The strange story of Huai'an Inn

The shopkeeper bent over and rummaged through his closet for a long time, throwing out one from time to time.Chong Liu hurried over to try to catch the clothes before they hit the ground, and suddenly had the illusion that he was doing acrobatics to catch the dishes.

"Well, here are so many first, let me have a look." The shopkeeper shook off the big pile of clothes in Chong Liu's arms one by one, spread them flat on a piece of Xiangfei, and then began to look at Chong Liu carefully. In Liu Zhou's body, it seems that even a strand of hair and a mole next to his nose are worth studying carefully.

Chong Liu suddenly understood the uneasiness and shyness of those beautiful ladies walking on the road and being stared at by men who don't know how to restrain themselves...

"Well... your skin is very fair, with a warm yellow tone, and your eyes are not small and bright. Maybe the bright and fresh colors in spring are more suitable for you. But you always wear dark brown and blue-blue on weekdays, So you have buried your own characteristics." The shopkeeper commented earnestly.

Chong Liudao, "Boss... I'm a poor runner, I can wear some clothes well, so I don't have to be so particular about it."

The shopkeeper glanced at him, "Why, do you think I underpaid you?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Chong Liu shook his head like a rattle, "The wages here are already half higher than other inns, and you are simply the most generous owner I have encountered in all these years of working!"

"Okay, the flattery is quite smooth." The boss smiled as if he was in a good mood, picked up a few brightly colored clothes from the sink, and handed them to Chongliu, "Go and change them for me to see."

Chong Liu's little heart was beating wildly, "I need to change it now..."

"Of course I change it now. Could it be possible to wait for the New Year? Go to my room."

Chong Liu had to go into the shopkeeper's bedroom.

This is his first time coming in.The shopkeeper's bedroom does not have as many things piled up as outside, but there are also a lot of furniture, and they are all extremely delicate and complicated styles.Several finely crafted crane cloaks were stretched out and hung on racks.There are a few meticulous paintings hanging on the wall, but the painted things are a bit strange.Chongliu had never seen those flowers in real life. The thick petals had a thick fleshy feel; some flowers were covered with eye-like patterns, which looked a bit oozing.

Other paintings seem to be monsters that only appear in books like Shan Hai Jing, but compared with the monsters imagined by ordinary people, they are more weird and twisted.There is a painting that looks like a tree stump, except that its roots are many octopus-like tentacles, and countless black arms grow out of its head, and the tree is covered with mouths that look like is the opening of the eye.There was another painting of a woman covering her face with a sleeve, but half of her body was dragging stickily on the floor like melted wax.

But in addition to these, there are also some portraits of relatively normal-looking characters, both male and female, but the clothes on their bodies do not seem to be the style of recent years.

Chong Liu looked left and right curiously, turned behind the spinning screen and began to change clothes.He first put on an apricot-yellow T-shirt. The silky material and fine embroidery felt extremely comfortable on his fingertips.After Chong Liu was dressed, he took a look at a bronze mirror next to him, and was surprised to find that he had the spirit of a rich and noble son, and his stature seemed even taller.

Excitedly, he ran out to show the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper bent his eyes and smiled, but touched his chin and said, "It's not bad. Let's try that light blue one."

Then Chong Liu went back and made a lot of troubles. He also posed in front of the mirror as a few literati reciting poems.However, the shopkeeper still let him continue to change.So many times, Chong Liu felt that the shopkeeper was not helping him to choose clothes, but simply thought it was fun to dress up a waiter who usually wears coarse clothes and shoes, just like a little girl likes to change clothes for dolls...

It wasn't until he changed into the lotus-stem green cross-collar gown that the shopkeeper smiled and showed a satisfied expression, "Well, it's not bad, it looks good."

Chong Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead, almost thankful.The shopkeeper picked up a pine-leaf-colored belt from the rest just now, walked straight over and stood in front of Chong Liu, and ordered, "Raise your hand."

Chong Liuxin thought that the shopkeeper was going to tie the belt for him himself... How could it be possible?

But when he obediently raised his hand, the shopkeeper actually wrapped his arms around his waist, putting the belt around his waist.

"You're a bit too thin. I'll ask Master Liao to serve you more meat later." The shopkeeper muttered in a low voice while tying a knot on his belt. Six heart itch...

"That... my boss... don't you have a few taels more meat than me?"

"I'm called lean."

"Then I'm not lying..."

The shopkeeper mentioned Dan Fengyan, "Why didn't I realize that you are so good at talking back?"

Chong Liu smirked a few times with a shy face, lowered his head and tugged at his sleeve.

The shopkeeper tugged at his shoulder again, straightened his collar, and took a step back, "Well... not bad. It's just that your head and feet haven't been cleaned yet. Sit down and I'll comb your hair again."

Chongliu thought he was dreaming, and was instructed by the shopkeeper to sit in front of a copper mirror with rhombic flowers, "Master... let's talk about business, and it's not like taking me on a blind date, why do you dress me up like this? Even if we meet The national teacher won't care what I wear in a small running hall."

The shopkeeper picked up the comb with one hand, and untied the linen headband on Chong Liu's head with the other, and the thick black hair immediately fell loose.

"Buddha needs gold clothes, people rely on clothes. No matter how good Hetian jade is, if no one praises it and writes poems to raise its value, do you think it can really make so many arty people a lot just because of its fineness and workmanship?" Do you throw gold and silver in there?" Zhu's shopkeeper's face crossed Chong Liu and reflected in the bronze mirror, with a mature and confident smile, "If a toothbrush is dressed like a beggar, there will be employers who will believe what I introduced Craftsman? How can the contract I made on behalf of both parties be binding enough?"

Chong Liu opened his eyes and listened, very teachable.The shopkeeper met his eyes through the mirror, followed the comb through his hair with his fingers, "It's not just me, if the people around me can't keep up with my schedule, it will also affect the trust of our customers. I always wish that the signboard for so many years was not erected casually."

Chong Liu suddenly felt that the heavy responsibility was added to him, and he was so terrified that he didn't dare to vent his anger.

Seeing that he was nervous, the shopkeeper put a hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to be afraid, just follow me, do whatever I do, and do whatever I ask you to do, I promise not Something will happen."

"Master...do you want to see the national teacher...does it have something to do with Fairy Jiuluan who came to buy a wedding dress last night?"

"Maybe, maybe not." The shopkeeper said lightly, "The news came to me more than three months ago. Originally, Daoist Qi Yao took over as the head teacher, and the national teacher sent a congratulatory form and it was over. You What do you think he came all the way from the capital for?" The shopkeeper paused, and raised his hair, "There are quite a few people who want to ask me for help, but most of them want to deceive others. He is the leader of the world's shamans, but he asks for help from a person like me who is "wrong way". If he speaks out, he will become a laughing stock. And... when he comes to ask me for help, I'm afraid he really has no other choice. .”

After tidying up, the shopkeeper took out a brocade box, which contained a thick booklet like a ledger, and a set of pen, ink and inkstone, "You take this with you. When you get there, you may need you to help me record some of my personal information. The details of the conversation with the national teacher."

Chong Liu hurriedly took it, hugged it in his arms, and quietly opened it to have a look.

The pen is a fine Langhao, the ink block is printed with the words "Lanzhitang" in gold, and the small inkstone is also extraordinary.Chong Liu secretly marveled, his fingers were itchy.

The shopkeeper brought Chong Liu into the lobby.Zhu Yi, Master Liao, Xiao Shun and other helpers who were chatting at the door of the kitchen because there were few customers, all stared wide-eyed when they saw Chong Liu's appearance, and Master Liao even spit out a sip of tea: "This Which song was sung? The civet cat for the prince?"

Xiao Shun also blinked his big eyes and said, "Sixth brother, you are so handsome!"

Chong Liu grinned and posed in a coquettish pose looking up at the sky and pointing at the mountains and rivers, which made Zhu Yi giggle.

The shopkeeper said to Xiaoshun, "Shunzi, go and get the horses and chariots ready. Liu'er and I are going out for half a day."

Xiao Shun immediately rushed to the backyard to prepare the horse.The shopkeeper explained to Zhu Yi the things they need to pay attention to when they are not in the store in the afternoon.And Chong Liu was following the shopkeeper's instructions, taking some money they might need from the cash box and recording it on the account.As the number was being written, Master Liao came to him at some point, leaned against the counter next to him, took a sip from the teapot, "You and the shopkeeper went out to run the shopkeeper's business?"

Chong Liu glanced at Master Liao, "How do you know?"

Master Liao looked at him with a strange look, "You are capable. The last time the shopkeeper took someone out to discuss business was several years ago. It seems that he intends to cultivate you. However, you You also have to be careful. Follow the shopkeeper, you will know more and more things, and you will carry more and more secrets, which will easily lead to disaster."

Chong Liu heard that there was something in Master Liao's words, and thought that Master Liao had been with the shopkeeper the longest among all the people, and whether he knew more about the shopkeeper's dental business.

"Master Liao... have you met the... craftsmen that the shopkeeper is in charge of contacting?" Chong Liu asked in a low voice.

Master Liao dug his ears with his fingers, and said in the same soft voice, "Some have seen it, some haven't. As for you, you can see it or not. The more you know about things here, the deeper you will sink. "

"Then..." Chong Liu just wanted to continue asking, but the shopkeeper was already urging him to go out together.

Chong Liu's driving skills were not very good, but the shopkeeper obviously didn't intend to let Xiao Shun go with them, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the whip, and staggered on the road along Bianhe Street.

The shopkeeper said that the national teacher had just arrived and would settle down in the Bixia Villa.The other hall was at the foot of Zilu Mountain outside Tianliang City, and it was specially renovated for the stay of noble officials who came to visit Zilu Mountain.

The Bianhe River has alluvially formed a sandbar here.There are patches of white water lilies floating on the shallow river, and several elegant and simple houses stand on the water. The copper bells hanging from the eaves sway in the wind, playing light and graceful music.

Chong Liu tried his best to hold the horse, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.Fortunately, there were not many cars and horses on the road, otherwise if someone's car rubbed against someone's car or the horse was frightened, he didn't know how to clean up the mess.As soon as he looked up, he was a little daunted by the fairy-like open door of the carved beams and painted buildings. Several officers and soldiers guarding the door had already noticed them, and some people began to walk this way.Chong Liu became more and more nervous, and hurriedly turned around to ask the shopkeeper in the car, "Boss, how should I tell them?"

"Don't stop here, go around to the Simon."

After Chongliuzhi was cured, he quickly rode his horse forward again, skirting the blue and white courtyard wall as if escaping.

At the west gate, there was an alchemist in a green lotus-colored Taoist robe holding floating dust in his hand. As soon as he saw them, he immediately greeted them.Chong Liu hurriedly reined in his horse, but luckily he didn't bump into the alchemist.

Before Chong Liu could speak, the alchemist had already opened his mouth, "Excuse me, is the person in the car Zhu Boss from Huai'an Inn?"

Zhongliu quickly nodded in agreement.At this time, the car curtain behind him was opened, and the shopkeeper Zhu took out a letter and gave it to Chong Liu, "This is the invitation I received a few days ago."

Chong Liu jumped out of the car and handed the post to the alchemist with both hands.The other party glanced at them, then said to the two of them with a respectful and polite attitude that he was not used to, "The national teacher has been waiting for a long time, please follow me."