Since April, Yongzhou has been raining constantly, but fortunately, it will not be continuous, and it will be sunny for a few days after the next rain. Moistened by the rain, the weather has not warmed up, and it is still late spring in May.

It was a beautiful day, cloudless, and a rare good day. Xu Ping, Duan Yunjie and a few other officials did not stay in the house, but took Wen Mu to a spacious place behind the Lifting Division, and set up a table to settle accounts here. This year's sugar season is over, and the accounts must be cleared as soon as possible.

Not far from them, Tan Hu led a few soldiers to build a fire, set up a shelf, and roast a sheep there, as well as miscellaneous fresh fish of different sizes. The station is surrounded by water on three sides, as long as you have a heart, you can't eat enough fresh food in the river, so grab a few to make a snack if you have nothing to do.

Not far from the fire is a small stream, which emerges from a spring in the high place and flows all the way into the Zuojiang River.

Downstream of the creek, Xiuxiu and Liu Xiaomei were washing clothes by the water. Xiuxiu is fifteen years old, and she is slowly becoming childish day by day, her playful temperament is slowly put away, and she is much more diligent.

Liu Xiaomei has become a big girl, but her lively and optimistic temperament has never changed, in her world, there is sunshine everywhere, and no matter how big the trouble is, there is only a small dark cloud overhead, which can be blown away in one breath.

The green mountains in the distance are stacked on top of each other, and the Zuojiang River is like a jade belt coiled in it, flickering and flickering. At the foot of the mountain, the large rice fields are like a sea of green, connected with the meandering Zuojiang River.

The sun hangs obliquely on the horizon, and the sunlight sprinkles on people warmly, which is extremely comfortable.

Xu Ping stood up and stretched, and said to Duan Yunjie: "Since I came to Lingnan, it is really rare to see such a weather like the late spring of March in the Central Plains. Anyway, it's not a day or two, let's take a break, go down to see the spring light, and let the others be busy here for a while. ”

"It's fine."

Duan Yunjie stood up with a slight smile and walked down the hill with Xu Ping.

"What is March like in the Central Plains?"

Duan Yunjie asked Xu Ping, who was walking in front, softly.

Xu Ping thought about it, shook his head and said with a smile: "In the late spring of March in the Central Plains, the grass grows and the eagle flies, the goose is yellow and the willow is tender, and the river is warm at the beginning. But if you really want to ask what it looks like, I can't even say, that is, every year at that time, everyone has to go out to visit the spring, which is not only lively, but also does have a different feeling from other times. At the beginning of March, the Jinming Pond was opened, and hundreds of thousands of people in the capital were playing, and its bustle and prosperity were unimaginable. Change places, change times, there is really no such peaceful atmosphere. ”

Duan Yunjie's face was a little fascinated, he thought for a while, and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Hundreds of thousands of people visit the garden, and there are not so many people in the entire Guangnan West Road. Jingshi is prosperous, and people in our small place really can't think of it. My father has been to the capital twice from Fa Xie to Jinshi, and it is often said that it is where the gods live. Although he is in Lingnan, his official has been in the Central Plains states, and his greatest wish in his life is to pick up his mother and take her to the Central Plains for a trip, but he has a lifelong wish. It's just that creation makes people, and twenty years have passed, and he is still not allowed to reunite with his mother, and he is also stumbling in Lingnan. Ugh—"

Xu Ping didn't answer, just walked down the mountain silently.

Huang Conggui robbed Ashen, and has been wandering around Qianlongtong and Silingzhou for the past two years. Xu Ping also asked someone to contact him and asked him to take someone back to Yongzhou to ensure that he would be rich and prosperous for the rest of his life. This kid was frightened by Xu Ping's previous cleanup, no matter what, he refused, and recently I heard that he was on the line with Jiaozhi and Guangyuanzhou, and he didn't care about Yongzhou.

Xu Ping has not been able to make up his mind about how to deal with the states around Qianlongtong, this is his second term, and the next one will definitely leave Lingnan, and it is difficult to make any big moves in just two or three years, and things will drag on day by day. Every time he thinks of this, Xu Ping feels very sorry for Duan Fang's father and daughter, who have worked hard with him for a few years, and he can't even solve such a trivial matter.

Life is so helpless, in the final analysis, Xu Ping is still an inconspicuous local petty official, unable to change the direction of the imperial court's major policies, and he seems powerless in these things. From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, the development of such frontier places could not be completed by one state all the way, and half of the country was shaken every time.

The clear water of the stream glows silver in the sun, schools of small fish compete in the water to swim upstream, and unknown aquatic plants sway in the stream, revealing the agility of life everywhere.

Xiuxiu next to him stopped what he was doing, looked at Xu Ping and Duan Yunjie who were standing there enjoying the scenery, paddled the cool stream with his hands, and pouted his unhappy.

Although Xiuxiu is not the person next to Lin Suniang, she always gets along for a long time, watching her and Xu Ping enter the cave room, she has always been concerned about the little lady Panpan who has not met yet, and has special feelings. Recently, Xu Ping and Duan Yunjie have been relatively close, and Xiuxiu will inevitably look unpleasant.

"Gao Daquan, how do your legs grow, could it be that you smell it? If you don't come early or late, you will come over when the lamb I roast here is cooked! ”

Tan Hu's loud voice came from the hillside.

Xu Ping turned around and saw Gao Daquan coming from a distance.

Getting closer, Gao Daquan said to Tan Hu: "Which one dares to snatch food from your tiger's mouth?" Relax, I'm not here to look for you, what's the coaxing? ”

With that, he walked straight down the hill.

When he arrived at the stream, Gao Daquan greeted Xu Ping and said in a deep voice: "It turns out that the official is also here, and I came to find Liu Xiaomei to have something to say." ”

"People are there, just go. If you find it inconvenient, you can find a place to talk slowly. ”

The relationship between Gao Daquan and Liu Xiaomei is already well known, and they didn't deliberately hide it, it was very common for men to marry women when they got married. Xu Ping was also optimistic about his success, and urged Gao Daquan several times, asking him to give the dowry first, and find a Huang Chen to marry on an auspicious day, which can also be regarded as starting a family.

It's just that Gao Daquan and Liu Xiaomei didn't know what to think, and kept dragging it.

When Xiuxiu saw Gao Daquan, she hurriedly turned around and pushed Liu Xiaomei: "Sister, don't be busy, Brother Gao came to find you, he must have something to say to you!" ”

Liu Xiaomei wiped her hands and said with a smile: "What words can't be listened to by you!" ”

"Don't listen to it, you little two have rotten ears when you listen to it!"

Xiuxiu smiled and said to Liu Xiaomei, it seems that there is some special fun in flirting with the little couple in love.

The tall and all-round color was not good, so he stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Little sister, I have something to say here." ”

Xiuxiu didn't pay attention to Gao Daquan's face, and pushed Liu Xiaomei with a smile: "Go, go!" ”

Liu Xiaomei was puzzled in her heart, wiped her hands, walked to the tall and comprehensive and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter?" ”

"We don't want others to hear about our private affairs, so let's go over there and talk about it."

After speaking, Gao Daquan walked to the side of several banana trees on the upstream shore.

Standing by the banana tree, Gao Daquan turned to look at Liu Xiaomei who came over, and sighed: "Today I went to the grass market on the other side of the Zuojiang River and saw your brother." ”

"What's wrong with him?" Liu Xiaomei asked anxiously, what did she think of when she spoke, turned around and pinched the corner of her clothes and whispered: "I don't have this brother, I won't pay attention to him anymore!" Brother Gao, don't care about him in the future, just treat him as an outsider. You don't know, he specializes in harming people! ”

"After all, it's your blood brother, how can the flesh and blood relationship be broken?" Gao Daquan sighed helplessly, "With this level of relationship, how can I ignore it?" Only have more snacks, watch him, and don't cause trouble in the Taiping Village. ”

"That's a bad spirit, where can I see it?"

Liu Xiaomei was a little dazed, saying that she ignored it, but that was her only relative in the world, can she really say that she will let it go? However, as soon as he remembered the past, he was pushed into the fire pit by this brother-in-law again and again, and he trembled with anger. In the past, he was just himself, and if he died, it was only his own life, but now that he has Big Brother Gao, what should he do if he is cheated by his brother?

"Brother Gao, really ignore him. I must have done some sin in my last life, and this brother tortured me in this life. But from now on, any retribution will be on me, big brother Gao, you don't need to provoke him, I will hate myself to death if you are hurt by him! ”

Speaking of this, Liu Xiaomei's eyes flashed with tears.

Gao Daquan hurriedly said: "Don't scare yourself, it's not that serious." I went to the grass market today, but I saw that he didn't know how to make a difference these days, and he actually learned to open an inn with others, and also doubled as a warehouse, and the business seemed to be very prosperous. Think about his previous personality, there is weirdness in this matter, not to mention whether he will do business or not, who knows who he is and dares to partner with him? ”

"He's running an inn?"

Liu Xiaomei seemed to have heard a story from another world, and she was stunned. Liu Xiaomei knows best what kind of person his brother is, as long as he sees it, the family can't even save a penny, either to gamble and lose or to buy wine and drink, such a person can learn from others to do business?

The prodigal son does not change his money, but his brother is a rotten person who is not even a prodigal son, rotten to the end like an abscess, and living in the world is harming others and himself, how can there be a reason to turn back?

Gao Daquan saw that Liu Xiaomei didn't believe it, and shook his head with a wry smile: "Don't say it's you, I don't believe it either." If I hadn't happened to see it today, and they dragged me to the store to have a cup of tea, I would have just been someone else's nonsense. ”

If she didn't believe it, Liu Xiaomei wouldn't doubt Gao Daquan's words, so she had to ask him: "Who is the person who partnered with my brother to open the store?" Didn't someone trick him? ”

"The owner is him and a Qiu lady who used to sing in the restaurant, I told you before. I don't know if he and Qiu Niangzi are married, and now they are in and out of pairs, just like husband and wife. Qiu Niangzi is said to have come here from Wuzhou, where the three rivers converge, and the goods of dozens of states are gathered, and the prosperity is not comparable to Yongzhou, he should be a person who has seen the world, and he may be able to control your brother. ”

Liu Xiaomei thought about it and sighed: "I have also heard about that woman, she is not a serious person, and she can control my brother, I always don't believe it." ”

Gao Daquan said: "We outsiders can't guess these things, between men and women, many things can't be judged by common sense, don't you say?" ”

Liu Xiaomei smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Brother Gao, not everyone is the same as you. ”

Since the two of them showed their hearts, Gao Daquan has taken care of Liu Xiaomei everywhere, and he has not violated her wishes at all. Liu Xiaomei is reasonable and kind-hearted, and the two get along very well. It is precisely because of this that Gao Daquan will have the illusion that the relationship between men and women can produce miracles.

"Anyway, their store is doing well now, and one of the supervisors hired is a former agent in Qinzhou, who is proficient in things and reliable, and the store is booming. Let's wait and see how it gets better, and I'll pay more attention to it, and it's always a good thing if your brother really changes his face and becomes a new person. ”

"That's the way, Gao Daquan, you have more snacks."

Liu Xiaomei said this, but she always felt that something was wrong in her heart.