"Madam, please put on your phoenix crown and harem. My husband is going to marry you."
When the fleet passed Yanzhou, something changed immediately. Everyone got into action and started decorating inside and out.
A wedding in Songjiang Mansion can only be called a wedding ceremony.
Now that we have returned to Dongchang Mansion, we are getting married.
People here have been looking forward to it for a long time, waiting for Zuo Menggeng to come back to welcome his bride.
"Originally, we wanted to make it simple according to the wishes of the guests. However, old Uncle Qin did not agree, and several other elders did not agree. Now this wedding, if nothing else, is definitely the first in the history of Dongchang Mansion. "
As representatives, Zhou You and Zhang Yan personally traveled hundreds of miles to greet them and also told them about the situation in Linqing.
Everyone in Linqing was happy about Zuo Menggeng's wedding. In particular, the common people prepared congratulations from the bottom of their hearts. The most active person among them is Lao Qintou.
As an old man of Zuozhuang, Old Qintou is extremely satisfied with his current life.
Although there are more and more big shots around Zuo Mengeng, old farmers like him can no longer help much.
But Lao Qintou knew very well that the better Zuo Mengeng was, the better off farmers like them would be.
Nowadays, you can eat meat every day, and your grandson Qin Luo has grown up and is working on a steam engine.
It is said that once you succeed, you can become a master craftsman.
All these made Lao Qintou become Zuo Mengeng's most enthusiastic supporter.
Although the old man is illiterate and has little knowledge, as a person who has lived a lifetime, he knows the most clearly that he cannot let anyone who has benefited from the young master be ungrateful.
Just in time to catch up with Zuo Menggeng's marriage, Lao Qintou insisted that it must be done in a big way.
A grand wedding can show the people's love for Zuo Menggeng, and then form a whirlpool effect, making more people have a subordinate mentality.
Although Lao Qintou doesn't understand what psychology is, he knows what's going on in the human heart.
Will the people of Linqing cooperate with him?
Obviously, there is no doubt about it.
In Linqing today, 80% of the people depend on Zuo Menggeng for their lives.
Either working in various factories to make money to support the family, or joining the new army as a soldier.
Zuozhuang is like a center. Every time a new invention or discovery occurs here, it will improve the lives of the people living in Linqing.
For example, off-season vegetables are no longer just produced in winter.
After two years of operation and improvement, major families have discovered that the cost and yield of this intensive method of cultivating vegetables are much better than traditional land cultivation.
Even in summer, greenhouse vegetables are very competitive.
The important thing is that a stable supply of goods is the basis for seizing the market.
Specialized vegetable shops have appeared in Linqing, all relying on vegetable companies to do business, providing jobs for at least thousands of families.
Ordinary people can eat cheap, fresh vegetables at any time, and they are also very grateful to Zuo Mengeng.
It can be said that there are no real poor people in Linqing.
Sufficient job opportunities have effectively absorbed the idle population. Anyone who is willing can find a job.
If you can make money, you will naturally not go hungry.
In this chaotic era, Linqing, where everyone has enough to eat, is like a paradise.
As for the beggars…
Don't even think about it. If you find a beggar on the streets of Linqing, you will definitely be sent to work.
There is no room for lazy people here.
As for the old, weak, sick and disabled, Qu Shiqi specially built a welfare home so that the elderly, orphans and disabled people could receive support.
When the people knew that Zuo Menggeng had done all this, they already regarded him as a living Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering.
Zuo Menggeng's marriage is the biggest happy event in Linqing City.
The wedding in Songjiang Mansion was held in a Western style, respecting the beliefs of Xu Ruolin and the Xu family.
The wedding in Linqing is in Chinese style.
With the help of Xu Ruoxin and others, Xu Ruolin put on a phoenix crown and sat quietly in the cabin. She could only hear the lively playing outside.
After passing Yanzhou Prefecture and entering Anshan Lake, the atmosphere of universal celebration came out.
Everywhere on both sides of the canal, local people would run out and set up formations by the river.
There were lion dances, social operas, firecrackers, and even flowing water feasts prepared by each village.
In order to celebrate Zuo Menggeng's wedding, these flowing banquets were held with no restrictions on guests, and anyone traveling from north to south could sit down and eat and drink.
This year, every village has regained some vitality and has enough financial resources to do this.
"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. People love him so much that we cannot ignore him."
Liu Zongzhou gave timely guidance and let Zuo Mengeng know how to do it.
The first village they passed by was called Chendong Village.
This village is located at the intersection of the canal and the Zhaowang River, just to the south of the New Army's influence.
Most people in the village make a living by working on the canal, and a few people farm. People often go hungry or full, and many families are so poor that they cannot even feed their children.
After the arrival of the new army, the breeding company recruited workers, and many people went to this village.
Later, miners were recruited, and there were no idle people in the village.
After the New Army took over the land from the landlords in the village, they hired the remaining people to grow cotton, wheat, etc., which was another stable source of money.
Life has gotten better, and one can imagine the villagers' love for Zuo Mengeng.
Upon learning that Zuo Menggeng was getting married, Chen Dongcun was the first to hold a banquet.
Seeing Zuo Mengeng's fleet coming from a distance, the villagers swarmed to the river. They asked for nothing more than to kowtow to Zuo Mengeng, and that was their wish.
But what they didn't expect was that the fleet stopped.
After a while, Zuo Mengeng, dressed in the groom's robe, stepped onto the shore and entered the village.
At this time, the people in Chendong Village were all crazy.
Had it not been for the New Army soldiers to block and maintain the situation, the scene would have been different.
Seeing the crowd of people kneeling on the ground in darkness, Zuo Mengeng hurriedly greeted: "Fellows, don't dare to kneel. From now on, we are no longer allowed to kneel here. We are all upright people, kneel down and kneel down to our parents." , What kind of decency would it be for me, a junior, to kneel down to me?"
The old people in the village refused and shouted: "Without the general, our villagers would have starved to death long ago. You are the God of our people. We kneel down to you, and we feel happy."
Zuo Mengeng stepped forward and helped the old man up.
"Look, I'm just one person, no different from the big guys. I can't save the big guys just by myself. If you want to live a good life, you have to work hard together. Think together and work hard together. If we work together, we will not be hungry, cold, or bullied. People say, is this true?"
The villagers nodded their heads, admiring him even more.
In the past, let alone generals like him, even the landlords in the village had to kowtow in greetings during holidays.
No matter how stupid and ignorant the common people are, do they just like to kneel down and be inferior to others?
No one in this world wants to do that.
The reason why I did it was just to survive.
When everyone no longer needs to kneel down, the joy that comes from the heart can light up the whole world.
The village elder took a glass of sake and handed it to Zuo Mengeng tremblingly.
"Today, the general is having a great wedding, and the whole world is celebrating it. We farmers have nothing to show our respect to. This is the sorghum we harvested this year, and the local wine we brewed. The general is kind and has allowed us all to have enough to eat this year. This is A glass of water and wine is what our entire village pays homage to the general."
Zuo Mengeng took the wine glass, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
He knew very well that this was not just a glass of water and wine.
As Liu Zongzhou said, this is the will of the people.
When he was happy, he joked: "I'm so stingy, how come I only have one drink? You bully me into drinking too much?"
The old man grinned.
"Don't dare to get the general drunk. The villages ahead are waiting for you. If the general gets drunk here, everyone will complain."
Zuo Mengeng was stunned and looked back.
The joy on Fu Yusun's face was no worse than his.
"Everyone heard that Shenzu came to Chendong Village for a drink, and they all clamored for Shenzu to have a taste of their wedding wine. So, Shenzu, you don't have to worry about not having enough wine. From here to Linqing, it's a hundred and thirty miles. There are many villages and towns.”
Zuo Mengeng raised his head and looked around, and saw that the wilderness was full of green, the vibrant wheat was forming ears, the buds in the cotton fields had broken through the ground, the villagers' skin color was simple but plump, and one or two of the ten people could already afford to wear it. New clothes.
The land was getting better. The sorghum wine in his hand seemed to be condensed with all the vitality. The aroma of the wine made him intoxicated.
In full view of everyone, Zuo Mengeng drank it all in one gulp.
The spicy wine went straight to his heart, but it seemed to open up all his limbs, making him feel that every part of his body was full of strength.
"Please rest assured, our policy remains unchanged and will continue. In our area, we will not allow corrupt officials, powerful and evil gentry to oppress and exploit. At the same time, we also implore you to work hard so that everyone can have enough to eat. , every family can live in a new house, and children can go to school. Then we have to rescue the poor people all over the world, so that people all over the world can live a good life..."
After saying that, he bowed his head to the ground.
"please!"
The villagers watched him board the boat and go north, and finally stopped kneeling.
"Congratulations on the new year, general, and I'll treat you to a drink next year!"
In front, the village officials were already waiting for the news and gathered on the banks of the canal, eagerly awaiting Zuo Menggeng's arrival.
