Yumen Pass belongs to Dunhuang County, Shazhou, Shazhou is called Guazhou, Zhenguan changed its name in seven years, there are two lower counties: one is Dunhuang County, one is Shouchang County, only 4,200 households, 16,000 people, it is a vast and sparsely populated place. Just because there is Yangguan in the west and Yumen Pass in the northwest, it guards the gateway of the Silk Road, and has always been valued by Chang'an.

Gao Jun checked the pass at the pass and passed the customs smoothly, because he was in a hurry and did not stop, only met a merchant who went west to the customs on the road. He had traveled about forty or fifty miles eastward, and the sand gradually became less and less, and the trees on the side of the road increased.

He inquired about a passer-by, who had picked up a burden, and in it was a white lumpy thing that Gao Jun didn't know what it was. The man said it was plaster. It is said that there is a three-danger mountain in the land of three or a mile ahead, and this kind of thing comes out of the mountain. Gao Jun asked, "What's the use of this?" Grinding noodles to make steamed buns? ”

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "This is not, Dunhuang is rich in gypsum, gypsum is a tribute to Chang'an, every year after the Qingming Festival, it should be purchased by the county, and the best ones should be sent to Chang'an." ”

He picked up the burden and walked quickly, with a smile on his face, and told Gao Jun as he walked that gypsum is used to make tofu, and it also has the use of quenching thirst, removing annoyance, clearing heat and detoxifying. "Isn't that wonderful?" He asked proudly.

Walking all the way, I saw a mountain that was not high, the trees were forested, and the sound of excavation came from behind the forest, thinking that this was the Sanwei Mountain that the passer-by brother said. There was a restaurant and a teahouse at the pass, and there was a donkey cart outside the door, with retaining rings inserted in front and back, plaster inside, and three horses tied to it.

A sister-in-law wearing a blue background and white flower shirt came out of the restaurant and patted the flour on her body, and when she saw a young man riding a red horse, she greeted, "Brother, you are from outside the Guan, come in and have a meal...... After this shop, there is no place to eat for more than 100 miles to the east. ”

Gao Jun saw that the time was not noon, but after hearing what his sister-in-law said, he really couldn't see the village on the east avenue. I heard my sister-in-law say, "I can prepare dry food for my brother when I leave," so I got off the horse and asked the store to help feed some good food and drink water.

There are four diners in the restaurant. One master, two servants, and an older one, leaning on the side of the stool with a short whip with bald tips, is the handle of the chariot. On their table were two large plates of steamed buns, egg soup, a few plates of side dishes, and a jar of wine. Headed by forty-four or five years old, white and fat. A white satin-faced robe.

Gao Jun knew that this was a businessman, and that the donkey cart outside the store was theirs. No matter how rich a merchant is, he can't dress indiscriminately, and he can only wear white clothes according to his status. However, it can be seen that this place is far away from Chang'an, and the management is quite loose, but the texture of the robe on this person's body is much more high-end than that of ordinary people. If it is placed in Xizhou, it will be more casual to wear.

Gao Jun also asked for steamed buns, and the shopkeeper's sister-in-law brought out a big bowl of egg soup and said that the soup didn't cost money, and the merchant took the initiative to greet Gao Jun and said, "Brother go west or east?" Gao Jun said to the east. The man asked again. "Are you going to Suzhou?"

Gao Jun bit the bun in his mouth and shook his head. The man was interested, "Then it must be Liangzhou, I don't believe you can go far with just a cloth bag." He was in a good mood and had the meaning of chatting more with the people he met.

Gao Jun said that he was going to Chang'an, and a servant next to him said, "It's really not close!" We and the old man came from Suzhou to buy gypsum, and now the aged beans are the time to make tofu, otherwise the new beans will not be good to say. ”

Gao Jun was surprised, "How much tofu are you going to make, and how many aged beans are stored at home to pull by car." ”

The shopkeeper's sister-in-law replied with a smile. "Brother is real, can't you tell that this old man eats tofu and doesn't make tofu? Look at his white and pure who is the person who makes tofu, and say that I look like it. Gao Jun was puzzled, and the sister-in-law said again. Mr. Shi wholesaled gypsum business in Suzhou. ”

Another servant answered, "This brother, our lord's happy event is coming, you say hello, maybe our lord Shi will pay for the bun for you." ”

Gao Jun saw that the old man Shi immediately glanced at the servant, and the servant immediately stopped talking. Gao Jun smiled. Xindao This person just kept talking, and he didn't talk about good things when it came to them! However, how could he covet the cheapness of two big bucks, he just arched his hand and said, "Although I don't need you to pay for it, I am here to congratulate Brother Shi." ”

Master Shi smiled and asked, "Brother, what's the matter with you running so far to Chang'an?" ”

Gao Junxin said, if you don't have a heart to heart with me, I won't say it. just said casually, "Go and send a horse to the old man." ”

The shopkeeper's sister-in-law asked, "Brother, how can you come back after you send that horse?" ”

Without waiting for Gao Jun to answer, the four of them got up to settle the bill. The shopkeeper's sister-in-law didn't take the money, but rushed to the back and called a man to come out to settle the account. I hurried through the shop hall to the back.

When Gao Jun came out, he saw his sister-in-law holding a sleeping child in her arms and handed it to Master Shi's hand and said, "I'm afraid of getting cold, put on my hand-woven collar first, and come back to me next time, it's not big to forget it." ”

Master Shi thanked him a thousand times, and his sister-in-law went in and carried a bag of buns to Gao Jun. Gao Jun was already on the horse, and the bag was also behind him, busy unpacking and paying. The sister-in-law said, "Don't bother, just a few buns...... Just come back and visit our store when you come back. With that, Master Shi and the four of them had already driven to the east.

With just one whip, the tall man caught up with the donkey cart. Master Chongshi waved hello and galloped to the front. The road to the east gradually widened and flattened, and the charcoal fire had just been fed and drunk, and it ran out of more than eighty miles in a short time. Gao Jun sat on his horse and looked back, and the shadow of the donkey cart seemed to be recognizable on the straight avenue.

He suddenly stopped and thought about things. I always feel like something is jumping around on the tip of my heart. He replayed the situation, and couldn't find where the prompt had brought him to think like this.

After leaving the store, he only met the four people, and when he waved to Master Shi, he inadvertently glanced at the child in his arms, which was not very reasonable. Whose four big men went out to pull a plaster cast with a child? Isn't that small shop a black shop that abducts and sells children?

Gao Jun recalled the unwanted demeanor of the old man Shi in the store, as well as the actions of the shopkeeper's sister-in-law, and became even more suspicious, and he strongly wanted to confirm it, "If I guess correctly, I won't smash it!" With this thought he turned his horse's head and galloped back to the donkey cart.

When a servant saw the man riding back and stopping in front of their donkey cart, he smiled and asked, "It seems that you are not too far away, why have you come back again?" ”

Gao Jun said. "When I passed by just now, I accidentally saw that the child held by Master Shi was very familiar, and I wanted to come back and take another look." Master Shi nervously hugged the child and said, "What are you kidding, I'm old." but you come to confess. ”

Gao Jun said, "It's really your child, let me see what's there, I've seen it and I'm in a hurry, and I won't disturb you." ”

The two servants brought their horses over and shouted between Gao Jun and Master Shi. "Why, flash on the side, don't delay walking!"

Gao Jun became more and more suspicious, and did not give way, "I don't think this child is yours, he just bought it, right?" Whether you have official certificates and accompanying the station, don't think about leaving if you can't take it out. ”

The old man Shi protected the child even more tightly on the horse, and shouted at his subordinates, "This person is really unreasonable, why didn't you see it just now." If you don't leave, it will open you! Hurry up and catch the car, and don't care if you get bruised. The donkey got the order with the handlebars, and waved the short whip to drive the donkey. Gao Jun held the oolong knife in his hand, the head of a donkey cart, and the donkey cart couldn't say anything and couldn't move forward half a step.

A servant was in a hurry, snatched the whip from the handlebar and whipped it towards Gao Jun, and scolded in his mouth, "Where did the wild boy dare to come to our Shi Master's awkwardness!" Before the whip could be drawn, Gao Jun grabbed the tip of the whip with his other hand and snatched it over, and beat the whip rod in two on the donkey's back.

The donkey was in pain, kicked his hooves, and could not move a single bit. Master Gao said. "No matter how honest you are, I will dismantle your broken car first, and what about passing by? Obediently show it to me. ”

Master Shi and the others had already seen that this person had the strength to do it, and one of them threatened. "We can't help you, don't be rampant, not far ahead is Qi Lianshu, the lord is our Shi Master's cousin, dare to come to ask for our pass, aren't you afraid that someone will check your pass?"

Gao Jun said with a smile. "The place is for checking, what am I afraid of? Even if the lord is your old man, he is still in the east and has not arrived, pass my pass first, otherwise you won't be able to reach Qilianshu when it's dark! ”

These people couldn't, so they had to take it out very reluctantly, Gao Jun looked at it and shouted, "Why are there only four of you, and the child's name is not on it, sure enough, let me guess." Tell me, how much did the shopkeeper hook up with you and sold! ”

"What's the matter, don't wronged others."

"That's what kind of cousin you are colluding with...... You have no place, and only he has the right to let you go. It seems that he, the warlord, has also done his job. ”

This noise woke up the sleeping child early, and Master Shi hugged him nervously, and the child was oppressed and cried out with a mouth, and when he heard that it was a girl. Gao Jun saw her open her eyes and looked at herself in horror, and there seemed to be something familiar between her eyebrows. Closer look is very similar to Liu Caixia, and I said I can't do it, right? How far is Dingzhou from here to sell here?

Master Shi was blocked for a long time, and if he delayed for a while, the donkey cart would not be able to arrive even if it was dark. Helplessly, he said honestly, "I won't hide it from you, this uncle, this child was not mine originally." When we arrived, we caught up in that shop, and a single merchant took her west, and she was being beaten because she was crying, and I was also kind. ”

A servant also said, "Our lord is middle-aged and childless, and he loves her ten." One question was that he bought it in Dingzhou, and he also had it. But there are two people on the paper, and the merchants still have to pass the customs, so they can't give us the pass, right? ”

Master Shi hugged the child with one hand, took out a piece of paper from his arms with the other, and handed it to Gao Jun, "The incident happened suddenly, and I couldn't go to the county seat to run the office, so I had to ask the shopkeeper to be a witness, and both sides held a copy of the note here." I will definitely report to our Fulu County Ya when I go back, otherwise I won't say it's you, brother, and my cousin won't let me go. ”

He saw that these people were speaking sincerely, and he was afraid of scaring the girl, so he slowed down his tone and said, "I can't hide it, I think this doll seems to be the lost daughter of a friend, and she was also sold in Dingzhou." If it's my friend's daughter, I'll pay according to the price, if not, the child will still be yours. ”

He also said, "I don't recognize it indiscriminately, you hold the child first, and then we will let the master of the war testify when we arrive at Qilianshu." ”

One of the servants said, "You are so sure, what is the mark of the child?" ”

Gao Jun said, "There are no signs, it's just familiar." ”

In this way, Gao Jun can't run fast and walks with the donkey cart. Master Shi heard him say that there was no mark, and he was not in a hurry to snatch the child, but only looked forward to going to the cousin to finish it. The group walked to the evening of Tianjiang, and after traveling for 80 miles, they saw a half-baked city, and the city wall was half brick and half adobe, which was called half-baked and half-cooked. Because it is located not far from the Yumen Pass, the scale of the garrison is not large, and there is no war in peacetime, but there are more things to maintain law and order and inspect the station. Boss Shi called open the door, and his cousin greeted him, saw the child and said, "This is not a daytime inspection, why did you bring it back." ”

Boss Shi showed his brother the formalities, and whispered a few words to the master. The lord said loudly to Gao Jun, "Who are you, you have no mark, why are you messing around?" Come and take a good look. Someone came over with a bright lamp, saw Gao Jun open the backpack on his body, saw the vermilion official robe in the bag at a glance, and shouted, "Lord Hashi, catch a thief who steals the official robe!" ”

This is Liu Yuru afraid that if Master Gao goes to Chang'an, he will use it, so he put it in the package, Gao Jun said, "I can't eat it, what am I going to do with it." "Then I handed it over. Master Shi's cousin personally saw it, and it clearly read, "Gao Jun, Xizhou Liuzhong Pastoral Supervisor, Cong Wupinxia, Guerrilla General." From Xizhou to Chang'an, along the way the pass and the town were checked and released. ”

He also checked the official certificate of Gao Jun and confirmed that it was correct. The lord of the war was surprised, he, the lord of the army, was the lower rank of the ninth grade, the young man in front of him was in his twenties, how could he be an official who was older than his fourteenth level, and the lord of the war, who was already forty years old, was busy bowing down and saluting, "The last general, Lord Qi Lian, Shi Kang, has seen the general!" Fang Cai's duty is a lot of offense to General Gao, please don't be surprised. ”

Gao Jun hurriedly stretched out his hand to help him up, "If you don't check like this, if you let us go sloppily, I will really be a good accountant." How can I blame you for being so serious? Master Shi was stunned when he heard this, and when he saw that his brother was so respectful to this tall adult, he didn't dare to delay any longer, and took the initiative to bring the child over, just begging this tall adult to see it.

Gao Jun said, "I haven't looked at her in detail, I only told the characteristics of the child I want to find, and let the two of you check it." ”

Master Shi said, "Isn't there no mark?" ”

Gao Jun didn't pay attention to it, and only said, "The girl I'm looking for has a red mole on the back of her left earlobe." The girl's neck was wrapped around the necks of the shopkeeper's sister-in-law, which just covered her ears, and she could never be seen behind her ears on the high road.

When the two brothers of the Shi family heard this, they moved the lamp closer together, and took off the sleeve around the girl to see. (To be continued.) )