That night, Deng Dang came back.
Zhao Sanlao, who had been waiting for Deng Dang outside the main house, looked at Deng Dang in the dark and hurriedly stepped forward and asked:
"How are things going?"
Deng Dang was not very interested and could only reply feebly:
"Chen Shuzuo said, come and have a drink."
Zhao Sanlao slapped Deng Dang on the head and cursed:
"Give me some energy, why is this so cowardly? Don't say it's my soldier."
This Zhao Sanlao was Deng Dang's general when he joined the army, and Deng Dang was one of his generals, so Deng Dang was beaten and could only dare not say a word.
Seeing that Deng Dang was still so stubborn, Zhao Sanlao sighed:
"It is no longer time for us to serve as soldiers for Wang Shuai in the past. Now we are citizens and are under the control of the county and temple. We must bow our heads when we should."
Deng Dang didn't know this truth yet, but he was a proud and powerful man after all, so he couldn't bear to be angry.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhao Sanlao did not intend to keep him any longer. He said to Deng Dang:
"There are people coming from Lu's wall. You should go back earlier. They are all waiting in your house."
This sentence made Deng Dang beam with joy. He was about to run back, but was stopped by Zhao Sanlao, who smiled and said:
"It's the first time someone comes to your door. Are you going to go back like this?"
After saying that, Zhao Sanlao asked his son next to him to hand over a basket containing some freshly picked mulberries.
Deng Dang was still embarrassed when he was stopped by the third elder. Now that the three elders were ready for him, he realized that the third elder was still the big brother who took care of his brothers.
Mulberries are a good thing. Although when I was in Jianghuai's hometown, those noble people didn't eat it. Because it is said that some book said that after Huaiyi ate mulberries, their voices became better. The nobles in their hometown were worried about being regarded as belonging to the Huaiyi family by the Central Plains families, and they would never eat such things that could easily cause embarrassment.
But the nobles don't eat it, and we ordinary people don't have that kind of attention. This stuff is sweet and sour, just right for entertaining the Lu clan members.
So Deng Dang gratefully took the mulberry from Zhao Sanlao's hand, said some words of thanks and ran back.
At this time, Deng Dang was so impatient.
From a distance, Deng Dang also heard Zhao Sanlao calling him to accompany him for a drink tomorrow, and asked him not to forget.
Deng Dang replied happily, and then disappeared into the darkness.
Looking at Deng Dang's excitement, Zhao Sanlao, who was originally looking sad, also smiled.
But the smile disappeared before it lasted long. He thought of Chen Shuzuo and knew that he might be here to blackmail Xinxiang again.
This was the case in Jianghuai's hometown, and it was the same in the wealthy Runan. Why do these subordinate officials all have the same virtues?
I just hope that Chen Shuzuo can get things done this time. Otherwise, Deng Dang's marriage might be ruined.
……
When Deng Dang returned home, his mother and second brother were entertaining three honest farm men with the family's pancakes.
Seeing Deng Dang back, Deng's mother smiled happily, and then she felt relieved when she saw the basket of mulberries in his hand.
She knew that her son was called out to do errands by the third elder, so she did not blame him, but took the initiative to take the basket and whispered:
"The three of them are Lu's brothers. Please say more. Give these to me and I'll go wash them."
Deng Dang nodded, calmed his breathing, tried his best to smile, and entered the room.
The younger brother was currently entertaining three Lu brothers to drink water, and it was obvious that he was still a little overwhelmed by this kind of thing.
Seeing that his brother finally came back, the younger brother took the initiative to explain to him:
"Brother, these are my sister-in-law's three brothers. This is the eldest uncle, this is the second uncle, and this is the third uncle."
Lu's three brothers were obviously embarrassed, and finally saw that the rightful owner was back, so they hurriedly stood up and nodded.
To be honest, Deng Dang's family's family background is pretty good. Although there are few boys in the family, there is only one younger brother. But Deng Dang is rich.
Deng Dang actually paid a lot of money during the war in Runan, and after settling here with Zhao Sanlao, he not only got fifty acres of irrigated land, built this two-story yellow mud house, but also provided money Hire someone to dig a well in the yard.
What kind of good family has a well at home?
Therefore, when the three Lu brothers saw Deng's conditions, they had already agreed to the marriage. Otherwise, if I come to my door for the first time, even if you are not at home, you will be exposed.
And what about Deng Dang? He fell in love at first sight with the sister of the three Lu brothers.
He only saw her delivering water to his brothers working in the fields once, and Deng Dang fell in love with her. Later, I asked Zhao Sanlao to inquire about it, and that was how I got such a fate.
Although the conditions of Lu's family were relatively difficult, it was not Deng Dang's turn to find fault.
Although people like them who have returned from other places have some economic preferential treatment, they are actually relatively rejected by the local people. Those native people will scold them whenever something is lost at home or things go wrong. I feel like these people are the ones who brought these bad things.
It is precisely because of these contradictions that people in the hometown are unwilling to marry their daughters here. This leaves the children of Fumin Township to deal with the problem in their own hometown.
But there is also a shortage of women in this town.
In fact, it's not just a shortage in his hometown. According to Deng Dang's understanding, there is a shortage in the entire area.
Deng Dang has a secret that no one has told.
That is, during a battle, he seized some cloths recording scriptures from the Taiping Jing. He learned a lot from it.
There is a message on the cloth, saying that the world has gone wrong. After this wrong, it began to treat women as inferior and began to drown female infants. After a long time, there will be fewer women than men in the world, so the yin energy will disappear, and the world will be lonely and yang will not last.
Deng Dang felt that what Taipingdao said made sense. In their hometown of Jianghuai, people there are also killing women. If you ask why they want to kill, they can only say that a woman is useless.
Think about it, if a family kills one woman, how many families are there in the world, and how many women must be killed? How many generations have to be killed? Many pregnant women and unborn children were also injured. Do you think this resentment can be small?
But whether the world is in chaos or not, Deng Dang can't tell yet. At least Runan didn't notice it.
But the problem of not being able to marry a wife is indeed getting more and more serious. Infanticide was one aspect, and the other aspect was that the daughters of good families were given to nobles as concubines.
Which daughter of a good family from Shilibashe would not want to become a concubine in a wealthy family? You can get fine food there, but the poor people you marry into will starve five times in three days.
So now, there are fewer and fewer women in this village.
Fortunately, we don't have to think about this. After discussing things with Chen Shuzuo this time, he will get married to Lu.
By then, we, Deng Dang, will also have a wife.
In this way, both parties were interested in eating mulberries soaked in well water by Mother Deng. Not to mention how great the atmosphere is.
……
Time soon arrived at noon of the next day.
In order to entertain Chen Shuzuo who was coming soon, Zhao Sanlao had someone kill a pig and a sheep early. Fix this unusually rich meal.
It can also be seen from this that these households in Xinxiang are indeed relatively wealthy.
Then amid the smell of meat, Chen Shuzuo came with his two helpers. Chen Shuzuo still looked so unhurried and unhurried, completely noble and noble, without any trace of the despicable look of a lowly official.
Surrounded by Zhao Sanlao, Deng Dang, and two former generals, Chen Shuzuo walked into the hall.
After that, Chen Shuzuo took his duty and sat at the top, while Zhao Sanlao sat beside him.
Deng Dang and his two other colleagues were just about to sit down on the mat, when Uncle Zhang and Ma Zhong pushed themselves in front of Deng Dang and them.
Deng Dang's mentality now was different from before. He was also looking forward to settling the issue of the army's labor force as soon as possible so that he could marry a wife as soon as possible.
So facing Uncle Zhang and Ma Zhong's rudeness, Deng Dang didn't feel anything and sat down underneath them honestly.
Zhao Sanlao is obviously more experienced than Deng Dang. He will support Chen Shuzuo now, and the atmosphere is very good.
Soon, the food and wine were served.
This wine was bought from a liquor store in the county. Chen Shuzuo enjoyed eating meat and drinking wine.
And Deng Dang and others were also entertaining and fawning below, pushing cups and changing bowls.
In short, everyone was very drunk during this meal.
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to change, Zhao Sanlao took the opportunity to ask Chen Shuzuo on the side:
"Chen Shuzuo, I don't know if we can be more accommodating with this military dispatch in our township. The eighty-two men are all from our township, which is really too heavy."
After Chen Shuzuo pulled out the strands of flesh from between his teeth, he listened to these words and said calmly:
"This errand was arranged from above, and it cannot be changed no matter what."
As soon as these words came out, the whole atmosphere suddenly reached a freezing point.
Zhao Sanlao's face darkened, he threw the chopsticks in his hand onto the table, then put his hands in his wide sleeves and said nothing.
He is also an old pawn, and the number of lives in his hands is not limited. With such a straight face, the murderous aura came out.
Deng Dang and others below were also annoyed. One of them, a rough man with a beard, slapped the table and cursed:
"Hot girl, I've given you good wine and meat, and you're going to play with us like this? If you offend me, I'll chop you into pieces with a knife."
Now you know why Zhao Sanlao asked Deng Dang to negotiate, right? It's all because other people are even more talented.
The thick man slammed the table and scared the two people in front, Uncle Zhang and Ma Zhong, to throw away their bamboo chopsticks. The leader, Chen Shuzuo, was also frightened.
He didn't expect that his usual method of inducing appetite would get out of control. At this time, he somewhat realized that although these people were civilians, they were all fierce soldiers who fought bloody battles with knives.
This realization made him somewhat worried about Wang Gongcao's plan, feeling that these restored people of Xinxiang might not be so easy to control.
After getting rid of these confusing thoughts, Chen Shuzuo from the city also had a straight face. He snorted to Zhao Sanlao on the side:
"Zhao Sanlao, this is the way of hospitality in your hometown? Since you don't invite us, it's okay not to drink this meal. Let's leave now."
After saying that, Chen Shuzuo made a gesture to stand up.
At this time, Zhao Sanlao also replied lightly:
"Chen Shuzuo, the five hundred households in our Xinxiang are all soldiers who have just put down their swords. They have many factions in the army and they can't speak. You should be more patient. In short, if you can do this, We will definitely not treat Chen Shuzuo badly. As I said before, we soldiers don’t have so many twists and turns.”
After listening to Zhao Sanlao's half threatening and half threatening words, Chen Shuzuo suddenly laughed:
"Look, you guys too, you have to wait until we finish talking. What we just said is right, that is, letting Xinxiang serve this time is indeed the arrangement from above. We definitely can't change this. But it’s not without control, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to have such a drink, right?”
Seeing that Chen Shuzuo finally started talking about the topic, Zhao Sanlao stretched out his hand from his wide sleeve again, and he toasted Chen Shuzuo:
"Please Chen Shuzuo, please take pity on the five hundred households in Xinxiang and tell me everything you know."
Then Chen Shuzuo told everyone his plan with a smile.
The specific thing is this.
This time, the total amount of military rations transferred from Xinxiang 82ding to Pingyu was 8,400 shi. Such a large amount of military rations was Fubei's two-year reserve, and they were all placed in the county warehouse.
As long as these laborers from Xinxiang go to the county, they can take whatever they want.
But after arriving at the Liangping District, things got a little complicated. Because these military rations are not sent to the same granary for storage, some warehouses are far away from each other and even have to queue up to enter the warehouse.
If you go back and forth, time will easily be lost. By then, all the eighty-two men in Xinxiang may be staying in Pingyu for a month or two, and they will have to pay for their own food and supplies for such a long time.
But now, Chen Shuzuo can help you with the operation, that is, he can hand over all the 8,400 shi of grain to the nearest granary, and put it directly into the warehouse without queuing.
This one and the other will save you Xinxiang a lot of trouble.
After saying this, Chen Shuzuo stopped talking and let Zhao Sanlao think by himself.
After Zhao Sanlao had just deceived him, he also realized that this military labor service incident might really be an arrangement from above. In that case, the errand will be impossible. Unless people like them in Xinxiang give up their fields and homes to escape from service, they will have to do it.
Since Xinxiang is the only choice, Zhao Sanlao has become a lot more rational. The top priority is to minimize the losses in Xinxiang.
And this method proposed by Chen Shuzuo can obviously save Xinxiang a lot of money.
So Zhao Sanlao asked:
"It costs so much to do this."
Chen Shuzuo stretched out five fingers.
Zhao Sanlao said nothing, but Deng Dang spoke:
"Five buckets of rice?"
Chen Shuzuo shook his head and sneered:
"Five buckets of rice? What can you do? It's not as good as the county king's salary for a day. It's five stones! And it's a big stone."
Although Zhao Sanlao was prepared, he was also frightened by Chen Shuzuo's greed.
You must know that the big stone is twice as big as the small stone. In other words, Chen Shuzuo asked them for ten stone meters. Chen Shuzuo's annual salary is only this amount.
Really greedy.
But Zhao Sanlao knew that he couldn't negotiate the price, otherwise he would be in trouble later. So I pretended to be embarrassed, gritted my teeth and agreed.
I thought the matter would almost end here.
Unexpectedly, Chen Shuzuo just revealed the highlight at this time:
"That day when you went to the county to get rice, no matter how much you took, you didn't know anything about it. When you got to Pingyu, you also put it into the treasury. When the time comes, you won't be given an extra cent. Do you understand this? ”
At this time, Zhao Sanlao finally understood what Chen Shuzuo or the people behind them were going to do!
These rats!
I learned that July passed away this morning. I thought I had a chat with him last month and learned that his condition had worsened and he had been hospitalized. At that time, he was very optimistic that he would push my novel again after he recovered. Unexpectedly, after the festival, there will be a separation between yin and yang. I have known Qi Qi for four or five years, and I know that he is a senior who takes great care of the underachievers. I had always wanted to meet him in Kunming, but it was a pity that I did not realize it. I was very touched by what a friend in the group said today. May Qiyue be reborn into the history he likes, become Zhang Shao in his writing, and continue to help the Han Dynasty. Before, he drew it with a pen, but this time he experienced it himself. Come on, you can do it, let us help the Han Dynasty and return it to the old capital.
In addition, family members should stop urging online novel writers to add more updates. This is really a high-risk industry. I've listened to quite a few of them this year. Hey, in this day and age, don’t worry, just be happy and healthy.