Late Qing Dynasty Executioner

Chapter 62 Chen Gu's Methods

"Fu Hang, of course it's good. If not, how can I make this trip?" Lao Nian said with a smile: "It's only relatively convenient, it will still take a lot of time!"

For those who go out to make a living, it is considered good if one or two out of ten come back. Most people just disappear without a clear reason. Unless there is really no other way to stay in their hometown, who would be willing to go out?

A tree that leaves home dies, and a person that leaves his hometown becomes worthless!

When Fu Quan heard Lao Nian say that Fu Hang was a good person, he felt relieved instantly. Yes, if he wasn't doing well, why would he come to visit you? It would be more like coming to collect debts.

But no one who comes to collect a debt would bring more than ten pounds of pork or a knife weighing more than ten pounds.

"I am Fu Quan. Big brother, please take a closer look and see if I look very similar to Fu Hang!" Fu Quan's face was full of smiles, and he moved his face closer to Lao Nian so that Lao Nian could see more clearly.

"Hey, you know what, I didn't notice it just now because I was far away, but now I see it closer, it really looks like it!" Lao Nian pretended to be shocked, then laughed, "Haha, I'm glad I found him. I've been walking for a long time and the intersection is dry. Brother, can you treat me to a bowl of water?"

"Why drink water? We have wine at home. Even though it's not a good wine, it can definitely quench your thirst. Big brother, come home with me. Let's go home and have a drink. Tell me about Fu Hang!" Fu Quan hurriedly began to pack up the stall.

Fu Hang's parents are still alive. His older brother is married. He has a younger brother and two younger sisters. His grandfather is over 60 years old. There are a total of nine people in the family.

With so many people living there, they only live in a three-room tiled house. When they enter the room, they find that the small tiled house is divided into two floors. This way, there are enough rooms, but the room seems very low and depressing.

Knowing that it was Fu Hang who had sent someone back with a letter, and that the person was carrying a large piece of fatty pork weighing more than ten pounds, not only did the entire family come back, but even many neighbors next door came to watch the fun.

Fu Quan was not stingy either. He took out a basket of tobacco leaves for everyone to smoke, and also made a bucket of sugar water for everyone to drink.

I also spent five cents to buy half a pound of salt-fried pumpkin seeds to share with the little kids. Although there were too many kids and each could only get a few, the kids were still as happy as if it were New Year's Day. They really could only have this kind of snack during the New Year and other festivals.

The woman was busy cooking in the kitchen. The main dish was the meat brought by Lao Nian. There were four or five lovers, so she had to cook more.

Let's not talk about treating everyone to a meal, after all, it's not easy for any family to afford it, but it's still possible for each family to share a bowl of fried meat. Of course, not the whole bowl is just meat, you also have to stir-fry some pickled peppers, potatoes, beans and so on in it.

This way the whole family can share a big bowl, which looks filling and all the meat dishes are rare delicacies.

The men were outside listening to Lao Nian talking about Scar. Lao Nian was already familiar with this kind of situation and immediately brought out the story that Chen Gu had made up.

"Fu Hang is honest and hardworking, but what's unexpected is that he's also very brave!"

Others echoed the sentiment, saying that they had watched Fu Hang grow up since he was a child, and that the child did have many good qualities.

People may not take honesty seriously, but diligence is the norm for ordinary people at the bottom of society in this era. As for bravery, it is also a quality of most people like Fu Hang. Because they are not the eldest sons in the family, they have to find a way out for themselves. If they are cowardly, they will not be able to get out.

"Our Chongqing Prefecture is located at the confluence of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River is quite peaceful, but there are always wars on the Jialing River. Our government does not have to go directly to the battlefield, but sometimes we have to help transport food, weapons, armor and other supplies.

When we were short of manpower, we would look for help at Chaotianmen Wharf. About half a year ago, we were transporting supplies to the front again, and that’s when I met Fu Hang. "Then the transport team encountered rebels, and after a fierce battle, Fu Hang made meritorious service by beheading several people. Killing enemies naturally brought rewards, and not only was he promoted in the government, but he also received dozens of taels of silver.

"Alas, in fact, killing is also forced. If you don't kill the rebels, they will kill you. Only by resisting can you have a chance to survive. Even so, Fu Hang was stabbed several times. Now everyone calls him Scar."

It is said that Fu Hang killed people in order to intimidate the surrounding scoundrels. After all, the silver he sent back, even if it was only twenty taels, was an ordinary person's net income for two years, so he had to be on guard against peeping eyes.

Twenty taels of silver are the family of a fierce soldier who has killed people. A capable thief would not feel uncomfortable over such a small amount of money, but an ordinary petty thief would have to think twice.

He said he was forced to do so in order to appease his neighbors. Although Fu Hang killed someone, he was not a person who would kill extravagantly.

This set of rhetoric was specially prepared by Chen Guan for his brothers. In fact, it was not originally created by Chen Guan, but was thought up by one of Chen Guan's comrades. Sometimes, appropriate bragging is actually very beneficial.

"Does your government still need to recruit people?" someone suddenly asked.

In this era, there are many children in a family, and having connections in the government is a way out. After all, Fu Hang is someone they know well. Now it is obvious that Fu Hang has made a name for himself. If he can take care of him, it will be better than starting out as a boatman.

So some people came up with the idea of ​​letting Lao Nian take their children away.

Lao Nian pretended to be embarrassed and hesitated for a while, then said, "We do need to recruit people, but according to Fu Hang, we don't want ordinary people. We only want people with skills, such as blacksmiths and goldsmiths, who can make weapons for the army.

Carpenters, stonemasons, pottery and bricklayers are also fine. The main thing is that the craftsmen are all in the rear. With Fu Hang's relationship with the army, he won't suffer any loss, and there is no need to take risks. Otherwise, if they go to the front line, Fu Hang won't be able to take care of them. If something happens, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it to you."

Even though Lao Nian said so, when he left after dinner, there were still a dozen ordinary young people with no skills following him. There was really no way to refuse, so don't force everything on you.

Of course, there are also about ten people with skills.

According to the rules set by Chen Gu, ordinary people received five taels of silver as resettlement allowance, apprentice craftsmen received ten taels of silver, and if the craftsmen were already trained, they would be given twenty taels of silver as resettlement allowance.

Although this is not much more than the resettlement fee, compared with the imperial court, Chen Gu is simply too generous.

Before he even did anything, they gave him a sum of money considering his family's financial difficulties. Compared to the imperial court, this was something he could not even think about.

So when these young people leave, their families will earnestly advise them to be obedient and hardworking, not to bring shame to Fu Hang, and to make a name for themselves as soon as possible.

But they had no idea that their own children were not going to serve the court, but to become bandits.

However, by the time they found out, their own son had indeed become an official.

It can be said that they lead to the same destination through different paths.

(End of this chapter)