Chapter 240: Everyone has their own thoughts (Part 1)

"Brother Xiaofu, what are we doing in Zhoucheng?" In Huairong City, Guizhou, Zheng Xiaoqi, who was blushing, walked out of the largest Sihai Restaurant in the city with a burp. While walking, he turned his head vaguely and asked Laifu, who was bowing to the back, and said, "Who were those Hu people just now? He had a good alcohol tolerance, but the smell on his body was really amazing."

Zheng Xiaoqi and Lai Fu have been wandering around Huairong City for several days. When his son-in-law set out to Liuguan Village that day, Lai Fu, who was close to him, did not accompany him, but packed his bags and arrived in Huairong City. Before leaving, he called him up.

Among the three brothers of the Zheng family, Zheng Qi and Lai Fu are the most recent age, and he also has the best relationship with Lai Fu. Because his cousin Zheng Wu also has the word "Fu" in his official name, Zheng Qi calls Lai Fu "Little Brother". Now the Longmen County Government has been on track. Seeing that there is nothing to do around the lady, Zheng Qi simply followed Lai Fu to the state city.

Zheng Qi thought that since his son-in-law did not allow Lai Fu to accompany him but sent him here, he must have had a big job. Unexpectedly, after Huairong, the first place where Lai Fu took him to the quiz shop was to get a few bright clothes, and then he wore good clothes to hang out in the slightly larger inns and restaurants all over the city.

It was during these few days that Zheng Qi saw the alternative skills that Lai Fu was usually unknown. Lai Fu turned into a familiar stranger who had never seen before. As long as he leaned forward, he could talk and laugh with others in a short while. If he got together to have a drink and a cup of tea, he would actually be so intimate when he came out.

In addition, what made Zheng Qi wonder was that Lai Fuhuo seemed to have a thousand miles of eyes and ears, and he knew many things that he had never heard of. He clearly was with him, but he had never heard of the things he said.

It is really tiring to chat around in various inns every day. After finally Lai Fu finally stopped reconciling, Zheng Qi followed him into the sea of ​​wine and meat. In the past few days, the guests were banquets. Almost as soon as they opened their eyes, they started drinking. After drinking at noon, they didn't wait for anyone to wake up, and then they would drink again in the evening. Although Zheng Qi was a little addicted to alcohol like Zheng San and Zheng Wu, they couldn't hold it in this way. What's even more fatal is that Lai Fu's guests were almost all Hu people in the past few days. These people were good when they didn't drink, but once they drank too much, they sweated and took off their big clothes outside, the strong smell could not even go out in the charcoal-burning Accord. The more they were filled, the more smoked people dared not breathe.

He only took a bath three times in his life, was born once, got married once, and died once. When he first heard these Hu people talking about their customs seriously, Zheng Qi, who had been in Yangzhou, a water town in Jiangnan for a year or two, almost spit it out in one mouthful. No wonder it smells so good, it is here.

In addition to this speechless custom, what Zheng Qi was puzzled by the identity of these people, but this was not their corporal. Just looking at these Hu people's casual quotations and the quotations they brought when they mentioned the goods on the market, no one knew that they must be merchants wandering around. What Zheng Qi couldn't figure out was whether these people were from which clan.

Zheng Qi followed his son-in-law to Longmen for some time. Whether it was the Barbarian Xi or the Khitan, or even the Shiwei people and the Martyr people in the north, they could recognize it. The reason was simple. People from different tribes in the north had extremely obvious differences in hairstyles and dresses. Some of them were strange and ridiculous to the Tang people who first met, and they would definitely not forget them after seeing them.

But the people in front of them were very strange. Although you could tell at a glance that they were Hu people, they were not any clan that Zheng Qi knew. What was even more strange was that they could find the shadows of known tribes in their appearance and outfits.

Although it was not long, Zheng Qi knew some special customs here. For example, even if you look at the Hu people's hairstyle, no matter how strange and ridiculous they were, they should not be shown on their faces at will. These Hu people who regard this as insults are very violent. Every time they encounter such a situation, they often pull out their scimitar and rush up to fight you. No matter who wins or loses, the Tang people who have acted like this after finally reaching the yamen, they should not take the initiative to take action. Similar taboos include that if they have not introduced it on their own initiative, it is best not to ask about their tribe's origins casually.

It’s hard to ask, and these people don’t say it themselves. Zheng Qi’s doubts have been held back for several days, and it’s not until now that he asked.

Lai Fu, who was hunching his hands to say goodbye to the Hu merchants in the air, heard the question, pulled Zheng Qi's arm and walked down the steps quickly, "Just keep a little quiet, these Hu people are more troublesome than women. Maybe a word is wrong and they will provoke their taboos. Especially the group of us who are in the banquet are even more of the women."

"Hey, Brother Xiaofu, you are still afraid of women." Zheng Xiaoqi, who was drunk and completely fainted after the wind, waved his hands and said proudly: "That's the case for women. If you make a fuss, you will be honest when you come forward and slap them twice. They are convinced, afraid of a ball! Tell me, who are these women?"

Lai Fu smiled "sneer" when he heard this, "What's the singer's name just now? I haven't sat in your arms yet. Look, you can't bend your waist anymore. The little chicken that has never even been touched with meat and fish is used as a big eagle."

As soon as he heard this, Zheng Xiaoqi, who was full of alcohol, was swaying and claws, was about to worry. Lai Fu immediately regretted it when he saw this. He told the little drunkard that he was fighting with the woman, and he thought he could not be drunk and crazy.

Lai Fu pressed Zheng Xiaoqi's arm, and put his other hand on his shoulder, pressing Zheng Xiaoqi, who was jumping around, tightly, "Okay, my seventh brother, are you wandering around the flowers and dust roots? Brother, I'll obey you, you're very obedient."

"That's right." Zheng Xiaoqi, whose fragile self-esteem finally made up, stopped and jumped, "Brother Xiaofu, tell me, which tribe are those women from?"

"If you can't drink, drink less. If you are a group of nine-name macaques, you are so real." Zheng Xiaoqi has become like this. If he doesn't say that, he can really shout on the street. He complained and scolded, and then Fu could only whisper helplessly: "These tribes are all, and that tribe doesn't recognize them."

"What...what does it mean?" Zheng Xiaoqi has already had a completely big tongue.

"These people are Ximan, Khitan, Shiwei, and the Hu people who were wandering over Anxi, and who knows which clan they are?" After replying unhappily, Laiford Tyer said in a stressful tone, "Xiaoqi, brother, tell you, don't mention what I said when I'm with these people. The one who is ridiculed by the nine surnames is the origin, and this is the one they most taboo about.

"It turned out to be a group of bastards." Zheng Xiaoqi's laughter attracted the attention of passers-by on both sides. Fortunately, Lai Fu reached out and covered his mouth with a quick hand, and at least he didn't let him say anything more exciting.

Lai Fu never expected that Zheng Qi, who could drink well, had such a virtue after getting drunk. He immediately lost his intention to walk back slowly. He reached out to summon a car and pushed it and pulled it into the car.

It was not until Lai Fu sat down on his feet that he let out a long breath. Although Zheng Qi, who had completely drunk, did not say much, the smell in his mouth was really bad. At this time, Lai Fu did not care about the cold weather and reached out to lift the walking car curtains.

Not long after walking, Lai Fu heard a rapid sound of horse hooves in front of him. It was obvious that someone was riding quickly in the city. This was rare. When he looked over, he knew the tolerance of a thick bamboo tube slung across his back and a small red flag on it.

"Teacher Xing, Tieacher Xing, here..." Lai Fu poked his head out of the car window and called out twice. The Duke Xing from Longmen County Government saw him and immediately turned around and leaned over.

"Stop", and stopped the ride. Lai Fu asked the officer Xing who was riding his horse, "What's the matter so urgent? Is my high-ranking official back to the yamen?"

Usually, I was in the yamen, so Xing Gongmao naturally recognized Tang Cheng's close-up chief Suilaifu. "Mr. County Master set off yesterday morning and returned to the yamen. This time, if he rode a horse and walked faster, he would be able to return to the city when it was dark tomorrow. I came to the yamen to deliver official documents for relief after receiving the orders from the yamen."

The refugees who come to Huairong City to beg for food are more than one day, and this is what Lai Fu saw with his own eyes. He nodded after hearing this, "Wende County and Yanshan County come to report relief and ask for food. The people from the three counties of Huairong City are eagerly watching Zhoucang wait. Yongxing, Huaian and Guichuan are also on the way. Xingtouer, you have to go faster. How much food can Zhoucang store? Don't let the bunny who arrived first grab it."

Upon hearing this news, Mr. Xing, who had been traveling for many days, looked solemn. Without saying a word, he waved his hand and rode away with a horse's belly. Passersby saw the red flag behind him and avoided him.

"I also live in Shunbin Inn. I came to see me after sending the official documents." After shouting at Lao Xing's back, Lai Fu stepped on the pedal in the car and "leave"

After a while, he returned to Shunbin Inn. Lai Fu sent a few servants in the inn and asked Zheng Qijiao to return to his room to settle Zheng Qijiao. He did not delay at all.

As soon as Lai Fu sat down, he didn't hear his name, and a waiter from the hall came over with a hot bowl of Sanle Powder. Lai Fu asked quietly while receiving the wine, "What's the matter?"

"Didn't those nine surnames Hu follow Ke Ye to have a drink? No one has come back yet."

"I'm not asking them, Wende, the two from Yanshan County."

"The Huang Lushi from the Yamen of Yanshan County did not show up at noon. He called a Xiao Sixi in the room, and there were also two singers. Fang Juesi of Wende County was in the back of the Accord."

"Who is invited?"

"Ning Mingyuan, the judge of the State Warehouse", the waiter who ran the hall spoke very quickly, "Don't worry, the Accord where the young man brought them to was the one who was responsible for the care of the aunt's brothers. The news will be transmitted back in a short time."

"Yes," Lai Fu lowered his head and picked up the three-leu sip. The waiter immediately turned around and left with a red paint tray.

After waiting for two more incense sticks, Lai Fu saw Ning Mingyuan walking out from the direction of the Accord with a black and ugly fat man with swollen fish eyes. "It was really dry and cold this day. Waiter, I took this hot wine to the No. 3 room, and brought a few side dishes together." After witnessing Ning Mingyuan and the others leaving the restaurant, Lai Fu shouted and stood up and returned to the guest room behind from the side door.

As soon as he returned to the room, a waiter in a servile service came in with a tray behind him.

After covering the door, Furu asked directly, "What are you talking about inside?"

Unexpectedly, the waiter didn't open his mouth, put down the tray, stretched out his hand and gestured with two fingers.

"Oh, you dare to ask for two jin of money for any news." Seeing that he was so lucky, he was not annoyed, but was quite excited. He took out a two-jin ticket from his sleeve without any refutation and threw it over. The jingling sound followed, which was the extra reward of dozens of literary scattered Tongbao.

"explain"

"Xie Ke Ye rewarded me." Xiao Erzhu quickly put the money in his arms, then patted it on his chest and said, "There are less than 30% of the grain stored in the Guanjian of Guizhou. Yu Mingyuan explained that Fang Yu would go to An Biejia and Niu as soon as possible to bring the grain relief first."

Less than 30% of the food stored? When Lai Fu heard this, he was happy first, and then he felt a little anxious. What he was happy was that Niu Zude had a big mistake, and the news would be useful. But the weather was so dry, and the state warehouse had only such a little food stored, what should the officials do? This little food stored was targeted by someone.

It would be easy to follow the top yamen like this. Who doesn’t want the six counties under Guizhou? In this case, even if it is a business, it is necessary to do activities. Not to mention that the directors and officers of the Yanshan County came to handle this matter in person. Even if Wende County was a little too little, there was a judge. Longmen is good, and there was only one toll. He couldn’t even speak when he was walking in the state yamen. What could he do? The old official, who has always been smart, didn’t know what he thought this time.

After Lai Fu, who was a little anxious, he temporarily suppressed his head and asked the waiter: "Where has Changpingliang from the official warehouse come?"

The waiter's voice became lower and lower, and he looked at the door while saying, "I have pulled it away long ago. I heard Yu Mingyuan say that this was something that happened a few months ago. Is it there? Yu Mingyuan didn't say this, and the villain didn't know."

"Who took it away? But the governor ordered it?"

"Yu Mingyuan didn't say that the governor ordered him, but only mentioned that the person in charge was the steward of the governor's office." At this point, the waiter picked up the emptied pallet, "Mr., I've said everything I know, and it's time for the young one to leave."

"What you just said is the truth?"

Wenwenwu looked aggrieved, "The young men rely on this to make a living. No matter whether he keeps people in it or not, as long as people talk in the Accord, the young men can hear it. What he said just now is what he listens to with his own ears. If the guest does not believe in the young men, there is no way."

"I just asked casually," Lai Fu nodded with a smile, "Well, go ahead and report me quickly if there is any news, I can't treat you badly."

After the waiter left, Lai Fu stood alone in the house for a while, then went to the next room to look at Zheng Qi. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, he didn't call him, and shook his head and left the inn and headed to Guancang, Guizhou.

The sky is vast and the wilderness is vast. The wind blows the grass and sees cattle and sheep. These three sentences in the folk song "Chi Lechuan" in the northern region during the Six Dynasties were originally the best description of the life scene of the Xi people on the Longmen grassland, but at present, the beautiful scenery of grass waves like the sea and sheep like clouds in the song can never be seen again.

The drought this year is too long and too great. The last crop of grass that should have grown in the pastures that used to be seasonal and seasonal have not grown at all. The buds of the animals have been gnawed all over. In this way, not only did the animals that should have fattened for winter but all the grass that Xi herders should have stocked for the snow season have been gone.

After that, the weather passed day by day, and the snow never came down. Although there was no concern about the snow disaster in previous years, the Xi people on the grassland not only did not loosen faster, but their brows became tighter and tighter. The livestock became thinner and thinner, and the food prepared for them at home was getting less and less. Seeing that it was still far from the end of this drought winter, what should I feed them in the future? The fat that should have not grown up and it became thinner and thinner. Even if I could eat it, how could these thin and sick animals survive the severe cold of 300 days?

The grassland was filled with miserable appearance, especially when many cattle and sheep in the household circles began to die of starvation, a restless atmosphere began to brew. Many strong herders found a scimitar hidden at the bottom of the box and protected with cooked butter, silently grinding it on the edge of the animal circle. Women took the longbows that men usually used with tears in their eyes. They should be tightened. More importantly, the arrows were prepared more than usual. In addition, the good horses that men often rode had to be carefully taken care of these days. Even if other animals starved to death, they would not dare to lose it. The life of men on the battlefield was tied to the horse.

On the Longmen Grassland that was as dry as alopecia areata, the people of Xi were doing these things silently, while turning their eyes to the northeast corner of the grassland. It was not only the most abundant place for the water plants on this grassland, but also the place where the clan leader set up his tent.

Around the huge felt tent where the clan leader Tuyezhuo could accommodate twenty or thirty people to have a banquet, there were some small leather tents scattered. In these leather tents, except for the noble wizards and the clan elders, the rest were Tuyezhuo's wives, concubines and children.

The location of these small leather tents is by no means determined by their distance. The distance from the large tent is also marked by the closeness and distantness between the owner of the leather tent and the clan leader. In short, the closer they are to the large tent, the more favored their owner will be in front of the clan leader, and vice versa.

At this moment, in a leather tent farthest from the big tent, the general manager of Shuntian Goods Store in Qianlongmen County, sitting cross-legged beside the fire pond, staring at the blazing cow dung fire in the pond, oh, no, it should be said to be meditating.
Chapter completed!