Go back to ancient times to engage in sideline business

At the last moment, Tang Meng didn't realize it, and smiled at his two brothers.

Back in Gao's house in a blink of an eye, the little girl was already pouted, standing against the corner of the wall, and being scolded obediently.

After thanking the beggars in the Town God's Temple, Tang Zhong took Tang Meng's arm and walked all the way back to Gao's house through the narrow alleys. Once he entered the courtyard, he closed the door of the guest room to scold people.

With sharp words, Tang Zhong finally tasted a bit of the taste of a brother like a father.

After some reprimands, at least he found out why Tang Meng appeared in the Town God's Temple today.

After drinking water by the river in the afternoon, Tang Meng was exhausted and had little energy when he reached the east gate.

Seeing a long row of beggars lying paralyzed in the sun under the city wall beside the square, she followed suit and sat down against the wall to rest.

There are crowds of people in the square, even more than in Fengguan Town during the market.

It was the first time Tang Meng saw so many people, and it was the first time he came to Qingjiang County, so he really didn't know where to find them.

Thanks to her good brains, she thought that she entered the city through the east gate, and her brothers would definitely pass through here when they returned.

She simply relaxed her mind, moved to a position close to the city gate, and stretched her legs to bask in the sun.

Whether it's a coincidence or too little experience, Tang Meng will naturally not know that his second brother is drunk at this time, and he will not understand what it means for the city gate guard to fish openly.

She just sat at the gate of the city for an entire afternoon, until the crowd in the square gradually cleared in the evening, but she still didn't see her two brothers and sister.

Seeing the beggars beside him retract their bellies one by one, pick up their sticks and get up to walk away, Tang Meng was at a loss as to whether he should continue to wait at the gate of the city.

"Aren't you going home yet?"

A little beggar who was slightly older than her had been paying attention to Tang Meng for a long time, and asked a question when passing her.

"My home is too far away, I don't know if I can go back."

What Tang Meng said was true, but the little beggar misunderstood what she meant. Looking at the loose bun on her head, the cat-like sweat marks on her face, and her gray clothes, she seemed to be no better than a beggar like him. .

Presumably, like him, he is also a doll living alone in a foreign land.

"Come with me, we have a lot of people who can't go home."

"Really?" Tang Zhong blinked.

Just like that, Tang Meng entered the pile of beggars in a daze, and at dinner time, he was given the task of being a newcomer, and followed a few beggars to knock on doors and beg for food.

During the Chinese New Year, every household prepared pickled meat. A few beggars met some kind-hearted families and got a lot of pickled meat and meat.

Tang Meng got a bacon pork rib and two bacon buns, and stuffed them into his belly happily, feeling a bit reluctant to leave.

The beggars pay attention to rules and ranks, and only beggars with status and seniority can live in the Town God's Temple.

New beggars like Tang Meng, who had just debuted, were arranged to settle in a low shed together with a few children who had not been begging for a long time.

When Tang Zhong and Uncle Tang went all out to find her, she was sleeping curled up in the haystack.

After listening to Tang Meng's narration, Tang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices were full of smoke. If Aunt Gu hadn't come in to drag Tang Meng away with the excuse of washing up, Tang Zhong would have to train her for another hour!

Tang Meng's sudden disturbance interrupted Tang Zhong's original plan.

When things get back on track, for example, to be on duty at the Dongcheng Gate the next day, for example, to find time to fill in the lease papers with Cook Sun, and for example, to ask Gao Zhang to help move the house.

All chores were settled one by one, and by the time the four brothers and sisters of the Gao family settled down in the newly built courtyard, it was already after the Lantern Festival.

When leaving Fengshan Village, Aunt Gu stuffed a fist-sized cloth bag into Tang Laosan's arms and told her to bring it to her elder brother.

Tang Zhong opened it and took a look. He never thought that in the bag was the silver that he had sent earlier.Originally, it was nine taels of silver, and Aunt Gu never used a single cent.

He felt grateful in his heart, but he couldn't find an opportunity for a while, so he had to write it down carefully, and he must find a way to repay it in the future.

Including the bonus silver that was not used up years ago, Tang Zhong now has a total of 14 taels in his hands, which is still a long way from the 80 taels of silver to buy a house.

That day, when he was drunk at Cook Sun's house, he and Cook Sun used the strength of the wine to brag a little. They vaguely remembered that Cook Sun seemed to say something like living here without money.

But speaking of it, how could the jokes after drinking be true? On the papers for renting the house, the rent was finally set at 150 Wen per month, and it was promised that if it was sold to Tang Zhong within half a year, the price would still be 80 taels.

Tang Zhong also kept his word, and immediately wrote a letter of recommendation, and let Cook Sun take it to Fuxing Restaurant to apply for the job.

He had tasted Cook Sun's cooking skills, and there was no problem at all. He recommended him to Fuxing Restaurant, which just made up for the original cook's shortcoming of only being good at making light dishes.

After thinking about it for a few days, Cook Sun should have gotten started too!

After the Lantern Festival, the New Year is really over.In recent days, the number of caravans on the official road has gradually increased, and the restaurants and guest houses, which had not been doing well before, have breathed a sigh of relief.

It's almost lunch time, it's time to go to the yamen kitchen to pick up the meal, and today it's Tang Zhong's turn.

After the public funds were spent, the gatekeepers in the east city returned to the life of eating from the public kitchen, but when they thought that a new advertising space would be rented out in a few days, they felt that every day was full of hope.

Tang Zhong didn't think there was anything wrong, anyway, he was saving money to buy a house now, and the public kitchen was pretty good.Zhao Li has always been used to frugality, so he has no objections.

Hu Touer, on the other hand, has always been inseparable from oil and water, so he has to go home for lunch honestly these days.

Passing the intersection of Qingniu Street and Baima Street, Tang Zhong unconsciously took an extra hundred steps and turned all the way to Fuxing Restaurant.As the invisible second shopkeeper, he also wants to always care about the business of the store.

I saw a tall horse-drawn carriage parked at the entrance of Fuxing Restaurant, and the two rich men who got out of the carriage looked very familiar from the side.

correct!Isn't it the noble young man I met when the restaurant gave out coupons on the first day!It seems that one is named Yang and the other is called Amber.

Now both of them are wearing moon-white long gowns, compared with the thick-colored clothes of one blue and one purple back then, they are much more low-key.

"We still had dinner, it's important to continue on our way."

"No, you must get that nail clipper. They don't sell it directly, they have to exchange it with points. I will stay in Qingjiang County for a few days, and I will leave after I have enough points!"

"It's important to go out this time, so it's better not to delay."

"It only takes two days at most, and I can collect enough points. If you are in a hurry, then you don't have to wait for me, just go on your own! It's not that I don't know the way!"

After the dispute, one person flung his sleeves and rushed into the store angrily, while the other hesitated at the door for a while, but finally couldn't resist and chased him in.

It seems that the nail clippers he placed in Fuxing Restaurant have already created momentum. Soon, the first nail clipper will have a new owner!

Advertisement space, Fuxing restaurant, and blacksmith shop, the three side businesses are all advancing steadily, and the trend is gratifying!

Tang Zhong put his hands behind his back happily, and strode back.

At almost the same moment, a window diagonally opposite Fuxing Restaurant was slowly closing...

Ever since Tang Zhong moved his family to Qingshi Lane, taking advantage of the fact that it is only an alley away from the square, whenever he finds free time these days, he sneaks home to visit his siblings.

Tang Laosan was old enough to go to school, but the academy would not start classes until around the vernal equinox, so Tang Zhong bought a lot of books in advance for his younger brother to learn in advance.

In order to prevent Tang Meng from running around again, Tang Zhong also bought her the Three Character Classic, and after teaching it several times, ordered her to memorize it within ten days.

The first wave of people entering the city in the morning dispersed, and there was no one at the gate of the city for a while. Tang Zhong hid his tasseled gun behind the gate, walked quickly across the square, and prepared to go home for a surprise inspection.

"Master! Master, it's me!"

In the shade at the end of the alley, a familiar voice suddenly sounded. Tang Zhongxu closed his eyes and turned his head to look around. After a long time of recognition, he finally saw that it was the guy from Fuxing Restaurant.

"Six! Why are you sneaking around and hiding?"

The loud greeting sounded so frightening that Liu Zi just stretched out half of his head, and immediately shrank back.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Tang Zhong quickly shut up, and after confirming that there was no one around, he quickly walked into the alley.

"A big deal has happened! Everyone in the Fuxing restaurant was kidnapped by the yamen servants!"

"What! Tell me clearly!"

The six sons looked flustered, and even their voices trembled unconsciously.

"I went out to the city this morning to transport vegetables, and when I came back, I saw officials surrounding the front and back doors of the restaurant, arresting people. Fortunately, I was able to hide quickly so that they didn't see me and kidnap me!"

Liu Zi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of the scene at that time, he was still afraid.

"I heard the officials at the door scolding our shopkeeper in a strange manner, saying that the food was not clean. Many customers in the store yesterday had diarrhea after returning home. Some of the older ones even went to the doctor."

"Master, you said this... how is this possible! How is our store? You have been here so many times, don't you know? I have no choice, so I have the courage to find it.

You are also an official, can you intercede with Mr. Lin?Our Fuxing restaurant has been open for many years, and I dare not say anything else, there is absolutely no problem with the food! "

The place where the two of them talked was very close to the tea stand by the square, and tea drinkers often filled their stomachs with water and hid in the alley to urinate.

Hearing a few footsteps nearby, Liu Zi, the fugitive guy, immediately turned into a frightened bird, turned his head and slipped away.

Tang Zhong didn't have time to ask more details, and the six sons had already rushed out far away.

Fuxing Restaurant is shopkeeper Liu's ancestral business, and he takes it very seriously.If it is said that the food in the restaurant is not good, Thaksin believes that it is impossible to say that the food is not clean.

This incident was strange inside and out. Due to his identity, Tang Zhong was unable to visit the prison, so he immediately decided to go back to the east gate and ask Mr. Hu for information.

"You said that Fuxing Restaurant was seized by the county government? Duan Duan, the dog day, is going to make a fortune again this time!"

When Hu Touer was talking, he was sorting out the playing cards in his hand, and he hadn't played cards for a long time.He purposely dug it out from the cabinet, planning to take advantage of the crowds in the past few days to join in another round of fighting evil spirits.

"What do you mean? What's the relationship between the accident at Fuxing Restaurant and the cell boss?"

Hu Tou was stacking the poker cards on the table row by suit, and took a moment to glance at Tang Zhong.

"Duan Duan's dog temper, no one in the yamen doesn't know, as long as he is locked up, if the family doesn't send money to buy filial piety, just wait for the skin to fall off! Huh? Why is there a square card missing?"

Tang Zhong was puzzled. He remembered that according to the law, a prisoner could only be punished if he refused to cooperate during the interrogation.

"A cell leader who guards the prison, can't execute the sentence in private?"

"Haven't you seen this before? There are ways to avoid punishment! Don't give water, don't put food, or choose a moldy cell, as long as you go in, there are definitely methods of torture. As long as the prisoner has a gasp at home No, they don’t stand by and watch people suffer.”

"Then...then if the prisoner is wronged? Is there no law?" Tang Zhong became even more anxious when he thought of Shopkeeper Liu, Cook Sun, and other people in the restaurant being exploited and bullied in this way.

"What? Are you familiar with the shopkeeper of Fuxing Restaurant?"

"No, no! I just don't want to see it, just complain about it." Tang Zhong calmed down, and simply sat down to help Hu Touer sort out the cards, so that he didn't seem to care.

Hu Tou'er gradually became interested, and usually only saw how clever Tang Zhong was, and came up with all kinds of weird methods, but he didn't expect that he was so incomprehensible in the way of the court.

He understands this!

Today, he also wants to play smart!

"I'm telling you, don't tell others." Hu Tou'er put down the poker cards in his hand, lowered his voice, his expression was already eager to try.

"Duan prison head and Lin Zhixian wear the same pair of pants. More than half of the filial piety of the prisoners in the prison has gone into Lin Zhixian's pocket. The cases in Qingjiang County have never been concluded in those years. Do you know why?"

Hu Tou'er rubbed his beard, deliberately playing tricks.

Tang Zhong followed his intentions and speculated: "Because everyone is locked in prison, waiting to be tried again after the oil is drained?"

"Yes! So this time when Fuxing Restaurant is caught, prison boss Duan is going to make a huge fortune!"

No wonder he was arrested early in the morning before the case was even solved, so that's how it was.

But it's true that so many customers have bad stomachs, and it should not be faked.The inside story can only be found out after asking Shopkeeper Liu or Cook Sun.

Before it was too late, he had to find a way quickly.

"By the way, Hu Touer, the new advertising space will be rented out in a few days. I want to go around the square and think about investment matters."

"This is an important matter!" Hu Touer put away the poker in his hand, turned his head and patted Tang Zhong on the shoulder and said solemnly: "Forget about guarding the city gate in the next few days, and seriously consider the new advertising space! Come on, we must overwhelm the west gate!"

As the sun rose gradually, a woman walked quickly into Qingshi Lane, with a sad face and red eyes, so that several acquaintances who met along the way couldn't help but whispered comfort.

But she didn't want to talk more with her neighbors. After nodding her head, she hurried into her yard.

As soon as the courtyard door was closed, Tang Zhong and the grandma of the Sun family immediately surrounded him.

"How is it? Have you seen Quan'er? How is he? Has he been bullied?"

Sister-in-law Sun helped her mother-in-law to sit down on a low stool in the yard, and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, mother, our silver taels were delivered early, and my husband will be safe and sound."

"Where's Shopkeeper Liu and the other cooks? Are they okay?" Tang Zhong also looked very anxious.

"When I went, I met shopkeeper Liu's family, who should have sent money there too. With the money you gave, they should be fine for the time being."

Tang Zhong settled down a bit, moved his seat, and asked Mrs. Sun to sit down on the low stool as well.

He suppressed his voice, trying not to let his voice drift into the ears of others: "Did you find a chance to bring the words to Brother Sun?"

"I asked him if there was anything unusual in the store in the past two days. He said at first that there was nothing, but when I was about to leave, he said that yesterday morning, the staff of Pinyaju brought over the bone removal knife he used to use before. , I don’t know if that counts.”

"Boning knife?"

Mrs. Sun nodded and explained: "My family was in a hurry to leave Pinyaju, and many guys didn't take things with them. Pinyaju returned the knife, probably because they didn't want to take advantage. After all, shopkeeper Wu is a fastidious person. .”

Pay attention to people?Tang Zhong recalled the previous dealings with shopkeeper Wu during the auction of advertising space.

It is true to pretend to be elegant, but it is not necessarily true to be decent.

"Could the cell boss tell me, when will I go to court for interrogation?"

Mrs. Sun frowned even deeper. Speaking of this, she felt that the Sun family had fallen into a bottomless pit.

"I was stuffing money and giving fruit, but prison chief Duan never gave me an accurate word. Thinking about it...it's really like what they said, my husband... I'm afraid he will be in prison for a few years!"

Enduring the grievances for a long time, finally accumulated to an explosion.Sister-in-law Sun just felt that she couldn't take it anymore, covered her face with her hands, and cried bitterly...

The author has something to say:

I'm reading everyone's comments, thank you cuties for your tolerance of the handicapped writers.I feel more and more that there are still many, many, many things that I have to learn and ponder on the road of writing!

Thank you for taking the time to point out the problems in the article, so that I can reflect on the shortcomings in writing from another angle.

Thank you for always reading Wen Xiaocute’s company, mua——