You can rely on mountains to eat mountains, and you can rely on water to eat water.
The two largest groups in Heihe County are fishermen and mountain people.
Unlike fishermen, who are low-status and endure exploitation in fish pens all year round, mountain people are treated relatively well.
Because only the young and strong can handle the dangerous work of hunting in the mountains, plus they can eat large amounts of meat, know how to use practical resources such as animal skins and dung, and have skills such as chopping wood, collecting herbs, and raising poultry, there are even more ways to make money. wide.
Life is much better than that of fishermen who have no land.
Of course, the most important point is that it is easy for mountain people to huddle together to keep warm.
They often come from various villages, and gather in groups with relatives and friends with the same surname and hometown. Once a clan-like force is formed, it is difficult to be bullied.
For example, the predecessor of Chaishi City was the largest hunting gang in the area. There were more than a dozen swordsmen under the sect, all of whom were ruthless characters who killed people without blinking an eye.
As the leader, Song Qiying and his grandfather relied on the skill of "boiling eagles" to raise holly eagles for the Taoist officials of Yihai County.
After gaining favor, he was taught martial arts, rewarded with gold and silver, and led a large group of brothers to work hard to build up the family fortune.
"I can't ride a horse, and I'm not good at shooting. If you take me into the mountains, I'm afraid I will be a burden."
Bai Qi lowered his head and thought about it, feeling that it was meaningless.
This group of young men must be hunting with friends. Some go in front to cut weeds and clear the way, while others follow behind to boil water for cooking and camp.
It is so majestic and powerful that it scares all the animals into panic and scatters, so you can hunt down a hammer.
"Brother Bai, you are being humble. After all, you are also a practicing master. Your muscles are full and strong, your qi and blood are strong, and you can learn to draw a bow and shoot quickly.
Second Young Master of the Song Dynasty, how about some of the villagers in your family take Brother Bai to run around for a few times tomorrow, pick out some good bows, and learn archery skills? "
He Tai said lala.
"What's so difficult about this? It's better to choose a day than to hit it. Today, I will take everyone to take a look at the ginseng village at the foot of Longkan Mountain.
The space there is spacious, suitable for horse racing and archery! "
Song Qiying agreed wholeheartedly.
"That's good. I haven't drawn a bow in a long time. My muscles are so swollen that I just want to relax!"
He Tai has been taking the tonic soup made from ghost-striped fish for several days and feels that his strength has increased a lot:
"Second Young Master Song, I've been jealous of your wind-chasing horse for a while. What? Let's bet again? Shoot ten targets in a row. Whoever hits more targets wins."
Song Qiying's eyes flashed, and he clenched his fists into his palms:
"Okay! Let Brother Bai be a witness! Hehe, I rode a horse when I was five years old and learned archery when I was ten years old. How can I be afraid of you?
Dare I ask what the bet the young master’s family is taking this time?
My wind-chasing horse is worth seven hundred taels, and it would be a top-quality product even in the county! "
He Tai was confident. He took out a page of silk-like paper from his sleeve and shook it twice:
"You have all heard of the art of driving the sea, but do you know the theory of driving the mountains?"
That Miss Zhu obviously loved reading, so she immediately took over the conversation:
"Driving the mountains is also called 'driving the mountains'. It is said that the mountains and rivers have spirits and should not be taken lightly. When hunting, cutting firewood and collecting medicine, one must obtain permission, otherwise sudden death is common, so the term 'mountain driving' was born. ', 'Leader'.
They can communicate with the mountain spirits and obtain blessings from the mountain spirits through "calling to the mountain to offer sacrifices", making every trip to the mountains fruitful, smooth and safe. "
He Tai smiled:
"I wish the girl some insight. This page of mine is the secret! It records in detail how the mountaineers 'call the mountain', 'open the mountain', 'sweep the mountain' and 'collect the mountain'! If it is spread out, it will be enough to make a person It is not an exaggeration to say that a family can make a fortune and establish a business worth thousands of taels. Can I make a bet?"
Song Qiying's eyes were strange and his face was sarcastic:
"The head of the young master's family has been squeezed? My grandfather searched five hundred miles of mountain roads, set up hawks and dogs, and even dared to fight against monsters! My father walked through the poplars at a hundred steps, cut down the golden thread phoebe for five hundred years, and collected the yellow jade Ganoderma lucidum for nearly a thousand years!
When it comes to the rich experience of climbing mountains, who knows better than me? You can keep this thing to yourself.
By the way, shouldn't you really spend a thousand taels of silver to buy it? If so, please forgive me for laughing loudly at you. "
He Tai's face froze, and the palm holding the secret to climbing the mountain stopped in mid-air, as if he was very embarrassed.
The warm air in the room suddenly seemed a little dry.
"I'm quite interested in this page from the young master's family. When I look at the strange people and magic skills, the rewards I get are definitely not comparable to money.
The five-hundred-mile mountain road is densely covered with old forests, and there are many rare mountain products buried there. The level of richness is comparable to that of the eight-hundred-mile Blackwater River. "
Bai Qi seemed to be giving up the steps and suddenly interjected:
"But I'm not as rich as the two of you. I only bet five precious fish weighing a pound, so I'm just having fun."
He Tai borrowed the donkey from the slope and snorted coldly at Song Qiying:
"Bai Qilang still has the vision! Second Young Master Song, you must know that there are people outside the world, there is a sky outside the world, and there are other abilities besides chopping wood and collecting herbs!
A truly top-notch mountain driver can step on dragons, steal treasures, and steal sheep! "
Song Qiying sneered and didn't even bother to respond.
Those strange people with great abilities are definitely not comparable to the goddesses and magic sticks who know a few magic tricks.
He has been treated as a guest by the Pai Gang for a long time, how could he let He Tai miss it?
His grandfather once said that alchemy is easy to obtain, but magic is hard to find, even if you spend a lot of money, you can't buy it.
After the two young masters from Yulanchai Market finished their bickering, they chatted a few more words.
In the end, they each made an appointment to meet at the next moment and head to Longkan Mountain Ginseng Collection Village, dozens of miles away.
…
…
"Brother, are you going to take me with you this time?"
In the old house of Erxianqiao, Bai Ming's little face showed a look of joy.
"There's also Xiantou. We have nothing to do. It would be nice to go see the world together. We can also go to the temple fair when we come back."
Bai Qi packed up his clothes and packed his packages. The house was usually deserted, and he didn't feel at ease leaving his brother alone.
Xiatou said yesterday that he had redeemed his two sisters.
In order to repay the favor, Uncle Changshun planned to let Aunt Zhou bring his daughter to work as a helper.
"It's time to add some life to the house."
Bai Qi thought for a moment and did not refuse. He was not Ning Haichan. He only used Tongwen Hall as an inn, and he did not have an all-round concierge like Dao Bo who was good at taking care of things.
It is indeed a good thing to have someone to help with cooking and washing clothes.
As for the dream of raising a few beautiful maids and caring maids, let's wait and see when we move into the inner city.
Before half time, Xia Tou rented a bullock cart from Yahang and rushed to the door.
There are relatively few transportation options these days. If your family cannot afford a horse, you can ride or rent an ox cart, a donkey cart, or a mule cart in descending order.
As for the carriages and sedan chairs, they are the exclusive property of the county lord.
"Looking at it this way, my family is not strong enough and I need to continue to work hard."
Bai Qi took his younger brother Bai Ming to sit on it. One of the criteria for judging the financial strength of a wealthy family is whether they have horses.
Building stables, hiring grooms, feeding fodder...these expenses are not small, and are more laborious than raising seven or eight people.
He Tai, Song Qiying and others ran fast with their horses and whips raised, while Bai Qi followed slowly in an ox cart.
This was the first time he had left the outer city dozens of miles away. After leaving the outer city gate of Heihe County, the place gradually became overgrown with weeds and sparsely populated, giving it an increasingly desolate and dilapidated feel.
During this period, the group saw groups of hard laborers digging sand and filling soil to build embankments. It was so cold that their hands and feet were numb from the cold. They were in ragged clothes and looked numb, like slithering ants, carrying sandbags back and forth.
"My father said that these are refugees who escaped from other villages. They had no way of making a living or the ability to make a living, so they were used as 'servants', which was worse than being sold into slavery.
For a few mouthfuls of hot porridge, I worked hard day and night, either going to the fire kiln to work in the mines, or being caught here building river embankments.
Only those who have served seven or eight years of hard labor in Heihe County can settle into a slave household. "
There was both sympathy and happiness in Xia Tou's eyes.
It is extremely difficult for low-income fishermen to make a living, but compared to the coolie households who work for free, it is much better.
Under the rules established by Longting, refugees who have no land, no property, and no place to stay are not considered human beings.
The status is even lower than holding a lowly business or selling oneself into slavery.
Only by serving several years of hard labor can one re-enter the fish scale atlas registering the local population.
Is this the peaceful and prosperous era governed by Longting after three thousand years of Taoist mourning?
This sentence flashed through Bai Qi's mind:
“How can living beings be like oxen and horses, and become dragons and elephants?”
