Chapter 111 Two Villages Together
Jiang Ying pursed her lips and looked at her father worriedly.
How can I bear this?
The situation in the village was that except for the Jiang and Feng families, the men from other families either pulled carts, or those who didn't pulled carts carried full baskets, and even the women had to carry backpacks full of things.
Even children aged five or six have to walk by themselves. If they can’t walk anymore, the women will carry them for a short distance, but they still have to walk by themselves because the adults are also carrying heavy loads and have no energy to help!
After only two days, I felt miserable.
She spent nearly two months on the road, not eating or sleeping well, and only grew more tired the longer she went. She didn't even dare to think about what she would do in the future...
Mr. Jiang sighed deeply.
He had no choice.
Everyone was too poor and miserable, with poor financial resources, and could not afford to buy large animals. The three families of Zhao, Hong, and Qin had to work for Shen Qing to buy an extra cart, otherwise it would be even more difficult to travel on the road.
He and the families of the third and fifth brothers also benefited from Shen Qing. The large livestock they bought for business were limited even if they could help others.
Shen Qing glanced at the two men with sad faces and told them his plan: “The men are not only used to pull carts during the day, but also to intimidate other disaster victims and villains;
If something happens at night, everyone has to get up, and the night watchman only needs to blow the whistle;
We have had night watchmen these days, Xiaoshan and Xiangzhong. What do you two think of using them at their age?"
Jiang Ying's eyes lit up!
A boy of twelve or thirteen is full of energy. He doesn't want to sleep at night and gets up early during the day. He is also very naughty and difficult to control. I'm afraid he will run into some woods on the way and fall down or fall behind.
It’s good to use them. It doesn’t occupy strong labor. They have something to do, and adults don’t have to worry about them taking a nap during the day!
She said anxiously, "It's all right, it's all right! We can send all the boys here to prevent them from getting naughty."
Oh, Shen Qing's suggestion hit her heart. When other people's kids had to carry things, their family bought a cow, a donkey, and three men, so they didn't need the kids to suffer at all. However, the kids didn't have to suffer, but the adults kept yelling at them all day long, and their voices were almost hoarse.
Shen Qing wanted to laugh, but he could only hold it back and get back to business: "It won't be a problem for our families to make up 18 people, plus other families, in groups of six, and rotate every three days;
Of these six people, two will be responsible for adding wood to the fire to ensure it doesn't go out, and the other four will patrol in pairs, with three groups taking turns. Is there anything wrong with this arrangement?"
It’s like making up for the last night shift by sleeping during the day, and then having two days to relax.
Jiang Ying nodded continuously, feeling that everything was in place and extremely thoughtful!
Jiang Yang was also very satisfied. He said: "Vehicle"
Shen Qing quickly mentioned: "I have an ox cart loaded with dried vegetables. It's not heavy. Usually, Xiangzhong is the only one who carries it. Let's free it up for the night watchmen. It's enough."
This was originally a spare vehicle. Six half-grown boys didn't even know whether it weighed 500 kilograms. After all, at this age they could eat the most but often didn't have enough. They were all skinny and not much stronger than a stick. An ox cart was enough.
The second master Jiang's family has two, the third master and the fifth master Guan's family has one each, and the weight of each one is very heavy. Why bother to move them all around with the five carts of six large animals at home?
Jiang Ying wanted to express her gratitude, but she felt it was too simple.
My sister-in-law solved my worries, and this kindness cannot be expressed with just a few nice words.
Jiang Yang was silent for a while, and finally it turned into a short word "good".
Shen Qing didn't think it was a big deal. When he was about to get up, he saw Zhou Yan coming with a simple and honest man.
She felt that he looked familiar and was just trying to recall where she had seen him when she heard Mr. Jiang ask, "Dashan, how is the situation in your Shili Village?"
Shen Qing suddenly remembered that this was Zhou Yan's eldest brother from her mother's family.
Before going to the Liu family to bring Xiaoyu back, Zhou Yan stood in front of Xiaoyu. The reason why Zhou Yan was able to block the Liu family was because she had a family to support her!
What Zhou Dashan said at that time made her feel that this rough farmer was a clear-headed man.
Zhou Dashan nodded to Shen Qing and Jiang Yingxian, then replied to Jiang Erye: "Not good, Yan Zi and I have fought against each other, and the losses are much more serious than those in your Qili Village;
Not only were the fields destroyed, but most of the food was stored at home. Furthermore, Shili Village was closer to the breach, and the water was flowing rapidly, resulting in heavy losses for chickens, ducks, and geese, as well as a lot of belongings being washed away."
After hearing this, the people present sighed softly.
In the face of natural disasters, there is only misery and worse misery.
Zhou Dashan added: "Shili Village is in a terrible state, but it is much better than the villages below the dike. I heard that many people were washed away there and cannot be found.
They couldn't keep searching, after all, people need to eat to survive, and they had lost everything at home. They just heard from people they met later that the gates of Xingcheng were closed! Even local victims wouldn't be allowed in!
Jiang Ying's mouth dropped open in shock, and he cursed, "You bastard official! Didn't Magistrate Wu say he loved the people like his own children? Now, facing such a devastating disaster, instead of opening the granaries to release grain and set up porridge stalls, his first move is to close the city gates!"
Shen Qingxin sank.
They have lost their loved ones, their homes and lands, they can't even fill their stomachs, and even the imperial officials they can rely on in the end are being turned away. Isn't this pushing these disaster victims into a desperate situation?
In this situation, what do they still have to fear? Do they still care about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and morality?
Second Master Jiang's face was extremely grim. "Xingcheng was completely devastated by the flood, and the land was destroyed, so it might take several years for it to recover. County Magistrate Wu is just giving up, just wanting to hold on to his last bit of money and do nothing!"
Zhou Dashan also understood that how many officials did not seek personal gain? It was just a matter of how much.
If we rely on the imperial court for disaster relief, I'm afraid even the grass on our graves will sway in the wind.
He cupped his hands and stated his purpose: "Uncle, our Shili Village has fewer people than you, and no one in the entire village has ever been far away. To be honest, after we go out, we are like headless flies, running around aimlessly. After a long time, it is no different from waiting to die.
I came here because everyone in our village asked you to let us go with you. Don't worry, we will just follow behind Qili Village quietly, and we will not disturb each other on weekdays.
There are actually advantages to having two villages together. During the day, there are many people, so we can take advantage of each other's situation. At night, they are not far away and can look after each other. What do you think?"
After he finished speaking, Zhou Yan clenched her hands nervously.
This is her biological elder brother, and over there are her blood relatives who love and care for her. Of course, she hopes that the two villages can be together.
But she also knew that Shili Village, like Qili Village, was originally a village for the purpose of opening up wasteland. It was a village with a variety of surnames. If her father was willing to take the Zhou family, would he be willing to take other families? Especially since there was also the Liu family among them!
Mr. Jiang Er first looked at Shen Qing.
Shen Qing waved his hand and said, "I have no objection. I'll listen to my second uncle."
The Liu family was bad, but the Zhou family was good, especially Zhou Yan, who spared no effort in helping Xiaoyu! What was wrong with her refusing out loud?
Besides, our home is at the front of Qili Village, with a long queue in between, so we don’t disturb the people of Shili Village when eating or sleeping.
If the Liu family insisted on coming over to cause trouble, well, that would be exactly what she wanted!
What's going on? I'm vaguely looking forward to it.
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