Zhang Chi rolled up his trouser legs, holding a fish basket in his hand, and took his two younger brothers home. July is on fire, but the midday sun is still scorching, and it feels tingling when you sleep on it. The flowers on the trees on the roadside have long faded, and they are covered with all kinds of fruits.
When we arrived at the door, the family's yellow dog came out wagging its tail and jumped happily here and there.
After entering the door, Zhang Chi put down the fish basket and said to his mother in the room: "I am really lucky today. I caught five or six big eels. They will be stewed in the pot later, which is also a good dish."
Mother said: "You should go back to the army in five or six days. Don't wander around. Stay at home more."
Zhang Chi agreed with a smile and didn't care. When I come home, of course the fields around the village attract me. What’s the point of sitting at home?
At this moment, the courtyard door opened and a man came in. Seeing Zhang Chi standing there, he said: "I saw him from a distance and thought he was my brother. I thought this would be your home. It was indeed true."
Zhang Chi took a look and saw that it was Yang Biao who joined the army together. He waved his hands and said, "Just now, my two younger brothers and I went out to catch fish, and we were covered in mud and water. Please sit down for a moment while I fetch water and wash ourselves, and let's talk together."
Yang Biao waved his hand after hearing this: "You're welcome. I came here specifically to tell you that the grain harvesting boat has arrived at the entrance of our village again. This time is different from the last time. The people in the surrounding villages all picked wheat and rushed to sell it. You also Hurry up, otherwise the queue will kill you!"
Zhang Chi did not dare to neglect and hurriedly asked his fifth brother to go to the fields to find his father. He washed his hands hastily, asked Yang Biao to sit down, and asked about selling grain.
The last time the supply and marketing cooperative came to collect grain, not many people were selling, and everyone was waiting and watching. As a result, the supply and marketing cooperative stopped collecting grain, and the purchase price of local grain merchants dropped again, making everyone extremely anxious. Seven or eight days ago, the first time a grain seller got cash from the supply and marketing cooperative, everyone was tempted. Now the surrounding villages and towns are all staring at the dock of Daliushu Village. As soon as the grain harvesting ship arrived, the news spread quickly.
Yang Biao said: "When I came out of the village, there were many people carrying burdens. There was already a long queue at the pier. If I go late, I don't know how long the queue will be! Besides, there are boats in the river. There is always a limit to the amount of food you can store, and if it’s full, you’ll have to wait until next time.”
Zhang Chi nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. By the way, the price hasn't dropped, has it?"
Yang Biao said: "Same as last time, it's still thirty cents per dou."
The two were chatting and their father came back from the fields. Without even putting down the hoe, he came over to ask Yang Biao.
After asking clearly, my father said: "There is no need to delay this matter. We will sit here for an hour, and we may have to wait for a day at the dock. We have prepared the wheat at home long ago. Erlang and Sanlang will get up immediately with me!" "
Yang Biao said: "Dad, I also want to go home and carry a load for you."
How could my father be so willing? After a few words, Yang Biao insisted on choosing and had no choice but to agree with him. Even in his prime, he is not afraid of being exhausted.
Several people took out the grain from the warehouse, and each person picked two stones. The father gave it a try and said: "Sanlang is still young, so I'm afraid he won't be able to carry such a heavy burden. That's all, he picked one stone, and we each picked two stones. We couldn't sell all this time, but there's not much left, so next time easy."
There was no dry food at home, so my mother took a small bag of rice and gave it to several people. Yang Biao is from Daliushu Village. When he gets there, he can borrow their pots to cook. In this era, many people still bring their own rice when they go out to make fire and cook.
Carrying a load of more than 200 kilograms and walking dozens of miles at a stretch may be considered remarkable by future generations. But in this era, it is a common thing for ordinary people. The few people did not delay on the way and arrived at Daliu Shu Village ten miles away.
As soon as we entered the village, we saw that the streets were densely packed with people. There is a burden around everyone, and there is no end in sight.
Zhang Chi exclaimed: "Last time I collected grain here, I only saw people watching the excitement. This time, I came here to sell grain. When will we be here? Are we going to spend the night here?"
The father said: "What's so strange? Just take a few steps and let's grab a seat! Once we have a place, we can go to the pier and have a look."
Several people lined up at the back of the line, put down their burdens and took a breath.
Yang Biao said: "You guys have a rest here first. I'll go home and fetch some water. It's hot and I'm thirsty after walking on the road."
Zhang Chi felt his mouth was dry, so he naturally agreed. Sitting beside the load with his father, he opened his clothes to fan himself.
Not long after, Yang Biao came back and fetched water for several people to drink. A few people squatted under the shade of the trees on the roadside and chatted.
Yang Biao said: "I went to my house and asked, and the grain harvest this time is the same as last time. But there are only two ships, and it is estimated that they cannot load much. Fortunately, we came early, and we will definitely sell this time. If it were another day later, it would be difficult to say. "
Zhang Chi said: "The last time I came here, I thought there weren't many wheat growing around. Who would have thought there would be so many!"
The father said: "We didn't see the money last time, so of course we didn't sell it. Now that we have seen the money this time, who would leave the wheat at home? People here are still used to eating rice. If the price is right, the wheat will be sold naturally." .”
It is not a paddy field, so it is naturally not suitable for growing rice. In Xiangyang and Dengzhou areas, either wheat or millet is grown. Every family grows it, even if they don’t plant much, the total amount is staggering. This year's harvest is bumper, and grain merchants have kept prices very low. The supply and marketing cooperative purchased the wheat at a high price, so the people naturally had to sell the wheat as soon as possible. Converting it into money makes me feel at ease.
In Xinye City, Yang Shen quickly walked into Wang Xiao's hunting office and said happily: "Observe that the supply and marketing cooperative distributed the last grain payment a few days ago, and the people benefited. Sure enough, collecting the money this time was much smoother. .”
Wang Xiaolie said: "People sell grain because they want money. When they see that they can get money, they naturally become active."
Yang Shen thought for a while and then said: "Observe, I heard that the grain merchants outside have lowered the price of wheat in Xiangyang to ten cents a few days ago. Why not, let's also lower the wheat price. Even if it is twenty cents, count it. It’s also a lot of money. With money, the yamen can do many things.”
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie suddenly raised his head and looked at Yang Shen. Said: "We collect and sell grain not only to make money, but also to allow the people to have income in good harvest years. Now that grain merchants outside are willing to charge high prices, what reason do we have to lower the selling price of the people? If we can't sell When we go out and collect the grain, we can only store it in the warehouse. It makes sense to keep the price down. But it is not the case now!"
Yang Shen rubbed his head: "Is doing business just to make money? We need money everywhere, but we don't have money, so of course we have to make money."
"You are an official, not a businessman!" Wang Xiaolie stood up with a stern look on his face. "As an official, there are many ways to make money. The simplest way is to increase taxes, increase taxes, and allocate miscellaneous donations. It is not easier than doing business! You can't do that! In official business, there are many issues to consider, and many times it is difficult to make money. Making money is not the most important thing. For example, this year, there is a bumper harvest of winter wheat in several surrounding states. If we don't take action and let the grain merchants do it, they will definitely lower the buying price to an extremely low price, and the selling price will still be so high. The low price of grain hurts farmers, and it will That's what I mean."
Yang Shen said: "I understand the humble position."
If he just wanted to make money, why would Wang Xiaolie go through so much trouble. With the army in hand, what if we just rob it with a knife, let alone raising taxes and donations? In fact, many generals at this time did this. The army is stationed in one place, and after leaving, there is a depression.
