Chapter 009: Third Young Master Shi

Guo Dashan is a farmer in Qingyang County, Qingzhou, and his ancestors have lived in a place called Guojiaao in Qingyang for generations.

In addition, he learned some carpentry work with his uncle since he was a child, and when he was not working, he helped the villagers in Sili and Eight Towns to make some furniture, repair farm tools or something, and earn a little money to subsidize the family. Especially after the death of his uncle, he became the only carpenter within a radius of dozens of miles, and he could earn a lot of money just when he was not farming.

No, in addition to Guo Da's rich man, the only two big tile houses in the village have also been built, and the only one in the village who can smell the smell of meat is also Guo Dashan. Also, only their family has ploughing cattle in the whole Guo Jiaao, and the son can marry a daughter-in-law by seeing it, and when he receives this year's wheat, pays the summer tax, and sells the surplus grain, he asks Mrs. Guo in the east of the village to propose to her son, hey, the daughter-in-law He has long been with the mother, it is a famous village flower in the neighboring village, not to mention the water and the people, the hands are ingenious and careful, and the temper is good......

It's a pity that all the good lives have gradually come to naught after the spring of this year.

"Last winter there was no snow at all, and all the wheat seedlings in the field froze to death...... After this year's sting, there was not a drop of rain, look at this situation, maybe it is another year of great drought! ”

The old people in the village looked at the water in the pond, which was decreasing day by day, and they all worried with sad faces and sighs.

You must know that last year, the whole Qi land was hit by drought, and they Guojiaao was no exception, those villagers with thin backgrounds, the drought in the field killed grain, and there was no grain to pay taxes, so they fled with their families early.

The village, which originally had three or four hundred households, now has fewer than 100 households left.

Alas, if there is another drought this year, Guo Jiaao may have no one to run.

"But no, I remember when I was a child, we also had a drought in Qingzhou, tsk, it was so miserable, there was not a drop of rain for half a year, a big hole cracked in the ground, and the old ancient well in the east of the village was also dry, and many people died of thirst."

The eldest third grandfather of Guo Jiaao, after seeing these situations, frowned and recalled, and his face full of wrinkles was full of pain and unbearable.

"Third grandfather, no, didn't it last year, there was a drought for three or four months, the wheat in the field died in the field, many people in the village were worried about the drought, and they ran out to escape the famine, but later, they just walked for a month, and it rained in Qingyang, and the crops in the field eased again...... It's okay, I look at this year and last year! ”

Guo Dashan sat on the ground of his house, heard the conversation between the village chief and the patriarch, and hurriedly got up to join the chat of the old people, and put forward his own opinions disapprovingly.

"Alas, Dashan, how old are you, how many things can you experience?" When the third grandfather heard that his words were questioned, he was very unhappy, so he immediately lowered his face and said angrily: "Last year? How many crops died in the drought last year? Kindness? Your family's more than a dozen acres of land were just enough to pay taxes last year, right? If you come back like this again this year, hum, even if your family has a family background, you can't afford it. ”

"This ......" Guo Dashan remembered last year's embarrassment, and was also a little concerned, turned his eyes to look at the listless wheat seedlings in the field, and muttered, "Is there really a drought this year?" ”

"During the Dragon Festival on the second spring of February, we invited the Dragon King, but it still hasn't rained, a bad omen, a bad omen!"

The third grandfather did not directly answer Guo Dashan's words, but sighed and shook his head and said.

In this way, another month passed, and the whole Qingyang was still shining, not to mention raining, not even a dark cloud. The old people of Guojiaao once again organized the people in the village to go to the Guandi Temple in the next village to hold a rain prayer ceremony, and the result was ......

"His father, during the Chinese New Year, Guo Dazhuang from Qianjie came back, saying that they were tenant farmers on an island called Peach Blossom Island, and the owner was Mrs. Yipin, who was now in Shangqinfeng, and was very good to the tenants, not only reduced the rent for each tenant who defected to her, but also built a large tile house, saying that as long as they worked on the island for 20 years, the house was theirs;

Also, the proprietor is not only a wife, but also a Confucian merchant, who can be exempted from paying all taxes, so Guo Dazhuang and his tenants don't need to pay public grain at all, they only pay rent, and the rent is very ......small."

Guo Dashan's wife, Li, saw that her man had been squatting at the door since he came back from the field, and his face was also long, so she knew that she hadn't poured the wheat field today, she gritted her teeth, came to Xianggong's side, and said cautiously.

"The crops in the field are dying, why don't you want to do something serious and muttering all this all day long?"

Guo Dashan was annoyed, and he didn't listen to the lady's words at all, he waved his hand impatiently and reprimanded.

"Oh, why don't I want to get down to business?" Li Shi saw that his man didn't understand what he meant at all, and said a little angrily, "I mean, Guo Dazhuang's family ran out of food last year, and ran out to escape the famine, but he met a good owner, and his life was more comfortable than ours." ”

"What? Do you say that Guo Dazhuang is living a better life than us? ”

Xu is Li said more bluntly this time, Guo Dashan finally listened, and he asked with some surprise.

"But no, during the Chinese New Year, I went to their house to see it, tsk, Guo Dazhuang's wife Lu Shi, and also wore a new Qingzhou triangular cloth jacket, which cost more than 100 yuan per foot. Tell me, do I have such good clothes? ”

If a woman looks at the problem more simply, the other party's wife dresses better than her, and wears jewelry more valuable than her, so the other party's family conditions must be better than her own.

"Really?" Guo Dashan paused, then thought about it for a while, and said, "Why don't you ask Guo Xiucai in the village to send a letter to Guo Dazhuang later, ask him about the specific situation of Peach Blossom Island, and then ask if there are tenants there?" ”

What is the use of freedmen? If you can rely on a good owner and don't pay taxes, even if you give the owner more rent, it is better than buying land and farming yourself.

Although he has not been to any big places, he is also a person who often walks around the four miles and eight towns, and he has also seen some tenants of the old man's family, and his life is better than that of ordinary free people.

Well, Guo Dazhuang's owner is still a first-class lady, he doesn't know how big a first-class is, but the county master of Qingyang is only eight-grade, and Guo Xiucai said that the fewer the grades, the higher the position, and Qingzhou Zhizhou is the fifth grade. Well, the fifth grade is higher than the eighth grade, so the first grade is designated higher than the fifth grade.

If that's the case, isn't Guo Dazhuang's owner bigger than the old man of Zhizhou?

Thinking about this, Guo Dashan was also a little anxious, and he didn't wait to discuss it with his wife, so he directly patted his ass and ran out of the door, looking for Guo Xiucai to write a letter.

Half a month later, Qingyang still has not rained, the stream in the west of the village has been cut off, and cracks have begun to appear in the ground, seeing this scene, Guo Dashan knows that the third grandfather's prophecy has come true, this year must be a year of great drought, and the disaster is far more serious than last year!

Walk! Staying in his hometown, even if there is surplus food at home, he will die of thirst, so it is better to go out and go to Mrs. Wang.

Thinking of doing it, while the people in the village were not completely desperate, Guo Dashan sold more than a dozen acres of fertile land to Guo Dacai, took the silver to the neighboring village, hastily finished his son's family affairs, and led a large family to Xihai County.

Fortunately, Wang Qifang got the information in advance, and sent the steward of Qingyang Zhuangzi to send a message, saying that her Peach Blossom Island was urgently recruiting tenant farmers and laborers, taking care of food and housing, and there was also a salary.

Soon, the refugees who got the information began to rush towards Qingquan Villa in groups.

……

"Madam, Chen Xiaomei has sent a letter, look!"

Chen Xiaomei is Chen Dongsheng's younger sister, when Chen Dongsheng followed Wang Qifang to the capital, he deliberately married his sister to a farmer in the village, Wang Qifang saw that Chen Xiaomei's man was also an honest man, so he asked his wife and wife to help take care of the fields of Qingquan Villa.

Later, after Wang Qifang settled in Peach Blossom Island, she thought that she would not return to Qingyang for a while, and Qingquan Villa 'lent' it to Li Jingtian, but the field under her name was not taken care of by anyone, so she simply hired Chen Xiaomei and her husband to be her stewards, and was fully responsible for Qingyang's farm.

This time, Wang Qifang gave Chen Xiaomei and her family the work of recruiting refugees in Qingyang.

Not to mention, this young couple is quite capable, and they have already helped Wang Qifang recruit twenty or thirty experienced tenant farmers, many of whom are young and strong.

"Hehe, yes, that's good!"

Wang Qifang opened the envelope and looked at it, nodded with a smile: "Chen Xiaomei has received more than 100 tenant farmers, including more than 70 male laborers, and they can be transported to the wharf in Xihai County in a few days." ”

"That's great, we're short of people right now!"

Ziyuan stood on Wang Qifang's side and smiled happily, "It's okay to have those miners to chisel mountain stones, but there is still a shortage of people to transport stones, if so many people can come at once, Xiaoyao Island can be built as soon as possible." ”

Thanks to the blessing of the third princess, Wang Qifang not only got the right to mine rocks at will, but the local officials also provided a large number of prisoners distributed to the mine for free to help Wang Qifang dig rocks in order to curry favor with her and the three princesses behind her. With the participation of professional miners, Wang Qifang's land reclamation plan is going very smoothly, with more than a dozen boats busy back and forth every day, and the distance between Peach Blossom Island and Xiaoyao Island is getting closer and closer.

"Well, after these people are in place, they will be transported directly to Xiaoyao Island, and two hundred acres of wasteland will be reclaimed first, and then they will be ......."

"Mrs. Qiyu, Third Young Master Shi asks to see you!"

Amethyst walked in with a name post and replied softly.

"Who?" Wang Qifang felt that this name was so familiar?

"Mrs. Hui, it is the father-in-law of Grandma Shi San who sold Peach Blossom Island to you, he did not die, but returned from overseas!"

P: Hey, make up for yesterday's drops, thank you for your little pink, thank you for your subscription, thank you for your support, roar, a certain Sa finally straightened out his thoughts again! Keep up your support