No matter what, life has to pass, and the current situation is not too bad, and it is still early to reach the point of despair and helplessness.
The New Year Festival can be said to be the most important festival of the year for people in most countries in the world. Even beggars will try their best to eat well and wear good clothes on that day.
The so-called annual sacrifices are mainly to pay homage to the ancestors. There is no tree without roots in the world, and people are born with a background. It is the basic morality for people to pay homage to their ancestors with a pious heart.
People forget the unhappiness of the year, put aside the less urgent matters, and welcome this most important festival of the year with an extremely relaxed mood.
New clothes are put on, children play, lights are decorated, the gloomy atmosphere of the past is swept away, and only at this time does the world have some cheerful atmosphere.
Yunjing did what he should do, and he didn't mind doing his part. He couldn't do anything about many things that were beyond his ability, and there was no point in trying to do it again. He also relaxed for the time being to welcome the New Year Festival.
In the few days before the New Year Festival, Yunjing started to be as busy as in previous years. He cleaned up with his family, swept away the bad luck of the year, said goodbye to the old and welcomed the new, and wrote couplets on bright red paper. Not only his own home, but also the villagers also
I will ask Yunjing to help me write the couplets, and I will give you some money to help me write the couplets. It has nothing to do with money, and Yunjing is happy to help. As long as everyone is happy.
In the midst of all the busy work, the day of the New Year Festival finally arrived, and Yunjing's family all put on new clothes.
Bai Zhi closed the shops in the town for a few days and came back. She was a member of this family, so how could she be absent? With her, the house became more lively. Yun Xi pestered Bai Zhi and called her sister-in-law.
They got along very harmoniously, but Yundong was quite reserved and showed no disrespect to this sister-in-law.
Lin Xingyu didn't come. Although she had established a relationship with Yunjing, she still had to take care of her family. At least it had to be justified. She was different from Bai Zhi. After all, the family ties with Bai Zhi's family were almost completely severed.
Not so many worries.
The family arranged two tables of sumptuous meals, including chicken, duck, and fish.
The reason why there are two tables is because Yunjing invited Song Yan, Ding Wei, and the yard steward who was rewarded by the town government to come to the ancestral home to celebrate this festival, so there was no room for one table.
When it comes to festivals, the more lively the better, of course. We are not afraid of crowds, but we are afraid of being deserted.
Unknowingly, Yunjing's family became stronger and more prosperous.
Nowadays, Yunjing's industries are more or less, and there are many in the town, and some in the capital, and there are also some businesses. Naturally, all aspects need to be taken care of by human hands. He has ordered those who can't come in person to be given to them.
A red envelope. As the person who can really make decisions in this family, Yunjing is not stingy with his servants. Whoever you treat sincerely will treat you sincerely. It is mutual.
The meals for the lockdown were prepared, and of course they were presented to the ancestors as soon as possible in this era without a circle of friends.
In the main room of the Yunjing family's ancestral home, food was served and drinks were prepared. Grandpa Yun Lin led the family to kneel down and worship their ancestors. Everyone was pious and solemn, even the youngest Yun Xi looked serious.
No matter who dares to make a fuss and disrespect the ancestors at this time, even Yunjing will be punished.
When worshiping ancestors, there were many people in Yunjing's family, and Bai Zhi was among them. Originally, Bai Zhi's concubine was not qualified to do so, but after Yunjing and her family discussed it behind her back, her grandfather Yunlin made the decision.
It was decided that she would also worship her ancestors.
In Yun Lin's words, once you have entered my Yun family's door, you are now a family. We don't care so much about being inferior to others. We, a small family, are all one family, and there is no need to distinguish them so clearly.
Regarding Yunjing's family's decision, one can imagine how moved, surprised, and happy Bai Zhi was. How many concubines in the world can appreciate this honor? I really can't even think about it, and it would be wrong to think about it. After all, usually speaking
, my concubine’s identity is not even allowed to enter the ancestral hall after her death, but she still wants to worship the ancestors. Could it be that she wants to make the following mistake?
But the Yunjing family allowed her to worship their ancestors together. This level of attention was comparable to that of a head wife.
Pay homage to the ancestors, pray three times and nine times, pray for good weather and peace, and then burn some money to burn incense one by one. It takes almost half an hour to finish.
After paying homage to the ancestors, the family sat together to eat and drink happily.
Bai Zhi sat next to Yunjing. He didn't get carried away because he could enter the main hall to worship his ancestors. Instead, he became more and more cautious. He kowtowed to Yunjing's parents, grandfather and aunt Jiang Xiaoxi and toasted her. The family was very happy, helped her up, and gave her a red envelope each.
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It was during the process that his mother Jiang Susu and aunt Jiang Xiaoxi kept looking at Bai Zhi's belly, which made Yunjing quite speechless. After such a long time, it was not that either he or Bai Zhi was infertile, both of them were healthy.
Bai Zhi's stomach didn't move because both of them were paying attention to contraception. Yun Jing didn't want to become a father so early and he was only eighteen years old. Bai Zhi's reason was because Su Xiaoye's first wife didn't come in and she didn't dare to have a baby first...
…
Later, the three Yunjing brothers and sisters also received red envelopes and blessings from their elders. The family's blessings were simple and unpretentious, and they wanted to be healthy and safe. This was their biggest wish.
Then Song Yan and the others also came to toast Yunjing's family one by one. Naturally, Yunjing's family was not stingy at all with the red envelopes they deserved. They didn't have much money, but they showed their sincerity.
After a pleasant meal, Song Yan, Ding Wei and the others left as they should, while the Yunjing family went to visit the graves of their deceased elders, working until almost dark.
During this period, Grandpa Yunlin talked a lot alone in front of Grandma Yunjing's grave. After returning home, his eye circles were a little red. In addition, he drank some wine during the meal and was not in high spirits, so he went to bed early after dark.
It was rare for him to rest for a day without any worries, so Yunshan went to the village chief to find someone to drink and chat with. As for gambling, he didn't dare to do anything.
Money, if Yunshan dares to play with money, grandpa Yunlin will not be able to spare him, and he will have to break the stick.
You've only had a few good days, and you dare to make money?
The family tradition of the Yunjing family is that no matter who it is, Grandpa Yunlin will go crazy if he dares to play with money. His old man will never allow this precedent to be set. I especially remember the time when Yun Dong was tricked by a classmate in school and lost dozens of copper coins.
When grandpa found out, he was hung up and beaten, and no one could stop him.
Anyway, no one in the Yunjing family engaged in gambling. In the early years, they were afraid of poverty. Even if a copper plate fell into the hands of others for nothing, it would be like cutting flesh.
Jiang Susu and Jiang Xiaoxi took Bai Zhiyunxi to chat alone. There are always some private words between women.
Yundong went off to have fun somewhere, but Yunjing was not bored by himself. Reading was the best way to pass the time.
This year, Xiaoxi Village made a tacit agreement not to invite a theater troupe to liven things up. After all, the drought has lasted so long, and no one knows what will happen next year. Naturally, we will save money if we can.
After one day, the next year begins at night. Taking advantage of the festive atmosphere, every household begins to visit relatives and friends.
The Yunjing family has been a single family for several generations, so naturally there are no relatives to leave. However, Jiang Susu's natal family has no one left, and there are no relatives to leave.
But on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Susu and Jiang Xiaoxi decided to go back to their hometown to visit the graves after discussing it. Even if their relatives were gone but they were still alive, they could not let their relatives stand aside in a deserted manner without any offerings.
Yunjing's family did not refuse their decision, and Yunshan even offered to send them there.
Because the drought had lasted for so long, the world was becoming more and more unstable. For safety reasons, Yunjing took the time to go to the princess's mansion and hired a master of true artistic conception to secretly escort his mother and the others.
The journey is long and it involves family, so Yunjing cannot be too careful.
After settling down his family and escorting them out of Niujiao Town, Yunjing also wanted to visit relatives and friends, but this year he didn't need to go to the master's house in the town, because the master's wife went to the place where the master worked, and there was no one at home.
Although he couldn't kowtow to his master and his wife in person to pay New Year greetings, Yun Jing had written a letter and sent it long ago.
In addition to his master's house, Yunjing also had to go to the houses of the teachers in the school. In addition, he also had to go to the houses of some classmates and friends, and then he had to hang out with some officials in the town and county. As a person of the world, he would never be too embarrassed.
If there are too many, you may need someone's help one day, so it is not advisable to temporarily turn on the cold stove.
In short, just try your best to do your best.
After this busy period, half a month passed without realizing it.
Strictly speaking, spring begins after the New Year Festival. Because the whole winter has been warm, spring seems to have come very early this year, and greenery has appeared in the fields before you know it.
But what is different from previous years is that due to the lack of rain, the greenery in the mountain forest is not full of vitality, but rather lifeless. It is still unknown whether those originally pleasant greens will grow into lush foliage as time goes by. If not,
Rain, I'm afraid...
I don’t know when spring plowing has started, and farmers are already busy in the fields, but they have a look of confusion and panic on their faces, and the smiles during the New Year Festival have long since disappeared from their faces.
From last year to now, there has not been a drop of rain in the sky. The ground is so dry that smoke and dust rise everywhere when the wind blows. The soil in the dry land breaks into powder when pinched. The original paddy fields are full of gaps that can be trapped by an ox's foot.
Even if the soil is turned up, it will dry quickly under the scorching sun!
Spring plowing has inevitably been greatly affected. If planting continues in this kind of weather, let alone whether there will be a harvest in the field, there is a big question mark as to whether the seedlings can survive!
But spring has already begun. What can farmers do if they don't cultivate the fields? They can only bite the bullet and cultivate as in previous years, looking up at the sky from time to time, confused and desperate.
As time goes by, food prices have risen again and again. A pound of coarse grains has reached an astonishing five copper coins per pound, which is five times more expensive than normal times. Even so, many times you can't even buy it with money.
arrive!
The atmosphere of panic has inevitably spread...
Compared with other places, the Niujiao Town area is slightly better. After all, this place is a grain source town gifted by the emperor and a fiefdom of the eldest princess. The residents do not have to pay taxes, which means they have less of a heavy burden than the people in other places.
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But even if you don't have to pay taxes, if you can't grow crops in the land, can you still live a happy life? No one has that much food piled up to eat for a year or two. After all, the promotion of farmyard fertilizer is very important for food in this era.
The yield is also limited, and there are no genetically modified high-yield crops. Even if they are high-yield crops, they still can’t be grown without water!
When the New Year started to get busy with visiting relatives and friends, Yunjing started to get busy again. He was running around every day and rarely had any leisure time.
He tried his best to open up the earth's veins and draw out groundwater to help farmers cultivate the land, but how much land could he take care of by himself?
Walking in the fields, the cloud scenery is not as leisurely and leisurely as the apricot blossoms blowing all over my head during a spring outing. My heart is heavy and very depressing.
The sky is clear as a blue, and the scorching sun at noon in the spring is also showing its fierceness. Under the sun, the fields are a bit dazzling. The farmers are numb and mechanical and cultivate in the dark as usual, but there is no hope in their eyes.
Outside Niujiao Town, Yunjing squatted on the edge of a plowed field, picked up a piece of soil, squeezed it gently, and turned into dust and flew away in the wind between his fingers.
He stood up and walked, his steps heavy.
There is water flowing in the river not far away, and the groundwater is diverted upstream by the cloud scenery. Therefore, there is no shortage of water in the river. There is also a waterwheel set up on the river, but the water source diverted by the waterwheel cannot take care of the water sources that are too far away.
There is a shortage of water in every household. The water flows through more than a dozen fields and cannot flow anywhere else. The shortcomings of water diversion from low areas are clearly reflected. After all, the earth is dry. When water passes through, a little leaks here and there is still some left.
How much?
Spring plowing relies on streams for irrigation. Unless there are canals for many years, it relies more on precipitation from the sky. After a heavy rain, the fields will not be short of water, but if it doesn't rain, the streams will definitely not be enough.
Even if there is water in the stream, there are already people on the higher ground and far away from the stream carrying water under the scorching sun. They carry water to irrigate the fields in order to get a harvest. This does not make much sense, but it is not possible to do this otherwise.
What can I do? Are you free?
Rumble…
Several horses galloped past on the road in the distance. They were the town's police officers. They rushed towards the distance and quickly disappeared from sight.
The movement there attracted the attention of farmers in the field. Some people looked up and looked in the direction where the policemen disappeared, shook their heads and sighed.
Yunjing's senses were sharp, and he heard two farmers in the adjacent fields discussing the policemen who were passing by. They said that there was probably another fight over water somewhere, and the government needed to go to calm it down. Since the beginning of spring,
During this period, nearly ten armed fights over water took place around Niujiao Town alone. Two villages even got into a fight with hundreds of people participating. Several people were killed and injured at that time.
The residual value is as high as double digits...
Hearing what they said, Yunjing felt even more depressed.
Fighting for water and fighting with weapons are unavoidable in such weather and seasons. Farmers need to survive, and survival requires food, and food comes from the fields. Therefore, it is worth fighting for their lives in order to survive and have water to irrigate their fields!
This is just around Niujiao Town. The situation is pretty good, but what about further away? I can’t imagine what the situation will be like. If it’s not good, farmers can’t see hope, but if someone deceives them...
It’s not that the government has done nothing. In fact, the government is more anxious than anyone else. After all, spring plowing is related to farming and the country. But if God doesn’t rain, what can they do?
This situation is not just one state or one place, but the same situation across the country and even other countries. There is no rain, spring plowing is difficult, and farming is hopeless...
Yunjing took the time to visit the Li River. He usually took action early. Perhaps his suggestions were adopted. Huge waterwheels were erected one after another on both sides of the Lijiang River. The diameter of the largest ones was nearly a hundred meters. Some were strong.
The earth was torn apart and canals were dug to divert the water from the Li River to the distant fields to irrigate the fields.
There are huge waterwheels everywhere on both sides of the Lijiang River, and there are many canals on the shore. The diversion of water has caused the water level of the Lijiang River, which has already dropped seriously, to drop further...
Even though the whole country is working hard, it is still a drop in the bucket in the face of the drought that has affected the entire world. Countless people see it and are anxious in their hearts, but it is useless to be anxious.
After walking around Niujiao Town, Yunjing headed towards Xiaoxi Village with a heavy heart. According to what he observed, even if he tried his best to divert the groundwater, he still couldn't estimate that at least half of the town's entire world was covered with water.
There is no water source to irrigate the fields, let alone dry land.
If the climate continues like this, the groundwater will not be inexhaustible. I am afraid that in one year, the grain production in Niujiao Town can reach half of last year. It will be a blessing. Even if there is no harvest, it will not be a failure.
possible!
This is just Niujiao Town, what about further away?
"I have really tried my best," Yun Jing said bitterly in his heart. He has never been a pessimistic person, but facing the current situation, what can Yun Jing do?
Don't talk about him, even Ye Tian, who is suspected of being God's own son, is of no use, he can only stare.
From the time he came to this world until now, eighteen years later, Yunjing felt bitter emotions in his heart for the first time. No matter how difficult the days were back then, he had never been like this.
Drought affects more than just the fields. Dry weather can easily cause fires. These are only visible to the naked eye. Various banditry and panic make people dare not think about it in detail.
If this continues, the court will definitely find ways to provide disaster relief. However, the whole country is like this. How much can it take care of if the country is hollowed out?
Yunjing has never experienced such a catastrophe, but he has seen it in film and television works in his previous life. In the face of such a disaster, not only one or two people died, but millions and tens of millions, which was more serious than war.
It's terrible. The so-called ten rooms and nine empty rooms describes this kind of disaster situation. It is not impossible for it to even evolve into a place with no human habitation for thousands of miles.
I looked up at the sky, why is this happening?
Rumor has it that Emperor Dali is already preparing to issue an edict to offer sacrifices to the sky and pray for rain, but will that be useful?
He didn't go to the town or the county seat. Even Yunjing didn't plan to go to crowded places because the drought was discussed everywhere. Whenever he heard this, his mentality became heavier and more depressed.
He is not escaping, but there is really no other way. If such a situation occurs in every village and town, it will not be a problem, but now the whole world is experiencing a severe drought. Under such circumstances, no matter how powerful his cloud scene is, it is no better than an ant.
What's the difference? I can only pray that God will open his eyes.
The school in the town has started, and the younger brothers and sisters have continued to go to school. It is not their turn to worry about the general environment. They can just do their best.
Returning to Xiaoxi Village, standing at the entrance of the village, I saw that the villagers in Xiaoxi Village did not have much sadness on their faces. They were farming normally as in previous years.
After all, this is where Yunjing grew up. He will always be partial to others. There is abundant water and it can ensure that every family's fields are not affected.
People are selfish, right? He, Yunjing, is also a normal person. When he takes care of his surroundings, he doesn't mind helping more people, but he has to do his best. It's really uncomfortable to feel powerless.
Thinking too much will only make you depressed.
Looking at the scene of villagers farming in Xiaoxi Village, Yunjing couldn't help but fell into silence for a long time.
He couldn't figure out why there was such a severe drought. If it was okay to talk about a few states, but now it is affecting the whole country, is it reasonable? What is the problem?
There was silence until the uneven sound of reading came from the village, which made Yunjing reveal a forced smile on his face.
The school in Xiaoxi Village was built last year. It is the result of the joint efforts of the villagers. All the procedures are complete, prepared by the government, and Yunjing went there himself.
In other words, there is no difference between the school in Xiaoxi Village and the school in Niujiao Town. Children studying in Xiaoxi Village School and students in Niujiao Town School have the same imperial examination qualifications.
Xiaoxi Village actually has its own school, and the younger generations can become scholars. This is something that all the villagers never dared to dream about. When they heard the sound of children reading, the busy villagers in the fields slowed down a little, for fear that
They were disturbed, and occasionally looked up in the direction of the school. Everyone had a smile from the bottom of their hearts, and everyone was full of energy. That was hope, that was the future, that was a better tomorrow.
Now there are fifty-three students in Xiaoxi Village School. After all, Xiaoxi Village is only that big. There are only twenty or thirty households in total. There can be fifty-three students. Yunjing proposes that all students aged six and above
The following are all for studying. Of course, if other people, including adults, want to attend, they can also attend. After all, it is a school in the village.
There are two or three teachers in the school, and the teaching staff is magnificent. The mountain leader is an old scholar in his sixties, and the other two are old boys. Yunjing is also the honorary mountain leader.
The three people who originally invited the three people to teach in Xiaoxi Village all declined in every possible way. However, after Yunjing personally came to invite them, they all packed up their things and rushed over overnight. They didn't have to give face to the villagers, they didn't have to give money and face.
But that was Yunjing's personal invitation. They all ran very fast and were in constant contact with Yunjing. They did it for free.
After withdrawing his thoughts, Yun Jing's eyes flickered, and then he rose into the sky silently, heading straight towards the capital.
There was a severe drought in the world, which was very abnormal. Something must be wrong. Yunjing went to find Master Deng to inquire. Yunjing went anyway, knowing that there was a high probability that he would not get any useful information.
It would be better if we could contact Liu Neng in Xiaoyao Realm, but God knows where his old man is now...