The courtyard trees are staggered, covering the courtyard. The squares are winding, and the square walls are getting farther and farther away.
After leaving Lu Xinfang, Yang Zhaoxi held a sword in one hand and a red lacquered wooden box in the other. The sadness in his heart had not faded.
The warm wind blew slowly, and the cloud shadows were clear. He looked at the unfamiliar and bustling streets, and boundless confusion suddenly surged in his mind:
Fang Qidou is camping in Luocheng, and Senior Sister Tang Juan has a lot of secular affairs, so it's not easy to bother her... Although Aunt Chunxi is the master of a temple, Linji Temple is a place where Kun Dao groups live, and men and women are on guard.
You still need to take care of it, let alone stay overnight with shame... Although Junior Sister Qin Qing is the daughter of a merchant, she has not yet left the cabinet. If she rashly defected to the Cui Mansion, she might be in the same situation as in Cui Mansion... As for Hongdao Temple, Gongsun Temple was established five years ago
The master then cut off his robes and sworn off with Master Yuchi. How could Master Yuchi accept a Taoist priest from Shangqing Temple...
After thinking about it, I couldn't find a suitable place to stay in the huge city of Luoyang!
Yang Zhaoxi lowered his head and looked at the red lacquered wooden box: It's not that he can't afford to live in the hotel, but although the hotel is good, it lacks a harmonious atmosphere. Besides, once Yuan Zai knows that Yuan Ji can be kidnapped
After hearing the news that he had left, he was determined to search the whole city, and the library would definitely bear the brunt, which would make it easier for him to be exposed.
Horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts were rolling along the street, and cheerful children were shaking rattles and running past him. Behind them were plump but strong women, with their hair tied up in huge buns, trotting and shouting "
Be careful".
Yang Zhaoxi stopped and watched, for no reason, thinking of the little monkey, and then of Xiaodouzi. These two recently accepted disciples should be somewhere in Nanshi Shizifang Street now, with their thin and frail bodies, yearning for
The people who came were begging for one or two pennies in alms. In comparison, the children playing in front of me were so lucky, safe and happy.
As a master, he is really not worthy of his name. The tokens he promised to give to his apprentices and the martial arts he taught them have not been fulfilled! Thinking of this, Yang Chaoxi seemed to have found his direction. The pace under his feet quickened, and his body seemed to be touched.
The gray shadow quickly ran towards Nanshi.
The walls of Nanshi Square are towering, and the double-eaves and stacked houses within the walls give it a grand and prosperous look. Yang Zhaoxi entered Nanshi with a clear purpose. He inquired about it all the way, first found a place to shop, and bought two mulberry swords.
Turn around and find a cloth shop.
I saw the flag sign on the door of the shop, with a white background and a green border, also decorated with the two regular characters "Chaoyuan". Yang Chaoxi's heart was slightly moved, and she remembered the time she met her mother by chance in Beishi a few years ago. She was in a restaurant like this.
In Bushi, a female shopkeeper named Su bought the silk and twisted silk brought by her mother, which was a timely help.
Yang Zhaoxi stepped into the cloth shop and said loudly: "I want two sets of clothes for the younger members of the family. The boy is about eight or nine years old, and the girl is about thirteen or fourteen years old. The materials and needlework must be of high quality, and you will not be short of money!"
"
The shopkeeper of the cloth shop is also a woman. She wears a bun and a light robe. She has light pink face and garnet lips. Judging from her appearance, she is about seven years older than shopkeeper Su from the "Chaoyuan Cloth Shop" in Bei City.
Eighty percent similar.
The woman was very talkative: "Sir, please wait a moment! The goods you want are all ready, and I will send someone to get them. Please sit down for a while, eat some preserved fruit cakes, and eat some sour plum tea soup."
Yang Chaoxi nodded and sat down, casually looking at the layout of the shop. He said casually: "I wonder what the shopkeeper is called? What does it have to do with the 'Chaoyuan Shop' in Bei City?"
The female shopkeeper smiled generously and said: "The slave's surname is Su. The person the young master mentioned is my eldest sister! It was she and several of our sisters who opened the Su family's Chaoyuan Cloth Shop. I heard what the young master said. You know, you actually know my parents and sisters!
It was fate that we met today. This is a sandalwood belt hook that I customized for Chaoyuan Cloth Shop, so I gave one to the young master. There are seven such cloth shops in the three cities of Luoyang City, South, North and West. If you hook it, you can count less money."
Yang Chaoxi thanked her and accepted with a smile: "If this is true, and I am short of clothes in the future, I will only come to your Chaoyuan Cloth Shop to buy them."
The female shopkeeper beamed with joy: "Welcome to the slave family! Young Master will have another piece of 'Crystal Dragon and Phoenix Cake', and this 'Flower Folded Goose Cake'..."
After waiting for about a cup of tea, two sets of clothes were brought out. Men's clothes and women's clothes were separated and placed on a long table. Yang Chao looked carefully, from top to bottom, from inside to outside, everything was complete. !Even small items of clothing such as socks, scarves, blankets, and belts are all well prepared.
Yang Zhaoxi asked the female shopkeeper to find two pieces of rough cloth and wrap them in them, put them down in her hand, put down three silver collars, and left. As soon as she left the Chaoyuan Cloth Shop with her front legs, the female shopkeeper chased her out: "Young Master , here are the three pieces of silver and five pieces of silver that I asked for for you, but you forgot to take them."
Yang Zhaoxi turned back and smiled lightly: "Those who help others will always help them. That shopkeeper Cui from Beishi City has helped my mother many times. If you have some loose money, I can keep it for tea!"
The Nanshi area is quite large, equivalent to twice the size of the ordinary square in Luoyang City. Yang Zhaoxi looked at the impression from a few days ago and turned around again before finding the narrow square.
Walking through Fangqu, I saw the crude pergola, the dilapidated aconite gate, the swaying poplars and willows, and I couldn't help but think of the mantra again:
There are poplars on the left and willows on the right, flowers in the front and wine in the back, the copper ring is slightly rusty, the black gate is so ugly!
Yang Chaoxi burst into laughter: This old beggar is really interesting! Even the Jianghu incision he made up is somewhat similar in tone to "Lotus Falls" sung by the Beggar Gang.
It was already afternoon, and Yang Zhaoxi had missed lunch, but he did not feel hungry at all. After entering into "refining essence and transforming qi", he became much more proficient in "bigu". Therefore, eating and drinking are indispensable for ordinary people. Sleeping has become a dispensable pastime for him.
Knocking on the door knocker, after waiting for a long time, the old beggar came to open the door with a depressed look on his face, as if his time was running out. But the moment he saw Yang Chaoxi, it was like a flashback, and his whole body glowed in a different way. look!
Seeing Yang Chaoxi carrying large and small bags on his body, and holding a sword, a wooden sword and a red lacquered wooden box in his hand, Long Zaitian quickly closed the courtyard door and took it for him diligently. The red lacquered wooden box was taken into his hands. Shen, who is well-informed, immediately guessed the items inside and became even more beaming!
After he was led into the main hall and sat down, the old beggar Long Zaitian regained his previous calmness. While making tea, he said: "Do you have any clues about what Yang Xiaoyou has investigated recently?"
Yang Chaoxi frowned slightly: "I only got a little clue, I still need to continue to investigate. Senior Long, Little Monkey, and Little Douzi haven't come back yet? I happened to earn money these days and bought them wooden swords and clothes. I have nothing to do these past few days, so I can just start teaching them martial arts."
"Little monkey, Xiaodouzi worshiped you as his master that day and was so happy that he didn't sleep all night. As soon as he came back these few days, he began to practice and nourish his qi according to the method I taught him by sitting on his back and breathing in and out. During the day, he still went out to beg. , I didn’t keep any of the food or money I got back, I paid my share..." Long Zaitian couldn’t help but sigh, feeling happy for their sensibleness and feeling sad for their efforts.
"Senior Long, I came here to bother your gang because I did something last night that involved Yuan Jineng, the third son of the Yuan Xiang of the DPRK..."
Yang Chaoxi pondered for a while, and then told Long Zaitian frankly and honestly that he went to Yingchuan Bieye last night to rescue people, and it happened to be that Yuan Ji could be kidnapped. If it was not convenient for the Beggar Gang to take him in, he would
He will wait for an opportunity to leave the city; or if the Beggar Gang is willing to help him, the risks involved must be clearly informed to him.
"You're welcome, little friend Yang! You can stay in this courtyard of my beggar gang as long as you want. Besides, my place is remote and hard to find, and secondly, it's inconspicuous. No one from the Gongmen knows this place except Zhang Songyue.
It's just that the food is not satisfactory, so starting tomorrow, we will ask them to learn some good cooking." Long Zaitian said with a hearty smile, not taking these risks seriously.
"So, I'd like to thank Senior Long! The last time I came here to visit, I remember that Senior mentioned the construction of the 'Jixiantang'. I happened to save people last night and got some rewards, so I took out forty taels of silver first so that Senior could hire some people.
We hired carpenters and bricklayers to slightly repair and strengthen the dilapidated areas in the courtyard."
As Yang Chaoxi spoke, he opened the mahogany box, took out twenty twenty-tael silver collars, and put them on the table. The moment he received the silver in the morning, he thought about the "Jishantang". At this moment, he was so generous and generous.
, but it’s not just a whim, wanting to reciprocate.
"I know that to build a 'Jixiantang', more money is needed. However, time is still short and the income is limited. In the future, I will continue to think of some ways to help Senior Long realize this wish as soon as possible."
When Long Zaitian came in, he vaguely guessed some of his thoughts on bringing money to the door. But when the genuine silver collars were actually placed in front of him, he couldn't help but stood up excitedly, faced Yang Chaoxi, and bowed
Bow down.
Yang Zhaoxi quickly stopped him and said: "Senior Long! You have shown kindness and kindness to the little monkey and Xiaodouzi, and I have nothing but respect for you. 'Jishantang' is a great act of kindness! Since you have promised to be like a dog and horse, you should show it."
I mean it sincerely, and I won’t let the seniors feel cold.”
Long Zaitian thanked him and hurriedly gave him some tea soup. After asking the bright-eyed woman some details about abducting Yuan Jineng, he said thoughtfully:
"I, Long Zaitian, have been in Luoyang for twenty years. There are more than a thousand members of the Beggar Gang in and around Luoyang. There are few new things in the world that I don't know. But I have never accepted the woman that my little friend mentioned.
When I heard the news, it seems that he has just entered Luoyang recently, and he is cautious and methodical. I will ask the helpers to investigate this matter carefully."
Yang Chaoxi smiled and said: "Since you are willing to join forces with me, maybe as she said, we are friends and not enemies. Senior Long doesn't need to bother helping my brother, why not ask Yuan Zai to look for him for a few more days. Haha!"
Long Zaitian also smiled and said: "That makes sense! The old beggar has an idea. Since the Cui Mansion can hire Yang Xiaoyou as a staff, then naturally I, the Beggar's Gang, will also recruit a lot of people. I don't know if I have the position of elder to help guests, little friend.
Do you consider accepting it?"
"Does this...you want me to join the Beggar Gang?" Yang Zhaoxi was speechless for a moment, wondering why the old beggar suddenly had a sudden impulse to recruit him into the gang.
"Of course! We, the Beggar's Gang, are a bit poor and can't give our little friend a monthly salary. But the more than a thousand members of the Beggar's Gang are mobile ears, eyes and tongues. They want to find out secrets, search for people, and spread news, but it's like this
It’s very convenient to use your arms and fingers.”
Long Zaitian said with a smile. I believe that the unique convenience of the Beggar Gang will be very attractive to Yang Zhaoxi who is eager to explore certain truths.
Sure enough, Yang Chaoxi nodded quickly after listening to what he said: "Senior Long has good intentions, but I would rather be respectful than obey my orders. From today on, I should call you Gang Leader Long. Haha!"
Long Zaitian Laohuai expressed great consolation: "Hahaha! My little friend joins my beggar gang. In the future, my gang will become even more prestigious. This is a very happy event. We must have wine for dinner later! I would like to warn everyone in the gang,
Introduce my little friend again!" Long Zaitian laughed several times and said quickly, "Since my little friend is a guest, there is no need to be polite. Calling him "gang leader" in front of the gang is to help the old beggar establish his prestige.
We are personal friends, and you and I should still treat each other as Taoist friends."
Yang Zhaoxi clasped his fists and saluted, convinced: He has been to the Beggar Gang's compound twice in total. The first time he accepted two disciples by mistake, and the second time he was directly recruited into the gang and became a guest elder. It seems that from the beginning to the end, he
They were all led by the old beggar. But looking back on the process, they were all aboveboard, and there was no feeling of "getting on a pirate ship".
Spring is getting thicker and the days are getting longer. The dusk drum sounds several times, and the beggars who have gone out to beg return to the courtyard one after another.
It seems to be a habit that has not changed for several years. The first thing the beggars do when they come in is to walk to a clay pot outside the main hall and put today's share of money into it. The sound of "dang clang" can be heard endlessly, whoever has more is more.
Young, it was clear as soon as he heard it. There was also a sound like falling stones, and everyone's expressions lit up, and they each speculated: How much money was dropped just now?
The second thing is that several cooks crowded under the kitchen, briefly selected the various foods that everyone brought back, and then poured them into a big cauldron. Then they added a little more corn, rice, millet, beans, etc., and simmered it over a slow fire.
After boiling for half an hour, it becomes a pot of mixed porridge.
Little Monkey and Little Douzi happened to be back together today. As soon as they entered the courtyard gate, they saw the figure they had been looking forward to for several days.
"Master! You are finally here!" The little monkey flew up, raised his little arms and threw himself into Yang Chaoxi's arms.
Xiaodouzi walked forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow. Her body was swaying, as if she was about to fall down at any moment. Her eyes were burning, and she walked closer, but she didn't pounce on her like her younger brother. She could only give him blessing gifts, but her voice was hard to say.
Covering his excitement: "Master is well!"
Only simplicity is the most touching, and warmth instantly surged in Yang Chaoxi's heart. He hurriedly took two coarse cloth bundles and stuffed them into the hands of the two disciples. A smile spread on his face: "Master owes you the gift of meeting, and I finally make up for it today.
Before going to bed at night, you can try out the width, especially boots and embroidered shoes. If they don't fit, master will replace them."
The little monkey held the bundle and smiled like a flower: The things the master gave must be excellent!
Xiaodouzi, however, was much more sensible. He quietly pulled open a corner of the baggage, reached in and rubbed it. His face was instantly filled with surprise and fear. He hesitated for a while and said: "Master...Father, this, this will cost a lot of money...it's too expensive."
Now, the disciples dare not accept..."
"Is there any girl who doesn't like silk and satin? Your master gave it to you, so I kept it. From now on, you must practice Taoism and martial arts diligently to be worthy of your master's love." Long saw Xiaodouzi in the field and wanted to return the baggage.
, Yang Zhaoxi looked slightly stunned, and hurriedly came up to smooth things over.
Yang Chaoxi, the master who was not much older than his apprentice, realized it at this time and joked: "People rely on clothes, Buddha relies on gold clothing. Xiaodouzi puts on a new dress, and she is the eldest lady of our Beggar Gang!"
A blush appeared on Xiaodouzi's sallow face. He quickly pulled the little monkey over and the two of them thanked the master together.
Yang Zhaoxi took out the two eucalyptus swords again and looked at the two of them: "My teacher is a Taoist priest. He not only practices inner alchemy, but also martial arts and weapons. However, among these weapons, I only learned a few sword skills.
But, so I decided to teach you the swordsmanship first."
After saying that, he raised the two wooden swords with both hands and handed them to the two people.
"This wooden sword is most suitable for practicing. It will not hurt others or yourself. Please put it away. Let's learn the sword starting tomorrow."
The little monkeys and Xiaodouzi also learned Yang Chaoxi's habit, bowed and clasped their fists, and responded in unison: "Yes!"