There are two mountains pressing on the heads of the Ming farmers - Fu and Xi.

Fu is the land endowment, which is also the imperial grain, and every farmer is inevitable. It is also called conscription, which is generally divided into two kinds, Lijia and Jun.

The so-called Lijia service means that every year during the slack season, according to the arrangement of the county, each family contributes some strong labor to do some hard work in the township to build roads and bridges. Junzi drew people from these laborers and rushed to the county for the government to send them.

These two kinds of resignation, on the surface, seem to be a beauty difference, and the Lijia service is a chore. Not for anything else, at least Junzi just does some tea and water delivery and cleaning work in the government, which is really leisurely, much easier than the Lijia service, and saves a lot of gas. In fact, it is not the case, and all those who serve in the service are willing to serve in the service of the Lijia rather than the service of the people.

The reason for this is that most of the farmers are honest and not good at words. When they go to the official office, they often do things that do not conform to the wishes of the officials, and their words offend the authority of the officials, and they are reprimanded at least and reprimanded with rods. At the end of the service, eight out of ten had blossomed in the buttocks, and some even fell disabled. Therefore, they would rather work hard than go to the government to be leisurely, and even do not hesitate to scrape together some money and ask someone to serve them for them.

The reason why Li Feibai went to the county to serve was first of all because his family was too poor to come up with the money to hire someone to serve him. Secondly, and most importantly, Zheng Haoran worked as an errand in the county.

Zheng Haoran was originally from Li Feibai and Xiapan Village, and he loved to read since he was a child, and he was able to recite poems at the age of six. Unfortunately, his parents died early, and they died when he was eight years old, leaving his only son to guard a few acres of thin fields.

Li Feibai's father saw that Zheng Haoran was pitiful, so he helped Zheng Haoran cultivate the fields when he was busy farming. saw that Zheng Haoran was a kind of studyer, and he also took money for Zheng Haoran to study in a private school. Zheng Haoran also lived up to expectations, he was admitted to Xiucai at the age of seventeen, came to the county school to study, and said that he would be admitted to the Juren at the age of twenty, and the Jinshi before the age of twenty-six, becoming the first official in their village and even in their township.

It's a pity that in the second year of Zheng Haoran's entrance examination, Li Feibai's family's economy plummeted, and he couldn't afford to study. Zheng Haoran couldn't, so he had to sell his house and property, but how much money can he sell for in the poor countryside? Although Xiucai can also receive supplies from the imperial court, even eating and drinking with those few dollars is a problem, so how can he live in the county? The money from selling property was spent in less than two years, and every day I was anxious about life, and how to concentrate on studying.

Until the age of twenty-six, he had not yet been admitted to the Juren, let alone Jinshi. Seeing that there was no hope of becoming an official, he immediately made a decision, no longer spending his time studying, but went to the yamen to find an errand, mixed for two or three years, and is now a clerk in the bureaucracy.

It can be seen that the relationship between Zheng Haoran and Li Feibai and their family is extremely unusual, and even Li Feibai's name was given by Zheng Haoran when he was ten years old, when Li Feibai was just born. With such an elder brother taking care of him in the county, Li Feibai will not suffer any losses.

As early as a month or two ago, Zheng Haoran had asked someone to bring a letter to Li Feibai and his father, asking Li Feibai to serve in the county this year, and he would definitely make proper arrangements and never let Li Feibai suffer. Moreover, the two have not seen each other for several years, and they really want to be close.

The sky had just dawned, and there was still half an hour before the hour, and Li Feibai had already rushed to the west gate of the county seat. The archers guarding the gate yawned and checked the people entering the city, and when they saw Li Feibai dressed as a flower, they didn't bother to talk to him, let him in, and then stopped a few farmers who went into the city to sell vegetables and extorted a few dollars.

Li Feibai rushed to the front of the Bell and Drum Tower, and saw a person standing in front of the eight-character gate at the entrance of the yamen, looking like Zheng Haoran, and hurriedly rushed forward in three steps and two steps, and asked, "Is it Brother Haoran!" ”

The man hesitated and asked, "Are you?" ”

Li Feibai said: "I am Li Feibai!" ”

The man didn't seem to believe it, and looked Li Feibai up and down several times, and finally stopped on the jacket. His eyes suddenly moistened, his voice choked slightly, and said, "The situation at home has become like this?" He added: "I haven't been home for a few years, and I haven't brought some money home, it's my fault!" He added: "After some time, I will go back and bring the second elder to the city and let them enjoy it." ”

Li Feibai said with a smile: "I'm afraid that they are reluctant to let their family's old house be broken, and they don't want to come to the county with their eldest brother to enjoy it." ”

Zheng Haoran shook his head helplessly: "Godfather is the most stubborn, I'm afraid that he doesn't want to come to the county, so give him more money and let him buy more delicious food and drink." ”

Li Feibai said: "This brother doesn't bother, since I have come to the county, I have to try to make more money, so that my father and mother can live a good life, and I can do my filial piety!" ”

Zheng Haoran feigned anger: "It's your father, isn't it my father?" Why do you need to be so angry with your eldest brother! However, it's good that you have this ambition! He patted Li Feibai on the shoulder again and said, "I haven't seen you grow into a good guy for a few years, and I almost didn't recognize it." Let's go, go back with me first, clean up, and then we'll go to the place where you listened to the errand. ”

Li Feibai pursed his lips into the yamen and said, "Don't you need to order it?" ”

Zheng Haoran sighed and said, "Originally, I wanted it, but there was a big incident in the county in the past two days, and the county magistrate had no intention of going to court, so he put it down!" Then he led the way and led Li Feibai back home. After taking two steps, he sighed again and continued to lead the way.

The two passed by Lijia room, Li Feibai wanted to put things inside, Zheng Hao stopped and said: "How can you live in a place like a pigsty?" When it reaches the village, people don't let people poke my backbone and scold? I have already greeted the elders of our township, and you have been on errands in the county for a while, so you will not live in Lijia room, but live at home with me. ”

The so-called elder is a steward sent by the township to the county, who conveys the county's decrees to the township. Second, reflect the difficulties in the township to the county.

Li Feibai naturally knew that in addition to the single-room houses in the townships, the other errands could only live in the shop. Along the way, he was worried about how his black leather box could not be discovered, lest something happen. I live in Tongpu, and the luggage of more than a dozen people is piled up in one place, and it is really difficult for the black leather box not to be discovered. At this time, I heard that I didn't need to go to live in the first room, so I was naturally happy.

After walking a short distance, he arrived at Zheng Haoran's residence. Entering a small courtyard, Zheng Haoran opened the door of the west wing, there was a room on each side of the middle hall, and the room on the left hand came the sound of children crying and women coaxing children.

Not long after Zheng Haoran was admitted to the show, someone came to the door to propose marriage. Zheng Haoran didn't fancy the beautiful little jasper, but the daughter of a farmer, not for anything else, because the girl was really handsome. At that time, he didn't look at the jasper of the county's beautiful little family, and felt that he was bound to be an official, as long as he became an official, what was the difference between the jasper of everyone's beautiful little family and the daughter of a farmer.

The marriage of the two was married in their hometown of Xiapan Village, and the 100-day wine that the two had a child was also placed in Xiapan Village, so Li Feibai saw his sister-in-law and nephew, he stuck out his tongue and asked, "My nephew should be five years old this year." ”

Zheng Haoran said: "Two months and five years old!" He stretched out his finger and shushed in front of his mouth, and said, "The child is long, let's talk lower, don't disturb his sweet dreams." As he spoke, he led Li Feibai into the house on his right, and then said, "This is my study, and you will live there for a while." You pack up your things, throw away all the rags that should be thrown away, and I'll buy you a new one when you come back. I'll go find two old clothes first, and you'll wear them, and I'll make you some new ones another day. ”

Li Feibai agreed, and when Zheng Haoran left the house, he hurriedly took out a black leather box from the tattered cover roll and stuffed it under the bed. He washed his face in the basin, Zheng Haoran had already come in with two new clothes, and when he changed his clothes, Zheng Haoran couldn't help but sigh and said, "I didn't expect my brother to be a handsome man?" From today on, I don't know how many ladies and ladies in Jiyuan City will be unable to sleep at night. ”

Li Feibai's face turned red and said, "Big brother, don't make fun of me!" ”