The night gradually faded, the blue light began to appear, and people walking appeared on the road.
There were people carrying burdens on carts to get ready for breakfast, and there were people carrying baskets on their backs to collect cow and horse dung. When they saw officers and soldiers appearing on the road, the young men carrying the burdens hesitated in their steps.
"What's going on here?"
The old man pushing the cart had obviously seen it many times, and he looked relaxed: "It's okay, it's okay. During the flood season of the Ying River, the government mobilized soldiers and horses to guard the river embankment, and also set up sentries everywhere to evacuate people in time. Don't worry, just go wherever you want, especially since we are coming from
Anyone who goes out from inside is not checked."
The young man carrying the load breathed a sigh of relief, but thought this was a bit strange: "If you go from the inside out, you won't be checked? What about those coming from the outside?"
"It seems they want to investigate," said the old man pushing the cart. "It seems that some businessmen are hoarding during the flood season to disrupt food prices or something. We don't understand."
As they were talking, they had already reached the checkpoint of the officers and soldiers. Looking at their group, the officers and soldiers only glanced at them and ignored them. When the people picking up dung looked to the side, they saw that because there were soldiers and horses, there was a lot of excrement -
—
"Pick it up, pick it up." An officer and soldier said generously.
The dung picker was overjoyed and thanked him profusely, then happily stepped forward to pick up the horse dung.
While I was picking up, there were also pedestrians coming from the opposite direction. Sure enough, the officers and soldiers came forward to inquire. They not only looked through the items they were carrying, but also looked inside and outside the people. They seemed to be looking for something. But if they were really looking for the hoarded supplies, how could they be hiding something on their bodies?
How many?
After a lot of noise, the man, disheveled and holding his hat, was let out angrily.
The dung picker looked back, thanked the officers and soldiers profusely, and continued to move forward along the road, picking up carefully until the chirping of birds came from ahead.
He raised his head and saw the young man who had been carrying the load hiding behind a big tree and waving.
"Master, Master, here."
The dung picker walked over and took off his hat to fake white hair. It turned out to be Jin Longwu and his apprentice who were running around last night.
"The officers and soldiers do seem to be checking something." The apprentice whispered, "But why are they only checking people coming from outside and not checking people leaving from the inside?"
Jin Longwu said solemnly: "Because the people they want to investigate will only go from the outside in at this time."
The apprentice blinked: "Who is he?"
Jin Longwu raised his hand and slapped him on the head: "Your idiots are, of course, us people." After saying that, he raised his feet and walked back.
The apprentice hurriedly caught him: "Master, where are you going?"
"Of course I want to go back and tell everyone that we are being treated as a trap," Jin Longwu said.
The apprentice also understood that this was really amazing. Someone was about to take the blame for Mo Men. He took out his burden and followed: "Fortunately, Master, you lost to that woman, otherwise we wouldn't have left overnight and wouldn't have found out.
"
When he said this, Jin Longwu who was walking in front stopped, and the young apprentice was caught off guard and bumped into his back.
"That woman." Jin Longwu said.
The young apprentice was puzzled and rubbed his nose: "What happened to that woman?"
"I wonder if that woman is?" Jin Longwu said, but stopped here, as if he didn't know what to say.
Just as the young apprentice was about to ask, someone leaned out from the big tree in front and let out a sigh.
The two of them were unexpectedly startled, and the young disciple even yelled and hid behind Jin Longwu.
Jin Longwu looked up and saw a man on the big tree, wearing a Confucian robe and a bookshelf beside him.
"What are you doing?" The startled young apprentice shouted angrily.
The man pointed to the book in his hand: "Read."
What the hell, the little apprentice said angrily: "How can anyone read in a tree?"
"It's so quiet in the trees," the man said.
The young apprentice wanted to say something else, but Jin Longwu held him back and looked at the scholar on the tree with some scrutiny: "We rough guys are disturbing you, let's go now."
"Wait a minute, I have a question for you." The scholar said, flipping through the scroll, "What's the use of a wheel's rules and a craftsman's rules?"
Jin Longwu glanced at him: "Of course it's to measure the size of the world."
The scholar on the tree kept saying, "You are indeed one of us." As he said, he climbed down from the branch, "You guys came out of it in a reasonable way, right?"
The young apprentice was a little confused: "What does it mean to be reasonable?"
Jin Longwu looked at the scholar who climbed down and stood in front of him and asked, "What happened?"
"Bailou Town was surrounded by officers and soldiers." The scholar said, describing how he was caught late and was then rescued by the young lady.
"The lady asked me to guard outside to stop those who came after me," the scholar said, "while she went in to find a way to save everyone without disturbing anyone."
At this point the scholar asked again.
"So you met that lady, right? How did she do it reasonably?"
Although the name, appearance or age of the young lady was never mentioned, it seemed that everyone should know who she was talking about.
Jin Longwu did know.
"I saw it." He said with a complicated expression: "She defeated me and kicked me out."
The wheelbarrow rolled inside the room, and the candlelight danced, making the room darker. Shopkeeper Lu reached out to extinguish the light.
"You" Wei Dongjia stopped walking and looked at Qixing.
He wanted to say that you shouldn't come in, but he thought of this girl's temperament and would never stand idly by.
Qixing put the disassembled lantern back together bit by bit.
"I use the rule of "the loser leaves" to let people leave, she said.
Arrogant people are common among Momen, so Qixing's behavior is not surprising.
People in Momen are proud, so it’s not surprising that everyone kept their promise and left after losing.
This way it won't attract attention and alert others.
"As long as you go outside, you will find the problem. The people who can come here are smart people. They will know that there is a problem, hide their identity, and leave quietly and safely."
But those who leave are indeed safe, but those who stay are in danger, especially with such a dazzling act.
"It doesn't have to be like this at all." Meng Xichang said, sneered, and clenched the iron hand at his side into a fist, "Tell everyone about this and find out the thief!"
Mr. Wei stopped the wheelbarrow and said, "Yes, it's better if we all work together than by you alone."
With a soft creaking sound, Qixing inserted the last piece of bamboo bone into the lantern and gently stroked his hand.
"What I do is reasonable and reasonable. One consideration is," she said, looking at everyone, "I still have to compete for the position of leader."
Fighting to be elected leader?
It's about time.
Besides, this might be a trap.
The three of them looked at her.
"They dare to set up this trap and dare to gather everyone to choose the leader, then I dare to jump into this trap." Qixing said, "I will not only send everyone out, but also make a name for myself and win the position of leader.
"
She pressed the lantern on the table lightly.
The revolving lantern slowly rotates, the lamps light up, the wheels rotate, and the paper shadow carvings flicker.
But this time the flowers, birds, fish, insects and people on it not only seemed to come alive with the changing lights and shadows, but actually moved around.
The originally closed lamp screen unfolded like a lotus, and the candlelight inside turned into a rolling lantern. The inside and outside rotated on the table together. People rode horses, children chased jade rabbits, and fairies danced their sleeves, lifelike in the morning light.
Happy New Year's Eve, my friends, I love you year after year and thank you for your love.
