This rain has not fallen, and eight or nine out of ten people in Tangjia Village will have no harvest this year, and I don't know how many people can survive and how many people can starve to death.

The drought was in full swing, and it was raining in the sky, and it was getting heavier and heavier, and it seemed like the river was filling up with water and the ground was overflowing.

"Dad, can I pay less taxes this year?" Tang Qing'er asked as she looked at the rain.

"Yes, the last time I went back to the village, Li Zheng said to me: It said that our whole town is in a bad situation and we need to reduce taxes, otherwise let the big guys live."

Tang Qing'er really felt that the peasants were really bitter, at this time, the treasury was filled with agricultural taxes, and the peasants had to rely on the sky to eat, and one would be hungry if he was not careful, looking at this scene, after the autumn harvest this year, there must be many people who went out to find short-term jobs to earn money to supplement their families, otherwise they could really starve to death.

The rain has been falling for three days, and there is a tendency to stop, Tang Qing'er said to her father: "Looking at the sky, it's still not good, Dad, when the weather is clear, you can go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine!" ”

Tang Tiezhu was puzzled: "What are you doing when you buy medicine?" None of the family members were sick. ”

Tang Qing'er said: "Dad, I read in the book that if it rains again and again after a great drought, it will make people sick, so I want you to go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine in case you need it." "When watching costume dramas, it is easy to have plagues when you often play this situation, so it's better to plan ahead.

"Well, then I'll go to the pharmacy and ask the doctor what medicine to take." Tang Tiezhu was a little anxious when he heard this.

"Dad is not in a hurry," human life is not worth much in this era, and maybe when you encounter a cold, you will die of illness.

Tang Tiezhu didn't wait for his daughter to finish speaking, he went to the pharmacy in his robe, asked a few medicines to cure wind and cold from the doctor, grabbed a few, and after returning home, handed the prescription to his daughter and said, "This is the medicine prescribed by the doctor,"

Taking the recipe, Tang Qing'er took a look, there were two recipes: one is two coins each for mulberry leaves and mint, three coins for white chrysanthemums, three coins for bamboo leaves, and three coins for light tempeh, and the other is relatively simple: three dollars each for perilla leaves and ginger, four dollars for tangerine peel, and six dollars for brown sugar, these medicines are not expensive, she asked her father to buy some more, the more the merrier.

A few days later, Tang Tiezhu took the ox cart to Tangjia Village to see his father and his own house, and Tang Qinger said: "Dad, I'll go with you!" ”

Tang Tiezhu said: "What are you going to do?" Stay at home! Now that there is a great drought and a big flood, the world is so chaotic, what are you doing when your daughter's family goes out? ”

Tang Qing'er thought about it, and was a little worried about her father: "Then you go quickly, save me and my mother worry." ”

"Yes, you can get into the house quickly!" Tang Tiezhu urged.

After Tang Qing'er closed the door, she saw Ren Yazi from the crack in the door with several thin babies passing by the door of her house, she had asked Xue Qianxun about Ren Yazi, he said: "Those people Yazi see where the disaster is, where they go, at that time, there are more people selling children and daughters, and because they are in a hurry to use the money, the price is much lower than before, and Ren Yazi can also make a lot of money." ”

Tang Qing'er felt heavy in her heart when she saw this scene, the reality made people very helpless, those who sold their sons and daughters, who were willing to sell their own flesh and blood, they really couldn't support themselves, and there was no way out, so they could be maids for others, at least they could eat enough.

At this time, a couple came over with a female baby, and the man sighed and said to the human teeth: "You bought my girl!" ”

Ren Yazi stopped, looked at the girl and said, "Listen to what you say,"

The little girl whispered: "Mother, don't sell me." Although her voice was low, she could be heard shivering.

The woman took the man's hand and cried, "Don't sell peaches, she's not your daughter, you don't have the right to sell her!" ”

Seeing that the two disagreed, Ren Yazi said impatiently: "Whether to sell or not, don't delay my business." ”

The man lowered his waist and said with a whisker: "Sell, sell, you wait a while." ”

The man pulled away the woman's hand and said indignantly: "You all said that she is not my daughter, I have raised her for so many years, and now my baby can't eat enough, so I sold her to let my younger siblings eat, isn't it right?" I don't want to do this, selling her is also a way out, if you can enter a big family as a maid, you can also reduce the burden on the family, Tao'er, you said that Daddy is right, it's a big deal that Dad doesn't ask for more money from people's teeth, as long as she sells you to a big family, maybe in a few years the family life will be better than I am redeeming you. ”

Tang Qing'er sighed on the side: If only it could be so simple, being a subordinate of someone else, whether it is dead or alive, I can't be the master myself, this is what my stepfather does, the choice between relatives and non-relatives.

"She's only a few years old, if she goes to a big family, she won't even have her life if she offends someone!" Seeing that the man was still bent on going his own way, the woman took the girl's hand and said.

"Tao'er herself is an honest baby, if she enters a big family, she can be safe and secure without causing trouble, you don't have to worry about her," the man looked at the people's teeth a little impatiently, and hurriedly said again, and finally said: "If you don't agree, then sell our baby, what?" ”

The woman didn't dare to say a word, and let go of the girl's hand pitifully.

The man said a lot of flattering words to the man's teeth, and the man's teeth gave him an extra silver tael, so that the man pressed a handprint, and took the girl away, the woman kept crying in the back, and finally the man slapped her, she didn't dare to cry, the man blew his beard and glared: "Don't go home to cook yet!" ”

The woman trotted after the man, not daring to cry.

Tang Qing'er wanted to save the girl, but there are so many babies behind the human teeth, and one can't save so many, and now at this time, the family can't buy so many babies at all, even if they buy it, there is not so much food at home, and their own food is not enough to eat.

Tang Qing'er went back to the house in a depressed mood, Li called her to eat at noon, she said that she had no appetite, she lay on the bed, and asked herself if she was a little unable to save herself, but another voice said: "It's difficult to live by yourself, where can you take care of others," In this struggle, Tang Qing'er fell asleep with her eyes closed.

Tang Tiezhu drove the ox cart back to Tangjia Village, and on the way he saw that the houses of other families in the village were all muddy due to the low terrain, and when he walked to his house, he saw that his own house and his second brother's house had nothing to do, and he was glad that he said: "Fortunately, I believed my daughter's words when I built the house, and the terrain was higher, so the water did not enter the house." ”

Tang Tiexiong opened a waterway in the yard to let the water in the yard flow out along the passage, and saw the eldest brother driving a carriage and said: "The rain has just stopped, and the road is not good, you can still come." ”

Tang Tiezhu said with a smile: "I'm worried about everyone, so I'll come over and have a look." ”

Tang Tiexiong said: "The two of us are fine, I don't know how the other ones are, and I don't have time to see them, so I advise you not to go." ”

"No, it's better to take a look at peace of mind, I'll come back later, and the ox cart will be put at your house first." Tang Tiezhu said honestly.

Tang Tiexiong waved his hand and said, "Go, I'll help you tie the ox cart to the tree, go and come back quickly." ”

Here Tang Tiezhu went to his father to see what the situation was, over there Tang Tiefeng took Ma Shi to the town to find the eldest brother's house for help, Tang Qing'er was sleeping in the house, heard the sound of knocking on the door outside, got up to take a look, and listened to the outside: "Big brother, sister-in-law, you open the door, I really have no choice, you save your nephew and niece, big brother, I was wrong before, I shouldn't have been like that, you forgive me, sister-in-law, I won't be like that again, you open the door." ”

This voice attracted the three brothers Li and Tang Yang inside and behind the house, Tang Yang couldn't help frowning, and Li hurriedly said: "It's your third aunt outside, Qing'er hurry up and open the door." ”

After the door opened, Ma didn't care about anything else, and when he saw Li, he knelt down for her and said: "Sister-in-law, save your nephew, he has a fever in the past two days, I didn't take it seriously at first, I thought it was a cold, but this morning he has been crying since he opened his eyes, and his forehead is still hot." ”

Li touched the little baby's forehead and said, "Then hurry up and send it to the medicine shop, what's the use of sending me here?" ”

Ma Shi cried and said: "I went, but the medicine in the shop was robbed, saying that since the heavy rain, many people have begun to have a fever and cold, and most of them are little babies,"

When Li heard this, he thought of the taro in the house, and he didn't dare to let them into the house, for fear of infecting the taro, so he said to Tang Qing'er: "I remember you asked your father to go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine, hurry up and boil a pair of them,"

Tang Qing'er hurriedly responded, and the three Tang Yang brothers went to the kitchen to help.

Thinking of a few babies in the family, he said to Ma's: "According to what you say, now this disease is contagious, and I have many babies in my family, and I don't dare to let you enter the house rashly, you go to the gatehouse with me to stay!" ”

As long as her son can be fine, she is willing to let Ma go wherever she wants, Tang Tiefeng hugged his two daughters, Ma took his son to the gatehouse next to the courtyard gate, and after a while, Tang Qinger came over with a bowl of medicine and said to Ma: "Third aunt, this is a prescription to cure wind and cold, and the medicine was also bought by my father from the doctor, we will boil it out according to the amount written on the prescription, you quickly feed your cousin to drink the medicine." He took another bowl of ginger soup and said to Tang Tiefeng: "Third uncle, this is the ginger soup I boiled, you feed oranges and green children to drink, and go to the cold,"

After two hours, Ma touched her son's forehead, the fever actually subsided, she cried with joy, this son was bought by her life, and nothing could make him have any mistakes.

After Tang Tiezhu returned home, he saw the third family and said, "Where are you here?" No wonder I went to your house and didn't see anyone. ”

At this time, Ma Shi was sleeping on the kang with a few babies in his arms, and Tang Tiefeng said sullenly: "Tao'er has a fever, I took him to see a doctor, but I didn't know that there was no medicine in the shop, so I came to my eldest brother's house to try it." ”

"Oh," Tang Tiezhu didn't know what to say, and replied lightly.

When Li and a few babies watched Tang Tiezhu come back, Li said, "Did you enter the hospital and see the third brother's family?" ”

"Yes"

Li sighed heavily, and Tang Tiezhu hurriedly said: "Daughter-in-law, you are patient, and as soon as Tao'er's illness is cured, I will let them go home." ”

"What are you thinking? Am I such a person? I'm thinking about how serious this disease is, and how many babies will die because of it, "Li doesn't know what the head of the family is thinking, I'm afraid that I will sulk because of the third family."