Fox Road Travel Notes

When we returned to the inn, it was already late afternoon.

The hungry people have dispersed, and a few guys are cleaning the courtyard and packing porridge buckets.

Chen Zican said to Wang Heming: "This innkeeper is generous and generous, and he is a person you can make friends with."

"Brother Wang, you go upstairs and have a rest first. I'll go see if he's there."

Chen Zican asked Kuan'er to go back to his room to rest, and he strolled to the side of the guy he had seen in the morning.

Watch him scrub the big wooden bucket like a bathtub.

The waiter was surprised to see someone there. He raised his head and recognized it as the guest who had asked him about it earlier.

He quickly wiped his hands and stepped forward to salute.

Chen Zican stopped him and said with a smile: "They say saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda."

"Now that you are a man of great merit, how can I easily accept your courtesy?"

The guy couldn't help but be stunned after hearing this.

He said coquettishly: "Young Master is joking, all these firewood and rice belong to my employer."

"We stupid people are just helping to light a fire and ladle porridge, and we are paid for it. How dare we say that we have done any good deeds..."

Chen Zican laughed loudly and said: "Brother, just your words will bring great merit!"

"Isn't it said in the Diamond Sutra that if a Bodhisattva does not give alms, his merits will be immeasurable? That's what you are talking about!"

Not far away, a middle-aged man with a white face and a slight beard, wearing a Songjiang fine cotton robe, turned around.

He also smiled and said: "This young master is right."

"Gao Erwa, although you are getting paid as a clerk, you are doing special things these days."

"You think so, you are really a meritorious person!"

Gao Erwa was even more embarrassed and introduced to Chen Zican: "This is the owner of our inn, Zhang——"

The man saluted Chen Zican: "I am Zhang Jingzhi."

"I heard from Erwa that I was disturbed by the young master's dream this morning, and I felt very uneasy. I have already told Erwa that the hotel will not charge the rent for these days..."

Chen Zican smiled and said: "My master has good intentions, but I am disrespectful."

"It's just that every day here, so many people eat for nothing, and so many of us live in the hotel for nothing. How can we do this business..."

Zhang Jingzhi also smiled bitterly: "To be honest, sir, my family still runs two cloth shops in Baoding Mansion."

"No matter how bad things are, life will be much better than these victims!"

"Seeing this miserable situation every day, what else can't be thought of? A few copper coins are nothing!"

Chen Zican shook his head: "Brother Zhang is wrong!"

"If it weren't for these copper coins, how could so many people eat and drink every day? How could they survive?"

"Money, in the hands of virtuous people, is a merit!"

Zhang Jingzhi was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a wry smile: "What the young master said makes sense."

Chen Zican frowned and said, "Today I went to the Wa Palace to pay my respects. I also roughly saw the situation inside and outside the city."

"Handan County is the capital city of Nanzhili, and there must be many wealthy people there."

"I saw that there are many pavilions and mansions in the south city. Why, but there are only a few porridge providers in the Dongcheng district?"

Zhang Jingzhi sighed and shook his head: "Young master, you don't know something."

"The people in Nancheng are all dignitaries and noble families."

"Who in Zhili doesn't have vast hectares of fertile land? They are the ones who are most happy to see natural disasters!"

Chen Zican had never heard of such a statement before, "Huh?" he said.

Zhang Jingzhi said: "The food in their warehouses would rather be fed to rats than to the hungry people!"

"Ji Gang, the former Sun Shangshu's family, has been going to the city gate every day these days to look for some handsome boys and girls."

"I exchanged two cereal grains and sold them as slaves on the spot."

"Who doesn't know that his family is on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, and they are engaged in a flesh-and-blood business that can kill a thousand people!"

"After these children are well trained, they will become a cash cow for his family in a few years!"

"If it weren't for survival, no matter how much money I had, my parents would not sell it..."

"Liu Jinshi has been more powerful than Boyi Shuqi, and he does not want to become an official in the court, so he lives in Handan City as a hermit."

"These days, people are going out of the city every day to buy properties everywhere. They are so busy that they don't even touch the ground."

"In the past, it cost three to four taels of silver to irrigate an acre of land. Now, half a bag of brown rice is exchanged for it. Do you think it is worthwhile?"

Zhang Jingzhi shook his head and sneered.

"They are afraid that this natural disaster is not big enough and not enough people have died, so how can they be willing to give out porridge and relief?"

The more Chen Zican listened, the more frightened he became. He felt that his hair was standing on end and his scalp was numb...

In recent years, it has become very popular to overturn the case for landlords, and Zhou Bapi is said to be a good person.

Today, he really saw how landlords are cultivated and how land annexation is achieved.

A good person? Come on, in a game where the big fish eats the small fish and the crocodile eats the big fish, a good person cannot be a landlord!

When Zhang Jingzhi spoke of it, he was also indignant and full of complaints.

Chen Zican shook his head and said, "Young man is so inexperienced. On weekdays, I really don't know about these dirty things!"

"It is precisely because of the way the world is that Brother Zhang is so anxious about people's difficulties and does not take advantage of them, which is even more valuable!"

"Brother Zhang, it's too late to meet you today. My younger brother's surname is Xi and he lives in the south of the Yangtze River."

"My brother is also a compassionate person."

"I saw the tragic situation of the victims today and felt unhappy, so I went upstairs."

"Brother Zhang has been working hard for a long time. How about I be a host and invite Brother Zhang to the room to have a heart-to-heart talk over wine?"

Zhang Jingzhi has been feeling quite depressed for the past few days.

After hearing the instructions, Erwa said: "Go to the kitchen and ask for some special dishes to be cooked and sent to the young master's room."

He turned back to Chen Zican and said, "Young Master and your brother are of extraordinary temperament, and the guards they lead are all smart and capable. There is no need to ask about their family background."

“It’s Zhang’s honor to be able to make friends with you two!”

The two of them let each other go upstairs. When they arrived outside Wang Heming's door, Chen Zican knocked on the door.

Wang Heming opened the door, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression gloomy.

Obviously, what Chen Zican said in Wahuang Pavilion today had a great impact on him.

Looking up, Wang Heming was a little surprised to see a stranger accompanying Chen Zican.

Chen Zican smiled and introduced: "Brother Zhang, this is my cousin Xi Xiuxian."

Wang Heming was stunned, wondering what this guy was up to.

But he was very reassured about Chen Zican and knew that he must have a deep meaning in doing so, so he bowed deeply first.

Chen Zican said: "Brother, this is the wise owner of the inn, Mr. Zhang who has been serving porridge outside the door for days."

Wang Heming smiled and said: "Xi's younger brother is naughty by nature. I just said that I want to get to know you, a wise man who helps people in need. Didn't you disturb Mr. Zhang?"

Several people entered the room politely, and Wang Heming made tea himself.

The two of them talked for a few words, and Zhang Jingzhi concluded that Mr. Xi was full of knowledge and elegant, and must have come from a famous family.

Food and wine were served, and the three of them chatted while eating.

Chen Zican claimed to be a descendant of the Xi family in Dongting, and his name was Xi Xiuyu.

This time, I accompanied my cousin to Beijing to handle the matter of entering the Imperial College.

Taking advantage of the wine and Zhang Jingzhi's grumbling, Chen Zican made insinuating remarks and asked about the situation of the Handan County Magistrate.

He also talked about the family status and property of Sun Shangshu and Zhang Jinshi, how elegant they are.

After a while, I had a thorough understanding of the situation.

Although Wang Heming didn't know what his intentions were, he was filled with indignation when he heard that these literati from aristocratic families were so despicable and vicious.

He also toasted Zhang Jingzhi several times for his righteousness and generous use of money.

The more the three talked, the more speculative they became. They drank until late at night, and Zhang Jingzhi came back drunk.

After closing the door, Wang Heming's eyes sparkled and he stared at Chen Zican for a while.

He said in a deep voice: "Zi Can, are you planning to disturb the Sun family and Zhang family?"

Chen Zican looked deeply, smiled and nodded.