Although it has entered autumn, this is when the sun's rays are still relatively strong, and it is also the warmest time of the day. The whole sun shines brightly, like a faint golden glow on this place, and the sun shines everywhere.
Everywhere is gilded with golden light, adding a bit of charm to the autumn scenery.
Although there is no cool wind at noon in autumn, the sky is clear and clear, with white clouds floating in the sky. Some of these white clouds are connected together, like silver waves rolling in the ocean; some are overlapping in layers, like silver waves rolling in the ocean.
There are mountains and mountains; sometimes on a large silver-gray cloud layer, there are clouds of different sizes and shapes floating, just like the blooming sea stone flowers on the island reefs. The wind gently blows the clouds, from
They passed by and just floated in the air quietly without saying a word.
"A pot of sake, fried side dishes, and a plate of roasted beef. Enjoy your meal, sir."
The nimble young man was eating with a plate on each side, and a bottle of wine hooked on the little finger of his left hand. He walked with a breeze, his steps were brisk, but the dishes were placed safely. He was a little sallow and thin, and his yellow hair looked like
He is somewhat malnourished and has a tall and thin figure, but he is very energetic and has a natural smile.
The inn is not big, with guests staying upstairs and dining downstairs. There is a stable in the backyard and several bedrooms for the shop assistants. Directly opposite the door is the counter. Behind the counter sits a female shopkeeper, who is frowning.
His brows were moving his abacus every now and then.
The guests who come and go call the shopkeeper Qiuniang. I heard that her name has the word "autumn" in it, so those who come and go are called Qiuniang. She is in her thirties, a capable and mature person, and she sounds like she is the one who runs the inn.
Take good care of yourself.
However, the recent confrontation between the officers and soldiers and the Nanshan bandits has sealed off the surrounding passes. In the past, those who went south or north to do business had to pass through here. The number of people has been decreasing again and again. In recent days, few serious businesses have been done.
The account book was flipped over and over, and there were only a few pages in total, but there was no calculation. In the past, when there were many people, although the inn was busier, at least I had some real money in my stomach.
Nowadays, those doing business and transporting escorts dislike the cumbersome procedures required to pass through the Qingzhou Pass, so they all change their route to Yuezhou, preferring to run a few more steps rather than set foot in this place where they need to be on guard.
Moreover, after being closed and controlled for several days in a row, the purchasing expenses in the inn could not keep up. All the food and drinks were sent to the officers and soldiers who were encircling the valley ahead. In a few days, even the inn would be reduced to a diet.
Can't drive anymore.
"The officers and soldiers are surrounded by three levels inside and three levels outside. The formation is quite big!"
"Hmph, no matter how loud the thunder or the rain, they wouldn't even dare to enter the Nanshan Valley, let alone go straight to the bandit's lair."
"Yes, it looks like the autumn rain is going to keep falling, and there will be floods again. It will be difficult to suppress the bandits."
"It's only been two years, and the agreement we made has been ruined. I heard that there are military advisors in the village to command, and it can be self-sufficient. The officers and soldiers are surrounding the foot of the mountain. I see, it's just a waste of effort."
The shopkeeper raised his eyes, looked at the two people talking loudly in front of him, frowned deeper, and winked slightly at the young man.
The young man understood immediately, cleared his throat, approached the two men, and whispered: "You two guests, please be careful what you say. This officer and soldier often come to our place to eat, so don't let this be listened to."
After hearing this, the two people immediately took a peek around. Fortunately, there was no one else in the inn except the two of them. Then they breathed a sigh of relief and responded repeatedly: "Of course."
It was almost noon when Song Yanqing, Chu Shou and his party arrived in Qingzhou. They were ordered to travel this time without making any announcement, so a lot of time was wasted when entering and exiting the pass. The carriage that could have gone directly had to turn left and right.
It didn't stop until noon.
Chu Shou happily poked his head out from the carriage and saw the flags of the inn in front of him fluttering. He said happily: "Well, let me tell you, I remembered that there is an inn here."
The carriage soon stopped at the door of the inn. A tall man squatting at the door of the inn had already seen the group of people from a distance. He stood on the long wooden bench of the tea stall outside the inn and counted them on tiptoe, murmuring: "
one two three……"
He couldn't help but be overjoyed, and shouted inside: "There are three carriages, and it's a big passenger."
The voice was strong and resonant. When the young man heard it, he grinned widely on his thin face and repeated to the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, three carriages."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up at first, then he softened and started to make trouble, "Three carriages..."
Then he patted the young man on the shoulder and said firmly: "Xiao Jiang, go and see if the food and wine in the backyard are enough. By the way, go and ask your brother if the raw meat and cold food are ready. Go quickly."
After listening to the shopkeeper's instructions, Xiao Jiang immediately turned around and ran towards the backyard to ask.
Qiuniang quickly flapped her fan and stood on tiptoe, looking left and right, eager to count the number of people. If there were more people than her, she would boldly challenge the officers and soldiers.
"The waiter of the Yuanshan Inn, Chengfu, do you guys want to take a rest?" Chengfu saw the carriage stopping steadily at the door of the inn with a smile on his face. He immediately got up and went to greet him, and took the reins of the horse with his smile.
He asked diligently towards the first carriage.
Shen Yi harshly opened the curtain, bowed and walked out. He nodded slightly towards Chengfu and said, "There are six of us, two men and four women. Is your guest room enough?"
Chengfu didn't think about it, he smiled and nodded quickly: "Enough, enough!"
Not to mention people, the stables in the backyard of the inn have not been open in the past few days, so a mere six people are naturally enough.
"Please come inside and let me lead the carriage to the backyard for you so that the horses can take a rest!"
Shen Yi was harsh and walked back with his hands behind his back. He tapped the carriage lightly with his knuckles and whispered: "My lord, Princess, you can get down now."
Chu Shou opened the curtain, squinted his eyes, and responded in a cold voice: "What did you call me?"
Shen Yi couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, and said hurriedly: "Miss, Miss Chu, Mr. Song, get off the car."
"Well...thank you, Mr. Shen, for reminding me." Chu Shou raised his hands and clasped his fists, with rounded corners of his mouth and a particularly bright smile.
With a smile on his lips, Shen Yi looked at the two of them getting out of the car. He "accidentally" saw Song Yanqing's deep eyes, and immediately stopped his smile and said seriously: "Sir."
The group of people got off the car and entered the inn, and the shopkeeper immediately came up to them, pretending not to know, and said: "Hey, gentlemen and ladies, do you want to be the top or stay in the hotel?"
Shen Yi Yan took out the money from his pocket, put it on the counter, and said to the shopkeeper: "If you stay in the hotel, the money will be used for food and accommodation first. If it is not enough for you, we will pay for it."
Qiuniang's eyes lit up, she immediately put away the money on the counter, and said repeatedly: "Enough, enough, enough for you all to stay for three days. If it weren't for the recent actions of the government and bandits, it would be longer than three days."
"Bandits? Didn't we make an agreement two years ago not to disturb each other? Did you change your mind so quickly?" Chu Shou took over the conversation and asked.
"Hey, you know a lot about this lady, and you did make an appointment, but this... this bandit is suspected of being in contact with Youyan Xiaoguo, smuggling the Nanshan copper mine, and causing great trouble..." Qiu
Mother whispered to them the reason, and peeked outside the door, wary of the officers and soldiers.
"Ah?" Chu Shou exclaimed, raising his hand to cover his mouth, "This bandit is so bold?"
"This bandit has always been bold. I originally thought that Nanshan was barren, but I didn't expect that there was a copper mine behind the mountain..."
"If the bandits are too timid, they won't be called bandits..." Qiuniang said haha, and asked Xiao Jiang to come back from the backyard. She immediately turned around and ordered: "Where have you gone? Go and take some guests upstairs.
Stay in the hotel.”
Xiao Jiang responded with a smile and jumped up and led them upstairs.
Chu Shou continued to inquire as he went upstairs: "Brother, I heard that the bandits occupy the top of the mountain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Recently, there has been a flood nearby. How come the officers and soldiers are still around? It's so inconvenient!"
Xiao Jiang first called "Sister" sweetly, then frowned and said: "You are right. I wonder what their plan is. Maybe it is to control floods in Nanshan?"
After Chu Shou heard this, he nodded and just smiled without asking any more questions. The two shopkeepers and the waiter were very tight-lipped, and it was useless to ask them.
There were five rooms in pairs upstairs. When it came time to divide the rooms, Xiao Jiang had a problem. He pointed at Chu Shou, Song Yanqing, Shen Yiqing and Mu Huashu, scratched his head and said, "You two can go together."
, you two together, you two together again? Am I right?"
Song Yanqing turned to look at Chu Shou, wanting to hear her opinion. Chu Shou did not disappoint him. He approached Song Yanqing, took his arm and said to Xiao Jiang: "It's not wrong for the two of us to work together..."
After Song Yan listened, the corner of his mouth curled up with an elusive smile, and he let Chu Shou hold his arm.
But the next second he was pushed out by Chu Shou, who planned enthusiastically:
"How about this, how about I, Ah Shui and Sanqian share a room, you and Mr. Shen share a room, and Miss Mu has a separate room?"
Under Song Yanqing's naked and gloomy gaze, Shen Yiyan resolutely agreed with Chu Shou's proposal and expressed that he was quite satisfied.
Mu Huashu didn't say much. She looked bad and felt dizzy as the carriage bumped all the way. After hearing Chu Shou's suggestion, she only nodded lightly.
This was the best way to divide it. With the support of most people, Chu Shou quickly implemented this plan. However, one person felt aggrieved and followed Chu Shou closely.
"I said... Young Master Song, why don't you go next door and have a rest..."
"I want to stay with you for a little longer." Song Yan leaned back on the chair with clear eyes. He slightly raised his eyes to watch Chu Shou coming and going, with a smile on his face unconsciously and a soft tone.
Ah Shui and San Qian, who were cleaning up on the side, glanced at each other secretly, realizing that they were riding in the same carriage with the lady along the way...
After hearing this, Chu Shou smiled and replied: "Instead of sitting here and staring at me, you might as well go down and inquire about the copper mine."
"You can't even ask, how can they tell me?"
"Huh? Maybe the shopkeeper likes a fair young man like you!" Chu Shou leaned on the desk next to him and teased him sideways.
Song Yan listened, but he wasn't angry at all. He rolled his eyes and swiped his eyelashes, gave a slight "hum", turned his face away and ignored Chu Shou.
When Chu Shou saw his appearance, he just grinned with his big teeth.
Before the fun was over here, the door over there was rapped three times, attracting everyone's attention.
Chu Shou stood up and opened the door suspiciously, and what he saw was a strange figure.
The woman was very petite, a whole head shorter than Chu Shou. She had a delicate face, red lips and white teeth, and her skin was shining with white light.
She wore a high bun on her head, silver jewelry on her head, and silver rings on her black hair, which were extremely exquisite. One by one, silver flowers were dotted among various birds and butterflies. A row of tassels hung from the hat hoop.
The silver chains are connected, but the small silver bells jingle.
The necklace is wound like a spiral, with eleven strings of silver pendants hanging from the lower edge. Various patterns are carved on the surface, which are very different from the Central Plains style. Not only is it a necklace, she also wears a bracelet with exquisite craftsmanship.
, and wide rings, all made of extremely fine silver wire, with reliefs or carvings on them, which are particularly exquisite.
She wore a cross-collar blouse with fine embroidery and a navy blue pleated skirt with dark flowers, rich and thick, and a combination of weaving and embroidery, which was exquisite and extraordinary. The clothes were also decorated with silver pieces, silver chains and small silver bells.
During the movement, the silver jewelry collides and makes a cool sound, as if placed in the middle of mountains and flowing water, which is refreshing and special.
However, it was said that Miao women knew how to do witchcraft, and they looked really unusual. Perhaps they smelled danger. Seeing the woman's carefully dressed appearance, Chu Shou couldn't help but be on guard.
I was a little more cautious for no reason.
However, she could not help but secretly exclaim in her heart, this is the Miao woman. She had tried to go south a few times before, but every time she walked along the perimeter of Youyan, she was forced to stop her journey before she could set foot in it.
, so that she had an inexplicable regret and persistence for not being able to step in.
The Miao woman raised her hand to hold the door, raised her chin and said in an almost commanding tone: "Hey, let's change rooms."
When Chu Shou saw her eyes and tone, he didn't care what kind of woman she was, whether he had seen her before or not. His eyes were cold and he said: "I'm sick..." and then he closed the door directly.
The door was shut unexpectedly, causing the woman to swallow back her unfinished words. She became even more angry and continued to knock on the door.
Chu Shou paused again at the beginning. At this time, the other three people in the house gathered at the door again, wanting to see who this person was?
She opened the door again, and the woman's hand that was about to knock on the door paused in the air. Looking at the four people in the room, she retracted her hand and still said in a very unbeatable tone: "It's just changing rooms, is that all?
"
As she said that, she looked into the back room again, nodded with satisfaction, and continued: "There is enough light here, the location is good, there is wind and sunshine..."
"Miss, we have packed everything. Please look for a vacant room." Sanqian interrupted her with a rough voice and told her to stop coveting our room...
Unexpectedly, the woman lowered her head and covered her mouth, smiled, took out three times more money from her arms, handed it to Chu Shou and said, "I will give you three times the price to exchange it. Do you want to exchange it or not?"