The pomp that Li Xingzai went out with was not something that Cheng Dalei could compare with. He selected a few mature and prudent disciples from the academy, plus the good guys from the Cao Gang, to gather a hundred people. When there are more people, things get complicated. The basic necessities of life for these one hundred people include food, clothing, housing and transportation.
consider.
So a distinguished group of people set foot on the road to Chang'an. At the same time, various princes also set out on the road.
It was inevitable that two families were engaged in a sword fight. When something like this happened, the two families had to temporarily stop fighting. Coincidentally, they met again on the way to Chang'an, so they had to use white knives to go in and red knives to go out.
Cheng Dalei and the other five people walked all the way east, and after two or three days, they entered Jingzhou. A heavy rain happened, and the five of them had to take shelter in a ruined temple.
The rain was pouring down, and raindrops were falling on the roof. The temple was in disrepair for a long time. It rained heavily outside and light rain inside the temple. The dry food they carried with them also got wet a lot, and everyone was in a mess.
Cheng Dalei stood in front of the gate, looking at the pouring rain outside, and grinned: "This rain really comes at the wrong time. If it doesn't stop in a while, we will have to spend the night in this temple."
Cui Baiyu pouted and thought to himself: If you don't do good deeds when you go out, it will rain heavily. If you do a few more good deeds, you won't catch up with the heavy rain.
"Hey, as the saying goes, when a dragon moves in the clouds, when a tiger moves in the wind, it's a good sign that a big boss like a dragon or a tiger encounters such a rain." Liu Facai.
"Uh...haha, that makes sense, that makes sense."
Under the black gauze, Cui Baiyu's grin almost reached her ears.
"But if it keeps raining, isn't that a good idea?"
"The wind will last forever, the showers will last all day, and the heavy rain will not last long." Liu Facai.
It happened that Liu Facai was right. The rain came and went quickly. By the time the clouds cleared and the sky cleared, it was already dusk. The colorful clouds in the west turned to blood color, and it was particularly spectacular to look over.
"Okay, let's go a little further and see if there's anyone staying here."
Along the way, Cheng Dalei was miserable. If he could find a place to stay and have a good night's rest, it wouldn't be too late to continue his journey.
The five people were headed by Cheng Dalei. Cheng Dalei felt like a small team learning from the experience and embarked on the road all the way east.
It was also luck. After walking for three to five miles, a large manor appeared in front of it. There were tile-roofed houses in a row and green willows. There were few small bridges and flowing water in the north like those in the south of the Yangtze River, but there were more than a dozen courtyards connected together, which also had its own style.
"Liu Facai, go ahead and ask if we can stay at his house?" Cheng Dalei said. He was hungry now, and he was looking forward to some hot soup and noodles so that he could have a good sleep.
Liu Facai agreed and hurried to the gate of the courtyard. He saw the plaque "Chen House" hanging in front of the door. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, and an old man in his sixties walked out of the door.
"Old man, we are guests visiting relatives in the capital. Can we stay overnight at your place? The road is slippery on this rainy day and we can't walk."
The old man looked at Cheng Dalei in the distance and said: "Our master has always been good at doing good deeds. Since we are guests on the road, it's okay to stay overnight. But there are some things going on today and I can't stay with a few guests. If you want food, I'll provide it at my house."
It’s ready.”
"Hey, since I've already given up one meal, why don't you stay with us for a night? We don't live and eat in vain. We'll give you more money when the time comes."
Liu Facai took out a small silver ingot from his sleeve and waved it in front of the old man. This time when he went out, Cheng Dalei brought more silver with him. There were hundreds of such small ingots.
"Oh, do you know where this place is? My husband is called Chen Wanwan. Our family has mountains of food and rice, and piles of gold and silver. I care about your little money. I originally wanted to keep you for a meal, but you actually showed off your money and walked away quickly.
There’s no meal left.”
Liu Facai's eyes lit up when he heard this. There were mountains of grain and rice, and piles of gold and silver. This was definitely a robbery. This place was not far from Liangzhou City, and it would only take a few days of urgent marching.
"Hey, step back."
At this time, an old man walked out of the door, wearing silk and satin. Although he was a little older, he was well maintained.
"Chen Zhong, why are you making such noise in front of the door?"
The servant named Chen Zhong whispered something into the man's ear. The man looked at Liu Facai and then at Cheng Dalei in the distance.
"Chen Zhong, this is your fault. When you are away from home, everyone has to go out of their way. To make it convenient for others is to make it inconvenient for yourself. So what if you have a few guests staying overnight."
As he spoke, he cupped his hands at Liu Facai and said, "Don't blame our guests. I'm a country man who doesn't understand the truth. I don't want our guests to be like them."
Liu Facai also hurriedly returned the favor. Judging from the hidden meaning of the old man's words, he looked like a character wandering the world.
Cheng Dalei and others came over. The old man knew who to talk to. Cheng Dalei said: "Old Chen Deshan, our guests have the right to stay here for the night. However, no matter what happens tonight, please don't come out."
, but also for the sake of several lives."
Cheng Dalei cupped his fists and returned the salute: "Thank you, father-in-law. Did something happen at home? If it can be useful to us, we can also help."
"It's a small matter, it's a small matter, I don't dare to bother a few guests." Chen Deshan waved his hand to Chen Zhong: "Zhong, please invite a few guests into the house and arrange meals. Don't wait too long."
The servant named Chen Zhong led the way and arranged a remote courtyard for the five of them. It was very clean. Chickens and sheep were slaughtered, and soup and food were served soon after. The food in the north was not as exquisite as that in the south of the Yangtze River.
It’s heavy on salt and brine, and there’s plenty of wine.
Seeing that there was no one around, Liu Facai said: "Master, what happened in this house?"
Cheng Dalei pursed his lips and smiled, saying, "What do you see?"
Liu Facai thought for a while: "Although Chen Deshan is over sixty years old, his body is not crooked, his back is not hunched, and his breathing is long and strong. I am afraid that he was also a practitioner when he was young."
Cheng Dalei nodded, Liu Facai was from Toad Village after all, so he still had some good eyesight.
"Then Chen Zhong is not an ordinary person. His eyes are focused and never separated. He seems to have some skills." Cui Baiyu said suddenly.
Liu Facai focused his attention on Chen Deshan, but did not pay attention to the old servant. Cui Baiyu also proved his worth, and the feeling of being ordered around was not pleasant.
"Master, do you want me to go check it out and see what happened to them? The old man is a nice guy. For this meal, we have to help them."
"Don't be impatient." Cheng Dalei waved his hand: "They don't want to talk, and they may not be able to find out anything if they ask. No matter what happens, we won't know everything by night."
With that said, Cheng Dalei handed a chicken leg to Cui Baiyu: "Here, I'll reward you for what you said just now."