In the early morning, the sunrise has not yet passed over the mountains, and the morning glow has already turned the sky red. After a night of cooling down, even the air was a little cool in the morning.
Zhang Rui got up from his bed again, and everything was still so unfamiliar. Although Li Hun had been trying to keep Zhang Rui in the Li Mansion last night, Zhang Rui was not stupid enough to think that he could make Li Hun have no ill intentions towards him, so he refused because a golden nest and a silver nest were not as good as his own doghouse.
The Qing Dynasty was no better than modern times. In modern times, if you are hacked, you only have to pay some money, and your life is rarely in danger. If you didn't pay attention in the Qing Dynasty, you would be dead. As a lonely man and a poor man, there was no place to complain if he was killed. Zhang Rui had no choice but to treat everything cautiously.
If we were still in modern times, if Zhang Rui, a night owl, could get up so early, it would be like the sun was rising in the west. However, in the Qing Dynasty, there was no entertainment program at night, especially in the countryside. The sun rose and the sun set, and the cycle began again and again, which they considered a happy and fulfilling life. Maybe when times are good, we can even hire a troupe to sing a few words, but don't fantasize about anything now.
Originally, Zhang Rui wanted to buy some books, pens, ink, paper and inkstones from Li Hun. But in the countryside, who would prepare these things. Li Hun himself didn't know a few words and could simply keep a few accounts, which he didn't usually do. This time, because I wanted to force the villagers to sign and draw pictures, I brought pens, ink, paper and inkstones with me. Unfortunately, they were broken when Zhang Rui attacked Lei Bao.
The eldest young master of the Li Mansion did leave some books, pens, ink, paper and inkstones here, but Li Hun said that as a servant, it was not easy to make decisions. Therefore, Zhang Rui had no choice but to give up.
Zhang Rui originally thought he was early enough, but when he arrived at Li's house, he saw that it was already full of people waiting for his arrival.
In fact, it is no wonder that the villagers were nervous. You must know that the yield per mu in the Qing Dynasty was not high, especially since Guangxi was located in a desolate and infertile area. The annual average yield per mu is only about 15 shi (Note 1), so a good field can produce one shi and two bushels of rice per mu in a season, and a good year can produce 3 shi of rice per mu in a year.
One stone in the Qing Dynasty is only about 146 pounds in today's market pound. In the Qing Dynasty, one kilogram was the current 6 kilograms. Calculating that the Zhou family had 21 kilograms of rice, the current 6 kilograms of rice they had was equal to approximately 34 kilograms. Specifically, I now have a 30-pound bag of rice which is 4 more pounds.
The villagers couldn't help but be excited to have such a small amount of food during the lean period, which would allow the whole family to live comfortably for a long time. How many of them can sleep? What should I do if I arrive late and someone else has collected it?
"Brother Six..."
"Good morning, Sixth Brother..."
"Brother Six, it's so early..."
…
Seeing Zhang Rui coming, the villagers guarding the door of Li Mansion came over one after another to show their faces and say hello.
"I didn't expect everyone to wake up so early! Haha... It seems that I still have to get up early and be more diligent." Zhang Rui joked.
"Brother Six, what are you talking about? You are a person who does big things. You work hard and work hard. You should take more rest." Zhou Tong said to Zhang Rui unceremoniously.
"that is……"
…
The villagers echoed...
“Uncle Tong is overly praised!!!”
…
The villagers didn't understand what Wen Chucheng said, but they all agreed in their hearts that he had the ability of Wenquxing in the sky.
Suddenly, Zhang Rui saw Chen Sigou in the village smiling with the villagers behind his father Chen Liu. Chen Sigou is also sixteen this year, two months younger than Zhang Liu.
Compared with the villagers, Chen Liu's family belongs to a poorer household among the poor. There are three children at home. Chen Sigou is the eldest son, and there are two other boys, twelve-year-old Chen Jiugou and ten-year-old Chen Shigou. Because Chen Sigou's mother was malnourished and her frail body often needed money for medical treatment, the family never had any spare money, and sometimes had to borrow money out of desperation.
Although the family is poor, fortunately they are still together. Chen Sigou is a filial child. Because his mother was unwell, he helped his father work in the fields at a very young age. Whenever I have a break, I go to pick mushrooms and bamboo shoots, collect firewood and sell it in the county to supplement the family income. For the sake of this family, and for the sake that my two brothers will not cry and complain about hunger, I can say that I work hard and never complain. But all the hard work has not brought about much change.
Last night's dinner was something Chen Sigou had never seen since he was born, let alone edible. Even when I went to collect firewood to sell to a rich man's house, I saw that the banquet held at their house was not so good.
During the dinner last night, Chen Sigou wanted to swallow his tongue. Especially when he saw his parents and two younger brothers smiling happily, it was a smile he had never seen before in his life. Chen Sigou felt uneasy and turbulent in his heart. He knew that he was greedy, but he wanted to see his parents and brothers eat well every day and laugh happily.
Like most people, Chen Sigou, who was possessed by his inner desires, stayed awake all night.
Since ancient times, it has been said that people who have enough food and clothing can know the etiquette, and those who have enough food and clothing can know the honor and disgrace. For a person who can't even put food on the table, any principles or ideals he holds are false. What they need is someone who can keep them fed, and then someone who can give them spiritual satisfaction.
Li Sigou has never read a book, is young and has little social experience. He wanted to change himself, but found that he couldn't do anything. What I can do is collect firewood, pick mushrooms and dig bamboo shoots.
He once wanted to be a bandit, but when he saw the bandits not even sparing his own relatives, he felt that it was not something he could do alone. I remembered my parents' teachings, and I didn't know any martial arts. What if my parents and two younger brothers died. He gave up the terrible thought and continued his work.
Opportunities are rare and valuable, but when the opportunity comes, you must seize it.
Li Sigou thought about it all night. He felt that he had to change. Maybe the appearance of Zhang Liu was the opportunity to change. So he stayed up all night and came over with his father who got up early.
Desire always makes people motivated.
Note 1: Information comes from the China Economic History Forum
