happy farming

After the carriage left the county seat, it headed south all the way, except for occasional stops and rests, it has been on its way.In the evening of the next day, after they arrived at a town again, Song Lin couldn't bear the bumps of the carriage, so he asked Ji Minghe to find a safe place to stop in this town.However, because there was only so much money left, he gave up the idea of ​​staying in a hotel, and only bought a thin quilt to put in the car, intending to rest in the carriage at night.

And when he got off the carriage, his legs had already started to feel weak, and he even had an illusion that if he continued on the road, he might have fallen down before the carriage reached Lechang Town up.

Ji Minghe looked a little worried, and was about to reach out to help him, but Song Lin smiled and rejected his offer, and walked down slowly by himself, supporting the car wall.

In the evening, Ji Minghe told him that if this continues, there will be no accidents, and he will be able to reach Lechang Town after noon the day after tomorrow.

One moment, Song Lin frowned reluctantly and nodded after hearing this, but the next moment, he closed his eyes and fell asleep directly.

When it was almost noon on the third day, they slowly entered the range of Lechang Town.

Although there were no scenes of corpses and wailing all the way, but judging from the cold and desolate conditions of the previous few towns, one can imagine how horrible what happened here these days should be, so that the neighbors next door Several towns are also affected by it so much.But as he got closer to the destination, Song Lin's mood gradually calmed down, and he was no longer anxious.

Under the scorching sun, the carriage was getting closer and closer to Lechang Town, and there was still a faint smell in the air. Many people began to appear on both sides of the road one after another. There were beggars in ragged clothes, and most of them were children. There are also people who stand on the side of the road in a daze with a sad look on their backs, and more people are dragging their families and burying their heads on the road.

Among these people, apart from those who looked desperate and weeping, there was also a small figure who had been watching all this indifferently.

That little man has beautiful eyes, the dark eyes are as bright as the stars in the night, but when he looks at people, he is extremely indifferent.A head of black hair was draped over his shoulders unkempt, his fair face was covered with stains, and the blue clothes he was wearing were even more crumpled. Out of pity, she wanted to reach out to wipe off the stains on his face, dust off his body, and smooth the wrinkled clothes for him.

The little man just stood coldly by the side of the road, looking coldly at the people passing by. After a while, he frowned slightly, turned around slowly, and walked towards the town with his head down.

On this side, after seeing such a situation, Song Lin's expression changed, he slowly closed the curtain, and curled up quietly in the farthest corner of the carriage.

It was rumored yesterday that the plague has been brought under control, all those who died in the plague have been incinerated, and Lechang Town has also begun to return to normal, so although there are still officers and soldiers guarding the gate of the town at this time, entry and exit have resumed. free.

The carriage stopped 20 meters outside the town. Ji Minghe took the reins, turned around and shouted into the carriage, "Brother Song, we're outside Lechang Town."

Song Lin was taken aback for a moment, then responded inside, quickly packed up the package, opened the curtain and walked out, saying, "Uncle Ji, you've worked hard on this journey. I just need to trouble you, this bed is thin and you're covered. After returning to Xinhe, help me put Uncle Yan there."

Ji Minghe wiped the sweat from his forehead, and instead of answering, he asked what was suffocating in his heart, and said, "Brother Song, in fact, I have always wanted to ask you, why did you insist on coming here at this juncture? Along the way, I can also see that you are a person who has never been out of Xinhe County, and even a person who is uncomfortable in a carriage, why do you have to suffer this crime?"

Song Lin smiled, and said with some embarrassment, "Actually, it's okay. It's the first time I took a carriage, and Uncle Ji laughed at you. It's just that if I don't come here, I won't feel at ease."

"Is there a family member here? Then wait until this period of time has passed before coming back, isn't it the same? If you are really infected with the plague or something, isn't it worthwhile?"

Hearing this, Song Lin raised his hand to tidy up his clothes, and said softly, "It's not worth it, besides, Uncle Ji, look at the people coming and going here, isn't it all right?"

Ji Minghe stood side by side with him beside the carriage, looked at the people coming and going, and felt that the plague had really passed away, and finally let go of his hanging heart, so he couldn't help talking more, and said with emotion, "That's right, this plague really came and went quickly, but it's only been a month or so, and I don't know how many families have been torn apart."

Song Lin put his burden on his back and replied, "Well, as long as you find the right method and control it, it will pass."

Ji Minghe glanced at him, sighed suddenly, and said, "Hey, how long do you plan to stay? Don't blame Uncle Ji for speaking badly, you have also seen this situation, I'm afraid..." At this point, Ji Minghe sighed again , with a worried look on his face. Although Song Lin said very little along the way, he was very polite and well-behaved. In addition, he was the one who was helped by his old friend for many years, so he couldn't help but ask a question at this moment. , "What will you do if you don't find the person you're looking for after you enter the town?"

"This..." Song Lin frowned slightly and was taken aback.

…………

After a while, he raised his head and said, "Go back to Xinhe."

After hearing Song Lin's answer, Ji Minghe paused, and then said slowly, "Why don't you, Brother Song, I'll stay with you in Lechang for a day. If you don't find what you're looking for after a day Ren, you can go back with me, okay? It’s also easy to save brother Guiping from asking me to ask for someone after I go back, I can’t tell.”

Song Lin couldn't help being slightly taken aback when he heard the words, then nodded and thanked, "Well, Uncle Ji... Thank you. The fare for the car back..."

Ji Minghe smiled lovingly, and interrupted him, "Just pay one tael. You can get in the car first, and we will go to the town to find someone."

After speaking, Song Lin really stopped talking and got into the car quickly.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the town, and the guards asked a few words before letting them in.

After entering the town, they realized that there were not too many people on the street, half of the shops on both sides were still closed, and the whole street was almost silent except for occasional cries.Song Lin asked Ji Minghe to find an inn to stop, asked for two rooms, let Ji Minghe rest in the inn, went to the room to lay down his luggage, and hurried out of the inn.

In the afternoon, Song Lin walked around the entire Lechang Town like a headless chicken, but of course he didn't see Su Qing.However, after asking all the people I met back and forth, I couldn't find out where Su Qi's home in Lechang Town was.

When it was almost evening, he returned to the inn dejectedly. He happened to meet the shopkeeper of the inn who was free, so he went up to ask again with the attitude of giving it a try.

The shopkeeper also shook his head and said, "Although Lechang Town is not big, there are more than half of the people with the surname Su. This... Su Qi has never heard of it."

Hearing this answer, Song Lin became a little numb, thanked him blankly, and was about to go upstairs to rest, but the shopkeeper said, "Brother, if you are looking for someone, you can go to the yamen to have a look." .After this plague, many homeless people reported to the yamen..."

Song Lin turned around, slightly surprised and asked, "Reported?"

The innkeeper put down the pen in his hand and sighed, "Yeah, I don't know what happened to me, but something like this happened in Lechang Town this time. Hey, how many families have been torn apart alive. You are lucky, brother." , this plague has been gradually brought under control after Mr. Su came, otherwise you would not be able to enter Lechang Town if you came so hastily, let alone looking for someone. It’s just pity for those who lost their loved ones in this plague , They are homeless, Mr. Su asked someone to post a notice in front of the yamen the day before yesterday, saying that if there is nowhere to go, they should go to the yamen to report. If someone buys it, it can be regarded as having a place to stay in the future.”

Hearing this, Song Lin was startled, and blurted out, "Isn't this just a disguised form of human trafficking? Isn't buying it back a slave?"

"Hey, little brother, please keep your voice down. If the people in the yamen listen to this, it will be terrible. Besides, it is at least better than starving. If you starve to death, you really have nothing. You come On the road in Lechang Town, I must have seen the people along that road, those people are unwilling to go to the Yamen to report, and that will be the only way for the rest of their lives."

At this point in the conversation, Song Lin felt even more irritable, and the feeling of fatigue just now was suppressed. After asking the address of the yamen, he turned around and went out again.

After arriving at the yamen, Song Lin stuffed some money into the hands of the yamen guard, saying that his master asked him to see if there was any suitable person, and he planned to buy two people to go back to be servants.

The yamen servant looked him up and down, and asked another yamen servant to accompany him, and then let him in, and told him to choose slowly.

Song Lin kept his head buried and walked briskly along the way, until the yamen servant reminded him that he had arrived.

He raised his head slowly, and the yamen servant told him that this is the backyard of the yamen, and the people in it are the ones who reported here, but the price is five taels of silver for a young man, and two for a child or an old man. two silver.

Song Lin couldn't help sneering in his heart, then nodded calmly, and walked into the courtyard.

Looking at the people inside and outside, Song Lin frowned slightly, and then slowly shuttled among them, carefully looking for the familiar figure.

At this moment, someone in the crowd suddenly stood up and complained of a stomachache. Only then did he realize that there was a rope tied around the waists of these people, and they were still connected to each other.

The yamen servant hurried over to untie the rope around the man's waist, telling the man to go and go back quickly, and then turned around and explained to Song Lin.

Song Lin still grumbled lightly, but he began to feel extremely disgusted in his heart. He walked around quickly, but he didn't see Su Qing's person, and he was even more disappointed.

The yamen servant came forward with a smile and asked, "What's the matter? Young master, there is no one suitable for you?"

Song Lin glanced at him sideways, coughed lightly and said, "There are actually two, but I have to go back and report this to my master."

After hearing this, the yamen servant nodded again and again, saying yes and yes.

Song Lin chuckled, took out a few coins from his pocket and put them in the man's hand, and said, "My little brother also wants to ask you something, is there a young man named Su Qing among the people who reported it? Or Su Luo's children? Have they been bought?"