After passing through the highway, Zhang Tie came to the town.
The houses in the town were basically newly built bungalows. Many of the houses were even simple houses built with iron sheets. The smell of lime and cement could be smelled everywhere in the town. Everything looked new, and many places were even in the process of building new houses.
Even so, the town was very popular.
"Hey, fellow, where's the nearest school from here?"
When Zhang Tie came to the town, he saw an old man who had moved a stool out of his house early in the morning and was sitting under the shade of a tree on the roadside. He was twisting a straw rope with dry straws seriously. Zhang Tie walked towards him and asked him.
Zhang Tie looked simple and honest, and the moment he opened his mouth, he spoke with an authentic Wuzhou Province accent. The old man who was twisting the straw rope raised his eyes and glanced at Zhang Tie. Without any hesitation, he pointed a direction to Zhang Tie and said with the same Wuzhou Province accent, "There are six primary schools and one middle school in this town. The nearest school is in the street ahead, turn left and walk 50-60 meters!"
"Fine, thanks!"
After bidding farewell to the old man, Zhang Tie walked towards the direction pointed by the old man. After a short while, he had seen a primary school.
Compared to the other buildings in this town, this primary school was almost the best and tidiest building that Zhang Tie had seen.
This primary school covered almost 600 square meters. From the outside, Zhang Tie could see the iron wall of the primary school, the dense green belt and the shade of trees inside the wall. Behind the shade of trees, there were spacious and bright teaching buildings. There was even a sports ground in the school. The entire school was well-equipped.
When Zhang Tie arrived here, it was time for the kids to go to school in the morning. All the kids were carrying their schoolbags and running on the road excitedly. All the kids were wearing clean Chinese school uniforms.
The school gate was a traditional Chinese arched building. There was a plaque on the school gate, on which was written "Taihe Righteousness". An old man with a smile was standing at the school gate and watching those kids entering the school under the sunshine. He would touch their heads from time to time.
"Nice to meet you, sir …" Each kid would bow and greet the old man seriously when they entered the school gate.
There was an alley opposite the school. There were some shabby snack shops in the alley. Below a snack shop, the boss's stove was burning fiercely. A pot of oil was burning over the stove. The boss was kneading dough on the counter. As the noodles that had been cut by iron slices were put into the pot of oil, with a sizzling sound, the white noodles gradually expanded and turned golden. The aroma of deep-fried dough sticks immediately spread over the alley.
The owner of this store was deep-fried dough sticks outside, making soya-bean milk inside and selling bean curd inside. Many people were already taking care of them.
"Boss, give me four deep-fried dough sticks and a bowl of soya-bean milk …" Zhang Tie found a bench and sat down at an empty table under a shed on the roadside which was made by waterproof tarpaulin cloth.
"Okay, table No. 6, four deep-fried dough sticks and a bowl of soya-bean milk …" The boss shouted as he reminded his wife to serve Zhang Tie's food.
In less than half a minute, the landlady with a blue bun on her head had served Zhang Tie's food deftly. "If you don't have enough sugar, add some …"
"Okay …" Zhang Tie told the landlady.
"Dad, mom, I'm going to school …" A kid with a schoolbag ran out of the store like a gust of wind. When he passed by that man, he grabbed two deep-fried dough sticks deftly.
"Brat, have you burned incense for the longevity tablet of our benefactor …" The man who was frying deep-fried dough sticks swore as he pretended to kick the kid's butt.
"Yes, I have …" The kid had long run away while laughing out loud.
"Slow down, be careful of choking …" The landlady who had served Zhang Tie deep-fried dough sticks and soya-bean milk warned him from behind.
Sitting on the roadside, Zhang Tie was drinking soya-bean milk and eating deep-fried dough sticks as he watched those kids walking into the school which was being illuminated by the sunlight.
Watching those kids' happy smiles, listening to their joyful laughter and feeling the simple warmth of this family, Zhang Tie gradually became tranquil. Like a pious pilgrim who saw the holy temple in his mind, he became one with his body and mind, feeling peaceful.
He had just eaten two youtiao when another two people came into the restaurant. They were dressed in official uniforms. They were burly and looked strong. They were archers from the town with sabers hanging on their waists.
Archers were the lowest-level civil servants in Taixia Country. They were exiled Class 6. Although being in a low position, they were good at both writing and fighting. From arresting thieves to posting notices, from maintaining public security to managing household registers and people, from inquiring intelligence to assisting officers to deal with local affairs, these archers were the tiniest tentacles of the huge national machine of Taixia Country.
Seeing the arrival of the two archers, most of the customers in the store nodded to them as a greeting.
The moment the two archers sat on an empty table and put down their sabers on the table, they had started to glance at Zhang Tie intentionally or unintentionally. Zhang Tie was the most important target for these archers.
"Boss, one more bowl of tofu pudding …" Zhang Tie shouted in the accent of Wuzhou Province, "This tofu really tastes like the ancient well tofu in Xiangshan City …"
After hearing Zhang Tie's accent and content, the two archers became relaxed at once as they moved their eyes away from Zhang Tie.
The landlady served one bowl of tofu pudding for Zhang Tie, two bowls of soya-bean milk, six deep-fried dough sticks and two bowls of tofu pudding with chili sauce for each of the two archers.
It seemed that the two archers were regular customers of this restaurant. Without ordering, the tiger had already known what they wanted to eat.
"Old Wang, I was told by the constable yesterday that our benefactor has already come back from Xuanyuan Hill a couple of days ago. Benefactor has already recovered. Benefactor has been receiving guests on Xuantian Peak these days …" one of the two archers told Zhang Tie after eating two mouthfuls of deep-fried dough sticks and drinking a small half bowl of soya-bean milk.
The voice of the archer wasn't loud, but it wasn't soft either. It was just loud enough for everyone in the store to hear.
As was imagined, the moment they heard this news, almost all the customers in the restaurant had stopped what they were doing.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly. When he felt the boiling temperature of the oil, he raised his hand almost out of reflex. Then, his face beamed with joy. "That's great. I didn't ask my kid to burn incense for benefactor's longevity tablet in vain. A person like benefactor should live for thousands of years …" Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Ahem … ahem … Old Wang, that longevity tablet could not be used by anyone. Remember to pay attention to it …" another archer who was drinking soya-bean milk said in a low voice after throwing a glance at the customers in the restaurant.
"Yes, yes, yes. Look at me. As long as I'm happy, I will ignore everything else …" the man who was frying deep-fried dough sticks reacted at once as he slightly patted his face twice, "Now that our benefactor is back, shall we express our gratitude to him …"
"It's not our turn to express our gratitude. We're so far away from our benefactor that we couldn't even reach him by flying. As long as we do our job well, it would be the greatest expression for our benefactor!" The archer who spoke just now said, "Old Wang, there are too many people here. You'd better keep a close eye on them. If you see any eye-catching person, you'd better report to us as soon as possible; especially those who carry packages which seem to contain seeds. You'd better pay attention to them …"
"Ahh? Why should we pay attention to them?" the man who was frying deep-fried dough sticks asked out of curiosity. "Old Wang, you don't know that.
As a result, the grains in the entire field would be polluted unconsciously. Additionally, the pollution would grow greater and greater. The provincial courts in other provinces have already caught some such b * stards. Therefore, strangers are forbidden to enter the fields across Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory and those provinces. Grain seeds are in charge of several people at the same time. If there is any problem with grain seeds in a town, many people would be beheaded. We've also received the notice to pay attention to the dirty hands of demons and Heavens Reaching Church and keep a close eye on those fresh faces who disguise as grain merchants and traveling merchants with seeds … "
"Hmm, I see …" the man who was frying deep-fried dough sticks replied as he threw a glance at Zhang Tie and found that the table where Zhang Tie was sitting had been empty, "Eh, where's he …"
At this moment, after leaving a gold coin on the table, Zhang Tie silently left this small store along with the ringing of the bell and the sound of reading in the classrooms.
Zhang Tie wandered around God's Favor Town alone. He watched schools, new factories and workshops, people working in the fields and those houses and farmhouses being built as if he was watching the most beautiful scenery in the world.
God's Favor Town was close to God's Favor Town and Wu's Favor Town. Zhang Tie spent the whole morning in the three towns and watched the lives of commoners in these towns.
As for others, these commoners' lives were boring and boring; however, Zhang Tie enjoyed it. It was simply a pleasure for him to watch these commoners' lives …
Because these civilians in the town were all saved by Zhang Tie from the demons' encampment with the wager.
(To be continued.)
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