Since Lin Manliu and Jiang Yanlin met those two purple-robed Taoists at the foot of the Zanxingguan Mountain, they have never met anyone else.

In order to avoid being noticed when entering the city, the young man in the short shirt decided to leave his horse in the bamboo forest outside the city. Only after evening, can we find a way to lead into the city.

The two of them drove lightly and walked towards the east gate of Fengcheng. Under Lin Manliu's introduction, he roughly explained some Fengcheng-related situations to Jiang Yanlin beside him.

While the latter was obedient, he was also observing the movements in the vicinity. After all, it's time to enter the city...

"Brother Liu, it's really no problem for us to enter the city in such a grand manner..."Jiang Yanlin was always a little worried, and asked out loud.

Lin Manliu replied: "In the future, if you stay in the house, I will take care of the procurement matters..."

"And a few days ago, we were all running south without a clue, so there is no way to meet Yijian Villa as soon as possible..."Jiang Yanlin listened to his explanation and nodded silently.

After a while, he seemed to untie the knot in his heart. Jiang Yanlin immediately laughed and said, "I understand!" We call this 'the Great Hidden City'! Lin Manliu, who was walking in front, couldn't help but stiffen slightly, and then hummed again.

The two of them walked at a slow pace, and after passing through the bamboo forest, they saw the eastern city wall in front of them, which was tall and wide, but because of its age, no one had repaired it.

In the middle of the city wall is an open gate. The city gate on the east side of Fengcheng must be opened and closed later on the other three sides.

After all, even those Yanyang soldiers who were guarding the city were extremely disgusted to come to this alley in the eastern city. For them, this is the lowest level in Fengcheng, and the impression of this place in their hearts is mostly barren, dirty, and inferior... Senses like that.

And in addition to the mountain peak where the star view is located in the east of Fengcheng, it is surrounded by a lofty mountain, so there is no need to worry about someone invading from here.

But looking at Lin Manliu, he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion when he looked at the familiar city gate in front of him. As long as he walked out of this door as a child, it was the happiest place for him to play alone, and it was the little world full of joy when he was young.

"Let's go into the city, just follow me later!"

"Hmmm! Brother Liu! "In this Fengcheng, in addition to Lin Manliu's original pastry shops, there is also a secluded courtyard given by the stars.

But at the corner of the alley where the small courtyard was located, there were far more people coming and going on weekdays than there were people in the pastry shop.

In this way, the short-shirted boy could only take Jiang Yanlin to their shop first. Lin Manliu skillfully took out the key from a thin crack in the top of the door frame, which made Jiang Yanlin behind him a little shocked.

"Brother Liu... That's how you put your house keys? ”

"Most families in the east of the city are like this, after all, they don't have much money at home... It's also more convenient! The short-shirted boy responded.

In fact, there is another reason, this set of keys was put by Lin Manliu Niang himself. Because his father has to go to work for several days when the public needs to go to work, and his mother has not been in good health since a few years ago.

Mother Lin, who was riddled with lesions, had no way to open the door to Father Lin, who returned home, at all times, so she left a bunch of keys.

But a few years ago, the naughty child who couldn't figure out anything and couldn't understand couldn't think of this. He would only think that this set of keys was left by his mother for him to play and not remember the time.

Since learning about the existence of this set of keys, he began to become more and more noisy as a child, and he would always play until dark before returning home.

Lin Manliu thinks about it now, every time he comes home late at night, although the shop and backyard are not lit by candlelight.

But as he crept into the futon, he could hear a faint cough coming from the side room. It's his mother who is waiting for him to come home... When the short-shirted young man was recalling, Jiang Yanlin was looking left and right, for fear that someone was paying attention to them at the moment.

Lin Manliu said loudly: "Previously, due to the disaster of the Slaughter of the Evil Gate, many people died on the east side of the city, and after the Slaughter of the Evil Gate, many people moved away, even if they borrowed money, they had to move to other places, so now there are not many people..."

As the key in his hand turned, the brass lock that fastened to the door of the shop was also opened. Lin Manliu pushed open the door of the house, and soon there was a sour smell of pastries and the smell of dust from the long-closed house.

Jiang Yanlin originally wanted to walk into it directly, but as soon as the smell was inhaled into his nasal cavity, his whole person immediately took a few steps backwards.

"Cough, cough, cough... Brother Liu, what kind of smell is this! Listening to the coughing sound coming from behind, Lin Manliu covered his mouth and nose and walked in, and began to explain to Jiang Yanlin by the way.

"At that time, I was in a hurry, and the pastries in the house were not removed, and it will naturally be like this after a long time!"

"I looked at so many pastries in the house, and I originally wanted to fill my stomach with a few pieces..."Jiang Yanlin learned very quickly, raised his sleeve and walked in.

Lin Manliu said: "These must not be edible... But later, the inkstone will take a hand, and we will just clean it up! Jiang Yanlin hurriedly responded and went to help the short-shirted young man in front of him pick up the pastries that had been soured.

He looked at the pastry in his hand, although it was already sour, but it was still in shape. It's just sour... I've also eaten steamed buns that are even more unpalatable and harder to swallow than these... How can you dislike these pastries now?

Jiang Yanlin picked up one of them, looked at it for a long time, put it in his mouth, and began to chew. Lin Manliu listened to the movement behind him, and hurriedly turned his head to look over.

"I can't eat these inkstones...", but the person behind him picked up a piece again and threw it into his mouth as if he hadn't heard.

He chewed faster and faster, so much so that at last he stopped chewing, but stuffed all the already sour pastries into his mouth and swallowed them directly.

The short-shirted boy looked at this scene and was slightly stunned. The Jiang Yanlin in his memory, and Jiang Yanlin when he got along these days, are very different.

The latter still didn't reply, but there were tears in his eyes. Soon these two lines of hot tears slipped from Jiang Yanlin's eyes, and gradually he began to sob.

"I can see... Brother Liu is already... Best... It's the best..."Lin Manliu said loudly: "It will slowly get better in the future, don't be afraid!" The boy in the shirt removed the sour pastry from his hand and led it out into the backyard.

Jiang Yanlin sat on the stone steps, covering his face with his hands and crying, his mouth still repeating the previous words...

"You wait for me here, I'll see if I can go to the street to buy some food after I'm ready!"

"Okay..."The short-shirted boy sighed as he looked at the person in front of him. After all, it is still not deeply involved, and I hope that this journey can be sent back to Jiangnan safely.

Lin Manliu returned to the shop in the front room and quickly cleaned up all the pastries and sundries.

When he returned to the backyard again, he saw that Jiang Yanlin was already better, so he beckoned him to go to the main house to rest first.

Then the boy in the shirt changed into his father's old clothes and trousers, closed the door and went out. When I left Fengcheng, it was still less than September last year.

I came back again, but it was almost June... Lin Manliu walked on the streets, looking at the wine shops and tea stalls in the past, they must have moved away.

Suddenly, he saw a figure dressed as a woman at the mouth of the alley, and the young man in the short shirt immediately walked into the alley beside him.

The woman turned her head to look at the movement, as if she had heard the movement, but saw nothing. Aunt Ruan? She hasn't moved out yet... Lin Manliu clinged to the alley wall, ready to escape at any time.

With the lesson that Brother Dong learned in exchange for death, the short-shirted young man at this time didn't want to appear in front of anyone familiar with him again.

Ruan Shi looked at these ordinary streets and alleys for a while, and then continued to walk. The boy in the shirt made sure she was gone, and then walked out of the alley and back into the street.

In order to avoid being recognized, Lin Manliu finally picked a steamed bun shop that he had never dealt with before, bought three or two steamed buns and returned to the pastry shop.

Jiang Yanlin, who was in the backyard, heard the sound of the door opening. He carefully hugged Xia Mingcia until Lin Manliu called out softly, and then put Xia Mingcicada back into its original position.

"Yanlin, it's me!"

"Brother Liu came back so early! I thought it was someone else..."As soon as Lin Manliu raised his hand, he handed the steamed bun wrapped in clothes in his arms to Jiang Yanlin.

As soon as the big white steamed bun was in his hands, he was sent to his mouth by the latter.

"Brother Liu eats it too!" The young man in the short shirt snorted and nibbled on the steamed bun in his hand.

"That's right, Yanlin, I'll tell you where the dry toilet in the east of the city is..."Jiang Yanlin was eating steamed buns and looked at Lin Manliu with a puzzled expression.

"Brother Liu, why is this?"

"You have eaten so many pastries, if you need to go to the toilet later, you naturally have to know the place in advance..."

"Circle?" Listening to this slightly corrective tone, Lin Manliu immediately glanced at him.

"Yanlin, don't you leave it in the yard to solve it on the spot..."Jiang Yanlin had to be defeated, and said: "Trouble Brother Liu to take me there later!" ”

"That's right!" As the sun set, it grew dark. Lin Manliu was ready to go out with Jiang Yanlin, looking for a dry toilet was actually only secondary, and the main thing was to properly place the horses outside the city.

Whether you bring it inside the city or continue to hide outside it, you need to be cautious. Only in this way can we have the capital to get out in time of crisis.

But when Lin Manliu pushed open the door of the house, the next moment he saw a figure standing outside the store. The appearance of the figure is very familiar, it is the Ruan Shi who I bumped into when I went out earlier.

I can't escape after all... The short-shirted young man had to call out softly: "Aunt Ruan..." Ruan's face was slightly haggard, but when he looked at Lin Manliu, he squeezed out a smile again.

"Manroku is back?" Lin Manliu nodded in response: "Well, I just came back today..." Ruan Shi didn't look at Jiang Yanlin behind him, just stared at his face.

"There are not a few families left in the east of the city, so I just walk the streets on weekdays when I have nothing to do... It's just going around and here..."Lin Manliu said: "It's not early, Aunt Ruan should rest earlier..."

"I'll be back in a minute... By the way, if you can help these days, you can come and ask me—" Before the young man in the shirt could reply, the woman turned and walked away.

Lin Manliu looked at her back, and his expression began to become a little complicated. Living alone in this narrow alley for a long time is too bitter after all.

"Yan Lin, let's go."

"Hmm..."