Chapter 38 trading cycle

The mountain temple mentioned by the father of "Big Head" is located beside the path at the foot of Hua'an Mountain.It is said to be a temple, but it is actually just an ordinary small tile-roofed house with mud brick walls.Due to disrepair for a long time, it is quite dilapidated from the outside to the inside.Entering is a small uneven courtyard, and an incense table is set in the middle of the low main room, on which a dusty statue of a god is enshrined.The curtains on both sides were torn and blackened by the smoke and fire for many years.The ear room on the right has long since collapsed, and the remaining one on the left is also narrow and small. Since there is no temple ceremony, and no one lives in it except for the villagers who go up the mountain to collect firewood and come in to have a rest on weekdays, so it is only Used to randomly pile up some firewood and debris.When Huang Zongxi led Huang An and two other soldiers to walk a full five miles to the front of the temple, he found that the gate was ajar, the muddy ground in front of the gate was trampled, but it was quiet inside.However, Huang An gained experience this time, and without waiting for the owner to signal, he pushed open the door and went straight in.Sure enough, from the main room to the courtyard, it was densely packed with people.Maybe it's because they didn't expect to be discovered, or maybe it's because they've been here for a long time, and they've already said what they should say, so at a glance, they squatted and sat, but they were all silent.Even when there was a sound from the temple gate, they were still sitting there blankly, and few of them turned their faces away.

"Okay, after searching for a long time, it turns out that you all hid here to enjoy the cool breeze!" Seeing Huang Zongxi stepping into the gate, he stood motionless without speaking, Huang An first shouted loudly. As if awakened from a dream, the villagers turned their heads one after another.When it was clear that it was not their companions, but Huang Zongxi and his followers, a panicked commotion quickly spread throughout the audience.However, probably found that there was no way to avoid it, and they soon became quiet again, huddled together like a pile of wooden stakes. "Hey, why don't you talk?" Huang An continued to question while searching the crowd with his eyes. When he found that the third master Huang Zonghui was not there, he became more courageous:

"Could it be possible to take dumb medicine?" "..." "Oh, that's weird," Huang An urged with sarcasm, narrowing his eyes, "Since you have the guts to hide here, why don't you have the guts to speak?" "..." "Hey, hello, what's the matter? You really don't speak? If you don't speak again, I'm going to curse you!" "..." Seeing that the other party still didn't respond despite such urging, Huang An really got angry. He widened his eyes and stomped his feet vigorously: "Scared, Nianxi—" However, before he could fully curse, Huang Zongxi stretched out his hand and stopped him.

Huang Zongxi stopped his followers because after a five-mile trek, his thoughts changed somewhat.No doubt he was greatly annoyed at the fact that the villagers had conspired to resist payment.In particular, the third brother Huang Zonghui, as the head of grain with heavy responsibilities, actually ignored the overall situation. Not only did he not fully cooperate with the collection, but like the villagers, he tried every means to avoid meeting with him, which made him feel unforgivable.So in the first few moments, he just gritted his teeth, wishing he could fly to the mountain temple immediately, catch these nasty guys and scold them, and then force them to hand over their food and wages immediately!However, when he was on his way, thinking about the matter over and over again, he gradually felt that the other party was trying to cheat and evade. Although there is no doubt about it, it seems that it is not a big deal to conclude that they are deliberately delaying. make sense.Because those who are waiting for the food and payment at the front are the soldiers of the village, logically, they will not let their own flesh and blood starve and freeze in the front, and they will ignore it cruelly.What's more, the news that another war is about to start ahead has been spread in various counties in eastern Zhejiang these days, just because the Tartars must not be allowed to fight over, people probably won't be so confused as to intentionally make trouble at this juncture.Even if the foolish people in the village don't understand, Huang Zonghui will never cooperate with them to do this.So, that is to say, they may indeed have a very difficult place, and it is unknown if they made a wrong decision at the moment?To be honest, the poverty in Huangzhupu is well known in Tongde Township. In the past half a year, for the sake of fighting, thirty or forty young men have been forced out of the village. It is conceivable that the burden is heavy to raise him in the ground... Thinking of this, Huang Zongxi became a little calmer, and felt that the matter might not be as simple as he thought at first, and it was necessary to investigate further...

"Fathers and folks!" After Huang An swallowed back the cursing words, grabbed his head and stepped aside, he crossed his hands and said in a earnest and respectful voice: "Zong Xi left his hometown in June. Leading troops to attack the Tartars, because of the busyness of the war, I have not asked questions for a long time. I just got it last night and returned. I didn’t know that all of you gathered here. It’s a late visit, and I’m really offended! Please accept Zong Xi’s gift!" After finishing speaking, he bowed and made a deep bow from left to right. In Huangzhupu, there have never been many people who have become officials, and it is even rarer for Huang Zongxi to be regarded as an official for both generations of father and son, and to enjoy a reputation outside the world.Therefore, their Grand Servant's family has always been very prestigious in the village.If it is said that the villagers were silent just now, mainly because they were afraid and did not know how they would be dealt with, then seeing that the elder not only did not ask the crime, but saluted instead, they were both surprised and terrified, and they could not help but return the salute , and issued a vague sound of apology.

Seeing that the villagers finally responded, Huang Zongxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.He thought for a while, and then said: "Just now, this servant Huang An doesn't know his level, and he speaks wildly and rebelliously, which is so offensive, it's actually abominable! Zong Xi ordered him to apologize to everyone!" Then he turned around and shouted: "Damn you slave, don't you hurry up and kneel down and kowtow to your fathers and fellow villagers?" Huang An was pretending to be a tiger for a while, thinking that he had read his master's mind and wanted to be good, but he didn't expect Huang Zongxi to end up with such a tone, so he was stunned.He suddenly heard that he was required to admit his mistake on the spot, his face flushed like a ripe persimmon, but after all he couldn't stop the master's urging, so he knelt down dejectedly and kowtowed a few times to everyone.

This time, the villagers were even more surprised.Everyone, you look at me and I look at you. At first, I was a little at a loss, and then I became excited involuntarily.At the end, although some people still had doubts and stood still, more people came forward one after another with a sound of "coaxing", and some were busy helping Huang An and dusting him off, Some greeted and greeted Huang Zongxi with a smiling face.The atmosphere on the scene finally became active... "Master, it's not that the folks are hiding from you on purpose. There's really nothing you can do about it!" After the initial greetings were over and Huang Zongxi sat down on the corner of the stone steps made by everyone, the patriarch—a man with three strands of hair The skinny old man with a beard explained in a hoarse voice, "You don't know, since you left for more than half a year, people have come to my slave village to ask for food and wages, but they have almost never stopped! You think my slave village is just a slap in the face It’s a big place, and it’s always been poor, how much food and wages can it afford? Cough, the situation is getting worse day by day!”

"That's right," another person continued, "If Mr. Grand Master comes back in the morning for ten and a half months, the villagers will struggle to eat and wear, and they will also have to settle the matter of food and wages! Begging my grandpa to tell my grandma, I managed to get rid of a group of plague gods, and I have tossed every household to see their clothes, and the bottom of the pot is upside down! The crops in the fields haven’t grown yet, so where do you want me to go? A ration to go!" Huang Zongxi blinked, and was a little confused: "Well, you mean, besides us, there are other people who come to collect food and pay?"

"Ah, so the grand lord doesn't know!" Several voices yelled at the same time, "There are too many! There are people from Fang Hou Ye's camp, Wang Hou Ye's camp, and people from the village and county, dialing one after another. They all come to ask for food and pay! They also want good fish and meat to treat them, and if they don’t like it, they will be beaten, kicked and whipped, and they will be locked up and sent to the government. It’s very fierce!" Huang Zongxi couldn't help frowning: "Well, this—is this all true?" "Master, my slave dares to lie to you! How many people here have been scolded and beaten by them, who can count them!" A thin man standing nearby shouted angrily. .Huang Zongxi recognized that it was the "big head".I saw him grabbing the front of his shirt with both hands, tearing it apart with a "chi" sound, exposing his chest, with a scarlet scar across it, "They just left it yesterday, if you don't believe me, just take a look." !"

"Yes, there's me!" "There's us!" Following the words, several people rushed forward, stretching out their injured arms and legs. Huang Zongxi couldn't help being stunned.That's right, since King Lu established his dynasty in Shaoxing, the rebel army in eastern Zhejiang has suddenly expanded to 100,000 people. Regardless of whether there is a battle or not, these soldiers have to eat and wear.How to maintain such a large amount of food and payment expenses has always been a headache for the court.And because of the fight for pay, the leaders of various soldiers and horses have made trouble before King Lu more than once.A few days ago, there was even a bloody incident where the soldiers of Zheng Zunqian and Fang Guoan's family fought with real swords and guns in Shaoxing City.However, according to the originally agreed method, in order to reduce the trouble of collection, the imperial court is not responsible for the food and salaries of the townships in each county, and all the food and salaries will be provided by their respective hometowns;Now, judging from what the folks said, this kind of regulation has never been implemented from the beginning, but as long as they have the right to have soldiers, anyone can conscript randomly...

"It's been more than two months, why don't I know anything about it?" Finally, he gritted his teeth and asked in disgust. "Master," the patriarch who hadn't spoken for a long time coughed and said in a hoarse voice, "we have also discussed whether we should tell you about this. Later, everyone said that you are leading the army in front of the war without risking your life." , there are already enough things to worry about, and it’s enough for the family to be taken care of by Allah, not to mention that it’s like this everywhere now, even if you tell me, it’s useless, and it will make you worry in vain, so I’ll decide who I'm not allowed to tell you that even Sanxianggong is the same..." "But, you should have told me earlier!" Huang Zongxi slammed his fists on his knees and stood up abruptly, "Do you think you are pity me if you don't tell me? Do you know that if you told me earlier, I would At the meeting, it was reported to the court that they were not allowed to do such nonsense, and they would not be able to get to where they are today! But you kept it a secret and didn't let me know. As a result, your house was empty and everything was poor, and even the people in your own village These boys can’t afford enough food and salary! They still hide from me like a ghost! Do you think you can hide? Ah, can you hide? Do you know that the Tartars in Hangzhou are mobilizing ships and training soldiers, Sooner or later, we will fight, and we all have to go to the front and fight hard! But there is no food and no salary, how to fight this battle? Tell me, how to fight this battle!" He reprimanded sharply, accused angrily, stared wide-eyed, and kept waving his arms.Because of his anger, and because he realized that this time the payment collection might come back empty-handed, his anger finally broke out uncontrollably. "You——" he called out again, intending to vent out his depression, but suddenly, for some reason, he suddenly felt tired and weak like never before. As a result, he just waved his hands and sat down down. ... "Well, where is Sanxianggong?" After a long while, he asked in a low voice, "Where did he go? Why have I been looking for him and can't find him?" "Oh, my slave doesn't know. Sanxianggong only let me guard here, and his slave took two people away." The patriarch replied carefully, "Why don't I send someone to look for it?" Huang Zongxi shook his head with a wry smile, "Forget it, it's obvious that this is the case, even if you find him, what's the use?" He thought gloomyly and desperately. There was silence in the patio as the conversation stopped.For a while, people all stood or sat blankly, only the buzzing of flies flying around their ears... How long this situation lasted, the people shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere did not pay special attention.However, a strange sound finally came from outside the temple gate, it was the sound of chaotic footsteps.Then, several figures appeared at the gate.The one walking in the lead is none other than Huang Zonghui who has been missing for a long time!Obviously because he was in a hurry, his fair and sensitive face was flushed red, and he looked out of breath.But his expression was very excited, and his eyes were shining.On entering, he cried out: "It's done, it's done, the food and wages are settled! It's settled! Haha!" The announcement was so unexpected, it was like a thunderbolt that made everyone jump.However, maybe they couldn't figure out what was going on, and they just stared blankly, without making a sound. "Hey, the third master is well!" Huang An, who had been left out for a long time, hurriedly intervened, "The third master is back! The uncle is really anxious to find you! However, the third master just said that it will be done. What's going on? Could it be the food..." Huang Zonghui was obviously taken aback for a moment, then quickly turned his face away.When his eyes fell on Huang Zongxi, he yelled "Ah!", hurriedly stepped forward, bowed to the ground, and said, "So the elder brother is here too! I have to wait for a long time, and I am really disturbed! But it is not humiliating." Fate!" "Sanxianggong, tell everyone quickly, how did it work?" The patriarch urged from the side. Huang Zonghui straightened up, "Eh, what's the point? Of course I'm going to buy it!" He replied excitedly. "Buy? Where can I buy it? Do you have money to buy it?" Huang Zongxi asked coldly.As far as he knew, the war was imminent and food was extremely scarce.In order to collect wages, all places are desperately searching for them, and it has reached the point where they have spared no money.When it comes to buying grain, it may be possible to buy a small amount, but it is impossible to buy a large amount, and the price may be extremely expensive, and it is not easy to afford it. "If you're waiting for a place, of course you can't buy it. But I found out a way yesterday, not only can you buy as much as you want, but the price is also reasonable!" Huang Zonghui said proudly. "There is such a place? Where is it?" "Why have I never heard of it?" Several voices rushed to ask. "Of course you haven't heard of it! You need to use your brain!" Huang Zonghui made a proud gesture, "Yes, there is a shortage of food everywhere nowadays, but there is a kind of person who holds a lot of food in their hands! Who is it? Isn't it Those taxpayers! I’ll go to them and talk to them, hey, it’s done! It’s really sold to me, haha!” "Hey, wait, wait," the patriarch who was in a daze stopped him quickly, "You mean, buy grain from the pay collector? But isn't that military pay? They sold it to you, so how can they go up to the top?" Account?" "Pay the account?" Huang Zonghui said contemptuously, "That's not easy! There are many ways! If the collection fails, it will be called fire, flooded, or robbers! It's all done! Hmph, I'll see this time too." This kind of business is done secretly before the payment of food and wages. Therefore, it must be led by an acquaintance. Because it is a shady business, the price will be a little lower than outside." "Then, the money for buying food..." In the silence with complicated emotions, someone timidly uttered a sentence. "It's the food money," Huang Zonghui said, looking at his elder brother standing aside, "Of course it will be shared by each family. But my old lady said that it is very difficult for every family nowadays, and no one can take the lead. Yesterday Son, she took out all her family's treasures and gave them to me to sell—of course it wasn't enough. But I have some money in my hands, so I have the courage to do this business of buying grain today!" During the question and answer, Huang Zongxi kept his head down and listened silently without interrupting.It's just that the more he listened, the more he felt like a rough and extremely disgusting mess was stuffed into his heart, which couldn't be untied, and it was blocked in a panic.He tried his best to sort it out, but in the end, the tangle was horribly tumbling and growing, so that for a moment, his eyes were darkened. Two days later, Huang Zongxi, who couldn't wait any longer, had no choice but to leave Huangzhupu in a hurry and head back to the front with the little food and salary he had collected in this way and the heavy worry of not knowing what to do next time.