The end of natural disasters: the daily life of child brides in ancient times

Lu Qingqing and Qin Lang were sorting silk to be sent to the county when they saw Dazhuang coming over with a basket of grass on his back.

He poured the grass in the basket under the shade of a tree, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with a smile:

"Sister, brother-in-law, I've put this grass here. You can use it to feed the horses!"

Lu Qingqing looked at Dazhuang, whose face was red from the heat, and took a towel to wipe his face.

"Da Zhuang, didn't I tell you not to go mow the grass? Why are you going again?"

Dazhuang took the towel from her hand and said with a smile:

"Sister, all that's left of our house is the roof, and I don't need to do much work anymore.

Plus, Dad’s condition has been much better recently, and he can do the work of weeding and watering the fields.

I just cook every day, it’s not a big deal.

I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well mow some grass. It won’t be tiring.”

As he spoke, he saw Lu Qingqing's disapproving look and said with a smile:

"Sister, I feel uncomfortable if I don't do some work!"

Seeing that he was a little darker, but with more flesh on his face and body, and in better condition, Lu Qingqing said:

“These days, I only go to the foot of the mountain in the evening to cut some grass, which is enough for the horses to eat.

Don’t go to the mountain in the morning anymore. It’s too painful.

By the way, I am going to the city today to deliver the silk and will show you a suitable school.

When I find it, I'll come back and tell you."

Upon hearing this, Dazhuang said excitedly:

"That's great!"

As he said this, he wanted to run back, but after running a few steps he turned back and said:

"Sister, wait a minute, I'll go back and get the money!"

Lu Qingqing looked at Da Zhuang, who was rarely childish, and said with a smile:

"No rush. Wait until I've found out enough and taken you to see it, then we can decide."

After hearing this, Da Zhuang just nodded repeatedly, smiling so hard that his teeth were showing.

Soon, Lu Qingqing tidied up the silk and drove out in a carriage.

Along the way, the sun was high in the sky, the weather was extremely hot, but there was no wind.

Lu Qingqing felt like she was in a big steamer, hot and uncomfortable.

I didn't see anyone along the way.

Only the fields still growing tender green corn seedlings showed that people still lived in this area.

It is estimated that the villagers in these villages, like the villagers in Baoshan Town, are accustomed to working in the early morning and evening when there is no sun.

When the two arrived at Yining County, they found that the group of refugees outside the city gate was even larger.

After the shade of the trees was occupied, the refugees built a large number of shacks in that area to block the sunlight, extending all the way to the river.

But this time, there were guardrails on both sides of the river.

In addition, there were soldiers guarding in the sheds beside the river.

Lu Qingqing witnessed with her own eyes that some refugees tried to approach the river but were scared away by soldiers holding weapons.

Looking towards the city gate, we found that not only the refugees' shacks had increased, but also the government sheds at the city gate had increased.

Under the shed, the officers and soldiers were so hot that their faces turned red, and they kept fanning themselves with large palm-leaf fans.

In front of the officers and soldiers, there were more than a dozen tables, each facing a row of guardrails.

The guardrail is made by hammering wooden sticks into the ground and then tying ropes to the sticks, thus forming a simple guardrail.

However, these guardrails are some distance away from the city gate and should not be used for entering the city.

Just as Lu Qingqing was wondering about the purpose of these guardrails, she saw that there were still a lot of stains from leftover vegetable porridge on the large tables in front of each team of guardrails.

It is estimated that Yining County is already providing disaster relief.

Before Lu Qingqing could continue thinking, the carriage had already arrived at the city gate.

After paying the city entrance fee, the two entered the city smoothly.

This time, the situation in the city was better than before.

Not only were there fewer beggars on the streets, but when I passed by the places in the city that specialized in hiring temporary workers, I found that there were also fewer people there.

The two of them quickly arrived at the back door of Suxiufang and knocked on it.

Soon, Manager Cheng was called over by the waiter. Seeing that it was her, he came out to greet her with a smile.

After some greetings, several people entered the backyard.

As usual, the shop assistants were checking the cloth, while Manager Cheng and Lu Qingqing were chatting nearby.

Lu Qingqing thought about the situation in and outside the city and asked:

"Manager Cheng, I went into the city today and saw a lot more refugees outside the city, but a lot fewer inside. What happened?"

Shopkeeper Cheng's face showed some joy, and he said with a smile:

"This is King Huai's order to have the refugees repair the canal.

I heard that those who go there are not only provided with food and accommodation, but also paid five cents a day!

In the first round, we will arrange for the refugees in the city first.

Once all the refugees in the city have left, it will be the turn of those outside the city."

As he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something and sighed:

"You don't come to the city often, so you don't know. Ever since the drought here, there have been more and more refugees in the city, and it has become increasingly chaotic.

Before, they just stole some property and food.

About seven or eight days ago, a house in the city was broken into by refugees late at night.

Not only were all the property in the house lost, but more than a dozen members of the family also lost their lives!

After receiving the report from the neighbor, the county government quickly sent people to investigate and soon found the murderer.

There were twenty or thirty refugees who were very hungry and wanted to do something to fill their stomachs.

Who knew that they would be discovered by the owner while transporting the grain.

Those refugees were afraid of being caught, so they simply killed all the people in the host family.

Alas, pity the elderly and children in that family. I heard that the youngest girl is only a little over two years old. "

Shopkeeper Cheng sighed a few times and said with emotion:

"Speaking of which, our King Huai is truly a good prince who cares about the people!

After this incident happened, it spread like wildfire, causing everyone in the county to feel insecure.

To be honest, during those days I wanted to close the shop and hide in the city.

As a result, King Huai issued an order soon after.

Prince Huai's palace contributed 80% of the funds, and local county governments contributed 20% to recruit refugees to dig canals.

By now, the notices in the city have been posted for five or six days, and everyone who needs to know has known it.

I heard that they will be recruiting workers outside the city soon.

However, this is no small matter.

Considering the number of refugees, five cents per person per day is a considerable amount.

It is estimated that King Huai could not afford to go out, so a few days ago, King Huai’s palace sent people to preach.

They said that anyone who donated money to help dig the canal would be selected based on the amount of money they contributed and their names would be recorded on the canal monument!

As he said this, Shopkeeper Cheng asked with a smile:

"Miss Lu, guess how much I donated?"

Lu Qingqing didn't expect that King Huai could do this. She silently decided to go to Yining Store later and make some purchases, just to help her fellow villager.

At this moment, seeing Manager Cheng looking at her expectantly, she thought for a moment and stretched out two fingers.

"Two hundred taels?"