Just after the hour passed, the sky began to drift with the first snow of winter. The crystal clear freezing point swirls and floats to every corner with the whistling wind.

By the time we set off, it had turned into goose feathers and snow, and the whole world was covered in snow.

Wearing cotton clothes and cotton pants, wearing a hat and cloak, I can't wait to be wrapped directly into a group of humanoid giant bears.

Rujiu, who is only wearing a single robe, looks like he stands out from the crowd and is too prominent.

"Miss, you're really not cold, why don't you wear the same thing as us?"

"Fool yourself."

Holding the twig's hand, it turned out that her hand was steaming, I don't know how many times warmer than hers, "I, do you need it?" ”

Xiaozhi hurriedly shook her head, she forgot how Miss could compare with a normal person.

The snow had just come down and the road was slippery, so the road was not easy to walk.

Sumi carried the car against the wind and snow, and walked very slowly and carefully.

The road to Hexian only takes more than two hours at the usual speed. As it stands, it will take a lot of time.

The carriage creaked over, leaving behind the wheel prints that were soon buried by the falling snow.

……

It was late at night when I arrived in Hexian, and the city gate was closed from afar, and there were many people waiting to enter the city early in the morning and sleeping in the corners of the city.

A checkpoint was set up at 100 meters, and the officers and men patrolling the entire county were deployed to strictly control it.

"Young Master?"

In this situation, even if they have the official seal and guide, it is estimated that they will not be allowed to stay here and wait for the city gate to open in the morning.

"Return to the pavilion you just passed, and enter the city again tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

The pavilion ten miles away is windy from all sides, and the snowflakes are getting bigger and bigger without stopping, and I am afraid that staying overnight like this will directly freeze people to death.

Su Mi, Su Liang, and Xiaoxi are three little men who are already very conscious of looking for firewood that can be burned.

I saw that their lips were white and their little faces were red. Rujiu took out the cortical water bladder pressed against the bottom of the box, and handed a pot to one person.

"Drink some wine to warm up."

"Thank you, little... Sister... Whew~"

The cold liquid slid through the esophagus, bringing a hot burning sensation, and finally stopped shaking the whole body involuntarily.

When Su Mi and the others came back, they finally lit a fire, and it felt good to be warm from the beginning.

The hard dry food was skewered with sharpened branches, and roasted on the fire to make it fragrant, and everyone was very satisfied with pickles and Ruoqing's specialty minced pork porridge.

Of course, you have to add the hot wine that the lady took out. Compared with the previous difficult winter, even in this ice and snow, everyone can't help but sigh.

After eating and drinking, everyone sat in a circle by the fire.

Su Mi Su Liang had already begun to meditate hard, Xiao Zhi and Ruoqing were quietly biting their ears, and Ruoxi was holding a book and reading it attentively.

Only Rujiu stared at the orange firelight, and his pupils were stunned. The anxiety in her heart, worry and anxiety came in turns, and she couldn't calm down.

Even the wine in my hand is not fragrant, and there is an indescribable bitter taste.

If the acquaintance goes well...

Rujiu, who came back to her senses, glanced at the few people who followed her all the way. The final test has passed, and it is certainly worth planning for them as soon as possible.

Putting aside the troubled emotions, I began to think carefully about the future planning and arrangements.

……

As the night passed, the snow finally stopped, and the road was thick enough to reach the knee of an adult.

The journey of more than ten miles was too difficult.

They had to push carts and soothe their hoofed horses, and by the time they reached the gates, the three of them were already tired and sweating.

After repeated checks, he was finally able to enter Hexian County smoothly.

Pedestrians in the town come and go, and no one wanders the streets. There are all kinds of shops, but both buyers and sellers are a one-shot deal, and no one is bargaining loudly.

Everything looks extremely depressing.

"Young master, stay here?"

I nodded my head in response. Stepping into the only two inns in the town, it is different from the enthusiastic little two, the shopkeeper with a proud face.

There weren't many people in the shop, but there was almost no sound.

didn't ask, the shopkeeper only glanced at a group of them, and then directly threw a few house numbers, "Ten taels a room." ”

"You..."Grab money, you want to go crazy for money, right?

Su Liang's words didn't have time to scold, so he was covered by Ruoxi next to him.

Didn't you see all the weirdness of Hexian along the way? It's better not to rush into conflict if you don't know the situation.

Rujiu gave Ruoqing a look to Xiaozhi.

The two stepped forward, one of them took out the silver, and the other took the door number plate on the table.

When everyone entered the room and closed the door, the discussion began.

"Why are the people of Hexian so strange?"

Xiaozhi hugged one of Ruoqing's arms, thinking of the expressions of the people on the road just now, and was a little scared.

Ruoqing patted her arm comfortingly.

"Didn't you notice that they looked at us strangely when they saw us, okay?" Thinking of the cannibalistic eyes, Su Mi couldn't help but rub the goosebumps on her body, it was really a panic.

Su Liang looked helpless, is your focus too strange, what does it have to do with the pedestrians on the road?

"Isn't it time to discuss this black-hearted shop? Ten taels of silver for a room, just his place? It's a shame that he dares to shout! ”

was noisy and had a headache, Rujiu plucked out his ears, "Okay, what's the situation, go and ask me about the situation you each want to know." ”

"Yes, miss." "No problem. Miss, just wait! ”

This time, along with Xiaozhi Ruoqing, they were also sent out to inquire about the news.

After drinking the two cups of tea, the few people who went out came back one after another, except for Su Liang.

Two quarters of an hour passed, and Su Liang, the kid, finally ran back to the room out of breath.

When the breath was even, and the hot tea was drunk, everyone began to integrate the news they heard.

In the town, as Lou Bai said at the beginning, except for a few aborigines, most of them are people who have been restored to their status as good citizens after the punishment has been enough, and these people are forced to stay for a long time because they cannot return to their hometowns without forgiveness.

"This is the case for most of the people who do business and live in Hexian County."

"Although they have nominally restored their status as good citizens, they also have to be guarded by officers and soldiers inside and outside, and they will visit the roster from time to time. Fearing that someone would take the risk of rejecting him and quietly returning to his hometown. ”

"I heard that the criminals who are still serving their sentences and hard labor can't help but be harassed by the officials and soldiers, and they have to be bullied and oppressed by these people."

"Who are these people?"

Su Liang looked at Miss, the reason why he had been gone for so long was because-

"Miss, there is no county order in the two counties of Hexian County, but the deputy general directly sent from above is uniformly guarded and managed.

This lieutenant general is greedy for money and lustful, and many people send things that are valuable, but they are ignorant and never come to the hands of the righteous lord.

The officers and soldiers under his command are all the same, and each one is more ruthless than the other.

However, they are all criminals, and they are not afraid of retribution, and even if they are restored to their status as good citizens, they will not escape their exploitation. ”

This place is truly a place of sin, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a city of sin.

Officers and soldiers who are neither greedy nor corrupt, and who have justice in their hearts, cannot get along and are being squeezed out.

Enthusiastic and sincere people don't live long, and if you don't implement the phrase "sweep the snow in front of your home, don't care about the frost on others" to the end, there will be people waiting in line to give you a profound lesson.

The room was silent for a while, and everyone collectively fell into silent thinking, what should we do in the future in this kind of environment?