Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

Seeing that the elder Zeng was generous, Ximen Qing secretly nodded in praise.This Elder Zeng is worthy of being the mighty leader of Zengtou City, who can rule thousands of people.With such a generous shot, it's no wonder that a hero like Shi Wengong also joined him.

Shi Wen respectfully thanked Elder Zeng, collected the gold and silver, and called a few confidantes, then bid farewell to the whole Zeng family, and followed Ximen Qing and the others out of Zengtou City.

Ximen Qing and Shi Wengong rode side by side under a willow tree. After looking back at Zengtou City, they rode their horses and headed south.A group of more than a dozen people rode quickly, leaving a trail of smoke and dust on the road.

Because Shi Wengong was concerned about his horse's injury, Ximen Qing and his party got up early and stayed late, and within a few days they passed through Gaotang Prefecture and entered Guanzhou.

Chapter 131 The Woodcutter Guides the Way

Picking up green locust trees among the white clouds,

Birds used to deep forests don't guess.

Unintentionally bring a few flowers,

He actually picked butterflies down the mountain.

The sun was scorching, the vegetation was withered, and two people staggered down the rugged mountain road.

The two were one tall and one short.The tall man was a woodcutter with a haggard face and ragged clothes, about forty years old. He bent over and carried a large bundle of chopped firewood, with an iron ax pinned to his belt. OK.

But the short one was just a ten-year-old girl.The little girl was small and thin, wearing a patched coarse cloth blouse, and carrying a small bundle of dry reed stalks with great difficulty, followed behind the woodcutter.

Although the clothes were tattered, the little girl's hair was combed neatly, and she tied two small braids with a red headband.At this time, a few unknown wild flowers were inserted on her head.

The woodcutter walked down a section of winding stone steps and came to the flat road at the foot of the mountain.He found a big bluestone on the side of the road, and put the heavy firewood on his back against the bluestone.

Afterwards, the woodcutter hurriedly helped the little girl behind him unload the reed stalks, regardless of the pain in his back.

"Father, just sit there and rest, I can do it myself." The little girl stubbornly said to the woodcutter while unloading the reed stalks from her back.

"Girl, why are you so stubborn? My father asked you to stay with your mother at home and just help her with some chores. Why can't you, girl, follow my father's orders and come to this mountain to fight with him?" Firewood, girl, are you tired?" The woodcutter lovingly stroked the top of the little girl's head with his calloused hand.

"Daddy, I'm not tired! Mother said that it's hard work for Daddy to go up the mountain every day to collect firewood. I'll help Daddy recite a little bit, so Daddy won't have such a hard time." The little girl was so tired that she sat down on the straw nest by the roadside On the bed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, but still insisting in his mouth.

The woodcutter took a water hyacinth from the bundle of firewood, unplugged it, handed the gourd to the little girl, and said pitifully, "Girl, hurry up and drink some water!"

The little girl was really parched, she gulped down a few sips of water after taking the gourd.After a cool and sweet feeling penetrated her heart, the little girl just woke up, thinking that her father hadn't drunk water yet.

The little girl hurriedly got up, handed the water hyacinth back to the woodcutter, and said, "Daddy, I've had enough, it's your turn."

The woodcutter took the water hyacinth, raised his head and poured it into his mouth.But there was not much water left in the gourd, and only a few drops fell into the dry mouth of the woodcutter.

The woodcutter put down the gourd helplessly, and said to the little girl, "Girl, this gourd is out of water. Daddy remembers that there is a stream nearby. You wait here for Daddy, and Daddy will come back when he gets water."

The little girl nodded, stood by the firewood, grabbed the bundle of firewood with her small hands, and said to the woodcutter, "Go, daddy, I will watch over here, this firewood can't escape! Daddy, be careful on the road."

The woodcutter couldn't help laughing when he saw the little girl's appearance.He listened carefully to the sound of the stream, then pushed aside the bushes and walked towards the stream.

After a while, the woodcutter who had fetched the water came out from the grass again.Holding a water hyacinth in one hand and a bright red wild flower in the other, he walked towards his daughter with a smile, and said, "Girl, look! This flower is so beautiful, it is worthy of my girl. Hahaha~"

The little girl jumped up happily when she saw the gorgeous red flower.She took the flower from the woodcutter, brought it to the tip of her nose, sniffed it, and said, "Wow~ it smells so good! Dad, let's give it to Mom! Okay?"

The woodcutter smiled and said, "Why not? Girl, if you want to give it to mother, you can give it to me. But now, daddy will put this flower on my girl's head first."

After the woodcutter finished speaking, he took the red flower in his hand and carefully inserted it into the little girl's bun.

"My girl is so beautiful!" The woodcutter looked at the little girl with satisfaction, hung up the water hyacinth, carried the bundle of firewood on his back, and said to the little girl, "Let's go, let's go home quickly, your mother must be waiting gone."

The little girl picked up the small bundle of reed stalks and walked forward behind the woodcutter.

The woodcutter walked forward with his daughter for a while, when he suddenly heard a voice in the woods by the roadside shouting: "Brother carrying firewood, wait a moment, I have something to ask!"

Hearing the yelling, the woodcutter stopped in his tracks and followed the sound.I saw a big black man in a linen summer shirt turning out of the woods by the roadside.

The man's face was like a pot of iron, his eyes were exposed, and he described it as ugly.He wore a pair of hemp shoes, held a whistle stick in his hand, and carried a package on his back. He looked dusty and dusty, as if he was a traveler from a distant place outside the state.

The man went to the road and saluted the woodcutter, "May I ask brother, where is this place? If you want to go to Gaotang Prefecture, you have to follow this road and climb over the high mountain in front of you?"

The woodcutter looked the black-faced man up and down, and saw that he didn't look like a man to be provoked, so he replied cautiously: "My guest, this place is in Guanzhou, and there is the famous Dry Tree Mountain in front of it. The mountain is the road to Gaotang Prefecture. May I ask where the guests come from?"

The black-faced man replied: "My little brother came from Daming Mansion, and he was going to Gaotang Prefecture. When he arrived here, he lost his way, but he couldn't find anyone to ask for directions. Because of the hot weather, my little brother hid in the tree. Enjoying the shade in the shade. Just now I saw my elder brother passing by collecting firewood, so I specially stopped my elder brother and asked for advice on the way. Brother Duo Meng pointed out, and my younger brother is very grateful! Since I didn’t go the wrong way, it’s time for my younger brother to go on the road, so farewell!”

After the man finished speaking, he was about to leave with a whistle stick.

The woodcutter hesitated for a moment, and shouted to the man's back: "Guest, please wait! Please listen to me."

Hearing the woodcutter calling him, the black-faced man turned around and asked, "I don't know if you have any advice, brother?"

The woodcutter said to him: "Guests, be careful, the dry tree mountain is not very flat! It's best for the guest to bypass the dry tree mountain and go to Gaotang Prefecture for a few more days."

The black-faced man wondered: "Brother, what's so uneven about this dead tree mountain? But the grass is deep and the forest is dense, and there are big insects infesting it?"

The woodcutter sighed: "Guest, there are no big worms on this mountain, but hundreds of robbers who have fallen into the weeds! Guest, if you go up this dry tree mountain alone, is it like a sheep falling into a tiger's mouth?"

Hearing this, the black-faced man stood still and said, "There are so many robbers on this mountain? It's difficult to do this. If a big bug comes, I can deal with it. But there are so many robbers, I'm afraid it's hard for me to deal with it." Handle."

The woodcutter said, "It's good that the guest understands, and I'll take a step ahead."

"Wait a minute, big brother! Excuse me, big brother, is your house near here? I'm hungry and thirsty, and I want to go to my big brother's house to ask for some food. I don't know if it's okay. Don't worry, big brother, my little brother doesn't eat your food for free. My bag is not bad." Money must be rewarded."

Hearing this, the woodcutter laughed and said, "Why did the guest say that? What money is my bean and rice worth? If the guest doesn't think my food is crude, he will come with me."

Happy Friday my friends!Labor is the most glorious. Today, Mumu continues to write books and enjoy the joy of labor.

Chapter 132 Killing for Fun

After hearing what the woodcutter said, the black-faced man walked forward with the woodcutter.

The black-faced man grabbed the bundle of reed stalks on the little girl's back, held it in one hand, and said to the woodcutter, "Brother, it's a blessing that such a small girl also came out to collect firewood!"

The woodcutter replied: "The guest is right. They all blame my poor family for suffering my daughter. After a few more years, I will find a good family and marry this girl far away. Don't stay here anymore." Suffering under the tree mountain."

The little girl heard it from behind, and she yelled crisply: "Daddy, I'm not bitter! I want to stay and honor my father and mother."

The black-faced man smiled and looked back at the little girl, and praised: "This girl is so filial! Brother, you and your wife are blessed!"

The woodcutter sighed: "This girl is as stupid as her mother, and she happily suffers with me every day. We poor people's children, we all know things early!"

The black-faced man asked: "Brother goes up the mountain every day to collect so much firewood, can he sell it for a good price? Maybe we can live on?"

The woodcutter replied: "The guest doesn't know. I used to use all my strength to go up the mountain to collect firewood. I sold it to a big family in a nearby village and town. I could earn a few copper coins, so that the family had no worries about food and clothing. But now I can't do it. Just make ends meet."

The black-faced man asked, "Brother, why is this?"

The woodcutter sighed: "Hey! It's not because a group of robbers came from the dry tree mountain two years ago. Those robbers entrenched on the dry tree mountain, looting houses everywhere, making the neighborhood restless. The big families nearby were unbearable. They fled from the dead tree mountain one after another. Therefore, it is difficult to find a good buyer for this firewood now, and it cannot be sold at a price."

Hearing this, the black-faced man said angrily: "Those guys are so hateful! Why don't the nearby government care about it?"