The warm spring light enveloped the streets of Tokyo, and there was still a hint of chill in the spring breeze. White catkins were flying everywhere, tickling the nostrils of pedestrians, and several refreshing sneezes were heard from time to time in the streets.
The climate is getting warmer and everything is recovering. The last harsh winter seems to be fading away, and the vitality in Tokyo has exploded again. On the street, there was a huge flow of people and it was a lively scene.
The cover supported by long poles swayed in the breeze, a stove was set up, a few tables and chairs were set up, and the most ordinary restaurant in Tokyo was set up. Liu Yang was sitting on a bench, eating pancakes slowly, but his eyes were always focused on the scene in the market, the carriages passing by, the peddlers carrying burdens, the coolies carrying bags, the vendors spreading along the street, and the wandering people. There are also officers and soldiers who patrol from time to time.
There are also classes in the city. After decades of development, the boundaries of settlement in Tokyo have become increasingly clear. There have long been distinctions between the poor in the south and the rich in the north, and the rich at home and the lowly at home. Of course, in terms of liveliness, it must belong to Nancheng and Nanchang. Whether a city is prosperous or not depends not only on the places where wealth and wealth gather, but also on the lives of these small people in Guizhou.
"Ah sneeze!"
The crisp sound attracted Liu Yang's attention. When he looked down, he saw the second son Liu Wenji holding a porridge bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. He was at a loss, with water and rice on his face. Seeing this scene, Liu Yang didn't know what to do. Something happened.
With a gentle smile on his face, Liu Yang took out a handkerchief and handed it to him: "Wipe your face clean!"
"Yeah!" Liu Wenji responded obediently.
Looking at the porridge bowl that was half missing, Liu Yang asked: "Are you full?"
"full."
"Is it tasty?"
"tasty!"
"Take you to other places for shopping!" Liu Yang chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Liu Wenji's smart eyes suddenly lit up, and his little face showed joy. He stood up directly, looking positive. Although he was taught to be obedient and obedient by the Crown Princess and Concubine Xiao, he was still full of curiosity and fantasy about the world outside the palace.
"Store, check out!" Liu Yang stroked Liu Wenji's head and turned to shout to the busy vendors on the street.
This is a husband and wife team. Upon hearing the greeting, the male host hurriedly ran up, with a warm smile on his face, and his honest and rough face clearly showed the shrewdness of a small citizen. He glanced at it, rubbed his hands, and said carefully: "Guest Officer, a total of fifty-two articles!"
For such a small vendor, Liu Yang can be considered a big customer. Not to mention his exquisite clothes, the plate of venison is worth twenty coins, and few people usually order it.
"Fifty-two articles." Liu Yang muttered.
Seeing his reaction, the store owner hurriedly introduced the price of the vegetables, then gritted his teeth and made a generous look: "Just give me fifty cents!"
Noticing his expression, Liu Yang smiled: "It's not easy for you to make a living, so how can I take advantage of your two cents?"
"Pay up!" After saying that, Liu Yang rushed to Wang Yue, who was waiting at the side.
Upon seeing this, the store owner immediately beamed and praised Liu Yang for his grandeur. After changing the money, Liu Yang glanced at the hawker, waved to him, and said, "If you are not busy, can you sit down? I have a few questions I would like to ask you."
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, a little embarrassed, but Liu Yang showed his dignity and did not dare to refuse. He quietly sat down and said carefully: "What does the guest want to ask? I don't understand anything."
Liu Yang was originally excited, but when he saw his reaction, he took it seriously and said gently: "You don't need to be nervous, we just have a simple chat."
"From your accent, do you think you are from the capital?"
"Exactly! I've been living in Tokyo since my grandfather, and it's been decades now!" the store owner replied.
Liu Yang smiled a little: "In this way, your family has grown up together with the big man and Tokyo until now!"
"What you said is so good!" The shopkeeper showed a simple smile, and there was a bit of pride in his tone: "The two generations of my grandfather have joined the army and conquered the world with His Majesty. You know Zhaolie Temple, the spiritual tablets enshrined in it, They have the names of my ancestors and father, and I still go there to worship them every year!"
"Oh?" After hearing what he said, Liu Yang became more interested and his expression became gentler: "She is still a heroic queen! I wonder where she died?"
"My grandfather was killed in Shouzhou, Huainan, and my father was killed in the Qianyou Northern Expedition and in the Battle of Nankou!" The man sighed.
Hearing this, Liu Yang nodded slightly: "It is only because of heroes like your grandfather who sacrificed their lives that the great Han Dynasty can be as prosperous as it is today!"
As he spoke, Liu Yang glanced at the street vendor and the shop he was leaning on, and said curiously: "As far as I know, when soldiers sacrifice themselves on the battlefield, the court will pay pensions and grant land based on their military rank and merit. Two generations of your grandfather have , the pension you receive should be quite enough to support your family, how can you start such a hard and small business?"
Mentioning this, the shopkeeper opened up his chatterbox and responded: "Neither of my grandfathers became military officers, and even my grandfather was only an ordinary man. Of course, he also left more than two hundred acres of land for us descendants. .
However, my family also has uncles, nephews and brothers. After the family division, the land of each family will be spread thinly. The villain has four sons. The eldest son is already married, and he still needs to buy the adoption gift for the remaining three sons. Now, the land is taken care of by the sons. Considering that there is still this property in Tokyo, and the villain also has some cooking skills, Then I started to tidy up and run this business.
After all, Tokyo has a lot of diners and makes more money. Compared with those acres of land, the income is higher! "
Liu Yang frowned subconsciously: "How many acres of land! Didn't your grandfathers leave more than two hundred acres of land? How many uncles, nephews, and brothers are there in your family? Even if the property is divided, they still can't support the family?"
The store owner was hesitant, but then he came to his senses. Seeing this, Liu Yang had a straight face: "But there's no harm in talking!"
He was startled, hesitated for a while, and then hesitantly said: "This little family is assigned thirty-five acres of land, which is fertile land by the 50-foot river. If we manage it well, it will not be a problem to support the family, and there may even be Surplus. However, the imperial tax is not low and there is a lot of labor. The price of food has never been able to rise in the past few years. What's more, more than 20 acres of land have been sold."
"Ordinary farmers want to hold on to their fields for the rest of their lives. Your home is fertile land with a five-foot river flowing through it. How can you sell it? What difficulties does your family encounter?" Liu Yang looked like he was searching for the root cause.
"My lord, I can't say any more!" The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly, with a hint of fear on his face.
After taking a deep look at this person, these four words "The hardship of the common people" suddenly appeared in my mind. These are the property owners after the heroes. Where are the real ordinary people in Guizhou?
After thinking about it, Liu Yang smiled again and said in a gentler tone: "I asked casually. If you have any scruples, I won't force you. Also, tell me, how long have you been running this food stall?"
"About five years!"
"How much profit can be made in this day? It must be five or six hundred dollars!" Liu Yang said with a smile.
The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly: "There are not that many. Big customers like Guanren are still rare. Ordinary diners can only spend a few pennies to order rice and pancakes. Even if they order chicken or mutton slices, they won't be enough." Twenty coins!”
Hearing what he said, Liu Yang nodded, pointed to the more than half of the venison left on the table and said, "Your venison tastes good!"
"To be honest with the officials, our small stall is not as good as those big restaurants. The venison is hunted by the villagers themselves. There is not much meat, but it is cooked with more care."
"Not bad!" Liu Yang chuckled: "However, the taste is a bit bland, not much salt!"
Hearing this, the store owner felt a little embarrassed and whispered: "Salt is expensive these days."
"What's the price of salt in Tokyo now?" Liu Yang asked immediately.
"Hey!" He sighed and said, "Now it has reached eighty cents per dou, which is double what it was ten years ago. Even half a year ago, it was only sixty-seven cents per dou."
"Why?" Liu Yang's face looked ugly.
"It is said that because of the rebellion in the northwest, local green and white salt cannot be transported, so the price of salt has also increased."
After hearing this, Liu Yang thought for a moment and couldn't help but said angrily: "What does the northwest rebellion have to do with Tokyo? How many people in Tokyo eat green and white salt?"
"The officials are right! Common people in Tokyo like us eat Yangzhou salt, Cangzhou salt, or river salt. The northwest is too far away from us. Although green and white salt is good, only those high-ranking officials can afford it. , the northwest is in chaos, and the price of salt has risen everywhere, so I still have to buy it, hey."
Seeing him sighing, Liu Yang remained silent for a while and then changed the subject: "It's quite hard to run a business in this city. Have you encountered any trouble? Are there any oppression by the government or harassment by scoundrels?"
"this"
Seeing his hesitation, it is self-evident. During the conversation, two young men were seen wandering over. They were wearing turbans and silk cloths, with their nostrils pointing to the sky, swaggering through the market. The businessmen and merchants along the street all took the initiative to say hello. Of course, what attracted Liu Yang's attention were the merchants and vendors. They all took out copper coins and actively stuffed them into the pockets hanging on their waists, and carefully complimented them.
When he arrived at the store, the old man also hurriedly accused Liu Yang and left. With the same action, he took out a few coins. The two young men showed satisfied expressions.
However, after taking a moment to look at Liu Yang, who was sitting on the street, he quickly looked away. They also picked up two pieces of venison, munched away, and walked along the street. As you can imagine, after just walking down the street like this, the pockets on their waists would be filled with coins.
Seeing this scene, Liu Yang had mixed feelings in his heart. Of course he knew what was going on. When the old man from the store returned, he asked: "How much did you pay?"
"Ten!"
"Is it like this every day?"
The old man shook his head and looked at it calmly, or maybe he was used to it: "Not really, it's just every now and then."
"What are the identities of these two people? I don't think they are like tax collectors. You work early and work late, and you don't get much from your hard work in a day. So let them get something for nothing and take it for free?" Liu Yang asked.
When asked, the old man did not answer, but thought for a moment, and then said, "This official obviously has an extraordinary status and does not know the difficulties of ordinary people like us. This street has already been settled, and it is good for us." It is said that it is enough to spend some money to buy peace of mind and be able to operate safely and steadily, so why bother asking for trouble.
What's more, they also collect taxes on behalf of the government."
This last sentence touched Liu Yang's sensitive area. He stared at the old man with stern eyes: "What's going on? Please elaborate!"
But this time, the old man no longer dared to talk nonsense. He shook his head repeatedly and refused to say more.
(End of chapter)
