Twenty miles to the west of the capital, an old woman, her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter run a small tea stall. Usually the escorts will stop and drink a bowl of herbal tea when they pass by here.
Children from poor families have long been in charge of the family. Although the granddaughter Achun is only six years old, she is very diligent. She is either helping her mother cook pots or helping her grandma pour tea for the guests.
The escorts in the past all praised the child for being sensible.
However, since the last time she was informed by the government officials to flee, the little girl's personality seemed to have changed, and she often looked in the direction of the capital in a daze.
A tea-drinking merchant finished his tea, knocked on the table and saw that no one came to pour tea, so he looked around.
The old woman was washing the pots, the daughter-in-law was holding firewood in the firewood pile, and only the little girl was sitting at an empty table, looking in the direction of the capital in a daze.
The merchant knocked on the table again and found that the little girl hadn't recovered yet, so he shouted: "Little Achun, please add some water!"
"Oh, it's coming, it's coming!"
The little girl finally regained her composure and hurriedly carried a kettle that was almost half as tall as her to go over and refill the merchant's water.
"Little Achun, are you waiting for the National Preceptor again?"
Xing Shang smiled and joked: "I advise you not to wait any longer. The Imperial Master is so busy, I'm afraid he has long forgotten who you are."
Perhaps in order to frighten Xiao Xiao, since Jin Feng passed by here, the old woman told everyone that her family knew Jin Feng. She also said that Jin Feng was particularly fond of her granddaughter and accepted the wolf fang that her granddaughter had worn since she was a child as a gift.
For the sake of disciples.
How could the dignified Imperial Master, the head of the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau and the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce accept a little girl from a roadside teahouse as his apprentice?
The merchants naturally didn't believe it and often teased the little girl about it.
"The escort brothers passing by said that Brother God of War always sticks to his word. He said he would come to pick up my mother and me. If grandma goes to Jinchuan, she will definitely come!"
The little girl answered stubbornly.
"Then why haven't you come yet?" Xingshang asked with a smile.
"Because Brother God of War is busy fighting bad guys in the capital. When he is done, he will definitely come!"
The little girl said firmly.
The merchant was about to speak again, but found that his companions were all looking behind him.
The merchant turned around and saw two war horses appearing at the end of the official road, galloping towards the tea stall.
A businessman with good eyesight set up an arbor and squinted his eyes: "The red horse in black is from the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau!"
"Mom, grandma, the brother from the escort agency is here. This pot of water is getting cold. Please boil another pot!"
When she heard that the escort was coming, the little girl quickly turned around and shouted towards the kitchen.
"I know, I know!"
The old woman smiled and added two more ladles of water to the pot.
The little girl didn't care about refilling the water for the merchants. She pulled her sleeves and wiped the table and bench next to her again and again.
Although the merchants did not believe that Jin Feng wanted to take the little girl as his apprentice, they all knew that the escort often drank tea at the tea stall and once helped the little girl's family teach a lesson to the gangsters.
Therefore, the little girl treats the escorts differently, and the businessmen take it for granted.
Those who hate Jin Feng are the powerful and big businessmen, while the small businessmen at the bottom are grateful to Jin Feng and the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.
In the past, bandits often robbed the road from the capital to Guanzhong, and most of the money earned by small businessmen was extorted by the bandits.
Since the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau started taking this route, bandits have almost disappeared from the west of the capital to Fengxiang County. The merchants have not only saved tolls, but their personal safety has also been greatly improved.
The most important thing is that Jin Feng's new policy mainly targeted the powerful and big businessmen, and did not make things difficult for small businessmen like them. Instead, he persuaded the emperor to cancel his "merchant status" so that they would no longer be inferior to others.
Encountering the escorts from the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau on the road, the small traders felt more secure than meeting the officers, soldiers and government servants.
Nowadays, every time the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce goes out to deliver goods, small traders continue to join the team and follow them.
Therefore, the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce's transport team often only has a few dozen people when it leaves Xihewan, but when it arrives in the capital, it can form a huge caravan of more than a thousand people.
The war horse was very fast. Before the water in the old woman's pot boiled, the war horse stopped outside the tea shed.
"Brother Escort, please come down and sit down first. The water in the pot will boil soon!"
The little girl raised her head and greeted the escort enthusiastically.
But the escort did not dismount, but lowered his head and asked: "Little girl, is your name Achun?"
"How does brother know my name?" Ah Chun asked happily: "Have I poured you tea before?"
"My husband told me," the escort on the horse said with a smile: "My husband also asked me to ask you that he is going back to Jinchuan and asked you if you would like to go to Jinchuan to study with him!"
"Yes! I am willing!" The little girl's eyes suddenly lit up and she nodded quickly: "I'm waiting for Brother God of War every day!"
"Sir, you will be here in another hour," the escort said. "Sir, you asked me to come and tell you in advance. If you are willing to go to Jinchuan with him, you can pack up quickly and follow the master directly."
"My things have been packed a long time ago!"
The little girl ran into the house, came out with a small bundle, and then shouted to the back: "Mom, grandma, go pack your things quickly, Brother God of War is going to take us to Jinchuan!"
As she shouted, the little girl couldn't help but shed tears.
Ever since Jin Feng said he would take her to Jinchuan, she had been waiting for this day.
The old woman and daughter-in-law were also overjoyed. They put down their work and ran into the house to pack their things.
Seeing this, the merchants drank the tea in their bowls one after another. They did not ask the little girl to take the bowl away, but brought the tea bowl to the pot table themselves.
It would be good for the three of them to have enough to eat in troubled times. There was nothing worth packing. So they stuffed the two old clothes and a small bag of coarse grains into a tattered quilt, rolled it up with a straw mat, and went out.
Bring the pot for boiling water, the teapot and tea bowls for entertaining guests, and the family can set off.
After packing up, my mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law came to wait under the shed.
The merchants finished their tea but did not leave. Instead, they stayed to see the legendary national master Mr. Jin.
"Mother-in-law, congratulations, your life will be better when you arrive in Jinchuan!"
It was okay to be idle, and the merchants did not dare to disturb the escort, so they chatted with their mother-in-law.
"I have told you a long time ago that Mr. Jin is very familiar with my Ah Chun, but you still don't believe it!"
The old woman smiled and said, "Do you believe it now?"
In fact, until now, the old lady still feels like she is dreaming.
She said to others that Jin Feng knew the little girl, but it was just to put a spotlight on his face. In her heart, she also felt that Jin Feng had forgotten Achun.
Who knows that Jin Feng really still remembers them.
The little girl had no intention of listening to the adults chatting. She climbed on the table and stood on tiptoes to look east, hoping to see Jin Feng earlier.
After waiting for more than half an hour, a small black dot swaying from side to side appeared faintly at the end of my vision.
"Brother escort, what is that?"
The little girl asked, pointing to the little black dot.
"Oh, that's the hot air balloon Mr. made."
The escort looked back and replied: "Sir, he is under the hot air balloon!"
When the little girl heard this, she quickly jumped off the table, carried her little baggage, and ran towards the little black dot.