Although there was no unreasonable disaster such as the embankment bursting on the north bank, flash floods ruthlessly took away nearly one-third of the population of several villages. Half a month of rain has softened the earthen houses, and when the flash floods wrap around the rocks and logs and wash them down from the undredged valley, the residents at the foot of the mountain have already been ticked off the book of life and death by the Lord of Hell.
The food in the fields is no longer edible. The mature crops have been soaked in knee-deep water for nearly a month. The roots of the crops have long rotted. Even if they are harvested, they are now inedible. There were three villagers from Chihe in front of Shanshui Company. When they saw something was wrong, they planned to go to Fengshan and Xinghua to buy grain. The road to Xinghua was blocked by floods and they could not go there. Looking at the sky-high price of rice in the rice store, they complained endlessly. The people in Helu Village had received the news a long time ago and had filled their homes with rice. Why would they worry about running out of food now?
He Baozheng was so shocked that he couldn't say a word when he heard that the three villages next door had suffered a major disaster, with numerous casualties and casualties. What else could he say? At that time, many people had objections to Sanlang leading them all over the mountain to dig valleys and ditches. They suspected that Sanlang had colluded with the Zheng family in Fengshan to deceive the villagers into buying rice. What about now, the four of them? The villages were all at the foot of the mountain, and the other three villages were almost wiped out. He Lu had nothing to do.
He Baozheng was worried about the rain every day. Whenever he had time, he would wear a raincoat and walk in the valley. This flash flood did not damage a single family, but the spectacular scene of the yellow and muddy flash flood rushing down the mountain from the river was He Baozheng still has lingering fears. If the valley had not been repaired, would the water have flowed into the Nanxi River honestly? If you go crazy in He Lu, many people will die!
The current price of rice has increased several times. The rice industry has let out rumors that there will be a harvest failure everywhere this year. Even if the floods recede, it will be difficult for the rice price to drop to the level during the drought. There is no solution to the complaints of the people. , Mihang cannot adjust the rice itself, how can it not be expensive?
Fortunately, Sanlang had already ordered the villagers to make preparations in advance. Anyone who had money in his family would exchange these rations and keep them at home. There are people fleeing from Xinghua. It is said that Xinghua is full of homeless refugees, and the situation there is not optimistic.
He Jialuo has lived in Helu all his life and has been a guarantor all his life. He used to listen to the villagers complaining about how hard their life was and why they were born in such a ghost place. Today, he had an understanding from the bottom of his heart. This is still a blessing.
After being convinced, they sincerely agreed that Saburo was a powerful man who was unattainable to them and had the ability to control the wind and rain. It will rain, the mountains will flood, and the price of rice will rise. People who can predict such things in advance are the ones they can compare with and question casually. These are the gods from the mountains, the stars in the sky who come down to earth to rescue them and lead them to live a good life.
The rain outside the house is still falling, and every household has a lot of rice and firewood. A stove is burning in one house, and the whole house is warm. The man is snoring in bed, the woman is taking advantage of the leisure time to clean up the household items, and the children are busy. While they were reviewing the knowledge taught in the school, the storm outside had nothing to do with them.
It's the Mid-Autumn Festival now, and the whole of Xinghua, no, the entire southeastern part of the Song Dynasty is filled with gloom and mist. It is said that the heavy rain has flooded half of the Song Dynasty. Several powerful ministers have been replaced in the court, and some young men have come to power. There are rumors among the people that these people's moral incompetence caused such serious floods in the Song Dynasty. His Majesty directly issued an edict. If virtue is not worthy of his place, it should be because he, the emperor, has neglected his duties and failed to implement benevolent government. It is not the fault of these ministers. His remarks made the people see the friendship between the monarch and his ministers, and the slander and rumors were finally alleviated. Come down.
Not to mention eating sweet mooncakes, now people can eat rice which is pretty good. After the flood receded, no edible crops could be found in the fields. The court received urgent documents from various places one after another. Based on the disaster situation in various places, the state machine of the Song Dynasty was finally mobilized, and the court in the name of the government Disaster relief begins. The money and food are all stored in Tokyo. When the relief food arrives, I don't know if it will be the Year of the Monkey or the Horse. Besides, whether the food can be distributed to the people is still a question. There are not many cases of corruption and embezzlement to line one's own pockets. Counting on the government, it is better to go I'm begging for food out of town.
A small number of people in Helu Village also began to lack food. After all, not everyone believed Liang Chuan's words so firmly. Their rice tank has bottomed out, and they are regretting it now. Fortunately, the families next door are somewhat related, so it makes sense to borrow some rice to help them out when they are in a hurry. The three neighboring villages were not so lucky.
The Mid-Autumn Festival does not have any festive atmosphere. It is also an important festival, more lively than the Spring Festival, because there are lanterns everywhere to see. This year, no one is in the mood to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Except for the wealthy families, they are not affected at all, but all the middle-class and poor people are ruined. The government is even more distressed and has no time left to enjoy the affairs of the people.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liangchuan opened the door as usual and prepared to inspect the river. As soon as he opened the door, he was shocked by the scene outside. I saw Chen Qiyou, the Baozheng of Shanshui Village, looking like a beggar with a gray face, followed by several villagers. Those villagers were three points worse than him, skinny, unkempt, and holding a broken bowl in their hands. .
"Chen Baozheng, we haven't seen each other for a while. You've lost a lot of money. What are you doing in the rain so early in the morning?" Liang Chuan actually asked a redundant question. What else could you do? A blind person can see it. It's naked. They just come to your door to beg.
Chen Qiyou's old face was so embarrassed that there was no place to put it. He was really desperate, so he decided to take this trick and lead the villagers to do such a thing to lose points to their ancestors. Whenever two villages have a history, the poor Helu of Shanshui Village has always been poorer than them! In the past, people from He Lu would always chase them to beg for food and seek help from them. Now the situation has changed, and I didn't expect that I would bring villagers to beg for food.
He got up early in the morning and went to find He Baozheng. He Baozheng said he was helpless. It was not Baozheng who had the ability to save people, but Saburo Xiaoyi. He had no choice but to come to Liang Chuan. A large group of villagers were not very happy, it was not a glorious thing.
"Sanlang, the villagers have suffered a disaster and are having a hard time. You are a kind person, help the villagers get through this difficulty." Chen Qiyou said sadly, there is no need to add fuel to the fire now, all the tragedy is so real.
"I'm not having a good time either. Chen Baozheng and I will join you tomorrow to go begging. I haven't returned to my old job for a long time." Liang Chuan said with a smile.
Chen Qiyou was stunned for a moment. He had long heard that Liang Chuan was a homeless little beggar who had been unknown in Helu for many years. He suddenly became successful in the past two years. It seems that the rumors are true.
But now that I have a big house and several wives, I don’t have to live a life of begging anymore. Chen Qiyou was not in the mood to joke with Liang Chuan now, and the people around him didn't laugh when he heard it, and it was a bit sarcastic to them.
"Sanlang, you are so kind and righteous. The Shima Bridge has collapsed. Now among the four villages, your Helu is in the best condition. The other two villages are about the same as Shanshui Village. If you want to eat, you have nowhere to go."
What, the Shima Bridge is broken! How will the people in these four villages survive?
When Liang Chuan heard the bad news, his heart instantly became heavy. The only way to the outside world was cut off. After the disaster, there was no food in the fields and no food in the house. It was equivalent to letting people in four villages die.
"Let me state in advance that I am not a charity person. When people outside say that I am so good, they are just giving me a thumbs up. Life is difficult for everyone now. I still have some food on hand, but it is not for free. For yours, buy it with money.”
Of course, it is impossible to eat your own rice for free. I still have several mouths under my command, but they are given to outsiders like you. I don’t know if this bridge can be built in a year or two. God knows how long it will last.
Liang Chuan was willing to let go, which already made Chen Qiyou overjoyed. When a disaster comes, everyone first seeks self-protection. Giving one's own rations to others is equivalent to putting oneself in more danger. This is a very simple truth, so they did not come today with the mentality of certain success. Liang Chuan refused to let them Just go up the mountain to eat grass roots and bark. The fruits on the mountain can last for a while. If you can't do it, you can just go to the rocks to make a living.
Liang Chuan led Chen Qiyou and others from Shanshui Village to the He family's ancestral hall. All the food in his village was in the ancestral hall. When He Baozheng saw Liang Chuanzhen coming with Chen Qiyou and the others, he was a little worried for him. Quietly pulled Liang Chuan aside and asked him privately: "Sanlang, do you have enough grain? With so many mouths open, you sell them at a high price and they say you are unkind. You sell them at a low price. You will suffer a loss. You really want to save the grain." Sell them?”
Liang Chuan chuckled and said: "I never care what others say about me, unkind? Wouldn't that be better? Everyone knows that I only follow principles and not show mercy in my work. This will save me a lot of trouble in the future!"
The several rooms in the ancestral temple where Liang Chuan and the others used to sleep were locked by Liang Chuan with keys, and no one except mice could enter. He wasn't worried about the food being stolen. If someone in the village did something like this, let He Baozheng catch him. If he asked who was carrying a rice bag strutting through the market, he would be sure to catch them.
Chen Qiyou followed him into the ancestral hall and took a look. Oh my God, there was a house full of rice. This was enough to feed the people of four villages for half a year. . This was really prepared. The people in Helu Village were all prepared. No wonder they were fearless.
"Sanlang... how do you sell this grain?"
The price of rice in Xinghua has skyrocketed, and even if you have money, you can't buy rice now. Chen Qiyou was a little worried, fearing that the price of rice was too high and he would not be able to afford it.
