Taibai Mansion.

"Cookbread, cookbread ......"

"Selling sugar gourds, rock sugar gourds ......"

"Uncle, come on......"

Zhang Chu sat alone in the empty lobby of an inn, plucking the tea cup with his fingertips with one hand, and holding his chin with the other hand to look at the world outside the window.

Although the market gas is noisy and tacky, it is better to be fresh and down-to-earth.

It is enough to dilute the evil spirit of war and some unrealistic illusions.

Good iron must be counterheated, repeatedly forged, and repeatedly quenched to be able to precipitate enough rigidity and toughness.

Sun Si'er led a large number of brothers into the lobby.

"Helper, the cash of the silver number needs time to be dispatched, and only 50,000 taels have been taken out. “

"Knock, knock, knock. ”

A mouthful of large iron boxes lined up in the lobby.

Zhang Chu turned his head, and the men standing around these large iron boxes immediately opened the boxes, revealing boxes of silver ingots of different sizes and shapes.

With so much silver, he didn't say anything about covering the door of the inn with a vote of killing embryos, and he was exposed in broad daylight with such a big thorn.

It seemed to smell the smell of silver, and in a few snaps of his fingers, a large number of pedestrians rushed to the door of the inn, holding the door and stretching their necks to look into the lobby...... It's not that they don't want to enter the inn, but the two bright steel knives and two smiling faces make them dare not stretch their feet into the lobby.

The suppressed exclamations and the sound of swallowing saliva resounded.

The greedy gaze seemed to make the lobby warm up several degrees.

Their reactions reflected Zhang Chu's unfluctuating heart more and more obviously, like a mirror lake.

He retracted his gaze and said lightly: "That's fine, 50,000 taels today, another 50,000 taels tomorrow, they can play a little longer." ”

"Yes, helper...... Then the subordinate will go to work. ”

Sun Si'er bowed and said.

Zhang Chu glanced at him, "Go to the rudder by yourself and find the two branch masters of Qingye Hall and Houtu Hall to accompany you, don't be left behind." “

Sun Si'er didn't feel that his gang leader was beating himself, and said with a "hehe" smile: "Who wants to dirty me with this bit of broken silver, you don't believe it!"

Zhang Chu let out an inexplicable "heh", leaned back slowly, leaned back on the back of his head, looked at the floor above, and said lightly: "You have spent more time in the past two days, take care of the brothers, you can play, but don't give me any angry moths." ”

He said it lightly, but Sun Si'er's heart was abrupt.

He is an old man who followed Zhang Chu and started from the Black Tiger Hall.

He knew the rules of his helper.

I also know that in the eyes of my own helper, I don't rub sand.

He hurriedly shook it to the end: "Yes, help the master, subordinates can save it." ”

Zhang Chu waved his hand.

Sun Si'er turned around and beckoned, and a large number of Honghuatang brothers who followed him carried a mouthful of iron boxes and followed him out, and no one took the large group of ordinary people crowded at the door seriously.

This is Taibai Mansion.

It's the territory of their Taiping Society.

Zhang Chu slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the floor above, no one knew what he was thinking.

Da Liu, the leader of the guards, stepped forward, saw him like this, and whispered: "Helper, Lord Kou Yuankou, the county lieutenant, has sent a post and invited you to come to the mansion for a banquet at the right time." “

Zhang Chu didn't move, and it seemed that he didn't hear what he said at all.

Da Liu stood respectfully beside him and did not speak.

After a long time, he heard his helper say: "You go in person and reply to Lord Kou for me, Zhang occasionally feels cold, unwell, and can't accompany him, please forgive Lord Kou." “

"Yes, helper. ”

Da Liu bowed and exited the lobby.

Zhang Chu just collapsed in his chair.

It's like a sculpture that has lost its popularity.

The bustling bazaar outside the window is out of place.

The autumn sun moves westward.

The crowds in the bazaar gradually dispersed.

Zhang Chu seemed to have finally slowly returned to his soul.

He got up and walked out without saying a word.

Seeing this, Da Liu, who went and returned, waved his hand, and in the seemingly empty hall, dozens of people with knives poured out in an instant.

......

Sunrise.

The sun sets.

As the sun sets, the waning moon hangs high in the sky.

There are very few pedestrians on the street, and most of the shops and shops on both sides have closed.

Zhang Chu followed his vague memory, turned a few streets, and saw a pair of dim lanterns, hanging outside a roadside stall.

In the roadside stalls, there are no diners for a long time.

But there was still a wisp of heat in the two cauldrons.

A one-armed figure with a slightly rickety figure sat alone under the lantern, holding a long dry tobacco stick and smoking, and the smoke swirled slowly under the smoke.

Zhang Chu couldn't help but take two steps.

"Boss, two bowls of chop soup. ”

He walked into the lantern with the first smile on his face since entering the city.

When the one-armed middle-aged man saw him, he also cracked his mouth and showed a simple smile.

"Sit down, come right away. ”

He got up, put away the dry tobacco stick in his hand, and turned it behind the two cauldrons.

Zhang Chu walked into the stall and sat down at a random table.

Da Liu entered the street stall alone, rolled up his sleeves and walked behind the board, to give a hand to the one-armed middle-aged man: "Second brother." “

The one-armed middle-aged man looked at him, then at the dozens of burly men guarding the stall with waist knives, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "More snacks." “

Da Liu also smiled and nodded: "Second brother, I know." ”

After a while, two large bowls of steaming chop soup, one clear and one red, were served in front of Zhang Chu.

Zhang Chu looked at him: "Drink two cups?"

Just waiting for your words. ”

The one-armed middle-aged man smiled, turned around and returned to the board, squatted down and took out two pots of wine from a wooden box under the board, obviously prepared.

He placed two jugs of wine on the table and went back to get his glasses.

He only has one hand.

It's a bit of a hassle to do these chores.

But Zhang Chu had no intention of helping him.

Da Liu wanted to help him, but he also refused.

Zhang Chu picked up the dry tobacco stick that the one-armed middle-aged man put on the table, and looked at it: "When did you learn it?"

The one-armed middle-aged man sat opposite Zhang Chu and replied: "It's a few days, and after collecting the stall on weekdays, I will take two sips to relieve my fatigue." ”

Zhang Chu wanted to say that smoking this thing is not good for his health, but he swallowed it back when the words came to his mouth.

He was a broken arm after the age of his establishment.

Limb insufficiency.

The flesh is at a loss.

The body is not well nourished......

In contrast, what is it to smoke two puffs of dry tobacco?

He put down the dry tobacco stick, poured two wines, then lifted his wine glass and touched it with the one-armed middle-aged man, and tilted his head to dry.

The one-armed middle-aged man picked up the wine glass, as if drinking honey, and took several sips before drinking the wine in the glass, so beautiful that his eyes narrowed into a line.

"We got AllBright back. “

Zhang Chu put down his wine glass and said.

The one-armed middle-aged man nodded and said, "I heard that on the eve of the big day, the sound of the gong to announce the good news spread all over the Taibai Mansion. ”

"It doesn't make much sense. “

Zhang Chu smiled mockingly, and while lifting the wine jug to pour himself wine, he shook his head and said: "There has been no one in Jintian Mansion for a long time, and the west of the city, the area of Wutongli and the cattle and sheep market, was burned to ruins by a fire, and nothing remained. ”

"Gone?"

The one-armed middle-aged man's eyes widened suddenly.

"It's all gone!"

Zhang Chu accentuated his tone and repeated.

"But, it's gone, and AllBright Mansion is still our home!"

The one-armed middle-aged man held on.

Zhang Chu was silent for a while, then lifted the wine glass and touched it with him, and said in a deep voice: "Second child, our home is gone." “