Chapter 648: Be a Full-Bodied Ghost
Yang Lan: "How difficult is that? Our Hulu Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides. We can just go up the mountain and cut some dead branches, right?"
"First, use this firewood to cook some porridge. After you guys have eaten your fill, come with me up the mountain to chop firewood."
The villagers didn't say anything, but looked at Muramasa.
Muramasa suddenly wanted to grab a handful of grass leaves and smoke them: "Brother Lan, these firewoods are from the government office."
Yang Lan didn't care: "If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who would know? Besides, when we encounter such a severe snowstorm, the government should have allowed us to go up the mountain to chop firewood."
Muramasa looked at Yang Lan deeply and didn't let go. "The clan still has some extra money, although it's not much, just enough to buy a few pounds of charcoal. Silang, you and Brother Lan go to the charcoal yard in the city and buy some cheap firewood."
Whenever there is a cold winter or disaster year, charcoal yards will sell charcoal or firewood at a price that is 50% lower than the market price.
Although Yang Laosi was dissatisfied, he still put on his paper clothes and set off with Yang Lan.
"Shiro, are you cold? How about putting on my coat?"
Yang Laosi refused: "No! You haven't been cold for a long time, you won't be able to adapt! I'm used to the cold, and besides, this is a new paper dress, I spent fifty cents to buy it!"
Poor families could not afford linen jackets. Sometimes a family of ten only had one jacket, so they had to use straw as a cushion and stay at home without going out.
If you really want to go out, just spend money to buy paper clothes.
Paper clothes are made of multiple layers of bark paper, and their warmth-retaining effect is just so-so, but they sell quite well in Henan County.
The paper clothing maker can sell about a hundred pieces every day.
The two men braved the wind and snow to arrive at Xingyang County and headed straight for the charcoal selling yard.
"What? Fifty cents per pound?! What are you daydreaming about? Do you know what the price of rice is now? Get out of here, get out of here!"
The guy at the charcoal yard gave them a good beating!
Yang Lao Si was not convinced: "Didn't you say that you want to sell the charcoal at 50% below the market price? I just asked around, and the market price is only a hundred coins."
The guy's eyebrows were droopy, and the corners of his mouth curled up: "Who told you that? Go buy it from whoever you want! Anyway, I don't have it here. Go away, get out of here!"
The clerk drove the two out, complaining quietly: "All kinds of people dare to come to the charcoal yard to sell coal. It's so annoying."
Yang Laosi was blown by the cold wind and couldn't help shrinking his neck: "Brother Lan, let's go. I have never seen a charcoal yard sell charcoal at a low price. Only Muramasa believed the nonsense of those yamen runners."
Yang Lan turned and walked towards Huimin Pharmacy: "Since we are here, let's go see if there is any free ointment. Under the rule of Duke Yun, the health center has already started distributing frostbite ointment and Lizhong Decoction for free to dispel the cold. We don't ask for too much, just some cold-dispelling decoction will be enough."
Yang Laosi's eyes widened. "Is this true? Are they that rich? The same is true for Hezhong County. Have you been deceived?"
Chilblain ointment is made of lard, pepper and camphor, and ginseng and dried ginger are also added to the Lizhong Decoction.
Such a precious thing can be given to ordinary people for free? !
Why does it sound so unreal?
"How can I fool you?! Do you still remember the clerk Lao Meng in our county? He passed the examination and became the chief appraiser of Hezhong Prefecture. He is now an eighth-rank official! I met him when I went to Hezhong Prefecture. He even treated me to a bowl of Lizhong Decoction."
Lao Meng, Yang Laosi knows him.
"Did he really pass the exam to become the chief surveyor? When he was surveying the land in our village, he said that the area of our village's fields was not as large as written in the booklet. For this, he was scolded by the chief clerk. Could it be that what he said was true?"
A feeling of dissatisfaction slowly rose in Yang Laosi's heart. The registered land was larger than the actual land. Didn't that mean they had to pay more taxes?
The land tax in Henan County is not low. The extra tax paid may be able to feed several people.
As they were talking, they arrived at Huimin Pharmacy, and as expected, they were kicked out again.
"Come on, go back." There was a hint of sarcasm in Yang Lan's eyes.
Yang Lan walked in front, followed closely by Yang Laosi.
In this way, Yang Lan can help him block some of the cold wind.
The houses in the county town are much better than those in Hulu Village. There are thatched houses, mud brick houses, and even blue brick houses.
In the alleys sheltered from the wind, many people huddled together, their bodies covered with straw and snowflakes falling on their heads and bodies.
Some of them were motionless, perhaps they were frozen to death.
Even those who are alive are just leaving it to fate.
"They are all landless people. They make a living by doing odd jobs on weekdays. In winter, the shops don't need these hired workers and no longer use them."
Yang Laosi said calmly: "If there is another disaster next year, our village will probably have to sell the fields and land. Then I will become a tenant farmer and live as long as I can."
Yang Lan felt a pang in her heart and cursed, "Don't be silly! How can I let you starve or freeze to death while I'm here?"
When the two returned to the village, the sun had already set.
In the dilapidated house at the east end of the village, there was a dim firelight and the aroma of rice porridge wafted in the air.
Yang Laosi rushed in while shouting, "Muramasa, you are so mean. You tricked us away and then secretly made porridge for yourself!"
Muramasa glared at him, "What did you say? Say it again!"
Yang Laosi finally managed to move his eyes away from the hot, steaming pottery jar, and then he noticed that there were two or three women lying next to the fire.
It should be a woman, right? She was so thin that her chest was flat, but she was wearing a linen skirt.
The dancing flames covered the women, making their faces look a little more revived, no longer the pale gray color of the dead.
"Sister Taohua?! Lanier?!"
Yang Laosi recognized these women and was shocked: "Didn't they marry to Hongfu Village? How did they become like this?!"
Hongfu Village is much richer than Hulu Village. Most of the people in their village are skilled in crafts, selling soy sauce, vinegar, and doing carpentry work. Anyway, their lives are better than those who dig for food in the soil.
Muramasa frowned, "Momoka's husband's family went bankrupt because of his military service. Lannier's husband was drafted into the army, and they said he was going to Guangde Prefecture. Have you bought firewood?"
Yang Laosi understood that one had to bring one's own rations when joining the army, and he thought that Lanier's husband must have taken all the rations away.
Yang Lan returned the money to Muramasa: "They won't sell, and Huimin Pharmacy won't distribute anything. Now firewood is 100 wen per dan, and the price of rice has risen to 3,200 wen."
The villagers in the house did not react at all.
The price was far beyond their expectations and sounded unreal.
Muramasa stared blankly at the fire in front of him. All the firewood in the village was here. Once the fire went out, there would be no warmth in this winter.
Muramasa stretched out his hand to warm himself by the fire, and Yang Lan's seductive voice rang in his ears: "Muramasa, why don't you listen to me and go up the mountain to chop wood! Even if we are going to die, we must die well-fed! We have so much food, it would be a shame if we were frozen to death!"
(End of this chapter)
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