At this time, the Chengbei Station, thirty miles away from Yangcheng, had fallen into the silence of the night.
The Chengbei Station is located at the junction of Yangcheng and Gaoping. The location and jurisdiction are a bit awkward. You can reach both cities with a little effort. There is no need to settle in a station with simple facilities intertwined by slopes and ditches. Therefore, this station is more convenient.
It looks increasingly shabby.
But because the Taiyuan Prefecture officials passing by were unusually full tonight, the horses could not be accommodated in the stables, so they had to be tied up in the front yard or even outside the door haphazardly.
There was only one postmaster and one old soldier in the post station, and they were so busy that they had to ask their family members to help.
When the night fell, most officials had already gone to bed, but there were still lights on in some rooms.
After all, what happened during these days was so incredible that we couldn't help but talk about it in private.
There are not many good rooms in this post station, so naturally they are all given to high-ranking officials such as Magistrate Ma. At this moment, there is a low-level official in this short adobe house.
He and his servants crowded into the same room. He slept on the bed, and the servants had to make beds on the floor.
It was a sultry summer night, and with the window open, one could see a man in regular clothes making a bed inside, while another servant with a beard and an ordinary appearance stood aside with his hands down, looking thoughtful.
"How did they find out?" he whispered.
His voice was soft and his tone was easy-going, which was in perfect harmony with his status as a servant.
The man who made the bed turned around immediately when he heard this.
"It's hard to say this kind of thing," he said.
His voice was mellow, with a bit of official authority, but under the dim oil lamp, his respectful expression when facing this servant was very inconsistent with his status.
"My lord..." the man who made the bed continued.
As soon as the voice came out, the servant suddenly raised his hand and looked sharply at the window.
"Who is there?" he shouted.
Accompanied by his shout, the person had already arrived at the door and opened it.
There was an exclamation in front of the door, and someone staggered back.
This was a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old. She was dressed simply and her hair was messy. In the night, all she could see was the black stain on her face. She was holding a wooden bucket with boiling hot water in her hand.
She seemed to be passing by carrying a bucket, and was frightened by the person who suddenly walked out. She stood there in panic, not daring to move.
"What are you doing?" the official came out and asked sternly.
The servant had retreated to his side, looking down at the girl.
"I, I deliver water." The girl stammered, her voice was rough, and she pointed to a room next to her with fear.
There are lights on in the house over there, and it's obvious that someone hasn't rested yet.
This girl...should be a family member of that postman.
The postman had an old wife and a daughter, and they were busy walking around the yard for a long time.
The officials didn't care.
"Is there any hot water?" he asked casually.
The girl looked frightened.
"This is, this is what the other side wants first." She said, fearing that the official would get angry, "I will burn it later, sir, wait a moment."
The official didn't ask for hot water, so he waved his hand and turned around and went in.
The girl hurriedly saluted, then carried the bucket and walked towards the house next to her.
The servant stood at the door and watched her. He watched the girl knock on the door next to her, and a man who had changed his underwear opened the door.
"Your hot water, sir." the girl said.
The man hummed and reached out to take it with one hand and closed the door.
The girl breathed out and raised her sleeves to wipe the sweat from her head and face. Her face was even stained with ashes from the fire. She patted her shoulders and walked quickly to the backyard without taking a rest.
The servant's eyes followed her.
The girl walked slowly, with the undisciplined attitude of a country girl, and from time to time she shrugged her shoulders and shook her neck to relieve fatigue.
The servant's eyes were fixed on her, taking one step, two steps, and three steps until she turned the corner of the room.
The servant stood silently for a moment, then turned around and entered the room and closed the door.
"Is there something wrong?" the official in the room asked.
The servant smiled.
"I can't think of it yet." He said, stopping the official from asking questions. "It's getting late. Let's rest first."
The official did not ask any more questions and responded respectfully by blowing out the lights in the room.
The room fell into darkness.
"The bed is made, you can have a rest."
said a low voice in the darkness.
Accompanied by the rustling sound, everything became quiet after a while.
In the silent night, a figure climbed out from the ruined half of the earthen wall of the inn. Through the looming starlight, you could see that it was a girl, wearing only her underwear, and the coat was held in her arms.
Her face was as dark as the night, and only one of her eyes shone like starlight.
Today is not in vain. The title of "sir" at least confirms one thing. This is enough. I can't stay here anymore.
Run quickly.
Run quickly.
She climbed over the wall, didn't bother to put on her clothes, and ran wildly, disappearing among the ups and downs of the ravine.
…………………………………………..
Outside the Lin's alley, Liu'er's crying continued.
Old Mrs. Fang's heart was clogged with tears.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" she shouted, "How can you live and die while you are doing well? You are cursing your young lady."
"That's not your young lady, you made it easy." Liu'er cried.
Mrs. Fang was so angry that her heart ached.
"She is my granddaughter." she shouted.
"How is your granddaughter? It's not as important as your grandson." Liu'er cried, pointing at Fang Chengyu, "He is cured now, and my lady is useless. You can't offend anyone because of my lady."
Old Mrs. Fang's face turned livid and she staggered as she couldn't stand up in one breath.
Fang Chengyu hurriedly stretched out his hand to support him.
"Liu'er, please stop talking," he said, "Grandma didn't mean that."
"I don't care what you mean." Liu'er cried, rushing straight towards the Lin's alley, "If you don't look for me, I will."
The members of the Lin family had been on guard against her for a long time, squeezing in and blocking her. Although they didn't beat her up like they did before, they took advantage of Liu'er's dash and pushed Liu'er to the ground.
Liu Er stood up and rushed again while wiping her tears.
Fang Jinxiu lowered his gaze.
"Look, look." Chief Lin said, sighing, "Get out of the way and let her find her."
Everyone in the Lin family finally got out of the way, and Liu'er rushed in crying.
Before Mrs. Fang could recover from her livid complexion, Fang Chengyu gently patted her heart.
"How about, Old Mrs. Fang, you can rest and wait here with us." Patriarch Lin said, "It's not that we are not looking for someone, of course we are looking for someone."
Just don't make such a fuss and find peace and quiet.
The officials also nodded repeatedly. This was the best, as it would be beneficial to both parties. It would make everyone look good, and it could also resolve the discussion that arose today.
Before Mrs. Fang spoke, Fang Chengyu smiled at them.
"Excuse me, please wait a moment. I have something to say to my grandmother," he said.
*****************
Today monthly tickets are doubled.
Many people specially saved their monthly votes for me until now. Thank you. Now it’s time to vote for the sprint.
And friends who have already voted in advance to help me lay the foundation for the current list, thank you for making it easier for us to chase the list.
Anyway, thank you all. I will leave it to you in the next three days at the end of the month. I will prepare the manuscripts for the next May 1st and 7th days. At that time, there will be a new battle. (To be continued)