Originally, only Luo Sanzi usually came to Wei Bao's house to eat occasionally, because Luo San's father had a good relationship with Wei Dakang before his death, Liu Chunshi was Luo San's friend, and Fan Datou was a neighbor of Wei Bao's family, and now because Wei Bao suddenly became 'powerful', everyone has been together these days, so the three people who have nothing to do are very willing to follow Wei Dakang and Wei Bao.

Wei Dakang also because of his son's 'change', the whole person's mental outlook has changed in the past two days, and he no longer looks like he always can't wake up and cowers, his face is red and a little excited.

The five of them talked and laughed and came to Zheng Zhongfei and Zheng Jin's house.

Zheng Zhongfei's family is in the stage of middle peasants and rich peasants, and they are not small landlords, and there are no servants in the family, just like Wei Bao's family, they are only a family of three.

At this time, Zheng Zhongfei was pretending to recite the Four Books and Five Classics in the side room, Zheng Jinfa was sitting at the door of the hall smoking a cigarette, and Zheng Zhongfei's mother was doing needlework next to Zheng Jinfa.

The courtyard door was not closed, and Wei Dakang greeted him at the door: "Chief A, send some steamed buns to your family." ”

Zheng Zhongfei suddenly stopped reading, stretched out his head to look, Zheng Jinfa's eyes lit up, he stood up, and said with a smile: "It's coming, it's not long after the New Year, the Lantern Festival has not arrived, what kind of steamed buns are you going to give?" ”

Wei Bao secretly thought that you are pretending to be like, who in the entire Jinshan would not know that I won the first place in the calligraphy competition in Shanhaiguan?

"It's nothing, it's just to thank Captain A for taking care of my family." Wei Dakang nodded and said, Luo San was stunned, Fan Datou and Liu Chunshi were also hunched up, it seemed that this Zheng Jinfa was a great person.

Wei Bao has been standing behind Wei Dakang without making a sound, feeling that Wei Dakang is okay to talk and do things, not like the neighbors in the neighborhood feel, just an honest and even stupid person, Wei Bao even feels that his 'father' is a little stronger than ordinary people.

People are poor and short-minded, poverty is the original sin, and poor people will look stupid! Be honest.

This is not the case, and the appearance of poverty only obscures all the advantages, not that they disappear.

Zheng Jinfa still had a straight face, looking like a matter of course, paced to the front, knocked the cigarette pot on the sole of his shoe, looked at the four steamed buns held by Wei Dakang, and said coldly: "This is the steamed bun sent by your family?" I can eat four in one bite. ”

Although the steamed bun is small, it is too exaggerated for you to say that you can eat four in one bite, if you want to choke in front of Wei Bao's personality, let him eat four in one bite and take a look, and promise to choke to death immediately! But he couldn't help it.

"Chief A, don't be too small, the steamed buns sent to the neighbors are all this size, my family is poor, I can only express my heart." Wei Dakang's face flushed in embarrassment, still smiling awkwardly.

"Lao Wei can just take something." Zheng Jinfa's wife came over and said, "I heard that your family Wei Bao is now promising, and he went to Shanhaiguan to win the first place in the calligraphy competition, congratulations." ”

"Thank you, sister-in-law. The child is lucky, it's nothing, it's not as good as Zhongfei who has gone to school, Zhongfei is a real reader. Wei Dakang kept holding the steamed buns, and Zheng Jinfa didn't come to pick them up, and when he saw Zheng Jinfa's wife coming, he was naturally eager and hurriedly handed them out.

Zheng Jinfa's wife was just about to take it, but Zheng Jinfa blocked her hand with a cigarette stick, Zheng Jinfa looked at Wei Dakang and said: "Your family is rich now, your family's account, do you want to clear it?" ”

As soon as Wei Dakang heard the account, his face changed, and he said anxiously: "Chief A, at a time like this year, you don't see it, my family doesn't have any grain in store, and even the earthen house has been crushed, where can I have the money to pay the bill?" Besides, I haven't heard anyone in the entire Jinshan say that they were reminded at this time? Can last year's interest money be slowed down again? It's still the New Year. ”

In this era, the harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes are very heavy, Wei Bao knows that every family owes a lot of debts, and many people's debts are passed down from generation to generation, Wei Dakang independently supported a family after getting married, and inherited the debts left by his grandfather.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the common people couldn't get by, all of them were natural disasters accompanied by man-made disasters, especially the people in the north, there was no harvest to harvest, and there was no peace everywhere outside the gate, the imperial court in order to raise money, agricultural taxes were received more than ten years later, and in the last years of Chongzhen, it was even more exaggerated, and some received it after 80 years! A bunch of new miscellaneous taxes are also derived at every turn.

Not to mention repaying the debt, it is difficult for the people to repay a part of the interest every year, and the interest is usury, and the amount of arrears will only accumulate and increase, and the more they owe, the more they owe, the more they owe.

"Hold off? I heard that your family is rich now, and your son has four taels of silver, so he should pay back these four taels first, right? Your family owes a total of 26 taels and 9 yuan of silver, and you have been dragging it out and not paying it back, isn't it a bad debt? Zheng Jinfa said with a straight face.

"Captain A, there is really not so much left, my kid got four taels of silver in Shanhaiwei, but he spent a lot of money, he invited Zhongfei to eat at noon yesterday, and then bought some grain, and now there are four small copper coins left, I will take them all over in a while, and then make a few big steamed buns and send them." Wei Dakang lowered his head, not daring to look at Zheng Jinfa, and was so frightened that he stammered when he spoke.

Wei Bao sighed, he could already see that Zheng Jinfa was deliberately making things difficult for his family, these days, one acre of land, or a better acre of land, is only about three taels of silver, the capital in the hands of these landlords and rich peasants is not land, but these bad debts! If you master the accounts, you will master the farmers who cultivate the land, and only then can the entire agricultural system of the Ming Dynasty and even the national system be formed.

The land in the entire Jinshan adds up to more than 1,000 acres of land, and the top of the sky is three or four thousand taels of silver, but the accounts in the entire Jinshan add up, and the desperate people owe at least more than 6,000 taels to the landlord class! Even tens of thousands of taels of silver, only a little more.

It's just a small mountain of gold.

Moreover, the money owed by farmers can never be repaid, and there is no such thing as buying lottery tickets in these years, and there is no possibility of winning the lottery, all occupations are hereditary, a lifetime of farmers, ten lifetimes of farmers, can only be an infinite cycle of ancestors.

What is poor but three generations of rich but three generations of such words, they are all ghosts, in the Ming Dynasty, the poor are always poor, and the rich are always rich!

Seeing that his father was sweating all over his head, Wei Bao had nothing to do, and stood silently, 'feeling' the bitter taste that the poor peasant should taste.

Luo San was stunned, Fan Datou and Liu Chunshi were also on the side to help Wei Dakang say good things, saying something to let the chief of the first be gracious, grace time and the like, Wei Bao knew why the three of them came with him, it was not a good thing to send something to the chief of the first chief, they were here to help persuade them.

"You three stop, it's your turn to speak here? The three of you in the family together, let alone owe me hundreds of taels of silver, and you should also go back and think about returning it as soon as possible! Especially Luo San and Liu Chunshi, you two listen, don't think that the family is dead, and the accounts will be offset, and the debts stipulated by the Daming Law are repaid by the father and the son! Zheng Jinfa said cool words, but his eyes kept staring at Wei Bao who was standing aside, "Old Wei, your son invited my son to dinner yesterday, and he wanted to invite him himself, don't you want me to give you the money for the meal?" ”

"That's not what it means, that's not what it means." Wei Dakang hurriedly defended, "I can't speak, don't take it to heart." ”

Zheng Jinfa snorted domineeringly.

Wei Bao completely understood, they were all coming for him, and looked at Zheng Zhongfei, who was sticking his head out of the window of the side room to watch the excitement, Zheng Zhongfei saw Wei Bao's gaze coming, and hurriedly retracted his head.

Didn't labor and management just win the first place in a calligraphy competition, what does it matter to your family? Have you compared your son to the other? Wei Bao held his arms helplessly, and made up his mind not to make a noise, so as not to make a mess for Wei Dakang, 26 taels and 9 yuan of silver, in fact, Wei Bao didn't pay too much attention to it.

If it is to sell meat, according to ten catties of meat and one tael of silver, you have to sell about 270 catties of meat, in this kind of weather, and there are no horses, it will be really difficult to get together for a while, and in order not to make the people around him suspicious, Wei Bao did not plan to take out a large amount of grain at one time to let the people in Jinshan find out, so he estimated that it would take at least one or two months to make up 27 taels of silver, so he could only endure it for the time being.

"Talk? Wasn't that quite what you could say just now? All dumb? Zheng Jinfa finally smiled, and slapped Wei Bao's chest with a cigarette stick, "Hey, little cub, I saw that you were quite capable yesterday, why can't you say a word today?" ”

Wei Bao was stunned by Zheng Jinfa and took a step back, frowned, touched the revolver on his waist, and glared at Zheng Jinfa.

"Yo, you're more tempered than your father, what's wrong? Want to punch me? As soon as Zheng Jinfa saw Wei Bao glaring at him, he immediately became angry, and went up to grab Wei Bao is a slap, knocking Wei Bao to the ground at once.

Wei Bao didn't guard against the fact that the old man was so flexible, and he would do it without warning, so he didn't dodge, this time he hit it so hard, half of his face was hot and painful, and the fall was not light, he sat on the ground with one hand in support, and his eyes were full of anger when he stared at Zheng Jinfa.

Wei Dakang, Luo San was stunned, Fan had a big head, and Liu Chunshi all went to help and check Wei Bao, and Zheng Jinfa yelled, "Lao Tzu, look at which of you dares to touch him!" You poor people! Whoever touches it will immediately get out of the gold mountain! No, he was arrested and put into the yamen, and if he wants to get out of Jinshan, he has to pay off the debt first, otherwise, he will wait for the distribution and replenishment of the army! ”

The four of them didn't dare to move, Wei Dakang had red eyes, and suddenly knelt down for Zheng Jinfa, "Chief A, don't be like a child, Wei Bao is only 14 years old, too young, and not sensible, I'll go back now and bring the remaining four small copper coins from the house, and make a few big steamed buns and send them." ”

Wei Bao yelled angrily: "Dad, you get up! Let's pay it back! Don't kneel! ”

"Stop talking! Don't hurry up and kowtow to the first chief to admit your mistake! Wei Dakang was confused and said to Wei Bao with tears.

Wei Bao struggled for a while, got up from the snow, pointed at Zheng Jinfa, and said sharply: "I will return the money in ten days!" However, the matter of you beating me today is not over! Today you scold me, I will let you pay back a pound of meat in the future, today you moved me, and I will let you pay it back with your life in the future! ”

Wei Bao has already thought about it, Zheng Jinfa dares to do it again, he can't say it, he can only do it, and he is forced to shoot! It's a big deal to take Wei Dakang and Huang Ying on the warship and go elsewhere to make a living. When Wei Bao was angry, he was really not a person who didn't have the courage to kill.

Everyone present was taken aback by Wei Bao's roar, Wei Dakang, Luo San was stunned, Fan Datou and Liu Chunshi naturally needless to say, even Zheng Zhongfei and Zheng Jinfa's wife were also taken aback, it was the first time they had seen someone dare to talk to Zheng Jinfa like this in person.

In Jinshan, the Zhao family is a big surname! Zheng Zhongfei is the wife and brother of the chief Zhao Kehu, not counting the group of poor people in his hands, there are hundreds of relatives in his own family, and he has never encountered this kind of thing that dares to confront him in person, and his expression is similar to when Wei Bao was angry with Zheng Zhongfei yesterday.

"It's the other way around! It's the other way around, Zhongfei, you go and tell the lieutenant governor now, and now go to the lieutenant chief's house to borrow a thousand households to report to the official! Let them come and arrest all the Vedakon family! It's the other way around! Zheng Jinfa was naturally not easily frightened by Wei Bao, but he was also so angry that he didn't dare to do it again, but shouted to report to the official to arrest people.