National color raw owl

The lame man didn't change his face, but said calmly: "So it's Uncle Meng? I know him now."

Uncle Meng sneered and said, "If you know, you should know the rules here."

"I don't know the rules yet." The cripple said, "But I don't know what the rules are. I'm still asking Uncle Meng to enlighten me."

Uncle Meng said: "There are not many rules. If you set up a stall by Qinshui in Baitongfang, you have to pay a stall fee to ensure your business is safe. Two taels of silver a month is not too much."

The cripple asked, "Uncle Meng is from the yamen?"

Someone next to him scolded: "Why are you talking so much nonsense? If you want to start a business, hurry up and pay two taels of silver."

The cripple shook his head and said, "I only know that the government collects taxes, but I don't know that there are private tax collectors in the capital. If you are from the government, I will follow the rules, otherwise I will have no money."

Uncle Meng turned cold, and said, "You want to toast instead of fine wine? You don't ask yourself, who dare not pay the stall fee by Qinshui?" He clenched his fist and said coldly: "I can't control the government's tax collection, but if you set up a stall here, you have to follow my Uncle Meng's rules." Stretching out his hand, he said, "If you pay two taels of silver, you can continue your business, otherwise...!" Sneer Twice, full of threats.

The lame man said, "I don't have two taels of silver with me."

"Nonsense." Someone sternly said: "I just said that if you lose, you have to take out five taels of silver. You should have at least five taels of silver with you."

The cripple shook his head and said, "No." Then he explained: "I never thought that I would lose, so I never had five taels of silver with me."

"What a big tone." Uncle Meng said with a sneer, "If there is no money, this stall should not be set up anymore."

The cripple said: "Then I'll clean it up now." He actually stretched out his hand, ready to clean up the stall. He was surrounded by seven or eight people, but he was calm and composed from the beginning to the end. Chu Huan saw it and admired it The cultivation of this person.

"Whoa!"

Before the cripple touched the chessboard, Uncle Meng suddenly kicked the chessboard away. The chess pieces were scattered all over the floor. He pointed at the cripple and said, "It's not so easy to walk. I asked you before The stall has been set up here for more than half a month, a month is two taels of silver, this half a month, at least one tael of silver, take out one tael of silver, get out of here, or your other leg will be crippled by you .”

The cripple looked up at Uncle Meng, and said, "First, my lame leg was not crippled. Second, even if you cripple my other leg, I can't give you a tael of silver." After saying this, he was lying on the ground with a small cloth bag in his hand, but he picked up the chess pieces scattered on the ground one by one.

Uncle Meng and his group looked at each other, they didn't expect the lame man to be so calm, Uncle Meng suddenly became angry, raised one foot, and was about to kick the lame man.

But just as he lifted his foot, someone tapped his shoulder lightly.

Uncle Meng turned his head, saw a young but unfamiliar face, frowned, and asked, "Who are you?"

It was naturally Chu Huan who came over suddenly.

Chu Huan knew in his heart that when he first entered the capital, he had to be careful in everything and not to cause trouble easily, but seeing the scene in front of him, if Chu Huan didn't step forward to stop him, he wouldn't be Chu Huan.

With a smile on his face, he tried to make his voice gentle: "I'm nosy."

Uncle Meng sneered and said, "I think you're a limp. You know, meddling in your business here will make you very troublesome."

Chu Huan smiled and said, "Although I like to meddle in my own business, I'm afraid of trouble." Pointing to the cripple who was packing up the chess pieces, he said, "He owes you a tael of silver?"

"That's right." Uncle Meng said: "Why, you came forward to meddle in business, do you want to pay him back the two taels of silver?"

Chu Huan nodded and said, "That's what I meant." He actually took out a tael of silver from his pocket, handed it to Uncle Meng, and said, "Is this tael enough?"

Uncle Meng really didn't expect to be taken advantage of by such a person. He looked Chu Huan up and down, really wanting to see if this person is out of his mind, but the one tael of silver was real after all. He took it and said: "The lame half Yue's stall fee is enough...!" There was a strange smile on the corner of his mouth, and he said: "But you come up to meddle in business, can't you just let it go?"

Still smiling, Chu Huan took out another tael of silver and sent it over: "I don't know if it's okay now?"

Uncle Meng took the money. For these local hooligans, getting two taels of silver easily was already very proud. He patted Chu Huan on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You are more sensible than the cripple, and you must be better at it in the capital." Long time." With a wave of his hand, he led a group of people under him to leave.

Seeing them leaving, Chu Huan went over to help the lame man pack up the chess pieces.

The cripple didn't look at Chu Huan, but said, "I'm afraid I can't pay you the money I owe you now."

Chu Huan said with a smile: "When you get better in the future, when you think about it, just give it back to me."

The cripple glanced at Chu Huan, pondered for a while, and finally said, "There is still half a jug of wine left where I live. If you want, I can invite you to drink."

Chu Huan said with a smile: "I just had a drink, but I haven't had enough. If someone is willing to buy me a drink, I will be very happy."

The cripple smiled slightly, and Chu Huan realized that when the cripple smiled, he had a great affinity. Chu Huan helped him pack up the chess pieces, and the cripple held the chessboard in his hand, then went to pick up the chessboard, and said: "Stay here!" The place is not far ahead."

Chu Huan nodded, the cripple was leading the way, and Chu Huan followed behind. He saw that the cripple's right leg was indeed disabled. When he took a step with his left leg, his right leg would drag across the ground. Naturally, his posture would not be very good, but this man But without the slightest sense of self-ashamedness, he was calm and free.

"Your skills should be able to beat them." The distance between the two was only a step away. After a while of silence, the cripple suddenly asked, "Why are you willing to pay the money?"

Chu Huan was taken aback, it seemed that this person's eyes were really not bad, and he could see that he had martial arts.

"I've heard people say before that if you fight a dragon or a tiger, you're a dragon or a tiger." Chu Huan smiled and said, "When you fight a rat, you're a rat. Although I'm not a dragon or a tiger, I don't want to be a rat." After a pause, he laughed again: "And what can be solved with money, why use force?"

The cripple smiled and said, "In the end, I can still bear it. It's not a bad thing if a person can bear it."

Chu Huan smiled, but he thought in his heart that this person's tolerance was much stronger than his own. From the beginning to the end, this person was calm and calm. In terms of calmness of mind, he must be inferior to this cripple.

The cripple walked slowly, but luckily the place where he lived was not far away. Turning into an alley, there was no bustle of the main street inside. He passed a courtyard with its gate closed. Next to this house, there was A small wooden house looks like a place to store groceries. The lame man walked to the door, pushed it open, and turned around and said, "If you don't mind, come in and have a seat."

Chu Huan followed the cripple into the inside, and saw that although the inside was narrow and there were not many things, it was clean and organized. Everything was placed very neatly, which showed that the cripple was a careful but organized person. .

There was an old small table in the house. The lame man put down the chessboard and the cloth bag containing the chess pieces, and brought a small porcelain bowl with an even smaller bowl upside down on top of the porcelain bowl. Take it off, but there is a small half bowl of peanuts inside.

The cripple brought another small jar and two small porcelain bowls, filled them with wine, and then said with a smile, "It's not good wine, but my intentions are true." Picking up the wine bowl, he said, "Come, drink a bowl. !"

Chu Huan was also not polite, he held a bowl to drink, and the wine entered his throat, but it was extremely spicy, without a sweet and refreshing taste, so he knew it was bad wine.

Although this cripple has a disabled right leg, his speech is extraordinary, but looking at his current situation, it is very difficult.

Putting down the wine bowl, the cripple smiled and said, "Few people are willing to help a stranger who has nothing to do with it, and even less so, a cripple. I, a cripple, can only thank you with a bowl of bad wine."

"Thousands of gold give ten gold, casual acquaintances, one gold gives one gold, but it shows sincerity." Chu Huan said: "This half jar of wine must be the last treasure of big brother?"

This cripple was in his early thirties, much older than Chu Huan, so it was only natural to call him big brother.

The cripple laughed and said, "That's a good point. To tell you the truth, I'd rather drink alcohol, but I'm short of money. I only pour half a bowl of this jar of wine every day to taste it. If there are two more altars, I can drink them all in a short time."

"It seems that brother's drinking capacity is not bad." Chu Huan said with a smile: "It's hard to compare with me."

The cripple said: "My name is Pei Ji. People used to call me Pei cripple, and now some people call me that way." He has a disability, which should be taboo, but he doesn't seem to care, and he is very open-minded. Spend.

Chu Huan asked: "So it's Brother Pei. I'm Chu Huan!"

"Chu Huan?" The lame Pei Ji smiled and said, "Your name is Huan, but your temperament is happy. I am famous, but I have no merit."

Chu Huan asked: "Brother Pei's voice sounds like someone from the capital."

Pei Ji said: "I'm from Hexi Guzhou, and I've been in the capital for more than three months." He asked, "Brother Chu doesn't seem to be from the capital either?"

Chu Huan said: "I am from Yunshan Mansion in Xishan."

"Oh?" Pei Ji said, "Brother Chu came to Beijing to join his relatives?"

Chu Huan thought for a while, and then said: "To be honest, my younger brother is indeed here to find a way out." He asked: "Hexi Road is very far from the capital, why did Brother Pei come to the capital?"

"It's also going to someone else." Pei Ji smiled lightly: "But things are not going well, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve my wish." Speaking of this, Pei Ji's face was slightly sad, and it seemed that he was full of thoughts.