Song Yi

Chapter 288 Sadness is always inevitable

The old man asked anxiously: "What about Yulan's current people?"

Mrs. Wang said: "Still in the field, I want to drive the cattle back, so I don't have any hands to help Yulan."

What Du Wenhao heard was ridiculous, it seems that in the eyes of this woman, animals are much more important than people.

The old man was in a hurry, and was about to go out with a cane. Lin Qingdai stopped the old man and said, "Your eyesight is not good, don't fall and it will be more troublesome. You should stay at home. Besides, you won't be able to take Magnolia back when you go. I'll go."

The woman hurriedly said: "That's right, that's right, I'll guide this aunt...no, eldest sister."

The old man knew that what Lin Qingdai said was true, men and women could not kiss each other, let alone father-in-law and daughter-in-law, and said gratefully: "Then why bother you again, it's getting late, you have to rush back to the inn."

Du Wenhao said: "You're welcome, you have bad eyesight, let's go and bring my sister-in-law back. If the condition is critical, I will rescue her immediately. Don't worry!"

The old man had no choice but to watch them leave the house with gratitude, not forgetting to remind them all the time, lest people in the city would not be used to walking the road, after all, they met by chance, so it is not good to delay and trouble them too much for their own affairs.

Du Wenhao, Lin Qingdai and the sister-in-law of the Wang family went out and walked eastward along a country road. After walking for a while, the woman looked at Du Wenhao and Lin Qingdai and said flatteringly: "You two don't seem to be doing anything. For those who work in the farm, the wealthy people are still young and their legs are quite good."

Lin Qingdai also ignored Wang's sister-in-law, and her pace was faster. Wang's sister-in-law was boring and had no choice but to follow.After a while, Wang's sister-in-law pointed to a field and said loudly, "Look, Magnolia is still lying here."

Du Wenhao saw that it was a paddy field, but the drought had turned it into a muddy field. Magnolia was lying in the mud, and her whole body must have been soaked.This woman in front of her is really disgusting, she actually put a living person in the paddy field for such a long time for her own livestock.

Wang's sister-in-law saw Du Wenhao and the others standing still in the sky, thinking that she was too delicate to go to the field. After all, there were snakes and leeches in the field. How could ordinary women in the city do such rough work?
"Elder Sister, why don't I go down, but my shoes are wet, I'm afraid they will be damaged, I have to buy a new pair, hehe..."

Sister-in-law Wang's family hadn't finished her sentence when she saw that Lin Qingdai had already picked up a large stone and threw it, which landed beside the unconscious woman in the field. Then she jumped onto the stone and grabbed the woman with one hand. Reflexively jumped back.The Wang family's sister-in-law's eyes were straightened, she couldn't believe that what happened just now happened to a delicate woman.

Lin Qingdai put the woman on the edge of the field, breathed out: "She's still alive!"

The woman smiled and said, "Of course she's still alive. I called her a few times just now, and she agreed."

Du Wenhao touched the woman's forehead, and took her hand to check her pulse. After a while, he stretched out his hand to pinch her Renzhong acupoint, and said: "She is too tired, she eats too little, and she passed out from exhaustion. Go back and drink some Sugar water, eat something, rest for a while and you'll be fine."

After a while, the woman woke up slowly, and under the moonlight, she saw a man touching her face with his hand, pressing her mouth, sat up suddenly in shock, pushed Du Wenhao's hand away, and put her hands on the ground in panic. Sit back: "You? Who are you? What are you going to do?"

The woman next to her smiled: "Yulan, don't be afraid, this is a guest from your family!"

Lin Qingdai also said: "Yes, sister, don't be afraid, this is my younger brother, a doctor, we were treating your husband at your home just now, we heard that you passed out in the field, and we are here to save you. Just now I My brother is pinching the acupuncture point for you to wake you up."

There were two women beside her, and one of them was her neighbor. Yulan quickly calmed down, a little embarrassed: "I..., what's wrong with me?"

"You fainted from exhaustion!" Du Wenhao said, glancing around, "Do you have anything to eat?"

Lin Qingdai saw, at a glance, an earthenware pot and a basket under a tree beside the field ridge, and pointed: "Where is it?"

"Um……"

Lin Qingdai ran over and brought the basket and jug over, and lifted the blue cloth covering the basket, revealing a small half of the cake inside, took it out, it was as hard as a stone, frowned, and handed it to Du Wenhao: "Bran cake."

It has been a long time since Du Wenhao traveled to the Northern Song Dynasty. He also experienced hard times. He often saw poor people. He knew that this kind of bran cake was made from wheat husks, mixed with sifted wheat husks and crushed Crumbs, mixed with wild vegetables, steamed into bran pancakes, many poor families use this as their staple food for most of the year.

Of course, this bran cake, which was as hard as a stone, was not suitable for this extremely weak woman. Du Wenhao threw the bran cake back into the basket, took an earthen bowl from it, took the clay pot, took off the lid, and poured out half of the bowl Water, hand it to the woman: "Sister-in-law, drink some water first!"

Yulan nodded gratefully, took the bowl, took two sips, poured the remaining water back into the clay pot, and put the lid on.

Lin Qingdai knew that there was a severe drought and lack of water. This woman was reluctant to drink more, and she might have to take it back to the elderly, husband and children.With a sore heart, he turned around and said to Mrs. Wang, "Sister-in-law, does your family have anything to eat?"

"Yes, there are, but we are a big family, but we are not enough..."

"You have a stew for driving cattle in your hand. The family should be relatively well-off. Do you have chickens and ducks? Hurry up and stew one and bring it to Sister Yulan's house, and bring some buns. Is that okay?" Lin Qingdai took out a small piece of broken silver from her bosom and handed it to her, "Is this silver enough?"

Mrs. Wang took the broken silver, put it on the cushion, put it in her mouth and bit it, her eyes lit up immediately: "It's really silver!"

Du Wenhao said impatiently: "Nonsense! Is it possible to lie to you with a stone? Is it enough? If it is enough, do it quickly, and you are still waiting to save people!"

"Enough! This money can hold a large table of banquets! Hehehe, you are so generous, don't worry, my Wang family is not a person who takes advantage of the neighbors. I will go back to stew the old hen immediately, get the steamed buns, and give it to me." His family carried a bag of white noodles! A few knives to make dumplings with pork belly! The rest of the money was returned to me——his family never repaid the money they lent me over the years! Yulan, your family has such generous relatives, why? Still crying poor every day!"

"No! Mrs. Wang!" Yulan waved her hands again and again, "I can't ask for their money, they are not..."

Seeing Du Wenhao's cold gaze, Mrs. Wang was afraid that Du Wenhao would take the money back, so she got up abruptly, "Okay, you go home slowly! I'll go back and cook the old hen for you, it will be ready in a while! Good! Hee hee..."

Before Yulan could finish speaking, Mrs. Wang had already trotted away.

Yulan said: "You two, I..., I can't ask for your money!"

Du Wenhao knew that this family was very strong, and said: "I didn't give you this, I lent it to you temporarily. When I go to the city tomorrow and get back the money you got cheated by the black-hearted medicine shop, you can pay me back." .”

For some reason, Yulan looked at him suspiciously.Lin Qingdai briefly told the story. After hearing this, Yulan was sad, angry and grateful at the same time, covering her face and crying.

Lin Qingdai helped Yulan get up and slowly returned home.

The old man and Zao'er waited eagerly at the gate of the yard. When they saw them coming from a distance, they both went up to meet them.

After a while, Mrs. Wang and a man came over with a bag of noodles and a basket, smiling all over their faces: "The old hen is ready to be stewed, and the flour is also brought! There is also a jug of wine! Yulan, you have visitors. Presumably there is nothing to prepare, so I decided to prepare for you, the money this little brother gave you is enough, what’s left, just ask Zao’er to come and get it! You drink slowly, we’re going back!”

After all, Mrs. Wang said goodbye and left.

Du Wenhao asked Lin Qingdai to feed Yulan a bowl of chicken soup, and after eating a few pieces of chicken, Yulan's spirit really improved a lot.Du Wenhao thought about how this woman fainted in the field after being tired day and night for the family's livelihood. It was really admirable, and he also felt the hardship of the poor people's life.

The old man and his son had already heard from Yulan that Du Wenhao gave Yin Zi the stewed chicken, and agreed to get the money back and return it to him. This meal was a thank you to Du Wenhao and the others, so the small table for busy eating was placed on the bed. Put a large pot of stewed old hen on the table from the basket, and took out several dishes, as well as a cup of wine and several wine glasses.During this period, daughter-in-law Yulan swept the three sides of the kang with a small broom.

The old man took Du Wenhao's hand and said, "Come on! Go to the kang and have a drink. The old man must thank the two benefactors! Sit in the kang!"

According to the rules, the left is the master and the right is the guest, and the seat in the back is the guest of honor, Du Wenhao hurriedly gave in and refused, the old man could not help but drag him into the kang and sit cross-legged, and let Lin Qingdai sit on the right hand guest seat.But the old man himself sat on the edge of the bed as a companion.

Although the daughter-in-law Yulan has worked hard for the family, she really can't sit down for dinner. According to the rules, she has to eat in the kitchen, and she can't even enter the house. For the convenience of talking, the old man asked her to bring her daughter Zaoer a The small bench sat beside the Kang and talked with him.

Du Wenhao did not forget the purpose of this trip, and after a few glasses of wine, he asked, "How are the crops in your fields?"

Yulan just looked at her husband and said nothing.The man apologized with a smile: "It's okay."

The old man was old and unable to drink. After drinking two glasses, he was slightly drunk. Hearing what his son said, he put the glass on the table heavily: "It's okay? My son! You are talking nonsense with your eyes open! Saying that in previous years, the crops were okay, I nodded my head, but since the reform began, our family's life has been getting worse day by day...!"

"Father!" The man winked at his father, "Don't talk nonsense! Have a drink!"

"What are you afraid of?!" The old man picked up the wine glass and took a sip. "Your father and I have lived in our sixties. Who hasn't seen him? They are good people at first glance. They don't need money to help you treat illnesses, and they even help you find out. The reason why the disease is old and cannot be cured. Seeing that your disease is expected to be cured, I am happy, even if the money is not returned tomorrow, we will save it! Knowing the reason, the doctor also said that this disease is better If it is cured, then our family will have something to look forward to in the future, and the two of them will be our family's benefactors! When they ask about things in the field, father will naturally tell the truth and lie to the benefactor, and the sky will be struck by lightning!"

Du Wenhao smiled: "I can't bear the old man's words."

The old man stroked his gray beard and shook his head: "A benefactor is a benefactor! There is nothing you can't afford. Zao'er, come and kowtow to your benefactor!"

Zao'er was holding a chicken leg in her hand and was gnawing on it. After hearing this, she agreed in a childish voice, put the chicken leg in her mother's bowl, put her finger in her mouth and sucked it clean, and then stepped forward and knelt down He fell to the ground and knocked his head three times.

Both Du Wenhao and Lin Qingdai were in the kang, the roads on both sides were blocked and they couldn't get out, and they couldn't help them, so they could only keep yelling: "Okay, okay! Get up!"

Du Wenhao asked the old man: "I am doing business in the capital, and I heard people say that this reform is for the common people to live a better life, but hearing what the old man said, the reform is not satisfactory?"

The old man spat hard on the ground: "Live a good life for us? Bah! It's not bad to live a good life for those dog officials!"

"Why is this?"

"Grandpa, don't you know..."

The man laughed and interjected: "Father! You have a benefactor on your left and a benefactor on your right, and you don't even know the name of your benefactor!"

"That's right!" The old man slapped his forehead, cupped his hands and said, "Did you ask the names of the two benefactors?"

Du Wenhao introduced himself and Lin Qingdai, and asked their family names, only then did he learn that the surname was Gan, and that the sick man was the third eldest son, the old man's son.

After meeting again, the old man Gan continued: "Mr. Du En, you don't know that our family is very poor now. It's not just because our son is sick. My son was sick last year. Ten years ago when there was no reform , Our family is doing well. We are not considered rich in the village, and we can have enough food and clothing throughout the year. After the reform, we have tossed and tossed, and by the time our son fell ill, we had no property left."

"What kind of tossing method? Was it done by the Qingmiao method?"

The old man Gan glanced at Du Wenhao: "Listen to this, Mr. Du En knows a little about reforms, yes, the Green Crop Law! And the Fangtian Equal Tax Law! Plus natural disasters!"

"Fangtian average tax law?" Du Wenhao and Lin Qingdai looked at each other, "What does this method mean?"

"That is, after the autumn harvest every year, the magistrate will re-measure the land of the whole county, and divide it into five grades according to the fertility of the land. Based on this result, the tax collection will be re-determined!"

Du Wenhao had some impressions. His middle school history teacher told me that he didn't think there was anything particularly bad about it at the time, so he asked, "Is this not a good idea?"

"Okay?! Why is it not good! For those officials and lords, this method is too good! You can use it to make a lot of money! Whether the fields are fertile or barren, isn't that a matter of what the county magistrate said? Give the money, Even if it yields [-] catties per mu, it is still a barren field! No money, hehe, even if you don’t get a basket of wheat a year, it’s still an extremely fertile farmland. Not enough to pay the tax for this field!"

Du Wenhao frowned and said: "Can't make ends meet? It's really boring, it's really not good, the worst is not to plant, the land is barren, and he can still come to collect taxes?"

The old man picked up the wine glass, drank most of it with a squeak, and said with drunken eyes: "Men Du En, what is the official of Dongming County? He is a villain who eats people without spitting out his bones! What's wrong with your land? Accept it! How much should be! No food to pay? Okay, pull pigs to pick food, and then demolish the house! If not, then arrest people! For the matter of paying food, my father and I spent a lot of time in prison, because the daughter-in-law wanted to They used the method of selling pots and selling iron to find money to fill the hole and redeem us."

Du Wenhao thought to himself, this evil old society is really evil enough.Later, they asked about other situations, and they all said that they were forced to apportion the Young Crop Law, and the interest rate was high, which was similar to what they heard before.

Du Wenhao saw that it was getting late, so he got up to leave. Considering that Song Shenzong woke up late and set off slowly, he asked old man Gan to wait at the gate of Dongming County early tomorrow morning, and repeatedly told him not to go find it by himself. The pharmacy, so as not to startle the snake.The old man Gan solemnly agreed.

Back at the inn, Song Shenzong was stunned after hearing what Du Wenhao said, especially after hearing the other party's evaluation of the land average tax law. Dazed.

The next day, Song Shenzong did not get up until noon, and after washing slowly, he set off for Dongming County.

As expected, old man Gan was waiting at the gate of the city, and Du Wenhao gestured for him to follow their carriage.

Dongming County is very small, and it is not a strategic point. Since there has been no war for many years, the entire city defense has been deserted, the city gates are broken, and there are no soldiers to handle them. They can come in and out freely, even at night.Therefore, they entered the city in the afternoon without any interrogation.

After entering the city, all they saw along the way were victims fleeing famine in twos and threes, which made everyone feel very heavy.

The place where they stayed was the best inn in Dongming County. They found out after entering the city, but the so-called best inn in the capital was only a third-rate product.Fortunately, it was relatively clean, so I found the best room for Song Shenzong to live in.

Just as Du Wenhao expected, what Song Shenzong encountered along the way made him feel very unhappy, so he was lazy when he entered the county. I plan to find out more things from the county, plan to live for two days, see the situation, and then decide where to go next.

He called Yu Ge'er into the room, muttered for a long time, then called Du Wenhao and the others, but without speaking, asked Eunuch Ning to set up a banquet.

When Du Wenhao saw this posture, he knew that it might not be over for a while. It seemed that Song Shenzong was a little discouraged and unwilling. This banquet was not only to drink away his worries, but also to cheer him up.

So, taking advantage of the banquet, Du Wenhao slipped out of the hut with an excuse, found the old man Gan who was waiting opposite the inn, and told him to find a place to live first, don't worry, at noon the next day, he will arrive again Come here to wait for yourself, and emphasize that this is part of his plan, and the deployment must not be disrupted.Old man Gan naturally obeyed.

Back in the house, the food and wine have been prepared.

The misfortunes and blessings of the common people are the blessings and blessings of Song Shenzong, the emperor. At least he should think about it this way to be depressed and sad. No matter how good the food is, it can't cover up the sadness of everyone.

Several people closed the door, saying that what they saw along the way was understandable. The more they talked about Song Shenzong, the more depressed they became.It was already afternoon when they entered the city, this time they drank until the lamps were lit.

At the banquet, the emperor seldom spoke except for talking about the political reforms he had heard on the road.A table of good dishes was hardly touched, and the inn's clerks would pick up the cheap if they were used on weekdays. Nowadays, the people's lives are in a hurry, and the clerks took the opportunity to pack these things and take them home for their wives and children. Naturally, Song Shenzong I don't know, once I sit in the Golden Luan Hall, I don't know that the people outside the palace are suffering.Now that it's out, what should be seen or not, the emperor has seen it all, and his heart is panicked.

Seeing the guys happily coming over to clear the table, Song Shenzong opened his drunken eyes, pointed at the two guys, and said vaguely: "Keep these for us, we will eat them tomorrow, don't pour them out for us, pour them... ...It's a pity."

When the two guys heard this, they were taken aback for a moment, and then the smiles on their faces disappeared. The two of them had already discussed over a dozen dishes, and half of the family members of one person were still waiting for the toothbrush festival. How many leftovers are there?
"Master, look, the weather has been getting hotter and hotter recently. I'm afraid it will go bad if I keep it until tomorrow. My body is precious, and I'm afraid I'll feel uncomfortable if I eat it." A clerk approached Song Shenzong and said carefully, holding a A plate, reluctant to let go.

"That's right, Lord, let the chef make some for you tomorrow. I see that the kitchen bought some fresh food today, so don't eat these." Another guy echoed.

Du Wenhao felt that this daughter Hong was extremely intoxicating today, and he was a little dizzy even if he had a certain amount of alcohol, but he still understood in his heart. He saw these two guys pack up their leftovers and take them away. Although he didn't ask, but I also probably know the reason. Seeing the two of them say this today, I understand it even more.He said: "Fifth Master, forget it, what the guys said is also reasonable, the weather is hot, how can this weather last until tomorrow? If you eat badly, your stomach will be bad."

"Fifth Lord, what shopkeeper Du said is that if you eat badly, your stomach will be bad." Eunuch Ning was also a little drunk. He rarely drank alcohol to take care of Song Shenzong. Today Song Shenzong asked everyone to drink, so he also had some Not sober anymore.

However, Song Shenzong slapped the table and said sharply, "I told you to stay here! No one is allowed to move! Didn't you hear me? Do you want to destroy the Nine Races?"

Du Wenhao and the others were shocked, and those fellows were also terrified, so it's just leftovers, what about it?Nuonuo hurriedly left.

Song Shenzong said to Ning Gong: "You! Take out all these leftovers for me and give them to the victims on the street!"

After finishing speaking, Song Shenzong waved his hand, leaning towards Yu Ge'er who was at the side.Luckily, Yu Ge'er didn't drink much and had been taking care of Song Shenzong. Seeing Song Shenzong approaching, he quickly supported him.

"Butler Ning, it's getting late, let's help Fifth Master go back and rest first." Yu Ge'er looked worriedly at Song Shenzong who was leaning on him and was about to fall asleep, and said to Eunuch Ning.

Eunuch Ning nodded: "Okay, we're tired from the journey and it's getting late, everyone, go back to your room and rest. I'll send these meals to the disaster victims outside."

(End of this chapter)