"I had a great conversation with Uncle Jing today, but it's almost time, and I have to say goodbye." Cen Erniang smiled kindly, and Jingzhi County, who met by chance on the street and went to the teahouse to talk together, arched her hand and said: "Yesterday, both parents have sent a letter from my senior brother to urge me to go back, and this time I am afraid that I will not be able to go to the house to disturb my uncle and aunt." ”

"That's a shame." Jingzhi County was very reluctant to say to Cen Erniang: "Erlang, you really can't go to my house to live for two days and then go back?" It's rare to meet you so coincidentally. Your aunt has heard me mention you, and she wants to see you. If she knows that I have seen you but does not invite you back, I am afraid that she will be entangled with me. You give your uncle a face and go to live at my house? ”

Cen Erniang, Yumo and others have gone out to visit around Lin'an County for many days, Cen Erye and Lin are very worried and worried about them at home, and two days ago, they finally couldn't help but send An Sanshao to come over to catch her and Cen Sanlang back.

An San rarely saw that Cen Erniang was moved, and looked at him fixedly with her clear eyes like water, with a pleading look on her face. He suddenly softened, and wanted to say that he would live and live, but thinking of the irritable gentleman, he ruthlessly looked away, did not look at her, and said to Jingzhi County: "Lord Jing, Mr. and Mrs. are very concerned about Erlang and Sanlang, and this time I have repeatedly told me to take them back as much as possible." Why don't you get back together next time? ”

"Alas...... All right. Jingzhi County bowed his head regretfully: "Those few people are careful on the road." Do you need me to send a few strong men to escort you back? On the road from Lin'an County to Anping Town, there are often bandits haunted......"

"Thank you uncle for your kindness, no need." Cen Erniang pointed to Zhao Yue, Yumo and An Sanshao beside him: "Senior brother, they are all masters, last time the senior brother led people to level Hengtian Peak, and now they are all called 'bandits are worried', there is a senior brother, those bandits have to avoid us when they see us." ”

An Sanshao raised his head arrogantly and said modestly: "Senior brother has won the award." In fact, he was happy to die in his heart, and he couldn't wait to sing and dance. Erlang's junior brother praised him and gave him a long face.

Jingzhi Xianlang said goodbye to them with a smile: "Then I wish you a smooth journey." ”

Cen Erniang and An Sanshao politely said goodbye to Jingzhi County, and then came out of the teahouse, and Cen Erniang and Cen Sanlang got into the carriage. Yumo and Zhao Yue led the way in front on horseback.

An Sanshao rode his horse and followed the carriage window, slowed down his horse when he was tired of running, and chatted with Cen Erniang in the car. Most of them said that in the days when she was away, how Second Master Cen tossed him even harder. Hearing this, Cen Erniang laughed.

Cen Saburo was playing with the gadgets Cen Erniang bought for him without distractions, and he was very happy, and his little jade face was full of smiles.

The carriage drove for three hours, and after entering the mountain and forest area, Cen Erniang could not hide her exhaustion. Close the car window and hug the sleepy Cen Saburo, leaning back against the cotton pillow and closing his eyes to recuperate.

This time, she and San Lang, Yumo, and Zhao Yue went to the most remote mountain villages and towns under the jurisdiction of Lin'an County, and found that the soil in those places was barren, and there was almost no fertile land under the hands of every household, and all they received were arid and rocky mountains. Only some sorghum and corn can be grown, and the output is still very low, so there is no way to grow wheat and rice.

Many farmers work hard for a year, and they can't even fill their stomachs, let alone file agricultural taxes. After the autumn harvest, the officials of the Commercial Tax Institute and the Yamen. Before going to the village to collect agricultural taxes, many people will first go to the mountain villages and towns to "receive the goods". Because many peasant families had to sell their sons and daughters to raise their taxes.

Walking through those places in person this time, Cen Erniang learned that the farmers in the mountains like to have more children, even if they can't afford to raise such children. Most people have the idea that "if the harvest is not good, they will pay taxes by selling their children". They breed offspring in order to sell their children for silver, and they have no flesh and blood affection at all, and they treat people more kindly than their own children.

This made Cen Erniang incomprehensible. Even more unacceptable.

When the master of the fortune operator told her about farmers selling their sons and girls, she only listened to the story. This time, she personally went to the small mountain villages and town fairs, and saw many peasant families happily receiving people and selling their children to them. In order to be able to sell for a high price. It doesn't matter what the child cries like, whether he wants to be sold or not.

She, Libai, and Zhao Yue also tried to stop this immoral practice many times, but they were collectively scolded and driven away by the people in the village. If it weren't for Yumo and Zhao Yue to protect her, their horses and carriages would have run fast, and she would have been injured by those ignorant mountain farmers.

Thinking about it at this time, Cen Erniang felt distressed and tired. As the master of fortune operators said. The only way to put an end to this kind of buying and selling of children is to increase the yield of crops so that every peasant household can have a bumper harvest every year, can afford to eat well, and can pay agricultural taxes.

At this moment, Cen Erniang knew how heavy the burden was on her body. She had already finished reading the agricultural books left to her by Master Bu Operator, as well as the agricultural books that Cen Erye, An Sanshao and Cen Dalang had collected for her from all over the country, and she had also visited experienced old farmers nearby, and even personally worked in the fields with the tenant farmers at home, and she also had a certain understanding of serving the crops.

However, this understanding is very limited. And the soil quality of each side is different, just in the southwest alone, there are thousands of kinds of soil. The farming habits of farmers are also very different.

At the moment, she has no confidence at all to increase the yield of crops in this area. She had no confidence to persuade stubborn farmers to follow the methods she taught. Not to mention, she herself is a novice in farming, with no theory and no practice.

Cen Erniang thought with a headache: Her master is really ruthless, and casually threw such a burden to her, how could she bear it?

Anyway, the rice must be eaten one bite at a time, and the farming must be done step by step. As the saying goes: things are man-made, anyway, she is still young, I don't believe that if she focuses on farming for 20 years, there will be no harvest! Even if there is even the slightest hope of improving the farmers' harvests, she cannot give up.

Go for it, Cen Qingzhi!

After Cen Erniang cheered herself up, she fell asleep leisurely. When she woke up, it was already dark outside, Cen Saburo was bored in the carriage, and ran outside to chat with Chang Yan, who was concentrating on driving the carriage.

A "grunting" sound sounded in her abdomen, and Cen Erniang blushed suddenly. She hadn't eaten for a long time, and her stomach was already empty. She looked at the food box placed in the corner of the carriage, swallowed her saliva, stuck her head out of the car, and said to An Sanshao, who was hurrying with torches: "Why don't we stop and eat something to rest?" ”

"It's fine." An Sanshao, Yumo, Zhao Yue and Chang Yan drove the horses and carriages to the open space on the side of the mountain road and stopped, and they just walked to the outside of the supply pavilion of the Ten Miles Pavilion in the middle of the mountain road.

This pavilion is called a "pavilion", but in fact it is just a simple wooden house built of wood and covered with thatched branches, which is convenient for motorcades and pedestrians to rest and shelter from the rain. In order to make it easier for the convoy to park the carriages and avoid blocking the passages. There is a wide open space around the barn.

Chang Yan jumped out of the carriage with Cen Sanlang in his arms, and put the stool on the ground, so that Cen Erniang could step on it and get out of the carriage.

When Cen Erniang got off the carriage with the food box, An Sanshao, Yumo and Zhao Yue had already tied up their horses. The dusty wooden tables and benches in the pavilion were cleaned.

Cen Erniang led Cen Sanlang into the simple wooden house lit by torches, opened the food box, and put out the food inside.

Chang Yan quickly picked up some hay from the back of the carriage, threw it on the ground to feed the horses, and then carried the water bladder that Cen Erniang had forgotten in the carriage into the wooden house. He Yumo sat on a long wooden bench and nibbled on steamed buns and snacks.

It's mid-autumn now, and it's the end of the unitary time, and it's still a little cold when the mountain wind blows. Those steamed buns, dim sum, jerky, and pickles were all cold, and the water was also cold, and Cen Erniang couldn't eat it after only using a little. But her stomach was so hungry that she was sour, she gritted her teeth, swallowed two plates of dim sum with cold water, and ate half a plate of dried meat, finally filling her stomach.

Anzaburo, who has always been squeamish, is not a picky eater at all. Eat no less than Cen Erniang. Yumo was tired from riding horses and cars, and his appetite was at least three times that of Cen Erniang. The food in the three-tiered food box was wiped out by them.

"......" Zhao Yue burped very unvividly, stretched his waist, and asked Cen Erniang casually: "Erlang, it's dark, the mountain road is not easy to walk, why don't we rest here tonight?" ”

Cen Erniang nodded, "Chang Yan, Yumo, you two go and bring out the quilt and pillow in the carriage." ”

"Okay. Second Young Master. Chang Yan and Yumo went to get something as they said.

An Sanshao and Zhao Yue stood up at this time, took out a big knife and took a torch each, and said to Cen Erniang: "Let's go out and have a look, you and San Lang will stay here." Don't go anywhere. ”

With that, the two of them walked out of the hut side by side, and checked the surroundings left and right, mainly to see if there were any wild beasts, snakes, and bandits lurking in the vicinity.

Zhao Yue and An Sanshao walked around the feeding pavilion within a radius of half a mile, and found no abnormality, so they inserted the knife into the scabbard. Walked back to the cabin. At this time, the two of them didn't know that in the bushes on the mountainside dozens of feet behind the feeding pavilion, a group of bandits were ambushed, and they were secretly waiting for an opportunity to kill them.

Zeng San, who had excellent eyesight, watched Zhao Yue and An Sanshao return to the supply pavilion, and then asked Gong Jinbao in a low voice: "Jinbao, An San's house is so close to us, only a dozen zhang away, why don't you let me take my brothers out to kill him?" ”

"Call me Boss!" Gong Jinbao slashed Zeng Sansan and his eyes unhappily: "What do you know?" The patron asked us to kill that Libai, and this Ansan was just an addition. Killing him at this time will only startle the snake. ”

Gong Jinbao ignored Zeng San, turned his head and asked a bandit squatting behind him: "Old Five, didn't you say that Libai was in front of you, and he had already left Qing'an County and came over here." It's been a few hours, why hasn't it arrived yet? ”

Lao Wu shrank his head and replied in a low voice, "Who knows." Maybe he's on the wrong track......"

Gong Jinbao slapped Lao Wu with his backhand: "Don't you know to send someone to follow them, show up if necessary, and show them the way?" ”

Lao Wu was slapped in the face, and said aggrievedly: "Boss, didn't you just tell me to rush back to deliver a letter to you immediately when I saw them leaving the city?" And I didn't say ......"

"Shut up, idiot! Never mind. Gong Jinbao sat down on the soft grass, "Those people are almost there." We're here tonight, and when the Lepber group comes, we'll rush down and do it. ”

He said in a calm voice: "Brothers, remember, our first target is Libai and Ansan, you all know what they look like, start a war for a while, first focus on besieging those two, solve them, and then turn back to kill the others." ”

"Yes, do as the boss commands." Zeng San and more than 20 bandits replied in unison in a low voice.

……

An hour later, there was a sound of horses' hooves in the quiet mountains, and Gong Jinbao's group of people, who were itching, were suddenly shocked, and Zeng San consulted Gong Jinbao: "Boss, someone is coming, most of them are a few Libai." Shall we get moving? ”

Gong Jinbao squinted his eyes and stared at the silver trail under the mountain, "Don't worry." Let's see if it's them? ”

After a stick of incense, Libai rode a horse carrying Yang Peng and four accompanying soldiers, and stopped by the carriage outside the supply pavilion. For he saw three horses tied to him dozens of paces away, and there was a man beside the stake who looked at them with a wary look.

Zhao Yue pulled out the knife on his waist, pointed at Libai, and asked sharply, "Who is here?" ”

Seeing Zhao Yue draw his sword, the four soldiers of Libai instinctively pulled out the big knife they carried with them, looked at Zhao Yue with burning eyes, and just waited for Libai to give the order, and they started the war.

Seeing this, Zhao Yue shouted: "There is an enemy attacking, Yumo, An San, copy the guy quickly!" ”

"Who? Dare to rob the young master? I don't want to live. An Sanshao took the lead in rushing out with a knife and asked Libai a few people: "Which mountain are you from?" Get your name in! ”

Li Bai had just heard Zhao Yue shouting Yumo, and he had already frowned, thinking if this Yumo would be the one he knew. When he saw Yumo come out with a knife, he smiled in surprise: "Yumo!" It turned out to be you! How did you end up here? He directly ignored Zhao Yue and An Sanshao.

Yumo was completely stunned. An Sanshao pointed a knife at Libai angrily and said dissatisfiedly: "Where did you come from? dared not to take the young master in his eyes. I ask you something, and answer quickly! ”

Libai looked dissatisfied, glanced at An Sanshao, ignored him, and said to a few soldiers behind him: "It's someone you know, put away your weapons." He dismounted with Yang Peng in his arms and walked towards the sluggish and speechless Yumo: "I haven't seen you for a few months, Yumo, you have had a lot of vicissitudes." How's it going? The girl, the second master, the second wife, the eldest young master and the third young master are all okay? Are they with you? ”

Yumo exclaimed at this time, rushed over and hugged Libai, and laughed heartily: "Why are you here?" Didn't you join the army in Mobei? ”

Yang Peng saw that Yumo ignored him, and said loudly: "Yumo is in charge, I'm Yang Peng!" Long time no see, I miss you! What about them, girls? He pointed to the wooden house behind Yumo, "Is it in there?" As he spoke, he was about to run in.

An Sanshao stopped him: "Boy, where are you going?" Hold it! After he grabbed Yang Peng, he asked Yumo with doubts: "There is only a group of us here, where is the girl?" Isn't the Cen family only sons? ”

Yumo laughed dryly: "This is a long story, let's go in and talk slowly." ”

"No need to talk!" Gong Jinbao led a group of bandits to surround Libai, Yumo and others, and said with a sneer: "If you want to say anything, go to the Yin Dynasty and talk slowly." Kill me, brothers! ”

With that, he took the lead in attacking Libai. (To be continued.) )

PS: Thank you for the monthly pass and reward of Xiao P!