The sudden chirping of cicadas added a bit of irritability to the furnace-like weather.
Xu Mu, who was sitting in the village, drank a bowl of sour plum soup. After thinking about it, he replied a letter to Zhao Qingyun.
I'm so sick that I can't travel far.
It's a ridiculous reason, but it takes the face of both parties into consideration.
It's not that they never get along, but betrayal is a knife that breaks his fiery heart.
No matter how we make future decisions, the first and most important thing is to be wise and protect ourselves. The mess of the four major households is a bloody lesson.
After handing the letter to Chen Sheng, Xu Mu stretched and stood up slowly.
"Caiwei, how much money is left in the account?"
"Xu Lang, about six thousand taels." Jiang Caiwei, who was looking at the account, raised her head in a hurry.
Six thousand taels, after paying for the wine, you can still get another 10,000 taels. If this life is smooth and stable, it will be enough to be a happy man.
But in the troubled times, it is probably a bit confusing to be a happy man.
"Hey, little boss."
"My young master, please bring two jars of wine."
Ma Liu's cautious figure walked into Zhuangzi again.
Before Xu Mu could say anything, Chen Sheng, who was moving the wine jar, stopped.
"Liu'er, it's only been two days, how many times have you been here?"
"Don't I have something to do?" Ma Liu laughed playfully and walked closer.
He is a very ordinary person, a very ordinary official. The only difference is that he still has the word "filial piety" in his heart.
In May, the old man at home was sick with fever and had sores on his abdomen. He went to the official shop to borrow money, but it was nothing but bits and pieces. Only the little boss in front of him gave me twenty taels as a gift.
A thousand pieces of gold are easy to come by, but a bezoar is hard to find. After going to the drug store and picking a small corner, my father's illness gradually improved.
"My little boss, I'm going to be on duty at the official workshop today. I heard from Li Yu that the old owner of your village is planning to come back."
"Is the boss coming back?"
Xu Mu frowned. There was a vague possibility of this happening, but he only took it as a joke. He didn't expect that this round, it would actually come true.
The Zhuangzi purchased for three hundred taels only needs to be repaid four times, with one thousand two hundred taels, and the entire Xu family winery can be taken back by relying on the great discipline.
The notarization of the land deed has become a piece of waste paper.
In the Ji Dynasty at this time, unlike later generations, there was such a thing as property rights. Before the relocation period had expired, Xujiazhuang was only a renter.
Faintly, Xu Mu felt like he was being tricked.
After holding two jars of wine in his arms, Ma Liu had just reached the entrance of Zhuangzi when he suddenly turned around.
"My little boss, I can't live in Tangjiang City. If you have the skills, go out and make wine."
"Ma Chao, thank you."
"Little boss, my name is Ma Liu, not the mighty general you mentioned."
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Xu Mu rubbed his forehead and fell into deep thought.
There are six thousand taels in the account, which is indeed enough to buy another village and temporarily avoid the sharp influence of the four major households. But leaving Tangjiang City means that he will not be able to participate in the Yuetou Liquor Market in the future.
There are gains and losses.
Fortunately, Xujiazhuang has accumulated a lot of customers in the two wine markets.
Xu Mu's face darkened and he spoke slowly.
"Chen Sheng, go to the nearby Fengcheng Guanfang and inquire about the land deeds outside the city."
Even if they want to buy a new village, the official village in Tangjiang City is already hopeless.
About dusk.
Chen Sheng's fast horse hurried back from the east gate. The panic on his face shocked Xu Mu for no reason.
He originally thought that Chen Sheng would not be able to come back until at least the next day.
"Chen Sheng, what's wrong?"
"Boss, I went to Fengcheng, but there was a traffic jam halfway."
"The officials are blocking people?"
It was known a few days ago that dozens of officers and soldiers were killed, and now the number of officers and soldiers patrolling the inner city has increased several times.
But Chen Sheng had a dental license and a certificate of employment, so this should not be a problem.
Chen Shengning nodded and lowered his voice, "I paid two taels of silver and asked a small official to ask. Then, those heroes are going to start a rebellion!"
Xu Mu lowered his head, not surprised. Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there is oppression, there will be resistance.
The Epoch Times, which is rotten to the core, has no rebel uprising. This is a problem. It is said that in the past hundred years or so, there have been no less than a hundred civil uprisings, large and small.
"and after."
"Later, I heard that the officials had transferred two more camps to prepare for the killing."
Xu Mu cursed mother.
This is the case at the border, and it is also the case in the inner city. But if you want to survive, life is always so difficult.
"Master, which side are we on?" Chen Sheng lowered his voice.
"I'm not taking either side."
Officials and rebels, no matter which side they are on, one wrong move will lead to an abyss.
If he had a choice in life, why would he just want to be a miserable brewer? But whatever he did, his starting point was Zhuangzi's safety.
"Chen Sheng, go and say something and let everyone pack their things first."
"Boss, are we going to move?"
Xu Mu shook his head, "I don't know yet. But it's always right to prepare in advance."
Whether to leave or stay, it is destined to be a difficult road. After all, he has no intention of choosing the right place to live.
"Master, I looked at the sky and I'm afraid it's going to rain in the next two days."
…
Hit the mark.
Two days later, Tangjiang City finally received a heavy rain after a long drought. The falling rainwater began to soak the streets and alleys again.
The river is covered with a line of monuments.
The boatman stopped the ferry, crossed the boat, and ate wine. The boats that used to come and go, and the courtesans who competed with each other, all disappeared for a while.
Frozen dead fish floated on the river with their bellies turned inside out. Animals that fell into the water only struggled a few times before being completely submerged.
Chen Sheng, wearing a raincoat and pushing open the door, still looked panic-stricken.
"My boss, I asked about it."
"There was a traitor in the area where Xia'er was revolting. Three battalions of the officials hunted him down all night and killed many people. The corpses of those Xia'er were hung densely in several towers by the Jijiang River."
"There were still many people who were not dead, but they couldn't be defeated, so they all fled for a while."
Xu Mu's face was tense and he was about to say a few words.
Bang——
The door of the village was suddenly pushed open again.
Ma Liu, who was all wet and with a heavy face, stepped in all of a sudden. His first sentence was to borrow money.
"Dr. Xu, can you lend me fifty taels?"
Xu Mu was suddenly not used to it. In his impression, when Ma Liu talked to him, he was just trying to make fun of him.
But without thinking much, Xu Mu immediately took off his money bag and handed over several large ingots of silver without even establishing a written receipt.
"One hundred taels, if something happens to you, use it to eliminate the disaster."
Ma Liuhong took it with red eyes, suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Xu Mu three times, and then hurriedly turned back and walked out of Zhuangzi again.
"Is Liu'er really in trouble?"
"It should be."
During this period of time, Ma Liu's help to Xujiazhuang was immeasurable. One hundred taels is not even a price for conscience.
"Master, I'll go find out more."
"Go ahead."
…
It was raining at dusk. Chen Sheng walked back from outside again, his eyes already red.
"Ma Liu is in great trouble!"
"My boss, Ma Liuta, is also a chivalrous man, dormant in the city! Now he has been sold by a traitor! The one hundred taels from before were used to send my father, wife and children out of the city!"
Xu Mu's mind buzzed and he froze in place. In his mind, the humane and sophisticated city guard appeared in his mind, calling him his little boss, and then begging for a drink with a flattering smile.
"A large group of battalion soldiers, as well as officials from the official office, surrounded Liu'er's home! If he is caught, he may be taken to Caishikou and beheaded."
"Master, what should I do?"
"How many battalions?"
"Two thousand people."
Xu Mu closed his eyes, his chest felt extremely tight.
At this time, outside Zhuangzi, the sound of riding horses suddenly came.
"I would like to inform my little boss, follow the great discipline order! The land deed of the official farm has not yet expired! The old farm owner has returned, please Xu Dongjia, please give up the farm as soon as possible!"
"Shut up!" Xu Mu turned around and shouted angrily.
The little official on horseback who was announcing the announcement was suddenly startled and almost fell off his horse.