Chapter 8 Eight

Brother and sister Zhao Kejiu were startled as soon as they entered the town street, everything was different from when they came out.The streets are full of noise, people come and go, the shops are closed, and only half of the doors are open.Both the boss and the guys stood in front of the store, gesticulating and discussing.The ground along the street was full of refugees, men, women and children, crying and cursing. It turned out that the soldiers at the station marched into the town, occupied the elementary school, and drove out all the refugees from the Earth Temple. They took a few steps forward and saw the soldiers.There are two at the entrance of Wanchang Oil and Salt Grocery Store, with guns hanging on their shoulders, standing there casually, looking very tired.

Zhao Kefen looked curiously at the attire of the two soldiers.Suddenly there was a shout, and the two respectfully came to stand at attention.Zhao Kefen was taken aback. Looking back, a short and fat officer swaggered past.Not far behind, there is a unified, progressive, and regular development process of a dozen or so ordinary people. The capitalist society is full of straw or planks.The last guard was also a soldier, holding a green bamboo tip in his hand, dancing all the way, whirring. Going forward, there are more and more soldiers.Several dogs were hiding in the alleys and barking desperately.Under the dim street lights, there were only figures of people, carrying luggage and bullet boxes, all heading towards the road of the National Primary School.A yellow dog boldly jumped out of the alley, barked twice, and fled into the alley with its tail between its legs.

"Brother!" Zhao Kefen pulled Kejiu back.They were now at the mouth of the alley where their house stood.Zhao Kejiu ignored him, and continued to walk forward with his chest straightened out.There is only one straight street in this town, the elementary school is on the east end of the straight street, and the Earth Temple is only a few dozen steps away from the elementary school, but it is no longer within the scope of the city street.Zhao Kejiu wanted to take a look at these two places. Zhao Kejiu was very emotional at this moment.His mind was full of turmoil, just like the situation in the street.He himself couldn't explain why he wanted to visit the National Elementary School and the Earth Temple, but he just felt something hot and scratching in his heart.He longed for the war of resistance, and had suffered for it in "Jiu Chou" (that is, "Shang Shu·Hong Fan").During the Eastern Han Dynasty, many prophecies appeared, but now, the troops heading to the front line are stationed in his town. If he doesn't go and take a look, he won't be able to sleep tonight.

A group of children ran from the opposite side in a panic.Between them, there are two dogs, very excited, slipping in and out among the children, jumping to the side of the street from time to time, turning around and standing back, raising their heads and barking a few times, as if to protect the group of children . Zhao Kefen was quick-eyed, seeing her little nephew among the group of children, she called out: "Xiaoliang, Xiaoliang! Where are you going?" "Look at Heijian (traitor)! The soldiers have caught Heijian! Auntie, Heijian also has eyes and noses!" While Xiaoliang replied, he still jumped and went west with his companions.

Among the children, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl turned around and said: "Sister Fen, don't go! The soldier wants to beat someone!" Zhao Kefen stopped.But Kejiu pulled her and she still walked forward, Kejiu didn't say a word, but her pace became faster and faster. The square-shaped house of the National Elementary School was faintly visible.Here the streets are calmer and darker; the shops and houses have their doors shut tightly, and there is only a little light through the cracks in the doors.Zhao Kefen held her brother's right arm and hurried along, something like bottles and cans often tripped her feet.Suddenly she staggered, and with a sound of "Ai", her body fell forward. Zhao Kejiu quickly hugged her, but his own feet tripped over something soft, and they both fell down at the same time.

A flash of lightning suddenly flashed over them.Taking advantage of this flash of lightning, Zhao Kejiu caught a glimpse of broken bottles and cans on the ground, but what tripped them was a half straw recommendation used by refugees.The two siblings supported each other and jumped up, when suddenly the lightning flashed into their faces again, and at the same time a rough voice shouted: "Stop!" A soldier in full armor walked to a distance of three or four feet from the two brothers and sisters, lit up the flashlight again, and pointed it at the bottom of their bodies for a while, then asked sharply:

"What are you doing?" "Nothing, come and see." Zhao Kejiu replied that the longing in his heart had gradually cooled down. The lightning hit Zhao Kejiu's face again.Zhao Kejiu turned away impatiently.Another soldier, also fully armed, ran up and shouted: "Search! Stop, don't move!" Zhao Kefen's face also changed with fright, hid behind Kejiu, suddenly pulled him, and ran away.The first soldier immediately raised his gun.Zhao Kejiu hurriedly shouted: "Kefen! Don't run away! Don't be afraid!" He explained to the two soldiers: "She is my sister. My surname is Zhao, and I am from this town. I heard that your troops are coming, so I came here to pay my respects. Look up."

"What do you do in this town?" the second soldier asked again. "Nothing. My home is here." Zhao Kefen came back again and hurriedly said, "Our father is the mayor of this town, Zhao Puzhai." The two soldiers hesitated for a while, and then the second soldier said, "No matter what you are, you can't be released casually. Go! Take you to see the company commander!" The Zhao Kejiu brothers and sisters were escorted to the elementary school and put in a small room that used to be the school office.The whole national elementary school was like a theater at this time, the voices of people were chaotic, and there were constant people coming and going outside the small room where Zhao Kejiu and the others were imprisoned.However, Zhao Kejiu didn't seem to hear it.At this time, there was only one feeling in his mind: he wanted to pay his respects with enthusiasm, although he came in, but the way he came in was actually like this!

Zhao Kefen stayed close to her brother, touched Zhao Kejiu's hand for a while, squeezed it, and whispered "Brother" in his ear, as if afraid that the person she was next to would suddenly change. stranger.Zhao Kejiu, however, only responded numbly with "um", without saying a word. "Brother," Zhao Kefen said in a low voice, "is that how they are? What are they going to do with us?" "Don't care about him!" Zhao Kejiu replied impatiently, but he held Kefen's shoulders apologetically, and comforted her softly: "Don't be afraid! There is no need to be afraid!"

After being kept in this cold for about half an hour, a soldier came and took them out.They walked through a classroom and saw a blazing fire inside, a large rice cooker in the corner, and two or three soldiers were breaking up the desks and stools in the classroom for firewood.They walked through the corner of the playground again, and saw that the swing frame had fallen to the ground, the seesaw was gone, and piles of feces were everywhere on the playground.Finally, they were taken into the principal's office.This is probably the only room in the whole school that hasn't quite lost its original shape.A kerosene lamp was placed on a rectangular table covered with white cloth; several empty wine bottles and wine glasses surrounded the kerosene lamp, like a city and a group of blockhouses.

Not long after the Zhao Kejiu brothers and sisters entered, they heard the sound of Toto's leather boots, and suddenly heard a shout from outside the door: "Stand at attention!" Then a square-faced officer of medium build came in. The officer seemed a little drunk, and the little drink put him in a good mood.He narrowed his eyes and looked at the pair of siblings.Zhao Kejiu wore white canvas suit pants, a short-sleeved shirt with a large lapel collar, and white canvas running shoes; Zhao Kefen wore a short-sleeved silk cheongsam with blue ground and small white flowers, with two small braids hanging by the ears.Both have round faces, but the girl's skin is much fairer and tenderer, and her pair of eyes are darker and bigger than her brother's.The two brothers and sisters look like students. The officer coughed and said to Zhao Kejiu: "Is she your sister? Your father is the mayor of this town? Cough, but you should know that you are not allowed to intrude where the army is stationed. We don't know who you are. There are so many traitors! Just now we Got one! . . . " Zhao Kejiu heard that he dragged the traitor as soon as he opened his mouth, and he couldn't help but feel the sulking in his heart, but before he opened his mouth, he saw the officer turned his face and shouted to the door: "Platoon Leader Sun!" "Yes" was answered outside the door, and then a man with thick eyebrows, round eyes and big mouth came in, standing erectly by the door with his hands down. "Take them to Mayor Zhao's house in this town, and ask Mayor Zhao if these two people belong to his family!" After the officer gave the order like this, he walked out without even looking at the Zhao Kejiu brothers and sisters. Brother and sister Zhao Kejiu followed the platoon leader Sun to go home, and the three of them were silent all the way.When approaching the entrance of Zhaojia Lane, the platoon leader Sun suddenly asked Zhao Kejiu, "Did you study in Shanghai? What university?" "Yes. Tongji." Zhao Kejiu replied lazily. "I heard that the people in Shanghai are nice and patriotic. Consolation items are sent to the troops every day. Biscuits, canned food, towels and socks, the piles are as high as mountains! "But the common people here are also very nice," Zhao Kefen said hurriedly. " "Hey, what's the order from the superior!" Platoon Leader Sun smiled embarrassedly. "There are traitors, but it's a pity you can't catch them," Zhao Kejiu said, still a little angrily. "Besides, the traitors in the countryside rarely come here. The traitors live in big cities and are very rich!" "We don't know," Platoon Leader Sun said with a smile. "Do whatever the superior tells you to do." Zhao Kejiu asked again: "How long will you stay here?" "have no idea." "Which unit do you belong to? How many people are there?" Platoon Leader Sun hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can't tell you. It's a military secret. This is an order from the superior. " At this moment, they had already arrived at the gate of Zhao Mansion.A gray dog ​​jumped out from the darkness and shook its tail to welcome the two young masters. Kefen stretched out his hand to pat the dog, called "Ah Hua" repeatedly, and ran into the gate first. At the gate, Zhao Kejiu stopped, and said to Platoon Leader Sun: "Now you can rest assured? Shall we go in and confront a couple?" "Hey, the company commander's order," Plato Commander Sun replied shyly. "I have to go in and meet Mayor Zhao, so I can report back later." Inside the gate is a fairly wide yard.The lush branches and leaves of two sycamore trees almost occupy the entire space.There were lights in the hall, and there was a lot of voices.Zhao Kejiu and Platoon Leader Sun walked up the three stone steps in front of the hall, and the noisy voice suddenly stopped. Zhao Puzhai greeted Platoon Leader Sun in front of the long floor-to-ceiling windows, cupped his hands repeatedly and said, "Excuse me, please!" There were four or five people in long robes and short jackets scattered in the hall.There was a man in his thirties, wearing a blue and gray silk blouse, with a pointed chin and a pair of mouse eyes, who was whispering to a man next to him in a serge robe. Platoon Leader Sun was a little uncomfortable, but he still said as usual: "Under the order of the company commander, you are not allowed to enter the place where the army is stationed. The common people don't understand the rules. Mayor Zhao, you have to make an announcement. It's over." The one with the pointed chin and mouse eyes came over and offered a cigarette to Platoon Commander Sun.Platoon Leader Sun took the cigarette, raised his hand to touch the brim of his hat, turned around and was about to leave.But the pointed chin hurriedly stopped him and said: "Hey, sir, don't be busy, please sit down and drink tea, there is one thing..." "He is Platoon Leader Sun!" Zhao Kefen who was standing in front of the screen door suddenly interjected and ran in. "Oh, oh, Platoon Leader Sun—" the pointed chin went on. "Didn't you arrest a man just now and call him a traitor?" Pointing back at the man in the serge robe, "He can vouch for it." "Then you have to ask the company commander." "Yes, yes," Zhao Puzhai interjected, "Naturally, the company commander must be consulted!" The man in the serge robe also came over, pulled his pointed chin, and said: "Wang Baochang, it's useless to talk too much. We'll just find their company commander later! We are innocent, so what are we afraid of!" "However, it's better to talk to this platoon leader Sun first." When he said this, Wang Baochang, who had a sharp chin, enthusiastically dragged platoon leader Sun to the side of the hall. Zhao Kejiu watched sullenly, but didn't bother to ask.He walked slowly to the stone steps outside the hall, looked up to the sky and took two deep breaths, and finally walked down the stone steps to the gate. He wanted to go to the street to have a look, but he felt bored, so he turned back and walked from the standby room next to the hall. Go all the way to the back wing room, which is the place where their family usually gathers, and it is also the dining room. The bowls and chopsticks have been placed on the Eight Immortals table.The old-fashioned kerosene hanging lamp cast a yellowish soft light.The whole family is here, except Zhao Puzhai; the whole family will have dinner when he comes.Mrs. Pu Zhai was sitting in the chair she used to sit in.Xu, the wife of her eldest son Keqin, is breastfeeding Xiaoying, who is more than half a year old.Xiaoliang knelt on a square stool, crawled on the edge of the table, took a pair of chopsticks as drumsticks, and beat vigorously. "What's the benefit of being the mayor? Lose time, lose care, and lose money!" Mrs. Pu Zhai said to herself, but it seemed that she was talking to Kefen again. "The army is coming, and you can ask the mayor for everything. Straw, bed-boards, this, that--the mayor doesn't have a cornucopia!" Kefen sat in the high chair that Xiaoliang used to eat last year, leaning over his upper body, dangling a ball of wool, teasing Xiaoying.The little girl had just had enough milk, and she lay in her mother's arms, staring at the ball of wool with her small black eyes, and smiled happily when she saw it dangling. "Ah Fen! You are sitting in Xiaoliang's high chair again!" Mrs. Pu Zhai's words suddenly changed direction. "The armrests on both sides were also loosened by you, and they have just been repaired. Don't you want to sit on a decent chair, you must sit on it!" "It's fine if you sit down," Kefen replied mischievously, "Xiao Liang is too old to use it anymore." "Xiaoliang won't be able to use it, so there's Xiaoying! By this time next year, Xiaoying will be able to use it. It will take several generations!" "Mom, you still think so far!" Zhao Kejiu, who had been sitting silently for a long time, said suddenly. "They are already fleeing! Aren't the refugees in the town from Xinlonghua?" "You flee, but I won't!" Mrs. Pu Zhai got angry, her stern eyes moved from Kejiu's face to Kefen's, and then back to Kejiu's side. "I heard that there was a war with the Japanese devils, and you and Kefen were so happy that you were crazy! What good will the war do you?" Seeing his mother angry, Ke Jiu just smiled and stopped talking.Kefen still teased Xiaoying, pretending not to hear. The little girl was tired of looking at the ball of wool, and she scratched and fumbled with her two little hands, grabbing her mother's ears for a while, and stroking her mother's small red mouth for a while.Xu's young lady called the maid, handed Xiaoying to her, brushed her temple hair, covered her open skirt, then sighed softly and said: "Xiaoliang's father sent a letter today, doesn't it mean that there are also people in Hangzhou?" Have you fled? He was worried about us, saying that this place is close to Shanghai. He really wanted to go home and have a look, but he couldn’t ask for leave.” "That's right, let's move to Hangzhou!" Kefen jumped off the high chair and said excitedly. "Brother works in the provincial government over there, and he is well-informed. I have many classmates there, and I am not afraid that I will not have a place to live." To this sister-in-law, Mrs. Xu's attitude has always been three parts polite and seven parts distant, but now Kefen's words made her feel unexpectedly affectionate.She showed two rows of snow-white teeth and smiled, and looked at Kefen in a blink of an eye, as if to say, "I also mean it"; Slowly down.She looked dully at the big red camellia flowers embroidered on the toes of the goose yellow satin shoes on her feet, and suddenly heard Kejiu say with a dry smile: "If here is unreliable, can Hangzhou be reliable?" Miss Xu's heart was startled, she sighed again silently, and raised her head, just in time to see her mother-in-law's gaze on her.She forced a smile, but bit her lip with the tip of her teeth. Mrs. Pu Zhai's suppressed anger burst out in the atmosphere of astonishment: "Xiaoliang! Be quiet! Who are the people in the hall? It's like a fight!" Xiaoliang put down the chopsticks that were used as drumsticks, quietly climbed off the stool, and went to lean on his mother.The voice of yelling and cursing from the hall could be clearly heard. The voice was unfamiliar, obviously an outsider, and he was the only one showing off his power. "Tongue bending again!" Mrs. Pu Zhai said bitterly. "When those soldiers came today, they have never been quiet. What's the taste of being such a mayor!" The maid came in with Xiaoying in her arms.Xiaoying was crying, and the maid patted Xiaoying and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid", but she took the time to say to Mrs. Pu Zhai: "A short fat man! He lost his temper like the master and could swallow a whole person in one mouthful." of!" Ke Jiu stood up and walked out, but Mrs. Pu Zhai cursed coldly: "What's the use of losing your temper! The mayor's house doesn't have a cornucopia!" At this time, only Zhao Puzhai and Wang Baochang were left in the hall, resisting the fierce attack of the short and fat officer.But Zhao Kejiu felt that there were at least three or four people secretly standing outside the row of French windows that led out of the hall.Wang Baochang relied on his special qualifications as the only Kuomintang member in this town and had been trained in Zhenjiang, so he was saying "good things" to Humpty Humpty.Zhao Puzhai sat across from them, frowning, not saying a word, and whenever the short fat man's voice became more and more fierce, he just stretched out his hand and scratched his scalp. "Adjutant Zhou!" Wang Baochang saw that half of the cigarette in the short fat man's hand had been burnt, and quickly offered a new one. "Please don't be angry. We are not saying that we have no idea! How dare we disobey orders! Military first, ah, Adjutant Zhou, brother is a party member, don't you know this? But..." "Stop talking nonsense!" Adjutant Zhou shouted like thunder after drinking off Chief Wang Bao's words, and the oily luster on his fat face became even scarier. "There are three hundred gangsters, if there is one, there is one, and if there is no one, there is none, just say a word!" "Ah, yes, yes!" Wang Baochang arched his shoulders, laughing so that his mouse eyes became slits.But he immediately stopped smiling, stretched his neck, pinched his throat, and said in a tone that seemed to be discussing and pleading: "However, Adjutant Zhou, three hundred, do you think it's a little too much? " "Who is bargaining with you!" Adjutant Zhou's angry shout was surprisingly loud, and even Zhao Kejiu, who was standing by the screen door and folded his arms, was startled.One of the eavesdroppers outside the long French window probably fainted from fright, and bumped his head against the window with a bang, which made the majestic Adjutant Zhou look around in astonishment, as if his arrogance suddenly shrank for a while. After all, Chief Wang Bao has seen the world!He didn't panic much, but the smile on his face was a little unnatural. Adjutant Zhou stood up abruptly, squinted his eyes, looked at Chief Wang Bao, then at Zhao Puzhai, changed his voice unexpectedly, as if there was a piece of thick phlegm rolling in his throat, he said almost word for word: "Okay, it's up to you to do it! However, I have to give a warning in advance. The regiment commander will come tomorrow, and I will see, hey, it will delay the military opportunity. Don't say that the two of you can't afford to go around, even I will take care of it." !" "We must find a way, we can't miss it, we can't miss it!" Wang Baochang promised repeatedly, and stood up respectfully. Adjutant Zhou acted as if he didn't hear it, and strode out with horoscope steps, and Toto walked out, swinging the dagger of "success or benevolence" on his fat buttocks, hitting the thickest part of his buttocks. Zhao Puzhai glanced at Chief Wang Bao, stood up to see off the guests. Adjutant Zhou walked to the French window and suddenly turned around and asked, "Where is a thousand catties of straw?" "Do it, do it!" Zhao Puzhai replied with a wry smile. "Where are the five hundred bed boards?" "This—um..." "No such thing!" Adjutant Zhou's voice was so murderous again. "Everyone buys a pair of door panels, then there is nothing!" "Yes, yes, it must be done!" Zhao Puzhai arched his hands in front of his chest, and while answering, he "bowed like you did", but he was thinking in his heart: Is there any more trivial words? However, there was a big accident, Adjutant Zhou simply stood still, put his hands on his waist, and began to talk eloquently: "Our army has traveled thousands of miles, big cities and small towns, and hundreds of people have passed by. Which place does not welcome and comfort? Why? The army is to defend the country and the people, and it is thousands of miles to fight the war! Now People all over the country, regardless of land, north or south, and people regardless of age, are all patriotic; but the people in Guizhen are so unpatriotic, what a pity! A traitor was caught just now. It can be seen that the traitor is lurking, and it is terrible. Hey! Mayor Zhao! As the mayor of a town, you have to be careful and responsible! It's over!" This lecture was cadenced and sonorous, and it was probably one of Adjutant Zhou's specialties; unfortunately, none of the people present could appreciate it, even the only member of the Kuomintang, Wang Baochang, who had been trained in Zhenjiang, was just showing off. Put on a smiling face as a form of acceptance. However, Adjutant Zhou finally left.When Gong sent Ruyi back to the hall, Zhao Puzhai and Wang Baochang saw that the hall was full of people, and they didn't know where they came from.This is because they heard that three hundred servants were asked to inquire about the news. Before Adjutant Zhou left, they had already ambushed in the back hall and the alley.Zhao Puzhai knew more than half of these people, but Ke Jiu and Kefen only knew half of them. Xu's young mistress was surrounded by a group of aunts and girls who were promiscuous, occupying a corner of the hall, forming a world of her own. Zhao Puzhai and Wang Baochang became the center of another world.There were so many people talking, Zhao Puzhai couldn't answer.And he didn't have anything to answer, he just sighed frequently and scratched his scalp.Wang Baochang seemed to have a plan in mind, and he replied coldly to anyone's inquiries: "Didn't you all hear that? The military comes first, and military orders are as heavy as a mountain. If you can't help it, you have to find a way!" "Is there any way?" Zhao Puzhai looked at Wang Baozhang and said with a hint of complaint. "There are men and women in the town, big and small, and there are only two or three thousand in total. Where can I get three hundred slaves?" Wang Baochang smiled slightly, but still said: "If there is no way, we have to find a way!" Suddenly, a middle-aged man in his fifties with big ears and a pair of tortoiseshell glasses came out of the crowd, patted Zhao Puzhai on the shoulder and said: "Pu Weng, how is it? A few days ago, the refugees from Xinlonghua said that the army crossed the border and was harassed. You always don't believe it. How? Did you see it today?" When Zhao Puzhai looked back, it turned out to be Xie Linfu, the owner of the Wanchang Oil and Salt Grocery Store. He sighed and replied, "Unexpectedly, at this time, these officials are still unwilling to show a little conscience!" "What do they want three hundred sons for?" someone asked. "They said they were digging trenches and building fortifications!" Another person in the crowd replied. "Ah, isn't that bad, the war has come to town?" "A joke!" Xie Linfu raised his tortoiseshell glasses with a middle finger, and said with a smile in his nose, "What kind of fortification! It's just a problem to make things difficult for us, and we want to get some benefits!" Chief Wang Bao hurriedly gave Xie Linfu a wink, then pulled Zhao Puzhai's skirt, brought his pointed chin to Pu Zhai's ear, and said softly: "There is no way. However, there are so many people here, it is not convenient to speak. Go to the back. " Zhao Puzhai hesitated before opening his mouth, Wang Baochang slipped away and walked towards the yard.Xie Linfu gave Zhao Puzhai a hand, and when everyone was off guard, he quietly walked out of the hall. The three of them followed that lane, and went into the three wing rooms behind the hall.Instead of entering the dining room, they entered the dark one on the left.Wang Baochang took out a match, lit a kerosene lamp, offered a cigarette to Xie Linfu, and lit one himself, smoking wildly. This wing room is now Zhao Kejiu's temporary study and bedroom.The three of them sat around the desk, and the old-fashioned desk was full of original engineering books in western languages ​​and settable compasses. Under the glass plate were Zhao Kejiu's own photos, and there were also Kefen's photos. A group photo with Xiaoliang, and some nondescript "jade photos" of half-naked movie actresses cut from foreign publications.There are some Shanghai newspapers on the corner of the desk, but they are messy and incomplete. Chief Wang Bao puffed halfway through a cigarette, then flicked the glass plate lightly and rhythmically with three fingers, smiled and said: "Brother Lin Fu is right! They want to get some benefits. I have already guessed it, but the difficulty is that I don't know how much they want!" Zhao Puzhai looked at Chief Wang Bao in astonishment, and then at Xie Linfu, as if to say: Is there such a thing?won't it? Of course, Xie Linfu also understood Zhao Puzhai's eyes, but he ignored Zhao Puzhai, and only pointed three fingers at Wang Baochang and said: "That's about right?" "Three hundred?" Wang Baochang pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "I'm afraid it's a little less." "Didn't the guy surnamed Zhou ask for three hundred sons?" Xie Linfu said with a cigarette belt. Wang Baochang smiled, took a few more puffs of cigarettes, put out the end of the cigarette on the glass plate, and replied flatly: "The one surnamed Zhou also said that a regiment leader will come tomorrow. A regiment leader can't be beaten by three hundred yuan." Xie Linfu nodded, stretched out a hand and said, "Then, it's almost there!" Before Wang Baochang expressed his opinion, Zhao Puzhai couldn't bear it anymore and asked anxiously: "What if he doesn't accept it?" Wang Baochang burst into laughter suddenly, quickly lit another cigarette, patted Zhao Puzhai's shoulder with his left hand and said: "Pu Weng, Pu Weng, you are really... well, if you give the money with one hand, but say: Adjutant Zhou, please help me, this is not a respect. Hmph! Then not only will he not accept it, but he will also beat you." A slap in the face will punish you for the crime of blatant bribery!" Chief Wang Bao unexpectedly stopped talking, and began to smoke wildly again with his cigarette in his mouth.Zhao Puzhai stared at him blankly, but he hated the sharp chin and mouse eyes in his heart; however, Xie Linfu's voice broke his confusion. "Naturally, it's not a single-handed payment. We just told him this: the servants have to be hired. And the hired servants have to be done. The town hall is short of manpower, so ask them to hire them themselves: money, the town hall is natural." Think of ways to!" "Yes, yes!" Xie Linfu hadn't finished speaking, but Chief Wang Bao had already begun to praise him.He added: "The wool comes from the sheep, five hundred yuan, and the chamber of commerce will try to apportion it." This three-person meeting ended successfully.The people in the hall also dispersed at this time, and Xiaoliang was already complaining that he was hungry.Zhao Puzhai kept a light meal for Wang and Xie, and went to a restaurant in the town to order a catty of flower carvings, two dishes of cold meat, and two hot-fried dishes.