The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

"Xiang Pavilion" is the location of "Xiangzhi", in the northeast direction of "Fanyang Pavilion", there are two pavilions in the middle, if you take a shortcut, it is about ten miles away.

It took Xun Zhen and Chen Bao less than half an hour, and they arrived in an instant within a dozen miles. Although "Xiang Pavilion" is the place where "Xiangzhi" is located, there are sparse pedestrians on the road, which is obviously much deserted than Fanyang Pavilion.

Chen Bao said: "During the epidemic last year, many people died in Xiangting."

There are no free fields in Fanyangting, all of which are full of wheat, and only after entering the "xiangting", the land by the roadside is barren. Not only the "Xiang Pavilion", but also in the two "pavilions" they passed by along the way, there were more or less such phenomena.

People take food as their heaven. As long as there is breath, farmers can't let the fields go to waste. Obviously, the owners of these fields should all have died in the epidemic. -However, this phenomenon of idle fields will not last for too long, I don't know how many are staring at it! By next year at the most, it will either be taken away by the powerful family, or taken back into the family by the family of the deceased.

Chen Bao knew Cheng Yan's home, and led Xun Zhen seven turns and eight turns.

The scale of this li is not small, larger than that of Anding li and Nanping li. It is roughly estimated that at least 80 or 90 families can live there. The tiles of Limen are patterned with flying clouds, and there are two characters in them: "Cheng Li".

Taking the surname as the inner name indicates that they live together in a group. Xun Zhen asked Chen Bao, and sure enough, the surname was Cheng.

When there is no official business, and it is not Huo Mu, the pavilion chief, like the county and county magistrates, cannot go out of bounds without authorization. Therefore, when Xun Zhen came out this time, she changed out of the pavilion's costume and wrapped a black scarf, looking like an ordinary Qianshou commoner.

"Lijianmen" is very responsible. Seeing the two of them approaching, they came out of the school and asked, "What are you doing?"

Chen Bao replied on his behalf and said, "We are working in Fanyang with Benli Min Cheng Yan, and we are going to his house today."

"Fanyang? ..., who are you?"

"My name is Chen Bao."

The management of "Li" is very strict. When strangers come, you must ask clearly. If there are outsiders who want to temporarily live in "Li", they must also register, and there must be an "appointer", that is, a guarantor. The reason why Xun Zhen can go in and out of the "Fanyang Pavilion" is because he is the pavilion chief. If you come to someone else's territory now, you will definitely be questioned.

The prison guard looked at the two of them and asked, "Do you know where the Cheng family lives?"

"Entering the second gate east is Cheng She."

Knowing that Cheng Yan was working in Fanyang Pavilion, and knowing where Cheng Yan's family lived in the house, he didn't look like a villain.

"Second Gate East Entry". The li is different from the li. Some li is a straight road, and the residents live on both sides; some li is two straight roads intersect, and the residents live on four sides. There are also alleys in addition to the straight road. The alley and the straight road intersect, and there are gates at the intersection. For example, Gaoyangli, where Xun Zhen lived, was like this. "Second door", that is, the second door after entering the inside, "East entrance", the direction is east.

The two lead the horse into the "li".

It was the slack season. At this time, it was almost noon, and the sun was very warm on the body. Three or two idle men squatted in the alley, chatting lazily. When they saw Xun Zhen and Chen Bao coming, they leaned against the wall and let them pass. . He asked eloquently, "Who are you looking for?"

Chen Bao replied, "Cheng Yan."

"Yo, it's not a coincidence that you came here. Xiao Wu returned to the pavilion a few days ago. ... Do you know that he is in Fanyang Pavilion?"

"We came from Fanyang Pavilion."

A few idlers looked at each other, and the person who spoke earlier asked, "But what happened to Xiao Wu?"

Xun Zhen's heart moved, and she asked, "Why do you ask that?"

The man let out a haha, but refused to say anything, he just said, "Ask casually, ask casually."

When asked again, they simply kept silent.

Seeing that they couldn't ask anything from them, Xun Zhen and Chen Bao continued to walk forward. After a few steps, they heard the few idlers whispering, and vaguely heard a sentence: "The Gao family came again yesterday. , I told Xiao Wu's family that there will be only two more days of grace at most!"

After walking a few steps forward, Chen Bao whispered to Xun Zhen, "It seems that there is indeed something wrong with Ayan's house, but I don't know what's wrong?"

Xun Zhen said calmly, "You'll know when you go to his house and ask."

Enter the second gate, go east, and the third household is Cheng Yan's house.

The house was very dilapidated, the wooden door was full of cracks and gaps, and a wall made of loess surrounded a small courtyard.

Chen Bao knocked on the door and waited for a while before someone answered, "Who?"

"Fanyang Tingting died Chen Bao."

The courtyard door opened, and a beautiful woman came out.

Xun Zhen only felt her eyes light up, and subconsciously turned her head to look at Chen Bao.

Chen Bao also stayed for a while. Although he and Cheng Yan had been the same pavilion for many years, he knew where his family lived, but because of his busy schedule, he would go back to his own home every time he took a break, to honor his parents, or to be kind to his wife, but he never came to the house. , tentatively asked: "Excuse me in person, but sister-in-law?"

The beautiful woman looked anxious, nodded casually, and asked anxiously, "But has Cheng Lang collected enough money?"

After confirming that the beautiful woman in front of him was Cheng Yan's wife, this time it was Chen Bao's turn to turn to look at Xun Zhen subconsciously. Xun Zhen thought to herself, "Cheng Yan looks hideous, I never expected his wife to be so beautiful! This is really, this is really..." She couldn't find a suitable adjective, and bowing, she said, "Under Xunzhen, Fanyang is in the pavilion. long."

"Ah, so it's Xun Jun!"

The beautiful woman is busy doing the salute. Xun Zhen stopped it and said, "I'm here in plain clothes, so I don't have to bow." Looking at the courtyard, she asked, "Is there anyone else at home?"

"No, no more." After being reminded by Xun Zhen, the beautiful woman remembered to invite them in.

The courtyard was cleaned up, and two hens were fed, and they were crouching on the ground in front of the chicken coop to warm themselves.

The beautiful lady led them across the yard and into the main room. There was nothing in the main room, only a lead seat on the ground, a low table in front of the seat, and a bamboo basket hanging on the wall, other than that, there was nothing long. Although it was shabby, it was cleaned like the courtyard, and the mats, low table, and even the floor and walls were spotless.

It can be seen that this Cheng Yan's wife must be a pure lover.

Xun Zhen and Chen Bao were invited to sit down. Cheng's wife said a little embarrassedly: "There is nothing at home, Xun Jun and Chen Jun are coming, they must be thirsty, please wait a moment, the concubine will cook some warm soup."

"No, you don't have to be busy. We are here today, and there is one thing we want to ask you."

The last time Cheng Yan came back, Cheng's wife had heard Xun Zhen's name, and she was even more familiar with Chen Bao's name. There were two men in front of her, one was her husband's immediate boss and the other was her husband's colleague. After the first urgency, she seemed a little embarrassed. After listening to Xun Zhen's words, she bent sideways in front of the table and said: "Xun Jun, please speak."

There was only one seat in her room, and there were separate seats for men and women. Xun Zhen and Chen Bao sat, and she could only stand.

"You just blurted out in front of the door and asked if you had enough money. Let me ask you, is your family short of money recently?"

Cheng's wife twisted her body and said uneasily, "Didn't Cheng Lang tell Xun Jun?"

"No, that's why we're here to ask you."

"Since Cheng Lang didn't say it, then..."

Xun Zhen interrupted her and said, "Although Cheng Yan didn't say anything, since he returned to the pavilion, he has been silent for many days, just lifting weights every day. How can it go on like this? You don't have to worry about him, what happened? Whatever happens, just tell me."

Cheng's wife hesitated.

"Actually, if you don't tell me, we also know. On the way here, I met a few residents among you, and I heard that they are the Gao family..." Xun Zhen said this, and paused deliberately.

As soon as she heard the name of "Gao Family", Cheng's wife's expression changed suddenly, from embarrassment to fear, she said in a trembling voice: "Since Xun Jun already knows, concubine will not hide it. The people from Gao family came back yesterday, Said to wait two more days at most, and if you still don't pay back, you will have to, you will have to..."

"How about it?"

"The concubine will be kidnapped and taken away from the debt."

"Debt repayment?" Xun Zhen paused and asked calmly, "How much does your family owe the Gao family?"

"Last year, during the pandemic, my aunt was seriously ill. She borrowed 3,000 yuan from the Gao family to buy medicine for Yanyi."

Xun Zhen suddenly understood that it was to treat her mother-in-law, so she owed the Gao family's loan shark, and asked, "Three thousand dollars? How much is the monthly interest?"

"one hundred fifty."

One hundred and fifty one month interest, one thousand eight hundred dollars a year. The capital is 3,000 yuan, and the annual interest rate of the loan is 60%. Xun Zhen frowned slightly. Although he has never borrowed money, he has also heard that, generally speaking, the annual interest rate for loans at that time was around 20 percent, and 60 percent was obviously too high. Needless to say, the Gao family must have taken advantage of the fire.

"When did you borrow it last year?"

"February."

Xun Zhen quickly calculated that up to now, the money should be less than 6,000. He secretly wondered that more than 5,000 dollars, although a lot, was not a lot. Cheng Yan also had an older brother. Why did Cheng Yan act like that? He said, "How much money is still missing to pay it back to the Gao family?"

"Five thousand dollars."

Xun Zhen was stunned, could it be that he made a mistake? After calculating it again, there is no mistake, it is true that the total principal and interest is less than 6,000 yuan. Even if Cheng Yan didn't have any money, he shouldn't be missing five thousand. He knew in his heart that there must be something mysterious, and asked, "The total principal and interest is less than 6,000, and it's still 5,000 yuan?"

Cheng's wife was also stunned and said, "The total principal and interest should be 7,650, but why is it less than 6,000?"

Xun Zhen asked carefully, only to find out that when the Cheng family borrowed money from the Gao family, it was clearly written in the signed document: within one year, the monthly interest is 150; if it is not paid within one year, then the monthly The interest is changed to 100% of the total principal and interest of the previous year. That is: if the principal and interest total five thousand, starting from the thirteenth month, the monthly monthly interest becomes five hundred.

Cheng's wife said: "Originally, the money could be paid back in February this year, but because my brother listened to people's words and wanted to make money with money, he didn't pay it back. With some money, I received a batch of wheat and millet last month. When I sold it, I found out that it was all old grain, and it was not enough for a kilogram. There was a stone to fill the weight! Just this, just this..." She Hyun Ran Want to cry.

Xun Zhen understood, it was all the fault of Cheng Yan's brother. When he had money, he refused to pay it back, so he used it to do business with others. Last month, he bought a batch of shoddy and fake goods, and lost the money in one fell swoop.

Although the former Han Dynasty and the current dynasty adhered to the policy of emphasizing agriculture and ignoring commerce, "forbidding people to engage in two industries" and forbid one person to engage in two industries, farmers are farmers, and merchants are merchants, but the human nature is chasing profit, and it is impossible to prohibit it. Not only do landlords compete to do business, but ordinary small farmers also do business in partnership, just like "father and father". Commercial groups such as these small farmers can be large or small, each paying hundreds of dollars to each, and many thousands of dollars each.

Xun Zhen asked, "How much did you pay?"

"Five thousand."

"Although it is all old grain, and it is short of two pounds, it will not end in loss. How much can it be recovered?"

"Brother has calculated, it's less than a thousand."

"..."

Xun Zhen didn't even know what to say. Cheng Yan's elder brother was really talented. With a capital of 5,000 yuan, he lost less than 1,000 yuan. He said, "Ask the Gao family to borrow money from your family?"

"Auntie lives with my brother now, and my brother borrowed the money."

"Then why don't you owe the money and want to use you to pay off the debt?"

After Xun Zhen finished asking, he knew that he had asked a silly question before Cheng's wife could answer. Obviously, it must be the Gao family who fell in love with Cheng's wife's beauty. Sure enough, Cheng's wife blushed and replied in a low voice, "The Gao family heard that my brother-in-law lost money, so he originally went to his house to ask for a debt. At that time, the concubine just went to say hello to Auntie and bumped into it twice. I don't know, I don't know. Why, the Gao family came to the concubine's family to collect debts instead."

She had tears in her eyes at first, but now her face was shy and pitiful. Seeing her appearance, Xun Zhen thought to herself, "It's no wonder that the Gao family asked you to pay off the debt when you look like this." She asked, "Who signed the original debt contract?"

"Brother."

"That has nothing to do with your family. Even if the Gao family finds you to repay the debt, the reason is not on his side. ... What did your brother say?"

Cheng's wife was silent.

Xun Zhen knew that Cheng Yan's elder brother had nowhere to go because of the debt collection. Seeing that the Gao family were interested in his younger brother's wife, he simply sold Cheng's wife. On one side is his brother, on the other is his own wife. My elder brother begs his family to pay off his wife's debt, what should I do? After returning to the pavilion, Cheng Yan was taciturn and sullen, and did not tell everyone, for fear that was the reason.

Xun Zhen let out a long sigh and thought: "Xu Zhong's brothers are brothers and sisters, but Cheng's brothers are eldest and forced. The proverb goes: 'Although there is a biological father, An Zhi is not a tiger. Although there is a biological brother, An Zhi is not a tiger. Wolf', UU reading www.uukanshu.com is sincere!" Now that the matter is clearly understood, there is no need to stay, he got up and said, "You don't have to worry, I will not make you pay off your debts. . . . , is this Gao family the Gao family in Xiangting?"

Cheng's wife heard him say, "I will never make you pay off your debt."

"When is the latest time for his family to pay back the money?"

"the day after tomorrow."

"You can stay at home with peace of mind. If people from the Gao family come to your door again, you can tell them that the money you owe will be repaid the day after tomorrow." He said, "Stay here, you don't have to send it. I will make Cheng Yan bring the money back at noon the day after tomorrow at the latest."

…

After leaving "Chengli", Chen Bao asked, "Xunjun, are you going to lend money to Ayan?"

"You can't watch him break down because of this."

Speaking of this, Chen Baoba snorted, tsk tsk in amazement, and said: "Ayan, this ugly man can actually marry such a beautiful woman, no wonder he always rushes home every time he takes a break, he is unwilling for a moment. Stay..., his mouth is tight, I have known him for a few years, but I have never heard him say it!"

The Xunzhen family was not as rich as the rich, but they could still get 5,000 yuan. He rode on the horse, returned with Chen Bao, and left the "Xiang Pavilion" boundary. He looked back and said to himself, "This is the richest man in the Gao family, but he is so deceiving. Although it is only natural to pay off debts, but once the court clearly stated that It is stipulated that the monthly interest rate should not be too high; secondly, it is too much to want to take a wife!"

How can it be too much? Xun Zhen was only the head of the "Fanyang Pavilion", and she couldn't control it if she wanted to. Although he is unwilling, if he thinks about the good side, at least he can be kind to Cheng Yan.

Cheng Yan has a good relationship with him, and he has some strength. He is a brave man. Through this matter, he may be able to completely capture him.