully put the rest of the nest into his chest, spread his legs, and stood flat and steady, "Lord Yicheng, I can put down the quilt, but the post station owes me eight taels or four dollars in silver, but you have to pay me back." ”

"Money?" Yang Long glanced at Li Hongji obliquely, "The silver of the imperial court has been put into Liaodong to fight, if you want to pay silver, you can ask the imperial court or the Liaodong army." ”

"You ......" Li Hongji was swallowing his head and was speechless for a while.

Yang Long stretched out his right index finger and tapped Li Hongji's head in the air, "Do you dare to ask the court for silver?" ”

asked the court for silver, of course Li Hongji didn't dare, and besides, it was impossible for him to meet the bigwigs of the court, "Lord Yang, I am the post guard of the Ningxia Post Station, and I naturally ask you for it." He was worried about having no money to go home, and when he spoke to Yang Long, his voice became louder.

"Ask me? Haha," Yang Long looked up to the sky and laughed, as if he had heard some fresh story, "There is no silver in the salary, and Lao Tzu's own salary has not yet been settled!" ”

"Lord Yang, then why don't you go and ask the court for silver?" Li Hongji lowered his figure, "I'm penniless, how can I go back to Mizhi?" ”

"How to go home, that's your business, Li Hongji, you are no longer my subordinate," Yang Long looked back at the other post guards who came up, "They are my subordinates, I only care that they will not starve and freeze." ”

But these post guards collectively lowered their heads and did not respond to Yang Long.

Yang Long was bored, glared at them fiercely, and his eyes fell on Li Hongji's back again, "But the quilt is from the post station, you must stay." ”

Li Hongji's blood surged, "Lord Yang, if you don't pay the silver, I will take this quilt away." ”

"How daring!" Yang Long snapped, like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, he took two steps forward, snatched the quilt behind Li Hongji with his left hand, but flew up with his right foot and kicked Li Hongji's lower abdomen.

If he is kicked by this kick, not to mention Li Hongji's injury, his body must roll over, and Yang Long can take the opportunity to take the quilt behind Li Hongji.

Li Hongji quickly raised his right foot, and the latter came first, intercepting Yang Long's right ankle and fixing Yang Long's right foot on the ground.

Yang Long's feet couldn't move, his body was still diving, and he unconsciously bumped into Li Hongji's arms.

Li Hongji's body did not move, and a straight fist in his left hand met Yang Long's eye sockets, because the force was too strong, and the felt hat on his head was blown off by the wind.

"Ah......" Yang Long was in pain, let out a miserable scream, he covered his eyes with his hands, and fell to the ground sideways.