"Young man, is this your first time traveling far away?"
The driver saw Lei Xingkong looking back at the county tower for a long time and asked with a smile.
Lei Xingkong came back to his senses, thought for a moment, this time he was going to leave Qingshui County, which would be considered a real trip, and replied: "Yes."
The coachman drove the car steadily and said: "It's true, haha. It's always uncomfortable when you go on a long trip for the first time. But young man, you don't have to be too sad. Just tell yourself that you will be back soon, and then
Don’t think too much about things at home, and your heart will gradually become less uncomfortable.”
Lei Xingkong listened to the coachman's words and could feel the care in his words. He nodded quickly and said, "Thank you for your advice, uncle!"
As he spoke, he looked at the coachman for a moment.
I was in too much of a hurry to pay attention when I got on the bus, but now I really saw the driver clearly.
The coachman was about thirty-five years old, with dark complexion and ordinary appearance, nothing special at first glance.
It's just that his face has probably been exposed to wind and sun all year round, and the wrinkles on it are twice as many as those of ordinary people, making him look older.
Lei Xingkong took a closer look and saw that the coachman's hands were very steady and strong. He seemed to have some skills, but he was just better than ordinary people. If compared in the army, he was equivalent to the level of an elite soldier.
The driver turned back to look at Lei Xingkong and asked with a smile: "Young man, are you from the military?"
Lei Xingkong didn't hide anything. He nodded and said, "I just left the county army." After a slight pause, he asked, "How did uncle find out?"
The coachman explained very cheerfully: "Let me tell you, the smell you carry on your body should be from the military. Every move you make is so Zhou Zheng!"
"I see!"
Lei Xingkong suddenly realized.
He has been immersed in the military for a long time, and he also stayed in the military all his life in his previous life. Naturally, he cannot hide his words and deeds from those who want to know.
A glimmer of light flashed across the driver's brows, and he pointed to his nose and said, "I was also a county soldier back then, serving in the Leopard Leap Camp."
"It turns out that uncle is a senior in the military. I'm sorry!"
After hearing what the coachman said, Lei Xingkong quickly sat up straight and respectfully gave the coachman a military salute.
In addition to the hierarchy of superiors and subordinates in the army, there is also the order of seniority and youth.
No matter what your official rank is in the military, you should have some respect for older veterans.
Leopard Leap Battalion belongs to the elite ranks of the county army. This coachman was able to serve in it back then, so he was undoubtedly a good soldier.
This alone is worthy of a thunderous salute.
The driver waved his hand and said with a smile: "Senior in the army, young man, you are too polite. Now I am so flattering that I am even embarrassed, haha..."
Both of them were born in the county army. As soon as they mentioned this, they immediately felt close to each other, and the relationship between them suddenly became much closer.
While following the convoy forward, chatting about interesting and trivial matters in the military, Lei Xingkong gradually let go of the reluctance he felt before.
After chatting for a while, the two exchanged names.
Lei Xingkong found out that the coachman's surname was Zhou Jiuchong, that he was an authentic native of the county and could be regarded as his true compatriot.
After Zhou Jiuzhong retired from the county army and returned to his hometown, he made a living as a driver. Later, he married a daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, his daughter-in-law died in childbirth a few years ago, leaving him and his daughter to depend on each other.
Zhou Jiuzhong pointed to the little girl in the car and said to Lei Xingkong: "Brother Lei, this girl is my little girl Zhou Xiaozhi. After her mother passed away, I had to go out to drive all year round to make a living. No one at home took care of her, so I had to take her with me."
Being around me all these years of being bumpy and homeless has been hard on her."
The little girl heard her father's words, her beautiful little brows wrinkled slightly, and finally she couldn't bear it anymore and said loudly: "Dad, I'm not bitter. As long as I can be with you every day, I will be happy."
….
Lei Xingkong turned his head to look at the little girl, feeling a hint of sympathy in his heart.
Although his father died young in this life, he only had a pension from the family, and his mother found some sewing jobs to do, and the Yu family always helped, so the mother and son were able to survive, so he didn't really
What suffering did you suffer?
On the contrary, for such a little girl, following her father's carriage around all day long, her father was busy making a living and could not take much care of her. I'm afraid such a life would be really difficult.
Zhou Jiuzhong reached out and touched his daughter's little head and said with a smile: "My Xiaozhi is a sensible girl. When dad earns enough money, we will go back to our hometown to buy a few fields to live peacefully. We can also provide a dowry for Xiaozhi in the future."
Looking for a good home."
"Dad, I don't want to get married, I want to serve you until I grow old!"
Zhou Xiaozhi shook her little head and said, her determination could be seen in her bright eyes.
"Haha, silly kids say silly things!" Zhou Jiuzhong couldn't help laughing.
Lei Xingkong watched from the side, and couldn't help but feel a sense of pity and love for this sensible little girl.
Zhou Jiuchong was obviously optimistic by nature. He turned around and said cheerfully to Lei Xingkong: "Brother Lei, do you want to sleep for a while? The mountain gate post ahead is still far away. With the current distance... well, I guess
We won't be able to arrive until after dark, so you can take a nap in the car and have some energy to eat when you arrive, otherwise many people will be too tired to eat when they go out for the first time."
Lei Xingkong shook his head, waved his hands and said: "Uncle Zhou, don't worry about me, it's fine with me. How can I sleep at this time? Let's chat with you to pass the time!"
"Okay, then let's continue chatting."
Seeing Lei Xingkong's unwillingness, Zhou Jiuzhong no longer forced himself. He thought that this was the first time for this young man to go out and he didn't know the way inside. If he really couldn't eat at night, he would leave more food for him and let him eat for the second time.
After replenishing it daily, you will gradually get used to it.
The two continued to chat and walked along the way for half a day.
At noon, Lei Xingkong looked from a distance and found that the convoy had become much longer. It seemed that there were nearly one-third more carriages in the convoy than when they left the county town before.
Curious, Lei Xingkong asked Zhou Jiuzhong: "Uncle Zhou, why does it seem to me that the convoy is longer and there are so many more carriages?"
Zhou Jiuchong has been driving carriages for many years, so he naturally knows the reason behind this. He said without thinking: "Those carriages are all joining along the way. This is just the beginning, and there will be more people joining in."
"how so?"
Lei Xingkong was even more puzzled.
The caravan set out from the county town with only fifty cars. Why were there still cars coming in along the way? Could it be that these cars were arranged by the caravan to purchase goods in various villages?
Zhou Jiuzhong explained: "Actually, it's not that strange. Our caravan has a lot of people and goods, so naturally we spend a lot of money to hire warriors for protection. Those small merchants saw it because they couldn't afford to hire warriors for protection.
, and we were afraid that something might go wrong on the road, so we followed us on the road even if we were on time, so that if we were all together, we would be more courageous, and ordinary thieves would not dare to make any plans."
"So this is ah!"
Even if he had memories of his previous life, Lei Xingkong didn't know these things. It seemed like he had gained a lot of experience during this trip.