Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 107 Snowy days are reserved for guests
The old man spoke Xishan dialect, which was difficult to understand. Wang Heng had only stayed in Xishan for a few days, and after looking at it, he guessed most of it, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Wang Heng and Bingsheng looked at each other, and Bingsheng knew what he was thinking by observing his words and expressions. He turned to the old man and asked, "When will your passenger ship start again?"

The old man walked to the door, rubbed his hands, hunched his back, looked up at the sky, shook his head and said: "The sky is so gloomy. According to my old man's opinion, it is snowing heavily today, and I'm afraid it will fall again at night." Big, the ship won’t be able to open within three to five days.”

Wang Heng was frustrated, hesitant and speechless for a moment.It looks like he will have to miss a few days of classes. I wonder if Xiaocai will help him go to the dean to ask for leave.

But Bingsheng smiled and said: "Seventh Young Master, let's go back to Zhuangzi on a snowy day."

Wang Heng thought for a moment and said in a daze: "You send me to the inn in the town. I can go back and forth closer. I will come every day to see if the ship has sailed."

Bingsheng said with a smile on his face: "Young master is a scholar in the city. How do you know what a local wild shop is like in the countryside? It's very pickled. It's troublesome not to spread a flea. Besides, we have to let the seventh master go." Stay in the hotel, our uncle will know about it later, so you can’t blame the villain for not being able to do things."

Bingsheng drove the car neatly and stopped in front of Wang Heng. Wang Heng had no choice but to get on the carriage again. He knew that his family had no income and relied on the help of his clan members to study. He spent every penny and lived very frugally. I'm afraid the store will spend a lot of money.

Bingsheng whipped up his whip and turned around and said: "Young master, you are right. There are strong winds, heavy rains and floods on Xishan Island, so no boats can sail. The country's ferry is a small profit, and it cannot bear the lawsuit of human life. It is uncertain when it will be launched." Where’s the boat?”

The sky was getting darker and darker on the way back, and the ruts from when we arrived were already covered by the heavy snow.

Wang Heng was a little worried about the horse's hooves slipping, but he felt relieved when he thought that the snow had just accumulated at this time, not the time of melting snow, and Bingsheng was calm.

Wang Heng suddenly remembered something and asked: "Bingsheng, how come the accent of your village master is so different from the Xishan dialect? It sounds almost the same as the northern Mandarin."

Bingsheng opened his mouth to speak, but was choked by a gust of cold air. He cleared his throat and said, "Young master, I don't know something. We are from the Central Plains. At the end of the Song Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Our ancestors followed the three old village owners to seek refuge in Xishan."

Wang Heng said in surprise: "Wanhu Village once had three owners?"

"Have you ever been to the Sanying Bridge at the entrance of Jinshan River? This bridge was built by three old village owners."

Sanying Bridge has such an origin, witnessing a period of history. No wonder the style of Wubao in Wanhuzhuang is completely different from other villages in the south of the Yangtze River.

"Zhuang Zhuang is extremely benevolent and righteous, Zhuang Zhuang is unparalleled in martial arts, and Zhuang Feng is unparalleled in resourcefulness. Relying on their management, our Zhuangzi has traveled thousands of miles without any damage, and we still occupy such a sacred land and thrive." Bingsheng said. With a look of infinite fascination: "The children of our villagers have all grown up hearing about their heroic past."

Wang Heng recalled that during the few days at Zhuangzi, no one mentioned the owner of the village. He seemed to have a feeling that the head of Wanhu Village was the Huang family, and the head of the Huang family was actually Mr. Huang Er. How could this happen? What's going on?

"Who is the current owner of your village?" Wang Heng couldn't help but asked curiously.

Bingsheng was stunned and hesitantly said: "In the past two or thirty years, we have never had a legitimate owner of the village. The Huang family has its own affairs. If the uncle can successfully take over the property, marry a wife and have children in the past two years, then he will undoubtedly take over the village. Lord, but..." Wang Heng murmured to himself: "But he is missing, and most likely he has died."

The topic changed, and his heart moved, and he asked: "Master Lu, where are the descendants of Master Feng? If there is an outstanding one among them, wouldn't he also be qualified to be the master of the village?"

Bingsheng scratched his head and said for a long time: "I heard that after our ancestors settled on Xishan Island, the Lu family and the Feng family moved away after one or two generations. Now their whereabouts have long been unknown. My family is a tribe of the Huang family, and has been passed down from generation to generation. The Huang family that I serve has no dealings with them."

Yes, if we enjoy peace for a long time, even if we are as close as brothers, after one or two generations, we will not be as close as before.

After talking for a while, time passed quickly.Hurrying slowly, they passed Hancun Village when there was still a glimmer of light in the sky. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Wanhu Village was already in sight.

Wang Heng noticed that there were two deep ruts on the snow on the hillside road. They seemed to be the ruts of an ox cart. Judging from their clarity, they would not have lasted more than half an hour. These two ruts were similar to those of Wang Heng's carriage. The route is the same, leading all the way to Wanhuzhuang Gate Tower.

With such heavy snow, there were almost no people along the way. Who would brave the snow to visit Wanhu Village?
The carriage entered the gatehouse, drove for a while, and stopped at the east building where the long house lived.

Bingsheng swung the stirrup and dismounted. As soon as Wang Heng got off the horse, the steward Lao Yan came up to him and asked Ma Liu to take care of him. He went to the west wing to have a rest and change into clean robes.

After wasting a whole day and being sore all over from riding in the car, Wang Heng sat down and couldn't get up.

After taking a rest for a cup of tea, Lao Yan, the steward, came to invite me. My uncle Huang Yongning held a banquet in the inner hall to greet Wang Heng and asked the seventh son of Wang to go with him.

Since when being a guest in someone else's house, it is important for guests to do as they please, so even if Wang Heng felt tired and paralyzed, he had no choice but to go to the banquet.

After passing through the hanging flower door and entering the inner courtyard, Huang Yongning was waiting outside the side room where he lived. He looked very happy and said with a smile: "This is also fate from God. The Seventh Young Master can live in the village with peace of mind for a few days, and we will get close to each other."

Wang Heng originally thought that his interaction with Huang Yongning was over, and he thought he was just a passerby. He left and came back again, but he was a little embarrassed. After the greeting, he felt a little dazed.Fortunately, I was very hungry and concentrated on eating, so I had no time to think about anything else.

Wang Heng heard a burst of drum music in the distance and thought that the Zhuangzi at the foot of the mountain was not a house facing the street. How could there be music? Moreover, it was a world of ice and snow, and he couldn't help but be filled with doubts. He raised his eyes and looked at Huang Yongning with questioning eyes. .

Huang Yongning responded with a knowing expression and said: "We invited a group of Taoist priests to do the Taoist temple for three days. We just arrived in the afternoon. Mother Fang said that the whereabouts of the Yuntai were unknown, so it would be most appropriate to have a safe ritual to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters. Those who are saved can be saved, and those who deserve peace can be saved. I think it’s quite right.”

Wang Heng suddenly realized that the ruts on the snow in front of the gate of Wanhuzhuang were left by the carriages and horses that picked up the Taoist priests.

After removing the banquet and talking for a while, the maid made a cup of tea and served it. She put down Huang Yongning's cup and came to Wang Heng's side. At this moment, her back was to Huang Yongning. The maid suddenly took the tea tray with the tea. Zhan rotated his hand in a circle, then looked at Wang Heng with wide eyes, and then looked at the tea tray, as if he was pointing something.

(End of this chapter)