Xijia wine shop.

This is a small tavern, in a small alley at the end of the street, the germanium red wine flag hangs at the mouth of the alley, dancing in the wind. The area of the liquor store is not large, and the innermost part is a vermilion-painted counter, and in the counter sits an old shopkeeper, squinted and shrunk in a chair, as if he is about to fall asleep.

There were a few wooden tables and benches in front of the counter, and there were not many customers, except for a little girl with a coarse cloth apron tied around her waist, her hair was raised high, and she was dressed neatly.

Zhuang Meiyan watched this little girl who was about the same age as herself skillfully receiving guests, serving wine and pouring tea, and was secretly surprised in her heart. Most of the unmarried women in this dynasty stay at home to be a female celebrity, and they will be laughed at when they show their heads like men, and they are used to seeing the surrounding drinkers and the girl herself.

Zhuang Meiyan and Jiang Yutang and Chu Yifan, who had just met, were sitting around a table near the wall, and had just met two thieves in the alley, but fortunately, Chu Yifan helped and killed the thieves in time.

Chu Yifan was a small commander in the army stationed in the nearby mountains, in charge of a small sentry post of more than a dozen people. One of his soldiers broke his leg and broke his foot, and it was Jiang Yutang who helped heal it—that's how the two met. Chu Yifan was very enthusiastic and had to pull them over for a drink.

Taking advantage of the little girl's efforts to hot wine, Zhuang Meiyan dragged the boy aside, asked the store for hot water, and helped him scrub it. At the beginning, Zhuang Meiyan saw him standing in front of him, bleeding from his head, and thought that he was going to die, who knew - a false alarm, but the blood of the fierce man flowed on top of his head.

The young man didn't know that he was afraid, he just blindly smirked, staring at Zhuang Meiyan without blinking.

Zhuang Meiyan helped him wipe the bloodstains, and complained: "What are you talking about, how dangerous it is! If it weren't for Brother Chu, how would you have your life? ”

She admonished carefully, as if she were telling a child.

The boy laughed, not knowing if he understood or not. Suddenly, he stretched out his arm, slowly touched Zhuang Meiyan's face, groped Zhuang Meiyan's red mole, and said seriously:

"Wipe it, lady, it's bloody, dirty, wipe it for your mother. ”

He rolled up his dirty sleeve robe and wiped it hard for Zhuang Meiyan.

The little girl holding the wine tray smiled when she heard this, Chu Yifan untied the seal of the wine jar casually, and drank the wine in a big gulp, while Jiang Yutang glanced at her face with some concern.

Zhuang Meiyan sideways his fingers, and said with a smile: "Fool, it's a birthmole, it can't be wiped off." ”

Jiang Yutang couldn't help but smile slightly when he saw this.

Chu Yifan wiped the wine stains on the corners of his mouth and praised: "Heh, Xiaolan, Old Man Xi's wine is still so strong, just rushing to this is not a trip to Qiyang Mountain in vain." ”

Miss Xiaolan seemed to be very familiar with him, glanced at him, and said with a smile: "My father said that the good wine in the cellar has been drunk by Brother Chu, and I won't have to drink it next time." ”

Chu Yifan scratched his scalp and said strangely: "What's the matter? The old man wants to wash his hands in a golden basin? It's a pity, the Xi family wine shop is a nearly 100-year-old shop."

Miss Xiaolan secretly glanced at the old shopkeeper who was dozing behind the counter, and said to Chu Yifan in a low voice: "Don't hide it from Brother Chu, it's not for the newly opened Liu family shop to make trouble." I don't know where they found the new recipe this day, the time for winemaking is shorter for many days, we generally have to make wine for ten days and half a month, they can make wine in one night, although the taste is bland, but the price is cheap. ”

"A few days ago, that fat man Liu led people to find my father, and he had to take down our shop. Later, Liu Fatzi said that my father had broken some ancestral jade treasure of his family, and asked my father to pay compensation, and he also dragged my father to see the official. ”

"My father felt that he was doing the right thing, so he went to the government with him. ”

Speaking of this, Miss Xiaolan couldn't help but sigh heavily.

Zhuang Meiyan could hear it, so he said: "Will the official master let him do whatever he wants?"

Miss Xiaolan smiled coldly, stared at her, and said, "You are really a daughter--my father is also confused." People say that Liu Fatzi has an official behind him, that is, the Zhuang master of Zhuangfu, and his power is great - my father doesn't believe it, it's good to go to the government, and the official master is indiscriminate, so he asked my father to compensate Liu Fatzi's ancestral jade. Liu Fatzi Lion opened his mouth widely, and he had to ask my father to sell the shop to him cheaply, or he would have to give a lot of money. ”

My father gambled on this, said that he would not sell the shop at all, and scraped together the money and gave it to Liu Fatzi. This toss, my father's temperament, Brother Chu, knows, how can anyone who can suffer from this kind of pickled gas? When he came back, he fell ill, thanks to Mr. Qiu's help in rectifying it. Although the illness is slowly improving, his old man's nose and tongue are not as bright as before. ”

Miss Xiaolan shook her head again and again, making wine is all about distinguishing the quality of wine by her nose and tongue, and now the old shopkeeper of Zixi really can't continue to operate. They had no choice but to pack up and sell all the remaining liquor in the liquor store, and then prepared to close the shop and go back to the countryside.

Chu Yifan slammed his fist on the table and said angrily: "Damn, dog official! Profiteer! It's really better to deal with those Wuyang barbarians, so that you can have a good time with real knives and guns." ”

Jiang Yutang nodded and said heavily: "The collusion between officials and businessmen is like a thief, and it is even more hateful. By the way, Commander Chu, you just said that against the people of Wuyang, what are their moves?"

Chu Yifan's eyes were full of light, he couldn't stop laughing, and then poured a big sip of wine.

He suddenly pointed to the young beggar who was sitting close to his face, and asked, "Who is he, and what is his name?"

Jiang Yutang and Zhuang Meiyan were stunned, they didn't expect him to change their words, but they asked such a question. Zhuang Meiyan shook his head, and was about to say that he didn't know where he came from, but someone answered first.

"My name is Xiao Bai Xianggong. ”

The young man puffed up his chest with some pride, patted his chest proudly and said loudly: "I am the little white husband of the lady, this is my mother, the lady, am I right?"

Zhuang Meiyan was angry and ashamed, and in front of many people, he didn't know how to explain. Chu Yifan and Jiang Yutang looked at each other, especially Jiang Yutang was a little confused.

Zhuang Meiyan turned her face and scolded the young man angrily.

"Don't talk nonsense in the future, call me lady again, I'll ...... I'll never pay attention to you. ”

The look of her face frightened the boy, and he hung his head in frustration and flattened his mouth.

"Oh, I know--lady, I won't dare again, don't ignore me, lady. ”

Zhuang Meiyan was speechless for a moment.

Chu Yifan couldn't hold it back anymore and laughed. Jiang Yutang couldn't hold it this time, quietly turned his face to the side, and snickered.

Zhuang Meiyan couldn't sit still, turned around and walked to the counter. Miss Xiaolan put her arm around her shoulders and smiled comfortingly.

The two men drank wine and talked about the military situation, while the Xiaolan girl wiped the counter, gossiping with Zhuang Meiyan without saying a word. Zhuang Meiyan suddenly thought of something, and asked:

"Miss Xiaolan, there is one thing I want to ask you for. ”

Xiaolan raised her head and said, "What's the matter?"