There was no furniture in the thatched hut, a shiny square table, a few benches, and it was very shabby. On the table was a large, rough bowl with yellow sweet potatoes bubbling and filling.

The Zhong family sat on a stool, working on the dim line of oil lights, sewing clothes, weaving bamboo baskets, and the poor family members always had endless work.

Zhong Erzhu said that after he caught a hare, his brother Dazhu put down the firewood knife that was splitting bamboo and immediately rushed out: "Where did you put the rabbit in the firewood?" If you don't deal with it early, you will spoil the meat. ”

"yes, there's meat to eat!" Seven-year-old Zhong Xiaohua clapped her hands excitedly, put down her work, and went outside the door.

"Hmph, if you don't do anything, go catch rabbits, and you can go to Huang's house to do farm work for a while in half a day! Isn't the Huangjia Rice Mill going to recruit someone recently? If you don't show up, who will hand over such a good thing to you. ”

Zhong Laohan, the head of the Zhong family, criticized his second son and glared at him.

"Erzhu, your father is right, you can't go to the Huang family tomorrow. Everyone has to work hard, your brother is time to marry a daughter-in-law, and the dowry is still a little worse. Zhong also persuaded.

Zhong Erzhu endured the discomfort of gastric juice, silently ate the tasteless sweet potato rice, and ate it for seventeen years from childhood to adulthood, and he was almost tired of dying.

He replied: "I heard that now the imperial court is training the new army in Guangzhou, and the monthly salary is four taels or two yuan, and the money I get in a year is equivalent to the income of our family for a year, I want to join the army." ”

"No! Only those who have no interest become soldiers, and besides, they have to deduct food and clothing expenses, and they can't get so much in a year. If you have to die in battle, I will not allow you to go. Zhong Laohan didn't even think about it. Refuse at the first time.

The fragments attached to Jiang Yiming's thoughts had already come to the house. Listen to the word "New Army". It is already known that the date at this time should be around 1900.

After being rejected, Zhong Erzhu's chopsticks paused and resisted: "The new army is not a patrol battalion, and many talents have gone to join the army." I only recognize a few words, and no one else may accept it. ”

"If you can't say it, you can't say it, if you run away secretly, then don't be my son!" Zhong Laohan is also very stubborn, otherwise where did Zhong Erzhu's stubbornness come from?

The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment. It's like there's not enough oxygen. Zhong Dazhu and Zhong Xiaohua, who had just found the rabbit out of the firewood, didn't dare to make a sound, and sat down on tiptoe.

Bang bang! There was a loud knock on the door, breaking through the oppression that had enveloped the room.

Zhong Laohan opened the door, and after seeing the faces of the people who came, he unconsciously bowed his waist more than ten degrees, and said respectfully: "Ah, Huang Baochang, come into the house and sit down." ”

"Forget it, don't go in. I'll just say one thing. Listen carefully. The imperial court is now going to train a new army, so a new army donation has been set up. One tael of silver per person. It must be paid within 10 days, otherwise it will ......"

Huang Baochang, who was obese, paused for a moment and did not say what the consequences would be, but everyone knew that the head of the household who did not make good friends would be miserable.

"Ahh One person one or two! That's too much, isn't it? Zhong Laohan's thin body trembled, leaned against the door, and said weakly.

"Remember, hand it in in ten days." Huang Baochang, who was covered with oil, glanced at the Zhong family coldly, raised his legs and walked to the next family.

The Zhong family sat on the stool, sighing for a long time, and had no heart to work anymore.

"Dazhu, your marriage is postponed for a year, and it will be done next year." Zhong Laohan said with deep apology in his eyes, and his dry lips trembled.

"I'm twenty years old, and I still have to fight a single!" Zhong Dazhu angrily slapped the table and shouted. Originally, I said that I would marry him a daughter-in-law this year, but I didn't expect it to be in the soup.

Zhong Erzhu squinted his gaze and said: "You have the ability to say to Huang Baochang, see if he doesn't ask someone to put a thirty-pound flail on you, and stand in the sun for three days." ”

"You're looking for a fight, aren't you?" Zhong Dazhu couldn't hold his face, and glared at the second brother fiercely with his fists.

For the Zhong family, today is a bad day, the silver that has been saved by exhaustion is about to shrink by half, and it also drags down the marriage of the eldest son.

Zhong Erzhu mentioned joining the army again, but he still hadn't gotten Zhong Laohan's permission and was strongly refused. Until he lay down on the bed made of straw and laid out a straw mat, he still thought about how to solve the family's predicament.

If only the Heavenly Jade Emperor helped me! With such thoughts, he looked up at the thatched roof, his eyes seemed to see the gods in the sky, and prayed in a low voice: "Jade Emperor, I will give you incense, can you give me five taels of silver?" ”

The time of the two pillars of incense has passed, and there is no abnormality at all, except that the snoring of the big pillar is still so loud, and there are no five taels of silver at all.

Zhong Erzhu laughed at himself: "I'm also stupid, the earth is round, not square, foreigners can go around the world, and there are no gods at all." ”

Suddenly, a voice said in his head: No, I can grant your wish.

"Then can you come out with five taels of silver? No, you are a human or a ghost, how can you speak in my head? ”

Zhong Erzhu began to continue with the conversation. Later, he reacted, Dazhu and Xiaohua were asleep, and there was no one else in the room at all. He was taken aback, and the hairs on his body stood on end, and he thought he had hit a ghost, and cried out.

"Erzhu, what's it called? Go to bed early, and I'll have to go to the field tomorrow. Zhong Laohan's dissatisfied voice came from the other side of the thin wall.

Jiang Yiming passed through the fragments the size of mung beans and transmitted mental fluctuations into Zhong Erzhu's head: Whisper, you don't want to be regarded as a madman talking to yourself. If you do what I say, not only can you settle the five taels of silver donated by the new army, but you will also have more ten taels and twenty taels at your fingertips.

Zhong Erzhu looked around several times, and finally confirmed that the voice was indeed speaking in his head, just like the powerful fox fairy in the storyteller's mouth. At this moment, all the knowledge of those Westerners was thrown into his nest.

He barely held down his violently beating heart, both happy and heart-lifting, and whispered, "Daxian, is what you said true, and what is your name?" ”

Jiang Yiming saw Zhong Erzhu's cautious appearance, compared him with He Yuanlong, and found that the ancients were easier to drive: I am the king of the forest, you can call me that. You don't believe it, do you? Look at the mouse in the corner, I'll let it get to you.

Squeak, the mouse that was quietly walking quickly against a line in the corner of the wall suddenly turned around, was not afraid of people at all, and swaggered to the right hand side of Zhong Erzhu.

At this time, as long as he slaps down, he can catch this mouse half the size of a palm. Growing so big, he had never seen such a daring mouse.

"Ahh This, this is ...... Exorcist powers? Zhong Erzhu hurriedly covered his mouth and covered his cry of surprise, his face was both very surprised and excited. (To be continued.) )