At noon, Nie Zheng's sister kept everyone to eat, naturally she also wanted to spend more time with her younger brother. Ruyi gladly complied.

"The girl is a kind-hearted person at first glance, Ah Zheng is working under you, I can rest assured." Nie Rong said gratefully with Ruyi.

"Nie Zheng, he ......" Ruyi just wanted to say that Nie Zheng was not my subordinate, but she received Nie Zheng's slightly begging eyes, and she had to continue, "He is a good boy, and I also treat him as a younger brother." ”

Nie Rong closed her mouth happily when she heard this. Nie Zheng nodded gratefully at Ruyi.

Nie Rong was busy with lunch alone, and said that she wouldn't let Ruyi and them help, but said, "You guys go out for a walk, although there is nothing good in the countryside, but the scenery by the sea is not bad." Then he pushed Nie Zheng to go out with Ruyi.

Nie Zheng took Ruyi and Xia He out of the village and walked a short distance to the east, and saw the blue waves of water and sky. The water is clear and flat, the sand is as fine as powder, the color is like gold, the blue sea water is matched with the golden sand, the waves are lapping on the shore, and there are white sails in the distance, which makes people feel relaxed all of a sudden.

"Thank you, Ruyi." Nie Zheng walked for a long time before he could hold back such a sentence.

Ruyi looked at Nie Zheng's eyes looking into the distance, and felt a little sorry for this young man, what a proud young man he used to be, but now he has become so silent. After the baptism of the years, it is not only the appearance that has changed, but also the heart that is not old but has gone through vicissitudes, smoothed the edges and corners, polished the roughness, and only left a sleek and hard calloused heart. Growth always comes at a cost.

Ruyi also turned his head to look into the distance, "Look at those fishing boats, they are not only full of fish and shrimp, but also full of the happiness of the family." ”

Nie Zheng turned his head to look at Ruyi, his expression was a little puzzled at first, and then the corners of his mouth slowly rose, raising a warm arc.

Xia He looked at the soft sand and couldn't help but run to the beach, looking down and picking up something as he walked.

"Miss, look at what I've picked up, it's all beautiful shells." Xia He jumped to his feet excitedly and waved his arms to greet Ruyi.

Ruyi was infected by Xia He, and pulled Nie Zheng to the beach. The three of them laughed and made a mess.

Tired of playing, the three of them lay side by side on the beach and looked at the clouds in the sky.

"It's good, if only it could stay like this." Xia He said with emotion.

Nie Zheng looked at the sky, smiled at the corner of his mouth, and did not speak.

Ruyi turned his head to look at the two of them, and then said with a smile in his heart, "Actually, I want to say thank you, it's good to have you by my side, so that after coming to this world, life has the meaning of starting again." ”

The three of them had rested enough, got up and prepared to go back to dinner.

Ruyi patted the sand on his body and said, "Nie Zheng, if you go to see your mother in the afternoon, why don't you stay with your mother and Sister Rong for a few days." ”

"No need, I'm not worried about the newcomers around you now, I'll come to see them after a while." Nie Zheng refused.

If Nie Zheng said resolutely, he smiled, and he stopped persuading.

Ruyi turned back and took one last look at the blue sky, sea and beach, but suddenly his face froze. What is that white flower on the beach in the distance?

"Look, what is that white flower?" Ruyi refers to the other two people.

Xia He and Nie Zheng looked at each other and shook their heads unknowingly.

"Let's go and have a look." The three of them stepped on the soft sand, one foot deep and one foot shallow, and walked towards the white.

Soft sand is much more difficult to walk on than hard soil, and it is laborious and time-consuming. Although it is just spring, the weather is not hot, and the sea breeze is blowing, but the sun on the beach is much sunier than elsewhere.

After walking for a while, Ruyi felt that his back was slightly hot and his cheeks were hot. Then the cool sea breeze blows. I'm afraid that if I walk for a while, I'll get a wind.

Fortunately, it was finally reached, Ruyi squatted down and gently pinched some with his hand and put it in the palm of his hand, and if he looked closely, they were all coarse and small crystals, some of which were mixed with brown. Ruyi then thought that this might be salt, and put it to his mouth and licked it, and it was really salty and astringent.

"It turned out to be salt." Ruyi said.

Ruyi looked left and right and didn't see anyone watching, and the beach was a dense forest on the other side. This location is probably a dead end, and it is difficult to see this salt pond without going down to the beach.

Since the beginning of Guan Zhong, the policy of "official mountains and seas" has been implemented, and salt and iron are monopolized by the state, and private trading is not allowed.

But the salt pond is obviously privately owned, not controlled by the government.

On the way back, Ruyi kept thinking about these things. In the middle and late Warring States period, countries were no longer offensive wars that emphasized benevolence, righteousness and morality, but were mostly wars of annihilation that destroyed countries. The increase in wars, the expansion of armies, and a single war can lead to a sharp decline in the population. As a result, many government decrees are now unclear, and the measures are taken from time to time, and the ability to ignore them is ignored. It seems that it is necessary to investigate carefully who set up the salt pond.

Back in the village, Nie Rong made salted fish and dried stewed rice, as well as a pot of seaweed soup.

"There are no greens in this season, so the girl will eat some." Nie Rong served Ruyi dinner and added another bowl of soup.

The seaweed soup tastes very delicious, but the salted fish rice, Ruyi is a little unaccustomed to eating, the salted fish is too salty, and it is a little fishy. But for the sake of Sister Rong's hospitality, Ruyi reluctantly ate a bowl. It is estimated that this salted fish rice is willing to eat it when Sister Rong is not seen.

After lunch, Sister Rong took them to Hongcun, ten miles away. The village is very small, and the people in the village live on a few acres of thin fields. At the westernmost end of the village, a dilapidated stone house is Nie Zheng's house.

Nie Zheng's mother, Yang, looked very old, her face was full of wrinkles, her eyes didn't seem to be very good, and her hands trembled like old bark and touched Nie Zheng's cheeks, "You are really my baby." ”

In fact, Ruyi didn't understand what the old lady was saying. This situation is only suitable for each other to comfort each other for many years, and it doesn't matter what they say.

Coming out of Hong Village, the old lady was reluctant to go back after following the village.

"Why don't you stay?" Ruyi looked at the old man who was still standing at the entrance of the village and looked at it.

At first, Nie Zheng insisted on going back with Ruyi, but seeing the reluctant eyes of the old mother, he couldn't bear to let his mother feel sorry for him again.

In the end, Nie Zheng gritted his teeth and nodded, "Okay, I'll go to you with my mother for two days, and I will settle my mother as soon as possible." ”

Ruyi handed his money bag to Nie Zheng again, "There are many places where you need to use money, so be prepared." ”

Nie Zheng also politely accepted the money bag and returned to his mother, and went back with his mother.

And Sister Rong had to rush back to her home before dark, and they walked a little way with Ruyi.

Sister Rong saw that her younger brother seemed to be quite careful, but there was really no room for her family to speak in this condition, so she had to say, "The girl is a good person." Good people will be rewarded. ”

Along the way, Ruyi chatted with Sister Rong about the salt pond by the sea, wanting to know whose private salt pond it was.

"The salt pool, you say? We don't know who set up the salt pond, only that we will come to collect salt once in a while, and for fear that we will tell the truth, we have bought off our village head, and the people in our village can use salt without spending money. Everyone turned a blind eye to this cheapness, and no one said anything. Sister Rong told the truth.

"Who's going to dry the salt?"

"Of course, the village chief and his family, it is said that they will be paid some wages every month. It's not a hassle to dry salt, who doesn't want to do it! Sometimes when I go to sea, I will ask the people in the village to help, and then share some money with everyone. Everybody's willing to do it. Sister Rong said as she lifted the curtain and looked out to see if she had reached the intersection of the village, "Stop, stop, I'm here, it's still a carriage." There was still some way back to the city, and the girl walked slowly. With that, he jumped out of the carriage on his sturdy legs.

"Sister, wait a minute" Ruyi handed a bag of grain to Nie Rong, "If you give money, I know that my sister will definitely not ask for it, this is some food." I'll come back to see my sister in a few days. ”

Nie Rong checked a small bag of grain in her hand, which was enough for her family to eat for a month, and knew that it was not good to shirk it, so she had to accept it, until she watched the carriage go away, and then went back with the food.

"Miss, aren't you the money you have prepared? Why did you end up with food? Xia He asked Ruyi puzzled.

"Let's not say that I give money, Sister Rong will definitely not ask for it, if I give money, Sister Rong's family will suddenly become rich, how will she live in the village in the future, and what will the neighbors think of Sister Rong. Everyone lives similarly, no one will embarrass you, and if someone is uplifted, most people will not tolerate it. When the time comes, it will cause trouble to Sister Rong's family, won't it hurt her. Ruyi pulled it to Xia He little by little.

In fact, Ruyi did not tell Xia He one point, that is, great grace is great hatred, the giver is condescending, and the recipient has relatives, and they all know that grace is as heavy as a mountain, and it will become a burden on both sides for a long time. The so-called great grace does not say thank you, which is probably what it means. If one of them is not greedy, if he thinks of something else, he will harm them.

An ordinary life is not necessarily bad.

"Next time, we'll bring more rice, and we won't give it to the villagers." Ruyi thought for a while and then continued, "Next time I come, don't wear a skirt, so that everyone won't look weird." ”

"Miss, are you still coming?" Xia He said with a bitter face, "Then next time, let's bring some ingredients and cook by ourselves, I don't think Miss has eaten much at noon." ”

Ruyi smiled, stretched out his index finger and scratched Xia He's little nose, "You don't like to eat that salted fish stewed rice." ”

Xia He smiled embarrassedly, "Miss doesn't like to eat either, by the way, why does Miss want to come again?" ”

"Investigate that salt pond, and the profit of fish and salt must be back in the hands of the state. The lifeblood of the country cannot be left behind. ”

As soon as Ruyi's words fell, he heard the sound of a carriage approaching, and the speed was quite fast. The wishful coachman quickly leaned to the side to avoid the carriage opposite.

Ruyi looked at the windswept curtains of the car windows, the carriage was very ordinary, but strangely it was whistling past, and the curtain did not move.