Chapter 1: The Prosperous Age (Part 6b)

The day of departure is approaching day by day, and the people of the Li family are gradually getting busy. The big blue and white mule that Li Xu usually rides when he goes to school can't run fast, and can only be used to carry goods, not people. Therefore, Li Mao specially sold himself back this time to fatten out the strongest of the three Turkic thin horses, equipped it with a new chewing saddle stool, and used it as a mount for his son.

Uncle Zhang Baosheng sent all the money he received from selling leather goods that day back to the Li family on the grounds of making up for his nephew. Li Zhang's was so pushy, Zhang Baosheng was only willing to accept thirty pieces of meat in the end as errand money for his wife, and the rest was forced into Li Zhang's hands, "The poor family is rich, no matter how bitter we are, but we won't be unable to open the pot." Xu Guan is out of the house, and the more money he has, the more courage he has! ”

"It's okay, when our family Xu Guan makes money, let him sell wine for you!" Li Zhang took the purse with the smell of sweat and said with a forced smile. As soon as you turn around, you immediately rub your eyes with the back of your hand.

"What are you doing, it's a good thing that he can go out and help the family. Can you still hold him under your arm and protect him for the rest of your life! Zhang Baosheng couldn't bear to see his sister sad, and whispered comfort. When he heard that his nephew had dropped out of school, he was also very disappointed, and he couldn't wait to come to the door to fight with Li Mao, which made him break this short-sighted idea. But the mother-in-law at home said: No parent will harm their children, and the brother-in-law must have some long-term plan or something unacceptable. So Zhang Baosheng had no choice but to congratulate him, and by the way, to see if his brother-in-law had any urgent problems here that he couldn't turn around and needed his help.

"He writes well, and his words are thorough. When the old lady was alive, he once said that Xuzi was a ridge of artemisia on the ancestral grave of the Li family......." Li Zhang whispered, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes with his hands. has no choice but to ruin her son's future, and the mother can't be at ease no matter what. (Note 1)

"Alas! Everyone has their own life. It is bleak for a while, and who can see the short and long future! Xu Guan, this child was born with a blessed appearance, you can rest assured, he will definitely have a chance to come out in the future! Zhang Baosheng pretended to be full of confidence and pretended to explain mysteriously.

Li Zhang's stopped talking, and when his son was leaving, he was most afraid of saying the wrong thing to ruin his mouth. Knowing that his brother is comforting himself, he can only listen to the words of comfort as hope. Besides, the son is still young, who knows if there will be a better future waiting for him!

Thinking of this, my heart is a little wider. He scraped all the money collected from his family, dressed it in a small string of 100 yuan, put it in a luggage roll, ate it with dry food, and made a pile of thick shirts and jackets, afraid that people would see evil intentions on the road, and specially sewed a burlap bag on the outside of the bag containing copper coins, which was dirty, as if it was full of tatters.

When Li Mao came home in the evening, the husband and wife had to go through everything again under the lamp. The winter clothes worn to protect against the cold and the silk skirts worn to prevent the heat remind each other, and the more they are gathered, the more they are gathered. It wasn't until Li Xu "protested" on the side that if he brought all the things, he could already crush the two mules, that the husband and wife smiled a few times and tried to streamline their bags for their son.

"The one surnamed Sun is the ninth in the family, and he is the best to speak. Dad has partnered with him more than a dozen times, and he can be regarded as an old friend. Along the way, if there are any difficulties, you can just tell him to know. Call him Uncle Nine, and he will naturally take care of you, a junior! Li Mao suddenly became chattering like a mother-in-law, telling over and over again. His left hand had just removed a packet of dried fruit from his luggage roll, but with his right hand he had slipped a larger packet of cured meat into it.

"Well, Dad, don't worry, I know!" Li Xu didn't say a word, and he was skeptical of his father's words. If Sun Jiu really has such a deep friendship with his father, why haven't he seen him drink saliva at home for so many years? If it's just a business relationship, it's probably for nothing. Everyone said that in the business field, they only recognize money, not relatives and friends. It's just a companion, out of the jam, everything has to rely on yourself.

"It's cold early over there, and I've put silk wool on you in my jacket. Remember to change yourself, don't be able to stand up. Once you get cold on your legs, it's a lifetime of sin! Li Zhangshi shook off a thick new coat and rolled it into a roll again, hoping to reduce the volume of the winter coat. Lao Li Mao was tired of watching on the side, and reached out to help, and the husband and wife took a lot of effort to compress the package of clothes by one-third, thought about it, and copied a leather jacket often worn by Khitan people from the cabinet and put it on the outside of the package.

"I know, don't put that leather jacket, the smell is too heavy, it smells disgusting!" Li Xu ran over, smiling and pleading. "I'll definitely remember to change my winter clothes and not my leather jacket. Otherwise, people will have to treat me like a beard! Besides, this thing weighs twenty pounds, and it crushes the horses down! ”

"You're smart!" Li Zhang nodded his son's forehead fiercely. "The water dripping into ice over there froze off your ears, and it was unpleasant!"

"Hey, I'm such an adult!" Li Xu is smart and confident.

Both parents were silent and continued to work on making the package look smaller. Under the dim oil lamp, Li Zhang shook off all the clothes inside and outside, whether new or old, and sewed them along the original position, stitch by stitch. Lao Li Mao bent his back and checked the valuable things repeatedly, lest he leave something behind and make his son suffer on the way.

"You can't bring more copper coins, but a hundred and ten are enough. It's heavy and troublesome, and the sparsely populated Hu tribe may not recognize it! Li Mao pulled out his wife's neatly stacked nearly 1,000 copper coins and threw them aside.

"So what does Xuzi spend? When you go out to do goods, you have to pretend to be presentable, right? Li Zhang was stunned, and the stitch lost its accuracy and pierced deeply into his finger.

"Look at your panic!" Lao Li Mao ignored the fact that his son was by his side, grabbed his wife's injured finger, took it into his mouth, sucked a few mouthfuls, spit out the blood to the ground, and scolded: "What are you doing in such a hurry, hurry up and wash it with salt water!" ”

"That Xuzi's money ......"

"Tomorrow I will go to the county to replace all the copper coins with twill jacquard brocade, that thing is fine, the color is bright, and the Hu people are women like it. When Xuzi arrived on the grassland, he could directly exchange brocade for their cattle and horses. As for daily expenses, it depends on those baskets of coarse tea. Exchange dry meat, milk tofu, mushrooms, and yellow flowers with Hu people, one pound can be exchanged for 100 pounds! Go wash your hands, don't hurt the wind on a hot day! ”

Lao Li Mao is a plugged through, what is the price, how to barter with the Hu people, and before he set off, he taught his son to memorize it hand in hand. According to his estimates, the caravan left the upper valley on the ninth day of the first month, and could reach the depths of the grassland in a month and a half. If you can get some leather goods, you can ask Sun Jiu and others to bring back the Li family's goods and the blue and white mules. As for Li Xu, under the pretext of waiting for the goods to be delivered in next spring, he found a friendly tribe to live first.

In this way, after the busy spring of next year, Li Mao drove his cattle to the outside of Cyprus to look for his son, whether it was the government to recruit soldiers, or Raff, the father and son were nearly 50 years old, and the other could not receive military orders, and no one could help them.

"Don't worry, I've inquired and licorice is very cheap over there. When the time comes, one of our two will be collected outside the plug, and the other will be sold in Shanggu, so I am sure that I can make a lot of money! When the time comes, I will lend my uncle some copies, and my mother will not have to be bitter all day long! Li Xu is full of fantasies about life on the plug. It doesn't matter if you lose the opportunity to take the imperial examination, the key is to have a way to revitalize your own family. When the family is prosperous, there will be a lot less trouble.

Thinking about it, the smile on his face brightened. Self-cultivation, Qi family, governing the country, leveling the world, I don't have the opportunity to govern the country and level the world, and I have the ability to make my family's life better, right?

"Take it up for yourself!" Old Li Mao reached out and touched the back of his son's head, and said with a forced smile.

When Li Mao and his wife sorted their luggage to the twentieth time, Sun Jiu's caravan finally entered Yi County. There is a request for people, Li Mao naturally did not dare to slack off, and chartered the entire ground floor of the 'Youjian Inn' to entertain Sun Jiu and Li Xu's future companions. Uncle Zhang Baosheng and Yanyan Zhang Liu also used their whole body means to fry the hard dishes until they crackled in the pot. More than a dozen dishes were placed on the table, and then Zhang Baosheng's secret method of shrinking old wine was served, and within half an hour, Sun Jiu and the others reached a state of familiarity.

"Brother Oki, don't worry, Asahiko is wrapped around me. With my Sun Jiu here, he is indispensable for half a cold hair. This time, if I can drop a copper plate in my Sun Jiu's hand, your Li family will not only get half a penny! Pulling the short sheath open, Sun Jiu's big hand slapped on his chest.

"I don't expect to make much money, the first time my child goes out to do business, it's mainly for exercise. My legs are not good, and I can't climb on horseback when it's cold. If it weren't for the fear of delaying everyone's business, I would have gone myself! Li Mao accompanied the smiling face and beckoned everyone to eat. In a blink of an eye, he called Li Xu out again and asked him to pour a drink for Uncle Nine.

"Uncle Nine!" Li Xu shouted in a proper manner. He poured a bowl of wine and raised his eyebrows. Today's group of guests ate at a few tables was so unsightly that it shattered all his previous illusions about the caravan. There was not a person in the room who wore gold and silver, silk shirts and hats, and was as delicate as Lu Buwei, on the contrary, they were all dressed in short and long, and they were full of flesh, and they were alive and well from the bandits. The only gentleman who was more urbane sat at the window, looking like he had read some books, but his figure stood out in the caravan, not only conspicuous, but also lonely.

Sun Jiu, a native of Hejian, is a very cool man, as Li Mao said. took the wine bowl that Li Xu raised his eyebrows high, and every time he was stuffy, there was not a drop left. After three bowls, he pointed at Li Xu and then at himself, and said loudly: "My surname is Sun, ranking ninth." Call me Uncle Nine, Brother Nine, follow you. But when you enter the caravan, you have to abide by the rules of the caravan. We do business at our own risk, but we have to live and die when we encounter trouble on the road, can you do this? ”

"But Uncle Yijiu!" Li Xu bowed down when he heard the words and promised loudly.

"Get up, this is not an official government, and we don't pay attention to this tone." Sun Jiu hurriedly stood up and pulled Li Xu, who was eager to worship, hard: "To be honest, everyone gathered from ten miles and eight towns, and this time Uncle Nine was promoted to lead the team, and I don't know who to push next time." So no one is half a cut shorter than the other, this time you worship me, once you are chosen as the head next time, will my grandson still knock your head back to you? ”

"Haha! Ha ha! The whole room was amused by Sun Jiu's words, and some people began to coax: "Don't listen to this old boy." He is afraid that you will worship him too high and have no money to make you a meeting gift! ”

"Go, go, is my grandson that miser?" Sun Jiu's face turned red from being squeezed, groped around his waist for a long time, took out a silver bean the size of a projectile and stuffed it into Li Xu's hand, "I can't let you call Uncle Jiu in vain, this little bean will be used to marry a daughter-in-law in the future!" ”

"That's unacceptable!" Li Mao jumped forward with an arrow step, snatched the silver bean, and forced it back into Sun Jiu's hand. "I've already caused you trouble, how can Xuzi collect your money again. Besides, your grandson is not a generous boss, why be so polite to the child! ”

Even in today's peaceful world, the price of silver is low, and one tael of silver on the market is worth two hangings. That thing weighs a lot, and a small bean is more than two dollars. begged someone to do something and didn't give a gift, but first blackmailed someone for 400 dollars, even the county guard didn't have a reason to do so.

"Brother Damu, you're out of sight. I'm old and he's young, and they all run this business route, and they don't necessarily have to take care of who in the future! Sun Jiu reluctantly stuffed the silver beans into Li Xu's arms again. Take it, Hugh has to make Uncle Nine angry! ”

"How dare my nephew ask Uncle Nine for a reward!" Li Xu hurriedly returned the silver beans with body temperature to Sun Jiu. Packing his bags last night, his mother told him that there were also a few silver beans sewn on the corners of his clothes, which were almost all the savings of the Li family. This thing is common to all nationalities, whether it is Hu or Han, when it is sent to the eyes of any official, he will take care of the face of Marshal Zhao Gong. (Note 2)

"Brother Da Mu, you just let Xu Qi take it, when have you seen Lao Sun give a gift and take it back?" Seeing that the two sides couldn't pull each other, someone at the other table helped out.

This person was slightly younger than Sun Jiu, with a very sparse beard and relatively clean clothes, and he seemed to be a talkative person in the caravan. How could Sun Jiu refuse to accept his affection, his eyes widened, and he feigned anger: "Okay, you little man, Lao Tzu is about to take back the silver after a few resignations, but you don't hurt Lao Tzu to lose money." This matter can't just be forgotten, the silver beans are my meeting gift to my eldest nephew, you are all elders, and you have to follow the lottery head! ”

"Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu, don't you scold me! Brothers, don't do this, otherwise I, Li Damu, will have no face to run this road again! Lao Li Mao was so frightened that although the banquet was a little expensive, it was to maintain a good popularity for his son. After Sun Jiu stirred it up like this, the cost of wine and food must have returned, but his son's affection has also become thinner.

He would not accept it, but the people would not answer. If you are generous, you will directly discharge the meat, and some people are unwilling, and they scolded Sun Jiu's ancestor in their stomachs, and they had to find two white coins from their waists. Sun Jiu took Li Xu and introduced him to the caravan partners one by one, and for each introduction, Li Xu poured a bowl of wine for the other party, and the man was bored, and then stuffed the meeting gift money into Li Xu's hand.

A circle of wine was poured down, and Li Xu's arms were so tired that he was sour. The meat is good, the white money is miscellaneous, and nearly a hundred are collected, and the people are almost familiar with each other. The person who gave Sun Jiu's gang the surname Zhang was Sun Jiu's old partner and the temporary deputy leader of the caravan. The scarred face surnamed Du, who only gave a white money, is a distant relative of the Du family in Hejian. The one surnamed Wang with a fierce face, and the merchant surnamed Li who wore open-toed cloth boots, can be regarded as Li Xu's own family. And the big-eyed young man who sat by the window far away and was incompatible with everyone was surnamed Xu, whose family was a wealthy man in Jun County, with countless fields and shops under his name. But he didn't know what terrible mistake he had made that angered his parents, and his father was ruthless and sent to the caravan to be informed.

Everyone gave Li Xu a meeting gift, and he was even more relaxed when he ate and drank. There are also people with narrow temperaments, who are calculating how to eat the gift money back into their stomachs, tearing open their cheeks and chewing violently. For a while, the sound of the order in the inn was loud, and it actually restored a bit of the lively scene of the year. Li Xu was so noisy that he couldn't leave the table, so he could only drink wine slowly. Thinking that I will be in the company of these rough people in the next three years, I don't feel sad.

"Are you really going to go to Cyprus to do goods?" Behind him, a low voice asked.

Li Xu turned around when he heard the sound and saw the big clear eyes of the young man of the Xu family. smiled helplessly and said, "My father is old, and it's very cold outside. What if I don't do it for him? Brother Xu, there are so many shops at home, you have to be aware of world affairs, where you can't stay, why did you run away? ”

"Alas, Hughty! My father is newly married to Aunt Seven, who is younger than me. I can't get used to it, so I find fault and run out to relax. Xu Dayan smiled and explained the reason why he joined the caravan, "Besides, it is said that you can receive good leather goods this season." At present, the original leather goods are expensive? You tell me? ”

The two words of leather goods were bitten by him very hard. Li Xu's heart jumped suddenly, as if all the secrets were instantly seen through by those big eyes. Thinking that the other party was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he could never have the same insight as Old Master Yang, so he barely stabilized his mind and replied with a smile: "It is for the sake of leather goods, and recently in Shanggu County, the price of raw hides has almost doubled." Let's go back quickly, maybe we can make a lot of money! ”

"I don't want to go back so early!" Xu Dayan's eyes flickered, always with a fierceness that did not match his age at all, "It's hard to come out once, I'll play all the sex!" ”。

Li Xu smiled and picked up the wine cup in front of him. Just as he was unwilling to tell the other party the purpose of the northward journey, what Xu Dayan said may not be the truth. A young man with such a good family background travels, and he has Yangzhou and Luoyang, which are beautiful places, even if he is angry with his father, he is not guilty of finding a place in the bitter cold to find guilt.

Xu Da saw him raise the cup, and he also raised the wine cup in his hand. I found a reason to make two glasses of wine with Li Xu, and asked with a little drunkenness: "My surname is Xu Mingshiji, the word Maogong, can the virtuous brother have a table word?" ”

"My name is Li Xu, the word Zhongjian!" Li Xu straightened his chest and said, for fear that others would look down on his age.

"Then you and I take care of each other on the road, and walk side by side, what about Brother Zhong Jianxian?" Xu Dayan patted Li Xu's shoulder, and his smile was a little mysterious.

"I am willing to obey the order of Brother Maogong!" Li Xu cocked his feet and reached out to pat it back. Both of them are developing teenagers, with large skeletons and similar heights when they stand up. After comparing their heights for a long time, they didn't compare the winners and losers, and they each held their wine glasses and smirked 'hey, hey, hey, hey'.

Li Xu drank the wine very sadly and happily, and unconsciously fell drunk on the seat. By the time he woke up the next day, Daystar had already shone through the papyrus that had been pasted on the window. Father, mother, uncle and aunt had already gotten up and packed everything for him. There were a lot of his precious bows and talisman knives, and even the little wolf Ganluo was put into a sackcloth made by his mother and hung on the back of the blue and white mule.

The big blue and white mule couldn't stand the smell of the beast on the little wolf, so he fled in shock, until Li Mao raised his leather whip, and then he had to bow his head and go out to join the caravan waiting outside.

More than 100 horses of cattle are gathered together, and the scale is very spectacular. Sun Jiu gave an order, and the merchants lined up in a long line and slowly moved. Jingle bells, jingle bells break the silence of the morning light.

"Xuzi, be careful on the road!" Lao Li Mao greeted Sun Jiu and the others again, and after getting the other party's assurance, he walked to his son's side and admonished.

"Well, father, mother, the second elder is also careful of his body! And Uncle Zhong, Aunt Zhong, be careful! Li Xu agreed, and he always felt that something was rolling outward.

"If, if, then" Li Zhang wanted to tell something, but he was afraid of bad lip gloss, hesitated, hesitated, and was reluctant to let go of the reins.

"What your mother means is that in trouble, it's important to escape, and everything else is bullshit!" Li Mao attached himself to his son's ear and said in a voice that could only be heard by his own family. After speaking, he snatched the reins and stuffed them into Li Xu's hand, "Keep up, don't fall behind." Try to walk right in the middle. Eat more meat and vegetables when eating, spend what you need on the road, don't save money......"

The mount snorted and slowly followed the caravan. Li Xu turned around, and with hazy tears in his eyes, he saw his father and mother supporting each other and waving to him. Behind them, the rooster crows awakens the village at dawn.

Until many years later, the figures supporting each other often lingered in Li Xu's dreams.

Note 1: Artemisia seeds. There is a superstition in the northern countryside, believing that the birth of Artemisia annua on the ancestral grave indicates that the descendants of the person will become a great cause. That's why the elders will say, "Xu'er is the artemisia on my ancestral grave." ”

Note 2: During the Sui and Tang dynasties, silver had not yet become the mainstream currency, and there was no fixed exchange price with copper coins, but it was only used as a heavy gift for the government. There is a small amount of circulation in Yunnan and outside the Saiwai. This book refers to the price of the Jin Kingdom in the Song Dynasty, and one tael of silver is equivalent to two thousand copper coins. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, when there was too much silver inflow from the outside world, a thousand dollars was converted into one tael of silver.

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