-- 22nd year of Hongwu of the Great Zhou, 30th year of the Chinese New Year's Eve -

At this time, Xie An had not yet met his future wife, the famous [Yanhu Ji] Liangqiu Dance, and he had not even met the Nine Emperor Son Li Shou.

Since leaving Nangongfu in a fit of anger, he has been wandering the streets and alleys of Jijing, thinking about finding an errand to make a living, but unfortunately, when the stewards of various business associations in Jijing saw his appearance of only sixteen or seventeen years old, they shook their heads, so that Xie An never found an errand after traveling all over the southwest city of Jijing.

At the end of December, it was enough to be called a cold winter moon, at least much colder than the world Xie An was familiar with before, looking at the lights of thousands of homes in Jijing City and looking at the empty streets, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for his friends Chapter 72 Memories Timeline (1).

Due to the lack of family affection, Xie An has always attached great importance to friendship, although he does not hesitate to stick a knife in his ribs and go to the soup for his friends, but at least in his circle of friends, almost everyone thinks that Xie An is very [righteous] and is a friend worthy of deep friendship.

The city's river freezes completely, and some naughty children frolic on the ice of the river until they are taken home by their parents.

Looking at the appearance of those little guys drooping their heads, this made Xie An's rather depressed mood slightly improved.

The New Year, starting from the last day of the lunar month to the 15th day of the first lunar month, is in a sense equivalent to the Spring Festival, and in general, it is the same as the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, and the practice is a day for family members to reunite and share the joy of family.

Of course, whether this kind of festival exists or not doesn't matter to Xie An at the moment, because for him, who has been an orphan since he was a child, he is the whole family, or rather, he is the only one in the whole family......

Alone in a foreign land as a stranger, thinking of relatives every festival, this sentence comes from a poem in a primary school Chinese textbook, so far, Xie An finally deeply understands the author's pain at that time, the kind of loneliness that cannot be described in words.

Chapter 72: Memories of Timeline (1) "Goo! ”

After enduring the emptiness for a long time, Xie An's stomach finally protested to its master.

Sighing slightly, Xie An touched his clothes, but in the end, he just came to the water tank of a house, smashed the ice cubes on the surface with a scoop, and poured a few sips of cold water until the hunger in his stomach disappeared, but the ensuing chill that seemed to penetrate into the depths of his soul made him shiver involuntarily.

To be honest, Xie An doesn't think it's a shame to beg and ask others for alms, after all, he grew up in an orphanage, in his opinion, the reason why he has been able to live until now is nothing more than the charity of some caring people in society, but now, he really doesn't want to do that, because the people of Jijing, in his opinion, the living conditions are not optimistic, these people living at the bottom of this country, finally able to enjoy some meals with their relatives on the day of celebration in the New Year, which is worth celebrating, Xie An didn't want his uninvited guest to ruin this warmth.

Xie An only understood this truth a few days ago, and at that time, it was also the case, because he was too hungry, he had no choice but to knock on the door of a private house.

It is undeniable that the family welcomed him warmly and brought out the dishes they had prepared for the holiday, which surprised Xie An very much, until several children of the family looked at him with inexplicable hostility......

Of course, as the capital of the Great Zhou, Jijing is not the only common people who can't afford an uninvited guest, at least when wandering, Xie An has seen many magnificent mansions more than once, there is no doubt that the people who live in these places are rich people in Jijing, but the family in the mansion and the guards outside the mansion are not so friendly.

Zhumen wine and meat stink, the road has frozen bones, this can be said to be the true portrayal of Jijing at this moment, the illustrious family is busy every day, and outside the high wall, there are some desperate people starving to death in the streets and alleys from time to time, what is even more incredible is that among these people, most of them are children of the poor family.

Different from Xie An's purpose of coming to Jijing, it is said that every once in a while, a large number of children of the poor family will flock to Jijing, and their purpose is nothing more than to hope to receive the weight of high-ranking officials and masters in Beijing.

At least Xie An had seen those poor scholars reciting the sages' articles more than once after being hungry and cold, huddled behind a stone lion in a mansion.

Walking and walking, suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums in the distance attracted Xie An's attention, he looked up, and found that at the entrance of the alley in the distance, a large group of people were surrounding there.

What's going on?

Muttering to himself, Xie An walked towards the place where the sound of gongs and drums was heard, and he found that the people gathered there were all people like him, living on the streets or squeezing in Yishe to barely survive.

Speaking of which, Jijing, as the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, also has a Yishe in the city, that is, the court and the government provide a place for homeless people like Xie An to live for free, and provide food every day, Xie An is a frequent visitor from there, but each person in the Yishe has a bowl of thin porridge and a steamed bun every day, which is really not enough to completely solve hunger.

As for those who think very highly of themselves, as long as they are not cornered, they will never go to such a place of self-deprecating identity, they would rather starve in the corner than squeeze in a crowded hut with a large group of people.

"Hey, big brother, what's going on here? How can there be gongs and drums? ”

Xie An asked a scholar in a long robe beside him.

The scholar looked to be in his twenties, and when he heard this, he turned his head to look at Xie An, and then scowled forward with contempt.

Following the scholar's gesture, Xie An looked up, and then noticed that in front of the crowd, there were more than a dozen people wearing black coarse cloth who were carrying several baskets of steamed buns shouting to the crowd.

Perhaps noticing the puzzled look on Xie An's face, the scholar lowered his voice and explained, "That person is saying that their master will celebrate his 50th birthday today, and as long as I am willing to congratulate him on his birthday, there will be a basket of steamed buns to give ......."

"Is there such a good thing?" Xie An's face was full of joy when he heard this, you must know that he was hungry and hungry after walking in the streets and alleys of Jijing for a day.

But he was surprised to find that although the few housekeepers shouted hoarse in front of them, no one in the crowd stepped forward.

"Why didn't anyone congratulate them?" Xie An asked with a puzzled expression.

"Congratulations?" The scholar glanced at Xie An with a stunned expression, and then sneered and said, "Little brother, didn't you notice where this is?" ”

Xie An's face was full of surprise when he heard this, and he looked left and right inexplicably, only then did he notice that his people were actually standing in front of an unusually grand mansion, and the walls on both sides of the gate actually extended beyond his line of sight, it was not difficult to imagine that the person who lived here must be a big man.

"This is the Mansion of the Western Kingdom! - Han Hong's mansion! The scholar lowered his voice and said to Xie An, making the latter's face inexplicable.

"So what?"

"So what?" The scholar's originally peaceful expression suddenly changed a little, and with it, his gaze at Xie An also became different, at least after he noticed Xie An's puzzled face, those inexplicable strange eyes retreated slightly.

"Little brother, haven't you heard of Han Hong?" The scholar asked tentatively in a low voice.

Xie An shook his head.

"I see!" The scholar was relieved, and his tone returned to his earlier kindness, and after glancing apologetically at Xie An, he explained in a low voice.

It turned out that although the official of the Western Kingdom was prominent, but he was ashamed of his behavior, he initially started as a salt merchant, and made a fortune by flattering and bribing officials from all over the world.

It was only because when the Son of Heaven Li Ji led 60,000 elites to conquer the Southern Tang Dynasty, he donated a huge amount of money and goods to the imperial court, which was valued by the Son of Heaven Li Ji and transformed into one of the four towns of Jijing, and was equal to the second to none in the Great Zhou at that time, that is, Liang Qiuqing, the grandfather of Liangqiu Dance, and Lu Song, who was rumored to have both Chinese and martial arts, that is, the father-in-law of Su Wan, the daughter of the Su family in Guangling.

The Liangqiu family of the Donggong Mansion and the Lu family of the Nangong Mansion have been the generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty for generations, but this Western Duke Han Hong is relying on silver and flattery to do the Western Prince's Mansion, not to mention that over the years, Han Yi, the son of Han Hong, the Duke of the Western Kingdom, has attached himself to the crown prince Li Wei, formed a party for personal gain, and the party has fought against each other, framing many virtuous people in the court, which undoubtedly makes others more despised, this contempt, and even innocently implicated the Western Army [Relieve trouble], and use the Son of Heaven Li Ji to praise Han Hong for relieving the country's worries, and the meaning of relieving his worries is misinterpreted as flattery of groveling.

In fact, as a light infantry, although the Western Army [Xie Fu] is inferior to the Eastern Army [Shenwu] in the field, and the strong attack and defense are not as good as the Southern Army [Trapping], it still has excellent combat effectiveness and strong individual combat ability, especially the ability of the small detachment to harass behind enemy lines.

The reason why Li Ji, the Son of Heaven, was able to destroy the 200,000 or 300,000 troops of the Southern Tang Dynasty with 60,000 elites alone, undoubtedly has the credit of the Western Army, but it is not as brilliant as the original Eastern Army and the Southern Army.

"That's ...... so"

After listening to the scholar's explanation, Xie An nodded slowly, a little disapproving.

In his opinion, that Han Hong was from a low background, no matter how he climbed to the position of the Xigong Mansion, it was an admirable thing.

Everyone in the world is the way, not to judge heroes by success or failure, but in fact, no matter what period, it will always be the way of success and defeat, and the loser, no matter how prominent he was at the time, is at best only a passing mention in history, and moreover, send a few complaints similar to the barking of a lost dog.

At this time, a man walked out of the inner courtyard of the huge Xiguo Mansion, who looked to be around thirty, and his clothes were luxurious and bright.

"Who is this man?" Xie An asked in a low voice.

I saw that the scholar pursed his lips and sneered, lowered his voice and said, "Han Hong's only son, Han Yi, the official worship infantry captain, Huangmen Langzhong, and the marquis of Juexi Township!" I heard that I will lead the army to the area of Mount Tai to suppress bandits in the near future...... He also deserves it? -- This person is even more unbearable than his father, he can't write or fight, he is really a man who sells his reputation and reputation, but he is just attached to His Royal Highness the Prince, and in the name of His Royal Highness the Prince, he is just a fox and a tiger, and he is despised! -- To be arrogant and domineering, very hateful! ”

Xie An was a little surprised, and wondered, "This benevolent brother seems to have a lot of opinions about that Xixiang Marquis?" ”

"Humph!" The scholar whispered, lowered his voice, and said, "This person likes to tease others for fun...... Little brother will find out later! ”

“……”

While Xie An was talking to the scholar, the son of the Duke of Xiguo, the Marquis of Xixiang, Han Yi, had already walked down the steps in front of the courtyard, and after glancing at the crowd, he said lightly, "Today's second happiness is coming, it is not only the New Year's period, but also my father's birthday banquet...... How? Is there no one? ”

For half a while, the entire crowd was silent, which made the expression of the Xixiang Marquis a little unswerving.

At this moment, a person from the crowd walked out, who seemed to be in his twenties, and looked nervous.

"I ...... Under Wang Yi, I wish ...... I wish Xiguo public welfare...... Longevity! ”

"Oh?" Han Yi chuckled lightly and said lightly, "I'm sorry, it's windy, I didn't hear it!" ”

Suddenly, the man named Wang Yi's face turned red.

"Alas," the scholar beside Xie An sighed softly, lowered his voice and said, "See, the reason why everyone doesn't go is because this guy will always take advantage of it for fun...... It's really, insulting Sven! ”

Xie An suddenly realized, and at this time, the man named Wang Yi repeated loudly.

"Good, good!" Han Yi nodded with satisfaction, and then took a basket of longevity food from the hand of a family member next to him, and then handed it to Wang Yi, and said with a chuckle, "It's yours!" ”

At that moment, Xie An noticed that Wang Yi had a relieved expression on his face, and just as he was about to reach out to pick up the basket in Han Yi's hand, suddenly, Han Yi let go of his hand and let the basket fall to the ground.

I only heard a click, and a basket of steaming longevity food suddenly rolled to the ground.

Well, that's a bad character......

Xie An, who was watching from a distance, couldn't help frowning, even his heart was unswerving, not to mention Wang Yi as the person concerned.

"You ......"

However, at this moment, he saw Han Yi chuckling, and deliberately frowned and said, "What's the matter with you?" Why is it not good to give birth? Could it be that Benhou is not joking? As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Yi, who was stunned, and said coldly, "What? Do you want Benhou to pick it up for you? ”

I saw Wang Yi trembling angrily, and after taking a deep look at Han Yi, he suddenly arched his hand and said, "I suddenly remembered the words of the sages, and I am deeply ashamed of the ancestors!" - Farewell! With that, he turned and walked away.

"What a rude Diao Min!" Han Yi laughed, and behind him, the gang of family members also laughed in agreement.

"Young Master, do you need me to bring back that illiterate Diao Min?" The family members beside Han Yi said.

"Forget it" Han Yi shook his head slightly, and said with a chuckle, "Today is my father's birthday, so spare that Diao people once!" ”

"Young Master is kind!" All the families flattered in unison.

"It's easy to say," Han Yi nodded smugly, then looked at the crowd and sneered, "Is anyone else willing to say goodbye to my father?" ”

Everyone in the crowd looked at each other, and after glancing at the longevity food that fell on the snow and was still steaming, they all shook their heads and dispersed, after all, no one wanted to follow in the footsteps of that Wang Yi, and was teased by Han Yi for no reason.

And at this moment, suddenly a voice came from the crowd.

"Me, me!"

I have to say that everyone nearby was stunned, even Han Yi, the initiator, was a little dumbfounded, and watched Xie An slowly walk out of the crowd and come to him.

"You...... Would you like to celebrate my father's birthday? Han Yu's expression looked a little strange, because he couldn't figure out that after someone was teased by him, someone would dare to come forward.

"yes, yes!" Under the surprised gaze of Han Yi and everyone around him, Xie An smiled and nodded again and again, and then arched his hand like that Wang Yi, and said loudly, "Under Xie An, I wish Xiguo a long life!" ”

The whole sentence was smooth without any pauses.

"Oh, interesting!" Glancing at Xie An deeply, Han Yi smiled slightly, and then pointed to the longevity food under his feet.

No one would fail to understand what Han Yi meant, including Xie An.

Seeing that under the attention of everyone, Xie An said thank you, bent down slightly, but as if he suddenly thought of something, shook his head and said, "No!" Hou Ye, if I remember correctly, this basket of longevity food, Hou Ye has just given it to the eldest brother named Wang Yi, in other words, it is no longer owned by Hou Ye, is it a little inappropriate for Hou Ye to use it to reward him now? As he spoke, he glanced at the other baskets of longevity food, and the implication was self-evident.

"Huh!" Han Yi chuckled and glanced at Xie An, then raised his hand and took another basket of longevity food from the hand of the family next to him, but Xie An did not rush to pick it up, but took a small step back, and made a [please] gesture, as if waiting for Han Yi to throw it on the ground again, and he would pick it up again.

"......" For some reason, Han Yi's expression suddenly became very strange, and after looking at Xie An deeply for a long time, he handed the basket of longevity food to Xie An, and surprisingly, he didn't deliberately let go of his hand this time.

"Didn't your generation of scholars say that you don't eat the food that comes from you?" When Xie An thanked him again and again, and was about to turn around to leave, Han Yi stopped him.

I saw Xie An hey, and said unhurriedly, "First of all, Zai Xia is not a scholar, just a poor worm who has not yet been able to get food and clothing, and secondly, the food that comes is also food...... Isn't it? ”

"Not bad, not bad......" Han Yi, who didn't see Xie An's pretending to be respectful, laughed when he heard this, took out a small silver ingot from his arms, and threw it into the basket in Xie An's right hand.

"Thank you, Master Hou!"

After thanking him, Xie An turned around and left with the basket of longevity food.

During this period, the surrounding crowd all gave him strange glances, and even the scholar looked at Xie An with a disdainful look, as if to show that he was deeply ashamed of Fang Cai's conversation with Xie An.

However, Xie An didn't care very much, in his opinion, this matter is the same as looking for a job in the society during his college studies, the head of the company gives you money to support his family, and you give the other party the corresponding respect and reward, this is just a transaction.

Instead of caring about this, Xie An was more concerned about whether he could find the family that warmly received him a few days ago and secretly stuffed the silver ingot in his arms into the door.

People, it's not always smooth sailing, just like if you are walking in an alley and a vicious dog comes up to you, is it possible that you will also fight with it?

You have to fight with it, it is allowed to bite you, let the dog go first, this is not ashamed, people live in the world for a lifetime, there will always be a time to eat, remember not to chew it!

Although the words are vulgar, but the truth is true, people, when you are in a weak position, you must learn to be a man with your tail between your legs.

Of course, adhering to the life motto of [the grace of a meal must be repaid, and the grievances of the eyes must be repaid], Xie An does not mind that after he soars in the future, he will also play and play this Xixiang Hou, but before that, he still has to be a man with his tail between his legs, after all, people must be self-aware, under normal circumstances, such a thing as hitting a stone with an egg is definitely not brave, not only can it not solve the current problem, but it will also cause unnecessary trouble.

Xie An had a profound understanding of this truth after he quarreled with a staff member of the orphanage when he was nine years old.

However, the people around him couldn't see Xie An's cleverness, and only regarded him as a ruffian who was not ashamed, but they didn't expect that it was the atmosphere that Xie An deliberately created.

You must know that Han Yi didn't let go of his hand, it was definitely not his sudden conscience, the real reason was that Xie An created an illusion for Han Yi that he didn't care about humiliation, which made the latter feel quite bored.

After all, what's the point of humiliating a person if he doesn't care about being humiliated?

For Xie An, who has studied psychology, it couldn't be easier to understand Han Yi's thoughts, including deliberately pretending to be so faceless before, in fact, it was just to set up a cover.

It can only be said that these people in front of the Xigong Mansion are too shallow in knowledge, and they are not as strong as Xie An's ability to respond to emergencies.

However, about a dozen zhang away from the Xiguo Mansion, on a carriage with simple decoration, an old man who seemed to be fifty or sixty years old was watching through the curtain, and he clearly saw that scene, and his eyes faintly showed a little surprise.

The carriage has been parked here for a long time, and the old man in the carriage seems to be a guest who came to the Xigong Mansion for a banquet.

While Xie An was passing by, the curtain of the carriage was opened again, and the old man in the carriage glanced at Xie An and the basket of longevity food in his hand.

"Pedal ......"

Not long after, with a slight sound of footsteps, an old man in a housekeeper's costume trotted back from the front, and with him came back, there was also Xixiang Hou Han Yi, who was playing Xie An just now, and at this moment, he was standing respectfully in front of the carriage.

"Master, the Marquis of Xixiang came to greet the master in person!" The old butler asked in a low voice.

"Hmm, okay!" A faint voice came from inside the carriage, and then, out of an old man wearing a plain blue robe and embroidered with a red crane on the gown, his expression was calm, and there was a faint smell of books.

Seeing this, Han Yi hurriedly bowed his hand and said, "Little nephew, meet Uncle Eldest Sun!" ”

"No need to be polite," the old man smiled and waved his hand, then turned his head, glanced at Xie An's back in the distance, and said with a chuckle: "The old man just saw a little guy leaving with a basket of longevity food, it's really ...... Breathtaking! ”

"Uncle Eldest Sun said with a smile......" It seemed that he heard the meaning of ridicule from the old man's words, Han Yi's face was panicked, and he reluctantly smiled, "The little nephew has always been lenient with people......

"Is it lenient to take the opportunity to bully others?"

"Huh? ――Did you see it all? Han Yi's face was full of embarrassment.

"Huh!" The old man smiled faintly, raised his legs and walked towards the gate of the Xiguo Mansion, looking at the magnificent mansion gate, he couldn't help but recall the young man in his mind.

"Ten Years ......"

"Huh? What did Uncle Eldest Sun say? Han Li next to him was full of surprise.

Glancing at Han Yi, the old man smiled incomprehensibly.

"No, nothing ......"

This old man is the grandfather of the eldest grandson Xiangyu, the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the Duke of Yin!!.