The weather in June is stormy. Country roads are muddy. An ox cart was bubbling around, driven by an old country man, unkempt and smiling. Behind the car was a pile of firewood and grass, on which sat a man less than forty years old, carrying a basket, with a white face and few beards, as if he was dressed as a scholar, but there was a little less bookish anger between his eyebrows.

I don't know how long it took to drive the ox cart to a stop under a large peach tree.

The man got out of the car and thanked the old man. The old man didn't even dare to say it, and was flattered by the man's politeness. The man was no longer polite and walked towards the peach tree.

The man's surname is Han, his single name is a Tong character, and the table word is Liuxiao, and he is a native of Rotten Peach Village, Daliang Town, Jia County.

Han Tong is the only scholar in the village, and he was famous in his early years and his neighbors. It's a pity that he tried again and again, and seeing that he was standing in the past year, he had no choice but to ask someone to recommend him, and became a Xu official in Jia County, usually writing documents and planning affairs for the county commander.

Even though he is just a petty official who does not enter the stream, in Rotten Peach Village, a place where talents cannot be produced for several generations, Han Tong is undoubtedly a big man in the hearts of the villagers.

The origin of the name of Rotten Peach Village is probably related to the big peach tree in the center of the village. However, although this peach tree is very old, the peaches that give birth to are sweet and full, and they are very good-looking. It's really hard to imagine why the ancestors here called this Rotten Peach Village.

Han Tong slowed down, and before he knew it, he had arrived at a familiar place.

Directly in front of it was a row of low walls of earthy yellow, covered with vines, and between the walls there was an old gate, and on each side of the door was a tree, both of which were date trees.

When you enter the gate, you will be greeted by several large tiled houses with white walls and blue tiles. There are also several thatched huts around the tiled house, and there is a melon shed next to the thatched house, and some foraging hens can be faintly seen under the melon shed.

Such a yard may not be worth mentioning in the eyes of the rich families in the city, but it can be said to be the only one in Rotten Peach Village.

Han Tong was about to enter the house, but saw a woman sitting next to the threshold under the hall, about thirty years old, coarse cloth, holding a needle and thread, sewing something.

"Ah Qing." Han Tong called softly.

When the woman heard this, she was stunned, and then she wept with joy. She is Han Tong's wife, Liu.

Han Tong finally went home, counting the days, he hadn't been back for almost a year. The county is not too far from Rotten Peach Village, but there are many affairs in the yamen, and the county magistrate trusts Han Tong, so everything is handed over to him, Han Tong can hardly pull away, and even talk about going home.

However, recently, the world has gradually become less peaceful, and a group of thieves have come from nowhere in the west, attacking cities, burning and looting, and many county towns have been slaughtered.

Not long ago, news came that the western thieves had captured the neighboring county, and they would soon wash Jiaxian County in blood. The county commander did not have the courage to die with the city, and even his subordinates abandoned the city without notifying him, and now his whereabouts are unknown.

When the Yamen saw that the chief official had fled, they expected that Jiaxian would fall, so they all ran to the treasury, divided up the gold and silver in stock, and then took their families out of the city for refuge.

Han Tong used this to go out of the city and return to his hometown.

As soon as the people of the yamen left, the officers and soldiers defending the city also dispersed in a hurry, and the people in the city were suddenly panicked. Countless ordinary people and gentry also abandoned their homes and left the city, and the gate of the county town was crowded for a while. However, in a few days, Jiaxian, which was overcrowded in the past, almost became an empty city, and only some people who really had nowhere to go and were lucky remained in the city.

……

In the evening, the sun is thinning. Han Tong's family of four eats in a thatched hut.

Han Tong's parents are both deceased, and he has no brothers, which can be described as a single biography. Fortunately, Liu was blessed and gave birth to two sons for him.

The eldest son, Han Yuan, is sixteen years old, born with strong body and good facial features, but unfortunately he doesn't like to read, he only likes to fight with others.

Han Tong once sent him to study in a private school, although he was also smart, but he just refused to pay attention. Later, he injured someone again, and was persuaded to quit by Mr. Private School. Han Tong knew that he was not a piece of material for studying, so he asked him to go home to help his mother take care of the fields.

The Han family has more than a dozen acres of ancestral land in Rotten Peach Village, and they can be regarded as small landlords.

Han Won likes to go out to play, and when he arrives at the farm, he asks the village boys to go up the mountain to catch birds and go into the water to fish. People in the village talked about him a lot behind his back, saying that he was not at all like his father Han Tong.

Han Tong's second son, Han Xian, is two years younger than Han won.

Han Xian is completely different from his brother, he has been silent since he was a child, likes to sit and read, recite poems and write, does not like sports, does not like to go out, and rarely speaks, and his every move is the same as Han Tong, who was still a scholar.

For his second son Han Xian, Han Tong was both pleased and worried-these days, Kedi's path to progress was not easy.

Han Xian was supposed to study in the town, but because Mr. Private School passed away a few days ago, and the new Mr. was not available for a while, so he had to come home first.

…

At the dinner table, Han Won kept boasting to his family about how many rare birds and beasts he had caught with the young people in the same village today. Han Xian didn't say a word and concentrated on eating.

"The cowhide is blowing loudly, where are the pheasants and hares you are talking about? Your dad came home, why didn't he take it out and pay homage? ”

Liu teased. She was the only one of the three who took care of her son from time to time, lest he talk to himself.

"Hey, isn't this all for Ermao, Shunzi and them?"

Han Yuan took a bite of rice, and then said, "Our family still lacks this bit of meat?" Dad, right? ”

Unexpectedly, Han Tong was very angry when he heard this, and reprimanded: "When will you be able to change your wild nature?" I was going to get a job for you in the county office, what kind of errand do you deserve with this temper? In the future, don't associate with those who are idle! ”

Han Yuan saw that his father was unhappy, and he was immediately dumbfounded. Although he is not afraid of heaven and earth, he only dares not disobey his father.

Han Xian saw that his brother was deflated, but he still had that calm expression on his face, but he was snickering in his heart.

"By the way, there has been turmoil outside recently, you two brothers stay in the village, don't move around." Han Tong breathed his anger and said suddenly.

Hearing this, the mother and son who were eating all felt strange. Their circle is small, and it is not at all clear what is going on in the outside world.

"Dad, this ......"

"There may be an accident in the county, but I don't know. Don't go out and talk nonsense. ”

Han Won was about to ask, but Han Tong interrupted him.

…

The vast majority of the people of the Great Xia Kingdom could not have imagined that the irreversible and behemoth-like court in their eyes had become terminally ill after three hundred years of rule, and had gradually reached the point of exhaustion.

At this moment, the Xia Kingdom can be described as internal and external troubles. In the north, the Hu people are eyeing the horses, and they may invade the south at any time; Rebellions have erupted one after another in the northwest, some of which have been suppressed, some of which have grown, and many of which are brewing.