The Qingming Festival is approaching, and Li Xiao is also on his way back to Liaodong. He has not been back for so many years. This year, the brothers have agreed to go back to visit their parents' graves.

In the past, Li Hao, the youngest, went back to visit the grave, and he was considered the representative of the brothers.

This time, Li Xiao did not take the water route, but took the Shanhaiguan Pass to Jinzhou and returned to his hometown by land. Liaodong was the first place to restore peace, and Li Xiao wanted to know how the people here were doing.

There were not many followers, just Shunzi and two guards. Tokugawa Chiki was accompanied by her maid Xing'er, and there were exactly six people including Li Xiao. A carriage with four horses followed the flat official road to Liaodong.

Walk.

No one dared to let Li Xiao go on the road like this. Although the world was peaceful along the way, God knows if there would be any accidents. Li Xiao was not the stupid boy who fled with his brothers and sisters ten years ago. Now what he said

A group of people is related to the welfare of all people in the world, especially the Liao army!

Just ten minutes away from Li Xiao, a cavalry company of the Liao Army followed. An hour later, Nie Dahu's regiment followed unhurriedly. In addition, there were countless disguised Liao Army soldiers along the way. If any of them were not long,

If you really want to trick Li Xiao, the price will definitely be heavy.

The weather is warm early this year, and farmers in Hebei are sowing soil. The cultivation of potatoes and corn has caused the farmers to have a lot of time in farming. At this time in previous years, farmers in Hebei were still cultivating winter wheat. Now, winter wheat is no longer planted. The poorer crops

Potatoes or sweet potatoes are grown on the land, corn is grown on the better dry land, and rice is grown on the paddy fields, although the yield of rice is not high.

But the price of rice is very high, and it is considered a cash crop. As for wheat, farmers in Hebei no longer grow it. After all, the climate in northern Hebei, close to Liaodong, is not much different from that of Liaodong, and is actually not suitable for wheat growth.

Li Xiao rode his horse into a village. It looked like a standard Hebei farmhouse. The courtyard walls were made of stones, and the newly thawed land had not yet had time to grow vegetables. Yellow corn sticks were hung on the walls, and there were a lot of flowers on the back of the house.

Pigs, dogs were kept in the yard, and there was a donkey in the barn against the side of the yard wall.

On the other side of the yard, there is a stack of grain more than two feet high from the ground. On top of the stack, there is a big raccoon cat sleeping soundly! A group of chickens are leisurely spread out in the yard, and the big rooster flies to the wall of the yard, facing it.

Screaming loudly at the sun.

Li Xiao just approached the yard when a big goose ran out of nowhere and barked loudly through the parapet. The tied local dog also ran over and barked loudly at Li Xiao. For a moment, the whole yard was full of chickens and dogs.

So lively.

Hearing the dog barking, an old man walked out of the house. Perhaps because of his age, he was wearing a ragged cotton-padded jacket with patches on his sleeves and elbows.

"Uncle, please ask for a drink of water from the passerby." Li Xiao shouted to the old man inside across the courtyard wall.

"Haha! Cold water and hot water." The old man was very hospitable and kicked the dog away. He grabbed a branch and swung it twice in the air. The goose also flapped its wings and ran to the edge of the courtyard wall, tilting its head warily.

Looking at Li Xiao, he looked like he stood out from the crowd.

"Hey! You still have hot water at home, please give me a bowl of hot water." Li Xiao was stunned by the old man's words. Unexpectedly, farmers in Hebei also started drinking boiled water.

"Okay!" The old man opened the courtyard door and let Li Xiao in. Then he entered the house. After a while, he was carrying a kang table in his left hand, a teapot in his right hand, and several old bowls under his armpit!

The kang table was placed on the ground, and the teapot and old bowls were placed on the table. He took two stools from under the window, placed them next to the table, and then waved to Li Xiao: "This way, guest sir."

"Hey! Are you always ready with hot water?" Li Xiao poured himself a bowl, sat on the small bench, and started drinking.

Tokugawa Chihime sat in the carriage and did not get off. Even if she was a mysophobic woman, she would not enter a yard full of animals.

"There was a big plague a few years ago, and the officials came. They said that if you want to avoid the plague, you have to wash your hands frequently and drink boiled water. The farmers can't afford medicine, so they have to chop more firewood to cook.

Water is nothing. Besides, you need to light a stove in the winter. Put a pot of water on the stove. The steam will steam up and warm the whole room. After a night's sleep, you won't be coughing in the morning. It's so comfortable here!" the old man patted his chest and expressed.

I am very strong.

"What a noble surname you have!"

"The last name is Li!"

"Hey! It's still my family, and my surname is Li."

"Are you going to leave seclusion?"

"My father and mother were killed by the Tatars and they were buried in a hurry. This year I will go back to pay homage and add soil to the grave."

"The bastard Tatars don't do good things. Fortunately, we have Marshal Li. A few years ago, Marshal Li's soldiers fought with the Tatars on the other side of the mountain. I even took the leftover son of my family to deliver food! Marshal Li's soldiers are amazing.

Ah, there was a big group of Tatars, and not many of them came back alive in the end." The old man poured himself a bowl, sat down in front of Li Xiao and started to drink.

It was already warm at the beginning of spring. After taking a few sips of hot water, Li Xiao's forehead was covered with sweat. He simply took off his hat and threw it on the table.

"Why are you the only one in your family, and your children and grandchildren don't come to honor you?"

"I can tell by your hair that you are a Liao soldier, otherwise I wouldn't let you in. My son joined the army and followed Marshal Li to the south to fight. Last year, I sent a message back saying that we hit a place called Yangzhou.

The old man has never been to Chengde in his life, and he doesn’t know where Yangzhou is. I just heard that it is quite south.

That year the old lady got rid of the plague, the eldest daughter got married, and the second pillar lived there.

Every day my daughter-in-law comes to cook for her, and sometimes she brings some ready-made food to her. Thanks to Marshal Li, his grandson goes to school. Just over the mountain, Marshal Li sends a scholar to teach the children how to write and draw.

.

During the Chinese New Year, each family collected some grain coins and sent them to the scholar. They only received a few eggs, and neither the money nor the grain were confiscated. Saying that eggs are the children's affection, it is not good to spoil the children's kindness. Money and grain cannot

Accept, this is the rule of scholars.

We didn’t understand either. Later, I thought it was embarrassing, so I gave him a plate of dumplings with every meal. My family, Li Dashuan, has been a tenant farmer for generations. Let alone study, I don’t even dare to think about it. Now that life is getting better, not only can we celebrate the New Year

I can eat dumplings and my children can read. After living for fifty-six years, this is a day that I can look forward to."

It was obvious that Old Man Li usually had no one to talk to. When he saw someone like Li Xiao who could talk, he couldn't close his mouth immediately. However, Li Xiao was still a good listener. He sat there and nodded from time to time, smiling and looking kind-hearted.

"Yangzhou is on the bank of the Yangtze River, and spring flowers are already blooming at this time. I also went to Yangzhou last year, and our team captured the city of Yangzhou without losing a few people. Your son is not in Yangzhou at this time.

It should be in Nanjing.

You know, Nanjing is where Zhu Hongwu, the ancestor of the Zhu family, became emperor."

"Bullshit Emperor Zhu, his Zhu family is the emperor. I'm still a bastard with two sons and one daughter. They all starved to death before they grew up. As an old man, I think this emperor should be Marshal Li. He is a soldier of Marshal Li.

We just divided the land. We were also taught how to grow corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. From the first glance, you look like a city dweller and don’t know anything about farming in the countryside.

Corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes mature in more than half a year after being planted in the ground. One acre of land can weigh more than a thousand kilograms. For the first time, the old man worried about not having enough food. Look inside this pile.

There are half a handful of corn left over from last year.

My grandson disliked the taste of potatoes, so he secretly threw them into the backyard to feed the pigs! I saw him and gave him a good beating. He had only had enough food for a few days, but he dared to waste the food. Go back a few years and Marshal Li didn't send troops.

At this time, no one is living half-starved and half-full at this time. They are looking forward to the wild vegetables growing in the fields quickly, so that they can dig some wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.

At that time! One was looking forward to the elm money, and the other was looking forward to the locust tree flowers. Unlike now, everything we eat is food. The elm money and the locust tree flowers have become a rare thing. Last year, my daughter-in-law got it

Sophora japonica flowers were kneaded into the white flour steamed buns. Such a good white flour steamed buns were ruined!

I'm not afraid of your jokes, sir, but I, Old Man Li, am fifty-six years old this year. I can count the number of times I have eaten white-flour steamed buns with one slap." Old Man Li stretched out his big, calloused hands and waved them at Li Xiao.

"Old man, if Marshal Li becomes the emperor, don't dare to talk nonsense. The government will come to arrest him!"

"Bah! That's bullshit government. Today's government is all under Marshal Li. None of those idiots sent by the emperor can be seen. Those inhuman things are obviously starving to death at home, but they are still

With a whip, he went door to door to collect taxes. If he had left a little bit for me, my little girl would not have starved to death." When the old man talked about the tax collectors back then, he was so angry that his head was smoking, and he did it all in one breath.

Bowl of water, sitting there without talking.

"Now the general's soldiers also collect taxes, right?"

"How can Marshal Li's soldiers compare with them? Each household only receives 30% of the harvest. Our family is a member of the military. Not only do we not collect taxes, we don't have to do corvee work. During the Chinese New Year, the government even beat gongs and drums to send half of the harvest.

Fanning pork. This is face, honoring the ancestors!

When my grandson grows up, he will be sent to Marshal Li's army to serve as a soldier. If a good man is not a soldier, he will serve as a soldier for the imperial court. I only regret that I am old, otherwise I will also become a soldier with Marshal Li.

Soldiers go."

"Then you have to let your children study hard. If you want to be a soldier in the future, you don't have to know how to write."

"It's up to you to learn what you want! When my children came home, they asked me about the book. I didn't have a single literate person in eight lifetimes. I knew what was written on it. I was so angry that everyone kicked me and kicked them away."

"Hahaha! You are always blessed. If you live longer, there will be good days waiting for you in the future."

"That's right! It's not easy to live a good life, but you have to live it well."

"You just said corvee, are we still doing corvee in our village?" Li Xiao suddenly remembered that old man Li just mentioned the matter of corvee.

"There are corvees, but they are different from the previous government. In the past, the government used people for free, and if they didn't do well, they would be whipped. Marshal Li's soldiers were reasonable and paid for their work. They also provided meals at noon, and the stick noodles were stuffed with salty dough.

Head. Each person also has an egg to eat, and I heard from people in the village that sometimes they also have bone soup to drink."

Li Xiao nodded. This local official was pretty good and there was no bullying of farmers.

"Please be quiet on the ground these years. I heard that bandits often broke out in the past."

"Hahaha!" Old Man Li burst out laughing?

"What's wrong?" Li Xiao didn't think his question was ridiculous.

"There is a militia in this village, and the militia company commander came from fighting with Marshal Li. Are there any bandits? They have been wiped out long ago! Now there is not even a trace of a bandit on this mountain."

"Your militiamen are quite capable."

"What are you capable of! When these guys saw the bandits, their eyes turned red. That's not a bandit, it's a military achievement! If you kill a bandit, not only will you be rewarded by the government, but you will also be given priority in joining the army! Whose family killed the bandit?

, no matter how ugly you are, the matchmaker who proposes marriage will still pass the threshold. With this advantage, you won’t go crazy when you meet gangsters like bandits?

Bandits are almost extinct here. It has been three or four years since I heard of any banditry happening within a hundred miles. I have heard that many bandits have been recruited and those who committed serious crimes were shot in the county. There is nothing wrong with them.

, I heard that they were all sent to the coal mines to become coal black men. That’s all what I heard!”

"That's called reform through labor. These people have committed crimes and are not going to die, so they need to work to reform. When their sentence is over, they will also have wages and will be treated well." Li Xiao nodded and gave
To be continued...