The whole large area of the wharf is a place where the eight immortals cross the sea to show their magical powers, and the stalls have good mouths that can tell the dead to live, and the performers also have more superb skills than other places.

Among them, there are also women who pretend to be charming, like a flower butterfly, holding a handkerchief and shuttling among the men, Xie Wan knows that these are the kiln sisters in the kilns with colorful signboards along the river, most of them are girls in the northern class, because of the lack of cultural literacy, compared to the southern class in the Goolan Hutong, which is much more talented and beautiful.

But these people are not ordinary people can deal with, there are not a few in your pocket, if you rashly flirt, those turtle slaves who have good skills hidden in the crowd will rush up and beat you to death for eating other people's tofu.

Therefore, there are many people who play fairy jumping, and often some people think that they can hold a beauty for a while with a few dollars in their pockets, but they end up with both people and money, and they have to be beaten and blackmailed. Whether this is true or false depends on whether you have the ability to distinguish between them, or whether you have the luck to meet the real thing.

However, I heard that the kilns along the river are now standardized, and those who start to do business have unwritten rules, so that people who are accustomed to Fengyue can see through the truth at a glance, so as to avoid the group of people who play fairy jumping from disrupting the market. But I don't know exactly what it is, but it should be much better.

In addition to these, there are not too many other women from good families, some of them are also troupes that help go to the countryside to visit households, or those who drag their families to perform arts. The rest also included women who came to sell melon seeds and peanuts with baskets.

Most of the people shuttling back and forth are men dressed in short costumes, five big and three thick, with fierce expressions. Many of them look like they're used to it.

There are also some weaker ones, which should be shipwrights or coolies. Most of them were in groups, staring at the ass of the women passing by and laughing. While speaking foul language. Although most of them are also from poor backgrounds, because they are attached to the Cao Gang to live, these coolies have gradually formed a team similar to ruffians and hooligans, and have lost the original authenticity of the people at the bottom.

So when they saw that the weak and powerless would bully them, and when they saw the person with a small colorful flag in their hands, or the person with a dragon's head on their waist, their expressions immediately became solemn again.

Well-dressed people with no special signs are often merchants who come to pick up food. These people became the prime targets of extortion by the ruffians.

The people in the Cao Gang are actually not obvious, although the person with the dragon head card on his waist obviously indicates that he is a member of the gang. But she was only a low-level leader in charge of the help on the dock, and Xie Wan couldn't name it, but along the way, she could always rely on the convenience of children not being noticed, and noticed that there were always vigilant eyes shuttling around in the crowds.

The Cao Gang is responsible for the transportation of the entire Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and it is a semi-official gang, not to mention how wide their sphere of influence is, only that the dock is mixed, and the gangs and factions do not seem to be good at stubble. But they are safe and sound, and this kind of management method is very admirable.

Xie Wan had no intention of dealing with the Cao Gang Helmsman, she just needed someone who could connect her with someone in the gang. It would be enough to be able to take her deal and deliver the food safely for her.

She watched juggling in the company of Luo Sheng and them, and watched the Jianghu people performing arts. After giving a few more money to the little beggar who had come up, he went to the stall with the ring.

Along the way, she noticed someone in the crowd patrolling the entire dock. But he didn't know that he had fallen into the eyes of others.

In a row of two-story wooden buildings on the left side of the pier, there are eyes in the windows. Stared at her with her hands on her sleeves and Shen Tian holding a few rattan trap porcelain dolls.

"Who is she?"

Someone next to him replied: "It seems that it is a merchant who came to Beijing to do business, and the old man is her father." Next to her was her brother. ”

"Merchant?" The pair of yin owl's eyes narrowed, "Ordinary girls see these ninth-rate scenes, which one is not so frightened that she shrinks her hands and feet and wants to go back?" Look at her, she hasn't even moved her eyebrows from beginning to end, and this concentration is difficult for ordinary men to have.

"Look again, where she goes, don't the people around her protect her in the middle? And the father you call her, you have to ask her in a low voice every time you do something, with a humble and respectful demeanor, is there such a father in the world who is low and small? ”

When the person next to him heard this, he was immediately speechless.

He snorted, spun the iron ball in his hand, and looked out the window again. "Let's go and find out. It's the end of the year, don't be the one sent by the Protector to make an unannounced visit. ”

When the people next to him heard this, they immediately beckoned a few people and went downstairs quietly.

Shen Tian threw ten rings, and hit a big red porcelain golden boy and a porcelain winter melon. Luo Ju only got a fox-shaped porcelain spoon.

Both of them gave the loot to Xie Wan, who was watching the battle with his sleeves folded.

Luo Sheng looked around and said, "It's time to go back, right?" It's not getting early. ”

Xie Wan also saw that it was almost there, and just because he had this intention, he asked Shen Tian to take the porcelain in his hand, turned around and prepared to go home.

After only a few steps, a palm-sized object suddenly fell in front of his heels, Xie Wan avoided it and stepped on it under his feet.

Before she had time to bow her head, there were already four or five more tall men in front of her, led by beards, but they were wearing a very elaborate brocade robe with a slanted collar, the cuffs were tightly tied, and their eyes were fixed on her.

Luo Sheng and the others immediately protected her in the middle, and exuded a tense aura that was easy to feel.

The people of the Cao Gang. These words popped into her head.

But what are the Cao Gang looking for her?

Her mind spun quickly, and she found that the people around her didn't notice them much,—— the people who begged for a living on the docks all year round were the ones who knew the Cao Gang the most, and since they were indifferent, it seemed that the meaning of this gang's trouble was not very obvious.

She had never dealt with anyone in the gang before, and she didn't know how they behaved, so she could only guess their intentions from these references.

She smiled at the beard.

The beard didn't move.

She bent down and picked up the dragon head card under her feet.

"It's such a beautiful brand, but it's a pity that it's dirty, I'm really embarrassed." She took out the handkerchief, wiped it carefully, and then held it with both hands and handed it out, "Uncle, I'm sorry." ”

There was a bit of apology in her bright smile, like a child who had done something wrong to please adults.

And she was meant to be a child......

Seeing her like this, the beard's furrowed brow moved imperceptibly.

It's the end of the year, and no one wants to have an accident. He originally just wanted to scare her, let her show some flaws, and see if she was the protector of the country, but he didn't expect her to be heartless, just like never knowing that there was such a thing as death in the world, to please him.

If it had been a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, he would have had her thrown into the river.

If it was a boy about her age, he would have thrown him on the boat to carry a few days' rations.

Although the protector of the country cannot afford to offend, those who do not know are not guilty. The master said that as long as there are no dead people, they are not afraid.

But she is a young girl, and she seems to be very innocent.

The beard doesn't know how to pity the fragrance and cherish the jade, but if he tortures a little girl like this, it will also make his colleagues disdainful.

"Uncle?"

Xie Wan tilted his head, shouted coquettishly, and stretched out his hand a little.

The beard returned to his senses, staring at her with her eyes wide open.

He has a bit of weight on the dock, and ordinary people see him even if they don't respect the title of "Seventh Master" and avoid the road. She didn't shy away from it, she didn't seem to be afraid, and there was no special surprise in her eyes when she saw him, maybe she didn't even know who he was. If it was someone who had a ghost in her heart, how could she not be afraid of him?

Forget it, he still has to mix in the rivers and lakes, in case it gets out, whoever stabs him in the boat, then he doesn't have to stay in the gang for the rest of his life.

He glared at her, reached out for the sign, and strode away.

There were exhalations one after another around them, and Luo Sheng and the others were so frightened that they almost fainted.

"Girl, let's go!"

Xie Wan was hugged by them and walked out of the dock, and the heart that had been mentioned in his throat gradually fell back into his stomach.

It's not that she's not afraid, but she's just guessing the situation and betting that they won't dare to cause trouble at this time.

The end of the year is not only a time for the court officials to evaluate their official performance, but also a critical moment related to the operation of the Cao Gang in the next year, and they will not embarrass her too much at this time. Although I don't know why they were targeted, but after all, I was shocked, if they really made a move, their own gang simply didn't have the slightest power to fight back, which was very disadvantageous.

She had something in mind, and it was only when she returned to the noodle shop and got into the car that she gradually regained her mind.

The beard returned to the wooden building and explained the situation as it was.

"It's just an ordinary little girl with a lot of curiosity, and she doesn't see anything wrong. Moreover, the little one thought that even if the protector wanted to send someone to pay an unannounced visit, he would not send a little girl over. ”

There was a soft snort in the shadows of the room, and then one hand brushed the window open, and the daylight shone on a handsome angular face.

"He has been guarding the border for many years and is familiar with the art of war and tactics, what tricks can't he use?" After saying that, he closed the window again: "I have to go home, you go and see where they have gone, if there is nothing suspicious, you don't have to come back to me." ”

The bearded leader was ordered to go downstairs.

Xie Wan returned to the inn, and after Yuxue waited for him to use a bowl of hot soup, he kept Luo Sheng's father and son and Wu Xing Shentian.

"I paid attention to it today, and found that the management near the pond was in good order, I thought it was the people of the Cao Gang, but then I thought about it and felt that it was not, but where there are officers and soldiers stationed everywhere in the wharf and river port, how can this pond be the important place of the Jingshi wharf, and not a single soldier has ever seen it? I know that there are people in charge of the affairs of Caoyun, but do you know who it is now? ”

In her previous life, she had never thought about it, so she didn't pay attention to this information, and now she realized that she didn't know much about it. (To be continued.) )