On the second day, there were sparse snowflakes floating in the sky.
People ignored the cold and looked up at the sky, hoping that the snow would fall heavier.
After a long drought, this was God's only gift.
But Zuo Mengeng suffered a lot and couldn't sleep for a while longer.
It's really too cold.
The thick bedding could not keep any temperature at all in the morning, and my toes were numb from the cold.
Even so, after he got up, he washed himself with cold water to make his sleepiness disappear.
Xu Ruolin also got up, greedily holding the small bowl and sipping the hot rice porridge in small sips.
"Now I believe what you said, it's a little ice age."
Zuo Mengeng also used rice porridge to warm the internal organs.
"Not to mention Shandong, I heard that water dripping into ice in Jiangnan and Jiangxi, and heavy snow has sealed the mountains. This winter, it will be even more difficult for the people."
He began to think about renovating his home.
If you sleep on a wooden bed in such cold weather, your body may not be able to withstand it.
After breakfast, we came to the front yard, and eight people from Zuo Rong were already waiting.
"Master, please wear this inside."
Zuo Rong brought a piece of cotton armor.
I am going to Zhuangzi today. The farmers are resisting the rent and have injured people. Who knows what the situation is.
More protection, more safety.
If it were in the past, with Zuo Mengeng's arrogance, he would definitely not bother wearing armor to deal with a few weak-legged people.
But Zuo Mengeng is different now.
Especially since he almost lost his life in Jifu, he attaches great importance to safety.
The cotton armor is not heavy and cannot be seen outside when worn under a cotton robe.
Although according to the Ming law, anyone who secretly hides crossbows and armor is considered to be treason, but by the end of the Ming Dynasty, the law was abolished, and only the ghost knows how effective it is.
Especially generals like Zuofu are equipped with bows, crossbows and armor.
When we arrived outside the city, there were more refugees than yesterday.
But today, some kind people went out of the city to give porridge to the refugees.
Near the city gate, a line of carriages lined up, each carriage had a large wooden barrel on it. The lid was lifted, and the aroma of rice porridge was particularly attractive in such weather.
Dozens of men were maintaining order and making porridge, but one of the girls in the black skirt seemed particularly different.
This woman was dressed in a black robe and skirt, tightly wrapped up, with a black scarf on her face, but just looking at her figure, she looked like a top-notch beauty.
Everyone else was hurrying on their way, except Zuo Dai who was keeping his head open.
"Whose female family member is this? I've never seen her before."
Zuo Yong made fun of him.
"Sixth brother, do you want a wife? There are as many officials as dogs in Linqing, and there are Jinshi everywhere. How can I know everyone's young lady?"
Zuo Fu didn't talk much, but he helped Zuo Dai.
"I've definitely never seen it before."
They were talking so lively that Zuo Mengeng just glanced at them and said, "Let's go, there's nothing to see. Do you think giving porridge is a Bodhisattva? Maybe the invitation to smell the incense can buy people's hearts."
Six years ago, Xu Hongru, the leader of the Wenxiang Sect, started a rebellion and destroyed most of Shandong, causing everyone to change their temper.
At this time, hearing Zuo Menggeng mention the name of the Demon Cult, the brothers did not dare to make trouble and followed him away obediently.
No one had noticed that a big man who was drinking on the roadside was always staring at Zuo Mengeng. Even if Zuo Mengeng disappeared, his eyes would not let him go.
Zuo's Zhuangzi is located twenty miles north of the city and is extremely remote.
Several people rode along the official road and ran for a while, then turned into a branch road on one side, close to a forest. The road became more and more bumpy as they went.
Zuo Mengeng couldn't help but complain.
"Zhuangzi is too far away."
Zuo Rong explained: "There is no way. Our family started too late, and all the good land in Linqing has been occupied. Even these three hundred acres of land were obtained by the master with great effort."
After running for another stick of incense, the road forked again in the distance.
One side leads to the distance, while the other side turns diagonally, and you can vaguely see a small village at the end of the branch road.
Zuo Hua suddenly rushed out, his voice lingering in the wind and snow.
"Master, I'm going to catch that beast Liang Yue."
Before Zuo Mengeng could shout, Zuo Hua had already run far away. He was afraid that this irritable guy would cause trouble, so he had no choice but to speed up his horse.
But when they rushed outside Zhuangzi, they discovered that Zuo Hua had not gone in. Instead, he stood there dumbfounded, as if he had been stimulated by something.
Don't talk about him, Zuo Menggeng and others couldn't help but take a breath when they saw the situation in Zhuangzi.
Even though they had faced overwhelming mobs in Jifu, they had never been as frightened as they were now.
There are about thirty thatched houses in the village, and not a single tile-roofed house. There is a fence around the outside, but most of them have collapsed now.
As long as you want to get in or out, you can get in anywhere.
The thatched houses formed a circle in the center of the village, leaving a large open space.
There is a large locust tree surrounded by three people in the open space. It is probably hundreds of years old.
However, now the tree is no longer full of vitality, and looks more like a calling flag from hell.
I saw seven or eight corpses hanging on the big tree, swinging back and forth in the cold wind, as if they were playing some unparalleled mournful cry.
The brutal killings on the battlefield are certainly thrilling, but this silent way of ending one's life is even more shocking to the soul.
Zuo Mengeng completely lost consciousness and looked at those humble lives in a daze, feeling that the blood in his body was frozen.
In troubled times, people's lives are not as good as those of dogs.
How desperate would it be in a world where even survival is being exploited?
It is not that there are no people in Zhuangzi.
There were obviously many people surrounding the big locust tree.
But what is the difference between those who are alive and those who are dead?
Even though Zuo Mengeng and others came on horseback, they didn't let them move at all. When death is inevitable, why should you care?
Zuo Mengeng dismounted, pushed Zuo Hua aside, and walked slowly into Zhuangzi, getting closer to the hanged corpses.
These people who hanged themselves obviously belong to the same family.
There were old ladies over sixty, others with sallow complexion and skinny muscles, and even a boss girl.
The wind blew and swayed, and the little girl's body turned around, facing Zuo Mengeng. There was still reluctance for this world, and the corners of her mouth were curved, as if she was trying to retain the last trace of happiness.
Perhaps it is not an exception for a good family to end in this way in this end of the world.
It was only then that an old man came up with the support of his grandson.
"Uncle, Second Master, you are late. Liang Yue...Liang Yue escaped and disappeared after he injured the housekeeper yesterday. His wife, wife, and children all hanged here at night if they knew there was no way to survive.
Already."
Zuo Rong and Zuo Hua looked ugly. Although they had expected it, they still felt depressed after hearing it.
Zuo Rong was still kind, but Zuo Hua refused to give up.
"You think this matter is over? Humph, when grandpa finds him, let him go down and reunite with the whole family."
All the bankers heard his shouting, and they were all trembling with fear. Only one person was very angry and rushed over.
"Originally, it was the family members who beat Liang Yue's father to death, which was wrong first, and now they have forced Liang Yue's whole family to death. Do we really want to kill them all?"
Zuo Hua glanced at that person with dangerous eyes.
"Zhang Yan, in the past you just jumped up and down, instigating these idiots to cause trouble. What's the matter, do you want to imitate those rebellious people in the northwest?"
The man was less than thirty years old, and he was relatively strong among the bankers with yellow faces and skinny muscles. After hearing what Zuo Hua said, his expression changed drastically.
"In the eyes of the second master, don't we mud-legged people count as human beings? Who is not a father and mother, struggling in the world? If the second master feels that Liang Yue's family is not enough to pay for the butler's life, kill us all.
"
Zuo Hua was furious and wanted to draw his knife.
"Asshole, do you think grandpa doesn't dare?"
Zuo Mengeng kicked Zuo Hua somersault.
"Is it your turn to make the decision?"
Everyone was shocked and focused their attention on this young man who had been silent.
"Who is this……"
The old man looked at Zuo Rong, his eyes searching.
"Old Qintou, this is the young master. Everything here is entirely up to the young master."
When they heard that the owner's family was coming, all the bankers were frightened. Obviously, whether they lived or died depended on Zuo Mengeng's thoughts.
Lao Qin gritted his teeth and tried hard to defend himself.
"Young master, it was only Liang Yue who injured the butler. We are all honest people and we don't dare to be disrespectful to our master."
Zuo Menggeng's eyes swept over the bankers waiting for the verdict, and he was shocked to find that many of them didn't even have a pair of straw sandals.
What's even more strange is that most of the bankers gathered here are men, with few women and children.
"Everyone in the village is here?"
Old Qintou was a little ashamed.
"Everyone who can come out is here."
Zuo Mengeng's heart tightened.
"A lot of people are sick on the farm?"
Disasters in the late Ming Dynasty can be said to be of all kinds. What Zuo Menggeng feared the most was the plague in Zhuangzi.
Who knew that was not the case at all.
"Many people don't have enough clothes to see people. It's not a sign of disrespect for the young master."
That's the reason.
Seeing that the pants of many villagers could not even cover their calves, Zuo Mengeng knew that this was the case. He also gained some understanding of the situation of the people in this era.
In such a world, how can the people's anger not explode!