Wanli Xinming

Chapter 366 Candied Fruit
The 13th year of Wanli's New Year's Eve was not very good, and the severe drought in Shanxi continued in winter.The porridge sheds set up in various counties have become the lifeline of the victims. The disaster situation and relief have formed a dangerous balance here, and the government has no spare power to save one more person.

The emperor's decree has already reached the desk of Liang Wenmeng, the governor of Shanxi Province, who has turned into a regular member, asking him to mobilize all forces to let the victims survive the winter safely - Liang Wenmeng, an old official, has been working hard for half a year to save his head. Exhausted, he could only smile bitterly in the face of the emperor's decrees and government affairs.

Liang Xun stroked his thin cheeks, and tugged at the drooping face due to the rapid weight loss, and asked his staff, "Mr. Meng, tell me, what can we do now to solve this situation?"

Mencius, like his proprietor, lost ten pounds of meat in half a year.Hearing this, he smiled wryly and said, "Dongweng, Shanxi's severe drought for two consecutive years has been unheard of in a century! Now the early potential has been squeezed out - it's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice, it's hard!"

Liang Wenmeng took a sip of his teeth after hearing the words, and bowed his hands to the north: "Nowadays, there is an endless supply of grain and cotton. You said that it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and you can't explain it to the emperor."

After hearing this, Master Meng continued with a wry smile: "Can we still distribute grain and cotton to the disaster victims? It's too hard to maintain the porridge factory and distribute winter clothes. Dongweng, these people will have to be raised until the autumn harvest next year! We are not that rich!"

"But if you don't organize them to return home, they will freeze to death in various prefectures and counties - my head is still hanging!"

Looking at Governor Liang's bitter face, Master Meng lost his focus.After a long period of time, he let out a long sigh, and came up with an idea that didn't hurt or itch: "For today's plan, we have to let the imperial court help find a way. Sir, don't think about holding this hot coal in your palm, Now that the prime minister is from Jin, you should make use of this relationship!"

In order to keep the land left by their ancestors, Mrs. Tian's family, who fled with the title deed, worked hard in the county town of Mayi for six months.Although Shanxi has launched many food-for-work projects, after entering the twelfth lunar month, all construction sites have stopped working, and most of these hungry people are once again in trouble.

When the emperor and the queen were enjoying themselves in the palace city, Tian Wenshan, the backbone of the Tian family, could not afford to be sick, and was fried with heat and cold in the shacks of the disaster victims - the hungry people who had been deprived of nutrition for a long time could not withstand the invasion of viruses and bacteria, and in the cold winter, Lack of medical treatment and lack of medicine, they died in pieces, and life here is humble like a speck of dust.

The three children did not get sick, but this was because Tian Wenshan saved his mouth to the children.In the summer, Mrs. Tian went to work at Mr. Li's house, and Tian Wenshan went to work at the construction site. In the fall, their family even saved two silver dollars. Tian Wenshan thought that it would rain tomorrow in the spring or there would be a few heavy snowfalls this winter. , this money can buy some grain, that is the capital of Laotian's turnaround.

However, after entering the winter months, Mr. Li's family couldn't stand the boring life in Mayi County, so the family moved to Fucheng, and Mrs. Tian lost her job first.Immediately following the shutdown of the construction site, the Laotian family once again entered a state of hanging with porridge.

In order to save these two silver dollars, Tian Wenshan tried his life to drink water when he had a cold, hoping that he could carry it.But he overestimated his resistance, and soon developed from a cold to a fever like malaria - a small cold complication easily knocked it down, and when it developed into difficulty breathing, Mrs. Tian ignored his firm opposition, please Here comes Langzhong.

"The patient's lungs are attacked by wind and cold, and both qi and yin are deficient," the 50-year-old doctor stroked his beard and looked at Mrs. Tian with a serious face: "Sanao Decoction can only cure one type of chrysanthemum, and both qi and yin deficiencies need Tonics—tonics are expensive, and there are no tonics in the county pharmacies."

Sister-in-law Tian gritted her teeth and said, "Sir, please make a prescription. The five of us are in charge. Even if I sell myself, I have to save him."

The gentleman glanced at Sister-in-law Tian again, and sighed: "Poor! Today the world is said to be a prosperous world, but look at what Ma Yi has become!" He took out a pen and paper and opened a prescription, and handed it to Sister-in-law Tian: "The disease you are in charge of is not a difficult disease, but this recipe can only buy one pair for one yuan. Now, if you want to cure this body, you need to eat six or seven pairs."

Sister-in-law Tian grunted in her throat, and her face turned pale.She looked back at her husband, her eyes turned red, and she said in a trembling voice, "The tonic is so expensive?"

That Langzhong didn't answer, he glanced at the shack that was neatly packed, and said, "How can this place withstand the cold wind? Eating porridge every day and dying, plus being cold, a good person can't stand it, let alone him. patient."

Sister-in-law Tian couldn't hold back the misery in her heart, so she choked up, "We do have a family, but it's hard to come back without this porridge, we all have to starve to death." After half a year of depression and exhaustion, this woman finally collapsed. Nodding his head, tears rolled down the placket of his clothes, whose original color was no longer visible.

Although the old man was accustomed to the suffering of these victims, the sudden collapse of this strong-tempered woman in front of him still made his heart tumble for a while.

He looked up at the gloomy sky and smiled bitterly: "Oh! I don't know whether to expect heavy snow or not. Snow can relieve the drought, but it really comes down, the five of you are in a shack."

As he spoke, he stood up, packed up the pen and paper, and put it in the cloth bag behind him.Sister-in-law Tian hurriedly got up and wiped her tears: "Sir, wait, I'll get you the medical fee."

"Forget it! Although the old man is not rich, he still stutters. You should save the consultation fee to buy medicine." That's it."

Sister-in-law Tian, ​​who has been strong in her life, spun the phrase "you must pay for the consultation" on the tip of her tongue, and silently swallowed it back into her stomach.She kept silent, just bent down the waist, bent down, and gave Lang Zhong a nondescript blessing.

The old man nodded in return, and beckoned to call the half-eldest man next to Mrs. Tian, ​​took out a small packet of candied fruit from his sleeve, put it in his hand, and said, "This is for you." Rejecting, turning to look at his mother while pushing.

Sister-in-law Tian stepped forward in a hurry, reaching out to stop Langzhong's kind deeds.The old lieutenant general raised his palms and stopped him: "If you don't want to kiss, don't come here!" Sister-in-law Tian's face was flushed, and she was anxious to say something.

The old man stretched out his hand to signal her not to speak again. He smiled first, then sighed, and said, "Are we ordinary people hard to earn their lives? Hard!"

"When it's hard, you have to open yourself up, and sometimes you have to make your mouth so sweet! Remember that if you get through the hardships, you will have a day of happiness!"

(End of this chapter)