The fertile water of farming does not flow to outsiders' fields

Xue Yinsong shook his head: "Just came out of Qiangzi's house, his father is seriously ill, why don't you take care of him as a brother?"

Jiuhua said with a wry smile: "I used to help out a lot, some of the money for his father's medical treatment was paid by my family, but last month my father went up the mountain to poach and broke his leg, and now the family is also struggling, no, I am about to cut it To light firewood and go to the city to exchange medicinal herbs."

Xue Yinsong squeezed the magnetic bowl in his hand, and asked after a while: "Where is Chang Sui?"

"I didn't meet anyone today, but if you do, don't blame him. He also helps Qiangzi from time to time. It's just that the stepmother is amazing, so she doesn't dare to make too much of a fuss."

Xue Yinsong smiled bitterly and said, "Everyone is struggling now, who can I blame? This is six taels of silver. You go to Yongchun Hall to ask a doctor to buy herbs for your father, and I will go to collect firewood."

Jiuhua hesitated and refused to accept the money: "It's not good to ask you to replace me..."

Xue Yinsong snatched the rope and the hatchet, and stuffed the silver ingot with two leaves cut into his hand: "You walk faster than me, go back quickly, and buy some millet for Qiangzi's home with the remaining money." Go, millet porridge is the most nourishing for sick people."

Jiuhua immediately agreed, and Xue Yinsong saw that he was gone, so he turned around and walked towards the foot of the mountain.

Next to Tianba Village is a mountain. At the foot of the mountain, there are many bushes half a person's height, which are the best firewood for making firewood.Xue Yinsong held back for a long time, wielding the hatchet wildly while chopping and cursing, and when he had vented enough, he put away the hatchet, piled up the dead branches, tied them up and carried them back to the village.

Jiuhua's family is still a middle-class family in Tianba Village, but now it looks dilapidated after the flood. It has only been a year since a lot of thatch grew on the walls and roofs, and the crooked tiles overlapped each other to barely cover the wind and rain. A few places are missing and will definitely leak when it rains.

Xue Yinsong stood at the door for a long time before he opened the door and went in because the weather was fine. Uncle Jiu was sitting in the yard weaving bamboo baskets with his broken leg crossed. When he saw him coming, he quickly stood on his walking stick to stand up.

Xue Yinsong hurriedly stopped him and said: "Uncle Jiu, sit still and don't move, I can unload the firewood myself." Uncle Jiu cheered up a few times, then cursed repeatedly: "What about you little bastard, why did you come so far away? The guests went to collect firewood."

Xue Yinsong piled up branches as tall as a person in the yard, patted his clothes and said with a smile, "I'll let Jiuhua go to the city to find a doctor for Qiangzi's father, and bring you some wound medicine. Uncle Jiu, your leg How did you do it?"

Uncle Jiu sighed and said, "It's also because of my own greed. A while ago, the yamen guards guarding the mountain were a little loose. Some people from the village met to go up the mountain to poach. I went there twice and got some gains. I even exchanged a few bags of rice when I came back. The last time I was caught by the yamen I found out that I was running all over the mountain, and I fell from a five-meter-high mountain stream and broke my leg. No, I have been raising it at home for more than half a month."

Xue Yinsong said with a smile: "Let Jiuhua do these things. You are old and have weak legs. It is inconvenient to go through mountains and forests."

Uncle Jiu smiled bitterly and said: "This matter is to be locked up in prison and boarded. I have been such a precious son for most of my life. How can I be willing to let him go through all these hardships? Anyway, I have an old life. If it is broken, it will be broken. As long as the family has Just a root."

Xue Yinsong persuaded: "Uncle Jiu, you are wrong to think this way. You see, you, Aunt Jiu and Jiuhua are a good family together, and only when people are at home. How will Aunt Jiu and Jiuhua live? The money is outside the body, so if you can’t go in the future, don’t go.”

Uncle Nine sighed and said, "Tiger, you don't know that this world has made it impossible for people to live. Those of you who have left are good, and those who stay are suffering."

Xue Yinsong listened and watched quietly, Uncle Nine was two years older than Father Xue, and he was only 39 this year, but the hardships of the past year had made this man under 40 years old gray at the temples, and his face was also pale. There was a look of distress.

Uncle Jiu said again: "Your aunt went to wash clothes by the river, so I dare to tell the truth to you. Now I have sold two acres of grain from the seven acres of land at home. Your aunt and Jiuhua I don’t know. Ten cents for a liter! Ten cents for a liter! My heart was bleeding when I sold it, but what can I do if I don’t sell it? I can’t let the mother and son starve? But the money is only enough to eat It's the autumn harvest. My broken leg missed the good time of bone-setting because of lack of money, and no matter how long it grows in the future, it will be a lame leg for the rest of my life!"

Uncle Jiu suddenly laughed as he spoke, but the bitter laughter couldn't conceal the strong loss, resentment and dissatisfaction. Xue Yinsong remembered that Uncle Jiu was the most romantic and handsome when he was young, and he could be regarded as a village grass in Tianba Village. Always dress neatly and pay attention to appearance, but now because of the force of life, my hair is disheveled, my face is sallow and my legs are limping... I don't know where to comfort me!

The two were stunned for a while, and Uncle Jiu came back to his senses and forced a smile: "Look at my mouth, I don't know how to stop when I open it. You shouldn't have said these things when you came from afar. If you don't say it, let me tell you." You pour some water to drink."

Xue Yinsong hurriedly grabbed his arm and said, "Uncle Jiu, sit down. I'll drink water myself when I'm thirsty. This time my father and stepmother also came back together. I have to leave tomorrow morning to worship the ancestors and the day after tomorrow." He paused, not knowing what to say.

Uncle Jiu looked at him a few times, and smiled gratifiedly: "You look good, you must be living better than in Tianba Village."

Xue Yinsong said: "I sell myself as a long-term worker, but the owner is good, and it is my blessing."

Uncle Jiu hesitated to speak, and after a while he said, "Tiger, I have something to say, but I don't want to keep it in my heart...Does your master need someone? If you want someone, you can take Jiuhua with you." , this kid is honest, he played with you since he was a child, it is better to be a servant boy to a rich family than to stay in this Tianba village, as long as he is good, your ninth aunt and I are willing to sell our house and land to go with him , this...Tianba Village is not letting people live."

The old man used to say that if the family had a mouthful of food, they would never let their children go to the city to be slaves and be beaten and scolded. Now that Uncle Jiu said this, Xue Yinsong knew the reason for it: "Uncle Jiu, what happened?"

Uncle Jiu lowered his head and refused to speak. Xue Yinsong couldn't help urging him again and again before he opened his mouth and said: "You must keep your words in your stomach, otherwise you will lose your head. The last time I broke my leg was not because I was discovered by the government officials. , but went into the mountain and discovered the secret of closing the mountain. It was not because of the tribute that the mountain was closed, but because there was a large group of bandits hiding in the mountain. In the valley behind the Fox Fairy Temple, there was a large area of ​​densely packed tents, at least tens of thousands people!"

Xue Yinsong was taken aback: "Bandits? Uncle, this is not a joke, can you see clearly?"

Uncle Jiu replied affirmatively: "I definitely saw it clearly! It was just dark and they were having dinner, and they were dressed in ordinary clothes. At first I wondered why there were so many people, and then I heard a passing peddler say that there were people at the beginning of the year. A group of bandits robbed the tribute silver from the southeast to Beijing, they must be the ones!"

Although there have been countless scenes of officials forcing people to turn grass into bandits since ancient times, it is a bit sensational that tens of thousands of people are hidden in the deep mountains next to them without anyone noticing.

Xue Yinsong thought for a while and then asked, "Were you discovered by them?"

"No, it's just that I was afraid that I wanted to go down the mountain early, so I panicked and fell down the mountain stream." Jiu Shu said and grabbed Xue Yinsong's hand: "Tiger boy, you are the one that Jiu Shu looked up to when he was young. Those who are capable will definitely fly out of this deep mountain and become a phoenix in the future. You and Jiuhua have been good brothers since childhood. If there is any good way, don’t forget Jiuhua. Uncle Jiu thank you from the bottom of my heart..."

Xue Yinsong laughed and said, "Uncle, it's ridiculous to say that. If I want to have a good road, I will definitely not forget you and my fellow countrymen."

Uncle Jiu nodded, thumped his legs lightly, and said, "Now Tianba Village is uneasy, I hope Jiuhua can leave, in the future, no matter if the bandits come out to make trouble or the officers and soldiers suppress the bandits, sooner or later the village will be turned into a pot of mud. Your family is really far-sighted. Last year, your father insisted on selling the land and leaving. At that time, I thought it was not worthwhile for him to sell it cheaply. Now it seems that your father is right. This Tianba Village There is no way to keep it, at least the gangsters can’t get away.”

In ancient times, being a bandit was a big crime, and if you say it badly, you may lose your head. Xue Yinsong had a plan in his heart and made up his mind to go up the mountain to find out.

After leaving Uncle Jiu’s house, it’s already dinner time in the afternoon. Ordinary people usually start to light a fire to cook, but looking at the huge village from a distance, there are only a few families with cooking smoke rising, which is more prominent against the setting sun in the west. Out of dilapidated decline.

Looking at the distance, Xue Yinsong squeezed his knuckles tightly, and the knuckles made a crackling sound under the force. At this moment, he had made up his mind to save the fate of Tianba Village. He would never let her easily destroy the small mountain village where he was raised.

Jiuhua didn't invite a doctor until dark, because Cheng Yuan hired a sedan chair for him.The doctor got off the sedan chair and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is the patient?"

Xue Yinsong was with Uncle Qiang's bedside, and when he heard the words, he walked out and saw a man in his early forties standing in the yard, with a goatee on his lips and pair of slender eyes, giving him the impression of a villain.

Seeing him, Jiuhua hurriedly said: "Tiger, this is the doctor of Huichuntang." Xue Yinsong made way sideways, and said politely: "This way please."

The doctor lifted the hem of his gown and walked in the door. When he entered the room, he frowned first when he smelled the smell, then turned around and walked outside after seeing Uncle Qiang's face: "There is no cure for this disease, there is no cure." Xue Yinsong grabbed him and used With a seven-point effort: "Doctor, since you have come so far, you should take a look at it anyway."

The man was in pain, so he could only stand still and said: "It's not that I don't want to see it, it's just that this disease is really hopeless, I advise you to prepare for the funeral as soon as possible."

Xue Yinsong frowned and said, "There's no cure at all?" Seeing that he didn't believe it, the doctor hurriedly said: "There is a cure, but the medicinal materials are expensive, and it is useless to take two doses of medicine at least one time. After taking the medicine for more than a month, if you want to cure the disease, you can't get better without 200 taels." As he said that, he was about to leave, Xue Yinsong squeezed him with a few fingers like iron clamps: "Since the doctor said If you can be saved, then prescribe some soup and medicine, we will figure out how to deal with the money."

The doctor was very reluctant. Seeing his firm attitude, he had to go back to the room for a quick inspection, and wrote a small prescription in a few strokes to tell the medicine boy: "These medicines happen to be in the medicine box. Give him the medicine." Picked it out and prepared it, this prescription is Yinfang, after eating it, I will come back to make the medicine tomorrow."

The drug boy took the prescription and went to the medicine box to make two packs of medicine and handed it to Xue Yinsong: "There are not enough medicinal materials in the medicine box. I will make two packs for you first. Take it today and come back to pick up the medicine tomorrow morning."