Three mule carts creak and creak on the official road.

The official road was not smooth, and the merchant sitting on it was sweating from the bumps.

A large road is divided into two roads in one place, and the tea shed on the side of the road has an old woman warmly greeting: "The guest officer comes to drink a bowl of hot soup to warm up." ”

The merchant muttered that he was dying of heat, but he got out of the car and rested himself and the mule, but to his surprise, the humble tea shed was almost full, and it was easy to make way for him, and the chubby merchant sat down and creaked the bench.

"Don't sit down!" The skinny man on the same stool shouted.

The fat merchant panted: "Why are there so many people? ”

The old woman came over with tea and soup: "There was no one on your way here a few days ago. ”

The fat merchant accosted him and asked why, and said; "There haven't been so many people before."

"There was a bandit somewhere a few days ago." The thin man shouted, "Kill all the people in a county." ”

The fat merchant sat firmly: "Liar." ”

"No lie." The old woman proved that the correction was not about killing the people of a county, but only about killing the magistrates and officers and soldiers of a county.

There were other people sitting around who spoke in more detail, and the fat merchant who listened broke out in a layer of sweat.

"Is the world in chaos like this? It's a good thing I didn't go here a while ago. He wiped his sweat and fidgeted, "Have the remnants of the bandits been caught?" ”

"Not yet." The thin man grinned, "You walk carefully, don't get caught." ”

The fat merchant snorted and lied to him again, is he like a ghost: "You are not afraid of what I am afraid of." ”

As soon as he got out of the car, he saw carts, horses, and mules parked outside the tea shed, all full of goods, and the idlers sitting in the tea shed were not walking idlers.

"You're a cattle seller." He looked at the thin man and covered his nose, "You should go faster, be careful to deliver New Year's goods to the bandits." ”

The thin man laughed: "No, no, I'm not selling livestock, I'm my own family." ”

Someone next to him had already come over and ignored his words of deception: "You are also going to Dou County, right?" Is the livestock over there really so easy to sell? ”

The thin man couldn't hide it, so he could only nod and admit: "Go and try it." ”

When they talk about it, the fat merchant who no one ridicules is very lonely, and the more he listens to it, the more wrong it is.

"Wait a minute." He interrupted them, "Where are you going?" ”

Dou County? Isn't it a place where the skinny merchant exaggerated that the whole county was killed? The bandits are making trouble over there, and what kind of place does not avoid it but jumps in with the goods?

"You're all going to Dou County?"

Since he can't hide it, the thin man no longer hides it: "Dou County is now suppressing bandits, and a large number of goods are urgently needed, such as rice, flour, grain, oil, meat, and wine." ”

What does banditry have to do with goods? The fat merchant didn't react.

The old woman who was making tea also came over: "Sure enough, I want everything, and I also saw a cart of firewood." ”

More people joined the discussion in the tea shed was warm and nervous, so many merchants went to fear that they would fall behind, the people in the tea shed hurriedly drank tea and went on the road, and in the blink of an eye, the fat merchant was left, the house was empty, and his heart was empty.

"Boss, do we want to try Dou County too?" The guy came running and asked.

Although they are in a hurry, they have not yet found a market, and their business is becoming more and more difficult year by year, so they can only take advantage of the end of the year to try their luck.

If it is really like other merchants say that Dou County wants a large number of goods, it is really an opportunity.

The fat merchant looked in the direction of the road and wiped the sweat from his forehead, there wouldn't be so many people sitting for him, right?

A horse-drawn cart came with a clatter, the car was filled with a cage of chickens and ducks, accompanied by the roosters and ducks, and the people on the horses asked loudly outside: "Old mother, may I ask which direction is Dou County going?" ”

The old woman was obviously accustomed to this kind of questioning, and without raising her head to the south, the people of the carriage raised their whips and urged the horses, chickens, and ducks to squeak and squeak and gallop away.

The fat merchant stood up with a prop on the table: "Go to Dou County." ”

The mules and horses creaked away and the cart creaked away, and the noise settled as the sun set down, and the old woman began to tidy up the tea shed, and there were passers-by outside, men and women, young and old, pushing wheelbarrows and carrying burdens and baskets, and frail women sitting in the carts, and young children lying in the baskets.

"Grandma still has water?" A couple of young men asked.

This line of people is not a merchant, not a hawker, dragging their families to leave home and walk in the winter, most of them are fleeing, there are many people who have fled over the years, the old woman sighed that the year is not as good as a year, and the pot that is about to be covered is turned on again, let them come in to drink water, and ask what is the matter and where to go.

"We've got bandits in the village next door." The men sighed, "There is no village left, we don't dare to stay at home, and many people have come out to hide from relatives and friends." ”

There are bandits again, what a sin, the old woman sighed, looking at this old man and young people eating a piece of dry cake with hot water, it was very pitiful, and her heart moved again: "You might as well go to Dou County to try." ”

The man at the head obviously knew Dou County, and was startled: "The bandits there are even more troublesome, and the county has suffered, how can you go?" ”

"Dou County is suppressing bandits, but they are going to be strong people, and they can eat enough." The old woman explained, looking at this group of old and weak, "And there is a porridge jar outside the barracks, anyone can eat porridge at any time, and you are afraid that so many people who go to relatives and friends will not be able to eat enough." ”

Relatives and friends can't afford to receive so many people, and life will definitely not be easy.

Dou County military camp soup kitchen? I hadn't heard of it, but the men looked at each other.

"Dou County is close, we can go and see, the young people go to be strong and have food, we will beg for some soup porridge, if not, we will go to relatives and friends." An old man took the case.

Sometimes it is better to ask for alms from strangers than to trouble relatives and friends.

The old woman smiled and said: "If Minzhuang is good, not only Minzhuang can eat enough, but the whole family can eat enough." ”

And this kind of thing? A group of people looked at each other suspiciously, desperate and walked around, the old man got up: "Let's go to the Dou County military camp to have a look." ”

Sleeping in the wild in the winter is also a crime, it is better to rush overnight, get to Dou County a little earlier, and drink a bowl of hot porridge earlier.

A group of people staggered to Dou County in the sunset, the old woman covered the pot, leaving a little stove to burn, if there is a passing night can borrow the fire to keep warm, and then slowly go home, the posture is old and brisk, this winter will be better for her, the business is good thanks to the blessing of the thieves in Dou County.

It's a funny world.

The chief bookkeeper of Dou County also thought so, when he saw the long queue outside the barracks and the tall porridge jar erected, he couldn't understand how it became a soup porridge when he summoned the people to suppress the bandits.

"Who are these?" He asked.

Zhang Xiaoqian, who came to greet him, pointed out in a high-spirited manner: "It's Minzhuang's family, who volunteered to help make porridge, of course, our military camp is in charge of food, these are the wounded soldiers in the barracks, although they can't kill the enemy, but they can maintain good order." ”

The chief bookkeeper turned to look at him: "I know these people, I mean, who are these people who receive porridge?" ”

Zhang Xiaoqian was stunned, looking at the long queue outside the barracks, and then realized, when did there be so many people outside the barracks? The hustle and bustle is like a market in Dou County, is it possible that the people of the entire Dou County have come to receive porridge?