Chapter 66 0066

Under the square street lamps with frozen blue faces, in the cracks of the street lights, centipede-like steps are moving.On the surface alone, Beiyang's Jiangfang army is indeed mighty and mighty, with a bit of bluffing momentum. Only the Beiyang bosses who eat food know what's going on in their bones. From dusk to dusk, the road beside the embankment has been filled with gray shadows, and these teams do not affect the bustling Huajie night market between the upper and lower gates at all; Rich merchants, casino doctors, men who mess around on the scene, people who connect with officials and bandits, bandits who break up, antique dealers who specialize in buying and selling fake antiques to cater to the upstarts who are subordinate to the elegant, good at reciting a few crooked poems, and writing The sour words of the scribes made the area around Ciyun Temple in Huajie abnormally prosperous.The prosperity of this area depends on the Beiyang Army, and the more troops are stationed, the more prosperous the business here will be.

"The army has passed!" "It's been in the army, isn't it? It's a cold day, and once the bosses are released, it's like unlocking the door of hell, releasing a nest of brats vying for their lives. Why don't you come to Huajie?!" On both sides of Ciyun Temple, the narrow stone streets zigzag and stretch, and the ancient and exquisite buildings are crowded together. There is a ray of skylight, and this ray of skylight is also dispensable, because almost every household has one or two horse lanterns and various colored paper lanterns lit day and night under the door, because the sky is too dark to illuminate. The long and horizontal plaques under the shadow of the corridor usually have the hall number and store number pasted on the lanterns. Looking from a distance, there are more than a hundred lanterns, large and small, high and low? !Converging into a sea of ​​light swirling and slowly swaying, the colorful halos blend together, creating a sultry mood.

In this wide and long labyrinth, the cold wind, rain and snow can't penetrate the winding narrow streets. The lukewarm air is filled with the mixed smell of butter, wax and fat, and the strong aroma of smoked food. The scent of sandalwood in the giant cauldron, the strong smell of wine just opened, and the smell of low-quality makeup on the girls leaning against the door, are not harmonious but very compact, giving people a warm and lustful atmosphere. desire.There are cheap inns here, even cheaper broken flowers and willows, and powdery shells; some are spacious casinos that serve snacks and hot towel handles, large restaurants with arranged banquets and small restaurants for casual drinks; There are famous prostitutes with a lot of money, as well as black goods of half-mature women who are half-open; sometimes there are new calligraphy and painting shops, paper shops, antique shops and old loan stalls, and there are also doctors and astrologists who are on the street to judge the future of people; there are opium. Smoke house, a trading place that only collects private guns and private fires, there are also people from all walks of life who come to intrigue and inquire. Looking for flowers, asking willows, making tea circles, hooking up women to hang their arms, whether you are inquiring about news or doing various speculations, in the maze behind the flower street, you have everything!

But one thing cannot be forgotten - you must first have a bulging money bag, and all walks of life in Huajie are prepared for visitors who are willing to throw a lot of money. "The army has passed!" "It's not that the soldiers have been in the army, this kind of cold weather. If it's not crazy, then it must have come to attack Yanshi!" In the teahouse in the corner of the maze, the storyteller, Mr. Ermafu, said in reverse A big fur coat, the dirty fur was all caked into cakes, and on his head was a gray wool copper basin hat that looked like a broken ship without a bottom, grinning hoarsely and saying "seven "Xia Wuyi", when talking about Shanxi Yan Xu Liang teasing Xiao Xia Ai Hu, many swaying faces were wrapped in the heat of teacups and white mist of cigarettes, ignoring the storyteller's yelling hard, just paying attention Whispering to each other, some were talking about the duck-headed army's defeat, and some were talking about Mr. Snub-Nosed's habit, most of them were exaggerated to the point of absurdity.

Sitting on a square table near the corner of the teahouse was a neatly dressed middle-aged man. One could tell by his clothes that he was an old man who had been in the world for a long time. The man was wearing an English gray wool top hat with a low brim It is pressed low on the eyebrows, a soft brown sheepskin scarf is wrapped around the neck, and the squirrel fur robe of Baolan crane pattern brocade is not added to the gown. A five-inch real ivory cigarette holder was held crookedly at the corner of his lips, and a blunt, pure white stiletto hook inlaid with a silver hoop was hung on the arm of the chair beside him.He crossed his legs, shook his drums slightly in response to the storyteller's ideas, squinted his eyes, and leisurely puffed out smoke rings.He occupied a square table by himself, but there were two cups of tea brewed on the table. Obviously, he was listening to a book while waiting for someone.

"The waiter," he made a gesture, calling the waiter and saying, "Bring me a bar of Fort cigarettes... Wait for Boss Shi from the Xieqingyun Smoke House to come and guide me over here!" "Yes, sir " The waiter suddenly pointed out: "Isn't Master Shi from Qingyun Smoke House here? Well, look for someone over there, wait for me to go over and say hello." The sharp bell of the rickshaw rang all the way, followed by the cry of supper sellers; amidst the noise inside and outside the bookstore, Boss Shi from the opium den quietly walked over and took a seat.

"I said Master Fang, you are too courageous," Boss Shi said in a low voice, "There are some things that don't require you to come in person at all, but brothers are responsible for everything you order, whether it is news, objects, etc. , will send people there, why do you go to the city yourself and take such a risk?!" The man smiled while puffing out smoke: "There has been no news from all parties in the past few days, and people feel bored. The eighth master went south to Dahuze without any letter. Jiang Fangjun's callback is too urgent. I think I should come and compare it myself." Be more appropriate."

"Shanxi Yan Xu Liang lowered the person, swish... swish... and fired seven brocade-backed crossbows with bowed heads in succession, which frightened the other party!" His voice is full of spirit, no matter how noisy the voices are, his voice always floats on top of the noise, when he speaks vigorously, the corners of his mouth are frothy, and he even jumps up and down in the posture of Xu Liang, a Shanxi geese throwing a crossbow. , aroused a roar of laughter. After pondering for a while, the soot holder said, "How's the recent deal? As long as you get it, it counts."

"A bit lighter," Boss Shi said, "Seven shorts, twenty-three longs, seven hundred and forty-three rounds, but the bids are very cheap. I think the gun trade may become more prosperous after the Jiangfang Army arrives." "Mm...hm," the man in the top hat nodded, "After it's installed, I will send Qi Xiaosnake to transport it for me. Now everything is more urgent than guns and guns, just seize the opportunity and put them away as much as possible.  … Any news?" "I got hooked up with Tang Buwen, the deputy division commander of the Jiangfang Army." Boss Shi glanced left and right, and said in a lower voice, "That guy likes this." He raised one hand, raised his thumb and little finger, On the edge of his lips, Zi Zi breathed in and said: "He set up a special private room in the cigarette shop, and the people who beat their legs and feet, and those who cook bubbles and do odd jobs are all our people. In terms of qualifications, that guy is older than a flat nose." Many, now living under someone, full of grievances, and sending them to people whenever they see... In addition, in the temporary small mansion in Hehuachi Lane, the little chrysanthemum he just took over has also connected with us. The news will not be missed."

"Is there any new news from Dahuze?" "Yes." Boss Shi said: "But these are just legends, and the two sides are not on the same page. A group of oil merchants came over and said that the four judges had suffered a big loss in fighting against the militia in Wafang Wujia. But...but This morning, an uncle came to the shop. The ink on the film was not dry, and it was printed as "Audacity". He claimed to be an informant sent by the fourth judge. According to him: Liuhe gang asked the fourth judge to get rid of it. Peng The old man's militia also suffered a defeat..."

"Maotu? Huh? Mao? Suddenly?" The man thought about it, flicked off a piece of cigarette ash and said, "You might as well envelop him while letting Qi Xiaoshe and his gang step on him, it's best... to persuade that one Old deputy master gun, let him hook up with Mao, so that he can find out from them and see what kind of tricks they will play?!" At the same time, Jiang Fangjun's flat-nosed division commander is feasting guests in his temporary mansion!The extremely exquisite small mansion in Hehuachi Lane was originally one of the properties accumulated by the head of Yadantou during his lifetime. Although Mr. Snub Nose is a first-level official, he doesn't feel downgraded in the slightest. The strong wind news could not blow into the thick glass brick floor-to-ceiling screen, but pushed the wintersweet flowers in the corner of the courtyard to open, which made the teacher's eyes a little more beautiful; although fake Gongji shot and killed the head of the Yadantou, he always felt a little uncomfortable , but looking at this small mansion, six boxes of silver foreign matter and a flamboyant beauty, Xiao Chrysanthemum, I feel that Yadantou should be shot! ——Otherwise, how could this property be safely and securely replaced with my own name? !A small amount is not a gentleman, a non-poisonous man is not a husband, and you don't have to always worry about shooting a defeated general. Due to the general's negligence, he mobilized Jiang Fangjun to attack Yanshi, but did not give Commander Slack Nose a tight deadline, so Mr. Commander had plenty of time to think about how to spend the cold winter.This teacher with a stern nostril has an air of arrogance, and always regards the war as a gamble, always relying on his capital and luck; in Yangzhou City, a gentleman ordered him to approve the horoscope for him, huh According to the "blessing" life in his womb, he became the general of Beiyang, and he was also a lucky general who "wins when the flag is opened, and success will be achieved immediately". In this case, Mr. Snub Nose is not willing to fight bitter battles. His catchphrase is Hantian Don't fight, don't fight in hot weather, instead of fighting this kind of freezing fire, it's better to wait for the spring to bloom in the new year. In the morning, his guards transported his most beloved treasures—two pure white golden pugs from Yangzhou City to the mansion. Only then did Master Snub Nose remember that these two dogs should be one year old. Congratulations, congratulations, everyone is drinking and drinking, while rubbing mahjong tiles, while talking about card scriptures, dog scriptures, and women's scriptures, it is also a pleasure. Mr. Snub Nose hugged the little chrysanthemum, and the little chrysanthemum hugged the two little hubas; Mr. Snub Nose said: "Look, these two little things were rewarded by the handsome man. They are usually good, and I don't bother to shake them when I see them." Tail, this is a special affinity with you, so just treat them as daughters and daughters-in-law, and besides, these two little things happen to be one year old, so how about a lively banquet at night under this name?" "That's nice," Little Chrysanthemum said coquettishly, "It's a pity that I, a poor godmother, can't afford the gift money for meeting. I'm afraid I won't lose your face? In front of so many guests?" "Don't worry, my darling! Everything is up to me!"