Chapter 915 Return to Beijing
In early October, the drought had not yet passed, and ordinary people were still concentrated at the three major disaster relief sites in the south of the Yangtze River. The men were still digging water channels every day. Many places had been dug and the water was flowing. The people also took the time to bring winter wheat Once planted, the winter wheat will be harvested in March next year, and the people will not go hungry.
In other places that were not affected by the disaster, after the autumn harvest in late September, all the new grain was confiscated by the court and troops were sent to the south of the Yangtze River.
This batch of grain once again saved the food shortage in Jiangnan, and also saved the lives of millions of people in Jiangnan.
With the food available, Chu Jingqi ordered that the men working at work should be given two meals of dry rice and one meal of porridge a day. As for the women at home, they could only eat two meals of porridge a day.
After eating dry food, the men worked more vigorously. It took nearly half a year to dig the water channel, and more than half of it was dug out. There are still some cities far away from the lake that have not been dug through.
As the waterways were dug farther and farther, officers, soldiers and people slowly moved to various cities along with the extension of the waterways. Chu Jingqi directly assigned the task of digging waterways in various places to the prefects in each place for management.
The prefects did not dare to do the work perfunctory, because officers and soldiers from the Second Prince's Palace and the Chu Family Army were assigned to lead the people to work. The prefects not only did not dare to do the work perfunctory, but also had to actively lead.
Xia Zihan was not idle in the capital. Under the hint of the sinister emperor, he took the lead in donating a batch of cotton to Jiangnan.
It's October, and although it's not yet cold in Jiangnan, it's also the winter season. The weather will only get colder day by day. The people live in tents, and they can't stand it without cotton-padded jackets.
With Xia Zihan taking the lead in donating cotton and fabrics, some discerning officials in the capital also sent people to buy a batch of cotton and fabrics and donated them.
Just when there was another wave of donating cotton fabrics in the capital, Xia Shiming returned to the capital.
Xia Zihan got the news and went to the city gate to greet him personally.
"Dad, why aren't you, uncle and aunt back?" Xia Zihan went up to greet Mrs. Xia Shiming and bowed to her.
Mrs. Xia Er didn't dare to accept it, so she hurriedly stepped aside, bowed again, and returned half of the gift.
Xia Shiming didn't move, but his expression was a little sad and he said, "Your uncle won't be back for a while. He wrote a memorial to Ding You and asked me to hand it over to the court."
Ding You has been without a salary for three years. His family has been divided again and he has not received a penny. He currently only has 600 taels of silver in his hand. This is what is left over from the 1,000 taels of silver given by Lady Yu when he went to Jiangning City. of.
What will this family do in the past three years?
It costs a lot of money for both sons to study for a year.
Xia Shiming was worried, his stomach was full of anger, and there were a few blisters on his lips. The pain made him unable to eat for two days.
Mrs. Xia Er felt distressed, but she was also anxious about this matter.
Although her dowry was quite large, after so many years, there was not much left.
In the past few years, Mrs. Xia has not paid a penny for her and her son's expenses. All she has spent is her own dowry money. She still has two small houses in her hands, with a yearly income of three hundred taels of silver. But now that the family is divided, they don't even get a house for the second bedroom, and they don't have any money. They will have to buy a house in the future. I have to rely on it for everything I eat. How can the three hundred taels of silver a year be enough?
Mrs. Xia Er also had a frown on her face. Even when facing Xia Zihan, her smile was forced out.
Xia Zihan is such a smart person. As soon as he saw the expressions of Xia Shiming and his wife, he knew something was going on.
She frowned and asked bluntly, "Dad, did something happen in Jiangning City?"
"No...no, yes, something happened. The Xia family has been separated."
Xia Shiming, who originally wanted to hide it from Xia Zihan, thought as soon as he opened his mouth that this matter was so big, even if he didn't tell it, Xia Zihan would definitely hear about it from other people soon, so it would be better for him Tell it personally.
"Separate the family?" It's good to separate the family. From now on, her father won't have to be pestered by the old godly woman of the Xia family.
Xia Zihan was happy in her heart, but her face did not change. She comforted Xia Shiming and said, "Dad, you just want to be more open. It's not uncommon for wealthy families in the capital to split up when there is only one old feudal prince left. My grandfather is gone. Grandma must be feeling uncomfortable. You and your uncle The eldest aunt is in the capital all the year round and cannot take care of her. Grandma is always taken care of by the third uncle's family. It is not the case. You and the eldest uncle will also feel bad. That family, even if they are not separated this time, will meet sooner or later. ”
"Dad, did...what did grandma say when the family was separated?"
Seeing Xia Shiming's ugly face, Xia Zihan thought that Mrs. Xia had told Xia Shiming that he was not her biological child.
Xia Shiming shook his head, "No, nothing happened? Everything is fine with me, Yu Niang, don't think too much."
Over the years, Yu Niang has given him a lot of money to spend. He can no longer use Yu Niang's money. If life is really hard, he can take advantage of Ding You's three years to go to a private school for a month. How much money can you make?
Xia Shiming made careful plans in his mind. When Xia Zihan saw that he didn't tell her, she took another look at Mrs. Xia Er.
When they were waiting for the carriage, Xia Zihan pulled Mrs. Xia Er to his carriage. He said that he hadn't spoken for a long time and asked Mrs. Xia Er to accompany her and say a few words.
As soon as he got on the carriage, Xia Zihan's face darkened and he asked hurriedly, "Mom, I see that dad is in a bad mood. Is it because of the separation of the family?"
After Mrs. Xia Er was helped up, Xia Zihan couldn't call her mother at first. This shows that she sincerely treats Xia Shiming, so she naturally calls her mother.
Mrs. Xia Er nodded sadly, with tears in her eyes, feeling extremely aggrieved. "They said it was a family separation, which means they kicked out our second roommate Jingshen. The family's sacrificial fields and ancestral property should be given to the first room. This is ours." There is nothing to say. The eldest family is responsible for caring for the elderly. The sacrificial land and ancestral property should be given to him. However, all the other properties of the family are given to him. Third Fang, he said that all of it was purchased by your third uncle. Without your third uncle, there would be no such property. He also said that your father had not taken a penny home after being an official for twenty years, and his wife and children at home were still Your third uncle earns money to support you, and this brother-in-law supports your sister-in-law and nephew... Tell me, how can your grandmother talk like this?"
"My brother-in-law takes care of the general affairs at home, and he takes care of all the young and old in the family. He has indeed been wronged over the years. However, he relies on the Xia family's reputation to make money and buy properties. Without the Xia family's reputation as a foundation, he would How can he earn so much money, and how can he buy another property? This is not because of the fact that he is the third master of the Xia family."
(End of chapter)