In Yunzhou, the wind is cold and the rain is drizzling.
The market outside Fuming Town is particularly lively.
"Freshly slaughtered sheep! The blood is hot! Good for your health!" The herdsman spoke in the not-so-fluent Da Zhou dialect, gesticulating and promoting this year's fat sheep.
This year, Duke Yun drove the Tartars out of the grassland. The fertile grasslands once occupied by the Tartars were distributed by Duke Yun to various tribes on the grassland according to their merits.
With so much more pasture and water sources suddenly available, the cattle, sheep and horses in the tribe became fat and strong.
The herders no longer have to worry about their cattle, sheep, wives and children being taken away by the Tartars.
Perhaps the cattle and sheep also knew that this was a great event, and they gave birth to cubs one after another.
"Isn't your tribe closer to Wuzhou? Why don't you go to Wuzhou for the big market?" A resident picked up a piece of lamb chop and asked the herdsmen to help chop it into strips.
The herdsman picked up the knife on the chopping board and chopped the meat with a few strokes. "It's different! You can go to Wuzhou anytime, but the big market in Fuming Town is only held once a year."
His words also expressed the thoughts of many herdsmen.
What kind of place is Fuming Town?
Perhaps it was a fire given to them by God in the coldest winter.
It is a bright light that is always burning in the eternal darkness.
It is a piece of pure land that they are willing to protect at all costs.
It is their eternal home in their hearts.
The market outside Fuming Town has nearly doubled in size compared to last year, but it is still bustling.
No one knew where the large boundary monument that was erected outside Fuming Town had been thrown away.
Xia Lezhi followed behind his father, Shopkeeper Xia, and listened to his father bargaining with the herdsmen in grassland dialect.
"I bought a lot of sheep, so you can give me a cheaper price."
The herder scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed: "The price is already very low, and we still have to survive the winter."
Xia's restaurant was doing very good business, so they took over both shops on the left and right.
The restaurant consumes a lot of mutton every day, so Manager Xia thought of coming to the market to buy a batch himself.
The sheep sold by this herdsman are really good, and they look fat at first glance.
Shopkeeper Xia continued to bargain with the herdsmen, while Xia Lezhi greeted Geerlang.
"Gerlang, are you here alone?"
Geerlang took after his father, tall and strong, a head taller than Xia Lezhi: "Yes, my father went on patrol. The tribe came to the market to sell sheep, and my mother went to help the tribe leader."
Xia Lezhi asked curiously, "Will your tribe still spend the winter nearby this year?"
Geerlang nodded: "The grass seeds that the chief sent people to plant are growing very lush, and the tribe will spend the winter in the same place as last year. Lezhi, when will you go to school?"
Xia Lezhi is the top student in the elementary school department of Baichuan Academy, and his grades are excellent.
Xia Lezhi smiled and said, "The teacher said that I will be able to take the imperial examination next year and strive to pass the examination. What about you? I heard that you passed the entrance examination of Yunzhou Military Academy?"
Gerlang scratched his head embarrassedly: "Hehe, I passed the exam by luck."
Gerlang said in fear: "The Military Academy only recruits 150 students, and I am ranked 150th! I only got one point more than 151st. Thank you for helping me with my lessons."
"You're welcome! It's just a matter of lending a hand between classmates."
The two men wanted to say something else, but Manager Xia took out a bag and went to the office with the herders to sign a bulk contract.
"Lezhi, we should go back."
Xia Lezhi said goodbye to Geerlang and quickly followed Shopkeeper Xia: "Dad, have you negotiated the price?"
Shopkeeper Xia carefully put the signed contract into his arms. Three days later, the herdsmen would drive their sheep to Huaishuo Town, and the final payment would be made at that time.
"No. The cannery is also buying up a lot of mutton, so the price of mutton won't go down!"
Xia Lezhi: "We don't have a good relationship with the South. Can we sell all these cans?"
"Who would hate money? Besides, if we can't sell it, then we can keep it as military rations."
After the last war, many people in Yunzhou developed the habit of hoarding food.
Stock up on food, stock up on canned food, just stock up on whatever you can!
If there is another war with the south, they can use this food to give to the soldiers on the battlefield.
The father and son walked through the market and came to the north gate of Fuming Town.
In order to facilitate the entry and exit of caravans, the north gate was doubled in size, but there were so many people coming and going that people still had to queue up if they wanted to enter and exit the city.
"The general has issued a new law for the border and is recruiting people. Many people are planning to give it a try."
"Unfortunately, I have no talent for arithmetic, so I can only work in a factory."
"The treatment in the factory is so good, others want to get in but can't!"
There were both men and women queuing up, and without exception, everyone was full of hope and confidence in the future.
The soldiers guarding the city who were in charge of checking moved quickly, and after a while, it was the turn of Mr. Xia and his wife.
"Lezhi, we have to hurry. Your mother is still waiting for us in the medical school."
The medical school was established in Fuming Town and was well-known. Not only people from the seven towns of Yunzhou, but also people from Shuozhou and the sixteen states of Youyun liked to come to the medical school for treatment.
Bian Que'an felt that this situation was too costly and labor-intensive, so he reported the problem to Duke Yun, who decided to implement a medical grading system.
That is to set up health clinics in seven towns and the sixteen prefectures of Youyun.
According to the size of the population, appropriate doctors and nurses are deployed to treat people's headaches, fevers and so on.
If there is a problem that cannot be solved, the patient will be referred to a medical school.
Xia Lezhi's mother passed the interview for a nurse position at Huaishuo Town Health Center and is currently receiving training at the medical college. If she passes the training successfully, she will become a formal nurse at Huaishuo Town Health Center.
Speaking of A Niang, Xia Lezhi quickened his pace: "I haven't seen A Niang for almost half a month. I miss her so much."
Shopkeeper Xia also missed his wife very much, but it took nearly half an hour to walk from the north city gate to the medical school.
So, Shopkeeper Xia waved to a tricycle parked on the side of the road and said, "Driver, we are going to the medical school."
The tricycle came over quickly: "Fifteen cents per person."
"become!"
Xia Lezhi and Shopkeeper Xia got on the tricycle and started chatting with the driver: "How many commuter bus routes does Fuming Town have now?"
The driver stepped on the pedal and the tricycle started to move slowly: "One line goes to the north and south gates, one line goes to the east and west gates, two lines go to the cannery and the wool factory."
As expected of Fuming Town, it has two more lines than Huaishuo Town.
"The price is also five cents per person?"
The driver nodded: "Of course. According to the latest "Regulations on Miscellaneous Sales", the basic price of a commuter car is five cents per person, a tricycle that allows sharing is ten cents per person, and a single hire is fifty cents. In rainy or snowy weather, the price will be increased by half."
The driver said with pride: "We are legitimate drivers. We have to go to the vehicle management office to verify our information and get an operating license."
After the major renovation of the seven towns in Yunzhou, almost every road is paved with dirt and cement, which looks particularly flat and clean.
Since the advent of tires, most of the vehicles on the road are tricycles and bicycles.
As for horses and donkeys, most of them are used for road transportation outside Yunzhou.
Xia Lezhi: "Do you pay a lot of monthly lessons?" (End of this chapter)
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