Chapter 162

The group walked through the village, and Zhao Fusheng was walking, still watching left and right.

As she had seen before, Kuara Village was more of a small town than a village.

The streets in the village were much more neat than in the village of Kotou where she had visited, and some villagers started businesses, selling wine, mountain goods, medicinal herbs, and even cloth villages.

"Sixth uncle, your village seems to be much richer than the village I have visited."

Zhao Fusheng turned his head and glanced at Uncle Kuai, who was following her, and said.

The old man was very interesting, and although he was forced to walk with her to lead the way, he was half a step behind, and always followed her, showing a posture of taking her as the main one.

As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, Uncle Kuai Liu smiled and said:

"Our village is indeed not in bad condition." He spoke of the village with pride:

"Presumably adults have also heard that this mountain behind our village is rich in white soybean, this medicinal herb treats headaches, dizziness, insomnia, dreams and requiem, many elderly people do not sleep well, restless, eat this white soybean will work, a hundred tried."

"So every year when the white soybean grows, many outsiders will come to receive the goods, they have to wait here to pick the white soybean and dry it, so they eat and live here, and there are flexible minds in the village, so they will open restaurants and wine shops."

Uncle Kuai Sixth was also clever, and he could see that Zhao Fusheng's eyes fell on the nearby shops as soon as he entered the village, so he explained to her:

"Sometimes I have a headache and brain fever, and I also take medicine, and relying on these livelihoods, our village's life is indeed much better than that of other villages."

When he came, Zhao Fusheng also heard Pang Zhi County probably mention the matter of Kuailiang Village, but at this time, Uncle Kuai Liu explained in more detail than Pang Zhi County.

She nodded, and asked as if gossiping:

"Do you also dig white su and sell it?"

Uncle Kuai Liuzhi responded:

"Dig too. I had six sons with my mother-in-law, and the sons all got married, and I had eleven grandchildren, the eldest of whom were all married, and the whole family went up to the mountains to dig white soybean, and they could earn a lot of money a year. ”

"So many people? How much money does your family earn a year? Zhao Fusheng was interested and asked him.

"My children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters-in-law are very capable and clever, and they are also fast in digging white su, and they can earn seventeen or eighteen taels of silver in just two months in May and June."

"So much!"

Wu Shaochun exclaimed.

A smile appeared in Uncle Kuai's eyes:

"If you plant the land every year, you can have a harvest of fifty or sixty taels all year round."

When Zhao Fusheng was handling the ghost case in Kotou Village before, he also chatted with Wu Dajing, the old man in the village at that time, and he also had a general understanding of the livelihood of the people in the village at this time.

Uncle Kuai's family can earn fifty or sixty taels of silver all year round, and it is indeed considered rich.

"How much do you pay in taxes each year?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.

"My family has a large population, there are twenty-six people, and the tax of the Demon Suppression Division alone has to pay thirty taels a year, and in addition, there are various poll taxes totaling about thirteen taels of silver."

These taxes alone are as high as forty-three taels, and Uncle Kuai said again:

"The land tax is five liters and seven spoons per mu, our village is the same clan, this is not divided into each other, who has a good harvest, who has more, and the total is about eleven or two taels every year."

"Isn't that only five or six taels of silver left in the end?"

Fan Wusu was a little weird:

"What kind of wealth is this?"

During the strong period of Wan'an County, ordinary people in the county had to spend more than one or two taels of silver for a family of three throughout the year.

And Uncle Kuailiu's family has a total of 26 people, but they can only have a balance of five or six taels, so it is conceivable that the family is also poor.

"It's already okay, at least there's a leftover."

Uncle Kuai Sixth was not annoyed when he heard Fan Wuxuan's words, but smiled with some satisfaction:

"How many people in other villages are in debt every year, and when it comes to the New Year, those who ask for debts can force people to death. It is also a good thing that our village can at least pay off its taxes, not starve to death, and not owe people money. ”

“……”

When Zhao Fusheng heard this, he couldn't help but be silent.

Zhang Chuanshi secretly looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and felt that this adult was really weird.

He has handled cases with Zhao Fusheng twice, and he has heard her talk to the villagers, and she has mentioned taxes and people's livelihood matters, and these things have nothing to do with ghost cases, so what's the point of asking?

Zhang Chuanshi couldn't figure out what Zhao Fusheng was thinking, but he didn't ask more questions.

He was not interested in the lives of the villagers, so he turned his head and looked around.

While everyone was gossiping, Uncle Kuailiu's house arrived.

Compared with other villages, Uncle Kuailiu's family has a large population and the house covers a wide area.

Next to Uncle Kuailiu's house, there is a delicate door shop with wood carving, which reads: Kuai's ancestral hall.

Behind the gate is the entrance gate of the ancestral hall of Kuailiang Village.

The ancestral hall under the cover of darkness was not closed, the inside was deep, and the scene at the entrance could be vaguely seen by the firelight outside.

A yin wind mixed with fishy smell blew out from the ancestral hall that seemed to be a bottomless pit, blowing people shivering.

"This is the ancestral hall of Kuailiang Village, and my family has been a gatekeeper for several generations, so we live next to the ancestral hall." Seeing that Zhao Fusheng stopped at the entrance of the ancestral hall, Uncle Kuai couldn't help but explain with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng's eyes fell to the depths of the ancestral hall, nodded, and asked:

"Can I go in?"

As soon as she finished asking, the villagers' expressions suddenly froze, and their faces showed a look of resistance.

Uncle Kuai's expression was also a little embarrassed.

Since the two sides met, he tolerated and retreated everywhere, and behaved magnificently, and the two sides finally coexisted in harmony, and at this time, Zhao Fusheng's words broke the balance maintained by the two sides.

His face was cloudy, but after a while, he still shook his head:

"My lord, each village has its own rules."

"What rules?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

"The rule in our village is that women are not allowed to enter the ancestral hall." Uncle Kuai Sixth mentioned the 'rules', and his expression gradually became tough.

It seems that Zhao Fusheng mentioned that he wanted to enter the ancestral hall to touch this old man's scales:

"I respect all distinguished guests who have come from afar, and I hope that you will not embarrass us."

The originally harmonious atmosphere was a little tense due to the brief conversation between the two sides, and Zhang Chuanshi secretly looked at Zhao Fusheng's expression.

He also knows a little about the current commander of the Demon Suppression Division: she has an exceptionally strong temperament, she doesn't like to listen to rejection, she is occasionally patient, occasionally impulsive, in short, elusive.

Uncle Kuai's refusal may have aroused her anger......

Just when Zhang Chuanshi was thinking wildly, he suddenly heard someone shouting:

"Boss."

I saw that in front of Uncle Kuai's house, there were already a lot of people waiting.

The villagers who had been running fast before came to pass Xin'er in advance, and at this time, all the family members of Uncle Kuai had already gotten up and were waiting for the distinguished guests to come to the door.

His children and grandchildren have grown up, and the eldest grandson has even married, but the family has not been separated, and it seems that they all live together.

An elderly woman stood at the gate with a child in her arms, and behind her, her son and daughter-in-law were standing separately.

Seeing that Uncle Kuai Liu and his entourage stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall for a while, the old woman holding the child broke the silence with a voice.

As soon as she spoke, Zhao Fusheng's originally sharp gaze gradually softened, and she turned her head to look at the person, and Uncle Kuai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The unpleasant topic ended, and the two sides tacitly agreed not to mention the matter of entering the Kuai clan ancestral hall again.

The old woman greeted Uncle Kuai, then her eyes fell on Zhao Fusheng and the others, and asked:

"These distinguished guests are—"

"It's a guest invited by Chief Zhou Tun, what are you all doing here? Can you kill chickens and prepare wine? ”

Uncle Kuai Sixth responded, and then frowned again.

He was of great importance in the family, and when his children and grandchildren heard this, they quickly replied:

"Dad, the chicken was killed and the fire was burning, but I was afraid of losing my manners, so I greeted the guests first and immediately went to clean up the table."

Uncle Kuai nodded with satisfaction, looked at Zhao Fusheng and said:

"My lord, please don't dislike our humble house."

"Where."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, and in the greeting of Uncle Kuailiu, the group entered the house.

After entering the gate, Zhao Fusheng saw a large courtyard.

There are houses built around the courtyard, which should be the houses of Uncle Kuai's children and grandchildren.

In front of the house there was a faded curtain, and some hay and sun-dried plant seeds hung on the wall.

There were several large pots piled up under the eaves, there were traces of water left in the corners, and a few wooden basins were placed, and a chicken that had just been killed was placed in the basin, and there was a thick smell of blood.

Facing the courtyard gate is the hall of Uncle Kuailiu's house, the door is open, and a large wooden table is placed inside, and the long benches are neatly arranged.

When everyone entered the house, the sixth uncle put down the child in her arms and warmly beckoned everyone to take a seat.

A woman in her forties, who was about forty years old, brought a large plate of fried melon seeds, and some of them were shy and invited everyone to eat them.

Such a family completely subverted Zhao Fusheng's impression after hearing about the Kuailiang Village tragedy, she frowned, and began to wonder if Zhuang Laoqi, who had died, was talking nonsense and telling lies to deceive herself.

"I'll just get straight to the point, we are not people sent by Zhou Tunchang, but from the Town Demon Division of Wan'an County."

As soon as Zhao Fusheng's voice fell, everyone in Kuailiang Village was taken aback.

Uncle Kuai Sixth actually doubted the identity of Zhao Fusheng and others at the beginning, guessing that she might not be from the court, but she felt that Zhao Fusheng was extraordinary, and Fan Wuxuan didn't look very easy to mess with, maybe she was not an ordinary person.

Later, I heard her ask about taxes, and Uncle Kuai Liu felt that he had lost his eyes again, and Zhao Fusheng and his party should be envoys sent by the imperial court.

Unexpectedly, at this time, she admitted that she was not sent by Zhou Tunchang, but she was indeed from the imperial court, and she was the envoy of the demon division of the county town - this was even bigger than Uncle Kuai originally expected.

The people of Kuailiang Village were stunned for a moment.

Everyone, you look at me, I look at you, and I don't dare to squeak for a while.

Even the sixth uncle subconsciously hugged her grandson who was placed on the ground into her arms, and subconsciously reached out to cover his mouth, afraid that the child would be reckless and ignorant and annoy the adults.

"My lord—"

After a long time, Uncle Kuai Liu hesitated to speak, looking at Zhao Fusheng and the others:

"Your Excellency is really from the Demon Suppression Division?"

"We are indeed the people of the Demon Division of Wan'an County, I am the Ling Division, and these people are the envoys of my entourage." Zhao Fusheng nodded.

"This ......"

The identity of Zhao Fusheng and his entourage instantly made everyone in the room subconsciously restrain their movements, and even the most well-informed Uncle Kuai was a little restrained, looking a little overwhelmed.

In fact, he still had doubts in his heart, but the three words 'Demon Suppression Division' were like a big mountain, firmly suppressed in his heart, so that he did not dare to speak out and doubt it.

Zhao Fusheng simply said:

"Our county has recently recruited a handyman from Zhuangjia Village."

Hearing the words 'Zhuangjia Village', Uncle Kuai's nervous expression relaxed, and he subconsciously turned back to look at Uncle Liu, who seemed to know how to place his hands and feet, and wanted to speak, but he didn't know how to interject on such an occasion.

"This person calls himself Zhuang Laoqi."

After she mentioned Zhuang Laoqi, the sixth uncle suddenly sighed:

"Oh, it's him, it's my third uncle's boy."

Uncle Kuai Liu quickly showed a look of sudden realization:

"Shouqiang, Zhuang Shouqiang, young age, very good at drinking, that kid."

"Yes, yes, yes."

As soon as he said this, others seemed to think of Zhuang Laoqi, and they talked about it:

"Very honest person, the year before last, before the Chinese New Year, when we went to relatives, everyone had a drink."

The rest of the village also answered.

Everyone mentioned acquaintances, and the atmosphere suddenly became warmer again.

Zhao Fusheng observed quietly, and after Uncle Kuai Sixth finished speaking, he seemed to be a little nervous:

"W-Is this kid causing trouble in the county?"

He got up and rubbed his hands:

"Didn't your lord come here to ask us to spend money to ransom him?"

When he said this, the others suddenly smiled.

"I don't have much money in my hand this year—" A woman behind the sixth uncle muttered in a low voice, and then a big man with a full face and beard turned around and scolded her:

"Shut up!"

"Everyone is a relative, if Zhuang Shouqiang really commits something and needs money to redeem himself, it is still possible to get together." Among the villagers, a man said.

Kuai Mancai, who was carrying a fork, did not enter the house, but leaned against the door of the house, and was a little unhappy when he heard this:

"But his surname is Zhuang, what does it have to do with our surname Kuai."

"Why doesn't it matter? Our Kuai and Zhuang families are marriages. One of Uncle Kuai's sons replied.

Kuai Mancai said:

"In the past, it was okay to say that it was in-laws, but now how can the people of Zhuangjia Village still have the face to say this?"

"Shut up!" Uncle Kuai was furious when he heard this, stood up with a red face and a thick neck.

He had a high prestige in the village, and as soon as he spoke, the rest of the village suddenly stopped speaking.

"My lord, Zhuang Shouqiang is indeed related to us, this kid is also considered to have grown up with me, he is an honest man, if he causes something big and needs money to ransom people, my lord will say a number, our village will get together and see if we can squeeze it."

Uncle Kuai Sixth spoke.

Zhao Fusheng stared at him for a long time.

This old man has a calm expression and a clear gaze, and he really doesn't look like an old man with a bad stomach.

She shook her head:

"No, he shouldn't need money to redeem himself."

"Such a big deal?" Uncle Kuai was shocked when he heard this:

"What the hell did he do?"

"He's dead." Zhao Fusheng responded.

As soon as she said this, everyone was stunned.

The sixth uncle who was holding the child was also a little overwhelmed, and Kuai Mancai, who was full of unhappiness when he mentioned 'Zhuangjia Village' before, didn't dare to speak out.

Uncle Kuai Liu was a little incredulous at first, and then there was a look of panic and regret in his eyes:

"Y-How did he die-"

"He was killed by a ghost." After Zhao Fusheng said this, Uncle Kuai's house fell into death-like silence.