Chapter 113: Difficult
The not-so-high grave mound had several cracks on it, and dense swarms of poisonous insects were running around in the cracks. Just one look was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
Diao quickly pulled Hu Zi away, her hands shaking as she scolded Chen Chunxing, "What a horrible place you chose! The riverside is damp, full of snakes, insects, rats and ants. I'm afraid I won't be able to live peacefully down here..."
The cry seemed to disturb something in the tomb. After a few breaths, all the poisonous insects disappeared, and the soil was loosened by the drilling, quickly erasing all traces on the surface.
Diao suddenly clenched her hands, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets: "What the hell is this..."
"Don't worry, Auntie. My grandma will like it here."
Without waiting for Chen Chunxing's response, Hu Zi first shook Diao's arm. There were still tears on his little face, but there was no fear in his eyes as he looked at the grave, as if he was used to it.
"If you stay in the ground, you will inevitably encounter these things. Isn't the purpose of making coffins to prevent them?" Chen Chunxing took a look, with no expression on his face, and called everyone to go back.
Jiang was able to deliver the "Poison Sutra" and had the ability to transform himself into a "zombie", so it was not surprising that he could cause any unusual disturbance.
She took two quick steps, leaned close to Hu Zi, and started a casual conversation: "You will have to live alone from now on, are you scared?"
Hu Zi wiped his face with his sleeve and replied in a muffled voice: "Don't be afraid, the villagers are all good people. Besides, there is Sister Shen. My grandma said that for her sake, you will take care of me."
The little boy blushed as he spoke, perhaps because he felt that this sister was not much older than him, so he quickly tried to make amends: "Actually, I don't need you to take care of me. I can take care of myself! I can do any job that the adults in the village can do!"
Chen Chunxing smiled and raised his hand, wanting to touch his head, but after comparing their heights, he put it down in dismay and turned back to Diao, saying, "The cow in the village should be used by people like Hu Zi first."
When we recovered the relief food, we also brought back a cow. It was usually raised at the entrance of the village as public property. Anyone in the village who had free time would go to the barren mountains to cut grass. No one would starve, and the cow would not be left hungry.
After the vegetables are harvested, it is time to plow the fields and sow seeds, which is when labor is needed.
Although Hu Zi has great ambitions, he is too young and his body has not fully grown. He can still do the harvesting and selling of vegetables, but he still needs some help with physical work like farming.
"Do I need you to tell me that?" Diao hit Chen Chunxing on the back of the head.
The narrow village is different from other villages. They only need to take care of the snow in front of their own doorstep. They can only survive in this strange land by working together.
The Shen family gave everyone the opportunity to make money, so naturally everyone was not stingy with the remaining kindness in their hearts.
"Grandma, can you please stop touching me all the time? My smart head is very valuable."
Chen Chunxing looked back and realized that Wang Youcai and Lao Song had fallen behind and were squatting by the river, muttering to each other.
She gestured for everyone to go ahead, thought for a moment, and patted Hu Zi on the shoulder: "Don't forget to come to class tomorrow and learn to read well. We still have a long way to go."
Hu Zi was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes: "Sister, I can read. I learned it from grandma when I was a child."
Chen Chunxing was surprised: "Then why did you come to my house to attend classes?"
Hu Zi lowered his head shyly and said tactfully: "The food in your house smells better. Smell it more and you can eat more when you go back."
Chen Chunxing: “…”
Diao grabbed Hu Zi's hand and said, "Silly boy! If you want to eat, just tell me. How would I know if you don't tell me? Come to Auntie's house to cook from now on. I have so many idle people to support, and I don't need your pair of chopsticks!"
Watched them walk away.
Chen Chunxing strolled up to the "idler" and stretched his neck to take a few glances.
The river here is extremely shallow, barely above the ankles. Rather than being called a river, it is more like a pool of water forming a spring. However, you can't see the end of it, as it winds its way from the back mountain to the distance.
"Did you figure out what was going on?"
Hearing the voice behind him, Old Song pointed to the water and said in a flat tone, "I'm afraid this mine will be difficult to open."
He explained to Chen Chunxing.
"According to my observations, the mineral vein should be buried under the riverbed. The previously exposed ore should have been washed out by the river through that mountain..."
Chen Chunxing frowned as he listened: "Please just tell me the conclusion directly. It's too complicated and I can't understand it."
Old Song glanced at her and said succinctly, "If you want to open a mine, you must first open the mountain and then fill the river!"
This answer had obviously been discussed by the two for a long time, but they still couldn't find a better way.
In ancient times, there were no large-scale equipment like modern ones, and mining was already an extremely dangerous thing. Now with more restrictions, it is even more difficult.
Wang Youcai stood up, looked at the clear water, and sighed: "I knew that nothing in the world would be easy! Don't worry, girl, let us study it a little more. If it really doesn't work, we can find a few more old guys. We can always find a way."
Chen Chunxing was never anxious at all.
She was not planning to start a rebellion, and Xue Yongan was just a small county magistrate. The war on the front line had nothing to do with them.
Whether or not to dig the mine and when to dig it still needs to be considered. Now that it has been forced to be shelved, that's it.
After Jiang's funeral, the narrow village once again entered into the busy spring plowing season.
After turning over all the land, Diao finally remembered something important.
"Have you thought about it? Do we really want to grow corn?"
During the New Year’s Eve dinner, Chen Chunxing had discussed the topic of winemaking with Wang Youcai at the table. Diao was still skeptical at the time, but as the hot pot dishes became popular, she became more interested in doing business.
The same is true for the villagers.
Now everyone has some spare money and no longer needs to farm on credit, but they are still undecided about what to plant in the fields and always want to see what the Shen family thinks.
"Think it over, seriously. Since there's no prohibition on alcohol right now, why not take advantage of this easy-to-earn money?"
Brewing wine requires grain, so the imperial court would ban brewing in years of disaster. However, it was precisely because of this that the price of wine continued to rise.
In recent years, Xia Yuan's situation has not been good. It is surrounded by external enemies and has suffered disasters internally. It is a time when food and grass are in short supply, but the court has done nothing.
This money can be earned, and it must be earned as soon as possible!
If we don’t make enough money from the wealthy families in the capital, how can we build this remote town that is almost becoming a wasteland?
"Ask the locals what crops they planted in previous years and have them open up a few acres of wasteland. It's free to cultivate land here anyway, so it's a waste not to stockpile."
The purpose of recruiting these refugees was to collect grain. Chen Chunxing still knew the priorities. The original task of one acre of land per person could be increased to two acres, or even three acres... It would just be a matter of paying more taxes.
As for whether everyone can endure this hardship, that is not within her consideration at all. If poor people want to live, they have to risk their lives.
This is the case with women and children in the narrow village.
The same is true for the Shen family.
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