"Brother Xu! You're finally back! ”

Not long after Xu Ling arrived at the door of the back kitchen of Deyue Building, he was helping the worker unload the vegetables, and Wang Xuanbao ran over.

With a smile on his face, he came to pull Xu Ling's hand, "Let's go, it's cold, go to the house and drink tea, let them do these jobs." ”

Xu Ling did not refuse, and followed Wang Xuanbao to the second floor again.

Knowing that Xu Ling hadn't eaten breakfast yet, Wang Xuanbao asked someone to bring some exquisite meals.

Crab porridge, lotus paste osmanthus cake, and crystal meat buns, the hot breakfast makes Xu Ling's appetite whett.

The two chatted while eating.

Wang Xuanbao told Xu Ling that the idea he gave was very good, and the business of the restaurant was excellent these days.

Don't look at the wead is just an ordinary green vegetable, but sometimes things are scarce and expensive, others can't eat such good woad dishes, only Deyuelou has it, that can be eaten in Deyuelou, it is a symbol of identity and status.

Wang Xuanbao talked eloquently about his business, and Xu Ling responded from time to time.

Wang Xuanbao asked him, "Brother Xu, how is your porcelain business doing?" ”

"It's going well, I shipped back a batch of double-sided brocade from Quanzhou, and it will be sold in the city these days, does the shopkeeper Wang need it? I'll send you two. ”

Xu Ling ate up a table of snacks, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped the crumbs from the corners of his mouth, and moved Sven.

Wang Xuanbao crossed Erlang's legs, looked at Xu Ling, and secretly observed him.

"Double-sided Jinpa, it is really fashionable in the town these days, and most of the younger daughter's family wants to buy it, but I only have two sons in the family, and there is no daughter, so it is useless to ask for it."

"I wish Brother Xu a prosperous business and a prosperous fortune, but don't delay my business!"

Xu Ling laughed, "Shopkeeper Wang, if you call me a virtuous brother, how can I disappoint you, you can rest assured." I will be in the town these days, as long as the vegetables at home are cooked, I will definitely send them to Deyue Lou as soon as possible. ”

Wang Xuanbao was relieved to get his promise.

Xu Ling waited for the kitchen to unload the cabbage, without delaying the time, and said goodbye to Wang Xuanbao, and went to the tooth store to find someone to help sell the handkerchief.

"Shopkeeper, it's good, give some!"

"Go, go, go! I haven't had any swill yet! Let's go! Don't get around here! ”

Xu Ling walked to the back kitchen and heard the impatient sound of the cook.

When I walked over, I saw seven or eight beggars in ragged and dirty clothes outside the door, each holding a broken bowl with two or three pennies in it, and begging incessantly.

Seeing Xu Ling coming, the assistant cook explained: "These stinky people who want to eat, the shopkeeper is kind, let us distribute the meals that the guests can't eat, who knows that they will have to inch in!" Come and beg for no time! It's annoying! ”

Xu Ling echoed: "The shopkeeper Wang is really kind-hearted. ”

"That's not it, Xu Lang, you wait for a while, and then I'll talk about it when I drive these beggars away."

The beggars surrounded the back door tightly, and he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

The assistant chef went to the front hall and called a few shopkeepers, holding sticks in their hands to drive people away.

Xu Lingdao: "Are there a lot of beggars in ordinary times? ”

"Alas, Xu Xianglang, don't you know, it's like this every winter, these people are not necessarily real beggars, some are just poor families, and they come out to beg before the end of the year, and eat together."

In other words, do you think of begging as a profession?

Xu Ling is no longer as ignorant of the world as he was at the beginning, he knows that at this time, taxes are heavy, and some places have reached the point where the people can hardly bear it.

In the autumn of this year, the imperial court collected three out of ten taxes. One acre of land collects 100 catties of grain, and 30 catties of taxes must be paid to the imperial court.

This is a very high tax rate.

However, if a farmer owns a lot of land, he can barely make ends meet.

But as far as Xu Ling knows, if the grain officials who collect taxes are greedy, exchange big buckets for small buckets, or use some means, it is possible to pay four out of ten taxes.

If an adult man wants to fill his stomach, he needs at least a pound and a half of food, and if he is less, he doesn't even have the strength to do physical work, and it will continue to be a vicious circle.

The grain harvested from one acre of land is not enough for an adult to eat for two months.

Xu Ling didn't know what the tax situation of Lianhuawanzi was, and the Xu family had no land, but he was also quite worried about his father-in-law's family.

I can only sigh: "It's not easy." ”

The assistant chef also said: "Yes, who is easy to live these days?" ”

The beggars were finally driven away with sticks, and Xu Ling was able to push the cart out of the back street, and just around the corner, he saw an old beggar lying on the ground, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.

He was dressed in a summer coat, very ill-fitting, his bare skin covered with dirt, thin skin and bones, like a skeleton of bones still alive.

Still alive?

As Xu Ling pushed the cart past him, he thought of the unclaimed corpses in Yizhuang.

I took two steps out, but I stopped.

Squatted down and picked up the beggar's hair with a stick, "Hey, are you still alive?" ”

Xu Ling saw the slight ups and downs of the beggar's side face, and it seemed that he was still alive.

"Do you want to eat, or drink?" Xu Ling asked patiently.

The muscles around the old beggar's eyes trembled slightly, and it took a long time before he opened his eyes, turned his eyeballs, and looked at Xu Ling with half of his face sideways.

Xu Ling only found out at this time that the old beggar in front of him was Fan Shiqing, who was dragged by him to escape from death row!

"Old man! How are you? Xu Ling hurriedly helped him up from the ground and leaned on himself.

Fan Shiqing also recognized Xu Ling, but he didn't have the strength to speak, and there was a "uh-uh" twitching sound in his throat.

Xu Ling touched his forehead and limbs, and the ice was no different from a corpse.

immediately picked him up and put him on the cart, and pushed him to run to the medicine hall.

"Doctor! Come and save people! Xu Ling ran into the medicine hall with Fan Shiqing in his arms and hurriedly shouted.

Soon a man came up and said, "Where did the beggar come from?" Hurry up and get out! ”

Xu Ling's expression was angry, and he awkwardly took out his purse from the placket, "I have money, and I ask the doctor to help him see a doctor!" ”

The doctor didn't say anything anymore, and asked Xu Ling to take the person to the back room and put Fan Shiqing on a narrow wooden bed that was one person wide.

"These bedding are clean, if you can't save him, you have to pay for them all."

This doctor is about forty years old, tall, thin, and looks a little fairy-like, and when he speaks, he makes people want to get angry.

Xu Ling didn't say a word, first took out the payment he had just received and put it on the table.

"Doctor, please save people as soon as possible!" Xu Ling's expression was gloomy, seeing that Fan Shiqing only had air in and no air out, his heart was about to sink.

But although the doctor is very urban, his medical skills are very superb, and when he saw that Xu Ling was really rich, he immediately began to treat Fan Shiqing.

"Qi deficiency, body deficiency, yin deficiency, virtual into such a non-dead is really fateful, Crane Boy! Cook a soup of the four immortals! ”

As he spoke, the doctor took out a cloth bag, took out silver needles, and pricked more than a dozen silver needles on Fan Shiqing's dirty body.

Xu Ling was dazzled, after half a cup of tea, a bowl of Four Immortal Soup was in his stomach, and in just a few breaths, Fan Shiqing's breath seemed to be stronger.

Even the yellow-haired and blackened face gradually became rosy.