A year later, halfway through February, the snow was still a foot thick all over the mountains.

The people of Zhao Village can't leave the village, and they can't go to Huangsha Town, so they are anxious. Fortunately, as early as half a month ago, the snow had not fallen again, the temperature was rising, and the snow on the dirt road in the village had long been cleared, and the villagers could communicate with each other.

Basically, Zhang Weidong can know what happened in the village.

On this day, just after lunch, Zhao Erbao and his wife came to visit the door. Xu Qing accompanied the Zhao family to chat in the next room, and there was always something to say every day. In the middle room, Zhang Weidong accompanied Zhao Erbao to drink tea, one was tasting and the other was drinking. In the yard, a group of children were playing the game of eagles catching chickens, Xiao Yueyue and Dog Dan were laughing heartily, it seemed that in this winter, the two of them had grown taller and gained weight.

The courtyard of the Zhang family has now become a paradise for many children, reading and writing, playing games, and eating breakfast. If it weren't for Zhang Weidong's request for children under the age of ten, it is estimated that more teenagers and girls would be willing to come.

"At this time last year, the snow had already melted, and everyone was plowing the land and planting, and this year it will be half a month late, and the crops may be underharvested!" Zhao Erbao, who has always been optimistic, was also a little worried, and sighed from time to time.

Zhang Weidong doesn't know anything about farming, not to mention that the growth laws of crops on this planet must be different.

It is said that Ruixue is a good year, this snow is abundant, but there is still something wrong?

"There must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, and it's useless for you to worry!" In this regard, Zhang Weidong could only comfort him, and he couldn't help.

Zhao Erbao suddenly smiled bitterly.

Zhang Weidong couldn't understand his feelings. Most of the tenants' annual harvest is on the land. If there is a natural disaster in this field, and if the harvest is not harvested, people may die.

Zhao Erbao hesitated and said, "Brother Zhang, go back and farm." Won't you rent some land?"

Zhang Weidong suddenly smiled: "I don't know what kind of land to plant, it's a waste of time and energy, it's better not to plant." ”

"I don't know how to farm, I can teach you, and the days to come are still long. You can't always count on fishing—" Zhao Erbao said as best he could. "You were alone at the beginning, but now there are two more, so you have to plan carefully. ”

In his opinion, fishing is not a long-term solution, but farming is a safe livelihood. Besides, it's not a problem to rely on old books.

"Thank you Brother Zhao for reminding me, but I have other plans, and I won't let Xu Qing's mother and daughter suffer. ”

Zhang Weidong is so stubborn. Zhao Erbao persuaded for a moment and gave up.

In the end, Zhao Erbao came up with an idea to generate income, that is, to rent the fat and strong mules raised by the Zhang family to the villagers to cultivate the land, and they were idle anyway. It is the cow of Zhao Tiedan's family, which will be rented out in previous years to make some land money.

This is a trivial matter, Zhang Weidong nodded and agreed: "Okay, it's better like this." The mules will be in your charge. ”

Zhao Erbao agreed.

After another month and a half, the snow finally melted.

The ground is very wet. It was just right for plowing the land and planting seeds, but Zhang Weidong and Er Zhao drove mule carts and ox carts, and some villagers went directly to the town.

After four months of wintering, many people ran out of supplies at home and had to go to the town to buy some. And some people's completed work can also be sold in the town, and in addition, you can also inquire about some news outside the mountains.

Although Huangsha Town is a little closed, it is not as stable as imagined in the border area between Qing and Qi.

But this time. Zhang Weidong did not prepare river fish, and both cars were empty.

When you arrive in the town, this is the first market of the new year, and there are so many people rushing to the market that it can be compared to the scale of the market before wintering.

Some of the villagers dispersed and agreed to meet and go back.

"Let's go and sit at the tea stall—"

On the side of the road, I came across a tea stall with a big bowl of tea, a simple grass shed, a few tables and stools underneath, the stove was blazing, the big teapot was hot, and the fragrance of tea was overflowing.

In the cold weather of spring, it is still very cold outside, especially when the wind is blowing, but drinking a bowl of hot tea here will warm you up. However, such a large bowl of tea is boiled out of inferior tea, and the color of the tea soup is very ordinary, so there is no choice.

"Man, three bowls of tea!"

"Objective, wait a minute, come right away!"

A large bowl of 1 copper coin is very affordable.

The frame was fastened, the three of them found a place to sit down, and soon, the hot tea was served. The tea stall also provided dry food, pickles, sauerkraut and the like, but none of the three asked for it.

"I heard that Marshal Zhenguo's army suffered a defeat, and even the border Zhengliucheng, Dasaibao, and Kaiyuan Pass were lost, and they are currently stationed 100 miles away from Wulin County."

"What, it can't be, how do you know?"

"This is something that happened before the winter, it snowed heavily, and the news didn't come back in time, and the town's party chief, Master Li, also received the news yesterday, and the news is true-"

"This is troublesome, our Wulin County is only 200 miles away from Dasai Fort, without Da Sai Fort, the Qi army can drive straight in, in case it can't be stopped-"

"Shhhh

"Alas, I went to the rice shop just now, and even the pound of chestnut rice has risen by 2 copper coins, and 7 copper coins per catty, how can I live?"

"It's not just chestnut rice, but the price of everything else has gone up—"

“――”

Hearing this, Er Zhao was immediately worried.

Zhao Erbao said: "This thing seems to be true!"

Zhao Tiedan didn't say a word, his brows furrowed.

After drinking tea, the three of them went directly to the only rice store in the town, there were many people who bought grain, and when they saw the big red paper posted, the price of the main grain chestnut rice really rose, 7 copper coins a catty!

Then oil shops, butcher shops, cloth shops, tea and wine shops, without exception, the price of goods rose in response, and the increase was very large. Everyone was talking everywhere about the defeat of the kingdom's army on the border, and how cruel the Qi army was, which became the reason for soaring prices. As a result, people who bought rice, oil, and salt surged all at once, and they were all stocking up on goods, and they didn't panic when they had food at home.

The owners of the shops made a lot of money, and the income of a one-day market was comparable to the turnover of two months.

Zhang Weidong also bought some flower cloth, salt, pork, white noodles, vegetables, daughter red and other urgently needed materials, and spent a lot of extra money. As for the staple food, the food at home is enough to eat for a year.

The morning's procurement was basically crammed with two cars, but Zhao Erbao and them couldn't be happy.

So much so that lunch was not settled in the town, after meeting with other villagers. Drive straight back to the village.

Back in the village, Zhao Erbao unloaded his things, but when he entered the house, he saw Zhao's red eyes and sighed.

"What's going on?" Zhao Erbao hurriedly asked.

"I can't live this day!" Zhao wailed, wiping away tears.

"What the hell is going on, tell me quickly?"

"In the morning, I went to Zhao's house to return needlework. The old mother said that needlework was not good, and she picked out a lot of my wages, and she was sneering, and Steward Zhao came to the door, saying that our land is a high-quality field, and the rent will be raised, and the rent must be paid eighty percent, if you don't pay it, it will only be replaced by those wastelands in the east of the village. Or at seventy percent rent—"

"Bullshit!"

Zhao Erbao was furious.

What is the best field?

The high-grade of Zhao Village is only a few hundred acres, and they are all in the hands of people who have a good relationship with the Zhao Mansion, and the general tenants can only cultivate middle and low-grade fields. For example, Zhao Erbao's is just a small number of medium fields and inferior fields. There is a wasteland in the east of the village, but it is a mass grave, barren, and there are few people leaving, and it is not even a low-grade field.

"Leave this alone. I'm going to theorize with them!"

Zhao Erbao went out and planned to go to the Zhao Mansion to ask. But after calming down, he turned around and went to Zhao Tiedan's house, and when he asked, he found out that Zhao Tiedan's family was also facing the same problem.

The two wanted to ask for an explanation, and went to some other tenants' homes to find out the situation, but the results were different. The tenants didn't know about it.

"Brother Erbao, this is strange, it seems to be specifically aimed at us?" Zhao Tiedan said.

"Let's go!"

"Where are you going?"

"Find Steward Zhao!"

Zhao Tiedan said worriedly: "I'm afraid it's useless to go-"

The two are illiterate, but they are not stupid.

This increase in land rent is only aimed at the two of them, and it must be someone in the Zhao Mansion who is making things difficult.

Zhao Erbao said: "Always ask to understand!"

Arrived at the Zhao Mansion. begged to open the door, and the little porter with the door was very arrogant: "Zhao Erbao, Zhao Tiedan, do you still want to see the housekeeper?"

Zhao Erbao was furious and almost made a move.

After wintering for four months, under Zhang Weidong's strict supervision, his strength grew rapidly, and the strength of an ordinary servant was not his opponent at all.

Zhao Tiedan hurriedly grabbed it, and the two went home. Making trouble in front of the Zhao Mansion is not a trivial matter.

However, the two didn't tell Zhang Weidong, and Xu Qing only found out from the Zhao family

In the evening, Zhang Weidong called the two over and chatted while drinking.

"So, is the Zhao Mansion deliberately making things difficult? Eighty percent of me is involved in you!" Zhang Weidong said.

"It's okay with Brother Zhang!"

“――”

Zhang Weidong asked noncommittally: "Zhao Fu is making things difficult for you, do you plan to accept it or reject it?"

"Accept, how much is left for a year's rations, is it enough for the family? If you don't accept it, that's better to say-"

Zhao Erbao was puzzled: "It's easy to say if you don't accept it?"

Zhang Weidong nodded and said: "Yes, the Zhao Mansion didn't say that it wouldn't rent land for you, right? If you don't rent land, then who will plant this land? If no one farms, I'm afraid it won't be good for them!"

"But if you don't plant, I think it's a good thing!"

"Even if the Zhao Mansion gives in and still pays 70 percent of the land rent, will this year's harvest be able to surpass last year's? It is estimated that it will be very difficult! Moreover, now that the border is unstable, everything is rising, and the price of grain collected by landlords and grain merchants will not rise, and I don't know how much it will rise; if we don't have the ability to make more money, this day is estimated to be even more difficult than last year!"

"So, it's better not to rent land, you follow me, give you the start money, and share the dividends at the end of the year, not to mention that the family is well fed and clothed, and there are still more than ten or twenty silver coins left throughout the year, I am still sure of this, and it will not delay your martial arts practice-"

At this point, the two of them fell silent for a moment.

Zhang Weidong didn't urge them, and said: "This matter is not a trivial matter, you go back and discuss it with your family, and just go back and give me an answer." ”

The three of them didn't drink much, and the good daughter on a small jar ended up with a red bottom.

Zhao Erbao and Zhao Tiedan went back with their hearts.

After turning the oil lamp, Xu Qing came over and sat down: "Brother Zhang, what business do you plan to let them follow you?"

In addition to Zhang Weidong's promise of food and clothing, he can also get more than ten or twenty silver coins a year, such a good thing, she has never heard of it.

"Grasp me still some, otherwise, even if they continue to farm, the situation outside is so bad, their life is probably even more difficult, prices are soaring, under natural disasters, the land rent is not reduced, and the harvest is not as good as last year, I estimate that the defeat of Qingguo, the taxes on the people's heads will also increase, do they still have a choice?" Zhang Weidong said.

Xu Qing was shocked: "Do you want to raise taxes?"

"It is estimated that eight or nine is not far from ten!"

"How do you spend this day-"

Zhang Weidong patted her hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry, even if others can't survive, you and Xiao Yueyue will definitely not be among them, you can only cross the better, believe me!"

Xu Qingjiao was embarrassed, and said tenderly: "I believe in you!" (to be continued......)