The straight man who wears bright clothes is also afraid of messing with him

At the end of February in Hongwu 18, Cui Miao and Xue Lu went to Wanping County to join Shen Qing. After entering Wanping County, they found something unusual and found someone following them all the way.

Cui Miao entered Wanping County, stopped a passerby casually, and inquired about the location of the Zhang family's old house. After asking, he and Xue Lu followed the route they asked. After Cui Miao's questioning, they followed up again.

While walking, Cui Miao paid attention to the movement behind. The two found the Zhang family's old house in the east of the city. In just a few years, the originally prosperous Zhang family's mansion had turned into a mottled appearance. The plaque on the door hung There were cobwebs, the black paint on the gates had turned gray with ash and ash, and even the brass rings had oxidized.

Cui Miao stepped forward and patted the copper ring. After waiting for a long time, there was no response. A passing woman stopped and said, "Don't knock, there is no one in the Zhang family."

Cui Miao bowed her hands politely, and said, "Auntie, our brothers are here to look for relatives. If we don't know the situation, please tell me the details. Is it true that no one in this family is alive?"

The woman looked at the two of them and saw that they were handsome and not like bad guys, so she asked: "Are you two coming to the Zhang family to look for relatives?"

Cui Miao replied: "Yes, I came all the way to find relatives, but I didn't expect it to be like this."

The woman hesitated for a moment, then said: "My house is not far away, if you don't mind, you can sit at my house, drink some water, and rest your feet."

Cui Miao quickly said gratefully: "Then thank you, auntie."

Under the leadership of the woman, the two walked across the intersection and came to a small courtyard.The yard as soon as you enter is not big. There is a chicken pen in the southwest corner of the courtyard wall, and there are more than [-] chickens in it. The kitchen is on the east, and the main room is on the north. There is a main room and two bedrooms. Although the house is old, Cleaned but very clean.

The woman led the two into the main room, sat down at a low table, took out two bowls, poured two bowls of water, and said with some embarrassment: "The life at home is unsatisfactory, and there is no tea to entertain you. Let's drink some water."

"Auntie was joking. We have a bowl of water to drink. We are very content. After driving for a day, we are very thirsty." Cui Miao said, and picked up the bowl of 'Gudong Gudong' and drank it.

Xue Lu also took a sip from the bowl, and said in a warm voice, "Thank you, auntie."

Seeing this, the woman liked the two even more, and said with a smile: "It's just past noon, have you had lunch?"

Cui Miao shook her head and said honestly, "We just arrived in Wanping, and we haven't had time yet."

The woman stood up and said, "Wait a minute, there are still some porridge and pancakes in the pot, I'll bring them here, and you can eat some."

Cui Miao quickly said: "Don't be busy, auntie, it's the same when we take a break and go out to eat."

"What? Is it that you dislike auntie who only has simple food here?"

"No, auntie, don't misunderstand, we are always bothering auntie, we feel very sorry."

The woman said with a smile: "Come on, just wait, I'll get it for you right away."

After a while, the woman came in with a tray, two big bowls of porridge, five pieces of multigrain bread, and a plate of pickles.

Cui Miao hurried forward to help, and said gratefully, "Thank you, auntie!"

The woman looked at them and said with a smile: "Eat quickly, it's already warm, don't let it get cold."

Cui Miao and Xue Lu are no longer polite, they really didn't have lunch, they didn't feel it just now, but now when they smell the aroma of rice, they immediately feel empty in their stomachs, and after a while, all the food they ate was eaten It's spotless.

Cui Miao took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth, and said shyly, "I made my aunt laugh, our brothers are indeed hungry. But it's because of my aunt's craftsmanship, this gruel pancake is more delicious than meat."

The woman smiled more kindly when she heard the words, and said: "If my Dalang can be half as clever as you, I will be content."

Cui Miao wanted to help clean up, but was stopped by the woman, so she had to give up.

Seeing the woman walk out the door, Cui Miao said softly: "Brother Xue, let's go out from here, let's go to Zhang's house, it's Hua'er's grandparent's house, it's good to go in and enjoy some incense."

"That's good, just enough to convince the people following us that we are here to look for relatives."

After working for a while, the woman sat down at the low table and asked casually, "Where do you guys come from?"

Cui Miao replied: "To tell you the truth, my brother is from Liuzhou."

In fact, Cui Miao did not lie. Wang Zhang's aunt did marry to the south, and the location is Liuzhou. Cui Miao also learned about this from Wang Hua.

"Liuzhou? South?"

Cui Miao nodded and said, "The south is thousands of miles away from here."

The woman suddenly said: "No wonder. When I was young, I did hear from my parents that there was an aunt in the Zhang family who married to the south, thousands of miles away from here, and she never came back since she got married, so people will forget it as time goes by. Are you here for family?"

"No, my grandmother passed away some time ago. Before she died, she told us to come back and take a look. Who would have thought that the Zhang family has become like this in just a few years?"

The woman sighed, and said with emotion: "Who said it was not? Seven or eight years ago, this family was one of the richest households in Wanping. If it is said to be dilapidated, it is dilapidated. If you want to talk about this person, you should do your duty. You can't get involved in those bad habits at all, especially gambling, once you get involved, no amount of wealth is enough to lose."

The two chatted with the woman for a long while, and seeing that the sun was about to set, Cui Miao got up, took off the purse hanging from her body, took some scattered silver from it, handed it to the woman, and said, "Auntie, I've been sorry for a long time, We should go too, these silvers are a thank you gift."

The woman said displeasedly: "I am not entertaining you for money. I simply think that you are not bad people. If I take this money, wouldn't it be against my original intention?"

Seeing this, Cui Miao smiled more sincerely, and explained: "Auntie is kind to others, and we brothers know it. We will leave soon, and the Zhang family's ancestral grave is not cared for. The money is given to Auntie so that Auntie can buy it every Qingming Festival. Some joss sticks, burn some paper money on our behalf, wouldn’t it be convenient for auntie?”

The woman hesitated for a while, then agreed, and said: "For the sake of your filial piety, I will accept this job."

Cui Miao directly poured out all the money in the purse, and stuffed it into the woman's palm, which was more than a dozen taels, and said gratefully: "My brother's kindness, we brothers will always remember it in our hearts."

The two came out from the woman's house, bought some incense candles in a paper shop, and came to the Zhang family's old house again, opened the door and walked in.The huge house was overgrown with weeds, and the fallen leaves almost covered the ground, and there was even a rotten smell when the breeze blew.The two walked around, came to Zhang's ancestral hall, opened the door and walked in. The inside was gloomy, full of dust and cobwebs.Cui Miao put down the joss stick, picked up a rag from a room, and Xue Lu cleaned it briefly, lit the joss stick again, and bowed.

"Ms. Wang Zhang, I'm Cui Miao. I don't know if you can hear me. Wang Hua is doing well now. His body is strong and he has grown a lot taller. I will live up to your entrustment. I will teach him to read and practice martial arts. I will be able to fight with you in the future." Like his father, he rose to prominence. If you can hear it, rest in peace."

After the two finished their incense, they left the Zhang family's mansion and found an inn to live in.And the people who followed behind them quietly left after they entered the inn.

At midnight, Xue Lu changed into black clothes, turned out from the back window of the room, and walked on the long street under the cover of night.Following the direction in his memory, he searched for the secret signal left by Shen Qing, a swallow flying with wings spread, the lines were simple, but only the scouts of Yanshan Guard knew its meaning.Be careful all the way, and when you come to the gate of a small courtyard, the flying swallows retract their wings, which means that this is Shen Qing's place to stay.

Xue Luyin stayed in the dark, carefully observing the surrounding environment, and after confirming that there was no one around, he stopped in front of a big tree, used his strength to climb up the courtyard wall, and jumped down carefully.Cautiously came to the door and knocked lightly.There was no movement in the door, Xue Lu couldn't help but frowned, stretched out his hand and pushed the door, and it opened a crack, the door was not bolted.Without hesitation, he pushed the door open quietly, and rushed in. Then he heard a gust of wind, Xue Lu quickly dodged, and the next moment he felt a chill on his neck, and a steel knife fell on him. On his shoulder, he heard a voice in his ear, "Don't move, or you will die!"

With the familiar voice, Xue Lu instantly recognized Shen Qing, and said, "Commander, it's me, Xue Lu."

"Xue Lu?" The room suddenly lit up with fire, Xue Lu subconsciously closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the steel knife around his neck had been put away.

Shen Qing asked straightforwardly: "Why did you come here?"

"Return to Commander, under the order of the prince, to protect Deputy Cui Qianhu and come to join you."

"Cui Miao!" Shen Qing's cold eyes showed worry, and he said with a frown: "He is injured, how could he come here! How could the prince let him mess around?"

Xue Lu lowered his head and said nothing. Shen Qing and Zhu Di are brothers. Although they are not real brothers, they are better than real brothers. Shen Qing can complain about Zhu Di, but as a subordinate, he can't. At this time, he can only pretend to be deaf dumb.

Shen Qing realized that what he had said was inappropriate, and thought of Cui Miao's stubborn temper, changed his voice, and asked helplessly: "Where are you staying?"

"Return to the commander, and mark the two of you to settle down at the Fuman Building in the East City Inn."

"Did you encounter anything special when you entered the city?"

"Before entering the city, Cui Miao and Biaoxia discovered that the peasants in Tianzhong were all fake. Cui Miao guessed that they should be servants from Wanping County. Then they found someone following them, and they didn't disappear until we entered the inn."

"You came here and left him alone in the inn? He is injured, what should he do if someone is against him?"

The more Shen Qing thought about it, the more he felt uneasy. He turned around and wanted to find Cui Miao, but when he thought about his own situation, he retreated again, looked at Xue Lu and urged: "I have already understood the matter of Wanping County, and I will send a letter tomorrow , you go back quickly to protect his safety!"

"Yes, under the bid!" Xue Lu was also worried, turned around and disappeared into the night.