The Qingming Festival is approaching, and Li Xiao has also embarked on the road back to Liaodong. I haven't been back for so many years, but this year the brothers discussed and went back to the grave of their parents.

In the past, Li Hao, who was the youngest, went back to the grave, and he was a representative of the brothers.

This time, Li Xiao did not take the waterway, but took the Shanhaiguan Pass through Jinzhou, and returned to his hometown by land. Liaodong was the first place to restore peace, and Li Xiao wanted to know very much how the people here were doing.

There weren't many followers, just a straight and two guards. Tokugawa Chihime was followed by the maid Xing'er, counting Li Xiao There were just six people. A carriage with four horses went along the flat official road to Liaodong.

No one dared to let Li Xiao go on the road like this, although the world was peaceful all the way. But God knows if there will be any accidents, Li Xiao is not a stupid boy who fled with his younger brothers and sisters ten years ago, and now his words and deeds are related to the people of the world. Especially the well-being of the Liao army!

Just ten minutes behind Li Xiao, followed by a cavalry company of the Liao army. An hour later, Nie Dahu followed slowly. In addition, I don't know how many Liao soldiers in disguise along the way, if any of them who don't have long eyes want to pit Li Xiao, the price will definitely be heavy.

This year, the weather is warm and early, and farmers in Hebei are digging the land. The cultivation of potatoes and corn has staggered the farmers' farming schedules a lot. At this time in previous years, farmers in Hebei were still tending to winter wheat. Now, winter wheat is no longer grown. The barren land is planted with potatoes or sweet potatoes, the better dry land is all grown with corn, and the paddy fields are all grown with rice, although the yield of rice is not high.

However, the price of rice is very high, and it is considered a cash crop. As for wheat, farmers in Hebei no longer grow it. After all, the climate in the northern part of Hebei is close to Liaodong, and the climate is not much different from Liaodong, which is actually not suitable for wheat growth.

Li Xiao walked into a village on horseback, which is the standard Hebei farmhouse. The courtyard walls are made of stones, and the newly thawed land has not yet had time to grow vegetables. There are yellow bud rice sticks hanging on the wall, pigs in the back of the house, dogs in the yard, and a donkey in the livestock shed on one side of the courtyard wall.

On the other side of the yard was a grain stack more than two feet above the ground. On top of the stack, there is a big tanuki cat sleeping soundly! A flock of chickens leisurely spread around the yard, and the big roosters flew to the courtyard wall and crowed loudly at the sun.

Li Xiao had just approached the yard, and a big goose ran out of nowhere, crying loudly through the chest wall. The tied earth dog also ran over and barked loudly at Li Xiao. For a while, the whole yard was not lively.

Hearing the dog barking, an old man came out of the house. Maybe because of his age, he still wears a torn cotton jacket on his body, and his cuffs and elbows are patched.

"Uncle, passers-by beg for a glass of water." Li Xiao shouted at the old man inside through the courtyard wall.

"Huh! Cool water and hot water. "The old man was very hospitable and kicked the dog away. He dragged a branch casually, waved twice in the void, and the goose also flapped its wings and ran to the edge of the courtyard wall, looking at Li Xiao sideways with its vigilant head, looking like it stood out from the crowd.

"Yo! You still have hot water at home, come to a bowl of hot water. The old man's words made Li Xiao stunned, but he didn't expect that farmers in Hebei also began to drink boiling water.

"Okay!" The old man opened the courtyard door and let Li Xiao in. Then he entered the house, and after a while he carried a kang table in his left hand and a teapot in his right hand. There are still a few old bowls under the armpits!

The kang table was placed on the ground, and the teapot and old bowl were placed on the table. casually took two benches from under the window, put them on the edge of the table, and then beckoned to Li Xiao: "The guest officer is here." ”

"Yo! Do you always have hot water? Li Xiao poured himself a bowl, sat on the small bench, and drank it slowly.

Tokugawa Chihime sat in the carriage and didn't get down, and she didn't go into the yard full of animals if she was killed.

"A few years ago, there was a great plague, and the official family came. If you want to avoid the plague, you must wash your hands frequently and drink boiled water. The villagers can't afford to take medicine, so it's nothing to chop more firewood and boil some water. Besides, in this winter, you have to build a stove, sit on the stove with a pot of water, the water vapor will steam up, and the whole house will be warm, and you will not cough when you sleep all night. Here, comfort! The old man patted his chest and said that he was very strong.

"Your old surname!"

"Surname Li!"

"Yo! It's still my family, and my surname is Li. ”

"Are you going to get out?"

"My father and mother were killed by the Tartars and buried in a hurry. This year, I went back to worship and added shovel soil to the grave. ”

"Dog-day tartars, don't do good things. Fortunately, we have Li Dashuai, a few years ago, Li Dashuai's soldiers fought with the Tartars on the other side of the mountain. I also took my dog's leftovers to deliver food! Li Dashuai's soldiers are amazing, whining and shouting a large group of Tartars, and in the end few of them went back alive. The old man poured himself a bowl, sat down in front of Li Xiao and drank it with a snort.

The beginning of spring was already warm, and after sucking two sips of hot water, Li Xiao's head was full of sweat. I simply took off my hat and threw it on the table.

"Why are you alone in this family, and your children and grandchildren don't come to honor you?"

"Just look at your hair and know that you are a Liao soldier, otherwise I wouldn't have let you enter this door. My dog leftover son joined the army, and followed Li Dashuai to the south. Last year, I sent a letter back and said that I had hit a boundary called Yangzhou. The old man has never even been to Chengde in his life, and he doesn't know where Yangzhou is. It's just that I've heard that it's quite a place to the south.

The old woman got rid of the plague that year, the eldest daughter got married, and the second pillar lived there.

Every day, my daughter-in-law comes to cook for her, and sometimes she brings some ready-made food. Thanks to the blessing of Li Dashuai, his grandson went to school. Just on the other side of the mountain, Li Dashuai sent a Xiucai to teach the children to write and draw.

During the Chinese New Year, each family pooled some grain and copper coins to send to Xiucai. Only a few eggs were collected, and money and food were confiscated. It is said that eggs are a piece of children's hearts, and it is not good to brush off the children's kindness. Money and food cannot be collected, this is the rule of scholars.

We didn't understand, and then I thought about it and was embarrassed, so I sent a plate of dumplings for every meal, and my Li Dazhuan family has been tenants for generations. Don't talk about reading, you don't dare to think about it. Now that life is better, not only can I eat dumplings during the New Year, but my children also have books to read. After living for fifty-six years, this day can be regarded as some hope. ”

Li Laohan obviously didn't talk to anyone, but when he saw Li Xiao who could speak, he couldn't close his mouth immediately. But Li Xiao is still a good listener, sitting there and nodding from time to time, looking at it with a smile.

"Yangzhou is on the edge of the Yangtze River, and it is already in full bloom at this time. I also went to Yangzhou last year, and we didn't have a few people on our team, so we knocked Yangzhou City down. Your dog is not in Yangzhou at this time, but should be in Nanjing.

Nanjing knows, it is the place where Zhu Hongwu, the ancestor of the Zhu family, became the emperor. ”

"Bullshit Emperor Zhu, his Zhu family is the emperor. I was still a mud leg, two sons and a daughter, all of whom starved to death before they grew up. If you want me to see the old man, this emperor should be Li Dashuai. It was Li Dashuai's soldiers who came, and we divided the land. He also taught us to grow corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, and at first glance you are from the city, and you don't know about the farming in the countryside.

Corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes are three things that mature in more than half a year when they are planted in the ground. One acre of land can beat more than 1,000 catties, and the old man was worried about the food for the first time. Look at this mound inside, there is still half a mound of corn left over from last year.

The grandson of my family dislikes that potatoes are not delicious. Quietly throw it in the backyard to feed the pigs! I saw it, and I beat it up. After only a few days of full food, he dared to spoil the grain. A few years later, when Li Dashuai did not send troops, who was not half-starved and half-fed at this time. I hope that the wild vegetables in the field will grow quickly, so that I can dig some wild vegetables and come back to fill my stomach.

At that time! One is looking forward to elm money, and the other is looking forward to locust flowers. It's like now, all you eat is food. The elm tree and the locust tree flower have become a rarity. Last year, my daughter-in-law made locust tree flowers and kneaded them into white flour buns. What a good white-flour bun, it's ruined!

I'm not afraid of your jokes, I am fifty-six years old this year. The number of times you eat white flour buns can be counted in one slap. Li Laohan stretched out his big hand full of calluses and shook it at Li Xiao.

"Old man, this Li Dashuai is the emperor, don't dare to say nonsense. The government will come and arrest people! ”

"Phew! The bullshit government, and now the government are all Li Dashuai's subordinates. The dogs sent by the emperor couldn't look at any of them. Those people who are not human things, obviously the family is about to starve to death, and they still hold whips and collect taxes from house to house. If I had stayed a little bit, my little girl would not have starved to death. When the old man talked about the tax collector of the year, he was so angry that his head smoked, and he drank a bowl of water in one breath, and sat there without speaking.

"Now the commander's soldiers also collect taxes, right?"

"Li Dashuai's soldiers, how can they compare with them. Each family only receives 30% of the harvest, and our family is a military dependent, so not only does it not collect taxes, but it also does not have to go out into conscription. During the Chinese New Year, the government also beat gongs and drums to send half a fan of pork. This is the face, the glory of the ancestors!

When my grandson is older, I will be sent to Li Dashuai's team to serve as a soldier. What is good iron and nails, and a good man is not a soldier, that is to be a soldier for the imperial court. I only hate that the old man is old, otherwise I would also follow Li Dashuai as a soldier. ”

"Then you have to let the child study hard, if you want to be a soldier in the future, you can't write."

"Learn what you are! The child went home and took the book and asked me, I haven't been literate in eight lifetimes, I know what is written on it. I was so angry that I kicked each of them and kicked them all away. ”

"Hahaha! You are always a blessed one, you live a few more years, and there are good days waiting for you in the future. ”

"That's it! It's hard to live a good life, but you have to live a good life. ”

"You just said that you are still serving in the village?" Li Xiao suddenly remembered that Li Laohan had just mentioned the matter of conscription.

"There is forced labor, but it is different from the previous government. In the past, the government called people for nothing, and if they didn't do a good job, they would whip them. Li Dashuai's soldiers were reasonable, and they were paid for their work. At noon, rice is also served, and the stick noodles are glutinous and salty. One person also has an egg to eat, and I heard from the people in the village that sometimes there is bone broth to drink. ”

Li Xiao nodded, this magistrate is not bad, and there is no oppression of the peasants.

"It's been quiet on the ground all these years, I've heard that there used to be bandits or something."

"Hahaha!" Li Laohan laughed angrily?

"What's wrong?" Li Xiao didn't think his problem was ridiculous.

"There is a militia in this village, and the militia company commander fought with Li Dashuai. Also bandits? It has long been exterminated! Now there is not even a shadow of a bandit to be seen on this mountain. ”

"Your militia is quite capable."

"What are you capable of! When these boys saw the bandits, their eyes were red. That's a bandit, that's a military feat! Killing the bandits is not only rewarded by the government. Joining the army is also a priority! Whoever kills the bandit in his later life, no matter how ugly he looks, the matchmaker who proposes marriage will step through the threshold. With this benefit, isn't it like crazy to meet these gangsters?

Bandits are extinct in our place, and they have been here for three or four years, and I have never heard of bandits within a radius of 100 miles. However, I heard that many bandits were recruited, and the most heinous ones were shot in the county seat. There's nothing to blame, I heard that they were all sent to the coal mine to be used as coal blacks. I've heard about it! ”

"That's called labor reform, these people have committed sins, and if they don't die, they need to be reformed by work. When their sentences are over, they will also be paid and will be treated well. Li Xiao nodded and explained to Li Laohan what is called labor reform.

"That's exactly what you're saying! In the past, bandits didn't kill people much, and many of the bandits were farmers who couldn't survive, or military families who deserted from the army. There is no way, the past days are hungry and full. It's not that there is no way to become a bandit.

At the end of the day, it's better to live now. In the past, the government also suppressed bandits, but after stubble, the bandits were never wiped out. It's not that there are too many people who can't survive, otherwise who will do this murderous business.

Let them ......! Li Laohan tapped his head, as if he couldn't remember the words Li Xiao just said.

"Labor reform!" Li Xiao on the side hurriedly reminded.

"Yes, labor reform atonement. After atoning for the sins, let people go when they should let them go, they are all bitter mud legs.

These people also want to thank Li Dashuai, if they are caught by the soldiers of the Zhu family's court before, they will definitely be beheaded. In order to earn some money, those soldiers sometimes even arrest the villagers, beat you up and force you to admit that you are bandits, and many people admit it in order not to be guilty. As long as you confess your sin, you will be slashed in the head, and then you will take your head and go to receive the reward, and several of us in the village have died like this.

The family wanted to sue, but there was nowhere to go. I can only knock out my teeth and swallow it in my stomach! It's like now, how much is there to live. ”

"Yes! If you should leave a way to live, you must leave a way for people to live. ”

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