Leave the study and go to the dining room in the east wing to eat. There are two rooms in the east wing, the one in the north is used as a dining room, and the other in the south is a kitchen, and a door connects the two rooms. The dining room is small, with a square table and four chairs, a white cloth on the table, and a few plates of cold dishes and wine jugs and glasses have been set up.

Long Qian saw two and a half children standing at the door with a gray curtain, it was Chen Chao's pair of children, "Come, let's eat together." That little Chen Zhi leaned against the door, the top of his head was shaved fine, and his dark eyes looked at Long Qian and Jiang Yun who walked in.

Long Qian felt that Xiao Chen Zhi's appearance of shaving his hair and braids was very ridiculous, so he made a grimace at the child.

Jiang Yun has never shaved his hair for the convenience of reconnaissance, but he wore a wig this time, there is no shortage of wig materials, and the craftsmanship can only rely on the seven female soldiers.

Chen Zhi sneered at Long Qian's amusement. Chen Chao didn't see Long Qian frowning at his son, "It's the little girl and the dog." Where is their place here? Mr. Long, please take a seat. ”

Long Qian resumed his seriousness, "Mr. Chen doesn't know anything. When I traveled overseas, what I felt the most was not the prosperity of Taixi's strong technology, but the respect for women and children. The more gentry they were, the more they respected women and treated children well. I think that's what a gentleman does. Mr. Chen, listen to me, and let the children eat together. ”

Chen Chao has been doting on his children, and on weekdays at home, they all eat together with a family of five, since Long Qian asked so, "Okay, Xiaozhi should be sensible, don't let your uncle laugh at you for not being polite." ”

"What is polite or impolite, the child is at a naughty age, naïve and unrestrained is his nature, educate the child, never lose his nature." Long Qian said, beckoning to Xiao Chen Zhi and said, "Come and sit on my uncle's side." ”

Children are the same, whoever praises and indulges him, he thinks who is good, at this moment, when he saw Long Qian calling him over, he didn't recognize his life, and walked straight over and sat on the stool next to Long Qian.

"Oh, Xiaozhi is destined for you, ha, this kid is usually very shy at first." Chen Chao personally poured wine for Long Qian, "Mr. Long, this is home-brewed sorghum, the strength is enough, I don't know if I am used to drinking it." Please! ”

"Please," Long Qian couldn't figure out whether to invite Chen Chao's wife to the table, so he picked up the wine glass and touched Chen Chao and drank it all.

Sure enough, the entrance is extremely spicy, and it is estimated that the degree is no less than 60 degrees, "It's amazing, it's so strong." Long Qian temporarily praised.

"Ha Lu Ha, eat vegetables, eat vegetables." Chen Chao said as he lit the dish with chopsticks.

"I'm very happy, I didn't expect to meet a good friend here," Long Qian put a chopstick scrambled egg in his mouth, he hadn't eaten scrambled eggs for a long time, and the familiar and friendly taste almost made him bite his tongue, "Mrs. Sister-in-law is a good craft." ”

"Ha Lu Ha, it's all home-cooked food, where can we talk about craftsmanship. Mr. Long has seen the world and hopes to be able to eat it. ”

"Ha Luha, there is nothing more delicious in the world than a home-cooked meal. Master Chen, you are older than me, if you regard Long as a friend, don't call Mr. anymore, just call Long Qian. Long Qian said, "It's not my lie, I feel that we will become good friends in the future, I will give the owner a cup." ”

"Very well, I think so." Chen Chaoxi said, "I'll call you the word, think back, you don't shout the owner of the village, just call me by my name." These days, we live in a cold house, and we talk with candles and nights, aren't we happy? ”

"It's hard. The younger brother made an appointment with someone to rush to Yizhou the day after tomorrow. The mountain trail is rugged, and I dare not delay any longer. When the matter is over, I will definitely come back to visit Brother Chen. ”

"What is so urgent? It's okay to stay overnight, I'll give you two horses tomorrow, and you can rush to Yizhou in one day. Chen Chao was reluctant to let Long Qian leave.

"Brother Chen's good intentions, the younger brother understands it. My father had a world friend in Yizhou, and he had already sent a letter to him, but he was not good at breaking his promise, since the younger brother promised Brother Chen, the elder brother Chen Jiaya must come back. ”

"In that case, let it be a word. Not. Snubbed this little brother, why don't you drink it, is it because the wine is too shoddy? Chen Chao looked at Jiang Yun.

"Not really." Long Qian smiled, "He never drinks, so Brother Chen shouldn't embarrass him." ”

Chen Chao nodded, he didn't care about Jiang Yun, and poured wine for Long Qian again, "I have always had doubts in my chest, since the United States is so rich and civilized, why did Mr. return to China?" ”

Maybe Mr. Chen doesn't believe it. Although Liang Garden is good, it is not a place to stay for a long time. The United States of America, as rich as it was, was politically new. However, the other country has been discriminating against the Chinese for a long time, and the Chinese in the other country can only engage in menial labor, and it is difficult to go to school and do business, let alone enter politics. In fact, it is not only discrimination against Chinese, but also more oppression of blacks. Fifty years ago, blacks were slaves, with no freedom in life, and their masters treated them like livestock. Because of the problem of black people, the other country fought a civil war that lasted for four years and suffered heavy casualties. They called it the Civil War. Although the North, which advocated the emancipation of the black slaves, won the victory, a wise president was assassinated the year after the war ended. In other countries, no matter how well they mix, the Chinese are still alien in their eyes. But my yellow skin and black eyes will never become white skin and blue eyes. So, after figuring it out, I returned to China, thinking that I would use the little knowledge I had learned to serve my motherland, but after traveling, I felt that the domestic situation was not what I imagined in the United States. Alas, don't say it. ”

"You and I hit it off at first sight, what is it that makes you unspeakable?"

"Mr. Chen, I went to Zhengjiazhuang first, who knew that I was surprised by a scene in front of the village, there was a villager who looked like a person was flailed in front of the village gate to show the public, looking at it, it was already half a life. I stepped forward and asked a few words, and Zhuang Ding almost caught me. Zhengjiazhuang is your close neighbor, but why do you do this? ”

"It's hard to put into words. It was the tenant of the Zheng family, and the owner of the village, Zheng Jing, wanted to increase the rent, and the two had a dispute," Chen Chao sighed, "For this reason, I went to the owner of the Zheng family to intercede, and the person has been released." ”

"They're all folks, why so? It is natural to repay debts, but the state has national laws, and it is sent to officials, so how can they set up a private torture hall? Long Qian looked at Chen Chao's eyes, "What's more, last year, there was a great drought in Shandong, and the harvest was reduced, so how can the rent be increased?" Then doesn't the owner of Zheng Zhuang miss the friendship of the villagers? ”

"Zheng Jing is not my uncle, the rent is exempted...... the voice came from the kitchen, or, the big pigtail Chen Shu, "Uncle I once persuaded him, but people relied on his son to be an official, and raised a soldier, and he was very angry, but blamed my uncle for breaking the rules." ”

"Shu'er!" Chen Chao seemed helpless about this niece, "Adult's business, you don't mix it up, how many times have I told you?" ”

"Uncle, what I said is true. Look, sooner or later, you're going to have to kill someone! ”

"How can this be! They are all villagers, as the saying goes, 'kiss or not, hometown people', I am overseas, and I feel very cordial when I see a person from my mother country......" Long Qian sighed.

"Why not? Livelihoods are struggling, and there is a need for help. Bai Wei and Zhengjiazhuang are two big villages and towns near Changhu Lake, and my Chenjiaya is much worse than others, because it is more than 100 miles to the south, so everyone Lianzhuang protects themselves in case of strongmen, but it increases the burden on the villagers, and Zheng Jing increases the rent, which is also ...... for this"

"Oh, no wonder I saw Zhengjiazhuang Zhuang Ding as if he had been formally trained...... This joint village self-protection, the effect must be good? ”

"Yes, Zheng Jing has 500 men and hundreds of guns. Instructor training was also hired. is also because I have suffered the loss of holding calves, and there is no way. At the beginning, Baiwei Town was beaten down by the calf, the whole town was ransacked, and dozens of people died. Although Zheng Jing is domineering and domineering, he is still right to propose this Lianzhuang self-preservation. Speaking of which, Chen Jiaya is still stained with the light of Lianzhuang's self-preservation. But the way of the world ......"

"It is the duty of the government to suppress bandits and reassure the people, but it is necessary to force each village to buy guns and train soldiers. When I was in Jinan, I heard the name of hugging calves, what was going on there? If there are bandits, does the state government care? ”

"When I was a child, my mother scared me with a strongman holding a calf. In this area, almost all of them have been harmed by calves. The mountains are high and the forests are dense, and the generations are where the horses haunt, during the Qianlong period, the officers and soldiers had laid down the calves, but as soon as the officers and soldiers left, they became a bandit's nest again. Later, when Hong Yang was in turmoil, where could the imperial court still take care of a few ringing horses that occupied the mountains as kings? The annual bandit donations are collected quite diligently, saying that they are used to maintain the expenses of the patrol battalion, but as far as those opium ghosts in the patrol battalion are concerned, where do they dare to hold the calves......

"Listening to Mr. Chen's tone, after everyone Lianzhuang protects himself, have you ever seen a battle with Baoqigu?"

"Yes, they came to Zhengjiazhuang once three years ago. Probably the reputation of the old owner of Zheng Jing has spread to the cottage, or it may be that I heard that Zhengjiazhuang has newly obtained hundreds of foreign guns, and thousands of horses have surrounded Zhengjiazhuang for a day, many people have died, and the village cannot be opened, and it was ambushed by Bai Wei and Yizhuang, and the most defeated was defeated. Since then, no one dares to covet Zhengjiazhuang, because there is an agreement of Lianzhuang to protect itself, and I Chenjiaya can be regarded as naked......"

"Well, I can't imagine that the countryside is in chaos like this! Get rid of the calves, are there any bandits nearby? ”

"There was also a large group in Mengshan, a hundred miles to the northeast, but it was wiped out by the official army."

"How did Mr. Chen know?" Long Qian said in surprise. You must know that the news of this era is very slow to spread, and often the world world hundreds of miles away is completely unfamiliar.

"This is also stained with the light of Zheng Jing. The second son, who served as a staff member in the governor's new army, wrote to his father. However, recently, Zheng Jing didn't know where to get the news, saying that Mengshan still had strong entrenchment, and Zheng Jing suggested that the Zhuang Ding of Sanzhuang be combined for training, which was just his other plan. Chen Chao put down his chopsticks, "Don't talk about it, you just talked about the world, this world is really __" He sighed long.

Long Qian's face was expressionless. This time, he took Jiang Yun out of the mountain to reconnoitre, and the target was Zhengjiazhuang. This is the direction he has determined after repeated discussions with several major officers in Mengshanzhai. The cottage food is about to run out, and more than half of the silver has been spent, so it is time to act. Originally, there were still some subjects, such as blasting training, that had not yet been completed, but the situation was pressing, so I had to act in advance.

was supposed to bring Cheng Erhu here, but he was afraid that he would be recognized by the villagers, so he only brought Jiang Yun. In the past few days, he and Jiang Yun have turned around Zhengjiazhuang, Baiwei Town and Chenjiaya, Chen Jiaya is the most late, but he didn't expect to meet the hospitable Chen Chao. He had hoped to get the inside story of Sanzhuang's armed forces, and he had a deep conversation during the banquet, and he had a deep conversation about Zhengjiazhuang, Baiwei Town and Chenjiaya's armament.

"Brother Long Xian, you say, can we be as prosperous and healthy as the United States?" Chen Chao is shallow, a pot of wine has bottomed out, and he is already slightly drunk.

"Of course. Since the beginning of written records, China has gone through calamities and has always been reborn from the ashes, and it has been resting there because of thousands of years of civilization. The world is pouring down, and someone has to change. Please rest assured, Brother Chen, it will be better in the future, and it will be better than those imposing powers. Long Qian raised his glass, "I am fortunate to meet my brother today, and I hope he will meet again in the future." ”

After the meal, Long Qian and Jiang Yun refused Chen Chao's repeated retention, bid farewell to Chen Chao, and returned to Mengshan. Chen Chao insisted on borrowing two horses from Long Qian, the saddle was complete, and the horses were a rarity, which showed that the owner of Chen Zhuang had an ancient style, and rode away from Chenjiaya for a long time.