Feng Mingxu and Liu Zhuo rushed to Anxing County first with the government officials escorting Ye Ansong.
Since Ye Anyian and Jiang Zhu decided to go to Anxing County, they took action immediately.
He asked Zhao Da to take people to help Jiang Zhu take back the stall, and then went to the entrance of the town. He found Zhou Liang who was playing chess with the old man, and asked him to give a message to the two children after returning to the village, and to bring people to the village. Send it to Zhao Lizheng's house.
The distance from Tianshui Town to Anxing County is not that close, almost as long as the round trip from Yueya Village to Tianshui Town. Driving an oxcart is not feasible, and sitting for a long time will make you tired.
Jiang Zhu hired a carriage and took Ye Anyian with him to Anxing County.
Everyone who should leave has left, and the shop that has been noisy all day finally calms down.
Yu Hu dug out the hay prepared in the shop and squatted under the big willow tree to feed the cows. Wen Heng held a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth and sat on the bullock cart swaying his feet.
Suddenly there was a rustling sound from the shop next door. After a while, Granny Qian leaned out and said, "You two have been busy all day. Come and have a bowl of wontons!"
Wen Heng's stomach has been growling for a long time. Today, because of Ye Ansong's incident, he hasn't eaten since morning.
"coming!"
He shouted and jumped down from the bullock cart.
Seeing that Yu Hu didn't move, he reached out and poked his shoulder: "Let's go, Brother Hu."
"I'm... not hungry yet." Yu Hu put the hay in front of the ox and clapped his hands.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, his stomach growled and his face turned red.
"Hehe," Wen Heng smiled, "Are you not hungry, or do you have no money?"
Yu Hu didn't say anything. He had money, so he didn't want to give it up.
Grandma Qian's kindness was hard to refuse, but as her mother-in-law got older, he couldn't bear to eat and drink for free. But Granny Qian didn't want the money, so she was in a dilemma.
Wen Heng didn't expect so much. He put his hand around Yu Hu's shoulders and said with a smile: "Let's go, I'll treat you!"
After saying that, regardless of whether Yu Hu answered or not, he led the people into Granny Qian's shop.
After a while, Wen Heng's voice sounded like a pig being slaughtered in the shop: "Ah, hiss! Hot, hot, hot!"
Then came Grandma Qian's kind laughter: "Wait a minute, there's still a lot more in the pot than is enough."
At this time, Ye Annian and Jiang Zhu were already on their way to Anxing County in a carriage.
Today, Ye Ansong was taken into custody and sent to jail awaiting trial, so they were not in a hurry. The coachman drove the horse at a brisk trot.
Ye Anyian had been tense for most of the day. As soon as he relaxed, he felt sleepy. He leaned against the wall of the carriage, propped up his head and closed his eyes to take a nap.
The wheels of the carriage are rolled, which makes it faster and more stable than the ox-cart. After a while, Ye Anyian fell asleep.
Seeing him facing the car wall, Jiang Zhu nodded his head, fearing that the car would bump and hit the window, so he reached over and put his arms around Ye Anyian's waist, pulling him over.
Ye Anian was awakened by his movements, but at this time he was too tired to open his eyes. His eyelashes trembled, and he leaned on Jiang Zhu's shoulder and fell asleep again.
Jiang Zhu took the cloak he brought with him and covered Ye Anyian, wrapping him tightly. He put one hand on Ye Anyian and patted him gently, and supported his head with the other hand before taking a nap.
Towards evening, the carriage finally arrived in Anxing County.
Jiang Zhu woke up Ye Anyian, who was still a little confused, paid the driver, and took Ye Anyian to the inn to get a room.
It wasn't until he sat down in the room and smelled the faint fragrance of tea in front of him that Ye Annian finally woke up.
Seeing him sitting at the table, Jiang Zhu blinked at him and asked, "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"
"I want to eat stewed pig's trotters," Ye Anyian said.
"Let's go out to eat. I know there is a restaurant by Anyang Lake that makes good soybean stewed pig's trotters."
Jiang Zhu stretched out his hand to pull him, and Ye Annian stood up as he pulled him, raised his eyebrows and looked over: "Have you been there?"
Before settling in Yueya Village, Jiang Zhu naturally traveled everywhere, but it was hard to explain clearly, so he simply said: "I came here to see people, so I know a little bit about it."
Ye Anyian didn't ask any more questions, and the two of them went to the restaurant Jiang Zhu mentioned, which was called Anyang Restaurant.
It was lunch time when we went there, and the small building on the second floor was full of people. The waiter enthusiastically led the two of them to an empty seat by the window in the lobby on the first floor.
At this time, people were coming and going in the lobby, which was a bit noisy. Jiang Zhu asked if there were any seats on the second floor.
The young boy was very embarrassed: "Sir, there are no more of you today."
"So it has happened in the past?" Ye Anyian asked casually after hearing what he said.
"To be honest with you, sir, there really is." said the boy.
He looked around and came closer to the two of them: "Today, a high-ranking official came from Shuozhou. I heard that he was also a prefect. He brought many people with him and took over our second floor. Then... "
"I see," Ye Anyian nodded lightly, "It doesn't matter, we can just sit here."
"What do you two want to eat?" the boy asked.
Jiang Zhu: "I want a plate of soybean stewed pig's trotters and a plate of fried yellow croaker. An Nian, what do you want?"
"Let's have another plate of vegetarian dishes," Ye Anyian looked at the boy, "Any recommendations?"
"Our boiled cabbage is good, do you two want to try it?"
"Okay." Ye Annian said, "Just one more portion of lettuce and tofu soup and two portions of rice."
"Okay, wait a minute, you two!" the boy shouted, remembered the name of the dish and went down quickly.
The two of them sat by the window. It was already getting late. The candlestick on the table was swaying, and the orange light was warm and bright.
Outside the window is the endless Anyang Lake. The pier by the lake has been lit up and several passenger ships are docked.
On the misty lake, a gorgeous two-story boat rowed slowly.
Ye Annian ignored the noisy sounds in the restaurant and could faintly hear the melodious voice of the singer singing from the lake.
"Here comes the soybean stewed pig's trotters!"
The young man quickly placed a steaming large porcelain basin on the table and smiled attentively: "Please use it slowly."
The delicate atmosphere was interrupted, and Ye Anyian's attention was focused on the pot of stewed soft pig's trotters, and the two of them started eating with chopsticks.
Not long after, I suddenly heard the sound of a chair moving behind me, as if someone was sitting down.
The boy ran over again and said, "What can you eat, sir? Hey, it's Yuan Weng!"
The new guy seemed a little impatient. He didn't answer the young man's warm words and said directly: "Order!"
"One portion each of Dongpo pork, sweet and sour fish, crab meat and lion's head, and haggis soup, and a bowl of Lao Zao Shao!"
"Okay!" The boy agreed happily, but he couldn't help but gossip, "Did you have a date with a friend today?"
"Can't I eat something good by myself?!" Yuan Weng said in a very bad tone.
The boy quickly explained: "No, no! Isn't this... seeing that you ordered so much, I'm afraid you won't be able to finish it by yourself!"
"Huh, can't finish it? I have a lot of money now! Are you afraid that I won't be able to finish it?! If I run out of money, I'll go ask that dog magistrate for it!"
"My son is already on the hook, how dare he not give it to me!"
Yuan Weng was cursing alone, and the boy was so frightened: "Hey, Yuan Weng, please keep your voice down. The prefect of Shuozhou is upstairs, so you can't curse like that! It might not be good if he hears it!" "
"What's wrong? They are all the same dog officials! Damn!"
Yuan Weng spat and cursed the general again: "They are all greedy ghosts who drink the blood of the common people and eat the flesh of the common people!"
He scolded him so vigorously that the boy couldn't stop him, so he had to leave quickly for fear of getting into trouble.
Ye Annian and Jiang Zhu listened for a long time, then looked at each other and went their separate ways.
Jiang Zhu got up and went to look for the boy, while Ye Anyian got up and walked to the table at the back.
Sitting there was an old man in his sixties, with gray hair and beard. He was wearing dark cloth clothes and trousers. He sat there with an ugly face.
"Senior," Ye Annian said directly, "may I ask if your surname is Yuan? Did your son become a scholar in this year's college examination?"
"Who are you?" Yuan Weng glanced at him warily and said in a strong tone, "Who am I is none of your business?!"
"I have something to talk to you about, about your son."
The expression on Yuan Weng's face paused, and then he raised his hand to chase people away: "There is nothing to talk about, my son is dead! Go, go! I just want to have a good meal tonight, and I am not in the mood to talk nonsense with you!"
After he finished speaking, he stood up to drive Ye Anyian away. Ye Anyian said: "Yuan Weng, the person who replaced your son has been arrested. He will be tried in court tomorrow, and the Yamen will definitely give him justice."
Unexpectedly, these words stimulated Yuan Weng. He slammed the table and was about to grab Ye Anyian's collar. As soon as he stretched out his hand, he was caught by Jiang Zhu who came back in time.
"Old man, if you have something to say, why do you do it?" Jiang Zhu grabbed his wrist tightly.
"Who are you? Let go!" Yuan Weng was angry and stared at Jiang Zhu.
"It's okay if I let you go. Let's sit down and have a good chat? We really have something to ask you."
Yuan Weng glanced at Jiang Zhu, pulled his face and let out a muffled snort from his nose.
This is a restaurant after all, so it's not a good idea to make things worse. When Jiang Zhu saw that he had calmed down, he let go.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the old man was let go, he stood up and ran away, not even caring about the food he just ordered.
The two of them reacted and wanted to chase him, but there were many people in the restaurant and the old man was a local, so he disappeared after a few moments in the crowd.
"It's okay, I just asked the guy here."
Jiang Zhu saw Ye Anyian looking at the direction where Yuan Weng disappeared just now, reached out and patted his shoulder, pulled him back to his seat and sat down.
"This man's name is Yuan Tai, and his son's name is Yuan Zihua. Yuan Tai is an old fish seller. He usually sets up a stall at a fish market not far from here. His family doesn't have much money, and he doesn't usually go to restaurants to eat."
"The reason why we know this little guy is because I went to buy fish from him several times. I heard that he came to Anyang Restaurant alone today, and it was paid by Fang Jinyuan."
"But I found out that Yuan Tai didn't charge any money for the house before." Ye Annian became a little confused, "Why did he agree this time?"
Not accepting money means that Yuan Tai still wants to seek justice for his son, but if he accepts money, it means that the matter is over.
"Judging from his performance just now, he probably isn't willing to take the money."
Jiang Zhu gave Ye Annian a piece of fish meat with picked bones and said, "He is just an ordinary citizen. What can he do if Fang Jinyuan forces him?"
"Tomorrow is the court hearing, so Fang Jinyuan has to stop Yuan Tai's mouth first. Every year, believe it or not, Yuan Tai will never appear in the county government office tomorrow."
That was natural, and Ye Anyian felt a little uneasy.
"It would be best for us to see this man again before his trial tomorrow."
It's already dark now, so it's naturally not a good time. Jiang Zhu said: "Tomorrow morning. I just asked the guy Yuan Tai where he lives."
"Okay." Ye Anyian replied.
After the two of them had eaten, they took a stroll back to the inn where they were staying.
The environment of the inn is not bad. Apart from the lobby on the first floor, there are two or three tables drinking and dining, but the second floor is very quiet.
Jiang Zhu asked the innkeeper for hot water, and thoughtfully helped Ye Anyian close the curtain and let him take a bath first.
After a long day, he was indeed very tired. Ye Annian did not refuse, took off his clothes and stepped into the bathtub.
The water temperature was just right and the tub was deep. He took a deep breath, immersed himself in the water, picked up a handful of water, and poured it on his face. He immediately felt comfortable from head to toe.
"call..."
He let out a long sigh, raised his head and saw Jiang Zhu's figure reflected on the curtain through the candlestick on the table.
"Nian Nian, do you want me to rub your back?" Jiang Zhu's voice rang out immediately.
I don't know if the water temperature was a little high, but Ye Anyian felt that his face suddenly became hot.
"No... no need," he stood beside the tub and stared at the shadow nervously, "I can do it myself."
Ever since the night after sending Ye Xiaomei off to get married, they had never done anything too intimate.
Although they now sleep together under the same quilt every night, and even hug each other almost every night, they are still wearing obscene clothes. Because of his physical condition, Jiang Zhu can only squeeze his waist or rub his belly. Never take anything too far.
But in the current situation, he felt that the atmosphere was a little subtle.
"Really? I brought some herbs that can help with sleep. How about putting some for you?"
"You... put it behind the curtain, I'll take it myself."
The curtain suddenly moved, and Ye Annian saw Jiang Zhu's slender fingers push in a neatly tied small medicine bag.
He stretched out his hand to take it, but was suddenly grabbed by Jiang Zhu.