Drunk Bamboo

Hua Qinfeng was unhappy in his heart, but he didn't say anything. He stood beside Zhang Xinghe very cooperatively and acted as a foil.

The man and the cow soon saw the two strangers, their eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

Zhang Xinghe asked politely, "Excuse me, father-in-law, is this Loushan?"

The old man was stunned at first, as he had never seen anyone speaking to him so politely. The two men in front of him were tall and had dark faces but handsome features. Especially the one who was speaking to him, he gave off the feeling of a county teacher.

"This is Loushan Village. Loushan is in front of us. Who are you? You look unfamiliar?"

The old man looked at them appraisingly.

Zhang Xinghe raised his hand and bowed: "My two brothers came from the north. Our hometown was hit by a snowstorm, so we came out to find a living. We went all the way south and passed by this place. We got lost and came to ask for directions from our father-in-law."

north?

so far away?

A look of vigilance immediately appeared on the old man's face.

A few days ago, bandits appeared in Loushan, killed people, and hijacked government silver. I heard that the bandits have not been found yet. The people in the nearby villages are in a panic, fearing that the bandits will appear and kill people and rob goods.

The county also specially sent people to remind every household to be careful of unfamiliar faces. If there are any suspicious people, they must report them and they will receive a reward.

The old man grasped the rope holding the cow and took a step back in fear: "Why did you come to our remote place? You came from the north to the south through Zhongdu, why didn't you stay in Zhongdu to make a living?"

Zhang Xinghe looked slightly stunned.

What did I do to make the old man so scared?

At this moment, Hua Qinfeng grabbed his torn sleeve and almost made him fall.

He shouted loudly, "I told you to stay in Zhongdu, but you insisted on coming to find the prince to help build the dam! You said you could benefit the people and make money! After reading for a few days, you really think you are a saint. You have read so much that you have become stupid!"

Hua Qinfeng spoke to Zhang Xinghe in a rude and teaching tone.

Zhang Xinghe immediately understood, lifted the bag on his shoulder, and said timidly: "Didn't big brother agree with you? Now you've taken the wrong road, it's my fault."

"Of course it's your fault!" Hua Qinfeng shouted, "Now you look so bad. After walking for more than half a month, you've come to this remote place with no roads. It's even worse than the shabby village back home!"

Seeing that the two brothers were about to fight, the old man didn't care about being nervous and afraid, and immediately stepped forward to persuade them: "Dear brothers, don't quarrel, don't quarrel, talk it out nicely."

Hua Qinfeng, the elder brother: "The elder brother is like a father, and you still talk back!"

Zhang Xinghe, the younger brother, lowered his head stubbornly and said nothing.

The old man has both children at home, and they behave like this when they quarrel.

He changed the subject with a smile: "You are going to repair the dam! The prince is now in the fish town of our county, and my two sons also went there last year!"

Hua Qinfeng asked hurriedly: "Is it still far? How much is the salary?"

"It takes two or three days to walk there, and it costs one hundred yuan a month, which includes food and lodging."

Hua Qinfeng was very excited: "That's great! I'll have food and shelter, and I'll earn more than twenty taels of silver after working for two years. I can buy cattle and sheep and get married when I go home!"

Zhang Xinghe also cooperated by giving an innocent smile.

The old man also missed his two sons who were not at home: "Young man, you know how to live. My home is at the head of the village. Come in, have a drink of water before you continue on your journey."

"Thank you very much."

Hua Qinfeng and Zhang Xinghe looked at each other tacitly and followed the old man into Loushan Village.

After a busy day, Gu Suiyi walked alone on the way home.

He was fanning himself with a folding fan, strolling leisurely, humming a tuneless song from time to time, until he walked into an empty alley.

Turning around, he smiled charmingly: "I have been following you for a long time. What do you want to see me for?"

Five or six masked men in black suddenly appeared in the alley, each holding a sword.

"Gu Suiyi, you should be a handsome and elegant young man from a wealthy family, but you chose to wade into the muddy water of raising money to build a dike. Who instructed you to do that? Or are you trying to help someone?"

"So you are here to cause trouble for me." Gu Suiyi still smiled.

"Stop smiling like that and tell the truth, or you'll be in trouble!" the masked leader said impatiently.

"Threat me? Who are you? How dare you do that?" He put away his folding fan and asked.

The next moment, the masked man swung the sword in his hand, and the wooden stick beside him broke into two pieces.

"I'm not kidding. If you don't behave yourself, the next sword will hit your arm!"

"Are you serious? I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Seeing this, Gu Suiyi's eyes widened in fear.

"Hurry up and tell me!" the masked man urged.

"I, I just heard that donating money to build a dam would be appreciated by His Majesty, and my name would appear in the yellow scroll. I just want to gain some fame and get a good marriage." Gu Suiyi pretended to be scared and stammered.

But the content was not what the masked man wanted to hear.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you really think we are joking?"

The cold sword was placed on his neck.

Gu Suiyi was so frightened that his hands shook and the fan fell.

Qi Qi Ai Ai said: "I, I am telling the truth! I made such a big fuss this time because I wanted to help His Majesty solve his worries so that His Majesty would reward me with an official position. I am doing a good deed! This is the only good thing I have done in my life. Why are you still bullying me?"

It's useless for a grown man to cry.

"you……"

Someone stepped forward and whispered in the ear of the masked leader: "Don't waste time talking to him. He's just a playboy. You can't get anything out of him. The higher-ups said that we should just teach him a lesson."

Leader: “Hit me!”

“Ah—don’t hit me…” Gu Suiyi squatted down with his head in his hands, “Please don’t hit my face…”

When the leader heard this, he punched him hard in the face.

Gu Suiyi did not dodge. After being punched, he picked up the fan on the ground and rushed out of the alley.

"Wow... disfigured! Murdered! Murdered!"

"Stop chasing me, and go away!" The masked man left quickly.

Gu Suiyi ran madly in the crowd and happened to bump into a servant of the Gu family who was looking for him.

"Master, who hit you?"

At this moment, Gu Suiyi's hair was disheveled, his clothes were untidy, there was a red spot on his left cheek, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked very embarrassed.

Gu Suiyi pretended to be pitiful: "Wow... Master, I am disfigured..."

"Master, please don't cry yet. The master knows that you secretly sold the heirloom jade ruyi and is furious in the mansion. Don't cry yet, or you will cry again later."

Gu Suiyi suddenly asked: "Master, do I look miserable?"

The follower nodded: "Poor!"

"Dad, do you still have the heart to hit me?"

"..."

natural.

The follower didn't have time to say anything.

Gu Suiyi held his head high, looking dishevelled but confident: "Go back home!"

Inside the Yongxing Marquis Mansion, Lord Gu was sitting in the lobby with a stern look on his face. The servants standing around him were holding weapons, ready for battle.

"Dad, I'm so miserable. Dad, look, I was beaten..."

Gu Suiyi started to show his sympathy from the moment he entered the door all the way to the lobby.

"You evil son!" Lord Gu slammed the table and stood up.

"father……"

Lord Gu waved his long sleeves, and the servants who were prepared immediately controlled Young Master Gu on both sides.

"You bastard! You have no sense of propriety in doing things. Not only did you offend people, but you even pawned the heirloom jade ruyi! It would be better if you were beaten to death, so that I don't have to work so hard anymore!"

“Dad, how can you be so cruel!” Gu Suiyi complained, thinking of taking the opportunity to escape, but his hands were tied with hemp ropes.

"Come here, I will punish you according to the family rules!"

Why is it different from what I expected?

Could it be that the self-torture tactic doesn't work?

Gu Suiyi lay on the bench and begged for mercy: "Dad! Dad!"

"Bring the board, I'll do it myself!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the board fell.

"Snapped--"

"Ah!" a shrill cry of pain.

Gu Suiyi: Xie Yuzhu, you deceived me!

"Ah-"

On the other side, Xie Yuzhu sneezed, gathered his clothes, and continued reading the medical book.