There is a space man in the village [Rebirth]

The merchant ship sailed on the river for four days and finally arrived at the border of Zhao State.

If you continue to go along the river, you will find other countries. If you want to go out without the special approval of the imperial court, you have to go through various procedures just like going abroad in modern times. Otherwise, what if the enemy country sneaks in with spies and spies?

Compared with the wharf in Tongniu Town, the border here is called the real wharf, and their small place is completely a corner.

Don't talk about Xiaobai who has never been out, even Huo Chengyi was shocked when he saw it.

The entire border wharf is not only crowded with people, there are estimated to be hundreds of large ships staying there, and the rest of the small and medium-sized ships are simply countless. Anyway, it is endless at a glance. It is not as modern as it is, but it is amazing enough.

What Huo Chengyi didn't know was that there was a reason for the bustling pier here.

Although the State of Zhao is not the most powerful of the surrounding countries, it has a special geographical location and is located in the center of the surrounding countries. Merchants from various countries must pass through the State of Zhao.

It is precisely because of this that Zhao Guo earns a huge amount of income every year just by collecting taxes and fees from these merchants. Although merchants are not highly valued, they also provide a lot of convenient policies.

However, this pier is not actually the real border, but a cargo ship hub pier next to the border. The real border is still more than 100 miles away.

The weather is getting cold now, and it will snow in a few days.

So after saying goodbye to the people on the boat who hadn't listened enough to fool you, the two of them hurriedly hired a bullock cart at a high price as soon as they got off the boat, so as not to be trapped in the middle of the road when it snowed halfway.

In fact, Huo Chengyi wanted to find a caravan to rub his way.

He was not worried about the safety of the road. Since there is a large hub here and there are a large number of officers and soldiers guarding it near the border, no one dares to block the road here, so the road is very safe.

Of course, the reason for wanting to go to the caravan is because the caravan has horses, and horses are by far the fastest means of transportation on land.

However, they were going to the place where the troops were stationed at the border. All the caravans were handed over at the pier, and few other people went this way, so they had to hire ox carts at a high price.

Why is it said to be a high price, because the little old man driving the car asked for ten taels, and he didn't even bargain!

What is the concept of ten taels, ten taels in their village can be said that the two daughters-in-law have returned, but it is even ten taels to hire two ox carts in this place, which is clearly outsiders.

But they still had to jump into this pit, because no one would go out again when the snow was approaching, and they would definitely be trapped in the middle of the way when they came and went, making every day unbearable.

That is, the little old man of the bullock cart they are hiring now happens to live there and wants to go back, otherwise they really can't hire a bullock cart.

So the two of them can only bear the pain for this high price.

Huo Chengyi's mentality is a little bit better, and he often encounters such high-priced incidents when he goes on business trips in modern times.

Xiaobai, who used to be reluctant to eat meat pancakes for a few pennies, was bleeding in his heart. After getting on the bullock cart, he still hoped to bargain with the old man driving the cart again.

It wasn't that he was too stingy, but that they didn't have enough money to spend. Huo Chengyi's money was almost spent on buying and building factories, and they only brought a few dozen taels with them when they came out this time.

Originally, the boat fare was expensive, but now it costs ten taels to hire an ox cart, and they have to stay outside for at least two months to serve in the military camp to see Grandpa Zhou and spend money on the officers and soldiers. ?

"Uncle, my husband and I are poor people from the countryside. It's not easy to go out. See if the price of this car can be lowered. You can buy a cow for ten taels and seven or eight. It's really too expensive. Anyway, you Also drop by the way home? Uncle, please, uncle..."

In order to lower the fare, Xiaobai sat in the back of the bullock cart and talked non-stop along the way, hearing chattering in his ears.

But he had a very good attitude. He pretended to be pitiful when he was young and made him feel like he was bullying, and the noisy old man driving the car in front had a bitter expression on his face.

It's not that the old man didn't beat around the bush to signal Huo Chengyi to take care of his wife. Generally, men have better face outside, especially young men. If the wife wipes her face outside, she will definitely not be happy.

But the old man didn't expect that the couple he met today would be such a wonderful couple.

The young Fu Lang acted like a baby and rolled around in order to bargain, without any shyness of the young Fu Lang.

The tall, big and imposing man next to him turned out to be a 'strict wife', and the little husband gave him a look, and he was scared, and he beat his shoulders and legs to serve his husband along the way, really not a man!

Just like it is now, there is a kind voice from behind:

"Daughter-in-law, are you thirsty after talking for so long? Here is the honey water that was previously packed in an animal skin water bag. It is still hot. The wind blows and your mouth is dry. Come, let's drink together."

"Daughter-in-law, are you tired from sitting? This scooter is too hard and the road is uneven, do you want your husband to hug you? Then find a thick cotton coat to cushion you when you are going to rest..."

Pad pad pad wool!Why don't you just sit in the bullock cart, why are you so precious and use thick cotton clothes as cushions, and waste things!

Honey water, didn't you just drink fruit juice?It's finished so quickly, this pair of good people drink it, is it necessary to quench one's thirst with so much tricks? !

The old man driving the car in front heard that he really wanted to turn around and hit someone, and his expression was a little lifeless.

And the younger brother who replenished his energy quickly started calling him, "Uncle..."

"Uncle..." In addition, a man with a strict wife followed suit.

The old man driving the car finally couldn't bear it anymore, and turned around to stare angrily.

"You two are endless, ten taels of silver is nothing less! Aren't you going to visit relatives in the military camp? My son is the centurion of the military camp. I will let him take you in for free to see the head office!"

After speaking, the old man breathed out and turned back to continue driving the cattle.

If he doesn't give discounts, these two guys will annoy him to death!

Ten taels of silver is indeed a bit expensive to hire a Shunfeng bullock cart, but if the other party can help to enter the barracks for free to see people, the saving of a "entry fee" will be evened out.

The couple sitting behind the bullock cart immediately stopped talking, snickered and hugged each other, kissed each other, and silently clapped their hands. The noise along the way finally quieted down...

The dirt road is rugged, more than a hundred miles, and the ox cart with a load of things and three people can't finish it.

And the old man's cows were getting older, and their speed was even slower, and they only walked one-third of the way in one day. In other words, they had to delay for three days.

If it wasn't for the old man patting his chest and hugging his son, he would definitely be able to lead people into the barracks, not to mention Xiaobai, even Huo Chengyi didn't want to give the ten taels of car money.

Although the speed of the ox cart was slow, fortunately there were several villages along the way, so they would not sleep in the wilderness at night.

But of course it's not free, they pay [-] cents per head per head for the night they borrow, but the old man doesn't.

Why doesn't the old man use it?Seeing the old man's familiar way of greeting the village chief, Huo Chengyi guessed that this old man was not only in the business of ox carts, but also in the business of soliciting tourists.

Staring at the old man driving the car with a smile on his face, he took the introduction fee of [-] Wen from the village chief. He couldn't help but suspect that the journey from one and a half days to three days was all because of this ghostly old man's intention!

The old man must have encountered customers with expressions like theirs, so he quickly explained with a smile.

"Hey, Lao Guo, I really didn't cheat you. The dirt road is not easy to walk for three days. I can't help it. Also, the accommodation fee is not expensive. The hotel is definitely more than this price. Besides, there is no hotel on this road. , you don’t want to sleep in the wilderness, don’t you? Go to bed early, let’s go early tomorrow morning..."

Compared with the unbearable yelling on the road before, the old man's attitude is much better now. After all, he only paid half of the car fare, and he doesn't want to lose the business.

Now that it's dark and the road is far away, Huo Chengyi doesn't bother to worry about these few pennies anymore. In fact, it's more cost-effective to stay in the village than an inn, and he can only make do with it when he goes out.

That night, I had a good night's sleep, and got up early the next morning to continue my journey.

In the evening, I stayed overnight in another village, and then continued on my way.

After two days of getting along with Huo Chengyi, he became familiar with the little old man. In fact, besides liking to earn money in various places, the old man is also a pretty good person.

Seeing that it was not easy for them to come from far away as husband and wife, they offered to stay at his house temporarily when they went to the border. Of course, the accommodation fee still has to be paid, but it’s enough to make sense, otherwise staying in the inn for more than ten days is really a fortune No small overhead.

I have to say that this point of the old man made the two of them feel a lot more comfortable, and they were willing to give the taxi fare of ten taels.

After getting acquainted with each other, everyone talked more.

Huo Chengyi really wanted to ask the little old man about something.

"Uncle Guo, I want to ask you something. In the past few days, I saw that every household in the village we passed was making baskets, and they were piled up in the yard. The quantity is not small. Why do you make so many baskets?"

He discovered this situation from the first day they asked the villagers to borrow the courtyard. In the past two days, whether they were borrowed by them or people passing by the village, they were all in a hurry to weave baskets, and the yards were full of piles and were still weaving.

Even when the harvest is good, people don’t need so many baskets. Why do the villagers weave so many baskets? Is it possible that someone still buys them?

"Hey, little brother Huo, you really guessed right. It's not a secret that someone wants to buy the bamboo basket..."

The old man Guo smiled and did not hide anything to explain.

"You outsiders may not be very clear. There is a place called 'Hei Sangang' on the west side of the border of Zhao State. In the past, all countries fought over that place, but there was no result in the fight. Here, a group of desperadoes have gathered..."

"These people come to border villages every year to rob things. They don't get much, and they don't hurt people. They are just annoying. They are mobile. The imperial court sends troops to destroy them, but they can't be destroyed. If there are too many troops, they will be killed again. It has aroused the suspicion of other countries, so this year the imperial court plans to build a wall there for defense, and this will require baskets for carrying stones, let everyone make them up, and the imperial court will buy them for silver at that time."

This makes sense. In ancient times, baskets and baskets were used to transport and load things.

But... Huo Chengyi's heart suddenly moved, and he continued to ask.

"Uncle Guo, when do these people come to commit crimes every year?"

"In winter, Heisangang's land is barren and can't grow food. What else can we do except rob us? It's fine when the harvest is good. What if they are hungry and crazy when we can't eat enough, so last month the people in Kyoto The imperial decree has finally been passed down, and the border guards have started to build the wall."

In fact, the imperial court had already decided to build a fence on the border, but who made the ancient traffic complicated, Kyoto was farther from the border, and the imperial decree was delivered two months ago.

Although I don't know how long and high the city wall of Hei Sangang will be built, but the imperial decree was only delivered last month, and the construction project, stone cutting, material purchase and transportation were delayed, and it was absolutely impossible to complete it in just one month.

Repairing the border defense city wall is not repairing the factory wall of the village. There are very high requirements in terms of strength and height. With the technical tools here, it will take at least a year and a half to repair a short one.

"Then this kind of city wall can't be finished in a short time. Isn't it true that the people from Hei Sangang will come again this winter?"

"That's right, but it's only winter this year, everyone bear with it, and it will be fine when it's repaired next year, but the government asked us to make baskets. This year, every household earns some money and can add two more bowls of meat to the New Year's table..."

The common people think very openly, as long as there is hope for life, everyone will not feel bitter.

But Huo Chengyi smiled, he had some ideas in his mind, changed the subject and continued.

"Uncle Guo, I think you are quite familiar with people in the village along this route. Can you do me a favor? I need a lot of carpenters to do something. Help me get all the carpenters in the village along this route The masters have contacted me, and I will give you an introduction fee of five cents per head, what do you think?"

"Really?" Old man Guo, who was driving the cattle, turned his head in surprise when he heard this.

"Seriously. There is no limit to the number of people, as long as they can work woodwork, including apprentices, they will all be found. I will add a deposit of one tael to you when the car payment is settled, and you can help me with the matter."

Huo Chengyi promised.

Before everything is done, give a deposit of one tael first, that is a good deal and guaranteed.

Old man Guo nodded without any hesitation.

But Zhou Weibai next to him was a little worried when he heard that he didn't know what he was doing, so he quietly came over to ask anxiously.

"Brother Huo, what are you going to do? We don't have much money, and we won't be able to pay wages..."

They only brought a few dozen taels of money when they went out, and they used up a lot before they arrived. There is no limit to the number of carpenters they invite, and they will be beaten to death if they can't get the money.

"Don't worry, the mountain people have their own tricks. As the saying goes, the brave will die and the timid will starve to death. If we want to trap, we can trap a big wolf back. It's not in vain to walk this hard way."

Huo Chengyi smiled, pretending to be an outsider.