Entering the territory of Dazhou, all the scenery is so familiar, including hay shops, bitter wells, simple villagers, lively markets, and urchins on the roadside biting their fingers and curiously looking at the mighty caravan, Zhao Ding'an said
: "When I was a child, like him, I only watched the caravans coming and going on the fort wall. Unexpectedly, today I also left my hometown and became a member of the caravans."
Uprooting one's homeland is a heart-wrenching word. The people of Shibalibao were driven out of their hometown by the butcher's knife. What the Malaysian thieves could not do with a single sword was actually accomplished by the government. This is the only thing that has saved Shibalibao town.
The hearts of those who are in trouble will always feel pain.
The closer I got to my hometown, the more intense the pain became. Finally, that evening, I arrived at the ruins of Shibali Fort, which is eighteen miles away from the mouth of Black Wind Gorge.
In the past, caravans traveling for business would always stop at Shibali Fort before entering Heifeng Gorge to change their horseshoes and buy some dry food and drinks. After the destruction of Shibali Fort, this rule changed. It is said that Shibali Fort
The area was full of resentment and ghosts, and the caravan did not dare to stay here. They either rested in a nearby village or hurriedly entered the Black Wind Gorge.
However, Deng Ziming's caravan changed the rules and still camped outside the Shibali Fort. At this time, the Shibali Fort was in ruins, with ruins, broken tiles, collapsed walls, and not even a complete house left. In the past, ten
The symbol of Bali Fort, the dilapidated red flag, has disappeared and the flagpole has been cut off.
Yuan Feng and Zhao Ding'an climbed into the ruins and walked on the street. They could still vaguely tell whose house the shabby building on the roadside belonged to. "This is Lao Wang's house, this is Tietou's house, and opposite is Uncle Hu's Horse Meat House."
Shop, this is... my home." Zhao Ding'an stopped in front of a ruins and stared for a long time, his eyes seemed to sparkle. Yuan Feng also looked at Hu Laizi's horse butcher shop that had become a white ground, and felt deeply in his heart.
I seemed to see a dark and thin boy and a beautiful girl cutting meat, chopping firewood, and burning pots in the backyard. A little white dog was jumping and barking happily next to them.
Tears slowly welled up in his eyes. The man didn't shed tears easily because he hadn't reached the point where he was sad. Seeing his childhood home withered like this, two men with hard hearts as iron and who had experienced many battles couldn't hold back their tears.
Face full of fluids.
Walking through the ruins, they came to the old forest behind the town. This was originally a mass grave, but later gradually evolved into a cemetery in the town. Every family's dead were buried here. The two were shocked to find that the cemetery had obviously experienced a period of time.
It was a catastrophe, everything was in a mess, many tombstones were smashed, and the graves were moved. It must have been that the government troops dug up the ancestral graves of Shibalibao people at that time, and they were later reburied by kind people from neighboring villages.
I reluctantly found Meng Xiaodong's grave, but found that a new monument had been erected in front of the grave, and two small trees had been planted in front of the grave.
Meng Yeluo might still be alive, and the two of them were in a slightly better mood. After placing incense and candle offerings to pay homage to the Shibalibao villagers and Meng Xiaodong who died, they returned to the camp.
Early the next morning, a long wooden pole was erected in the center of the town. Yuan Feng and Zhao Ding'an personally raised a bright red flag on the flagpole. The red flag once again fluttered over Shibali Fort, guiding people from east to west.
of travelers.
…
The caravan continued to move forward, passing through the Black Wind Gorge, passing Tongcheng Prefecture, and finally arrived at Hekou Town, a commercial center on the bank of the Yellow River, north of Lanzhou.
Hekou Town is still as prosperous as before, with people coming and going on the streets and busy traffic. A caravan from the Western Regions cannot make any waves. The merchants are still busy with their own affairs. Deng Ziming brought the caravan from Dunhuang.
Special products were put out for sale. Taking advantage of this time, Yuan Feng and Zhao Ding'an accompanied Zhao Ziqian back to his uncle's tavern to visit.
Zhao Ziqian was originally from Huguang. He practiced martial arts as a young man, had a heroic personality, and loved to fight against injustice. Because he committed a murder in his hometown, he defected to his uncle who opened a tavern in Gansu thousands of miles away. His uncle was also from Huguang. When he was young, he came out to walk to the west entrance.
I only managed to make some money when I was ten years old. I originally wanted to pass this small shop to my nephew, but I didn't know that my nephew was restless as a bartender and liked to make friends with heroes. At first, it was okay, and my nephew hooked up with the horse dealers in Shibalibao.
Because of the good relationship, no one in the town dared to make trouble. However, when those horse dealers provoked the government, my nephew not only did not immediately clear up the relationship, but helped them kill the government soldiers and fled together.
His uncle suffered a great disaster because of this and was locked up and imprisoned. Fortunately, neighbors testified that the old shopkeeper was not guilty of being acquainted with gangsters. He only saved his life by taking out the money he had accumulated over the years. He relied on this small shop to survive.
Supporting hard.
At this time, the Tongrenju Bistro was no longer as lively as it used to be. The doors and windows were dilapidated and the walls had not been painted for a long time. A rickety figure slowly walked out and went back in with a bundle of firewood. Zhao Ziqian recognized the aging man.
It was his uncle. His eyes turned red and his nose felt sore. He stepped forward quickly, followed closely by Yuan Feng and Zhao Ding'an. The three of them entered the Tongrenju Bistro they had not seen for a long time.
The uncle went to the backyard with firewood. There was only a little boy of thirteen or fourteen in the store, standing timidly next to a table of customers with a bill in his hand.
Business was really good today. There were several tables of customers sitting in the store. Wine jars and chicken bones were thrown all over the floor. The drinkers were drunk and staggering around. Among them were several familiar guys who had been living in Hekou Town.
You little bastards, I haven't seen you for a long time. These guys are still the same kind of people. They eat for free and don't want to pay.
Three unfamiliar guests stepped into the tavern with a strong wind and an indescribable momentum. Those who have experienced it know that it is the momentum of those who have experienced battles.
Three tall and tall men walked in without saying a word. Under the gaze of everyone, they walked to a table and sat down. They took off the sabers from their waists and placed them on the table with a clang. There was a sudden silence in the store. Someone was rubbing their hands.
Looking through his eyes, he recognized that one of them was Zhao Xiaoqiang, Tongrenju’s former waiter.
Zhao Ziqian glanced over coldly: "Who wants to eat the King's meal?"
No one answered, everyone was digging into their wallets.
Zhao Xiaoqiang is back. Zhao Xiaoqiang, who stabbed his brothers and killed more than a dozen officers and soldiers in the street, is back. His domineering aura makes people shudder. This kid must have made a name for himself outside.
Coming back in such a big way, how dare the local gangsters and freeloaders dare to show their pride? Although there is an old saying that a strong dragon cannot defeat local snakes, but a strong dragon like Zhao Xiaoqiang is not an ordinary strong dragon. He can kill people anytime and anywhere.
A ruthless character.
The freeloaders honestly paid the bill in full and left in despair. The little boy took the money and looked at Zhao Ziqian and the other three people at a loss. Suddenly, the door curtain opened, and the old shopkeeper was carrying a plate of dishes.
Staggering out, he suddenly saw Zhao Ziqian. The plate fell to pieces and shattered. The old man took two steps forward, his dim eyes filled with tears.
"Xiaoqiang, Xiaoqiang, are you back?"
"Uncle, it's me, the unfilial child is back!" Zhao Ziqian stepped forward and knelt down, tears streaming down his face.
"Sit down, sit down, good boy, don't cry." Although he said this, the old man himself was already bursting into tears.
…
After hugging each other and crying for a while, the uncle pulled the little boy next to him: "This is your Brother Qiang." The little boy timidly called Brother Qiang, and the uncle said: "This is my adopted child. His name is Xiaomeng. He is old.
I can't do it without support. I can't go back to my hometown. I can only live in Hekou Town for the rest of my life, living one day at a time."
Zhao Ziqian took out a paper bag from his arms and put it on the table: "Uncle, this is my child's wish. Let's renovate the pub."
There was a clang, and the paper bag broke. Seven or eight gold coins rolled out from it. It looked like there were more than a dozen coins inside. This is gold! Not to mention renovating the tavern, just buying a quick place and rebuilding a big one.
Fuyu, the old shopkeeper, panicked: "Xiaoqiang, you don't dare to do that sneaky thing."
Zhao Ziqian smiled and said: "Uncle, you are too worried. This money was earned by the child himself, and it is clean."
"What did you do? To make so much money."
Zhao Ziqian looked at Yuan Feng, Yuan Feng nodded with a smile, and he said assuredly: "Uncle, I am now the hussar general of Xiliang, and he is in charge of tens of thousands of people."
"Ah, General Hussars! That's a high official." The old shopkeeper was shocked. He took a step back and looked at his nephew up and down. After looking at his nephew again, he realized that Zhao Xiaoqiang, who was a young man back then, has been completely transformed today and has become a strong man.
A good man with bones.
"Uncle, look, this is the official seal." Zhao Ziqian took out a small gold seal and showed it to his uncle. His uncle couldn't see anything because of his old eyesight, but the heavy texture and the turned-headed lion carved on the seal convinced the old man.
The child has really grown up and become successful.
The boy Xiaomeng who was adopted by the old shopkeeper looked at his predecessor with big eyes, looking fascinated. From waiter to general, what a legendary experience it was.
Suddenly there was a noise at the door, and someone shouted: "The official is here, and the boy named Zhao hasn't come out to close the case yet." This was followed by the sound of iron locks.