After seeing off the guests, Zhu Yuan walked out of the lobby of the main courtyard. There was already a small shoulder-shaped carriage waiting outside.

Just made it recently.

It's not an option to always let people carry it.

Sitting on the comfortable recliner designed by himself, Zhu Yuan pulled a tiger skin mattress over his body, closed his eyes and began to sleep.

The shoulder carriage was lifted up by four young men and moved forward steadily.

Without shoulders, Zhu Yuan was afraid of heights.

After a while, Zhu Yuan, who was in a daze, felt that the shoulder bag was put down, and soon it was lifted up again, and he entered the inner house.

I didn't want to move, so I had to open my eyes.

Then I saw several pairs of red eyes.

Freehand ones, blank ones, and Qing Niang ones.

Ever since he met someone's daughter, Zhu Yuan felt that the name Qingqiu was increasingly inappropriate for women, so he naturally changed it to Qingniang just like Liu Bai recently.

Zhu Yuan understands freehand brushwork and blank space.

Relatives get together.

Still lying on the shoulder with only his head exposed, Zhu Yuan motioned to Qing Niang: "What's wrong with you?"

"Brother sent a letter, Brother Nu..."

With just such a sentence, Qing Niang was speechless. She covered her mouth and started crying. Her body became soft. Fortunately, the maid next to her helped her in time.

Zhu Yuan paused for a moment, understanding that the person hadn't arrived yet, but the letter had arrived. He motioned to the maid to help Qing Niang into the house, then turned to Xieyi and blank: "Is your family... all okay?"

When the two girls saw Zhu Yuan asking about it, they suddenly knelt down together and said in a freehand way: "I thank you, the little official, for rescuing me."

It looks like it should be fine.

Zhu Yuan asked the two girls to get up and said to the servant girl who was carrying the carriage: "Go out again," and then turned to the freehand: "Let your family come over and let me see you."

Xiyi stood up, shook his head and said: "Young official, please take a nap first. I told my father that I will come back tomorrow to kowtow to you."

"I can't sleep anymore," Zhu Yuan shook his head and said, "I'll just kowtow. I've said it so many times."

After speaking, he turned to the maid next to him: "Let's go."

Then he covered his head again.

Take a break.

After a while, we arrived at the living room outside.

He left blank to call someone, and Xieyi followed him in. With a hesitant expression, he took out a few pages of paper written in advance from his sleeves, and handed them to Zhu Yuan with his head lowered and obviously guilty: "Xiao Guanren, this is... Nu He

Leave two blank in the list of dependents."

Still need to write a list?

Zhu Yuan took it curiously, took a look at it, and then understood why it was listed.

It was written with a pen, and it was still six pages long. Just turn to the end, and a certain girl kindly gave a number, 167 people.

This is not a family member...

Did you all move here with the whole village?

Xiyi lowered his head lower, saw Zhu Yuan glance over, and said quietly: "Slave... slave's letter only mentioned parents... at most, including a few uncles at most, slave did not expect that mother's natal family, and... also

There are...and...all are here."

Zhu Yuan understood it after just a little thought.

The problem lies with the salt merchant Fu Shou whom I just met this morning.

This man was really dedicated and unknowingly made Zhu Yuan owe a bigger favor.

You can't say that they are not.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuan asked again: "In addition to sending people here, is there anything else?"

Xieyi didn't dare to hide it, and nodded lightly: "I bought some clothes, shoes and hats, and... each family gave one hundred taels of silver, saying it was for settling-in expenses."

Zhu Yuan looked at the list in his hand and couldn't tell the difference, so he simply asked: "How many are there in total?"

"Those who have not yet been separated will be given three thousand taels in total." Xieyi said, and quickly added: "I didn't ask my father to hand over the money and wait for the officials to deal with it."

Zhu Yuan nodded slightly and asked again: "You sent someone here, did you leave your address?"

"Keep it," he wrote freely: "In the southwest of the city, north of Shangfuqiao, Fulu Lane, Fu's house."

"Let Zhao Xu come over later, forget about the clothes and leave the money to me," Zhu Yuan said, and then thought: "Where do they live now?"

If there are more than a dozen people, my house can still be crowded, but if there are more than 100 people... this cannot be accommodated.

"At the foot of Fuzhou Mountain, we rented some courtyards in the village." Xieyi pointed to the north and whispered: "There is also an empty courtyard to the east of the house. I have asked people to take care of it... Small officials, slaves, and

Leave it blank, I want my family to live here and serve you together."

As he spoke, he knelt down again.

Zhu Yuan motioned for Nizi to get up and said: "Then let's move here. However, I can also tell you frankly that there are so many people, even if I can afford them, I can't use them. They always have to find a way to make a living on their own. I can help."

, but it’s too good, unless you have the ability, I can’t give it to you.”

Xieyi didn't get up, and waited until Zhu Yuan finished speaking before saying: "It's enough for a small official to give him a mouthful of food. I don't dare to expect more."

Zhu Yuan said: "If it's just for a bite of food, it's better to stay in Shandong. It's always cheaper to leave one's hometown."

When Xieyi heard what Zhu Yuan said, her little face suddenly turned pale and she shook her head: "Young official, let them do whatever they want. Don't drive them back to Shandong."

After saying that, he knelt down again and fell to the ground.

Seeing Xiyi's reaction, Zhu Yuan felt something was wrong and asked: "Shandong...is it bad?"

Xieyi raised his head cautiously: "I don't know the details... It's just that in Zhuangzi, where my home is located, in recent months, there have been bandits and... food requisitions. It snowed heavily for six consecutive days earlier, and nearby...

…Dad said that many people starved to death. My brother and his men guarded the village all day long, but they were attacked several times and were still wounded."

Zhu Yuan fell silent immediately.

Suddenly I realized that I had started eating minced meat.

A few days ago, Lao Zhu said that grain was transported to the north. Because the canal was not smooth, not only could it not help the people, but more grain would have to be collected. He felt uneasy about this.

then……

Zhu Yuan didn't feel anything at all.

I just feel like I’m taking the initiative to take over the next business trip and perform well.

Now I finally realized that many times, what cruel truth is hidden behind the simple words of the superiors.

I didn't know what to say here, so Liu Bai opened the curtain and came in. When he saw Xieyi kneeling on the ground, his movements stagnated, and he knelt down by the door: "Young official..."

Zhu Yuan came back to his senses and felt a little cold. He wanted to wrap his body with the fur on the chair. He stretched out his hand and stopped. He suddenly raised his voice and said in an aggravated tone: "Get up, everyone."

Xiang Liubai: "Go outside and make peace with me. No one is allowed to kneel anymore today. Do you think my health is not bad enough and you want to shorten my life one by one? Do you hope that I will die soon?"

"No, it's not..." Liu Bai was so frightened by Zhu Yuan's sudden temper that he trembled. He stood up quickly, looked over again as he spoke, and began to shed tears, and muttered: "... I am willing to die for the little official.

…”

Xieyi also stood up as if on a conditioned reflex, looking at his little official, speechless.

Seeing the trembling looks of the two girls, and remembering what Liu Bai had just said uncontrollably, Zhu Yuan breathed out, slowed down his tone, and signaled: "Go ahead and talk."

Liu Bai responded in a low voice, wiped his eyes, and waited until the tears stopped flowing out, then turned around and went out.

After a while, a group of people entered the house.

After standing still, he looked at Zhu Yuan, his movements were obviously hesitant, and then he either bowed or saluted Zhu Yuan with great blessings.

Zhu Yuan looked over.

There were mainly a few elderly people, and a man who was nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a splint tied to one arm.

Recalling what Xiyi said just now, this should be her brother.

There is also a mother and son. We have already known that Liubai has lost his father and only has his mother and a younger brother. I guess it is these two. The woman is very similar to Liubai. The boy is about ten years old.

Moreover, Zhu Yuan also discovered that although the group of people were all decently dressed, they all had different faces. Even though they would definitely not go hungry during the journey, they still couldn't make up for it. Even the brother Xieyi was only a little taller.

The face still looks a little sunken.

After saluting together, seeing that Zhu Yuan was silent, a middle-aged man came forward, bowed again and said: "Qiao Wang thanked you for saving the lives of the 167 people from Qiao, Sang, Chen, Wei and other families.

Well, we have nothing to repay, I just hope that in this life and the next, I will be driven by you, tie a grass ring around my neck, and die without mercy."

After Qiao Wang finished speaking, his knees bent. Thinking of the explanation he just left blank, he resisted the urge to kneel down and bowed deeply.

Everyone behind Qiao Wang saluted again.

Zhu Yuan lowered his head and glanced at the pages he was still holding in his hand. Qiao Wang was the father of Xiyi.

After everyone saluted again, Zhu Yuan paused and said: "Now that you are here, live well. I will give each of your families one hundred taels of silver to settle down first. The other three thousand taels will be sent over. This one cannot

receive."

After saying this, Zhu Yuan couldn't think of anything for a moment, so he turned to Xieyi: "We will arrange a good meal for everyone in the evening." Then he looked at Qiao Wang: "I'm not in good health, so I won't entertain you much. Let's go and have a rest.

Come on, rest for a while first, don’t do anything, just eat and drink well.”

After everyone left with their gratitude, Zhu Yuan finally pulled the brown bear skin on the chair, wrapped it around himself, and closed his eyes.

So tired.

When I was about to fall asleep, I heard a voice in my ear. It was Luo Shui. It was soft and soft: "Little official, can I carry you to the inner house to sleep?"

Zhu Yuan rolled up the bear skin again, murmured and turned around to refuse: "No, I'm a grown man, and I don't want to lose face if a woman carries me on my back?"

Luo Shui still coaxed very gently: "I'm covering it up with the servants, so I'm not afraid of people seeing it."

Um……

this is a good idea.

So he was supported and thrown on a fragrant and soft back, and a fur coat was covered on his body, which was airtight.

The inexplicably uneasy mood finally calmed down a bit.


Chapter completed!