Huguang is familiar with everything, and the whole world is full.

This is a proverb, saying that as long as the rice in Huguang is ripe, the world's food will be abundant, but this ripening is the "ripening" of a bumper harvest. If it is the "ripening" of a bad harvest, it is a different matter. Lu Haoshan stood under the big banyan tree on the side of the road, looking at the wilted rice in the fields, and couldn't help but curse in his heart: God, do you think there are not enough people starving to death?

It is early June, which is the critical period for rice grouting. Grouting is a very important growth process for rice. It takes about half a month to complete the whole process. The quality of grouting directly affects whether the harvest is good. According to the growth habits of rice, a large amount of water is needed to cultivate it at this time, but there is no water in the fields, and there is still trace of cracks in some places. It has been more than three months since the rain has not been falling. The people in the fields can only carry the load on their shoulders to carry it to irrigate, just to minimize the losses as much as possible.

So many fields are just relying on manpower, like drops of water. The wrinkles on the faces of the people are like cracks in the fields. So deep, with a sad face. The food and drink expenses of the family, the taxes and profits of the government landlords, all point to digging more grain in the fields to deal with them. However, the fields are drought and water-deficient farmers know that the grout is not good. Even if the rice is born, many of them are empty slag valleys. Reducing yields and poor harvests are inevitable. Can you not worry?

In fact, not only the people in the fields are sad, but also the people standing under the banyan tree, Lu Haoshan is as sad as they are.

When a person finds that he suddenly travels from the familiar modern times to ancient times, especially to an era of disasters and difficulties, it is hard to laugh at any one. When Lu Haoshan woke up, he found that he was in the second year of Songzhen. This was the darkest time known as the Ming Empire. Natural disasters, man-made disasters, internal troubles, and external troubles made this fertile land turbulent and the lives were woefully damaged. Not to mention the good days of three wives and four concubines, they can survive in troubled times, and it would be good to have a good time.

Unwilling to give up, Lu Haoshan punched the banyan tree, thinking that he was a top craftsman in his previous life. Although he made fake craftsmanship, he made some things into antiques and sold them to rich people, and the nouveau riche made a fortune. He was only twenty-two years old. His craftsmanship had reached the level of fake and real, and even ordinary appraisers could not tell. He drove a luxury car, lived in a luxury house, played with young models, and went to high-end clubs. His life was extremely comfortable. But now, Lu Haoshan only smiled bitterly. Something went wrong. When he woke up, he slept on a shabby bed. An old man with white hair was feeding him fish soup.

After inquiring, I found out that this was a small mountain village called Huatian Village, Qiyang County, Yongzhou Prefecture, Huguang. The old man who saved me the same surname as me, both of whom were surnamed Lu. He was a farmer who made a living and a half-barefoot doctor. When digging herbs in the mountains, I found myself unconscious with a high fever. I found someone to carry myself back for treatment. After nearly a month of careful care, I pulled myself back from the gate of hell. I had to take a high fever for so long. Lu Haoshan felt that medical skills were one reason, and the nutrition was not up to date. I drank porridge and wild vegetables every day. At first, I was not used to it, and I vomited while eating, and my condition worsened.

There is no way. In this chaotic world, it is already a blessing for our ancestors to not starve to death. I heard that there is something about cannibalism in some places, but Lu Haoshan got goose bumps when he heard it.

After learning that the two of them had the same surname, Old Man Lu took special care of Lu Haoshan. After getting along with each other, he got along with each other. After he recovered from the illness, the homeless Lu Haoshan recognized Old Man Lu as his godfather. It was not appropriate to take a stranger into the village. Fortunately, it was the late Ming Dynasty, and the political situation was turbulent and there were many refugees, so it was no wonder that Old Man Lu was used to provide medical treatment and medicine while farming. His popularity was good. After getting the approval of the village chief, Lu Haoshan was qualified to settle in Huatian Village.

A gust of evening breeze blows, rolling up the dead grass and leaves on the ground, swirling and dancing, and the dust on the dirt road is radiating in the afterglow of the sunset. The old stone bridges and dilapidated houses give people a very depressing feeling. This breeze blows in the hot summer should be cool, but for some reason, Lu Haoshan feels an inexplicable irritability.

The Ming Dynasty was terminally ill, and the building was about to collapse. How could it be finished? This small Huatian Village is still a paradise for the time being, but Lu Haoshan knew that the political situation would only become worse and worse. It won’t take long before Li Zicheng would enter the capital and force Song Zhen to death on the crooked tree in the Coal Mountain. Then Wu Sangui led the Qing soldiers into the pass, and finally the Yi soldiers, Qing soldiers, local forces, and Nan Ming and others to fight each other. That was the real troubled times. They could avoid the first day of the lunar month and could not avoid the fifteenth day. If they didn’t want to be cannon fodder, they would have to plan a way out now.

By the way, I have to take Old Man Lu with me and say that he is a life-saving benefactor. It seems that going to the island is good, so I can avoid occupying trouble. However, as soon as this idea came out, Lu Haoshan hesitated again. At this time, the largest island was Liuqiu, which is the treasure island of later generations. At this time, it was still very deserted. It was a bit of a struggle to go to that place to farm. By the way, I heard that there are still many pirates, and the land is not peaceful and it is troublesome.

"Shan'er, why are you here? You're just sick, be careful not to catch a cold." An old man walked over with a little staggering and asked with concern.

Lu Haoshan turned his head and immediately responded, "Godfather, why are you here?"

The person who came was Lu Haoshan's savior and godfather. Old man Lu, whose real name is Daqing, is nearly 60 years old, and his hair and beard are all white. Because he can see a doctor and has a easy-going temper, everyone kindly called him Doctor Lu.

"You kid, your body is not yet ready. You just don't listen. Dinner is ready, so go home for dinner."

Lu Haoshan responded, followed Old Man Lu and went home together. The setting sun was as bloody as the two of them followed two slender and lonely figures.

The so-called home is actually three thatched huts and wooden stakes surrounded a small yard. The yard is usually cool and dry some yam dug by Old Man Lu. Old Man Lu also had a wife. When she returned to her parents' home to visit relatives, she disappeared from the spot. She ran away several times to report to the officials. Later, the yamen runners drove him out with sticks, and finally they had to leave it alone. There were three acres of thin fields in the family. In ancient times, the yield of land was low, and it was only enough to make a living. As for the half-baked medical skills, I have not won the title of a famous doctor for decades of practicing medicine. I have been a cattle and a horse for decades, which means I have lost these three thatched huts and three acres of thin fields.

"Come on, Shan'er, eat more." After serving the porridge, Old Man Lu pushed the thick bowl to Lu Haoshan and said with a look of care.

Lu Haoshan sighed in his heart, this is the late Ming Dynasty, the fields lost their income every year, but the government's taxes are getting heavier and heavier. Even though the lives of the people in Huguang, a town of fishing and rice, are so hard, so the lives of the people in other places with low grains can be imagined. It may be true that eating people is true. Many people can't get it. This bowl of porridge mixed with wild vegetables is hard-won. Lu Haoshan saw that there were a lot of rice grains in his bowl, but Old Man Lu could see that there was a slim figure in his bowl. He felt warm in his heart and quickly pushed out his bowl: "Godfather, let's eat it in exchange."

No matter how broken the hut is, it is a place to stay; no matter how thin the hut is, it is a sense of concern. In this chaotic world, he still encounters such a true nature, that is, Old Man Lu’s sincere service, Lu Haoshan will not be left on the streets and put his heart in his heart. Lu Haoshan is full of gratitude to Old Man Lu.

"You kid, you can eat it. You are just right. You have to eat a little more. If you don't eat, the old man will be angry." Old man Lu pretended to be angry and grabbed the bowl of thinness back in front of him. While saying that, he quickly took a few bites. In this way, Lu Haoshan had eaten the bowl of thinness by himself, and even if he wanted to change it, he would not have time.

Lu Haoshan had no choice but to sit down and start drinking the porridge. Although the bowl of porridge was much better than Old Man Lu's, he couldn't help but frown again as soon as he ate it. The wild vegetables in the bowl were less rice, without oil or salt, and it tasted very heavy and amidst the taste, and it felt like a cow was eating grass. After eating it for nearly a month, Lu Haoshan was not used to it. When he ate it, his stomach felt cramps and vomiting, but he still held it back and swallowed it.

Only by filling your stomach can you survive.

In the past life, I had no meat to enjoy, but now I have a good meal. I have eaten wild vegetables and porridge. Lu Haoshan once wondered if it was a cause and effect, and ate all the meat in this life in the previous life.

Seeing Lu Haoshan frowning, Old Man Lu felt guilty, as if his godson was eating so poorly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Shan'er, wait a moment, look at my memory, I almost forgot."

After a while, Old Man Lu took out a plate of fried tofu like a magic trick. Yes, it was tofu. When he smelled the fragrance of tofu, Lu Haoshan's eyes lit up and he asked, "Godfather, where did this come from?"

Old Man Lu smiled slightly with his old face, and showed a simple smile, and said happily: "It was given by the tofu from the east end of the village. He said that you wrote the words for him, but there is no fee for the pen. This is what his daughter Damei fryed and sent. Come and eat it quickly."

Yesterday, when Lu Haoshan went out for a walk, he wrote a few words for Tofu Chen on a whim. He was a master of counterfeiting in his previous life. He studied the characters of various dynasties and practiced good words. At that time, in order to make fraud, he didn't expect that it really came in handy now. When he wrote the words "Chen Ji Tofu" for Tofu Chen, he was so excited that he won a lot of cheers. Good intentions were rewarded. Tofu Chen took the initiative to give him a plate of tofu, which made Lu Haoshan a little overjoyed.

"Well, it smells so good." Lu Haoshan just ate one piece and said happily: "Godfather, you should eat it too."

As soon as I put it in my mouth, my mouth was filled with bean flavor, and a lot of sesame oil and salt were enough. Lu Haoshan only felt that this was the most delicious tofu he had ever eaten.

"Old Chen is too kind. After adding so much oil and salt, it's delicious." Old Man Lu also said with his eyes lit up.

These days, oil and salt are both luxury goods, especially salt, which was monopolized by the court and officials and businessmen. The salt is more expensive than meat. This is also the reason why Old Man Lu has no oil or salt in the vegetable porridge. With this small plate of tofu, the vegetable porridge is much sweeter. The two of them pushed me and let me go. In the end, Lu Haoshan ate most of the time. Old Man Lu was reluctant to eat it again after only two pieces.

After dinner and finishing the pack, Lu Haoshan suddenly said, "Godfather, I'll go to the county tomorrow to see if I can find an errand and earn some money to help make up for my family's plans."

I was sick and had been bedridden for nearly half a month. After eating such a long time, I saw that Old Man Lu was over fifty years old and went out early and came back late every day, but he was dependent on his parents. Even if Old Man Lu didn't say it, Lu Haoshan couldn't sit still and offered to find a job. After all, he also had the skills of fake and real things. Unfortunately, Huatian Village was just a small mountain village and was useless. Lu Haoshan decided to try his luck in Qiyang County.

First, I feel embarrassed to eat idle food again, and second, for Lu Haoshan, who is not happy with meat, I am really afraid of eating vegetable porridge. If there is a roasted whole lamb now, Lu Haoshan dares to say that he can eat it all by himself.

"You're so nimble?" Old Man Lu asked with some concern.

"It's been a long time since I was raising it." After Lu Haoshan said that, he stretched his body in front of Old Man Lu and jumped hard a few times to show that he was fine.

Old man Lu said in a hurry: "It's good to keep your body well. Well, go ahead, you have a tender skin and tender flesh. You must have never done a rough job. You write well, and even Mr. Zhao in the village praised it. It should not be difficult to find an errand. Oh, by the way, I heard the tofu that I went to the county to buy beans. He has a ox cart. You can go with him. It's more than 30 miles from here to the county. It's so hot that you're just right, don't dizzy."

"Okay, then I'll say something to Uncle Chen." Lu Haoshan nodded when he heard this, but did not refuse Old Man Lu's kindness. The weather is so hot now, so it's a good thing to ride a ride.
Chapter completed!