Chapter 2 Chapter two.Wanjialou
Those who have never walked through the wild reeds for forty miles or entered Wanjialou will never believe that Wanjialou has such a mighty momentum, rising like a mirage, covering the vast wind and sand in the field.
Wanjialou, a densely populated market town full of colorful flowers, is built on a large flat beam three miles away from Yeludang (note: a flat-roofed highland). Six streets and eighteen alleys are dotted with a spider web. In the square, in the center of the square stands the tall stone building that symbolizes the glory of the distant ancestors of the Wan family.
This high-rise building is the entrance of the Wanjia Ancestral Hall, and is connected with green brick wing walls on both sides.Pass through the square, climb up the twenty-four granite steps, pass through the arch in the center of the building like a corridor, and face a row of five main halls in the Wanjia ancestral hall. The building is three feet six feet high and divided into three floors. The form of the building deliberately imitates the appearance of the ancient city tower; , the four corners of the eaves flying obliquely are all hung with ancient copper wind chimes.
In the season of clear autumn, passers-by can see the spire of the tall building from ten miles away, its black outline protruding from the long rolling white clouds; around the towering tall building, there is a The uneven tile ridges are stacked on top of each other, one layer higher than the other, like stacking arhats.These ancient family properties were all built in the hands of the seventh brothers, the ancestors of the second generation of the Wan family. Only the brick kilns in the Ming Dynasty could burn huge green bricks of sixteen catties each; Located at the intersection of the cross street opposite Wanjialou, the remaining six houses each occupy a street. There are seven long-term workers employed by each house, short-term workers, tenants who sublet the nearby fields, and people with foreign surnames who come here for business. Eight hundred households make this market town on a large flat beam support a barren land in the northwest corner.
It is precisely because of the great wealth of the Wan family that they have been coveted by people in the underworld for many years. According to legends in the rivers and lakes, the wealth of the Wan family cannot be counted. It is made of brass, and the beams are sealed with the family treasures of the Wan family, two night pearls the size of pigeons; it is said that there are seven houses in the Wan family, and the treasures of the town house are buried in the four corners of the main house of each house. The two lotus vats are turned upside down so that the glutinous rice juice glue lime is tightly embedded. The vats are full of gold nuggets, silver ingots, red agates, and white pearls; The wealth of the family (roughly refers to the treasure buried in the ground.) If it is turned into an ocean of silver and sprinkled out, it can make the silver rain fall for three days from forty miles of reeds.
Who really saw it? !No one has seen it, even Wan Shibao, who is young and senior, who succeeded Wan Jinbiao as the patriarch, feels that these legends are too exaggerated and absurd.In fact, those legends are not without reason, just because everyone can see it, Wanjialou is truly incomparable in all counties here.The fields of the Wanjia Qifang family can be hung with a signboard of a thousand hectares. Within a hundred miles, there is no place without Wanjia's farm.The Wan family's granaries were the big accounts of the eighteen counties here in the previous dynasty, and the Wan family's mules, horses and livestock always had thousands of horses, all of which could not be faked.
I am afraid that only the gatekeeper lions of the white Buddhist stones on both sides of the gate of Wanjialou know how many hardships and vicissitudes Wanjialou has experienced in the past few hundred years just for the wealth of the Wanjia family.
During the Tongzhi period, Li Shikun, the leader of the gangsters here, gathered more than a thousand gangsters and beat Wanjialou. The two sides held each other for more than ten days. However, they were still called to block back, and did not touch a stone in Wanjialou; the bandits, relying on their large number of people, changed to rushing to Weizi in broad daylight. He waved two single knives and led the charge. The disciples under him were all shirtless, with red scarves tied on their foreheads.
Li Shikun originally thought that spreading out this kind of battle would scare the hearts of the Wan family without really rushing. It is common for the rich family to protect their money and resist small groups of thieves. , Will you really care about money and disregard life? !At that time, there were only about 300 people guarding Weizi from the Wan family, and the seven cannons were less than half that of the bandits.
Li Shikun rushed to the wooden gate at the entrance of the fair, stopped and took out a plate into the fair: 12,000 taels of silver, as long as a hair of Wanjialou Jiuniu was pulled out, the troops would be withdrawn.Wan Jialou answered well, saying that he was only willing to spend 1,200 taels of silver to collect the corpses of Chief Li and his subordinates.
When Li Shikun heard this, his heart and lungs exploded, he swung two bright single knives and yelled to climb the polder, and rolled in, as long as he met Wan, no matter whether he was a three-foot boy or a two-foot girl, he would use the knife.As soon as the words were finished, the cannons on the fair rang, and iron sand, iron lotus seeds and iron triangles from Dapeng were sprinkled on the head of the iron head Li Shikun, as if to test whether his so-called iron head was real or not? !It's a pity that Li Shikun's brains refused to live up to his expectations, and he was smashed into a bloody rotten watermelon.
A man without a head must die, and a bird without a head must scatter; after the bandits dispersed, Wanjialou really collected the corpses of the bandits and buried them.At that time, if there was any damage to Wanjialou, it would be to make the family of the second room a little bit poorer.
Although the gatekeeper lion of the White Brahma Stone cannot speak, such ancient and terrifying stories have been passed down from generation to generation and engraved in the hearts of the descendants of the Wan family.
After Li Shikun, the iron head, there have been several times when various bandits were lured by high profits and joined hands to attack Wanjialou. Unfortunately, even the outside Weizi never rushed in. When they were about to retreat, they always stayed more or less A few naive corpses, as if they have suffered a lifetime and are unwilling to sleep in Wanjia's coffin.After Li Shikun's incident, there seems to be an unwritten example in Wanjialou. Instead of using thin leather for the coffins of bandits, they all use the 18th section of Jin wood.
After these incidents, the underworld finally opened their eyes and realized that unless someone thinks that putting his head on his neck is in the way, otherwise, don't touch Wanjialou's idea if he lives for a day.It's been decades, and I haven't heard of a child of the size of the earth character daring to move Wanjialou.Especially in the hands of Mr. Wan Jinbiao Wan, the momentum of Wanjialou not only suppressed the gangsters, but even the handsome generals in Beiyang did not buy it.On the land of the Wanjia, the tax is collected by the Wanjia itself, and the grain is paid by the families of the houses to the hands of Mr. Wan. Mr. Wan set up an accounting room just for these.
Wherever there is a famine, where there is a disaster, your officials will send a letter, and our Wan family will send people out to release relief directly; the surname Wan will not covet this money and food.Master Wan said to the county magistrate: Now these generals and handsome men, who can be regarded as serious masters?Zhang is born today, and Wei is familiar with tomorrow, turning around like a lantern; our Wanjialou only has a sum of money and food, who should it be handed over to?When the money and food are in their hands, they either buy guns or sell soil (referring to opium and smoke). They have the heart to disturb and harm the people, and I can't bear it.If I say what I say, it counts. Whoever refuses to accept it, pull others down to face each other. I'm afraid that with one stroke of my arm, there will be thousands of human guns.
Yes, in the Qing Dynasty, no one in the Wan family had achieved fame, not to mention civil and martial arts, and no one even wore a scholar's square scarf.The Wan family didn’t become an official, so it’s not possible to just laugh at Wan’s family as wealthy landowners. The three flagpoles in front of Wan’s building were bestowed by the Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi dynasties of the previous dynasty. The family building is obviously a reward for killing bandits and disaster relief in Wanjialou, and they really want to use this to collect more food and taxes.
The three flagpoles and the plaque of the Jishan Family inscribed by a royal pen cannot buy the integrity of the Wan family who have always regarded themselves as the descendants of Ming officials. The Wan family is not a meat-headed rich man who values money. Bring some wildness and pride of the characters in the rivers and lakes.
Judge Zhu Si was indeed a fierce and spicy guy on the underworld in the Northland. He had been on the road for less than ten years. Let alone more than 200 miscellaneous guns, more than 20 horses, and some big households in Chaijiabao, Zhengjiawei, and Qixingtan in Dangbei; but in the eyes of Wan Shibao, four judges are enough. Not a grain of sand.At least, the human guns under the fourth judge's hands are not worthy of supporting others when compared with the iron man Li Shikun back then, and the strength of Wanjialou is much stronger than the single-handed firecrackers and mother cannons back then.
As long as his fourth judge has this interest, after someone in the Baoye family pulls out the mace that the fourth judge stands outside the Beiwei Gate of Wanjia Building, he will smile lightly and say: We should also play guns with him
The torches burned in the dark night, turning the square in front of Wanjialou into a dark red.The mighty and silent tall building looked desolate and old during the day, but in the light of the fire tonight, it seemed to have regained the heroic posture of looking at the wilderness in the past.A row of thick torches were inserted on the protruding iron frame between the stone walls of the tall building. Black oily smoke curled up on the living and trembling snake tongue. The shadow of the tall building was dark and bright for a while, It's like bathing in lightning; the moss-covered glazed tile ridges are densely overgrown with tile pines more than a foot high; Connected together, painted a layer of hazy mysterious color.
And those crowds who flocked to the square were all indulging in the scene of the competition on the ground.Judge Zhu Si wants to convict Wanjialou?What about a group of ants dreaming of lifting an elephant?Pooh!Let his toad, who has never opened his eyes in the corner of the earth, come and see the meetings of the various houses in Wanjialou.In the past, there are often competitions, and those competitions are just for welcoming the spring, gods, or offering sacrifices to shrines, but this time, it was the idea of Master Bao, Master Xiaogu and Master Zhen, because Judge Zhu said that he would go to court. The Wanjialou and Wanjialou opened their polder gates on all sides to show the bandits a lot of fun, but the Wanjia didn't pay attention to those hairy people.
On the night of the Fourteenth, the dark clouds have not faded away, and the full moon often walks behind the clouds, casting some dizzy light, which can't help being illuminated by lanterns and torches all over the street. But nothing; before the game, the lantern teams of each house were pulled out first. Some flat traffic lanterns, square box lights, and number one horse lanterns with shades were hung on high poles and scattered on both sides of the street all the way. Higher than the eaves, the lights flickered constantly, and the halo splashed on the shoulders and faces of the crowd. Looking far away, it looked like stars.
After the lantern team dispersed, a group of cavalry appeared around the young Patriarch Baoye of Wanjialou and his brother Yeye.
Bao Ye is a handsome and unrestrained person, not only Wanjialou is well-known, but also everyone in the city and villages from south to north is not unaware of it.Among the Wanjialou clan, there are old bearded men, but in terms of seniority, the elders are all young. Helped Mr. Wan lead the gun team of Qifang; Master Bao played with guns since he was a child, and did not plan to lead the gun team himself in the future. Playing with guns is just playing with guns. It is like carrying a thrush cage to store all kinds of purple sand teapots. It is a pastime.
Baoye's personality is multi-faceted. When he is calm, he sees everything as smooth and smooth, but when he is stubborn, he is three points harder than an anvil.Even Baoye himself didn't expect that an iron pestle could be ground into a needle as long as he was skilled.That said, Mr. Bao is very interested in playing guns. After nearly 20 years of playing, he has unknowingly worked hard; Mr. Bao has played with all kinds of pistols and eight-inch pistols; he has played horse cards made in Germany and made in England Little toad; I have played with revolvers, Brownlins, and self-made; no matter what kind of short thing, Baoye can take it off in his pocket, put his hands in his pocket, and put it back together while chatting with others. It doesn't take a bag of cigarettes before and after disassembly and installation.
Master Bao is not only familiar with guns, he is even better at using them. Many people in Wanjialou have seen Baoye's unique skill. One hand reloads the bullet, wipes the ignition belt and releases the gun, and the other hand does not need to be extended. out the armhole.In terms of accuracy, the young master of the second room is a well-known good shooter, Bao Ye said that he is not as good as the young master; but no one has seen the two of them compare guns, Bao Ye has such a good temper, and does not fight with others powerful.On the contrary, Mr. Gu said that Mr. Bao only learned how to play with guns and embroidered legs, so he couldn't be on the right track.
Tonight's Lord Bao rode his beloved white horse, a piece of jade, and walked slowly from the crowded street. In the eyes of the clansmen, they felt that Baoye was very happy tonight, and he probably drank a few glasses of wine before the meeting , dyed his delicate white face a little red; Baoye on horseback was wearing a very fashionable black wool top hat with the brim slightly slanted; The satin flower face, no mantle, large clusters of flowers shining brightly in the light of the street lights.
As for guns, Mr. Bao never leaves him, but Mr. Bao does not carry guns like a bunch of rough men, who randomly put them in the convenient places on both sides of the belt, dragging disgusting red and green silk tassels; Bao Ye's self-made pistol was put in the left side pocket, and a piece of exquisite black leather belt was pulled out. In addition, in the special leather case on both sides of the horse bag, two speed machines were buckled diagonally.
Hey, Lord Bao, Lord Bao, how sooner or later will you be out of the meeting?
The moon is all over the roof!
A herd of horses passed by the gate of Mr. Zhen’s house in Lao Qifang. Mr. Zhen’s younger sister and a group of blooming guests crowded together on the high platform below the gate, carrying two or three lanterns, stretching them out and shaking them, entangled Mr. Bao and shouted. up.In Wanjialou, there are only four brothers and sisters who are of the same generation as Master Bao. Among them, Master Zhen's younger sister is the youngest, who was called "little aunt" by the clan officials at the age of nineteen.
My aunt is a coquettish girl, she is very strong, every race, the winner is either the eldest wife or the second wife, Zhenye Wen Tun, who is in his forties, is used to not taking it seriously, my aunt is a little bit displeased Convinced, this time Qifang sent out a bright sedan chair from the Dingshahekou farm, and my aunt personally drove the car to Shahekou eighteen miles away, took out a private house to decorate the sedan chair, and vowed to fight for the top spot.
Don't worry, Fifth Sister.Master Bao reined in the horse with a smile on his face, raised his head with a piece of jade, and stretched out his nose to smell the wax scent in the lantern held by my auntie: I said don't worry, your bright sedan chair is really well decorated, especially the sedan chair. The five gold-leaf phoenixes on the top are all strung together with colorful glazed beads and gold pieces, thanks to your exquisite heart.
Don't be nasty, the silver embroidered unicorn on the roof of your sedan chair scares people just because of its embroidery skills. Do you think people don't know about it? !
The brilliance of the car body is useless.Baoye said: Just look at whether the men on the sedan chair at Shahekou can help you. If one of the twenty-four of them wanders off, fifth sister, I say, your hard work is not in vain.
not coming!The little aunt twisted so that the lantern in her hand dangled from both sides, and said in a whining voice: "Be careful if someone spits on you, before you go to the meeting, you will curse someone to overturn the sedan chair, making people feel uncomfortable."Why don't you rush out of the meeting?People's ankles are all sore.
Even if your sedan chair is well-decorated, Master Bao said: You don't all rely on the praise of you from Wanjialou, do you?I'm serious, Fifth Sister, tonight, our Wanjia Building will have distinguished guests, and let them give your sedan chair a thumbs up, that would be great.
VIP? !The little aunt laughed at the lantern tremblingly: Where are there so many distinguished guests? !The gang of bandits like Judge Zhu Si are also worthy!
Lord Bao reined in the white horse a little closer: I didn't mention Judge Zhu Si, did I? !If it was Judge Zhu Si, I wouldn't have mentioned it to you!
who?Who are you talking about?
You wouldn't know it, Baoye said: He was a young man who was born in Ganlazi (that is, pulling salt trucks) in the salt gang, the boss of Shuangqiangluo, and later became an earth-shattering fierce hero Guan Baye!
You, you, you mean the old man Peng was released in the black pine forest, and then he escaped from prison and went to Guandong Shanguan Baye? !Suddenly, someone among the hall guests grabbed my aunt's shoulder and asked in a hurry.But Master Bao didn't answer her, he clamped his horse after he finished speaking, and a piece of jade rushed past like a white dragon.
There was the sound of trying to beat gongs and drums, which came from several streets away.Some men in soap clothes held red paint sticks and busily separated the crowd towards the corridors on both sides of the street, clearing the way for the upcoming conference team.
Miss, Miss? !What happened to you?The little aunt turned the lantern, pushed the newlywed-like woman who had just asked the question, and said: Do you recognize that distinguished guest from Guandong Mountain?
The lantern light trembled on the young woman's face, even if there was a blush from that layer of red paper, it could not cover the sudden paleness of her face, her two big wet eyes slowly closed She fell on it, as if she wanted to close the countless sad years in those eyes, and squeezed out two bright tears at the junction of the long black eyelashes.
Guandong Mountain, Guan Baye?Yes.She whispered: It was my father who unlocked him and let him go to the Kanto with him.
Ai Gu was only sixteen years old when she met Baye Guan in the prison in North Xuzhou.Qin Zhen, the father, used to be the accountant in a Nanhuo store. During the war, the proprietor went out of business, so he asked someone to talk to Xiang, and hired a jailer for such a hard job.When Aigu was ten years old, her mother who suffered from tuberculosis died in a low house on the narrow street outside the prison cell, leaving alone Aigu to live with her father.
Growing up in prison since childhood, Aigu is familiar with that gloomy, moldy world; although Qin Zhen, a father, has done this job, he is not like other jailers, so cold and inhuman; the life of ordinary jailers It was a miserable life, and Ai Gu remembered those drunken faces whose outlines were quite blurred. When they were not on shift, they would like to hang out and gamble in a half-open prostitute on the left side of the red wall behind the narrow street.
She remembered that Bian San, Crooked Eye Four, Xu Wu, and Mao Liu claimed to have broken the soles of their shoes (meaning worshiping brothers), but they often drew their knives at the gaming table and cursed eight generations of jailers for a penny.I remember that there was a sewage ditch in front of the door, a low earthen house with eaves that could hit a human head, a small square house like a pigeon cage, some picture cards in the smoke at the front door pasted on the smoky earthen wall frame, a burnt yellow lamp A small kerosene lantern with a black cover hangs down on the three-legged gambling table.If you want to find someone to take over from your father, you have to go to those places to find someone.
She was really afraid of entering that door, she was afraid of the stinging eyes of the fat old madam who squinted her eyes and wiped people's chests as if she was looking for gold and silver mines; Girls, speak those obscene words in a hoarse voice; I am afraid that those soldiers in blue clothes in the 13th Association will hang their mouths crookedly, with lustful eyes, and use people as dominoes in their eyes.As she passed, her cheeks burned, her handkerchief was twisted tightly behind her back, her head hung on her chest, but she still heard the frivolous whistle and the provocative slang:
Sister, we sleep together,
Ripped off the old quilt,
It smells like a cat
Twisting the little handkerchief, he ran into the casino in the side room like a ghost, shouting: Take over from Dad, Uncle Bian or Uncle Mao Six!And those gamblers who count handfuls of broad beans on a table of putty are always so dawdling.
Go back and talk to your father first, tell him to watch another episode of Water Margin, let’s come, okay, people’s (underworld code words, referring to the surname Qin.) family’s film (referring to the girl), don’t nail it here, Master Bing If you look away, you are the one who suffers.
If it's about customs pay, this group of gamblers has changed places again, what is Juzhen Building, Wanxiang Building, or Wufu Pavilion, those low-end restaurants and restaurants with delicious tastes, they have agreed to break up in advance, but put the change together In the hands of one person, to cover up the kind of poverty, before the banquet, your third master Bian came over and my fourth master went over to take someone to carry people, water and boats.After eating and drinking enough, I cut up some offal, carried a bottle of white wine and drank all the way back to take over, and kept the share for a night on the blackened wooden bench by the prison door.
Having said that, whether it is a restaurant or a brothel, it is better than looking at those dark prison cells. The people imprisoned there are not human, it is like imprisoning a cage of pigs; They are gangsters who commit crimes and crimes, chivalrous men who help the poor, wealthy businessmen who are falsely accused of being imprisoned because of Beiyang soldiers' fraudulent failures, and hooligans who are idle and not doing business.
There are countless small courtyards separated by high stone walls. The sky is like the mouth of a well, revealing a bottomless blue sky. It is rare for the prisoners in the criminal prison to even look at the sky. Old and dark, with wide arcades leading to arcades, even the poor daylight is blocked; at every hour of the day, the sound of heavy fetters being dragged, and the sound of bets lost Qian's Maoliu and his gang used lynching to grind prisoners, so that they could spend a few pennies in filial piety on those desperate guys, and then go to prostitution and alcoholism, and live a life of nonsense.
Dad is not that kind of person, and he can't get along with them.When my father was on shift, he always sat on the end of the bench by the eaves, made a pot of strong tea and read his books like Water Margin or Romance of the Three Kingdoms.Since ancient times, not only villains and girls have been in prison.Dad sighed like that: In the dark cell, how many strong men are trapped in it? !Just like the few revolutionary parties in the past, they were imprisoned the first day, and they proposed to be executed the next day.This is not talking about the law, telling my father that I, like Bian San and the others, will work for tigers. I will not be that father. Watching Water Margin, he admires Li Kui, the black whirlwind, and says: Honesty and loyalty are the most important things for ordinary people to do things. Whether you have knowledge or eloquence is the next best thing.It was at that time that Master Guan Ba of Guandong Shan stabbed a knife in both sides of his friend and went to jail.
Braid Shuai personally brought up the case of Guan Ba, which stirred up North Xuzhou. Teahouses and taverns made him a topic, and businessmen were also talking about it; Guan Baye came to the city by himself to surrender. Little braid Zhang Xun's bear has a volatile temper, and when he is happy, he might tear Guan Baye into five horses.According to his father's description, Guan Baye is really better than the black whirlwind in his heart.
His surname is Guan, and he may be the heir of Master Guan Wang. Father said: Hei Songlin Yi Shi Peng old man, knowing that Shuai Shuai will want his head, Guan Baye is worthy of admiration, but he still does it knowing that he can't keep his head. Well, if he wasn't the heir of Lord Guan, how could he have such courage? !
On the day Guan Baye was sent to prison, the street in front of the prison was full of people, all waiting to see his true face, but they waited for nothing, maybe Braid Shuai was afraid that Guan Ba would be big, and something would happen to the crowd. Instead, send him quietly to the cell in the middle of the night.When Father Ye was on the night shift, he picked up a lantern to deliver dinner for him. At the bottom of the corridor, he saw four horses with pistols and a towing frame dragging the prisoner. The man was wearing double handcuffs and number one shackles on his ankles. ;Before he was sent to prison, he had obviously been tortured and tortured, and his blue military uniform was covered with blood spots on his shoulders and back, especially his legs, which looked almost useless, dragging limply on the ground, with a piece of iron chain behind his shackles An iron ball of about ten kilograms was tied to the waist and rolled along with it. The iron shackles were nailed too tightly, and the bare ankle was worn down, and blood dripped down along the iron chain.
Father bent his waist, took out the key and opened the door of the small cell, four horses dragged the man and threw him in, and the leader said to father: I will leave it to you.By the way, that night I saw with my own eyes the miserable scene of Guan Baye when he was imprisoned.
Rippling years!It can never be found again.The way father took care of Baye Guan, let alone jailers treating prisoners, even confidantes and friends, I'm afraid it's not to that level; in order to heal Baye Guan's wound, father pawned off his clothes and quilts, Go to the Nanxiangsheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Store in the old city to get soup and medicine, buy plasters, change the stickers for Guan Baye when there is no one in the middle of the night, and feed him the soup and medicine until he can walk.For fear that Baye Guan would be suffocated in the cell, he moved the bench outside the door of the small cell, and the two of them chatted loudly through an iron fence.
Baye, you are truly a hero!Dad said: You are a real good man, you put a knife in both sides of your friend.
Guan Baye shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, showing a look of loneliness and bewilderment: "It's messed up, Uncle Qin."I released the old man Peng, not out of loyalty, let alone because of my friends, I really can't bear those honest people who live for a living, to lose their lives under my hands.In the black pine forest, whether he is the old man Peng or a stranger, I should give up if I still have a conscience that has not been stained black!
It’s true, it’s hard to talk about conscience these days, Dad’s eyes are a little wet: But, Ba Ye, you’ve suffered so much, let me tell you the truth: it’s luck for you to be supervised, we all thought you would be on the spot fatal.
This is Zhang Xun's hot spot, Guan Baye's filthy face is leaning against the iron fence: He wants to capture Old Man Peng and his gang first, he wants that gang to die in front of my eyes, and then ruins me, he wants me to confess when I die It's a fool.
That is his voice, his image, in the lights tonight.Ever since one dark night, father opened the prison door for him and accompanied him to escape to Kanto. Over the years, what happened to father and what happened to him have always remained in his dreams.Now he's back, where's dad?Where should dad be? !He didn't know what happened to the Aigu back then and the Wan Xiaoniang today?What happened?Looking back, there are thousands of hearts that should be broken.
The dragon whip rolled all the way along the corridor, and the meeting was out.
The first ones to come out were the seven bright sedan chairs from the seven families of the Wanjia Building. Each sedan chair was equipped with a long red-painted sedan chair with a length of one foot and eight feet, and three horizontal bars. Each is carved with protruding golden lacquered tiger, lion, dragon, and phoenix heads; each sedan chair is carried by twenty-four strong men.The canopy of the bright sedan chair is different from the general official sedan chair and sedan chair, which are all made of green wool and red silk; the sedan chair canopy of the bright sedan chair is all made of colorful transparent glass pieces.There are eight treasure glazed lanterns hanging in the sedan chair, and four palace lanterns are shining on the bright corners of the sedan chair. The four sides of the sedan chair roof are inlaid with silver candle sticks, and there is an oblong glass cover in which bright white wax and red candlesticks are lit. Wax, red and white complement each other to form a ring, and the light casts on the decorations decorated like brocade on the top of the sedan chair.
Counting counties in the north, towns and villages often hold competitions, but when it comes to the competition of bright sedan chairs, it is really rare.People in Wanjialou are proud of this point. It's not that they don't want to compete in bright sedan chairs, but they really can't afford to compete. As long as the sedan chairs from the family are guaranteed, they will be decorated with one hundred and forty-eight taels of gold. The gold leaves, not counting the agate inlaid on the palace lantern and the big pearl in the eyes of the unicorn; the sedan chair has been used for five or six generations, and new ones are added every year.Competing the bright sedan chair not only has to compete with the decoration and novelty of the sedan chair body, but also has to compete with the costumes, embroidery and the skills of the twenty-four sedan chair bearers.
The bright first bright sedan chair was lifted slowly amidst the thunderous applause. The twenty-four men stepped together and shrugged their shoulders rhythmically, making the sedan chair look like a goose feather floating on soft waves.The main barman on the first horizontal bar is the bearded Niu En, the guardian of the Bao family; everyone knows that Niu En is a martial artist, and if he is used as the main barman, it can be said that the sedan chair is not easy to fall under any circumstances. Taking a closer look, the twenty-three assistants are also selected one out of ten, after a long period of training.They all wore armguards and leggings of primary-color soft cowhide, thin satin yellow scarves wrapped around their heads, and sleeveless tight waistcoats with black and red trim on their bare bodies. White trousers, suede thin-soled boots, with a small alarm clock tied on the top of the boots.
Drink, after all, it is Changfang's sedan chair that is hard-pressed!Someone in the crowd boasted.
Don't get old!Someone from behind interrupted and said: The mouse is dragging a wooden lift (a wooden lift, one of the northern agricultural tools, shaped like a shovel.), with the big head behind.Just wait and see the sedan chair of our little aunt!
To be honest, no matter how decorated Qifang's sedan chair is, Changfang's sedan chair alone is so magnificent that people can't hold back their tongues.The bright sedan chair in the Changfang was still made in the hands of Grandpa Wan Jinbiao’s grandfather Chaoguan; The raw materials of these two pieces of jujube wood are two feet three to four. Jujube wood is a kind of wood that grows extremely slowly. It is extremely difficult to choose such a long and thick jujube wood for ordinary jujube wood; The vermilion varnish is so radiant that people can be seen, and the tenon joints are inlaid with nine silver hoops two fingers wide; there are glass windows on both sides of the car body, and around the glass, there are seven windows each made of countless green colored glass beads and Horn-shaped leaves made of gold leaves adorn it.
The bright sedan is rippling with brisk steps, and the light shines from the eight-treasure glazed lamp hanging inside the sedan, making all the colors on the sedan stand out like shadows and pictures, and the stars shine brightly. It is crystal clear: pink glazed lotus flowers are inlaid on the palace lantern at the corner of the sedan chair, and slender and long glazed wreaths are drawn under the lamp. When the sedan body swings, the wreaths sway along with it, showing another elegant style.
On the roof of the first sedan chair, a unicorn embroidered with silver all over its body stands proudly, with its front hoof curled up, its mouth open towards the sky, and the silver whiskers on both sides are curled upwards, sending out strings of strings with the fluctuations of the sedan chair body. The rope is trembling endlessly; Qilin's eyes are looking at the bright candle flames on all sides of the sedan chair, and the gleaming green light is shining brightly, as if it were alive.
With just these two big pearls, this unicorn was brought alive!
I am fascinated by the embroidery work, look at the scales and armor on the unicorn, how delicate and delicate the embroidery is!It's all braided with fine hair-like silver threads, how much thought does it take? !
If the fourth judge sees this kind of spectacle, the funny man in the town will bite his pipe and say, "He won't be able to sleep. I'm afraid that eight generations of his ancestors have never seen such fine silver embroidery and such big pearls." !
Just look at the two sedan chairs, someone said: The firecrackers welcoming the sedan chairs went off again.
The second lit sedan chair was from the second house; among the seven families in Wanjia Building, the number of people in the head of the second house was not very high, and it was handed down for many generations, until it was in the hands of the great-grandfather of Mr. Xiaogu, Mr. Chaoxiang. Exuberant, but suffered another fire disaster, which burned a large area of real estate in a street into burnt wall frames.But Erfang is a house clan who is very competitive and desperate for face, so in the hands of Grandpa Chaoxiang, he ceded half of the wild reeds to the long house, managed a huge sum of money, and reset the property that had been robbed by fire.When the young master became the family, the second family seemed to have added a red umbrella that could cover the sky. No matter what he did, the young master would always walk ahead of the other families.
Young Master Gu skipped school and refused to study since he was a child. He played with guns and sticks all day long. When he grew up, he turned into a lively bison, as if he had horns all over his body.The bright sedan chair from Erfang was not as ornately decorated as the previous one, but it had a wild look.
The twenty-four bearers of the second sedan chair were all young men selected from the gun team of the second room, no more than twenty-three or four years old, each wearing a sleeveless tight-fitting animal leather vest with a wide belt around the waist There is a ring of silver stars all over the belt; the hat is also sewn from four pieces of animal skin with the tile hair facing outwards; the trousers of the black trousers are rolled up high, revealing a strong and hairy calf, with thin bottom tubes under the feet Boots, the boots are also decorated with a circle of furious animal hair.When the bright sedan chair was brought over, the crowd far away couldn't tell whether it was a group of people carrying the sedan chair or a nest of tigers and leopards.
The gongs and drums following the bright sedan chair also struck a rough and hasty idea. The bearer of the sedan chair moved forward three times and stepped back, making the fake tiger on the roof of the sedan chair made of a whole piece of tiger skin move evenly. The tail also flicked left or right.Although the sedan chair in the second room is also decorated with colorful colored glass around it, which is equally dazzling and dazzling, but those colored glass beads are all strung together into all kinds of ferocious animal pictures, not even a single flower. However, a two-foot-high three-legged copper tripod was placed in the tripod, and sandalwood was burned in the tripod. In addition to the moving light emitted from the fluttering flame tongue to illuminate the colorful troupe on the car body, it also illuminated the whole street. Leaves a strong aroma.
Young Master Gu of the second room was wearing a black bunt, riding a saddleless black horse, leading the bridle and sprinting to the front from the side of the sedan chair. There were three or four horses following him, and none of the gunmen brought them tonight. gun.
Hey, Gu Ye.Da Banya pulled the pipe out of his mouth this time: You are bold, you are really bold, this is the four judges who are coming to the meeting! Baoye and Yeye all have guns, you are playing empty-handed .
Big die, you bastard!Young Master Gu’s eyes are always sharp when he speaks: I don’t play with a gun, but when I play, I won’t put my heart on other things like Baoye and Yeye, and it would be meaningless to play like that!No meaning, you understand?That's just fake audacity.
The second lit sedan chair turned and entered the big square in front of Wanjialou. Along the perimeter of the square, tall poles were erected like a dense forest, and all kinds of lanterns and lanterns were shaking on the poles. There were more crowds watching the games, with heads rolling all over the place, small buildings, balconies, and low stone walls. There were crowds of people everywhere, and there were a few streams of people following the bright lights from all the streets. sedan chair, all the way into the square.Young Master rode up to the stone steps in front of the building, looked up from under the stone steps, and on the high platform of the twenty-fourth floor, there was a row of grand master chairs, all of which were still empty, only the owner of the long room and the fourth room His old nephew Wan Liang was talking.
Hey, Shiye, where is our leader Baoye?Little Guy said: When all the lit sedan chairs have entered the arena, it's time to start the race!
Wan Shiye saw Young Master Gu, left Wan Liang hurriedly, put his arms around the leather robe and ran down the stone steps and said, "Don't worry, Brother Gu, our Wanjia Building has some distinguished guests tonight, and Brother Bao Fang rode a horse to invite them." La.
VIP? !Young Master Gu's eyebrows were blackened: Do you know who it is?
Released the Liuhe gang in the black pine forest, and surrendered to the prison of the Guandong Shanguan Baye.Wan Shiye smiled at Little Guy and said: You should call him a distinguished guest!
小牯爺不屑的聳聳肩膀，話頭兒有些火氣：貴客，當然嘍，世保跟你兩人外強中乾，一心真怕他四判官真會打出黑虎偷心拳，關八爺來了正好壯壯你們的膽子，還有不是貴客的嗎？ !我說世業，世保他雖說年紀比我小兩歲，他可是萬家樓的一族之長，你們可不能在外人面前漏出怯相來，既亮出話去不把四判官放在眼裏，一面可又處處小心火燭幹啥來？ !
I!我倒沒這個意思，小牯哥，萬世業說：祗是保哥他說過防人之心不可無，萬一他四判官進來，咱們是有備無患，我說：你老二房誇稱膽子大，我覺得有些有勇無謀，若是四判官真趁機捲進來，打咱們一個措手不及，咱們難道還得放著一條大街讓他燒？ !
好罷，小牯爺攤開手說：讓你們有備無患，我是更放心看會，有什麼不好？ !不過有句話我得說明白，就是他四判官真在這三天會期裏捲得來，也是咱們萬家樓族裏的事，用不著拉上關八他來幫忙；他英雄好漢他的，萬家樓的事從沒請外人插過手，今夜他是客，明早請他走路，免得日後留話他說萬家樓對四判官碰火，全是我關某人拔刀相助的。這份人情咱們還不起呀！
萬世業苦笑著搖搖頭，他真想不透小牯爺這種陰陽不定的脾氣，在往常，他是跟各地混世的朋友打得最火熱的一個人，他也不止一次惦記過關八爺，今夜就算在火頭上罷，說起話來也未免太不近人情了，不過對方說完幾句火氣話之後，也就沒再爭嘴，兜轉馬頭說：算啦，起賽要緊，你瞧，有五頂亮轎進了場了，咱們不能耽誤時刻，我去找世保去，他不來沒有個主兒呀！
小牯爺一夾馬，就從廣場一角竄進後巷去了。
六合幫腿子靠進萬梁家的鋪兒時，街頭的亮轎還沒有過完。這一群粗莽的漢子們推著鹽車趕了一整天的長路，除了沾霜的枯柳，衰草落葉，再就是灰霾霾的天色下的野蘆葦和滿眼風沙。鹽車一進萬家樓，人潮、燈影、龍鞭、鑼敲鼓打的喧嘩，直把他們像推進五顏六色的彩夢裏一樣，一種明亮，輕快的狂歡世界，在一剎間躍進他們的眼，無怪一個個全像剛出洞的獾狗，把剩餘的精力全放在豪笑裏迸出來了。
我操他個外祖奶奶罷！大狗熊像喝水似的罵開來了：我敢賭他媽血淋淋的咒，這種熱鬧老子從來沒瞧見過！這是啥？金山銀山堆成的轎子，稀奇！可算是稀奇！一面說著，人在萬梁鋪的廊簷下面背靠牆，一隻腿蹬在鹽車把兒上，使手背擦著口水朝一邊亂甩。
噯噯噯，你他媽文明點兒！石二矮子說：我可沒求雨呀！屌熊口水甩得人一眼的！
不關緊，不關緊，大狗熊說：我他媽不甩不就成了？窮嚷個屌毛！看會要緊。
乖乖，這是哪家的閨女？這麼個俊法兒？ !石二矮子指著騎馬挑燈籠，走在亮轎前的姑娘說：這比畫紙上的美人兒還要俏三分嘛！誰他娘有福娶到這種媳婦，就該一輩子不離被窩
石二矮子使舌頭舐著上唇，正待找兩句更什麼的話說說，誰知被人從身後一把抓住大襖的後領，猛的朝後一帶，又朝上一拎，弄得他恁啥話也說不出來。石二矮子雙手護著頸子扭過頭去，開二腳（第二輛車的掌車者）的向老三一臉冷得發青。
Shut up!向老三低低的但卻朗朗的吐出兩個字來：要是你想活出萬家樓，你就閉嘴！
石二矮子慌忙像磕頭蟲似的點頭；他不能不點頭，因為他再不點頭，頸子叫領口鎖住，迫得他喘不出氣來了。向老三手一鬆，石二矮子連忙吸了兩口氣，扯著向老三說：兄弟夥，甭那麼神經好吧？叫人弄不清真假了。
你知她是誰？向老三這才緩和下來，悄聲說：她是萬家族裏的小姑奶奶，你好歹省些事，你若油嘴薄舌，叫萬家恁是誰聽了去，當心你那腦袋！
石二矮子當著向老三伸伸舌頭，等向老三轉身進店，立即擠眉弄眼的朝大狗熊扮個鬼臉說：就算她是公主娘娘罷，背後也封不住人的嘴呀？ !萬家的小姑奶奶跟我姓石的啥相干？除非她這輩子不嫁，當個磁佛供著。
大狗熊哪還理會石二矮子的閒話，他兩眼像遇上吸鐵石，被吸在最後一抬亮轎上，七房的這抬亮轎簡直是抬寶轎，廿四把抬轎手全穿著寶藍的緊身緞子褂褲，腰裏繫著同色的緞帶，胸前和袖口，嵌上琉璃的花邊；論轎身的裝飾，比長房那抬轎子更顯得雅緻，轎身以碧色琉璃珠串成的八仙過海圖為主色，配上一卷卷白色的煙雲，遠遠望上去，簡直就是栩栩的活的丹青。轎頂上，立著五隻七彩的鳳凰，不用說是取五鳳朝陽的意思，每隻鳳凰從頭至尾總有四尺，那彩尾展垂在轎簷外面，鳳身係由各色琉璃珠和金葉裹成，鳳腹裏亮著百十盞燈，把鳳身從裏到外映得通明；鳳頭鳳尾全採用較軟的鋼絲彈簧，轎身一動，那些彩鳳便搧動翼子，點著頭，搖搧著長尾，一股展翼入雲的樣子。
噯噯，老哥，石二矮子在廊下攫著個看熱鬧的：會在哪兒起賽啊？
十字街口的空場兒上。那人說：你能不能鬆開手？ !我的袖子快叫你扯爛啦。
石二矮子鬆開手，使手肘碰觸著大狗熊的大腿：我說，咱們免調當啦（鹽梟暗語，把吃飯稱為調當。），兔腿揣在懷裏，各把壺水子，那邊看會去。
噓大狗熊說：八爺交代過的那番話，你又全扔到腦後去啦？咱們也祗是在這兒溜溜邊兒就夠了，明兒大早起腳，你當真通宵不睡？再說，咱哥倆一雙屁股鎬筒兒，還是少走為妙。等調當了了，咱們滾滾就扯蒙子（鹽梟暗語，意指賭完就睡。）。
咱們祗走一會兒，石二矮子幾近懇求說：萬家樓這麼大法兒，各街各巷燈火通明，沒有做伴的，我怕會迷在那裏。咱們閉著嘴不惹事不就是了？ !
I dont go.Big Bear said.
亮轎後面緊接著各房族的花鼓會，鼓點子砰隆隆像一陣急雨，石二矮子憋不住說：大狗熊，說真個兒的，你若真的不去，我可要單溜了。
矮鬼你真的要去？ !大狗熊說：當心八爺會擄你一頓！
其實關八爺一點兒也不知石二矮子溜走的事，萬梁的鋪子是他的熟地方；店主萬梁也是個混世走道兒的人，除了開這間萬梁鋪，兼替萬家樓稅卡收鹽稅之外，在鎮上也設有一爿鹽槽子（收購新鹽的鹽店）。
萬梁收鹽稅，按萬老爺子所訂的老例子，每百包抽一包，萬梁槽子從不截各幫各路的腿子（有很多鹽槽仗著地方權勢，硬以較低價格強收過路私鹽，謂之截腿子。），凡是過湖鹽（從產地海州運過洪澤湖銷售者。）過境，隨領腿子的意，多少留下一些齁兒（鹽梟暗語，鹽之別稱。），供給萬家各族以及各處田莊食用；而槽上開出的盤口，總比湖西還要高些。
關八爺一下牲口，鋪裏就有人牽去大麥騾上槽加料，萬梁鋪裏的老賬房程青雲，戴著青緞的瓜皮小帽，穿著整整齊齊的長袍馬褂趕過來抱拳迎客，見了關八爺，一躬到地說：萬家樓小地方，今夜有八爺這般的人物光臨，真是難得。適才族主保爺親來關照過，要咱們小心侍候著八爺，待會兒保爺還要來的。
吩咐雷一炮把十六把腿子暫在長廊下靠妥，關八爺這才挑起門簾兒進店。
萬梁鋪是爿規模宏大的店鋪，接待來往的行商旅客兼營吃食，前排是棟五間通的敞屋，大顯門筆直放得進車馬，通道自影壁牆起朝兩面分開，四面的高牆圍住一進廣闊的院落，東牆搭一溜兒長棚專歇牲口，西牆搭一溜兒長棚專停各式車輛；中進五間是一般的客堂，五盞帶笠的大樸燈終夜點亮，從東路過長牆邊的側門，另有一座花廳。
老賬房程師爺走在關八爺身側說：八爺，請過那邊，保爺他業已設了兩桌薄酒，算是替八爺您洗塵；今兒晚上鎮上行賽會，保爺怕是抽不出空兒來，所以請七房裏的珍爺來陪客，等八爺您用罷飯，保爺自會來接您去看賽會
保爺他真是太看重兄弟了！關八爺感慨萬千的說。
關八爺望著這所寬廣的大宅子，在東西長棚棚簷懸掛的馬燈下面展現著，花還是花，樹還是樹，一切都還像十多年前的老樣兒，不知有多少夜晚，六合幫在這兒靠腿子，迎客的也都是這位程師爺。如今自家認得他，而他也許祗認得黑松林義釋彭老漢越獄走關東的關八爺，卻認不出當年拉車的小伙子關東山了，同樣的，保爺這樣款待自家，也款的是虛名藉藉的關八，可不是當年頭撞黑漆棺，呼天不應喚地不靈的拉車小子。關八關八，你當真在人眼裏成了個英雄了麼？ !謀害六合幫的仇人沒踩著底兒，獄卒秦鎮秦大哥的女兒下落不明，也沒能報恩，有哪點夠得著英雄？ !
珍爺，珍爺！程師爺先一步搶進花廳叫說：關八爺來了。
噢，八爺，珍爺人沒出來話先出來了：萬世珍久慕八爺的名，咱們家的兄弟保爺，更把八爺佩服得不得了！今兒可總算見到了。珍爺挑簾子出來，一把把關八爺握得緊緊的，抽出另一隻手挑簾子讓關八爺進屋，跟著說：程師爺，煩您關照外廂諸位掌腿子的老哥們，一道兒進來用酒，晚了怕耽誤看賽會。
在萬家樓待過的人，大多數全曉得七房裏珍爺這個人，雖說在同輩裏數他年紀最長，四十來歲的人了，玩心還跟廿來歲的小伙子一樣；他那條左腿走起路來有些跛，那是多年前學騎馬摔壞了；耳朵邊有塊疤，是練飛刀入石柱時小攮子蹦回來斬的；那之後，珍爺就沒再玩過那些玩意兒。
若說珍爺就是天生的小膽子也未免有些冤枉，實在珍爺的體質弱些，不適合玩那些野的。珍爺攻書很下了一番功夫，經史子集多少懂得些，一筆魏碑也寫得有三分像樣兒，珍爺最拿手的事就是養花和飼鳥；這兩宗事，不但在萬家樓沒人比得，就是北地各縣，珍爺在這方面也真算是一把手。除了花和鳥，珍爺最感有興致的事就是賽會了。
我說珍爺，我有句冒昧話先得陳明了，關八爺說：兄弟今天重領六合幫幾把腿子過境，蒙萬家樓幾位有臉有面的爺們賞賜一席，咱們感謝不盡，我關八替那幫兄弟當面謝過。我業已交代明兒大早拔腿子。我看珍爺，這賽會麼，不必了。
哪兒的話，珍爺說：咱們祗當是軟扣您三天，等賽會行過了再放八爺您上路。這回您可越不得獄了，這場賽會您非看不可。
我倒是無所謂的，關八爺苦笑笑：祗是我手底下這夥子野性兄弟，活蹦活跳像花果山下來的猴精，我擔心萬一弄出岔子來，對保爺和您都不好交代。
在酒席上，關八爺查點人數，十六個人缺了兩個，雷一炮說：這兩個傢伙，一花眼功夫就背著人溜掉了，準是去看賽會去了。
您瞧八爺，珍爺說：兄弟猜得準，諸位老哥們既想看賽會，就早早兒的用了飯去罷，稍待一會兒，保爺怕也就要過來了。適才保爺跟舍妹菡英說起諸位來鎮，舍妹要我堅請諸位賞臉，看看她親自裝點的轎子。
萬世珍說完話，關八爺附著雷一炮的耳朵說：老哥，等歇要各人捎上嘴子。看樣子，萬一遇上四判官捲得來，各位都準備自保了
月出時退開的雲塊又聚合起來，一度停落的風又在火把頭上出現了。七台亮轎齊臨高樓前的廣場，轎子外面，七班鑼鼓繞成七個圓環，交替的敲打著新奇的鼓點子；也許有些人在賽會前真個擔心賽會場上會冒出朱四判官來，驚天動地的開槍對火，鬧出一番大事故，等到出了會，這才發現擔心是多餘的；來看賽會的人擠在廣場四周，黑壓壓一片人頭少說也有幾千，高樓的巨大的影子在火光和燈華中高舉進雲裏去，不由不使人安心，使人想到憑他朱四判官甭說撼不動這座高樓，祗怕他那伙打總算，也搬不動樓基的一塊大石頭！
石二矮子拎著酒壺，把半隻啃剩的兔腿揣在懷裏，隨著滾動的人潮擠向廣場這邊來，人是那樣多法兒，上上下下全叫擠直了，腿捱著腿，肩膀抗著肩膀，那股人氣火炕炕的，一股汗味。石二矮子人太矮了，活像掉在人坑裏，儘管踮著腳尖，伸長頸子，仍舊看不見什麼好看的，除了高竿頭上挑著的燈籠和一些擠動的人頭。高處既佔不著便宜，腦筋就朝低處轉，石二矮子就埋下腦袋來，從旁人腰間朝前猛竄。
矮鬼，噯，石二矮子，你弄到誰的襠底下去啦？ !明明聽見是大狗熊的聲音，叫鑼鼓打成幾截兒了：咦，剛剛還看見他竄過來的，真是見了鬼了？ !
我在這兒咧，大狗熊，你怎麼也來了？ !石二矮子說著，摸著聲音擠過去，擠了好半晌擠至大狗熊說話的地方，沒見大狗熊的人影兒，忽又聽見大狗熊的聲音在自己擠過來的地方窮嚷嚷，越嚷越去的遠了。
真他娘的悶氣，石二矮子嘟囔說：這豈不是弄到漩渦上推起大磨來了？ !
俗說聚蚊成雷一點兒也沒錯，人群一麇聚，聽那種鬨鬨鬨鬨的囂音罷，真像開了閘門倒了壩一個樣兒，喊爹的、叫娘的、拾帽的、找鞋的、外加上鞭炮，采聲和震耳欲聾的鑼鼓，把人腦袋全撐脹了。石二矮子既沒找得到高個兒的大狗熊，祗好一味瞎擠，總巴望能擠到最前頭去，誰知擠來擠去的還是陷在人窩兒，貼身的衣褲全濕透了，汗氣蒸騰像隻剛出籠的饅頭。
噯，老哥，亮轎這玩意倒是怎麼個賽法兒？
那個人順著聲音低下頭，這才找著說話的石二矮子：你也來湊這份熱鬧？ !我的天，你擠在人窩裏能看得見什麼？ !那人捏著短煙袋桿兒，吱起大板牙，說話時細長的頸子一伸一伸的，使石二矮子想起白天在野蘆蕩邊看見過的魚顎子。
我是問，亮轎是怎麼個賽法兒？
噢，亮轎怎麼賽法？那人的眼珠滴溜打轉說：我說，你是外路來的罷？嗯，這亮轎麼？除了賽裝潢，還得賽廿四個抬轎人的身手。起賽的時刻，在廣場當中豎起兩排紅漆木桿兒，每隔五尺遠豎一根，排成七彎八折的樣兒，每頂轎子配上一班鑼鼓，依著鑼鼓點兒走花步，一路穿過那條彎彎曲曲的由紅漆棍排成的道兒。走完一次又一次，七頂轎子銜著轉，在紅漆棍排成的道兒裏耍花樣兒，依照各轎耍出的新奇花樣計點，壓尾是奔轎，鑼鼓聲點子一變，咚咚不息的像一陣急雨，主槓手一聲吆喝，那廿來個齊一步子，抬得轎子在彎道兒裏狂奔，左閃右閃，左轉右轉，不能摔倒人，更不能摔倒轎子，連碰歪了一根紅漆棍也要扣點兒。
噢噢噢，石二矮子說：原來還有這多的名堂？ !Oops!咱們這光顧著講話，叫擠到哪兒來啦？ !
你可甭急，二哥，那人說：要看賽會還早著呢，天剛落黑頓把飯時辰，往年起賽會，哪回不熱鬧到四更天？你人矮擠不進人圈去，要看得真切請跟我走，穿過那條小巷兒，那還有道矮石牆，人騎在牆上，啥景兒全走不出眼界的。
喝，那敢情好！石二矮子興沖沖的說：到那邊，我請你喝壺酒，你瞧，酒在這兒，他把酒壺拎在眉毛上晃了晃，又掏出一塊烤得焦黃的兔腿說：野蘆蕩裏的兔子，真夠肥，咱們邊喝邊看賽會，才叫夠味兒不是？ !
就是了！那人附和著說：我早知野蘆蕩的兔子夠肥的。咱們走罷。
兩人返身朝外擠，到底身高眼亮，有那人帶領著，不消一會就打人窩裏擠出來了，那人領著石二矮子繞著高樓打轉走，一路全是石板鋪成的窄巷子，兩面夾著高牆，由東面轉至西邊，果然有道四尺來高的矮石牆把廣場隔開，牆頭上也擠了不少孩子，在那兒拍著巴掌。
就要起會了，一個說：保爺跟那個關八爺上階台了。
看那群走鹽的那種土匪樣兒。另一個說。
石二矮子一聽，心裏一寬，暗想關八爺跟一夥人到底叫人家拖得來了，該不會怪我領先溜號了罷。
來，酒壺我替你拎著，你先爬牆。said the man.
石二矮子把酒壺遞過去，對方接過壺，有意無意的掂了掂。
嘎，不用掂，這是頭號壺，我關照店家裝得滿滿的，夠你喝的就是了，石二矮子說：老哥，你可甭把好酒給潑撒掉了。
石二矮子轉臉朝牆伸出兩隻手去，勉強夠得著牆頭，正當他兩臂發力一彎肘彎子，整個身體懸空的時刻，聽見身後那人說：喏，二哥你太小氣了，還你這壺酒！說著說著的，石二矮子就覺後腦瓜子一麻，天旋地轉，人就像一條死狗似的蜷縮到牆角根去了。
個狗入的笨賊，那人把砸扁了的錫酒壺扔開說：你也沒豎起耳朵打聽打聽，萬家樓有幾個大板牙？嘿，你沒張嘴我就知道你嘴裏長的是牙！在老子面前，容得你這替四判官臥底的？老子眼裏連粒沙子全容不得呢！
開玩笑石二矮子迷迷糊糊的說：大狗熊，他娘的，有你在一道兒，我腦袋就不會吃酒壺了
大板牙一聽，趕急把扔在一旁的酒壺又撿起來，照準石二矮子腦門正中重新來上一傢伙，可憐那扁了的酒壺又叫石二矮子的腦袋敲成圓的了
而大狗熊沒有石二矮子這種運氣，他改變主意來追石二矮子，忘記從櫃上拎酒。在這般擁擠的人群裏找矮人，真比海裏撈針還難，大狗熊仗著胳膊粗，蠻勁足，橫著身在人窩裏擠來擠去擠了好幾趟，也沒找著半根矮鬼毛。
真他娘十足邪門鬼，矮鬼又不是土行孫（封神榜上人物，善土遁。），明明看見著，說遁就不知遁到哪個地穴裏去了！大狗熊咕噥著，擠到了廣場前面。
七頂亮轎已經在起賽了，在各班鑼鼓的導引下，繞著廣場四周緩緩的移動著。廣場當中，有些穿短打的漢子們正在立桿子，桿子之間橫扯著彩緞的帶子；那些晶瑩透亮的亮轎在抬槓子的步伐下起伏著，彷彿結成一條彩龍。長房的麒麟轎，二房的虎轎，三房的金雞轎，五房的銀兔轎七房的彩鳳轎，各有各的特色，令人眼花繚亂。大狗熊把腦袋伸在人頭上望著，樂得連口水也忘記吸了。
亮轎踏進紅漆木桿插成的窄道時，頭頂轎的主槓手吹了一聲長長的呼哨兒，鑼鼓點子打出亂插花，顫索而急促的：
咚咚咚咚吃咚克咚鏘！咚咚咚吃咚克咚鏘！
那廿四個抬轎手便踩準了鼓點子，腳跟打著屁股，擺動身體跳將起來，前面十三個人矮身，後面十一個人躍起，前面十三個人躍起，後面十一個人又朝下蹲身；這樣一來，那頂轎子便像浮在一波接一波的大浪上，轎角的四盞宮燈，隨著轎身抖動，悠來蕩去的打著鞦韆，宮燈下垂懸的瓔珞，不時碰擊著，炸出碗大的晶花。等到頭檯轎的鼓音剛歇，二檯轎的鼓音又起，鼓手打的是炸豆兒鼓：
咚，咚彈咚，咚，咚彈咚，咚彈咚彈咚彈咚！
二檯轎的抬轎手跳步很奇，無論下半身怎樣瘋狂的跳法兒，抬著轎的肩膀卻像山一般的穩紮；他們一齊舉腿前飛，舉腿後踢，舉腿左揚，舉腿右甩，簡直形成一面腿山，不斷的飛出層層腿影來，但是那檯轎子彷彿動全沒動過，直到走完那條彎曲的桿陣，燈全沒搖一搖。
Hurrah!Hurrah!人群一條聲的喳呼著。聲音還沒落下去，第三檯轎子又隨著另一種鼓音闖進桿陣裏來了。第三檯轎的廿四個抬轎手抬著那頂轎前竄五步，猛的挺胸蹲腿，凸著肚皮走起鴨子步來，每人雙手叉腰不扶轎桿，身子朝後大仰著，彷彿祗要拴條細線朝後一牽，連人帶轎全會仰臉朝天。這樣大膽的身法和步法，若沒經苦心調教，是決計走不出來的，人群裏爆出的采聲也就更多了。
大狗熊踮著腳尖站久了，趁第三檯轎子過去，第四檯轎子還沒接上之前，趁機彎彎膝蓋，偶然從廣場的空隙間看見高樓前廿四級扇展的台階，台階上面的平台上安排了一排太師椅，關八爺跟那伙弟兄，全都大模大樣的坐在那裏，叼著洋菸捲的也有，品黃茶的也有，笑