In the early morning after the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is still a little coolness, these decades, the winter is very long, even in the south of the Yangtze River, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it has already shown the chill of late autumn. However, the weather seems to be a little better than usual, after all, at this time of year, the weather has begun to show the cold of early winter.

In the past few years, the weather has slowly started to normalize, and it is no longer as cold as it used to be. Winter also came a little later than usual, and it seems that the weather is gradually becoming more favorable now.

The leaden gray sky, gloomy, seems to indicate that there will be a heavy rain, this heavy rain is undoubtedly beneficial to the autumn planting, and it is a year of good weather and wind, of course, to some extent, the price of grain in these years is cheap, even if it is a bad year, it is not a big deal, sell a few loads of cocoons, in exchange for enough silver for a family to buy a year's rice to eat, after all, more and more Nanyang rice continues to pour into the Ming Dynasty, so that the people no longer have to worry about hunger, cheap Nanyang rice has changed the lives of many people. On the other hand, it is also inevitable that the grain will hurt the farmers, after all, the cost of rice in the south of the Yangtze River is much higher than that of Nanyang rice that crops three times a year. However, because of the development of sideline business, the decline in grain prices did not have much impact on the people.

Compared with the high price of stone rice more than 10 years ago, at least 1256 yuan, now one stone of rice is at most one tael cheap, so that the rapidly expanding citizen class will not be starving because of the high price of grain. The low price of grain has allowed them to have more money to buy vegetables and eggs, meat and other foods, and the increase in the consumption of non-staple foods has increased the income of the peasants.

However, compared to the countryside, the life of urban citizens is not easy, as for their life is more difficult, many hardships are invisible and not well known. In the early morning, as the bell of the bell tower rang, the city that had been silent all night woke up again. This has been the case for thousands of years.

Compared with 20 years ago, the current Kunshan County is several times, and even more than double the scale before the Qing army slaughtered the city in the first year of Hongguang, the houses outside the city are lined up one after another, one after another, one after another, and the more to the edge of the outer city, its characteristics are more and more distinct - the old and new houses are often surrounded by several large chimneys, which are the steam engine chimneys of the silk factory, and as with almost all urban expansion, residential areas often surround the factory, and the factory forms a new residential area.

Every year, a large number of people flock to the city to rent around the factories, and the concentration of the population has led to the formation of new markets here, which also stimulates the expansion of the city. The city is expanding so rapidly that even the bells on the towers are not heard on the edges of the city.

However, this did not have much impact on the majority of the citizens, after all, not only clocks and watches but also exquisite pocket watches have become cheaper and cheaper in recent years, so the common people tend to keep track of time through roosters and clocks, which is why their lives are not as comfortable as those of the peasants, who have to get up early every day, eat, and then work in factories, shops, restaurants, etc.

They had to work for twelve or thirteen hours a day, except for a day off on weekends when they went to the "temple" on weekends. Compared to the people in the countryside. Their lives are even harder, and they don't even have much freedom, after all, they have to work hard in the factory to earn wages. to be able to support his family. Urban civilians live like this, they have a relatively high income, but compared to the countryside, they are a little less comfortable. A little more helpless.

In the early morning of the city, you can't see the pale blue curling smoke coming out of the roofs of thousands of households, and the popularity of briquette stoves in recent years has replaced firewood, which has facilitated the lives of the people at the same time, and of course has also made the cooking smoke on the roofs disappear. Soon, the air in the streets was filled with the smell of food and, of course, the cries of women calling for their children.

When the women were busy, the men seemed quite leisurely, Xu Yungui walked to the entrance of the alley in a hurry, and took a stack of newspapers in the newspaper box at the entrance of the alley, although he took the newspaper, and it was a few minutes to walk away from home, but he did not unfold the newspaper.

The newspaper is reserved for breakfast, which is a habit developed over the years, and this habit itself also means identity, after all, ordinary people will not make a report. At most, I will only buy a newspaper once in a while.

Forty-five-year-old Xu Yungui spent 20 years to become the foreman of the silk factory, and he could naturally afford to read the newspaper. However, despite this, he still did not choose to pay two pennies a day and ask the children in the alley to deliver the newspaper to the door. After all, he had three sons. Some money can be saved. But now he doesn't dare to be generous in some ways. After all, he still has several sons.

"Dayuan, Eryuan, you two hurry up, why don't you have the third child's action quickly, Mr. Late in Social Studies is going to play the ring ruler......"

Before the person entered the courtyard, he heard the shouts of the insiders coming from the courtyard, although the shouts were very loud, but they were very reassuring to hear.

Although the monthly income is enough to be twenty-six taels of silver, plus the bonus is thirty taels of silver a month, the house where Xu Yungui lives is still an old brick house bought more than ten years ago, three main houses, the main house on the left is divided into two floors, divided into four rooms, for three sons and one daughter to live. After all, when the second and third children become adults, they need to marry wives and buy houses, all of which require silver.

Even if they are admitted to the academy in the future. College tuition fees are also a significant expense. He will save all this money in every possible way.

But she also has to save money for retirement, after all. As a worker, he is different from the common people in the countryside. The people have land. He didn't. As long as you don't work for a day. And there was no one to feed him.

You can't just drag your son down.

"His father, the second child of the Lin family has decided to be married."

Looking at the Xianggong who had just sat down, Xu Wang said intentionally or unintentionally.

"Eryuan is already fourteen, and it's time to set a family affair for him, the third sister-in-law of Ping, who happens to be fourteen this year, otherwise, I'll go back and talk to Sister-in-law Lin."

"Mother, I'm only fourteen, it's too early to marry? If you want to say it, you have to give it to the big brother first. ”

Xu Eryuan, who was drinking gruel with his head down, muttered vaguely. He was clearly reluctant to marry so early. Even if there is not much planning for the future. At least in his plans, getting married is not among them.

"He is the boss, don't worry, you are the second, if it weren't for the laws of the imperial court, whoever wants a daughter between the ages of eighteen and thirty and has not yet married, will be fined ten taels of silver every year, and no one will necessarily want to marry you if you want to marry."

Xu Wang couldn't help but complain. The disadvantage of the inheritance of the eldest son is that the people are unwilling to marry their daughters to the second son who is unemployed, in order to prevent the second son from marrying a daughter-in-law because he has no property, so this law was specially promulgated, and even limited to a woman who is not twenty-three years old can not marry someone else as a concubine, in order to use fines to force the people to marry their daughters when they become adults, instead of letting her stay in the boudoir. But even so, there are still many second sons who will encounter some difficulties in marrying wives.

Therefore, many people decide the marriage of their children as early as possible, and only in this way will parents rest assured. But it's not easy to do. After all, it is the second son who is homeless and unemployed.

But whenever there is an opportunity, no one will marry their daughters to these second sons. A lot of times it's a matter of luck. And how to touch this luck, you have to do it in advance. If you do it earlier than others, you can always have a little more luck.

"Hey, mother, you have too much to worry about, I will graduate from school next year, whether it is entering the factory or entering the business, I can earn five or six taels of silver a month, and I will not worry about eating and drinking when the time comes, but I can also worry about my daughter-in-law? Now there is nothing, what can you find if you find a daughter-in-law? ”

As soon as he looked up, Xu Eryuan asked his father, who was sitting on the top seat and reading the newspaper while drinking porridge.

"Dad, do you think that's the case?"

Seeing that his mother's attitude was very firm, he wanted to get some support from his father. He felt that his father could understand him. After all, he is too young now.

And he still wants to continue studying. I want to continue my studies. Of course. It's just an idea of his. Who knows if you can get in. However, you can't give up all this in order to get married.

"Well, why is the eldest husband without a wife, career is always important......"

In response, Xu Yungui turned his gaze to the newspaper again, in his opinion, his daughter-in-law had some things to think about too early, and some things could not be too anxious. But he was also hard at objecting, so he had to turn his attention to the newspaper.

Like many locals reading newspapers, he first reads the second page of the local news, and the front page is put at the back, where in addition to more than half of the advertisements, there are also national events, which are too far away from the ordinary people, and there is no local news. Some of the news is closer to their lives, and it's all about things happening around them. It can also be used as a talking point when chatting with others.

Suddenly, he was looking at the newspaper, and his hand holding the newspaper began to tremble, and his expression became strange, maybe he saw the strangeness of Xianggong, Xu Linshi asked.

"What's wrong with you, boss?"

"You—look at this newspaper......"

As soon as the words came out, he remembered that the lady was illiterate, so he said.

"This, the newspaper is collecting the atrocities committed by the Manchu Qing Dynasty when they entered the customs, saying that they should remember the past......"

As he spoke, Xu Yungui's eyes flashed with some pain,

"I, I still remember my father and mother, he, how they were killed......"

Tears suddenly flowed, and Xu Yungui muttered.

"I, I thought I had forgotten, but I couldn't!"

I can't forget a sentence, when it came out of Xu Yungui's mouth, tears could no longer be controlled, he was nearly fifty years old, and suddenly howled like a child, and the four brothers and sisters who were eating were all at a loss to look at their father.

In the past few days, the same scene has been staged all over the Ming Dynasty, a seemingly simple appeal, once again provoked people's forgotten memories, people looked up left and right, and seemed to understand, why the newspaper society issued such an appeal - the witnesses are aging!

Many have even passed away.

Gu Yanwu, as the former minister of the Ming Dynasty, was silent for a long time when he saw the appeal in the newspaper, but his mood could not be calm for a long time, when the Manchu Qing occupied Jiangnan, after the failure of resistance, he was forced to leave the country, he had witnessed too many atrocities, and had seen too many people, almost everyone had a similar but extremely tragic experience.

"Back then, there were a few people who didn't have blood and tears......"

Closing his eyes in pain, Gu Yanwu shook his head and sighed, and then, he walked to the bookshelf, there was a thick stack of manuscripts on the shelf, since Zhishi back then, in addition to lecturing in various places, he spent more time concentrating on books, and he also wrote down many of the atrocities of the Qing army that he had witnessed or heard about back then, one atrocity after another was outrageous, and many times, he was even reluctant to write down, because those atrocities were really difficult to record in writing, and even every memory would make him angry.

"It really should be written down, it should be written down, so that future generations will know what happened at that time, let them know that we are not just for the crown......"

Thinking of the misunderstanding that many people have about the catastrophe forty years ago, Gu Yanwu muttered to himself.

"I really need to let them know......"

People do need to understand, and people's memories do need to be reminded. Forty years ago, after the memory of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was once again awakened, those who did not want to mention the old things took up the pen and described their experiences on paper, even if they were illiterate, they would tell their sons and grandsons about their own experiences, and let them write down their experiences. Then a stamp is affixed and sent to the newspaper.

As a postman, Lin Qiang was once again stunned by the dozens of packets of letters in front of him, and he took out a handful of letters and asked.

"All sent to the Communistry?"

How many letters have been sent in the past few days?

If not 100,000, there are tens of thousands!

But this letter is still sent to the newspaper in a steady stream, there is no doubt that this letter must record those stories that make people angry and make people cry, holding these letters, Lin Qiang only felt that the thin letters were a little heavy, so heavy that he couldn't breathe.

"It's all to the "Communal Daily", and tens of thousands of letters were sent on this day, and there must be more in the future!"

Putting the parcel on the carriage, the colleague scolded angrily.

"The ...... of Jiannu who suffered a thousand cuts"

The reason why he was so angry was not because of anything else, but because of the newspaper reports, every day, each newspaper office would pick out a letter and publish it in the newspaper, and the content would be undoubtedly either the atrocities of the Jiannu or why the people resisted.

When tens of thousands of letters were sent to the newspaper office, the people in the newspaper office were not surprised by the number of letters, but focused on picking out the most suitable ones from the letters, but reading those letters always made them fall into anger, even if half a month had passed, but they still could not adapt to all this.

Quietly in the newspaper, Wang Shuren, as the editor-in-chief, pushed down the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and then looked into the distance, and only said after a long time.

“…… It's only been 40 years! ”

After such an exclamation, Wang Shuren continued.

"It's only been forty years, and people in this world can't remember clearly why our friends and relatives resisted Jiannu back then."

Although many of their relatives and friends chose to surrender, many more died at the hands of the Manchus.

"Someone said something, before there was no shaving order, we all surrendered one by one, and then the shaving order came, and the big guy knew that the struggle, it was ridiculous, could it be that before the shaving order, the people of the world had never resisted? Before that, many people still couldn't tell what "lost the country" and what "dead the world" ......

"Yes, when the Qing soldiers entered the customs, not only did the ordinary people not know what the "dead world" was, but they were also from the Shilin, and many people thought that it was just a change of dynasty. ”

Zhang Youbai shook his head and sighed.

"There is the death of the country, and the death of the world. Tell the difference between the dead country and the dead world? Said: The surname of Yi was changed, and it was called the death of the country. Benevolence and righteousness are full, and as for leading beasts to eat people, people will eat each other, which is called the death of the world. ”

quotes Gu Yanwu's description of "the dead world" in "Daily Knowledge, Volume 13, and the Beginning". Then he added.

"Know the world, and then know the country. Those who defend the country are their kings and ministers, and those who eat meat seek them; To protect the world, the cheapness and responsibility of the husband are deaf. ”

After a long sigh, Zhang Youbai looked at the thick letters on the table and sighed.

"I was born in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, when Jiashen Lu Shen, I was still young and didn't know, although I heard about the tyranny of the Manchurian soldiers when I was young, but that's it, but forty years, if someone didn't mention it, I'm afraid, these things, I will never remember, and I will not say to future generations, I am so, let alone those teenagers born after Xingqian? Generations, in the end, will always forget, and in the end, or even a few decades later, maybe someone will justify the Manchu "Jiechen", because ......"

Looking up at the editor-in-chief, Zhang Youbo said with a solemn expression.

"Because, everyone will forget! They forgot the atrocities of the Manchurian soldiers, and also forgot how their ancestors used their lives to expel the Tartars, of course, they also forgot the tragic experience of their ancestors, some of them will even sigh at the so-called Manchu "Jiechen Righteous Warriors" lonely loyalty, just like my Ming Dynasty, didn't there be scholars who erected a monument for Mengyuan Lonely Ministers? ”

As he spoke, he shook his head.

Why did they do it? It's not because they are from the Shilin that they want to preserve their reputation, it's because they forget that they have forgotten the tragic experiences of their ancestors, forgotten the hardships of the struggle, and forgotten these, so naturally they only see the lonely loyalty of those so-called "jiechen......"