Men, listen, grab the top of the mountain and stand in the center position

In the warm winter, we work hard.

The eldest brother, who couldn't stay at home and wanted to go out, would wrap himself in a big red bellyband and wear small red pants on a cold day. He looked chubby and walked very fast, holding Tang Bo's hand, his legs shaking. He was very brave, touching here and looking there, not afraid of the cold or strangers, and jumping happily.

Wangshu handed the money to the shopkeeper Liu. The work by the river was in full swing, pulling the lotus roots, washing them, breaking them, loading them onto trucks and getting paid. Each person was a link on the assembly line. Once the machine started, the workers had no choice but to work hard, one step after another.

There were always some ragged old people, both men and women, watching from far downstream, and from time to time they would quickly pick up some small lotus root nodes that had been washed off. Those who had picked ears of rice now came over to pick lotus root.

Nowadays, digging lotus roots and clearing silt have long since eliminated the frail elderly. Some, displaced and homeless, are left with no strength left, so they come out to scavenge for food and drink. Here, an old man with sticky hair picked up a small lotus root and devoured it on the spot.

No one drives them away, and they keep their distance. There are too many suffering people in this world, and even more things to worry about. If you try to take care of everything, you will probably die from overwork.

Tang Bo looked at the young master who was concentrating on pulling his hand and stubbornly heading towards the river, and he was in a dilemma. Whose responsibility would it be if his body got wet? The lady was standing there, not knowing what she was thinking. She stood there motionless, allowing the little man pulling the radish to use all his strength to kick and pull him, screaming...ah...

This is so powerful! How could your mother not be scared if she saw it?

After a while of random thoughts, Wangshu walked back and directly picked up the little ear of the little man who was clamoring to go play in the water, "Woo, mother!"

Well, Tang Bo felt sorry for the kid just by looking at him!

Soon, Tang Bo helped the man dressed in robes onto the carriage, and also helped the young master, whose ears had been pulled all the way and who had been whimpering in a hurry to see his mother, to the carriage. He could no longer hold back and wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeves.

Several disciples closed their jaws in shock and followed the slowly moving carriage.

Lotus farmers are busy in the first month of the lunar year, and Wangshu is even busier.

Every household was encouraged to raise poultry and livestock, such as chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits. Rich farmers raised donkeys and cows to provide labor for their families. The small fish and shrimp they caught were released into dug ponds to fatten them up before being eaten.

At the same time, according to the letters from the people in the south, they prepared a new batch of food, fodder, clothing, straw sandals, and crop seeds.

The military campaign in the south went unexpectedly smoothly. There were many unruly people in the remote and poor countryside, but even the most unruly people were afraid of real swords and guns. As soon as the army arrived, they killed the local tyrants, distributed land and farm tools to each household, and copied all the practices of Jingzhou, leaving behind some troops. In this way, the soldiers of the army were stationed in large areas of the south, ready to take root.

It was Jingcheng who provided the logistics and supplies for this foundation. Even when Wangshu was unwell and bedridden, he still had to worry about the supplies through the screen.

You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you manage a household. Jingzhou doesn't have much money in his pocket, so at least he has some food. I'm afraid this year will be a disaster year here. The men over there are fighting on the front line longer than planned. This is just the first batch of unplanned additions, and it will definitely not be the last...

"Half of the food is replaced by dried lotus root slices."

In the bedroom, Wangshu pressed his stomach with one hand and rubbed his forehead. When would this day end? It was exhausting. "It's settled. Tietou Er and other willing planting experts will be arranged together as soon as possible. Some of the grain will be saved for seeds to be distributed to the people for planting."

Now it is February, and it is the sowing season again. Time waits for no one!

After Zhang San left following the order, Wangshu, who was lying in bed, covered her stomach, gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She really wanted to drag out those people who said that giving birth could ease dysmenorrhea and beat them up. She had given birth to two children with great effort, but the pain was getting worse!

As if it weren't bad enough, the second child had eaten something that made her sick and had uncontrollable diarrhea. Xiaolu brought her over. She was wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, cotton-padded trousers, and a tiger-head hat that her grandmother had sewn herself. Hidden within it was a pitiful little face with a listless expression. Her drooping eyelids moved as she reached out for a hug, her words mumbling, "Mom~"

Wangshu was feeling listless, so he cheered himself up and reached out to hug her. The mother and daughter, both padded with cotton pads, leaned against the soft pillows and hugged each other in silence.

After a while, the eldest brother, still wearing a bellyband, came in with a heavy breath, holding onto Ji's mother's hand. He had a fat head and a fat face, and walked with a heavy step, shouting, "Mom!"

"Dabao." As soon as Wangshu finished speaking, the fat man used his hands and feet. He raised his left foot, stepped over with his right leg, and pushed himself onto the bed with his knees. He lay side by side with his sister, but his sister was on his mother. He was so heavy in his mother's arms, warm as a small stove.

Madam Ji came over and touched her sister's forehead. "The doctor said you have a stomach upset. The medicine is brewing." She also touched Wangshu's forehead and asked her, "Where is Xiuyuan? Why do you need so much food? Your father and his men went to the military this time. When will they be back?"

"The situation on the front lines is changing rapidly. Who knows? The letter was sent back from Xiangnan." He was probably in Nanyue. What medicine should the little child take? "Give him some light salt water and light sweet water later. No medicine."

When he heard the word "sweet water", the eldest brother blinked his big blue-green eyes and said expectantly, "Mom!"

So, Mrs. Ji, feeling quite helpless, watched her eldest grandson finish the bowl in two or three gulps, then looked eagerly at her youngest grandson's bowl. Wangshu's voice came from the inner room, "Dabao, come and change your diaper!"

The little fat boy who was sent back to his room by his mother's tight hoop curse looked back every three steps as he walked, reluctant to leave.

As her son-in-law was approaching his first birthday, Madam Ji was still eagerly waiting for him to come back to celebrate his first birthday. That night, she heard her husband reveal the news that the Yongzhou army had marched south to confront Bazhou.

"Husband, could it be..." In the darkness, Madam Ji grabbed Father Ji's arm, her whole body trembling with fear. Xiu Yuan wasn't here, and half of the army was gone. Jingzhou already had very few soldiers and horses!

"My dear, even if you reach the mountain, there will always be a way out. I told you this so that you wouldn't be alarmed if others heard about it. The news arrived two days ago, and I was afraid you would get too nervous and startled, so I kept it a secret. It's okay for now, General Han is here, and the roads in Bazhou are narrow and the mountains are high."

But the Yongzhou army was strong and had legitimate reasons. The worst part was, many in the Jingzhou army probably still considered themselves the Northwest Army! Lady Ji had broken down almost every disadvantage of her side.

Father Ji patted her, his expression unclear in the darkness. "What we can think of, the generals have surely already thought of. My son-in-law rebuilt the city walls in Bazhou, distributed land to households, and eradicated bandits. Later, he distributed farm tools. The people are well aware of all this. Now that Bazhou has granaries and the city walls are solid, defending the city shouldn't be a problem!"

Despite this, the couple still tossed and turned, and only took a nap when the sky was just getting light.

Everything seemed to be normal in Jingcheng.

In March, Jingzhou enacted new laws, retaining the old framework but amending only two minor details: First, heavy taxes on salt and iron were implemented immediately. Second, all prefecture residents were required to register and verify their household registration system. Free movement was permitted throughout the prefecture, with only travel permits and commercial fees collected. In addition to the household registration information and the reason for movement, the travel permit also included a thumbprint. At the gate of the receiving city, in addition to verifying the travel permit information, a person had to dip their thumb in water and press the watermark on a dry wooden board to verify the grain and size.

Once the thumbprint verification method was introduced, it greatly reduced the effort required to verify entry and exit at city gates. It was later adopted throughout the country and proved to be very effective.

This is later.