The little girl of the landlord's house

Chapter 120

After murmuring in the carriage for a long time, there was finally no movement.Yun Song, however, has been frightened all the time, saying that if he sees what he shouldn't see, he will get a needle's eye, and if he hears what he shouldn't hear, won't he have needles in his ears?
Yun Song waved the hand holding the horsewhip fiercely, thinking that His Highness must be bullying me for nothing, and intentionally standing in front of me... In fact, although he is not good at that place, he still wants to see beautiful women The urge to touch it.It's a pity that at this time, the master touched the beauty, so he could only drive outside.

Xie Yujiao was teased by Zhou Tianhao for another half day, and he half pushed and half pulled to hold the place, and she did what she didn't want to do again with all kinds of shyness and helplessness.It's a pity that there is no water on the carriage, the sticky feeling in her palm really makes her want to die.

Seeing her embarrassed face, Zhou Tianhao poked his head out and said to Yun Song in front, "I will see the stream stop in a while."

Yun Song saw that Zhou Tianhao felt comfortable with himself, so he thought of ordering others again. He felt a little uncomfortable, but he still obediently agreed, only depressed and complained: This is to deal with refugees, why does the master no matter what he does? Children, they can be as leisurely as those who travel in mountains and rivers.

The carriage traveled another mile or two, and sure enough there was a stream by the side of the road, so Zhou Tianhao helped Xie Yujiao get out of the carriage.I saw that her cheeks were slightly red, and the small mouth that had been ravaged by him was also slightly red and swollen.Xie Yujiao reluctantly put her hand in Zhou Tianhao's palm, and let him pull her out of the carriage.

The stream water in early spring was still a bit cold, Xie Yujiao washed her hands over and over again, and wiped them with a wrung wet handkerchief several times before she stood up, without Zhou Tianhao helping her, she just turned around and ran into the carriage by herself .

Seeing that she was angry again, Zhou Tianhao felt a little helpless. If it were placed in modern times, they would have rolled the sheets countless times. This ancient times is really not a place for people to live in!Zhou Tianhao washed his hands, saw that Xie Yujiao didn't call him to get into the carriage, so he stood by the stream for a while.

Xie Yujiao waited for him for a long time, but he didn't come up, so she rolled up the curtain of the carriage and shouted at him: "If you don't get in the carriage again, I will let Yun Song drive the carriage."

Zhou Tianhao saw that Xie Yujiao finally called him, so he just nodded his head in response, happily, he stepped into the car in three steps at a time, and said to Yun Song with a smile: "Hurry up, or you won't be able to catch up with the big car." Butler."

Yinlong Mountain and Qinglong Mountain are all barren mountains. When Dayong was first built, the imperial court was short of money, so they sold these barren mountains to local landlords or squires for very cheap money.The Xie family also bought a lot of hilltops at that time. Although the land deeds were all there, it would take a lot of manpower and material resources to reclaim such barren hills. Therefore, the barren hills are still barren hills that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Later, after Mr. Xie took over, he heard that the silk in Suzhou and Hangzhou was selling very well. The villagers there opened up barren hills to plant mulberry trees, and then raised silkworms to get rich. So Mr. Xie also encouraged the tenants of the Xie family to open up barren hills, but For all the barren hills that are developed, no matter how much output they produce in the first three years, they do not need to pay land rent.

Because of this, some residents near Yinlong Mountain and Qinglong Mountain started to reclaim wasteland and plant mulberry trees, but manpower is indeed too weak in front of these seemingly endless mountains, so most of Qinglong Mountain and Yinlong Mountain are still barren mountains.

If it is in modern times, the government advocates returning farmland to forests and grassland, but under the ancient labor force, the harvest of one mu of land is very little. Guaranteeing one's own living means cultivating some land. As for the development of sideline business, basically no one can think of it.

It was almost noon when Xie Yujiao arrived at the foot of Qinglong Mountain, and a large wooden house had already been built on the open space near the original Earth Temple.Although it looked a little crowded, it was still covered by tiles.

The porridge shed of the Xie family was set up right in front of the Earth Temple, and it was noon at this time, so many people were still queuing there to wait for the porridge on credit.Originally, at the beginning, the mother-in-law for porridge on credit was sent by the Xie family, but now that she has become acquainted with each other, Tao Laixi chose a few honest and reliable refugees to watch over.In addition to the woman who had porridge on credit, there were a few strong men standing behind, apparently to maintain order.

The sharp eyes of those strong men saw the carriage coming from a distance, so they knew that there must be someone coming from Xie's house, so they rushed out to meet them.

Tao Laixi got out of the carriage, led Xie Yujiao and Zhou Tianhao inside, and said, "During the Chinese New Year, according to the girl's wishes, no one gave them chicken legs and braised pork. Nowadays, many people who have labor, I also advised them to go to the city to find a living, but the big guys are not familiar with the place, and some are timid and dare not go out."

Xie Yujiao knew more or less the origins of these refugees. In each of their households, one of them must have been on the frontline. Although there was no battle for a while, the soldiers were still training.Besides, there was a lot of chaos at that time, and I'm afraid that even if there is no war in the future, it may not be possible to find them.Unless they really wait for the day when they can return to their hometown, there is hope for a reunion.

Standing at the intersection, Zhou Tianhao looked at the dark crowd in the distance, and suddenly felt very dazed.This feeling is similar to the confusion he felt when he stood on the city wall and watched the people under the city wall holding up dozens of ladders and rushing over again and again when the Tartars attacked the capital.

He didn't know what the hell these people were up to...yet they lived.

Zhou Tianhao sighed deeply, turned his head to look at Xie Yujiao and said, "Jiaojiao, it's time for you to use your strengths!"

"Me?" Xie Yujiao replied to Zhou Tianhao with some doubts, and suddenly remembered that she studied human resources in her previous life! ! !

so many people...so many...

Xie Yujiao let out a muffled cough, and was speechless for a while, so she asked Tao Laixi in a low voice, "Butler Tao, go and call the leader of these people over, and ask what happened first."

When Tao Laixi heard the words, he just nodded and said, "Miss, you go there first, I'll go find someone right away, and now the mountain temple has been cleaned up, so you can sit inside."

Xie Yujiao and Zhou Tianhao entered the mountain temple, Zhou Tianhao looked around for a week, and said with a smile on his face: "It's the first time we met, it seems to be here?"

Xie Yujiao blinked her eyes and remembered what happened at the Dragon Boat Festival last year, but the first time she saw Zhou Tianhao, she was indeed... a little shocked.

"I don't remember, I just remember, I just saw a naked madman."

Zhou Tianhao heard the words, but hastily denied: "Where is there a lunatic? Why didn't I see it? Oh oh... You mean Boss Xiao, right? He is indeed a lunatic." After Zhou Tianhao finished speaking, he did not forget to laugh twice, Xie Yujiao Just sideways him like this, suppressing a smile.Hearing that Boss Xiao was mentioned, he asked, "It's been half a year since they left in the blink of an eye, and now the imperial court is no longer fighting, when will they come back?"

"Raising soldiers for a thousand days and using them for a short period of time is because the first emperor didn't consider this issue when he was in power. That's why Dayong was so caught off guard once the Tartars attacked with all their strength, so this time it probably won't come back so soon. "Talking about military affairs, Zhou Tianhao frowned again, and only said, "Every year from now on will be very important to Dayong."

Xie Yujiao also understands this truth. When the Northern Song Dynasty turned into the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty was only left in the Southern Ming Dynasty, the dynasties that were beaten down in history did not end well in the end. If they want to fight back, I am afraid it will not be so easy.

Xie Yujiao watched his brows twisted into a Sichuan character, and knew that he was troubled by these things, so she said, "Let's not look so far away, if you can handle the 1000 people in front of you, I will promise you one." thing."

"What's the matter?" Zhou Tianhao immediately became interested when he heard the words, and asked hastily.

Xie Yujiao stood on tiptoe, quietly leaned into his ear, and whispered: "If you can handle it, I will let you bridal chamber early."

This was a big deal, and for a moment Zhou Tianhao's eyes lit up in shock, but when he thought about the dense crowd just now, Zhou Tianhao only felt that this problem was not easy to solve as usual.It seems that Xie Yujiao is clearly making a problem out of sincerity, that's all, I'd better be more honest, and obediently wait until the wedding night in the bridal chamber to see where else she can go?

For a while, Tao Laixi had already found someone to come in. Although these refugees knew that the Xie family was headed by a big girl, they had never seen them before. Now that they saw her, she turned out to be such a delicate beauty. , I was so embarrassed that I didn't even know where to stand.

Xie Yujiao then sat down on the armchair on one side, and seeing that they were all ordinary villagers, she relaxed a little, and asked, "You guys don't need to be nervous, I'll just ask you a few questions, you just answer the questions. .”

Everyone nodded in succession and listened to Xie Yujiao's question with respectful faces.

"I heard from Butler Tao that he hasn't come these few days, and it seems a little uneasy here. I also know that our Xie family is weak. Although we can take you in, it's only for a while. It's spring now. When the time comes Mr. Kang will definitely give you an answer, whether to continue to move to the south, or to settle down here, but you are also farmers who cultivate the fields, and you should also understand this truth. There is no such thing as a white pie in the sky. If you failed to keep your homeland, the imperial court owes you, not our Xie family."

What Xie Yujiao said was so righteous that Zhou Tianhao, who was sitting beside him, was ashamed. That's right, now that the debt owed by the court has been borne by Xie's family, why shouldn't he agree with him just because of this?
As Xie Yujiao spoke, she did not forget to take a sneak peek at Zhou Tianhao, and sure enough, she saw that he had a somewhat depressed expression on his face, and she felt that it was a little funny in her heart, so she only pursed her lips and continued: "But this matter We can't completely blame the imperial court. If the people of our Dayong were like the people of the Tartars, anyone who mounted a horse could go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, then the Tartars would not dare to mess with Dayong. Although it is a bit late now, it is also Isn't it hopeless, many of your family members are also serving in the army? At that time, your homeland will return." After Xie Yujiao finished speaking, she turned her head and said to Zhou Tianhao: "His Royal Highness, I don't know about Minnv Are these words right?"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Zhou Tianhao hurriedly answered when he heard the words, and when he turned his head and saw the smile in Xie Yujiao's eyes, he knew that she did it on purpose.

The leaders of the common people heard that the person sitting next to Xie Yujiao was the current Prince Rui, so they couldn't help but knelt down and kowtowed: "His Royal Highness, we are really desperate now, our place has been taken by Tartars, If you don't run, you will be dead, but now you run, but you don't know where you are going, what Miss Xie said is right, we have no reason to stay here, but where can we go?"

Hearing what he said, those few people all nodded in agreement, and someone said: "A while ago, some of us thought that after this year, we should go to the city to find a job, but we are not familiar with the place. Where can we find it? We have a non-local accent, and those shopkeepers don’t want it when they hear it. They only say that we foreigners are unreliable. We are all honest dealers. I can always do a few things, as long as I have something to eat."

The imperial court moved to the south, and 10,000+ people rushed in from Jinling City. Although the local merchants are doing well, they are still worried about foreigners. It would be better to have a higher monthly income than to invite these unknown foreigners. People, Xie Yujiao knows this best, even she herself told her shopkeeper so.

Xie Yujiao frowned, this is really a big problem.Otherwise, she would just let it go, anyway, now that the imperial court is also in Jinling, it is really impossible, gather all these disaster victims and go to the gate of the palace to ask for a wish or something, and see if the imperial court will ignore it?

It's just... Now that the emperor is her eldest brother-in-law, if the emperor is upset, Zhou Tianhao is bound to be upset too. She still has to think about the chain reaction.

Xie Yujiao leaned on her elbows and thought about it for a long time, and her beautiful pair was tightened tightly. Recently, living in the city is a bit more comfortable, and she hasn't bothered thinking about such a difficult problem for a long time.

More than 1000 people... There are more than 200 households in Xie's house, but there are only more than 1000 people.

Xie Yujiao's brain ached from thinking about it, and suddenly she had an idea, she just turned her head to look at Zhou Tianhao and asked, "Let me ask you, is there still a shortage of embroiderers for cotton coats in the imperial court?"

Xie Yujiao recalled that it took a whole month to make the [-] cotton-padded jackets for the imperial court, using hundreds of women from Xie's house. Well, now among the thousands of refugees, at least a hundred people can be gathered, and women in ancient times knew needlework. If they can be gathered to build an embroidery workshop, at least this group of people will Can be self-sufficient.

"Why is there no shortage of these things in the imperial court? Sometimes these things can't be bought with cash. There are also unscrupulous businessmen who make the country rich and drive up the price. There are never enough cotton padded jackets in the military camp." But it is also good. Master Xie thought of donating cotton jackets because he didn't have enough cotton jackets. It was a coincidence that Xie Yujiao's Linghua mirror saved his life, so for Zhou Tianhao, not enough cotton jackets seemed to be a good thing.

Xie Yujiao frowned and thought for a while, and then said: "Is there any use for you, a prince? Can you help me get a business from the court? At most, I will treat you as cheap."

"Don't say a penny, if you want a few more, I'll get you the same."

Although Zhou Tianhao usually doesn't care about these mundane affairs, if he opens his mouth, let alone a business, he may get more.Besides, if these refugees can settle down and have jobs, then there will be no more annoying things from time to time in the future.

Xie Yujiao thought about it carefully for a long time, and then she said to the people standing in front of her, "Don't worry about it for the next two days. At the latest, the day after tomorrow, I will ask Butler Tao to invite the magistrate to come over and divide the surrounding area of ​​Qinglong Mountain. A few pieces, according to the original distribution in the village when you came, draw lots to choose the land you want to reclaim. I will send people to the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas in the past few days, and bring back tens of thousands of mulberry trees. After the whole year has passed, You can raise silkworms next year, take these words to each of the villagers, if they are willing to stay, they can stay, if they have reliable relatives and friends who can visit relatives, then they can leave on their own.”

Everyone was a little excited when they heard that the barren mountain was going to be distributed to the big guys, but when they thought that it would take a year to grow it, and worried about how to pass this year, their faces became a little more sad.

Xie Yujiao knew what they were thinking, so she said, "Don't worry, I will always find someone to make a living for you during this year. Didn't the prince just say that? If you can get a few deals, you will go back today. Find all the women who know how to needle and thread in my village, count the numbers, and give them to Steward Tao, and I will find a way to see if I can arrange some things for them, so that I can earn some money."

Seeing Xie Yujiao's orderly arrangements, Zhou Tianhao felt that after all, he was born in a major, and compared to him who studied...IT, it was much more useful.

After this conversation, Tao Laixi sent them out, and when they came in, Xie Yujiao asked: "I was in a hurry just now, and I forgot to ask you, what happened, I looked at the few big men who came in , are also honest, and don't seem to be troublesome."

When Tao Laixi heard the words, he sighed and said, "Back to the eldest lady, I just asked clearly. It was because a group of them went to the city to find work, but they were deceived by the unscrupulous shopkeeper. A group of people After suffering a loss, when everyone came back and heard that they were beaten by the locals, they wanted to seek justice, but they were stopped by a few people who were not easy to cause trouble, because of this matter."

After hearing this, Xie Yujiao understood.According to Xu Yuxing, even if they are serious businessmen, if they want to get along well in the city, they have to go to the pier everywhere. Now that they are all foreigners and down-and-out refugees, it is inevitable that they will be bullied.

Xie Yujiao only sighed lightly, and asked, "Which shop is this kind of doggy?"

"I heard that it is Guiyunlou, the property of the He family."

Tao Laixi replied in a low voice, and Xie Yujiao understood.The He family withdrew from the territory of Jiangning in the past two years, and now it seems that they have fully integrated into the business circle of Jinling.Although some big and small things in Jiangning will come back to participate occasionally, but most of them are just perfunctory.

After Tao Laixi finished speaking, he only added one more sentence: "I also heard that the He family sent their eldest daughter to the palace. I heard that the emperor liked it very much, and she only served her once. Just seal the nobleman."

After Tao Laixi finished speaking, it suddenly occurred to him that Zhou Tianhao was sitting next to Xie Yujiao. He was a serious prince. I was afraid that he knew these things better than himself, so there was no need for him to say it in front of Xie Yujiao. .

Xie Yujiao glanced at Zhou Tianhao, seeing his bewildered expression, it was obvious that he didn't know.No wonder Mrs. He hid her daughter so well, but she had such thoughts in mind.

Xie Yujiao just curled her lips, and said in a low voice: "Your elder brother still has the spirit to favor beauties. It seems that he is not seriously ill, but he is really, he has beauties, so he won't leave them to you as a brother. one?"

Zhou Tianhao knew that Xie Yujiao's mouth was powerful, and now he deserved to be criticized by her, so he just kept expressing his position: "I...I am different from my brother's wailing, I...I only love you!"

This Tao Laixi hadn't even walked to the door yet. Hearing this, he felt his feet go limp, and he said in his heart: This prince is really open, this love, love, you can just say it like this ?It is impossible for him to do it.

Because it was already past noon, the two of them hadn't eaten anything after breakfast, and they felt a little hungry for a while.Xie Yujiao was also afraid that Zhou Tianhao would be hungry, so she went out to take a look, and happened to see a woman carrying two dishes of food to the hall.

Seeing Xie Yujiao, the woman said, "Miss, sit inside, there will be a stewed pheasant with mushrooms, and I'll bring it to you right away."

Xie Yujiao saw the woman's amiable face, so she also chatted with her and said, "Go and do your work, I don't need to greet you, this day is enough for you to be busy, right?"

The old lady just shook her head, with a faint smile on her face, she came in after seeing Zhou Tianhao sitting over there, with a look of hesitation on her face.Xie Yujiao felt a little strange, logically this woman shouldn't know Zhou Tianhao.

Zhou Tianhao was also lowering his head to think about something at this time, and suddenly raised his head, seeing the woman looking at him, he was only stunned for a while, then he recalled and said: "Ma'am, you are the fourth son Zhao's mother, right? "

"That's right... You still remember the fourth child. He left with you at the beginning. I haven't heard from him for more than half a year. It's so easy to see you. Tell me, our fourth child is still there." okay?"

It turned out that this woman was the mother of Zhao Laosi in Qinglongzhai whom Zhou Tianhao recruited back then. The rest of the family died, only this orphan and widow was left. She couldn't resist going with Boss Xiao, so she let him go.

Zhou Tianhao didn't know where Boss Xiao and his party were now, but at this time the two countries have ceased fighting, they must still be alive and well, that's for sure.

"Don't worry, ma'am, your fourth son is fine! By the way, let me tell you something, he is not called fourth son now, and such a name is not allowed in the barracks, otherwise there will be fourth sons everywhere, so I will change it to him." He gave me a name, Zhao Chang."

(End of this chapter)