"What are you doing?" Xiao Yinzi couldn't cheer up.
"Let's go out and play." Xiao Jinzi said.
"I don't want to go." Xiao Yinzi refused.
"Your second brother told you to go, just go." Miao Cui glared at her little daughter, and Xiao Yinzi had no choice but to follow Xiao Jinzi out. It was so cold outside, the elder brother was sleeping in again, and dad was still fishing on the bow of the boat as usual.
Xiao Jinzi took Xiao Yinzi and ran to his father. The two of them were suddenly shivered by the cold wind. Poor people did not have mink fur to keep them warm.
It's already November, and the two children are still wearing old clothes from previous years. A large part of their hands and feet are exposed and are red from the cold. Their winter clothes are spring clothes stuffed with bits and pieces of reed catkins and catkins. Chicken feathers, duck feathers and other things were made into a jacket for the winter.
Cui Niang stuffed some reed flowers into it yesterday and pounded them repeatedly, but it still didn't keep warm, and the two children were still shivering from the cold.
The river wind was biting, and Yu Shitou touched the red faces of his second son and his youngest daughter: "If there's anything fun outside, go inside quickly."
"It's cold in the house too." Xiao Jinzi grabbed his father's raincoat, his hands were covered with frostbite, he sniffed: "Dad, we are running out of firewood at home."
"I understand." Yu Shitou said. The firewood at home has been used very quickly recently. In addition to eating every day, firewood is also used to make medicine for the nobles, so Cui Niang is in a bad mood these days.
"Go inside and sleep with your elder brother." Yu Shitou let the two children in. Fish are easy to sell in the cold weather, and he wanted to catch a few more fish.
Xiao Yinzi listened to his father's words and got into his eldest brother's bed. The two of them slept next to his eldest brother, which disturbed Yu Dalang so much that he had to get up.
He glanced at the noble lady by the way and found that she was sitting quietly by the bed. The noble lady was naturally the most beautiful he had ever seen. Sometimes Yu Dalang felt like she was from a painting. Her beauty was unreal. Yu Dalang looked at it. After a while, I found that the noble man had spoken very little since he woke up.
Maybe it’s because I can’t see and feel bad? Yu Dalang made a guess and went out.
Miao Cui was preparing the family's winter clothes when she suddenly felt a hand fall on her arm.
"Yingniang, your injury is not healed yet, why are you up?" Miao Cui put down the clothes-tampering stick and asked the noble man to sit down.
"I've rested long enough." The woman named Ying Niang heard the voice and looked at Cui Niang: "I don't have much, and I am taken care of by your family. I feel very sorry."
"If there is anything I can do, Cui Niang, just say it."
As soon as Miao Cui heard what the woman said, the discomfort she felt in her heart immediately disappeared. She just couldn't bear to use up the firewood at home too quickly. She said: "No, no, just rest."
"Of course I do, otherwise I feel guilty." Yingniang's eyes were covered with a layer of lavender silk. Sometimes she would feel sore and uncomfortable after opening her eyes for a long time, so she pulled the cloth over her eyes.
"Then you can make catkins." Miao Cui said, "Just stuff the catkins, reed catkins and poultry feathers into the jacket." She chose a simple job. Da Lang is still wearing a linen robe. When it's cold, it's time to wear a jacket. If you have money, it would be nice to buy a cotton jacket. I heard that rich people's winter clothes are made of silk, and silk floss is also sandwiched in the silk, which is very warm.
The only two leather jackets in the house are worn by the head of household or the elder when he wants to go out. The others hide in the house during cold weather and try not to go out.
Miao Cui took a look at the noble lady's clothes. The clothes she had worn when she fell into the water were wrinkled and wrinkled after she washed them once. She was wearing a blue-gray robe with beautiful patterns embroidered on top of her long lavender skirt.
"I'll teach you." Miao Cui said, "It's cold now. Paper clothes and quilts should be stuffed with something to keep them warm, otherwise it will be freezing at night."
She said, then paused: "If you feel cold, just tell me. We still have some paper clothes at home. Wear them outside to block the wind."
Ying Niang faced Cui Niang: "I understand, thank you Cui Niang."
Miao Cui didn't look at her. She lowered her head and taught the nobleman to stuff the catkins into the paper clothes.
Ying Niang touched the paper clothes that Cui Niang handed over. It was very hard, rough, and felt like tree bark. She stuffed the clumps of lint into the paper clothes as Cui Niang taught her, and listened to the sound of wind and water outside. .
Miao Cui was busy for a while and then went out to prepare food.
Ying Niang continued what she was doing, remembering that the fewer and fewer times she drank medicine in the past two days, as well as the occasional quarrels she heard, seemed to be related to her. Cui Niang and her family were not welcoming to her.
She sighed softly in her heart.
Also, no one will like a sick person eating and drinking for free at home.
Moreover, she always felt that there was someone in this family who often looked at her, but she didn't know who it was.
Ying Niang pursed her lips, and suddenly felt a hand on the back of her hand. She immediately became nervous, stood up, and took two steps back.
Xiao Yinzi was startled by Lady Ying's reaction: "Ms. Ying."
When Ying Niang heard the little girl's voice, her whole body relaxed. With the other hand hidden behind her back, she quietly hid the wooden hairpin in her sleeve. She slowly knelt down and waved to Third Sister to come over: "It's Third Sister. "I heard this is what the family called her.
Xiao Yinzi walked up to Ying Niang and took her hand: "My father is getting ready to dock. He and his elder brother are going to collect tree trunks and firewood."
Yingniang held Sanmei's hand. After losing her sight, her hearing and touch became more sensitive. Xiao Yinzi's hands were pitted, probably from frostbite. She touched them and slowly returned to the paper clothes: "You Do you want to go too?”
"Dad, grandma won't let me go, it's very dangerous in the woods." Xiao Yinzi said.
Xiao Yinzi took advantage of others not paying attention and whispered to Lady Ying: "Our family is going to Luoyang to join my uncle and the others. When we get to Luoyang, ask your family to pick you up when you arrive."
In this way, Lady Ying's jade pendant should be saved. The eldest brother knows how to gamble, and she has already seen that he wants Lady Ying's jade pendant.
Yingniang was stunned for a moment, feeling that Luoyang herself seemed to have heard of it. Her memory was always inconsistent in the past two days. She needed someone to point it out before she could vaguely remember something. Luoyang, peonies, a flower. Thousands of taels of silver, and a smiling face that I could never recall, she called her...
"Miss Ying." Xiao Yinzi shook Lady Ying's hand, very nervous. After all, Aniang didn't like her looking for Lady Ying.
Ying Niang came back to her senses, feeling lost. There was a deep pain in her heart, and her longing was traceless but unforgettable.
"I heard it, thank you." Yingniang smiled bitterly thinking of the current predicament, hesitated, and said, "But I can't think of my family for the time being."
"Ah." Xiao Yinzi was shocked, and then became anxious: "What should we do? Did the old doctor not take good care of you?"
"I knew that the doctor my eldest brother hired was..." Before Xiao Yinzi could finish speaking, he heard A Niang's cry.
Xiao Yinzi left in a hurry.
After Yingniang sat for a while, she continued her work. She couldn't hide this matter. After Sanmei's family arrived in Luoyang, she would definitely not be able to follow them anymore. What would happen then?
The family had dinner before it was too late.
Ying Niang sat in a corner to eat. It took her three days to adapt to eating in the dark.
Yu Dalang collected firewood, carried firewood, bundled firewood, and left some to sell. He was too tired to talk, but Xiao Jinzi was chattering. He kept talking about his uncle and what Luoyang was like, and he yearned for it very much.
Miao Cui rarely smiled as she talked about her eldest brother, who was very capable. After learning cooking skills, he worked in a wealthy family's house to cook for them. Later, he joined the owner of the mansion and joined a big ship, and was still responsible for cooking for the owner's family. , earned a lot of money and bought a house in Luoyang.
"My aunt doesn't want to see us. No matter how nice my uncle's house is, he won't lend it to us temporarily. Mom, what's the use of saying this?" Yu Dalang said coldly.
"It would be great if your uncle could use his connections to find a job for you and your son. Why don't you look at how many homeless people there are out there and they don't even have food to eat." Miao Cui said angrily: "What else do you want?"
But Yu Dalang was not surprised: "When I get to Luoyang, I will make a living."
After saying that, he went out, and Miao Cui was so angry that she scolded him.
Ying Niang listened to their noise quietly. When she fell asleep at night, she returned the bed to the owner. Miao Cui refused twice, so she took her youngest daughter and second son to sleep.
The ground was cold and cool, and from time to time you would encounter debris. Fortunately, there was a layer of hay spread on the straw mat. Yingniang covered herself with a paper quilt, listening to the sound of water rushing outside, and felt that kind of gaze again.
She stood up and sat for a while.
Someone touched the boat window with a small stone and made a slight sound. Yingniang looked towards the boat window.
Then he remained unmoved and covered the paper.
Yu Dalang leaned against the window and asked the only noble person on the ship who had seen the world. His voice was very soft: "It's so cold. I heard that peonies are still blooming in Luoyang now. Madam Ying, do you think it's true or not?"
Ying Niang said nothing.
Yu Dalang sneered: "That's right, noble people like you..."
Ying Niang heard ambition, or the yearning for a big city, and deep unwillingness in his words.
Yu Dalang stopped talking as if he was bored and looked at the sky.
He also wants to be a farmer, and anyone who wants to dig in the dirt will dig it out.
Anyway, he wants to be a master.
Chapter 262 (Overhaul Completed)
When Wei Yunzhou learned that the Qinghe River burst its banks and caused floods, affecting dozens of counties and counties, he immediately felt a subtle change in his heart. When he was in Luoyang, although he said that Han Fu was responsible for everything on the surface, he could not completely take the responsibility for it. He was blind with his eyes open. Needless to say, he was sure that Han Fu was responsible for the Qinghe incident.
Chuzhou was carelessly lost by Wang Wanwan at the beginning. After reuniting with his Anguo army, Wang Wanwan led the Caizhou army to counterattack wildly. The two armies were at odds with each other and refused to give in. With the addition of Anguo army, Chuzhou was lost. , Yi Fan on the Youzhou side was still defeated after all, and Chuzhou fell into the hands of Wei Yunzhou again.
Just when they were about to continue attacking the five towns of Shennong according to the plan, another news came that the Duke of Guo and Zhou Youzhou fought at Guieryan in Daizhou. The battle was unfavorable, and they later retreated to Xuzhou.
Zhou Youzhou led his troops to Guangling.
Without thinking too much, Wei Yunzhou discussed with Wang Wanwan. Wang Wanwan continued to occupy Chuzhou, while he led his troops back to Xuanzhou. Firstly, he wanted to see if Funan was serious about attacking Guangling when he was in Xuanzhou. Secondly, he , but they didn’t have the confidence to capture Guangling in a short period of time. If they were dragged by the enemy on the battlefield of the Five Towns, Zhou Youzhou was elusive, and it would be bad to be attacked from a flank. So, after much thought, it was better to avoid the Youzhou soldiers for the time being. Fu Nan watched for a while when he was in Xuanzhou.
As the Huainan Festival Envoy and the Southeast Recruitment Envoy, Shi Funan welcomed Wei Yunzhou's arrival with a cold face. Next to him was Liu Shouliang, the Huainan Festival Deputy Envoy who had just taken office a few months ago.
Liu Shouliang was a little more reticent than usual due to an unexpected incident, but he still smiled at Wei Yunzhou's arrival. Shi Funan watched coldly as the two got close to each other during the conversation.
The original deputy envoy of Huainan Jiedu, Liu Kai, was killed in the battle of Guangling. His son Liu Shouliang successfully took over his father's position because of his kindness to save the young prince and became the deputy envoy of Huainan Jiedu. At that time, Funan served as The military envoys of the Huainan Army were no longer as powerful as before.
Shi Funan was not sad at all about the death of the former deputy envoy of Jiedu. The old guy was sent by Wei Guogong to divide his rights. It was strange that he could be happy, so he usually ignored Liu Shouliang.
When they were working together, Shi Funan looked at the two of them and cursed.
During the dinner, Wei Yunzhou asked Shi Funan how the attack on Guangling was progressing as usual.
At that time, Funan said: "My troops are attacking day and night. Five days ago, we fought a battle with Gao Chongying in Yizheng Town, killing nearly a hundred enemies." But he never mentioned his defeat.
There is no airtight wall in the world. I don’t know what Duke Wei Guogong did to make Zhou Manzi become ferocious. Tens of thousands of corpses were piled up in towers forever in Gui’er’s eyes. Even the ominous rule of killing and surrender was broken. Almost all the way. Killing Jiangnan is like a killing god.
If the people under him don't just show off and run away quickly, will they still fight to the death for Wei Guogong? At that time, Fu Nan was not a direct military figure of Wei Guogong.
Wei Yunzhou listened to Shi Funan's words with a smile on his face: "The Huainan Army has always been the elite leader of Jianghuai. I believe that Shi Jiedu will be able to capture Guangling."
Shi Funan chuckled.
"After the Qinghe River broke its embankment, did you notice that there were a lot of changes in Youzhou soldiers during the season?" Wei Yunzhou said.
"Is there any?" Shi Funan thought for a while: "Maybe they ran out of food because of the flood. After Chuzhou was captured by General Wang, they didn't want to take it back. Instead, they gathered their troops in the direction of the flood. The place is spread out…”
Fu Nan became more and more strange as he talked about it. Indeed, Youzhou soldiers have been acting strangely recently.
"Do they want to win people's hearts and rescue the victims along the way?" Shi Funan made a guess, but felt that he was fanciful. It is not strange that there will be floods this year. After all, there is a lot of water in the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, and there will be floods every few years. This is the flood this year. It was too late for it to happen.
It was going to be extremely cold that day. The refugees had no food or clothing, and the result was nothing more than death.
If Zhou Manzi really wanted to save the victims for the sake of fame, Shi Funan almost laughed out loud.
It is true that Shennong is the granary of the five towns, and Guangling is indeed a prosperous place. However, the grain production has been reduced this year. In addition to ensuring that the food in the city can be eaten by the people of the city, it also has to support the soldiers of Youzhou. The weather is freezing, the land is full of swamps, and the fertile farmland has been destroyed. , unable to sow, and famine is certain in the coming year. In this case, who will give the excess food to the refugees.
"It's not just the Ghost Tuqi guarding Qinghe." Liu Shouliang said, he has also been paying attention to this matter: "As long as there are places where floods have occurred, even Haiyun of Tian Jian has their presence, and the soldiers of the five towns of Guangling The horses were also searching along the riverbank for something."
"Many medical clinics have soldiers patrolling and inspecting, and additional personnel have been deployed at the city gates to carry out strict searches."
"You mean." Shi Funan put down his wine glass: "Who are they looking for?"
"What Shi Jiedu said is what I think in my heart." Wei Yunzhou guessed that when the Qinghe River burst its embankments, an important person in the enemy must have had an accident.
