Zhu Nao

Soon, Junao recruited enough tenants.

The land rent he set was very low, and the landlords in the nearby area were worried that their tenants would give up the lease and go to Zhu Nao, but this did not happen.

No matter how low the land rent is, Longcheng Mountain is notorious after all, and most farmers who have a stable life are unwilling to take risks.Firstly, since I have already settled down, relocation is always troublesome; secondly, more people would rather endure greedy landlords than vicious bandits.Therefore, most of the recruits Zhu Nao recruited were victims who lost their livelihoods due to the disaster.

Farmers outside were afraid to come easily, and many of the original farmers in Wangjiazhuang also ran away.They have personally experienced the horror of bandits, and they would rather pay more rent than a life of low land rent but full of dangers, just in exchange for safety.

But there were also people who stayed and did not leave, that was Shi San who led Junao to visit the farm that day when Junnao came for the first time.

In the morning, Shi San fetched two buckets of water from the well, picked up the water and walked back.Just at the door of the house, a pair of young men and women came out.The woman is carrying a burden and holding a sleeping baby in her arms.A man carries a load full of things.They are going away.

Shi San put down the bucket, trying to force a smile, but couldn't.

The young man said: "Brother, let's go. I will take good care of the child for you. Take care of you and sister-in-law."

Shi San didn't know what to say, so he could only nod his head.

The pair of young men and women are his younger brother Shi Si and his younger sibling Wang Shi.Originally, the Shi family was also a big family in Wangjiazhuang. This year, all the relatives of the Shi family moved out one after another.Shi San actually wanted to leave, but he couldn't.His wife, Zhou Shi, had just given birth and became seriously ill after giving birth. Her legs were swollen and she couldn't get off the ground.People are also very weak, and they have a fever when the wind blows.Under such circumstances, Shi San really couldn't take his wife on a long journey.

Shi Sida has a good relationship with his elder brother when he was young.The others had already left, but he insisted on staying as a younger brother to help take care of his elder brother's family.However, when Zhu Nao sent someone to ask them whether to renew the lease, the young couple hesitated and refused.

A while ago, when bandits broke into the farm to plunder, the men in the village fought with the bandits in order to defend the farm. At that time, Shi Si watched one of his fellow villagers have his throat cut by the bandits with a knife, and the blood sprayed several feet. Far away, it splashed all over his face.After that, he was so scared that he had nightmares every day, and he really couldn't live in this ghost place forever.

The baby in Wang's arms woke up suddenly, opened his eyes and saw Shi San, and immediately screamed excitedly, waving his short arms, wanting to be held by Shi San.Wang hurriedly wanted to hand the child to Shi San, but Shi San refused.

He didn't dare to look at the child, lowered his head and said, "Hurry up and go. It's several miles away. If you don't hurry up, you won't be able to make it before dark."

The baby didn't touch Shi San, so sadly he burst into tears.Mrs. Wang hurriedly patted the baby's back, coaxing softly: "Don't cry, don't cry, your father is sad, it's not that he doesn't want to hug you."

The child's name is Xiaobiandan, and he is Shi San's son.Shi San had no choice but to take care of his seriously ill wife and child, so he gave the child to Shi Si and his wife to take away.

The child couldn't stop crying, Shi San turned his face further away.

Shi Si hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but persuade: "Brother, you'd better go with us."

"Then what about your sister-in-law?"

Shi Si remained silent.If Shi San really went with them, no matter whether he brought his seriously ill wife with him or not, it would be tantamount to abandoning his wife.Zhou's body is afraid that he will die on the road before moving to the new residence.

It wasn't that Shi Si was cruel, he had always had a good relationship with his sister-in-law, but the relationship between him and his brother was even better.Besides, in this day and age, human life is cheaper than grass, how much can one person take care of?

As for the proposal of going together, Shi San hadn't thought about it, and in the end he still chose to stay.He was born in Wangjiazhuang since he was a child, and his wife was a childhood sweetheart he had known since childhood, and he really couldn't abandon her.In addition, he also has deep affection for his homeland, but he doesn't want to leave if there is any hope.

Shi Sandao: "Okay, don't worry about me. Now that the farm has changed owners, I think that the owner of Zhu Zhuang is a very kind person. Not only has he reduced our farm rent, he is also willing to lend us food without charging any interest in the first year. You also know that I am now at the end of my life, and I really need to borrow that money. If I go to other places, I may not be able to live as well as here." With a newborn child and having to take care of a seriously ill wife, it is indeed the end of the rope.

Shi Sizhi pretended to be his elder brother who was deceiving himself and others, and said excitedly: "What do you mean by going to other places? We may not be able to live better than here? No matter where we go, we will not live worse than here! Why did the owner of the Zhuzhuang rent the land? Is it so low? Because he also knows how scary the bandits here are, if he doesn’t set the rent so low, no one will dare to come!”

Shi Si yelled, and the baby cried even harder.Shi San's eyes were red, and he pushed his younger brother: "There is no need to persuade, you guys hurry up, don't waste time here."

While coaxing the child, Wang tugged on her husband's sleeve.She could see that Shi San's mind had been made up, he would not go with their husband and wife.

In desperation, the young couple sighed and left with the child in their arms.

If the old ones don't go, the new ones won't come.After Wangjiazhuang was deserted for a few days, new tenants moved in one by one.

One day, Shi San was feeding soup and medicine to his wife in the house when he suddenly heard the sound of a gong outside.He listened carefully and found that it was the steward of the farm shouting that those who need to borrow money and grain should register now.Upon hearing this, Shi San immediately put down the medicine bowl in his hand and ran out.

There is already a queue under the banyan tree in the farm.Shi San ran to the end of the line, and people came one after another. Soon, a long queue formed in the field ridge.

Zhu Nao also knew that the tenants were all poor families who were in urgent need of money and food, so the procedures for borrowing money were very simple. People came to register their names and they could get the money and food back on the spot.The line moved quickly, and it didn't take long for Shi San to arrive.

"Name? How many people are in the family?"

"Shi San, two people."

"Do you want to borrow money or grain? One person can borrow seven grains."

Shi San bowed his head and begged, "Brother, can I borrow some more?"

The steward raised his eyelids and glanced at him, with a very unhappy expression on his face.Qiguan grain is enough to survive the cold winter and bitter spring.When the grain runs out, next year's harvest will come.I still want to borrow more, so as not to be too greedy.

"I'm willing to repay the interest if I borrow too much." Shi San hurriedly said, "My wife is very sick, and food is not enough. I have to find a way to see a doctor and buy medicine for her. My family has no money. "

"Sick?" The steward pointed to the side, "The owner said that if there are sick people in the family, go there to report." After speaking, he made a note in the book, and still only distributed fourteen grains to Shi San.

Shi San had no choice but to collect the food, and as the manager said, he asked a special person to report the situation at home.The man didn't say anything, just wrote down his name, and told him to go home and wait.

At noon, Shi San, who had been busy all morning, was resting on the bedside when he was suddenly woken up by the sound of pinging and bangs outside.He put on his clothes and went out to have a look, only to see a boy and a young man repairing the roof on the beam next door.Those two people look quite similar, it seems that they should be a pair of brothers.When Shi San thought of Shi Si who had just moved away a few days ago, his heart suddenly felt bad.

The brothers who repaired the roof were Wang Bozheng and Wang Zhongqi.Uncle Wang was the first to see Shi San. Shi San was not far in front of him when he was receiving the money and food just now. He heard Shi San's name.He hurriedly waved to Shi San: "Brother Shi, are you free? The roof and door of this house are broken, can you help us fix it together?"

Since most of the original residents in the farm ran away, leaving many houses empty, the new tenants who moved in directly lived in those old houses in order to save trouble.The Wang family brothers were assigned to Shisanbian.The family left early, and the house had been vacant for several months. It was blown by wind and rain, and many places needed repairs.

The folks help each other, you help me build a house, and I help you build a pigsty, these are all common things.If it was a former neighbor, Shi San would have rolled up his sleeves and gone to help without saying a word.But at the moment he didn't do that.

"I'm sorry," Shi San said, "my wife is sick, and I have to take care of her, so I can't help you."

In fact, he refused to help, because his wife really needed someone to take care of him, and he couldn't leave for too long.Secondly, he had a good relationship with his neighbors since he was a child. Now that his old friend has left and a stranger has moved into a house he is familiar with, he inevitably feels awkward in his heart, and instinctively rejects the pair of brothers and does not want to live with them. Get in touch.

Wang Zhongqi said "ah" in surprise: "What's wrong with her? Is she very sick?"

Shi San didn't go into details, he just let out a sigh.

Wang Zhongqi hurriedly said: "Then go back and do your work quickly, and leave us alone."

Shi San left the pair of brothers behind, turned and went back to the house.

In the evening, Shi San went to the kitchen to cook.

He was about to start a fire when he realized that there was not much firewood left in the house, which would be enough for another two or three days at most.I had to go to the mountains to chop firewood, not to mention the danger of encountering bandits when entering the mountains, and it was time-consuming to come and go.In the past, when Shi Si was still around, it was his younger brother who came back to help chop firewood.Now that his younger brothers and sisters have left, he is alone, and life is more difficult.

Shi San picked up firewood, threw it into the stove, and was about to light the fire, but suddenly felt unable to lift his arms.

The cold and dark kitchen turned into a mountain, weighing heavily on his shoulders, making him breathless.He was trapped in the darkness, unable to struggle for a long time.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly there was a knock on the door outside.

Shi San was startled, he came out from behind the dark stove in a daze, got up and went to open the door.

The person standing outside turned out to be Wang Bozheng.He was carrying a large pile of firewood, and when he saw Shi San coming out, he hurriedly unloaded the firewood and handed it over: "Brother Shi, I went up to the mountain to collect firewood in the afternoon, and I also collected some for you. If you don't have enough, I will go to collect firewood in a few days." .”

Shi San stared blankly at the pile of firewood, wondering whether he should pick it up or not.

"I've heard about your family..." Uncle Wang was a little dumb, and couldn't speak comforting words, so he said after a while, "Well, if you need help in the future, you can come to us."

Under the half-dark eaves, two men looked at each other across the threshold.

Uncle Wang was waiting for a while, but when Shi San reached out to catch the firewood, he stuffed the firewood into his arms: "Take it."

He let go of his hand, but Shi San didn't catch it, and the firewood fell to the ground.Uncle Wang was taken aback, and was about to bend down to pick it up, but Shi San bent down and squatted down faster than him.

Shi San didn't go to pick up firewood.He curled up into a ball, his back trembling slightly.After a while, he burst into tears.

……

The next day, Shi San went to fetch water from the well, and there was already a queue beside the well.In addition to those queuing up to fetch water, there was a group of people gathered nearby, both men and women. Some were collecting shoe soles, some were weaving bamboo baskets, and some were chopping wood. Everyone chatted while doing their own work.

Shi San hadn't seen the village so lively for a long time. He stood on the side of the road with a bucket and looked at it for a while before going to line up to fetch water.

The brothers of the Wang family were also chatting with people there, and when they saw him coming, they greeted him warmly: "Brother Shi, do you want to help?"

Shi San shook his head quickly: "No, no, I can do it myself."

The two brothers sat back and continued to weave their own bamboo baskets.

"Hey, have you heard? Changming Village led people to encircle and suppress Longcheng Mountain these days. Those villages on Longcheng Mountain who were willing to surrender were annexed by Changming Village. Those who did not want to surrender were all driven away. Now Longcheng Mountain has completely become the territory of Changming Village." A villager was sharing his latest news.

Wang Zhongqi asked curiously: "Changming Village? Are there many of them?"

There are many new tenants here who do not understand the local conditions.

The villager hadn't elaborated when he heard something fall to the ground.Everyone turned their heads and saw that the bucket in Shi San's hand had dropped.His face was pale, and he stared at the villagers in horror: "Really??"

The villager said: "Really. I went into the mountain yesterday and passed by a village, where the flag of Changming Village was changed."

Shi San took a deep breath.

Although Changming Village has a good reputation in Yilong, Wangjiazhuang is far away from Changming Village, and has always been invaded by bandits in Longcheng Mountain, but has never enjoyed the favor of Changming Village.Therefore, in his heart, there is no distinction between good and evil bandits, and they are all vicious.He was able to survive to this day only because the bandits in Longcheng Mountain acted independently, and the number of them was not too many, and the villagers who looted wave after wave were all carried down.But now, there is actually a village that swallowed up all the other bandits.What kind of behemoth is this?The next time they come to rob, how can the people in the farm resist it?I'm afraid they will be driven to death!

His legs and feet trembled, he turned around and ran back.

"Hey, Brother Shi, where are you going?" Wang Zhongqi called him from behind, but he couldn't care less.

Shi San ran home, his wife was coughing on the bed.Hearing the coughing sound, he hesitated again and again, but still walked over.

Seeing his ugly face, his wife Zhou asked weakly, "What happened?"

Shi Sandao: "I just heard that Changming Village annexed all the dens of thieves on Longcheng Mountain."

Zhou's thought was the same as Shi San's, and he was startled.There was no blood on her face, and now she was pale and frighteningly pale: "Then what should I do?"

Shi San didn't know either.

The miserable couple looked at each other speechlessly. After a long time, Zhou said in a trembling voice, "Third brother, get out of here."

Shi San immediately said: "Then what should you do? Can you go to the ground?"

Zhou said with a wry smile: "Leave me alone. I can't live for a few more days, and it's really not worth dragging down your life. You go and find the fourth child and the others. You spend your days on me, a person who must die , might as well take care of our children."

Shi San stepped forward to hold Zhou's hand, and Zhou wanted to push his hand away, but he had no strength.The couple struggled for a moment and couldn't help crying.

While crying, I heard someone shouting outside: "The owner is here! The owner is here!"

Zhu Nao still has business in the city, but doesn't live in the farm all the time.He came here once when the tenants were relocated, but this was the first time he came after everyone settled down.

Mrs. Zhou was stunned for a while when she heard the shouts from outside, and then said suddenly: "By the way, you should go see the owner quickly. Maybe the owner can have an idea about the outside affairs."

Now that Shi San has nowhere to go, he can only pin his hopes on this.So he hurriedly wiped away his tears, packed up his mood and went out.