On the banks of the river, the newly caught fish and other aquatic products, as well as the large pieces of pork and mutton that had just been slaughtered, were still sparkling with blood, and baskets of bean sprouts, cress, vegetable melons and other fruits and vegetables transported by ship were placed in the camp where the Taiping army was stationed. But the most eye-catching thing is undoubtedly the location of a pot stove in the open air.

"Make fried food."

Wang Xianchao, who was sweaty and his face was red, struggled to pull the coal ash and burn the iron stove in front of him. And the hot oil in the pot of the march on the stove was already boiling.

This was the fat ration of their entire team of more than thirty people, and now it was all concentrated in this large cauldron of smoke and steaming;

". Roll, boil. ”

"It's almost time to get rid of the food."

Wang Xianchao, who used to be a small military official, is here, and he can only use the supernumerary auxiliary method to start; There is no way, although he can be a pen official in the official army, but if he casually pulls out a pawn among the Taiping thieves here, he must be able to read a few words and calculate his own salary account. Therefore, his self-sustaining skills and experience are not worth mentioning at all.

Although as soon as he entered the camp as a prisoner of reform, he wore two suits of blue and blue wool cloth suitable for the season, lived in a large shack or linoleum tent for ten people, and slept in straw bales with old felt; There are also gnocchi soup and brown rice balls for three meals a day, roasted jicama, and a full meal in a different way; When you meet those who are in a hurry to work and work temporarily at night, there are special dry foods that are especially resistant to hunger and hunger.

But he is actually more envious of his cousin who has become a pawn - Wang Yanfu; Because he has great strength and courage, and is always obedient and honest in the face of those disciplines, he was regarded as a "progressive model" of successful reform in advance, and was promoted from the labor team early.

Now he not only does not have to prepare his own clothes, hats, shoes, socks, bedding, tents, and blankets, but also has a basic salary of 140 yuan per month, as well as a 10-day service allowance and some non-staple food subsidies for oil, salt, wine and sauce. Not to mention that they have oily canned food, or stewed salted fish, and wind wax to open meat every once in a while.

In contrast, the auxiliaries had only a few rations in kind that they could get in exchange for their work; It is only in the state of the march and the field that a small amount of money is settled on a daily basis as a temporary reward and incentive.

Although when he was an official soldier, he may not be able to get more money and things than these; However, the names of various salaries, rewards, and military assistance have been layered down, and it is a little difficult to say what can really be obtained. This depends not only on the ability and strength of the generals who follow, but also on the conscience and bottom limits of those who handle it at all levels.

Therefore, apart from basic food and clothing, they usually do not count on these nominally available money to survive; It was relied on the officials to take them out from time to time to loot places and levy the people, so as to obtain personal material needs for a period of time.

Therefore, in this overall atmosphere of not being happy day and night, even if they have some money and goods in their hands for a while, they can't keep it at all, and they are scattered on those Epu fights or prostitutes. Anyway, once you die on the battlefield in the future, what you have left on your body will be cheaper for others.

And Wang Xianchao relied on the pen kung fu that could count and record for everyone, so he became such a small military official in the state army; And a little bit of savings. But in the uneven season when many officials and troops under the rule of the imperial court, he also suffered from hunger and turned to the road, looking for a place to eat everywhere.

Therefore, once he is familiar with and accustomed to this completely different atmosphere, Wang Xianchao can always feel that he wants to accumulate qualifications and diligence everywhere, or seek a place to make exceptional meritorious contributions, so that he can turn into a regular salary and a regular salary.

However, as a former officer and soldier who has been reformed, he has at least a fixed observation period, and only through this kind of pre-battle service performance can it be possible to reduce and change as appropriate.

While he was savoring and pondering, he did not pause at all in his hands, and gently swept the plates of prepared dishes into the boiling oil.

The first thing to go into the pot was a layer of minced garlic and rice milk mixed with a flat spoon batter, and soon a delicious fried cake was rolled out in the boiling oil.

Puff pastries and shortbreads made from the flat skin and pressed strips pulled off from the dough; Golden steamed buns fried with rice dumplings and bean noodles;

bone-bearing short ribs rolled with batter and powder, fish pieces marinated in sour wine; Large meatballs made of diced meat, cress, chives and rice milk chopped along with cartilage;

Even substitute meat in canned food, paper-wrapped dry food and overnight bread, rice balls, watery vermicelli and gnocchi; Even all kinds of dried eggplant, vegetables and other fruits and vegetables... All the ingredients they could think of were wrapped in batter and fried.

It wasn't until the oil color gradually darkened and darkened, and a thick layer of dregs was precipitated, so that it was reluctantly put aside to cool and then put away, so that it could continue to be used for stir-frying and cooking in the future.

In this morning when the cold spring is still not completely subsiding, I chew these crispy and fragrant fried vegetables and fried foods with a bowl of freshly ground sweet bean juice or salted bean brains. It's a pity that cousin Wang Yanfu is not on their team and can't share it together.

Then, as if some kind of wish had come true, Wang Yanfu appeared in the distance, followed by two familiar figures; It's just that things don't seem to be going well. Both of them are unkempt, yellow-skinned, and have many frostbite and scars on their bodies.

Although he has obviously lost a lot of weight, he is still related to blood and still makes Wang Xianchao recognize, this is his two younger brothers Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xianqi who have escaped from the battlefield outside Tanzhou City.

"Big brother, it's time to see each other alive."

"It's really hard."

After seeing Wang Xianchao, the two of them couldn't help but hug their heads and cry as if they had a sudden emotional outburst.

"You... How are you here? ”

Wang Xianchao also endured the sourness in his eyes, as well as the surprise and surprise that he had recovered.

Then, while watching the two gobble up their share of fried food and the rations he had saved, Wang Yanfu also brought a relatively rare canned meat substitute; While listening to their inarticulate and intermittent accounts of what happened during this time.

It turned out that since they fled from the defeat outside Tanzhou City, they fled all the way to the north. It's just that they failed to meet the imaginary official army, but together with many people, they were blocked by the grass thieves and sailors who arrived first, and they couldn't cross the Yangtze River.

had no choice but to turn east and wanted to go to the Jiangdong Zhudao under the control of the imperial court, but was coerced by grass thieves from other places halfway; Because the two of them were always obsessed with escaping, but they were caught up and caught by those who did not act secretly; Not only did he suffer a lot at that time and almost lost his life, but he was also sent to the hardest and most tired pack team to leave and drive him away.

It wasn't until a few days ago that the Righteous Army began to expand with food, and the two brothers who had not died were re-promoted and became one of the new pawns in the other Righteous Army; Then I met Wang Yanfu, who went to traffic with the team, and recognized each other on the spot.

However, as they devoured and ate like starving ghosts, the tears of the two couldn't help but pop out again;

"Brother, why are we doing this for? . . ."

"The family can't survive and runs out to take their lives to Bo, isn't it just for this kind of life."

"We all lived in vain before...

"Okay, okay, aren't we all together again now?"

At this moment, Wang Xianchao, who was also touched, comforted them

"The most important thing for a family who comes out together to beg for a living is not to ask for a neat one."

Then he turned his head to Wang Yanfu with an expectant expression.

"Xiao Wu, now is the best time for you to mess around here, to be able to ask Shangguan for kindness and favors, and ask him to come over from other departments. Even if it's a miscellaneous servant first."

"Big brother, please be relieved, I think I'm doing my best to ask for this matter."

Wang Yanfu also agreed.

。。。。。。。。

At the same time, at a private banquet in a courtyard in Xunyang City.

"It's really strange, I just persuaded a few more words, and the big ears really take it as a thing."

Huang Kuan, the official of Confucius who put down the cup, complained to Shi Huangrui, the right elder of the clan, with some dissatisfaction

"This time it's so tired that I'm hard to be a person inside and out.,Those old brothers in the army are saying strange things.,It's because I forced Ma Da's ears away.。。 Lao Tzu was just ordered to take some mounts and men from his rear army. Why did this stubborn old horse bother to get to this point?"

"But this virtual monk actually accepted it, and openly interceded for this matter in front of the king, which means a few things; He is willing to take back this old thing and give it back; I really don't understand what he means by doing this, is there such a shortage of people in Gangneung; I'm afraid it's ill-intentioned.、The picture is not small.。。 ”

"No matter what his intentions are, now is the time for the military government to rely on him, and now he wants to marry his eldest brother; It's not easy to deal with these side details. ”

Huang Rui slowly picked up a chopstick, and persuaded bitterly.

"The eldest brother didn't let go of his words in private, as long as he didn't directly pull away the people of the headquarters of the five envoys and seven rates, the heads of those miscellaneous editors would go with him. It's not that people don't give compensation. Why can we be less burdened? ”

"You don't see that these camps outside the city are already empty, and many of the commanders and leaders simply transfer all the people under their command to others at a discount, and then go to the south with their own goods to enjoy the blessings." Hearing this, Huang Hua couldn't help but show a stupid expression.

"So what, you can listen to me."

Huang Rui picked up the wine jug with silver filigree and poured it for him, and then sighed.

"Except for the brothers who are bent on returning to their hometown with the king, to be decent and get ahead; Such a half-hearted approach to the goods was not originally thought of all the way with them; Even if you don't leave now, there will be a day when you will part ways in the future. It's a good thing that the stupid monk is willing to take money and food to pull them away. ”

"What if you are relieved, like a fool like a horse with big ears, how many more can there be in the world..."

(End of chapter)