There were many cities in the Ming Dynasty, but Linqing was particularly different.
Especially after the first year of Chongzhen, the pace of life in Linqing was accelerated invisibly.
People are always slow to respond and adapt best.
A pub on the roadside opened its doors for business in the morning.
Around noon, a group of people came to the door. They were stunned and did not dare to enter for a while.
One of them fearfully pressed his hand on the window, then shrank back in fear, and kept opening and closing his mouth without knowing what he was yelling.
The shopkeeper looked inside and felt happy in his heart.
"These old haters from out of town."
With a smile on his face, he went over and opened the door.
"Oh, it's extremely cold today. Guests, please come in and warm yourself up."
When someone greeted them, the group calmed down a little. When they walked in quietly, everyone still didn't glance at the window.
Seeing that there were many of them, the shopkeeper went inside to welcome them and prepared several tables.
Unexpectedly, this group of people was even more extraordinary. They actually dispersed in twos and threes and occupied a large area.
At the middle table, there was only an old gentleman with a fair complexion and a young man with an equally fair complexion. Many seats were empty.
The shopkeeper smiled and said cautiously: "Guests, it looks like it's almost noon, and there are quite a few people dining. Can you please give me a compliment and make do with it?"
The fair-skinned old gentleman ignored him at all, but a brash man at the table next to him got angry and slapped his hand loudly.
"You're such an old man, so ignorant. Will I shortchange you?"
As he spoke, a five-tael silver ingot was thrown on the table.
Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper didn't even look at it, and still said: "A few guests don't know something. Although our shop is small, we have a lot of regular customers. People like to come over at noon to join in the fun. There are not many seats, so why don't you invite me?
Forgive me."
"Hey, that's interesting. This is the first time we've met him. He doesn't like silver."
The fair-skinned old man's words were a bit sinister and strange at the same time.
Seeing that his subordinates were still angry, he gave a warning look.
"Still coming over?"
Those domineering subordinates all became as honest as rabbits in an instant. They stood up one after another and gathered together to occupy three tables.
The shopkeeper thanked me for being so busy.
"Sir, I can't thank you enough for your kindness."
He turned back and shouted: "Tell the kitchen to send these gentlemen two plates of braised peanuts and shredded potatoes."
"Shopkeeper, this store of yours is not simple. You dare to use this unparalleled medicinal jade to make windows. It's the only one in the world."
When the fair-skinned old gentleman spoke, his eyes were full of greed.
Seeing him pointing at the window, the shopkeeper was startled, then fell down laughing.
"Ouch, hahahaha... Don't be joking, sir. What a peerless treasure? It's just a piece of broken glass. It only costs seven cents a dozen. It's thrown on the street and no one wants it."
This group of people were all frightened, and at the same time they also felt timid.
Fortunately, someone else came in and saved them from the embarrassment.
Three people came in, all wearing very strange black clothes. I couldn't tell what they were, but they looked neat and tidy all over, which was heart-stopping.
But the shopkeeper was not afraid and greeted him with a smile.
"Hey, Captain Wu, why are you so early today? Are you still the third child?"
That "Captain Wu" smiled and waved his hands, and at the same time glanced around the hall, focusing on this group of people for a while.
For some reason, they felt as if they were being targeted by wolves, and their hair stood on end.
"It's business today."
Captain Wu asked his men to bring over a large piece of paper.
"Your store is really busy with regular people coming and going. So I took advantage of this precious place to put up a notice. It's troublesome."
The shopkeeper hurriedly took it over.
"It's a public matter, so why bother? If it weren't for the public, my store would have closed down a long time ago. How could it be as prosperous as it is now?"
Then he asked again curiously.
"What kind of notice is this?"
Captain Wu touched the place where the notice was posted and said with a smile: "The latest announcement of the Administrative Committee is the abolition of slavery. From now on, in our territory, slavery and low status will be abolished, and equality for all will be truly realized."
The shopkeeper was overjoyed.
"Oh my god, this announcement has finally come down. How many people are looking forward to the stars and the moon, just looking forward to it."
He was so excited that he called his assistant and ordered: "Xiao Shuanzi, go and put the notice on this screen wall."
Even Captain Wu was frightened.
"You have a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva on the screen wall, so you're not afraid of collision?"
The shopkeeper spat when he opened his mouth.
"I'm afraid of him. These gods in the sky just eat and drink from us and never do anything. From now on, if you want to worship us, I will worship our commander-in-chief and the gentlemen of the administrative committee."
Watching Xiao Shuanzi take the notice, his movements were trembling, and he couldn't help scolding: "Little bastard, be careful, if you break the notice, I will beat you to death."
The guy is not afraid.
"Shopkeeper, you don't dare. Look carefully, the slave abolition order. We are not your slaves. If you dare to hit me, Captain Wu will put you in jail."
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth angrily.
"Hey, I didn't expect this. If I can't beat you, I'll deduct your wages, right?"
Xiao Shuanzi has already posted the notice, and he is not afraid after hearing the words.
"If you dare to deduct my wages, I won't work anymore. I'll work in a factory. They'll give you much more than what you get here."
The shopkeeper was completely helpless and complained to Captain Wu.
"Hey, let me tell you, everything is good now, it's just that it's hard to find people. My guys here are paid 600 yuan a month, and they're always thinking about running away."
Captain Wu laughed heartily.
"There's nothing we can do about it. There's a shortage of people everywhere. As for you, you have to find someone to recruit."
After talking and laughing, Captain Wu took the people away.
The fair-skinned group of people stared blankly at the notice on the wall.
They knew every word on it, but when they read it, their hearts felt cold all over.
A large group of people suddenly poured in outside the store, and everyone was beaming with joy.
When the shopkeeper saw it, he immediately understood what was going on.
"Did everyone read the notice? Congratulations!"
"How can you not see it? They are posted all over the streets today, and they are all crazy."
The shopkeeper only looks after the leader.
"Brother Lu, I heard that you are very useful in the Lu family. Are you coming out now?"
The man was very happy.
"You still don't know, right? My young master... our boss has informed us a long time ago. Although we are no longer servants in the house, we are still in charge. My boss sent me back this time to do one thing
It’s a big deal.”
After hearing this, other people held their hands in congratulations.
"Congratulations to Brother Lu on getting rid of his slavery. He will be free and at ease from now on."
The man was filled with emotion.
"Let me tell you, our commander-in-chief is Renyi. Without him, how could we live like human beings?"
A group of people were even more passionate, praising that "commander" as if he was the Jade Emperor or the Tathagata Buddha.
The man surnamed Lu seemed to be really happy. He waved his hand and shouted: "Today is a festive day, and we are happy. The money for everyone's food and drinks at noon is on my head."
Everyone laughed and sat around him.
"On such a happy occasion, you should have a drink."
"After drinking this meal and enjoying Brother Lu's happiness, I hope that the eldest son of our family will be admitted to a secondary school."
The whole hall was bustling, but the fair-faced side was as cold as ice. The table was clearly full of wine, meat and dishes, but no one moved a muscle.