Time passed peacefully and steadily, like a steady stream flowing into the Huilongjiang River, without stopping for half a minute because of anyone's movement.

A lot has happened in the past two years.

The most noteworthy is the opening of a grand canal between Yangzhou and Suzhou and Cheng'an, which took two years to complete, and it took a lot of manpower and material resources to spend Dasui, and even invited a lot of qi refiners to help open the way.

The people complained, but the effect was indeed remarkable, since the opening of this Grand Canal, the trade between the two places from the south to the north of the Great Sui has increased by half!

The Great Sui Kingdom was a majestic and prosperous scene.

However, behind this prosperous scene, there are still many drawbacks, and the most serious of them is Xichu.

This canal did not benefit Western Chu, or in other words, the entire Great Sui Kingdom seemed to have forgotten Western Chu in two years, and did not remember that there was such a place as Western Chu at all.

Xichu and Pingsha are at odds, this is something that everyone knows. In the past two years, Pingsha has done something particularly excessive, and perhaps even the magnates of Cheng'an can't figure out why Pingsha did this. Pingsha monopolized the trade of Western Chu outside Western Chu, and any caravans that were about to flow into Western Chu were intercepted by Pingsha in Pingsha, and not even a penny flowed into Western Chu.

Western Chu is rich in cattle and horses, but because in the past two years, the Great Sui has put all its spiritual strength on this Grand Canal, and a large number of cattle and horses are needed as foot power, so the latest law was promulgated, saying that it is forbidden to sell cattle and horses without permission within five years, so all the cattle and horses in the land of Western Chu were transported to the Great Sui.

Originally, I thought that after the opening of this Grand Canal, the Great Sui would be able to allocate all the money from cattle and horses, and there was still a trace of expectation in my heart, but I never thought that the treasury of the Great Sui would be empty because of the construction of this canal, and the money could only be returned to Xichu after a year after the tax was paid.

But where is such a thing? When the cattle and horses were sent to the Great Sui, they clearly said that they would allocate the money in the near future, but they waited for two years, and now that the canal has been successfully built, you even say that you will have to wait another year? Where in the world is there such a thing?

Not to mention the bastard things that Pingsha did, now every household in Xichu is already surrounded by walls, and there is no trade with the outside world at all.

How can they get back and forth? The biggest commodity in Western Chu is cattle and horses, but they are explicitly forbidden to be sold! And the cattle and horses sold to the Great Sui have not been called back for a penny, and even if Pingsha no longer blocks the caravan, there is no money to buy half a merchant!

Down and out.

Originally, the 800,000 iron hooves of Xichu were famous in all directions, but now even raising these 800,000 horses is a big problem!

Pei Changfeng sat alone in the courtyard, eating tea, and had eaten three pots in an hour, which was an extremely strong tea.

The silence was very depressing.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward came and cautiously reported: "Childe, another cavalry battalion has been disbanded, saying that he is going home to farm to feed his wife and children." He also asked me to tell you and the old man that if there is any war in the future, just call them without the slightest complaint. ”

Pei Changfeng's face was gloomy, and he snorted, and said You go down first.

The middle-aged man was resigned and hurriedly retreated.

The white cat squatting on Pei Changfeng's lap bit a piece of dried fish, drowsy, heartless.

After a while, I heard a cough from behind me, and when I turned my head, I saw Pei Shan, an old man who was stumbling slightly.

Pei Changfeng forced out a smile, "Old man, what are you doing?"

"What's the matter? can't I come yet?" Pei Shan smiled, picked up the teacup on the table and poured himself a cup of tea, "Tsk, this tea is too strong, it's not good." Not suitable for an elderly person like me. ”

Pei Changfeng snorted, "I didn't say this was for you to eat." ”

"Look at you, aren't you just eating your cup of tea? ”

"Stingy, then you haven't seen a more stingy one!"

Pei Shan smiled and said, "What do you think? I see that you are quite unhappy?"

Pei Changfeng replied: "I'm wondering when you will ascend to heaven, so that I can be the master of this Xichu!"

Pei Shan was stunned and complained: "You don't know how to speak when you see it, just think about this kind of thing in your heart, where can you say it in front of me?"

"Anyway, you're afraid that you won't live long!" Pei Changfeng was not angry at all, "What's wrong with saying it in front of you?"

"I really don't have the ability to do that. ”

The two were silent for a long time, Pei Shan took a sip of tea, his lips squirmed slightly, "You have been in the Pei Mansion in Xichu for about three years." I have heard a story since I was a child that there was a sea area on the border of a small country in the Southern Dynasties, and there was a huge rock on the sea, and a big bird fell on the boulder. “

"I know, how many times have you said it? Could it be that you got dementia so early?" Pei Changfeng's face was full of impatience.

Pei Shan laughed, "Then what do you mean by the story I said, and what is the meaning?"

"If you don't make a hit, it's a blockbuster. ”

Pei Shan still smiled, "And then?"

"Then?" Pei Changfeng was a little puzzled.

"What's a chirp? Who's going to call yourself and others will know you're capable? This bird doesn't have the capability, I said. Do you know that kind of bird is capable of it?"

Pei Changfeng pondered for a moment, "There is a fish in the North Underworld, and its name is Kun?"

"Turned into a bird, its name is Peng!" Pei Shan laughed, and ate a whole cup of tea with his head up, as if he was in danger decades ago, and after eating a cup of guillotine wine, three thousand horses charged angrily towards the thirty thousand enemy troops.

The strong man has good courage, and the sea of fire and the sword mountain will not look back!

Pei Changfeng smiled: "But what about my wind?"

Pei Shan was stunned, shook his head, took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Pei Changfeng, "Your wind is coming." ”

Pei Changfeng looked at the piece of paper and was silent for a long time, and suddenly laughed three times, "It's indeed here." ”

Pei Shan had already left.

At this time, just after the New Year, Pei Changfeng was nineteen years old, sitting alone in the courtyard enjoying the spring scenery, and suddenly said: "I heard that Cheng'an's Lantern Festival is not brilliant?"

He replied to himself: "It seems that it is right, then I will go to Cheng'an City first." ”

Standing up, carefully putting the piece of paper into his arms, Pei Changfeng walked out of the courtyard.

Since the first step he started, there was a long wind of thousands of miles.

One day, the long wind will rise and soar up to 90,000 miles!

——————

Compared with Xichu, Qionghu Lake is much more prosperous now.

Most of the scholars in Qionghu City were scholars who studied hard in the cold window, and even if the Grand Canal project was arduous, it was impossible for the imperial court to send these scholars to serve in labor in a frenzy.

Although the canal did not enter Qionghu, it still drove the development of trade, and Qionghu Lake was able to take advantage of this limelight to make a lot of oil and water for itself.

After the people in Qionghu City took advantage of this limelight to save some furniture for themselves, the shops in the city were naturally much better than before.

"Eh, sister, look at this kind of color, is it very suitable for your temperament? If you want me to see that if this rouge can be applied to your sister's face, it looks like a fairy, even if it is the emperor's princess, she will be ashamed in front of you!"

"Oh, little sister, you want to buy rouge too! I'll see what kind of one you fit into." Ouch, where do you need any rouge for this face? It's already beautiful, go out and turn right, there is a clothing store, you can buy two decent clothes better than this rouge!"

"What, you bought it for your mother? Then it's easy to do, you see, if this box of rouge can be matched with your mother's mother, your father will not leave your mother's room half a step every night!"

Cheng Ru has been staying in Qionghu for more than two years, and he used to mix in the academy every day, and he had nothing to do to find Ji Wenjun to eat and tea, although Ji Wenjun never appreciated a face, but Cheng Ru was never tired of it. It's just that after staying in Qionghu for a year, I found that my pocket was shy, and I didn't want to do any hard work. After thinking about it, I finally settled on this rouge shop, thinking that anyway, the two of you don't know when you will come back, so it's not too much to borrow your shop to ask for some food money first!

So he became the shopkeeper of this rouge shop alone.

It's just the New Year, and the rouge shop run by Cheng Ru is already crowded, just because the shopkeeper is quite handsome, has a sweet mouth, and has spare money in his pocket, so many girls come to this rouge shop to buy rouge, one by one, take advantage of the excitement, but Cheng Ru is tired and sweaty.

In the evening, Cheng Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief, and when he was about to close the door, he suddenly saw two girls walking in at the door, one was tall and the other looked delicate, Cheng Ru was immediately stunned.

The two people who came were Ji Wenjun and Ziling.

Ziling hated the iron and made a look at Cheng Ru, Cheng Ru was stunned for a long time before turning around, and hurriedly greeted him, "Two milks, why did you come to my rouge shop?"

"What's the matter? can't you come yet?" Ziling smiled: "It is said that there is a rouge shop on Hongyu Street in Qionghu, and there is a young and promising shopkeeper in the rouge shop, isn't this just here to see and understand?"

Saying that, Ziling walked around the rouge shop, "Yo yo yo, I really didn't expect that the shopkeeper is really capable! I said why I haven't seen you these days, it turns out that I came to be the shopkeeper." How's the business? Have you saved enough money for the bride price of your daughter-in-law?"

Listening to Ziling's unrestrained words, Ji Wenjun glared at Ziling fiercely, and Ziling stuck out his tongue.

Now that two years have passed, Ji Wenjun has become more and more slender, and Ziling's appearance has also grown, and his appearance is also very smart.

The most disappointed thing is that he doesn't seem to have grown in the past two years, and at this time he can only go under Ji Wenjun's nose, and every time he looks at Ji Wenjun's tall figure, he is a little discouraged, thinking that the bald donkey of the dog day will just shave off my hair, why haven't I even grown up?

Ziling grinned, and ran away after making a look at Cheng Ru, Ji Wenjun picked the rouge alone, and Cheng Ru forced himself to walk over, "That... Miss Ji, what kind of rouge do you like, just take it casually, don't need money. ”

"Actually, it's just a casual look," Ji Wenjun's tone was still cold, like a crisp spring in the mountains, "But thank you Cheng Gongzi for your kindness." “

Cheng Ru smirked and scratched his head, "Actually, I think this rouge is quite worthy of Miss Ji, otherwise you can take it back directly." ”

"No, I'll just take a look. “

Cheng Ru didn't know for a while whether Ji Wenjun's words were a refusal or a tact, how many girls could he understand as the shopkeeper of the rouge shop? But when it came to Ji Wenjun's body, he didn't have any general knowledge at all, he couldn't guess what this woman was thinking, just like he could only see the tip of Ji Wenjun's small nose when he raised his head slightly, and he felt that when Ji Wenjun lowered his head slightly to look at himself, he could only see the top of his head, even if he wore a hat, he felt that he was like his bare head, and there was nowhere to pause.

But so what? Cheng Ru likes her, likes Miss Ji, no matter how humble he is, he dares to enjoy this humility in front of Miss Ji.

It's as if he knows every time that Miss Ji will throw his flowers into the dark and dirty gutter, and he will also go to Miss Ji's house every morning to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the window, sending peonies in spring, hibiscus in summer, daisies in autumn, plum blossoms in winter, and cold winter and heat, never stopping.

However, the only heartache is that no matter how Cheng Ru comforts himself, no matter how he can't understand Miss Ji's thoughts, he can clearly feel that Miss Ji doesn't like him.

"Ziling, have you picked it out, let's go back!"

"Oooh. Okay, Sister Wenjun, did you pick it? Eh, why didn't you pick it? Don't like it?"

When Ziling turned her head and saw Cheng Ru's wooden appearance, she was helpless, thinking that she had finally persuaded Ji Wenjun to come here, and you acted like this?

glaring at Cheng Ru fiercely, Ziling put the box of rouge she had picked on the counter again, took Ji Wenjun's hand and was about to leave in a hurry.

Cheng Ru finally came back to her senses, picked up a box of rouge and rushed up, "Please wait a minute, Miss Ji." ”

Ji Wenjun turned around and looked at Cheng Ruyi, whose face was flushed.

Cheng Ru smiled awkwardly, and carefully handed over the box of rouge, "You guys came all the way to take a box back." ”

Ji Wenjun was silent for a long time and didn't stretch out his hand.

Ziling hurriedly laughed and said: "Okay, Cheng Ruyes, I came with Sister Wen Jun, you only send one box? “

"No, no, no!" Cheng Ru hurriedly waved his hand, and when he was about to turn around and take another box, Ziling snatched the box of rouge from Cheng Ruye's hand, "It's done, just take a box, it's enough for me and Sister Wen Jun." Let's go!"

After speaking, Ziling pulled Ji Wenjun and left.

Cheng Ru looked at the backs of the two and sighed.

"Sister Wenjun, you really don't like Cheng Rushi?" Ziling raised her head and asked.

Ji Wenjun pursed his lips and smiled, but did not reply.

Ziling frowned bitterly, "But Cheng Ru is that person is actually really good, you see, Deng Fuzi likes him, saying that if he reads, he is at least a great Confucian, you see, how high is this evaluation? Now that the business of the rouge shop is also doing well, it shows that this person is still quite capable." If you look at the scholars in our academy, they can only shake their heads and recite poems, but in fact, they can't read bullshit, and they don't have any other skills. ”

Ji Wenjun said: "Everyone has their own advantages and strengths. ”

Ziling asked in a low voice with interest: "Sister Wenjun, you say, do you dislike Cheng Ru for being a bald head? But there are more bald heads outside, and not every bald head is a monk!"

Ji Wenjun smiled dumbly, "How can I be angry with someone because of this kind of thing?"

"Why is that?" Ziling pouted, racking her brains.

Ji Wenjun thought for a while and asked, "Do you think I should like him?"

"I don't know, but Cheng Ru really likes you!"

。。。

After buying two roast chickens and a pot of soju and walking into the house, Cheng Ru shouted to an old man next to him, "Dog, it's time to eat!"

The old man raised his head, as if he was the fortune teller who had appeared in Luoyang.

The old fortune teller smiled, "Where did you get such a big temper?

Cheng Ru was a little annoyed, "What do you know? Do you know? Eat or not, if you don't eat, I'll feed the dogs?"

The fortune teller old man muttered, "Look at you, it's not me who makes you feel bad, what kind of tantrum you throw at me, it's true." Besides, I can still count you as half a master, can you talk to your master like this?"

"Are you embarrassed to say?" Cheng Ru jumped up, "Didn't you just learn some disguised fur? Don't you talk all day long? Not to mention how long you have lived with me? A meal of roast chicken and soju every day, how can I repay the favor!"

The old fortune teller grinned, "Look at what you said, what is the relationship between the two of us? Don't talk about these things in the future, do you know how to hurt your feelings?"

Biting a chicken leg hatefully, Cheng Ru replied: "Don't talk about these things, it's my waist that hurts!"

The old fortune teller blushed, "Why wouldn't I pay you back?" I said that I would give you a great fortune, but you don't want it, what can I do?"

"Are you going to be a national teacher for that stuff again?" Cheng Ru replied in a weird way: "I'm a fart! Look at your appearance called Hanako, can I believe you? You don't come, I don't believe you can start the country at all!"

"If you don't believe it, forget it, don't say that I didn't take care of you when the time comes!" The fortune teller finished taking a sip of wine, and his whole body trembled with comfort, "Do you want to take two sips?" After that, he muttered: "Oh, forget, monks can't eat wine." ”

Cheng Ru's face was full of iron, "If you mention this matter to me again, I'll be anxious with you!"