Chapter 15 escape again

"Are you really going to abandon the changes in the current situation and run away with your family again?" Mao Xiang continued the previously interrupted train of thought while passing groups of servants who were patrolling their fields with knives and sticks in their hands. "It is true that what she said is not completely unreasonable. At least it seems that before the chaotic situation improves, it seems that we should consider whether we should go out of the city for a while. However, we have persisted until now, and Shaoxing may not be able to do so within a day or two." There will be an answer. What if the new county official came to take office just after I left, wouldn’t it be a waste of not talking about it, and making Zhang Luofu and the others a laughing stock of coveting life and fearing death? No, since I’ve survived for so many days, then Just go through it to the end! Whether you live or die, fight him this time! Be a person with backbone and courage! Then, insist on not leaving..."

"Oh, it's burning, it's burning!" A sharp scream suddenly sounded. "Where? Where?" "Here, over there, over there!" Several people shouted on the wall.The servants who were sitting under the veranda all jumped up with a "coax", and began to ask, shout, and run nervously, and the walls and walls were suddenly in chaos. Maoxiang was taken aback, and for a moment he didn't know what happened.However, when he saw the chaos around him, he became furious, stomped his foot hard, and said sharply: "What are you doing? What are you all doing? Ah!" The shouting finally had an effect, and the messy servants stopped immediately. commotion.Everyone kept their faces blank and kept silent uncomfortably.

"Qi, Mr. Qi, it's burning outside...it's burning!" a squad leader stammered and reported. "Isn't it just burning, and it didn't burn to this side, so you panic like this! If some bad guys really come to the door, how can you deal with it!" Mao Xiang continued to yell loudly. But saying so, he was actually a little nervous, so he walked to the wall, followed a ladder erected there, climbed up to a sentry position temporarily set up with wooden planks and uprights, and looked in the direction pointed by the sentry.Sure enough, in the direction of the south of the city, a house was being burned, billowing thick smoke straight into the sky, and many ash-like things were brought up and fluttered in all directions.Although the distance is quite far and the specific scene cannot be seen, it is not difficult to imagine the tragic and terrifying appearance of the disaster-stricken people. "Well, this is the third time. I don't know if the gangsters set the fire again, or did my house accidentally catch fire? Did anyone hurt? Hey, if there is no one to rescue, it's no fun to spread the fire!" Mao Xiang stared intently Watching, thinking nervously.

"Could it be that 'Banliangshan' and 'Sai Shaolin' were put together right? Yesterday 'Banliangshan' put up a lot of headless notices, claiming to fight with 'Sai Shaolin', and even killed two people on the spot! "A whistler said anxiously from the side. The so-called "Banliang Mountain" and "Sai Shaolin" are the names given to themselves by the two volunteer soldiers in the south of the city.The two groups of people have been occupying one side from the beginning, and they are not convinced by each other. They often fight and make troubles, making the common people miserable, and they have long been famous in the city.Now hearing what the sentinel said, Mao Xiang suddenly felt a surge of indignation. "Huh, it's thanks to that group of righteous gentry who kept saying that they wanted to suppress it, but it was all lies! How can such a lawless mob fight against the Qing soldiers, and how can they be expected to defend Haining!" Thinking about it, his heart became messy, he didn't have the mind to look any further, he still retreated along the ladder, and only asked the team leader to guard it closely to prevent the villain from taking the opportunity to harass him, so he turned around and hurried to the back hall.

Mao Qizong was already waiting for him.In the past few days, although Mao Xiang tried his best to take over most of the affairs, the anxiety and insomnia still left traces on the old man, which made him completely lose his usual calm demeanor, appearing depressed and preoccupied. When Mao Xiang walked in, Mao Qizong was walking back and forth anxiously in the back hall with his hands behind his back and his head slightly lowered.Hearing his son's footsteps, he immediately stopped and turned around. "You're here." He said with a frown, signaling his son not to salute, and then pointed to the inside of the back door, "Ah San at the door led someone in and said something. He's in the servant's room now, you go first Look, let's discuss it later!"

"Yes!" Mao Xiang agreed, and then thought that he should tell his father about the fire in the south of the city, so he clasped his hands and said, "Qi report..." However, Mao Qizong waved his hand anxiously: "Don't talk about anything else, just go and have a look!" Mao Xiang was stunned for a moment, not understanding why his father was so angry.He didn't have time to ask any more questions, so he hurriedly stepped over the threshold and walked to the servant's room where his father had instructed to rest. "Ah, the uncle is here!" The tall and burly Ah San hurriedly stood up from the spring stool, seeing Mao Xiang's serious face, she didn't dare to say much, turned her head and said, "Here, that's him!"

When he was still entering the door, Mao Xiang found a stranger sitting in the room.At this moment, while the other party was standing up, he saw clearly through the light coming in from the wooden lattice window that it was a man in his thirties, of medium height, with broom eyebrows, rosaceous nose, a pair of bulging goldfish eyes, and two slits. Thick lips turned outwards, a pig's beak turban tilted on his head, a suit of black clothes that are old and not old, with an open chest and belly, making people know that he is a street rascal at a glance. "What's going on?" Mao Xiang frowned and asked, then sat down on a chair that Ah San had brought over.

"Quickly go back to the old man's words, I'll ask you!" Ah San urged the man. "Oh, yes!" The man quickly agreed, then lowered his head, wiped his nose with his sleeve, paused, and then said: "Xu Wuhan, a villain, lives in Shuangzhong Temple, because he learned that a group of thieves are coming to rob your house." , I came here to report a letter." Mao Xiang was shaking his hand, refusing a cup of tea from Ah San, when he heard this sentence, his heart was shocked, "What? What did you say?" armrest.Xu Wuhan repeated what he said just now.

"Hmph, you dare to lie and talk nonsense - how do you know?" Mao Xiang stared at the other party and asked suspiciously. "The villain dare not lie. If the villain tells lies, his tongue will develop a big boil, fester, and rot!" Xu Wuhan swore, and wiped his nose again. "Originally, the villain didn't know that it was Wang Amao from the next door." This is how I told the villain." "Speak carefully!" "Yes. Last night, the villain had already fallen asleep. The king Amao came to knock on the door and yelled at the villain. The villain asked him what was the matter, and he held up a bottle to borrow wine. The villain saw him Already five points drunk, he just refused. He scolded the villain for being unhappy, and said that he was going to make a fortune immediately, and he was afraid that the villain would have to ask him for alms! The villain saw that he said something strange, They forced him to sit down, took out the wine, and slowly tricked him with words. He refused to say anything at first, but then he couldn't stop the villain from drinking a few glasses of wine, and finally spoke the truth. He said that there was a group of newly formed gangs outside the city The thief, these two days, was thinking of robbing a big family, because he knew that the son's family was a rich man from Rugao, and he still stayed in the city, so he decided to use your house to make a profit, but he was afraid that he didn't know the way in the city. Some of the thieves knew Wang Amao, so they asked him to be an eyeliner, and after the promise was completed, he would be counted. Wang Amao was a poor man, so he agreed. Now they are ready Stop it, sooner or later we have to make a move. Seeing the situation is urgent, the villain didn't close his eyes last night, so he came to report to the young master this morning..."

If it is said that Mao Xiang was still a little dubious in addition to being surprised just now, then after hearing what Xu Wuhan said, he was completely stunned.Because the Wang Amao mentioned by the other party was originally a servant in the family. Two months ago, he was accused of stealing and molesting a maid. The dead father was an old servant in the family, so he decided to make an exception and kick him out of the house.This Wang Amao grew up in the mansion since he was a child, so he is naturally very familiar with the inside story.It can be said that it is not surprising that the thief asked him to make eyeliner.In addition, since the Mao family has such a relationship with him, it is not difficult to investigate. If it were not true, Xu Wuhan would not dare to talk about him...

"You—why did you tell us about this?" After a long while, Mao Xiang made up his mind and asked. "Oh, although the villain loves money in general, he still knows what is good and what is bad. Those outrageous things are absolutely unacceptable!" Xu Wuhan suddenly became lively, rolled his goldfish eyes, and replied obediently, "Don't say that. There are gods above and officials below, and they are absolutely not tolerated. If a family like yours dares to stay, how can it be unpreventable? If those gangsters really want to come, they will not be beaten to death, and they will not lose money if they steal chickens Mi is strange! Besides, I heard that the young master is a great kind person, who loves the poor and the old most, and is willing to do good. Who doesn't know how far it is, who doesn't know? Only those who are like wolf-hearted and ignorant of conscience will come to fight you The government's idea! The villain is..." Xu Wuhan was talking nonsense, but Mao Xiang was in no mood to listen anymore.He waved his hand and told Ah San: "Okay, you take him out, and then pay him ten taels of silver in the account. Just say I said it!" After finishing speaking, he turned back and nodded to Xu Wuhan: "How do you Come on, very good, if you have any news in the future, please come and let me know—well, go!" After Xu Wuhan, who was overjoyed, kowtowed on the ground, and happily followed Ah San away, Mao Xiang felt weak Leaning back in the chair, he was dazed and stunned... "Well, have you checked everything?" A familiar voice asked.Mao Xiang looked back and saw that it was his father who had walked in. Mao Qizong obviously asked Xu Wuhan beforehand, and he already knew everything.He stroked his beard, walked back and forth for a few steps, finally sighed, and said: "It seems that this city really can't settle down, why don't we go out of the city to avoid it for a while!" At this moment, Mao Xiang had already stood up as usual.He didn't answer right away, but just lowered his head, immersed in his own thoughts, and after a long while, he smiled wryly and said, "It's just that my child always feels too wronged!" "What? Too wronged?" Mao Qizong was obviously puzzled. Mao Xiang nodded, and said in a hoarse voice: "We've come to this point, maybe within a day or two, Shaoxing will send the magistrate, but we still have to run for our lives in embarrassment—isn't it wrong!" sounded.For a long time, he looked hesitantly at his son who was biting his lip and looked abnormally distressed, as if intending to say a few words of comfort, but in the end he didn't say anything. Two days later, the father and son finally led all the servants, escorted a large number of boxes and luggage, left Haining County under strict precautions, and embarked on the journey of uncertain fortune again.