When I first heard "Chongzhen for four years", it just made Zhang Zhang almost lose his breath, but when the word "Jinzhouwei" popped out of Kang Xing'an's mouth, Zhang Zhang suddenly even had the heart to die!

Zhang Li is quite clear about this period of history. In the Ming Dynasty, Saibei was not unified for a long time, and there was "Beiyu" Mongolia in the west, and "Dongyi" Jurchen in the east. Since the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court adopted the policy of "using the east to control the northern captives", and did not hesitate to repair the border walls, build forts, and garrison heavy troops in the eastern Liaodong region, from Shanhaiguan to Kaiyuan and Tieling, until they reached the Yalu River.

Build a city every 30 miles, build a pier every 10 miles between the city, and build a pier every 5 miles. In the eighth year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, the capital of Liaodong was established, with a total of 25 guards, and Jinzhou Wei was one of them.

Zhang Zhang knew in his heart that the Jinzhou Wei of the Ming Dynasty was the Dalian area of later generations. If I am not mistaken, in another two years, the Tartars will be bloodied here, and the people of Jinzhouwei will no longer be clothed in the Han family.

The thought of the appearance of a pinch of money rat tail in the back of his head made him feel sick in his heart.

After being silent for a while, Zhang Li, who calmed down slightly, said to Kang Xing'an: "You put away the bird's nest, and when I recuperate for two days, we will go and sell it for some rice." ”

Zhang Li knew that his condition should be a slight concussion in the next life, and it should get better after a few days of rest.

Kang Xingan was full of joy: "Okay, Master Kong's mansion accepts this." I heard that a tael of bird's nest can be exchanged for a tael of silver, my God, I have never seen what a tael of silver looks like since I was a child! ”

Zhang Li's brows are tightly locked, Master Kong? Who is Master Kong? One or two bird's nests are exchanged for one or two silver, what is the difference between this and Ming robbery? Doesn't Anzi know that bird's nest is a very valuable tonic?

Zhang Zhang was about to inquire about Master Kong in detail, when a burst of rice fragrance came from the kitchen in the west, which aroused Zhang Li's appetite.

Song Xiuniang held a bowl of rice porridge and walked slowly to the earthen kang: "Son, drink this porridge quickly, my mother put a whole handful of rice miles!" ”

Looking at the infinite joy in Song Xiuniang's eyes, Zhang Li's heart ached: "Mother, you drink first, the child is not hungry!" ”

Song Xiuniang was a little angry and said: "Silly boy, what are you talking about!" My mother will dig some wild vegetables to satisfy my hunger, but I can't get hungry. You're not lightly hurt, drink it! ”

Zhang Zhang shook his head: "Mother, if you don't drink this rice porridge, the child will definitely not drink it!" ”

Song Xiuniang frowned, blew the steaming rice porridge, put the pottery bowl to her mouth, and after gently wetting her lips, she immediately sent it to Zhang Li: "Mother is really not hungry, you see, I drank a big mouthful!" ”

Kang Xing'an picked up Zhang Li, and Zhang Li looked at the bowl in his mother's hand, there were some yellow rice-like things floating in it, maybe millet? Anyway, it is definitely not the rice that the future generations will eat every day, and the tension will no longer shirk, and he will drink the whole bowl of rice porridge with his head down.

Zhang Zhang wiped the corners of his mouth, with perseverance in his eyes: "Anzi, you give me a witness." I swear that in this life, I must let my mother live a life of fine clothes and food! ”

Kang Xingan nodded, with a solemn expression.

Song Xiuniang smiled and smiled very sweetly: "My son has a heart, with your words, it is enough to be a mother, and my mother is happier than eating white flour steamed buns!" You and Anzi are staying at home, I'll clean up, and I'll go dig up some wild vegetables. ”

After speaking, Song Xiuniang picked up the dishes and chopsticks, turned around and walked to the kitchen......

Three days passed in a flash, and Zhang Li's body had recovered.

Early that morning, Zhang Zhang and Kang Xing'an got up early in the morning, and after making some preparations, they said goodbye to Aunt Song and hurriedly went out to sell bird's nest.

Walking on the path at the edge of the field, Zhang Li found that the crops in the field were growing very poorly, and he couldn't help asking: "Anzi, I see that the crops in the field are growing very poorly, is this harvest estimated to be good?" ”

Kang Xingan sighed: "Who said it's not!" My father said that since Wanli Ye, this thief has been cold for a year every year, and there is less rain, and the crops are not as good as a year! ”

Zhang Li was silent, he knew that this was the so-called "Xiaoice River Period" in later generations. From the end of Wanli to the middle of the Kangxi Dynasty, it belonged to the "Xiaoice River Period", and the temperature in the entire land of China was very low, and the grain production was greatly reduced, and the people's lives were very difficult. During the Kangxi period, due to the large-scale planting of high-yield crops such as corn and potatoes, there was no famine, but the "Xiaoice River period" during the Chongzhen period had a great impact. I didn't have much concept before, but looking at the low and sparse crops in the field at this moment, I couldn't help but feel a palpitation.

Kang Xingan seemed to fall into memory: "My father said that at that time, Grandpa Wanli, during the New Year's holidays, we would kill a big fat pig in every house!" Oh my God, wouldn't that be a fairy-like life! The last time I ate meat, it was five years ago when my sister got married......"

At the mention of his sister, Kang Xing's expression darkened. Zhang Li sensed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong with your sister?" ”

Kang Xing'an sighed: "The rabbit tun that my sister married the year before last was plagued by the Tartars, and the entire tunzi was slaughtered. When my father and I rushed over to see, there were more than 100 people in the whole tunzi, and there was not a single one alive! My sister's family is also doomed, and I pity my little nephew who has not yet been born......"

Seeing that Kang Xingan didn't want to talk about it anymore, Zhang Zhang then changed his words and said: "Let's write down this blood debt, let's not mention this matter first." Who is Master Kong? Tell my brother that I can't remember the past after I broke my head. ”

Kang Xing'an was accustomed to the amnesia of tension, nodded and said: "Master Kong is the big landlord of Kongjiazhuang, and he is a showman, and his family is the most prominent family in our ten miles and eight townships. There are few people in our lotus tundi, and we usually go to the Kongjiazhuang ten miles away. His family has a mountain goods shop in the Acropolis, and the iron rods and yams we make up can't afford to eat ordinary people, so how can they buy them? This mountain goods can only be sold to him. ”

Zhang Zhang understands in his heart that the mountain goods business done by Master Kong is the so-called monopoly, no wonder only one or two pieces of silver are given for one or two bird's nests, and the people can't sell them at all if they don't sell them to him!

Although Zhang Li does not have a very detailed concept, but for the rarity of bird's nests in the future, it should not be a problem for these two bird's nests to be sold for ten taels of silver casually! Thinking that he almost lost his life for the bird's nest in Kang Xing'an's arms, which was less than one or two, he hated it so much.

The two talked as they walked, and it didn't take long for them to arrive at Kongjiazhuang, which was ten miles away.

This Zhuangzi is obviously much larger than Lianhuatun, there are about more than 100 households, although most of them are thatched houses, but there are also a few brick houses, obviously the conditions are better than Lianhuatun.

Before entering the village, Zhang Zhang saw at a glance that a family in the northeast of Zhuangzi occupied a wide area, and the large courtyard with high walls and red tiles stood out in the Zhuangzi of a low house.

Sure enough, Kang Xing'an entered Zhuangzi and walked straight to the northeast corner, and Zhang Zhang followed closely behind. There were no living people in the Zhuangzi, and the doors of every house were closed, and Kang Xing'an and Zhang Zhang soon came to the door of Kong's house.

More than 20 steps away from the east side of the gate of the Confucian Mansion, there is a pergola. There were four or five large baskets in the shed, apparently for the collection of ordinary mountain goods, and there was a small table next to it, and a set of cabinets were placed on the table, which should be more valuable mountain goods after they were collected.

There are more than a dozen people outside the pergola, some carrying burdens, some carrying clay pots, all of them are nearby mountain people, who take the collected mountain goods to the Confucian Mansion to sell.

In the pergola, an old man in a gray robe with a goatee and a broad-brimmed square scarf was holding a ginseng plant and studying it carefully.

The first interesting thing he discovered after Zhang Li crossed over was that he found that all the adult men he saw in the Ming Dynasty had silk scarves or net scarves on their heads.

This is a unique custom in the Ming Dynasty, and if Zhang Li sees people with higher status in the future, they will all wear hats.

If a man only wears a bun and does not wear anything, it is unthinkable in the Ming Dynasty. Unless it's a beggar, a homeless or something, you don't care.

Even poor boys such as Zhang Li and Kang Xing'an wear narrow-brimmed nets on their heads, a bit like a miniature version of a fishing net, covering their hair inside, only exposing their buns. However, Zhang Li and Kang Xing'an's net scarves on their heads were broken with several holes.

Under the gray-robed old man stood an old man, the old man was sincerely frightened, and his eyes were full of expectation.

The old man cautiously accompanied the smiling face: "Steward Kong, although this wild ginseng is not a hundred years old, the old man and I look at it for forty or fifty years......"

Steward Kong looked disdainful and said, "Blind your dog's eyes!" This mountain ginseng is at most ten years, you pickled dog, looking for the old man is happy?! ”

The old man was taken aback, and there were some knots in his mouth: "Kong...... Steward Kong, this wild ginseng has all the roots, ten ...... How can ten years grow so neatly? ”

Steward Kong snorted coldly, and gently put down the ginseng in his hand: "The old man has seen the mountain goods for decades, and he is not as knowledgeable as you?" The old man said that ten years is ten years! If you want to sell it, sell it, if you don't sell it, get out of here! Don't get in the way of the treasure of Confucius! ”

As soon as the words landed, two round-waisted thugs behind Steward Kong stepped forward quickly, and they were about to drive the old man out of the pergola.

The old man pounced and knelt on the ground: "Steward Kong, your old man is merciful, the old man's family has been out of food for many days, and it took a long time to dig up this wild ginseng, it's my family's life-saving thing......"

Steward Kong looked disgusted and scolded: "You think that the Confucian Mansion is a nursing home?!" Ten years of mountain ginseng, four dollars of silver! Recently, the price of rice has risen wildly, and the price is two buckets of coarse grain! Choose whether you want silver or food! Don't talk nonsense with Lao Tzu! ”

When the old man saw that his words had come to this, he knew that there was no room for turnaround, so he had to say: "The old man wants food." ”

Steward Nakong carefully put the ginseng in his hand into the drawer of the small table, and said to the man who looked like a thug behind him: "Take him to the warehouse to get two buckets of coarse grain!" ”

One of the thugs said a sigh and led the old man to the warehouse.

Everyone outside the pergola was a little hesitant when they saw such a scene.

Zhang Zhang saw that his forehead was twisted into Sichuan characters, but Kang Xingan didn't care: "Brother Li, don't worry, our bird's nest has no impurities, it is as pure as clotted fat, and Steward Kong can't say anything if you forgive him." ”

Seeing that no one stepped forward, Kang Xingan and Zhang Li strode into the pergola, and Kang Xingan accompanied him with a smiling face: "Steward Kong, Brother Li and I sacrificed our lives to dig out some bird's nest in exchange for some food." ”

Steward Kong had obviously received their mountain goods before, only glanced at the two of them, and said lightly: "Take it out and take a look." ”