North and South groceries

When Huang Erniang arrived in Chang'an City, it was the end of June in the lunar calendar, the hottest time of the year in Chang'an City.

The fleet entered the city along the artificial canal connecting the Weishui River and Chang'an City. Before seeing the city wall, they had already seen the scene of prosperity.

Farmers and peddlers walking on the river bank, and rural children playing in groups, are often dressed in colorful cloth clothes, which are brightly colored and vaguely have various patterns.

When the fleet was resting at the shore, some peddlers would come to sell them. They had everything on their loads. Among them, the most popular among young girls were those colorful head flowers, which could buy two flowers for a penny.

Someone bought it here just now, and after a while, another peddler came over there, very similar to the first flower, you can buy three flowers for a penny, the little ladies squeezed together to look at the first flower, regardless of the hot weather and sweating, One by one is fresh and abnormal.

The groceries from the north and the south said to the ladies that there are many such head flowers in Chang'an City, and the prices are almost the same, but there are many more styles than here, and there are more choices.

But there are still many little ladies who couldn't help but love them in their hearts, and spent money to buy them. They put the flowers they bought on their heads, watched the scenery on both sides of the river with the summer wind blowing, and entered Chang'an City all the way.

The East and West Markets in Chang'an City opened after noon, and their fleet entered the West Market in the afternoon, so these little ladies saw the prosperity of the West Market.

Such a sea of ​​people, it was the first time they had seen such a big crowd. There were many cargo ships like them parked on the ferry, and countless peasants were carrying the goods back and forth. Bao moved to those low cars, and then dragged the cars ashore.

A few leaders on the other side of the boat went to organize the unloading of the cargo, while the young ladies were waiting in their respective boats. The boatman did not allow them to disembark for fear of getting lost.

Not long after, I saw someone pushing a very tall tower-like object from the bank. There was also a ramp pushed over. There was a pole on the tower and a hook hanging from the pole. Hook it up, and the people below shook the handle together. Before the girls on the boat next to them saw what they were doing, the ramp was installed, and the men who moved the goods dragged their cars and filed from the ramp. On board the freighter...

After the unloading was arranged, the north and south grocers hired dozens of carriages, loaded the little ladies into the carts one by one, and transported them to Shengpingfang.

The carriage was just an ordinary rented carriage, and the carts were pulled by short-legged nags, and the carriages were also very ordinary and simple. The weather is hot now, and many carriages had only cloth curtains on the front and back, and at most a cross-bar, to prevent people in the carriages. Falling down, the cloth curtain may not be washed very diligently, and there will inevitably be some smell, but the little ladies don't care, they lift the curtain to see the scene along the street, and they are not willing to miss it...

Afterwards, they were arranged in the courtyard of Shengpingfang. Although the houses there had not been repaired for a long time, they were still livable.

Later, they were divided into ten groups, and each group elected a group leader. Under the leadership of each group leader, they began their study and life in Chang'an City.

It is not yet July at this time, and there is still some time before the official registration on the first day of August, but there are a lot of foreign women who came to Chang'an City in advance, but all those who found the Luo family were arranged here. side.

The news quickly spread in Chang'an City. There were some young ladies who were living in other places. After hearing about this incident, they all flocked to Shengpingfang.

There are so many people living in this compound, they have to eat and drink every day, and there are many trivial chores, so Luo Yong left these things to Wulang and Qiniang to take care of them.

Liu Lang went to Henan Road to build bridges earlier, and now he is concentrating on his studies at the Machine Workshop, and he has indeed learned well. Luo Yong plans to let him study there first, and stay there for a few years. Looking at the situation, he is only in his teens now. As long as young people are willing to study and work hard, they will definitely have a way out and don't worry about anything.

Relatively speaking, Goro and Qiniang have more problems. Goro doesn't care much about anything, and he looks like a wild crane in the clouds.

Qiniang is too concerned about everything, greedy for new things and has no concentration. Although she has a bit of cleverness, she lacks perseverance.In short, these two people are more worrying for Luo Yong, and it is obviously not good to let it go like this.

"It's not that brother, you don't like to take care of those chores..." Qiniang moaned to expose Luo Yong's old background.

Luo Yong knew how to coax them to work since he was a child. When they were in Xipo Village, they couldn't walk very well. Luo Yong coaxed her and Liu Lang to feed the chickens, and he always put high hats on them, which made the two of them feel uncomfortable. I thought that if I didn't feed the chickens well, the family would go bankrupt, so I was very worried and worked diligently every day.

"I don't have time, don't you? Otherwise, you and I will change, and I will take care of those things, and you will be the county magistrate for me." Luo Yong raised his head and glanced at Qiniang. After only a few days in charge, he hummed Chirping up.

"Brother, why don't we hire someone to take care of it." Qiniang wanted to put down the pick.

"Then you can find someone to come and have a look with me." Luo Yong didn't really want the two of them to work at the Textile College.

A few days after Luo Yong finished speaking, Qiniang recommended several candidates to him. Luo Yong went through them one by one, but was not very satisfied.

Qiniang searched and searched but couldn't find a suitable one, so she went to her aunt for help. The stewards under her hands were all carefully selected and trained with great effort, especially if she wanted to be assigned to the Textile College as an administrator. , such a person, under her hands, is also a top-notch talent, how can she give up easily.

The aunt came to ask Luo Yong, and Luo Yong said nothing. Qiniang didn't want to work and wanted someone to fill the tank, so she told her not to take it seriously.

In the end, the aunt gave Qiniang a scolding, saying that she is 17 years old this year, and she is still thinking about playing all day long, and let her be in charge of the textile college. What a job, other girls can't ask for it .

It's not that Qiniang doesn't want to take care of these things at all, the main reason is that there are too many and complicated things, and she feels too tired.

Fortunately, after a few days, Goro finally found a good candidate.

That man was born as a domestic slave of a friend of Wulang's. His ancestors were barbarians in the southern mountainous area. No one can tell which mountainous area and which tribe he belonged to.

All I know is that his great-grandfather was kidnapped by human traffickers, tied up with ropes, and driven all the way outside Chang'an City, sold to the home of a friend of Wu Lang's, who farmed in a manor outside the city, and later married a woman who was also a domestic slave. After giving birth to heirs and passing them down from generation to generation, they became closer and closer to the master's family.

This person's name was Zhou Xin, and Zhou was the surname of his master's family. Because he had been a slave for generations, he gradually followed the surname of his master's family.

Originally, Zhou Xin's family lived with the master's family in Guangfufang. Last autumn, there was a primary school in Chang'an County, and the one in the north of the city was not far from their residence at that time, so Zhou Xin took his own The two grandchildren were sent there to study, and unexpectedly they were both excellent.

In the spring of this year, Zhou Xin went to beg his master's family, saying that he wanted to get rid of this humble status for the sake of his children and grandchildren.

The family said that it is not easy to change the household registration, so why not let his two grandsons study first, Zhou Xin and his son and daughter-in-law are still working in the mansion, so they can make a living. In the future, his two grandchildren If the grandson really has something to offer, then we can discuss it in the long run.

Zhou Xin was unwilling, and said that in the early years of war, his father and brother took refuge with the master's family, loyal for generations, and even lost their lives in order to protect the master's family. release.

This incident was a bit unpleasant in the end, but Zhou's family finally released their family, and let them bring out the savings of several generations of his family's ancestors, and helped them change their household registration. called benevolence and righteousness.

Because of this matter, many acquaintances also had some gossip, saying that Zhou Xin wanted to repay his kindness, saying that he was not a good person after all, not as loyal as his father and brother.

There are also those who were slaves in the Zhou Mansion with them in the past, and some of them looked down on their family very much. When they met them on the road, they would spit at them to show their contempt and disgust.

After coming out of that Zhou Mansion, the life of Zhou Xin's family was indeed much more difficult than before. Earlier, Goro and the others met him on the street, and at that time he was carrying a burden and selling pastries along the street.

This person was originally considered a relatively high-ranking steward in the Zhou Mansion, but now he really looks very downcast, and many people can't understand his choice.

This time, the Women's Textile College wanted to recruit a steward. Goro's friend, a young gentleman of the Zhou family, remembered the old servant Zhou Xin.

Although he was dissatisfied with his behavior of breaking away from the Zhou family even if he hurt his old relationship, he still couldn't see him being so downcast, so the young man said to Wu Lang, if not, let Zhou Xin go, even if he can't become a big manager, It's okay to be a small steward, but it's better than being a peddler outside.

On the second day, Luo Yong was at the Chang'an County Government and sent someone to invite that Zhou Xin to come and talk.

Zhou Xin was less than fifty this time, with a goatee and a beard, he also looked like a little old man, but his spirit was hale and hearty, and he didn't have any rotten aura of dying.

After a few conversations with him, Luo knew that he was indeed a smart man, he was very measured in his advances and retreats, and his speech and demeanor seemed very kind.

Luo Yong asked him why he left the old owner's house. He said that it was the tide, and he had to leave. All in this day.

"Lang Jun, have you ever seen the hungry people who ate with the abundance? In the early years when there was a famine in the Guanzhong, many people went to seek food outside the Guan. Only those three or five people, how can they get to these places?"

"Nowadays, the price of paper and pens is cheap, and the food is abundant. In Chang'an City, there are countless young people who can read and write. When these young people complete their education, they will have to find a way out for themselves. They are like hungry people chasing food. There are so many people. It is mighty, and the desire to beg for food is urgent, and no one can stop it."

This afternoon, after talking with Zhou Xin, Luo Yong personally sent him outside the gate of the Chang'an County Government.

A few days later, this Nanman descendant named Zhou Xin officially became a steward of the Women's Textile College, in charge of all chores and logistics.