The night is getting thicker, and the moon is hanging in the sky.

The Xu family's house.

Outside the main gate, two stone lions weighing thousands of pounds stood at the door, and two big red lanterns hung under the eaves.

In the garden of the inner house, the sound of rustling among the grass is not stopped, and the sound of chirping crickets comes and goes.

"Childe first came here, but are you still used to living here? If there is any inconsiderate hospitality, please tell the son bluntly, and the old man will immediately let people prepare again, and the son must not be wronged. ”

After dinner, Li Li and Xu Chu's father, Xu Yuanwai, came to the garden pavilion and sat at the stone table to drink tea and rest. After the two parties sat down, Xu's father poured a cup of fragrant tea for Li Li, and said in harmony with a smile on his face.

Li Li got up slightly, took the teacup with both hands, and nodded with a smile to show his gratitude. Taking a sip of hot tea, he smiled and said, "Uncle Xu is too polite." Your house is fully equipped, and there is nothing wrong with it, and I and my group like it very much. The little nephew was fortunate to come to the treasure land, thanks to Uncle Xu's hospitality, he was already a lot of trouble, and he was very grateful. ”

"That's fine. As long as the son is used to living, the old man will be relieved. Father Xu said with a smile.

This is a round water pavilion with Jianghuai characteristics, and there are slightly green duckweed floating in the fish pond below, and the water quality is clear, fresh and elegant.

After looking at the water pavilion for a while, Li Li then sipped tea while looking at the many houses in the courtyard of the Xu family's house. Yesterday he came late at night, and today he was busy outside the village for another day, because he had lived in the Xu family's house all day, but he didn't even see the layout of the houses in the house clearly.

After a little observation, Li Li secretly praised the Xu family in his heart, which can indeed be called the family of Yin Fu.

The whole house covers a wide area, with three main houses, each with twelve rooms and a central main hall; There is a quadrangle on each side of the east and west, which is a cross courtyard between the east and west. In addition to this, there are two rows of backyards and dozens of houses where handymen live; There are two small but unique gardens between the front and back courtyards. Circular pools were built on both sides of the garden.

This kind of mansion is not inferior to the official mansion of the general rank of Qianshi, and can even be compared with the county guard's mansion. Such a large mansion is large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, and if the handymen live in bunks, it can even accommodate thousands of people.

It can be seen that the Xu family has a solid family background and many clansmen, and it is actually the largest household in Xujiazhuang. No wonder Xu Chu and Xu Ding brothers led thousands of strong men to resist the Yellow Turban Army to loot in the village, if the Yellow Turban Army really broke through the wall fort, the first person to loot was the Xu family compound.

"Whoa!"

After drinking a pot of tea. Li Li didn't wait for Father Xu to get up to refill the tea, so he got up and picked up another pot of hot tea that happened to be boiling, and leaned over to pour it for Father Xu. After pouring hot tea, he asked casually: "The mansion in Uncle Xu's mansion seems to be the official mansion, could it be that Uncle Xu was a member of the official mansion in his early years?" ”

"Hehehe!" Father Xu was happy when he heard this. Then he bowed his head and said: "Childe has good eyesight!" Don't hide it from the son, the old man was like Zhongkang when he was young. It's also a martial artist. served as a county lieutenant, and also served as a lieutenant of Peiguo for several years; But that was 10 years ago. Ten years ago, the Yellow Turban was in turmoil, and all the states in the Central Plains were rampant with Yellow Turban thieves, and Yuzhou was the same. At that time, the old man was the captain of Peiguo, but the soldiers, horses and ordnance of the county had been abandoned for a long time, and his combat power was not strong. can't stop the overwhelming yellow turban thieves at all. As a result, the county fell, the court issued an edict to condemn the crime, and the old man was also charged with the crime of suppressing the thief. So the old man was angry. It has been nearly ten years since he resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown with dozens of clansmen, and the old man was already close to his sixtieth birthday, and he was already old. ”

mentioned the events of that year, Xu's father still had a look of resentment on his face, as if he was angry. It's just that the years are not forgiving, and now that he is over fifty years old, in addition to sighing and lamenting, what can he do?

"Oh, it turns out that Uncle Xu is also from the army, and he can be regarded as a family of military generals!" Li Li suddenly exclaimed, and then said: "Last night, the little nephew was fortunate to see the scene of Brother Boning and Zhong Kang fighting with the He brothers, it was breathtaking! Brother Berning is calm and sophisticated, has good martial arts, and has the demeanor of a general; And Zhong Kang is even more brave, pulling nine oxen backwards and going backwards for a hundred steps, such a brave man, it is really like a god descending into the world, when there is the courage of ten thousand people, it is really a tiger general in the world!

Now that the two brothers are adults, and Brother Berning has passed the age of standing, such a tiger will be buried in the countryside and grass, which is really embarrassing! ”

After hearing this, Father Xu's expression changed slightly, and a pair of seemingly cloudy but extremely deep eyes stared at Li Li, motionless. After a while, his expression calmed down, and he said with a pleasant face: "Thanks to the child's promotion, the dog does have some strength, and he has also learned the art of micro martial arts since he was a child, but he can't afford to be so praised by the son." They are just the courage of a horseman, from a humble background, reckless by nature, but they are afraid that they will not be able to use it, and they will waste the praise of the son. ”

While speaking, Father Xu's tone paused slightly, and then he looked at Li Li and asked casually: "Gongzi really thinks that the two dogs can be called tiger generals, isn't it an exaggeration, and the words of comfort to the old man?" ”

"Hehehe!" Li Li smiled heartily, not minding Father Xu's extremely scrutinizing eyes just now, and said with a smile: "Uncle Xu has seen the outside." Since then, Uncle Xu can call me Wenchang directly, don't be commensurate with a son, it's too angry. There is another matter, the little nephew needs to explain to Uncle Xu, and I ask you to understand a lot. Actually, my surname is Li Mingli, my name is Wenchang, and I am from Beidi County, Liangzhou. The little nephew used to be under the pseudonym Zheng Feng, but he was worried about causing unnecessary trouble during his travels, nothing more, and it was not deliberately concealed. If you are rude, I hope Uncle Xu will forgive me. ”

Obviously, before this, Xu Chu had already told his father about Li Li's identity. After hearing Li Li's real name, Father Xu did not show a look of surprise.

However, when Father Xu saw that Li Li did not answer his question directly, but reported to his home, his face instantly showed a trace of solemnity, but it was fleeting, and then he listened to Li Li as usual.

It is true that Li Li directly reported his real name, which seems to have nothing to do with the question raised by Xu's father. However, this is not the case, at least Father Xu understood the meaning of Li Li's words.

Looking at today, Xiliang Li Li is definitely one of the few people in the world who says what he says. How can there be a fake! This is the real intention of Li Li to report his home.

In addition, Father Xu also heard some extremely intriguing deep meanings from Li Li's words, so he showed a solemn expression in an instant.

It is said that people are old and useless, but in fact it is the opposite.

When a person is old, it is only said that his physical functions have begun to decline, but his wisdom has not declined at all, and is even growing rapidly. Therefore, there is a sentence that specifically describes this kind of old man, which is called "people become old and fine".

In Li Li's eyes, Father Xu is obviously a wise person who has grown old and mature.

Just now, Xu's father obviously heard that Li Li intended to recruit Xu Ding and Xu Chu brothers. But there was a rejection in his reply. It seems to be unappreciative. But after he paused, he changed his words, and instead asked Li Li if he really valued the Xu Chu brothers. Such contradictory words may seem illogical, but in fact they have a deep meaning.

In fact. The reason why Father Xu said inconsistent words was indeed to test Li Li's heart and the city. There is also the intention of asking for official positions for his two sons.

"Tiger General". It's not just a joke. In the army, the generals who can be called tiger generals are at least middle and senior generals above the rank of captain who lead a battalion of men alone. And Xu's father directly asked Li Li if the two brothers Xu Chu were worthy of the name, and the implication of this sentence was to make Li Li promise immediately.

For the average person, making a promise is an easy thing to do. Just open your mouth and hardly think. However, for Li Li, who has an army of hundreds of thousands, every word he says needs to be carefully considered. It is not easy to make promises. Because he is not only the commander of the first army, but also the actual controller of Xiliang, and he is also the general Wei Da who coerced the Son of Heaven to order the princes. With such a prominent identity, how can you lose your trust in others! Once the trust is broken, will it not make the Xiliang soldiers and the civil and military forces under his command feel cold, and make the heroes of the world laugh in shame. Take today's events as an example, if he gives a clear answer to Xu's father now, promising the official positions of Xu Ding and Xu Chu, if the Xu brothers can't get their wish in the future, will they be able to use this as an excuse to lead the people to rebel.

Therefore, as a superior person, Li Li will definitely not make promises to others easily, let alone foolishly promise lightly to achieve his goal, but in the end he will give people a handle. This is a taboo for those in power, especially in troubled times, and commitment is extremely important.

If you want to gain a foothold in the troubled times, you must do what you say and do what you do, and your faith is as great as the sky. Once you lose your trust, who will work for you, and how to win the trust of the world!

When Li Li directly said his real name, Father Xu held a cup of tea in his hand and held it in the air and pondered for a long time, so that the tea was already cold, but he didn't know it. And Li Li didn't disturb his thinking, he still drank himself, quietly watching the moon and bright stars in the sky. It's a pity that he can't read the stars, otherwise he might be able to see the direction of his current stars like Li Xuan.

After thinking about it for a long time, Father Xu finally came back to his senses, gently put down the teacup in his hand, and said softly to himself: "Actually, my Xu family has no choice, but I don't know if this is luck or misfortune?" ”

"Things in the world, people are doing it, and the sky is watching, and who can decide whether it is right or wrong. There are two sides to everything, just look at what we do, and luck and misfortune are often only in one thought. I Li Li only believe in one sentence in my life: Lu Yao knows horsepower, and sees people's hearts for a long time! Li Li said thoughtfully.

"Okay, Wenchang's words are very good, when you float a lot! The old man replaces wine with tea, and toasts Wenchang with a cup! After Father Xu heard Li Li's words, his expression suddenly perked up, and he poured a cup of hot tea again with a smile, and raised a glass with Li Li. Immediately, the two of them really replaced the wine with tea, and drank it all with their heads up.

"Haha!" After drinking, the old and the young looked at each other, and they were happy.

After laughing, Father Xu said with a serious expression: "Since then, the old man has handed over the lives of hundreds of people in his family to Wenchang. No matter what happens in the future, the old man admits it, who let me save the lives of nearly 10,000 people in Xujiazhuang! The old man did not believe in ghosts and gods all his life, but he believed in cause and effect in the world, and this is the case today! I don't know how Wenchang plans to arrange Zhuangzhong and others? ”

Li Li had already planned this, and said: "The people of Zhuangzhong who are willing to move into Chang'an to live in will pack up within three days, and set off with the Gepi Yellow Turban Army in three days." And Uncle Xu's family will be personally escorted by me to the territory of Sili, and handed over to Xu Rong, the general of Pingnan stationed in Henan County, who will then send someone to send you to Chang'an. As for what happens after arriving in Chang'an, Uncle Xu can rest assured, I will personally pass down the warrant and send someone to be responsible for the placement of your group. However, there is one thing I hope Uncle Xu will forgive, that is, your new mansion may not be as good as the mansion in front of you, but this is all temporary, and it will be better day by day in the future! ”

Wenchang was thoughtful, and the old man thanked him first. Everything is as you say, and we will leave in three days! Seeing that Li Li had thought of everything, Father Xu did not hesitate, and simply responded neatly and happily.

Subsequently, Xu's father discussed some trivial matters with Li Li. After all the deliberations were completed, he looked at the faintly visible scenery in the courtyard and said with some sadness: "My Xu family has lived here for nearly a hundred years, and their ancestors have been passed down for four generations, and now it has been passed down to the old man, but he has to leave. Alas, when will the troubled times end, and when will the world be peaceful! ”

Li Li could understand Father Xu's mood and comforted: "Uncle Xu doesn't need to be so sad, you are only in your fifties this year, which is the age of prime of life. I, Li Li, can assure you that in fifteen years at most, even if I can't calm the world, I will definitely be able to recover Yuzhou. When the time comes, you will definitely be honored to return to your hometown and live in this ancestral house of the Xu family again! ”

———————————— (To be continued)(To be continued......