The cold of winter is not really over yet.
In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the world is covered with hoarfrost, and most places appear empty and quiet.
On this rare day of leisure, unless it is absolutely necessary, very few people come out to move around. Most of them will lie quietly in bed like those hibernating animals, hoping that the weather will get warmer soon. Don't If the cold continues, we will use up the little firewood we have managed to save.
But today there is something a little different.
The genius had just dawned, and some noisy sounds started to sound in the small village that had been silent for more than a month.
Hearing the faint movement outside, there were also conversations in the inner room.
"Why is it so busy outside today?"
The old woman asked nervously, and then said: "It's not a horse bandit coming, is it?"
"I gonna go see."
The old man opened the quilt and stood up from the bed. His skinny, dark skin was slightly red when it touched the cold air of winter.
"There are cotton clothes."
The old woman reminded, "Those two items the distinguished guest left for us."
"If you can't wear it, I'll hide it in cotton-padded clothes first. If it's really a horse bandit, I can't give them cotton-padded clothes even if I give them a quilt."
The old man put on his thin linen clothes and hid two cotton-padded clothes first. Then he found an ax for chopping in the room, padded his hands and walked out of the door.
As soon as he went out, the biting cold wind hit him hard.
The air-conditioning is as cold as scraping the floor.
The severe cold that he had already adapted to made him shiver uncontrollably. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the ax in his hand and muttered: "People are just cheap. Why didn't I feel so cold when I didn't have cotton-padded clothes before?" You can still go out and chop wood.”
He stamped his feet, not daring to stand still outside, and approached the place where the noise was coming from.
After walking a few steps, he saw another companion like him in the village, carrying farm tools for farming and walking out - of course there was no need to farm at this time, it was for self-defense.
Looking at each other, familiar people naturally leaned into each other.
"Old Wang, did you hear the noise too?"
"That's right. Who's going out in this shitty weather at this time? You have to be careful! If it's really a horse bandit, we might be able to eat a few mouthfuls of horse meat if there are less people!"
Lao Wang had scars on his face, and his tone was even more ruthless.
As a neighbor, he was familiar with this person's experience. The scars on his face were from working in the imperial capital when he was young. As a result, a first-class citizen galloped on the road on horseback. This guy didn't open his eyes and didn't know how to dodge. He was forcefully beaten. They were pulled out with a riding crop.
Later, after many twists and turns, I returned to the village. The world outside was not easy to get along with, and I was a pretty good person.
"Let's go and have a look!"
While the two were talking, several more people came out of the house, holding various strange but lethal farm tools in their hands.
The greater the number of people, the stronger the courage. When these people from the same village gathered together, the fear in their hearts was greatly reduced.
Everyone took steps and walked towards the direction where the noise came from.
"I wish I were a horse bandit! At least the horse bandit still has a horse. I haven't tasted meat in years."
"I think the horse bandits who come here to rob us are extremely poor. It would be nice to have a skinny horse for us to chew the bones of!"
"When I was young, I encountered real horse bandits. If I hit them with an ax, my brain would be blown away. There were also horse bandits who wanted to run away on horseback. Who knew that I had raised horses when I was young? Riding their horses to catch up, He was riding faster than they could! He eliminated those horse bandits in three strokes, five divided by two, and received a reward of half a tael of silver!"
As soon as the conversation started, the villagers, who had not chatted for more than a month, began to talk about their glorious past to cheer up their spirits.
Even if the soldiers and horses are as strong as Daqi, it does not mean that public order will be good.
Once a natural or man-made disaster occurs in a certain place, it often happens that some people cannot survive and want to rebel, or simply turn into gangsters or robbers.
As long as the scale is not large enough, it is not worth mentioning at all. They are all normal things.
As the group talked, they came to the place where the noise came from.
That's the village chief's home.
Although he is said to be the village chief, he is actually a third-class citizen like them, and even his house is no better than their own.
But today is a little different, because in front of the village chief's house, several carriages are parked there, pulling full of things!
It's a carriage, not a horse bandit!
From the linen cloth that was not really covered tightly on the carriage, it was not difficult to see the exposed grain and cotton clothes hidden inside.
Look at the sign on the carriage again
There is no doubt that it is a government carriage!
The group of people couldn't help but pause in their footsteps and stared straight ahead.
"My dear mother, how many villages did you have to look for?"
“Another tax increase?!”
"It's over, the horse bandits haven't come, but the ones who have come are more ruthless than the horse bandits."
Even the arrogant old Wang had a sad expression on his face and almost burst into tears.
The old farmer was also trembling in his heart. In previous years, even if there was an increase in taxes, he would rush to collect them before the twelfth lunar month of winter. How could he have to do this again in winter?
And looking at the things in the carriage, they are not something that third-class citizens can get their hands on.
Even if they were skinned and boned, how could they be scraped together?
"I have a cousin whose daughter is married outside. I heard that her husband is an officer in the army. She just happened to go back to her parents' home to visit her relatives a while ago. It seems that there is something wrong with the army. .It’s so scary!”
Even then, one person stood up and said with a worried look on his face.
"Eh-really?!"
"What should we do? We can't just go to the battlefield with these guys, right?"
"Conscription is a great place, is it your turn? What a beautiful idea!"
All kinds of sounds rang out, just to name a few.
As a third-class citizen at the lowest level, even wanting to join the soldiers is a luxury most of the time. At most, I used to be a logistics person. Want to go to the battlefield?
That's where there is meat to eat, and it's not their turn.
Moreover, you can make meritorious deeds by killing enemies, and you will be rewarded if you make meritorious deeds. There are many second-class citizens who want to enter, so it is better for third-class citizens to stay a little further.
They dared to risk their lives when facing the horse bandits. If they really had to face the conquest of the imperial court, even if only one person came, they could only speak in a low voice.
"How about we go in and ask the village chief?"
someone said.
"Okay! Let's all go in and ask. Life is going to be unbearable for us. We've lost the war, so we can go up. We really can't collect taxes anymore!"
Everyone responded and braved each other to walk into the small courtyard together.
Harsh government is as fierce as a tiger. Compared with the possibility of death in a war, it is more terrifying to have everything taken away and then watch your family starve to death or freeze to death with your own eyes.
The small courtyard is not big, and the village chief, whose clothes are no thicker than theirs, is standing next to a big man and listening carefully with a look of astonishment.
They had never seen that big shot before. He was wrapped in a thick winter coat and had a long sword shining on his waist.
The person who came this time was very unusual at first glance. He was not at the same level as the previous petty officials who looked like rogues and wanted to collect taxes.
"Did you hear everything I said clearly?"
The big man glanced at the few people who had just entered the door and asked impatiently.
"Listen clearly, listen clearly!"
The village chief nodded repeatedly and said almost impatiently.
"Hurry up, it won't be done in half an hour at most."
"Don't worry, it will be fine!"
The village chief assured, patting his chest.
Before the people who had just entered could speak, the village chief stretched out his hand and pushed them out, "Let's go out and talk, go out and talk, and don't disturb the adults."
It was clearly the village chief's own home, but they came to the door. The cold wind blew on their bodies, and the village chief, who was also wearing thin clothes, couldn't help but shiver.
"Village chief, what's going on? Are we going to collect taxes again?"
"Yes, we don't have these things either! As for the cotton-padded clothes in the car, they are only things that noble people can have. At most, we have seen them before. How can we get them together?"
"There's no food left! I can't even open the pot at home now. If there weren't even ears of wheat in the fields, I'd love to grab them and eat them!"
Before the village chief had time to speak, the villagers who had been holding back their words began to speak one after another.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"
The village chief clapped his hands and loudly asked them to quiet down. It took a long time before the excited voices slowly stopped.
As the village chief, it is obvious that he does not have any authority.
In fact, if he hadn't been lucky enough to attend private school for two years, learn a few Chinese characters, and be able to write some names, the village chief wouldn't have fallen into his trap.
However, in this remote country, to put it bluntly, you don’t even have to wash the bowls you eat, you just lick them clean with your tongue. Not to mention the oil and water, whether you can eat enough is a big problem.
The folk customs have always been strong, and the main thing is to care about everything - people who don't care about everything can't survive at all.
"Don't be anxious, everyone! Don't be anxious, everyone! It's a good thing this time, it's really a good thing!"
The village chief said loudly. Although his eyebrows were a little red from the cold, he was very happy, and his molars almost fell out of laughter.
"Can something good happen? Is the village chief crazy?"
"We know that the village chief is also in a difficult situation, but if something happens, just do it. Everyone can handle it."
"Yes, you are the only one left in our village who can write. We also know that you are not to blame for this kind of thing, so just say it."
There were a lot of chatter, and for the rare moment, he began to care about the village chief of his village.
"Really! It's really a good thing!"
The village chief clapped his hands, as if he was afraid that the few people would cause trouble again, and said loudly: "The emperor has punished himself!"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the village chief reacted and slapped himself hard. With his indifferent mouth, could this be a good thing? If someone in the room hears it, I'm afraid I won't survive the day!
Fortunately, the people in the village can only understand the word "emperor" at most, and they don't understand what the sinner's edict is.
"What did the emperor say? Why are there three characters at the end? Don't you want to collect taxes?"
asked a villager.
"Ahem!"
The village chief coughed twice, covering up the previous offense, "The emperor is showing great kindness this time. He wants to help the world and benefit the people. He is not asking for your things. Don't worry about it! Who in the village is here?" If they don’t come, call them over quickly.”
"What kind of kindness does the emperor have?"
None of the people surrounding him left, but instead asked curiously.
They didn't understand what they were talking about about helping the world and benefiting the people, but since they wanted to show kindness, there must be good news, right?
No one is willing to move even one step without hearing the good news.
"The Emperor wants to send us things! Food and cotton-padded clothes!!!"
The village chief said with great excitement and excitement.
"Ouch!"
Now the villagers finally understood, and their expressions changed drastically.
The emperor, who only existed in the mouths of the tax collectors, wasn't a greedy bastard who couldn't get enough, but actually gave them things on his own initiative? !
The sun is really coming out in the west!
"What are you doing standing still? Hurry up and call over all the families who haven't come over yet. Don't pull any of them away, or they won't give it to you!"
The village chief quickly started pushing people away, "Hurry up and call the neighbors over. We don't dare to keep the people inside waiting for too long."
The village chief pointed to his own house, his meaning couldn't be more obvious.
After waiting for a long time, if someone is in a bad mood, they may send less, so how can that be done?
The villagers who originally wanted to ask more questions immediately dispersed and ran faster than rabbits.
After the people in front of him had dispersed, the village chief stood in front of his dilapidated house, looked at the carriages parked in front of him, and couldn't help but look up at the sky.
The sun hangs high in the sky. In winter, it is difficult for people to feel too much temperature, but it can still illuminate this vast land and guide people's direction.
"The sun doesn't even rise in the west."
The village chief pinched his thigh hard and whispered with a smile.
This is a good thing that cannot be dreamed of!
Not long after, almost everyone in the village gathered together. When they heard that the imperial court was sending food and supplies, some people even dared to run out without any clothes on, but were forcibly kicked back by the village chief.
When the commotion was over and I took out the village roster and started counting people, one family didn't come.
"Where are the people from the old Chen family? They don't even come to send anything?"
The village chief was a little angry. This wasted time was the time of a big shot!
"I went to Lao Chen's house. The people in Lao Chen's house were frozen to death."
The old farmer who had been silent for a long time finally spoke.
"It's freezing, that's a pity."
The village chief pursed his lips and said nothing more.
It's normal for a person to freeze to death. In what year shouldn't some freeze to death or starve to death?
It's just that this year it's rare for the emperor to show kindness. The old Chen family died a little early, which seems to be a disadvantage.
After everyone had been counted, the big shots from the county counted the names again. After confirming that the people in the old Chen family were dead, they started distributing food and cotton-padded clothes without saying anything more.
Half a load of grain for one family, plus a cotton coat!
Many villagers really reacted when they actually got these things.
It turns out that this time we really don’t want to collect taxes again!
It turns out that the imperial court can really send them things!
It turns out that this is how the emperor showed his kindness!
There were even people who knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to the big man who distributed the food, expressing their gratitude.
"Don't thank me. If someone comes over later and asks you if you have sent something, just tell the truth. You can't say more or less. Do you hear me? If you say more and less, you may not be able to understand me. No more! I’ve already remembered how much I gave out today, but I haven’t skimped on it at all! Let’s take a look for ourselves when we get home!”
The big shot who distributed supplies took the trouble to explain it to someone every time.
He didn't want to be so tired, but he had no choice.
His superior's superior's superior was arrested and killed in the street by the master just because he was delayed for one day. He is still hanging at the door of the government office.
I heard that those masters have received orders from the emperor. Now whoever dares to do anything, no matter who is behind you, no need to ask, they will be killed if caught!
No matter how powerful his background is, can he still be more powerful than a grandmaster?
The hanging sword stared at the sky, and they couldn't help but be careful.
The old farmer returned home carrying half a load of grain.
The restless old lady hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Why have you been here for so long? I heard a lot of shouting outside before, and wanted to go out and have a look. Huh? What is that on your back? Why is there another one? Cotton clothes?"
"Your Majesty has sent something."
The old farmer put the grain down and gently lifted a corner of the bag. He looked at the yellow and orange grains hidden inside and wanted to worship them.
"What?!"
The mother-in-law was startled, "The emperor can still send something? It's good if he doesn't want ours. Don't be joking! Could it be that the people in the village fought off a group of horse bandits together?"
"What we said is true."
The old farmer put the cotton coat on his mother-in-law and said, "The emperor really sent someone to distribute it."
"My dear mother, this is the first time in my life that I have heard that the emperor can give away things."
The old woman was obviously frightened, so she quickly turned back to the house, took out another cotton coat and handed it to him.
"Okay now, three people and three cotton-padded clothes. When have we ever been so rich?"
The old woman couldn't help but sigh.
The old farmer stared blankly at the cotton coat handed over by the old woman.
In a daze, I thought of the two distinguished guests who had been gone for a long time.
The shouts of the young man could still be heard.
'Daqi Royal Family, damn it! '
Could this sudden change be related to those two people? !
This terrifying thought suddenly appeared in his mind, which frightened him.
"Why are you standing there in a daze? Put it on quickly! Now everyone has cotton-padded clothes. We dare to wear these two pieces left by our distinguished guest and go out."
the old woman urged.
"Eh, eh."
The old farmer responded quickly.
This was an ordinary but unusual day in Daqi.
Because someone has been here.
(End of chapter)
