Shen Pomegranate's first step into the masses of Mincheng County is very successful, although this Mincheng County has a disaster, but even if it is a disaster, it is also the worst of the villagers who farm the land, and the county still drinks wine and eats meat without worrying about no food.

When they arrived in Mincheng County, they rented a private house, and for fear of arousing suspicion, they deliberately found a cheap dilapidated house.

"I've wronged you." Du Xuanmo twisted the handkerchief and handed it to Shen Shimei.

Shen Shiliu took the handkerchief and said: "It's not a grievance, I have also lived in a thatched house, and this place is not much better than a thatched house." ”

I think that the hometown of Chaoxia Village was really poor at home, and it was windy in winter and leaky in summer. Thinking about the accumulation of belongings little by little over the years, from a thatched house to a cottage in the county seat, and later to a big house, Shen Shiliu felt that it still took hard work to change the embarrassment.

The wonton stall has been open for a few days, Du Xuanmo doesn't go out much, and the neighbors and neighbors don't suspect Du Xuanmo's identity as a poor scholar when they see Du Xuanmo's polite appearance, but they inevitably have to gossip secretly.

Although Du Xuanmo was sad, he had to accept the current situation, at least the neighbor could chat with him when he was free.

"Before I came, I heard that there was a disaster in Mincheng County, and I thought that I would just pass by, but when I arrived, I realized that this Mincheng County was still successful

！ Du Xuanmo sat under the wall and "chatted" with his neighbors.

Wu Laoer, the neighbor's male host, is a great worker, and he is looking for work everywhere when he has nothing to do on weekdays, and he does dirty work. The lady in the family pickled some small vegetables and bought them on the street, and the two of them lived poorly.

"The two of us have just been here for a long time, and we always hear that there is a disaster here, but we haven't seen any disaster, you see, there are not many beggars on the street!" Wu Lao Er said.

Du Xuanmo looked over, and there were indeed a few beggars sitting at the intersection, and pedestrians also gave a copper plate from time to time. However, this did make Du Xuanmo puzzled, since it was a disaster, there must be more than this number of beggars and refugees on the street, and most of the places where the disaster was disturbed were panicked, and there were people who grabbed things, but looking at the living conditions of the people in Mincheng County, it was nothing unusual at all.

"It's really a little hard to figure it out, and we don't know what the situation is in the countryside below." Du Xuanmo said thoughtfully.

Wu Lao Er looked at Du Xuanmo and said, "I'm also curious, aren't you scholars the most despised by rough men like us who don't understand anything?" Why are you still talking to me? ”

Du Xuanmo raised his eyebrows, and then laughed: "How can I look down on you, I'm not as good as you now, I can't carry it on my shoulders, and my family's livelihood depends on my wife and brother-in-law, and I can't raise my head at home!" Du Xuanmo began to talk nonsense, but Wu Lao Er really believed it, patted Du Xuanmo on the shoulder and said: "Hey, big brother, I see that you are also a sensible person, much better than those poor sour, brother believes that you will definitely be able to get famous!" ”

Du Xuanmo smiled bitterly and went back to his small courtyard first. He is one step ahead of Dali Temple, and the people of Dali Temple will arrive in a few days, and now he has too few clues, and he must get more news before the arrival of the people of Dali Temple, otherwise there may be changes here.

On the other end, Shen Pomegranate's stall business is very good, because the price is fair, everyone is willing to come, and sometimes the stall owner of fried fritters next to him also comes to buy, and Shen Pomegranate directly exchanges wontons for fritters and bean juice.

"Sister-in-law Wang, your fritters are so crispy, they are the best fritters I have ever tasted." Shen Pomegranate pinched a fritter and ate it, I have to say that the craftsmanship of these small vendors is unusual, although she can also fry it, but no one else is professional to fry it.

The fritter stall next door is an old resident, the daughter-in-law fried fritters, and the man sold bean juice and bean curd, looking at children in their thirties and tens.

"How many years have you been frying, when you open your eyes, it's fried fritters, when you close your eyes and dream, it's still fried fritters, if it's not delicious again, it's better to go back to farming!" Sister-in-law Wang is a cheerful person, and at first glance she is the master of the family.

Shen Shiliu took out a handkerchief, filled it with the nougat he boiled, handed it to Sister-in-law Wang and said, "Sister-in-law, this is the sugar I boiled myself, and I give it to our family to eat, and there is nothing good for our baby!" ”

Sister-in-law Wang looked at the sugar in Shen Pomegranate's hand, wrapped a handful with a handkerchief, it was snow-white, and there were crushed peanuts on it, which was fragrant when she looked at it.

"Oh, this can't be helped, this thing is so expensive to sell!" Sister-in-law Wang was embarrassed to accept it.

Shen Shiliu let it go again and said, "Sister-in-law, take it, we have just come here to beg for a living, and we have to let you and Brother Wang take care of it more!" This is not valuable, what is it for your own children to eat this! Shen Shimei's bitter words were moving, and when Sister-in-law Wang heard it, she took it and said, "Then thank you, eldest sister, we are all begging for life, and we will take care of each other in the future." ”

Shen Shiliu nodded like pounding garlic, Sister-in-law Wang is an old resident, and she must know a lot about this Mincheng County, even if she chats in the future, she will definitely be able to get some news.

In the evening, Shen Pomegranate went home and exchanged with Du Xuanmo what they had seen and heard during the day.

"It's exciting!" Shen Shiliu looked excited, part of the reason why he had to follow Du Xuanmo this time was because he was afraid that Du Xuanmo would suffer a crime, and he would not eat well and sleep well, and the other part also wanted to go out for a walk.

Du Xuanmo raised his forehead and smiled bitterly: "It seems that you really think this thing is fun!" ”

Shen Shiliu smiled and said: "Let's be careful in everything, but the news you got is indeed useful, obviously everyone lives very richly, why do you still say that there must be ghosts every year when there is no food for disasters." ”

"It is estimated that when the people from Dali Temple come in a few days, this is another scene, the disaster is fake, and the greed for the court's grain is true!" Du Xuanmo said: "Tomorrow I want to go down to a few villages for a walk. ”

Shen Shiliu was not at ease, so he said, "Then take it with a full warehouse." ”

Du Xuanmo nodded, it's hard to say what the situation of the village below is, take Mancang with you, and there will be a report if there is something.

Early the next morning, Du Xuanmo and Man Cang went out, and he had also read the county records in the following villages, so it was not difficult to find.

"The front is Wujia Village, after entering, I only said that I am a scholar who entered Beijing, you are a scholar, don't say that you leak your mouth, you know?" Du Xuanmo instructed the warehouse.

Mancang responded: "I know, young master, don't worry!" ”

The two entered Wujia Village, there was a well at the head of the village, Du Xuanmo looked at it, there was water in it, and further on, it was the house in the village, the village looked not very broken, and there was cooking smoke and dog barking, and it didn't look like it was damaged.

Du Xuanmo's arrival also attracted the attention of many villagers, and Du Xuanmo asked, "Auntie, I'm passing by, can you decorate me with some water, thank you!" ”

Du Xuanmo found an old lady to start, but the old lady was also kind-hearted and led Du Xuanmo into her own fence yard.

"Auntie lives alone?" Du Xuanmo saw that the eldest lady was alone in the house and asked.

The eldest lady snorted: "Just my wife and son, the young and strong have gone out to make a living." ”

"Going out to make a living? Don't we have any land at home? The old mother is home alone, so she can't go out all the time, right? Du Xuanmo asked.

The eldest lady sighed: "If you don't go out, the whole family will starve to death!" ”

"If you have land, you can farm, and you should be rich in food and drink." Du Xuanmo said.

The eldest lady shook her head, walked to the water tank, and beckoned Mancang to fill the water by herself: "You come and load it, I'm dizzy and can't do this job." ”

Mancang went to fill the water, the movement was slow, the old lady sat down, and said to Du Xuanmo: "How can there be any land, there are few families left in this village, and they are all people like me who are too old to toss." ”

"The whole village is gone?" Du Xuanmo asked with a frown.

"It's all gone, it's all taken over by the government." The eldest lady said.

"Accepted? Why did the government take over the land? Du Xuanmo felt that things were starting to get to the point.

The eldest lady shook her head: "We don't know, we have made trouble, it is useless, the government has also sent food, saying that it will give some food every year and will not let us starve to death, but where is the food enough, the young and strong can only go out to make a living, otherwise the whole family will starve to death!" ”

Du Xuanmo pondered that this matter had nothing to do with the Mincheng County Ya, but what kind of person could reach the sky with his hands and eyes, and even the governor of the imperial court came, and he couldn't do anything?

The old lady trembled and picked up the basket to sew the clothes, but it was also difficult to thread the needle, so she said to Du Xuanmo: "Hou Sheng, the eldest lady's eyes are not good, you help the eldest mother wear a thread." ”

Du Xuanmo took it, and after putting on the thread, he directly took the eldest mother's clothes to make up for it, the eldest mother lived alone, and her eyes were not good, which was really pitiful.

Here Du Xuanmo was mending his clothes, and two men came in outside, five big and three rough and rough faces.

"What are you doing, what are you doing in our village?" The meaty-faced man said.

As soon as the old lady saw someone coming, she got up: "He is just a passer-by who came to beg for saliva, my clothes are torn, he helps me make up for it, not a bad person!" ”

Du Xuanmo frowned, these two people were obviously village tyrants.

"Don't stay in our village, our village doesn't accept outsiders! Acquaintances hurry up, or don't blame me for being unkind! The two began to roll their arms and net their sleeves.

When the eldest lady saw this, she said, "Don't do it, he'll leave." Then he pulled Du Xuanmo and said, "You go quickly, don't mend your clothes, don't be beaten!" ”

Du Xuan's face darkened, and he said to the eldest mother: "Auntie, I will come back to mend your clothes in a few days." ”

"Let's go, let's go!" The eldest lady pushed Du Xuanmo out, for fear that the two of them would beat people.

Du Xuanmo was stared at all the way out of Wujia Village by the two village tyrants, and now the matter is serious.

"Young Master, what should I do?" Man Cang asked.

Du Xuanmo took the bamboo tube, took a sip, and then said, "Continue to the next village." ”

In the evening, Du Xuanmo returned to Mincheng County, he was also tired enough, and he walked four or five villages a day, and the situation was basically the same, but it was not without gain.