Chapter 84 A Piece of Mimosa Pudica

  Crossing the Qi River and passing through Yucheng, they arrived in Pingyuan County today.

  Along the way, passengers got on and off frequently, and Xia Liu found that there were actually six long-distance passengers: him, Xi Menqing, the two burly men, and the two young women. After a few days, everyone became somewhat familiar with each other, and Xia Liu learned that the two big men were frequent travelers outside the pass, the older one was called Gu Zhou, and the younger one was called He Qishuo.

  A hundred-year-old Changbai Mountain ginseng may not be worth much locally, but once dug up and brought back to the interior, it becomes a rare and precious item worth hundreds of times its original value. So although these two ginseng merchants looked rough, they were actually very generous with their money. Along the way, they stayed in high-end hotels and ate the best food.

  Xia Bian and Ximen Qing wrote on the road that they were partners of Wangji Pihuo Shop in Xuzhou. Their daily life was naturally not showy, but their food and accommodation were not too bad either. Sometimes when the food was not good, the two would find an excuse not to eat and then run out to find a place to have fun.

  As for the two young ladies, their surname was unknown, they only called each other sisters, and only the coachman had such information, only the city guards and patrol checkpoints along the way had the right to inspect, they themselves did not say, others naturally would not dare to casually ask a girl's family name and given name.

  They looked very shy, staying in the cheapest rooms all the way, sometimes even the cheapest female dormitory, and eating simply, a bowl of porridge with a dish of salted vegetables for breakfast, a pancake with a dish of salted vegetables for lunch, and as for dinner, it was just a dish of salted vegetables and a pancake. Having seen this many times, Xiaonan and Ximen Qing privately referred to her as "Pancake Girl" rather than by name.

  Ximen Qing is a man who can't move his feet when he sees a beautiful woman, and I don't know how many times he has flirted with others. However, that sister is like a sensitive plant, if you look at her more than once, she will blush and lower her head; if you deliberately flirt with her and say something to her, she will also blush and lower her head; even if you accidentally touch her skirt while sitting in the same carriage, she will still blush and lower her head...

  Ximen Qing had never seen a girl who blushed so easily, was so fond of being shy and reluctant to speak. Even he, who usually became more bold and thicker-skinned in the presence of beauties, found it tiresome after several attempts and subsequently stopped trying to flirt with her.

  The big cart often travels on this road to Beiping, so it's particularly accurate to grasp the time for overnight stays along the way. At dusk, it just enters the county town of Pingyuan. The big cart wandered around in the small town for a while and stopped at a small inn. This place is relatively remote, with a large area around the inn, making it easy to stop carts and horses. Several big carts are already parked at the entrance, including those from Jining Siji Car Service on their return trip, as well as travelers and merchants from other places.

  Pingyuan is a small county, except for the time when Liu Bei was demoted during the Three Kingdoms period and served as the county magistrate here, there is no other notable history. The inn where they stayed was not large, Xia Xun had noticed early on that the inns chosen by Che Xing were all very familiar to them, of course, this approach has its advantages, an inn that knows its guests inside out can guarantee their safety to the greatest extent, but in terms of accommodation, food and hygiene, it's not so particular, after all, they are guests who have no choice but to stay.

  The dishes in that restaurant were not salty or bland, the taste was really not good. The two of them tasted a few mouthfuls and then stopped their chopsticks, exchanged a glance, and wanted to go out to find a restaurant. When they walked to the door, they saw Burnt Sister and Burnt Brother sitting at a table, asking for two bowls of plain boiled water from the waiter, and gnawing on hard burnt buns.

  Xiaojie and Ximen Qing left the inn, strolled aimlessly on the street for a while, saw a donkey meat restaurant with local flavor, went in to order several local flavor donkey meat snacks, also ordered several donkey meat fire pots as refreshments, before preparing to return to the inn.

  The sky was getting darker, and there were not many people on the street. Especially in late autumn and early winter, the cold wind made it even colder. Originally a small county town, it was rare to see a few pedestrians on the street, only some wild children who didn't go home, climbing walls, hiding and seeking, still playing with great enthusiasm.

  Just then, a big sister suddenly rushed out of the house, stood at the door with her hands on her hips, took a deep breath and shouted: "Second dog! You dead kid, it's getting dark and you're not home yet, are you being lazy again?"

  Xia Jiang was walking when he was startled by her loud shout and couldn't help but laugh, saying: "Our Shandong big sister is indeed fierce."

  Ximen Qing suddenly thought of his own wife, Xiaodong, and nodded in agreement with a tinge of sadness: "Yes, yes... Alas! Women are better off being gentle and soft-spoken. Take that pancake girl, for instance. If my Xiaodong had half her gentleness and modesty, I'd consider myself fortunate enough to have burned incense in my previous life..."

  "Huh?"

  Ximen Qing had just said this when he suddenly pulled Xia Lian and quickly flashed to the side of the wall. Xia Lian was also a very cautious person, although he didn't know the reason yet, he immediately hid beside the wall and saw him looking out with his head raised, so he also followed suit to take a look.

  Inside the alley, after walking more than ten steps, there is a small pawnshop. On the door hangs two lanterns with dead wind, high-quality paper pasted on them, painted with red tung oil, and the word "Fu" written on top. At the bottom of the stairs, in the direction coming from the street, stands a slender and elegant girl. In front of her is a burly man, one arm leaning against the wall, blocking her way.

  Xia Liu's gaze passed over the shoulder of the big man, and this girl was indeed the pancake girl. The big man standing opposite her, although only seeing his back and half of his face, Xia Liu recognized him as Guandong Canke Guchuang at a glance. Several people had been traveling together for several days, and Xia Liu would not mistake him.

  "Just listen to the old boat, hehe smiled and said: "Little girl, don't be afraid, Gu Mou is not a bad person. As the saying goes, after a hundred years of cultivation, one can share the same boat; after a thousand years of cultivation, one can share the same pillow. You and I are traveling together, starting and stopping at the same time, which also counts as having cultivated a relationship of over a hundred years in our past lives, right? I just want to help you."

  The pancake girl blushed and twisted her hem, saying timidly: "Does Master Gu want to help our family?"

  On the old boat, he looked up and down at this slender girl with a delicate figure like the moon and a temperament as elegant as a rare orchid. He sighed and said: "Look at you, you're just in your spring-like youth, but you've suffered so much. Actually, I noticed it all along the way, little lady, you're shy about your poverty, look, it's getting colder and colder, maybe the first snow will fall in a few days, and yet you pawned your clothes at this time, wearing such thin clothes, what if you catch an illness on the road? Wouldn't that be a cry to heaven and earth? I'm Old Gu, a kind-hearted person, couldn't bear it for a moment, so I chased after you."

  The pancake girl blinked and said, "Those clothes were all made by me myself. The material and style are very ordinary. Do you want to buy them, uncle? But I've already pawned them to someone else."

  "Hey, I'm a big man, what's the point of buying that thing. It's just that seeing you, little girl, being so pitiful and having such a lovable appearance, my old heart can't bear it, I want to help you out."

  "Oh!"

  The pancake girl smiled shyly and said, "Although the journey is hard, it's still bearable. Thank you for your kind intentions, Master Gu. As we just met by chance, I couldn't accept your money."

  The old boat chuckled and said, "Little girl doesn't want to reap without sowing, that's easy, just as long as you give me some sweet rewards, little girl."

  The pancake girl's face changed slightly, and she took a half step back, saying somewhat nervously: "Uncle, what do you mean by this?"

  "Little girl, you've seen it for yourself," Gu chuckled. "On this journey, I must have four dishes and eight large bowls of food to eat, and my accommodations must be the best, top-grade rooms. As for money, it's a small matter to me. If you're willing to accompany me on the road, serve me in bed, share a room with me...

  "Haha, all the expenses on this trip were borne by Gu Mou, and when we parted ways, Gu Mou even gave you an extra 100 taels of silver. 100 taels! With that kind of money, I could buy six little maids like you. How about it? That way, you won't have to eat plain congee and buns every day, and when there are many guests and few rooms, you won't be driven out to live in a thatched hut either."

  The girl was shocked and frightened, shaking her head repeatedly: "Gu Da Shu, people say you're a good man, how can you say such absurd and rude words? I don't want to listen, please let me pass."

  The old boat saw her fear, and his lust grew stronger. He suddenly sneered: "Damn it, I'm at the foot of Changbai Mountain, one ginseng is enough to play with a young girl like you. For a ten-year-old ginseng, you dare to kill people? Today, I'm in a good mood, speaking kindly to you, don't refuse the wine and drink the penalty."

  The pancake girl saw his ferocious appearance and was so frightened that her face lost its color, she retreated again and again, trembling with fear, saying: "You... what do you want to do?"

  "Listen, I'll tell you the truth. In Changbai Mountain, Gu Ye is a notable guest, even if he's committed a crime, as long as he hides outside the pass for a year or two until things calm down, he can still swagger around the Ming Dynasty with a new travel permit. Whatever Gu Ye wants, he's never failed to get it. Today, I took pity on you because of your appearance and your poor family background, so I decided to use my money to make something good happen for you. Since you're not willing, we can't force you, right?"

  That girl didn't think that after being rejected, he would dare to turn his face on the spot. Even if he was a scoundrel, how could he be so unscrupulous? She didn't know that this old boat had been walking outside the pass for many years. The people there don't know what the law is, who has the bigger fist is the master, and in the Changbai Mountains, the weak eat the strong, the black eat the black, and the life-and-death business is done a lot. That's the real Jianghu Wangming.

  The girl retreated a few steps in a flurry, her eyes brimming with tears. Ximen Qing took one look and immediately started rolling up his sleeves. Xia Bian asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"

  Ximen Qing glared and said: "Rescue people! Such a good opportunity for heroic rescue, how can I let it go?"

  Xia Liu Dao said: "You can open a mountain and set up a cabinet on Changbai Mountain as a guest, your martial arts skills must not be weak. Are you sure you are his opponent?"

  Ximen Qing said: "I've never compared them before, how would I know?"

  At this time, Gu Zhou stepped closer step by step, his robe fluttering open to reveal a short knife at his waist. He sneered: "Want to shout for help? Try it and see if you can shout faster than my knife! The giant black bear of Changbai Mountain is as tall as a man and has the strength of a thousand pounds, but I, your master, can cut open its gallbladder with just one slash!"

  Ximen Qing hastily withdrew his head and timidly asked: "Do you think he knows where a person's gallbladder is located?"

  Xia Liu pulled him away with a bad temper, picked up half a brick with one hand, and coldly said: "No matter how good your martial arts are, one brick can knock you down. Let's see what I can do."

  The girl was really scared, she retreated step by step, her shoulder suddenly touched the wall, and there was no way to retreat. She couldn't help but tremble all over, seeing Gu Zhou suddenly pull out a shiny short knife, Xia Fu's brick in his hand had already been raised.

  At this moment, the girl's chest heaved violently several times, and she suddenly cried out: "Two hundred taels!"

  Xia Liu was taken aback, and Gu Zhou's hand holding the knife also suddenly stopped, asking: "What did you say?"

  The girl's face was as red as a large piece of crimson cloth, her legs were tense and trembling, but her voice gradually stabilized. She stared straight at Gu Zhou and said in a clear and steady voice: "I say, give me two hundred taels, my person... belongs to you!"