Don't go back to hometown

In the first year Jiang Xianyu left home, he did not go to Lingnan with Ren Xiaoyao.

It's just that at the beginning, he was a little dazed, often in a daze, unwilling to go home, and didn't know where he was going. Ren Xiaoyao was worried that he was alone, so he invited him to go south with him, and then made plans.

After more than a month on the same road, Jiang Xianyu woke up from the confused and helpless situation, said goodbye to Ren Xiaoyao, and planned to go out alone.

"You don't have any experience in traveling outside, so you should come with me." Ren Xiaoyao persuaded.

Jiang Xianyu smiled and shook his head: "Brother Ren has business to do when he goes to Lingnan, right? I've dragged you down to take care of me for so long, so I can't delay you any longer."

Ren Xiaoyao sighed helplessly, "Then where are you going?"

Jiang Xianyu thought for a while: "Since I have traveled south to this point, I plan to visit southern Xinjiang."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded: "That's okay, the scenery in southern Xinjiang is beautiful and rugged, and the customs and customs are different from those in the south of the Yangtze River. It's good to go and have a look."

He took a pen and paper, and said while writing: "It's just that southern Xinjiang is not as peaceful as Jiangnan. I'll write down some anti-virus and insect-repelling medicinal materials for you, and you can go to the pharmacy to prepare them and bring them with you. Don't be impulsive when you encounter people and things, remember people. There are mountains outside the mountains, so don't rely on your kung fu to be brave."

Ren Xiaoyao paused, and wrote another line: "This is my residence in the capital. If you have anything to do, you can write to me. However, I can't guarantee that I will reply you in time. If there is a destiny, see you in the capital."

Jiang Xianyu took the paper, his eyes flickered slightly, "Thank you, Big Brother Ren."

Ren Xiaoyao patted him on the shoulder, "Don't thank me, it's all because I'm talking too much... and I kidnapped you. Just go out for a while, don't forget that your family still misses you, go home early."

Jiang Xianyu concealed the sourness and emotion in his heart, nodded, and said goodbye to Ren Xiaoyao.

Then went to southern Xinjiang.After spending a winter in the village with no news, he embarked on a journey again in spring.

Passed through snake dens, encountered Gu insects, rode elephants, seen peacocks, climbed snow-capped mountains, killed wolves, experienced wind, frost, rain and snow, and enjoyed the most beautiful sunrise.

But still floating like a lonely duckweed, there is no place in my heart.

In the second year, he left southern Xinjiang, passed through Shuzhou, and headed northeast.

When the money was almost spent, he would go to reveal the wanted arrest warrant offering a reward, and help the government catch the Jiangyang thief.Or do part-time jobs to earn a living.

There are vendors selling wonton noodles and tofu curds on the street in almost every town, whenever Jiang Xianyu encounters them, he will eat a bowl.

It's just that after he tasted it, it was not as delicious as Yangzhou's.

For a while, he became obsessed with the bean curd in Jiangcheng, and worked as a temporary accountant in a restaurant.

This restaurant does not regard bean curd as a street food that is not available on the table, but takes it as a signboard.

He was able to read and write, was good-looking and good-looking. The owner of the restaurant was satisfied when he saw him, and specially put him on the counter to solicit business while managing accounts.

On this day, Jiang Xianyu was settling accounts at the counter when he suddenly heard a man's angry reprimand not far away.

"Everyone, come and comment, this black-hearted doctor in Huichun Hall has cured my son so stupid!"

The diners and waiters in the restaurant all poked their heads to watch the commotion, and there was a lot of discussion: "No way? The doctors in Huichuntang have excellent medical skills, how can they treat people stupid?"

"Xiao Er." A diner threw a few copper coins to the waiter, "Go and ask."

"Hey!" Xiaoer took the copper plate and ran out immediately.

After a while, I came back and inquired about the matter clearly.

"The troublemaker was a man from out of town. He was alone with his child. He said that the child had caught a cold on the way here. He was sent to Huichun Hall with a high fever yesterday. When he woke up this morning, the child was in a daze. He looked really stupid. !"

"Oh! This is burning stupid, right? If you ask me, the doctor in Huichuntang is still unreliable, not as good as the doctor in Tongrentang!"

"You can't say that. Fever in children is inherently dangerous, and there are many people who can't survive it. I think it's fate, and the doctor can't be blamed."

Jiang Xianyu frowned when he heard this, when an old man next to him sneered slightly, "What's the matter with fate, if that man accepted his fate, would he be able to make such a fuss?"

Xiao Er, who went to inquire about the news, quickly laughed and said, "Master Huang really guessed right. This man from other places is making a scene at the gate of Huichun Hall, asking for 300 taels of silver."

"How much?! 300 taels?!"

"He's a lion with a big mouth!"

"Then Huichun Hall will give it?"

"Impossible? It's not 30 taels."

"Who will be killed at 30 taels! Anyway, half of the life is lost. If someone is stupid, he will be ruined. The compensation of 300 taels is not much."

"You don't feel pain in your back when you stand and talk. If you really pay him 300 taels, Huichuntang will be in vain this year."

Xiao Er is a clever person, seeing that everyone is about to quarrel, he hurriedly said: "Don't worry, gentlemen! Don't worry! I'll go and ask again."

After speaking, he turned around and ran out again. After a while, there was another burst of shouting outside, and the words "blackmailer" and "liar" could be vaguely heard.

Xiao Er ran back panting: "Hey! I misunderstood! That guy from out of town deliberately blackmailed me!"

"Fake?" The diners in the restaurant were shocked, and quickly asked Xiaoer to explain in detail.

Jiang Xianyu originally thought it was the doctor's fault, and was hesitating whether to help the father and son, but he didn't expect things to turn around.

Xiao Er explained: "That guy was arguing with Huichun Hall over there, how much money did he pay? Suddenly, a couple came out and said that the guy blackmailed people, and the child was already stupid!"

"Acquaintance?"

Xiaoer: "Yes, the couple claimed to be from the same hometown as the father and son, and they said they escaped from the snow disaster in the south of the Yangtze River last year."

Jiang Xianyu was startled, and suddenly raised his head to look at Xiaoer.

Just listen to him say: "I heard that the child's mother froze to death early in the morning, and the child had a high fever at that time. The man had no money to take it to the hospital, and his fellow villagers gave him a medical payment. Who knows that a set of medicines will go away?" , the child had a fever again the next day, and the man went to the medical clinic to make a fuss and extorted a few taels of silver."

"Later, I was so cruel that I didn't dress the child, soaked it in cold water, made the child have fever again and again, and went to the medical clinic to extort money. After going back and forth, the child would have been stupid for a long time!"

"Sin! How could there be such a father who abused his child?!"

"That's right! Tiger poison doesn't even eat its eggs! This—this is simply inferior to a beast!"

Xiaoer: "That's right! The old doctor in Huichuntang was so angry that he detained the father and son, saying that he would send him to the official to accuse him of child abuse. The man was so frightened that he left the child and ran away. "

"You don't want children anymore?"

Xiaoer: "The old doctor said he came to raise him, maybe he can be cured."

"It's still a doctor's benevolence!"

Everyone turned to praise the doctor of Huichun Hall, but Jiang Xianyu stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Er's arm, and asked tremblingly, "Did there be a snow disaster in the south of the Yangtze River last year?"

Xiaoer nodded: "Yes, since the end of last year, Huai'an, Yangzhou, and Jinling have been snowed heavily one after another, and the canals have been frozen. Until the beginning of spring in February, many people died."

Jiang Xianyu's heart was shocked, and he immediately turned back to the hut in the backyard to pack his luggage.

He resigned from his job as an accountant and rushed back to Yangzhou overnight.

Last winter, he was still in southern Xinjiang where there was no news, and he didn't know about the snow disaster at all.

Later, when they passed through Shuzhou and traveled to Jiangcheng, they deliberately did not ask for news about Yangzhou.If he hadn't heard about it today, how long would it take for him to know that such a big thing happened in Yangzhou!

Parents, eldest brother, and the Xie family...are they all right?

The Jiang family and the Xie family have family support, so they should not suffer heavy losses and become homeless like ordinary farmers.However, roads are blocked by snowstorms, canals are frozen, and prices are soaring, and darts and merchants will inevitably be affected.

As for Xie Cheng, he should be on his way to the capital for the exam at that time.The south of the Yangtze River has been hit by snowstorms, and it will only be colder in the north. Did he suffer from the cold, did he get sick, did he successfully participate in the scientific examination...

Jiang Xianyu desperately wanted to go home, so he took a boat from Jiangcheng and went down the Yangtze River, asking for information from well-informed merchants along the way.

As he expected, farmers were the hardest hit, but merchants were also blocked, especially the canal was frozen for more than a month, which delayed a lot of business, and many merchants with weak foundations were dragged down like this.

He went to the government again to inquire about the news, and among the Jinshi in Chunwei and Jidi at the beginning of the year... there was no Xie Cheng.

how so……

He returned to Yangzhou with a restless heart.

New seedlings have been planted in the fields outside the city, the canal wharf is still bustling and noisy like yesterday, and the faces of the villagers are also filled with hearty smiles. It seems that the traces of the snow disaster have long since disappeared, and no abnormalities can be noticed.

But he was too timid to get off the boat.

Finally, I went to the boatman and bought a bamboo hat, covered my face, and walked into the crowd anxiously.

It seems that a foreign fleet has come to the pier, and some officials are checking it.

Jiang Xianyu saw Uncle Liu's housekeeper picking up people at the pier, and the person who greeted him happened to be a merchant who disembarked with him. His surname was Xu, and he was a horse dealer from the northwest.

Boss Xu looked at the fleet and sighed: "Such a grand occasion, is it the fleet of the Hu family, the imperial merchant?"

"It's indeed the boat of the Hu family." The housekeeper of the Liu residence replied, "I heard that this time I brought a lot of high-quality silk and porcelain. If Boss Xu is interested, would you like to bring some back to the northwest?"

Boss Xu said with a smile: "Then I will thank you, Boss Liu, for introducing me."

The housekeeper of the Liu residence said politely, "It should be, it should be."

Jiang Xianyu followed unhurriedly, and also took a look at the fleet, and saw a woman wearing a veiled hat descending from the highest-spec ship, surrounded by a group of servants and servants for protection.

Boss Xu narrowed his eyes, turned around and asked the housekeeper of Liu's house, "That is Ms. Hu, right? I heard that she came back to Yangzhou to meet the young master Linyuan from the second bedroom of Xie's family?"

Jiang Xianyu paused, "Xie Linyuan" is Xie Chengji's word.

He hastened to follow a little closer, and then he heard Liu's housekeeper laughing and said: "Boss Xu is really well-informed, this Hu family indeed intends to marry the second wife of Xie's family."

Boss Xu nodded: "When I came back to Yangzhou, I was fortunate enough to meet the young master of the Xie family. He is indeed young and promising, calm and shrewd, and has an extraordinary bearing. Although he gave up his official career, if he can get married with the imperial merchant Hu's family, his future will be A perfect match—a marvel, a marvel!"

"Isn't that right!" The housekeeper of the Liu family looked around and lowered his voice, "Actually, the Hu and Xie families have already changed their Geng posts, and when Master Xie comes back from other places, he will see Miss Hu. Not far away!"

Boss Xu smiled heartily: "Then I'll stay for a while longer, so I can ask for a glass of wedding wine."

The two walked farther and farther with their servants, and no one noticed that the young man wearing a bamboo hat stopped and his eyes turned red quietly.

Although he didn't know why Xie Cheng gave up his official career, Jiang Xianyu didn't expect that Xie Cheng would actually get married... The family is right, a man and a woman are beautiful, a perfect match, a match made in heaven.

There were people coming and going beside him, and the noise continued, but Jiang Xianyu seemed to be anchored in the canal, his vision was blurred, his ears were closed, and he was frozen in place, neither seeing nor hearing anything.

His heart fell with his body, and the tides from all directions crushed him, making him depressed and suffocated, his heart stopped beating, and his bone marrow was in sharp pain... There was no end to the fall, and he fell into the endless abyss.

After standing for an unknown amount of time, he finally pulled out his legs and turned around with heavy steps.

The anchor broke free from the river bed, and went away with the ship again... I don't know the date of return.

This time he went to the northwest, went beyond the Great Wall, enjoyed the solitary smoke in the desert, the sunset over the long river, and then returned to the Central Plains, wandering and trekking for several years.

Apart from inquiring about the safety of his father, mother and brother, he never returned to Yangzhou.

Until passing through Xi'an, he meets Li Mingya by accident and reunites with Ren Xiaoyao.

At that time, he still regarded Ren Xiaoyao as a reliable elder brother, but he didn't know that the other party's inner appearance had already changed.