"Second Master, the snow is really heavy. Why don't you find someone to stay with for the day?"
The big shopkeeper opened a corner of the heavy curtain of the carriage and only took a look outside. His face was covered with falling snow. When he retracted back into the carriage, his eyebrows and beard were already covered with crystal snowflakes.
Second Master Zuo Jin was sitting in the carriage with half-closed eyes, holding a copper hand stove.
"Well." He tilted his head and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, but did not answer the question. Instead, he smiled and said, "It's strange that you look like this. I haven't seen you in a long time."
Pan Ren, the chief shopkeeper, stretched out his hand to rub his face. He didn't show any restraint. He just frowned and asked, "How come there is such heavy snow in Nanzi County? What a ghost!"
Zuo Jin didn't answer, he just snorted and closed his eyes, relaxing in the rickety carriage.
The wind outside has become lighter, but the snow is still falling "swissly", and you can hear a slight sound when it touches the outer wall of the carriage.
"Master, there is a village ahead."
The old man who drove the car, Yu, was an old man, so he was able to drive the car in such a snowy day.
He built a tent with his hands and saw scattered smoke from cooking fires on the fork in the road not far away.
"Second Master, let's go to the village to hide from the snow!"
Pan Ren, the big shopkeeper, was extremely anxious when he saw the old boss's presence.
The wind is lightening now, but the snow is getting heavier! If we continue walking, the horse pulling the cart will be unable to bear it!
"Okay."
Zuo Jin didn't make any money at all, he just said, "Look for someone to stay at, and give me some money."
"Hey! That's for sure!"
Pan Ren was so happy that he got the news and hurriedly got up and got out.
As soon as he lifted the curtain, the snowflakes rushed in through the gap. He was so cold that his nose itched, and he sneezed with a "pop".
Embarrassing, so embarrassing!
Zuo Jin murmured, silently tightening Long's own sleeves, and tightening the hand stove tighter.
When he was in Beijing, he would never have imagined how embarrassed he was now.
The second master of the Zuo family has been very popular in the past few months. How many people want to see him and get a pot of 'Yao Yao'.
And he also did his best to show off his style. Except for the relatives of the emperor and the first-rank officials who he really couldn't afford to offend, all other people who came to the door were turned away.
It's not that he doesn't want to use this 'Yu Yao' to earn some dignity and status for his family, it's just that the total amount of wine brought by shopkeeper Hu is only ten jars, no more. Every day, he just thinks about how to deliver gifts without favoring others.
All high-ranking lords are racking their brains and sitting on pins and needles, let alone getting out of Beijing.
This letter was sent to Songling Town every few days. I waited for ten and a half months for a reply, but I was afraid that shopkeeper Hu would say that the brewer had been hired by another shop.
Fortunately, this did not happen. When he finally managed to leave the capital, the letter he received just said that the brewer was still waiting for him.
The coachman, Lao Yu, drove steadily towards the village ahead. After entering the village, he searched for a long time before he found a large house built with bluestone bricks and a larger yard.
The second master of the family is too delicate to live in a mud and straw house.
Pan Ren covered the oncoming snowflakes with his hands, quickly jumped out of the car, stood in front of the yard, saw some fire in the stove, and shouted in that direction.
"Is there anyone? Is there anyone?"
"Who is it?"
A female voice came from the kitchen, and not long after, a rough male voice came.
Pan Ren replied again, "I'm passing by your village. The snow and wind are so heavy that I can't walk. I want to stay overnight!"
A shrieking wind came over him like a whistle, causing him to shout out in order to avoid being heard.
There was no movement in the kitchen room.
Pan Ren got a little anxious and tried to shout again, but at this moment the kitchen door opened and a head stuck out.
It was Liu Da.
Erli Village may not have seen such heavy snow for a long time, so it’s no wonder that some people were stopped on the way.
He squinted his eyes and looked outside, and saw a middle-aged man standing outside the courtyard, with a tall horse behind him pulling a carriage.
The snow was getting heavy and the sky was getting dark. He couldn't see what the carriage looked like. Only its vague outline was larger than what he had seen in the town before.
Liu Da hesitated.
This doesn't look like a businessman, nor is it possible that he is a resident of a nearby village.
Moreover, how many people are there in this car?
Seeing that he stopped talking, Pan Ren hurriedly said: "We are going to the town to buy goods from Wufuji. There are only three of us. I wonder if we can stay at my eldest brother's house for one night. We will leave tomorrow!"
Liu Daben was a little hesitant. Hearing that it was related to the Five Blessings, he lowered his guard, opened the courtyard door, and led the car in.
After entering the yard, Lao Yu reined in the horse and the carriage stopped.
Pan Ren hurriedly stepped forward, opened the curtain with one hand, and called out softly, "Second Master, we have found a place, please come down."
As he said that, Liu Da saw a noble man getting out of the car, holding the hand of the old man in front of him.
The other party was wearing a moon-white brocade robe, with fluffy fur on the cuffs and collar. He was holding something in one hand, but it was firmly protected on his chest.
"The sudden snowfall is really disturbing."
Zuo Jin smiled and apologized, but Liu Da was reluctant to accept it.
This looks like he's not an ordinary person, so he can't be ignored.
He hurriedly called his wife to come into the house and told the large family eating inside to stop eating because there were guests coming.
As soon as Zuo Jin and Pan Ren entered the room, they saw a whole row of people standing in the room, men, women, old and young. There was no timidity in their eyes. There was even a little curiosity in the children's bright eyes.
Liu Da was on the side and did not introduce anyone. He just led people into the back room.
The young master looked at the details and would definitely not eat with them. It would be better to set up a small table on the kang and prepare some food.
Although Zuo Jin maintained a friendly smile on his face, his teeth were chattering constantly and he wished he could stuff the stove into his clothes.
How can I sleep this night? There is no charcoal basin here.
My heart was terribly worried, but who would have thought that as soon as I entered the back room, I felt a warm feeling on my face. The bone-chilling cold just now seemed like a joke and disappeared in an instant.
Not even a quarter of an hour later, the cotton robe on my body seemed a bit redundant.
"This is……"
As soon as Liu Da turned his head, he met the confused face of Mr. Cen Gui.
"What did you say?"
Pan Ren was also extremely surprised. He looked around the shabby house, trying to find a charcoal basin and stove with a fire inside, but after searching around, there was nothing.
There was only a long strip that didn't look like a bed or a table, leaning against the wall, with a thin mattress on top.
"Why is it so warm in this room?"
Zuo Jin was curious. He put down the hand stove that he had been clinging to just now because it was too cold, and asked anxiously.
What he said made Liu Da excited.
The man walked up to the kang with a proud look on his face, stretched out his hand and lifted the mattress, revealing something made of mud bricks underneath.
"Did you see it? It's this, the fire kang."
"Fire kang?" Zuo Jin asked in confusion, "The one who made the fire?"
"Young Master is smart, and he is indeed the one who makes the fire. But can you guess where the fire is burning?"
Liu Da felt proud.
This young man saw something unusual. Isn't there something strange that he has never seen before?
"This... I really can't tell." Zuo Jin smiled, revealing a shallow dimple on his left cheek, which suddenly made him look a little childish.
"I wonder if brother can explain something."
He said it politely, and of course Liu Da was willing to say it.
"This is the fire pit. It's empty inside." He patted the neatly laid mud bricks and said, "It's connected to the stove hole in the kitchen. As long as the fire is burning there, the inside will be hot in a while."
"Oh? Such ingenuity is rare."
Zuo Jin did not hesitate to praise him, and his eyes were full of sincerity. Liu Da was not stupid, so he could see it.
"It's getting late, so you should be hungry. Just rest inside for now. I'll bring you a pot later."
After saying that, Liu Da didn't stay long, turned around and left the room, leaving only Zuo Jin and the shopkeeper looking around curiously at the fire kang.
Not long after, Liu Da came again. He brought a round clay pot directly in, placed it on the small table on the Kang, took bowls and chopsticks from outside, and invited the two of them to sit down.
When I opened the lid of the pot, I saw the hot soup stewed to a thick white color. There were no shortage of bones, vegetables, and mushrooms in it. It looked very rich.
"Hey, isn't this, isn't this a fan?"
The shopkeeper's sharp eyes immediately saw the crystal clear potato starch stewed in the soup, and he couldn't help but exclaimed.
"Brother really knows the goods. Are you just here for the fans of Five Fortunes?"
As soon as these words came out, Zuo Jin raised his eyebrows secretly.
