[In the new book issue, please vote for me, beg on your knees, beg on your knees, beg on your knees!]
Chapter 8 Why I can’t have a uterus
There is a slope to the south of Anzhuang Fort. The warm sun is shining brightly at this time, and the two people are huddled in the leeward with their backs hunched.
Shi Hu had a vegetable dumpling in each hand and wolfed it down.
Tie Mo squatted next to him and looked at Shi Hu with a very serious expression, "Brother Hu, eat slowly and you won't be afraid of choking. Hey, did you take what I told you before to heart?"
"Listen to Shiniang and go back and live on the kang with my sister Lian'er!"
Shi Hu swallowed a mouthful of vegetable dumplings, chewed them, stared at Hu eyes and said angrily: "Why do you want to get on the bed with her? I won't get on the bed!"
"Why are you like this...haven't you always wanted to have children?"
"You have to go to bed with her when you have a baby?"
"Because only when a man and a woman get on the bed can they have a baby! Brother Hu, how many times have I told you that you, a grown man, will never be able to give birth to a baby!"
Shi Hu stood back unconvinced and sat down on the ground, "Why?"
"Because you don't have a uterus!"
"What is a uterus?"
"I... Anyway, you just need to know. This is the difference between men and women!"
"Oh!" Shi Hu freed his hand, scratched his scalp, thought for a while, turned to look at Tie Mo, and said with a serious face: "Xiao Tie, according to what you said, if I have a uterus, won't I
Is it okay?”
Tie Mo's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he held his forehead with both hands, "Brother Hu, you don't have a uterus!"
"Why can't I have a uterus?"
"????"
Tie Mo looked blank, suddenly feeling the urge to go crazy. He stood up, touched his still twitching cheek, and smiled helplessly.
"Brother Hu, stop talking and eat your vegetable dumplings in peace!"
"oh....."
........
It was approaching noon, and as soon as Tie Mo dragged Shi Hu into Zhuangzi, he saw many people hurriedly heading north.
Seeing Xie Kaela passing in front of him, Tie Mo grabbed him.
"Kela, what happened?"
Xie Kaila looked to the north, sighed, and said with a depressed look: "Uncle Sanpao's second child is gone."
"Erwazi is gone? He is only fifteen years old. I saw him talking and laughing two days ago..."
"Yes, only fifteen years old!" Xie Kaela accompanied Tie Mo as he rushed north, talking as he walked.
"Brother Tie, you also know the situation of Uncle Sanpao's family. The year before last, he sold five acres of his family's land to treat his mother-in-law. Now that food prices have soared, without the income from the land, his family has problems eating."
"Uncle Sanpao works for others in private, but the little money he earns can't be exchanged for half a bucket of rice a month. His family can't even eat two meals a day, and the kids are growing up...
Erwazi was so hungry that he couldn't stand it anymore, so he secretly ran to the Zaowang Temple in the east to eat Guanyin soil..."
Halfway through, Xie Kaela lowered his head and his eyes became red.
"I heard... Erwazi's belly was as bloated as that of a pregnant woman. Aunt Sanpao couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to commit suicide by throwing herself into a well. Fortunately, she was stopped..."
Tie Mo shook his head dejectedly, "How could this happen? Uncle Sanpao makes firecrackers for other families, and he can earn one tael of silver a month..."
"One tael of silver." Xie Kaela grinned and said with a self-deprecating smile: "What can you do with one tael of silver? The price of food outside is fixed every day. One tael of silver for rice and flour is not enough for twenty kilograms, and you can only buy forty kilograms of coarse grains...
..There are five people in Uncle Sanpao’s family..."
"One tael of silver and forty pounds of coarse grain?"
Tie Mo was speechless, his heart felt cold.
It was indeed an era of cannibalism, and one tael of silver cost forty catties of grain. In the good old days, one tael of silver could buy four hundred catties of rice and flour.
It is not surprising that food prices have skyrocketed, but Tie Mo never imagined that food prices in northern Shanxi would soar to such a terrifying level.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, you can figure it out.
Northern Shanxi is on the border of the Ming Dynasty and is often harassed by Tatars. It is also close to the northwest where civil unrest is common. In this case, food is simply more precious than gold.
When I arrived at Hao Sanpao's house, I saw many villagers squatting in the yard with numb expressions. Several women surrounded Sanpao's aunt and persuaded her.
Hao Erwa's body was simply placed on a wooden board, with her belly like an inflated ball.
Hao Sanpao squatted next to Erwa's body. He held the firegun tightly in his hand without a single tear on his face.
He stared at his silent son, his empty eyes filled with despair and madness.
No one knew how to persuade Hao Sanpao. Even if they wanted to lend a hand, they were unable to do anything.
For most military households in Anzhuang Fort, eating is a top priority. The biggest wish of most people is actually that the family can have a full meal during the Chinese New Year.
Looking at Hao Sanpao, who had fallen into despair, Tie Mo's heart was deeply touched.
After speaking to Xie Kaela, Tie Mo turned around and left, only to return after about half a stick of incense.
At this time, Tie Mo walked quickly to Hao Sanpao, carrying a grain bag on his back.
He threw the grain bag on the ground, took out twenty taels of silver from his pocket and put it on the grain bag.
"Uncle Sanpao, put away this money and grain!"
Hao Sanpao shook his head gently, "Tiewazi, you paid for these things with your life, I can't take them away..."
"Take it...Of course, I have conditions!"
"What conditions?"
"After some time, I want to go north to sell goods. Are you willing to come with me?"
Without much thought, Hao Sanpao gritted his teeth and agreed. He opened his chapped mouth, the corners of his lips were bloodshot, and his eyes were filled with gratitude.
If you go to the Northland to sell goods in winter, you will almost die!
But Hao Sanpao did not hesitate, nor could he hesitate. He risked his life just to give his family a chance to survive.
"Tell me when you are leaving!"
Hao Sanpao put the gun aside, carried the grain bag and silver into the house, entered the door, looked at his mother-in-law, and opened his mouth bitterly.
"Child, mother, pack up and cook for the children. The second baby is gone, but the eldest baby and the third baby are still there. I will go north with Xiaotie in a while. Life or death is uncertain. If you die in front of me, what will happen in the future?
Who will take care of the two children?"
The heartbroken woman stood up with difficulty, holding on to the broken wooden door, and staggered into the back room.
Tie Mo asked Xie Ke to pull a piece of white cloth and cover Hao Erwa's body.
"Kela, fellow villagers, please help us bury the second baby!"
Everyone worked together and carried the plank out of the yard.
There was no mourning hall, no coffin, and not much crying.
In this place where people often starve to death, tears are the cheapest thing.
A wisp of the setting sun was like blood, and a cold wind swept across the empty wilderness.
There is another grave bag next to Uncle Ergou!
This is not the last one, there will be more in the future!
.......
At night, Tie Mo lay on the bed and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
What happened today made him understand something. In this era, food is the most precious thing.
Money is not everything. It is good now. At least you can buy food if you have money. But in a few years, no matter how much money you have, you may not be able to buy food.
So, the most important thing is the ground!
If you have land, you can grow food. If you have food, you won’t feel panic.
Northern Shanxi, the place where the Four Wars took place, has seen widespread civil unrest in recent years. Northern Shanxi has been hit hard, and there are uncultivated wastelands everywhere nearby.
Wasteland does not mean ownerless!
Buying land to clear up wasteland and cultivating cattle for seeds all cost a lot of money.
In this cruel world, there is not enough time to accumulate resources bit by bit.
Therefore, one can only seek wealth and wealth through risks.
Going north to transport goods in winter, the cold wind and snow, the Gobi desert, swordsmen, horsemen and bandits, there are death everywhere, a round trip is like a trip to the palace of the king of hell.
But Tie Mo has no other good way. If he wants to open up a way to make money in a short time, there is no other way but this way.
Other wealthy merchants can endure it, wait until they get through the winter, and then barter in the next spring. Because they have accumulation and rich family assets, they can afford to spend it, but they can't afford to spend money on iron and ink.
Nothing can compare to those Shanxi merchants in Zhangjiakou, but I am more willing to risk my life than them! If you don't even dare to fight for your life, why should you compete with those Shanxi merchants for food?
Shipping goods to the north cannot be changed, but Tiemo still faces a big problem: there are too few goods on hand.
A lot of supplies had been snatched from the Tatars before, but there were very few silks and porcelain suitable for bartering.
Of course, you can go to Zhangjiakou and other places to purchase goods, but you can’t buy much with the little money you have.
Risking your life, going north to sell goods in winter, just because you have too few goods, you won't make much in the end, will you lose money?
Risking his life just for a small fight, Tie Mo is not stupid enough!
But if you don’t have enough money, how can you make a lot of money quickly?