Yan Yan and Wang Erlie settled in the East House. "Rely on your mother at home, and go out against the wall", the cover of Yan Yan is naturally located under the east wall. Entering the door, a bed is where Wang Erlie lives. The room was small, with two beds sandwiched between a table and an old pear chair, and only a narrow side of the room remained. Wang Erlie walked under the boat for half a day, his legs and feet were a little tired, but the seasickness was cured, his face was flushed with energy, he sat on the bed against the wall, and read intently by the oil lamp. In a blink of an eye, he saw Yan Yan holding the teacup in both hands, frowning and pondering, and said with a smile: "Fifteenth master, people say that you are cautious." I don't think it's - there are more than a dozen masters in the East Palace, more than 20 attendants, and more than 20 disciples of the Brother Clan, and they are all the same every day, looking at everyone - this business trip is a few days with you, and I feel that it is different from the temperament and behavior in the palace. You are talented and introverted, just a famous mountain collection, and you are not wooden at all. ”

"Yes! When you look at the book and think about this, you think that the great bird is coming. Yan Yan smiled, his eyes flashed, but it was only a flash, and then he became calm again, "I can't get out of business." The rules in Yuqing Palace are big, that is, teachers and students get along day and night, and they just let go of etiquette in addition to reading and writing, and if they can't see the truth, then they will be as white as new. ”[1]

He is not familiar with this Wang Erlie, Yuqing Palace is the place where the prince of Kangxi is studying, since the Yongzheng Dynasty, the rules are getting bigger and bigger, and there are systems for the size of advance and retreat, the chief master (Taifu), the young master, the waiter, and the waiter are on duty in turn. Wang Erlie is just "knowing his people", he just thinks that he is a scholar who is a scholar, these days out of Beijing, the first two days of birth, and then Wang Erlie was seasick, and the water and rice did not enter and he was unconscious, but this half-day fellow was considered to have a little chance. He originally thought that Wang Erlie was a little wooden, and when he heard Wang Erlie say that he was "wooden", this straightforwardness also made him feel good. However, after all, he is a deep person, born young and old, and he doesn't want to show too much closeness, because he said: "Get off the boat for half a day, the hot and cold world is like a world!" Seeing those officials and officials along the way, comparing this hundred miles of wasteland, how can people not be emotional? He Shen is also going to build a lot of construction in Texas and make trouble all day long! You write to Liu Yong in my name tonight, what is he doing with this Zhengqincha? Toss by and Shenhu! ”

Wang Erlie put down the book, saw the ready-made tile inkstone on the table, poured tea and polished the ink, and said in contemplation: "Fifteenth master, he is also a messenger, and I am afraid that it is not in line with etiquette to write a letter to reprimand." He Shen Xinxue was ordered to run an errand for the first time, no matter what his heart was, without Liu Yong's approval, he didn't dare to do anything, so we had to meet with them and listen to their opinions before talking. According to my knowledge, I first sent a letter to the emperor to ask for peace, and told the saint about the situation in front of me, and even recorded the notice. We arrived in Texas, and the emperor's approval also returned. It's just that this has to be folded by the fifteenth master himself. I'll just grind the ink and lay the paper for you. ”

"That's what you're talking about. That's how good it is. Yan Yan sat on the chair as he spoke, and when he saw that the pen was useless, he called Wang Xiaowu to come over and take out the pen and the fold in the jacket. He was still frugal, and when he saw the folded red silk cover gilded edges, he hesitated for a moment and said: "Just use this plain paper, and follow the points into the norm, so that the emperor will not see the sin-Xiaowu go-" He groaned and slowly wet the pen, and said slowly: "This please can be written to Lafayette and the queen...... Master Wang, I always feel that there are many things to suggest, this large area of saline-alkali land is always dangling in front of me, growing crops and grains, or really still full of yellow flowers. How nice that would be! But I don't know where to start. Wang Erlie couldn't help but be moved in his heart, among the elder brothers, he valued the eighth elder brother the most, he was talented, generous, and did not have a trace of hakama habits. Compared here, I feel that Yan Yan is pragmatic and honest, cares about the people's suffering, and is closer to himself. After a pause, Wang Erlie said, "I've been thinking about this all the way. This section of the canal is high in the south and low in the north, and if you want to release the alkaline water in Dalangdian, you have to transport it from the north canal of Qingxian County. If we want to cure it radically, we must connect the Dalangdian Lake with the ditch outside the embankment, release water from Cangxian County from the canal, and transport the alkaline water from Qingxian County, and turn the water outside into a diversion canal into living water, which is not something that can be done by a county. Qingxian County is now part of Tianjin Province, and Cangxian County is the Cangzhou Prefecture. To do this, the first thing is to put Qingxian County under the jurisdiction of Cangzhou Prefecture. Yan Yan's eyes were blazing when he heard this, and he said, "Yes! I was vague in my mind, and I didn't know who was going to take care of this. That's it. You can ask for a decree to transfer Qingxian County to the Cangzhou Prefecture, and the power will be unified. ”

Wang Erlie saw that Yan Yan was eager to try to write, and said with a smile: "Fifteenth master, there are even more difficult ones." What I just said is actually dividing this section of the canal into two. As soon as the water potential is divided, the canal boat navigation is a thing. Cangxian County further south to Dezhou, this section of the canal will be filled with more water. In order to be able to use the diversion here, the upstream canal should be dredged and widened. The alkaline water in the lower reaches of Qingxian County is transported, and the original river channel downstream should be dredged and the embankment should be reinforced. How big of a project is this? How much silver will it cost? And who will coordinate the governance? We don't know about water conservancy, so we have to ask for an order to send capable officials and officials who are proficient in water conservancy in river engineering to conduct on-the-spot surveys. In short, it is the best policy not to block the canal transportation, and to wash this section of land with living water. Yan Yan put down the pen and fell into deep thought, for a long time, and said with a smile: "It's so difficult to be happy!" While you said it, I was thinking that the drainage canal inside could be raised by the prefecture and county. I see that there are millions of acres of land, and one acre of land is sold at seven taels, and there are seven or eight million silver receipts, and even the silver for canal dredging is more than enough. Besides, it is too troublesome to wash the ground and fertilize every year as Lu Laohan said. Wang Erlie smiled: "Don't worry about this. I'm talking about 'radical cure'. As long as there is a constant flow of living water, dig a deep ditch to drain alkali, and the alkali flower cannot be flooded, it is not saline-alkali land. It can really be governed like this, the double-cropping rice here can be planted, and the fifteenth master will come to see it again in ten years, it must be the land of fish and rice! ”

"I'll write it now!" Yan Yan was excited by what he said, and his eyes flashed, "Such a good thing is the benefit of eternity." I think so, if you can get it, write it into a strip, and if you can't make it, the emperor will discuss and brainstorm ideas. This is the first thing I did when I went out of Beijing. After I write it, you will polish it - ask Wang Xiaowu to go to the front street to uncover the notice back, and the fold is attached, and the revelation is a clip and sent it in. Wang Erlie didn't say anything, sat sideways at the head of the bed, and lifted the bald pen, he also had a good memory, and the pen had memorized the notice in an instant. Yan Yan glanced at him in surprise, didn't say anything, and picked up the pen in the inkstone......

The wind outside seemed to be even more violent, with a shrill like torn cloth, and like an ape howling wolf, it swept over the roof. From time to time, the window paper shuddered as if frightened, and the drum shook one by one, and I don't know whether it was snow particles or gravel, hitting the window lattice, hitting the door panel, and rustling. I don't know how many years have passed on this small hut, and it seems that it can't withstand the raging wind, squeaking and creaking**. On a cold day in the moon, the flames of the charcoal basin are not strong, and the red is yellow, as strange and ugly as a human face that is about to return to the light. Yan Yan wrote attentively, and only after the survey and pen did he feel cold to the bone, and he was about to call Wang Xiaowu to come over to add charcoal, but he saw that the sperm pulled the wind door in, so he said: "It's very cold, add some charcoal here, and you two rooms will also clean up a little warmer-you look wrong, is something wrong?" ”

"Nothing." Ren Jingzi said, "I heard that someone in the west wing of the north courtyard is discussing bad things, come and ask the master, let's take care of it." ”

Yan Yan and Wang Erlie's eyes jumped, Yan Yan grabbed the back of the chair tightly with one hand, his face had turned pale, Wang Erlie asked, "Is it a black shop?" Is there a thief? ”

"Don't panic, gentlemen." "There are a few traffickers in that room." They discussed that the dozen or so girls they had bought here would be sold in Guangli. He said that there was a British opium dealer named Wilson who bought them at a large price, and said that he would coax them to Guangzhou first, and then sell one to earn 2,000 taels. I listened to it, and I wanted to pay tribute to the master, how kind is Lu Laohan's family, her uncle is not a person, and there are also him among the traffickers! Several traffickers laughed at him, 'My niece and nephew dare to sell it, beware of Lu Xiaohui and her mother knowing that a pair of scissors killed your dog', and he also laughed and said, 'My sister is so sick that she can't move, how can I know?' She wants to know that I sent her son to be a sidekick with a foreigner, and my daughter wore silk and satin to be an aunt's wife, and I can't thank you! 'This beast, I listened to it with hatred and itched my teeth, and I slapped this damn with one hand! ”

"There is such a thing in the Qingping world!" Yan Yan's pale face turned red all of a sudden, and he stood up as soon as he bent up, "The people who live in the front street are all Cangzhou officials, take my famous thorn, and ask me to take down the whole of their affairs!" Wang Erlie said: "This is easy, I'll do it!" The human sperm said, "No." There is also a master in it, and I heard him speak in a tone from the Cangzhou Mansion, and he came here to command the customs defense. One bite of 'our house respect', and said, 'the county also has to be dotted', they are all angry, there are more than 100 officials in the front street, and the shops are full, and they bite us back, and the ready-made loss will be eaten! ”

Wang Erlie and Yan Yan couldn't help but look at each other. The government and human traffickers are partnering to sell people, this is appalling! The room was quiet for a while, and the lights "peeled" off in the whirring wind, and Yan Yan was shocked! After a long time, Wang Erlie said: "There are only four of us, the fifteenth master has a noble status, and the white dragon fish suit, so we can't take this risk." Asked Wang Xiaowu to go to the Qincha ship, and sent an edict to call the Cangzhou prefect and Cangxian county order to come to the ship to consult, and come to Huanghua Town as a chef, the fifteenth master thinks it is so feasible? ”

"Nope." Yan Yan said coldly, "It's hard to guarantee that they are a bunch of thieves." Maybe the prefectural order is now in Huanghua Town! As soon as we learned about it, we confessed to it, but we had a reputation for chasing after the wind and shadows! So, don't move now, secretly line them. They sold people, and they always had to get on the ship to Texas, and on the way they intercepted and swept them all, uprooted them after severe torture, and handed them over to the Criminal Department for disposal. The human sperm said: "As it should be, I heard Lu Hui'er's uncle say, 'The luggage is on the boat quickly, and then the night wind is strong and the weather is cold, so I want to get warmer, and I can't get frostbite on the road.' Looks like they're leaving! Yan Yan said in surprise: "We have dinner at the Lu family." Brother and sister Hui'er don't look like they're going to leave! ”

Wang Erlie said: "Call Wang Xiaowu, guard at the door of Lu's house, and report any movement." The sperm said: "I have just gone to the North Courtyard for a while, no one has slept, more than a dozen girls are talking and laughing in the main hall of the North House, they still think that they will go to the Dezhou Shanshan Hall to work as a handyman to earn money." I asked Wang Xiaowu to go to the Lu family to guard, and I watched the middle of the night to see what the turtle grandchildren did. He's already there. ”

As he was talking, he heard the sound of footsteps in the wind outside, and Wang Xiaowu broke in. He was wrapped in an old sheepskin robe, as if he was frozen like a red-headed radish, sniffing and sneezing, and as soon as he entered the door, he said: "Ren Ye is really a ** lake, and everything is like a god!" Lu Hui'er's dog's uncle really went, knocked on the door and shouted, 'Tiancheng, Hui'er prepare luggage to get on board', and I rushed back. My lord, I really haven't seen this, and the Tianli King has no feelings! Why is it so dark in this world, and the old north wind is not so cool! ”

"Murder is forgivable, unreasonable!" Yan Yan gritted his teeth with a blow. In an instant, Wang Erlie felt that there was a strange ferocity in his coldness, and before he could speak, Yan Yan was already putting on his cloak, "Let's go, take a look!" ”

It was dark and cold outside. It seems to be sporadic drizzle, wrapped in the wind with sand grains, hitting the face and burrowing into the neck is cold and painful, although they are all heavy robes, their hearts are as if they are soaked in cold air, and they feel that the paper is as thin as the money, and the money is far away from the inn, Wang Erlie and Yan Yan's eyes adapted to the darkness, and when they saw the light blue snow on the earth, they knew that the snow had been falling for a while. At this time, it was late at night, and even the lights on the front street were withdrawn, and the lonely and empty street could only faintly hear the sound of "Bang - 柝柝柝" in the distance, which came intermittently through the wind. As he was walking, a shadow "whirred" out of the dark ground at the mouth of the alley, jumped high, like a wild dog, and pounced on Yanyan! Yan Yan was startled, raised his right hand to protect his face, and shouted, "Dog! Dog! He staggered and almost fell to the ground. The beast was about to pounce again, but the sperm of the man walking in front turned around, and there was no fancy movement, and he slapped his palm in the air, and the dog fell to the ground without humming. Yan Yan was shocked, and asked again and again: "Is it a wolf or a dog?" Is it a wolf or a dog? ”

"It's a wolf." "It's a hungry wolf." What bite is counted, and it doesn't hurt the master? "Nope." Yan Yan said in a trembling voice, "It's just that I almost left the true soul - this beast is bold, I walked inside, and it came to bite me through Master Wang!" Wang Erlie said: "Wolves bite the faint of heart." I have autumn grain from my hometown, the whole family guards in the open air, the adults sleep outside, and the children sleep in the human circle. "Wild wolves always jump into circles and hurt people - there is no sperm tonight, and I will not be able to atone for this sin!" Thanks to your good means, my feet are soft now! The human sperm laughed: "I don't want to prevent wolves from getting into the town!" The master fed me five catties of meat for a meal, and I couldn't afford to hurt a single hair. ”

While speaking, he had arrived at the door of the Lu family's shop, and sure enough, he saw the lights flashing in the house, and there seemed to be three or four people talking inside, and the human sperm looked through the door, and came back and whispered: "In addition to Xiaohui's uncle, there are two other people, like human traffickers, who are helping their brothers and sisters pick up their luggage." Master, you say, do you want to take it? Yan Yan asked, "Can you deal with them?" The human sperm smiled silently and said: "The thirty people in this role are not my opponents, I am afraid that I will alarm the officials all over the street, and it will be a big mess if I hurt the master." ”

"Don't be afraid." Yan Yan's pupils shimmering in the cloak, "I've made up my mind on the way, and it doesn't matter if there's a big fuss." I'm going to see what the prefectural officials here are. Wang Erlie thought that it was the best way to contact the Qinchazao ship according to the right reason, but somehow, he wanted to see the courage of this elder brother, so he stepped forward and knocked on the door without saying a word.

It was Lu Laohan who came to open the door, and when he saw that it was the four of them, the old man was ignorant for a while, looked at Yan Yan with a confused face, and asked: "It's the middle of the night, and the masters rushed back again, what's the matter?" The first three people were sitting at the dinner table, one was holding a tile stove and drinking tea to keep warm, and one of them, a man in his forties, like the "uncle", waved his hand in a vicious voice and said: "No matter if you stay and eat, there is no place here!" Go somewhere else, go somewhere else! ”

"We have something to tell you." Wang Erlie nodded to Lu Laohan, squeezed in sideways, and then Yan Yan, human sperm, and Wang Xiaowu also came in. The wind wrapped the flakes of snow and immediately followed, blowing a soybean oil lamp flickering and swaying. The "uncle" looked up with a brick knife face and asked, "Who are you?" Does this make sense - breaking into someone's house in the middle of the night? ”

Yan Yan pressed his gaze towards him and asked:

"You're Hui'er's uncle?"

"So what?"

"What's your name?"

"Ye Yongan!"

"What do you do in Texas for a living?"

"The procurement of Hengchang Mao warehouse!"

"What are you buying? Where to procure? ”

"Raw silk, tea, rhubarb, silk, porcelain, magenta, indigo, what to make money to procure, Beijing, Nanjing, Tianjin, where to make money! How? Who are you? ”

Yan Yan suddenly paused. After all, he was only fifteen years old, he had just entered the world, and he had never experienced anything, and when he saw the man under the lamp, his eyes were fierce and fierce, and his mouth was full of sharp teeth, and the two men sitting next to him were also full of anger, staring at him with hideous faces, as if they were about to pounce on him at any time. Suddenly, there was a horror in my heart, and I couldn't ask what I was talking about! Wang Erlie took a step forward, snorted, and said, "We are from the government!" I ask you, how much money have you sold your niece and nephew? Sold to whom? ”

Even the old lady of the Lu family, who was arranging for her children to go on the road in the house, heard this question, and went out of the outhouse with the Hui'er brothers and sisters. Lu Laohan was dumbfounded, and his eyes widened suddenly. The family of four stood at the door and stared at the "uncle", and then looked at Yan Yan and the others, I don't know if it was a dream or real. Half a day, the old lady asked tremblingly: "Uncle, do you dare to lose another gamble in Texas and sell my children?" ”

"There's nothing - sister, don't listen to these turtles talking nonsense!" Ye Yongan smiled on his face, turned his face to Wang Erlie and said, "Lao Tzu ran a single gang at the age of thirteen, and he has been a ** lake for thirty years!" I have also seen a few masters who knock on mountains and shake tigers to cheat money and cheat money, where is you so bold! Are you from the government? Ask him who the two are—" he pointed his finger, "his name is Si Xiaozu, he is from the prefect's yamen, and his name is Tang Huancheng, and he is from the Dezhou Yansi Yamen!" Dare to ask which yamen you belong to? ”

"No matter which yamen you belong to, it is a capital crime to abduct and sell people to foreign countries!" Seeing him boasting about his identity, Yan Yan suddenly became emboldened, and the halberd hand designated Ye Yongan, "With your dog's butt appearance, dare to ask me where I come from?" Bah! Get it for me! ”

He said the word "take", the human sperm "chirped" and agreed, a leap rushed up, his left foot hit the ground, his right palm was as fast as lightning, the Huang family's famous stunt "messing up the plum blossom spectrum" - I couldn't see what the technique was, Si Xiaozu Tang Huancheng and Ye Yongan didn't even move, they had been clicked on the acupoints, and they all fell to the ground, as if they were twisted into a ball! Ye Yongan seemed to know a little effort, struggled a few times, and stood up with a straight horse riding and squatting on the crotch, but his upper body couldn't move, and he shouted at the top of his voice: "Rabbit cubs will see!" I dare to provoke Lao Tzu on this ground with your eight generations of ancestors! The human sperm laughed fiercely, split his chest and lifted him, a cold steel wrist knife was compared to his lips, and said: "Our master has something to ask, you will kill a pig again, and your tongue will be gouged out for you - huh?!" ”

"Did you see the canal fleet here during the day? We are fifteen of the Elder Brothers. Wang Erlie said to the stunned Lu Laohan family, "These animals, as well as your brother-in-law, are not human!" We heard in the Qian family shop that you are going to sell your children to Guangzhou to wait for foreigners, and your son will be your follower, and your daughter will be your little mother-in-law—are you willing? ”

Lu Laohan trembled his lips, his white eyes were particularly dazzling under the lamp, staring at Ye Yongan, and asked for a while: "Yong'an, do you really do this?" You owe other people's gambling debts and escaped, I will pay it for you, you sell my boy and daughter? Ye Yongan said: "Brother-in-law, am I that kind of person?" I'm a child's uncle! "Na Lu knows his brother's personality very well, and he already believes it. She was suffering from a leg disease, and she had been carried by her children, and as soon as she broke free and wanted to pounce on her, she fell to the ground, sat down on the spot, clapped her hands and slapped her knees, and cried: "God...... How can you put a human skin on him for nothing! The eldest sister is angry, the third sister is angry, and you come to practice your second sister again...... You're so ruthless...... Ho ho ...... It's really not a life......"

The Hui'er siblings were stunned by this sudden change at first, confused, and just stayed with their hands. The hairy boy woke up at this moment, rushed over and grabbed a kitchen knife, gritted his teeth and pounced: "No wonder you said you went to Texas and Guangzhou!" It is said that Guangzhou is only a dozen miles away from Texas, and at that time I will earn more than a dozen taels of silver a month, wear silk and satin, and take my parents to enjoy happiness! You - old dog! As he spoke, he was about to use a knife to chop, but he was grabbed by the sperm and couldn't move. Yan Yan said: "The county officials who live here are all over the street, Xiao Wuzi go and call their heads over!" A word reminded the person named Si Xiaozu, and he tilted his body and shouted, "That's right! Call our people to clean up these turtle grandchildren! As he was talking, he heard someone moving outside, as if a few people were talking and laughing recently, and one of them slapped the door panel and shouted: "Lao Ye, how did you get it?" Haven't packed it yet? Tell us to wait first on the embankment, and you will drink tea here and hold the stove - dare to love the warmth in this house! ”

"Old money!" Ye Yongan suddenly shouted loudly, "Go and call the people of the yamen - there are robbers here!" Si Xiaozu and Tang Huancheng, who were lying crookedly on the ground, also straightened their necks and shouted: "Help!" The old man outside seemed to be stunned for a moment, squinting through the crack in the board, and was pulled open by the sperm, and the eagle pulled into the house like a chicken. He was very clever, and a carp jumped up and shouted, "Grandma! There really are thieves! Wu Chenggui, Tian Dafa - call someone quickly! There are thieves here! The two people who came with them knew that it was not a joke, and they jumped to their feet and shouted loudly, "There is a thief" crackling all the way, and they could still hear their ghostly howls from afar: "There are robbers in Lu's shop-take the thief......" In an instant, the town lost its peace, the sound of the door, the barking of dogs, and the shouting of the chirping were noisy, and the loud gongs in the distance were also sifted to the sound of a mountain......

None of the people in this house had survived the battle, and they had stayed in the area for a while. The human sperm said: "I saw that these bitches raised through the yamen." Master, the single person will not suffer the immediate loss, you and Master Wang will go, and Xiao Wuzi and I will stay and fight a lawsuit with them. The big ship is against the current, and our people have not gone far! Wang Erlie said: "We are not familiar with the road, and it is impossible to go out and trespass." Xiao Wuzi and you go to chase the boat, I and the master are here to resist, forgive them and they don't dare to do anything to us! Xiao Wuzi stood up and said, "I'll go by myself!" Human sperm protects the master from suffering, and it will be clear that our people will come and crush them! After arguing like this, Yan Yan also came to his senses and said, "That's it—little Wuzi goes!" Xiao Wuzi didn't wait to say more, and ran away.

In two clicks, the tip of the needle pointed to Mai Mang's "Yamen", and the Lu family's original "understanding" was confused again. Lu Laohan looked at the two groups of people, and then looked at his own family, and held back a sentence for a while: "These three masters, you make this one, our small family really can't afford it." What do you do for a living? Xiaohui was very smart, and said on the side: "Dad, you don't ask." Look at this young master, a little older than me, can he be the king of the stockade? If they are robbers, why don't they all go away and leave them for someone to take them? Ye Yongan scolded beside him: "Little cunt Nizi, you know a fart, you don't have an adult's elbow to turn out!" This is the big thief of Jiang Yang, and the person just reported the news - he took a fancy to you and wanted to rob you to go up the mountain to be the wife of the village, and you fucking helped him talk! After saying a few words, Hui'er blushed, and when she turned her eyes to look at Yan Yan, Yan Yan was also looking over, her eyes were facing each other, she hurriedly lowered her head, and said, "Anyway, I don't believe you are a good person!" At this moment, seven people are eyeing each other, the Lu family is discolored, eleven people are crowded in a room and frozen, just like the wood carving clay sculpture in the temple, there is already a noise of people outside, a torch and lantern, enough more than 200 people surrounded here.

"Remove all the door panels." When the matter came, he calmed his heart and ordered, "This uncle, you must have a few more candles - Master Wang, you come to answer them and reveal your identity." ”

Wang Erlie has been beating the drum in his heart, he is most afraid that this group of officials will rush in, and in the dark night, they will not be able to distinguish a swarm of bees from each other, then I really don't know what kind of catastrophe will happen. Who knew that these officials who were eating official meals heard that there were "robbers and robbers", but they just stood and shouted from a distance because of how brave they were, and they did not dare to take the lead, and they already felt a little settled in their hearts. At this moment, the façade is wide open, and four or five candles are lit in the house, the inside and outside are bright and snowy, and the whole body is bathed in the melting light and is motionless, and the momentum of the dragon and phoenix grandson is magnificent, graceful and reserved, and he can't help but be secretly surprised and admired, so he hit a thousand children under the lamp, got up and bowed and walked out of the store slowly.

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent, and hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at the middle-aged man bathed in the lights, coughing up phlegm, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm Wang Erlie, the editor of the Beijing Hanlin Academy." Wang Erlie opened his mouth and reported his identity, "In the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong, the first Jinshi and the first. ”

There was a slight commotion in the crowd, and all the officials were stunned, looking at the men who were wrapped in snowflakes and the wind and standing still, some of them exchanged heads, some were amazed, and some were full of suspicion - "Who is the robber in this room?" "This is a Hanlin? I don't see - what does that young man do? Give him a thousand more! "I think so! Is it a thief waiting for us to get it? "Hey, the one who was left in the ground looks like Master Si!" "It's him, I think it's him, it seems that there is Master Tang......" "That stunned boy looks like a robber, look at his posture!" …… In the midst of the buzzing discussions, Wang Erlie said loudly again: "Who is the prefect of Cangzhou here?" Is the prefectural order coming? Please come out and speak! ”

After shouting a few times, no one answered, people just looked at each other, and I don't know who screamed in the crowd: "Our Gaofu is in Widow Liu's house, and we are sleeping and sleeping, so we can't come!" As soon as the words fell, it immediately caused a burst of laughter among the officials, some grinning their teeth, some leaning forward and backwards, and some holding water and fire sticks to pick their teeth to watch the excitement. The Si Xiaozu lying on the ground was anxious, twisted his body and raised his head and scolded: "Yin Shuqing, Master Yin!" Didn't you see that I was like this? Is Niang Xipi here to take the thief or to joke! He couldn't even speak Shaoxing in a hurry, and the first few people in front of him who seemed to be county officials still couldn't stop laughing. was making a fuss, and when I heard a change in the crowd behind the team, someone shouted, "Master Yin is here!" Then I heard a loud voice shouting from behind: "You Huaiqing, you lead people from the left side, Yu Chaoshui, you from the middle, up!" The crowd immediately swarmed for a while, and the people in front of them gave way to a human alley. More than 30 officials rolled their arms, rolled up their sleeves, carried ropes, dragged ropes, raised knives and dragged sticks, shouted and drank each other, and emboldened each other, "Take the thief and get a reward!" "Save the master!" The momentum swooped up.

"Who of you dares!" The human sperm suddenly roared like thunder, holding the Si Xiaozu in one hand, and "carrying" it out like a cotton bag, and stood next to the stone stake in front of the door and shouted, "Everyone listen! I'm the fifteenth prince's guard! Tell your chief officer to come out, and we will reason with your chief officer! If any of you want to commit the sin of destroying the door, just come! Who dares to walk over this hitching stake, look! He stretched out his left wrist and slashed at the stake with his palm. The top of the pile with a big head was unloaded with a "boom" - this is the example! ”

The officials who walked in front exclaimed, "My mother! "Standing up again, the people behind are still bluffing", ah, up...... Ahh "Quick...... Hurry up and call the people of the Green Camp to come ......" in a mess of nonsense. After about an hour, the acupuncture points on the master surnamed Tang were untied, and he suddenly jumped up, raised his two arms and shouted: "My salt administration has a reward for silver, and these three thieves will reward three thousand taels for holding one!" And one ran to the embankment, and took the reward of five thousand—brothers, there are only three of them, and we are going to get rich! ”

He jumped and screamed hysterically as if he was crazy, and for a while he made a fuss about Yan Yan and Wang Erlie, when he went up to catch him, where could he be subdued? For a while, there was a lot of chaos in the house, and the sperm couldn't take care of the outside, and even the town bluffing and shouting was always useless. The more than 200 people immediately broke up in the camp, and rushed up like a tide with a shout of "oh"! At this time, all the red candles in the house were extinguished. It became pitch black, and I saw countless torches wandering in a chaotic manner outside the door. Yan Yan was so anxious that he shouted: "Wang Erlie! Being drowned out by the voice of the voice at all, the sound of ping-pong slamming the door and hitting the window was blackened, and he rushed out several times and was squeezed back, and in a panic, he felt that his arm was being held, and the voice of the sperm said in his ear: "Master, don't panic, I will protect your driving - let's go out through the back door." I felt that my body was light and fluttering, and my eyes brightened up when I entered the backyard, and the human sperm did not say anything. After walking a long way, Wu Zi saw the torches dancing in the courtyard of the Lu family, and heard people shouting: "Search door to door!" Go to the intersection to guard it, and catch ...... in the field."

"You can't stay here for long." Seeing the torches scattered, some of them gathered around this side, wiped the cold sweat on their faces and said, "Master, please look, they set the house on fire, and if you don't get the ...... we won't stop" When Yan Yan looked at it, he saw that the Lu family's courtyard had caught fire, and the fire had already gone up to the eaves, he was shocked, angry and strange in his heart: "What does this have to do with the Lu family, why do you want to burn down the people's house?" The human sperm smiled bitterly: "Master is in the Forbidden City of the Deep Palace, how can you know about these lawless things outside!" One is to plant a false accusation for you, and the other is to make the case a robbery, and the reward for the theft is several times more than that of the thief! The guy surnamed Tang is willing to pay, these people are all crazy, this will be red-eyed, what can't be done? ”

The two of them were one foot high and one foot low, not distinguishing between east and west, north and south, regardless of ravines and ditches, and only ran for their lives, and it took half an hour to stop. The human sperm looked around in this area and said, "Master, we have encountered a ghost hitting the wall!" ”

"What?" The hairs on Yan Yan's body exploded into the forest, "What the hell? The human sperm said: "It's a common thing for people to walk the night road - we have turned back to Huanghua Town - I begged for food a few times when I was a child." The more anxious I was, the more I couldn't turn out, thinking it was a ghost. Uncle Master told me no. He said that mortals have one leg long and one leg slightly shorter, and they can't see it when they walk during the day, and they can't walk straight when they walk in the wilderness at night. It's bent, and when you bend it in a circle, you go back to where you came from...... You see, isn't that the chimney of the Qian family's bee shop? The one in the east who is smoking is not the Lu family? ”

Yan Yan looked at his fingers and recognized it. It turned out that the roof was white at the moment, and it was connected with the thin snow on the ground, even during the day, the weather was confused and difficult to discern the direction, and there was no one who didn't get lost in the night. A gust of wind swept over with snow flakes, and Yan Yan felt cold in front of her heart and back, and her underwear was wet with sweat and uncomfortable on her body. Seeing that there was no one outside the town, a desert, the town was shiny and shiny, the chickens barked and the dogs barked, and there was a knock on the door from time to time, it was expected that Si Xiaozu's people were still searching, Yan Yan's heart tightened, and he hesitated: "It was too chaotic at that time, Master Wang came out, I think they must have eaten them...... Xiao Wuzi didn't know if he had escaped or not...... "The human sperm was silent for a while, and said, "I'm worried that Master Wang is afraid that it will fall into their hands." The one surnamed Tang paid 5,000 silver, and Xiao Wuzi couldn't escape. He paused for a moment and said, "I've been wandering the rivers and lakes for more than 20 years, and it's the first time I've encountered such a thing. That's too bold! Are they really not afraid of raiding their homes and destroying their homes? ”

"It can be seen how lawless these officials are below!" Yan Yan was blown by the wind and shivered all over his body, and he stroked his hands and said, "The chief official is not in front of him, and there is money to be gained, so don't think about anything else." I expect that if they don't get it, we'll be in a mess. It sounds like the reputation of the county order here is good, and things will be known until dawn. Seeing him shrink and shiver, the human sperm looked around, pointed to the northwest and said, "There is a shack there, so that it can shelter the wind, master, I see that you are a little cold and unbearable." Yan Yan heard no words, but his body slowly collapsed, like a snowman thawed by the sun, and finally couldn't support it, and fell to the ground silently!

"Master! Fifteen masters! The human sperm screamed and pounced, shook his body gently, pinched the middle of the person and felt the pulse, and asked again and again, "What's wrong with you?" What's wrong with you? He was flustered and at a loss, he was already frightened and half of his body was scared, and shouted with a crying voice: "Wake up, ......" Just as he didn't know when, Yan Yan moved, and said in a weak voice: "This is ...... Malaria children are guilty of ...... It's really not the right time......" The human sperm felt a little relieved, and said in his ear: "I will carry you and settle in the shack." Then I went into town and tried to get medicine. With that, he picked up Yan Yan and left. As soon as he walked to the entrance of the shack, he had not yet stepped into it, and suddenly heard someone inside shouting: "Who? If you dare to come in, I'll kill you with scissors! ”

Unexpectedly, there was someone hiding here, and he stepped back and exited for more than a foot, paused and thought about it, and asked softly, "Is it Lu Hui'er?" How did you end up here? ”

"Who are you?"

"I'm ...... Guests who will eat at your house the next night......"

"What are you holding?"

"It's our head of the house...... He suffered from epilepsy[2]

……”

Hui'er was silent for a while, then sighed softly and said, "Alas...... Come in......"

This is the shack used by the croppers to see the autumn, the ground is paved with straw, two rows of sorghum straw bundles are built into a "human" shape, and the north tuyere is also blocked with sorghum straw. Although it is also a wind leak, when I first came in from outside, I suddenly felt a warmth on my body. The human sperm put the Yan Yan flat against the east, gathered up the straw to cover the air leakage on the wall, took off his robe and covered it for him without saying a word, took a breath, and said, "This is the only way for now." It would be nice to be able to get some hot water......" Hui'er had been sitting on the north side of the west wall and watching him manipulate, as if she was thinking about something, and asked for a long time, "Who are you?" Now the town is going door to door to get you! If you are a good person, why did the yamen arrest you? If it's a bad guy, why don't you go far and fly high? The human sperm said: "Do you think that what the yamen takes must be a villain?" To tell you the truth, you have to kowtow when you see our lord! If it weren't for your family, why would this incident be invited? ”

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to bring such a big deal to us." Hui'er sighed and said, "They said that my father was a bandit, and the five flowers were tied up, and the house was burned, and my brother didn't know where to flee with my mother behind his back...... They also came to turn over this shack twice...... It's dawning, and you can't hide your ...... here." "Our people have arrived, teach them all to die without a place to be buried!" I'm afraid of our master...... It's good to have hot water now......"

Hui'er didn't squeak when she heard it, and the human sperm didn't speak: Where to ask for hot water at this time? After a while, Hui'er stood up with her clothes staggered, seemed to hesitate, and then walked out, and the human sperm asked abruptly, "Where are you going?" Hui'er said: "Listen to him breathe out and inhale quickly and heavily, like a fever!" My godmother lives over there, and my godfather also has a malaria root, so I went to ask for some water, maybe there is medicine...... Are you afraid that I'm going to report the news—can we make it together? "The human sperm touched the forehead of the man, and he really felt hot, his pulse was so rapid that he couldn't distinguish it, he was breathing, and his body was twitching from time to time...... Thinking that it was really not a matter to stay here, his heart turned to the unconscious Yan Yan: "Master, we have to go out, I will carry you into the town." Feel relieved...... If someone touches you, I'll kill you! With that, he wrapped his robe around and hugged him like a baby. Yan Yan snorted on his shoulder, and the human sperm hurriedly asked, "What do you think?" Yan Yan only said "I have a headache and I'm going to blow up...... and then crooked, and the human sperm didn't say anything, and followed Hui'er to stride towards the town......

At this time, the snow on the ground has been two inches thick, the streets of the town reflect the snow, it is very easy to distinguish the road, and after a while, I came to a house, which is also the earthen wall of the thatched house in the small courtyard of Chaimen, Hui'er stood still, opened from the crack in the door, turned around and whispered: "My godfather has gotten up, he is a handlebar type, feeding the cattle to the owner." Nunu, the human sperm, said, "Knock on the door." ”

A knock on the door alarmed the old man inside, and while opening the door and leaving the hospital, he said to himself: "What's the matter tonight, knocking on the door five times?" - Who is it? Xiaohui said through the door: "Godfather-it's me, Xiaohui." The door squeaked open, and the old man looked back at Xiaohui for a long time and said, "Didn't your family recruit thieves?" Your uncle came to look for you. Who's behind you? ”

"This is not the place to talk." Xiao Hui pushed the door into the courtyard as she spoke, beckoned the human sperm to come in too, and walked into the east wing, and then said to the human sperm, "This is my godfather, surnamed Huang, everyone here calls him Huang Laoqi, who is driving for the Qian family's compound - godfather, will you get up and feed the cattle sooner or later?" These two gentlemen are guests from Beijing, and they ran to me last night when they met a thief - it's a long story, this man has old epilepsy, and he pours a mouthful of hot soup and hot water regardless of what, you have a decoction of medicine for epilepsy and take a look, and leave at dawn. ”

Huang Laoqi stared at the two of them with a wrinkled face, and said: "Let's be on this bed first, cover the quilt and sweat, this kind of sick child Hua Tuo Ye can't do it - your uncle came back and said that he was going to leave immediately, and your mother prepared dry food for him in the back room...... In recent years, there are still missionaries in the official palace and yamen of the horse thieves, and they have confused people, and they can't tell which is the good and the bad, and which nest has good people and bad people...... When Kangxi Lafayette was in charge of the world, where did these things come from? Alas......" he nagged and went out to get firewood.

Ye Yongan is also leaving! Human Sperm and Hui'er were stunned for a moment, but there were too many strange and confused things this night, and the two of them simply didn't think about him, and waited for Yan Yan to lie down, and Hui'er kept adding firewood to make a fire with her hands and feet, burning the fire and decocting the medicine. Huang Laoqi's wife is very virtuous, and he also nested two poached eggs, and carefully ordered a bowl of noodles, the room was suddenly steaming, and Yan Yan was just cold at first, and he was still fighting with his upper teeth and teeth fighting with three layers of being covered, and his headache was as if he was about to crack, and he was full of delirium, and he called for a while: "Amma!" After a while, he called: "Eniang! After a while, he muttered to himself: "Master Wang...... I can't practice my words as well as starlings...... Amma said it twice...... "After drinking the medicine and feeding half a bowl of noodles, I came back to my senses, my face was flushed and I lay down with my eyes closed, and my breathing was steady." After a long time, he opened his eyes and asked softly, "Little Renzi...... Where are we, guys? Xiaohui ...... Why is Xiaohui here? The human sperm smiled and said, "Master, don't think so much, rest for a while." We've got a good guy. Yan Yan nodded, looked at Xiao Hui, and said, "My survey, seal, and manuscript are all in Qian Jiami...... Bee shop...... Gotta get the idea...... It's hard to fall into the hands of the gangsters......"

As he was talking, he heard footsteps outside. Xiao Hui's face suddenly turned extremely pale, and said, "My uncle is here, what should I do?" ”

[1]

"Zou Yang to Liang Xiaowang Book" Chinese, which means to work together and get along until old age, still as strange as when they just met.

[2]

Epilepsy is malaria, also known as "pendulum".