After a long conversation last night, Yang Fan had received confirmation from Shen Mu, and his heart was at ease. When the two of them had decided on a plan and were ready to drink, they found that Zhang Yi was already hugging a wine jar, curled up into a ball, and snoring away.
The next morning, Yang Fan left Shen Mu's place and went to Duoduo's home.
The second courtyard that Duoduo lived in was usually cleaned by the diligent Madam Park, so it was very clean. After Duoduo moved in, other than the bedding and oil rice that she had to buy herself, everything else was ready. Even the stove and pots were prepared.
When she moved in yesterday, there was no time to buy anything. Madam Park wanted to make this beautiful daughter her daughter-in-law, so she enthusiastically pulled her into her room and invited her to have a meal together. Madam Park was afraid that her son would feel uncomfortable sitting in the room with a young lady, so she simply chased him out the door.
The poor Kosho chicken was carrying a bowl of porridge with only a few strips of pickled vegetables on it, squatting on the threshold to eat. This made Duoduo feel very bad.
When Yang Fan arrived early in the morning, the Kosho chicken was no longer at home. Madam Park was about to accompany Duoduo to buy some necessities. Before Yang Fan left, he left a sum of money for Duoduo. Little Seven was still young and needed someone to take care of her. Although Duoduo could take on some work at home, she still had a child to worry about. Thus, the money Yang Fan left her was enough to ensure that she would not have to work for a year.
Seeing Yang Fan, Duoduo was very happy. Yang Fan took the child in his arms and accompanied Duoduo to buy things. Madam Park walked in front, helping Duoduo. Madam Park was very good at haggling over the prices of things. She could talk non-stop for half a day until the seller completely broke down and obediently sold the things to them at the price she offered.
This way, Madam Park saved Duoduo a lot of money. Duoduo was happy to be free of worry and quietly chatted with Yang Fan in the back.
Yang Fan whispered, "How was it? Did you live here well last night? "
Duoduo nodded. "Yes, this place is similar to Shanzhou. I'm used to living here. But it's my first time living in someone else's house, so I was a little scared. I blocked the door at night and even put a rolling pin by my pillow. "
Speaking of this, Duoduo pursed her lips into a smile and said, "I was overthinking. This family is really honest. Their toilet is built at the back of the courtyard. Because I live in the back room, that Kosho chicken is afraid of me. At night, he doesn't even dare to come to the backyard. He held it in for a whole night. When I woke up in the morning, I saw him running back like he was putting out a fire …"
Yang Fan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Duoduo was able to be neighbors with such a kind and honest family. Yang Fan was relieved. Along the way, it was the Pu family who had helped with everything. There were only a few daily necessities that Duoduo could think of, but with Madam Park's reminder, she remembered many things that she had overlooked.
When they returned, Yang Fan was a grown man, so he naturally became a laborer. He accompanied them back to the Gao residence, and it was Madam Park who helped Duoduo settle down. Seeing that everything was in order and there was nothing else to do, Yang Fan got up to leave, but Duoduo was unwilling to let him go.
Soon, smoke rose from the chimney in the Gao residence's backyard. Although it was just a simple meal, with Duoduo and Madam Park's warm hospitality, Yang Fan was very full.
After the meal, they sat for a while and played with Xiao Qi. After he took an afternoon nap, Yang Fan got up to leave. He went to the Li family's leather shop in the west of the city and saw Zhang Xitong, Huang Xuchang, and the others.
The scouts sent by the Heyuan army had already arrived. They were all dressed in commoner's clothing. When they were brought in front of Yang Fan, Yang Fan could not see the slightest hint of a soldier's temperament. They were completely ordinary commoners of Longyou. One of them had blue eyes and a long beard, and was actually a Hu.
Yang Fan could not help but secretly praise them. These were the materials of a spy. If they had only relied on these people from Luoyang, even if nothing happened along the way, they would not have been able to complete the mission given to them by the Imperial Court.
He examined the four scouts one by one, and when he saw the third person, he could not help but be startled. That person was also looking at him, and his face was full of surprise.
Yang Fan stared at him for a while, and asked tentatively, "Gaoshe chicken?"
The dark-skinned man with two patches of dark red on his cheeks said with some surprise, "That's me. So … so Miss Duoduo's sworn brother is me."
This was the first time Yang Fan had heard him speak. His voice was a little hoarse and had a strong Longxi accent.
Yang Fan smiled and turned to the shopkeeper, "I don't need so many people, I only need two!"
Yang Fan pointed at the Gaoshe chicken, and then at the blue-eyed and bearded Hu, saying, "I just want the two of them, that's enough!"
… …
The Gaoshe chicken was a scout of the Heyuan army, and had always been responsible for gathering intelligence in enemy-occupied areas. He was one of the most outstanding spies in the Heyuan army. The blue-eyed and bearded man was a Turk who had lived in the Huang River region for generations. He had long since been assimilated into the Han language, and now he was also an outstanding scout in the Heyuan army. His name was Big Bear.
This chicken and bear pair were very disapproving of Yang Fan's plan to travel west. Although there were many journeys in the Western Regions on the ancient roads, very few people would travel long distances with just three or five people. The difficulty of the roads and the presence of bandits meant that they had to form a group of at least several dozen camels. Only then could they deal with the ever-changing weather, the lack of water in the desert, and the elusive mounted bandits. For Yang Fan to travel west with just three people was no different from sending himself to his death.
Thus, the two of them made a series of suggestions to Yang Fan, such as expanding the size of the scouts, forming a large caravan, or concealing their identities to join westbound caravans. Yang Fan did not comment on any of their suggestions. When they were ready to set off three days later, Yang Fan led the two to the inn of the Huang River Relay Station.
Camels, horses, and oxcarts converged to form a long procession. The cavalrymen were all tall and sturdy, and judging from their charm, temperament, and attire, they were probably frequent customers of the Western Region's trade routes. Looking at their rough faces that had been weather-beaten, it was as if a desert wind was blowing against one's face, carrying with it an endless amount of sand.
Gao She Chicken noticed that the hands holding the knives were full of calluses, especially between the thumb and forefinger. Some people even had ugly, centipede-shaped knife scars on their cheeks. Although they did not have any other weapons besides their knives, the heavy backpacks on the backs of their horses could not contain gold or silver. The real big things were probably hidden away.
There were probably not many people who could rob such a procession. If there were really some blind mounted bandits who wanted to find trouble with them, they were more likely to be robbed by them if they had fewer people. The temperament of these people was really more like a group of mounted bandits, and they lacked the feeling of merchants.
Gao She Chicken said in surprise, "Erlang, we … go with them?"
Yang Fan said with a smile, "How about it? With such a group of people, we can ensure that we go all the way west, right? "
Big Bear stroked his beard and said hesitantly, "Of course there is no problem. But … I don't know where Erlang found such a group of people, and whether they are reliable. "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "I know that you two are the best scouts in the Heyuan Army, but you should not underestimate us who came from the imperial army. Their identity is absolutely reliable. Do you think that we came to the Western Regions without any preparation?"
Big Bear and Gao She Chicken looked at each other and suddenly understood, although they actually did not hear any answer.
Yang Fan said, "You wait here, I will go see their leader!"
After saying that, Yang Fan stepped into the inn.
In front of a restaurant opposite the inn, the innkeeper respectfully handed a copper alms bowl filled with food to a Lama monk. The Lama monk took the alms bowl and nodded to the innkeeper with a smile on his face. The innkeeper hastily put his palms together, bowed repeatedly, and escorted the monk out with a smiling face.
The Lama monk did not go far, standing in a corner by the roadside. He leaned his Buddhist staff against the wall and put down the basket on his back, as if he wanted to eat here.
The Lama monk was thin and withered, and his robe was so shabby that its original color could hardly be seen. He looked to be in his fifties, and the short hair on his head was faintly mixed with white. Because he was thin, there were many wrinkles on his face, but his dark and ruddy complexion showed that he was still very healthy. Under the shabby monk robe was a pair of straw sandals, revealing his dusty toes. It seemed that he had walked a long way.
This was a Lamaism ascetic monk. Now was the time when the Lamaism was flourishing in the Western Region. A large number of monks were motivated to practice asceticism and practice yoga meditation. If there was anyone who could travel long distances alone on the Western Region trade route, it could only be this kind of ascetic monk.
Because any passing caravan would not be stingy with giving them a mouthful of water or a bowl of rice, and the stealthy horse bandits would not beat up these penniless Lama monks who had to rely on others for even their porridge and rice, and who were determined to fight against heaven and earth to sharpen their will.
No one noticed him, not even Yang Fan. Even if Yang Fan came face to face with him, he would not look at him more than once, because … Tin Aino's disguise was really flawless.
Even if she stood in front of Yang Fan and admitted that she was Tin Aino, Yang Fan would not believe that such a beautiful little girl could actually become like this.
The wrinkles like old tree bark, the skinny body that did not have the slightest hint of femininity, and the pair of dirty feet, such an ascetic monk, how could she be the fresh and pretty Tin Aino?
But she was indeed Tin Aino.
Tin Aino saw Yang Fan, just when the restaurant manager handed over the alms bowl. Tian Ainnu was so shocked that she almost dropped her bowl of rice. She had followed them all the way here, originally to keep an eye on Shen Mu's movements, but she never thought that Yang Fan would also come to the Western Regions.
"He really came together with Shen Mu …"
Tian Ai Nu thought to herself. She could not help but reveal a joyful smile on her face when she suddenly met him in a foreign land.
A rich foreign merchant with a big belly and two servants passed by her. Suddenly seeing this ascetic monk smiling at him, he hurriedly stopped, put his palms together, and respectfully bowed to this master …
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