Chapter 5 Deer Hunting (Part 5) For people in love, time always passes too fast. When Li Xu and Tao Kuo took off their clothes and returned to the Su Chuobu camp from the Crescent Lake, the sky had darkened and there were countless fire spots.
In the center of the camp, from a distance it looks like stars rolling on the tops of the grass. Next to the fire, the shepherd's singing can be heard from afar. There are songs about the longevity sky, and more of them are direct confessions of the love between men and women. Li Xu and Tao
Kuotosi glanced at each other, and then quickly averted their eyes. The sweet feeling was rippling in their hearts, as if the wind they breathed was filled with the smell of nectar.
"You are finally back!" Asilan, who was leading the tribe on patrol outside the camp, saw Li Xu and ran over to complain in a low voice. According to the usual rules, Tao Kuo would have jumped up and retorted: "Who wants you to care!" But!
Today, everyone waited for a long time but didn't hear the little barbarian girl's movements. Everyone opened their eyes strangely, and found that Tao Kuo's face was red and his eyes were filled with a different kind of tenderness.
"It turns out that the flowers on the grassland are blooming!" someone said narrowly, which immediately triggered a burst of laughter. Tao Kuo's face turned redder, he suddenly clamped the horse's belly, rushed away from the crowd, and headed towards his home.
Run away in the wrong direction
"It seems that Master Fu Li is not only good at swordsmanship, but also good at riding and shooting!" Aslan joked, and then rode his horse to block Li Xu's path. He and his wife were often "bullied" by the little villain Tao Kuo Tuosi.
Given the opportunity now, how could we not seize the opportunity to avenge the past?
Li Xu was laughed to the point where his ears were burning, but he couldn't ride away like Tao Kuo, so he could only open his eyes wide, pretending to understand the Turkic language spoken by Asilan and others, and wait for everyone to laugh enough.
Then he cupped his hands and asked in a low voice: "Brother Aslan, do you have anything to do with me? Why are there so many fires lit in the tribe today?"
"Your tribe is here. Chief Xier is hosting a banquet for their Shetuo tribe. The warriors of the Bishi tribe and the Daxi tribe have not left yet, so everyone is gathering together to eat roasted sheep. The sheep have just been fattened in the spring.
It’s a fresh moment!” Aslan smiled and told Li Xu that it was the arrival of the caravan last year that provided the Su Chuan tribe with an opportunity to join the other tribes of the Xi people in the alliance. This time when everyone comes again, the Su Chuan tribe will naturally do their best.
Besides, these people are all tribesmen of Fuli and Xu Xianzhe. The herdsmen of Zhuxiao would respect their houses and show their utmost kindness to the caravan.
"Uncle Ninth? That's great!" Li Xu exclaimed ecstatically. Everything went well today, and he and Tao Kuo took off their silk and made a lifelong appointment. Uncle Ninth came with his people and went back to write in his felt bag.
A letter from home was asked of him to take back. It probably won’t take long...
"Your people all look the same, I can't tell who is who!" Aslan admitted with a wry smile that in their eyes, almost all the Han people looked the same, and they got to know each other like Li Xu and Xu Dayan.
, A Silan can naturally tell the difference between the two of them. Like Uncle Jiu, Zhang San and others who have only met each other a few times, in the memory of the men of the Xi clan, they are almost the same face without any difference.
"Go quickly, Xu Xianzhe and the clan leader's younger brother Su Chuifuli have taken people to make a treaty with the Khitan people in the east. They won't be back for half a month. Your clan members are still asking around for your residence just now?" Hou Quli walked up.
He pushed Li Xu forward and said with a smile
"Thank you, brother Aslan, thank you, brother Hou Quli, let's drink some other time!" Li Xu said goodbye to everyone. This title of clansman made him feel very warm. Although there were many unpleasant memories during the last trip, it has been a long time.
These unpleasant memories were slowly forgotten, and all that remained in my heart was the kindness of the local accent and the nostalgia for my hometown.
A vague feeling of nostalgia enveloped Li Xu. He kept urging his mount, hoping to meet those familiar faces in the shortest possible time. However, the faces beside the fire made him a little disappointed. Uncle Jiu was not there.
, Hao Laodao was not there, and even the annoying Du Scaran did not appear. After walking past three or four fires surrounded by unfamiliar faces, he finally saw a few old acquaintances.
"Xu... Mr. Li, you are back. The clan leader is talking to us about your achievements!" Uncle Zhang laughed and stood up from the largest fire in the center of the camp, speaking to him with enthusiasm that was ten times more intense than the bonfire.
Li Xu shouted
"I've met Mr. Li!" Several familiar and unfamiliar vendors stood up at the same time and solemnly saluted Li Xu, who was less than half their age.
"Master Li?" Li Xu has grown up, and he has not had the experience of his elders giving him gifts, so his expression at that moment was very unnatural, and he felt dizzy, as if he had just been poured a dozen bottles of horse wine.
After thinking about it carefully, he realized that Mr. Li was referring to himself. He quickly jumped off the horse and returned the salute to everyone while shouting: "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Mazi, what are you doing? Kill the junior, Zhe."
Kill the junior!"
"It should be, it should be. The achievements Mr. Li has established in the Su Chuan tribe make our faces glow when we hear it!" Wang Mazi took a few steps forward and hugged Li Xu's shoulders.
"What achievements are there! Uncle Mazi, please don't say that to Uncle Ninth. Why didn't you see him?" Li Xu gently broke away and asked everyone about the excessive enthusiasm of Zhang San, Wang Mazi and others.
It made him feel very unaccustomed. To him, such hypocritical politeness was not as real as the scolding of the "unlucky boy" on the road.
"Uncle Jiu" relieved all the embarrassment. When everyone heard Li Xu's question, they immediately closed their mouths tightly. It was not until Li Xu could no longer ask the question that Uncle Zhang lowered his head and said in a very low voice: "Brother Jiu encountered something."
It’s troublesome. What’s the details of not being able to come this time? We’ll go to your felt bag later and tell you that your father-in-law asked me to bring you a family letter. After socializing with the patriarch, I will personally deliver it to your residence!”
Your Majesty, the Patriarch, the Mansion, Li Xu listened to these words that were more awkward than the last, and the little joy left in his heart was washed away. Uncle Jiu didn't come, who should report the matter of her and Tao Kuo's separation? Are you going to take him?
Who should I entrust to carry the silverware back to the Central Plains? Uncle Zhang is not a reliable person. How can we infer his character from his arrogant and respectful behavior to others? Can the old pervert Wang Mazi be trusted?
Li Xu was in a bad mood, and the wine was naturally light. Without Uncle Jiu, a generous and generous leader, the vendors seemed to have lost a lot of energy. After eating half a head of roast lamb, they put down their meat cleavers one after another.
Seeing that the vendors were not drinking as happily as last time, the leader of the Er clan thought that they were too tired from the journey, so he also speeded up the banquet process. After everyone made an appointment for the meeting time, and after saying some irrelevant polite words, he announced
Dismiss
The size of the caravan that arrived this time far exceeded the one brought by Uncle Jiu last time, and Uncle Zhang's restraint ability was far smaller than that of Uncle Jiu. The traders were crowded together, arguing endlessly over the storage location and the quality of the felt bags.
Xu worked with the herdsmen of Su Chuo's tribe for half the night before they all settled down. When helping the vendors pack their bags, he was surprised to find that, except for a few guys from the Xu family who brought paper, almost everyone
Personal goods are mainly Sichuan brocade. The suppliers of tea, linen, etc., which are indispensable in the lives of herdsmen, are just chatting.
"Alas!" Li Xu sighed secretly in his heart. He knew that it was he and Xu Dayan who had made a fortune selling Shu brocade last year, which led to the unanimous action of the vendors this time. But in this way, everyone would definitely be disappointed and fall in love with him.
From what I have learned about the tribe in the past six months, not every shepherd family can afford Sichuan brocade for their women. Aslan, Duer, Tao Kuotosi and others naturally do not care about a few strings of silver bells, but they are all outstanding figures or outstanding figures among the younger generation.
Relatives of elders, one of the most wealthy households in the tribe. For most ordinary herdsmen, the copper bells on men's leather armor and the silver chains on women's hands are almost things passed down from generation to generation. They are their sons' betrothal gifts or daughters' dowries.
, there are only a few pieces, and if it is not necessary, few people are willing to sell their family’s honor.
"Master Fu Li, are you worried about Brother Ninth? I know that Master is a kind-hearted gentleman. If I can make a friend like you, it means that he has not walked on this road for so many years in vain!" He has been following Li Xu like a tail.
Wang Mazi, who was busy next to him, heard Li Xu's long breathing and asked with a grin.
"Yes, what happened to Uncle Jiu? Why can't he be separated from the merchants?" Li Xu nodded and asked worriedly. Among the entire caravan, Sun Jiu was almost the only one who was friendly to him and Xu Dayan.
In Li Xu's heart, the elder has long regarded this bold, generous and wise old man as his relative.
"Oh, Lord Fuli, you are a far-sighted person who knew what was going to happen in the future, so you stayed in Su Chuanbu for the winter, and the horses you bought for your family were not worthy of the attention of those of us who had no eyesight. At that time,
You're still snickering at your ignorance!" Wang Mazi let out a long sigh and said nonsensically.
"What's wrong? Did you lose money by selling the horses? Where's Uncle Jiu? He seems to have only bought two horses, and the price he offered was not high at that time?" Li Xu stopped and asked anxiously with Wang
Mazi talks too hard. He never seems to know what the point is. He always talks about random things, either to try to impress people or to flatter people, as if not doing so is not enough to prove that he is the real Wang Mazi.
"If you lose, it's better to say that it was robbed by others, let the government rob it! Mr. Fuli, you are still smart, the entire caravan, the government did not take a fancy to the remaining two horses of your family, and set the price
The civil servants collected seven hundred, but what they gave was not money, but rice grains, and they asked us to go back to our hometown to collect Mr. Fu Li. You think, isn't this an obvious robbery?" Wang Mazi rubbed his eyes, his voice was already gone.
Somewhat choked
"Old Mazi, you're drunk again and you're talking nonsense!" A cold voice came from behind, interrupting Wang Mazi's cry. Li Xu frowned and turned around, seeing Uncle Zhang with two dozen
A five- or six-year-old boy walked towards me waddlingly
When Wang Mazi heard Zhang San's scolding, he immediately stopped his screams, slapped himself twice in the mouth gently, and blamed himself: "Look at the little old man's bad mouth, look at the little old man's bad mouth, drink
There is no gatekeeper when it comes to wine, and once you drink wine, your mouth will be full and your tongue will run away!”
"Okay, okay, Uncle Mazi, what you want to say has gone out of Su Chuanbu, and no one will remember what you said!" Li Xu grabbed Wang Mazi's wrist angrily and ordered loudly.
Uncle Zhang was so shrewd. When he saw Li Xu's displeasure, he quickly stepped forward, sang a fat promise first, and then said in a low voice: "Your Majesty asked Xiao Ke to bring a letter from home to Mr. Fu Li, and Brother Sun Jiu also sent a message to Mr. Fu Li."
Your Excellency, your Excellency has a prominent position in the Su Chuan tribe, but you are so busy working for us, you are really killing us!"
The polite words made people's scalp numb, but his eyes were darting around like a weasel. Seeing Zhang San's behavior, Li Xu also understood that he stopped Wang Mazi from talking because he was afraid that people here would talk too much and cause trouble in the future. He shook his head helplessly,
He sent an invitation to Zhang and Wang: "Uncle San and Uncle Mazi, please don't be polite. I am not an adult. My felt bag is not far from here. Can you please come and sit in the felt bag?"
"What an honor, what an honor!" Zhang San looked around triumphantly, and deliberately raised his voice: "It's my honor to be invited by Mr. Fu Li. The friendship we shared across the Great Wall back then, little old man,
It will always be engraved in my heart!”
When the traders had just been drinking with the herdsmen, they already knew that Li Xu was a distinguished guest in the tribe. When the future son-in-law of the clan leader Xier heard that Zhang San and Wang Mazi were invited to drink tea in Lord Fuli's tent, he immediately turned envious eyes.
Li Xu was stared at with envy in everyone's eyes and felt uncomfortable all over. He arched his hands in all directions, and then quickly walked towards his mount Zhang San. Wang Mazi and two strange teenagers hurriedly followed. Under the complicated looks of everyone
Heading towards the core of the tribe
Before the slave girl A Yun dared to take a rest, she saw a guest coming in the felt bag and rushed forward to pour tea. Zhang San and Wang Mazi saw that Li Xu could already command the slaves, and they were even more envious. One praised Master Fu Li for his knowledge and luck, and the other
Then he boasted that his relationship with Li Xu's father was so messed up that it took half a stick of incense before he finally took out a carefully collected thick paper envelope from his arms.
"This is what your father entrusted me to deliver to Master Fu Li. Sir, please check the paint on it!" Uncle Zhang held up the envelope with both hands and raised it respectfully in front of Li Xu.
"Third uncle, there are no outsiders here, it would be better for you to call me Xu Zi!" Li Xu felt really uncomfortable hearing the words "Master Fu Li". He accepted the envelope and made his request.
"How can it be done? How can it be done? Back then, I was a young man who was short-sighted and dared to call himself an elder. You are now a high-ranking official of the Suchu tribe. We can enter your felt bag to drink tea. This is already a high level. How dare we do it again?
Call yourself an elder!" Zhang Laosan waved his hands repeatedly and said politely
Wang Mazi and the two teenagers also echoed, and Li Xu had no choice but to let them shout randomly. After all, Fuli was just his Turkic name, and it was not an official position. As for the word "adult", he pretended not to hear it.
Everyone was here, and it was not convenient for him to read the letter. He pushed Ayun away as a way to fetch water, and then asked in a low voice: "Uncle Third, Uncle Mazi, there are no outsiders here anymore. What trouble did Uncle Nine encounter? Can I
Can’t you give him some help?”
"Master Fu Li, you are a thoughtful Ninth Brother. If he sees this, he will feel grateful for this favor. I'm afraid no one can help!" Zhang San sighed and said, "Thanks to you last time, everyone made some money.
I don’t know whether it’s destiny or being carried away. Everyone bought a big deal and thought about going back to their hometown to be awesome and majestic. Well, who knows if there is no fate, there will be nothing...!"
"Yes, we are cheap, we shouldn't imitate other people's ostentation!" Wang Mazi shook his head and added.
The two old traders exchanged words with each other, and finally gave an overview of what happened to Uncle Jiu. It turned out that everyone had a good horse to help them, and the road back to the Central Plains was very smooth. In less than twenty days, they had arrived in Yuyang County, and everyone was riding horses.
When the wind was blowing, the official suddenly stopped the entire caravan.
Sun Jiu and others thought that they had not taken care of everything and hurried forward to present gifts as filial piety. However, they expected that the officials would not take bribes. Instead, they took the county governor's warrant and told all the vendors that according to the latest imperial edict of the imperial court, all frontier fortress horses would be bought by officials.
There was a note of 700 yuan written on each horse, ordering the traders to go back to their hometowns to find the local officials to collect the money, and then the horses would be forcibly taken away. The traders begged and begged, and finally Bu Xiaowei, who had moved out the tiger cavalry, came forward and said
Xiang, the official officials raised the price of the horses to a penny, and promised to give the traders three days to buy new horses. After three days, all the horses that the government liked must be led by their owners to the Yamen for delivery.
Since ancient times, the people could not compete with the officials, so everyone had to accept their fate and find ways to buy donkeys, mules and other animals to carry the goods for the horses, while selling most of the fur goods on the spot. As a result, the income was reduced by half than expected. Fortunately, everyone got the dividends from this trip.
Enough to barely keep the capital
After that, everyone went back to their hometowns. Sun Jiu went to Yi County to pick up goods for Li Xu. The return home was delayed for three or five days. After arriving at his hometown on the fifth day, the county magistrate refused to pay the horse money according to the price on the official note.
, but only paid a hundred dou of Chen millet to pay the bill. Sun Jiu was angry at the government's breach of trust and refused to accept the millet. He took the note to the county to ask for an explanation. However, before he could leave the county boundary, he was locked up by the guards for stealing sheep.
"Isn't this a frame-up?" Li Xu said angrily, having never heard of such a bizarre story.
