On the empty streets, only a few people wandered.

Xu Sheng was followed by the guard sergeant, and the sadness on his face was clearly visible.

In fact, he did not issue any orders to "ban the market"; However, in times of crisis, in the heavy atmosphere of the army's oppression, the residents of the city all chose to take refuge.

Even if the dodge is ineffective, there is a little peace of mind in the end.

Xu Sheng stepped on a bluestone path with a history of hundreds of years and many vicissitudes; Walked through the dust and mud that existed long before the establishment of Zhiyang and went through countless winds and frosts.

Now, not only the soldiers and civilians of the city, but also these "antiquities" from thousands of years ago are at risk of being destroyed.

"Can I save all this?"

Xu Sheng asked himself, only doubts, no answers.

In the cracks of the bluestone bricks, some tiny but extremely tenacious moss is growing and spreading with all its might.

For the first time in his life, Xu Sheng felt that they were so remarkable, so wonderful and natural; He slowed his pace, staring at his feet, bypassing the "dark green marks", careful not to hurt them.

"Lord Xu! What do you want to cut for baked cakes? ”

Xu Sheng's meditation was suddenly interrupted by a shout; He looked up, and the familiar scene on the corner made him smile.

"Old man, what you want, what you want."

Xu Sheng responded softly, but eagerly, and walked a few quick steps to an old man.

"Look, the freshly baked baked cakes are still steaming?"

The old man smiled, and as soon as the hook moved, a piece of burnt yellow dough the size of two palms was hooked up by him and hung in front of Xu Sheng.

"Thank you"

Xu Sheng thanked him softly, and the "invisible secret power" was gently covered on the palm of his hand, and he grasped it in his hand regardless of the steaming heat.

He gnawed hard, and in a short time the whole pancake went into his stomach; I saw that he wiped his mouth unsatisfied, looked at the old man, wanted to speak, and stopped.

"Lord Xu!"

The old man was panicked by Xu Sheng, he looked at Xu Sheng timidly, with a hint of panic in his eyes; After a long time, he said, "Yes... Isn't it delicious? ”

"No, it's delicious." Xu Sheng subconsciously responded.

"Then another piece, shall we?"

"No"

Xu Sheng refused, and then, he asked the old man very seriously: "Old man, you... Is there enough food left at home? ”

"Ahh

The old man was obviously stunned, he was a little confused, and hesitated for a long time before he said slowly: "Enough... Enough, I have gone through the years of famine, and I know the preciousness of food, and I dare not abuse it on weekdays; Besides, how much can I eat as a bad old man? ”

"That's good," Xu Sheng nodded; Suddenly, he buried his head and bowed deeply to the old man.

"This can't be helped, Lord Xu, what are you doing here?" The old man was obviously panicked, and he was at a loss for a while, and his legs were about to bend and kneel when he wanted to look.

"No"

Xu Sheng hurriedly stopped him, picked him up, and said sincerely: "Xu Xiao'er, thank you for taking care of your father-in-law, and in the future, if there is anything inappropriate, please forgive the old man." ”

"Xu... Master Xu, what do you call this? Say what to forgive but not forgive. Now, everyone knows that the burden of the entire Zhiyang City is on you, and no matter what you do, it is for all of us! ”

The old man spoke earnestly, and his eyes were full of sincerity

"If the old man is tolerant, the boy will have no regrets even if he dies."

Xu Sheng lowered his head again, and his tone was a little more sincere.

"Lord Xu, you... What the hell is wrong with you? "Where has the old man seen such a battle, his hands and feet are looking up and down, and he is cramped.

"It's okay, uncle, I just want to thank you, I haven't eaten your baked cakes these days." Xu Sheng said with a smile, walked to the chair next to the baked cake stall with the old man in his arms, comforted him to sit down, and then said with some embarrassment: "In the future, please don't come out to set up a stall anymore, I will be more and more busy; I'm afraid it's going to be hard for me to walk through here. ”

"Ahh

The old man was stunned for a moment, then nodded a little unwillingly, tried to squeeze out a smile, deliberately amplified his voice and said: "Cheng, it's okay, there are no people to do business here, and I should rest the old man." ”

"It's best if my husband can think like this." Xu Sheng gently patted the old man's back and exchanged a few more pleasantries; Then he said goodbye and turned to leave.

What Xu Sheng didn't know was that after watching him drift away with his own eyes until he disappeared completely; The old man bent down and picked up the scraps of the baked cakes he had eaten, little by little, and put them in his mouth.

The old man has no food, the old man himself is dying of hunger!

After walking a few corners, Xu Sheng still felt uneasy, he hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind.

"You, come here."

Xu Sheng waved his hand, and immediately a sturdy young man stepped forward.

"What does the Immortal Chief command?"

The man clasped his fists and saluted, waiting for Xu Sheng's order.

"The old man who sold baked cakes just now found the address of his house, and then told Captain Li that his family's grain was half less."

After Xu Sheng said these words very calmly, the man said "no" and ran away quickly.

Xu Sheng knew that it was wrong for him to do so. There is a shortage of food in the city, and everyone should pay it in full, and there are no exceptions; However, in the face of people who have kindness to themselves, there are a few people who can be ruthless.

Regardless of the war, the old man waited for Xu Sheng on the street corner every day, just to serve him his favorite and hot baked cakes. It's a small, even insignificant; However, it is such a small move, which is more shocking, and in the simplicity, it shows more true friendship.

To be honest, Xu Sheng and the old man are not very acquainted, and the two do not know each other's full names until now. But even so? The old man's actions have long since outspoken too many words.

Xu Sheng still remembers the scene of the first encounter with the old man. At that time, Zhiyang City had not yet been besieged, the transactions and transactions in the city were still normal, and Xu Sheng was still followed by hundreds of guards forcibly arranged for him by his brother.

At that time, Xu Sheng just passed by accidentally, but was attracted by the aroma of white noodles and green onions floating in the air, and arrived at the old man's baked cake stall.

At that time, the battle really frightened the old man; After all, the scene of eating baked cakes with hundreds of people, let alone seeing it, is unheard of.

After eating the baked cakes, Xu Sheng politely borrowed money from the sergeant behind him, and seriously presented two small coins; Where does the old man dare to accept it? On weekdays, not to mention the "big guys" with hundreds of soldiers, they are ordinary pawns, and they can also be arrogant and oppress the people.

The old man insisted on not accepting it, and Xu Sheng insisted on giving it. After a few "pushes", Xu Sheng couldn't resist the old man, he could only say thank you slightly apologetically, and owed a debt with a smile.

That act was nothing, in Xu Sheng's life, he always pursued a humble attitude and adhered to basic etiquette; However, the natural move, which was not worth mentioning to him, caused an uproar in the old man's heart.

The old man is a poor man, pitiful all his life, taciturn, honest and honest, and the bullying and contempt he receives on weekdays are not much less than the food he has eaten. He never dreamed that one day, he would be treated so politely by a "big man".

Xu Sheng's unintentional actions have become one of the few "bright lights" in the old man's heart, and since that day, the old man has been looking forward to Xu Sheng coming a few more times and seeing him more.

The next day, Xu Sheng arrived again, and the old man suppressed the excitement in his heart and deliberately picked a large baked cake; After Xu Sheng ate it, while praising it, he took out four small coins from his arms.

Yes, he keeps accounts, and he doesn't want to take advantage of it for nothing.

The old man took the four small coins with a trembling hand, and carefully put them in his sleeve pocket, and his heart was warm.

Then on the third, fourth, and fifth days, Xu Sheng arrived every day, and every time he ate to his heart's content, "hehe" and smiled. The old man looked at him, and couldn't help but think of his son, who died twenty years ago, even though the two looked very different, but they gave him the feeling of being so similar; And, the more you look at it, the more it looks.

And later...

Xu Sheng became the head of Zhiyang City, and the old man watched him lose weight day by day, with a smile on his face and a sad face, and his heart unconsciously followed.

Even though the army was pressing, even though the city was full of evasion, he always firmly held on to his baked cake stall, waiting for Xu Sheng every day...

Xu Sheng also felt that there seemed to be some kind of tacit understanding between him and the old man, and it was like a good discussion; Every time, he would walk down the same street, pass by the old man's stall, and stop to eat a piece of hot biscuit.

It's just that such a tacit understanding was broken by Xu Sheng; In the future, he will not leave this place again, and he will not eat the old man's roasted cake again.

The situation is getting more and more severe, and the city is about to be forced to collect grain, not to mention whether the old man has food to make baked cakes; Even if Xu Sheng levied less, he still had surplus food, and in the case of famine, he would support the baked cake stall, I am afraid that it would also cause many unnecessary disasters.

Xu Sheng did this to protect the old man.

"Brother, where the hell are you? Will you come back? ”

Walking on the empty streets, stepping on the bluestone path, Xu Sheng's heart was lonely; Under tremendous pressure, he had to make some decisions that made him uncomfortable.

He hated the feeling and he wished someone could take it for him...