I

"That's all," Liu Ziren was silent for a moment, then sighed, "This year there was a riot in Qianshan Mountain, the landlords all increased their rent, and there was a spring drought, so I can't survive anyway. If I don't follow the bandit, I'm afraid Gotta be a bandit."

Xu Ying was silent and made no statement.

In fact, he had already guessed before boarding the ship.But Pang Chunlai and Zhao Han both had great kindness to him, and this trip was nothing more than to repay the kindness.

The three bid farewell to Fei Rulan, and left the cabin together.

When they left, Fei Rulan was sighing.She didn't want to be a thieves' wife, but only wanted to have a few hundred acres of land at home, raise some maids and servants, and live peacefully with her husband.

But at this point, what choice does she have?

Not only do you have to stoop to be a thief, but you also have to appease your husband.

Chapter 125 [Propaganda Datong]

The boat was about to arrive at Yongyang Town, everyone packed their things and walked to the bow one after another.

After passing the intersection of He River and Lu River, Fei Chun pointed to the front and said, "Both banks of He River are our territory!"

Liu Ziren looked at the lush seedlings on both sides of the river, and exclaimed: "The rice seedlings here are growing the best."

Fei Yuanjian was a little confused: "Why didn't I see it?"

Liu Ziren explained: "Don't just look at the places next to the river, you have to look farther away. Look at the paddy fields in the distance, the seedlings are very green in color, and other counties along the way, as long as they are far from the water source, they are already drought It's a little yellowish."

"Is there no spring drought here?" Fei Yuanjian asked doubtfully.

"It's also dry, look at the river on both sides." Xu Ying pointed to the bank.

The water level has dropped significantly, and the dried sludge can still be seen on the river bank after the water recedes.

Soon, they witnessed a lively scene.

As the water level in the river has dropped a lot, the water trucks have been unable to lift water normally.So more than a dozen people stood by the river and used wooden barrels to fetch water all the way to the bank, and then poured the water into the diversion canal to facilitate the irrigation of paddy fields near the canal.

It has been flowing to the end of the canal, and a water storage pit has been dug temporarily.Villagers farther away can carry water from the puddles instead of having to go far to the river.

Liu Ziren grinned and said, "I like it here."

"The government and the people are of one mind." Xu Ying commented.

This kind of practice seems simple, but it must be organized by prestigious people.Otherwise, there will be countless disputes along the canal, and there may even be group fights for grabbing water.

Coming all the way from Qianshan Mountain by boat, only Yongyang Town can do it.

"Shift change, shift change!"

Another group of people came to the river, and those who had carried the water before went ashore smiling, chatting and laughing with each other.

A half-hearted missionary officer said by the river: "See, this is what the peasant association is for. It's not a hundred times more convenient than carrying water to irrigate the fields? This peasant association was established by the Datong Association for us farmers... um," the missionary officer suddenly Stuck, I looked down at the small book and continued, "The farmers' association is our farmers' association. The farmers' association is to help farmers..."

"Xiao Xianggong, stop chanting, just like a monk chanting scriptures." Some villagers complained.

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone burst out laughing and regarded the missionary officer as a storyteller.

This Mr. Xiao is a Tongsheng from the Xiao family in Yongyang, and he is obviously not very proficient in business.He continued to flip through the small book and said: "What is the Great Harmony of the World..."

"Everyone has a field to cultivate, everyone has food to eat, and everyone has clothes to wear!" A villager has learned to answer quickly, "Recite every day, every day, I can recite it by heart."

Another burst of laughter.

The mission officer surnamed Xiao finally got angry: "Don't interrupt, I haven't finished yet!"

"Xiao Xianggong, tell me." The villagers laughed.

The mission officer walked up and down the river with his head held high and his chest held high, saying, "What does everyone have to farm? All the land in the world is occupied by the emperor's relatives, by civil and military officials, and by honorable gentry. You occupy tens of thousands of acres, and he occupies thousands of acres. We ordinary people have no land to cultivate, and can only be tenants to farm for the landlord. Do you think this is the truth?"

"Yes!"

The villagers shouted in unison and stopped joking and making trouble.

The missionary officer didn't look at the notebook any more, and walked around with his hands behind his back: "If the landlord has land in his hand, he can bully the tenants. The rent of the land can be set as much as he wants. When there is a famine and a bad harvest, he will fight big and small. He will let it go." For loan sharks, five cents a month is considered less, but there are seven or eight cents a month. The tenants are busy all year round, and the harvest is all the landlord's, so they can't even eat enough. Is this the truth?"

"Yes!"

The villagers shouted while carrying water.

The missionary officer continued: "The tenants are so miserable, and those who own land can live well? As long as they are not big landlords, they will not have a good life."

"The imperial court increases taxes every year, and the county magistrate also changes the method of apportionment. There is also the whip method, which only collects money and does not collect grain. Tenants do not have to pay land taxes, but small landlords have to. Small landlords with only a few tens of acres of land , Sometimes I don’t have any money to pay the whip tax? I can only use the grain to go to the money and grain shop to exchange for silver, and I will be cheated by the big landlord.”

"The intention of this whipping law is good. It includes the land tax and miscellaneous taxes. After paying the whip tax, you should not pay other miscellaneous taxes. But until now, after the whip tax is paid, there are miscellaneous taxes. It is equivalent to paying miscellaneous taxes twice. There are many miscellaneous taxes, but it does not collect money, and let farmers send their grain to the county government. Hey, the soap official kicks you, and you can kick a few catties. Man, I force you to make up for it. It's very bad!"

The mission officer, who was probably born as a small landlord, gritted his teeth and was full of anger when talking about his own experience.

The mission officer continued: "You are tenants, I am a small landlord, and we are all hard-working people. Take my family as an example, a total of more than 30 mu of land, not counting the children in the family, but also to support eight people, and one person is divided equally. There are only four acres of land. Four acres of land, after paying taxes and food, how much can I have left? I still have to study, and sometimes I have no money to buy paper. Datong shop. There are dozens of people in a room, and the inside is full of energy. The smell of sweat and foot odor made me faint, and I was confused when I walked into the examination room!"

"Hahahaha!"

The villagers laughed again.

The missionary officer said again: "I only have a few cakes on me. I didn't pay attention when I was writing the article, and I knocked over the cakes. I picked them up one by one, wiped off the dust and ate them like that. You need to hire a janitor for the exam. Linbao money is another expense. On the way back, I didn’t even have enough money for the boat ride, so I had to walk home. I had to cross the river in the middle, and I didn’t have enough money to cross the river. I just sat at the ferry, I sat for an afternoon. The boatman saw that I was pitiful, and said he would send me there at half price... It’s true that I’m a scholar, but is it easy for me? The boatman who punted the boat felt sorry for me, woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As he talked, the mission officer felt more and more wronged, and even squatted by the river and began to cry.

The villagers finally stopped laughing and closed their mouths to carry water seriously.

After crying for a while, the missionary officer stood up again, wiped away his tears and said, "Everyone has a field to cultivate. It doesn't mean that the tenants can cultivate the land for the landlord, nor does it mean that the small landlord can cultivate the land for himself. We should not only cultivate our own fields , but also have to pay exorbitant miscellaneous taxes to the government. There must be fields to grow, and after planting the fields, you must be able to eat enough, and you still have money to buy cloth to sew clothes. wear!"

"well said!"

The villagers began to cheer.

The missionary officer said again: "Mr. Zhao is here to distribute the land to the tenants and reduce the tax for the small landlords. The government will definitely not like it, because they can't be greedy for our blood and sweat. Therefore, we should send out young men from each family to follow Mr. Zhao. Fighting wars. So, Mr. Zhao set up a peasant association to let farmers grow more food, and everyone can live well. Everyone pays for Mr. Zhao, so that Mr. Zhao can raise soldiers and keep our fields. Only in this way can everyone have land to cultivate , everyone has food to eat, and everyone has clothes to wear. If this is done, the world will be in harmony! Long live the world in harmony!"

"Long live the harmony of the world!"

"Long live the harmony of the world!"

"Long live the harmony of the world!"

The villagers followed suit, and then worked harder.

The missionary officer spoke with smoke coming out of his throat, so he sat down on the spot to drink water, and then continued to read the small book.

Fei Chun took everyone ashore, and some villagers were going to the market in the town.

In the market, there were also missionaries giving speeches.Many farmers were not in a hurry to buy things, so they gathered around to listen, and cheers broke out from the crowd from time to time.

The two families of Xu Ying and Liu Ziren are both half-tenant and half-owner farmers. They only passed by and listened for a while, and then they showed infinite yearning.

Fei Chun said: "The Yongyang Township is in the town, but the General Military Mansion is in a nearby village. It used to be the house of a big landlord. The front yard is the office of the General Military Mansion, and only Brother Han and Mr. Pang live in the back yard. Many rooms in the backyard are still vacant. We will all live in today, and we will arrange another place for everyone tomorrow."

Zhao Han was working in the yamen of the General Military Mansion, Fei Chun didn't bother him, and took him directly to the backyard.

Fei Rulan and the maid Xiyue came to the courtyard where Zhao Han lived.

"Why is it so deserted here?" Fei Rulan blamed, feeling that Zhao Han was not well served.

Fei Chun explained: "Brother Han doesn't want anyone to serve him. There is only one servant girl and a woman in the yard. The maid is not called a maid, but a maid. Brother Han doesn't allow anyone to support his family. Sister Xiyue..."

Fei Rulan was stunned, and then said, "Tell me about it in detail."

Fei Chun gave a brief introduction to Datong Thought, and then explained Zhao Han's various policies.

Fei Rulan was silent for a long time, called Xiyue back into the room, and said: "Your body deed is with my mother, and it is inconvenient to get it back. Since Brother Han has rules, then treat it as if the body deed does not exist, and I will give it to you." Set up a new work contract. From now on, you will not be a maid, but you will also be a maid..."

"Miss," Xiyue knelt down and kowtowed again and again, "This slave is born as Miss's person, and will die as Miss's ghost!"

Fei Rulan couldn't help laughing and said: "Why do I want a female ghost? Don't do this, brother Han is not allowed to kneel, you should get up and talk."

Xiyue stood up cautiously.

"I marry a chicken and follow the chicken, marry a dog and follow the dog, and marry a rebel and I am a thief's wife," Fei Rulan laughed as she said, "I have lived for almost 20 years, and I have been thinking about my husband. A scholar full of sophistication, never thought that he was a daring traitor. The traitor's rules are very weird, but they make sense when you think about it carefully. I can't take the lead in breaking the rules he set, can I?"

Xiyue is uneasy, but she yearns for it. From now on, she won't have to kneel down, and she is still a free person without a contract.

Two maids, one old and one young, learned that the mistress was coming, so they also put down their work and came to see her.

"lady!"

The two said a blessing, and couldn't help but secretly looked at his wife, she was indeed handsome and dignified, worthy of our Mr. Zhao.

Fei Rulan smiled and asked, "What's your name? How long have you been with Mr. Zhao?"

The young maid said: "My name is Huang Zhaodi, I'm from Wuxing Town, and I've been with my husband for more than half a year."

The old woman said: "My name is Huang Lishi, and I have been here for more than half a year."

"Both surnamed Huang." Fei Rulan asked Xiyue to fetch some copper coins, "It's the first time we meet, let's take it for tea."

"Mrs. Xie."

The two maids were quite happy, and felt that the lady in front of them was more generous than Mr. Zhao.

Xiyue was a little angry, and almost reprimanded them, because when they received the reward money, they didn't kneel down to thank them.Maybe it's okay to get acquainted, but it's the first time you meet, you have to kneel down and thank the master for the gift!

Fei Rulan still had a smile on her face, asked a few more questions about the situation, and then led them to tidy up the yard.

Even the furnishings in the house are very particular.

The two maids were in admiration and felt that the lady was too powerful.The same thing, just moved the position, it seems much more pleasing to the eye.

When Zhao Han came back from get off work, the house was completely new, even the nooks and corners were wiped clean.

Although Zhao Han didn't ask for anything about it, he still felt very comfortable, and the exhaustion from a tiring day disappeared instantly.

Chapter 126 [Just hug for a while]

Seeing Zhao Han, Fei Rulan was a little shy, but also quite happy, and performed the Wanfu salute with Xiyue.

After Zhao Han bowed his hand to return the salute, he pulled Fei Rulan to sit down: "I knew my sister was here during the day, and I couldn't leave because of my busy schedule. At this time, the spring plowing is over, and there are more things to do. It is a headache. There is also the selection of young and strong soldiers for training. Now that the territory is bigger, it is not convenient for the young and strong in remote villages to gather in Yongyang Town. They are asked to organize training in the village, and many training officers have to be sent. Officers have to focus on drills first..."

The atmosphere seemed awkward at first, but Zhao Han's very natural behavior made Fei Rulan feel more relaxed.

She was pulled to sit down by Zhao Han, and she listened to Zhao Han talking about many business affairs, smiling and listening without interrupting.

After a long time, Fei Rulan looked at Zhao Han and said, "You've become darker and thinner, and your cheeks have sunken from exhaustion."

"It's in the sun," Zhao Han said with a smile. "Many times, you can't just sit in the general military mansion, but you have to go to the villages and towns to inspect in person. Some officials from rich families are always worry-free. Supervisor, but the mission officer is not a full-time censor. By the way, I heard that there are religious bandits in Qianshan Mountain?"

Fei Rulan said: "In Shanglu Town next to Ehu Town, the news of the Yaodao's rebellion frightened my grandfather very much. Fortunately, there are still banknotes in front of him. Grab the eunuch's money first."

"Haha, it seems that eunuchs are also useful." Zhao Han couldn't help laughing.

Fei Rulan said: "Everything is fine at home, mother makes you feel at ease... Rebellion. Since my younger brother has become a traitor, she can only admit it with her nose, and repeatedly told her not to reveal her family background. After all, her father is still an official in the court." .”

"Is my father still serving as the county magistrate in Suqian?" Zhao Han asked.

The title "our father" made Fei Rulan's ears blush, and she said in embarrassment: "Father has been promoted, and he has been promoted two levels, and he is serving as a general judge in Huzhou Prefecture."

To be promoted so quickly must have cost money again.Of course, it also has something to do with the Donglin Party. Fei Yinggong is working with Qian Qianyi to carry out the ancient prose movement of "clearing the roots".

Neither Zhao Han nor Fei Rulan knew that Fei Yinggong was going to suppress the bandits, and wipe out the Huzhou water bandits...

Fei Rulan asked someone to bring the food, and after Xiyue helped serve the food, she stood by and waited on her.

Zhao Han was a little awkward, and said, "Sister Xiyue, please sit down and eat."

"Han...Young master, this is impossible." Xiyue flinched in fright, and still didn't know how to address Zhao Han.

Zhao Han looked at Fei Rulan, Fei Rulan smiled and said, "Add a pair of bowls and chopsticks yourself, do you still want me to serve you rice with my own hands?"

Xiyue had no choice but to obey, and when the meal came, she sat down tremblingly, only daring to sit on half of her buttocks.

After dinner, Zhao Han got up and said, "I'll go talk to the three of them."

"Brother Han, just go, I'll wait at home." Fei Rulan sent Zhao Han to the door.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, Zhao Han went to the courtyard next door, and halfway took out his purse to play with, which was brought by his younger sister, Fei Chun.

When I came to the courtyard and saw Xu Ying's family, I realized that Xu Ying had been called by Pang Chunlai.

Xu Ying, Liu Ziren, and Fei Yuanjian were all at Pang Chunlai's side, enjoying the shade under the moon, talking and laughing, even Fei Ruhe and Fei Chun were there.

"Haha, you're finally here!" Fei Ruhe laughed.

Fei Yuanjian also teased, "I've been guessing when you will come, and I thought you were going to accompany Madam tonight."

Pang Chun said, "Sit."

These guys had already reserved a place for Zhao Han, an empty bamboo chair, and a teacup in front of them.