Chapter 22 0022

"Baye, please don't mind," Lao Cao said, "As soon as Old Brother Shi mentioned that you were crossing the border at Dadukou, some of us flew to report to the dam. When you meet Ba Ye, please go to the dam no matter what, and stay for a few days with grievances. The official salt bureau and various troughs dare not leave half a grain of salt for the Liuhe Gang, but Ba Ye and the dry people you lead, our bosses Must stay." "It's not that I don't want to stay." Guan Baye looked at the heavy snow outside Lianwai and said, "It's the twelfth lunar month in a blink of an eye, and soon after the first snow, the shore of the lake will be frozen. Put the salt on the south bank of the Great Lake, let the brothers go home for a reunion years ago, wait until the number of "nines" is exhausted, and then recruit them to go to the production area for two trips to the salt. If there is no time limit, then you will have to stay on the dam for the new year.”

"Even if Ba Ye insists on leaving, please hold off for a while." Lao Pan, who covered the gold teeth on the old Zhenxing trough, said: "The owners of the troughs, as soon as they heard that Ba Ye was passing through Dadu, they must rush to pay their respects. Look, the scene is coming soon, if you cross the river first, and the boss blames you, we really can’t afford this huge burden——they will scold us for not keeping customers!" "I'm talking about Baye," Shier Shorty gritted his teeth, and joined in the fun: "If you don't go shopping on the dam, you won't be able to cheer up when you push a cart. You don't know how big the salt market is today. Scenery?! The boat canopies on the river bank are several miles long, like a city wall on the water; half of the street is set up with a casino, and you can come here for big and small gambles; I have to run all over the street, and my eyes are dazzled, especially in the 'Ruyi' Tangzi opened by Mr. Bian in the North, there is no girl who can't play and sing!"

Shorty Shi Er was chatting happily, when Guan Ba ​​grabbed his collar and shook him, "Bian San opened the 'Ruyi' hall?! You mean—" "That's right," Big Bear was sipping wine on the table over there: "There is such a Bian San, I heard that he got it from Jinguli in North Xuzhou; you should know if you ask them who often walk on the dam..." "You can ask the little one about this," the tax official said with narrowed eyes, "Ruyi Hall is still called Ruyi Hall now, but Mr. Gui has been replaced by Mao Liu." "Oh!" Guan Baye said inadvertently, but he made up his mind again.I thought it would take a lot of effort to find my Aigu, but who knows that by such a coincidence, Bian Sanmao Liu, who I was looking for, is on the dam!I had not been a prisoner in North Xuzhou for a long time. At that time, I brought a stick wound. Except for the old jailer Qin Zhen and his youngest daughter Aigu who often went into the prison to heal his wounds, I didn't have much impression of the rest of the jailers; Bian San and Mao Liu moved to Yanshi to set up a brothel!I'm afraid that Aigu... this matter must be investigated as soon as possible!Even if it delays the day of salt transportation, I can't care so much!

"It's not human's fault to walk in a snowstorm. It's hard work, Lord Ba," the second dwarf Shi saw that Lord Guan was pondering, and thought that Lord Guan would not make a detour to go to the salt market, so he complained: "My legs are numb from walking all the way. If I meet Judge Zhu Si, I don't need to be beaten, I just have to lie there!" "See what you guys think?" Guan Baye said. "Just a word from Ba Ye," Lei Yipao said, "It's too hard to push a cart in the heavy snow, so it's better to let them go shopping in Yanshi. ——Besides, we must be cautious." He lowered his voice and moved closer Guan Baye whispered in his ear: "Take this opportunity to find out about Judge Zhu Si..."

Just as I was talking, I heard the sound of cars and horses rolling outside, and someone reported: "Ba Ye, the owners of the salt tanks set up by the officials, and the gentry, I heard that you are here, and they all came here in the snow! " In Wanjialou, in the back garden of Master Zhen's house, two lonely shadows sat facing each other in the drooping house. They were Wan Hanying and the new widow's beloved aunt.The heavy snow covered all the rockery bonsai in the back garden, forming a silver world; in previous years, Wan Hanying liked to roll up the bonsai on snowy days and sit and watch the snowy scenery all over the garden. On snowy nights, Ask the maid to clean the lanterns brightly, invite my sister-in-law and neighboring nieces to come to the back yard, play dominoes, play cards, cut shoe flowers, and talk about homely things to my heart's content; Entering my aunt's warm pavilion, there is a large copper stove on the iron frame that can hold forty catties of charcoal at a time. When the fire is lit, I can't even wear a leather jacket. Tinni, there is an exquisite small hand stove hanging on the wrist; the little aunt is the most lively girl.

As Wan Hanying, with the wealth of the Wan family, she can get almost anything she wants; she likes to eat snacks, so Baoye gave her four pairs of Jingde fine porcelain magnetic drums, dragon ears, and the top cover of the pagoda. On the body of the drum, there is a complete set of pictures of ladies enjoying themselves in the four seasons. The bright colors seem to grow in the white jade-like magnetic skin, which makes people love it; The set of spoons is enough to make people speechless. The body of the spoon is carved sterling silver, and there are seven small gemstones embedded in the handle. It is as magnificent as it is said.Her rouge horse was given by Gu Ye, the second room, and it is said to be worth more than a piece of jade on Bao Ye's white horse. The mane of the rouge horse is very long, and the horseman combs it every day, and weaves a lot of fine hair. Long and slender braids, especially when galloping on the snow, the man and the horse are bright red, jumping like a red ball rolling on a jade plate...

But this year, my sister-in-law has changed, and she no longer has the interest in being lively; she always has something wrong in her heart, and there is always some vague worry that can't be named.She just asked someone to pick up Ai Gu and accompany her to spend the boring time in the snowy day.From the very beginning, she liked the woman brought back from the wind and dust by her nephew Wan Liang. She was a different person, unlike the girls in Wanjialou who only knew love to play and have fun. In it, there are many deep and incomprehensible things, and many sorrows beyond the sky; although she talks and smiles, she can't hide the scars branded in her life.

She came after Aigu. She felt that after Wanliang's death, her life experience was even worse, her loneliness and sorrow were deeper, and she needed comfort; on the other hand, she wanted to hear Aigu talk about her experience. The distant world outside the house. Aigu was sitting on the chair opposite her. She was wearing filial piety, like a flower blooming in a white jade vase. The light from the snow fell on her slightly bent white face, which lacked blood. , the white is even more miserable. In the warm pavilion, the fire was burning as in previous years, the golden lacquer stood on the table, and a bunch of freshly picked plum branches were inserted in a tall broken porcelain vase. It looks wet.A long-haired snow raccoon squatted in a few corners, staring blankly at the dancing snowflakes for a while, and then at the colorful tassels hanging from the eight-treasure pendant lamp, poking its paws upwards from time to time.There is a row of vermilion cages beside the wooden pillars in the hall, and the caged birds in the windshield are chirping and chattering. I don't know what they are talking about? !

The two pretended to be full of words, but they were silent, trying to get a clue out of the chaos.In the end, it was Aigu who spoke first. "Grandma has changed this year," Ai Gu said, "After Master Bao died, there was no one to ride with you anymore... You were frightened that night." Are you startled?Not surprised or anything.Judge Zhu Si got involved in Wanjialou that night, he was just having a nightmare; after waking up from the dream, Wanjialou changed, and so did he. "I'm just indescribably depressed." Wan Hanying said, "Wanjialou has never seen so many people die, nor has it suffered such a big robbery; you ran across the pier from south to north , is it true that there are bandits all over the place?"

Aigu nodded: "There is a famine every year, and the soldiers are shocked every month. The handsome men in Beiyang treat the old people like pigs and dogs. Apart from the blessed land of Wanjialou, where else can people live?!...in the Old Yellow River in North Xuzhou On the Yanhe Dam, those refugee domed reed sheds stretched for miles, as if they had set up a big camp.” Wan Hanying fiddled with the dental cards, playing through five levels and killing six generals, rushing back and forth, but couldn't get through those levels.For some reason, the word "Guan" that I do not want to mention is jumping in my heart first.Guan Ba ​​is really eccentric!He didn't take the days of Wanjialou without waves and waves, but chose his endless rivers and lakes.Many librettos and legends contain the stories of the characters in the rivers and lakes in the past. Which chapters and chapters do not shed blood and tears of vicissitudes of life? !

"Bandits are forced out by people, aunt." Ai Gu said: "Those good people who can hold on and survive should suffer, what else can they say.... How many Guan Ba ​​Ye can save them?! " The other party sighed helplessly, and pushed away the square formation of dental cards. "Don't mention Baye Guan in front of me." She said, her voice was a little stiff and resentful, like dream language. "I can't stop mentioning him, little aunt." Ai Gu said, "I know the kind of person Baye is, he can't lock himself up in the Wanjia Building and ignore the hunger and cold outside!...You can't blame him like this , I know you are... troubled... I just blame Master Zhen for mentioning it at an inappropriate time..." Wan Hanying blushed, she didn't expect her Aigu, who was about her age, to be so generous and mature, to mention the failed marriage to her face to face. "It's not that I'm complaining, young lady." She said in a low voice, "Baye Guan rejected this marriage, and all the family members know about it. No matter what, it's a matter of great embarrassment to me. I'm following behind closed doors. What do you think - I am not worthy of the surname Guan? Unless he has someone else in mind?" "Let me tell you something, little aunt," Aigu said, "I have been in Wanjialou for two years, and I always wanted to tell you, but I never said it. When Guan Baye was imprisoned in North Xuzhou, my father was The person who guarded him. At that time, he was tortured and battered, and he was covered with wounds. My father asked me to go to the doctor secretly, brew medicine, and heal him in secret. Finally, he opened the prison door and released him.  …Because of my father Release Guan Baye, and go to the Guandong with him, and I fell into the hands of Bian San and Mao Liu, who deserve to be killed...." "Didn't you see him last time? Didn't you ask about your father?" Wan Hanying said, interrupting the other party's words. Ai Gu shook her head, and continued: "Think about it, Guan Baye is that kind of person. He has never lived a stable life since he came out of the Jianghu way. Lost? Auntie, I said, if you really have Guan Baye in your heart, you should wait, wait for the four directions to be safe; he will find a shelter and stop wandering." The loneliness on Wan Hanying's face deepened, she grabbed a domino casually and played with it on the back of her hand: "Now I'm just asking you, didn't you see him last time?!" "No." Aigu said, "I am so filial to my body, how can I recognize him? I think he will pass through Wanjialou next spring since he will lead the salt truck." "Look, little lady, it's snowing so hard," Wan Hanying said with a sense of emotion, "Where are those salt trucks riding the wind and snow now?" Ai Guqu counted, raised his face and said, "Maybe we have crossed the Salt River, maybe we will stay on the dam..." Wan Hanying looked at the caged birds in the windshield, a pair of caged birds jumped, causing the yellow wood and silver-wired cages to spin up slightly;——How can a pair of caged birds who can’t see the wind and snow outside the window know how far away they are? Unpredictable situation in the rivers and lakes?Who knows?Seeing the sky in the gray clouds and white snow gradually darkened again... "Bring us some refreshments," she told the maidservant, "It's time to light the lamp..." Before the lamp was lit, the gloomy twilight rushed into the room, as if it was the melancholy in her heart, and she breathed and surrounded her. The sadness around her... the more she thought about the distant things, her heart sank and dimmed inch by inch...