Corvee labor is hard work. Digging canals, paving roads, cutting rocks, and digging mountains... are all very hard work.
But mining is hard and dangerous.
The mine may collapse, the space is closed, the work is arduous, and the supervisor will only order you to keep mining and mining again.
If you come back in a month, half your life will be lost. If you are sold to the mines, your life will be ruined.
"We want to go to Guanzhou instead of Xizhou because we want to avoid the mining corvee." Even though the road between Leshan Prefecture and Xizhou Prefecture is better.
Liang Manshan smiled and said: "I have a senior brother who went to Guanzhou to study, and then moved his family away. We occasionally corresponded, and the senior brother told me that although Guanzhou was hard, the British king who established the city here was wise in his rule and cared for the people.
"
"Since the King of England is so good, why is Guanzhou so miserable?"
"First, it is cold, second, there is not much potential in the land, and third, barbarians from outside the pass always come to plunder, which makes us unbearable and annoying.
Although there are no mining corvees in Guanzhou, the people under the rule have the responsibility to defend the land.
In fact, among the big mansions around Leshan, your Qishan mansion is having an easier time, but it’s a pity that it suffered from a drought and is not a good place to go." Liang Manshan said with emotion.
"The wells in our village were all empty, and we couldn't find any water sources to replenish along the way. So we entered Leshan Prefecture and found a very shallow stream on a mountain. We rested there for several days..."
Yan Laoer talked about what he saw along the way, and Liang Manshan also slowly told about the chaos in the official way.
"In addition to bandits, there are also some people who have dirty hands and feet and rob others of water and food. The old people in your village are very aware of the world. Even if I am among them, I dare not say that everyone is good and will not give birth to children.
If you have bad intentions, being cautious is the best policy."
"Now that we have said this, let me tell you the truth, Manshan." Yan Laoer said seriously: "You have no livestock and no carts. What kind of pots and utensils can you use? Just join a group with a few families, and you won't have to carry them.
Carrying it back and forth is tiring and takes up space.
We don't have water bladders, but there are quite a few bamboo tubes. Two of them will be enough for you.
I advise you to think of some wild vegetables or herbs on this mountain. There are a lot of them on the mountain. As long as you are not lazy, you can find some every day. If you need anything, you can come to us to exchange it. This also saves you having to carry water every day, which will also be heavy.
very."
Liang Manshan sniffed, feeling very moved in his heart.
"Thank you, Brother Huai'an, for considering me. When I left home, I also had a donkey cart to transport me. Unfortunately, I encountered bandits and the donkeys were slaughtered and eaten by them... I couldn't turn around for a while, right? At this time, it's best to travel lightly.
Well, now that we have been reduced to this, what else do we need to care about, just eat with our friends and neighbors."
"Brother Huai'an, I wonder if the wild vegetables and herbs in the mountains are easy to find?"
Yan Laoer patiently said to him:
"It's okay.
This mountain is much better than outside, and there are more things that can fill your stomach. The only difference is whether it tastes good or not. If you pay more attention to the mountain people, you can pick whatever they pick, and you can’t go wrong."
He thought to himself: If he is lucky, there will be pheasants and hares.
If you don't enter the mountains, you won't get anything. Once you enter the mountains, there will always be surprises.
"But if I keep bothering you, others will follow suit..." Liang Manshan hesitated.
"It doesn't matter, it's not up to us to decide whether to exchange it or not." Yan Laoer said truthfully: "It's easy to say how much you have. If you don't have enough at home, how can you take it out?"
"As long as we are still in Leshan Prefecture and there are such big mountains, at least there will be no shortage of water." He pointed to the green mountains around him.
"There are also hunted wild animals. The weather is so hot that they cannot be eaten in time, so they can only be made into dried meat. Dried meat consumes salt."
Yan Laoer thought to himself: My family has explored cats, water sources, and even prey can be easily caught.
Come and change, come and change!
As long as he always has what the other party wants in his hand, the money will come to him on his own.
With money, you can settle down in Guanzhou.
You know, if the whole village is trying to get together now, they may not even be able to get a few taels of silver together.
Huh?
Thinking about it this way, I wonder if Lao Yan had expected it and was so generous in spreading the money.
Is it expected that they will earn back this money sooner or later?
"When I walked over just now, I saw someone..." Liang Manshan thought of the hanging meat.
A man was concentrating on cutting meat. When he saw them passing by, he smiled and said hello to Brother Huai'an, saying that he would deliver it to him later.
As soon as he started talking, Luo Laosan happened to be bringing meat over there.
Several people helped, carrying basins and lifting legs.
Knowing that the Yan family's meals are meticulous, Luo Laosan didn't mind going to the trouble and portioned them very carefully.
Bones are bones, meat is meat, and the offal is left alone.
Horse meat is red meat with thick and hard muscle fiber, and the fat quality is better than that of cattle, sheep, and pigs. It is rich in protein, vitamins and various minerals.
It's best to boil it rather than fry it, as it won't taste good if fried.
Yan Laoer thought silently in his heart.
"Brother Yan, I'll leave this for you. Don't worry, we're leaving!" Luo Laosan greeted.
Seeing that he had guests, he didn't say much.
Several men put down the meat and left.
"This is..." Liang Manshan couldn't help but wonder, is Brother Huai'an still in charge of dividing the meat among each family?
"This horse was ridden by bandits and was killed by my cow."
Liang Manshan:......
So, it's a horse!
All the horses belong to the Yan family.
He suddenly turned his head and looked at the ox lying leisurely, his face filled with wonder!
This is a cow that can earn back its own wealth and is more than enough!
"Second brother Yan! Second brother Yan!" Cui Langzhong ran after him. "Mabao! Is there Ma Bao?"
Yan Laoer blinked, luckily you don't have to be brave this time, otherwise there might be misunderstandings...
"Brother Cui, don't worry, I haven't touched it yet. Find what you want on your own." Yan Laoer spread his hands, indicating that he had not touched it.
But Cui Langzhong raised his nose and said, "No, no, no! I won't move. Please look for me to see if there are any hard objects in your stomach and intestines."
Liang Manshan said: "It should be like a stone, with the effect of calming convulsions and reducing phlegm."
Dr. Cui: "Yes! That's it!"
Yan Laoer resignedly dug out his intestines.
So, Brother Cui, your medical skills are not very good, but you know a lot about some unorthodox medicinal materials.
Returning Ma Bao, he is also a man who has eaten horse meat. He didn't know that horses have such a thing. He only knows that cow treasures and dog treasures are just stones. They are so lofty.
"Horse meat nourishes the heart, replenishes qi, strengthens muscles and bones, but the weather is hot, brother Huai'an, don't eat too much." Liang Manshan kindly reminded.
Of course Yan Laoer knows that not only can't you eat more of it, but you can't eat it with rice, beef and pork, and by the way, there's also ginger and cocklebur.
After touching it carefully, it seemed like it was really there.
Yan Laoer asked his eldest nephew to give him a knife and cut out an oval stone.
I rinsed it with water to see clearly.
Mr. Cui took it away happily.
Yan Laoer looked at his hands and sprayed them with soap twice before he felt that he was clean again.
Liang Manshan naturally discovered such good things as Xiangjizi.
I thought: This is the difference!
Is it the gap between scholars and children?
"Brother Huai'an, if your family can't finish the horse meat, would you like to sell some to me?" Liang Manshan asked hopefully.
He wanted to make up for his family.
During these days, the family suffered great sins and lost their lives.
Especially his father, who only had half a breath left when he found the old man on the official road.
If I hadn't been thinking about these unfilial children and grandchildren in my heart, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived the day they found me.
