Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 407 Assembly Order

Compared with the countless people in their hometown who starved to death on the way to the south, or even those who died in the war, they are really very lucky.

Zhao Gui often lamented that they were lucky. Before he died of starvation, he happened to meet Yuying Beishang. He also lamented that he had never read books for nothing. If he hadn’t been able to write and count, and he had also done the procurement of medicinal materials, he would not have been able to get the food platform. Errands, if the family didn't have his status, they wouldn't have the conditions now.

They may have barely crossed the river, but they have nothing to do, so they can only temporarily become other people's tenants and hired workers, and that life will be even more difficult.

For the emperor, perhaps the most important thing is to restore the Central Plains and drive out the Tartars in the Northern Expedition, but for these small people, the greatest wish is to stay away from the flames of war in troubled times, to have a foothold, to feed and clothe the family, Others have not dared to expect too much.

"The porridge is ready and smells so good."

The miscellaneous grain porridge with snake meat exudes a tempting aroma. They were busy on the tea mountain for half a day, wet and cold, and they couldn't help swallowing.

"Hurry up and eat."

More than a dozen people from the two families gathered together, roasting the fire, eating hot porridge, and each was given one or two small grilled fish. Everyone chatted while eating. smile.

Compared with the tragic experience of fleeing, starving and fearing a few months ago, it is undoubtedly in heaven now.

No matter how hard you work, you don't feel bitter.

People from the plains of Shandong in the north now live in the mountains of eastern Zhejiang in Nandu. The climate and environment are completely different, but everyone is trying to adapt.

A small crucian carp, grilled black, but everyone still enjoyed it very contentedly, eating every bit of the spiny fish.

While the two families were there, Zhao Gui and Zhao Fu also told everyone about the small tea workshop that they planned to borrow money to take to the countryside.

The two families used to be regarded as the families of small landlords and rich peasants. Although the two wives did not say that they were pampered, they did have a good life. Now they have to support the whole family when their husbands are away, especially Zhao Gui's wife and children. Still young, she is a woman, but she has to work as hard as a man in every way.

After more than half a year, she has aged a lot. She is only in her early thirties, her hair has turned gray a lot, her face has wrinkles, her hands and feet are rough, but she still has a smile on her face, especially when her husband is by her side. , let her smile never break these days.

For her, life is hard now, but she is very satisfied. Seeing the children around her, especially being able to sleep peacefully at night, not needing to be hungry all the time, no longer having to worry about being frightened, she is satisfied.

As a woman, she fully supports her husband's plan.

Although this is risky, she feels that men must have considered it, and they have better vision and experience than women. If they decide to do something good, she supports it.

"When we put down the workshop, you don't want to pick tea anymore. You won't earn any money for a day of picking. Then you will help in the workshop and learn the craft from the masters. If you learn this craft, you will be able to do it anytime. There will be no loss."

Zhao Gui looked at his sons and daughters, "There is one more thing. The eldest is not young anymore, so we can't delay. I will send him to study in the village school later."

Reading is more important than learning a craft.

Although the family conditions are tough, we have to find a way. Fortunately, the school in the village was just established in the county, and the children of officials and soldiers are free of tuition. , this teacher's etiquette cannot be missed.

There are still a lot of expenses for studying and going to school. You have to buy paper, ink, pens and inkstones, etc. These are not cheap, but Zhao Gui is a scholar himself. Their family doesn't have the same conditions now.

No matter how poor you are, you have to find a way to send your children to study, and every child will have to study in the future.

What Zhao Fu wanted was to start a business and get rich again, but what Zhao Gui wanted was to let his sons study. If they were talented enough to pass the imperial examinations in the future, that would be the best. You also have to read to open your eyes, even if you are doing some business, you still need to read.

Reading is the key to reviving their family business.

There are many southward immigrants in Tiantai County, and there are only a very small number of them who can live well like Zhao Gui and the others.

The good life here is still the original local gentry, they have land and property, and even their families are scholars, followed by people who joined the army. Many people used to be tenants, long-term workers, poor people, miners and even beggars. But by enlisting in the army, especially as a soldier in the imperial battalion, his destiny was changed at once.

They also bought fields and land. They have good food and wages. One of them is a soldier, and even the whole family can live a good life. Although they are not rich, at least they can change their destiny and solve their food and clothing. With time, they will definitely become small landlords.

However, the vast majority of the people who went south are still very difficult. They have nothing, and most of them can only become tenants of the local landlords and gentry. Even because they have nothing at hand, they can't even be tenants.

Of course, there are also those who are a little bit lucky and can work in the official villages of the government, or in the workshops and mines run by the government.

But it’s not that easy to live and gain a foothold in a foreign land with a family and a family, especially now that food prices are expensive, and it’s good to survive. As for buying a property and making a fortune, it’s a distant dream.

It is even more difficult to own a piece of land of your own.

Zhao Gui and the others are also qualified to buy some confiscated official land from the government because they are officials, but even the seeds and farm tools are leased from the government.

Zhao Fu's three sons-in-law used to be low-level people. Because they were young, they joined the army and became soldiers in the emperor's imperial camp. They were even promoted to non-commissioned officers, which changed the fate of the family. Now they also own their own land, even if it was bought with a loan. You have to repay the principal and interest every year, but at least you have become a property owner.

Even the emperor helped them marry their wives, and their lives had a bright future.

Zhao Fu's three sons-in-law are uneducated and far inferior to Lao Zhao in terms of knowledge, but they respect their father-in-law and brothers from the north, which is the respect they have for scholars in their bones.

Hearing that they plan to set up a workshop, although they feel that this is something they dare not think about. After all, it requires a loan, and even has business risks. They did not dare to think about it before. Buy some farm tools and furniture, or even repay a little loan. It is best to be able to repay all of it. It is best to be debt-free. I don’t want to borrow money to run a tea workshop.

Being able to become non-commissioned officers in the imperial camp also shows that the three of them have performed well, and they are not the kind of people who steal and play tricks. Although they have not studied, they are very simple and even full of loyalty. Thank you, Son of Heaven.

Of course, I also respect my wife's parents and uncles.

"We listen to my father-in-law." The three of them thought about it and decided to join the group.

So they ate miscellaneous grains and porridge with wild vegetables. They sat on the tea mountain and quickly agreed that the five partners would set up the tea workshop together.

The family chatted happily, full of good expectations for the future.

After the meal, Lao Zhao and his wife didn't bother to pick tea leaves, so they took their three sons-in-law and went down the mountain together, while the women and children still went to pick tea. Although they would soon become tea owners, they didn't intend to Giving up the half-day tea-picking wages now, I can earn a little bit.

night.

After the women handed over the tea business to the tea garden owner, they returned home and found that the men were silent.

"What's the matter, didn't the negotiation go through?"

Zhao Fu sighed, "The matter of buying the workshop is settled, and the matter of the loan is almost inseparable."

"Then you are?"

"Just now people from the village came, and the imperial camp came to order, let us all return to the camp quickly, Long Live Lord is going to send troops to the north!"

I heard that the men are leaving home to return to the barracks, and even going to war, the smiles on the women's faces are gone, the short reunion is over so soon, the war is fierce, and the men are going to the front again, no one can tell. I don't know good or bad.

Lao Zhao's three daughters couldn't help crying. When they got married, their husbands only stayed at home for ten days and then left for several months. They finally came back to visit relatives on vacation, but they had to return to camp early.

Zhao Gui rubbed his face, "Okay, don't cry, this is the duty of a soldier, and it is also our responsibility to Lord Long Live. Everything we have now was given to us by Long Live. Now Long Live needs us. We also have to get on,

We will leave early tomorrow morning, and we will be together happily tonight, and we don't know when the next vacation will be. "

The women had to hold back their sobs.

Zhao Gui's wife got up, "I'm going to cook, get some dishes, and there's still some wine at home, you can drink some."

Old Zhao sighed again and again, "The workshop was just about to open, but now it's all gone."

"It's okay, if you miss it, you will miss it. Besides, if we leave, it may not be impossible. We can also entrust your in-laws to help us take care of it. This kind of small workshop is actually a little capital, plus hard work, it is not a big deal. Risky business, your three sons-in-laws are also in the business, and it’s the same if their father takes care of it for them, we will pay them extra wages and even give some dividends.”

When the emergency recall order was issued, Zhao Gui obviously didn't care about the tea house.

The same goes for Old Zhao, "Why do you say that the Northern Expedition is going to happen again suddenly? Isn't it everywhere saying that the imperial court wants to negotiate peace with the northern captives and rule by drawing the river?"

Old Zhao obviously supported the negotiation.

Zhao Gui was opposed to the peace negotiation in his heart, he also thought that the court could recover the Central Plains sooner, and he could return to his homeland sooner.

The ancestral grave is still in my hometown.

"Taiping was not negotiated, it was fought. The war must still be fought. I just didn't expect it to start again so soon. I thought it might not be fought this year. It might not be until after the autumn harvest at the earliest. No Thinking about starting to mobilize now.”

Zhao Fu didn't know what to do, and his face was full of sadness.

However, Zhao Gui has changed his mentality and is full of enthusiasm, "I hope I can call back to my hometown in Shandong this time!"

(End of this chapter)