"Nowadays, apart from one grandson and a son who can't get out of bed, the only one left in the family is me, a bad old man."
"Even without this locust plague, my family, young and old, wouldn't be able to survive."
Having said this, the old man looked at his grandson in front of him in despair and continued.
"………………"
"Old man, I have no future. I want to find a way for my grandson to make a living. However, in this world, children are worthless, especially boys. I can't give them away for nothing."
"The food supply at home is at the bottom. The old man and my family can only wait for death. I'm sorry for our ancestors. My generation has destroyed itself..."
As he spoke, although the old man was still smiling, two lines of tears were already flowing down his cheeks, making him look even more miserable.
"……………………"
He Shen heard the words and stood there, silent for a long time, and then glared at Liu An fiercely.
This glance made Liu An, who was already feeling guilty, tremble all over.
The tragedy of this old man's family is obviously not only caused by severe drought and locust plague, but also by the oppression of officials...
"…………"
The tragedy of the old man's family is obviously not just a coincidence.
"Taxes, rent increase by 60%, good means..."
He Shen said with a sneer.
"..."
Liu An lowered his head and explained quickly: "Sir, please don't listen to this unruly man's nonsense..."
In the middle of the conversation, He Shen waved his hand to interrupt and said in a bad tone: "No need to explain, I don't want to hear it, and I can't hear the truth anyway."
Liu An is still useful, and He Shen is not ready to do anything to him yet.
What's more, Heshen has also paid a lot for this locust plague, so everything is based on the overall situation.
…
.
When setting out from the prefecture, He Shen and Liu An only brought seven days' worth of dry food.
But now, Heshen gave seven days' worth of dry food to these people.
"..."
Eating dry hard wheat cakes and drinking vegetable soup, a few old field hands, after eating and drinking enough, couldn't help but let go of their voices and sang Shaanxi folk songs.
Xintianyou
I lower my head to the ravine
Chasing the passing years"
"…………"
The valley is filled with wind and sand
Miss my childhood
I raise my head to the sky
Searching for the distant past
White clouds travel leisurely
nothing has changed
That old man with a square scarf at the beginning sang the beginning, and the lingering sound was still lingering in the mountain ridges. Another old man smoking a dry cigarette took up this famous Shaanxi song:
The geese have heard my song
The river kissed my face
Mountain dandelions bloom and fall
again and again
Before the long final note fell, another old man rose up in response:
The earth leaves behind my dream
Xintianyou took away my love
There are a few stars in the sky
Miss you forever
As soon as this man's voice fell, a vigorous and deep sigh rose from the ground, and an older man sang.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey..."
I lower my head to the ravine
Chasing the passing years
The valley is filled with wind and sand
Miss my childhood
The geese have heard my song
The river kissed my face
Mountain dandelions bloom and fall
again and again……
The rich and long singing voice is like a series of waterfalls, and the continuous high-pitched sound rolls over the top of people's hearts.
Every word and every sound that came out of the mouths of these elderly people struck hard on the hearts of everyone present.
The heartbeat that makes people feel and the tones of chanting rise and fall together. Each note teaches people and captures the soul.
The melody is high-pitched and broad, the rhythm is free, and the sounds are connected. It seems to be crying or sighing...
Xintianyou is a folk song popular in Shaanxi. It is a masterpiece engraved on the Loess Plateau in the voice of Lao Bao...
Xintianyou has: "Up to the sun, moon and stars, wind, clouds, rain and dew; down to flowers, plants and trees, birds, beasts, insects, fish, grains and grains..."
"…………"
Xintianyou has a history of 2,000 years and is the crystallization of the spirit, thoughts and emotions of the working people of Shaanxi throughout the ages.
Xintianyou's singing is a vast and boundless yellow plateau. This plateau is filled with thousands of ravines and undulations. It is vast and majestic but also contains sadness and tragedy; it is steep and resolute but also full of depression and frustration.
For thousands of years, it has potentially influenced the living customs of Shaanxi people with its own personality, shaping the distinctive plateau culture and shaping the desolate, majestic and melancholy Xintianyou.
"…………"
The vicissitudes of Shaanxi over the past thousands of years are reflected in the loud singing and chanting.
The long-standing sadness of ancient times, in this weeping tragic song, penetrates directly into people's hearts, and the high singing and weeping voice is like a drum beating in people's hearts, taking away people's soul and shaking people's hearts...
In the melodious and high-pitched sounds, the long years, the short life, and the sense of dislocation in time and space are rolling in...
The vastness and eternity of this yellow land... everything is included in the song.
I don't know when, Liu An has arrived beside him, standing silently behind He Shen.
After a long time, Liu An asked calmly: "Sir, this is a song from the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi, called Xintianyou..."
"…………"
"I know this. I have heard this song before, but it is not as touching as it is now..."
After listening to Xintianyou, He Shen sighed quietly and said this.
Listening to this rough and rich tune, one can think of the vast and primitive Loess Plateau...
At this moment, He Shen seemed to see the people of Shaanxi living on the Loess Plateau, struggling to survive...
I heard the high cry of the goshawk soaring freely in the vast sky...
Until now, an indescribable throbbing is still echoing in Heshen's heart!
He Shen, who had just come out of the shock, could not say anything before an official came to report that the local magistrate was here.
He Shen frowned slightly when he heard this and asked casually: "What is he here for?"
"…………"
As an imperial envoy, He Shen had nothing important to do except disaster relief, and he did not want to interfere in specific local affairs.
After all, no matter how powerful the imperial minister is, he is only a temporary official, not a powerful local official.
Originally, he wanted a few officials to keep an eye on the carriage, and he took Liu An and the others forward slowly.
However, when the local magistrate came, He Shen had to give up this impromptu idea...
After all, as soon as the scene of the magistrate kneeling down appeared, people all over the farmland would either be scared away or come to see his excitement...
"…………"
After a stick of incense, in a remote corner...
The magistrate, wearing a green official uniform, bowed his waist and waited beside him with his head lowered.
After seeing He Shen, the county magistrate's eyes lit up, and he raised his voice to sign up for an audience: "Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duan County, comes to see the imperial envoy."
Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County, is a short, white, fat man. His green official robe is stretched so much by fat that there is almost no wrinkle visible.
Standing in the direct sun on a hot day is really a torture for a fat man.
Sweat was pouring down his face and down his face and neck. There was already a large wet stain near the collar of the round-neck robe...
"..."
"Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Looking at Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County, He Shen still didn't have a good tone.
Just the 60% rent increase mentioned by the old man just now is enough to make him have no good impression of the Duanxian magistrate!
Looking at the fat head and big ears of the Duanxian magistrate, He Shen's favorable impression became even lower...
Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County, raised his hand and said, "I heard that the imperial envoy was here, so I came in a bit of a hurry..."
"………………"
"Oh? The magistrate is so anxious. What happened?"
He Shen said again angrily.
Hearing this, Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County, stood cautiously and carefully replied: "It's not an urgent matter, it's just that when the Lord comes here, this, this... the official is a little worried."
He Shen had a half-smile on his face, and said in a sinister tone: "What are you worried about? I'm just here to see the people here. What do you have to worry about?"
Looking at Duan County Magistrate Fang Yue's unnatural expression, He Shen continued to joke.
"Master Magistrate, you are not necessarily afraid that I will be in danger, but you are afraid that I will find something, right?"
As a result, before he finished speaking, he was made to laugh by his own words.
Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County, felt even more uncomfortable at this moment. The fat on her cheeks shook twice, she forced a smile and said.
"My lord, you are joking. Is there any problem here..."
"..."
He Shen chuckled and then said: "Then you come to me, is there something urgent?"
Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County, hesitated for a moment and then said.
"Your Excellency, the Imperial Envoy, it's like this. The county's yamen are already taking care of the local matters you explained a few days ago, including renovating towns and villages, caring for the people, and building roads."
“Within a few days, Duanxian County will undergo earth-shaking changes.
He Shen heard this and suddenly realized that the fat pig in front of him thought he had done a good job, so he came to him to review his political achievements...
"..."
Thinking of this, He Shen nodded and said, "I already saw it when I entered here just now."
"Although the soup kitchen shack in the county is simple and crude, the location is well chosen. It is a shady place where the sun cannot shine."
"………………"
"The porridge in the shack is quite thick and can barely pass your stomach. I can see that you have put a lot of thought into it.
"The situation in the county is not bad, and the people can still live..."
"However, there is not even a porridge shed in every township and village..."
Having said this, He Shen raised his head, stared at Fang Yue, the magistrate of Duanxian County with a half-smile, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you just going to do a face-saving thing and fool people..."
"…………"
Duan County Magistrate Fang Yue heard this, wiped the sweat on his face with his sleeves, and said quickly: "How could it be? I also want to do things well, and I must do it to your satisfaction!"
