The Sick Beauty in the Republic of China

When He Chengdong said this, Wang Luan realized that although the sacrifice of paper chariots and paper horses had stopped more than ten years ago, no one had ever said that Blind Zhao died.

If Suxi's death was indeed related to the paper figurine in Yunshui, then Zhao Xiazi, who presided over the sacrifice, probably didn't know anything about it.

"Where is he now?" Seeing that Wang Luan was interested in that blind man Zhao, Qi Chensheng raised his eyes to look at He Chengdong as he didn't mind being disturbed.

"It's said to be in the ruined temple in the west of the city, but... people are already crazy." Speaking of this, He Chengdong also felt a little nervous. He was not sure how much a lunatic could be to Qi Ershao. usefulness.

"Crazy?" Wang Luan leaned slightly, could it be that the custom of paper carts entering the clouds and waters was cut off because the blind Zhao who tied the paper went crazy?

But in this world, who knows how to tie paper, how can blind Zhao be the only one?

"A good person, is he crazy if he says he's crazy?" Qi Chensheng was obviously skeptical about Zhao Xiazi's matter, reached out and pressed Wang Luan's shoulder, and said to He Chengdong: "Send a few people to watch him secretly, tomorrow morning we will go there .”

"See if he's really crazy, or just pretending to be crazy."

－－－－－－－－

In the early morning of the next day, he said he wanted to go early, but Qi Chensheng has a lot of properties now. Although not all of the factories under him are waiting for him to make up his mind, there are indeed a lot of things in the daily report.

In order to spare some time, he left early just after seven o'clock. Before leaving, he only said that Wang Luan would sleep more and he would come back after breakfast.

After Qi Chensheng left, Wang Luan really fell asleep for a while because of his weakness.But after all, I couldn't sleep deeply, and I couldn't fall back asleep just after eight o'clock.

Unexpectedly, since he got up, Fengshan's rambling voice has not stopped:

"It's just to find a blind man, so why does Madam have to go this way?"

"A few days ago, your body just got better, so you can't stand such a toss."

"The second young master is also the same, just send someone to tie up the blind man, who dares to say anything—"

After washing, Wang Luan half leaned on the reclining chair covered with a jade mat, holding a small white glaze bowl in his hand, using a spoon to stir the green bamboo shoots and shredded chicken in the white porridge, listening to Fengshan's still endless voice, Shaking his head and smiling: "You are such an older person, why do you have so many worries?"

"You're still laughing," Feng Shan smiled when he saw him, and brought seven or eight kinds of delicious side dishes from the hands of someone from outside, and yelled softly: "Isn't it because you scared me out?"

"Ma'am, don't even think about it. Since I followed you, you have been seriously ill several times."

Wang Luan also knew that he was doing it for his own good, and just wanted to tease him a few words, but he couldn't help but coughed softly.

When Fengshan saw it, he couldn't care less about "reproving", and was busy delivering medicine and water to Wang Luan: "Look, let me tell you, this disease is clearly not cured."

"Yesterday you were carried back by the second young master, how can you go out today."

Wang Luan didn't want to drink the medicine either. He just took the water cup to moisten his throat, but he lost his appetite for porridge, so he had to put the small bowl aside, and said to Fengshan with a smile: "This family Counting you and your second young master are of one mind, you just think about how to lock me up."

When Feng Shan heard this, Xu took advantage of Qi Chensheng's absence and became more courageous, muttering: "This is not the same, I really want to keep my wife at home to recuperate, but the second young master takes you out every now and then. "

After Wang Luan heard this, he couldn't help shaking his head with a smile. Seeing his indifferent appearance, Fengshan opened his mouth and wanted to say more, but Qi Chensheng, who had gone to the factory early to be a director, came back at this time, and he hurriedly threw away He dared to shut his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" Qi Chensheng pushed open the bedroom door, casually put down the suit jacket on his arms, and walked to Wang Luan's side in a few steps, looking at the bowl of porridge with green bamboo shoots, he couldn't help but Holding him in his arms, he frowned and said, "I'm not watching, brother Jiu is not eating properly again?"

"It's nothing." Although Wang Luan said his heart and lungs were hot, he didn't resist Qi Chensheng's touch. Instead, he leaned on him smoothly, and went to eat the porridge bowl again: "It's just a chat with Fengshan. I didn't care about it for a while."

But with Qi Chensheng here, how could he let Wang Luan do it? He picked up the porridge bowl, scooped up a section of green bamboo shoots and brought it to Wang Luan's mouth: "Then Brother Ninth also tell me, what did you talk about?"

Feng Shan's eyes widened at this moment, for fear that Wang Luan would sell himself out, Wang Luan glanced at him secretly, only took the mouthful of lettuce and chewed it carefully, until his heart ached After eight beats, he dragged his tune and said, "Let's chat—"

Qi Chensheng looked down at him, but unexpectedly, Wang Luan only picked out a shelled salted pigeon egg from the small silver plate, and sent it to his mouth: "What are we master and servant talking about, don't tell Er Shao .”

"Ninth brother, won't you tell me?" Qi Chensheng's eyes suddenly changed, and Wang Luan's shadow was reflected in his gray broken eyes. When Wang Luan wanted to back down, it was already too late, and he was trapped between the crook of his arm and the couch in a blink of an eye. , and then heard Qi Chensheng say: "Then brother Jiu must be able to hold on..."

"This early in the morning, we still have to look for the blind man, Shen Sheng, Shen Sheng—"

Wang Luan's voice fluctuated and changed several tunes, and finally there was only broken sobbing.Feng Shan secretly sighed, Madam Da Yi sacrificed her life to save me, but she didn't dare to look at the soft couch again, and slipped out like oil on her feet.

－－－－－－－－－－－－

After all the troubles, when Wang Luan and Qi Chensheng finally got in the car and rushed to the west of the city with He Chengdong, the sun was really high.

After the car passed Tianjinfang, it continued north along the Yunshui River, which was about another four or five miles.Although this area is not far away, it is already close to the north city wall of Yunchuan. Wang Luan gathered the neckline of his thin shirt and looked through the car window. He did not see the bustling streets and alleys as before, but only sparsely planted Some millet may not grow very well.

"It's a pity that such a large field in the city is wasted for nothing?" Wang Luan said casually, but he didn't want to attract comments from the driver in front of him.

"Madam, it's a pity to look at it now. If it was placed more than ten years ago, it wouldn't be like this."

Ten years ago again?The number of years sounds really ambiguous, but the paper horses and paper carts did not exist more than ten years ago, Su Xi died more than ten years ago, and now I come across a field that was said to be deserted more than ten years ago, which is unavoidable. Think in one place.

But He Chengdong, who was also sitting in the front row, said: "It's better to be so desolate than it has been for more than ten years."

"What do you mean?" Qi Chensheng could hear the meaning in He Chengdong's words. Although he grew up in Yunchuan since he was a child, he rarely came here to the west of the city, and he had never even heard of it.

"It's no wonder that the second young master didn't know that this land ... used to grow big | cigarettes a few years ago." He Chengdong's short sentence attracted Wang Luan's sideways glance.

"Is it allowed to grow this in Yunchuan City?"

Although Wang Luan had never touched those things, some of the children who were raised by Wang Mingsheng with him all those years ago caught up with the habit of smoking opium.

At first I only saw them showing off, saying how enjoyable it was to smoke, but later I saw them sluggish day by day, as if they had lost half their life every day they were cut off, and went mad like mud on the bed.

But Wang Mingsheng just watched them coldly, and even asked all the children to come out to see their ugliness, saying that they wanted to learn from them.At that time, Wang Luan understood that although Wang Mingsheng was not a good person, Da|Yan was by no means a good thing.

Qi Chensheng frowned as he listened, no wonder he had never heard of any rumors back then, if there really was such a thing in the city, of course he would have to keep it a secret.

"Obviously, of course it's not allowed," He Chengdong sighed. It was only when he went to investigate the surrounding affairs according to Qi Chensheng's request yesterday that he discovered that there was such a shady thing hidden: "Even Nearly 20 years ago, smoking was strictly prohibited in the city for a few years."

Speaking of this, Qi Chensheng had some impressions, and said to him with his arms around Wang Luan: "I heard from my uncle in the past that many tobacco shops were closed, and even the goods entering and leaving the city were strictly inspected."

"Yes, I have checked all kinds of tobacco shops and tobacco creams," the driver who drove the car was also in his 40s and [-]s. Big|smoky."

"What's the reason for this?" The car continued to drive forward, but Wang Luan became more and more surprised.

"What's the reason? Of course it's about money," the driver shook his head, holding the steering wheel with one hand, and pointing to the field outside with the other: "This ordinary land can only pay one-twelfth of the tax at most, but if you grow large｜ Tobacco... the government can collect [-]% of the tax."

"So at that time, even though smoking was banned on the surface, they didn't care about the sale of the big|smoke gourd. They turned a blind eye and let those things sell quickly, so that they could collect heavy taxes."

"But once the thing goes out of the field, anyone who sees it elsewhere, even if they want to transport it out of the city, will be punished heavily if they are found at the city gate, so they will get a second share of money .”

Hearing this, Wang Luan was secretly startled. At first he thought that Yunchuan's smoke was very good, but he didn't want to reveal the glamorous skin on the outside, but the stench was still sinister inside.

"But if there is no smoke house, and they can't be transported out of the city, will there really be people coming to the fields to collect big｜smoke gourds?"

There is no need to answer this question anymore, Qi Chensheng has been doing business abroad for many years, so he naturally knows that as long as there is huge profit, no matter how great the risk is, there will be people who will catch up like moths to a flame.

While talking, he almost arrived at the place, the car stopped under the shade of a tree, Qi Chensheng helped Wang Luan get out of the car, and saw a small temple not far away between the farmland.

Calculated, it should be built when farmers had enough money to build tobacco. Now no one cares about it, and it looks dilapidated from the outside.

"Let's go and have a look."