Yipin Farmer

Along the way, Ting Shuangniao quietly shrank behind to drive the mules, trying not to show up in front of Hu Junxian.

After walking all the way, the porters parked their vehicles and livestock at the gate of the big cart shop, and went in to eat and rest for a while. They had to feed the animals and check the saddles, and then set off on the road and walked for dozens of miles. Then we had lunch and fed the animals, and then we went on the road.If the station is short, you can stay before the sun goes down. If the station is long, and the days are short in winter, you can’t arrive at the station until the lanterns are lit or even at night. At that time, it will be very hard. In the middle of the night, I have to feed the livestock once. No matter how late I go to bed, I have to get up early the next morning.

"Go to bed before it's too late, and watch the sky early when the rooster crows." The rooster crowed for the first time, and the mule team got up to pack up, and the shop money was calculated. Have some breakfast for a while, and then go on the road...

And so on and on, day after day.

Ting Shuang used to imagine that the journey would be very romantic, and that she could enjoy the customs and customs along the way, and she would only know the hard work when she walked.

It's no wonder that ancient people had to choose auspicious days that were "suitable for travel" before traveling. It was really not easy to travel far at that time.Even if you don't encounter trail-cutters, white-fronted tigers, or flash floods, it's still difficult to walk on flat ground.

It’s dusty on sunny days, and muddy on rainy days. In winter, it’s okay to say that the ground is frozen, so it’s better to take a cart. This season is the idle season for farmers and the busy season for shippers. In season, sprinkle water on the ground and wait until it freezes to transport stones and wood.

But it was not easy to walk in the cold, the nose was frozen into a carrot shape, and after a while, the hands and feet were frozen so cold that I had to jump down and walk for a while, drinking shochu from time to time to warm up the body.

When there is a strong wind and snow, people can't stand and can't see ahead. If you go forward against the wind, the cold wind penetrates through the fur coat and penetrates directly into the skin, like a knife cutting.

What is even more annoying is the sunny and sunny day, the sun shines on people warmly, but the ground has thawed, and the snow has thawed the day before, and the frozen and thawed all turned into a thin muddy pond, and the spokes of the wheels were covered with mud If it can't turn, you have to pick off the mud with your hands before the car can move. After walking for a while, it can't move again, and then you need to pick off the mud on the spokes to continue walking.

Ting Shuang complained while digging the mud on the spokes: "The ground is freezing hard in winter, but it's still easy to drive. What about spring, summer and autumn?"

A driver next to him said, "Then let's get on the mules. There are nearly 2000 mules in the county."

Ting Shuang calculated that the transportation capacity of two thousand mules is almost equal to sixty five-ton trucks. It is not easy for a county to have such a transportation capacity, but it is too slow. In this era, it can only be done by mules and horses. For transportation, there must be a great demand for mules and horses. If you raise mules and horses, you should be able to make money.

After digging through the mud and then going on the road, after a while, the car got stuck in the mud and couldn't get out. Naturally, those who were eager to drive would not use all their strength to order the animals, but a few people pushed the cart behind, and the mule driver yelled, Pump the mule at the same time as exerting force, and exert force forward and backward at the same time, and the cart will come out of the mud.

The wheels are all made of hard good wood, with mushroom nails nailed on the wheel surface, but such a load can't bear it, so the axle strikes.

For the porters who often drive their feet, it is common for the car to get stuck in the mud and the axle is broken. They are very experienced in handling, unloading the car quickly, putting the goods on the mule, and freeing the cart.

Ting Shuang unloaded the goods from the cart and put them on the mule rack. The goods on both sides had to be of the same weight, so she had to sigh, "It's not easy."

This is not a big deal, what's more difficult is that you can't even walk.

In the event of heavy snowstorms or floods, they could not cross the Yellow River, so the mule convoy had to stop in the carriage and horse shop.

As the name suggests, a carriage and horse shop is an inn where horses can be parked. Naturally, the doors of such shops are very wide and open all day long, making it easy for carriages and horses to enter and exit.The courtyard is naturally large and can park all kinds of carriages and horses.Of course there are warehouses, which can store goods, not to mention mangers for animals to feed. There is a manger against the wall, and mules and horses wag their tails against the wall to eat black beans and sorghum in the trough.As usual, dozens of chickens are raised and they eat sorghum beans left under the manger, all of them are fat and big.

Of course, there are no upper rooms in this kind of shop. They are all one room long and two rows of big kangs facing each other. Each side can sleep seven or eight people, and nine or ten people can squeeze together.A young master like Hu Junxian only lives in a single room, and the conditions are not much better.

Of course, the bedding will not be prepared, and it is all brought by passengers.As soon as the stove burns, the kang heats up. The older ones sleep on the top of the kang, and the younger and stronger ones sleep on the end of the kang, such as Ting Shuang.

Although Ting Shuang is young and strong, but in this weather, it is the first time to do footwork, and she is still cold and tired, and her body is stiff. When she enters the store, she doesn't bother to eat. She just wants to take off her equipment and lie down. If she can take a hot shower Water baths are better, which is of course impossible.Right now I can't even take off the felt boots, so I have to take a shoehorn, step on one end with one foot, put the other foot into the notch of the shoehorn, the notch clamps the heel of the boot, and take it off forcefully to put the boot on. take off.

After fetching a basin of hot water to wash his face and feet, the stiffness on his body eased.Fifth Brother Zhang was entrusted by Li Dongsheng to take care of him. Seeing that he hadn't eaten, he brought over some steamed bread and some pickled radishes.Ting Shuang took it in embarrassment, and took a few mouthfuls. The cornbread was so dry that she stretched her neck, and swallowed it with the steamer water of the steamed bun.

Brother Zhang Wu filled the pipe and pot with cigarettes, took a sip, and said, "Look at the hell, I guess we won't be able to stop for two days, and we won't be able to cross the Yellow River. We have to stay here for two more days."

Wrapped in a quilt, Ting Shuang looked out of the window worrying. There were heavy snowflakes floating outside. Although they were not "Yanshan snowflakes as big as a mat", they were also like goose feathers. What's more terrible was that there was no sign of stopping, and it was getting bigger and bigger. What should I do if I'm delayed on the road and can't go home in time for the New Year?I don't know what's going on at home?It's really worrying.

Once the traveler is sad, he will start plagiarizing again.Looking at the snowflakes floating outside the window, Ting Shuang expressed his feelings: "The scenery of the northern country is covered with ice for thousands of miles, and the snow is drifting for thousands of miles. Looking inside and outside the Great Wall, there is nothing but wildness, and the great river suddenly loses its torrential flow..."

I can't continue plagiarizing. It's not that my conscience finds it bad to start plagiarism, and it's not that Mao Zedong's masterpiece is in danger of being killed if it is put in the feudal monarchy society.Thinking that Mao Zedong conquered the world and denounced the country, so he was able to dung the land of tens of thousands of households, scorned the Qin Emperor for being inferior to Han Wu, and compared himself with the God of Heaven, what a boldness.

But he is running around for his livelihood, and now he shrinks his neck and wraps himself in the quilt, worrying that he can't rush home for the New Year, and then he sings tremblingly in front of the snowflakes all over the sky, "The country is so beautiful, it attracts countless heroes to bow down." That's not two hundred and five plus Two?

It is better to plagiarize the "Duo Luo Luo, Do Luo Luo, the cold wind will freeze me to death, and build a nest tomorrow." from the primary school textbook.

A voice came from outside the window: "Good poem, why don't you continue it?"

Ting Shuang heard Hu Junxian's voice, and laughed dryly: "I'm exhausted, I can't continue."

Hu Junxian came in, glanced at the scattered people lying on the kang, his eyes fell on Ting Shuang, paused for a while, then fell on Zhang Wuge, and said: "When the snow stops tomorrow, I will start to catch the first ferry."

Ting Shuang missed her family, and wished that the wind and snow would stop immediately, but when she looked at it the next day, the sky was still blowing, and she didn't see any signs of clearing up, she only felt that she was unlucky.After eating, I huddled in the house and looked outside through the window. I was even more unlucky because I couldn’t cross the river due to the heavy snowstorm. Passengers were crowded at one station, and the shops were full. In such a situation, I couldn’t stay in the shop. , It's really embarrassing.

Looking at the sad-faced people who couldn't live in the store outside, Ting Shuang suddenly felt that this simple carriage and horse shop was extremely warm and lovely. There is a saying "Where is happiness? Where is happiness? Happiness is in the home of the neighbor who is less fortunate than you." .”

The kang, which could have comfortably slept eight people, was crowded by eleven people, and the floor was also crowded with people. When I got up at night, I had to step on people to get out, and it was difficult to turn over at night, let alone the noise of thunderous snoring in my ears made it difficult to fall asleep. There is also the sound of running water splashing on the bedside, which is extremely smelly.Ting Shuang covered her nose and stuffed her ears until dawn, when the snow finally cleared up, she loaded it into the car and hurried on the road.

Ting Shuang followed the convoy to the Yellow River. In her previous life, she passed by in a car in a hurry, and she didn't even take a closer look at the Yellow River.This time, he took a close look at the mother river that gave birth to Chinese civilization.

Wheat-colored torrential waves rolled in front of my eyes, and on both sides of the river bank were endless earth hills.The setting sun in the west paints the water of the Yellow River orange. An ascending boat moves slowly like an old turtle, and the tote trackers are crawling along the stone cliff path with their hands and feet, singing the tote track.

Fifth brother Zhang took a puff of smoke, looked at the big river in front of him, and said, "I often rush and cross the river a few times. I like to listen to this boatman's chant the most."

The boatmen have lived on the Yellow River for generations, drifting on wooden boats, are very familiar with the Yellow River, and take boats as their home.In the struggle with the Yellow River, he created a very rich Yellow River chant.When crossing the Yellow River, they sing "Broken Anchor" and "Big Anchor". When the ship turns around, there is "Dai Chong", and when it goes to the pier, there is "Da Stomp". From breaking anchor to stopping the ship, there are corresponding chant accompaniments , from the lyrics to the tune are vigorous and open, with a sense of simplicity.

The chant is fierce and majestic when the ship is dangerously popular, especially in the most dangerous section of Sanmenxia, ​​the chant does not use lyrics, it is full of lining words "Hi, hi hi..." In the slow-flow section, the boatman's chant also becomes Slow and melodious, revealing a pleasant mood.

Ting Shuang listened to Zhang Wuge's chants on the Yellow River, imagining the scene of sailing on the dangerous shoal, and yearned for it very much.

The section of the river they crossed was slower than the slow-flow area, and the chant of the boatman was more melodious. The boatman at the helm opened his throat and said, "Do you know how many bays there are in the Yellow River? How many boats are there in the bays? Dozens of poles on a dozen boats? Dozens of boatmen to move the boats?"

The other boatmen responded neatly:

“我晓得天下黄河99道湾哎，99道湾上99只船哎，99只船上99根竿哎，99个艄公把船来搬。”

"Good voice, No. [-] in [-] provinces." Passengers praised.

Ting Shuang was fascinated by what she heard, and felt like a fire was burning in her chest, and an uncontrollable passion was ignited. This unprecedented feeling cannot be experienced from watching TV or books. So the old saying is good: "Read Thousands of volumes of books travel thousands of miles." Only when you are deeply in the scene can you truly appreciate the emotion, as if rushing and pouring along with the surging river.

After crossing the Yellow River, the road ahead was much easier. The weather was clear, the temperature was low, and the ground was frozen hard. Although the road was bumpy, it was relatively easy.If you get out of the store early on a day when the station is short, you can see the customs of the town.

For example, when passing through Xuchang, the motorcade left the store early and the sun had not yet set. Tingshuang took the time to visit the local Guandi Temple, which was founded in the Yanyou period of the Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it became a magnificent palace complex.The tallest building, the Spring and Autumn Building, is very spectacular. There are two stone tablets erected beside it. One is a picture of Guan Wangci Cao, which was erected in the Jingtai period of Ming Dynasty.Another stele is "Guan Yu Reining His Horse and Standing the Wind" painted by Wu Daozi in the Tang Dynasty, which was reprinted in the Ming Dynasty and is extremely vivid.After reading these cultural relics and historic sites, he went to the street to drink a bowl of fragrant and spicy Hu spicy soup, and then ate two pieces of steamed buns. Ting Shuang went back to the big car shop to rest comfortably while rubbing his stomach.

That's what travel is.It was easy for Ting Shuang to find happiness for herself. Lying on the kang, listening to the porters' nonsense, learning how to take a sip of dry smoke, and coughing from choking, it was also very interesting.

The next journey is also very smooth, there are no annoying things such as wind, snow, mud or broken axles of the cart. You can see the scenery and customs along the way, and if you don’t have time, you can also visit the scenic spots on the road.It is convenient and comfortable to travel thousands of miles in a short time with the development of modern transportation, but the fun gained during the ancient journey is also rare.

Ting Shuang walked and watched, and suddenly all the porters in front got out of the cart, and Hu Junxian, the leader, also got off his mule.

"What's the matter?" Ting Shuang asked, for no reason, everyone got off the car and got off the mule, and they haven't reached the end of the station yet.

"The front is Xiaoshangqiao." Brother Zhang Wu explained to him.

"Xiaoshangqiao?" Ting Shuang was puzzled.

Brother Zhang Wu told him that the Xiaoshang Bridge was the place where Yang Zaixing, the general of Yue Fei in the Southern Song Dynasty, killed the enemy and died. Get off the sedan chair, the military officer dismounts from the horse" is a sign that people spontaneously show respect to the heroes.

Ting Shuang was moved, and said to Fifth Brother Zhang, "Let's go and have a look."

Hu Junxian in front heard it, and snorted coldly: "It's so late, I still want to go shopping, and I won't be able to go home in time to worship the stove after delaying my trip."

Ting Shuang hid behind Fifth Brother Zhang and pouted at him, muttering in a low voice, "I'm not going to play."

After traveling for a few more days, they finally arrived in Xinyang smoothly. The convoy was in a hurry again and unloaded the goods in the warehouse. Hu Junxian went to a familiar store to buy goods. Taking this opportunity, Ting Shuang went to the street to look at the scenery and look for snacks.

The traditional snacks in Xinyang include spoon buns, which are mainly made of rice noodles, mixed with [-]% flour to make a thin paste, add chopped green onions, ginger, peppers, soybean sprouts and shredded red and white radishes, and pour them into a special shallow round iron spoon. , Put it into the boiling oil pan, after a while, the bun will automatically separate, the periphery is thick and the middle is thin like a spoon, eat it while it is hot, it is crispy, fragrant, salty and spicy, the strange thing is that there is a small hole in the middle of the bun.

It is said that this spoon bun was handed down from the Han Dynasty. Liu Xiu was hunted down and fled to this place. He was so hungry that he came to the door of a restaurant, skewered a bunch of spoon buns with a sword, and ran away without paying.Eating while fleeing, the more he ate, the more delicious he felt. After becoming the emperor, he specially rewarded him with money.The emperor advertised, and the spoon bun has been famous for thousands of miles since then.In order to commemorate, when making buns, a small hole pierced by a sword is deliberately made in the middle.

Ting Shuang listened to the story told by the steamed bun maker, and found it interesting. Whether these legends are true or not, they are cute, and they are more interesting when they are paired with corresponding delicacies.After eating and drinking enough, I took a string of chopsticks and returned to the inn to give to Zhang Wuge.

After Young Master Hu bought the new goods, everyone loaded up the car and rushed back. The mood was very different when they went back. Everyone was looking forward to receiving enough money to go home and spend the New Year with their families, so they all mustered up their energy and hurried on their way.The station is long, and you can only enter the hotel for accommodation when the lights are on. The next day, you get up before dawn and go on your way. Naturally, Ting Shuang can't care about seeing the scenic spots and historic sites.

While walking, suddenly a group of people appeared in front of them. Dozens of people were wearing the clothes of ordinary villagers, but all of them covered their faces. They held big knives and long guns in their hands. People know what they're aiming for - robbery.

Ting Shuang strictly abided by the principle of safety first, and quickly shrank behind the mule.