Chapter 12 Chapter 4 1

--one-- The spring breeze greens Kawahara, and it is the Ching Ming season again. An old apricot tree on the slope, once flourishing like a cloud of pale crimson, has now fallen in the spring breeze, and the flowers are flying all over the sky, and pieces of flying flowers hit the green mounds and a few weak willows at the bottom of the slope. young woman in blue.She knelt in front of the two new graves side by side, as pale and haggard as fallen flowers. Who can recognize this woman with dementia and dull expression as Meng Gu who was once praised as "Big Qiao"?It's been two years, to whom can Menggu tell her bitterness?

When her pregnancy could no longer be concealed, the little Taoist priest returned to secular life and married her.This aroused the anger of the elder brother, who scolded Menggu for being shameless and obscene, for ruining the family style, and threw her a hundred taels of silver like breaking a rag, telling her to get out.The mother talked about everything, so leaning against the back wall of her mother's house, she used the money to build a small courtyard and housed the young couple. Meng Gu was afraid of her husband.Afraid of his jealous and gloomy gaze, afraid of his vicious silence all day long, especially afraid of his endless desire and abuse of her, as if she is not even worse than a prostitute, just a thing, a piece of clothing.After she became pregnant, her husband stopped kicking her waist.Menggu understands that this is for the child in her womb, his offspring, not for her.Even the white-clothed Taoist finally decided to ask the little Taoist to return to vulgarity, isn't it for this reason?They wanted her to have a son, a descendant of the Zhu family.Menggu herself also hopes to have a son so that she can change her miserable situation.

Unfortunately she gave birth to daughters, lovely twins.All are disappointed!The little Taoist rushed into the delivery room, stared fiercely at Menggu who felt guilty and restless, approached step by step, stretched out his hand and grabbed Menggu's hair, so that her face was facing him, and then slowly, as if at a time As if accumulating strength one at a time, one slap on the left, one slap on the right, until the corner of Meng Gu's mouth was bleeding and Qiao Shi knelt on the ground begging.From then on, the little Taoist seemed to enjoy it and tortured Meng Gu almost every day.At such times, he always wanted Menggu to face him, and he wanted to carefully watch the pained expression on her face and listen to her miserable cries.There was a cruel smile on the corner of his mouth, as if admiring a beautiful picture.This little Taoist priest vented his grief over his family's downfall, his resentment at his own plummet, his despair at restoring his ancestral property, and his hatred for the people of the new dynasty all on Menggu.

Menggu had nowhere to complain, and often cried to her mother with her blue and red wounds all over her body.Mother can only cry with her, never dare to complain.From time to time, she quietly comforted her daughter and said: As long as the work is done, Menggu will be the princess!Only by enduring bitterness can one become a master! Fate still thought that Menggu had not suffered enough, so he prepared even greater torture for her. Half a year ago, the white-clothed Taoist contacted a group of people to the south, saying that he wanted to attack the county town on the Double Ninth Festival, and if he failed, he would pull up the flag and go up the mountain.The little Taoist even smiled when he saw the bustle and success.Unexpectedly, someone from the south made the first report, and the matter was brought to light.The little Taoist was so frightened that tears streamed down his face, he was trembling all over, his face was whiter than paper, and his clothes were drenched in cold sweat.The Taoist in white saw that he was too outrageous, so he knelt down in front of him, begging him to show some nobility to face the crisis.However, the old servant Chuyi met a group of soldiers outside the village, and when he came back to report, they all felt that they were surrounded and there was no way out.The little Taoist was so frightened that he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, and finally managed to say a word: "Women... all die for me!" In this way, the three of them can escape with ease, so that their families will not be killed. The prisoner was humiliated, and his life was wiped out ever since.

The little Taoist wanted to imitate Emperor Chongzhen and kill his daughter with his own hands, but he didn't have the courage of Emperor Chongzhen.He ordered Chu Yi's old servant to take away the two children, then turned around and forced the Qiao family's mother and daughter and Yuan Daogu's master and apprentice to hang themselves.The women cried and cried, and died if they refused, and the white-clothed Taoist drew his sword like crazy to threaten them.In a critical situation, Qiao Bainian called his mother and Gu Rong to go home for dinner outside the hospital, and accidentally stopped the imminent murder of the Taoist in white.The Taoist in white didn't relax, he restrained Rong Gu, and only let Mrs. Qiao go out to deal with Qiao Bainian.When Qiao came back again, she burst into tears and laughed. It turned out that the Tartar cavalry outside the village were the prince's guards, and they patrolled nearby to protect the prince from traveling far away.One day when the dark clouds cleared, the Taoist in white breathed a sigh of relief, but the little Taoist collapsed to the ground.Afterwards they found out that the people who contacted them in the south had fled, and the two leaders who knew their true feelings, one committed suicide by throwing himself off a cliff, and the other was shot to death by officers and soldiers, they escaped the calamity safely.

At that time, Menggu's first thing was to rush out to save her daughter, but Chu Yi's old servant reported that they had been thrown into the mountains.Menggu climbed up to the top of the mountain recklessly, but all she saw was a broken wooden box... From then on, she lost her only comfort and joy, became dull, and never laughed again. Tomb-sweeping Day, she built a grave for her two daughters next to Qiao's ancestral grave, buried their little clothes, hats, and shoes, burned paper for them, and paid homage to them, as if their little bodies were really lying in the tomb. like.She prayed silently, wishing her beloved child to sleep in a dream every day, comforting her suffering heart... A breeze, the wicker brushed over her head, she looked up: willow tree!

This willow! ...The willow tree was planted that year when Brother Tongchun came back from the capital for the first time. At that time, he asked Menggu in a low voice: "Tell me, why did I plant the willow tree on your graveyard?" How could Menggu? Don't understand?His surname is Liu!He wants to depend on her life and death!At that time, Menggu was so happy and ashamed that she couldn't even raise her head... All this was so far away, it seemed to have happened decades ago before Menggu was born, and it seemed to happen to someone else... Menggu The aunt supported the weak willow and stared at the white clouds in the sky, as if she saw Tong Chun's faint face in the clouds.She sighed deeply, and murmured, "Brother Tongchun, where are you? Will I still see you in this life?..." Two lines of tears flowed down my face.

"Eldest sister, ask me something!" A soft and soft female voice sounded behind Menggu, she was slightly startled, and hurriedly turned around.Not far from her, a smiling, good-looking young woman was dressed in luggage and carried a bundle, her handkerchief pulled down so low that her eyes were almost covered.There were two women standing on the side of the road a little further away, their heads were so low that they couldn't see their faces and ages clearly, and they were also waiting for her answer. "Is there a Taoist in white on your Zhuangzi?" Menggu was startled, and looked at the people in front of her again: blue cloth robes, yellow and white cocoon silk skirts, and a green belt around the waist, all dressed in unremarkable clothes.Their earnest expressions, gentle smiles and low tones of asking for help eased Menggu's doubts.She asked: "What can I do with an old Taoist?" The woman became more modest: "It has been spread all over a hundred li, saying that he has excellent medical skills, and we sincerely came to seek the immortal prescription." Menggu was relieved, and she wore a beautiful ring: " It's there, practicing medicine every afternoon." The woman bowed her head and thanked her, but she didn't leave, and asked in a low voice: "The Taoist priest in white has an apprentice named Yueming, is he here too?" Menggu bit her lip, her heart ached. Pounding.Yueming, this is her husband's Taoist name.She was flustered and didn't know what to say: "This... I don't know..." The three women quickly walked towards Huanxiu Temple.Meng Gu stared blankly at their backs for a moment, sighed, and began to pack the offerings slowly.She lingered, really didn't want to go home.I don't know when her husband will have an attack again.She shuddered at the thought of his wry smile.

The road was quiet, only Meng Gu walked alone.Since the land reclamation decree was issued to Yongping Prefecture, the landless civilians in Malan Village are very happy.Some of them borrowed cattle and seeds from the county according to the regulations and went to the mountains to open up wasteland, and some simply left Yongping with their families and returned to Henan and Shandong to cultivate fields.The imperial decree on wasteland reclamation stipulates that no tax will be levied on newly opened land for six years, which can save many poor people.Now that spring plowing is busy, it is difficult to hear human voices in the village in broad daylight, only dogs barking and chickens crowing, east and west.

Meng Gu walked past her elder brother's door, and met her elder brother who was pacing and chanting in the yard holding a scroll.When he saw Meng Gu, he paused for a moment, and Meng Gu hurriedly bowed to pay his respects, and when he raised his head again, Qiao Bainian had already turned around, facing her with his back.He has been like this since Menggu got married, and Menggu has long been used to it so that she doesn't feel any humiliation.She lowered her head and slowly turned around the fence, and stepped into her yard, as if she had contracted a cold and fever, and shivered from the bottom of her heart.

The little Taoist priest sat cross-legged at the kang table and practiced calligraphy, which was repeatedly asked by the Taoist priest in white to persevere.When Menggu entered the room, he didn't even blink his eyes, but after writing a few more words, he yelled, "Pour tea!" Menggu was afraid.She tremblingly held the teacup and approached step by step. When she looked up and saw his malicious smirk, she took a step back unconsciously. The little Taoist slapped the table and stood up, Meng Gu trembled all over. "Bang bang bang", the gate of the courtyard was knocked loudly, and the voice of the Taoist priest in white was calling the door.Menggu put down the teacup and ran out as if she was being forgiven, the little Taoist also stood up, brushed off his robe, and stood still in front of the door. As soon as the door opened, a group of wailing women rushed into the courtyard, rushed forward, and knelt around the little Taoist priest.Behind them, followed by a gloomy Taoist in white, and finally Qiao Shi who was wiping tears and Aunt Yuan who was full of thoughts.Qiao turned around and locked the door. When she saw her daughter standing by the door, she hugged her and started crying. Meng Gu was startled and frightened.She recognized them as the three women who asked for directions just now, and they all took off their headscarves at this time, and they were all young and beautiful; Aunt Yuan's two apprentices didn't wear hair crowns, and they were all dressed as lay girls, although they were not as good as those three Beautiful, but at the age of 17 or 18, she has a bright complexion and a light body, which is also very attractive. How is this going?Meng Gu peeked at her husband, only to see that the last bit of embarrassment had disappeared from his lips, replaced by a sneer of indifference.He stood firmly and said, "Why are you all running here? What's the big deal?" With a "wow", the woman who asked the way burst into tears, and the rest followed suit, choking with sobs, endlessly No limit. The little Taoist's face sank, and he shouted: "Don't cry!I am not dead! "The women were all stunned, and the crying stopped abruptly. It took a long time before it turned into soft sobbing, coughing, and blowing their noses. The woman who asked for directions finally said in a sad tone: "It has been three years since the Lord left.In ancient times, there was a Meng Jiangnv who was looking for her husband thousands of miles away. Didn't the little girl have such ambition?After going through untold hardships to come to Yongping, when I met them on the road, I only said that I was looking for an old way to seek immortality, but who knows that they are also yours..." She covered her face and cried again. "My lord! My lord!" A little nun yelled anxiously: "You have already sealed our sisters! You never said that there are other women..." Qiao raised her voice with a serious face: "Nonsense My daughter is marrying a matchmaker, who among you dares to take her position!" All of a sudden, the women quarreled, some claiming that they had matchmaking evidence, and others confirming the "Lord's" personal promise. They argue that the one who has lived together the longest is the main room... There is a lot of noise and spittle flying around, and they are about to fight.Meng Gu leaned against the door without saying a word, weeping quietly.The little Taoist squinted at them making noise, as if he was very comfortable. "Stop yelling!" The Taoist in white yelled, "You're looking for death!" The women stopped talking for a moment, thought about it, and hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.The Taoist in white walked up to the little Taoist priest solemnly, gave a deep bow, and said solemnly: "The Taoist met the Lord in the grass and marshes. For many years, he worked hard and devoted himself to the Lord. He just wanted to help the Lord to restore the ancestral business. Back then, Hongguang, When Longwu was in trouble, he was either dissolute and shameless, indulging in sex, or he was cowardly and ineffective, which ruined the revival of Jiashen and Yiyou several times. The Lord will have to suffer from hardships and learn from ten years of life. Re-opening the world and opening up new rivers and mountains. Now I have not seen any achievements, but I am lingering on female sex. I do it again and again, and I don’t care about the great cause. The so-called success is not enough, and the failure is more than failure. The Taoist can’t bear it anymore, so I will resign! "The white-clothed Taoist cupped his hands, and the little Taoist panicked. With a smile all over his face, he stopped the old Taoist who was about to leave and said, "It's my fault! It's because I'm young and self-willed, and I don't think well..." "You are young, and now you are occupying you." The person on the throne is younger!" The Taoist in white said coldly: "Now he rewards land reclamation, severely punishes corruption, cleans up prisons, and the hearts of the world are all won by him. How much hope is there for the revival?" "Sir, calm down, sir. Calm down!" The little Taoist continued with a smile: "This dynasty has been benevolent and generous for three hundred years. Don't all the people miss it? It's normal for people to think. Even though that man is smart and promising, he is just the king of barbarians, and he can't be the lord of China. Ninety-nine out of 100 Han people in the world, how can he tolerate him? Sir, correct me, I know I was wrong. Firstly, there are three unfilial acts, and having no offspring is the greatest. These people have no more than one and a half males, and I am anxious; "There is a theory in "The Son of Heaven has three palaces, six courtyards, seventy-two concubines and eighty-one concubines..." "Now you are in the grass, and your life is always in danger, so how can you use the number of concubines in the palace as the law?" "Yes, yes Yes, I know I was wrong!..." The little Taoist repeatedly admitted his mistake with a smile. Both of them are very serious, and they are both a little familiar. This scene has been played out more than once.Both of them knew in their hearts that they were two grasshoppers tied by a thread, and neither could do without the other.The little Taoist needs the old Taoist to help him restore the lost paradise, and the old Taoist must be called by the little Taoist priest to achieve great things.Therefore, when conflicts intensify, there is always one party who backs down and maintains their alliance.But the women were dumbfounded. They were vying to be the princess, but they didn't expect the "seventy-two concubines of the Sangong and Six Courtyards"!Who is this object they are fighting for?With even greater awe, they knelt there and did not dare to move.When the little Taoist priest suddenly taunted them as "old hens that can't lay eggs" to the old Taoist, they blushed with shame and shed tears in guilt. The white-clothed Taoist's complexion turned pale: "I hope the lord will always remember..." "Wait a minute!" a rough voice yelled, and suddenly a person jumped down from the back wall.People were taken aback.The little Taoist rushed back into the house, the women screamed, the old Taoist "swish" and pulled out the short knife from his waist, with a flash of cold light, it stabbed straight at the chest of the passerby.Qiao and Menggu screamed at the same time, but the old Taoist shouted in dismay: "Ah!..." It turned out that the visitor turned his body slightly to avoid the tip of the white-clothed Taoist's knife, and his movements were as fast as a gallop. He grabbed the old man's knife-holding wrist and twisted it back, took off the weapon, and put it on the opponent's neck.This is Qiao Bo Nian.He didn't change color, didn't pant, he stood there like an iron tower, his sharp eyes on his black and red face made people tremble, and he shouted in a low voice: "Say! Who are you?" Qiao quickly dissuaded: "Son, Don't be reckless..." "Mother!" Qiao Bainian turned to his mother: "This Taoist is talking about selling people, and doing business for selling people, we can't be sloppy!" The Taoist in white stood up and looked at the shiny The dagger showed no fear, and sneered: "Yes, it's a matter of selling heads! You can sue the government, your mother and sister can't run away, and punish your nine clans!" Qiao Bainian laughed: "Sue the government? Am I so stupid? Just killing you master and apprentice is called destroying corpses and eradicating traces! In the past twenty years, dead people have died, and there are not many of you!" The old man couldn't help but shudder.Mrs. Qiao pulled Menggu down to her knees: "Son, for your mother's sake, for your sister's sake..." "Hahahaha!..." The Taoist in white suddenly raised his head and laughed, and the laughter dragged on for a long time Although it seemed reluctant, it contained an indescribable grief and indignation. Qiao Bainian asked in surprise, "What are you laughing at?" "I laughed at me as a Taoist who was so smart all his life that he treated dung as pearls! I only know that the son of a former court tribute student, who read the books of sages and sages since he was a child, must be an indomitable and righteous man. Yi, short-sighted, unbearable to talk about! Come on! You kill me, and I am a Taoist blind!" After finishing speaking, the old Taoist straightened his neck and slammed into the blade.Qiao Bainian withdrew his dagger sharply, stared at the old Taoist with glowing eyes, and said coldly, "It's never too late to die if you speak clearly." With messy hair, he spoke calmly: "I remember that it was fourteen years ago, on March 18th, the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the eunuch Cao Huachun, the dog traitor, opened the Zhangyi Gate, and Li Chuangliu thieves poured in. I Emperor Lie boarded Meishan, looked at the beacon fires all over the city, and sighed: "My people's ears are suffering!" The old Taoist's calm face gradually turned red, his steady voice gradually trembled, and became more and more excited: "Afterwards, I, Emperor Lie, will return to Qianqing Palace. , ordered to send the crown prince, Yongwang, and Dingwang to the mansions of Qichen Zhou Kui and Tian Hongyu; he also struck the eldest princess with a sword, and ordered the queen to commit suicide; the next day it was not clear, so she climbed Meishan Mountain again, and hanged herself under the ancient locust tree with silk... …" Speaking of which, the white-clothed Taoist didn't make a sound.Qiao Bainian gritted his teeth and actually shed tears. The old Taoist glanced at Qiao Bainian very quickly, swallowed his tears and continued: "Afterwards, the crown prince was led by Zhou Kui and died in the Manchu court, and King Yong was also killed in the rebellion..." Sobbing up to this point, it seemed as if he had a sudden burst of confidence. Zhuang, he said clearly and word for word: "Only His Highness the Third Highness has survived to this day." "What?" Qiao Bainian was startled and almost jumped up. "The third prince is the father's son, isn't he more distinguished than Yongli, Longwu, and Hongguang?..." "He, the third prince, where is he now?" Qiao Bainian murmured, excited trembling. The Taoist in white took a deep look at Qiao Bainian: "He met an old court official, and the two pretended to be a Taoist teacher and apprentice. In recent years, he married into the family of a scholar named Qiao. The scholar's mother understands righteousness. On the contrary..." He stared at Qiao Bainian and stopped talking. Qiao Bainian jumped up: "You, you mean my brother-in-law, he?..." The old man nodded slowly, stroking his beard, trying to hide his triumphant expression. "Bring the evidence!" The Taoist in white was calm, solemnly took out a small bag from his arms, put it on the ground, knelt down and kowtowed to it three times, and then unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing the three treasures inside: a Nine Dragon Jade Pendant, which was the third prince's childhood gold bag. The inlay on the lock; a Duanben palace seal, which is the golden treasure of the palace where the third prince lives; a poem written by Emperor Chongzhen, which expresses the gift of kindness to the third son. Qiao Bainian's face was pale, facing the undoubted Triple Treasure, he fell to his knees and cried loudly.The women around came back to their senses at this moment, and knelt down together, weeping bitterly, although they were all so loud and teary, but whether sorrow is joy, shame or shock, only each of them knows. Qiao Bainian wiped his tears and wept, arched his hands to the Taoist in white, and made a generous statement: "I, Qiao Bainian, have been studying since I was a child, and I don't know how to be polite, righteous and shameless! The Tartars entered the pass and went south, destroying my country, destroying my family, and defeating my country." My Ji Gang, my ancestors, the so-called wives can be killed, and the hatred of the king and the father cannot be swearing! Confucius wrote "Spring and Autumn", the key point is to strictly guard against barbarians and Xia. How can the clothes of the Han people sink forever? I have vowed a long time ago : Don’t lower your will, don’t humiliate your body, don’t destroy Hu Fen, and die forever!” The white-clothed Taoist beamed with joy and gave a thumbs-up: “Okay! You are a hero! ... Then, you were just now..." Qiao Bainian ho ho He smiled and said: "This is called not worshiping the true Buddha! Besides, I have long suspected that you are not an ordinary Taoist. I just took this opportunity to find out the truth and try your courage! You didn't see it, I took it." The back of the knife is facing your neck!" The Taoist in white smiled and said, "I still can't see it? That's why I dare to tell the truth!" The two looked at each other for a moment, then laughed together.Qiao Bainian threw the short knife to the ground, and the edge of the knife "brushed" into the soil until it touched the guard.The Taoist in white was startled at first, and then cheered again and again: "Good strength! Good skill!" Qiao Bainian took out a small red satin bag from his lapel, and quickly opened it, revealing a two-inch square tiger-new silver seal , Turned out the seal, and said to the old Taoist: "Look!" After reading it, the old Taoist smiled slightly, and also took out a small yellow satin bag from his arms, took a silver seal of the same shape, and turned out the seal.The two seals are side by side, one is engraved with "Qiao Yin, Chief Military Officer of the Yongli Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty", and the other is engraved with "Zhu Seal of the Chief Military Officer of the Yongli Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty".The two laughed at each other and put away the cherry blossoms. Qiao Bainian cupped his hands and said to the old man, "Sir, you must be from the clan?" "Exactly. My ancestor is Xian Ninghou." Know the imperial court?" The Taoist in white suddenly changed his face, his eyebrows were frowned, and his eyes were gloomy: "Brother Zun must have remembered the case of the fake prince in the Hongguang Dynasty... The prince was probably true, but he was sent to prison by Emperor Hongguang. The southern capital was captured, and the crown prince was poisoned... A lesson from the past! Besides, the momentum of the people here is far less than that of the King of Gui in the Southwest, and it will take time to rectify the name. However, there are three crown princes here, so why worry about the great career!" Yes , the third prince Zhu is the commander-in-chief, it is a call, he can recruit soldiers, he can recruit surrender and rebellion, he can bring over the people of Yongli Guiwang and Zheng Chenggong!The name is right, this is an irresistible colossal force!It is Qiao Bainian who assists the Third Prince Zhu, who will become the uncle of the emperor and the founding Yuan Rong in the future, isn't it more justifiable than allegiance to the Yongli Dynasty? Holding the seal of the Yongli Dynasty, using the money and food of the Yongli Dynasty, but secretly managing the great business of the third prince, this is obviously an unrighteous act of stealing from the outside, but because of Zhu Cizhao's "righteous name", it has become a righteous act of a good minister and a wise man! "Mingzheng" can really reverse right and wrong, and confuse black and white! Qiao Bainian straightened his clothes immediately, and led everyone into the house to kowtow to the third prince.There is no trace of the little Taoist priest in the house!Everyone panicked, you looked at me, I looked at you, several women were about to cry again, when they suddenly heard a slight "click" sound, and saw the cover of the lying cabinet by the wall trembling unceasingly.The Taoist in white sighed, and went up to lift the lid of the cabinet. The third prince Zhu screamed "Wow", he was curled up in a ball, shaking in the cabinet.Seeing that he is a veteran, he is finally relieved.Several people helped him out of the closet, and he gradually returned to normal. Qiao Bainian didn't dare to hesitate, he immediately walked up to the little Taoist priest and kowtowed, and said: "I didn't know the truth in the past, and I offended you so much, I beg His Highness the Third Prince to forgive me." After lingering fear, he hurriedly lifted up and said, "Uh, uh, please get up, please get up." Qiao Bainian walked up to Meng Gu, and knelt down straight: "My lord, please forgive me for being rude. I read poems in vain. Books have knowledge in vain, but they are not as good as the eyes of mother and virtuous sister, who can recognize real dragons in the wind and dust!" Qiao smiled from ear to ear.Menggu's sour and bitter heart added a little sweetness. Qiao Bainian also said: "The place is narrow and simple, I really wronged you all. I want to build three suites in the backyard, the middle, the east and the west, for the ladies to live in from tomorrow. The middle house?" The women were overjoyed, and the little Taoist was also very grateful, and Menggu's status was inadvertently established.The old Taoist stared intently at Qiao Bainian who distributed housing, utensils, money and food, slowly stroked his long beard, and nodded silently: This is really a talent, and he may become a strong enemy... You must plan carefully and pay attention to win over, even if you can't be honest, It is also necessary to help each other in order to overcome many difficulties... Daoist Yuan has not opened her mouth, and at this moment she suddenly said: "In the future, I will live at home, and these gifts will be avoided! If the flaw is revealed, everyone will die!" The old Taoist nodded again and again: "That's right, it's good to call them by relatives and friends." Qiao Bainian smiled and said, "That's right. Mother, you accompany the female relatives into the house to rest, drink tea and talk. Daoist priest and brother-in-law, please come to my study. "Three ordinary peasants, who were also the first prince and two general soldiers of the former Ming Dynasty, walked out of Menggu's small courtyard with mutual humility, walked around the wall, and entered the two gates newly built by Qiao Bainian in recent days. I went to a brick and tile house with two courtyards.