Chapter 29 Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Hu, come out!"
The door was kicked open with a bang, and a few burly men rushed into the courtyard with their arms swaying, half-naked and wearing hats tilted to one side, with straight eyebrows and straight eyes, no one was in shape, and there was a riot for a while.
Old man Hu rushed out in panic when he saw the big man with his black chest naked. He recognized Zhang Xingba, a famous rogue leader in the south of the city. ...what are you doing?"
Zhang Xingba glanced at him sideways, stretched out two fingers and slowly took out a piece of paper from his bosom, shook it away, handed it under his eyelids, and said with a sinister smile: "Open up your pair of dogs!" Eyes, let Grandpa see clearly."
The old man Hu took two steps back, took a closer look, and recognized the loan contract he had signed with the banker Liu Zhong. He couldn't help being surprised, and said in a voiceless voice: "Master Zhang Wu, what is this...is this?"
Zhang Xingba grinned grimly and said: "This is your proof of borrowing money. Mr. Liu can't afford to waste money on you, and he doesn't want to lower his status to deal with a lowly person like you. Now your proof of payment has been discounted to us. , Grandpa came to the door today to collect money, within three days, I will prepare all the money for Grandpa, otherwise...hehehehe..."
Zhang Xingba sneered, and the daughter of the Hu family hurried out from the back room. Seeing this situation, she hurriedly supported the crumbling old man, and called out in a panic: "Daddy..."
The girl from the Hu family is clothed with hairpins and skirts, but she is a handsome bird in the deep mountains, and she is beautiful from a wood house. She has a unique beauty, especially the kind of pure, kind, simple and gentle taste, which is not seen in many girls in the city. No wonder Liu Zhong, who is used to fat food, will never forget her.
When Zhang Xingba saw Miss Hu, he couldn't help becoming lustful. The Hu family dared to bring the matter to his uncle, which completely angered Liu Zhong. He would never allow this kind of thing to happen again. If they learn from others, how will their Liu family live happily in Sizhou in the future?
No matter what, his Liu family still has to rely on Deng Zuyang. Now that the matter has been leaked, he put away the little pity in his heart and dared not think about the girl of the Hu family anymore. The Hu family was ruined, and it taught others a lesson, so Zhang Xingba had been instructed a long time ago, no matter what means he used, he would make this daring family disappear from now on.
With Liu Zhong's order, Zhang Xingba was naturally unscrupulous, he touched Miss Hu's pink cheeks with a lewd smile, and said with a smile: "Miss Mengfei, the longer it grows, the more juicy it looks, it makes people feel happy." I was so greedy. I heard that Mr. Liu intends to clear your family's debts and marry you as a concubine. You see, after entering Liu's family, eating delicious food and drinking hot food, isn't that very good? Knowing how to flatter, now I am annoyed by Mr. Liu, well, this debt has been transferred to Zhang, or you will marry me and become my wife Zhang Wuye, hehehe, my father-in-law’s debt, I can consider... ...grace you for three to five years."
Hu Mengfei was so angry that her pretty face was flushed, she helped her father back a few steps, avoided his clutches, and glared at him.Zhang Xingba didn't think he was disobedient, he shrugged his shoulders and said: "Old man Hu, I gave you face, but today I came to the door in person, so let's just leave the words here, pay the debt within three days, a total of forty-eight, and then you won't get any money. I'm going to take over the house and the land, and I have the documents in my hand, so I won't be afraid of the lawsuit if it hits the state government office, huh!"
Old man Hu lost his voice: "Why... how come it has become forty-eight again?"
Zhang Xingba rolled his eyes, and said with a dark expression: "Isn't it considered interest these days? Huh? Brothers, let's go!" He waved his hand, turned around and left, and his two thugs ran away The two old hens were caught out of the chicken coop, with their wings held in their hands, they followed Zhang Xingba and walked away.
"Girl, we... how can we live now?" Old man Hu was panicked and couldn't help but shed tears. Miss Hu also burst into tears, and the father and daughter cried for a while, Miss Hu wiped away the tears, gritted her teeth and said, "Father, don't be embarrassed, daughter... my daughter will go to find Liu Zhong, and I will agree to him." "How can it be done?" Old man Hu grabbed his daughter: "Then what kind of bastard is Liu Zhong? Dad also knows, how can he push you into the fire pit? Besides, you have a marriage contract with Zhengcai Daxiaoer, how can dad do it?" What about the spine-tingling thing?" As soon as the bad-faced singer left, the red-faced singer came. The father and daughter were talking, when a middle-aged man in a green coat and hat with a gloomy face walked in with his hands behind his back: "Oh, it's early in the morning, but What happened?" Old man Hu looked up and saw that it was a steward of the outer courtyard of Zhou Wangshu's mansion, a well-known gentry in Sizhou City. Zhou's family also had a large area in the south of the city. Old man Hu recognized this noble man, he quickly wiped away his tears, and said with lowered hands, "Master Chu." "Hehe, what's the embarrassment, tell me." Chu Youxiao hooked a stick with a smile and sat down on his own. The old man Hu explained the matter from the ground up. Manager Chu glanced at Miss Hu who was bowing her head and weeping, and sighed, "Liu Zhong has a dark heart. He saw your daughter. You agreed to it at the beginning. If you go to the temple to burn incense, then you can burn incense. Why do you have to use the lady from the Futai family as the Goddess of Mercy? You see, this matter has been brought up, and Liu Zhong has made a big fuss. Looks good, don't say you don't want to sell your daughter, even if Miss Mengfei is filial and willing to give up her body for you, old man Hu, Liu Zhong will never want it again. You can't see it yet, he transferred this IOU to Zhang Xingba, that's a ruthless plan to destroy your family!" Old man Hu stomped his feet and said, "I...I'll go to the government office to beat drums and complain!" The smile on Chu Youxiao’s face remained the same, but a needle-like sharp light appeared in his eyes, and he said with a sinister smile, “Hehe, complaining about grievances? May I ask where your grievances come from? You are in debt, isn’t it true? There, when you first borrowed the debt, you knew it was a usury with high interest rates, and they didn't hide it from you, right? One willing to fight and one willing to suffer, and now you want to complain when you haven't paid the debt? Deng Zhifu thinks that his family His relatives embarrassed him, so Liu Zhong was restrained, and he changed to another creditor. According to the law of the king, he is absolutely impossible to talk to you. Is it useful for you to go to court? You forgot that Zhu Yuanwai of Sizhou has been fighting for several years What happened to the lawsuit?" The old man Hu stepped back a few steps in despair, and sat down on the ground. Chu Youxiao chuckled and said, "Speaking of which, I have a way here. I don't know what you, old man Hu, think." Old man Hu's eyes lit up, and he rushed forward and said, "Guan Chu, what can you do? Tell me, tell me, I'm listening here." Chu Youxiao patted his mustache, and smiled slowly: "Old man Hu, you also know that in Sizhou City, the only one who is not afraid of his Liu family is our Master Zhou." "Ah!" Old man Hu replied blankly. Chu Youxiao said again: "Now that you have offended Liu Zhong, Liu Zhong has made it clear that he wants to destroy your family. Are you still waiting here to die? You can't keep this land. In my opinion, you might as well sell it. With our Master Zhou, and before Zhang Xingba came to the door, he took the money and ran away quickly. Your son-in-law is called Zhao Zheng, right? I remember it was... oh, yes, it was Lifu who carried the goods on the pier in Surabaya ,Right?" "Ah!" Old man Hu replied blankly again. "Zhao Zhengcai is also a widow. How about you, sell this land to our Lord Zhou, and take your daughter and son-in-law to escape from this place. No matter if it is Liu Zhong or Zhang Xingba, where are they going to find you? Isn’t it better to just sit here and wait for death if you start a small business and support your family?” "Escape...escape...?" The honest old man Hu was forced to this point, and he didn't expect the reason that he could just walk away when he owed a debt. When Chu Youxiao said it, he couldn't feel a little moved. "Of course, once your house is collected, why don't you take your daughter along the street to beg? People move living trees and die. How careful are you? Even if you escape from your hometown, isn't it better than waiting here to die?" Old man Hu didn't feel moved, and nodded after listening to his words. Chu Youxiao's words changed, and he said again: "Of course, you can't sell this land to Master Zhou at the current price. You are pitiful. I will help you talk about the price. It costs five hundred yuan per mu of land. If you think It’s okay, I’ll go talk to Lord Zhou right now.” Old man Hu was taken aback, and lost his voice: "Five hundred cash per mu of land?" Chu Youxiao rolled his eyes and said: "Zhang Xingba still has your IOU in his hand, you sold this land to Master Zhou, and later filed a lawsuit, won't it cost money to ask a litigator? If the yamen fines you several , don’t our master Zhou need to pay you money? Don’t be dissatisfied. If Zhang Xingba comes to collect debts, you won’t get a penny. I, Mr. Chu, saw how pitiful your father and daughter are today, so I showed kindness , you think the Zhou family covets your dozens of acres of land? Like it or not, it's up to you, it's none of my business, I'm leaving. " Chu Youxiao stood up, patted his buttocks and walked out. Seeing that he was about to walk out of the courtyard, old man Hu suddenly yelled: "Chu Guanshi, please stay!" The corner of Chu Youxiao's mouth twitched, revealing a treacherous smile, and when he turned around again, his face was filled with impatience: "What else is there?" The old man Hu gritted his teeth, stomped his feet and said, "This land...I'm selling it, I beg Manager Chu to show kindness and do a good deed, help me...help me tell Mr. Zhou."
The Longwang Temple with abundant water and strong incense in the Jianghuai area, this dilapidated earth temple has been left unattended for a long time. The low rammed earth courtyard wall has collapsed in half, the courtyard is full of weeds, and the brush on the roof of the temple The yellow mud mixed with glutinous rice juice has been washed by rain for many years but has not been repaired. The dry thatch underneath has been exposed. Many birds build nests in the thatch. Under the eaves, there are seven or eight bird nests built with mud. Some of the swallows' nests are empty, and only half of the nests remain. In some, there are little swallows sticking their heads out and chirping, and the hardworking swallows are flying around to catch bugs and feed them into their mouths. There is only half of the door of the Earth Temple left. The paint on the door has long since fallen off, and the stone steps have also been removed. I don't know what it was used for.Going further in, the windows of the Earth Temple have long since disappeared. At this time, they are piled up with broken bricks and rubble to seal them, presumably to keep out the cold in winter, but they have not been moved in summer. Yang Hao and Bi Su stood at the gate of the temple in a daze for a long time. From what they inquired about yesterday, they had already expected that Zhu Hongjun and Zhu Yuanwai, who used to be a nobleman in Sizhou and owned thousands of acres of land, would have a difficult life today, but they did not expect that To be so dilapidated, to live in this dilapidated earth temple. The two looked at each other, and then walked in hesitantly. The earth temple was very desolate. Walking through the path among the weeds, I walked in the door, and saw that the temple was very dark, and the statue of the little land lord and landlady on the opposite side was missing arms. The legs stand there, and the incense table and other things are different. A simple triangular fire stove is built with bricks and stones under the statue, with a broken pot on it, and a pile of tattered bedding under the pillar on the right side of the hall. The two got used to it, only to realize that there seemed to be someone sleeping in the pile of bedding. Yang Hao coughed tentatively, the pile of things moved, and the two of them saw clearly that there was indeed someone sleeping in the pile of tattered bedding, if it wasn't for his movement, they wouldn't be able to see the human figure at all. The two walked over cautiously, and the man in the bedding looked at them with dull eyes, his hair was disheveled, his face was gray, it was almost impossible to tell whether he was a man or a woman, Bi Su tentatively asked: "Uh... Excuse me, are you Zhu Hongjun Zhu Yuanwai?" Seeing this person's appearance, calling out Zhu Yuanwai's name, Bi Su felt extremely absurd in his heart. The man said softly, "Who are you...?" Only then did Yang Hao realize that she was a woman. Yang Hao pulled Bi Su, squatted down, and said gently: "You don't need it, we have no malicious intentions, we are here to visit Zhu Hongjun and Zhu Yuanwai, may I ask who you are... ...?" "Hehe..." The corner of the woman's mouth twitched for a moment as if she had smiled: "Of course... There is no malice, our husband and wife, what else is worth thinking about now..." "You are Mrs. Zhou?" Yang Hao was very surprised, and he calmed down before he said: "I am the imperial court's Youwu doctor, Hezhou defense envoy, Nanya court envoy, and the deputy envoy of the imperial envoy who was ordered to patrol the Jianghuai Road. Following the eldest son of the emperor Wei Wang Dezhao went south to Jianghuai to inspect the purchase of grain and grass in Jianghuai, and found that there were profiteers in Sizhou. This official intends to severely punish the profiteers. However, these local snakes are well-informed and have many minions, and they have never been able to find any evidence. In the old case, many suspicious points were found in Zhu Yuanwai's case, so I came here in a micro-service, I don't know where Zhu Yuanwai is now, maybe I can give you some help?" Yang Hao's announcement of a series of official titles obviously gave the woman great confidence. Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she wanted to sit up excitedly: "You... are you officials from the court?" "Exactly, ma'am, may I ask your husband now..." Seeing that she couldn't help herself, Yang Hao hurriedly helped her up. At this moment, a person at the door shouted angrily, "Who are you and what do you want to do?" Yang Hao looked back eagerly, and saw a beggar throw away the broken bowl, and rushed over holding a stick...
"Girl, we... how can we live now?" Old man Hu was panicked and couldn't help but shed tears. Miss Hu also burst into tears, and the father and daughter cried for a while, Miss Hu wiped away the tears, gritted her teeth and said, "Father, don't be embarrassed, daughter... my daughter will go to find Liu Zhong, and I will agree to him." "How can it be done?" Old man Hu grabbed his daughter: "Then what kind of bastard is Liu Zhong? Dad also knows, how can he push you into the fire pit? Besides, you have a marriage contract with Zhengcai Daxiaoer, how can dad do it?" What about the spine-tingling thing?" As soon as the bad-faced singer left, the red-faced singer came. The father and daughter were talking, when a middle-aged man in a green coat and hat with a gloomy face walked in with his hands behind his back: "Oh, it's early in the morning, but What happened?" Old man Hu looked up and saw that it was a steward of the outer courtyard of Zhou Wangshu's mansion, a well-known gentry in Sizhou City. Zhou's family also had a large area in the south of the city. Old man Hu recognized this noble man, he quickly wiped away his tears, and said with lowered hands, "Master Chu." "Hehe, what's the embarrassment, tell me." Chu Youxiao hooked a stick with a smile and sat down on his own. The old man Hu explained the matter from the ground up. Manager Chu glanced at Miss Hu who was bowing her head and weeping, and sighed, "Liu Zhong has a dark heart. He saw your daughter. You agreed to it at the beginning. If you go to the temple to burn incense, then you can burn incense. Why do you have to use the lady from the Futai family as the Goddess of Mercy? You see, this matter has been brought up, and Liu Zhong has made a big fuss. Looks good, don't say you don't want to sell your daughter, even if Miss Mengfei is filial and willing to give up her body for you, old man Hu, Liu Zhong will never want it again. You can't see it yet, he transferred this IOU to Zhang Xingba, that's a ruthless plan to destroy your family!" Old man Hu stomped his feet and said, "I...I'll go to the government office to beat drums and complain!" The smile on Chu Youxiao’s face remained the same, but a needle-like sharp light appeared in his eyes, and he said with a sinister smile, “Hehe, complaining about grievances? May I ask where your grievances come from? You are in debt, isn’t it true? There, when you first borrowed the debt, you knew it was a usury with high interest rates, and they didn't hide it from you, right? One willing to fight and one willing to suffer, and now you want to complain when you haven't paid the debt? Deng Zhifu thinks that his family His relatives embarrassed him, so Liu Zhong was restrained, and he changed to another creditor. According to the law of the king, he is absolutely impossible to talk to you. Is it useful for you to go to court? You forgot that Zhu Yuanwai of Sizhou has been fighting for several years What happened to the lawsuit?" The old man Hu stepped back a few steps in despair, and sat down on the ground. Chu Youxiao chuckled and said, "Speaking of which, I have a way here. I don't know what you, old man Hu, think." Old man Hu's eyes lit up, and he rushed forward and said, "Guan Chu, what can you do? Tell me, tell me, I'm listening here." Chu Youxiao patted his mustache, and smiled slowly: "Old man Hu, you also know that in Sizhou City, the only one who is not afraid of his Liu family is our Master Zhou." "Ah!" Old man Hu replied blankly. Chu Youxiao said again: "Now that you have offended Liu Zhong, Liu Zhong has made it clear that he wants to destroy your family. Are you still waiting here to die? You can't keep this land. In my opinion, you might as well sell it. With our Master Zhou, and before Zhang Xingba came to the door, he took the money and ran away quickly. Your son-in-law is called Zhao Zheng, right? I remember it was... oh, yes, it was Lifu who carried the goods on the pier in Surabaya ,Right?" "Ah!" Old man Hu replied blankly again. "Zhao Zhengcai is also a widow. How about you, sell this land to our Lord Zhou, and take your daughter and son-in-law to escape from this place. No matter if it is Liu Zhong or Zhang Xingba, where are they going to find you? Isn’t it better to just sit here and wait for death if you start a small business and support your family?” "Escape...escape...?" The honest old man Hu was forced to this point, and he didn't expect the reason that he could just walk away when he owed a debt. When Chu Youxiao said it, he couldn't feel a little moved. "Of course, once your house is collected, why don't you take your daughter along the street to beg? People move living trees and die. How careful are you? Even if you escape from your hometown, isn't it better than waiting here to die?" Old man Hu didn't feel moved, and nodded after listening to his words. Chu Youxiao's words changed, and he said again: "Of course, you can't sell this land to Master Zhou at the current price. You are pitiful. I will help you talk about the price. It costs five hundred yuan per mu of land. If you think It’s okay, I’ll go talk to Lord Zhou right now.” Old man Hu was taken aback, and lost his voice: "Five hundred cash per mu of land?" Chu Youxiao rolled his eyes and said: "Zhang Xingba still has your IOU in his hand, you sold this land to Master Zhou, and later filed a lawsuit, won't it cost money to ask a litigator? If the yamen fines you several , don’t our master Zhou need to pay you money? Don’t be dissatisfied. If Zhang Xingba comes to collect debts, you won’t get a penny. I, Mr. Chu, saw how pitiful your father and daughter are today, so I showed kindness , you think the Zhou family covets your dozens of acres of land? Like it or not, it's up to you, it's none of my business, I'm leaving. " Chu Youxiao stood up, patted his buttocks and walked out. Seeing that he was about to walk out of the courtyard, old man Hu suddenly yelled: "Chu Guanshi, please stay!" The corner of Chu Youxiao's mouth twitched, revealing a treacherous smile, and when he turned around again, his face was filled with impatience: "What else is there?" The old man Hu gritted his teeth, stomped his feet and said, "This land...I'm selling it, I beg Manager Chu to show kindness and do a good deed, help me...help me tell Mr. Zhou."
The Longwang Temple with abundant water and strong incense in the Jianghuai area, this dilapidated earth temple has been left unattended for a long time. The low rammed earth courtyard wall has collapsed in half, the courtyard is full of weeds, and the brush on the roof of the temple The yellow mud mixed with glutinous rice juice has been washed by rain for many years but has not been repaired. The dry thatch underneath has been exposed. Many birds build nests in the thatch. Under the eaves, there are seven or eight bird nests built with mud. Some of the swallows' nests are empty, and only half of the nests remain. In some, there are little swallows sticking their heads out and chirping, and the hardworking swallows are flying around to catch bugs and feed them into their mouths. There is only half of the door of the Earth Temple left. The paint on the door has long since fallen off, and the stone steps have also been removed. I don't know what it was used for.Going further in, the windows of the Earth Temple have long since disappeared. At this time, they are piled up with broken bricks and rubble to seal them, presumably to keep out the cold in winter, but they have not been moved in summer. Yang Hao and Bi Su stood at the gate of the temple in a daze for a long time. From what they inquired about yesterday, they had already expected that Zhu Hongjun and Zhu Yuanwai, who used to be a nobleman in Sizhou and owned thousands of acres of land, would have a difficult life today, but they did not expect that To be so dilapidated, to live in this dilapidated earth temple. The two looked at each other, and then walked in hesitantly. The earth temple was very desolate. Walking through the path among the weeds, I walked in the door, and saw that the temple was very dark, and the statue of the little land lord and landlady on the opposite side was missing arms. The legs stand there, and the incense table and other things are different. A simple triangular fire stove is built with bricks and stones under the statue, with a broken pot on it, and a pile of tattered bedding under the pillar on the right side of the hall. The two got used to it, only to realize that there seemed to be someone sleeping in the pile of bedding. Yang Hao coughed tentatively, the pile of things moved, and the two of them saw clearly that there was indeed someone sleeping in the pile of tattered bedding, if it wasn't for his movement, they wouldn't be able to see the human figure at all. The two walked over cautiously, and the man in the bedding looked at them with dull eyes, his hair was disheveled, his face was gray, it was almost impossible to tell whether he was a man or a woman, Bi Su tentatively asked: "Uh... Excuse me, are you Zhu Hongjun Zhu Yuanwai?" Seeing this person's appearance, calling out Zhu Yuanwai's name, Bi Su felt extremely absurd in his heart. The man said softly, "Who are you...?" Only then did Yang Hao realize that she was a woman. Yang Hao pulled Bi Su, squatted down, and said gently: "You don't need it, we have no malicious intentions, we are here to visit Zhu Hongjun and Zhu Yuanwai, may I ask who you are... ...?" "Hehe..." The corner of the woman's mouth twitched for a moment as if she had smiled: "Of course... There is no malice, our husband and wife, what else is worth thinking about now..." "You are Mrs. Zhou?" Yang Hao was very surprised, and he calmed down before he said: "I am the imperial court's Youwu doctor, Hezhou defense envoy, Nanya court envoy, and the deputy envoy of the imperial envoy who was ordered to patrol the Jianghuai Road. Following the eldest son of the emperor Wei Wang Dezhao went south to Jianghuai to inspect the purchase of grain and grass in Jianghuai, and found that there were profiteers in Sizhou. This official intends to severely punish the profiteers. However, these local snakes are well-informed and have many minions, and they have never been able to find any evidence. In the old case, many suspicious points were found in Zhu Yuanwai's case, so I came here in a micro-service, I don't know where Zhu Yuanwai is now, maybe I can give you some help?" Yang Hao's announcement of a series of official titles obviously gave the woman great confidence. Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she wanted to sit up excitedly: "You... are you officials from the court?" "Exactly, ma'am, may I ask your husband now..." Seeing that she couldn't help herself, Yang Hao hurriedly helped her up. At this moment, a person at the door shouted angrily, "Who are you and what do you want to do?" Yang Hao looked back eagerly, and saw a beggar throw away the broken bowl, and rushed over holding a stick...