In early spring, the cool wind blows over the green wheat and creates a wave, which is pleasing to the eye.
Chen Ergou was sitting on the ridge of the field, shirtless and wearing a worn-out shabby coat, with half of the reed wadding stuffed inside exposed. He had no scruples and stared at the grasshopper in his hand, unable to stop.
At this time, he was thinking, should he braise it or just take it for fishing?
It's the most difficult time when there is no work.
As a half-grown boy, I feel hungry no matter how much I put in my stomach.
Next to him, there were patches of farmland, dotted with huts and tiles, and in the distance were small bridges and flowing water. On the grassy slopes of the river bank, cattle grazed with their heads lowered and mooed from time to time.
Not far away, several children were tossing around the scalpers, very active.
The smoke from cooking stoves and the barking of dogs form a pastoral scene in the North.
At a nearby pond, several children were happily fishing, but unfortunately the turbid water meant they caught nothing.
As for fishing in the river, you have to go through the clan elder who patrols the river. He holds a flat stick in his hand and will wave it when children come towards him. He has a fierce look and scares away many children.
Therefore, Chen Ergou had nothing to think about, either going to the pond to fish or fishing.
His little head couldn't stop thinking, and it was so cold down there that he couldn't help scratching it.
"Two dogs, two dogs——"
Suddenly, in the distance, a boy of thirteen or fourteen wearing a torn straw hat ran and shouted:
"A letter from your family has arrived. Your brother is back with the letter——"
Chen Ergou turned his head sharply, grabbed the grasshopper in his hand, and then stood up with loess and grass all over his body.
His eldest brother, who was in his 20s and still had no wife, joined the so-called army and went to the Northeast. In the past few years, he has sent back a lot of money and improved his family's life.
The one who brought the letter was going to the town to attend the market.
The post station system was established during the Ming Dynasty for three hundred years. It has been continuously restored in recent years and shows great vitality.
Moreover, with the establishment of the three township elders, the administrative agencies at the township level are gradually recognized.
The township governs more than a dozen or dozens of villages, and the county's Civil Information Bureau sends people to each township to deliver the message.
When people in the village go to the market, they will also ask someone to collect the mail.
"okay--"
Ergou hurriedly took the wooden box and shouted, "The copper will be sent to your home later."
"No, just get the eggs." The boy said without thinking, and then jumped away into the distance, calling his relatives and friends.
Among the people, copper plates are precious items used to pay taxes and go to the city to buy things, and eggs are the most commonly used substitute.
Chen Ergou sighed, he couldn't eat three eggs in the past two days.
But holding the wooden box in his arms, he was extremely happy, not knowing what his elder brother would send back.
Although there was no clattering sound inside, he was filled with anticipation.
After jumping around for a while, I returned to the village, walked around three times, and came to a remote thatched house.
The entrance to the old and shabby yard has been neatly tidied up, with only some mud and chicken droppings conspicuously visible, which is very common in rural areas.
A large number of vegetables are grown in front of and behind the house. This is the main dish at home. Wild vegetables are not easy to find at this time. After all, there are few mountains in the north.
Dad was hoeing behind the house, while mother was tidying up inside.
Ergou, who is seven or eight years old, cannot help and can only play around.
Although his name is Ergou, the brothers in front of him have died long ago, and behind him are his five or six-year-old younger brothers and sisters, playing with the mud in the yard.
"Father, mother, there is a letter from eldest brother!"
Ergou's roar shook the whole room.
"Second brother, second brother--" Several younger brothers and sisters jumped and shouted happily.
Although the young people did not understand the meaning of the letter, they knew that they could eat good food again.
His parents put down their work and came over impatiently. They saw him in his arms at a glance.
wooden box.
Dad grabbed it and then returned to the room with mother to read through it carefully.
After a long time, Dad came out: "Let's go to the entrance of the village and find Mr. Zhao——"
Not many people in the village are literate, and Mr. Zhao, who studies social studies, is one of the few scholars.
Social studies, after the village gradually recovered, several families with big surnames pooled their money to start social studies again, right in the ancestral hall.
Soon, the whole family held their chests high. Although their clothes were shabby, they were not timid at all.
Along the way, relatives and friends in the village looked enviously:
"Chen Big Head, your eldest son has sent a letter back again——"
"Yes, I just sent it back." Chen held his head high, his face full of pride.
"It's great. I don't know what good things I sent home. If I had this son, it would be worth losing ten years of my life."
When they came to social studies, the family's attitude immediately changed.
Before, he held his head high and his chest high, but now he bowed his back and his attitude was much more respectful.
And in their hands, they were carrying two eggs.
Mr. Zhao wears a long robe, washed neatly and cleanly, and his face is slightly rosy, which is very different from the poor and thin people in the countryside.
The whole person showed an outstanding temperament.
Even though he is a scholar who is not even a child.
But, after all, he is a scholar.
In the prosperous times after the Troubled Times, the importance of scholars increased again.
He glanced sideways and saw that it was the Chen family. He knew in his heart that it was a matter of letters, so he sat down calmly and waited for the arrival of the family.
Like his family, Chen Ergou's eyes were full of admiration, and his body was half an inch shorter unconsciously.
He had no doubt that if his attitude was even the slightest bit disrespectful, his father would immediately slap him in the face.
In his father's words, Mr. Zhao will be an official in the near future, a Wenqu star in the sky, and he will be more respectful than the clan leader.
"Mr. Zhao, this is another letter from my son..."
Chen Datou wiped his rough palms on his clothes, even though they had been washed white.
He held the letter carefully.
Mr. Zhao didn't blink an eyelid and said directly: "Don't bring anything here next time. This little thing is not worth it."
He said this, but when the eggs were placed on the table, he didn't move his butt at all, he just took the letter and read it carefully.
After a while, he suddenly got up in shock and shouted: "Chen Big Head, your eldest son is coming back."
"You're back?" Chen Da's head didn't turn around for a while.
"Isn't it three years? This kid Chen Xin joined the army in Liaodong, Northeast China for half a year. He said that he cultivated thousands of acres of land, and the court gave him a hundred acres. Now that he is prosperous, he wants to bring his family there... …”
The construction corps in the Northeast is a variant of the migratory people.
Recruit young people from rural areas to join the army, let them reclaim land and build frontiers, and then use the land to lure their families to relocate.
Compared to the direct forced relocation before, I don’t know how many times better it is.
After all, breaking up a family is worth tens of thousands of dollars, and coupled with the involvement of clan, in-laws, etc., how could it not make people panic all day long?
Moreover, doing so would be extremely costly to the court, and would be of no benefit to the people or the court.
However, using recruitment methods and indirect immigration can handle this matter very well and is more relaxed.
"Be good, one hundred acres——"
Chen Da Nao was shocked.
Even though there were countless casualties during the war in Shandong, and a large number of people were taken captive to Liaodong, the per capita land area was very small, and the good time for land reclamation and farming had long passed.
In the village, the Chen family only has about ten acres of farmland at most, and it is all dry land.
"Mr. Zhao, is this hundred acres of land dry land or irrigated land?" Zhao Datou couldn't help but laugh.
"Water irrigates the ground." Mr. Zhao shook his head and said with a smile, "He is preparing to take you over to enjoy the blessing."
"In Liaodong, there is ***
of……"
Chen Datou suddenly shrank his neck and said in fear.
"What year is this from the past?"
Mr. Zhao said in a deep voice: "Liaodong is very stable. The border is Jilin and Liaodong is inland. It is much better than Shandong."
Chen Da Nao was overjoyed.
One hundred acres of land, isn't this a small landowner in my hometown?
Then the second child will be able to study.
As he said that, he looked at Ergou, his face full of expectation.
As long as a scholar is born in the family, he will immediately leap over the dragon gate and become a master.
By then, the Chen family will also be a wealthy family.
The more he thought about it, the happier he became.
The family returned home and happily welcomed the return of their eldest son.
Sure enough, half a month later, Chen Dagou, also known as Chen Xin, returned home in an ox cart going to the market, carrying parcels of all sizes.
It had only been three years since he left. The fenced yard at home had been turned into a mud wall, and several leaky shabby houses had been renovated.
There are vegetables in front of and behind the house, and a few chickens are clucking, wary of the arrival of strangers.
"Dad, when did our family have a chicken farm?"
Chen Dagou was wrapped tightly in a cotton-padded jacket, his face was red, and his tall figure made him look extremely burly.
Compared to the thin and dry person before, it was like a completely different person.
"Half a year after you left, when I sent you the money, I took care of it."
Chen Datou followed his son, full of joy:
"I think I've been raising it for two and a half years. It's clucking all over and laying eggs well. You can try it later. I'm sure it's different from Liaodong."
"Yeah!" Chen Dagou nodded affirmatively: "Your chicken feet are black when exposed, so they must be delicious."
It’s rare for a family to get together, and the table is filled with dishes.
Needless to say pickles, a plate of bacon and a plate of eggs are the biggest dishes on the table.
Several younger brothers and sisters swallowed their words and quarreled, their eyes almost popped out.
Mom, on the other hand, pulled a few people along and scolded in a low voice: "This is for the eldest brother to eat."
Chen Dagou put the meat and vegetables into the bowls of his brother, sister, father and mother without mercy, and said: "Although the salary in the army is not much, you can eat and drink without worries. There is not much else in Liaodong, but there is a lot of meat." "
"There are rabbits, wild boars, roe deer, and deer all over the mountains and plains. If you catch them casually, you can eat them for several days. The fish in the water are as fat as dogs and half as big as a human being..."
In Chen Dagou's description, except for the colder winter, Liaodong basically has all the benefits, at least better than Shandong.
This made all the younger brothers and sisters very greedy.
Speaking of the one hundred acres of land, he raised his head and said, "It is all good irrigated land. It has been cultivated for two years, and it will be mature next year."
"No matter how bad it is, our whole family will starve to death."
Unexpectedly, his father raised his head and asked an unrelated question: "Are there many teachers in Liaodong?"
"Although it can't compare with our Shandong province, it's still there."
Chen's head showed a disappointed look: "If Ergou can't find a good husband, how will he study in the future?"
"Dad, you have forgotten that there are few people in Liaodong!"
Chen Dagou said hurriedly: "In our county, there are thousands of children taking the exam, but in Liaodong, there are at most a hundred people."
"As long as Ergou works a little harder, he can become Master Tongsheng. If he works harder, he will be Master Xiucai——"
"Hiccup--" When he heard Xiucai Gong, Chen Da's head suddenly burped, and a rush of hot air rushed to the back of his head, and he almost collapsed.
Thanks to Chen Dagou for his quick reaction and helping him up.
"Master Xiu Cai, Master Xiu Cai, if the two dogs are really successful, our family will be completely healed..."
Nowadays, with the implementation of the provincial examination, a large number of scholars have entered the county government to serve as clerks, organizers and other positions.
Xiucai, on the other hand, is a seeded contestant in the provincial examination. Once he is considered, he will almost never be dismissed.
As long as we can fight for it
If you are in the top three, you will be able to serve as the county magistrate as an exception.
In other words, it is not easy for a scholar to become an official. Having the title of scholar is equivalent to half an official status.
Officials and civilians are just one word apart, and their treatment varies greatly.
"Move, our whole family has to move." Chen Datou said hurriedly.
"What about the fields at home?"
"Sell it and buy again in Liaodong. The land there is cheap——"
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the entire home changed instantly and became even more noisy.
Migrating to Liaodong has become an unstoppable topic in the family.
In fact, the first wave of construction corps returned home one after another, setting off a wave of migration.
Tens of thousands of families want to migrate to Liaodong.
Everyone in Liaodong was overjoyed.
This wave can bring at least 100,000 people.
The government and the public are paying attention.
At this time, Jilin General Xin Wencheng, Heilongjiang General, and Wang Shiguo followed the footsteps of spring and embarked on their way back to Beijing.
Interestingly, Xin Wencheng set out from Shenyang, then passed through the Liaoxi Corridor and arrived in the capital.
Wang Shiguo, on the other hand, took a boat directly to Tianjin Port and arrived in Beijing faster than him.
Of course, what is striking is that on his way back to Beijing, he carried countless furs worth thousands of gold. His accumulation of wealth made many people salivate.
At this time, everyone realized that the hardships faced by Heilongjiang and Jilin could actually be overcome.
Wang Shiguo came first to report his work. He reported with a smile on his face:
"After the completion of Heilongjiang City, 20,000 people have settled, the army has 3,000 people, and the tribute tribes have exceeded 200, totaling 30,000 people."
"Thanks to the taxation of the docks and ports, we can collect hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, which is more than enough to support the army. In the end, the general will continue to send people north and west to find other tribes."
"I intend to rebuild the old city of Nurqian and promote the power of the Ming Dynasty."
"New city?" The emperor was quite surprised: "The imperial court doesn't have that much money and food."
"Your Majesty, I have calculated that two hundred thousand yuan is enough, and the general's palace can also provide half of it."
At this time, how could Zhu Yixi not understand that Heilongjiang Mansion was obviously not short of money.
Its development is particularly gratifying.
