Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 47
At a street intersection in Jixian County, Weihui Prefecture, Henan Province, a six-year-old girl curled up in a corner.The single clothes on his body were already dirty and messy, and in the tattered sleeves, the skin-covered arms no longer had the original skin color, and the hair was like a mess of grass.

Although it was mid-spring, and the sun was warming her body, she felt as cold as winter, and her whole body was shaking like a pendulum.A pair of eyes that were no longer active looked towards the south, thinking in a daze: why hasn't my brother come back yet?It's so cold, it would be great if my brother could hug me!Hugging like a mother, so sleepy, huh?Mom, is that you?mother!Hug Niuniu, I'm cold, where's Daddy?Mother, hug Niuniu, mother!Why are you leaving again?

The eight-year-old Daniu was running with all his strength, his hands clutching his chest tightly, and half a piece of hard sorghum pancake in his arms.

After begging for a long time, a kind aunt gave him half a pancake.My sister and I haven't eaten for two days, and our father and mother are already dead. Daniel knows that they died of starvation.

The father and mother left the last bite of food to him and his sister, but they ate Guanyin soil desperately, and finally their stomachs were bulging.

Da Niu died first, and the unwilling and desperate look in Daniel's eyes before he died will never be forgotten.

Before Mother died, although she was speechless, she still tried her best to put her sister's hand in Daniel's, and looked at him expectantly.

Daniel understands that his mother wants him to protect his sister.

Daniu's tears have been shed, because he is young, he doesn't have the energy to dig a hole to bury his parents, years of severe droughts have failed, only the dead in the village, and the living have fled.

Daniu and his younger sister, who was crying hoarsely, kowtowed three times to their parents, and then took her to the county town dozens of miles away.When Dad was alive, he told him that the only way to go east is the county seat.

After running more than a hundred steps, Daniel lost his strength.I haven't eaten for two days, my whole body is as soft as noodles, and there are countless stars in my eyes.

Daniel slowed down and moved forward slowly, his sister was still waiting to eat.

After a long time, Daniel finally moved to his sister. Niuniu seemed to be asleep. Daniel squatted down, took out pancakes with one hand, and shook his sister's body with the other: "Niuniu, don't go to sleep. Look, brother is holding a pancake." What!"

Niuniu heard someone calling her in a daze, and it took a while to hear it was her brother's voice. She tried hard to open her eyes, but her eyelids seemed to be stuck.

She wanted to respond to her brother, but all the strength in her body seemed to have disappeared. She just wanted to sleep, and when she fell asleep, she could see her parents.

Daniu saw that his sister hadn't woken up, and he could feel her slight trembling with the hand shaking her body.Daniel put down the pancakes and picked up his younger sister's upper body, the younger sister's body was scalding hot.

He knew that his sister was ill, and Daniu's heart suddenly felt as if it was grasped by a hand, the pain was unbearable.He understands what it means to be sick at this time.

Daniel cried, hugging his sister and crying heartbreakingly. He felt sorry for his parents, who asked him to protect his sister, but her sister was about to die.

A gentle voice reached Da Niu's ears: "Little brother, what's wrong with you?"

Daniel looked up with tears in his eyes, and a young man in a gray robe stood in front of him and looked at him.

Daniel sobbed and said, "Sister is sick and dying!"

The young man leaned over and touched Niuniu's hot forehead with his hand, frowned and said, "It's a cold, I can't die, I have to go to the doctor."

Daniel said happily: "Is it really impossible to die?"

The young man smiled and said, "If you believe me, follow me, and I will take your sister to the doctor!"

Daniel looked at him vigilantly, his father said that there are kidnappers in this world, who would kidnap children to dig out their hearts and livers.

Seeing Daniel's expression, the young man guessed what he was thinking.

Reaching into his bosom, he took out a wooden sign and shook it at him, saying, "See? I'm from the government, so I can still lie to you? Bad guys don't have such things!"

When Daniel heard about the government, his vigilance immediately turned into fear.

When I was young, a cow in the village died of illness, and the government came to check it out.

The young man said softly, "Where are your parents?"

Daniel bowed his head and replied, "My parents are starving to death."

The young man sighed and said, "Let's go, first heal your sister, and then I will take you to a place where you can eat and wear warm clothes."

Daniel looked at him suspiciously.

The young man smiled and said: "Someone is from the government, someone from the nobleman sent someone to search for orphans like you, hurry up, your sister will die if it is too late!"

Daniel struggled to stand up, trying to drag his younger sister, but he had no strength. The young man sighed softly again, bent down, picked up Niuniu and hugged him in his arms, got up and walked away quickly, Daniel picked up half a piece of pancake and held it tightly. follow.

When Zhu Youjian came to Huangzhuang again, it was already April in the ninth year of Chongzhen.

The wheat in the field has begun to joint and ear. After a winter of topdressing and watering, the wheat is growing well, and the ground is covered with green beyond the horizon. People can't help but look forward to a bumper harvest in one month.

After more than half a year of continuous investment, the farmers in Huangzhuang have taken on a completely new look.All men, women and children in the village have jobs, and their income has steadily increased.The chickens and ducks have already started to lay eggs, and all the eggs and duck eggs produced are purchased by the royal market, and then sent to the Yongwei Camp for the daily training of soldiers to supplement nutrition.

Farmers have money to buy daily necessities such as needles, threads, pots and pans, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, and even richer families buy luxuries such as rouge and gouache for their women.

Merchants have the most sensitive sense of smell. From the beginning of door-to-door sales by small traders to the opening of shops now, a large-scale market has gradually formed outside the walls of Zhuangzi.

Because of the demonstration effect of Huangzhuang, all the rich and powerful Zhuangzi around had to lower their rents. Most of the original seventeen was reduced to fifteen, but the farmers were also grateful, and finally they could have a full meal. Although it is coarse grains, this is something that could not be dreamed of before.

However, when Zhu Youjian was preparing for the harvest of summer grain, he lowered the rent to thirteen. It is estimated that those powerful people secretly cursed him with many vicious words.

When the Zhuang Wall was built, Zhu Youjian specially ordered it to be expanded a lot.The original farmer’s house became the innermost part of Zhuangzi, and rows of new houses with civil structures were built on the periphery. The houses are all close together. This was planned by Zhu Youjian based on the template of the collective dormitory in the 70s and [-]s. .

For the old, weak, women and children who are on the verge of death, having a place to live is already an eye opener, so what other requirements are there.Such a house can save a lot of space. If someone becomes prosperous in the future, they can just find another place to build their own house.

The people living here are women and children who fled after the drought in the Henan area of ​​Shaanxi.As for the old man, there is none.Under the catastrophe, most of the elderly chose to eat tree roots and bark in order to save a mouthful of food for their children. In the end, they had nothing to eat and could only eat Guanyin soil. The result can be imagined.

Most of the young and strong chose to bring their whole families to join the ranks of thieves, and the women and children who did not have young and strong men at home were taken in here.

The young man who rescued Daniu and Niuniu was Wang Ancheng, Captain of Jinyi School.Jin Yiwei was ordered by the emperor to go to Beijing to gather women and children, and Wang Ancheng was one of them.After Niuniu recovered from her illness, Wang Ancheng took Daniel, Niuniu and more than 20 other orphans back to the capital, and then Daniel and the others were resettled to Huangzhuang.After Wang Ancheng was promoted to Xiaoqi due to his meritorious service, he went out of Beijing again to complete the same task.

Daniel and his younger sister were the first batch of orphans to come here.Considering that Niuniu is a girl, the Zhuangtou who allocated the house specially arranged a suite for them.Each of the two rooms has a simple wooden bed with brand new bedding.Daniel lives in the outer room, and the inner room belongs to Niu Niu.

The first thing all women and children who came to Huangzhuang were to take a bath, and the old clothes they took off were burned and buried to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases.

There are two bathhouses built in the village. The men's bathhouse has a large bath filled with scalding hot water.The women's bath is a single room separated by wooden boards, with large wooden barrels and bath beans inside. In order to take care of little girls like Niuniu, the women's bath also specially assigns a few women to scrub the children.

The freshly washed Daniels and girls will receive brand new robes and shoes, which are all made according to Zhu Youjian's requirements. Because of the refugee intake, the workshop that makes military uniforms specially assigns some women to them Sewing clothes.

Niuniu, who has recovered, took a bath and put on new clothes, very happy.Bouncing back into the house, Niuniu came to her own bed in the back room. Niuniu took off her new shoes, climbed onto the bed covered with quilts, jumped on the bed a few times, and suddenly froze.She lay down slowly, wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, tears flowed down silently, father and mother didn't know if there was a new quilt under the ground.

Zhu Youjian held Aimee Zhu's little hand and strolled leisurely in the market outside the village.

Auntie Zhu held a candied haws in her hand, and looked around while eating.Like Zhu Cihong, she lived only around the Qianqing Palace, facing court ladies and eunuchs every day, everything outside was extremely novel to her.

For example, the candied haws in her hand, the red fruit is wrapped in fried brown sugar, the sweet and sour taste makes her very happy.

Zhu Cihong was very repulsed by the little girl's favorite things. Although he really wanted to try it, he sternly refused the candied haws that his sister handed over, and then secretly asked the guards who followed him to buy more and send them to Erya after returning to Beijing.He only had contact with Er Ya once, but Zhu Cihong always missed her.

Zhu Youjian laughed at his son's tricks, and smiled to Cheng Qianli who was watching the surroundings vigilantly: "Old Cheng, this is not the first time you have come out with me, don't be so nervous, I ask you, what dreams do you have? "

Cheng Qianli was stunned for a moment, then scratched his scalp and replied, "Master Huang, I never dream when I sleep lowly."

Zhu Youjian said angrily: "Idiot, I'm asking about your ambition, it's ambition! Do you understand?!"

Aimee Zhu swallowed a mouthful of candied haws with great effort, and interjected, "Father, Aimee is the same as old Cheng, who sleeps without dreaming!"

Cheng Qianli said with a smile on his face: "You know how to understand, and your humble ambition is to protect the safety of Mr. Huang's family!"

Zhu Youjian ignored him, knelt down and picked up Aimee Zhu, and said in a low voice, "Aimee, how did Emperor Father teach you? Don't call Father Emperor outside, but Daddy, remember? I won't take you out!"

Although Auntie Zhu didn't understand why she couldn't be called Father Emperor, she still nodded desperately to show that she remembered.Zhu Youjian burst out laughing, and Zhu Cilang curled his lips behind him, expressing his speechlessness at Aimee Zhu's childishness.

Chongzhen walked with his daughter in his arms and said: "Old Cheng, I think you are in the prime of life, you are good at martial arts, and you are a little inferior to following me all day, so I asked you. It's good for you, don't tell me the truth. What man would not want to Conquering the battlefield, making contributions, confiding a wife and son? You are someone I trust, so just tell me what you think."

Cheng Qianli said solemnly: "Going back to Master Huang, what you learn when you are humble is to work hard on horseback. It is useless in battle. To be honest, I feel very honored to be guarding by Master Huang's side. My wife and children at home Humble is also proud of being a Jinyi guard. Humble was born in several generations of Jinyi, but no one has ever been the personal guard of Mr. Huang. Humble in this life, he does not want to change again. When his son grows up, Humble will also let him enter the guard to work for Mr. Huang's family !"

Zhu Youjian stopped, looked sideways at Cheng Qianli and said, "As long as Daming is here, I won't treat someone who is loyal to Daming like you badly!"

　In troubled times, people are not as good as dogs, and the worst are children who have no resistance. I hope there will be no more troubled times.This chapter wants to express the brilliance of human nature, but it is a pity that the writing is not good enough.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)