Volume 1: A Stranger in a Foreign Land Chapter 1 Irregular Driving
The rooster crowed three times and the sky began to brighten.
Manager Liu of Yuelai Inn in Luting County was yawning and sleepily walking from the backyard to the front hall.
Before he entered the door, he heard a noise coming from the front hall. Puzzled, he stepped into the front hall and saw a tall figure in the hall, holding a rag and wiping the tables and chairs with his head down.
Twelve neatly arranged tables and chairs, each one shimmering with water...
"Good morning, boss!"
When the tall figure heard the footsteps, he raised his handsome face, which looked to be in his twenties, and greeted Manager Liu with a smile.
Facing his energetic smile, Shopkeeper Liu's thin old face couldn't help but smile as well. He nodded warmly and said, "Good morning, little brother!"
After a pause, he asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to visit relatives in the countryside today? Where's that lazy guy Wang Dali?"
The tall figure continued wiping the tables and chairs, and replied with a smile, "There are so many people coming into the city these days, and the customer flow is so high, Brother Wang can't handle it all by himself..."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu's smile gradually faded, and he interrupted him angrily, "Don't speak well of that lazy fellow. If he had a third of your foresight, we'd be so lucky. If you hadn't helped him out yesterday, who knows how much trouble he would have caused. It's only because his father and I are old acquaintances..."
The tall figure just smiled and continued to wipe the tables and chairs without responding to his words.
The chattering shopkeeper Liu was staring at him working diligently and was increasingly satisfied. He could read and write, had a keen eye for work, was nimble, and was attentive and generous in his interactions with others...
He is honest and down-to-earth, without any of the youthful impetuosity and restlessness!
Where can I find such young people?
It really is true that good deeds are rewarded!
After strolling around the front hall twice with satisfaction, Manager Liu suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "I almost forgot to tell you. I met the headman yesterday. He said your household registration has been transferred to the county household. Calculating the date, it should be within this month or two!"
The tall figure was startled for a moment, then came to his senses and pursed his lips forcefully. He put down the broom in his hand and walked over to Shopkeeper Liu in two steps. He bowed solemnly and said, "Shopkeeper, your great kindness will be remembered in my heart and I will never forget it. Even if I die in the future, I will repay you for saving my life!"
He was no longer a naive young man who knew nothing about the world, and he was no longer completely ignorant of the local customs and people as he was when he first arrived.
He knew that the household registration system of the Wei Dynasty had been relaxed due to the increasing number of escaped hooligans in recent years.
But it is definitely not a trivial matter that can be easily .
At least for a "foreigner" like him who has no relatives, no property, and is unfamiliar with local customs and social situations, even if he goes to the yamen and gets his brains knocked out, he will never be able to get a household registration.
In order to get his household registration, Manager Liu must have spent a lot of money and bribed many people...
Not to mention, if Manager Liu had not picked him up and brought him back to Yuelai Inn, he would have starved to death or frozen to death on the street.
No one in Dawei would give him a bowl of hot rice just for his college diploma...
Shopkeeper Liu helped Yang Ge up with a look of satisfaction, patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "People who have studied have nice words. Unlike that idiot Wang Dali, who can only say 'You are my father'!"
After a pause, he sighed softly and spoke earnestly, "You're not some reckless young man with high aspirations. Whether you have a household registration or not, how can our family really be short of you for food? Even if the government finds you when they conduct a raid on fugitives, we can just give you a little money and it will be over..."
"Now that you've settled down, you have to pay taxes, various fees, and perform labor service. The world is becoming increasingly unstable. The government may start conscription again at any time. Someone like you, young and strong, with no relatives or family, is exactly the type of man the government would like to conscript. If anything happens to you, you won't even have to pay for the mat!"
"Why are you doing this?"
From his own perspective, he really couldn't understand Yang Ge's choice.
But the household registration issue was the only thing Yang Ge had asked him for help with in the half year since he came to Yuelai Inn, and he really couldn't bear to refuse.
Yang Ge smiled and said softly, "I want to have a home..."
Shopkeeper Liu glanced at him and said helplessly, "Alright, it's getting late, you should get out of the city quickly!"
Yang Ge goes to the countryside every month, and he has long been used to it.
Yang Ge nodded. "Thank you for your help today. I will be back before the city gates are locked."
Shopkeeper Liu shook his head: "No need to rush. It will be fine as long as you can be back before sunset tomorrow."
Yang Ge also shook his head slightly, but said nothing more. He pushed a wheelbarrow out of the corner of the front hall, bowed to Manager Liu, and went out.
Shopkeeper Liu followed the pile of sacks on the wheelbarrow, watching Yang Ge leave quickly. He muttered to himself with emotion: "The wages I gave this kid a few days ago must have been spent here..."
After Yang Ge's back disappeared at the end of the long street, a young man, covering half of his swollen cheek, walked into the front hall from the backyard, dressed hastily, and said incoherently, "Boss, it's time for breakfast."
Shopkeeper Liu flew into a rage and started beating him with a broom: "I told you to eat, I told you to eat..."
…
Yang Ge pushed the wheelbarrow and followed the crowd out of the county town.
After leaving the county town , he walked along the relatively flat horse trail all the way to the southeast. After a while, he saw a wide river that looked like a jade belt in the distance.
This river is called Bian River, and it is an important section of the Great Wei Grand Canal.
Through the Bian River, you can go directly to Shangjing Luoyang in the west, go up to Yanyun Beiping in the north, and go south to Yuhang in the south of the Yangtze River. It can be regarded as one of the major political, military and economic arteries of the Wei Dynasty.
At this moment, there were several cargo ships sailing upstream on the Bian River. The horns of the boatmen pulling the boats on both sides of the river bank were passionate and magnificent, one after another, attracting many passers-by to stop and watch.
Yang Ge also slowed down his pace and stared at the sparkling river. It took him a long time before he looked away and continued pushing the wheelbarrow on his way.
He followed the river bank and the river, heading all the way to the lower reaches of the Bian River...
After turning a few forks in the road, the road became increasingly rugged, but Yang Ge's steps became lighter and lighter, and the heavy wheelbarrow seemed as light as a wick in his hands.
When there were fewer pedestrians on the road, he pushed the wheelbarrow and started running at full speed, grinding the cast iron parts where the wheels and axles were connected until sparks appeared!
As the sun approached noon, Yang Ge finally arrived at his destination .
"Squeak."
He gently pushed open the crude gate made of small wooden sticks, and was about to speak when he saw a thin old man with sparse hair and beard, wearing a neat short suit full of patches, sitting cross-legged on the ground in the yard, skillfully mending a tattered fishing net with a shuttle.
When Yang Ge saw the old man, a sincere smile slowly appeared on his face.
When the old man saw Yang Ge, he sighed heavily.
"You kid, why are you here again!"
The old man slowly stood up, supported himself on the ground, picked up a dusty sweat towel from the bench beside him, and came forward with a mixture of complaint and heartache: "Didn't I tell you not to come again? I'm an old man, almost buried up to my neck in the earth. How much can I eat and wear? If you have any extra money, save it and get a wife and settle down in the future. How nice it would be..."
Yang Ge took the towel from the old man and wiped his sweat while unloading the sacks from the wheelbarrow. He smiled and said with a relaxed look, "Look at what you said. How much can I eat and wear by myself?"
When the old man heard what Yang Ge said, he paused in fetching water and couldn't help but sigh.
Yang Ge ignored the old man's sad look, and nimbly carried the heavy sacks into the low house, untied the sacks, and poured the orange wheat grains into the grain barrel.
After putting the food in place, he took out a broken, almost rusty axe from the kitchen, which he was familiar with. Amid the old man's repeated persuasion of "Don't worry about it" and "Take a rest first", he went out and strode away, dragging the wheelbarrow.
It was not until the sun began to move westward that he returned to the yard, pushing a cart of neatly stacked firewood that was much taller than his own.
"The inn has been very busy these days. I have to go back early today. Please burn the firewood first. I will come back in half a month..."
"When I entered the village, Zhang Laoshuan and Ma Gou saw me coming. If they come to ask for money, don't be stingy with the food and give them some. If they dare to get ahead of me, don't argue with them. I'll deal with them next time I come back..."
"I say the same thing again. If you have any headaches or fevers, just send someone to look for me at the Yuelai Inn in Luting County and tell them I'll run errands for them. I'll be there for you, and I'll be there..."
While Yang Ge was arranging the firewood, he kept giving instructions to the old man.
The old man kept circling around him, and he couldn't get a word in. When Yang Ge was about to finish arranging the firewood, he suddenly seemed to remember something, grabbed Yang Ge's hand and said, "Don't bother with that for now, wait for me, I'll show you something!"
After saying that, he hurried into the inner room.
Yang Ge didn't understand what was going on, but he still waited there as he was told.
After a while, the old man came out and stood inside the door, with one hand hidden behind his back and the other waving at him, his eyes looking around the yard like a guilty thief.
Seeing this, Yang Ge couldn't help but laugh and said, "Let me make it clear first, if it's some kind of heirloom or something, I don't want it!"
The old man stared at him and waved at him anxiously: "Stop talking nonsense, come here!"
Yang Ge clapped his hands in confusion and moved closer.
After making sure that there was no one around the yard, the old man mysteriously took out the object behind him... It was a fist-sized bag wrapped in countless layers of cloth.
Yang Ge looked at the old man in confusion, then looked down at the cloth bag.
The old man carefully opened the cloth bag layer by layer. A ray of sunlight slanted in from the eaves, reflecting a ray of yellow-orange golden light, dazzling Yang Ge's eyes.
"This is……"
Yang Ge suddenly widened his eyes, and a lot of mist rose in his eye sockets.
The old man untied the last layer of cloth, revealing two objects wrapped in the middle.
A pure gold necklace with a strong social atmosphere, weighing at least two taels, with a Buddha pendant in the middle.
A Casio Mud King dial covered with layers of rust, as if it had been ravaged by countless years.
Looking at the two objects, Yang Ge was stunned for a second. Then he came to his senses and grabbed the cloth bag, holding it tightly against his heart, tears streaming down his face.
This necklace was a birthday present his mother gave him when he was 33 years old. Her mother said that he had a weak constitution and that wearing precious metals could help him feel better.
This watch was a birthday gift from his girlfriend when he was 34 years old, hoping that no matter where he went, he would remember to come home early.
pity……
The golden Buddha necklace could not hold down his body.
Even the King of Mud watch can’t point the way home.
Seeing his appearance, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I knew it, this must be yours."
Yang Ge, tears streaming down his face, reached out and tightly grasped the old man's rough, bony hand, hissing, "You...you're trying to kill yourself!"
He went to that backwater many times later, but he couldn't find these two things.
One can imagine how many times this old man, who had to use a crutch to walk, went back and forth in that backwater in order to help him retrieve these two objects!
The old man proudly bared his sparse teeth and laughed, "Hehe," "I've worshipped the Dragon King for most of my life, so going into the water is like going home!"
After a pause, he shook his head with some regret and said, "It's a pity that we still haven't found the iron box you mentioned that is bigger than the carriage. Maybe it was too big and was washed away by the undercurrent..."
Yang Ge waved his hands repeatedly, wanting to say "No need to look for it", but he couldn't utter a word.
The old man sighed, smoothed his vest with one hand, supported him with the other, and sat down.
I happened to sit next to... a broken fishing net.
Seeing the torn fishing net, the old man remembered something and whispered to Yang Ge, "Boy, do you still want to die now?"
Sensing the old man's gaze, Yang Ge also turned his head to look at the broken fishing net beside him.
Eight months ago, the old man used this broken fishing net to fish him out of the Bian River... twice!
He was silent for a long time before he finally shook his head and said hoarsely, "I don't want to die anymore."
I just haven't figured out how to live yet...
