In the autumn of 1778, Guangdong was basically a good year, the harvest in the field was not bad, Yang Chunfu, a farmer in Jiaying Prefecture, was very happy, this year's rice was beaten down, sold for a few hundred yuan, and the family might be able to be more comfortable. He was a typical farmer with a lot www.biquge.info of money in his family, and his mother-in-law gave him six little cubs, all of whom were boys, and he had a big appetite, and he was so poor that he couldn't eat.

In the early years, the Yang family still had a little more than 3 acres of private land, but when Yang Chunfu gave birth to his fourth son, because he couldn't pay off the debt, the landlord's family took it all. At present, Yang Chunfu's family is cultivating the landlord's field, and the rent is very high, not only Yang Chunfu has to contribute, but also his older children have to contribute, and his mother-in-law can do a little needlework, but it can't subsidize much for the family.

When the rice was harvested, Yang Chunfu and his sons pushed a cart to deliver the harvest to their homes, and the landlord's housekeeper would come to collect the rent after a while. Yang Chunfu's main family is one of the largest landlords in Shili Eight Townships, and about ordinary people in the whole village are cultivating his family's fields, in addition to collecting rent, the landlord will also pay taxes on behalf of the government, and at the same time, if each family has surplus grain, it will also be sold to the owner's family.

The youngest son of the Yang family is only six or seven years old, he looks a little yellow and thin, he is not very sensible, seeing that his parents and brothers at home have smiles on their faces, he can feel that it seems to be a good thing, he pulled Yang Chunfu's back swing from behind, and said childishly: "Uncle, can you buy meat to eat with more money?" ”

Some Hakka people call their father Uncle Abo, which is a way to avoid picking gas, such as giving birth to a boy, but calling it a sister, the picture is safe and auspicious, just like the northerners name the child a name such as a dog, in order to make a living.

Yang Chunfu patted his youngest son's brain. Half-reproachful and half-loving: "You gluttonous monkey." ”

He saw that his sons had a little hope in their eyes. I think of my strict wife again. He was ruthless and said, "Okay, if you have more money, you will cut the three-fingered meat, and let your brothers satisfy their hunger." ”

As he spoke, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva himself.

The landlord's housekeeper Liu Ye came with four or five helpers, and Liu Ye is not bad, mainly because he can be a man. Basically, I won't be arrogant, but if someone's family really has any difficulties, I can help talk about it. The landlord's family believes in Buddhism, although they will not do charity, but generally can not force people to death, if the reputation is bad, people will not be willing to plough their own fields.

Liu Ye arrived at the door of the Yang family's dilapidated house, called a thousand children, and said, "Old Yang, okay." ”

Yang Chunfu bowed. I didn't stop pretending, "Master Liu, you are auspicious." You rabbit cubs, don't kowtow to Liu Ye. ”

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the knees of the Chinese people have weakened, and ordinary juniors have kowtowed when they see juniors or officials. Several children of the Yang family are also used to kowtowing, and even the youngest son is lying on the ground and kowtowing. Liu Ye hehe, call a few children up, he has nothing for the children, after all, any tenant will kowtow when he sees him, if he shares sugar or something, he will also be poor. Although he worked for the landlord's family, Liu Ye was not very wealthy, and he was slightly stronger than these tenants.

The harvest said that Yang Chunfu needed to pay half of the harvest to the owner's family, and this is the case in most of the areas, but the general tenants could not pay the full rent, in fact, everyone generally paid eighty percent of the lease and the agreement in accordance with the township contract, that is, the landlord took forty percent of the entire harvest.

This year's harvest is good, there is no problem in paying rent, Yang Chunfu cares about removing the surplus grain in addition to rent and rations, this thing is not available every year, the Yang family still owes some foreign debts, if the surplus grain is sold for money, it can always be repaid.

Liu Ye said here: "The rent is delivered, and the surplus grain is overweighed, and the price is five taels and seven dollars of silver." ”

Yang Chunfu was taken aback, "Why are there only so few?" ”

Liu Ye sighed: "It's not that the main family charges a low price, even if you get the county seat, it's still at such a price." In the past two years, the silver has become more and more expensive, and it has grown to more than 1,300 yuan this year. Moreover, more and more rice is being imported from the South Seas, and the price of food will only get lower and lower. This year, everyone's harvest is good, but the price of grain has fallen by more than 10%, and the grain merchants on the street have already colluded, and no one's grain can be sold at a high price. ”

Yang Chunfu was a little stupid and stupid, he owed 10 taels of silver outside, and he thought that as soon as the surplus grain was sold this year, he would be able to repay the money, and maybe there would be some left, but he didn't expect that it was not enough to repay the money now. If you don't pay back the money this year, it will be profitable, and I'm afraid it won't be able to pay it back next year. I can't say anything, I can only starve the whole family, sell some rations, and see if I can pay back some more money, that's it.

The account he owes is a nearby party, saying that it is called the Heaven and Earth Society, and every day some splashes are teasing the little daughter-in-law in Qili and Eight Townships, provoking honest people, Yang Chunfu is an ordinary peasant man, he can't afford to provoke them, and he doesn't dare not pay back.

"How is this a good ......" Yang Chunfu's face instantly turned ashen.

His youngest son asked, "Abel, buy meat to eat." ”

Yang Chunfu was furious and directly kicked his youngest son down: "What kind of meat to buy, what kind of meat to buy?!" ”

The youngest son cried, and several older sons were also silent and didn't dare to speak, Yang Chunfu saw his son crying, and he was also sad, hugging his younger son, almost crying.

Liu Ye saw that there were a lot of scenes like this, and he also felt a little pity for these people. After thinking about it, Liu Ye pulled Yang Chunfu up and said, "It's not that there is no way, there is still a way for your family's situation." ”

Yang Chunfu hurriedly asked, "Please also ask Liu Ye to save my whole family." ”

Liu Ye lowered his voice and said, "Do you know that there have been snakeheads pulling people out of the ocean in the past two years?" There is nothing to say about going to Nanyang, but there are snakeheads to send people to the Tang Dynasty thousands of miles away, as long as they get on the ship, they can get 20 silver dollars for settling-in expenses, and the people who get on the boat eat and drink all the food, saying that they will divide the fields when they get there. At first, no one believed this, and then a cousin of mine met a fellow villager in Guangzhou, and his braids were cut, and he was dressed as a Tang man, although he was only a strong man on a merchant ship, but he was very generous, and invited my cousin to drink, and gave him some gifts, it is said that he did get ten acres of land in the Tang Dynasty, and someone gave him farming, and every year he took money for nothing, and he was a sailor for the Tang Dynasty businessman, and the monthly salary was forty taels, and the scenery was amazing. In this way, he also said that he was not the best, he had more money than him, and there was no half of the people in the Tang Dynasty who could not eat enough. My cousin said that he bragged, and the man only left a stronghold of a snakehead, and if he didn't believe it, he could go out to see it himself. My cousin told me a joke, and I believed it a little, after all, there were no less than ten Tang merchant ships coming and going from Guangzhou City every year, and each ship sold goods, not to mention hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and the Tang people were known to be rich. Lao Yang, your two eldest sons are not young, although they can help at home, but they also spend a lot, I know where the snake's head is, if your two eldest sons go abroad, they can leave forty taels for your family, this debt will naturally be repaid, and there is a lot of money left, although there are two less laborers, but it is not too important. It would be even better if your two sons had made a fortune in a foreign country and came back to help their families. ”

Yang Chunfu was even more surprised: "Liu Ye asked me to sell my two sons?" ”

Liu Ye said: "How can you sell it?" After your son went abroad, it was not that he did not return home, but that he went to work in a distant place. However, if you are reluctant to have a son, it is better for the whole family to go abroad, saying that the whole family is going abroad, and the settlement fee is more, and there is a house for you. As soon as you put up the land of the Lord's house, and sell this dilapidated house, it will be much better than you are now. ”

Yang Chunfu couldn't make up his mind, he was 11,000 unwilling to leave his hometown, but now he was indeed a little desperate.

Liu Ye finally said: "I also have two sons and a daughter, I told my son about this, the two stinky boys actually want to go abroad, I fought hard to stop the eldest son, but my youngest daughter has been spicy since she was a child, and she didn't like the people I promised him, so she also wanted to go abroad." I thought, let my second son and daughter go abroad to see, if it is really as good as they say, I will not serve the master's family, just go abroad to support the elderly, my old willow has served the rich man all his life, and he wants to be a rich man when he is old. ”

Hearing that Liu Ye actually sent his children abroad, Yang Chunfu believed a little. His eldest son had already heard the conversation between the two clearly, and said: "Uncle, let me go abroad, and if I have the money to pay back the family's account, if I make a fortune outside, I will definitely take Uncle and Grandma over to enjoy the blessings." ”

The second son of the Yang family also said: "I will go too, so that there will be forty silver dollars, but I just begged Uncle to get the money, buy some meat and give my brother a few to satisfy his hunger first." ”

Liu Ye said with a smile: "It is said that it is eaten on the big ship of the Tang people, there is fish and meat, if you two boys really go to sea, you will be tired of eating meat in the future, why bother to grab it with your younger brothers." ”

The youngest sixth son didn't understand what the adults were saying, but he understood the meat, and he also jumped out: "Abel, Abel, I also go to the sea, and I have meat to eat when I go abroad." ”

Yang Chunfu laughed angrily at him and slapped him on the head: "What are you messing with?" ”

Three days later, the eldest son and the second son of the Yang family, accompanied by the children of the Liu family, met with the snake head in the Jiaying Prefecture Mansion, and Liu Ye personally went to contact him, and the snake head really promised, and immediately sealed four packs of silver dollars to Liu Ye, and one package contained twenty silver dollars, that is, fourteen taels of silver. Liu Ye collected the silver left for the Yang family, opened the silver dollar envelope, and gave half of the silver dollar to a pair of children.

The debts of the Yang family were finally repaid, and the two sons left, which made Yang Chunfu suffer some gains and losses. Unbeknownst to him, there was an invisible net that covered his entire family. In the past two years, silver has been expensive and cheap, because Guangdong has had a serious outflow of silver in recent years, and the goods of the Tang people have taken away a large amount of silver. And the Heaven and Earth Society, although it has no direct connection with the Tang people, but the fortune of the Heaven and Earth Society depends on Yang Zhen, who is still a Tang man in name. As for going overseas, it is even more related to Datang.

The Yang family is lucky, and they avoided their own bankruptcy by sending their children abroad, while more people are not so lucky. The high value of silver and money had a negative impact on Guangdong and even the entire Manchu Qing Dynasty, and it had already made many bureaucrats pay attention to it. (To be continued.) )