The smoke of the Gengzi Incident has dissipated in Beijing, but the pain it left behind is spreading. No matter what kind of war, it is the most ordinary people who directly bear the pain of war. When the iron hooves of the Eight-Nation Coalition Army barbarously stepped into this ancient city, even the Summer Palace of Galeries Lafayette could not be spared, how could they keep the invaders out?

Those who are lucky enough to escape are not necessarily much better, and escaping is not an easy trip, but a mentally and physically painful experience.

The traces of the cannonballs on the castle tower were faintly visible, but the common people were not interested in them. They have already left, Lafayette has returned, and life will slowly become the same as before, although it is bitter, but it is very stable.

But what they didn't expect was that the first thing Lafayette did after he came back was to find a way to make up the arrears and send them to the foreign adults, where did the money come from? Lafayette didn't have any, so he could only ask them for it, and all kinds of money came one after another, pressing their already very tired body and mind to the ground.

The Chinese New Year is about to begin, and in order to ease the relationship with the foreign powers, Lafayette decided to entertain ministers from various countries in the palace during the New Year this year. But for these people, it seems that there is no need to think about this question of how to spend this year.

Yang Xiaolin's fake identity this time was an ordinary resident who had returned from other places, wearing a short shirt, which was also a little tattered, and mixed in with the crowd to arouse any suspicion from the Qing soldiers.

During the interrogation, the Qing soldiers just rummaged through the pockets he had brought, took a few copper coins inside, and let him in. Yang Xiaolin felt pretty good, much stronger than the one surnamed Liu in Fengtian, and the surname Liu took it all at once, and this capital was at the feet of Lafayette, and those officers and soldiers only took half of it, and pointed to the notice on the wall and said to Yang Xiaolin that this was "homecoming".

I have to collect money when I go home, which is probably a feat of ancient times. After entering the city gate, Yang Xiaolin couldn't believe that he saw Beijing. In the 21st century, he visited the Summer Palace, and the broken bricks and tiles once caused him great grief in his heart, but now he knows that the Summer Palace is just a corner of the war scene.

The scene he saw in front of him was more vivid, and the vividness made him feel an irrepressible surging in his heart!

"This is the capital? I don't think that's the case, it's not as good as our Fengtian! "The first time Biaozi entered the capital, his eyes rolled around.

Yang Xiaolin only brought two brothers with him, one Biao Zi, and another brother named Lu Mozong, who is an authentic Beijinger, and said a Beijing film: "Brother Biao, this area used to be lively, I was deceived by the Russians to go to the miners, and my family lived in an alley in the west of this place, and there was everything on this street, which is like now." ”

Lu Mozong seemed to be quite sentimental when he said it, Yang Xiaolin looked at him and asked, "Is your house still there?" Do you have anyone else in your family? ”

Lu Mozong shook his head: "If I have someone, how can I go to Liaoxi alone?" I don't know if the dilapidated house is still there, maybe it will collapse a long time ago. ”

Yang Xiaolin patted him from behind: "Go and take a look, if the house is still there, the brothers have a place to stay, and it will be easier to get things done." ”

The other brothers, Yang Xiaolin, also let them go into the city separately, and when Lu Mozong took him to see the house, Yang Xiaolin asked Biaozi to wait for the brothers on the street.

The two men walked through a few streets, and it didn't take much time to see an alley, which was long, open at both ends, and was lined with some low tiled houses on both sides, and at a glance they knew that it was a slum. Lu Mozong turned around and said to Yang Xiaolin: "Big brother, be careful, this alley is messy and there are a lot of clutter. ”…,

You could tell in his voice that he was excited, and a little anxious. The Chinese are like that, love home. Even if there is nothing left in the house, only the broken bricks and tiles.

"Big brother! Big brother, that's my house, you see, it's still there! Lu Mozong shouted happily, Yang Xiaolin saw a house that was already in tatters and could no longer be dilapidated, and from the outside, he knew that this house had not been inhabited for a long time, the cobwebs on the door were huge, the door was open, and the hall facing the door was empty, maybe the Eight-Nation Alliance Army had not gone inside.

Yang Xiaolin smiled: "Okay, it's good to be still there, let the brothers clean up." You alone may not be enough to accommodate so many of us, and we are looking to see if there are any empty houses around. ”

Lu Mozong thought for a moment, and pointed his hand to the mouth of the alley: "Big brother, what do you think of that brick house?" That is the home of Master Zhao, his ancestors were officials in the court, and that house is the largest of us. ”

Yang Xiaolin could only see the roof he pointed to, nodded and said, "Let's go see if there are any." ”

Rich people's houses are more likely to be empty, because once the war starts, they are the fastest to run. It's just that I don't know if they're back, and if not, I'll borrow it for a few days, and I don't plan to occupy other people's property anyway.

Lu Mozong led Yang Xiaolin to continue walking, seeing that his kennel was still there, his steps were much brisker, and his mood was a little unspeakably happy: "Mr. General, let me tell you that the young grandmother of Master Zhao's family is beautiful, and she is also very kind, and she doesn't have the temper of those big families at all." The young master of his family is not bad, he smiles when he sees everyone, even for us poor people, every time I go to their house to work, I am given enough wages, and the money in his hand is very easy to earn, we say a hundred wen, he will not give ninety-nine! ”

Yang Xiaolin smiled: "So he's a good person?" ”

Lu Mozong nodded: "The family is all good people, then the young master I just took the examination when I left, and I may have become an official now." ”

While speaking, the two of them had already arrived at the door of the room, Yang Xiaolin took a look outside, and found that the door was wiped clean, and there should be someone inside. Lu Mozong looked at Yang Xiaolin with his eyes, and asked him whether to turn around and go back now or what to do.

Yang Xiaolin pointed to the door: "Knock on the door, even if there are people in the family, since they are good to you, you should always say hello when you come back." ”

Lu Mozong felt that this made sense, and slapped the knocker a few times with the knocker in his hand: "Is anyone at home?" Is the old man of the Zhao family here? ”

I slapped a few times and shouted a few times, but no one inside answered.

Lu Mozong said to Yang Xiaolin: "The uncle who guards the door of his house has a little back in his ears, and he can hear it if I shout a few more times." ”

As he spoke, he raised his arms high, and was about to slam the door with all his might, when the door opened. Yang Xiaolin's whole person was suddenly stunned, and he saw a face, a woman's face. There was no smile on her face, but there was a faint sadness that made the hearts of those who saw her feel pity.

It's beautiful, as if there's something called melancholy wrapped around her body, and people can't help but want to untie it for her.

The woman's eyes glanced at Yang Xiaolin, and then moved away.

"Young grandmother, do you remember me? I'm Lu Mozong, the one who lives in the back alley, I just came back from Liaoxi, and I came to say hello to Master Zhao. ”

Lu Mozong had a smile on his face, and his eyes glanced into the room.

The young grandmother's face was like frost, and Yang Xiaolin found that the corners of her mouth trembled slightly, as if to explain some kind of pain: "No need." ”

After the young grandmother finished speaking, she closed the door, and Lu Mozong was very stunned: "No, this is not the young grandmother's behavior!" ”

Yang Xiaolin seemed to understand something, and pulled his arm with a sigh: "Let's go." Find another house. ”