They spent the night in the wild. The difference between this sleeping field and their previous sleeping fields was huge.
In the past, they slept in the wild by themselves, and the carts formed a circle to block the wind and snow. If it snowed at night and the snow was heavy, they could only hide in the mountains on the roadside and let the leaves help block the snow.
A few people shivered together all night under the tree, wrapped in quilts.
But Shopkeeper Zhao had a big tent with him, and a few guards soon set up two big tents in the leeward area. The guards lived in one, and Shopkeeper Zhao lived in one with them.
There is also a portable stove, which is a triangular iron frame that can be opened and closed. The top of the iron frame is a circle. You can put the earthen pot on top of the circle and burn firewood underneath, and you can have hot food.
After resting briefly in the tent, riding in the carriage for a day, and stretching their legs, they returned to the carriage for the night, which was better protected from the wind and snow.
Four people crammed into a carriage, and it was hard to sit in it, but it was crowded when lying down.
Yan Gui'an took a look and made sure there was no danger, so he got out of the carriage and insisted on squeezing with the guards.
He knew Bao'er's strength. Shopkeeper Zhao was so weak that he could be knocked down with just one finger.
He went to stay with the guards, but instead kept an eye on those guards.
Old man Qi hugged his granddaughter and covered herself with a quilt on one side of the carriage, while shopkeeper Zhao slept on the other side with a table in between.
There was a charcoal pot burning on the table, and it was warm inside the carriage. It was a great place to rest and enjoy yourself on the windy and snowy road.
After a night, I had something to eat in the morning and continued on my way.
In the evening of that day, they arrived at Xiangbei County.
From a distance, Xiangbei County is an important military location. Two words, tense, and two words, serious.
About one or two meters apart on the city wall, there was a soldier standing at the concave tooth holding a spear. The person guarding the city gate outside the city gate was not a government official, but a soldier who was also standing with a spear in his hand.
There were not even one or two people who were idle when they entered the city. They were all teams carrying things in teams and vehicles.
Old man Qi and Qi Baoer opened the car curtains and looked out. They saw that before each convoy entered the city, the leader took out a copper-like sign to show to the soldiers guarding the city gate.
The soldiers only let them go after reading the sign. The teams entering the city all had signs, and no one checked what the team was carrying.
When it was their turn, they still relied on Shopkeeper Zhao's face to enter the city.
There is also a Yuande Inn in Xiangbei County, but it is not as big as the Acropolis and does not have a courtyard for distinguished guests. The best room is the upper room on the third floor.
Shopkeeper Zhao directly asked someone to drive the carriage into the backyard. Before getting off the carriage, he turned his head and looked at Old Qi specifically, and then looked at Qi Baoer vaguely.
Old man Qi nodded solemnly to him in understanding, picked up Qi Bao'er and got out of the carriage.
Shopkeeper Zhao called a waiter and said, "Take the distinguished guest to his room on the third floor."
He winked at the waiter.
The waiter was so shocked when he saw Old Man Qi carrying a baby girl down that he immediately understood and hurriedly led Old Man Qi and the others inside.
There are two ways from the backyard to the third floor, one is the entrance to the lobby, which goes up the stairs in the lobby, and the other is the side path that the waiter and the cooks took. The waiter led Old Man Qi and the others to take the side path.
Old man Qi didn't bother to follow him. On the way, shopkeeper Zhao told them in a vague way that the magistrate of Xiangbei County was very flattering, and now there was no child under ten years old in Fangyuan of Xiangbei County.
Remind them that Qi Baoer is not allowed to appear outside in Xiangbei County.
The waiter took them to the corner room on the third floor.
Like a thief, the waiter opened the door quickly, and Old Man Qi and Yan Gui'an slipped in. The waiter quickly closed the door, and the only sound left outside was his footsteps running away.
Qibaoer was already numb.
Ever since soldiers started appearing on the road yesterday, shopkeeper Zhao and her husband acted like thieves whenever she went to a hut, and the carriage would stop at the foot of the mountain every time.
This feeling is quite oppressive for Qi Bao'er. When has she ever wanted to escape like this?
But look at the nervous father, and then think about the grandmother and mother who put her on the carriage, and the father who held Uncle Gui'an's hand tightly when he handed the knife to Uncle Gui'an and warned him endlessly.
,
She endures.
The waiter quickly brought hot water and enough food for five or six adults. Shopkeeper Zhao had seen Qi Bao'er's appetite all the way, so he never stopped talking when she woke up. Fortunately, he
There is also enough food prepared.
"I wonder if your father and the others will be here soon?" Qi said the old man didn't know how to eat.
I was nervous along the way. I felt like time was passing slowly, but also felt that time was passing quickly because I had no time to think about anything else.
It was safe for now, but thinking about my wife and children made my heart twitch again.
Yan Gui'an munched on his rice: "Don't worry, uncle. Shopkeeper Zhao didn't ask Brother Zhao and the others to pretend to be the inn's delivery team. The inn's waiter will follow them, and everything will be fine."
But he was so hungry that he didn't dare to relax and eat boldly along the way. He was wary of outsiders and people in the team, so he was punished. He had never been so worried when he was a yamen servant.
Old man Qi patted him on the shoulder gratefully, "This journey has been tough for you."
He is not a person without eyes. He has seen everything along the way in Gui'an, not only whether he has eaten well, but also whether he dares to sleep peacefully.
Yan Gui'an smiled and waved his hand, "Uncle, what you said is meaningless. We are all part of the same family."
Old man Qi was stunned for a moment and then smiled: "Yes, we are all one family."
At this moment, a group of people who Yan Gui'an said would be fine are entering the city.
I was stopped as well, but I had a pass token in my pocket, and it was also a silver token.
The soldiers guarding the city also recognized Xiao Er. They looked at a group of people who were refugees and pulled Xiao Er aside.
"What's going on with these refugees?"
The waiter pursed his lips and said with disdain: "Nowadays, refugees can do anything to stutter. We don't have enough manpower in the inn. This time, some of the things to be delivered have to be delivered to the military camp. They have to take a long way, so the shopkeeper recruited a group of people."
refugee."
The soldier frowned, "Are you sending me to Guanjia Pass?"
As for the long way, the pass is the farthest.
The waiter nodded, "Fifty thousand catties of grain, as well as brocade clothes and quilts, will be sent to the pass."
The soldier turned to look at the people in the team again, "Why are there women and children?"
There are mainly women, and there are only twenty or thirty children, all of whom are boys in their teens. In rural areas, boys of this age can indeed be the head of the family.
The waiter had a look of emotion on his face, patted his chest heavily and said, "Our shopkeeper is kind-hearted. They can't bear to leave their children. We, the shopkeeper, couldn't bear to see the children starve to death, so we agreed to let them follow."
Soldier:"……"
Haha, it is obvious that he treats women and children as men with evil intentions, and can save some food rations, but he can be so righteous. Should he be said to be worthy of being a businessman?
But this has nothing to do with them.
Let go.
Mrs. Tian lowered her head and held her hand on a sack in the car. The sack trembled slightly, and she quickly raised her hand to press it.
This subtle movement did not attract the attention of the soldiers. No one looked at them at all. They were holding their spears as walking sticks and chatting with their feet.
