Xiangyangpo Inn, illuminated by the setting sun, is the only inn within a few dozen miles outside Yangcheng. So despite the constant war, there is still more or less life here, but under the setting sun, this life is even more alive.
A little desperate.
There are not many people in the inn now, and the noise is far less than before, so that the sounds of insects and beasts outside are very clear, making this mountain and forest restaurant even more quiet and quiet.
As usual, the waiter A-Bian was sitting in the stable outside the inn, feeding the horses and dozing off, and from time to time he would take the trouble to drive away the flies attracted by the smell of horse manure.
"Excuse me, brother, is there a family here?" A young man slowly came forward and bowed.
A-Bian was awakened by the young man's words. He didn't pay attention to any noise except flies and horses. He immediately adjusted his vision and carefully looked at the young man in front of him: Judging from his clothes, he was just an ordinary man, with an ordinary rough appearance.
Wearing linen clothes; under the red setting sun, only the outline remains of his appearance, which is difficult to distinguish, except for his long hair.
However, he had a gourd tied to his waist, and a sword on the other side of his waist, hanging diagonally, with the end of the scabbard at the same level as his knees when walking. Seeing this, A-Bian thought that Uncle Jun was coming, and was so frightened that he immediately nodded and bowed.
, suppressing a smile to greet people.
"Yes...a guest?! Hehe, this is Xiangyangpo Inn. The young one is the inn's clerk, A-Bian. Do you want to stay or have a meal?" A-Bian said while bowing slightly and rubbing his hands together.
The palm of my hand, hoping to relieve the panic in my heart.
"To stay here, please bring some food by the way." The young man breathed a long sigh of relief, and then replied in a tone as calm as if he was talking to himself in the air.
After finishing speaking, A-Bian followed the young man into the inn. Only then did he see that the young man had a baggage and a long object in a cloth bag slung on his back. From time to time, this object made a sound with the gourd on his waist, which seemed to be made of wood.
stuff.
"Shopkeeper! There's business coming!" A-Bian called to the man who was facing the door. After entering the door, the young man looked around cautiously.
All you can see is earthen walls. A mahogany staircase leads to the upper floor. A room at the entrance of the corridor is facing the shopkeeper. Four old wooden tables are placed in front of them. The one facing the door is even broken.
In one corner, they have more or less signs of being washed away by age. On the table against the inner wall, two people are sitting, drinking and eating meat. There is also a room next to them.
"Little brother, come here." The shopkeeper waved to the young man. "Little brother, are you staying in the hotel or eating?"
The young man replied: "Stay in the hotel and send some food by the way."
"Okay... Well, sir, please write down your name here first, and I will arrange it right away." The shopkeeper said that he was familiar with the guests. He smiled while twirling his mustache, and the young man looked sideways at the wall from time to time.
The two people sitting there looked more panicked than the former.
"Have you seen enough of these coins?" The young man took out a bag of money from his bag.
"Ouch! This money is enough to stay in the best guest room in the store for a month." The shopkeeper, who seemed to be an old man, was shocked by the amount of money. He thought, could this be the noble son of the wealthy gentry here?
The young man seemed to be affected by the shopkeeper's reaction. His already flustered expression became even more at a loss. He looked at his money bag shyly: "Well... I'm only staying for one night and will leave tomorrow morning."
The shopkeeper saw that it was probably the first time for this young man to travel far away, so he responded: "Young man is new to the world, so you have to be very cautious. There are wars and killings every day, and there are many black shops that are robbing people. Don't worry here tonight.
Stay here, your room is in the second one on the second floor."
"Isn't this a black shop for you?" The young man changed his subject sharply. Just now, he glanced sideways at the two men and looked at the shopkeeper's eyes, like a falcon watching its prey for half a moment.
The shopkeeper didn't expect that this fledgling boy would actually ask the question, but what really made the shopkeeper feel uncomfortable was those eyes, "Guest sir! You can't say this nonsense. You see, my guests are listening there. There is something terrible about them."
There is a knife, how can I fight with my weak hands?" After saying that, he gently wiped away the sweat from his temples, while still muttering, complaining that young people today are irresponsible in their speech.
.
"Okay, hurry up and bring some food over." The young man noticed that he had made a rude comment, so he defused the unintentional trouble with a smile, and then walked up the stairs next to the shopkeeper. After the young man left, the shopkeeper thought in surprise: This is
He obviously has a fair and handsome face, but why do he have such a pair of fierce and terrifying eyes?
After the young man finished explaining, he was about to go to the room, and he happened to meet the two people who were drinking and eating meat on the way.
I don't know whether it was out of fear or to hide from others, but I saw the young man lowering his head and walking faster, just to get away from the two drinkers quickly. Unexpectedly, the two people actually started to observe the young man when he first entered the inn.
"Hey! Little brother, don't leave in a hurry, come over and say a few words."
The young man's plan failed, and a look of horror suddenly appeared on his face. He slowly raised his head and looked at the direction where the voice with a slightly strange tone came from, and saw that the other person was a foreigner with a "yellow beard and yellow hair"
The young man was even more anxious now, and the back of his palms was gradually eroded by sweat.
One of them stood up and made room for a seat, and just showed the knife on the table in front of the young man, as if to tell him: "Either come here, or try this knife!" The young man was trembling, and his right hand was still missing.
He had left the hilt of the sword on his waist, as if he was preparing for the upcoming fierce battle.
The young man took his seat. Another foreigner, who was shorter, fatter and stronger, poured a glass of wine and motioned for the young man to drink it. The young man looked at the glass unmoved.
"Drink, this wine is the shopkeeper's old wine, very mellow!" After finishing speaking, the short and sturdy man drank a glass of wine himself, praising repeatedly: "Good wine!"
The young man said thoughtfully: "Tell me what you want to talk about." His tone was firm and calm, which exceeded the expectations of the other two people present.
"Little brother, I look at your delicate appearance, white skin and tender flesh. From a distance, I thought you were a girl, but unexpectedly, you look like a straightforward man." Another taller and thin man took the knife out of the scabbard and played with it, as if
It was teasing, more like threatening the boy.
"Ask me quickly. If you continue to speak lightly to me, I'm afraid you will inevitably draw your sword against me." The young man's tone was as cold as ice.
"Why is this little kid fighting with us brothers with such tiny hands and feet!" The short and stocky man was already drunk, but what he said may not be true.
"Okay, I have something to say directly." The tall and thin man said, "We are deserters, and we are part of Erzhu's subordinates. I heard that catching deserters is very powerful outside, so I wanted to ask you why you are here.
Have you met any troops on the road?" He kept staring at the knife in his hand when he said this. Although his tone was not aggressive, the young man could not help but be frightened by this murderous intention!
"I...I didn't meet any troops. But I heard that Erzhu's tribe had been killed. There are also rumors that Erzhu Zhao hanged himself from a beam in a ruined temple on a barren mountain."
"General Er Zhuzhao committed suicide? We Xianbei warriors never commit suicide. It's really unexpected." The tall and thin man put down his knife and clenched his fist with his other hand and slammed the table with anger.
The young man raised his lips slightly and sneered: "You are just deserters."
The short and fat man said dissatisfiedly: "We are not soldiers to begin with. If it weren't for the food and salary, we should still be in the north herding sheep. Why do we have to work hard for Narzhu Zhao?"
"He is right. Ever since he lost the battle with Gao Huan, Er Zhu's strength has been exhausted." The tall and thin man continued.
"I'll excuse you now and take my leave." The young man breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to leave, and then walked to his room.
After a while, A-Bian brought the food to the young man's room. At this time, the young man was checking his luggage. A-Bian lightly knocked on the door to signal that the food had arrived. Then he came to the young man and whispered softly: "Guests."
Officer, you must not provoke those two Xianbei people, their swords are very powerful, although the shopkeeper and I both hate them."
"What happened to them?"
"They are freeloaders! They say they are looking after our home, but in fact they have almost emptied the granary of our inn."
"Why don't you report it to the official?" the young man said as he tied up the bundle and put it on the bedside.
"It's such a chaotic situation. How can anyone in the government take care of the affairs of these barren mountains?" A Bian looked helpless.
"I understand, you go down first."
After A-Bian left the room, he immediately returned to the stable to continue his work.