Chapter 65 New Life
Just a breeze can make you tremble.
In the evening, Zhu Ping'an stood in the desolate courtyard, looking at the two dilapidated thatched houses that were trembling in the wind. He couldn't say a word. They really surrounded Xiao Ran and could not hide them. Windy day.
"It's all me who has caused trouble for you three." The father, lying on the stretcher, blamed himself, with a look of loneliness on his face.
My mother, Mrs. Chen, heard this and gently hit Zhu's father with a smile on her face, "What can I say, we are a blessing in disguise. I tell you Zhu Shouyi, I have long wanted to separate the family!" If you still hurt your leg, I have to light a bunch of firecrackers to celebrate.”
"I think this is pretty good. It's very close to the river. I'll catch two fish to make soup later." The eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan also stood up at this time, with an optimistic smile on his face.
"Okay, okay, I can eat fish in the fish soup this time." Zhu Ping'an seemed to be infected by the optimism of his mother Chen and his eldest brother, and he became childish at this moment. Joy blossomed.
Listening to what his wife and children said, Father Zhu also showed a rare smile.
"Why are you giggling? The doctor said your leg is not broken. Dachuan will catch a fish later. You should drink more fish soup. It will be ready soon and you can be a cow and a horse for us three!"< br>
The harsh words coming out of Chen’s mouth made Father Zhu sweet in his heart.
Being close to the river, it is much more convenient to clean the yard. The family took advantage of the sky not completely getting dark to sweep the yard, sprinkle water and remove dust
The thatched house was so comfortable at night. Zhu Pingan and his family lay down in the yard after dinner. Thatched houses, looking forward to a better life in the future.
Mother Chen was whispering excitedly about her family fortune, and the family listened quietly, "I have saved more than three taels of private money before, and Xie'er's new year's money is close to one tael. No. 1 in Okawa The honeysuckle sold last time was 120 Wen, and the two silver nuggets that the noble lady gave to She'er also weighed one or two more. The honeysuckle picked by Dachuan last time was bought for more than 270 Wen, and my purse was also sold for 130 Wen. Go to rotten wood I also brought back a few hundred coins from the town these two times. The bad guy compensated me with one tael of silver. Oh, by the way, I also made more than one tael of rags for others. We can ask people to help clean up the yard tomorrow. ”
The family now has about 9 taels of silver. More than 9 taels of silver is considered a huge sum of money in a farm family. Fortunately, Zhu Pingan has helped the family generate a lot of income during this time, otherwise the family would be afraid. It's difficult.
The next day it was not necessary for Chen to call for help, and someone came to help.
The third uncle, the third aunt, and the lazy fourth uncle also came. Of course, the crow-mouthed fourth aunt was indispensable. In addition, several of my father's best brothers also came to help. Not only did they come to help, but they also brought things for themselves, including food and clothing. Even the fourth aunt secretly gave Chen more than a hundred dollars.
What happened to the Zhu family cannot be hidden from everyone's eyes, and everyone knows the root cause. No one knows the trick. The thoughtful people in Xiahe Village sympathize with Zhu Ping'an's family.
"I'm not talking about you, Second Sister-in-law, why are you looking for someone if there are so many of us left alone? It's better to spend that wasted money to buy some food to replenish the body of Second Brother." Aunt Xiaosi Still the same as before, he couldn't stop talking, adding thatch into the stirred mud, and kept chattering.
First time
For the first time, Zhu Ping'an felt that the little fourth aunt with a crow's mouth was so cute.
Things are easy to do when there are many people. With the help of everyone, the thatched house of Zhu Pingan's family has been greatly changed. The adobe walls of the thatched house have been reinforced and the thatched grass has been renovated so that you can no longer see the sky full of stars. The yard has also been built, and a mud wall as high as one person surrounds the yard, and safety is guaranteed.
Thanks to these people, Zhu Ping'an and his family spent more than a tael of money to tidy up the yard, fill in some household items, and decorate the small home.
At noon, Li Zheng also came and said that the village elders had jointly allocated five acres of wasteland around Zhu Ping'an's family's five-acre dry field to Zhu Ping'an's family. As long as they were reclaimed in time, they could use the above According to the policy, the land title has been issued.
Two acres of paddy fields, five acres of dry fields plus five acres of wasteland, may seem like a lot, but in fact, according to the productivity of the Ming Dynasty, there was not much output. The output of five acres of dry fields is not as good as the output of two acres of paddy fields. Not to mention five acres of wild land.
But no matter what, with these fields, Zhu Ping'an's family doesn't have to worry about going hungry.
Father Zhu is in good health and is a tall and thick man. The injury he suffered this time looked bloody and scary, but it was actually a skin injury. Father Zhu only lay in bed for seven or eight days before he could get out of bed and walk and stumble. .
Ten days later, Zhu's father was as strong as an ox as usual, which made Zhu Ping'an's family laugh even more.
There are so many fields at home, especially the five acres of wasteland, which must be reclaimed in time, otherwise the land deed will not be issued if the time is missed.
Zhu's father is in good health, Zhu Pingchuan is only a half-year-old child, and although his mother, Chen, is a bit more aggressive, she doesn't have much strength. As for Zhu Ping'an, forget it, he's not even thigh high.
The family decided to buy a cattle. Since the founding of the country by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty has issued a ban on the killing of farm cattle. It is prohibited to slaughter cattle for meat. Even raising cattle to death will be punished, so the price of cattle is not expensive now. The Zhu family only spent less than three thousand dollars to buy a tall and strong black cow.
With the help of this big black cow, the Zhu family's five acres of wasteland were reclaimed in time, and Li Zheng also helped apply for the title deed in time.
Zhu's father and his eldest brother went into the mountains every now and then to catch rabbits and pheasants to supplement the family's income. His mother, Chen, mended her purse day and night to exchange money. Zhu Ping'an felt that he had to contribute while he was still studying.
Just as the fields were being plowed, the big black cow was idle. In order to bring out the value of this big black cow, and also to make some money for my family. Zhu Pingan thought for several days and finally came up with a good idea.
"Is it possible?" Mother Chen was very doubtful.
"It doesn't matter if it's unfortunate, I'll give it a try." Zhu's father agreed with Zhu Ping'an's idea.
So, a few days later, a new thing spread in Siliba Village. Of course, the fact that Four Mile Eight Villages spread so quickly is inseparable from the fact that Zhu Pingan gave 20 children 20 cents to promote Four Mile Eight Villages.
Anyway, a few days later, Zhu’s father drove an ox cart on the road. The oxcart is very strange. It is much longer and wider than ordinary oxcarts. There are strip seats in two rows. This is a wooden oxcart freshly built by Zhu's father. The trees cut down from the mountains cost nothing. There is a bell hanging on the neck of the big black cow. When it walks, the bell jingles and spreads far.
"Shou Yi, is it true that this ox cart only costs a penny in the town?" The surrounding villages had already received the news, but they were still unconfirmed, so an elderly lady asked.
"Everyone else has one penny, but I was brought up under your care, and I dare not accept your money." Father Zhu said with a smile.
"You bastard looks down on my aunt, right? She can still afford a penny. Your ox cart is very convenient for us, otherwise my old arms and legs wouldn't be able to reach the town." Laughing and cursing, he got on the bullock cart.
Yes, Zhu Pingan transplanted the idea of modern buses to this era. It takes more than half an hour to walk from the village to the town, and one hour is two hours. Many are comfortable and labor-saving, and they only cost a penny, so people are still willing to pay.
After Zhu's father left in his bullock cart, his mother, Chen, stood outside the door anxiously waiting. Until Zhu's father came back in the evening, her mother Chen's uneasy heart did not change.
Zhu's father drove the ox cart through the door and pulled Chen into the room like a thief.
“Ah, my sons are all here!” Mother Chen blushed and spat at Father Zhu, thinking that Father Zhu was going to do something embarrassing.
Father Zhu also made a big blush, shook his head repeatedly, and pulled Mrs. Chen into the room.
As soon as he entered the room, Father Zhu began to unfasten his belt.
Mr. Chen's face turned even redder when she saw it, and she pinched Zhu's father's waist angrily, and said angrily, "Damn it, I know you've been hurt for a while, so tonight, tonight will be fine again." Your intention"
Chen At this point, his words suddenly stopped, and then his voice became louder, "Zhu Shouyi, didn't you go for robbery?!"
Zhu's father untied his belt because his arms were full of copper coins, and his sleeves were full of copper coins. The money bag inside is already full.
Wow, Zhu’s father poured all the copper coins on the bed and looked at Chen with excited eyes, “How can I know how to rob? I earned all this by recruiting people in town today!”
"Really?" Chen's eyes lit up excitedly.
Father Zhu nodded vigorously, "Today happens to be a big gathering in the town. There are more people, so I have made a few extra trips. If it is normal, there may not be so many."
Chen's eyes were full of gold, and he counted excitedly. It took him a long time to finish counting, and there were a total of two hundred and thirty-seven coins.
Transportation, especially monopoly traffic, is of course indispensable for making money. As the instigator, Zhu Pingan was not surprised by this. (End of this chapter)