One hundred and seventeenth big tree cross slope pedestrians dare not cross
Jiangzhou Avenue crosses mountains and stretches in all directions within the Yizhou area. It is neatly repaired and the carriages and horses pass by with little bumps. Most of the people in Wei Changpan's cart took a nap to make up for the night of ticks and fleas in the inn last night.
Due to sleep deprivation, even Wei Changpan, who was lying in his clothes, had many itchy, red and swollen spots on his body. Xu Xian, who was even more miserable, was similar to the eminent monk who cut his flesh to feed the eagle in Buddhist classics, except that he sacrificed his flesh and blood
The fleas just enjoy it.
For every clear and precise itch, Wei Changpan stretched out the stone to stop it like lightning, then carefully weighed it up to check, but he didn't hit it as he expected, and he finally managed to kill a louse with a bulging belly.
I thought it would serve as a warning to others, so I felt at ease and wanted to fall asleep. However, I didn't expect that my whole body was still itchy and I was extremely sleepy. I barely managed to take a nap until dawn.
The next day, Xu Xian and Wei Changpan went to the shopkeeper with big black circles under their eyes to argue that there were too many fleas in the shop. The shopkeeper refused, saying that the beds in his shop were the cleanest, and the fleas must be Wei Changpan and the others.
Brought it with me.
The cart swayed slightly, and the two horses pulled it slowly, turning a deaf ear to the driver's whip that cracked in his ears from time to time.
Just after leaving the boundary of Wuhang County and walking more than ten miles to the southwest, two craftsmen got out of the car to make room for the more than ten people in the carriage who could not straighten their legs to stretch their legs and feet.
Xu Xian had a temper that couldn't bear loneliness. Like Wei Changpan, he couldn't sleep in the cart, so he started chatting with him again.
"By the way, brother Wei, who gave you your name? You are very particular."
"He was named by an elder from a distant family member who had a reputation as a scholar."
"Why don't you stay in Qishan County?"
"My family has little land and cannot feed a few people, so I came to Wuhang city to make a living."
Wei Changpan lied on this point, otherwise he would not be able to tell him honestly that he is a remnant of the so-called Yanyulou bandits arrested by the Jiangzhou government. Please hurry up and take me to the government to collect a reward of one or two hundred guan?
Unexpectedly, Xu Xian was convinced by the reason Wei Changpan casually pulled out, and said with emotion: "It's almost the same reason. I originally thought that I could join my distant relatives in Wuhang City, but who would have thought that this year would be difficult for them, not only
I can go back to Qishan to help my father take care of the family business. We are naturally savvy in matters of fist and foot. It is really difficult to be a bookkeeper."
At some point, snow began to fall from the sky again. At first there were just a few scattered snowflakes, then dozens or hundreds of snowflakes gradually grew in size, and then tens of thousands of snowflakes swept across the sky and earth.
Wei Changpan has never seen such snow in his more than ten years of life, and the grown-up Xu Xian is no exception. The elderly carpenter in the cart also opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the snow outside the cart.
Shang murmured: "I haven't seen such heavy snow in many years..."
"The snow is too heavy. If the road is closed later, we will have to spend the whole night on the road without access to villages or shops. Why don't we go nearby and see if there are any shops staying?" the groom shouted to the people in the carriage behind him.
He said, whipping his whip to drive the two horses.
"Let's go, let's go." Xu Xian muttered, "I'm really surprised. When we left the city, we said it was a beautiful day, but why did it start to snow halfway through?"
The other people in the cart had no objections. After all, there seemed to be no second way to go. The groom tried his best to make the two horses run faster, but the horses' hooves were not covered with anti-slip felt cloth.
although
It lasted a long time, but it didn't run fast. Therefore, the driver was so anxious that he couldn't make the cart go faster. On the contrary, it became slower and slower.
Seeing that Luoxue showed no signs of deterioration, the horseman became even more anxious. He knew the seriousness of this kind of weather. If there was no way to advance or retreat on this road and no place to stay warm, it would not be uncommon for people and horses to freeze into lumps of ice.
The cart was struggling against the wind. Everyone in the cart jumped down to lighten the burden on the cart, and those who were strong went up to push the cart. Xu Xian and Wei Changpan worked side by side, and worked hard with several young craftsmen. After a while, there was a lot of accumulation on the road.
The snow was two inches deep, and the shoes and socks of everyone in the cart were soaked through.
"Brother Wei is very powerful," Xu Xian said sincerely. Several men pushing the cart around him were breathing heavily, but Wei Changpan and he just had sweat on their foreheads. He lowered his voice and said, "It seems that Wei
Is my brother also a martial arts practitioner?"
"I know some basic fists and kicks, but my strength is slightly stronger than ordinary people. How can I be considered a martial arts practitioner." Wei Changpan said hoarsely, leaning his body forward as hard as he could to hold his arms against the wooden pole, and exerting force on his waist and legs.
A few craftsmen lost strength after pushing the cart for two moments, so they took turns to push the cart. Wei Changpan and Xu Xian also felt a little strenuous. Logically speaking, if you can't walk very far on the avenue, you will inevitably encounter an inn or restaurant, even if it is a tea shed, go in and take shelter from the wind.
The snow was also good, but I never saw it, and there was no possibility of turning back, so I had no choice but to move forward.
"There are wine flags, there are wine flags!" The people who had taken a break pointed to the road ahead and shouted. Wei Changpan leaned forward and looked around. As far as he could see, he could vaguely see the wine flags fluttering on a wooden pole two to three feet high.
There is no doubt that there is a restaurant within a mile or two.
This discovery made everyone excited, and the desire to warm the fire pit and kettle of wine inspired these men to exert all their strength to push the cart.
Wei Changpan tried his best to take a step forward, but failed to push it firmly. If Xu Xian didn't pull him by his side, he almost fell down. When he stood up, he saw that the piece of snow he pushed away was a potholed mud, and he and
The groom in front said: "You're going the wrong way. You're going the wrong way. This is not on the main road."
"It doesn't matter which road it's on." The rough-faced young craftsman next to Wei Changpan scolded, "I just know that if I push the cart here, I will either die of exhaustion or freeze to death, so I don't care much."
The elderly carpenter comforted him and said: "It's better to go to avoid the wind and snow first, warm yourself up before going on the road, than to go back to the main road and find an inn, warm up two pots of wine, and get a pot. Don't panic."
The wine flag looked very close, but it took nearly half an hour for everyone to push the cart. During this period, the wheels got stuck in the mud several times. It was only Wei Changpan and Xu Xian who could push it out, so they waited.
Everyone was exhausted after pushing the cart to the houses with big trees in front.
The house with a wine flag in the open space in front of the door looked like it was a restaurant run by people from the countryside. There was a woman sitting by the window sill in front of the door, with a yellow hairpin ring on her head. Seeing Wei Changpan and his party trudging over, she leaned against
He greeted me at the door and said, "Sir, please take a rest. There is good wine and meat in the shop. The cart will be taken to the stable at the back and the fodder will be served."
The group of people had been in the snow before, and they didn't have raincoats or hats on them. They were sweating and the snowflakes that fell on their clothes soaked the cloth. The waiter in the restaurant brought several pots of charcoal fire to warm themselves up.
A few red sweet potatoes were thrown into the ashes nearby, and the clothes that were so permeable that water could be squeezed out were taken off to dry, leaving only the undershirt on.
The groom and the old carpenter were working together with the woman to bring some
When the food and drinks are served, as well as the price of the hotel for this group of people, don't underestimate the value of discussing it in advance. You can save a few dollars by not talking, and avoid being ripped off.
Not long after, the groom and the old carpenter came back to warm themselves by the fire with smiles on their faces. They said that the woman was very talkative and the price was easy to negotiate. Moreover, the woman said that someone in a nearby village had slaughtered an old cattle and slaughtered the cattle privately.
According to Yao's law, the crime required thirty rods, so I didn't dare to say anything. I asked secretly. In the kitchen in the back room, there were twenty kilograms of fat meat stewed like flower cakes, as well as the mud brewed by the village.
The wine tastes no worse than old wine. Sharing it among more than ten people, including accommodation in the hotel, only cost twenty taels of silver.
Listening to the words of the twenty taels of silver, Wei Changpan touched the embroidery purse that Sister Cui had given him earlier. There were still seven or eight grains of broken silver and two small strings of large coins. Not counting the scattered copper plates, there were about five taels of silver left.
, this time more than one tael of silver disappeared.
Xu Xian saw that Wei Changpan was in a dilemma, so he came up and put his arm around his shoulders and said with a smile: "It's okay, we are from the same hometown, and your share of money will help you out. If we have any difficulties in the future, don't forget to help us."
." After saying that, he hugged Wei Changpan and walked towards the long table, patted the table and shouted:
"The beef is cut and brought over soon, and the wine is warm as well."
The rest of the people in the car also sat on the cypress wooden benches, smiling and anxious, their buttocks were not yet hot from sitting, and they were waiting for the food to be served.
Wei Changpan thought about it, and finally felt that it was not appropriate to let Xu Xian, who seemed not very well-off, pay the one or two silver coins, so he got off the bench and went to the kitchen in the back room to find the woman who was leaning by the door.
I don't mind my share of wine and meat. I still have a few pancakes made by Sun's mother in my bag. I want some tea and make do with it.
Opening the curtain and walking into the kitchen, he saw the woman sprinkling some flour on the beef that had just been picked up. The latter saw Wei Changpan coming and said with a smile: "Brother, don't be anxious, wait for the meat."
Sprinkle some homemade spices in the store to add a bit of flavor, and customers who come and go say they like it after eating it.”
"No." Wei Changpan's face turned red slightly, "Um... the money is not enough, it would be better to have one less person."
When the woman heard Wei Changpan's words, she was stunned for a moment and then forced a smile and said: "The meat is already cooked. It's just enough for one person, so it's not a big deal. Since the guest has said that, I'll put two less pieces of meat in it."
yes."
After that, the woman called to the big-shouldered waiter to bring the big bowl of beef. She put the two pots of wine into the pot and boiled it for a while, and then served it to the waiter when it was warm.
.
Just as Wei Changpan was about to turn around and leave the kitchen door, he suddenly remembered something and asked the woman, "May I ask if there is a name for this place?"
"There's no reason to be so particular about a shop in a deserted village, but the hillside here is just called a cross slope."
The woman sneered in her heart, if she was a visitor who had been traveling around the world for a long time, how could she not know that sentence?
The big tree crosses the slope, and pedestrians dare not cross it.