Zuo Xianmei bought eyebrow pencils from different stores ten times in total.
Zuo Mengeng checked them one by one and found that most of them were graphite and some were charcoal.
"I'll leave these for you."
The eyebrow pencils made of charcoal were useless, so Zuo Mengeng gave them to Zuo Xianmei.
Seeing so many eyebrow pencils, Zuo Xianmei fainted.
"This...how can I use this up?"
It will never be used up in a lifetime.
Zuo Mengeng thought about it, but suddenly he had an idea.
"Sister, look, in addition to being able to draw eyebrows, these eyebrow pencils can also be used to write on paper? What do you think of using them as pens? In many cases, are they more convenient than brushes?"
The thing Zuo Mengeng thought of was a pencil.
In this era, writing and painting were all done with brushes.
This kind of pen is beautiful for writing and drawing, but it is very troublesome to use and is far inferior to a pencil.
Especially for surveying, drawing, document writing, etc., pencils are more convenient.
Zuo Mengeng told Zuo Xianmei how to make pencils.
"You are at home, and you have nothing to do anyway. How about you find some people to help your brother make this pencil? If you do it well, I will give you a penny for each pencil."
Zuo Mengeng has long wanted to transform this sister.
However, I was busy and never had the chance.
Making it with pencil is a good excuse.
As time goes by and gradually, this sister will definitely have a different life.
Since it was to help Zuo Mengeng, Zuo Xianmei naturally agreed happily.
"As long as I can help my brother, forget about wages and other things."
Zuo Mengeng didn't see it that way.
"We are brothers and sisters, so you should help. But what about the others? They all have things to do in the house. Being asked to make pencils by you will definitely delay the original work. Once or twice is okay, as time goes by, they
If they don't say it, they will definitely not want to do it. When they work, it won't be so enjoyable. If they can make money, don't you think they are still unwilling?"
This kind of analysis of human nature is obviously not what Zuo Xianmei can think of.
One conversation taught her a lot and she no longer refused.
After getting the graphite, Zuo Mengeng took it upon himself to crush it into powder with the help of Zuo Rong and Zuo Hua.
However, the brick kiln has not been completed yet, and it is not yet time to bake refractory bricks, so there is no need to take them out yet.
The rear camp received its first batch of troops.
There were not many people, only about a hundred.
But this group of people is special because they are all literate.
Twenty-one scholars and more than eighty children.
These scholars should have lived a good life and enjoyed the treatment of superiors.
Unfortunately, this is the end of Ming Dynasty.
When the country's finances collapse, it would be nice to be able to take care of the ruling class.
As for scholars and Tongsheng, they are actually no different from ordinary people.
Therefore, under the natural disaster in Kifu, these people also lost their homes and land and became refugees, suffering from displacement and the threat of starvation and death.
In the end, all dignity was lost.
When the dock was recruiting workers, these scholars also enthusiastically signed up and became part of the labor force for the sake of their own stomachs and for the sake of their families.
In fact, Zuo Mengeng had known about the existence of these people for a long time, but he had always been indifferent and just sat back and watched these people go down the river to fish for boats and wallow in the mud like ordinary refugees.
There is only one purpose, and that is to allow these people to undergo labor reform.
After all, I used to be a scholar, and my thoughts and experiences are different from those of ordinary people.
If you let them get better again too quickly, it will arouse their arrogance and make them return to the natural world.
But things changed after going through labor reform.
This kind of extremely heavy physical labor can, on the one hand, remove their arrogance and arrogance, and at the same time, it can also make them feel firsthand the sufferings of the people's livelihood.
Facts have proved that this approach is very effective.
When more than a hundred scholars stood in front of Zuo Mengeng, it was obvious that they had become much more steady and down-to-earth.
"May I have your name?"
Zuo Menggen's question was very straightforward. If it had been in the past, he would have been ridiculed by these scholars and disdained to interact with him.
But today, such words made them feel no discomfort.
"For Qianzuo, my name is Chen Zhi."
The person who answered was a middle-aged man in his late thirties. Although he was thin and thin, he could still tell that all the muscles were hidden under his clothes.
"Are you a scholar?"
Chen Zhi was stunned for a moment, with an expression that showed that she couldn't bear to look back on the past, but then she became normal again.
"I am a scholar of Hejian Mansion in the first year of Tianqi."
"How did you become a refugee?"
Chen Zhi's expression fluctuated again, and she didn't want to speak several times. However, under Zuo Mengeng's pressure, she still spoke.
"There was a severe drought last year, and the fields at home could not grow any food. We pawned everything we should have, but we still couldn't eat enough. Later, the refugees started a riot and our house was burned down. I, my wife, and my children had nowhere to go, so we had to beg everywhere.
, arrived in Linqing."
Zuo Menggeng asked: "You are a scholar and have a good reputation. Why didn't you go to seek refuge with your relatives or seek help from your fellow disciples?"
Chen Zhi laughed silently, full of desolation.
"What kind of fellow scholar is a scholar? Who would call a scholar a brother? My family has been farming for generations, and my old parents worked hard to support me in my studies. Before I could pass the examination as a scholar, my two elders had already died from overwork and passed away. Now that I think about it, reading this sage
What’s the use of books?”
Zuo Mengeng did not let him go.
"Since you are a scholar, you should be able to get rice from the government. Isn't it enough to support a family?"
It was okay not to mention this, but when it came to it, Chen Zhi gritted his teeth and became furious.
"Lin rice? Haha, in that mansion, the county dog ​​officials have long since given up the rice to Tan Mo. For six years, I haven't even seen a small grain of rice."
Zuo Mengeng was frightened.
I knew that the politics of the late Ming Dynasty were dark and officials were greedy, but I didn't expect that even the welfare of scholars was given to the greedy people.
"Aren't you making a fuss? So many scholars are making a fuss, how can the academic administration turn a blind eye?"
Knowing that he didn't understand, Chen Zhi explained in detail.
"Qianzao doesn't know that the academic master is far away in the capital. How can the young people see him easily? The officials in the government and county are colluding with each other, colluding with each other, and controlling the public opinion. Whoever dares to be dissatisfied will be retaliated against."
Zuo Mengeng still couldn't figure it out.
"Among the scholars, there are many who are rich and powerful. Don't they dare to stand out?"
All scholars must go through the process of being a child, being a scholar, and being promoted before they can enter the officialdom.
The children of aristocratic families also need to pass the scholar examination before they can prepare for the examination.
How could a family like this be afraid of officials?
Chen Zhi's wry smile was filled with bitter tears.
"Since you are from a wealthy family, how can you care about a few cents of rice? If you collude with your parents and officials to occupy a few more acres of land, don't you have everything?"
Zuo Mengeng understood.
To be continued...