After Lin Rui and Sanliang finished selling their bean sprouts, they chatted with Wang Da and the others for a while. He wanted to inquire more about the situation, but Wang Da and the others had to leave first because they had to return to the camp. After accepting their deposit, Lin Rui bought up almost all the beans at the market as usual.
Such a big customer was not common in the market, so the people of Huangmo Pass were worried. An old man with a hunched body, leaning on a cane in his left hand and holding his frail granddaughter in his right hand, asked Lin Rui anxiously, "Young man, I still have more than 20 kilograms of soybeans. If you want them, I can bring them to you."
"Yes, of course!" Lin Rui answered readily. Soybeans are good. Not only can they be used to grow bean sprouts, but they can also be used to make foods such as tofu, dried tofu and fermented bean curd in the subsequent business scope.
But seeing the old man gasping for breath after every step, he thought for a moment and said, "Old man, we're from the Huangmo River reclamation area, about ten miles away from the market. Why don't you tell me your village? If possible, we can ask other families in your village if they're willing to sell beans, and we'll come directly to buy them."
The old man grinned and nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Great, great, that's great. Every household in Huangmoguan has beans, but they can't sell them at a high price. If you can come to pick them up, we can give you a lower price."
Lin Rui understood the key words: "We? Old man, can you be the boss of the other villagers?"
The old man's weather-beaten face showed a slight relaxation: "Of course, I am the village chief after all. I can make decisions on matters that can help the villagers make money."
That's perfect, and it's a perfect match for him. The bean sprout business, followed by tofu and fermented bean curd, has been going strong for a while now, but going to the market every day to buy soybeans is not always easy. For example, today I received Wang Da's deposit, but the soybeans available at the market aren't enough to grow bean sprouts. A stable supply is the most important thing.
The old man's surname was Guan, and Lin Rui called him Uncle Guan. He suddenly decided to go to their village to harvest beans, so he simply invited Uncle Guan and his grandson to ride in the ox cart together, so as to save the trouble of walking back.
The grandson of Mr. Guan is only about six years old this year, the same age as Niu Niu, but not as lively as Niu Niu. His big eyes stand out on his thin face, and he looks at Lin Rui and San Liang timidly.
Three or two people were pulling the ox cart in front, leaving Lin Rui and the little guy staring at each other. He seemed to be rummaging around in his body, but in fact he dug out a candy corn from the house, put it in his palm and handed it to him: "Here, do you want to eat it?"
This corn candy was a box of wedding candy given to Lin Rui when he returned to his hometown to attend a fellow villager's wedding. That family treated him differently based on his social status. He was a low-key person in his hometown, so others thought he was not doing well, which was evident from the different treatment he received in the wedding candy.
For those who are well off and drive luxury cars, the wedding candies given by their fellow villagers are chocolates and White Rabbit milk candies; while for fellow villagers and those who are averagely off, the wedding candies given are corn candies and fruit hard candies that are worthless on the market.
If Lin Rui hadn't accidentally found the bag of candy that he had thrown into the trash can when he returned to the house yesterday, he would have really missed it.
No matter how bad the modern candies were, they were hard to find in those days of food and clothing scarcity.
The child licked his lips at the golden candy that looked like little corn, and then looked at Uncle Guan as if asking for more. Uncle Guan waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Young man, you have helped me so much, how can I eat your candy?"
Lin Rui shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it, it's just a candy, take it. Child, uncle doesn't even know your name!"
The boy took the candy corn after getting Mr. Guan's permission and said in a voice as soft as a kitten, "My name is Binbin."
"Bingbing? Bingbing?" He didn't understand which word it was for a moment.
Old Man Guan said, "It's the Binbin of Wenzhibin. It's the name my grandson was given by his father at the request of a scholar in Yuejia Village when he was just born. His full name is Guan Wenbin."
Swaying on the oxcart, the weather was very cold and sleep was impossible. Lin Rui perked up and chatted with Old Man Guan: "Then why are you selling beans? Where is your son?"
Uncle Guan sighed and said, "That's all."
"Oh this!" Lin Rui didn't expect that he would hit the old man's sore spot as soon as he came up.
Old Man Guan said, "We are all citizens of Huangmo Pass. If Huangmo Pass is breached, there will be no way for us to survive. When General Xing came to recruit soldiers to defend Huangmo Pass, my son and other young men in the village responded and went to the battlefield. The swords were merciless on the battlefield. In just over a month, nine out of ten households in the village were crying, and my son was among them."
"Uncle Guan, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned this." Lin Rui felt a little ashamed.
Old Man Guan shook his head and tried to persuade Lin Rui: "It's okay. Although my son and the nephews in the village died, they protected Huangmo Pass from being slaughtered by foreigners. Their parents, wives and children can live well and are not bullied by foreigners under the protection of General Xing."
Lin Rui discovered that the people of Huangmo Pass had great respect for the Xing family army. If they had not treated the people wholeheartedly, they would not have such a great reputation among the people.
Old Man Guan continued, "Although the men of our village can't come back, the Xing Army distributes food to families like ours who have lost their children every month. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less, but at least it allows families who have lost their strong laborers to survive. We are all grateful for General Xing's kindness!"
What is this? A death pension? Ancient generals who could achieve this level of achievement were truly rare.
Unconsciously, Lin Rui developed a deeper respect for the Xing family army.
After chatting with Uncle Guan all the way to their village, Lin Rui discovered that Uncle Guan's village was actually very big, not much different from the place they had reclaimed.
I couldn't help but smack my lips: "Uncle Guan, is your village so big?"
It must be impressive to be the village chief of so many households. When he was in Linjia Village, there were only more than 200 people in the village, and he was overwhelmed by the daily disputes among the neighbors. How could Mr. Guan, who looked like he was about to die, manage such a large village?
Old Man Guan shook his head. "How could that be possible? Do you see that section of road in front of the big elm tree?"
Lin Rui took a closer look and indeed found a less obvious path in front of the elm tree. "I see, Uncle Guan, what does this mean?"
Old Man Guan said, "That's the dividing line. The area to the left of the elm tree path is our village, and the area to the right is the village where the military resettles their families. Before the fall of the dynasty, there were poor families who couldn't survive and packed up their belongings to seek refuge with their husbands and sons in the army. General Xing couldn't leave these families in the barracks, so he simply allocated a piece of land in our area, not far from the barracks, at Huangmo Pass for them to build houses."
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