tall and rhubarb

In order not to attract too much attention from the people in this village, Gao Chang decided to go in and have a look by himself. Rhubarb and Lin Bo’s current behavior seems very strange to ordinary people. There are contacts in the plateau area, and if there is something unexpected at that time, and this matter falls into Situ's ears again, this guy's belly is like nine turns and eighteen turns, and he will inevitably see the clues.

Rhubarb wants to go in with Gao Chang in the form of a dog. Don’t veto it. The reason is that he has already thought up a set of excuses when he returns to the village. Then he will say that he has not found Rhubarb. Back to the village.If Rhubarb appeared together with him now, then the lie would be self-defeating. Although the information is not developed these days, Situ may not necessarily stare at him closely, but Gao Chang thinks it is better to be cautious.

When Gao Chang was having a headache about how to enter the village, the voices of those people talking loudly came from the ground: "There are snakes! Everyone be careful!"

"Snake! There are also here, I saw two!"

"Grandma's! It's impossible to prevent so much realgar from being sprinkled. Everyone slowly lit the torches."

"..."

When Gao Chang heard the movement, he told Rhubarb and the others not to run around, and hurried over there, wiped some ashes on his face, carried a bag on his back, and held a stick in his hand, pretending to walk away. Walking along a field ridge not far from the group of people.

"Hey! Who are you, what are you running around at night?" Gao Chang had just entered their sight when someone shouted at him.

"There's a snake! There's a snake! Go back!" Several people started shouting in Gao Chang's direction. It was dark and they couldn't see clearly. They probably regarded Gao Chang as a person from their own village.

Gao Chang stood there for a while, then walked towards the group of people, getting closer and closer, and everyone could see clearly that this was a passer-by, but the stick in his hand was very powerful. He knocked off several snakes by seven inches.

"There are so many snakes these days that you can't beat them all." Gao Chang said to the group of people with a smile.

"Brother, you are so skilled, where are you from?" One of the most talkative young men immediately spoke up.

"East." Gao Chang pretended to be working very hard, and sat on the ridge of the field to wipe off his sweat. It was not difficult to force some sweat with his cultivation, but he felt uncomfortable.

"Are you going to the plateau?" During this period of time, most of the people who passed by their village were going to the plateau, so they guessed like this.

"No, I'm going to the southwest to look for Snake Miemen. There are too many snakes in the village, and I can't even guard against them. I heard that Snake Miemen is the most useful thing."

"Are you going to the southwest?" These people immediately reacted when they heard Gao Chang say this.

"Brother, I advise you not to go. There are a lot of poisonous substances in the southwest. I heard from people on the plateau that people who used to be able to come out of the southwest area were considered lucky. Now there are almost no poisonous substances there." It's crowded."

"In the deep mountains and old forests, even a group of ants can gnaw your life into a pile of bones. Aren't you going to die?"

"Oh, there are too many poisonous snakes, and the villagers are almost dying." Gao Chang sighed heavily.

"Don't talk about it, I think you have been hard on this journey, and you have helped us a lot just now, why don't you go to our village to rest and have some hot food." Someone sent an invitation, and many people around him echoed, Of course, there were some who remained silent, but since Gao Chang had really done them a favor just now, it was hard to say anything against them.

After the scare just now, the men in the field were not in the mood to work, so they took Gao Chang back to the village together. Their whole village was surrounded by tall walls. It was guarded by two young men with guns.

"Why did you come back so early today?" The soldier was very familiar with the local villagers, and it was natural to greet each other.

"Don't mention it, there are snakes in the field again." The man walking in front said with a heavy face.

"Fortunately, I have this brother to help, otherwise someone might not be able to come back today." Someone put his arms around Gao Chang's shoulders and warmly introduced them to the two soldiers.

"Look, there are so many snakes. Damn, I picked them all up. If I don't skin them and cramps, I won't let go of my hatred." Someone from behind shook a bunch of dead snakes in his hand, and he peeled off all the snakes. Head, probably worried about accidents.

"I think you want to eat snake meat." A soldier teased him with a smile.

"What's wrong with me wanting to eat meat? We mud-legged people, who worked so hard to spin some silk, were all taken away by you guys, and the realgar that was exchanged for it was the same as if it hadn't been sprinkled."

"I'm just a paid man. Hey, is it worth putting such a big hat on my head?"

"I know it's not easy for you, brother. In this way, I will cook snake soup for a while and ask my boy to bring you two bowls."

Gao Chang followed the group of men into the village smoothly. One of the soldiers seemed to disagree with their behavior, but was suppressed by the other with his eyes. The people in the village exchanged silk from the plateau for silk. The realgar is not worth the trouble, almost died again tonight, although these people don't say anything, they must be angry in their hearts, if there is any conflict at this time, wouldn't it be fanning the flames.

It's really not easy for these soldiers. Most of their families live on the plateau, and there is an order there. You dig the cave yourself. You can live for free, but the water is rationed. You If you haven't made any contribution to the plateau, why should they give you water for nothing?If you want water, you have to exchange things. Salt, grain, and other daily necessities, as long as you can use them, they will be collected.

The few of them were assigned to a silkworm and weaving village on this plain. A dozen young people and a few broken guns were enough to frighten the refugees. That's enough, and on weekdays, he is sandwiched between this village and the forces on the plateau.

The reason why the plateau sent people to protect the village was because the village could produce silk, and the villagers had no other sources of materials, so they had to let the other party lower the price during the transaction. After a long time, it was inevitable that they would feel dissatisfied. A few soldiers will inevitably have to bear some of their anger.Speaking of which, it’s all for the sake of making a living. It’s not particularly unlucky for these few people to be assigned here. At least they can eat and drink here. The benefits are good, and the life of their families is easier. , has been too lucky.

"Come on, brother, drink a bowl of snake soup to keep you warm." People in the village treated Gao Chang very warmly, and the steady-looking man called Lao Hu brought Gao Chang a bowl of snake soup.

"Hey, your village is well-organized!" Gao Chang boasted, the village is really good, there are many yards, large and small, within the walls, and almost all the yards have one or two blue lights that these people say are everywhere. The halls are bright, and the children are working and playing. This scene, in these years, is like a paradise-like existence.

"Hey, just by raising silkworms and weaving cloth, at least I can make a living."

"It's really cold these few days." Gao Chang didn't wear much clothes, and it's the coldest period before spring, and the temperature is low at night. It doesn't mean he doesn't feel cold.

"Brother, I think you don't even have a quilt with you in this outfit?" The other party looked at Gao Chang's backpack.

"That's right." It was really a miscalculation. He should have asked Bai Bao and the others to leave a quilt for him in the first place. It is so cold to spend the night in the wilderness, with the north wind blowing, how could it not be cold.

"Brother, what's in your bag?" Lao Hu asked in a low voice.

"It's just a change of clothes." Gao Chang knew that this old Hu probably wanted to find him for business, and he also had this intention, but he still had to be reserved.

"Didn't you bring any salt with you when you were away from home?"

"I brought some with me..." Before entering the village, Gao Chang knew that he would have to use salt to exchange things from others, so he tied a pair of clean trousers and poured about four or five catties of salt on the in the trousers.

"If you can have three catties of salt, I'll exchange you a silk quilt, how about it?" Lao Hu's voice became even lower.

"Three catties?" Gao Chang didn't know the market price, so of course he didn't know whether the price was expensive or cheap. As far as he was concerned, he thought it was a good deal.

"Three catties of salt are exchanged for five catties of big quilts wrapped in silk. It's definitely a good deal!" Lao Hu continued to sell.

"I'll think about it." Gao Chang didn't express his opinion. It sounds like a good deal for three catties of salt to exchange for five catties of silk quilts, but the old Hu's expression of taking him for a fool made Gao Chang feel uncomfortable.

"Uncle Hu, are you here to cheat people again?" A hearty female voice suddenly rang out, making Gao Chang jump in fright.

"Dead girl, what are you talking about, go do your job."

"You're talking crazy. Our silk quilt is exchanged for a catty of salt for the people on the plateau. You see, if they don't understand the market, they will ask for three catties. This is too deceitful!"

The woman who spoke was about 26 or [-] years old, but Gao Chang knew that she was the same age as him this year, and she was already [-] years old.In the previous life, she was the only girl who had any relationship with Gao Chang. The two of them started a room in a daze, and then fell out in a daze. After graduation, they came to the same city in a daze, and then continued to get along in a daze. Probably just friendship.

This woman doesn’t have much character, and she changes jobs as diligently as she changes houses. Gao Chang remembers that during the five years they lived in that city, she seems to have changed houses more than 20 times, and her job is probably the same. Thinking about this number, Gao Chang Even the elders feel tired, and he is indeed tired, because every time this guy moves, he will definitely find him as a coolie.

Fortunately, she was quite loyal. When Gao Chang was hospitalized for acute appendicitis surgery, she took two days off to go to the hospital to take care of her. People are fragile when they are sick. At that time, Gao Chang was really moved. I feel that even if I help her move another twenty or thirty times, it will be worth it.

This person's name is He Yun, a name that is very suitable for the identity of the department flower. It is a pity that the beauty of the department flower only stayed during the time at school. The scene under the big sun, the original small and fresh image has long since disappeared.

"Hey, I also have silk quilts at home, how about two catties of salt for you?" He Yun said to Gao Chang.

"Didn't you just say..." You said that the people on the plateau would be exchanged for a catty of salt, and now you open your mouth to ask Gao Chang for two catties. Is this considered a killing?

"The quilt fabrics produced in our village are all arranged by the people on the plateau. As you can see, they even sent soldiers to protect us. I am doing business with you, which is equivalent to smuggling. Don't worry. It’s risky, you have to let me get something cheap, otherwise why should I exchange it for you?”

"If she doesn't trade me, I'll charge you a catty and a half. What do you think?" Lao Hu hurriedly interjected, earning half a catty of salt for nothing, which is enough for their family to eat for a long time.

"You are willing to change it, but can you guarantee that he will get the quilt out of our village smoothly?" He Yun asked, and Lao Hu fell silent. "Just a while ago, I made a bed with a big quilt measuring [-] by [-] meters. It weighs six catties. I gave it to you. Then you will be alone in the wild, and half of it will be under the bed, and the other half will be covered by the quilt. , definitely big enough and warm enough.”

"...That's fine." Gao Chang smiled. In his last life, he was quite worried about her accident, but it seems that this person has a good life in his hometown. He also knew that He Yun was from a certain province in the central region. People, but I don't know where it is, I didn't expect to meet it by such a coincidence this time.

He Yun took Gao Chang to her house, which was a low house built in an empty space in the yard. It was made of wood and didn't look very strong.

"Why is your house different from others?" Gao Chang asked with a playful smile, knowing that this guy is still alive, he is in a good mood. It doesn't matter what kind of house you live in. The most important thing is to live.

"Tsk, didn't I work in the city back then, and I wanted to save money to buy a house in the city. Who knew that this kind of thing would happen. There was no way to live in the city, so I had to run to my hometown. It would be nice to have such a place to live in." As she spoke, she took out two pieces of cloth from the box: "I see that you spend all day eating and sleeping in the open, please make a quilt cover for you, otherwise it won't be easy to wash if it gets dirty."

"Quilt cover?" Gao Chang touched the two pieces of fabric in front of her: "What kind of fabric is this?"

"Silk, oh, you must not know that today's silk is much thicker than before. Those silkworms we raise, after being improved by blue sunlight, gnaw on mulberry leaves and crackle when we spin silk. It is powerful, the quantity is large and the quality is high, but it is thicker than before, and the spun silk is also thicker, but it is stronger."

While He Yun was making the quilt cover, Gao Chang chatted with her for a while. It turned out that He Yun was adopted. Before his parents already had a son, they were worried that if the second child had another son The son's words were too stressful, so he always wanted a daughter.

It just so happened that He Yun's biological parents kept having daughters, and they planned to keep having a son before they had a son. After giving birth to He Yun, they found out that it was another girl and they didn't want it anymore. They sold it to a family not far from this village for 500 yuan. people.The family was frugal, and they were reluctant to buy milk powder when there was no breast milk. They gave He Yun some rice soup all day long, and occasionally took some milk from a neighbor woman who had just given birth. He Yun fell ill soon. .

The family felt that what they had bought was a money-losing product that was in poor health. They felt that they had lost money, so they were unlucky and resold it for 300 yuan.He Yun's adoptive parents were the ones they took advantage of. The couple carried He Yun to the hospital for several injections and gave her the best milk powder that was said to be at that time. Within two months, He Yun's body recovered. Get better.

A year later, He Yun's parents accidentally conceived another child, and the couple were reluctant to abort it, so they gave birth again, a boy.He Yun had a pretty good life when she was a child. She had an older brother and a younger brother, and she was the only girl in the family. Her parents thought she was the most caring, and they preferred her for food and fun.

When He Yun was in high school, her father died in an accident. At that time, her elder brother had already married early, and her younger brother was also in high school. Later, when He Yun was admitted to university, her mother paid for her to study. Her younger brother did not pass the exam, so naturally Just stop.But in her brother's opinion, if there is no such picked-up sister, even if his mother buys it, she will buy a school for him to go to college, so she has always been very dissatisfied with He Yun. The cheap goods spent all the money of the old couple, and never gave her a good face.

When He Yun was in her third year of junior high school, her mother committed suicide by drinking pesticide for some unknown reason. People in the village said that she had quarreled with his wife before, the eldest son helped his wife, and the second son didn’t speak well. Suddenly I couldn't think about it.When He Yun came back to fight with them, naturally she couldn't get any cheap, and she didn't get half of her parents' inheritance. After her mother's funeral, she never went back to the village. Since then, she has been working and studying, and has been living in the city after graduation. .

In the last life, He Yun never said a word to Gao Chang, but in this life, she said it easily as if telling a joke to someone she didn't know in such an environment, as if Just gossip to pass the time.

"It was not easy when you first came back, right?" Looking at the woman in front of her who was working hard, Gao Chang seemed to see another self, but he seemed to be luckier.

"Not only is it not easy, I begged my grandpa to tell my grandma, so I found someone to help me build such a small broken house. Hehe, I finally have a place to shelter from the wind and rain." He Yun replied with a relaxed expression. "Here, the quilt is ready, where are you going to sleep tonight?"

"I'll continue on my way in a while." There were three other dogs waiting for him outside the village. Gao Chang didn't plan to spend the night here, and besides, if he still walked outside after dawn, it would look weird to others.

"That's fine, I'll send you off. I know those people well, so they're easy to talk to."

A big silk quilt was folded and rolled by He Yun, and tied up with a thin rope, which made it very compact. Gao Chang hung the thin rope on his shoulders, which was very light.He Yun took out his salt jar, Gao Chang took out the pair of trousers in the bag, untied the trousers and poured salt into it, no matter how much, he kept filling the salt jar until he stopped, He Yun Naturally, he was happy, and found an iron pot from home, and brought a lot of seasonings.

"I picked up this pot on the way back to the village. Hehe, let me lend it to you first. I will pass by us on the way back. Remember to return it to me then."

"I won't necessarily pass by here when I come back." If you walk from here, you will take a long detour.

"Then there is no need to return it." He Yun still insisted on giving him the iron pot. Gao Chang knew that even though his village had always had trade with the central region, the iron pot was still very precious.

"This lamp is really good. Tell me, isn't this blue sunlight going to be used on a large scale soon?" Gao Changxiang said casually on the way out.

"Not so fast." He Yun denied it without thinking: "Don't tell others about this, I also heard about it when I was chatting with those soldiers, this lamp was not made by those people on the plateau at all. Yes, they exchanged the silk quilts and silk produced here with people from country e, otherwise you would have thought that they would be so kind as to send troops to protect us ordinary people."

"Do people in your village know?"

"Few of the soldiers stationed in our village know about it. You can imagine the price difference. After some people know about it, they may be desperate." Yes, smuggling is also a business, but it's not A transaction recognized by those in power.

"When did your village light up this kind of lamp?" How far has country e developed now?For their country, neighboring countries are too powerful, after all, it is not a good thing.

"I ordered it this summer. I heard that there is a rare element in country e, but apart from the blue light, there seems to be no other breakthrough. Even this blue light has not been popularized in country e. Some people traded it for silk with us." He Yun knew everything.

"I heard that you are going to the southwest to find She Mie Men?" He Yun asked Gao Chang when he was approaching the wall.

"Yes." Gao Chang replied.

"If you will pass by us when you come back, can you give me some seeds? I will exchange silk and quilts with you."

"Okay." Gao Chang understood in his heart that the previous ones were all foreshadowing, and now this is the main theme.

"I mean, don't give it to anyone else, just give it to me, do you understand..."

"I understand." For a single woman to survive in the village, in addition to the necessary material foundation, she also needs the approval and respect of others. Snake killing the family may become a basis for her to improve her status.

"He Yun, do you know this person?" At this time, the two soldiers standing guard on the wall also saw them.

"Didn't it mean that he was a former colleague of mine, what do you think is a coincidence?" He Yun leaned on the wall with a smile on her face. "How about it, whose house did you eat today?"

"Oh, don't mention it, it's Aunt Wuyan's turn again. We all said that her dishes don't put salt at all, hahaha, the birds are almost fading out of her mouth."

"It just so happens that the ginger in my little jar has been pickled, so I'll bring some slices out for you to taste. It's really boring to stand on the wall all night." He Yun took it out of her pocket. Pass them a small bottle of ginger. "Return the bottle to me when you're done eating."

"That's needless to say, hey, I'll just say, He Yun, you are the best." The two immediately opened the bottle, and one of them grabbed a piece of salty ginger and chewed it.

"Then I'll go first." Gao Chang also went up to the wall at this time.

"Brother, why did you leave so soon? Anyway, stay here for two days, and take a rest." While talking, they put the ladder on for Gao Chang, but they didn't seem to see the quilt behind Gao Chang's back at all. generally.

"No, I want to rest my laziness, I'm afraid I don't want to go."

"Hahaha, if you don't want to leave, stay with us. From now on, you will often go out to hunt some snakes and come back, and the brothers will follow suit. You can have snake soup every day."

Gao Chang also laughed a few times, didn't answer, got off the ladder and waved at them: "Thank you! Let's go."

"If you pass by on your way back, come to our village again!" a soldier said to Gao Chang. "Find that snake destroying the door, remember to get more, and we will help you get a better price."

"Okay, I got it." Gao Chang agreed, but he muttered in his heart. He didn't know what was going on with the Snake Miemen thing, and there were no people from the central plateau. Could it be because he couldn't adapt to the blue Sunshine, is it extinct?

As soon as Gao Chang entered the mulberry forest, Rhubarb rushed towards him. Now he is a 1.8-meter-four big man with a considerable weight. Gao Chang was caught off guard and was thrown to the ground by him.

"Damn! I still think I am that puppy more than ten years ago!" Gao Chang was carrying a backpack, a quilt, and a pot on his back, and now they were all on his back, with no place to rest his head, and his neck was high. He raised his head high, with the top of his head touching the ground, that posture was indescribably lewd.

"Why did you go in for so long?" Rhubarb sniffed at Gao Chang's body with his nose, and even stuck out his tongue to lick Gao Chang's chin, hesitantly refusing to get up.

"Don't be in heat in front of your son." Gao Chang tilted his neck, and Lin Bo was squatting on the ground looking at him curiously, blinking his eyes less than twenty centimeters away from his head. Interaction with rhubarb.

"Who is my son?" Rhubarb regretted accepting such a small light bulb so easily.

"You've already been called your father, aren't you your son?"

Gao Chang stretched out his hand and pushed Rhubarb aside, rubbed his old waist that was under heavy load, and slowly sat up from the ground, taking off the things on his back one by one.Generally speaking, his harvest tonight is not bad. From now on, they will have quilts to cover them, and they can cook some hot soup with a pot, instead of always eating barbecue and drinking cold water.However, this pot...

"How heavy are you? You crushed the bottom of the pot and deformed it!" Gao Chang roared, and the poisonous snakes that had been silently stalking in the grass fled in all directions.