At the Old Locust Tree Cart Inn, a clerk with a white towel hanging around his neck tucked his hands into his sleeves. He stared blankly at the gloomy sky outside, then turned to talk to the shopkeeper, who was dozing at the counter, in a flattering manner:
"It's going to rain heavily again. Boss, it's so late and no one's coming. Why don't we get off work early? I promised Xiaofang I'd buy her a bag of assorted thread."
"You guys are always thinking about Xiaofang. Have you found someone to propose to her?"
The innkeeper's chubby face was filled with concern. "Find a matchmaker to propose marriage sooner rather than later. Be careful not to let the opportunity slip away."
"That's impossible. We grew up together, and her family has acquiesced to it."
The shopkeeper was so confused by what he heard. He was anxious to finish his work and go home to discuss the matter with his mother.
Xiaofang's mother really disliked him these times.
The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed. His family had run the inn here for five generations, and he had seen all sorts of people come and go.
I stared blankly at the gloomy sky, hoping to take on two big deals in late autumn so that I could earn enough money to support my son's studies and take the exam to become a scholar.
I hope that he will become successful one day and marry a suitable wife. From then on, I will be able to shed my humble life.
In the evening.
It rained for several days again, and the sky was dark like the big mouth of a monster swallowing food.
There were few pedestrians on the street.
The clerk was holding a board and preparing to open the shop door when Gu Beiheng and his group hurried over.
"Damn it. No mission in any year has been as deadly as this one. There were rainstorms and mudslides along the way, and several colleagues lost their lives here.
You said that nothing in previous years was as strange as this year. "I didn't ask Zhou Banxian to tell my fortune before I left." Yao Liu muttered.
I was also worried that Yao Wu would die.
His mother's tears could drown him. I'm afraid he will never dare to go home again.
Peng Laosan is flexible and capable.
Pull the corner of your mouth slightly:
"Yao Liu, why are you so anxious? Now that you're the leader, even Yao Wu's injury won't be a problem. Let's hire a carriage and get to Jinyang Prefecture as soon as possible to complete this task on time."
"Hey, buddy. Why are you closing the door? Can't you see me coming? Business is coming to your door." Yao Liu thought so too. He raised his eyelids and saw the clerk of the carriage inn closing the door.
He quickly shouted to stop the door from closing.
Gu Beiheng, Gu Beihan and others followed behind with expressionless faces.
When the waiter saw that there were two officers among the people who came, he smiled from ear to ear.
He wailed inwardly: a miserable day for the overtime worker. He couldn't afford to offend the official, as this would prevent him from buying thread to see Xiaofang.
"Sir, please come in. I was too blind to see you coming, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to come in even if I had the courage of a bear or a leopard." The waiter's mouth was as sweet as if he had dug out a bee's nest.
Yao Liu, Peng Laosan, Gu Beiheng and his group entered the inn.
The shopkeeper, who was squinting behind the counter, raised his eyelids and glanced over. He quickly stood up and walked away from the counter, the fat on his face jiggling with a smile.
"Dear guests, dear guests. Please take a seat inside, gentlemen. I heard the magpies calling in the trees early this morning. I thought there must be distinguished guests visiting our shop today, and sure enough, they really are."
The fat shopkeeper dusted off the nonexistent dust on the stool with a towel, then turned around and told the waiter:
"Big Head, quickly make a pot of the best sparrow tongue tea. Let us warm our throats."
"Hey. I'll go right away."
Datou rushed to the backyard to make tea.
Peng Laosan sat down on the stool with a dagger, looking around with an expressionless face. "Boss, we would like to rent a few cars from your store to go to Yun County, Jinyang Prefecture. What are the prices?"
"We are going to Yun County, Jinyang Prefecture. It's more than a thousand miles away. Let me calculate the price." The fat shopkeeper was even more delighted when he heard that they were going to Jinyang Prefecture.
The farther you go, the more money you make.
He leaned over the counter, fiddling with his abacus. Then he came out with his eyes narrowed.
Datou then brought the tea over and served it to Peng Laosan and Yao Liu first, and then poured tea for Gu Beiheng and the others.
"Boss, I need to buy a horse and a carriage frame." Gu Beiheng took the teacup in his hand, used the tea lid to push away the fine foam, and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
In the old days, people didn’t drink tea so delicately.
"Bighead, please take this gentleman to the back to see the horses. If there is any that catches your eye, please introduce them to me immediately." The fat shopkeeper grinned and laughed.
"Master, this way please."
Datou knew that he had to work overtime today, so he might as well serve the customers happily and get a big reward.
Gu Beiheng followed Datou to see the horses, and Peng Laosan patted the non-existent dust on his body.
"You guys sit down. I'm going to go see the horses too." Men love horses, and people like Peng Laosan are no exception.
He stood up and followed Datou and Gu Beiheng out.
Gu Beiheng looked around the stable and was not very satisfied. The horse was skinny and had dirty fur. He frowned and asked:
"Man, aren't there any other horses with enough legs?"
He could see that the horses' teeth were not in good condition and they obviously had no strength.
Datou thought about it and felt a little embarrassed:
"Master, isn't this horse good? We have a wild horse here. If you can tame it, we can sell it to you at a low price." A light bulb went off in the big-headed man's head.
A few days ago, a wounded horse was sold to us. It was a wild horse without a saddle.
This guy was so wild that it took seven or eight horse lassoers to tame him. Who knew he couldn't be sold after he bought him? Even the experienced horsemen at the wagon shop couldn't tame him.
Now he lives in a carriage shop like an old man.
The shopkeeper offered a reward of one or two taels of silver to anyone who sold the wild horse.
"Take me to see it."
"This way, please."
Peng Laosan followed Gu Beiheng, and the two of them didn't talk much. He just followed him closely, with a strange look in his eyes.
It’s like the idol you always think about is standing next to you at this moment.
It's just the two of you together, with no one else in the world. Are you excited?
Anyway, Peng Laosan's heart was as hot as the fire in the blacksmith's shop, but his mouth was sealed and he couldn't speak.
“Good horse.”
Peng Laosan saw the horse first, grinning and whispering.
Gu Beiheng looked at the horse in surprise. He didn't expect that there were such fine horses in this small place.
The smooth lines of his body, the piercing eyes, the powerful neigh—everything about him indicated that he was a fine horse. It was just that his red coat was a little dirty and tangled.
It's obvious that it hasn't been well cared for.
I'm afraid no one in the coach inn can conquer this horse.
Gu Beiheng had his eye on something, so how could he not conquer it? However, he did not conquer the horse first. Instead, he bargained with Datou and finally spent 25 taels of silver to buy the horse.
The horse must be worth more than this price.
But if I don't sell Mazuzong now, I'm afraid I'll lose money day by day. Besides, I bought it cheaply when I was sick.
Datou was very happy and enthusiastically found a good bicycle frame for Gu Beiheng.
"Sir, look at this carriage frame. It's definitely solid. The wood is different." Datou thought that with the reward money, he could hire a matchmaker to propose marriage. He worked even harder to introduce Gu Beiheng: "You bought a horse from our shop, and you rented a carriage. This carriage frame is cheaper. How about five taels of silver?"
Gu Beiheng pointed at the car frame.
"This piece of broken wood is worth five taels of silver? It can't be more than four taels of silver at most."
Datou was shocked and said, "Sir, you are bargaining too hard."
"If you have four taels of silver, take it with you. Go ask your shopkeeper."
Datou glanced at Gu Beiheng and saw that he had not tried the horse yet, so he made up his mind and ran in to ask the fat shopkeeper.
After a while, he came out panting.
He made a gesture of approval to Gu Beiheng. He spent twenty-nine taels of silver to buy his favorite horse and arrange the carriage.
I felt extremely happy and walked over to lead the horse.
How could the horse be obedient?
He raised his hoof and wanted to kick Gu Beiheng over.
A man and a horse immediately began fighting in the narrow space. Sparks flashed in both men's eyes, and neither would yield. Within a moment, the horse had already docilely clung to Gu Beiheng's palm.
He acted like, "Boss, why are you here so late?"
It was completely different from his previous attitude of wanting to stir up trouble.
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