Chapter 24 The Firewood Seller and the Silver Distributor
In winter, the Hebei East Road area looks even more desolate and dilapidated due to the previous wave of refugees, and all the bark and vegetation have been dug up.
But at least there was no panic as before, the road was bustling with people, noisy and lively.
In a small town not far from Daming Mansion, people from far and near come to buy firewood, rice, oil, salt and various mountain products during the temple fair.
"This business is not easy to do."
"Life is not easy these days."
"Yes, there was just a war."
Several firewood collectors squatting at the gate of the city were waiting for business and talking to each other.
Among them was a man in his thirties who was very silent.
"This brother has a lot of firewood." Someone took the initiative to start a conversation.
The man hummed, looking shy.
"I've never seen it before," another woodcutter asked curiously.
There is no firewood in this town, and the firewood collectors and firewood sellers always come and go with the same group of people, who are more or less familiar.
"Oh, it's my first time here." The stranger said.
People on both sides laughed. They all had the same accent and were very familiar with it.
"Wei Dian?" the person from before asked.
The unfamiliar man nodded.
"You have too much firewood." The person next to you pointed out enthusiastically, "You shouldn't have so much firewood. It will be worthless if it gets wet."
"However, maybe, I heard people say that there are people collecting a lot of firewood recently." Someone else said, "Deshengchang in Daming Prefecture."
It was a wealthy family, and everyone became curious.
"What do people like Deshengchang need so much firewood for?"
"Except for cooking, they don't burn firewood, they all use charcoal."
For these hard-working people who are fed and hungry, the life of the rich is unimaginable.
"It sounds funny," the man said, motioning for everyone to gather together.
The man from Weidian also squeezed over with some curiosity.
"Have you heard that Deshengchang is dividing the family?"
Some people have heard of it and some don’t know it. After all, for them, they will never have the chance to deal with a bank in their lifetime.
The man briefly described the matter.
"So now the two young ladies are dividing the ticket numbers of Daming Mansion with the young master's people. They are all veterans with many years of experience, and each is more shrewd than the other. In order to make them get out of here, young master Fang deliberately bought firewood.
Burning a fire to keep warm, the whole house is smoky, and a person coughing in there is just ridiculous."
This is indeed quite funny.
"It's so embarrassing to do this."
"What do you know? Brothers will settle their accounts clearly. These rich people can tell the difference best."
Everyone laughed and talked until the sound of horse hooves stopped beside them.
"Hey, how much firewood do you have here? I want all of it." At the same time, an arrogant male voice asked.
No way, is it really...
The people gathering firewood looked over in disbelief.
"But it has to be delivered farther away, to Deshengchang in Daming Mansion." The man said, "Of course, I will calculate the cost for you separately when delivering firewood."
Sure enough, it was Deshengchang who had great luck. The firewood collectors immediately became excited and responded hurriedly while gathering their firewood in a hurry.
Daming Mansion was much more tightly guarded than before. Manager Deshengchang, who had been able to drive straight into Daming Mansion in the past, had to be interrogated. These firewood collectors were no exception. The firewood was also stabbed with spears.
"Aren't we going to stop fighting? Why are we so strict?" The woodcutter couldn't help asking in a low voice.
"You don't know yet," the people who were being inspected nearby said in a low voice, "Gong Chengguo conspired to rebel and absconded out of fear of crime, and now they are arresting his family."
Everyone knew the name of Duke Cheng Guo, and the firewood collectors suddenly widened their eyes.
"How could Duke Cheng Guo rebel?" they couldn't help shouting.
The people around were frightened and waved at them.
"You're going to die, do you want to be arrested as an accomplice?" they shouted in a low voice.
The people collecting firewood kept silent and did not dare to speak loudly, looking frightened.
"But how could Duke Cheng Guo rebel?" Someone still couldn't help but whisper.
This is not a question, this is a denial.
These words made everyone silent for a moment. To the people of the North, Duke Cheng Guo was a god-like existence.
"How do we know what's going on above?" Someone sighed in a low voice.
"Okay, stop talking and go into the city." The person behind urged, "Mind your own business."
It's hard for them, ordinary people, to live on their own, so how can they care about these big things above.
The sadness at the city gate soon dissipated when I saw the three characters Deshengchang.
"I'm talking about Weidian, you got rich and lucky this time." Someone said, looking at the man with the highest pyre in the group.
The man smiled innocently and shyly. Although he didn't say anything, his eyes were shining.
"Where are you from?" Deshengchang's steward asked casually as he watched them carrying firewood in one file after another.
The firewood collectors answered one by one. When it was the man's turn, the man looked at Steward Deshengchang one more time.
"It's from Weidian." He said, then paused, "It's from my wife's home in Runan."
Country people will not speak when they are nervous, but there are also some who talk too much when they are nervous. The man in charge was not surprised when this man told everyone about his wife, and they just said no.
The man lowered his head and carried the firewood pile to go in, but the steward raised his head again and sighed.
"You have a lot of firewood." He looked at it, "You are quite strong."
The man chatted.
The steward pointed inwards.
"It just so happens that there is a lot of firewood inside. Go and help us get into the house." He said, "I'll give you the extra wages."
What a good job. The other firewood collectors looked at the man with envy. The man thanked him and followed a boy to the inner courtyard with the firewood on his back.
The yard was really smoky, but the backyard was a little better. An old man in a brocade robe was sitting on the porch drinking tea.
"It's still quiet here. I'm almost smoked to death, but these guys can still carry it." He complained to the boy standing in front of him, "Go back to sell firewood, burn it, burn it hard."
The boy responded with a smile, and the old man took a sip of tea and saw the man walking in.
"Master Zhou asked me to come in to move firewood," the waiter introduced.
The old man looked at the man.
The man lowered his head and looked a little nervous.
"Do you like playing chess, old man?" He suddenly said through gritted teeth.
Is this a joke? Guys are a little funny.
The old man also smiled.
"You, a country boy, can still play chess?" he asked. He paused for a moment, "Have you ever heard of pig chess?"
What kind of chess piece is pig chess?
The guys laughed again, what kind of pig chess is there in the world? The old shopkeeper was just teasing the country people.
"I've heard of it." The man raised his head and said seriously, "My wife's mother-in-law is from Runan and knows how to do it."
Really?
The guys were a little surprised, and the old shopkeeper laughed.
"Not bad, not bad, it's really a way of playing over there." He said, waving his hand, "Go, go, go and work."
The man obeyed and walked away.
"Do a good job, and I'll buy you some wine with this money." The old shopkeeper stopped him again, and casually took the money bag from his waist and threw it away.
The money bag fell at the man's feet. He was obviously too frightened to take it, but a waiter picked it up and gave it to him.
"It's our shopkeeper's wish, don't hesitate to take it," he said nonchalantly.
To a firewood collector, a bag of broken silver is a lot, but to the old shopkeeper in Deshengchang, it is as fine as sand.
The man thanked him repeatedly and took it, his honest face unable to hide the smile, which lasted until he left Deshengchang.
The firewood collector who was traveling with him was very envious when he saw the heavy money bag hanging on his waist.
This time he made the most money, but he had no choice but to work hard.
The inspections at the city gate are still very strict, and they are not missed even when leaving the city. They carefully checked each one and found that except for money, these people did not bring anything else out. There was nothing wrong with the money, after all, they were exchanged for selling firewood.
The guards quickly waved them through.
The man didn't go far with these firewood collectors. He said he was going to visit a relative and left. Even though they met by chance, everyone didn't take it seriously and dispersed.
The man walked silently along the road until dusk fell, when he entered a village and went straight into a courtyard.
The lights were on in the house, and the sound of a woman weaving could be heard. It was as quiet and peaceful as all the households in the village.
The man pushed the door open and entered the house. There were more than a dozen people in the small room or at the cargo station, and the door was closed.
"Brother, I got it." The man looked at one of the bearded men with his head lowered and said excitedly, and raised the money bag.
The bearded man raised his head, his face looked a little old, but his eyes were young and bright.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes, Deshengchang is really waiting for you, big brother, when he advertises for firewood like this." The man said excitedly, "Everything you asked me to say is correct, just as promised."
That's right, the words "the heart is clear and the mind is clear" are not nonsense.
A smile broke out on the bearded man's face, and he reached out to remove his beard, revealing Zhu Zan's face, brilliant and bright.
"Is it her arrangement?" he asked.
The man shook his head.
"No one was mentioned, and I don't know if this was arranged by Miss Jun." He whispered.
The smile on Zhu Zan's face dimmed, but he nodded again.
"That kid is very clever." He said to himself, "But she is still awesome. If it weren't for her, that kid would definitely have captured me to exchange for money."
Yes, the little brat named Fang will definitely do this. He is a heartless person.
He was silent for a moment. No news was good news. He cheered up and stretched out his hand.
The money in the purse was poured on the table, and several men pinched the pieces of silver with their hands. After a while, many of the pieces of silver cracked open and turned out to be hollow pieces of silver. However, everyone did not feel angry that they had been deceived. Instead, they looked surprised.
Small pieces of paper were pulled out from it.
Through the lights, you can see that all the place names and directions are written on them.
The notes were placed on the table one by one, there were more than a dozen of them densely packed.
Zhu Zan stood in front of the table, ran his fingers over the papers one by one, and then raised his hand.
"Let's go, take the money." He said, picked up one and went straight out.
The remaining men, like him, each picked up a file and left the house and disappeared into the night.
When the sky was dark and bright, several carriages and horses were approaching from each of the four gates of Daming Mansion.
Seeing the "Deshengchang" sign on the car, the guards opened the city gate without any doubts, but with a bit of teasing.
"Finally couldn't bear it anymore and was smoked away?" A city guard said with a smile.
The steward headed by Deshengchang smiled and shook his head.
"I can't bear it anymore." He said, "That's about it."
The city guard shook his head.
"The richer people are, the more they care about everything," he said.
The steward stepped forward and handed him a heavy bag of silver, and the city guard took it without hesitation.
"However, the investigation must be carried out," he said solemnly.
The steward smiled and stepped aside.
"That's natural. Your Excellency, you have checked that we are innocent. It is convenient to travel and do things." He said.
The general waved his hand, and the waiting soldiers came forward with swords and guns. Several cars were opened, revealing the white silver bricks placed inside. Seeing everyone dizzy, they endured the dazzle and poked their swords and guns into the silver bricks.
It was so full that it couldn't even hold a fly, let alone hide people. The general waved his hands impatiently, and the soldiers put away their weapons and returned.
"Let's go," the general said.
The steward smiled, thanked him, and jumped into the carriage.
"Let's go, send the money." He said in a loud voice.
The general watched the carriage drive out of the city gate heavily and shook his head and sneered.
"You are so happy to give money." He said, no longer paying attention, and patrolling inside and outside the city gate solemnly and vigilantly, "We are all watching, and if we find Duke Cheng and his family, they will be killed without mercy." (To be continued)