The post road in the mountains is so quiet, no one is coming and going, you can only hear the calls of birds coming out to look for food. Although it has not snowed yet this winter, it has been raining and freezing for two days. The mud on the ground is already covered with some small ice slag, making the atmosphere in the surrounding area very desolate. Only the continuous ruts indicate its busyness. .
This mountain is neither very high nor very big. It is just a messy place at the top of the mountain, winding and winding for who knows how many miles. According to the elders nearby, many local people got lost after going deep into the depths, or were trapped for a day or two, suffered from cold, heat, hunger, or suffered injuries and bruises on their bodies. In short, people suffered some losses. So I don't know who started calling out first. From then on, this mountain got the name "Blind Mountain". Blind Mountain is not famous, but the discovery four years ago caused a scene here.
In October of that year, a middle-aged tenant named the youngest went into the mountains to hunt game. When he went deep into the mountains, he accidentally discovered a cave. This honest tenant originally just wanted to go in to escape the heat, take a bath, and drink mountain spring water. Unexpectedly, the water flowing out of the cave looked clear and clear, but the entrance was extremely salty and he couldn't drink it. It was very weird. .
The youngest was originally a tenant at the foot of Blind Mountain, farming land for a rich man in the village. On weekdays, I work on my employer's fields, planting and harvesting rice every spring and summer. When there is insufficient rain in autumn and winter, I plant some corn and millet on the harvested fields. After busy farming, the youngest often goes to Blind Mountain to hunt game, pick berries, and dig wild vegetables to support his two children and his wife.
The year was good, the rain was favorable, the owner harvested more grain, and the labor wages for the tenant farmers were more generous, and the family of four finally lived a comfortable life.
One year, my boss harvested 1,200 loads of millet, which was a rare good year. That year, the boss distributed 200 kilograms of aged millet and 100 kilograms of cracked corn to each of the thirty households of tenant farmers. At the end of the year, each household was given ten kilograms of japonica rice and one kilogram of fat pork. That was the most prosperous year in the youngest's life. The porridge my mother-in-law cooked every day was thicker than in previous years, the rice jar never bottomed out, and the children never felt hungry.
It's just such a good time, the youngest can only remember this once in more than thirty years. Four years ago was an average year. The boss harvested 960 loads of millet, and each tenant farmer received only 170 jins of millet and 50 jins of cracked corn. Although life was still manageable, starvation was inevitable. Fortunately, the youngest grew up at the foot of Blind Mountain and always had endless energy. As in previous years, as soon as the farm work was over, he carried an ax and went up the mountain to look for some stored grain in the winter.
The youngest's ancestors originally had land, but it was transferred to others by his grandfather, so the youngest's father had to become a sharecropper. His father died early, and the youngest had no choice but to take over his father's pickaxe at the age of thirteen and became a small tenant of the rich man. The youngest originally thought that he would be like his father in this life, and one day he would end up giving up his life during the busy farming season.
Back in October four years ago, the youngest took an ax and went into the mountains, went deep into the mountains, and set many traps. In three days, he caught a deer, two hares, a pheasant, and Coke. The youngest said, "Now the mother-in-law and the children will be full for a few more days."
On the way back, the youngest was looking for water to quench his thirst and passed through an elm forest. He saw a cave on the edge of the elm forest. A trickle of water flowed out of the cave entrance and formed a small pool more than ten feet below. The youngest had been carrying the five or sixty kilograms of gutted game for a long time, but he broke out in a stinky sweat. He was so hot and thirsty that he took off his clothes and took a bath in the pool. After bathing, I ran upstream to grab a handful of water and drank it. I was obedient, but it was amazing. Although the water looked clear to the bottom, it was extremely salty when I entered it, which made the youngest very depressed.
It was a good journey and we finally arrived home. We had rabbit stew in the evening and the whole family was full. At night, the youngest told her mother-in-law about all the accidents in the mountains. When she got up in the morning, she told the neighbors again. There are no seasonings or deeds in this village. The story about the youngest seeing a cave in the mountains and drinking salt water spread within a few days.
At breakfast more than half a day later, the youngest and his family were drinking millet porridge in the house. A strange rough voice shouted from outside, "Is this the youngest and eldest brother's family living here?"
The youngest listened for a moment, walked carefully to the door, opened the doorway, and saw three middle-aged men standing by the fence. They were all wearing standard robes, and they all had ephedra bags on their backs. The youngest had heard that those in uniforms were all official servants. Now the youngest was frightened and frightened. He stared blankly at the three of them without answering. After two breaths, a tall dark middle-aged man was standing nearby. He couldn't help but ask again, "Is this the youngest person living here?"
The youngest then calmed down and came back, and hurriedly replied, "I call you the youngest. Are the three officials looking for me?" As he spoke, he looked at the three big men with a confused and frightened look. The youngest's mother-in-law and children also came out after hearing the sound. A pair of children grabbed the corners of his clothes, weeping as if they were about to burst into tears.
The short man in the middle saw this, stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said with a smile, "Brother, don't panic. The three of us have something to ask me for help. There is a piece of silver here. You can keep it and treat it as reward." Then he took out a piece of broken silver the size of a broad bean from his belt and stretched it towards the youngest.
The youngest family felt relieved now. The youngest took a look at the broken silver but didn't dare to pick it up. He rubbed his rough palms and said with a smile, "If you have something to do, please give me an order. I just say that if you can do it, I will definitely do it. How dare you ask for your money!"
The youngest has only seen such a large amount of silver in his boss's house. Although it is not official silver, with that size, it is at least three coins, which can be exchanged for more than four hundred copper coins. To buy thirty or forty kilograms of millet, that is a lot for a family of four. It's enough food for two months.
The short man stretched himself and said to the youngest, "This is good: the three of us came from the state capital and traveled a day and a night. Is there some rice at home? Let's eat a few bites to warm up, and then we Can you tell me?" After saying that, he looked at the youngest woman.
"Oh, yes! Yes! Come in quickly!" the youngest said hurriedly, annoyed, and asked the mother-in-law to cut a few kilograms of deer meat into pots for cooking, and invited three big men to sit at the wooden table. Down. After a quarter and a half, the youngest woman brought an iron plate and placed it on the log table. The soup and meat in it were already fragrant and cooked. The three burly men in robes rumbled in their throats, staring at the meat in the soup, feeling energetic. The youngest woman brought another wooden bowl and bamboo chopsticks, put them down and said, "Please let the three officials have some. We don't have anything to entertain at home. We only cut a few kilograms of deer meat and put some ginger, garlic, onions and peppers." , but there must be some salt and oil," the youngest woman said awkwardly.
The man with a scarred face who had never spoken before answered now. "Sister-in-law, you're welcome. I'm very grateful for the cooked meat and hot soup. There's no reason to be dissatisfied!"
Within a quarter of an hour, the bowl of broth without any oil or salt was emptied by the three of them. The man with the scarred face stood up, bowed to the youngest and his wife, and made a "please" gesture to the youngest, and said, "Brother, can you sit down here and talk?" The youngest looked at the mother-in-law and said, He moved a two-foot-high wooden stake and sat down at the round wooden table as instructed.
The scar-faced man seemed to be the leader of the three, and he spoke again: "We three brothers are the assistants of the Fuzhou Salt Transportation Bureau, and were ordered to explore the Fuzhou salt mineral deposits. We recently visited Fuyang Town and stopped at a restaurant on the road. I heard by chance that I saw a cave in Blind Mountain half a month ago and drank salt water there? Is this true?" After saying this, he looked at the youngest with expectant expression.
At that time in Dahua, salt production was scarce and the price was high. The imperial court promulgated a unified purchase law that stipulated that sand salt was 500 Wen per catty, pink salt was 1,500 Wen per catty, and ordinary millet was only 11 Wen per catty. Many ordinary people were unable to eat salt normally and died of illness due to physical weakness. In order to increase the supply of salt, the Great Hua Dynasty established the Salt Transportation Administration Department, which was in charge of salt mine exploration, mining, refining, and distribution. And this "walking" is an official clerk of the Salt Transport Administration. Although he is not a member of the official rank, he can receive a salary, and can be registered as an official. He can travel without hindrance, which is what ordinary people dream of.
The youngest has never had anything to do with government officials in his life. He only knows that officials all wear standard uniforms. A few years ago, an old man in the village turned 100 years old. The county prime minister sent two yamenmen over and presented them with a longevity plaque. The youngest took a few glances from a distance to see how the three people were dressed and the two yamenmen. There are some similarities, but I didn't expect that he is actually a government official, and he is the secretary of the government!
After hearing this, the youngest immediately replied, "Yes, indeed, there is, right by the North Col of Blind Mountain!" After saying that, he raised his hand and pointed to the north.
The three people came out of the state capital and collected information about mineral salts from various places along the way. They encountered several rumors, but after repeated verification, none of them were true. The day before yesterday, I heard a diner in Fuyang Town talking about the youngest's interesting story. I even asked about it all the way, and today when I asked about it, it turned out to be true. I was really happy. The three of them looked at each other, and the man with the scarred face stood up and said happily, "Brother, do you still remember the road? Can you lead us there?" As he said this, he grabbed the youngest's arm with both hands. The two of them also looked at the youngest ardently at the same time.
The youngest did not disappoint him and said with a grin, "If you don't remember, if you remember, it's only a day's journey away. This blind mountain is our parents, who provide us with dozens of kilograms of food every year!"
The scar-faced man suddenly slammed the table and put down the piece of broken silver that was as big as a broad bean. His eyes brightened and he said with great joy, "Brother, let's set off now!"
