At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 445: New Principles and the Gap between Reality and Books
After getting the old man's consent, Xu Aimin began his first investigation subject, which was the old man who was guarding the gate of the construction site.

Xu Aimin looked at the old man and asked, "Uncle, you are so old and still working? Don't your family care about you?"

The old man laughed and said, "You are right, kid. Nowadays, if you don't work for a day, you will go hungry. Besides, I am not too old to work. I can earn two hundred yuan a month by guarding the gate here, which can reduce the burden on my family. This is all the benevolent policy of the court. If it weren't for the court, who would hire an old guy like me?"

Chen Mai said with a gloomy face: "I remember that the court hired many old men to impose fines. I was caught once and fined one penny. I don't know what to say about the court doing this."

The current Chang'an City looks like the imperial capital of later generations. A large number of old men and women wear red armbands and supervise the sanitation around the streets.

Although the Han Dynasty was not as bad as the Middle Ages with shit and urine everywhere, it was definitely much worse than later generations. There are now one million people in Chang'an City, and the population of Guanzhong exceeds 500 million, making it the most densely populated place in the entire Han Dynasty. If a plague breaks out in Guanzhong, it will directly deal a heavy blow to the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, Xu Fan has always attached great importance to the promotion and publicity of health safety and daily hygiene habits, and also learned the methods of later generations, hiring a large number of old men and old women to supervise the hygiene habits of the Han people. There are few people in Chang'an who have not been fined by those old men and old women.

The old man smiled and said, "You must be punished because you have bad hygiene habits. You don't know how many old people like you have been saved by the benevolent policies of the court. In the past, people like you could only wait to die when they got old. Now you have a job. Although the salary is not much, you can support yourself. Your family members will not despise you, and you are living a more and more energetic life."

Xu Aimin asked in surprise, "Uncle, was it difficult for people like you to survive in the past?"

The old man said dejectedly: "Before the Han Dynasty was founded, the old emperor was used to ordering people around. It was difficult for young and strong people to survive, let alone the elderly. Two of my brothers died of exhaustion on the construction sites. I am lucky to have survived until the Han Dynasty was founded. Only then can I live a normal life for a few years. All this is due to the wisdom of the Holy Emperor." The old man was a little fanatical at the end.

Zhang Piqiang: "This tyrannical Qin deserves death. No wonder people all over the world are eager to win food and follow Your Majesty to overthrow the Qin."

After asking the old man, Xu Aimin asked, "Uncle, can we go to the construction site to find the craftsmen and ask some questions?"

But the old man shook his head and said, "The construction site is full of gullies. It's too dangerous for you kids to go there. How about this? You go to the workers' dormitory first. They will be off work for lunch soon. You can wait for them in the dormitory."

After saying that, the old man pointed in the direction of the workers' dormitory. Even larger than the direction of his finger, a row of low buildings could be seen around.

When they walked over, they found that it was actually a shanty, similar to a stable, with wood as the main beam, canvas and straw as the building material. The building was perfectly designed to keep out the summer heat and the winter cold. There were rows of large bunk beds in the house, all made of wooden boards, with mats on top. There were also rice pillows and a patched blanket. From the number of pillows and blankets, it could be seen that at least a dozen or twenty people lived in this simple bunk bed.

Yingxiong was surprised and said, "The stables in our school are better than this. This is really a place for people to live."

Xu Aimin shook his head and said, "Hero, you really should come to places like this more often, otherwise you will become like the ancient emperor who ate meat porridge."

"Why not eat meat porridge?" Yingxiong was puzzled. Although he was not an excellent student, he had never heard of this story. The other two also looked at Xu Aimin because they had not heard of it either.

Xu Aimin explained: "During the Three Dynasties period of ancient times, there was a tyrant emperor. His officials reported to the court that there was a drought in the area and the people were starving to death. He requested relief from the court, but the tyrant emperor was blocked by his officials from passing the information down and knew nothing about the people's affairs. In the face of the drought, he actually said that if there was not enough food, then we could eat minced meat. In the end, his country was conquered by foreign tribes, and he himself died under the hooves of the foreign tribes."

The hero laughed and said, "How can there be such a foolish monarch? The people can't even afford rice, how can they afford meat?"

Xu Aimin said: "It's not that the monarch is stupid, but that the monarch is trapped in the palace and has no idea about the affairs of the people. Maybe he even thinks that rice is more expensive than meat. My father said that this kind of thing is called an information cocoon. The people below will pick up some things you like to hear and report them, so that you are trapped in such an information cocoon and know nothing about the affairs of the people.

Didn't this happen decades ago? The First Emperor was able to unify the six kingdoms, so he must not be a fool. The war of unification of the Qin Dynasty lasted for more than ten years and mobilized millions of troops, but the Qin Dynasty did not collapse in such a difficult time, and the people under the Qin Dynasty did not rebel because they could not bear the oppression of the Qin Dynasty. "

"On the contrary, after the unification of the world, the Qin Dynasty had no more enemies, but it collapsed under the attack of hundreds of prisoners led by my father. This is because the First Emperor had lost touch with the people and lost his understanding of the people. If he knew that the Qin Dynasty was already on the verge of ignition, would he still have built so many projects? If the First Emperor had rested with the people after unifying the world, there would be no Han Dynasty today."

Zhang Piqiang admired him and said, "As expected of the emperor, what he said is truly wise."

Chen Mai also admired and said: "No wonder the emperor likes to go deep into the people."

Xu Aimin shook his head and said, "But I didn't expect that the Han Dynasty would have such poor people. Didn't the Han Dynasty have an economic crisis a few years ago? It was said that it was caused by too much cloth being woven. Now look at these peasants, their blankets are patched up, but they are still reluctant to throw them away. It's not that there is too much cloth, but that the people of the Han Dynasty are too poor and can't afford it."

Sixiao waited for a while. At noon, the people who had been working began to come back. They were covered in dust and their clothes were a little shabby, but they came here talking and laughing.

When the craftsman looked at Xu Aimin and the others, he smiled and said, "Kids, this is not a place for you to play."

Meanwhile, several other craftsmen took out a bag of corn from the house, washed it, poured it into a big pot and lit it to cook. In another big pot, they added clean water, threw in some vegetables and tofu, poured in a spoonful of soybean oil, and started to cook.

Xu Aimin said: "We are students, and we came here to do a social survey."

One of them laughed and said, "You don't look that old. Have you graduated from elementary school?"

Xu Aimin said: "I'm already in the first grade of junior high school."

"That's amazing! If you graduate, you will be a scholar and can make a living in the city, which is much better than those of us who live in the dirt."

The migrant workers were fond of them because of their student status. But they still said with a smile: "This is a construction site, what can we find out? If you want to investigate, go somewhere else."

Xu Aimin said, "We just want to ask you a few questions. How about this? As a reward for asking questions, I will treat you all to roast duck. Hero, go buy 10 roast ducks!"

At this time, a craftsman grabbed the hero who was about to leave and said with a smile: "You can ask any questions you want. Forget about the roast duck. If your parents knew about it, they would think we were bullying a few children."

Xu Aimin asked, "Several brothers are working at the construction site. How much are their salaries?"

The craftsman smiled and said, "Food and lodging are provided. The monthly salary for a laborer is 500 coins. If you have skills, you can get a hundred more coins."

The hero was surprised: "So low?"

The pocket money Ying Bu gave him was tens of thousands every month, and it was hard for him to imagine how he could spend 500 yuan a month.

The craftsman said, "It's not low. This is already much more than what I made back home. I don't have to spend money on food and lodging. After a year in Chang'an, I can buy some cloth and goods and save 5000 coins. It's enough for my family to eat and drink for a year, and I can also save some money for my children's tuition."

Zhang Piqiang hesitated and said, "Even for farmers in Guanzhong, 5000 coins would be hard to do what you said."

The craftsman said: "How could I be so lucky to be a farmer in Guanzhong? We came to Guanzhong from Shangjun to work."

Then he said admiringly: "Two years ago, the farmers came to our Shangjun, just like the great judges in the opera, because the farmers did a lot of good things for us, taught us how to farm, taught us how to raise poultry, and treated us. They knew that we were poor, so they introduced me to work in Guanzhong, where I could earn 500 yuan a month. I couldn't find such a good job in my hometown."

"Farmers from Shangjun?" Xu Aimin was very surprised. He didn't expect that these people were from Shangjun. He thought they were farmers from Guanzhong. You know, Shangjun is more than 200 miles away from the nearest place in Gaoling County.

Chen Mai asked, "How long do you do this every day?"

The craftsman said: "From dawn to dusk."

"Isn't it four hours?" Xu Aimin said.

The craftsman said, "We have to hurry up with the deadline when the weather is good. After all, we can't do anything if it rains. And if we do the work after four hours, we will get overtime pay. We are willing to do more. After all, we come out to work to make money, and no one wants to go against money."

Another craftsman also said: "It's hard to work outside, as long as I can make money, it's fine. I have to go back to my hometown to harvest grain in the autumn. If I don't do more now, I will earn less money."

Another farmer said, "We farmers have plenty of strength and are not afraid of hard work, but we are afraid of not making money. In the previous dynasty, farmers like us did not make a penny doing corvée labor, and we also had to ask our families for money to survive."

At this time, some elderly farmers were triggered and said, "The Qin officials are not human beings. They don't care about my life or death. Poor people who do corvée labor and can't pay for it basically lose half their lives. They can't be well taken care of even after several years of going back. It's better for the Holy Emperor to be in the court. I have lived for decades. Farmers like me can only get salaries if we work for the current dynasty."

Xu Aimin said: "Getting paid for doing things is a natural thing."

The old farmer laughed and said, "You have read too many books, and you don't know the sufferings of the people. What you said are the principles in the books, not the principles of farmers like us. In the past few hundred years, farmers like us have worked for the court, and when have we ever been paid? Not paying is the principle of the court.

This is the truth that will only change in this dynasty. This truth has only been in operation for 10 years. You little kids have caught up with a good era. "Xu Aimin showed a trace of embarrassment on his face. He just told the hero an allusion of "He is not minced meat", and now he was taught a lesson. This boomerang was too fast.

Xu Aimin sympathized, "You work so hard, and there's not even meat in the meals. How can your body bear it?"

The craftsman smiled and said, "This meal is already pretty good. Not only does it have vegetables, but it also fills us up. If we mention meat, we'll be asking for more. If we're so greedy, we'll ruin our reputation, and our boss won't hire us anymore."

"Normally, you should be able to earn 5000 yuan a year. Brother, your family has land and you should be able to make a lot of money by selling the grain. You should be living a good life. Why is it so hard?"

The craftsman said, "I have three kids at home, they are probably a few years younger than you. The young ones are eating me to death, but these three are really good at eating. And I have to support them to study. Although the court does not collect tuition, they need to buy pens, inkstones, paper, and inkstones for study, and they also need to buy books and clothes. This is not a small expense."

Then he said proudly, "But fortunately, they are hardworking. The three of them have good grades in school. The teacher said that they have the opportunity to go to middle school, but the cost of middle school is high. The tuition alone is 5000 coins a year. Of course, I have to save up a few more years for their tuition."

After a lot of questions and answers, their food was ready and the craftsmen began to eat. After eating, the craftsmen hid in a cool place for a short rest.

Xu Aimin and his group left.

Xu Aimin was somewhat shocked and said, "I thought the whole world would be similar to Guanzhong, but I didn't expect Shangjun to be so poor. It's really shocking."

Zhang Piqiang said: "I heard that Shangjun was very poor during the Qin Dynasty. After all, it was a frontier county. I heard that Prime Minister Shang led the farmers' children to Shangjun. I think the situation is much better now."

Xu Aimin said: "It's really getting better. The people of Shangjun don't have to go to Guanzhong, hundreds of miles away, to work. How can they take care of their wives and children at home? Their sons miss their fathers, their wives miss their husbands, and their fathers miss their sons. They pay such a high price and only earn 500 coins a month."

Chen Mai said, "This is already considered good. They can come to Guanzhong to work under the introduction of farmers. Their situation in their hometowns would be worse. At least the money they earn in Guanzhong can also be used to support their children's education. If his son is really admitted to a middle school or even a university, then his family will be able to make a big leap forward. Compared with the hope for the future, this price is worth it."

"From ancient times to the present, studying has always been a difficult thing. My father almost lost his family because of studying. If it weren't for my uncle's continuous support, my father might not have had the opportunity to become the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. So studying has never been an easy thing. Even for a landlord family, it costs a lot.

He, a farmer, could support three children to study, which could only happen in the Han Dynasty. Naturally, there was a price to pay. If it was during the Qin Dynasty or even the Warring States Period, he would have been content to farm and would not have thought so much. If he had a child, it would have followed him to farm. Although this would not have separated his wife and children, his family would have been farmers all their lives, and then they would have been drafted into the army and died on some unknown battlefield. "

The atmosphere at the scene remained silent.

Zhang Piqiang said, "We only read books before, but there is still a gap between reality and books. If you don't come to this construction site, you really can't feel it. Prince, if you want to change all this, you should wait until you become the emperor and find a way to reduce the burden on the people and change all this."

Xu Aimin said: "Look at how hard these craftsmen work, how poorly they live, and how poorly they eat. This is a project of the imperial court. If it were a private workshop, the treatment of these farmers would be three times worse. Didn't the imperial court set a minimum salary standard? Why are the salaries of these farmers still so low?"

The hero agreed: "The sleep is worse than a stable, and the food is worse than pig food."

Zhang Piqiang said: "It seems that the court's minimum salary standard is only for craftsmen. Farmers like us have their own land. If their salary is the same as that of craftsmen, I'm afraid that all the craftsmen in Chang'an will have to go to the countryside to get a piece of land."

Chen Mai said: "Don't talk nonsense. After the salary increase in Chang'an City, the salaries of these farmers have also risen. They are only slightly less than those of craftsmen. If there is no such law, I am afraid that this farmer's monthly salary is not even 300 coins.

The court has done its best. If the minimum salary standard is raised next year, the monthly salary of this farmer brother can be increased a little bit. In addition, he can earn about 3000 yuan a year from his farm. His life should be much better. You should know that in the Warring States Period and even the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, earning tens of thousands of yuan a year was already the standard of a middle-class household, and even reached the minimum standard of a scholar. During the Warring States Period, the four great princes built retainers, and they could not give each retainer an annual salary of tens of thousands of yuan. This can only happen in our dynasty. "

Xu Aimin thought for a while and said, "I think that our social investigation should not be limited to investigation. We should do something for these hardworking farmers. At least we should improve their lives and conditions. At least they can eat a few pieces of meat every day, and their living places should not be as simple as horse stables."

The hero asked excitedly: "Prince, what should we do?"

This scene made him feel a bit like the time when his father surrendered to the emperor. He was a little excited and wanted to do something now.

Zhang Piqiang and Chen Mai also looked at Xu Aimin with some excitement, waiting for his orders. Asking kids of this age to do social surveys was a bit boring, but asking them to do things was full of energy.

Xu Aimin said, "We came from the people and will go back to the people. Only when the craftsmen trust us can we do the following things. Let's go buy some roast ducks first. We have disturbed them for so long today, we should bring some gifts to the farmers."

In the evening, the farmers and craftsmen dragged their tired bodies to where they lived, only to find that the food had already been prepared, and there was a delicious roast duck on each table.

Xu Aimin looked at the returning craftsman and said with a smile: "Although I am young, I am also a man, a real man. If I say something, I must do it."

The craftsmen who communicated with Xu Aimin today were moved to tears. They had been working in Guanzhong for more than half a year, but they had never integrated into this world. Chang'an City was close at hand, but they had no time to visit it, and no one cared about them, the outsiders. Xu Aimin and his actions today moved the craftsmen a little, making them feel that in this strange world, there were still people who cared about them.

The craftsmen were also hungry, so they sat down in groups of three or four. Some took out a jar of rice wine from the house, while others took out snacks brought from their hometowns to enrich the dishes on the table, and suddenly there was a festive atmosphere.

The farmer invited Xu Aimin to sit down and asked, "You won't mind the poor food here, will you?"

Xu Aimin said: "No!"

A craftsman brought them bowls and poured rice wine in them. Xu Aimin drank it all in one gulp, looking quite heroic.

The craftsman laughed and said, "You look like you are from a wealthy family, why do you like to go to the construction site?"

A child who can easily take out 10 roast ducks is definitely not an ordinary person.

Xu Aimin said: "I can't say I'm from a wealthy family. More than a decade ago, my father also lived in the countryside, and I'm also from a farming family."

The craftsman enviously said, "Then your father was lucky enough to have escaped from the countryside and become a city dweller. You must be a descendant of a Han Dynasty hero, right?"

It is very difficult to achieve class transition in a normal society, and it is even more difficult for a farmer's son to become so rich. Such opportunities only emerge in the chaotic period at the end of a dynasty and the founding of a country.

More than a decade ago, it was the era of the change of dynasties from Qin to Han. Countless farmers' sons followed the emperor to change their destiny. Unfortunately, Shangjun was the last place affected by the change of dynasties. The war ended before they entered the war period.

The good thing about Shangjun’s people is that not many of them died. The bad thing is that not many local people changed their fate.

He often regretted that he did not catch up with such a good era. If he had joined the emperor's army at that time, the fate of his family would have been very different.

Xu Aimin said: "I have known Big Brother for such a long time, and I even know his name."

The craftsman said, "My name is Song Yan, and I am from Diaoyin County."

"Xu Aimin, a native of Chang'an"

Song Yan was surprised and asked, "You are from Chang'an. I heard that Chang'an is the most prosperous city in the world. Is this true?"

Xu Aimin said: "Although Chang'an City is prosperous, I have never been to other places, and I don't know if Chang'an is the most prosperous city. If you want to go to Chang'an City, I can be the host."

Song Yan refused and said, "Forget it. We don't have the time to go to Chang'an City."

Xu Aimin said: "It only takes half a day from Gaoling to Chang'an. Brother Song is so close to Chang'an, it would be a pity not to go to Chang'an City."

Song Yan said: "I came to Guanzhong to make money, so I'd better forget about going to Chang'an."

Xu Aimin asked, "Brother, do you know the Mohist school?"

Song Yan enviously said, "Of course I know. It is said that they made decisions for the craftsmen and increased their salaries a lot."

Xu Aimin said: "The reason why the craftsmen can have their current salaries is because they went on strike under the leadership of Mohism to fight for their rights. Brother, if you want a higher salary and benefits that match those of the craftsmen in the city, you should also go on strike and fight for your rights. Good things in this world don't fall from the sky, but are won by one's own efforts."

(End of this chapter)