They were dressed in simple robes, looking at the torrential rain that had not stopped at all, and their eyes were full of helplessness and worry.

After some conversation, Chen Yu knew that these people were tenant farmers in Niujiazhuang, and that the heavy rain had hindered the harvest, and they could not afford to pay rent this year, but they had no choice but to pray that the heavens would stop the damn rainstorm soon.

These people already owe rent last year, but they just hope that after the summer harvest this year, they can pay off the arrears, although life may be tight, but it doesn't matter.

But after this year's rain, not to mention last year's rent, I'm afraid that this year's rent will not be paid.

The consequence of not being able to pay the rent is that they flee, and after the flight, a group of displaced people emerge.

In fact, these people were originally farmers born and raised in Niujiazhuang, and like the farmers who owned their own land in the east of the village, they used to own their own land.

As for why they became tenants, they did not elaborate.

Seeing that they were not in high spirits, Chen Yu comforted them a few words, and then walked towards the east of the village with Fang Xiaomei and Shen Fei.

When they had gone away, the tenants reacted and asked each other, "Do you know him?" ”

Everyone shook their heads, and then began to have different opinions, some said that it was the county magistrate who went to the countryside to observe the people's feelings, some said that it was the scholar who understood the people's suffering, and some even more said that it was which prince came to see the land, and I am afraid that it was impossible to say which prince of the country looked at the land in the east of the village.

After a long time, a warrior said: "Could it be a private visit from the emperor's microservice?" ”

Of course, these Chen Yu couldn't hear it, they walked very slowly, the muddy road was very slippery, and there were a few times when Chen Yu almost didn't stand firm and fell, and all three of them were covered with mud along the way.

The east of the village is connected to the river, and the damage here is even more serious, and the small people are repairing the river embankment at the moment, but no matter how hard they try, they can't stop the wanton encroachment of the flood.

Sweat and rain mixed with their faces, men, women, the elderly, and even children, were turning over the soil, constantly piling up on both sides of the river and the ridges, and the water in the ridges could not be released through the terrain, and their fields were already in low-lying areas.

In desperation, only the water was transported out of the ridge by hand.

They were as dirty as clay figures, but they didn't care about it, and after a long period of fatigue, a woman rubbed her waist and stood up, drank a pot of water from the ridge of the field, and then came to the man who was still working.

The man did not drink and handed the water to the child.

The children were not very tall, and some of them were standing in the ridges, and the water was already up to their chests.

There is no good rain here to know the season, and there is nothing to watch the rain fall, showing that it is cruel, and it is even more cruel here, and they are trying to protect what little hope they have.

Chen Yu walked over, holding a farm tool in his hand, and joined them.

After seeing Chen Yu, a small farmer asked strangely: "This brother is from the west of the village?" The face is tight, I haven't seen it! ”

Chen Yu smiled heartily, his face was covered with mud now, and he couldn't see his originally fair and handsome face, otherwise Xiaomin wouldn't believe that he was like them.

Chen Yu said: "Yes, I used to work in other places, and I won't come back to help, hey, this damn rainstorm, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay the rent this year, and we are also thinking about what to do next." ”

"Anyway, you are much stronger than us, at least you have your own land." Shen Fei also joined the farming queue with a smile.

Even Fang Xiaomei, who likes to be clean on weekdays, can't care so much at the moment, seeing this kind of scene, I'm afraid that even a hard-hearted person will soften his heart.

Especially when I saw those children, I was afraid that the whole person was not as tall as the ears of wheat, but they were still here to help their parents.

The little man sighed after hearing Shen Fei's words, and then said to the woman beside him, "Go home and get a few bowls of water and give these brothers a drink." ”

After the woman walked away, the man said, "This place ...... If you don't mention it, it won't last long! ”

"How?" Chen Yu asked curiously, "I heard from the ancestors, your annual harvest here is quite good." ”

These words are all made up by Chen Yu, even if he is wrong, he can say that he has been working abroad all the year round and does not know much about it.

However, it seems that Chen Yumeng was right, so he listened to the man: "The annual harvest is considerable, but you don't know, after the summer harvest every year, the land conscription of the national government will be disguised to us, in addition, when is the tax in the west of your village not pressed on our heads?" After the expropriation of the government, most of them were "drenched and kicked", and there were only a few coppers that could really reach us. ”

It seems that there is no escape from this strange phenomenon, sprinkled and deceitful, the government quota is depleted, and in the end all taxes and servitude are passed on to these real people and peasants, and the gentry are like Dingguo Gong and the like, and they are willing to enjoy the fruits of others.

And it is difficult to say that these people are suffering, because this phenomenon is generally in imperial society, and as long as the gentry of various counties collude with the canonical history, these people will be alive and waiting to be exploited.

As mentioned earlier, it is impossible for the county master to do anything like going to the mountains and going to the countryside, going out on patrol in micro-services, and those who can get in touch with this little people are classics.

In their hearts, the history of the classics is the boss, the officials who are not in the stream, and it is impossible for them to have lofty ideals if you want them to have any lofty ideals, so they must also collude with the gentry to exploit the achievements of the greedy people.

It is recorded that during the Zhengde period, a farmer harvested two acres of fertile land in two seasons a year, and the total grain was about 60 stones, but in the end it was only less than six stones.

If so, you may ask, why don't they play? Okay, let's see who they can play to?

In the Ming Dynasty, the village implemented the Lijia system, setting 110 households as a mile, and the ten households with the most grain should be the lichang, and the lichang rotated every ten years, and they were responsible for the servitude and taxation of the people in a mile, and were responsible for the "official affairs of a mile".

In addition to the chief, there are also elderly people, who are responsible for indoctrination, persuasion, agricultural and commercial affairs, and minor cases among the people. All in all, since the founding of Hongwu, the empire must firmly control the idea of the people being enslaved, just like the Confucian culture, one controls the people and the other controls the scholars!

Okay, now you're up to the middle, and then ...... Come to an end. Because you can't go up at all, as long as you participate in this kind of thinking, it means that the empire's control over the people's thoughts has failed, and at that time, the old man will go out, and then educate you, but if you can't educate, okay, kill you!

This is the result, after the cycle repeats, who dares to continue to play? Okay, even if you meet a better lieutenant, you will take this matter to the history of the Taoist classics.

Don't forget that although the canonical history is not in the stream, they are also people from the government, they are officials who do not make a book, although there will be a certain amount of money every year, but the country will not provide a group of officials, where will the money come from? Where does it come from?

If I don't you, where will they get their money!

Seeing that Chen Yu didn't speak for a long time, the man said: "But even so, the days are tight, and there are some prey on the mountain, which is enough for the family to eat and drink, but this year's rainstorm is ......."

At the mention of this, the man's eyes gradually moistened, and he scolded, "Damn God." ”

It's just that as soon as the words came out, someone on the side reminded: "Don't talk nonsense, if the clan elders know, you won't have to skip a few meals!" ”

Yes, knowing that it is a natural disaster, they can't scold God, they should be in awe of heaven and earth!

After chatting for a while, the woman who was called back to get water by the man came over, held the kettle in her hand, and said to the man: "This time there is a lot of water, you can drink some!" ”

"You woman, you haven't seen anyone here?" The man handed the water to Chen Yu.

The kettle was tattered and dirty, but even so, Chen Yu didn't dislike it at all, raised his head and drank it, drank it for a while, and handed it to Shen Fei.

Shen Fei saw the impurities on the kettle, and he didn't have the courage to drink it after all, so Chen Yu returned the kettle to the man.

The man raised his head, drank the water with a grunt, and then continued to build the embankment.

"I just hope it doesn't fall down, otherwise there really won't be a little harvest this year!" The man muttered a few words, and then threw himself into the work.

It was nearly ten in the evening, and Chen Yu saw that the hour was not early, so he exchanged a few words of greeting and prepared to leave.

The man wanted to invite Chen Yu to dinner at home, but Chen Yu excused himself by taking advantage of something at home.

When I left, I dragged my waist with both hands, and I just felt that I couldn't stand on my feet at the moment!

Shen Fei and Fang Xiaomei were no better.

"I am a farmer, and now I realize how hard it is to work!" Chen Yu sighed.

"You also know how those people are greedy for ink and how much the state is doing to the peasants, right? That's what you're for! Fang Xiaomei glanced at Chen Yu, "Knowing that this is a chore, I don't leave after asking, I have to suffer here!" ”

"If you can get the old Shangshu emperors in the middle of the court to plant for a month...... Forget it, it is useless, it still cannot reverse the exploitation of the gentry class, and if they want to get rid of exploitation, they must develop handicrafts. ”

"What do you mean?"

"The germ of capitalism."

"I don't understand."

"Let's talk slowly in the future, it's not like it will be sorted out in a while!"