It was just dawn and Zhang Mingtu got up from the bed without his parents' greeting.
After a quick wash, I went to Fulai Restaurant with my parents.
There was also a burly bodyguard who was also going to the restaurant, and there was a young boy following him.
Zhang Mingtu greeted the two of them with a smile. This was his suggestion.
The business of Fulai Restaurant was getting better and better, and the reputation of Yuhuchun gradually spread.
Zhang Jishi and his wife are so busy every day that they can no longer handle it alone and need help.
It is very inconvenient to recruit helpers from outside. After all, this is the family's secret craft, and Wang Yulan doesn't want to teach it to anyone.
Zhang Mingtu simply suggested that the injured bodyguards in his family or their descendants come to the restaurant to help.
The money he was given was quite a bit, higher than the salary the escort received when he was not escorting the goods.
Of course, this was not made public.
Zhang Mingtu went directly to Uncle Jili and asked his little boy to come and learn as well.
Uncle Jili takes good care of Zhang Mingtu's family on a daily basis, and now he is returning the favor.
Uncle Jili had been recuperating at home for many years because he had suffered a serious injury while transporting a convoy.
Although the outside looks intact, the internal organs are actually still seriously injured and need to rest.
The boy was quite excited.
"Brother Mingtu, did I also receive money every month in the past?"
"Of course!"
The boy was called Zhang Tuda, and he was of the same generation as Zhang Mingtu. However, after Zhang Mingtu started practicing martial arts, his body suddenly grew to an enormous size.
Zhang Tuda walked beside Zhang Mingtu, as if Zhang Mingtu was carrying a thermos.
"Is this too much care? I know the rules. Shouldn't I do odd jobs and study for two years? Just provide food and accommodation, that would be fine. If that's the case, I won't go."
Indeed, in this era, partisanship and the inheritance of skills were quite strict.
Passing the inheritance down to males but not females is just the simplest one, and the rule of passing the inheritance down to males but not females is that the inheritance is passed down to males within the family, not males from outside the family.
If you want to pass on a skill, there are more complicated processes.
Not only do you have to offer a generous gift to become a disciple, but you also have to provide your own dry food and do the laundry and cooking at your master's house.
It can almost be said that you are a slave and a servant, and only after working for two or three years will a conscientious master teach you something.
Many of them even work for two or three years and then don’t teach anything.
There were many more prejudices and rules in ancient times than there are now.
Wang Yulan had discussed this with Zhang Mingtu a long time ago, and after reconciling their opinions, she smiled and said, "I'm not being too lenient. Your brother Jishi and I have already discussed this. From now on, when the restaurant is hiring, we won't be recruiting from outsiders. We'll be looking within the family, with priority given to those who have shed blood and made sacrifices for the family..."
"The family has never treated us unfairly. Even Jimu, who is lying in bed and unable to move, has been taken care of by the family for decades. They have done us a great favor."
"I've treated other members of the clan equally well. Don't think I'm being treated any differently. After all, we've made contributions to the clan, and this monthly salary isn't given to you for free. You've also done your job well. If you don't do enough, I'll have to say something."
The few of them talked as they walked, and Zhang Mingtu listened silently. Although he was the one who came up with the idea, he did not step forward to persuade them at this time.
During this period, the rules were strict. It was impolite for younger people to interrupt when elders were talking to each other. In addition, the younger people's words were not taken seriously by the elders, so it was useless to say anything. So Zhang Mingtu simply didn't say anything.
But in his heart he was actually also amazed at the family cohesion of this era.
Unlike the era he lived in, the family cohesion in this era was extremely strong. For one thing, many things could only be influenced by a large number of people. Even if they couldn't accomplish big events, at least with a large number of people, other clans would not dare to bully you at will.
And cohesion is not born out of thin air, stand up for the family.
For example, when farming, due to drought and water shortage, people would fight for the water in the reservoir and have to fight with other clans.
In this process, everyone should contribute money and effort. If there are casualties, their survivors will be supported by the family for life. The treatment may not be good, but at least they will always have food to eat.
When the younger generations in the family are old enough to study or practice martial arts, the family will allocate resources to teach them to read and write.
Families with talent in this area would pay for their provincial and metropolitan examinations.
Families with martial arts talent will also make efforts to cultivate them.
This is the case for all the larger families in the entire Jiangnan area. Zhang Mingtu once witnessed such a scene when he traveled in Jiangnan. The unity of the clan forces was astonishing.
This is also the reason why it is difficult for the higher authorities to control the Jiangnan area.
In fact, it is not just the Jiangnan area. After Taizu established the country, the clan gradually took shape.
This was the case in both the north and the south in the early years. The collapse of the clan power in the north was due to the iron hoofs of foreign races. The culture of foreign races was very different from that of Daxia. Under their rule, those who did not obey their orders would die.
In addition, due to years of war, after the recovery, the power of its major clans completely collapsed, unlike the areas south of the Yangtze River.
The Jiangnan region has not experienced a major war for hundreds of years, and various developments have been connected over the years, like an iron barrel.
When the clan is united, it is very united, but in their hearts there is only the clan and nothing else.
There will be no mercy in swallowing up other people's land, houses, and annexing other people's property. If they are relatives, then we can discuss it. If not, we will fight as if they are enemies.
Zhang Mingtu sighed in his heart. In Jiangnan, the concept of family is very important, but the concept of country is not strong.
The reason for this is that many of the responsibilities that later generations of states assumed were borne entirely by clans.
Eating, drinking, defecating, helping the poor and the needy, raising children and the elderly...
The clan has handled many things for you very well.
"To truly change the situation, we need strong leadership. Simply eliminating corrupt officials isn't enough..."
Zhang Mingtu sighed softly, his tone sounding frustrated. It was precisely because this thing was difficult that it was more meaningful.
He was not afraid of failure. After all, he had countless brothers who tried for him both during his lifetime and after his death.
In the chest, the dragon and tiger external pill was beating gently.
The thin sunlight around him condensed into lines, and after being tempered by the Dragon and Tiger External Pill, it flowed into Zhang Mingtu's body little by little.
Zhang Mingtu's exposed skin was all red, and his whole body seemed to be in a warm furnace.
This is the essence of the sun that is absorbed and exhaled in daily practice.
The brother who had reached the middle to late stage of Grandmaster realm brought Zhang Mingtu huge wealth, which he had not fully digested even after one night.
In the busyness, another day is about to pass.
On the way home, I heard several merchants from other places who came here to transport grain discussing in low voices.
"Has Xingguo County really changed that?"
"How can it be changed? I heard that the river has changed color due to the killing."
"That county magistrate is so bold? Could it be fake?"
"The leaders were all chopped off, how could it be fake? I remember clearly the scene of the Jin family's steward dying with his eyes wide open. That bastard took dozens of taels of silver from me before letting me go..."
Zhang Mingtu's heart moved, and he glanced towards the location of Xingguo County. He knew that Rui Hai had probably started to take action.
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