Chapter 13 The thirteenth trek to track down a lotus flower of hard work, generosity and righteousness

At the north end of Huji Street in the south of the capital, there is an inn named "Sihaichun", which is a compound with triple rooms. In addition to operating an inn, it also has a teahouse and a restaurant, and its business is booming. The owner's surname is Liu Taibao, and he is only 19 years old. Because he has a tattoo of a bowl of lotus flower on his chest, everyone in the neighborhood calls him Liu Taibao, a lotus flower. This "Sihaichun" is also an old inn in the south of the city. It was originally opened by Liu Taibao's uncle. Because his uncle was old and childless, he was picked up from the countryside and started to make him a manager. Unexpectedly, a year later, his uncle passed away. After his death, the three-in-one inn was inherited by him.

Although this Liu Taibao is not very old, he is very experienced and easy-going in dealing with people. In addition, he has learned some boxing and kicking in his hometown, and his arms are slightly strong, and he is a bit bloody. What happened to the neighbors? He will come forward to resolve disputes, and when someone encounters any crisis, he will also stand up or complain about injustice, or give a helping hand.Therefore, he is quite well-known among the neighbors in the south of the city, and the general troublemakers and idlers are also somewhat in awe of him. In the afternoon of this day, seeing that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, Liu Taibao thought of going to the street to buy some holiday goods, so he entrusted all the affairs in the inn to the cabinet manager for entertainment, and took some scattered silver with him and walked to the downtown area.Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked out of Hulu Street, he saw a large circle of people watching the excitement in the open space opposite.Liu Taibao is also a person who likes to join in the fun, so he hurriedly walked over, stood on tiptoe behind the crowd and took a look, it turned out that one old and one young were performing skills there.The old man was about fifty years old, his beard was already gray, his face was thin, but his eyes were piercing.He crossed his arms and crossed his arms, his feet were half a step apart, and he stood there steadily. Although his eyes were always fixed on the young man who was performing skills, he never let go of his vigilance to the surrounding crowd.Liu Taibao could already tell from the old man's expression and demeanor that he was a person who had experienced all kinds of vicissitudes.The young man was a girl about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a maroon red jacket, blue trousers, and a white wide silk belt around her waist. She was dancing a knife on a tight rope.I saw her unfolding the knife path on the rope, turning up and down, slashing forward and then chopping, sometimes fox-stepping forward, sometimes jumping back and forth, her skill is unusually vigorous, her steps fit freely, and she fascinated the audience around her.Liu Taibao looked at the girl again, and saw that she was born with a strong but light body, with a slightly dark complexion that became more and more healthy, with yellowish red cheeks, bright black eyes, and slender eyebrows, but her tightly closed lips were still at the corners Keep a smile on your face.Since Liu Taibao came to the capital for two years, the women he has seen are either Zhuang like puppets, or coy and coy. The white ones are lifeless, and the black ones are so charming.So he just stood there and forgot all about what he had to do.

In the end, the girl made a neat flip in the air, then closed her knife and cupped her fists, and jumped to the ground lightly.There was a burst of applause from the crowd. However, just when the girl performed the last flip, the skirt of the dress was turned up, revealing a section of snow-white waist.Some seasoned spectators paid attention to these things, some of them had already noticed, but they didn't care. Unexpectedly, they were noticed by a few frivolous people in the crowd.After those people screamed and drank, they asked the girl to get back on the rope and do another flip.The girl also mistakenly thought that those people were sincerely applauding her, and with a feeling of gratitude, she climbed up the rope enthusiastically again, and sure enough, two more flips happened in succession.It was the same as the previous flip, and the snow-white belly was exposed twice, and those people screamed again and again, yelling for the girl to come back again.The old man had already noticed the strangeness, and with an angry face, he took a step forward, clasped his fists and said, "Miss, this little skill is nothing, it's really flattering to be praised by all of you! To express my kindness, I'd like to let the old man do it for you all." The nine-section whip is ready for road training."

Unexpectedly, those few people just refused to obey, and even made slanderous and aggressive words. The old man held back his breath and said neither soft nor hard: "Everyone has no six relatives and sisters. Accumulating virtue is accumulating blessings. I hope you all respect yourself." At this time, some people in the crowd had already understood, and complained that those people were wrong.Unexpectedly, those people not only refused to give up, but became angry from embarrassment.One of the leaders jumped out, pointed at the girl's waist and said: "Your seductive place can be hugged by others, so why don't men even look at it!"

It caused those people to burst into laughter again. The girl just realized it at this time, her face flushed with shame, her eyes flashed with anger, she hurriedly adjusted the ribbon around her waist, and cursed at those people: "Dirty bastard!" The leader took advantage of this to rush forward, swearing, and reached out to touch the girl's face.Seeing that her fingers were still two inches away from her face, the girl suddenly squatted down, and then kicked the man in the stomach with her kick.The man howled and fell a foot away on his back. Those people shouted loudly, pulled out iron rulers and short knives from their sleeves and sides, and rushed forward.The girl also picked up the single knife from the ground, and showed her open stance; the old man hurriedly picked up the nine-section soft whip, leaned against the girl, and shouted: "Hold on slowly! Let me have a word again." Everyone was shouted by him, although temporarily He stopped his hands and feet, but he didn't intend to retreat.The old man clasped his fists and said angrily: "My father and daughter have traveled thousands of miles across the rivers and lakes, entered dragon pools, and entered tiger's lairs. They only make a living with thin skills and have never lost courtesy. As the saying goes, 'A rabbit chases and bites People.' I hope you don't push people too much!"

Those few people are willing to lose face in front of everyone, the leader couldn't help saying, roared "Go", and rushed towards his father and daughter together.All of a sudden, there was a flash of knives, clanging of iron objects, and a vicious fight broke out in the open space. Among the onlookers, some timid ones hurriedly fled away; the bold ones retreated to watch from a distance; some who complained about his father and daughter still stood by and cheered for his father and daughter, while Liu Taibao stood aside , seeing and hearing the reason for this fight clearly, I also feel extremely angry at those people's unprovoked troubles in my heart.It's just that those people are all unfamiliar faces, not like friends from the south of the city. They want to go forward to dissuade them, but they are also afraid of making enemies at the docks and causing hatred.At the moment when he was in a dilemma, unable to bear the retreat, he suddenly remembered that the new admiral of the Nine Gates, Mr. Yu, had issued a notice not long ago, strictly prohibiting crowds to fight in the street. Various patrols were patrolling the streets, so when he saw that the father and daughter performing arts were besieged by several people in turn and were at a disadvantage, he shouted loudly: "The police are here, don't run!" Seeing those people jump out of the circle quickly, put away their weapons, and fled in a panic.The old man and the girl also stopped and looked around blankly.Then Liu Taibao stepped forward, clasped his fists together, and said, "Old man, don't panic, I'm doing this trick of 'carrying out Zhong Kui to scare ghosts'. Those people don't know what kind of abusive dragons they are, so don't worry about them." angry!"

The old man quickly clasped his fists and saluted and said, "I'm so grateful for my brother's help to save us from danger. Dare to ask my name and station number." Liu Taibao said: "Don't dare, my nephew's surname is Liu and my name is Taibao. The brothers in the neighborhood even gave me the nickname 'A Lotus'." Can't help but laugh out loud.The old man turned his head to greet the girl and said, "Niuer, come and see Brother Liu." The girl shyly stepped forward, hugged the knife, and called out: "Brother Liu." Liu Taibao hurriedly returned the salute and said, "Big sister is wronged!"

The girl smiled, but didn't answer, she lowered her head and wiped the blade of her knife with her sleeve. Liu Taibao asked the old man again, "Excuse me, old man, what is your name?" The old man hesitated for a while, and said: "My surname is Yi, and I am ranked ninth. Everyone in Jianghu calls me Yi Jiu." Liu Taibao asked again: "Old man Yi thinks it's the first time he came to the capital, but which inn did he stay in?" The old man said: "This is the first time I came to your place, and I stayed at the Shengping Inn on Hengjie." At this moment, some people who had been watching from a distance gradually gathered around again.

Liu Taibao said: "This is not a place for talking. My nephew opened a 'Sihaichun' inn at the northern end of the nearby Hulu Street. If you don't mind the old man, you and your eldest sister are welcome to move here, and I will do it for you. Do your best." After speaking, he arched his hands, parted the crowd, and went to his own affairs.When he walked to the step on the opposite side of the open space, and turned his head to look this way again, it happened that the girl was standing on tiptoe and looking at him, their eyes met at the same time, and the girl quickly lowered her head again; Liu Taibao My heart also jumped a few times suddenly.He had no choice but to ask secretly: "What's wrong with me?"

When it was almost time to turn on the lights at night, the old man and the girl came with their outfits on their backs. Liu Taibao was overjoyed, he quickly picked them up, personally settled his father and daughter into a room in the backyard, and asked Xiaoer to bring some high-quality food and drinks, drinking and chatting with his father and daughter attentively. When Liu Taibao got up to leave, he said to the old man: "Tonight's room fee, food and drink will not be charged at all, even if my nephew and the old man and sister are welcome." The old man said with emotion: "Okay. I will accept your favor. "

Early the next morning, after breakfast, the old man and the girl went out to perform with their outfits on their backs. It was like this for three consecutive days. The father and daughter went out early in the morning and returned to the inn as soon as the lights were turned on. The old man looked depressed and went to bed after drinking a few glasses of wine; Liu Taibao secretly wondered why his father and daughter came here.In fact, for the past three days, he has been secretly following behind his father and daughter, firstly because he is afraid that those people will make trouble again; secondly, to let himself look at the girl to his heart's content in the dark.What puzzled him was that other people always live in lively places, such as Tianqiao, Qianmen, etc. when they perform, and the father and daughter always live in the small streets and alleys nearby. .Is this due to unfamiliarity with the roads in the capital, or are there other reasons? Another point that caught his attention was: he always felt that the father and daughter were not like ordinary figures in the arena.In terms of behavioral habits, the old man is cautious in his words and deeds, calm and witty; at the beginning and ending, he speaks in a proper manner, not like the general Jianghu's flamboyant and grandstanding, he is more or less to the audience, and he does not give money after watching. Do not care.That girl is simple and unpretentious, she is meticulous in her skills, she never flaunts her looks, she wins applause with her frivolity, and she wins applause with her flirtatiousness.In terms of skills and swordsmanship, the father and daughter did not perform ordinary tricks of the rivers and lakes, stepping on the rope is all light work on the soles of the feet, and there is no flower stand in the swordsmanship and boxing.Liu Taibao saw all this and was bored in his heart, he always wanted to figure it out. This day coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, the father and daughter should have taken advantage of this to have more social circles and find some more money, but unexpectedly it ended earlier than usual, and they came back to the inn with their luggage just after the time passed. Liu Taibao greeted him with a smile, and said: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The old man and the eldest sister are guests in a foreign land, and the nephew also has a shop but no home. I have prepared thin dishes, water and wine. Please, the old man and the eldest sister will come to the last three." Let's have a drink together in the small room on the side of the courtyard, so we can talk freely." The old man said: "I've already bothered you, so why bother with my father and daughter." Liu Taibao said earnestly: "The name of my nephew's shop 'Sihaichun' means to be happy with friends from all corners of the country. I think the old man seems not to be happy with his life recently. Taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival tonight, let's put aside the troubles for the time being and be happy. happy." The old man was still hesitating, but the girl said, "Father, it's rare that Brother Liu is so kind, so let's go sit down." The old man glanced at the girl and said, "That's fine. Just follow what Momuni said. Brother Liu, please go ahead, my father and daughter will come soon." After unitary time, a bright moon hangs high above the capital city, illuminating the vestibule and back dam like daytime.Liu Taibao simply placed the wine, food, melons and fruits on the stone table in the courtyard dam, to enjoy the moon. Just as he was getting ready, the old man arrived with the girl Taying.The three sat at the table, the old man sat in the west, the girl and Liu Taibao sat facing each other from north to south, leaving the east head aside so as not to block the moonlight. Liu Taibao held the cup attentively, and talked about some polite words.After drinking a few cups, everyone's stomachs warmed up, their hearts gradually opened up, and their conversations became more and more revealing.Liu Taibao tentatively said, "I see what's on the old man's mind recently?" The old man sighed and didn't answer. Liu Taibao poured his cup of wine, and said: "If you have any difficulties, old man, just tell me; if you need my nephew to do my best, just let me know!" The old man sighed again, and said, "You can't untie the bell I tied. You don't need to worry about this matter, brother Liu. I appreciate your kindness." Liu Taibao saw that he was speaking vaguely and it was inconvenient for him to ask further questions, so he diverted the conversation again; after a few drinks of persuasion, the old man was a little drunk, and when he talked about some injustices in the Jianghu, the old man's eyes fluttered and his emotions became even more passionate stand up.Liu Taibao also took the opportunity to say earnestly: "I don't think the old man and the girl are the people who perform in the Jianghu. I don't know why they are in the Jianghu. If you don't see it, please tell me the truth!" The old man stared at Liu Taibao for a while, then stood up and paced back and forth by the table. Liu Taibao looked at the girl and said, "How do I say?" The girl nodded in agreement.When she saw that Liu Taibao was still staring at her, as if urging her to answer, she added softly: "Let father tell you about this." At this time, the old man seemed to have made up his mind to reveal his true feelings, and hurried back to his seat, he said with emotion: "To tell you the truth, my surname is Cai, not Yi. I am called Cai Jiu. I used to be the head of the police squad in Pucheng, Shaanxi. Hunting down a key criminal, he took his daughter to pretend to be a performer, followed him from Shaanxi to Gansu, and from Gansu to Xijiang. Unexpectedly, after entering Xijiang, the clues were suddenly cut off, and the father and daughter lived in the desert, almost begging for a living. Unannounced visits, painstaking efforts, and finally found some clues. My father and daughter came to the capital again. It took more than a year before and after, and they trekked for more than 10,000 miles. As expected of a cunning fox, he actually hid in a place that people are afraid to dare to offend rashly, which made me really helpless and in a dilemma for the past few days. I think that even though I have endured all kinds of hardships, it is also my responsibility. I have no complaints, it's just that I have suffered for this girl." The old man was also moved when he said this, and saw that a large tear was already rolling down the girl's face. Liu Taibao never expected that his question would reveal such a bizarre and mysterious matter.He listened solemnly from the side, full of respect and curiosity in his heart.He turned sideways and asked in a low voice, "What kind of person is the criminal Master Cai mentioned? What kind of place is he hiding?" Cai Jiu said: "This person's surname is Geng, ranking sixth, and she is called Geng Liuniang. Because she is cunning and cunning, the world gave her the nickname 'Biyanhu', so she is also called Biyanhu Geng Liuniang. This person She was born as a rope prostitute, and later married Wang Yipin, a rich merchant in Pucheng. Because she was used to dissolute people, she was not comfortable in the house, and she still often interacted with some dubious people in the Jianghu. Wang Yipin was angry and scolded her. She said a few words; unexpectedly, she became presumptuous and led some people of unknown origin to the house openly. She indulged in alcohol and was aggressive. Wang Yipin had no choice but to report it to the yamen. The blue-eyed fox suddenly had evil thoughts; A son left by his ex-wife who had just turned seven years old was poisoned together, swept away his family's gold and silver, and fled Pucheng without a trace. The government therefore ordered me to arrest the blue-eyed fox within a time limit. I searched everywhere in Shaanxi, but there was no trace of it for several months. I have also been tortured twice for this. Fortunately, Brother Ya Nei thought of my past achievements and was kind. The uncle perfunctoryly passed the matter. Therefore, the flesh has not suffered much pain. Later, I heard the rumors in the world: Li Mubai was murdered by Geng Liuniang because of his senior brother Du Xia in Jiaohe, Hebei. Therefore, Li Mubai is looking for her. When I heard this news, I asked my uncle for a document to apprehend Geng Liuniang. Please leave Shaanxi with my daughter within one year to investigate. Unexpectedly, I met a prostitute in Hejin, Shanxi. Xie’s friend found out from him that he had seen Geng Liuniang at the border of Gansu a few months ago, saying that she was riding a big green horse to the west. My father and daughter tracked all the way to Wusu in the western Xinjiang. A few months ago, Mrs. Gao came to Yushuai's mansion. The appearance she talked about was the same as Geng Liuniang. It's a pity that my father and daughter were one step late. Mrs. Gao went to Dihua Suiyu Mrs. Returning to Beijing. Therefore, my father and daughter came here again." Liu Taibao asked: "The Yu Shuai mentioned by Master Cai is the current admiral of the Nine Gates of the capital, Lord Yu?" Cai Yaomei said: "It is Mr. Yu." Liu Taibao couldn't help gasping, and said, "Is Gao Shiniang in the Yufu? And it's Geng Liuniang? Can Master Cai be sure?" Cai Jiu already understood the meaning of Liu Taibao's question, he hesitated and said, "Tell me the truth, it's not very real." Liu Taibao said worriedly: "This is going to be tricky! This Yu Mansion is the Hou family, 'the Hou family is as deep as the sea', it is already difficult to handle, not to mention that Lord Yu is the new admiral of the Nine Gates, who holds The power of life and death, even the rich and powerful in the capital, would give him some points. Ordinary common people, who would dare to pull out his tiger's beard. Whether this Gao Shiniang is indeed Geng Liuniang is still uncertain, and if she is, what can be done to her! Ninth Master You have to be careful with your luggage." Seeing that Liu Taibao spoke so seriously, Cai Yaomei couldn't make up her mind for a while, and said anxiously, "Could it be just a matter of course!?" Liu Taibao hurriedly said: "I mean to act cautiously, and I don't mean to persuade you and Mr. Cai to give up." Cai Jiu said solemnly: "To eliminate harm for the world and pay for the life of the dead, there is no reason to give up. As long as I can prove that Mrs. Gao is indeed a blue-eyed fox, I will go to the admiral's office to file a letter for arrest. I, Cai Jiu, are also officials. Let's see what Master Yu can do to me!" Seeing Master Cai speak so calmly and rationally, Liu Taibao really admired him in his heart, and his courage grew, he hurriedly said: "Master Cai is reasonable. The most important thing at present is to find out whether Mrs. Gao is the blue-eyed fox. This matter Just leave it to me to handle it. Yufu is at the southern end, there are many people in the mansion, and people occasionally come to the inn to drink tea, let me try to find out, and then come to discuss things." When Cai Yaomei heard what Liu Taibao said, a smile appeared on her face again.Cai Jiu clasped his fists together and said, "I'll leave this to Brother Liu." Cai Yaomei hastily picked up the jug and poured him a glass, saying, "I appreciate Brother Liu's help so much, let me toast you." Liu Taibao happily drank his glass, pursed his lips and said, "I don't think Mr. Cai and Mrs. Momei will have to perform any more performances tomorrow. They will just rest in the inn for two days. I'll talk about it when I find out what's going on." The next day, Cai Jiu and Cai Yaomei did not go to the streets to perform any more, and stayed in the inn waiting for news.Apart from being busy taking care of the business in the inn, Liu Taibao also found time to bring tea and water to Cai Jiu's father and daughter from time to time, with great affection and thoughtful care.Of course Cai Jiu was grateful, and Cai Yaomei also felt sorry for her, as if she could do something for him to feel at ease. Two days later, Liu Taibao was talking to the butler in front of the counter, when he suddenly saw Li Shuanggui, watchman of the Yufu, coming to drink.Liu Taibao was secretly happy, and hurriedly stepped forward to say hello: "Master Li, I haven't seen you for a long time, come, please sit here." After speaking, he let him sit at a table in the corner of the hall, and hurriedly went to pick it up in person. A large plate of beef and a jug of wine were brought to him.Liu Taibao also sat at the table to talk with him.After chatting about the business situation in the inn and the news on the street, Liu Taibao asked nonchalantly: "Mrs. Yu and Lord Yu have returned to Beijing from Xijiang successively. Is this year's Mid-Autumn Festival planned to be very lively in the mansion?" Li Shuanggui said: "Of course, of course. The situation is very different from previous years." Liu Taibao pointed to the beef on the plate and said, "I heard that Mrs. Yu brought back many maids from Western Xinjiang, and that those girls love this kind of meat the most. Is it true?" Li Shuanggui said: "Don't believe those nonsense. In the mansion, Miss Yu brought a maid from Xijiang, but she is also from Hebei, and she eats and dresses like us." Liu Taibao said: "So that's the case. But everyone in the neighborhood said so, and said that Miss Yu had a nanny from Xijiang, and she brought her back home." Li Shuanggui sipped his wine and said, "There is a woman next to Miss Yu, but she is not a nanny, nor is she from Xijiang. According to Zhao Ma in the wife's room, she is the woman of Miss Yu's teacher. Call her Mrs. Gao." Seeing that the wine in Li Shuanggui's pot was almost gone, Liu Taibao turned around and ordered Xiaoer to bring another dish, and asked casually, "How old is Mrs. Gao, and what kind of character is she?" Li Shuanggui said, "I just I saw it from a distance a month ago when I was watching pole climbing in the front garden, and I felt that I was very thin and old. Because I was far away, I couldn’t see the face clearly.” Liu Taibao asked strangely: "You also live in the mansion, so it's hard to see you often?" Li Shuanggui said: "Hou's mansion is no more like an inn. The rules are stricter. Let's talk about the back garden. Miss Yinyu lives there, and no one is allowed to enter except for his wife. Mrs. Gao happened to live in the same place with the lady, so outsiders can't see it. " Liu Taibao was disappointed, knowing that he would not get any more information from him, so he stood up and was about to leave when Li Shuanggui pulled him and asked, "I heard that two days ago there were two performers on the street. Yes, they all boast that there is a lady with good rope skills, have you ever seen it?" After Liu Taibao heard him praise Cai Yaomei, he sat down excitedly and said, "I've seen it, I've seen it. That girl is really good at stepping on the rope, and her feet are very good." Li Shuanggui said regretfully: "It's a pity that I came to see it. This Hulu Street is very quiet, but unfortunately there is nothing to see and enjoy. I don't want to come for fun, and I just come to pass by. I also came here for two climbs a few days ago." Just happened to be seen by the wife, so she asked someone to bring the two people into the mansion, and asked them to play a few sets of pole skills in the front garden, and called everyone in the mansion to watch. Madam is very happy, the reward is ten taels, which is enough for the two of them to eat and pay for two months. If you go out and talk about circles, it will be difficult to earn so much in one month." Liu Taibao's heart moved, and he hurriedly asked, "Miss Yu, have you come to see?" Li Shuanggui said: "Here we come. I also brought Mrs. Gao and Mrs. Xiang. I only saw Mrs. Gao that day." Liu Taibao was touched by a scheming mind, and suddenly an idea occurred to him.But he still said calmly: "Why don't you call the girl who stepped on the rope into the mansion to have fun." Li Shuanggui waved his hands again and again and said: "Who among us would dare to be such an auspicious master, it's up to Madam to pass on the word." Liu Taibao had already thought of an idea in his heart.He quickly got out of his seat. Came to Cai Jiu's room, and told Master Cai everything he had found out from Li Shuanggui just now.He finally said: "Master Cai, as the saying goes, 'If you don't enter the tiger's lair, you won't find tiger cubs'. There is only one way now, and that is to break into the mansion to see what happened." Cai Yaomei said: "Didn't you say 'Hou Men is as deep as the sea', how can you break in?" Liu Taibao said confidently, "I already have an idea: try to alert Mrs. Yu, and ask her to send someone to invite you and Master Cai in." Cai Jiu said: "Please tell me about Brother Liu's great opinion." Then Liu Taibao said calmly: "The alley next to Yufu is close to the garden of Yufu. Tomorrow, Master Cai and Momei will bring their clothes and go to that alley to perform. Join me in circles with my younger sister. When the time comes, Mr. Cai will ring the gong, and I will ask my brothers to cheer up loudly, in order to alarm Mrs. Yu. As long as Mrs. Yu orders someone to come out and ask, I think things will probably be hopeless. " Cai Jiu thought for a moment after hearing this, and said, "It's a good idea, but it's just going to bother Brother Liu again." After breakfast the next day, Cai Jiu and Cai Yaomei packed up, put on their gear and walked towards that alley.When we got to the middle of the alley, we saw a not too wide open space, and some people were already waiting there.Cai Jiu knew in his heart that these people were all invited by Liu Taibao.Cai Jiu hurriedly stepped forward, cupping his fists and greeting each one.Cai Yaomei counted secretly, there were about thirty people, and looking at the clothes and demeanor of those people, although they were all the kind of people who are used to idle, love to eat and drink, and fight hard , but today everyone seemed to be extremely well-behaved, and their actions and conversations were also polite.Cai Yaomei also knew in her heart that these people became like this because of Liu Taibao's friendship.Unconsciously, she felt a burst of warmth hit her heart, and a gratified smile appeared on her face. Cai Jiu put down his gear and looked around. He saw a high wall on the left, with the tops of ancient cypress trees half exposed on the wall. He knew that the garden of Yufu was inside the wall.There are several tall willow trees outside the wall, and thousands of willow branches cover the open space with thick shade. On the right side of the open space is a row of single-family homes, the doors are mostly closed, the alley is already silent, and the noise of cicadas from the willow branches makes the whole open space even more deserted.Cai Jiu thought, if it wasn't for Yufu, who would have chosen such a secluded place to perform his skills.In order to get a chance to enter the mansion, Cai Jiu had no choice but to work hard to arrange the venue.According to local conditions, he tied the rope to two willow trees.After everything was tidied up, he raised the small gong and beat it vigorously. The sound of the gong was now and then dense, and it took the time to beat a bag of cigarettes. The twenty or thirty idlers who had been waiting there for a long time formed a big circle next to each other; Many men and women brought the old and the young to the field.The originally quiet open space suddenly became lively.Cai Jiu knew that this was a fake show, but the fake show had to be done for real. When he saw that there were about fifty people gathered around him, he stopped the sound of the gong, raised his hand, and said something that is often used in the world before performing skills. As usual, Cai Yaomei was ordered to step on the rope to perform skills.Cai Yaomei cheered up, carrying a bright steel knife, came to stand in front of the rope, inhaled and concentrated, hugged the knife, kicked her feet and put the rope on, letting the rope sway from side to side, but she stood firmly on the rope. On the ground, his face was calm and motionless. There was a burst of applause, whistle and cheers from the crowd.The sound was so loud that it was like a burst of spring thunder.Cai Jiu also pressed tightly together, beating the gong like a torrential rain.Cai Yaomei took advantage of the situation to make a sharp knife, spinning up and down, chopping left and right, moving forward and backward, advancing and retreating, only to see the silver light shining and the red clothes flying.There was another deafening cheer from the crowd.After dancing the knife all the way, Cai Yaomei put the knife in her arms, stood still for a moment, then jumped off the ground, took advantage of this to quickly look around the crowd, but Liu Taibao was still nowhere to be seen, she felt a sense of loss, as if something was missing in her heart. something. At this moment, an old man came from the other side of the open space, wearing dark blue muslin clothes, limping, limping towards this side, and when he was about ten steps away from the circle, he Standing against the willow tree.He folded his arms across his chest, showing a look of indifference, looking at Cai Jiu and his daughter inside the arena, and at the crowd outside the arena from time to time: since he is not attracting attention, no one pays attention to him . Cai Yaomei retreated to the side to rest.Cai Jiu went to the field and practiced long fists all the way. Most of the 20 or 30 men invited by Liu Taibao to come and shout for fun, most of them knew some fists and kicks. Seeing that Cai Jiu's long punches were flawless and clean, they all nodded in praise, secretly admiring them.As soon as he retracted his punch, there was another wave of noise from the crowd. Just as Cai Jiu retreated, Cai Yaomei got on the rope again.She didn't have a weapon in her hand this time, and only showed her rope stepping skills.I saw her walking quickly on the rope like flying back and forth twice, and then she flipped four times in a row from one end of the rope to the other end of the rope. A golden rooster is independent, uses the weight of the whole body to restrain the swing of the rope, and stands there firmly, like a fairy descending to earth.At this time, there was a louder shout and applause in the crowd than before.Cai Yaomei looked at the crowd happily, and suddenly saw a pair of familiar eyes staring at her happily. Cai Yaomei recognized it right away, it was the eyes she was looking for and waiting for.She suddenly triggered a desperate impulse, and used the trick her father told her not to reveal easily, suddenly jumped into the air, turned backwards twice, separated her feet when she fell, and threw a beautiful one Word, stop firmly on the rope.At this moment, the entire field dam exploded.The twenty or thirty men who were entrusted to come to applaud also forgot about the entrustment at this moment, and started to applaud frantically. At the beginning, Cai Jiu saw her daughter perform this trick suddenly, fearing that she would miss it, and felt nervous. Later, seeing her doing it so neatly, she also felt a burst of relief in her heart.But he gave his daughter a look that was both approving and reproachful.Cai Yaomei smiled coquettishly, tossed her braids, and turned her back.Cai Jiu then clasped his hands together and walked around the venue to express his gratitude to all the audience, especially the twenty or thirty men who came to join him.Just as the onlookers left one after another, the lame old man who had been standing under the willow tree came over.He said to Cai Jiu in a slightly stern tone: "Have you ever inquired what kind of man's mansion is inside this wall, how dare you rashly make a scene here!" Cai Jiu hurriedly clasped his fists and said vigilantly: "Brother has just arrived in Baodi, and I really don't know what is wrong with it. I hope you can give me some pointers." The lame old man said: "Inside this wall is the mansion of Lord Yu, the admiral of the Nine Gates. If Lord Yu blames you, you can't bear it." Cai Jiu said neither humble nor overbearing: "The capital city is at the foot of the emperor, that is, outside the palace walls, there are still hundreds of arts to make a living. My brother is forced to make a living here because of poverty. I think Lord Yu will forgive me." The lame old man looked Cai Jiu's father and daughter again, and said meaningfully: "You don't recite false scriptures in front of the real Buddha. This is not a place to change money, but you come here to talk about it. What do you mean?" Cai Jiu was taken aback inwardly, and already felt the weight of his question, then sighed, and said: "The capital city is no better than a small port, some are crouching tigers, hidden dragons, and many are latent demons and hidden monsters. Poor skills, afraid of attracting phoenixes in the busy market, I made this bad plan, but I just want to pick up a few copper coins, which is enough to fill me up, and I have no other intentions." The crippled old man looked around at the crowd who had returned to Zhu and said: "These young people are not from the same neighborhood, but they all came here. It shows that your father and daughter are very popular." Cai Yaomei interjected, "We don't know any of these guest officials. If you don't believe me, you can ask them." The lame old man ignored her, and took care of Cai Jiu and said: "I don't think your father and daughter are like charlatans in the Jianghu. Take my advice, it's better to stop making noise outside this wall." After finishing speaking, He turned away and limped away.About ten steps away, he turned around again and asked, "May I ask your brother's name? Where are you now?" Cai Jiu replied: "My surname is Yi, and I live in the 'Sihaichun' Inn at the northern end of Hulu Street." The lame old man said: "Brother Yi, please take care of it, I really mean it." After speaking, he limped out of the alley without looking back. After Cai Jiu returned to the inn, he sat on the bedside with a lot of thoughts, and he didn't even move the lunch that Liu Taibao brought.Cai Yaomei also felt disappointed, and said angrily: "That lame old man is really weird, he is neither yin nor yang, I don't know what hinders him." Cai Jiu gave his daughter a dissatisfied look, and said, "I think this person must have a background, and he is by no means an ordinary person. We must be very careful." Cai Yaomei said disapprovingly: "I don't believe that he has any origins. My father and I traveled to Sichuan and counties and met many people. I was afraid of who would come." Cai Jiu said a little angrily: "Didn't you hear what he said! Almost every sentence has a meaning, which is really unpredictable. It seems that Brother Liu's plan to break into the house is about to fail." Just at this time, Liu Taibao led a person into the room with a happy face.Liu Taibao pointed to Cai Jiu and said to the man, "This is Mr. Yi who just performed his skills in the alley outside the wall." The man cupped his hands, and hurriedly introduced himself, "My brother's surname is Wang, and he works as an errand in the Hou's Mansion at the southern end of this street. Just now, Mr. Yi was performing skills outside the wall. The noise disturbed Madam, so he ordered Mr. Shen to come out to check. Thanks to Mr. Shen’s kind words for Mr. Yi when he reported back, he calmed Madam’s anger. Now Mrs. passed down the message, called Yi Grandfather and daughter will enter the mansion tomorrow to perform their skills." Cai Jiu was secretly happy when he heard this, and hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Brother Wang is here to run, and Yi Mou will follow orders." After Liu Taibao sent Wang's servant out of the inn, he hurried back to Cai Jiu's room and said to his father and daughter: "It turns out that the lame old man just now is Mr. Shen, the court inspector in the mansion. The servant Wang said: Madam asked Mr. Shen to invite Mrs. Cai." My sister. But Lord Shen refused to come, saying that he was ordered by Lord Yu to defend the whole mansion, how could he bring people who ran into the river and lake into the mansion. The wife had no choice but to order the king's servant to come to invite him. " Cai Jiu felt that Master Shen not only acted cautiously and with deep intentions, but also was extremely alert and dealt with it tactfully.He couldn't help but aroused doubts, and decided that Master Shen was by no means an ordinary person.He even had a faint feeling that Master Shen seemed to have known his details and intentions.If Geng Liuniang is indeed lurking in the Yufu, no matter whether Master Shen is Lord Yu's confidant or Geng Liuniang's party, it will be difficult to deal with, and it may even make him give up his previous efforts and end up in complete defeat. 蔡幺妹哪里会想到这些，只兴冲冲地和刘泰保在一旁商谈明日进府之事。她忽然发现她爹那忧心忡忡的神情，不禁怨怪地问道：“爹，眼看就要入虎穴去得虎子了，你为何还这般踌躇？” 蔡九苦笑了笑，带着忧伤充满怜爱地说：“你啊，你还不懂得做事！”