Li Yanqing and his entourage arrived in Tangyin County, Xiangzhou at noon the next day, and Zhou Chun, the magistrate of the county, specially brought more than a dozen officials and several ox carts to the southernmost post station in Tangyin County to greet them.

Hot soup and meals had already been prepared in the post station, and several large braziers had burned the charcoal red, making the room warm as spring, and the officials who had been on the road for three days in the bitter cold were already exhausted, and no one wanted to leave after entering the post station.

"Everyone!"

Li Yanqing smiled at the officials who were eating: "Zhou Zhixian said that he would give us the wind and wash the dust in Tangyin County, or everyone will work hard again and go to Tangyin County to rest." ”

Wang Zao waved his hand and smiled: "After eating, I have to take a hot bath, and then get into the warm quilt to sleep well. ”

It is rare that Wang Zao's words are accepted by everyone, and everyone has expressed their attitudes, it is very comfortable here, and they don't want to go anymore.

Li Yanqing saw that everyone was really tired, so he smiled and said, "Since this is the case, let's have a good rest today!" Early tomorrow morning we will set off for the north. ”

Li Yanqing's decision was unanimously applauded and supported by everyone, Li Yanqing shook his head, walked out of the canteen, and said to Zhou Chun, who was waiting in the courtyard: "Everyone is tired and doesn't want to leave the post station, so Tangyin County won't go, and we will go north directly tomorrow morning." ”

"Then do you want Yanqing to go back to your hometown to have a look?"

Li Yanqing nodded, "I'm going back to pay respects to my mother's tomb." ”

"Let's go together! We just dropped by. ”

Li Yanqing hurriedly ate something, then took Zhang Ying and Zhang Bao out of the post station, rode a horse and Zhou Chun to Tangyin County, when he was about to reach Li Wen Village, Zhou Chun slowed down his horse, and said to Li Yanqing: "Although there is one thing that is not easy to speak, I still need to remind you that the output of autumn and summer grain in Tangyin County this year has dropped by three percent, although it has something to do with the drought between spring and summer, but the real reason for the decline in grain output is your father." ”

Li Yanqing was stunned, "What does this have to do with my father?" ”

Zhou Chunyi pointed to the fields covered with heavy snow in the north and said: "Under the thick snow, there used to be endless wheat fields and corn fields, but now they are no longer the same, they have all become flower fields, and sixty percent of the fertile fields in the entire Xiaohe Township have become flower fields." ”

Zhou Chun sighed and said: "I know that your father wants the villagers to have a little more income, but more and more farmland is abandoning wheat and planting flowers, Tangyin County was originally a large grain-producing county, but today's grain output is actually lower than that of Linzhang County, this year I can use the drought as an excuse to explain upwards, so what about next year?" The grain has declined for several consecutive years, and the imperial court will be held accountable, I have the Gao family as the background, and it is a big deal to transfer away, I am afraid that Baoyanzhai will be charged with destroying the farm, and the consequences will be extremely serious. ”

Of course, Li Yanqing knew that Zhou Chun was not alarmist, agriculture was the foundation of all dynasties, and no matter how prosperous the handicraft industry was, it could not threaten agriculture.

He immediately said: "After I go back, I will tell my father to let him drastically reduce the flower fields in Tangyin County, and let Baoyanzhai bear all the losses, and I won't embarrass you again next year!" ”

Zhou Chun hugged his fists and smiled: "Then thank you, if you need anything, just tell me, I will leave first!" ”

"Brother Zhou bothered this time, thank you!"

Zhou Chun left with the servants, and Li Yanqing kept looking at him and walked away, so he turned his horse's head and entered Li Wen Village.

Although the New Year is approaching, Li Wen Village is very deserted, and it is no wonder that most of the population in the village has gone to the capital or the south, and only some old people, women and children remain in Li Wen Village.

"Goshi, is this your hometown?" Zhang Ying asked with a smile on the side.

"yes!"

Li Yanqing pointed to a small road with a horsewhip and said: "I went to Lushan Town to study along this trail before dawn, when the trees were not so big, and now they have grown into towering trees. ”

Li Yanqing went home along the path, he didn't meet anyone on the way, for a while, he came to the old house, the old house kept its original appearance, the door was ajar, and Uncle Zhong could be seen combing the donkey in the yard, this donkey was still the prize of the Boys' Club that year, more than ten years have passed, and the little donkey has become an old donkey.

"Is Uncle Zhong going out?"

Li Yanqing led the horse into the courtyard with a smile, and Uncle Zhong was startled, "It's the little official who is back, my ears are a little back now, I didn't hear it just now!" ”

Uncle Zhong hurriedly stepped forward to take the horse, turned around and shouted to the wife in the house: "Old woman, the little official is back, hurry up and boil hot water!" ”

"Uncle Zhong is in good health?"

"Except for bad ears and a little loose teeth, everything else is fine, did the master come back together?"

"He didn't come back, I just passed by Tangyin, and I left after paying tribute to my mother, I really didn't have time, and I didn't need to prepare dinner."

"I know, is the petty official going to pay tribute now?"

"If it's convenient, I'll pay homage now."

Li Yanqing let Zhang Ying and Zhang Bao enter the guest hall to rest, and he followed Uncle Zhong to the mother's tomb at the back of the house, the mother's cemetery was very tidy, and there were no weeds on the grave, Li Yanqing placed the incense burner and offerings in front of the tombstone, inserted three incense sticks, and muttered with his palms: "Mother, the child has come to see you, I hope that the next time I come, the child can bring your daughter-in-law too, may the mother rest in peace!" ”

After whispering, he knelt down again and kowtowed respectfully three times, and burned the paper money in front of the tombstone, and then he got up and picked up a broom to clean the cemetery, this is the custom of Tangyin County, after sacrificing to his parents, he must do something, either pull out the weeds on the tomb, or clean the cemetery.

"Uncle Zhong, is the patriarch still in the village?"

"It's really unfortunate, the patriarch and a group of clansmen set off to the capital the day before yesterday, there are some old people in the village, and only Li Erkang's father is there, the guy who peeked into the toilet of the third aunt's house and fell into the manure pit, and now his memory has deteriorated so much that he doesn't even know his son."

Li Yanqing nodded, then took out ten taels of silver and handed it to Uncle Zhong, "This bit of silver is for you and your wife to celebrate the New Year." ”

Uncle Zhong hurriedly waved his hand, "I don't want it, the master will give me money every month." ”

Li Yanqing forced the silver to him and said with a smile: "This is a little bit of my heart, if you go back and buy a pork leg for me and send it to Li Erkang's father, I won't go to see him." ”

"Thank you, little official!"

At this time, Uncle Zhong suddenly remembered something, "By the way, your brother came here two days ago." ”

"Wang Gui is back?" Li Yanqing was overjoyed.

"He came back a few days ago, and with his new daughter-in-law, he passed by our village and came to pay respects to his wife."

Li Yanqing secretly called lucky, he almost forgot, it was about to be the New Year, of course Wang Gui should go home, and he was actually going to Anyang to find him.

．．．．．．

Li Yanqing then came to Tangwang Village, which was just the opposite of the desertion of Li Wen Village, Tangwang Village, which was approaching the New Year, was extremely lively, the screams of killing pigs could be heard everywhere, every family was pounding rice cakes, and groups of children were setting off firecrackers at the entrance of the village, full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Not long after, the three of them rode to the gate of Wang Gui's mansion, and just saw Wang Gui with a few young students installing lanterns on the gate, someone saw Li Yanqing, and hurriedly said to Wang Gui: "Official, look who is coming!" ”

Wang Gui looked back and saw Li Yanqing, 'Ah! With a loud shout, he jumped down directly from the five-foot-high bench and rushed up to meet him, "Lao Li, why are you back?" ”

Li Yanqing turned over and dismounted, hugged him tightly, and said with a smile: "I am passing through Tangyin County on business, and I will leave early tomorrow morning." ”

"Nonsense! How can there be a business trip during the New Year. ”

"It's not that our Great Song Tianzi is hot-headed, he doesn't care about the New Year, and one order will exhaust us to death."

"Hah! You slander the Son of Heaven, beware of me suing you. ”

The two laughed together, Wang Gui asked the housekeeper to take care of Li Yanqing's subordinates, and then pulled Li Yanqing to the courtyard where he lived, "I still live in the original courtyard, but now I live alone." ”

"Is Ah Tang back?"

"He didn't come back, he is very beautiful now, a few days ago, Zhou Zhixian beat gongs and drums to the Tang family to celebrate, he killed the enemy meritoriously, and has been promoted to the captain of Zhengqipin Zhiguo, his grandmother's is half a level higher than me, I also participated in the Western Xia Campaign, which is really unpleasant."

"What about the fifth brother?"

"You said Lao Yue! In the morning I saw him picking up dung, and I called someone to look for him. ”

Wang Gui called a family member to inform Yue Fei, he took Li Yanqing into his courtyard, and said with a smile: "Ah Yuan, look who is coming." ”

A pretty young woman walked out of the room, it was Wang Gui's wife Tang Yuan'er, Li Yanqing smiled and hugged his fists and said, "I've seen my brother and sister!" ”

Wang Gui knocked him on the back, "What brother and sister, I should be called sister-in-law, I am a year older than you." ”

"Huh! Yanqing has seen her sister-in-law. ”

Tang Yuan'er pursed her lips and smiled, "Uncle is here, please sit in the house!" ”

"Let's go to the study and sit, Ah Yuan, prepare some appetizers for us, and then blanch two pots of wine."

"Got it!"

Wang Gui pulled Li Yanqing into the study and sat down, poured him a cup of hot water, "Moisten your mouth first, and we'll have a drink when we get back." ”

Li Yanqing took a sip of hot water and asked, "When did you come back?" ”

"I just came back three days ago, what's the matter, you won't have something to do with me, will you?"

Li Yanqing nodded, "I'm really going to Anyang to find you, I have official business!" ”