In Fushui County, the snow-covered city walls stretch, and the rows of houses are covered with snow.

The heavy snow has stopped, and occasionally there are sporadic snowflakes falling on the streets, and the end of the year is approaching, and people who have been busy for a year finally have free time at this point in time to accompany their relatives to buy New Year's goods.

In the long street that disturbed the crowd, a stall was surrounded by water, and I looked at the baskets full of carp and pointed at them.

"...... sure enough, the carp sold was so much bigger than the usual fish. ”

"This head is almost catching up with my two fists. ”

"Hey, what do you fish eat, where did you get it when it grows so big?"

"..... bring me two, this fish is delicious, but there are too many spines, I bought one yesterday, and I think about it again today." ”

"I want it too!"

.......

"...... have you heard of what happened in Crow's Beak Ridge?"

The white air rises from the mouth, drifts to the top of the long street, the cold wind squeezes into the window lattice, the second floor of the wine shop is noisy, the literati and elegant guests speak softly, and there are also travelers and businessmen from three mountains and five roads to rest here, drink wine to keep warm, and talk about some things they have seen and heard on the way.

A businessman wrapped in a robe put down his wine glass and looked at his friend opposite.

"Three months ago, I was doing business in Tongling County, and when I came back, I saw that the officers and head catchers of the county government were dispatched, and several truckloads of corpses were pulled...... I inquired with people I knew in the yamen, and I found out that there were 34 of them, what do you guess the identity of these people?"

He raised his head in his mouth, which immediately aroused the interest of the nearby drinkers, who listened attentively to the next words, and some people couldn't help but ask.

"Tell me quickly, what are your identities?"

The merchant turned his head, and everyone around him looked in this direction, quite satisfied with the atmosphere, and pinched his wine glass, and lowered his voice.

"Bandits!"

Some of the people on the second floor are urban Chinese inkers, and some merchants who come and go from many places, or green forest knights, hate the thieves who cut the path.

Some people applauded and clapped: "What's so rare about dying a few bandits, this kind of person wishes to die more." ”

A man from the green forest with a knife on his back reached out and roasted coals.

"I thought it was a big deal, but the result was that a few mountain bandits died, and most of them were killed by those heroes who acted righteously. ”

The merchant waved his hand again and again, stood up, and whispered to the people around him: "Do you know that those bandits have no body, and their death is even more hideous and terrifying, and they don't even have a single wound...... ”

Hiss –

The second floor was filled with gasps.

Someone asked in a low voice, "Is there still a living mouth on the mountain?"

"It's definitely gone, if you kill someone, will you stay alive?" The merchant spread his hands, thought of something, and said: "The official who is familiar with me said that it was discovered by the left catcher of our county government at that time, and there are strange places, before the gang of thieves died, they also made a deal and went down the mountain to rob a place called Lujia Village, do you know where it is?"

As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and the two drinkers by the other window stood up.

"It's okay that Brother Tai doesn't say this, but when I talk about it, I remember that there have been more fish and shrimp sellers in this city recently, and it seems that they are sold from that Lujia Village. ”

Now the conversation box opened, and many people chimed in.

"There is such a thing, the fish and shrimp are all very large, the meat is tender and delicious, and the old man also asked my daughter-in-law to buy a few more and put them in the water tank, ready to entertain guests when the year is over. ”

"Yes..... I still remember one thing, I heard that the county government's Wang master book accepted a student, and it seems that he is still from Lujia Village. ”

"If that's the case..... it's a great place. ”

There are two long streets separated by the building.

A horse-drawn carriage drove through the noisy streets, and the snowy road ran out two tracks, and soon, at the entrance of the Fushui County Yamen, Min Changwen was dressed in civilian clothes, sent his old wife, went to the side of the office courtyard, and pushed open the door with a creak.

The cold wind squeezed in, and the lights on the long table were blown and swayed.

The old man in the back put down the brush, looked at the county order that came in, and got up with a smile: "The county lord doesn't stay in the back hall to be with his wife and daughter, how can he come here to accompany my lonely old man." ”

"If you have nothing to do, you can also come over to see Uncle Huagong. ”

Min Changwen came in, shook the cold air on his robe, sat opposite the old man, and stretched out his hands to warm up the stove: "By the way, Mr. has you gone out recently to listen to some things in the city?"

The old man poured the wine and put it in front of the county magistrate: "No, what's new outside?"

"How about the carp I ate yesterday?"

Wang Shuhua raised his wine glass and nodded: "The entrance is melted, and the soup is delicious." ”

The county magistrate smiled, took a sip of wine and put it on the table.

"That's what was fished out of the river in Lujiacun and sold in the city, but it's good......." He said in a tone with a long sigh, then paused, and changed the conversation: "Shuhua Gong, do you remember, the left catcher came back from Yazui Ridge that day, and he talked about it?"

"Naturally remember. ”

The old man frowned and thought for a moment: "That day, the thirty-four thieves who went down the mountain to plunder...... There were no external injuries on the body, which is consistent with the death of Chen Yuanwai's family......."

Speaking of this, Wang Shuhua stopped talking, and his brows furrowed even more, there was a sneaky incident in Chen Yuanwai's house before, and forty idlers and market scoundrels who disguised themselves as masters were all registered, and nine of them were from Lujia Village.

Seeing that the old man was no longer talking, Min Changwen sighed and patted the back of the old man's hand.

"This county is jealous and hateful, and he does it chivalrous, when he can turn a blind eye, he is a student of Mr., when he takes the right path, he will only ruin his talent. ”

"Does the left catcher know?" the old man withdrew his hand and took a sip from his glass.

"I don't know the specific person. ”

"You and I are just guessing. ”

"Sir, you should also know that when I was a Beijing official, I often dealt with those traitors...... Forget it, I won't mention these, but there is one more thing, most of the hunters and farmers in Lujia Village have no silver in their families, so how can Lu Liangsheng be literate?"

Min Changwen got up and let out a white breath, rubbed his hands, and moved the official documents in front of the old man.

"Sir, I'm also busy these days, so it's better to go to Lujia Village to see the snow scene on the mountain, recite poems, soothe your mood, and take a look at your student by the way. ”

The old man nodded and laughed.

"It's okay, the old man has indeed been sitting for too long these days, he should walk around, take a few fish back, and make up for the county. ”

"Haha, Uncle Hua's father-in-law, I also covet that fish. ”

Soon, Min Changwen lent his only carriage to the old man, sent a few more messengers to follow, pulled up the head of Zuo Zhutou, who was about to leave for Hegu County after the New Year, and set off for the west early the next morning.

Out of the city gate, into the country road, covered in silver, a white expanse paved in the distant mountains.