Sure enough, within a few days, people from Luoyang arrived.
Wang Kang went to the Qin family's house early in the morning, and even Mrs. Dong herself went to help with the cooking. She didn't see clearly who were coming from afar. She only saw the Qin family entering the gatehouse with two guests, and there were several others behind them.
Soldiers with weapons followed. But she could guess that these people were from Luoyang.
The yard was very lively. Several villagers pulled a black pig out of the mix. Rao Dashan was skillfully sharpening a butcher's knife. The pigs neighed and people shouted. Rao Dashan did not have a famous name, "Da Shan"
"" is the nickname given to him by his father. I heard that he and his father used to be butchers who specialized in killing pigs.
After killing the pig, various smells quickly wafted into the air. The smell of pig manure, fishy smell, and roasted pig hair were all mixed together. The smell was a bit nauseating.
But none of this could affect the guests. The two distinguished guests only showed up once and had already gone to the front hall.
Near noon, Mrs. Zhang personally selected people in the courtyard, selected a few good-looking women, and allowed them to enter the hall to serve food, so as not to disappoint the guests. Like those ugly women whose clothes were dirty and torn.
Of course humans can't.
Mrs. Dong was also assigned the task of serving food, tea and water. Mrs. Zhang told them that when serving the food, they should kneel down and sit by the table first, and they were not allowed to look around, let alone raise their heads to stare at the guests.
So Dong went into the hall twice, but could not clearly see the people inside. However, she knew that Erlang was also at the table because she heard his voice.
After everyone had cleared the table, Mrs. Dong brought several bowls of tea into the hall. When she turned back and went out, she suddenly saw Erlang outside. The whole house was built on a platform, and Erlang stood on the platform.
Next to the wooden railing on the foundation. He held on to the railing, probably because he had drunk too much wine and came out to get some air.
Erlang said something to her, and she listened intently, but she couldn't understand it completely. She was in a hurry to work, so she didn't think about it carefully.
After working hard for most of the day, it paid off. The Dongs and their wives were given a little bit of pig blood and offal, as well as half a piece of roasted pork leg and a stewed pork leg bone with not much meat left. Of course, these cooked foods were all bought from the hall.
Leftovers collected from inside.
They took the things home, and Auntie (mother-in-law) had already made wheat cakes. Wheat bran and wheat flour were ground together to make cakes, as if they had vegetables in them.
When the aunt saw the meat, she kept saying, "Good people in the master's family are rewarded well." Wang Kang also echoed, "The Qin family has always treated farmers, guests, and farmers well. They have accumulated good karma, and now they are going to make a fortune."
On the contrary, Mrs. Dong didn't know what to say, and she felt a little unexplainable in her heart.
I heard my aunt mention it before that the Wang family's family background was good a long time ago, so Wang Kang was able to attend a private school when he was a child and could read and interpret sentences. But later on, the embarrassment of livelihood seemed to gradually smooth out many things.
Although eating meat is rare, these are the leftovers left by others. Of course he knows, but he is still grateful with his aunt, already numb to all this.
Mrs. Dong didn't say anything, let alone blame her husband. After all, most villagers and farmers lived like this. Some people wanted leftover meat but couldn't get it. Everyone thought it was nothing. She didn't know why she had those things.
idea.
Perhaps, it was just because she had a glimpse into the lives of the Qin family and those officials. If she had never seen it before, then she wouldn't have such strange thoughts, right?
Mrs. Dong quickly took care of the things she brought back. She picked up a knife and planned to pick out the meat from the gaps between the pork leg bones and then roast it with the remaining half of the meat. The bones were kept for stew.
While working, Mrs. Dong remembered what Erlang had said before, and silently pondered what it meant.
Erlang asked: Have you been to far away places?
Dong replied at that time: The furthest he had ever been was the county town.
Erlang's response was probably: When you leave the Qin family manor, you will probably see another manor, and the scenery may not be as good as ours. We have mountains and water here.
However, Ms. Dong was still looking forward to going to Luoyang. She had started packing her clothes and luggage this morning, and she had been in a good mood these past few days. She was almost not aware of her husband's farewell before leaving home.
Mrs. Dong didn't have many long-term plans, nor did she expect to get anything from Erlang. In her heart, her literate husband Wang Kang was very good. Now that Wang Kang's illness was cured, she was more satisfied with the current situation. However, she still felt that she could follow him to Luoyang.
I am very happy and looking forward to it, for no reason.
... As he left his hometown for Beijing and was about to leave, Qin Liang felt a little inexplicable.
Looking at the earthen walls of the manor, the gray low-rise houses, and the gatehouse in front of the mansion, he felt that it seemed particularly friendly at the moment. The transportation in this era was not convenient, and the roads were long and difficult. He couldn't help but think that there was something wrong with this.
Only then can I come back.
Brother-in-law stopped when he reached the bank of Mingdu River. Luoyang is in the southwest, and Qin Liang and others had to cross the river first.
His sister-in-law repeatedly told him about trivial matters, and his elder brother taught him earnestly and sincerely about how to be a good person. They talked more than usual. Qin Liang could feel that the reluctance of his relatives was sincere, but his sister-in-law hoped that he would go to Beijing to do something that would honor his ancestors.
It’s also sincere. So reluctance doesn’t mean staying.
After getting on the ferry, Qin Liang said "Go back" and didn't worry too much.
There were two officials sent by the general's palace and about ten soldiers.
The civil official's name is Chen An, and he has a history of official residence and affairs. He is probably a minor official in the general's palace. The military commander's name is Sun Qian, and he is a lieutenant.
I am the kind of person who is not easily noticed in a crowd.
From Pingyuan County in Jizhou to Luoyang City in Sizhou, the place we pass is the boundary between Hebei and Henan, which belongs to the hinterland of Wei State. There should be no danger. General Sun Qian seems to be a bit redundant. Qin Liang feels that the general government only sends Chen An.
Understand.
However, after getting along along the way, Qin Liang found that Sun Qian was easier to get along with, and the two talked happily. Chen An, the history official, was cautious in his words and deeds and was not very willing to talk. He rarely communicated, so Qin Liang could not easily judge his personality.
.
When he went out this time, Qin Liang's entourage included Wang Kang and his wife, as well as Rao Dashan. However, Qin Liang was not with his entourage. He rode with two officials.
The carriage made a lot of noise when it moved a little faster. There were many times when they didn't want to talk. When they were bored, they just looked at the scenery along the way. The three of them stared out the window for a long time, each of them seemed to be thinking about something, or guessing what the other was thinking.
There were few cars and horses on the long post road, and it was indeed very peaceful. There was no sign of bandits at all. Along the way, Qin Liang even felt that this fertile plain was very deserted.
Since the end of the Han Dynasty, fighting has occurred in various places, and the population has indeed decreased significantly. However, the actual remaining population is far more than the millions listed in the household register, because the gentry manors have hidden countless attached farmers. Among the Three Kingdoms, Wei has the largest population
, it is estimated that tens of millions is no problem.
It is said that during the Taizu period, taxes accounted for about 50% of the people's harvest. People often had civil strife due to the heavy burden. But in recent years, the monarchs and officials of the Wei Dynasty have become increasingly dissatisfied with life, and wars have occurred frequently.
The taxes on the civilian settlements were raised to 67/10, and the level of exploitation was unprecedented. On the contrary, the uprisings in various places were greatly reduced. However, as a result, the lack of vitality in the world became obvious.
thing.
When Qin Liang thought of this, he was speechless.
Now that he had walked out of the Qin family manor, he could only look in the direction of Luoyang and could no longer look back at the way he came.