In present-day Xinye, Henan, there is a north-south river named Lihe River.
But in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Lihe River was also called Jishui, and it was an extremely important river under the rule of Nanyang County. During the Warring States Period, Jishui was the boundary river between Qin and Chu. In the twenty-fifth year of King Huai of Chu, Qin and Chu held the Yellow Thorn Meeting
The alliance made Qin and Chu peaceful for many years...
On the east side of Jishui, there is a county town.
In ancient times, the sun rose in the east, so it was called Yang.
The county seat is located in the Yang of Jishui, so it is called Jiyang. After the Qin Dynasty destroyed Chu, Jiyang came under the jurisdiction of Nanyang County and belonged to the territory of Jingzhou.
Dengcun is located outside Jiyang County.
It is located on the bank of Jishui River. One thousand and eight hundred years later, it was also called Zhanglou Village, a stone's throw away from Huangji.
Deng Village is not big, and 60% of the people living in the village have the surname Deng. The rest are mostly relatives of the Deng family, and can be regarded as members of the same family.
As far as Jingzhou is concerned, Dengcun is not worthy of mention.
But in Jiyang County, the small Deng Village is undoubtedly the largest ethnic group.
Deng Ji, the son of the contemporary patriarch, is now a general under Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, stationed in Xinye County, and also taking care of the safety of Jiyang. Before Jianzhong General Zhang Xiu occupied Wancheng, Deng Ji was Liu Biao's first barrier against Cao Cao. However,
Now, Zhang Xiu is responsible for this barrier.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Jian'an, a carriage drove slowly into Deng Village in the dawn light.
The carriage was driven by two burly men, who looked powerful and intimidating. The carriage was covered with dust and mud, and it was obvious at a glance that it had traveled a long distance. The people of Dengcun poked their heads out curiously one by one.
I came...not out of vigilance, but more out of curiosity, where on earth is this carriage going? The village is so big, there are only four or five families with carriages.
Who is sitting in this car?
"Hey, it seems they are going to Deng Laosan's house?"
"Third brother? No, that wimp can have such a relative? Look at the horse that pulls the cart. Even in Master Deng's family, there aren't many that can match it. These days, how can such a good horse-drawn cart be used?
, the background must be quite big, maybe I just went to ask for directions!"
"makes sense!"
A village woman murmured: "If Deng Laosan really had such relatives, it would be impossible for Deng Cai to deal with him so miserably... I heard that he has not been home for three days. He stayed in the Yamen all day and was so tired.
Like a dog, in my opinion, he is definitely not looking for Deng Laosan."
"...Deng Cai is a bit too much, isn't he?
After all, Deng Ji is also his brother. If he treats the third child like this, how can there be any brotherhood at all? Why don’t you think the patriarch cares about him?"
"No matter what, you haven't heard that Deng Cai's cousin is now the daughter-in-law of the Kuai family.
What is the origin of the Kuai family? Even if General Deng sees a member of the Kuai family, he will have to stay away... Do you think Mr. Deng dares to come forward? "
"What kind of daughter-in-law? Isn't she just the third wife of a branch of the Kuai family..."
"The third wife is also a daughter-in-law. Anyway, Deng Cai is very good now. I heard that his mother is thinking about letting him go to Xiangyang to work. How can Deng Ji be compared to him?"
For a time, people were talking a lot.
It was during this discussion that the carriage stopped at the entrance of a small courtyard.
"Is Anan at home? Anan, are you at home?"
The thick black man driving the carriage jumped out of the carriage and shouted loudly at the door of the courtyard.
After a while, I saw the hut in the yard opening a crack, and a woman with fluffy bun and pale face poked her head out.
"father?"
When the woman saw the black man, she was stunned.
She quickly opened the door and ran out in surprise, shouting as she ran: "Dad, why are you here? Uncle Wang, are you here too?"
In the blink of an eye, she came to the courtyard gate and opened the firewood leaf.
But as soon as she walked out, the woman was stunned again.
I saw a woman in her thirties slowly walking out of the carriage with the support of two teenagers...
"Mother? Afu?"——
The people on the carriage were none other than Cao Ji's family.
When Cao Ji saw the woman in front of him, he was stunned!
Is this really his daughter?
Cao Ji couldn't help but take a breath. In his memory, although his daughter Cao Nan could not be said to be a stunning beauty, she was still quite beautiful. But the woman in front of him looked like a country girl with unkempt hair. She really couldn't let him go.
He connects with his daughter in memory.
Cao Peng was also secretly looking at the woman coming out of the yard.
In his memory, although his sister was older than him, she still seemed to be only eighteen years old.
But the woman in front of me looked very old. Her complexion was not very good, and her clothes were somewhat shabby, which made her look even more aged.
In the memory of the dead ghost Cao Peng, Cao Nan's living conditions seemed to be very good.
But looking at it like this, it doesn’t seem very good…
However, Ms. Zhang still recognized who the woman in front of her was at a glance.
"Anan, why are you..."
"Mom, it's really you!" Cao Nan was so excited that she ran over and hugged Ms. Zhang. The bright smile on her face made her seem much younger all of a sudden, "Mom, why are you here?
I heard that Ah Fu was sick, and he said that he would go back to visit him in a few days."
At this time, Cao Nan seemed to look like an eighteen-year-old girl.
"Your father and I... came to see you!"
Zhang hesitated for a moment and did not say anything about defecting.
However, Cao Nan was obviously a smart woman. She immediately noticed that her parents seemed to be in trouble, so she quickly stepped aside and said: "Father, mother, Uncle Wang, come into the house and talk...Tiger Head, you have grown so tall! Ah Fu...why...
When you see me, you don’t even say hello?”
"Uh...sister!"
Cao Peng scratched his head and called out awkwardly.
Asking him to call an eighteen-year-old girl sister, even if the girl is already a wife, he is still not used to it...
In fact, it's not just that I'm not used to calling my sister.
When he first woke up, he was not used to calling Cao Ji and Zhang.
Wang Meng drove the car and entered the yard.
Cao Nan looked excited and at the same time glanced at the carriage with some curiosity.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, this carriage was a status symbol. Not everyone could own it, and not everyone could ride on it.
Cao Nan's husband, Deng Ji, was also a member of the government.
But I still have to walk to the county town on my legs every day, and I can't even drive an ox cart.
However, Cao Nan also wondered: Where did my parents get the money to buy such a good car?
Cao Nan's residence is not very big.
It seems to be about the same size as Cao Ji and his wife's house in Zhongyang Town.
There couldn't be so many people at once, so Wang Meng and his son simply didn't go in. They fetched water from the well and cleaned the carts in the yard.
"Dad, Mom, why are you here?"
Cao Ji and his wife looked at each other, and after hesitating for a moment, Cao Ji finally spoke: "A Nan, we are here to join you and your uncle and grandson."
Shusun is the cousin of Deng Ji.
Because he was doing three things at home, he was called Shusun.
The ancients arranged the sizes according to the brothers and uncles. At that time, it was also a convenient way to identify.
Cao Nan was startled when he heard this and said in surprise: "Father, mother...could something happen at home?"
"It's a long story."
Facing their daughter, Cao Ji and his wife had nothing to hide, so they told the story in detail.
"Your brother said that we can't stay in Zhongyang Town any longer, so we might as well come to Jiyang to find our sister. We thought that this is also the case... Your Uncle Wang was implicated for your mother, so he came with us. Of course, if
If it’s difficult, then forget it!”
Of course Cao Ji would not tell Cao Nan about Cao Peng's murder in Zhongyang Town.
Cao Peng, on the other hand, sat next to Zhang and looked at his sister quietly. From the expression on Cao Nan's face, he knew that his sister was really in trouble.
Cao Nan thought for a while and said softly: "Dad, it's not difficult to do this earlier.
It's just that Jiyang County has just changed its county magistrate. As for my uncle and grandson, my father, mother, and daughter won't hide it from you. The relationship between my uncle and his eldest brother Deng Cai has not been very good. Previously, the magistrate of Jiyang County had always respected his uncle and grandson.
Deng Cai became jealous because of this. Although his uncle Sun and Deng Cai were a family, Deng Cai's mother was the eldest. In addition, Deng Cai's cousin had married into the Kuai family and was now very arrogant. The new county magistrate was from the Kuai family.
Naturally, my son fell in love with Deng Cai... That Deng Cai has now become Shusun's boss, making things difficult for him all day long, and has not allowed him to rest for three days.
Otherwise, you can stay here first.
When my uncle and grandson come back in the evening, I will discuss it with him... Although he is not as good as before, I think he can still help in the future."
"If so..."
Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but feel a little heartbroken when she looked at her daughter's haggard appearance.
"Dad, how about we wait and see?"
Cao Ji nodded, "Okay, let's wait and see."
"Mom, you guys have a rest first. It's been a hard journey and you must be hungry too. I'm going to prepare some food for you..."
Cao Nan was a filial woman. After letting Cao Ji and others settle down, she carried the basket and walked out.
She also knew that both Cao Ji and Wang Meng had a large appetite. Although there was some food in the house, it was not enough for these people...
"Mom, sister seems to be having a hard time, too."
Cao Ji and his wife looked at each other and nodded lightly.
Cao Nan's life was not easy, and he and his wife could feel it.
"If that's the case, don't embarrass your uncle and grandson.
It's also difficult for him to work in the government. If he loses his job again because of our affairs, I'm afraid I will be even more sad."
"Brother Wang, what do you have in mind?"
Wang Meng walked into the room at this time and felt a little embarrassed when Zhang asked.
"Actually, my father and son are easy to deal with...If it doesn't work, I will take the tiger head to find my former brothers. But you...if it doesn't work, let's go to Xiangyang? It's just that there are no relatives or friends in Xiangyang, so even if we go, it won't be easy.
It’s not easy to gain a foothold.”
For a time, everyone was in trouble.
But after a moment of silence, Wang Mai suddenly said: "Ah Fu, do you have any ideas?"
That’s right, Cao Peng didn’t say anything the whole time!
The eyes of Cao Ji, Wang Meng and others suddenly focused on Cao Peng.
Cao Peng smiled bitterly: I've never even been to Zhongyang Town, how could I know what to do?
He thought for a while, coughed, and was about to speak. At this moment, he saw a woman running in from outside, shouting: "It's bad, Shusun Hun's family was beaten at the entrance of the village!"
"What?"
When Cao Ji and Wang Meng heard this, they immediately stood up.
"Who is so arrogant and dares to bully my Nan?"
As he spoke, the two burly men, like two mad tigers, rushed out of the room...