The "Battle of Guandu", which had a decisive impact on the overall situation of the world, was not staged in advance, and Yuan Mai could finally breathe a sigh of relief and take advantage of the gap before the war to strengthen his strength.

Cao's army has gone through the two major battles of conquering Xuzhou and pacifying Zhang Xiu, and the soldiers have become war-weary and need to recuperate for a period of time. Moreover, the people of Xuzhou were not attached, the granary of the Xuchang treasury was in an emergency, and the morale and finances were not enough to support Cao Cao's continued use of troops, so Cao Cao sent people to Yecheng to negotiate peace and proposed to suspend Daoge for the time being.

On the Yuan Shao side, Wen Chou and Zhang He led an army of 50,000 troops in Puyang to encounter Cao Ren's impregnable defense, which was rare and a few tentative attacks were inflicted. Xiahoudun and Lejin each led 10,000 horses, and the two came to help, and the battle situation entered a stalemate, and it was difficult to distinguish between victory and defeat in a short time.

Gongsun Zan in the north was trapped in the lonely city of Yijing, and he died but not stiffened, and was regarded as a big trouble by Yuan Shao. The think tanks of the Yuan group unanimously believed that it was not appropriate to confront Cao Cao head-on before Gongsun was destroyed, lest Gongsun Chan would resurge, and the situation would take a sharp turn for the worse when the time came. So Yuan Shao accepted Cao Cao's proposal, and the two families dismissed.

The haze of the war temporarily dissipated, and Yuan Mai could finally expand his strength with confidence, implement his next plan, and strive to bring Changshan Zhao Zilong under his command.

Leaving the school field, with Zhou Cang and a few entourages, he returned to the county seat of Huaixian County, turned left and right in the streets and alleys, and came to a house on the east side of the county seat without much effort.

In addition to Zhao Qi's family, there are also widows Li and He Ping's mother and son. Furthermore. The depressed Gao Shun family was also placed here.

In the city, they move freely, but the soldiers guarding the four city gates have long been familiar with the portraits of these families, and without the token that Yuan Mai buys, it is difficult for them to fly out of Huaixian County, so Yuan Mai is not worried that they will sneak away.

The willow tree in front of Zhao's house has lost its leaves, standing bare in front of the door, looking very gloomy. Yuan Mai turned over and dismounted in front of the door, handed the reins to the soldiers, and led Zhou Cang into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, eight-year-old He Pingzheng and Zhao Qi's two children play under a pomegranate tree. Zhao Qi sat in the corner of the wall weaving a basket of wax branches. Then take it to the market and sell it for some money to supplement the family.

He is a person with no ambitions, and his ideal life is to have a hot kang head for his wife and children, although Yuan Mai rewarded him with a lot of coins. But Zhao Qi silently put it away. Refuse to use a single coin. Although poor. But he knows the truth that no merit is not punished, and he understands that his younger brother and the Yuan family are hostile forces, and this Yuan Gongzi takes care of his family. There must be a picture.

The sun shone in the courtyard, the warmth was warm, and the three women sat in front of the door talking and laughing.

Among them are Zhao Qi's mother-in-law Liu, as well as Zhao Qi's sister Zhao Zhi, and the two sisters-in-law are making cotton clothes for their children.

In addition to their sister-in-law, there is also He Ping's mother Li Shi, who has come out of the grief of losing her husband for half a year, and is working hard to pull her son He Ping alone. There are people sent by Yuan Mai to protect them secretly, but no one dares to harass their orphans and widows.

Zhao Zhi, who was dressed plainly and had a pure appearance, was the first to see Yuan Mai walking into the courtyard. For this polite son, Zhao Zhi, who was in her prime of life, still had a good impression of her, shouted "Yuan Gongzi is here", and immediately stood up and saluted Yuan Maiyingying, "Little girl, meet Childe!" ”

Zhao Qi and the two women hurriedly put down the work in their hands and bowed together to meet their son. Yuan Mai smiled and returned the salute one by one, "You don't have to be restrained, gossip a few words, where do you have so many courtesies!" ”

Seeing that several women were sitting on futons under their bodies, Yuan Mai decided to go back to the carpenter, tell them the principle of "benches", and make a batch of benches and maza, which can be regarded as benefiting the people. Especially these women who do needlework, when they sit on the stool invented by Yuan Gongzi, they must inevitably sing a few words of praise to Gongzi's "merits".

Squatting down with a smile on his face, he picked up the children's cotton clothes that Zhao Zhi had just put down, and Yuan Mai smiled at Zhao Zhiyan: "Hehe...... The little lady's hand is really coincidental, the weather is cold, and my son has no cotton clothes, otherwise you can help me make one? ”

Zhao Zhi's pretty face was pink, she lowered her head, stroked her braids vigorously with both hands, and said timidly: "The son has won the award, the little woman is very clumsy, how dare she be ugly!" After saying that, a heart "thumped" straight up.

Yuan Mai smiled, stood up, and said to Zhao Qi Zhengse: "Brother Zhao, I am not here for anything else, but I just received a letter from Zilong a few days ago, and I came to say a few words to Brother and Sister Ling." ”

"My second brother has sent a letter, what did he say?" Zhao Zhi was excited, subconsciously grabbed Yuan Mai's arm with both hands, and asked. As soon as the words came out, I felt out of shape, and hurriedly let go, and my pretty face was even more burning.

Zhao Qi was not surprised, and asked calmly, "I don't know what Zilong said in the letter?" What is the purpose of Childe's visit? ”

At the beginning, their family was deceived, although Yuan Mai has never embarrassed them, and he has responded to their requests, but Zhao Qi always feels uncomfortable in his heart. also understood that it was impossible to leave, so deep down he was full of vigilance against this Yuan Gongzi. did not forget that his family was actually hostages because of Yuan Mai's care.

Yuan Mai stretched out his hand and rubbed his face, which was a little cold because of the cold, and said: "Zilong said in the letter that Gongsun Zhan was just self-serving, and it was only a matter of time before he died, and he was going to Xuzhou to join Liu Bei......"

Listening to Yuan Mai's words, Zhao Qi was shocked, and asked in a lost voice: "If Zilong insists on refusing to surrender, how will Gongzi deal with the villain's family?" ”

"Brother Zhao, what are you talking about?"

Yuan Mai patted Zhao Qi's shoulder, looking affectionate, "Brother Zhao Xiu wanted to misunderstand me, and he deceived Brother and Sister Ling to Yecheng as a last resort. I really admire Zilong's ability in my heart, and I can't bear to see him secretly invest under Gongsun Zhan, and I want to pull him over to create a great cause. Since he knew today that Zilong already belonged to Liu Bei, no matter how much he forced it, it would be useless, so he had to go......"

After a pause, he continued: "But no matter who Zilong plays for, I will definitely not embarrass my brother and sister. The gate of Huai County is open at any time, and you have to go and go, and you will listen to it. If Brother Zhao's family wants to continue to stay in Huaixian, I welcome it with both hands; If you want to go back to Changshan Taohuadu or go north to Yijing to find Zilong, I should send it to Pantang and send a carriage to send it! ”

"Is Childe serious?" Zhao Qi was happy in his heart, although he had no worries about food and clothing here, the taste of being under house arrest was uncomfortable after all.

Yuan Mai put his hands behind his back and said resolutely: "There is no joke!" ”

Li and Zhao Zhi's sister-in-law got along for a long time, and they were very reluctant, so they said: "There is a shortage of soldiers outside, and it is not safe to go anywhere, Gongzi is a good person, why don't you stay as a family?" ”

Zhao Qi's wife, Liu, was also accustomed to this kind of life, and begged her own man: "The child is his father, there are black mountain thieves crossing the border from time to time in Taohuadu, which is strange and scary, this county is heavily guarded, and the safety is tight, since the son has good intentions, let's stay?" ”

Zhao Zhi bit her lip and didn't speak, but the meaning in her eyes was clear and she didn't want to leave. Seeing his family's reaction like this, Zhao Qi frowned and said, "Son's kindness, the villain thanked him, and let my family discuss it before making a decision." How is it? ”

"It's okay, if you want to go, you want to stay, listen to it. No matter when, buying will never be embarrassing for brothers and sisters! ”

Yuan Mai nodded, looking like a gentleman and frank. Turning his head to catch a glimpse of Zhou Cang behind him, he suddenly had the idea of bringing the widowed Li and Zhou Cang together.

Judging from the past six months, Li is a kind and ingenious wife and mother, and she is also quite beautiful. Zhou Cang is a rough man, he doesn't know anything about the relationship between men and women, he is now twenty-seven or eighteen years old, he has not yet established a family, and he is rough and bold, so he shouldn't care about what happened to the Li family. Bringing them together may be a match made in heaven, with Zhou Cang teaching Wang Ping martial arts, maybe Wang Ping will become a great weapon early.

"Li, I see that you are alone with a child, lonely, it is inevitable that there will be the idea of a prodigal son to beat you in the future, and I will do a family business for you, what do you think of Zhou Cang behind me?"

Yuan Mai made up his mind, so he told the Li family straight to the point, and without waiting for her to answer anything, he turned around and asked Zhou Cangdao: "Yuanfu, the Li family is virtuous, she is a woman who can run a family, I plan to marry her to you, I don't know what you think?" ”

"Hey...... I think Mrs. Li is very good-looking, I am willing, I am very willing! Zhou Cang stretched out his hand and stroked his head, and said with a smile.

People are swordsmen and I am fish and meat, and the Li family also understands that since Yuan Gongzi has spoken, I am afraid that he will not be able to refuse. Besides, it is indeed not easy for a woman to pull a child, she has met Zhou Cang many times, and her impression of her is not bad. Although Zhou Cang is rough, he is not ugly, and he gives people a very simple and simple feeling, so Li did not refuse.

"Since the son is in charge, Zhou Zhuangshi loves him, and the little woman is not a person who doesn't know how to advance and retreat. However, it has only been half a year since the husband died, according to custom, the woman should keep the festival for her husband for another half a year, and she can only remarry after a year, I don't know if Zhou Zhuangshi is willing to wait? ”

Zhou Cang hadn't married a wife for twenty-seven or eight years, and it wasn't half a year, so he boldly agreed: "It's okay...... Isn't it half a year? I'll just wait for you, what's the matter if it's a year or two? I'm not bad these days. You know that keeping a festival for your deceased husband means that you are a good woman, and I rejoice that you are tighter. Haha......"

Seeing that he was a matchmaker for the first time, he was immediately successful, Yuan Mai was very happy, nodded and said: "Very good, the Li family is affectionate, Zhou Cang is righteous, what a good couple!" (To be continued......)