Wuguan.

On the huge and majestic city gate, a Qin soldier holding a long sword was looking attentively in front of Wuguan, under the mountain range in the distance.

As an important pass by Xiongguan, Xianyang, Chang'an, Lantian and other hinterlands leading to Nanyang County and the land of Shang Yu, Qin and Chu once fought against each other because of this place. Because Qin had this pass, apart from Hangu Beyond the pass, there is another road to the Central Plains, and if Chu gets it, it will directly threaten the hinterland of Qin.

Facts have proved that later, when Qin State owned Wuguan and attacked Nanyang County and Yingchuan, the road at this pass played a vital role. It was also the most direct threat to Chu State today. From Wuguan to Chu Land, The distance is the shortest, and along the Danshui River, it also passes through Nanyang County, leading to the Kingdom of Chu.

"Where do you come from and where are you going?"

"stop."

Under the gate of Wuguan City, the soldiers of the Qin State were inspecting the people and merchants coming and going. Under the huge scorching sun, the soldiers of the Qin State who had been crying for a long time were inevitably a little irritable while sweating.

It was okay for some people riding carriages. The soldiers of the Qin State did not know the identity of the other party and still asked each other politely. But for the common people coming and going, they did not have such a good look. Those countless common people also directly became the targets of the soldiers' venting. Although you can't hit people, you can at least glare with anger, and at worst, urge them with a bad tone.

Entering Wuguan one after another.

"Who? Where are you going?"

A Qin soldier in his twenties with dark skin looked at the middle-aged man in front of him and noticed that the man was holding a horse, and his tone became slightly better.

"Go to Wudu!"

The middle-aged man holding the horse is the uncle. At this moment, the uncle looks completely different from how he looked in Juyang City. Although the clothes on his body are still coarse cloth, they are very new. It seems that he has not bought them for a long time, and his expression is very... She is rosy, and her face is not as pale as her face and lips were dry due to hunger.

"This is my verification!"

The uncle said with a smile, then stretched out his hand, slowly took out a wooden sign from his arms, and handed it to the Qin soldier in front of him.

Not to mention, the uncle's slightly fat appearance, now holding a horse, plus the experience of hanging out among the scholars in Linzi, Qi State, whether it was his conversation or posture, for a while, the Qin soldiers in front of him were really impressed. I was shocked and felt that my uncle must have a special background.

It has been a long time since Bai Yan and his uncle separated, but unlike Bai Yan who was rushing on the road, the uncle was happy and contented along the way. After all, this was the first time that there was a horse. With the horse, the uncle did not worry about anything. , take a rest when you are tired, change your clothes when they are dirty, and eat and drink well along the way.

That's why it took so long to arrive at Wuguan.

"Go over there!"

Qin Zu looked at the verification wooden sign and confirmed that the person in front of him was going to Wudu, and it had the stamp of Nanyang County on it. Qin Zu returned the verification sign to his uncle, indicating that he could pass the customs.

The uncle smiled and put away the inspection card, glanced at Qin Zu, then led the horse and walked towards Wuguan.

Because Wuguan is the only road from Chu District to Lantian in Nanyang County, there are not only hawkers, tea shops, but also post stations in a place not far away from the corner of Wuguan. Most of the people or merchants who enter Wuguan, They all like to stop and rest. After all, after passing Wuguan, you have to walk along the upper reaches of Danjiang River and all the way to Xiong'er Mountain. There is no place to rest before arriving at Lantian.

When we came to Wuguan, we naturally wanted to take a rest, and it was still under such a scorching sun.

The same is true for my uncle. After entering Wuguan, he led a horse. When he walked, he kept his arms straight and looked at the people around him who had to walk on foot. His sense of superiority emerged from the bottom of his heart.

Look at the horse he is holding in his hand, how strong and handsome it is!

When I came to a small shop, there were many people outside who were unwilling to go in and spend money. Their faces were a little sallow from the sun, and they were wearing cloth clothes with countless holes patched. When the uncle saw these people, his eyes were full of contempt.

, in the uncle's heart, the last thing he wants to see is these people.

"Guest, guest!!!"

The waiter in the shop naturally knew who could spend money and who couldn't, so when he saw the uncle coming, he quickly bent forward and bowed his head, and respectfully took the horse rope from the uncle's hand.

"Keep it safe for me. If it gets lost, I can't afford to pay for it!"

The uncle looked at the waiter, said softly, and then walked towards the shop with his hands behind his hands.

The waiter nodded quickly, not daring to talk back. Under the scorching sun, the waiter looked at the people who were taking refuge under the eaves of the shop and scolded them to get out of the way. Then he tied the horse to a beam and covered it with shade to escape the heat.

As for the common people, even if the waiter gave them ten courages, they would not dare to steal a horse, not even a hair on their head would touch it. According to Qin's laws, anyone who trespasses on other people's property without authorization, even the leaves in the field, will be punished.

.

In the shop.

"Two bowls of side dishes and one bowl of pulp!"

The uncle came to a wooden table and spoke unceremoniously while shouting, after all, he is a guest who spends money. When the uncle has no money, he needs to be careful about his words and deeds. Now that he has money in his pocket, he can naturally do whatever he wants.

, no one can control him.

In the small shop, the dozen or so wooden tables are already full of people. After all, there is no shortage of people and merchants in Wuguan.

"Hi~! Isn't that Zihuai? Why am I so dazzled that I actually saw Zihuai!"

"It's really him. Didn't he steal things before and run away overnight? It's weird!"

Behind a dilapidated wooden table, two middle-aged men in cloth clothes heard the noise and felt that the voices were familiar, so they looked over. When they saw the uncle, they suddenly looked confused.

The two looked at each other with confusion.

"Let's go over and have a look!"

When they saw the uncle, they got up, but before leaving, they remembered to pick up the cloth package containing the clothes.

"Zihuai?"

The uncle was sitting on his knees behind the wooden table with a comfortable expression. He was not exposed to the scorching heat. In addition, the bark-covered shop was well ventilated and extremely cool. However, before the uncle could relax for a long time, he suddenly heard a movement next to him.

.

When he heard someone calling his name, the uncle immediately turned his head, full of surprise. When he saw two old acquaintances, the uncle's eyes widened and he suddenly felt uneasy.

"Ah, Zijian, Zichao!"

The uncle stood up and looked at the two people in front of him. Even though he tried hard to remain calm, he could still see that he was very panicked and his eyes were extremely guilty.

"You two are here."

The uncle raised his hands in salute and wanted to say something, but he couldn't. He smiled dryly, but couldn't hide his panic.

"Long time no see, Zihuai!"

"Yes! We were separated from Sanchuan County in the past. We haven't seen each other for a long time. I didn't expect to be lucky enough to see Zihuai come to Wuguan today!"

Zijian and Zichao looked at their uncle, and when they returned the courtesy, they spoke with profound meaning.

The uncle couldn't tell. At this moment, a lot of sweat was quietly breaking out on the uncle's forehead. Thinking back to when he was in Xianyang, he hung out and met people everywhere. The same was true when he went to Sanchuan County. Looking back at that time, he was proud to meet many people. At this moment,

The uncle was so sorry that his intestines turned blue.

Looking at the two people in front of him, the uncle couldn't figure out how he could meet these two people here.

"Oh, sit down, sit down!"

The uncle quickly smiled and extended his hand to indicate that he should take a seat quickly.

In the room, Zichao looked at each other, smiled knowingly, but did not refuse.

"I haven't seen you two dear friends for a long time. I wonder where you are going now?"

The uncle swallowed and forced himself to calm down. The most important thing at the moment was to stabilize the two people in front of him and prevent them from telling others what happened.

"Hey, look at the two of us, we are just looking for a way to survive. We are not like Zihuai, who wanders around like a wandering cloud and wild crane! We are just cash-strapped scholars, so don't mention it, don't mention it!"

When Zichao heard his uncle's words, he quickly smiled and waved his hands, pretending to be ashamed and said to his uncle. During the conversation, he took a special look at his clothes, and then smiled and shook his head at his uncle.

When the uncle heard Zichao's obvious words, he couldn't figure out what they meant, so he quickly laughed with him.

"This is not true. The three of us met once, and we drank and laughed. Zihuai has never forgotten it."

When the uncle said this, Jiang Yu's smile was a little unbearable, but he hesitated and pretended to think of something.

"By the way, when I was in Sanchuan County, I was helped by these two gentlemen to take care of me. Judging from Zihuai's memory, I almost forgot. Didn't I lend you two gentlemen thirty dollars before? I almost forgot!"

The uncle shook his head with a look of shame, then quickly reached out and took out a small cloth wrapped in his arms, put it under the wooden table, and lowered his head as if counting money.

When Zi Jian and Zi Chao saw this, they instinctively raised their heads slightly, wanting to see how much money the uncle had.

But the uncle was always on guard against the two of them, so the two could only give up in anger.

After all, no matter how downcast the two of them are, they are still scholars and are literate, so they still need face.

"This is thirty dollars, thank you two gentlemen for taking care of me!"

The uncle stretched out his hand with a pained expression and placed thirty pieces of money on the table in front of Zi Chao. Looking at the thirty pieces of money, the uncle's eyes were filled with reluctance, "Thirty pieces of money!"

However, thinking that he needed to stabilize these two people now, as long as he went to Wudu, he would have endless money and wealth in the future, which would be inexhaustible, so the uncle reluctantly withdrew his gaze.

"Borrow thirty dollars?"

When Zichao saw the money in front of him, his eyes lit up and his breathing became quickened. However, after looking at each other, he still pretended to be confused, as if he couldn't remember.

The uncle opened his mouth and was heartbroken. Now he was really afraid that these two people would not accept the money.

"Is it thirty dollars?"

Just when the uncle was panicking, Zi Jian suddenly spoke doubtfully.

This immediately made the uncle turn his head and look around. After listening to Zijian's words, the uncle finally came to his senses after a few breaths and nodded quickly.

"That's right, that's right. Look at my memory, it's thirty-five cents! I really deserve to die! I remembered it wrong. Please remember our friendship in the past. Don't be offended!"

The uncle patted his head hard, then hurriedly lowered his head, took out five coins again with a struggling look on his face, and placed them in front of Zi Chao in the room with a smile.

Seeing the uncle's hesitant look, Zijian and Zichao looked at the thirty-five dollars in front of them and swallowed. They both guessed that the uncle didn't have much money. Thinking of this, they both decided

Forget it, since the uncle is willing to give money and meet each other, the two of them naturally don't bother to argue, and they can just pretend that they have never met the uncle today.

Inside the shop.
To be continued...