A.D. 1627, the seventh year of the Apocalypse, Shaanxi, Chengcheng County.

Zhang Yaocai, the magistrate of Chengcheng County, was sitting in the county hall, looking at the account books handed over by the master, his brows furrowed tightly, and his face was unhappy: "Have you not confiscated the arrears of taxes in each village?" It's in a hurry. ”

The master hurriedly accompanied a smiling face: "Lord County, there is a great drought in Shaanxi, thousands of miles of red land, and the people are not able to make a living, and in the hands of those ordinary people, there is really no food, and they can't collect it no matter how they urge, this is called [helpless]." ”

He said the words "helpless" heavily and hard, and with his exaggerated expression, it looked quite funny.

Zhang Yaocai knew that this master always liked to add an inexplicable summary at the end of the sentence, but he didn't care, just hummed: "They have no food? The lowly people have a lot of food in their hands, but they hide it and don't want to use it to pay rent. ”

The master said embarrassedly: "What about the drought......"

Zhang Yaocai: "The year before last was also a drought, and last year was also a drought, how can we harvest grain, but this year's drought can't be harvested?" ”

Master: "In the first year of the drought, everyone still had food in stock. In the second year of the drought, he could barely pay taxes by smashing pots and selling iron. In the third year, the drought continued...... That is, people are going to die, where is the money and food to pay? This is called "nothing more than three". ”

Zhang Yaocai squinted: "What's the matter?" You're still talking to those? How many benefits have you received from them, and you dare to blow crooked wind in the ears of your own officials? ”

The master was taken aback: "Lord Qiyu County, the villain confiscated any benefits from them, they can't survive, how can they have the money to fight the villain?" It's really ...... Villain...... I had to say a word for them. This is called "discovery of conscience". ”

Zhang Yaocai snorted, didn't pay attention to the master at all, rolled his eyes, and said to the official next to him: "A few of you, organize a team to urge the tax...... Well...... Let me see, Gaojia Village, Wangjia Village, Zhengjia Village...... These villages have paid the least amount of taxes this year, so you can divide into several teams and go to these villages. Remember, those cheap people like to cry poor, obviously they have food hidden at home, but they refuse to pay taxes, and when they encounter this kind of cheap skin, they have to be ruthless and beat me to death. ”

The officials agreed with a bang.

The master was shocked, hugged Zhang Yaocai's legs, and cried: "Lord County, I can't help it, I can't help it, the people are already very bitter, and if they force them here, they will only be afraid to persecute the good people." This is called [official coercion and civil rebellion]. ”

"Get out of here, I've had enough of your neuropathy." Zhang Yaocai kicked the master's trousers, and the latter fell to the ground, holding his trousers and shrinking into a ball.

(PS: Zhang Yaocai is a historical figure, not a fabrication made up by the author of this book.) Historical records: Apocalypse Ding Mao, Shaanxi drought. Zhang Yaocai, the magistrate of Chengcheng County, urged the department very coolly, and the people were unbearable. ）

——————

As the sun sets, the earth is yellow.

Gao Yiye dragged his tired body back to Gaojia Village.

The bamboo basket contained the fruits of her hard work that day, a small half basket of bark, grass roots, and wild vegetables.

These things, combined with the hard-boiled eggs left over from the day, are sure to fill your stomach tomorrow.

It made her walk a little brisk.

Other villagers are also returning to the village one after another, each carrying a basket of wild grass bark, and when they see Gao Yiye, many people wave to her and thank her for bringing big eggs to everyone.

Gao Yiye responded to the greetings of the villagers, walked to the door of his house and pulled the bolt of the door.

With a "boom", the door opened, and a large pile of oval-shaped white rice with a diameter of more than half a meter rolled down towards her.

But Gao Yiye was taken aback, and he only had time to take half a step back, and he was caught up by the huge white rice, and when he was about to be submerged, a big hand stretched out in the sky, and gently blocked it in front of her, and the slipping trend of the big white rice was suspended, but Gao Yiye was still tripped and fell to the ground by the big white rice leaking out of the fingers of the big hand.

She froze for a moment and looked stupidly at her side.

Rice!

What a big rice.

Each grain of rice is more than half a meter long, and only one grain of rice is needed, and I am afraid that it weighs more than 100 catties.

She was at a loss to know what was happening, when she saw the face of the Celestial God faintly appear in the sky above her head, and that face had a smile on it, and for a moment it disappeared into the clouds.

Gao Yiye realized that it was the Celestial God who made a little joke with him, and he piled up his house with huge divine rice, and was startled when he waited for him to open the door.

After thinking about it, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Being submerged in so much snow-white "big" white rice is something that I have been dreaming about since the drought in the past few years, but I didn't expect it to be realized in such a way, it is hard not to be happy, and even the grief of my mother's death has been briefly washed away.

However, there was a lot of white rice all around, which surrounded her, and she couldn't climb out at all.

Gao Yiye had no choice but to shout loudly: "Grandpa the village chief, the fifth brother of the junior high school, fellow villagers, come and help me." ”

As soon as she shouted, the neighbors immediately gathered around.

Then their exclamations rang out: "Rice, big rice." ”

The young and strong senior high school hurriedly rushed over, pushed away the big white rice around her, and pulled her out of the rice pile.

The village chief also rushed over as soon as possible, and then the forty-two people in the village gathered at the door of Gao Yiye's house.

Everyone looked at the huge white rice like a millstone, fell into chaos, and the whole person was in a state of temporary failure.

After a long while, the village chief said, "This is also a gift from the gods, right?" There is no such big rice in the world. ”

Gao Yiye nodded: "Lord Tenjin played a little joke on me, deliberately piling up large white rice in my house, and drowning me when I opened the door. ”

Village Chief: "I wish he had made such a joke with us once a day." ”

Gao Chuwu was stupidly happy, stretched out his hand and picked up a big white rice on the ground, this thing weighs 100 pounds, and it is difficult to hold it, but he refuses to let go when he holds it in his arms, and laughs silly: "How to divide this rice?" Do we have 10 in our family? ”

The village chief was furious: "Stop! Put it away. We don't yet know if this rice is given to just one leaf, or to all of us. If it was only given to one leaf, you took it indiscriminately and angered the Celestials, did you want to be slapped into meat sauce like a bandit? ”

Gao Chuwu was startled, his hands stiffened, and the rice fell to the ground.

The village chief turned to Yiye and said warmly: "Yiye, you are a good boy, since the Tenjin-sama has chosen to only appear in front of you, then we can only ask you to talk to the Tenjin-sama, so please ask him the old man, these rice...... Can we touch your light and enjoy some ...... too?"

As he was talking about this, a high-spirited voice suddenly sounded in the direction of the entrance of the village: "The untouchables of Gaojia Village, come out and come out, don't fucking hide in the house one by one and pretend to be dead, when will you pay the taxes you owe to the imperial court?" ”

As soon as this voice came, the faces of all the villagers darkened together, and even the ignorant children were so frightened that they covered their mouths and didn't dare to cry.

Gao Chuwu said in a low voice: "Oops, the county officials are here." ”

The village chief didn't think about it, and immediately said: "Yiye, the fifth day of the first month, and those young people, you should immediately do it, get all this rice back to Yiye's house, and close the door." I went to the entrance of the village to deal with the officials, and everyone remembered, don't let them see the rice in this house. ”