The border area is sparsely populated, the land is dry and cracked, and the rainfall is low, making it unsuitable for planting. Further outside is the gathering place of the Huns, which is also the Inner Mongolia region in later generations.
At first, Tang Zangyue didn't understand why Hunjun exiled the Xiao family here. Now? Judging from the terrain, if the Huns invaded, it would be like opening a gap here. The Xiao family would sit here and act as a deterrent to the Huns.
The Hunjun was not worried about the lives of the Xiao family. After all, in many years of war, although most of the Xiao family had sacrificed their lives, the Huns were still defeated and their vitality was severely damaged.
It not only deprived the Xiao family of military power, but also restrained the Xiongnu.
It really kills two birds with one stone.
So what if the wishful thinking comes true? The country will not be destroyed by then.
Tang Zangyue and his family were preparing to solve the settlement problem.
To settle in the county, one person would need dozens of taels, and a house in a better location would cost hundreds or even thousands of taels. She had no shortage of money, but the second batch of government servants sent to escort them were from the imperial court, so they rushed there
He had such extraordinary energy that he probably had to stay for a few days to keep an eye on the Xiao family in person so that he could go back and report the news to Hun Jun.
Along the way, she had no shortage of food and clothing. She often secretly gave herself extra meals at night. She also took great care of the youngest sister Ling in the Xiao family, but no matter how much she took care of her, she could only eat an extra egg.
It can be said that during the several months' journey, the Xiao family had not eaten anything, and they had scrimped on food and clothing in order to create an illusion to the ears and eyes of the Hunjun. However, the mantis stalked the cicada and the oriole behind them, and these eyes and ears were also watching from the sky.
Only when these eyes and ears are gone can Tang Zangyue let go and really do things.
She did not hesitate to choose a village to settle in and asked about the selling prices of houses there.
The man waved his hand: "The village chief will tell you when you get there."
Tang Zangyue breathed a sigh of relief, and when she came out, she came face to face with the weather-stained faces of the Xiao family. Even Xiao Zhonglu, who was a practicing family member, could not conceal his tiredness on his brows.
Along the way, the yamen and horses were transferred. They were just walking. They hadn't had a meal in several months, so couldn't they be feeling haggard?
Tang Zangyue felt a burst of heartache in his chest.
She knew that it was still the emotion of this body.
She took over the lighter carriage and said, "I'll pull it for a while."
"Old madam, your hands..." Xiao Yuechun hesitated.
Tang Zangyue waved her hand, "The belongings on this car are the lightest and won't get in the way."
Along the way, the Xiao family had a total of three carts. The grain bath, sauce jar and pickle jar were all on the other two carts. Most of the carts were filled with mattresses and straw mats for the Xiao family to rest at night.
use.
When the house was first searched, it was still the end of hot summer, but now it was autumn, and the wind was strong at night. Tang Zangyue had to exchange the brocade clothes of his family for the unused mattresses and two sets of old clothes of the villagers passing by.
The mattress covers and old clothes were patched with large patches, and the colors were different, but most of them were dull colors. After Aunt Liu and Xiao Yuechun repeatedly cleaned them with plant ash, they were used to cover them at night. There were only two mattresses in total, and the men gathered together to cover them.
One, the women gathered together to build one, so they could make do with it.
Then there are the pots and pans, the utensils for brewing medicine, and some potted plants transplanted by herself. Most of them are mint. Chewing them can clean your mouth. Mint is easy to feed and is also common in the north. It is not surprising. It can be maintained at most.
The Xiao family has one of the few clean and hygienic places.
Near dusk, the Xiao family finally arrived at the village where they settled, and Tang Zangyue, who was still the head of the family, went to the village chief's house to negotiate.
There is plenty of land in the village, but most of it is dry land, which is not easy to grow food. You have to use manure tanks to fertilize the land before planting. Most of the fertile land is in the hands of the richest people in the town, and the villagers are hired as long-term workers.
Moreover, water must be saved for the family to use throughout the year for irrigation. The water used for daily consumption must be limited daily, and if it is exceeded, it will cost copper coins to buy it. This is not only the case in Jiuli Village, where the Xiao family is registered, but also in the entire north.
This is especially true in border areas where drought is severe.
For so many years, the ancestors of Jiuli Village have only built one well for the use of the whole village.
Of course, apart from the difficulty of farming due to the large amount of dry land, it actually also has advantages, that is, there is no shortage of houses.
The houses left by several extinct households in the village have been vacant for a long time after being restrained by the village chief.
Tang Zangyue didn't say buy it, but only asked about the price of renting a house. Seeing this, the village chief said not too warmly: "Three hundred cash a month will be fine."
"Let's look at the room first."
The village chief led the group of people to the end of the village.
A house is located halfway up the mountain. The village chief explained: "This family is a hunter. They live alone and make a living by hunting. They have little contact with the village, so they built it on the mountainside."
At a glance, Jiuli Village is all flat land, with only one protruding mountain. But the mountain is bare, and I don’t know where the game comes from. Presumably, the hunter must have starved to death due to his livelihood.
Tang Zangyue guessed.
One room is also far away from the village, but on the edge of the winding trail.
Village chief: "This family has a female widow..."
Without saying much, Tang Zangyue guessed something and didn't ask any more questions.
The last one is a large courtyard with a front yard covered in weeds. In the center is a huge main house, separated by a hut and a kitchen.
The main house is divided into a dining room and a bedroom. The dining room is separated from the kitchen by a wall, and the bedroom is next to the latrine.
This design...
The advantage is that it covers a larger area than the previous two and is still far away from the village. However, if you want to expand, the backyard needs to be built with an exterior wall.
Tang Zangyue: "This house is also the same as the two houses I looked at before, with the same rent?"
The village chief nodded: "Same."
Seeing that Tang Zangyue was confused, the village chief led her to explore the bedroom and the wall.
The bedroom window is broken, and the village chief pointed out that the roof is leaking and needs to be repaired by oneself. Several pieces of the wall have collapsed, and one needs to build them by oneself.
The village chief's eyes finally fell on the needle pack on the cart that Xiao Yuechun was pushing, and he said, "Does anyone in your family know how to treat a doctor?"
Tang Zangyue smiled slightly, "I studied medicine when I was young. If the village doesn't mind, you can see me first for minor illnesses and I'll just charge you for the medicine."
The village chief was delighted, "Do you really know how to treat a doctor?"
"really."
"Okay, okay." The village chief said "ok" several times, and then said, "This house can be reduced by fifty cents."
Tang Zangyue understood what the other party meant and asked Aunt Liu to scoop up a bowl of soybean paste and some hemostatic powder.
"This soybean paste is made by my sister. It can be used for stews and stir-fries, or it can be rolled directly into green onions. It goes very well with rice. This is the styptic powder I made myself."
The village chief didn't care about the soybean paste, but he was looking for the styptic powder. He stared at it with his eyes straight, and quickly refused, "This won't work, this won't work, how can I take your things for free?"
Tang Zangyue kept smiling, "Why not? Didn't the village chief give us fifty cents less rent? By the way, village chief, our family has a large population, can the backyard be expanded?"
village head:"……"
The village chief agreed that it could be expanded, collected the things, and left.
Sister Zhang, the daughter-in-law of the village chief, took out the bowl of soybean paste and wiped it clean. After rinsing, she returned it to Tang Zangyue and brought her own brooms and feather dusters and other cleaning tools.
"Big sister..."
"My surname is Tang."
"Sister Tang, I tasted the soybean paste you made, and it tasted like this." The village chief's wife gave a thumbs up and said, "I've returned the bowl to you, and I still have these for your use.
Be anxious to pay it back."
Tang Zangyue: "How can this be so embarrassing... By coincidence, our children have suffered a lot since moving here, eldest sister..."
"My husband's family name is Zhang."
"Hey, Sister Zhang! Do you have a hen or a rooster at home? I'll buy one."
Sister Zhang is a little embarrassed.
Tang Zangyue: "According to the market price, I will pay twice as much."
Tang Zangyue frowned, "The soles of these children's shoes are worn out several times, and they haven't had any meat on them for several months. They are really hungry. Sister Zhang, I need to trouble you."
When Sister Zhang saw the children, they all looked pretty and pretty, and they looked like they were not children from the countryside. And the woman who was in charge of the family also had medical skills...
When she came out, the head of the family told her that she must have a good relationship with the family.
Sister Zhang gritted her teeth and said: "The chickens at home lay eggs. The eggs have to be taken to the town to exchange for some things. There is really no way. But today is a happy event, so I went to the town to cut some meat. Tang Da
Sister, if you don’t mind it, I’ll move it a little bit for you.”