When they were halfway through their conversation, they suddenly heard the sound of rattles in the distance, causing the two old brothers to turn their heads to look over.
It turned out to be a peddler carrying a load, walking towards him from a distance.
The peddler was holding a rattle in his hand, which shook as he walked. The load on his shoulders was heavy, and it was obvious that he was carrying a lot of goods.
Perhaps because the old man was paying attention, the peddler smiled and called out, "Uncle, I've brought a lot of new goods. Would you like to take a look?"
Uncle Tai San anxiously asked what had happened and said, "No need, young man, just go to Zhangjia Village. We're busy with the autumn harvest here, and no one has time!"
While he was talking, the peddler had already walked up to him and said with a smile, "Uncle, you should take a look. I guarantee you will like my goods!"
Mr. Tai frowned and was about to refuse, but the old man recognized him. This was not a peddler, but Xizi! Kang Cheng's personal attendant!
He quickly pulled his brother's hand and replied with a smile, "Okay, little brother, put down your burden and have a drink of water. We will pick a few too."
Xizi quickly put down his burden and deftly opened the two wooden boxes, revealing needles and thread, as well as some small snacks such as pine nut candies.
When the old man lowered his head and pretended to pick, Xizi lowered his voice and spoke quickly in his ear.
"Old man, our young master sent me here to deliver a message. In five or six days, the county government will issue an order to conscript one out of every two men for forced labor. It's hard labor to repair the imperial palace and official roads. If your family can avoid it, do so immediately. It's better to pay a fine than to serve in the forced labor! Remember, remember!"
The old man and Mr. Tai San's expressions changed immediately. The old man was mentally prepared because of his granddaughter's warning, but Mr. Tai San almost jumped up.
Why do we have to impose labor service during the autumn harvest, and it’s such deadly hard labor!
The old man pulled his elder brother aside and replied in a low voice, "Go back and thank your young master for me. Tell him not to worry about it. The family will make arrangements. Also, you came here in such a disguise. Is your young master in trouble?"
Xizi was surprised by the old man's sharpness. After thinking for a moment, he replied vaguely, "No, it's just that a lot of nobles are coming to our master's place. Their entourage has already come to début, and the master doesn't want them to notice you, so I disguised myself as a peddler and went there."
"That's good." The old man was relieved and instructed, "Go home early and don't let him worry. Everything is fine at home. If he needs help from home, just ask."
Xizi nodded, then raised his voice again, took a handful of copper coins from the old man, and left two packets of pine nut candies and a packet of tobacco leaves!
When Xizi went to Zhangjia Village shaking the rattle, Master Tai San finally found an outlet for the words he had been holding back for a long time.
"Sixth Brother, what's going on? Isn't this Xizi the follower of the nephew of the eldest brother's wife? How did they know about the conscription? Where did this nobleman come from who needs to be conscripted to build roads and a palace?"
The old man smiled bitterly and waited until his elder brother finished speaking before responding, "Third brother, I can't tell you the identity of the eldest brother's wife's nephew for the time being. There are too many things involved, and I can't explain it clearly in a short time.
"But he sent the message, so it must be true. We need to speed up the autumn harvest, and then send the caravans out quickly to take all the laborers away from the village. At least let everyone know that our village is short of laborers! That way, no one will object when we pay the fine."
"Yes, yes, this is a big deal!" Mr. Tai nodded repeatedly and immediately began to think, "Compared to money, life is the most important! Others may not know it, but don't we know it? My father died in corvee labor!"
Old Master Tai's mind raced, and he replied, "Hurry up and start the autumn harvest. Prepare the seeds, and have all the villagers go with the convoy to deliver the seeds. Then some of them can secretly return to live in the mountains, so they can take care of things in the village and avoid being captured for forced labor."
"Also, the news must not leak out. If it gets out, everyone will run away, and it will be difficult for us to track them down. Not only can we not tell people from other villages, but we can't even tell our own people! It's best to wait until we sneak back to tell them.
"Otherwise, the men in the clan might be fine, but the women in the clan are thinking about their brothers from their natal families. I'm afraid they won't be able to keep the secret and something bad might happen!"
Old Man Tai sighed and looked at the fields and forests in the distance.
If possible, he also wanted to protect all the familiar and unfamiliar folks around him.
But my ability is limited, and there are differences between close and distant relatives!
Now, he can only take care of his own family and clansmen!
Mr. Tai San also felt heavy-hearted. What was before him was the busy autumn harvest, a hard yet happy time.
But in a few days, when the news of conscription comes out, I'm afraid there will be cries everywhere!
According to the law, the government provided food and drink for corvée labor, and the people worked hard and even received a little wages.
But rules are dead and human hearts are greedy!
Whenever common people went to perform labor service, not only would they not get paid, but their three meals a day would be reduced to just one, and that would be bland, thin porridge!
They couldn't even eat or sleep well, and had to endure heavy labor and be whipped and scolded!
If a family is better off, they can bring some dry food with them and barely save their lives.
If your family is poor and you can't eat enough, you can only leave it to fate. It's considered luck if one of the three dies in the end!
Cruel government is more ferocious than a tiger, and corvee labor is even more ferocious than a tiger!
During this period of labor service, there is another most powerful demon, which is the autumn rain.
Every autumn rain brings a chill. If people get wet and frozen, they will die of exhaustion or illness!
The two old brothers finally calmed down and looked at each other, and saw the determination in each other's eyes!
Even if I have to pay fines that bankrupt me, I must save the lives of my clansmen!
In the fields far away, villagers young and old were still sweating, diligently harvesting the fruits of a year's hard work, completely unaware that their lives were almost being harvested...
In a blink of an eye, two days passed and all the corn was harvested, including in Zhangjia Village, Liujia Village and Sanchahe.
After all, each family has done their best, and the 200 soldiers brought by He Xiong are even more powerful helpers.
Old Man Tai used the excuse that he was afraid that others would snatch the corn seeds and urged everyone to prepare the border defense troops, then immediately load the trucks and set off early the next morning.
The young and old in the village were so tired that they wanted to lie down on the ground and sleep for three days and three nights. They all begged the old man to let them rest first, and that two days would not be a big deal.
But both the old man and Mr. Tai Sanye disagreed.
Master Tai San even held his pipe and shouted, "What do you know! Mr. Banxianer from the city sent a message saying that it will rain heavily soon. Our corn is left outside like this. Won't it get moldy if it gets wet in the rain?
"Hurry up and pack it up and send it to the border. Not only will it save us the trouble, but we'll also get paid sooner. Otherwise, all the money will be wasted, and we'll regret it later and have nowhere to buy medicine!"
When the young and old in the village heard this, they were no longer tired and became busy again as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
