Tongxian County is located on the outskirts of the capital city. It was only divided from Hebei Province to the capital city in 1958.
Although the official name is Tongzhou District, people are still accustomed to calling it Tongxian.
Entering the same county area is like arriving in the countryside.
The crops in the surrounding fields have been harvested, revealing small villages surrounded by trees.
Most of the houses in the village are low half brick houses.
The lower part is made of bricks, and the upper part is made of clay. It is much more stylish than the clay houses in Qinjiagou.
A group of children were holding hands and playing games in the field at the entrance of the village. Not far from the children, there was a small lonely temple.
It was the first time for Li Donglai to see a temple in this era. He couldn't help but slow down the pace of his bicycle and raised his eyes.
It is said to be a temple, but it is actually a house-like sacrificial platform made of blue bricks that is as tall as a person.
It's really too small and no one can get in.
There are inscriptions on both sides of the door of the temple in traditional Chinese that say, "Any request will be answered".
There is an incense burner placed at the door, but the layer of dust covering it indicates that no one has come to worship in the small temple for a long time.
The stone altar in front of the door has also become a place for children to play.
However, considering the age, this is normal. It is a blessing that the temple was not demolished.
Maybe it's because it's so small and inconspicuous.
The second son saw that Li Donglai was interested in the temple and explained in a low voice: "This is the Five Sacred Temple. Although it is small, it worships the five gods: Dragon King, Flower God, Earth, Mountain God and Medicine King."
Li Donglai remembered that the Summer Palace also had a Temple of the Five Saints, which was built during the Qianlong period, but he was not sure whether they were the same thing.
Following the winding road and passing through several villages, the two arrived at Tongzhou County.
As soon as we entered the main road, there was a call from the roadside: "Brother Erzi, this way."
A young man wearing a blue and black shirt, with a short haircut and a bicycle chain hanging around his waist ran over.
There was a tricycle parked behind him, which was filled with cardboard, beer bottles and other debris, as well as a rusty coal stove.
"This is Guo Zi, my little brother. It was he who discovered the trace of the old woman this time when he was collecting scraps." When Cun Ban Tou came up, Er Zi explained.
Guo Zi didn't know Li Donglai, but he had a rough guess that he was a big shot.
His expression became reserved.
"Come on, little brother, have a cigarette." Li Donglai took out the front door from his pocket and walked out with them both.
After puffing for a while, Guo Zi turned his head, looked around, and whispered: "Recently, there are less and less scraps in the capital. I got up early today and wanted to go to Tong County to meet them.
Try your luck, even though this is the countryside, most of the residents work in factories in the capital and are rich..."
"Let's get to the point." Erzi said coldly.
This kid is a naughty little guy. When he sees a big shot, he wants to take the opportunity to show off his words and get some benefits.
Guo Zi looked at Li Donglai carefully, smiled awkwardly, and rubbed his hands: "As expected, in one morning, I collected fifty kilograms of cardboard and ten kilograms of scrap copper and iron. Today's task is considered completed.
For more than half of the meal, I ate a donkey meat barbecue on the street at noon. Did you know that the donkey meat barbecue at Tongxian Street is so delicious? The chef is said to be from Baoxian. The pancakes are crispy and the donkey meat is delicious.
Full of flavor...."
Good guy, this guy is a chatterbox...
Li Donglai winked at Erzi.
"Let's get to the point." Erzi pretended to be furious and slapped Guo Zi on the head with his hand.
"Key point, key point." Guo Zi touched his head awkwardly, took a deep breath, and puffed out two streams of smoke from his nostrils, "In the afternoon, I drank a large pot of water and then started collecting waste again. This time I went to the same place.
County primary school, the teachers there..."
Yes, this guy has this kind of character.
It seems impossible if he is not allowed to finish talking about the day's events.
Li Donglai waved his hand at Erzi who was about to take action and dispersed another circle of smoke.
"Here comes the point." Erzi took the cigarette, lit it with the butt of the cigarette, and said while smoking: "In the evening, when I was about to go back to the scrap shop in Beijing, I was stopped by an old man. He said he had an old coal stove at home.
, asked me if I wanted it.”
Li Donglai glanced at the coal stove on the tricycle.
"I said I was a scrap collector, so of course I wanted to. So I followed the old man to a small courtyard. The courtyard was very clean, and there were no chickens like other homes. It could be seen that the old man retired from a factory.
Come down." Erzi, perhaps realizing that this was the important point, raised his eyelids and spoke in great detail.
"The coal stove was heavy and the old man couldn't move it, so he asked me to move it into the house. Although the old coal stove was old, the outer shell was not damaged, and the fireproof materials inside were also intact. Generally, others would be reluctant to sell such a stove."
"You also know that I talk a lot, so I opened my mouth and asked."
"The old man said proudly that his son would buy him a new stove tomorrow, so the old one would no longer be used."
"Okay, if they are willing to sell it, then I will accept it. Anyway, it can only be collected as scrap. If I take it to the pigeon market, I can get an extra two yuan."
"The old man seems to be very rich and doesn't care about it. He just asked me to take the stove away as soon as possible."
"The old stove is not valuable when sold as scrap. Only the iron sheet on the stove and the steel hoops on it can be sold, so I gave the old man 5 cents and 1 cent according to the going price." As he said this, he glanced at Erzi secretly.
He was afraid that the second son would misunderstand him and deceive the old man.
The second son made eye contact, but looked helplessly at Li Donglai.
Sometimes he really couldn't understand this doctor.
Even though they don't have much money, they still stipulate that when collecting scraps, they must not maliciously lower prices or cheat.
Especially when facing old men and old ladies.
"The price is very reasonable, please continue." Erzi said.
Guo Zi then said carefully: "I carried the coal stove to the tricycle, gave the old man change, and was about to ride on the bicycle. An old lady came back from outside. She was carrying a net bag with four or five items in it.
Donkey meat is roasted on the fire. If you are far away, you will shout, no more cooking tonight, donkey meat will be roasted on the fire."
"I didn't care at the time. I just thought that this family was really rich. But when the old lady approached, I was stunned. Isn't this the old woman that Fifth Master asked us to find?"
As he said that, Guo Zi looked at Er Zi again, with an expression asking for credit, "You also know that I am always the most attentive to the things ordered by the Fifth Master. The features of that old woman have been engraved in my heart, especially under the neck.
I can draw that mole in my dreams."
I really didn't expect that the old woman was from the same county. No wonder so many people searched the streets of the capital but couldn't find her.
However, why would a person from the same county come to the city to frame me?
Li Donglai said in a deep voice: "Guo Zi, you did a good job, now take me to that woman's house."
