Make a long-term worker as an old attack

After Xue Zhaoqing rested for more than ten days, most of the injury on his leg has healed. Except for the soreness when walking for a long time, he can completely take care of himself in daily life.In addition to the few days of rest, the man Niu Geng often came to visit him in the evening, and he was teased and teased a few times, but he didn't know what the man ate wrong, and he often refused to leave when he was teased. She looked at him silly and smiled.

In the afternoon of this day, Xue Zhaoqing was studying in the room, when Xue Gan opened the door and walked in.Xue Zhaoqing hurriedly stood up to meet his father.

"Qing'er, how are your legs doing recently?" Xue Qian asked while sitting on the Eight Immortals chair at the entrance, sipping the tea on his son's table.

"My son has recovered for the most part, and his daily walking is no longer affected." Xue Zhaoqing replied respectfully.

"Okay, the plaster prescribed by the doctor is really effective. Since you are mostly healed, do you remember what my father told you before?"

Xue Zhaoqing rolled his eyes, recalled what his father had said about tenants collecting rent that day, and immediately understood Xue Gan's intentions: "My son has always kept it in his heart, and is planning to report it to his father. He can go to the countryside to collect rent in the near future."

"My father is very pleased that you have this kind of heart to share the family's worries. It happens that there are some difficult tenants on hand, and your brother and I can't escape."

"Oh? Father might as well talk about it."

"These tenants are renting the land of our family in Wuliu Village. Those lands are neither fertile nor barren, so although they have received good rent these years, they are not rich. I heard that the land in the recent There is a wild wolf scene again, these households have been hit by disasters, and the tenants have been confiscated until now. I want you to go and have a look. If the situation is really difficult, you can help if you can. It’s just you leg……."

Wuliu Village is the farthest village from Sanyuan County. It got its name because of the five big willow trees growing at the entrance of the village. If you ride a horse, you can go back and forth in one day. It's easy to say, Xue Zhaoqing thought about it, and suddenly came up with a plan.

"Father, my leg is fine, it's just that I can't ride a horse anymore. I thought it's better to follow me alone and take a carriage. On the one hand, I can go faster, and on the other hand, I can also take care of me, so that my father and grandma won't have to worry about it." .”

"You're right, I'll let Xue Zhong follow you."

"Uncle Zhong is getting old, and besides, he has to look after the long-term workers at home. Why don't you let Niu Geng go with me? He is young and strong. If he encounters wild wolves in the village, he might be able to help the villagers get rid of the evil ones." Mile."

Xue Gan's face changed slightly, but he didn't say anything against it. He complied with his son's request, and he went out of his son's house. Xue Fu ordered Niu Geng to prepare the carriage and rations for going out, and let the two of them go out the next day. on the road.

The journey went smoothly, and around noon, Niu Geng drove the carriage to the entrance of Wuliu Village, asked the villagers where the tenants were, and Niu Geng drove the carriage to the southeast of the village. side.

These tenants lived very close to each other, and they rented and planted the fields of the Xue family. Xue Zhaoqing reckoned that they should be a family for several generations. As expected, these farmers were all of the same surname and branch. It's just that they are separated now.

These people recognized the Xue family's carriage, and had heard of the young master of the Xue family who knew how to read and write. Seeing that the person who came this year was not a rent collector, but the future young master, they all complained to Xue Zhaoqing.

"Master Xue, you don't know that this year's harvest is not good, and the grain harvested per mu is only [-]% of last year's."

"Young master, the village is not peaceful. The hungry wolf on the mountain has nothing to eat, so they ran to our village to harm the livestock. I have taken away several chickens."

"What are your chickens? Two sheep were killed in my sheep pen."

"There is also the old scalper in my family who was bitten with a big blood hole in his neck, and his internal organs were eaten clean."

Several families were chattering, Xue Zhaoqing saw these tenants in ragged clothes, sallow and emaciated, felt pity in his heart, and asked, "Did the wild wolf catch it?"

"A few days ago, a righteous man came to the village. It is said that he was a postman. He was very skilled. When he passed by our village, he took a live chicken and made a trap at the entrance of the village, and caught the wild wolf."

Postman?Xue Zhaoqing thought to himself.Could it be the person I met in Xi'an Mansion?

"But young master, we have suffered too much loss this year. After paying the rent, our family will not be able to eat enough."

"Yes, Young Master Xue, you are a scholar, and everyone in our village knows your name, so please show mercy and reduce our rent."

A group of people surrounded Xue Zhaoqing, talking in a hurry. Seeing that the young master's thin body was about to be squeezed, Niu Geng quickly jumped out from behind, and his burly body blocked Xue Zhaoqing's front, protecting him completely.

When everyone saw that the black-faced guy had a different physique than ordinary people, coupled with his big staring eyes, he didn't look like a good stubble, so they all took a few steps back.

Xue Zhaoqing's heart warmed up, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.He looked at the dilapidated cave dwellings where the tenants lived next to him, some of which even had some big cracks on the doors, and thought about what Xue Gan told him when he came here, he suddenly became aware of it, and he stood on the stone behind him, He shouted loudly to several tenant tenants: "Fellow folks, I know everyone's difficulties. The harvests are not good these years. Everyone has worked hard in the fields for a year and still can't eat enough. It is really unreasonable. So our Xue family decided to give Let’s reduce the rent. This year, we can pay the rent according to the previous seven. If you have food on hand, you can bring it back to us first.

When everyone heard that the rent reduction was not mentioned, it was reduced so much, not to mention that it could be paid in half a month, and they all applauded. A few excited tenants dragged Xue Zhaoqing and Niu Geng to their home for dinner.

"Fellow townsman, we won't eat rice. I just want to ask you about the family." After declining the kindness of the villagers, Xue Zhaoqing counted the tenants' families and found that there was still one family missing.

"Tell me, I've lived in this village for 40 years, and I don't know anyone."

"Do you know where He Zhuang's family is?" This He Zhuang's family was the only family with a different surname from these tenants. Xue Zhaoqing thought that it might be a separate household.

"Look, on the opposite side of this field, under that pomegranate tree, there is a cave dwelling, that's it." The elder brother pointed to the opposite side: "Now there is only a widow with two children left in He Zhuang's family. It's been a tough day."

"What is this?"

"The man in his family died of illness in the first half of the year. The widow is supporting the family's land. It's pitiful. One doll is only ten years old, and the other is only six years old."

Xue Zhaoqing's heart tightened suddenly, he let Niu Geng hitch the carriage, and without delay, he arrived at the door of He Zhuang's house.

The cave dwelling under the pomegranate tree is even worse than the one the tenants lived in just now. The papered windows have already been broken into several holes. When the wind blows in the mountains, you can see the dilapidated wooden door in the dark cave dwelling. It was closed tightly, and the door on one side was crooked, revealing a huge opening. There were some broken bowls and pots scattered in the yard, and a few hens were clucking in their nests.

Xue Zhaoqing followed Niu Geng to knock on the door, and after knocking for a long time, someone answered: "Who is it?"

After explaining the purpose of coming, a woman with disheveled hair and a vicissitudes of life opened the door bolt from the inside. Xue Zhaoqing looked at the dark cave dwelling. Two children with sniveling noses, bare feet, and wearing rags and tattered jackets were hiding behind the woman. The man secretly watched him from behind.

Xue Zhaoqing felt compassion, the orphans and widows were so pitiful, thinking that Xue's family did not lack the rent of this household, so he directly told the woman that the family's rent for three years would be waived .

The woman was so grateful that she almost knelt down for Xue Zhaoqing, Xue Zhaoqing was so frightened that he dodged again and again, and hurriedly helped the woman up.

"Young master, you treat my family like a second-born parent. No matter what, you have to eat at my house. If you don't eat this meal, I feel uneasy." The woman stopped Xue Zhaoqing and Niu Geng, insisting Leaving food, driving all morning, only drank a few sips of water, ate half a steamed bun, really hungry, Xue Zhaoqing had no choice but to agree.

So the woman ran to the kitchen to work, while Xue Zhaoqing and Niu Geng played with the two children in the yard.

"Hey," Xue Zhaoqing nodded Niu Geng's forehead: "Do you think my rent has been reduced?"

"That's right, the young master is right in everything he does." Niu Geng looked at Xue Zhaoqing and smirked.

"You idiot." Xue Zhaoqing rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth turned up even more.This burdock speaks rough, but he likes it, even more than that of "Zhihuzhe".

"Really, young master, I have been a long-term worker all these years, and I have also dealt with many tenants. The tenants are suffering, and life is difficult these days. They are lucky to meet such a good employer as the young master."

Hmph, you know tenants are suffering, Xue Zhaoqing said in his heart, don't you suffer as a long-term worker?I don't know how to plan for myself.

"Noodles here." As she said that, the widow had already brought two large bowls of hand-rolled noodles and put them on the small table in the yard: "We don't have any delicious food here, young master, don't be disgusted." After saying hello The two children went back to the house, and they went to the kitchen to clean up.

Xue Zhaoqing mixed the noodles, after a few times of mixing, he found an egg lying under the noodles, and the burdock also turned out, and Zhengle said, "Master, there are eggs to eat." After saying that, he was about to drop his mouth.

"Wait." Xue Zhaoqing hurriedly stopped him, looking at the dilapidated state of the family, the eggs must have been saved by the widow's hard work to exchange for oil and salt. Eggs may not be a precious food for him, but for this For the whole family, it may be a good thing to eat during the Chinese New Year.

Xue Zhaoqing waved to the cave, and called the two brothers who were lying on the window watching the two of them over, and divided the eggs in the bowl between the two children one by one, and Niu Geng followed suit. He fed the child one mouthful at a time, and then ate up all the noodles in the bowl.

"I didn't eat the eggs, do you blame me?" Seeing that Niu Geng swallowed the last mouthful of noodles, Xue Zhaoqing asked, stirring the remaining half of the food in the bowl.

"Why, the child grows after eating, and I'm already this old, so it doesn't matter if I eat one less." Niu Geng put down his chopsticks and thought about it. This noodle is really good.

Xue Zhaoqing picked up the noodles in the bowl and gave most of them to Niu Geng: "I can't finish this noodles, please help me eat."

"Okay, young master." Picking up the chopsticks, the burdock huh huh, the food was delicious.