Maybe some commonplace truths sound a bit pessimistic and realistic, but countless examples have proven time and time again that it is indeed true.
For example, no matter how honorable your status, astonishing wealth, or astonishing strength you enjoyed during your lifetime, how much you were admired and unmatched in the eyes of the world, but when you are obliterated, that is, death in the popular sense, All of the above will naturally pass away with the wind and be ruthlessly replaced by those who come after you At most, your tomb will be more spectacular than others!
This is the fact!
To put it bluntly, the world will function normally without anyone.
so,
When the noise is over, the noise is gone. Dust and return to earth!
¡¡¡¡
A month later, in the north, Shanhai City.
In the morning, there was an inconspicuous tavern in a certain neighborhood. There was a loud bang, and the wooden door was pushed open. A heroic laughter came in before a burly figure covered with dust, "Haha, thank me, Old Tom. I'm here to take care of your business again. Give me a glass of barley wine." If you dare to mix it with water, I will smash your lousy sign!"
"Damn it, my door!" roared angrily, and a huge body that was even bigger than the previous one, or more accurately said to be bloated, leaned out of the counter, looked at the door, and was stunned, "Rubin? It's you you kid Didn¡¯t I say last time I came that the current situation was chaotic and that I wouldn¡¯t be out doing business this year?¡±
The burly man carrying a baggage, ¡ð% long¡ð% wind ¡ð% literary ¡ð% educated, w¡ó¡Ûx. dressed as a businessman, heard this and spread his hands helplessly: "There is no way, you know, my whole family has to rely on it." I¡¯m eating. If I don¡¯t come out, who will come out? Okay, stop talking nonsense and give me a glass of barley wine. I¡¯m going to eat a lot of dirt along the way!¡±
It can be seen that the businessman named Rubin is very familiar with the tavern owner. There was no politeness in the conversation. Pumping the counter with your fist was considered a greeting.
"Okay, wait a minutethree silver coins."
"What!" shouted in surprise. The burly man who was holding a silver coin and preparing to pop it out suddenly widened his eyes when he heard this. He looked at the fat tavern owner with a look of 'Are you kidding me'? It looked ugly, "Old Tom, are you kidding me? Three silver coins for a glass of barley wine? Damn it. You are robbing! Didn't they all cost one silver coin before?"
"You also said that was in the past." The tavern owner was calm. "Now food is tight, and the supply is limited, let alone using it to make wine. I only charge you three silver coins because you are an acquaintance. In other places, it is at least five." Starting price in silver coins.¡±
The burly man was startled when he heard this. He seemed to have thought of something, and his expression couldn't help but soften. Then he hesitated for a moment, reluctantly took out two silver coins again, and muttered and complained: "Okay, okay, this damn world"
"Be content." The seemingly bloated tavern owner. He quickly stretched out his chubby hand and put away three silver coins, "This situation is only temporary. The price will drop soon. And if the world is really bad, you don't have the guts to come out at all, right?"
"Uh, that's true" The burly man scratched his head, and then when the fat shop owner turned around to get the drink, he habitually turned his head and glanced briefly at the tavern hall.
It¡¯s not very busy, and the morning is never the peak time for businesses like pubs. The fairly spacious tavern hall only had two tables occupied. There is a table in the corner, with several men and one woman. It can be seen that the woman wearing a wide hat that covers her face is headed, eating and drinking quietly, unusually low-key. In these people, the burly man smelled the smell of his peers. If the guess is correct, these people should also be running business routes, but their scale must be much larger than that of his single-running gang. They may be a small business group or something.
As for the other table, there were several young and strong men clinking glasses from large bowls and shouting for drinks. It was very noisy, but this was the normal atmosphere of the tavern.
As he was sizing it up, the wooden counter in front of him suddenly made two thuds, "Okay, your barley wine."
"Thank you, Old Tomhuh? I just want one glass." The burly man turned around and looked at the two glasses of barley wine on the counter, and couldn't help but be startled.
"I know, the other glass belongs to me." Opening the small door next to the counter, the fat shop owner moved out with difficulty, picked up the wine glass and waved, "Let's go, it's rare to meet an acquaintance like you during this time, I'll accompany you Let¡¯s have a drink and meet my new friends.¡±
"Friends?" The tavern has never been a peaceful place. Fights and fights are common after a few cups of horse urine. In this way, people who dare to open a tavern naturally have relatively wide connections. It is still necessary to meet a few more friends when there is nothing to do. If you don't have enough, you can use them one day. However, although he knew the doorway inside, the burly man still hesitated when he heard this, because the two groups of people in the hall now, the only ones who could be friends with the shop owner were the young and strong men.
? ??This is what makes the burly man hesitate. People like him, who run single gangs, meet all kinds of people every day, so their vision is naturally extraordinary. For example, these young and strong men in front of me, although they have no armor or swords around their waists, but judging from the iron-blooded killing momentum in their movements, you can tell that they must have killed people on their hands, and they should be soldiers or law enforcers in the city. figure.
No matter the former or the latter, with the burly businessman¡¯s experience, he knows that this is a difficult character that he must not provoke
"How about forget it, Old Tom, I'm not familiar with them after all, so I'd better find a place to drink by myself"
Before the burly man could say anything, the fat shopkeeper laughed and shook his head, "Haha, don't worry, Rubin, I know what you are worried about. But things are really no better than before. This is the territory of the Gray Army!"
Pointing to his feet, he paused and put his arms around the shoulders of the burly man. "I won't hide it from you, they are the Gray Army. But they used to be soldiers, but now they play a role similar to the cavalry, maintaining law and order in the city. They do things in a very orderly manner. Yes, you will know it once you understand it. And if you don¡¯t believe them, don¡¯t you believe me?¡±
"Uh okay then."
Speaking of this, the burly man naturally had no reason to refuse, so he followed the fat shopkeeper with a wine glass and walked nervously to the table of young and strong men.
"Andy, Colin, and these two little brothers, how do you like my Old Tom's wine? Are you satisfied with it?"
"Hey, Old Tom, you took our money and you came to ask us to praise you."
"Haha. To be honest. Old Tom, your brewing skills are incredible. It's spicy enough, not bad, not bad"
"By the way, if we say we are not satisfied, you won't let us in next time, right?"
"Haha, that can't be"
It can be seen that the fat shop owner is really familiar with these Gray Army soldiers, and he called two of them by name in one breath. He put his chubby palm on the shoulder of a middle-aged soldier in a familiar manner, and greeted warmly, "Let me introduce you. This is Rubin, a businessman, and a friend of my old Tom. What goods do you need to bring or deliver?" A letter to his family or something, as long as it's on his business route, it's fine."
"Haha, that's right. Rubin has met a few adults." The fat shopkeeper can be arrogant, but the burly man naturally dare not. He forced a smile and stepped forward to raise his glass and said, "It's our first time meeting you. I'll treat a few adults to a drink. The money will be mine."
In his verbal gesture, he was respectful and polite, but in actual actions, he treated guests and paid for them. The burly man said that his response was quite appropriate. However, as soon as he finished speaking, the warm atmosphere in the venue suddenly stopped, and the two young people The gray-coated soldiers even changed their expressions.
"Uh, whatwhat's going on? Did I say something wrong?" The burly man's heart pounded when he saw this, and he immediately turned his attention to the fat shopkeeper for help. The latter curled his lips and smiled bitterly, and patted the burly man on the shoulder. , "It's okay. You just came here and don't understand the situation. I don't blame you"
These words were obviously meant to comfort the burly man, but they were actually an explanation to the gray-coated soldiers. Sure enough, the expressions of several people immediately softened a lot when they heard this. The leading soldier, who was called Andy, picked up the wine glass, smiled and nodded at the burly man: "I don't dare to call you an adult, but we appreciate your brother's kindness. You can drink wine, but the price is We should pay it ourselves. Otherwise, if we are caught by the supervision team, we will be punished again. "
"Inspection team?"
"A supervisory agency for the Gray Army to restrain its own people." The fat shopkeeper explained briefly, then patted the burly man on the shoulder again who didn't know why, and sighed with emotion, "I just told you. Now here, it's really It¡¯s different!¡±
"Butit's just a glass of wine." The burly man understood something, scratched his head, and couldn't help but be speechless.
"It's just a glass of wine now, but if we accept it, it may be different in the future." Andy shrugged, "The leader said that this is called guarding against the slightest."
¡°¡Then I¡¯d like to toast some adults¡brother, I¡¯ll give you a drink.¡±
"Half a glass, half a glass is fine. Haha, the price of wine is not cheap now, let's take two sips and taste more"
¡¡
After talking about it, the atmosphere relaxed.
The few grey-coated soldiers and the fat shopkeeper were obviously used to this and had long been accustomed to it. Only the burly man was still a little unbelievable. Everything he saw and heard was undoubtedly very different from the business experience he had experienced before, and even completely opposite.
But this is a good thing after all. If there is no need to go out, no one wants to bend down and take care of things, right?
Soon after a few sips of wine, the burly man gradually became bolder. Half to please and half sincerely, he sighed: "No wonder I'm like this"Come here, it is much more peaceful than before, and there are not many thieves who rob and ask for passing money on the way. Is this what you gray-coated troops did? "
"To be precise, we just started doing it." A young soldier in gray clothes took over the words with a little pride, "As you know, there have always been many bandits in the north, and they are endless. But most of them are bandits. , they are just civilians who take risks because they don¡¯t have enough to eat. Now that the north is taken over by our Gray Army, there is no exploitation. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can always find food in the fields. In this way, the number of bandits will naturally be greatly reduced. .As for those real thieves, hey, their good days are coming to an end, and we are preparing to deal with them"
"Shut up!" Hearing this, the leading soldier named Andy suddenly frowned and interrupted rudely, "You are drunk. Are you free to comment on major military affairs?"
When the young soldier heard this, he couldn't help but trembled. He realized that he had made a mistake, and he blushed and bowed his head in silence.
"Haha, it's okay, it's okay. Rubin and I are not talkative people. Let's drink. Let's drink" The fat shop owner tried to smooth things over while winking at the burly man. The latter nodded knowingly and quickly changed the subject, "By the way, when I first entered the city, I found that the city gate was heavily guarded and I was a little nervous. What was the reason for this? Well, I just asked casually. If not It¡¯s convenient to say forget it¡¡±
"Oh. This. Well, it's a big deal for our Gray Army, but it's okay to talk about it." Andy pondered for a moment, then replied, "Today is the wedding of our leader, so the interrogation is a little stricter."
"The chief is getting married? Who? Chief Josiah?" The fat shop owner couldn't help but exclaimed when he heard this. It was obvious that he didn't know the news, and then he looked at Andy and nodded gently. Shocked again, "Such such a big deal! Why is there no movement in the city?"
"The leader has emphatically stated that he only wants to have a simple wedding, so there is no need to spread the word. In fact, not many people were invited. As far as I know, some high-level officials were not invited."
¡°I see, Leader Josiah is too, tootoo much.¡±
The fat shop owner lamented for a long time, but in the end he didn¡¯t say it clearly. However, the burly man naturally understood the meaning, not to mention that the leader of the gray-clothed army was now equivalent to the supreme status of the earth-cracking king. He only said that he had seen wealthy businessmen and celebrities who were not on the stage, or small nobles, etc., and they held weddings with gongs and drums and large invitations. I wish I could create a hustle and bustle that would shock the whole city What a gap! Is it really different?
In the silence, the fat shop owner was lost in thought, and sighed again: "I was lucky enough to see our leader's heroic figure more than ten days ago. He is so beautiful that I only dare to look at it from a distance. Alas, I don't know which son can be so lucky to marry. "
Several gray-clothed soldiers on the side nodded unconsciously when they heard this, especially the two young soldiers among them, who looked envious and bitter. They drank two sips of wine and felt a chill deep in their hearts. The little hidden longings that I dare not say to others are instantly washed away.
"Captain, don't you always brag that you are a veteran who broke out from Dawn City? Then do you know who the leader's man is?" After putting down his wine glass, a young soldier still couldn't suppress his thoughts, or maybe it was With the thought of giving up completely, he took advantage of the wine above and asked.
¡°That¡¯s right, captain, let¡¯s talk about it.¡± Another young soldier couldn¡¯t wait to persuade him.
"Only the fat shopkeeper and the burly man were dumbfounded when they heard this. This is too low-key. Even you, the Gray Army, don't know who the man who married your leader is?"
"Don't ask me, I just heard some rumors before, I'm not sure." Unable to withstand the constant encouragement and persuasion from his subordinates, the leading soldier named Andy thought for a while and reluctantly replied, "You guys also Don't force me, if it's really that man"
After a pause, he seemed to have thought of something, and there was a trace of imperceptible fear in his eyes, and he shook his head repeatedly, "Don't say it, don't say it"
"Hey, Captain, you are so unreasonable. You say half and keep half."
"That's right, isn't this appetizing?"
"Drink, haha, let's drink a bar"
¡¡
Seeing that Captain Andy looked like he was refusing to say anything, no matter how curious everyone was, they had no choice but to give up, and instead put their anger and resentment into a series of drinks, and the hall was bustling with excitement.
And while they were making a fuss about drinking, a few men and a woman at the table in the corner, which looked like a small business group, had also finished eating and drinking, got up in a low-key manner, and quietly walked towards the door. On the way, only the fat shopkeeper accidentally turned around and saw him. He smiled and said hello to come back next time. A middle-aged man among the former turned politely and returned the greeting, and then walked out of the shop.
¡°?Sister. "As soon as he left the tavern, the middle-aged man took a few steps and took the initiative to distance himself from the guards behind him. He came to the woman wearing a wide hat that covered her face, hesitated for a moment, and asked, " Miss, are you here this time to attend the wedding of Josiah, the leader of the Gray Army? "
The woman paused slightly and raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Uncle Luo, do you still remember Joshua?"
"Of course." The middle-aged man nodded, "If it's the genius magic girl from Laiyan City before, she was your best playmate when you were young, miss. Of course I will remember her."
After a pause, he frowned in confusion, "What I just don't understand is that since it is such a relationship, why have you never visited my house in the past few days, Miss?"
"Because, it's different." The woman shrugged and spread her hands, "Given the vast territory in the north, her current status is slightly higher than the second prince of the empire who was hastily crowned and enthroned in the south a few days ago. And what about me? ? She¡¯s just a young lady from a declining aristocratic family, with a big gap in status.¡±
He shook his head slightly, "If I came to visit in a hurry and she failed to recognize me that scene would be very embarrassing just thinking about it!"
"is that so¡¡"
"What else?" While they were talking, the two of them walked to the ordinary carriage parked on the side of the road. The woman waved her hand carelessly, "Okay, Uncle Luo, don't think too much about it. When I adjust my mentality, I will come to you. After all, , family business is the most important thing."
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????: A rather playful wink. Then, the woman turned around and walked into the car. The car curtain was lowered, the eyes were slightly lowered, and the relaxed expression disappeared.
After a moment of silence, the tea cup was picked up, and a faint sigh slowly echoed in the carriage, "Getting married I'm sorry to my best childhood friend. I didn't mean to disturb your happiness, but there are some debts, and it's time to pay them back." Already"