Compared with the good rain in Jinguancheng, the rain in Hepu always comes a little capricious. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info although it is not like the Jianghuai area to come to the Huangmei season when the family rains, the grass pond is full of frogs, and he does not rest for a month. The Dragon King will occasionally have a wind chill for half a decade, and he will sneeze constantly all day long.

The rain for several days made Wu Side, the shopkeeper of the Sande Inn in Ramie Town (the previous article was wrong, it should be ramie not abaca), very unhappy. Ramie Town is a large town in Hepu County, with a combined population of tens of thousands of people. As can be seen from the name, Ramie Town is a place where ramie and related products are produced, and Ramie Town is the ramie distribution center of Hepu, so there are frequent personnel exchanges on weekdays. The governance office of Ramie Town is not large, and the whole town is built along the river, and more than 2,000 people live. Wu Side inherited the Sande Inn from his son Wu Sande, and ran the entire inn with his Hun family on weekdays. Because of his good reputation and fair price, the runners who come to Ramie Town like to live here.

Wu Side doesn't like rainy days, there will be fewer people who come out to sell hemp skin, linen cloth, and linen clothes on rainy days, fewer people who sell things, fewer foot traders, fewer foot traders, and fewer people who live in stores. Looking at the empty streets and the empty inns, Wu Side felt more and more sad in his heart.

At the beginning of the month is the busy time of farming, all families are busy sowing, there is no time to catch up with the market, the people who buy hemp also know that no one will come out to sell hemp during this time, and finally wait for the farm to be busy, and it rains for several days, this month to now Wu Side has not done a few businesses, seeing that two days is cold food, everyone went home to live Qingming, and there will be no business at that time. Thinking of this, Wu Side was even more entangled in his heart. If there are no guests, there is no income, the child has just been born, and it is the time when milk is needed, if Xijun does not take supplements, how can he ensure that the successor of the Wu family can grow strong.

Wu Side was thinking about it, when he saw a man wearing a robe walking towards him from the Sun's rice grain store across the street.

"Why, why is there no food in the whole town, and you can't buy anything if you have money."

The man in the lily robe walked to Wu Side's inn, took off the bamboo hat on his head, took off the lily coat on his body, and spat on the rainy outside, saying very angrily. It was clear that he was unhappy that he had no money and could not buy food.

"Isn't this Seventh Brother? What's going on today, who upset you. ”

After the visitor took off his hat and took off his coat, Wu Side recognized the visitor. This person is Feng Qi of Fengjiazhuang, nearly forty years old, thin and tall, he does business on behalf of the Feng family on weekdays, buys materials or sells the output of the Feng family, and the people in the town basically know him. Feng Qi occasionally came to Wu Side's store to fill his stomach, because Wu Side was no stranger to Feng Qi. After helping Feng Qi put the coat and hat away, Wu Side couldn't help but ask strangely. Although Wu Side is only a young man in his twenties, he is a necessary skill for an innkeeper to observe words and looks, and Wu Side has already formed an instinct to get closer to each other.

Feng Qi also often came to the Sande Inn to fight tooth sacrifices, and when he saw him asking, he didn't say anything, but changed the topic.

"Shopkeeper Side, give me some food as usual first, I'm starving to death. It's really not a human thing to come out to buy on a rainy day. ”

Soon Wu Side warmed up a dish, half a catty of dog meat, a small plate of green vegetables, two catties of rice, and half a catty of white wine.

"Shopkeeper Side, today's business is a lot less than in the past."

After Wu Side set up the food on the table, Feng Qi picked up the chopsticks, glanced at the empty inn and casually accosted him, Feng Qi was the only one in the inn, Wu Side did not leave after setting up the food, and was directly opposite Feng Qi. Listening to Feng Qi's words, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Not only is there less than before, but there is no sound at all. In the past, at this time, how could I have time to stay here and laugh with you, and I was already busy and couldn't land.

"Seventh Brother saw that it had been raining continuously in the past few days, and there were fewer people coming to the town, and there was basically no business. Speaking of which, Seventh Brother is still my first business today. I don't know why, all of a sudden, I don't go out on the streets. In two days it will be a cold food, in previous years, Qingming should have been a time for large-scale shopping, but this year no one went to the street, you say strange is not strange. ”

Seeing Feng Qi mention the topic, Wu Side couldn't help but talk about the recent abnormal things.

"It's not that this year's strange things are endless, just now I went to Sun's house to buy rice, and Old Man Sun actually told me that there is no food this month, what is this called." Feng Qi complained as if he was whining.

"You say this, but I know it. I heard that the grain that the Sun family transported from outside was robbed in Yulin, and the grain will be available for next month. In our town, those who don't farm are also these people in the town, and those who sell rice are the Sun family, and the Sun family doesn't sell rice, and they really don't know what to do in a short time. Fortunately, I am not like other families, I can only use grain storage to carry it, and I can also go back to the clan to write emergency letters first. For this reason, I brought half a month's worth of food from my tribe yesterday. ”

As soon as Wu Side heard Feng Qi say this, he remembered that the old man Sun had sent a message saying that there was no rice this month. Ordinary people always have a month's stock, but Wu Side is an inn, but the amount is uncertain, according to the monthly fee in previous years, there is more grain, so he only went back to the family yesterday and got two stone rice from the patriarch.

Feng Qi took a piece of dog meat and put it in his mouth, took another sip of wine, and after Wu Side finished speaking, he asked.

"Shopkeeper Side, what else is going on in the town in the past two days? You also know that everyone is busy farming during this time, and they are not in the town these days, and the news is a little behind, and when you say this, you know that this is the case, no wonder this old man Sun is still hiding and dying, and he doesn't tell me why,. This Cold Food Festival is coming, and the patriarch asked me to come out and help the clan buy some things, but this year, many things are said to be no, which is really strange. ”

"After all, it's a scandal, this Sun family was actually robbed in Yulin, although it's not a big deal, but it's also a shame." Wu Side smiled at Feng Qi, this news was still what he heard from the Sun family's guys yesterday, because it was close, the Sun family's guys, Sun Si always liked to come here to do it when Sun Si was fine. This inn is the most well-informed place, and Wu Side is of course concerned about this kind of thing.

"The most well-informed person in this ramie town is really your Side shopkeeper." Feng Qi patted Wu Side a little fart, poured Wu Side a glass of wine, and continued.

"Shopkeeper Side, in addition to the recent robbery of Sun Jiami, there are no strange things in this town." Feng Qi lowered his voice and asked in a low voice, if it weren't for the fact that the rain outside the inn had stopped, and the sound of water left along the eaves was quiet, Wu Side really wouldn't have heard what he said.

"Well, there are few guests these days, this news..."Wu Side did not answer Feng Qi's words directly, but picked up the wine that Feng Qi poured for him and drank it all, hesitating in embarrassment. Seeing this, Feng Qi was not surprised, and quickly took out more than twenty five-baht coins from his arms and put them on the desk. Obviously, Feng Qi was very clear about Wu Side's character.

Seeing that Feng Qi was so sensible, Wu Side quietly picked up the five baht money on the desk and put it into his arms with a smile. Immediately, the face brightened.

"Dissatisfied with Brother Seven, there is really something big going on in this town." took the money to do things, and Wu Side, who received the money, immediately became decisive again. Seeing Feng Qi's listening face, he paused and continued.

"It's almost the end of the month, and I haven't even seen a hemp merchant come to collect hemp? In the past, no dozen groups of people came to collect hemp every month, but this month I didn't see a group. My inn is usually doing business with these people, but I haven't seen a single business this month, so it's not strange for you to say it's strange. "The biggest economic activity in Ramie Town is ramie and related industries, no one comes to collect hemp, but it is a big deal, but although this matter is important, it is not what Feng Qi wants to inquire about.

"This is indeed a big deal, if no one collects hemp, our ramie town will not have a good time in the future." Feng Qi agreed with Wu Side's words.

"Shopkeeper Side, is there anything else in this town besides this? For example, if there is anything special happening in each family recently? Feng Qi once again took out a handful of five-baht coins from his arms and put them on the table, asking with curiosity.

Wu Side saw that Feng Qi was so sincere, but he didn't refuse, and once again took Feng Qi's mind under his hands, and after glancing around the inn, he carefully leaned over Feng Qi's ear.

"Brother Seven, we have been friends for so long, and I don't want to lie to you. The affairs of your Feng family and the Gan family are known throughout the town, and the ****** of the Gan family (Gan family, nicknamed ******) has been running around various families in the past few days, and I can't say much about some things, but for Feng Junhou's sake, I still advise Seventh Brother. Everyone in the Feng family knows it, but this time is different from the past, the Gan family has made up their minds this time, Feng Junhou went north again, although Feng Xiaopatriarch is smart, after all, it is not Feng Junhou, the situation is stronger than people, this time admit defeat, the Marquis of Huaiyin still has the humiliation of the crotch, and it is not too late to wait for Feng Junhou to return victoriously. ”

Wu Side really hopes that the Feng family can escape, in the past hundred and ten years, the Feng family has not known how many men have died in the field, at the door of his inn, the scene of Feng Junhou, the head of the Feng family, forcing dozens of people in the Gan family not to act rashly left a deep impression in Wu Side's small mind. Especially Feng Siji led a group of heroes north to resist Hu regardless of life and death this time, Wu Side admired this kind of person who disregarded life and death in order to resist Hu Lu. Although Wu Side knew that he couldn't help much, he really couldn't bear to see the Feng family disappear in front of him like this.

Feng Qi didn't care about Wu Side's advice at all. The matter of the Feng Gan family is not at all something that can be solved by anyone admitting defeat. Especially the Feng family is completely at a disadvantage this time, even if they admit defeat and hand over the territory, Feng Qi does not believe that the Gan family will let the Feng family go. What's more, the Feng family has already taken root in Ramie Town, and then migrated to another place, I don't know how much blood will have to be shed and how many people will die to have such a foundation now. He came out today just to inquire about the situation of each family, so he could only treat Wu Side's kindness as not hearing.

"Feng Qixin, the heart of the shopkeeper of the four virtues, received it, but the foundation of the Feng family was left by the ancestors, and there was no reason to give it to others. The Gan family wants to rob it, so wait for the Feng family's men to die first. Thank you for the hospitality of the shopkeeper today, and I will not get drunk with you another day. After Feng Qi drank the rest of the wine, he took the wine money from his arms and put it on the desk, stood up, hugged his fists at Wu Side, and was about to leave.

"Brother Seventh go slowly, Brother Seventh will come back another day, I'll invite you for wine." Wu Side also stood up, hugged his fists, and turned around to take a bamboo hat and a robe for Feng Qi.

"Seventh brother, our patriarch has a message for me to bring to Patriarch Feng Xiao, except for Gan and Liao, the rest of the family will not participate in the Qingming matter." After helping Feng Qi put on his clothes, Wu Side's voice came from behind Feng Qi again.

Feng Qi, who had already stepped out of the door, suddenly paused, and then stepped out of the other foot without looking back, and disappeared into the rain curtain. At some point, the rain began to fall again.

Looking at Feng Qi who disappeared in the rain, Wu Side knew that the Feng family would know what the Wu family meant. According to the consistent principle of the Feng family, as long as they can survive this crisis, they will definitely not forget today's sentence, and they can still be sure of this Wu Side. Knowing and repaying kindness has always been the norm that the Feng family abides by. As for whether the Gan family would know that he had leaked secrets, Wu Side didn't care at all. Do you think anyone can open an inn in town? What's more, it's the only inn. The Wu family is a small family in Ramie Town, but the Wu family in Ramie Town is just a very small branch of the entire Hepu Wu family. The Gan family, even if they knew, what could they do. Not interfering is already giving you face, and a county can't cover the entire Hepu.

In the Feng family, in Feng Siji's study, Feng Junyan was listening to Feng Qi's report.

"Seventh Uncle, is the Sun family really out of food?"

The Feng family took in more than 70 people from the Jiang family, which increased the population by one-third at once, and the use of grain increased all of a sudden. In addition, Feng Siji went out on the expedition and sent a part of the envoy from the clan, and after Feng Junyan became the patriarch, he changed the clan from two meals a day to three meals a day. The sum of the three, the expenditure of this grain is like flowing water, and soon the stock that could still support the summer harvest was used up, and now the stock in the whole clan can only last for half a month at most, this is still a saving situation, if there is still three meals a day without limit, I am afraid that even ten days can not last. In order to last until the summer harvest, Feng Junyan had to ask Feng Qi to go to buy grain.

"The Sun family really doesn't have food in the store, and the reason the Sun family gave is that their grain was robbed in Yulin, and at least it won't be until next month that new food comes over." Feng Qi directly told the news he had heard.

Grain looted? In the whole Hepu, that robber dared to rob the Sun family's grain, didn't he want to live? The county guard of Hepu is surnamed Sun, which robber will go to find death by himself. But Feng Junyan couldn't blame the Sun family. People have already given reasons, if they are not interested, they will only add an enemy to themselves in vain. Since the Sun family refused, Feng Junyan could only find another way.

"What about the other families in town? What do they say? They should still have food. As long as you can buy food and solve the immediate difficulties, it doesn't matter if the price is higher. Feng Junyan continued to ask Feng Qi, this time in the battle of Linyi, Feng Junyan and the four of them also got a lot of loot, especially Feng Siji, as the first Jin army to enter Xianglin City, got a lot of loot. In fact, this is normal, if it weren't for the good harvest of every expedition, even Feng Siji would not be able to make the Feng family die every time they go on an expedition and persist for so long. Therefore, Feng Junyan, who is not too short of money, does not care too much about the high price of food. Emperor Jing told us back then: gold and jade, hunger and food, cold and clothing, are not as good as grain and silk linen. If you don't have gold, you're poor, but if you don't have food, you're starving.

"No one in the other families will sell us food. The last expedition to Linyi, after the recovery of Jiude Rinan, a large amount of materials were needed, and this year's surplus autumn grain was bought by the Thorn Shi Mansion, although the other families had some redundancy, but the spring ploughing had just begun, and it was not clear how the summer harvest would be, and they still had to keep it to prevent accidents. And even if there is really food, in this case, they will not be willing to sell it to us and offend the Gan family. Feng Qi didn't expect things to turn out like this, if he couldn't buy food again, he wouldn't have to attack the Gan family after half a month, and the Feng family would be in chaos.

"Is this the case in other counties and towns?" Feng Junyan asked unwillingly. Feng Junyan has always thought that as long as he has money, he can't buy anything, so although Li has long reminded him to pay attention to the food problem, he doesn't care too much. Anyway, it's not a famine year, as long as you have money, you can buy it when you need it. But now the reality tells him that food, the lifeblood of life, is not something that can be bought with money. Money is indeed powerless, but it is not always possible to buy life, especially one's own life. So this time he had to face the crisis of not having food.

"That's right, the families in the other six counties are also worried about the Gan family's revenge, so they don't dare to sell us grain. If we can't buy any more food, I'm afraid we..."Feng Qi didn't continue, but the meaning was already obvious. If they can't buy any more food, the Feng family will be in danger.

"Any other news?" Feng Junyan has no choice but to take one step at a time.

"There are no hemp merchants in the town who come to collect hemp this month? If the hemp in the clan is not sold, I am afraid it will be worthless. In addition, it has been raining, and if you don't sell it, it will rot. Feng Qi said worriedly.

"It doesn't matter if this hemp can't be sold, it just needs to be used for weaving. I have to say that there are too few looms in our Zhuangzi, and there are only two looms in the entire Zhuangzi, how can this be. The flipped hemp can only be sold directly to others, and the slightly more technical ones are just braided into hemp rope, and the money is made by those hemp merchants. Just took advantage of the fact that it was not sold this time, and used it to weave linen cloth and make sackcloth. The green hemp and white hemp of our ramie town are a specialty of Jiaozhou. "Feng Junyan doesn't care too much about the unsalable ramie, anyway, it's not just himself.

"Any other news?" Feng Junyan was not satisfied with the news.

The patriarch of the Wu family asked the shopkeeper of the Sande Inn to bring a sentence to the patriarch: In the matter of Qingming, except for Gan and Liao, the rest of the family will not participate. Judging from the news I heard, there are very few people in the town who buy during Qingming this year, and no one goes to the street, so this should not be false. Feng Qi told Feng Junyan what Wu Side asked him to bring.

"Tomorrow Day, Liao family. Okay, I got it. Seventh uncle, you will take a few people to other counties tomorrow to buy food, as for the kindness of the Wu family, when it is confirmed, after this crisis, I will visit again. Feng Junyan quickly decided the matter.

In Hepu County, others have to give you face, is it possible that your Gan family can still manage other counties. At this point, Feng Junyan could only let Feng Qi go to other counties to buy grain. As long as you save a little and add something else to eat, it should be able to support you for a month. As for whether he can come back on time safely, Feng Junyan can't care so much. How do you know if you don't try.

Although Feng Qi didn't know what the patriarch had in mind, although he didn't leave tomorrow and didn't do the Qingming at home the day after tomorrow, he couldn't go to the ancestors' graves to worship, but he couldn't help but listen to the patriarch's orders, not to mention that this was also for the sake of the entire family. So after Feng Junyan finished speaking, Feng Qi retreated without much hesitation and began to choose the person who would leave tomorrow in the clan. Looking at Feng Qi who was leaving, Feng Junyan felt a little irritable in his heart.

The mountain rain is about to come, and Feng Junyan has already felt the encirclement of the Feng family by the Gan family, and it seems that this time it is really not good.