Chapter 2844 Struggle


    Liu Ci was carrying a roll of straw mat. In front of the straw mat, there were more than a dozen pairs of straw sandals dangling. He wore a short coat, bare arms and calves, and walked to the market on straw sandals.


    At this moment, he looks very much like...well, that''s wrong, he was originally a mud-legged person.


    He can weave straw sandals and mats, just like the man who claims to be after him.


    But not everyone who can weave straw sandals and straw mats can become a hottie.


    ?Where is the least noticeable place for mud-legged people?


    As Zhuangzi said, of course when you are wagging your tail in the quagmire, no one will pay attention to you, whether you are lying down comfortably or struggling to survive. At least those people standing on the shore wouldn''t care too much.


    When Mudlegs was struggling in the mud, no one would take a second look. Regardless of whether they climbed ashore earlier or were born directly on the shore, they don''t care. Only when those mud legs are about to climb up, will they scream loudly or sigh inexplicably. Either they were terrified, or they yelled and scolded, or they just hit them back with a stick...


    ?Most of the world is a quagmire, and there are not many places where you can get ashore.


    ??It''s like Yan and Huang occupied the Central Plains and drove other races and tribes into the quagmire.


    If you don’t work hard, you will always be struggling in the quagmire.


    Because the small piece of land on the shore was once obtained by our ancestors with their blood and sweat. Everyone thinks this way, so they have to stay on the shore life or death, pushing, squeezing, beating, insulting, deceiving, and framed each other...


    How much space will be given to new mud-legged people?


    ?Those who stand on the shore but yearn for the mire like Zhuangzi are in the minority after all.


    The market has arrived. Although today is not a big gathering, there are quite a few people. Due to the increase in Chang''an''s population, the original large gathering has gradually become a daily routine.


    Liu Ci looked around, it was very lively.


    ?There is a constant flow of people coming and going, and the sounds of buying and selling come and go.


    There seems to be no problem...


    The market is still a very ordinary market, and it has not become more lively or depressed because of Zhang Cun''s death. The people in the market may talk about Zhangcun, but they will not pay more attention to it for a moment. Soon the people will be attracted by life and all their attention.


    It''s like these people don''t care much about the Western Regions.


    How can there be such comfortable people in the world?


    Liu Ci thought silently as he moved forward.


    Changan is indeed a little different.


    ?In Shandong, people are not allowed to set up stalls in the market at will, because it is said to affect the beauty of the streets. If the streets are beautiful, people can live on their own initiative? Liu Ci doesn''t know. He just knew that it would be very difficult for him to pretend to be a common man setting up a stall in Shandong now. He might just sit on the side of the street and be arrested the next moment.


    If people in Shandong want to buy something, they need to buy it from a fixed vendor, and then the fixed vendor sells it. Fixed vendors are designated by the government, or a designated location, or a designated person, so the problems caused by them will naturally be very small, and even if they cause any problems, they will be dealt with very quickly. Good control is limited.


    ?As a result, the gentry children cannot come into contact with ordinary mud legs. They use a glove or other things to separate the lumps of earth that they were inexplicably grateful for in the Spring and Autumn Period.


    A glove. When it becomes dirty, worn out and ugly, take it off and replace it with a new one.


    The children of the gentry are clean and aloof.


    ?Changan is indeed good, and it is indeed different from Shandong. Liu Ci also envies the people in Changan.


    But…


    Liu Ci was not from Chang''an.


    He was born in Luoyang and grew up in Shandong.


    Liu Ci''s family had already fallen when he was young. Now if he wants to climb back, he has to spend more blood and sweat. He needs to struggle to find a way for himself and for his family in Shandong.


    A way that may not require continuing to struggle in the quagmire.


    So even if Chang''an is good, it is not his...


    His quagmire is in Shandong. There are also family members wagging their tails in the mud.


    Chang''an''s market allows ordinary people to set up stalls. As long as the stalls do not exceed the limited street area or occupy too many passages, they can set up stalls and do not charge any money. Of course, the scope of setting up stalls is limited to the market area. If it exceeds the market area, it is not allowed.


    But this is already good. At least the children of the gentry in Chang''an can directly see what the living conditions of the most ordinary people are like, what kind of things are bought and sold by the people, and they can also see the people buying and selling goods for a penny and a baht in the market. Calculating, arguing, instead of only seeing clean streets and neat shops, and then thinking that people can earn tens of thousands, hundreds, thousands, millions, or tens of millions from transactions among themselves...


    Liu Ci had sold straw sandals and straw mats, so he also knew that most people would not buy them if they thought their straw sandals could still be worn for two days. I can buy it, even a pair of straw sandals only cost two coins. Some people would even say that they wanted to buy one because they accidentally broke one, so they only wanted one, and then spent most of the day bargaining with Liu Ci, just to buy a pair back with only one dollar.


    Liu Ci came relatively late and lost all the good seats, but it didn''t matter. He put down the straw mat in a relatively remote place and stood it on the ground.


    Because Liu Ci did not really come here to buy straw mats and sandals.


    He came to observe...


    Observe Fan Cong.


    He sent a signal to contact Fan Cong and directed Fan Cong to Maoling.


    ?Liu Ci is not familiar with Tongguan, and he is also worried that there are more informants in Tongguan.


    At least Liu Ci has lived in Maoling for a while and is more familiar with the surrounding areas of Maoling.


    Since the news of Cao An''s death spread to Shandong, Fan Cong, who is still alive, has been suspected. After all, many people died in succession, so Fan Cong was naturally suspected of being involved.


    So at the beginning, Liu Ci did not want to contact Fan Cong.


    The problem is that Zhang Cun closed the case so quickly, catching Liu Ci off guard. Then the inn became haunted again, and then someone claimed that Zhang Cun had caused something dirty and then died. This completely turned the situation originally set by Liu Ci into another direction easily.


    Compared to the Western Regions or the hussars, the people are obviously more interested in the gods and ghosts.


    Liu Ci continued to use his own efforts to bring the topic back to the Western Regions, and then dragged the Hussar into the water...


    The reason is very simple. Liu Ci came from Shandong, so he naturally believed that information in Chang''an was controlled, and ordinary people could only obtain the information that the government wanted the people to know. Because that’s what Shandong does.


    So Liu Ci needs to poke a hole out, and then he can find out the truth.


    But now he can''t complete this work alone. The time is too tight and the manpower is too few, so he has to try to contact Fan Cong.


    Liu Ci sat on the ground, his eyes wandering around.


    ?The sky is very blue, but after sitting on the ground, it seems that the sky is blocked by those standing. From the perspective of the ground, what you see around you is more of the waist and legs. What you see is the **** but not the face. This is Mudlegzi''s perspective.


    Liu Ci glanced at the restaurant in the distance from the gap between her **** and legs in the crowd of people coming and going.


    At the window on the second floor of the restaurant, Fan Cong was sitting.


    ?There is a portrait of Fan Cong in the school office, so he recognized Fan Cong, but Fan Cong did not recognize him.


    After Liu Ci confirmed Fan Cong, he did not keep staring at Fan Cong, but began to observe the situation around Fan Cong and Liu Ci himself.


    ?Fan Cong seemed a little uncomfortable at the window and looked out the window frequently...


    ??The waiter at the downstairs door of the restaurant shouted in a long voice. He was obviously not a temporary worker for a day or two. He would also greet regular customers who passed by from time to time. He should be a normal store clerk.


    ?There is a stall selling needles and rags at the entrance of the wine shop. There was a thin, dark, middle-aged man sitting at the stall, smiling ingratiatingly at anyone who passed by the stall. Well, this should be normal. After all, with such a thin body and a habitual smile on his face, he can''t put on that easily.


    From the wine shop to here, there are six stalls in total. In addition to the stall selling needles and rags at the door, there are those selling earthen pots and rattan frames, selling dried fruits, selling cooking cakes, and the one selling chickens and ducks next to Liu Ci. of…


    ?Among them, the one selling earthen jars with rattan frames is the most suspicious, because he not only occupies the largest space, he even parked a car with a cloth covering it, like an earthen jar, but who knows what is inside? And it seems that there is no bargaining on the price. It is whatever others say. The most important thing is that this guy is too fat and his face is shiny.


    ?This guy…


    Of course, what is more suspicious are the two or three idle men far away at the street entrance, who seem to be chatting, but Liu Ci also noticed that these idle men seemed to be aiming at the wine shop intentionally or unintentionally.


    Is this caused by Fan Cong?


    Perhaps the hussars are monitoring Fan Cong?


    Or is it an ordinary hidden stake, performing daily inspections and surveillance?


    anga


    ?While Liu Ci was carefully observing his surroundings, he suddenly heard some noises around him. He lowered his head and took a look, only to find that a chicken from the stall next door had run up to him at some point and was running and croaking.


    Liu Ci subconsciously stretched out his hand to fish it out, and caught the chicken in his hand. "Thank you, thank you big brother..." The man selling chickens and ducks next to him thanked Liu Ci, and then stretched out his hand to pick up the chicken.


    Liu Ci''s eyes fell on the man''s hand. The hands are very rough, with short black nails, big muscles and thick calluses, and are stained with a little bit of chicken and duck feces, with a few chicken and duck feathers hanging on them.


    Liu Ci relaxed, smiled, and sent the chicken back.


    "Thank you, brother..." The vendor carefully took the chicken and put it back into the bamboo basket while casually asking, "Brother, how do you sell these straw sandals?" Did you make it up yourself? 』


    A pair of two coins. ” Liu Ci replied.


    “Brother, what’s the price?” The vendor selling chickens and ducks smiled, then shrank his head and said nothing.


    Liu Ci knew that his price was a bit high, but it was not outrageously high. After all, he didn''t want to say that he really made a living selling straw sandals and mats, and he didn''t want to say that as soon as he sat down, the straw mats and sandals were sold out because they were too cheap and he had to leave. So Liu Ci also smiled and did not explain the workmanship, material, etc...


    ?Just in the blink of an eye, Liu Ci suddenly discovered that Fan Cong, who was originally at the window, was missing!


    Liu Ci''s heart suddenly rose, and then Liu Ci immediately turned his head to look at the street.


    Sure enough, the idle men at the street entrance immediately started to move and came towards the wine shop...


    What''s going on?


    ?Fan Cong, was he exposed?


    But he didn’t come forward, how could he be exposed?


    Soon, Liu Ci saw a figure appearing at the door of the wine shop. He hurried away with his head lowered, and following this figure came out Fan Cong!


    ??The idle man at the street entrance seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then he was about to go around Fan Cong to chase the hurried figure, but he seemed to be blocked by Fan Cong...


    The figure in the distance flickered and seemed to disappear in the crowd.


    ??The idle man ignored Fan Cong''s obstruction and pushed Fan Cong away a few times, and then hurriedly chased after him...


    ?Fan Cong stood at the door of the wine shop and stood blankly for a moment.


    "This is…"


    Liu Ci thought quickly.


    I sent a signal, but I didn’t go to Fan Cong, so who would go? If you don''t know the person who left in a hurry, it means that the person may not be one of you! And obviously Fan Cong seemed to regard him as one of his own at the moment, and was still deliberately intercepting the idle man who was monitoring him because of the man''s departure!


    After connecting the events, Liu Ci suddenly realized that Fan Cong might have fallen into a trap!


    ?Fan Cong most likely thought that the unknown person was Liu Ci himself!


    Even Liu Ci imagined the whole process. He sent out a signal to attract Fan Cong. Fan Cong''s departure from Tongguan may also have attracted the attention of Youwen Division, who had been monitoring Fan Cong, so he sent idle men to monitor him. .


    As a result, because Liu Ci himself did not show up for a long time, some people in Wensi thought that he would not come, so they deliberately sent someone to pretend to be here to contact Fan Cong.


    ?The man pretended to be discovered during the meeting and ran away in a hurry before he could verify the token.


    ?Fan Cong is covering up for that person...


    Everything makes sense.


    Fan Cong fell into the trap!


    Fan Cong will definitely think that the person is him, and after Fan Cong returns to Tongguan, the person pretending to be him will definitely come to visit him again. As for any contact tokens, he can pretend that they were lost when he escaped. Fan Cong would not doubt it either! Because Yu Wensi deliberately made it look like he was chasing that person!


    After that person gains Fan Cong''s trust, Fan Cong''s business in Tongguan will be uprooted!


    so…


    Is Fan Cong still trustworthy?


    In a flash of lightning, Liu Ci watched Fan Cong slowly walking along the street. He had to make a decision, whether to let Fan Cong return to Tongguan, or to wake up Fan Cong...


    One step, two steps, three steps.


    Liu Ci stared at Fan Cong, struggling in his heart.


    ?Fan Cong had a sad look on his face.


    Fan Cong passed in front of Liu Ci...


    This gentleman! Liu Ci greeted, "Would you like to see the straw sandals and straw mats?" It’s also great to take back to your family! 』


    Liu Ci emphasized the pronunciation of "family".


    ?Fan Cong paused for a moment, then turned to look at Liu Ci, his expression a little uncertain.


    This made Liu Ci believe that the man who escaped before pretended to be here to meet Fan Cong, so Liu Ci nodded to Fan Cong and said, "Please look at this, sir, this is a high-quality straw mat..." It’s the best thatch in the eastern suburbs of Chang’an…』


    "Chang''an...Eastern suburbs..." Fan Cong repeated slowly, then stood in front of Liu Ci''s stall, stared at Liu Ci and asked, "Are you sure...this is all thatch from the eastern suburbs?" 』


    Liu Ci stood up, pretended to show off the straw mat, approached Fan Cong, and said quickly in a lower voice: "These are the most fashionable styles in Shandong..."


    ?Fan Cong looked at it for a moment, and then he seemed to be preparing to take out money to pay, but he exposed a stone tied to the side of the money bag, "What''s the price of this mat...?" 』


    "It''s easy to say, it''s easy to say. I just want you to give me a price. Whatever suits you...anything..." Liu Ci stretched out his hand and grabbed his neck, and then, as if by accident, he hung it around his neck. He had hidden it in his arms before, and Fan Cong brought out a stone of the same material next to the money bag.


    When Fan Cong saw this, his face turned pale and he took a few steps back. Then he stretched out his hand and said, "It''s him!" 』


    Liu Ci’s head suddenly buzzed!


    The earthen pot stall was overturned, and a man jumped out of the car...


    There were also a few people in the crowd on the street who were shouting and rushing towards them...


    Even the vendor selling chickens and ducks nearby changed his expression and raised his hand to throw the chicken and duck frame...


    ?Chickens and ducks were squawking and flying in the air involuntarily.


    ?Under the chaotic light and shadow, Liu Ci saw Fan Cong''s pale face and trembling hands pointing at him.


    Liu Ci understood.


    It turned out that it was not Fan Cong who fell into the trap, but himself!


    Liu Ci took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth, took out a dagger from his arms, and rushed towards Fan Cong regardless, roaring, "Traitor!" Come to death! 』


    『Wait a minute! 』


    『Damn it! stop! 』


    『Get them alive! 』


    『Don’t make a killing move…』


    Poof! ” Liu Ci heard a sound like a cowhide water bag being punctured, and then felt that all the strength in his body was draining away quickly.


    Several figures arrived and rushed towards them, "You bastard!" Why are you so careless! 』


    I...he bumped into me by himself! 』


    『You bastard! And you! ” A voice yelled, “And you idiot, why are you identifying me in the street! Can''t you take him back first? Damn, did you do that on purpose? ! 』


    "I...I..." Fan Cong''s voice was a little confused, "I...I was flustered for a moment, so, just..."


    In the chaotic light and shadow, Liu Ci lay on the ground.


    The ground smells of earth.


    It turns out that the soil in Guanzhong has the same taste.


    It’s also good to be born in the mud and die in the mud.


    The chickens and ducks screamed and struggled in panic, under the trampling and squeezing of the chaotic human feet.


    Liu Ci smiled and stretched out his hand to protect the one closest to him...


    He saw that the sky was getting dark quickly, just like the nightmare that he could never get out of in the swamp and mire.


    Can’t climb out...


    ?But, at least, he tried hard.


    Liu Ci closed his eyes.


    (End of this chapter)