As time goes by, it has entered the tenth month of the lunar calendar, when late autumn and early winter change. Frosty snow covers the endless wilderness. The dark land is dotted with a few dots of yellow and a patch of black, with a few touches of white.
, the black is soil, the yellow is dead grass, and the white is frost. If you look up, in the cold and quiet north wind, there are a few flowers blooming that are not afraid of early winter. The white ones are red, but the apricot flowers are blooming.
.
Early in the morning, in front of Yongding Gate.
Huang Laoer's wonton stall is open as usual every day, with steam rising from the big pot. The third waiter is wrapped in a big coat, breathing white steam from his mouth, rubbing his hands and greeting customers.
The New Year is approaching, and more people are returning to Peiping, and more people are leaving Peiping. There are more people on the street visible to the naked eye. San'er is sharp-tongued, and after a while, several diners are called in, and as usual every day
The old owner came here, and the small stall with only a few tables was almost full.
When there are more people, quarrels and other things will start. It is inevitable to discuss some things that everyone is talking about. If we want to rank these "things that are talking about", then the "church case" that just passed by will definitely rank first.
First.
"From the time I hit the old lady to today, I can count on my fingers how many years have passed. We have been suffering from anger for a long time. After paying for this and that, this time I finally let out my anger, which is very satisfying.
!”
An old man in long robes and mandarin jacket, with pigtails hanging down, stroking his beard, raised his head and said: "Seventy-five years."
"Mr. Zhao, it's all about your kungfu. Otherwise, you can say that you have read a book. I don't have this kind of kung fu, and I can't even count it on my fingers."
The old man glanced at me and said, "I was born that year, how could you not know?"
"As the old saying goes, one life, two wealth, three years of prosperity. According to the old rules, Mr. Zhao's 80th birthday is coming soon, so the little ones will pay their respects first."
Mr. Zhao waved his hand and spat: "If you are dissatisfied with your longevity, I will go to longevity. I am afraid that the Lord of Hell will not know that I still want to live a few more years."
"Hahaha"
This remark caused a burst of laughter.
"Hey! Mr. He is here, please come inside." The waiter San'er shouted enthusiastically.
Yesterday Qian Xuan told He Qi that he had found a good place to open a chess hall, just outside Xuanwu Gate. Today he would come and have a look at the place. If it was suitable, he would place a deposit. The two of them made an appointment to come here early in the morning.
Unexpectedly, when they were almost there, Qian Xuan hurried back again. It turned out that he was in a hurry and didn't bring any money with him.
He Qi took a look and saw that they were outside Xuanwu Gate, not far from Yongding Gate. He happened to have not eaten breakfast yet, so he made an appointment with Qian Xuan to meet at Huang Laoer's wonton stall and go there after breakfast.
He Qi was very familiar with Huang Laoer's wonton stall. The first time he ate wontons, he was abducted by Zhang Mao'er. He came here several times after that. Unfortunately, Zhang Mao'er saw what happened and had to wait a long time.
He disappeared. Unexpectedly, because of the church case, he accidentally fell into the hands of Ju Chang. He was shot in public in Caishikou a few days ago.
After going back and forth, He Qi became acquainted with the old owner of the wonton stall, and they chatted with each other whenever they had something to do. Everyone saw that He Qi was approachable and not too particular, so they all liked to chat.
There were a lot of people in the stall today. He Qi arrived late and there was no place to sit. Someone immediately gave up his seat and said: "Mr. He, come and sit here."
The wontons in front of the man's table were only half eaten. He Qi was embarrassed and refused, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a bench hidden under the tarpaulin. He went to move it out and prepared to sit down and wait for the man to leave.
"Sir, you can't sit on this bench." Huang Laoer called out urgently, then put down the rolling pin in his hand, patted the flour on his hand, and came to take away the bench.
"Ah?" He Qi was stunned.
"Unlucky!" Huang Laoer was mysterious. He pulled out a rag, wrapped it around the bench, threw it on the original tarpaulin, and ordered to San'er: "Tear it down later when it's empty."
It, burns the fire."
"Alas!" San'er said.
Not only did He Qi not understand why a good-looking bench had to be dismantled to light the fire, but many diners eating wontons also looked confused. At this time, someone said: "The bench where the short-lived ghost sits, Huang Laoer is right, it is unlucky."
"
"What's going on?"
"What a short-lived ghost?"
"Oh, that's Zhang Mao'er."
"The one who was just beheaded a few days ago."
After saying this, He Qi understood, what do you think it was? He brought the bench again, sat on it, crossed his legs, and joked: "That guy Zhang Mao'er kidnapped me, I'm now
Okay, but his head was killed, which shows that I defeated him. This bench is good. It would be a pity to tear it down. If I sit on it, it will be fine."
Mr. Zhao made some time and answered: "You are silent and have strange strength and confusion. Mr. He doesn't mind it. Bring the bench to my place to find a seat."
"Alas!" He Qi replied, taking the bench and sitting next to Mr. Zhao.
San'er put a bowl of steaming wontons on the table, with a few green onions floating in the soup. He Qi poured some chili pepper into it, stirred it up with bamboo chops, and everything was done.
While He Qi was eating wontons, someone asked: "Mr. He, is it okay to ask you something?"
"Tell me, what's going on?" He Qi was chewing wontons while looking at the man. He was slender, wearing a broken felt hat, a yellowed towel on his shoulders, and a thin sheet on his upper body.
He was wearing a shirt, with a thick layer of calluses on the tiger's mouth, and the trouser legs underneath were tightly tucked in. He wore a pair of torn straw sandals on his feet. He opened his mouth and smiled, revealing a pair of yellowed teeth. At a glance, he knew that he was pulling a cart.
"I just drove my car past the door and saw a lot of people gathered around it. There was a notice from the police department posted on it, saying that the police department was offering a reward for catching human traffickers. Is this true?"
After saying this, after a brief silence at the wonton stall, it suddenly seemed like dumplings had been thrown out of the pot, and everyone started talking.
"When did it happen?"
"Just now."
"How much is the reward?"
"Ten yuan per person."
"."
An ordinary family can live on two oceans a month, and ten oceans can cover the expenses of five families for a month. It is really attractive. Everyone's eyes can't help but focus on He Qi. It is nothing more than He Qi's current reputation.
Big, unlike ordinary people, he knows some inside information that ordinary people don't know.
"I really don't know about this." He Qi said truthfully.
"Mr. He, I also have a question here." Mr. Zhao suddenly said.
"Please tell me," He Qi said.
"In the church case, twelve Faguo people and 23 Chinese children died. The Dongyi people paid a total compensation of 1.5 million yuan. The newspaper only said this. Does Mr. He know the specific compensation we paid?" Mr. Zhao asked.
"I know about this. We were compensated 500,000 yuan, but I don't know whether we paid it specifically." He Qi said.
"50w is quite a lot!"
"I can't calculate how much a family can share."
"That being said, do you really want to get compensation? Just have your sweet dreams. We ordinary people shouldn't think about taking money out of their hands."
"When a rat comes out from their place, it will lose two ounces of meat. If you want to take money from them, you will spend the rest of your life."
"Ahem~" Mr. Zhao coughed lightly and looked at He Qi and said: "You have many connections. Go back and ask someone to ask. If the 500,000 compensation is paid, then the reward mentioned in the notice of the security department will most likely be the reward."
Really. Human traffickers are so hateful.
, It should be caught, it should be caught, this is not the way to catch it. Officials have to do face-saving work and show kindness. Everyone below is eagerly looking forward to it. If they really get the bounty, their lives will be more comfortable. You
Just think of it as asking for them."
"Okay, I'll ask later." He Qi immediately figured out the key and agreed. Just as he was about to take a bite of wontons, he saw everyone looking at them. Knowing that everyone was thinking about them, he had to say: "
I'll be back tomorrow morning."
In this way, everyone was willing to look away from He Qi, which showed that they were all interested.
He Qi took two mouthfuls of wontons and felt that Mr. Zhao was not like an ordinary person. He couldn't help but glance at Mr. Zhao from the corner of his eye, and happened to meet Mr. Zhao's gaze as he looked over.
Mr. Zhao said: "Mr. He, what do you want to ask me?"
He Qi smiled awkwardly and said, "I never thought I could be called Mr., but I just heard what the old man said and I was enlightened. I felt that the old man had extraordinary knowledge, so I took a few more glances. I was presumptuous."
Mr. Zhao said: "I've just lived a long time and seen a lot."
Someone reminded: "Mr. He, you don't know it right now. Master Zhao is on the gold list. He has been an official in Huguang for many years. There are many things in the officialdom. How can you hide it from Master Zhao?"
Fan Jin was so happy that he went crazy with joy. It was much more difficult for him to be a Jinshi than to be a candidate. The Qing Dynasty had only been a few years, but his status as a Jinshi was still looked up to by ordinary people. No wonder Mr. Zhao was respected by everyone.
Mr. Zhao wandered and said: "I, I can't be ranked as a Jinshi, and my official can't be as high as a county. It's nothing. I can live alone for a long time."
He Qi asked for advice: "Old sir, just now you always said that the police department offered rewards to catch human traffickers. This is not the way to catch human traffickers. Can you explain it more clearly?"
Mr. Zhao smiled and said, "Mr. He, you really don't understand?"
He Qi shook his head and said, "I really don't understand."
Seeing that He Qi didn't seem to be lying, Mr. Zhao pointed to a vegetable stall on the street. In front of it were several women carrying baskets picking vegetables, and said: "These are servants of wealthy families. Come here early."
There are people who pick vegetables, work as errands, and there are people who sell themselves. In these four-nine cities, there has always been no shortage of places to buy and sell people, and it has become a business. Instead of cutting off this business from the root, just arresting a few traffickers is just prevarication.
It’s just the mouth of Youyou.”
Master Zhao's words made He Qi fall into deep thought.
It happened that Qian Xuan came back after withdrawing the money, dove into the wonton stall, and walked towards He Qi. His eyes suddenly lit up and he said loudly: "Master Zhao, I just went to your house, but you were not found."
, I didn’t expect that you had a chat with Brother Qi first.”
He Qi looked at Qian Xuan in confusion.
Qian Xuan came forward, bowed to Master Zhao, poked He Qi's shoulder with his elbow, and said with a smile: "The place we are going to later is Master Zhao's property, don't you know?"
He Qi shook his head.
Mr. Zhao stood up slowly, nodded to Qian Xuan, walked out with a cane, looked back at He Qi and said, "Mr. He, let's talk as we walk."
He Qi shoveled a few mouthfuls of wontons into his mouth and quickly stood up to follow.