In normal times, the ox cart from White Horse Town to Yinyang City would be no more than 300 wen. Recently, the situation in Yinyang has been tense, and the car rent has also risen with the tide, rising to one or two silver.

The ox cart is very cleverly designed, about one zhang long, half a zhang high, with a roof made of white oak, wrapped in felt all around, four people can sit down at the same time when traveling, when stopping and resting at night, with the body as a beam, a large tent can be set up for five or six people to rest at the same time. The owner of the ox cart is surnamed Niu, who is originally from Yinyang, and a few days ago he brought a few guests to White Horse Town, and he couldn't get enough people on the return trip until Xiao Jinyan came to the door.

Lao Niu was very enthusiastic, chattering along the way, chatting with Xiao Jinyan, and getting rid of a chatterbox.

According to Lao Niu, they did this business purely for interest, his family has a three-acre house in Yinyang City, demolished last year, made up 100,000 taels of silver, he could have lived the life of a rich man, but he was an idle person, bought an ox cart, and started the business of soliciting customers. I do this business purely for interest, and I can contact all kinds of people, such as a certain court official running away, a young lady in Hidden Yang City eloping with her lover, etc., all with his car.

Of course, looking at Lao Niu's dress, Xiao Jinyan felt that he had nothing to do with the word rich at all, and this kind of hearsay could only be heard, and it was okay to relieve boredom. Of course, Xiao Jinyan won't tell him about himself, otherwise one day, maybe it will become a story in Lao Niu's mouth. Lao Niu has a very thorough view of the entire situation in Yinyang, from the major policies of the imperial court, to the gossip in the family of the city lord of Yinyang, to the rumors in the rivers and lakes, all of them are proficient, even if they talk about a topic casually, Lao Niu's erudition makes Xiao Jinyan feel his insignificance and ignorance.

When it comes to the food problem, the old bull is not going to fight in one place.

Recently, the Western Chu army has made frequent moves and is eyeing Yinyang City, which has led to soaring food prices. Yinyang City is a trade city, the grain is all transported by the Central Plains, the bandits in the Yinyang grain road are rampant, and the old Niu family is almost unable to eat. Xiao Jinyan wondered, with a family of 100,000 taels of silver, he couldn't even eat, so wouldn't the others starve to death, of course, he wouldn't find out about it.

Grain could not be brought in, and prices soared.

It was unfortunate, but it was good news for the food team on the road.

Xiao Jinyan asked, "If there is not enough food, won't the government find a way?"

Lao Niu scolded and scolded, "Think of a bullshit way, these officials, no other skills, as soon as they take office, they know four words, repair bridges and pave roads, take Zhuyang Street in front of my house as an example, the year before last said that the road was aging, dug and repaired once, last year because of drainage, dug up and repaired again, a year, half a year in the road, the Chishui Bridge in the city, three years rebuilt twice!"

"Can't it be fixed all at once?"

Lao Niu sneered, "How can you make money once you repair it?" As soon as the bridge is repaired and the road is paved, taxes will be collected. The rotten house on Jinqiao Yinlu, the prefect surnamed Cao, and the one in the city lord's mansion, are simply embarrassed and misbeneficial, in other words, if I am the emperor, I would have wiped them with a knife. Between the words, it seemed that he was full of resentment towards the rulers of Hidden Sun City.

"Those of us who drive ox carts can only earn a few dollars a year, which is not enough to pay taxes to the government, and when we used to go to Baima Town, we could go to the casino to play two handfuls, take time to drink a glass ......of flower wine, and make tooth sacrifices, but now we can only make naan cakes and pickles, and our lives are hard!"

He grabbed the bullock cart and looked to the side of the road.

There is a middle-aged Confucian student

and beckoned to the ox cart.

This middle-aged man, forty or fifty years old, was dressed in a white-washed Confucian shirt, with patches on the cuffs and collar, but it was very clean.

Lao Niu was a little embarrassed, and said to Xiao Jinyan: "Brother, although you have covered this ox cart, but there are three or four idle seats, you see that it is okay anyway, it is better to let the old brother carry another person, chat on the road to relieve boredom, yes? First of all, it is not that the old brother is greedy for such a small amount of money, we are purely helping others for pleasure and doing a good deed every day, right." ”

Xiao Jinyan nodded.

Lao Niu got out of the car and talked to the middle-aged Confucian about the price.

The Confucian had a dusty face, and he didn't see that he was a rich man, and he walked for a long time, feeling a little tired. Lao Niu asked for five coins of silver, and the middle-aged Confucian bargained with him for a long time before agreeing to reduce it to three coins.

The middle-aged Confucian got on the ox cart, saw Xiao Jinyan, bowed his hand to him slightly, sat opposite him, took out a copy of "The Book of Rites" from his arms, and slowly flipped through it.

Lao Niu asked, "Are you a scholar?"

When the middle-aged Confucian saw him asking, he said very humbly, "I used to read books for a few years. ”

"Then why didn't you get into the Jinshi?"

The middle-aged Confucian old man blushed and sighed, "I have participated in several imperial examinations, and I barely won the lift." ”

"It turned out to be Master Yu, it's really disrespectful!" Lao Niu quipped, "It's not bad to lift people, our prefect of Yinyang is also from a people's background, and later donated money to a tribute, and now he has also become a four-grade official? ”

The middle-aged Confucian laughed at himself, "Who said it wasn't." ”

Lao Niu said, "So, reading is a fart." Of course, I'll tell you this sentence, and I don't dare to mention it when I meet the prefect. Look at me, I went to a private school for a few years, and my family took advantage of a few acres of land, demolished it last year, and made up 100,000 taels of silver at once. ”

The middle-aged Confucian said solemnly, "Amazing, amazing." ”

"But then again, reading is a good thing, but not being able to read a book will break your brain, sometimes your brain is more active, and your career can be smoother. Lao Niu said, and mentioned how a friend and a classmate entered the official career, how to be a big official, and said, "At your age, I am afraid that it is not possible to take the imperial examination, and the only way out is to go to a certain adult's mansion to be a staff member. ”

The middle-aged Confucian said, "Brother, I've been taught!"

Lao Niu said with a look of vicissitudes, "I just ate for a few more years and met a few more people, so I naturally know more than you." By the way, you sound like you're from the capital, what are you doing in Hidden Yang City?"

The middle-aged Confucian said, "Visit an old man, and by the way, take a look at the future son-in-law." ”

Lao Niu smiled and said, "Ouch, I didn't see it, you also married your daughter to Hidden Yang City." So we're still half a fellow countryman!"

The middle-aged Confucian smiled bitterly, "The female university is not staying." ”

"Eh, marry a wife when you marry Mi Zhipo, and marry someone when you marry Yinyanglang. We Yinyang men will not only fight, but also fight...... Oh, it's a wife. By the way, I'm very familiar with Hidden Sun City, I don't know which son-in-law your daughter is going to marry?"

The middle-aged Confucian shook his head, "It's just an ignorant child." ”

Xiao Jinyan closed

Eyes and minds, listening to the two chatting about the customs and customs of Yinyang City, speaking of Chishui wine, the old cow came to the momentum, "It's not my old cow bragging, the world's fine wine is out of Yinyang, and Chishui is drunk alone." If you come to Yinyang and don't drink red water wine, it's simply in vain. As he spoke, he untied a wine bag from the rafters, took a sip, and handed it to the middle-aged Confucian student.

The middle-aged Confucian took a sip, the wine was strong, and he took a deep breath, his face was already red. "This tastes mellow, it should be Li Kee Aging!"

Lao Niu laughed and said, "Your Excellency is really good taste, and you actually know that our Li Ji is old." There are two Li Ji aged liquor in our Yinyang City, one is opened by the prefect's brother-in-law, and the wine is added with honey, which is said to be very popular in the capital. However, we Lao Yinyang drink red water, we all buy wine from another small wine shop, the taste is positive, the taste is strong, I don't know how many times better than you people in the capital who drink Maotai Little Prince and Wuliang alcohol. Moreover, a pot only sells for thirteen wen!"

When the middle-aged Confucian heard this, he sighed, "It's been twenty years, and the price hasn't changed." ”

Xiao Jinyan smelled the aroma of wine, and the gluttonous insects were hooked, and said with a smile, "Old Niu, reward me too!"

The old cow gave him wine.

Xiao Jinyan uncorked the wine, put it between his nose and sniffed, feeling a familiar taste.

When the wine entered his stomach, Xiao Jinyan closed his mouth and took a deep breath. At first, it was spicy and slightly astringent, and then it was like a flame burning in the abdomen, and the bitterness was sweet between the lips and teeth.

Xiao Jinyan remembered the wine shop of the golden knife Li Qiuyi, and the taste was eight or nine points similar. I remember Li Qiuyi said, without red water, this wine always feels less flavorful, and today I finally drank the mellow red water wine, which really has a different taste. Xiao Jinyan has drunk countless fine wines, but if it is about strong sex, Chishui is unique, Xiao Jinyan took a few more breaths before saying, "Good wine!"

Lao Niu saw him drinking and said, "Brother, I didn't expect that you also know how to drink this red water wine!"

Xiao Jinyan smiled, "An old-timer taught me back then, but today is indeed the first time I have drunk it." ”

The middle-aged scholar also said, "Yinyang is really a good place!"

Lao Niu sighed, shook his head, and said, "It's changed! ”

"What do you mean by that?"

Lao Niu said, "Back then, when the Golden Sword City Lord was in power, how majestic our Yinyang was, even Yuwen Old Dog led an army of 100,000 people outside the city, as long as the City Lord Li went to the city, we Yinyang people had confidence in their hearts, and everyone in Yinyang asked for battle, so scared that Yuwen Old Dog retreated without a fight." Alas, it's a pity, now there is only an empty shell left in Hidden Sun City, but the soul is gone. ”

The middle-aged Confucian looked slightly embarrassed.

Xiao Jinyan asked curiously, "How did the soul disappear?"

Lao Niu's face was full of emotion, "You outsiders, you can't understand our old Yinyang's feelings for the Golden Sword King at all. Over the years, the city lord has changed a few, but in our hearts, there is only one golden knife city lord, that is, the golden sword king Li Qiuyi! Back then, the city lord Li hung up the knife and left, so we still have the golden knife to protect the city, last year even the golden knife took the door and left, and then came the news that the city lord Li died in battle, and the entire Yinyang City was clothed in linen and filial piety for three months, which made the current city lord angry half to death. ”

"Later, I heard that there was a descendant surnamed Zhao in Jiangnan who wanted to return the ashes of the city lord to Yinyang, presumably in two months. We, the people of the whole city, are waiting to welcome the Golden Sword King back to his hometown. ”

Between the words, it was quite embarrassing.