Chapter 132

Half an hour later, Xin Shengyuan was as angry as a pufferfish sitting in the only hall in Zhuangzi that received guests. After he asked, he found out that only two years after he left Zhuangzi, the fields in the village were deserted in less than a year because no one had access to them.

The two servants knelt on the ground warringly, their heads almost hanging to the floor. No matter how small the village was, it still had several acres of land.

The Xin family originally bought this village and built it to escape the summer heat. They only built a two-story attic in the middle with dozens of rooms.

Surrounded by rockeries and flowing water, there are also pavilions in the middle of the corridor and pavilions in the corridor. Each step has a scene. In just a few years, it has become very desolate, with overgrown weeds and wild branches of trees. It does not look like a summer resort, but more like a summer resort. Mountain Ghost Garden.

Anyone who is timid would probably be scared out of his wits when he saw this deserted backyard.

However, one of them was so angry that he forgot to look around, while the other was really not afraid of these ghosts and monsters.

No one thought Zhuangzi was eerie and scary.

Xu Yi listened to Xin Shengyuan reprimanding his servants. Although the two men saw that the young master's family was angry, they did not want to kill them, so they gradually became bolder.

One of the old ladies was still wiping her tears and cried out in a controlled voice: "Xin Langjun, you have to make the decision for us. I have been here for eight years. This village is so big and there are not many goddaughters around." With my godson by my side, I really can't do that. "

Otherwise, the backyard wouldn't be like that.

In the front yard, she and the servant who opened the door were to live, and they made it look like someone was living there.

If it weren't for the fact that the body and deeds were all in the master's hands, none of them would be willing to stay here.

Xin Shengyuan was still blushing and scratching his neck before, but when he heard his mother-in-law crying, he suddenly felt relieved. There were several maids waiting in his house, not to mention Zhuangzi.

"You, and you, get up." Xin Shengyuan lost face, but his tone was not good after all, "I want to rent this village to a friend, and now it's like this, how can I do it?"

"Xin Langjun , This village is going to be rented out?" The mother-in-law's eyes were excited and she got up hurriedly.

She looked at Xin Shengyuan, and then at the silent young gentleman next to her. She thought that this was the person who wanted to rent the house.

This is a good opportunity for them to leave Zhuangzi.

Another servant who looked after the door was overjoyed and shouted that he had an idea.

"Xin Langjun, this matter is easy to handle. Just leave it to us. For just a few coins, the old slave can go to the dental shop to hire some rough ladies and ask them to clean the yard properly. Here are a few more Strong man, we can eradicate the weeds in the fields, and people in this village can live in peace."

Xin Shengyuan was moved and asked him, "How much does it cost?"

The old slave was afraid that the money would not be enough, so he gestured. Number: "With five guans, you can hire a dozen women and men."

Xin Shengyuan was stunned and thought to himself, let alone five guans in his hand, now he can't even get out three guans.

Seeing the bitter look on his face, Xu Yi said: "You guys go down first."

The two servants looked at each other, and neither dared to leave directly.

Xin Shengyuan waved his hand, and they bowed out of the hall.

Now, they were the only ones left in the huge hall.

Xin Shengyuan was a little aggrieved. He finally got an opportunity to make money, but it was just gone.

"Xu Yi, I'm afraid Zhuangzi won't be able to rent it to you."

"I think it's pretty good." Xu Yi smiled.

Xin Shengyuan was dumbfounded. He couldn't help complaining: "You want to rent it? This village is too shabby. It will take a lot of effort to take care of it if you rent it."

"It's not that troublesome. "Xu Yi said, pointing in the direction of the field, "We can leave the rest of the backyard alone for the time being. We only need to remove the weeds in the field, spread firewood ashes, and after half a month, we can sow medicinal seeds."

Hire a few . A strong man who does rough work all year round can spend some money and only need two days.

Xin Shengyuan was really short of money. He was moved and felt very sorry for his good brother.

He actually spent a lot of money to rent out such a bad village. After signing the deed, he patted his chest and said that he would pay for the hiring of a strong man.

He had money in his hands and no longer had to spend money constrainedly. He became the rich young man who had nothing to do when he was young.

Xu Yi took the signed lease deed into his arms and said with a smile: "Don't worry, you don't have to pay. I will just arrange the hiring. Your money..."

He hesitated and said, "Save some money."

Xin Shengyuan said that Zhuangzi rented it to him at a low price. He was not just talking about it. It was really several dollars lower than the market price a year.

Xu Yi rented such a large village for only a dozen guan.

According to Xin Shengyuan's lavish spending situation, he really can't bear to spend more than ten thousand dollars. If he goes to a restaurant to have a good meal, he can eat up a few dollars.

These words pierced Xin Shengyuan's heart. He raised his head, his eyes clear and clean, showing the good years that had not been wasted by the world. He was a little confused for a moment and couldn't see clearly how to take the road ahead.

"Xu Yi, my parents both want me to pursue an official career..." There was a hint of boyish melancholy in his clear and clean eyes.

Xu Yi saw that he was becoming depressed and called his name.

"Xin Shengyuan."

"Huh?"

"What do you plan to do in the future?" "

I don't know." " Have you

ever thought about it?"

"..."

Xin Shengyuan's response stopped abruptly, as if he thought of something. The bright eyes suddenly darkened.

It seemed like his friends, but him, didn't know where to go yet.

...

In mid-March, it rains from time to time, as continuously as needles.

After Xu Yi rented the village in Xinshengyuan, he woke up early that morning and ate too early, so he hurriedly got on Uncle Liu's ox cart and went out.

They rushed to the eastern suburbs. The rough men who came to work were already waiting outside the village. When they saw the customers arriving, they quickly followed them into the village.

This village is desolate enough. These rough men are here to eradicate the weeds in the fields. They pile up the weeds and pile them up on the edge of the field ridges.

Seeing this, Uncle Liu lamented why the sun was not out.

If the sun comes out, these weeds can be dried and used as firewood.

However, it rained for several days in a row. Halfway through the work, the rough men began to rain more heavily and had to put on raincoats to continue working.

The rain delayed the progress of the work, and the hired man was a little worried that the customer would go crazy and deduct money, so he decided to let the boldest person explain the situation.

Xu Yi was still drinking tea in the house when he saw a rough man coming to see him.

I thought something happened.

He quickly invited the rough man into the room to talk.

Xu Yi did not avoid Uncle Liu who was taking shelter from the rain in the hall. Instead, he poured the brewed ginger tea for the rough man: "I was just going to find you. It's raining and I might catch a cold. My name is Zhuang Zili." They made ginger tea. Remember to give it to them before you leave."

"Thank you, Mr. Xu." The rough man was stunned, thinking that this customer was different from what they thought.

"What do you want from me?" Xu Yi asked.

The rough man swallowed his saliva and said cautiously: "Mr. Xu, it's been raining for the past two days. I'm afraid we won't be able to finish our work until tomorrow."

Xu Yi was surprised: "That's it?"

The rough man didn't know why, but he still ordered it. nodded.

This matter is already a big deal for them. If they don't do the job well this time and the customer goes to the broker who is in charge of them and scolds them, they will be penalized at the dental store. If there is any good work later, it will not be their turn.

The rough man was a little nervous and became even more frightened when he saw Xu Yi didn't speak.

Xu Yi sighed, wondering if he was that scary. Thinking of this, Xu Yi said to the rough man: "Nothing, I just delayed it for a day."

After the rough man left, Xu Yi raised his hand and touched his face, and asked Uncle Liu who was looking at him with a smile: "I "Very aggressive?"

"Doctor Xu is not aggressive." Uncle Liu smiled and shook his head.

Xu Yi was puzzled: "Then what are they afraid of me for?"

Uncle Liu's son also worked part-time in the county town, so he was very familiar with this.

He sighed and said, "Doctor Xu doesn't know something. What ordinary people fear most is having their wages deducted from their work. If the work is not done well, the employer will have many excuses to withhold the money. Doctor Xu This time you hired people to meet the deadline, but it was delayed for a while due to rain. They are afraid that you will use this as an excuse to make them work in vain, and they will go to the dental shop to severely punish you

. I shuddered in my heart, isn't this forcing people to death?

Uncle Liu was a good person. He knew that Xu Yi was a kind-hearted gentleman, so he told him all the nasty things without saying anything.

Afraid of dirtying Xu Yi's ears.

In the world, those who are as lucky as him have waited for decades for this great good luck to meet this young man, Xu Yi.

"Doctor Xu, although there are such things, they are not many. Most of them are those noble officials who bully others and suppress the people."

It is unknown whether there are any big family heads among them who are signaling behind their backs.

It is said that the richer people are, the more stingy they are, which is not unreasonable. There have always been rich people who do not treat people as human beings.

This matter is far away from Xu Yi, but it does not mean that it is far away from the people at the bottom.

The next day, Xu Yi saw the rough men working hard. He walked over, but before he got close, he heard a frightened exclamation.

"Snake! There is a snake hole!"

It is not uncommon for snake holes in dry fields to scare a rough man who works in the fields all year round. It seems that it is not an ordinary snake hole.

Several other people came over to take a look, and then, like the rough man, they were scared and panicked and backed away.

snake! Lots and lots of snake eggs!

They were piled up so densely that I couldn’t count how many there were.

They heard a noise behind them, like a frightened bird jumping up. They were relieved to see that it was not a snake but a customer, but soon their hearts were in their throats again.

"Mr. Xu, it's dangerous here. Go back quickly."

"It's okay."

Xu Yi quietly took a few steps closer, glanced over the group of them, and looked deeper. The grass shadows were all wrong, and only part of them could be seen. .

There is an astonishing snake cave there, half of it exposed to the outside, usually hidden in the soil. You can vaguely see several dark snakes entwined in the cave, with hundreds of snake eggs surrounding the snakes.

The snakes were awakened and stood vigilantly next to the eggs, spitting out letters.

If it weren't for protecting the snake eggs, they would have probably rushed out to bite the rough guys standing in front of them.

But now the snake is motionless and the man is motionless, and they are in a stalemate with each other.

Xu Yi had no intention of using others as a shield. When the snake didn't move, he whispered to the rough man closest to him: "You should carefully withdraw and get out of here."

"Where are you, Mr. Xu?" the rough man said in panic. Tighten your throat.

Xu Yi squinted his eyes and spoke calmly: "Don't make any big moves, they won't leave the cave for the time being."

The female snake protects its eggs and will not leave the cave easily, not to mention there are several of them. For the snake, the crisis caused by these people is The feeling is so strong that they will not leave the cave.

Listening to Xu Yi's instructions, the rough men holding hoes moved slowly, moving away from the snake hole little by little.

The snake entrenched inside moved with their movements, but as Yi said, if they didn't take the initiative to attack, the snake would not attack them.

But there are so many snakes that always have to be dealt with. If they stay in Zhuangzi, something will happen sooner or later.

Xu Yi asked them to stay outside the field. He hurried back home and dug out all the snake repellent medicine in the pharmacy.

In the early spring of every year, Xu Yi will prepare a snake-repelling medicine. In addition to realgar powder, this snake-repelling medicine contains other medicinal materials.

Realgar powder can repel snakes because it has a pungent smell. Snakes are afraid of this smell and will avoid it when they smell it.

If you want to catch a snake, you can't just use snake repellent. You also need to use weeds to light the snake repellent and use smoke to stun the snake.

It's easy to catch them only if you stun them.

Xu Yi took the snake repellent medicine, sacks and hay, then went to the kitchen and took away the tongs for holding the charcoal fire.

Time was running out, and he didn't have time to tell A Xu. He just asked him to find Yu Qiulin and asked him to take Yu Qiulin to Zhuangzi in the eastern suburbs.

After giving these instructions, he got on Uncle Liu's ox cart and hurried back to Zhuangzi as soon as possible.

In Zhuangzi, a few rough men did not relax at all after Xu Yi left. They guarded the outside of the field anxiously, praying that the patrons would bring the snake catchers over quickly.

The timid one thought that he had been working in the fields for the past few days. If he hadn't discovered the snake hole and accidentally stepped on the snake... the man's face was completely drained of color, his shoulders were shaking, and his legs were weak.

"We...we almost..."

"What are you afraid of? Didn't you get bitten?" Seeing how cowardly he was, Chen Liu frowned and said, "Then many officials have gone to find someone to catch the snake. I can't bite it." Come to us."

He was the rough guy who went to see Xu Yi last time. After contacting him, he felt that this customer was a good person.

They missed the construction deadline, and they didn’t even say they would deduct money. They even made ginger tea for them.

Others were also whispering that the patrons they met this time were not like before.

In the past, customers were paid as part-time workers and did hard work. When snake holes appeared in the fields like today, they would not call snake catchers to catch them. They would just ask them to catch snakes.

Only this time, the snake looked scary, and they didn't dare to step forward.

Chen Liu was brave, but he couldn't catch so many by himself. If one were to escape, the snake would be a hidden danger.

"Chen Liu, why hasn't Mr. Xu come back yet?"

The pale-faced man swallowed hard and looked in the direction outside Zhuangzi in a panic. His heart was chilling with anticipation. "Maybe he ran away."

Chen Liu believed it . With his own intuition, he shouted: "No."

At this time, Xu Yi jumped off the oxcart and entered Zhuangzi with the sack. He interrupted their discussion, put the sack in his hand on the ground, and lowered his voice: "Leave one of you to help me, and the rest will disperse."

Xu Yi just finished speaking and glanced at these rough men.

Everyone else instinctively took a step back, except for the thick man who came back to see him and stood still.

Xu Yi's eyes finally fell on him, and when he was about to ask him, the rough man said one step ahead of him: "Official Xu, I'll do it."

"Okay, take this." Xu Yi took out a bottle from his sleeve. The snake-repelling medicine was handed to him, "This is snake-repelling powder. Sprinkle it in a circle five meters away from the snake hole. Don't worry about spreading too much."

Chen Liu grabbed the bottle and nodded heavily.

Spreading pesticides is not difficult. Most of the weeds in the field have been eradicated. Only around the snake hole are there still messy weeds.

Xu Yi didn't let him go empty-handed and gave him a two-foot-long machete.

Chen Liu lowered his head and saw the long machete with a sharp blade. He stretched out his hand and grasped it. It was very heavy. The fear in his heart immediately dissipated a lot, and the machete gave him a great sense of security.

He waved his long knife, splitting the weeds in front of him, and walked carefully in the field.

As he walked, he shook the medicine bottle in his hand, and yellow-brown medicine powder spilled from the mouth of the bottle, with a strong pungent smell.

It smelled of not only realgar powder, but also other things. Chen Liu couldn't tell the difference, but subconsciously felt that the snake-repelling powder was better than the one they bought from the porters.

When he came back from his job, Chen Liu found that the customer was setting fire to the place.

Xu Yi held a handful of burned hay in his hand, walked up to the powdered medicine, and ignited the powder on the ground.

The powder is flammable, and when the flame is close to it, its pungent smell will roll out, and thick smoke will rise, which will make people's faces change.

Xu Yi held his breath, quickly covered his nose and walked away, then went to another place to add some medicinal powder.

The soil in the field was soaked in the spring rain, making it moist and sticky. The medicinal powder stuck to the wet soil, and many of the medicinal powders could not be ignited.

But just a few ignitions are enough.

Xu Yi dropped the hay in his hand, returned to the starting point, and lit a handful of hay again. This time he called Chen Liu and asked him to run to the kitchen.

"Go and bring back some fine firewood, as much as possible." Xu Yi finished his instruction.

After hearing this, Chen Liu ran away without saying a word. After running for a while, he remembered that he didn't know where the kitchen was.

Fortunately, he met a woman who heard that he was going to the kitchen and led him there.

"What are you doing?" the mother-in-law asked with a smile, "Didn't Mr. Xu tell you to eradicate the weeds? Why did you come to the kitchen?"

Chen Liu said solemnly: "A snake hole was found in the field.

" Zi was startled, but he quickly realized that in Zhuangzi where no one lived, snakes and insects came to take over, which was not unusual.

Chen Liu continued honestly: "Guan Xu is burning cigarettes, so he asked me to come and get firewood."

The mother-in-law panicked: "No, no, what if it causes a fire!"

She and other gatekeepers thought that Xin Shengyuan rented Zhuangzi to After leaving the others, they could be asked to go back to the main house. However, Xin Shengyuan told them that they should stay for a while and wait for Xu Langjun to handle Zhuangzi's affairs before they could go back to pay their respects.

If Xu Langjun is not serious or serious, it would be a big deal to set the house on fire.

The mother-in-law was already in her forties. When she heard the news, her hands and feet were very nimble. She pulled up her pleated skirt and ran quickly to stop Xu Yi from burning the village.

Chen Liu was left in a daze: ...

what a fast speed.

Not to be outdone, Chen Liu ran to the kitchen and picked up two bundles of thin firewood, then quickly ran towards the way he came.

When he rushed over, he heard his mother-in-law yelling at Taotao.

"Xu Langjun, no, this fire can't burn, what should I do if it burns!" The old woman grabbed Xu Yi's sleeve and prevented him from throwing the hay in his hand into the circle for spraying medicine.

Xu Yi was dragged by her and couldn't move. The hay in his hand was burning again. He had no choice but to throw it away temporarily.

"Mom, let go." Chen Liu suddenly shouted, "The fire is going to burn your sleeves."

When the mother-in-law heard this, she was so frightened that she hurriedly backed away, and the sleeve she was holding on to was loosened.

Xu Yi got the opportunity and quickly bent down to pick up the burning hay on the ground and entered the circle.

He took out a handkerchief and tied it on his face to block part of the smoke, then turned around and called Chen Liu forward.

Chen Liu was not afraid at all. He held the firewood across the burning smoke and gave the firewood in his hand to Xu Yi: "Xu Guanren, what should I do next?"

"Go back and tell the mother, don't worry, this The weather is hard to burn. "

What Xu Yi wants is not fire, he wants the effect of not being able to burn. In a semi-dry and semi-wet condition, firewood that cannot burn will produce more smoke.

The smoke was getting thicker and thicker, gradually blocking his vision. Now he couldn't see clearly the direction of the snake cave, and he didn't dare to stay in it for too long. He stuffed a handful of burning hay into the firewood and exited the smoke circle.

At this time, the mother-in-law had been persuaded, but she was still staring ahead in panic.

The other rough guys who were told to disperse did not dare to approach.

They stood far away in the Quzhong Pavilion and felt a gust of wind blowing far away, rolling up thick smoke and rolling all over the sky.

The choking smell of cigarette smoke became stronger and stronger, and Xu Yi and Chen Liu, who were nearest, frowned.

Xu Yi turned around and saw that he hadn't left yet, and thought slightly: "What's your name?"

Chen Liu replied: "Mr. Xu, my name is Chen Liu."

When Xu Yi heard this, he nodded: "Why don't you leave?"

Chen Liu Liu didn't know why he stayed. He shook his head and couldn't explain clearly. Instead, he asked curiously: "There are so many snakes. Why didn't Mr. Xu call the snake catchers to catch them?"

Xu Yi said: "I won't find them for a while." Snake catchers, it is better to catch them yourself."

He has caught snakes and knows where the snakes are weak.

The two of them made a tacit understanding not to leave, but waited where they were.

After half a stick of incense, Xu Yi and Chen Liu heard the sound of rustling at the same time. Xu Yi immediately picked up the iron tongs and told him before he could speak. If a snake ran out of the encirclement, he would kill it with a long knife. .

They waited for a while, and saw a slow-crawling black snake appearing in front of them. Xu Yi stepped forward with iron pliers, stretched out once, and pinched twice, quickly and accurately, pinching seven inches of the snake.

The snake was dazed by the smoke and had no ability to resist at all.

Xu Yi picked up the twisting and struggling black snake, stuffed it into the sack and tied it tightly. Then, he turned around and quickly found another snake.

Slowly, these snakes couldn't bear it and crawled out.

Xu Yi couldn't catch so many by himself, so he still missed one and crawled out of the encirclement.

Upon seeing this, Chen Liu, who was watching carefully, quickly swung his machete and chopped off the snake's head.

The snake's body was split into two parts, but it did not die immediately. The snake rolled and turned around crazily in pain, and its severed head twisted around desperately to bite Chen Liu's calf.

This scene happened so fast that Chen Liu couldn't react at all.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of him. Xu Yi, who was more than a meter away from him, came to him at some point. When the snake bit him, he clamped the snake's head to prevent it from getting closer.

Chen Liu lowered his head and saw the snake head that was still spitting venom towards him. Seeing the dark snake eyes, he fell to the ground in shock, with a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He almost got bitten.