The ancestral house of the Cao family at the west end of Zhongyang Town is now in ruins.
The broken walls seem to tell people that people have lived here before. Other than that, there are just a bunch of broken bricks and tiles that have been buried by overgrown weeds. This was the place where Cao Peng first lived after his rebirth. Cao Peng first lived here.
Peng reined in his horse outside the wall and kicked off the saddle...
Standing outside a collapsed wall, he looked inside, with a sad look in his eyes.
He still remembered where his bedroom was and where his parents' room was. There was also an iron stove next to the gate, which was where Cao Ji used to repair farm tools. Now, the iron stove has disappeared, only
All that was left was a pile of blackened dirt.
Pang De and others did not follow, but dismounted twenty paces away and stood on guard.
Stepping into the courtyard, Cao Peng stood there in a daze, motionless.
At this moment, he thought of Wang Meng.
I remember the first time I met Wang Meng was on the third day after his rebirth. Wang Meng hunted a yellow sheep from the mountains and happily gave it to his mother and asked her to cook it for him. But now, Wang Meng has passed away! Wang Mai
Far away in Longqi City, I don’t know when I will be able to return.
Behind him, footsteps sounded.
But it was Huang Yueying and Xia Houzhen who followed.
"When I was a child, I grew up here."
Cao Peng turned around with a smile on his face, as if explaining to Huang Yueying and Xia Houzhen, or saying to himself: "I remember, the kitchen is there... I was just recovering from a serious illness, and I was sitting on the porch stupidly."
The head came running in from here and told me that Uncle Meng bought him a hunting knife. I remember that he was very happy at that time. He kept showing off in front of me and was scolded by Uncle Meng.
That hunting knife was the murder weapon I used for the first time in my life."
Huang Yueying and Xia Houzhen each held one of Cao Peng's hands and stayed with him.
Deng Ai stood outside the door curiously, looking at the desolation with doubts.
He had not experienced the most difficult period of Cao Peng, Deng Ji and others. When he was born, Cao Peng and others had already established themselves in Xudu.
Although when I was a child, I often heard my mother talk about the difficulties back then, but after all, I had never experienced it, and I can’t say that I felt much.
However, seeing the desolation in his eyes, Deng Ai seemed to understand!
He subconsciously clenched the sword under his ribs, with a look of anger on his face, "Who did this?"
At this time, there was a sudden commotion in the distance.
"What's up?"
Cao Peng heard the noise, turned around and asked with a frown.
But Cai Di came running all the way, "Teacher, there is a man who claims to be your old friend and has come to see you."
"Old friend?"
Cao Peng was startled and stepped out of the ruins.
But I saw a young man outside the door. He was about seven feet six inches tall, which is about 175 centimeters. He was quite tall and strong.
Judging from his age, he is not much different from Cao Peng, that is, he is around twenty-five.
His bronze face was obviously the result of working outdoors. He was wearing a patched coarse cloth jacket and a pair of cloth boots. When he saw Cao Peng, the young man grinned. He took two steps quickly and handed over his hand.
Said: "Ah... Governor Cao, do you still remember Nanbang?"
Lampang?
Cao Peng looked at the young man, feeling vaguely familiar.
However, he was sure that this young man did not have much contact with him.
Even if there was a relationship, it should have been before Cao Peng was reborn. At least in Cao Peng's memory, the impression of this young man was very vague.
"Chen Shi...do you remember?"
Seeing Cao Peng's confused look, the young man couldn't help but said: "When we were young, you, Brother Hutou, and the three of us often played together."
"ah……"
Cao Peng pointed out, "I remembered it!"
However, he did not think of the relationship between Chen Shi and him, but vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a person named Chen Shi in the Three Kingdoms. But he was not sure whether the Chen Shi in front of him had the same name. But when he heard it mentioned
If you have a tiger head, then your relationship must be not bad.
Cao Peng knew that not everyone could call Wang Mai by his nickname unless they had a good relationship with him.
And judging from what he said before, that 'ah' was probably calling Cao Peng by his nickname.
Therefore, it is certain that Chen Shi's relationship with him and Wang Mai should not be too bad. Cao Peng's remaining memories are already very blurry. Cao Peng has long forgotten many things. However, Chen Shi seemed very happy, and continued
He nodded and said, "Remember? Haha, when we were young, we often went fishing together by the stream outside the town. Do you still remember the alchemist who taught us how to read? I saw it first... but then I went out with my father.
To make a living, when I come back, both you and Hutou will be gone."
What a childhood playmate!
A smile appeared on Cao Peng's face.
He waved his hand to signal Pang De and others to let him come over, then took two quick steps and approached Chen Shi.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten my old friend."
"Yeah, I didn't expect to meet you again... I came back the second year after you left. I found out after I inquired that you had caused trouble. At that time, I wanted to go find you, but my father was seriously ill, so I
I can't leave... In a blink of an eye, thirteen years have passed."
That's it!
After Cao Peng was reborn, he never saw Chen Shi.
The reason why it looks familiar is probably due to some remaining imprints of the original Cao Peng.
"When I came back, your house looked like this.
I heard someone said that it was the married people who came to arrest you. They didn’t catch you, so they burned down your home and Hutou’s home. Two years ago, someone tried to take over this place, but I stopped them.
.I knew that one day, you and Hutou would come back... By the way, how is Hutou now? Why haven't you seen him? Haha, is that guy still as brave and aggressive as before?
"
Chen Shi beeped and said a long list.
But for Cao Peng, he roughly understood the situation through his words.
The ancestral house of the Cao family was burned down by Lao Cheng's family. I thought Cheng Yao sent people to arrest Cao Peng at that time, but Cao Peng killed him. Cheng Ji fled Zhongyang Town with Wang Meng's family. Cheng Yao was furious.
Next, he ordered two houses to be burned down, just to vent his personal anger...
However, Cheng Yao is dead!
Counting the time, Chengyao and his son died almost ten years ago.
Cao Peng smiled and patted Chen Shi's arm, "Chen Shi, thank you very much!"
"Hey, you should call me Little Wolf."
Chen Shi was very good at talking, and this sentence narrowed the distance. Presumably Xiaolang was his nickname, and it was also the name he used to call Cao Peng and the others.
Cao Peng said: "Thank you very much, Xiaolang."
"Haha, I just couldn't believe it, it was really you.
How did you become a prefect?"
"This is a long story to say... By the way, when I come back this time, I plan to rebuild my ancestral house. I will also repair Uncle Meng's house. Please help me ask about Hutou's house.
, who is occupying it now. I can pay for it and buy it back..."
"Buy a lot!"
Chen Shidao: "The house in Hutou is similar to this one, it's deserted and no one is around.
If you want to repair it, I will find some people to help in a while. We finally have a high-ranking official like you in Zhongyang Town, and everyone is very happy. As long as you say something, the old house will be repaired before farming.
It's bigger than Zhang Cheng's house.
By the way, where is Brother Hutou now?"
"Oh, he is in Longqi City, Liangzhou, and is the western captain."
"Captain of the West?"
When Chen Shi heard this, he jumped again.
He stared at Cao Peng, and after a while he suddenly said: "Ah Fu, don't you want to tell me that Uncle Cao is now the governor of Liangzhou?"
"Exactly!"
When Chen Shi heard this, he was dumbfounded.
Zhongyang Mountain is located at the intersection of Nanyang and Runan. There are many merchants coming and going, and information is relatively smooth.
Chen Shi heard someone say that Xu Dou had Cao Sanpian, who was both civil and military. In the northwest, he defeated Ma Teng and left him in embarrassment. He was called a hero of the world.
However, Chen Shi did not associate Cao Sanpian with Cao Afu, whom he played with back then.
Even if Cao Peng appeared in Zhongyang Town as the governor of Nanyang, he didn't think that far ahead. Cao Ji, the blacksmith back then, was Yinmo Juzi? He really couldn't believe it. Until he asked Wang Mai just now, he heard that Wang
Chen Shicai was shocked when he became the captain of the western region. Only then did he associate Cao Sanpian and Cao Ji from Liangzhou with his childhood playmates, but he couldn't help but feel tremendous pressure.
Cao Peng smiled and patted Chen Shi on the shoulder.
"Ling Ming, we will settle down in Zhongyang Town today, and you order people to set up camp outside the town.
Immediately send someone to Wuyin and tell Jia Taizhong that I will set off for Wuyin County on the first day of the first lunar month. However, I will temporarily stay in Zhongyang Town for the past few days. If anything happens, you can send someone to contact me...
...Well, let me make a confession to Jia Taizhong."
"Here!"
Pang De took the order and left, but Chen Shi was still a little confused.
"Xiaolang... By the way, who gave you this nickname?"
"Ah, a few years ago, when I went to the county town, I asked a fortune teller to give me a name. He said what style in "Shi? Daya" was Lampang, so he gave me the name Lampang. For this reason
The words cost me ten dollars, that old man is so evil-hearted."
In "The Book of Songs? Daya? Songgao", there is a sentence: "The king ordered Shen Bo, the style is Nampang".
Cao Peng smiled and thought to himself: This fortune teller really dares to give names.
"Xiao Lang, I'll stay at your house tonight. Is it convenient?"
"Borrow me at my house?"
When Chen Shi heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then nodded excitedly, "It's okay to borrow it or not. I'm lucky that you live in my home, Ah Fu... However, the environment at my home is not very good. I'm afraid I might wrong you."
With the two ladies, and your young master."
"My son?"
Cao Peng was stunned. Following Chen Shi's gaze, he saw Deng Ai behind him.
"Xiao Lang, he is not my son. My son is still in Xingyang and living with my mother.
This is my sister's son, my nephew Deng Ai... Xiao Ai, come here to meet your Uncle Chen. He is my good friend since I was a boy."
"Nephew, I have met my uncle."
Chen Shi was immediately in a panic and hurriedly helped Deng Ai.
"Is it Sister Nan's child? He's already so old... Haha, Sister Nan was very kind to me when I was little."
Even though Chen Shi was considered a well-experienced person in Zhongyang Town, he still felt inexplicably nervous when facing Cao Peng and his group.
After all, the disparity in identity and status is really too great.
He even felt that he should not call Cao Peng by his nickname, as that would be extremely disrespectful.
It's just that he didn't know how to address him. Calling him 'sir' seemed a bit alienating...but calling him by his first name was a bit rude. Chen Shi was extremely torn in his heart and didn't know what to do. But Cao Peng stretched out his hand.
, and grabbed his arm.
"Let's go to your house and have a look... By the way, Anxian!
You send people to Wuyin County and just buy drinks and food. Then invite the best cook in Wuyin. I will hold a flowing banquet in Zhongyang Town for three days to thank the villagers for taking care of my family. This is what my mother specially ordered.
, I also ask my fellow villagers, please don’t refuse.”