Republic of China small businessman

It rained all night, and it was still raining the next morning, but fortunately there was no wind, and the road was so foggy that I couldn't see the road clearly. The river mouth and mountain peaks in the distance seemed to be covered by rain and fog, and the eyes were gray. one slice.

It was already dark when I entered the town yesterday, and I couldn't see the town clearly. When everyone went out during the day, I realized that there were actually a lot of pedestrians in the town, which was quite lively.

On the side of the road, some locals set up a stall selling oiled paper umbrellas, and some people pushed out a few tin tube stoves, selling some baked potatoes, sweet potatoes and other foods, like others, with the smell of fireworks in the market.

The mayor of Buffalo Town rushed to the old house early in the morning to meet Cao Yunzhao. The old man had white hair and a hunched back.

Cao Yunzhao quickly stretched out his hand to help him up: "Mayor Zhang, I told you that it's not like this anymore. It's fine for you and me to call him by name when we see each other. There's no need to do that."

The mayor is old and has lost several teeth, but he still smiles kindly. He wears a round cap with melon skin on his head and a half-worn robe and coat.Cao Yunzhao said it to him twice before he could hear what the other person said clearly, he couldn't help waving his hands, and said with a smile: "The old etiquette cannot be abolished, it cannot be abolished, Mr. Cao is an official older than me, and he is in the capital. The nobleman who came here, I am too old to use my legs and feet, otherwise I should have gone up the mountain with me two days earlier."

Cao Yunzhao said: "The guide you helped to find is very good and familiar with the mountain roads, can you lend me a few more days?"

The mayor nodded and said: "That's natural, Mr. Cao can use it as long as he wants, I will obey your orders."

Xie Jing followed Master Jiu, watching him carefully.

He had seen such people before, most of them were leftovers from the previous dynasty, whether in the north or the south, there were some people of this kind, they followed the old calendar, practiced the old etiquette, and most of them often dreamed of becoming an official.

Sure enough, along the way, I heard that the mayor was very interested in where Cao Yunzhao came from, and he kept asking about the capital. , the reception is not good, Mr. Cao, don't blame him."

Cao Yunzhao said some polite words to him, and followed him to the office. The other party called it Fuya, which sounded like an official.

Cao Yunzhao lost two people in a row, he was very anxious, he didn't care what the other person called him, he just wanted to go and settle down first, so that he could go up the mountain to search.

The small town is long and narrow, almost reaching the end of the town. When it was almost at the foot of the mountain, I saw the small office building of the mayor.

The mayor did not make any major construction projects, but was very frugal. He only rebuilt an old stone house at the junction of the foot of the mountain and the river mouth. It seemed that the surrounding area had been taken care of, but only part of the weeds had been pulled out. , there are still some stones accumulated randomly in the yard, and it seems that it has been a few years.

Cao Yunzhao waited for the guide here, but the other party's expression changed when he heard that he was about to go up the mountain again. He glanced at the old mayor before reluctantly agreeing.

Cao Yunzhao wanted to take people up the mountain himself, but Master Jiu stopped him and said, "You are familiar with the town, you can talk, stay here to make arrangements, and I will send people up the mountain."

Xie Jing thought for a while, and said: "Master, let me go. I have been in Sichuan for a long time, and there are Hu Da and the others. I will take people up the mountain to search. You are here with Mr. Cao." Xie Jing said the last sentence He didn't say any words of caution, he just glanced at the people around him, this town is weird, he wanted Master Jiu to stay here and bring more people just in case.

Master Jiu was also concerned, so he nodded in agreement, and said to him, "Be careful, no matter what, we must go down the mountain and meet up in the evening."

Xie Jing agreed, and took Hu Da and others up the mountain with the guide.

The old mayor seemed taken aback by his big battle, and looked outside worriedly: "There are so many people."

Cao Yunzhao walked over to smooth things over, and explained: "A few days ago, I lost two companions in Buffalo Town. They are members of their family. They are really anxious, so they come here on purpose. They don't mean to offend. Please forgive me."

The old mayor sighed, waved his hands and said, "I'm old, it's okay, I'm just afraid of offending the mountain god, and these young people themselves will suffer."

Cao Yunzhao didn't believe in ghosts and gods, so he said a few perfunctory words.

The old mayor also seemed to hear that he was a little impatient, so he didn't say much about it, and asked: "Master Cao, who is the one who lost it, so many people came looking for it at once... Are those two people very important? "

Cao Yunzhao smiled wryly and said: "Not only that, one is a famous Confucianist, and the other is a wealthy family. I won't be able to tell you for a while. If you can't find anyone in a few days, I'm afraid your entire Buffalo Town will be turned upside down." Up to the sky."

The old mayor had bad ears and was slow to react. After a while, he said in a daze: "Such a powerful person."

Master Jiu went up to ask Cao Yunzhao a few words, Cao Yunzhao nodded, and said to the mayor: "Old man, can you make it easier for me? We have also found some people. You send someone to lead the way. We will also look for it in the town. .”

The old mayor showed some embarrassment on his face: "In our town, outsiders rarely come here. I have shown you what Mr. Cao said two days ago."

Cao Yunzhao: "Yes, but I want to take a closer look."

The old mayor sighed, and said: "Forget it, since your lord ordered, there is no reason for the subordinate officials not to obey, but you have to guarantee that you will not let your subordinates disturb the life of the residents in the town. They are all mountain countrymen and have never seen outside people are very scared.”

Cao Yunzhao made repeated promises, and then he was able to send people to the town to search.

Cao Yunzhao and Jiuye stayed in the government office, sitting and waiting for news.

The old mayor didn't leave either. He seemed to be very particular about the old rules. Cao Yunzhao's official title was a few ranks higher than his, so he seriously pretended to be a low-level official, stayed by him in everything, and tried his best to talk to Cao Yunzhao.

All three of Cao Yunzhao's father and brother are in politics. Although he himself was devoted to art before, he was more or less influenced by it, and he would speak some official words. The old mayor's face turned red after hearing him say a few words Obviously very interested in these, is a complete official fan.

Jiu Ye sat aside, with a cup of hot tea in his hand, he didn't move a bit.

He was also observing the other party, from his words and deeds to his attire, everything was really weird.

In terms of doing things, the old mayor is trembling and dedicated to serving the people. He sent people out this morning to inquire about the same thing. He has never done anything harmful to nature; in terms of clothing, he is wearing a worn-out long robe and mandarin jacket, which have been worn for many years. For the former, it seems that they didn't lose any money to the family because of being an official, so they can be regarded as having a breeze in their sleeves.

Such an old man looks inconspicuous in the town, but he is the person in charge.

He is the most authoritative figure in the town.

Sitting there, Cao Yunzhao was chatted endlessly by the old mayor, and he felt a little anxious, barely coping with it. When the other party asked him about his future plans, he just casually said: "Since I came to Meishan to take up the post, I plan to do more practical things, open a newspaper, run a A girls’ school can also be regarded as making some contributions to enlightening people’s wisdom..."

The old mayor shook his head again and again: "How can we let girls go to school? This is against the precedent of our ancestors, no, no, don't mess with yin and yang."

Cao Yunzhao said: "Nowadays the war outside is very chaotic. Everyone is a part of the Hua Kingdom. There is no distinction between men and women. Talented people should be talented, capable and powerful. Serving the country is what we should do."

Buffalo Town has been closed for many years and has not communicated much with the outside world. Although the old mayor is very polite to Cao Yunzhao, he is very rigid and stubborn. He is still shaking his head with a very disapproving look on his face.

While talking, he suddenly saw two villagers running outside, Cao Yunzhao stood up abruptly, as if he had heard the news, but the other party only looked at him, and hurried to the old mayor to speak in a low voice.

Cao Yunzhao was suspicious and kept staring at him.

After hearing a few words, the old mayor noticed it, smiled and said, "Master Cao is not an outsider, so it's okay to listen. I also want to stay with Mr. Cao for two more days and have a glass of thin wine together." He motioned for the villager to say For everyone to listen, the other party glanced at Cao Yunzhao and said, "The mayor's custom-made dress is ready, and the colored silk lanterns are also ready."

Cao Yunzhao asked: "But you want to celebrate your birthday?"

The old mayor smiled and smoothed his beard, and said: "Ashamed, ashamed, the old man left his wife early, and he has been alone for so many years. At this age, he never expected to meet the right person and marry again. Mr. Cao and your friend came by coincidence, why not stay for a few more days and drink a glass of beer wine, it is my honor to have the nobleman's blessing."

Although the old mayor was a continuation, he used the etiquette of marrying a regular wife, and he had to carefully check things like playing and playing. After talking to Cao Yunzhao and the others, he quickly took a step forward to get busy.

Cao Yunzhao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said: "I see how he is 70 or [-] years old, and he still wants to marry a wife at this age, hey Bai Jiu, you think his second wife is probably in her fifties, right? ? It’s really strange for this person in red and colorful to pay homage to the church.”

Master Jiu sat there noncommittal, took a sip of tea, and waited quietly.

On the other side, on the mountain.

Xie Jing led the people to follow the guide all the way, quickly climbed up the mountain road, and found the ruined temple where Mr. Huang disappeared.

The temple is dilapidated, but it is different from that of Yunmeng Mountain. There is an invisible stone carved beast standing at the entrance, half hidden in the grass, and it looks like it has been abandoned for a long time.

Xie Jing searched around the ruined temple, but found nothing. The murals on the walls were mottled and faded. He stood there carefully to identify them for a while, but they were only painted by later generations, and they were very rough.

After a while, Hu Da came to find Xie Jing, and said in a low voice: "Little master, it has been raining for the past two days, and the traces outside have been washed away by the rain, and nothing was found."

Xie Jing asked: "I also found it in the walls, windows, and grass?"

Hu Da: "I've searched them all. The surrounding woods are low, and I haven't seen any traces of people passing by, and I haven't found any footprints."

The sky outside was cloudy, and it rained continuously after a while, so everyone could only hide from the rain in the ruined temple.

The guide is from the local town. He is a short, black and thin man. He looks timid and anxious looking outside: "It's raining heavily, and it will take a while before we can go down the mountain."

Xie Jing said: "Are you afraid of going up the mountain, or the mayor?"

The guide shook his head again and again, and after a while he whispered: "The mayor has always treated us well, especially in the past two years. If there is anything we want to ask, even if the mayor refuses to agree, we can always persuade Mrs. Ru."

Xie Jing asked: "Your mayor takes a concubine?" This title originally referred to a concubine. Xie Jing has seen some arty people marry a concubine and put it aside, because it is more serious, he also called it this name as a joke, only as "like a wife" ".

Guide: "No, the mayor has been a widow for many years, and he only hired his wife in recent years."

Xie Jing was puzzled: "Then why is it called Mrs. Ru?"

Guide: "The bride married by the mayor is named Liu Ruyi. Everyone calls her "Ms. Ruyi."

The author has something to say: add a little word count~

small theater:

Liu Ruyi: Thank you for the invitation, there is still a little part to play, and it will be finished soon.