Fruits are fragrant in autumn, and people are busy picking them in Yizhou. Rich people look forward to skiing, and craftsmen work hard to burn vats.
Zhang Zhong, who was drunk, refused Qiang Hu's invitation to stay before nightfall. He took Qiang Hu's son and daughter with him and left the stronghold to prepare for the relevant matters.
The next morning, Qiang Hu, who had sobered up, remembered what he had said the day before. He quickly gathered the adults and children in the stronghold to pick ripe fruits in order to help Zhang Zhong's family make wine.
Zhang Zhong found the three old men to discuss sending invitations to various hedonistic sons and daughters of wealthy families to come here and play. He also found nearby craftsmen to make vats for fermenting fruits. He also posted notices in the city, asking the people in the city to help the craftsmen as much as possible so that they could learn the craft and make vats for themselves in the future.
With Qiang Hu taking the lead, the people in his stronghold began to work hard. With such a big commotion, it was difficult not to alert others. Qiang Hu, who was thinking about how to get the other strongholds to help him pick the fruits, did not have to take the initiative to look for others before they all came to him.
When the people in the nearby strongholds found out that wild fruits could be exchanged for money, and that the officials who treated them to food, drinks, and dancing would make a fortune, they happily joined in.
Three days later, piles of fruits were delivered to the prefectural city of Wing Prefecture. Zhang Zhong's family had also hurriedly built a temporary residence. A large part of the adobe city wall had been dug up, and they hadn't had time to rebuild it yet. They had to wait until the fruits were almost harvested and the autumn harvest was over before they found the local people to do it.
After another day, the people that Zhang Zhong had sent out in advance returned with carts of daily necessities. They began to pay the local people for the fruits.
This was because the local people were used to bartering. When Zhang Zhong paid for the fruits on the first day, Qiang Hu was worried. He didn't know how to go out and use the money to buy things. He was afraid that people would deliberately ask them for more money. He told Zhang Zhong that it was better to use things to barter.
They all knew how much their things were worth and weren't afraid of being cheated.
Zhang Zhong was speechless. How could they not be cheated when using things to barter? When Zhang Zhong heard Qiang Hu say that they had a fixed person to exchange with, he understood that they were being controlled. Seeing Qiang Hu's awkward expression, he could only send someone to buy something.
As a result, the largest and most comprehensive store in Wing Prefecture City was created. It was responsible for trading with the locals and purchasing all kinds of furs and medicinal materials at 80% of the price of goods sold outside. The remaining 20% was included in the transportation fee.
When the people in the nearby villages learned about the market situation outside and found out the price of the items they had exchanged, they all clamored to go out and kill the people in the shop who had exchanged with them.
A bear skin could be sold for 15 strings of coins, and the better ones could even be sold for 20 strings of coins. The salt they bought with that much money was enough to feed a village of 100 people for two years, and there was still leftover salted meat. In the past, they could only exchange for a scoop of salt, which they thought was cheap. If they ate sparingly, it could feed the people in the village for more than a month.
How could Zhang Zhong let them go out and cause trouble? He persuaded them in every way possible and promised that the store in the city would continue to provide all kinds of daily necessities in the future. He would also be responsible for collecting money and going out to buy the designated items.
Of course, this required the local people to get used to using money as currency in the future.
The people held back their grievances of being cheated and began to work harder to pick fruits for Zhang Zhong. They acknowledged Zhang Zhong's position in their hearts. He was a good official. He even told them such an important thing.
At the same time, a few people who were the most proficient in speaking official language were also dealt with. They were the people who often brought people out to trade. In Yizhou Prefecture, they actually had a big house and many good lands outside. Needless to say, everyone understood what was going on.
After solving the income problem of the people in the nearby villages, Zhang Zhong began to prepare to let the people in the distant villages know about the situation here. However, before he could send people to the villages further away in the mountains to think of a way to persuade them, the people in the distant villages accidentally learned about the situation here.
*****
Gong Shi was the son of the chieftain of Little Bear Village, Gong Mu. His father was old and wanted to pass on the chieftain's position to him. However, this year did not seem to be good. The continuous rain made the crops in the fields not even half as good as last year.
In addition, there was an accidental fire in the village, which burned a lot of linen and the furs they were going to trade for. They did not know how to survive this year's winter.
He had to think of a way for the people in the village. He had to take the people in the village outside to see if he could find some work that they could do with their strength. When winter came, they could trade for some food and linen before coming back.
At that time, they might be able to survive the winter. They would not have to suffer from the cold because of the continuous rain.
With this thought in mind, Gong Shi turned around and looked at the strongest person in the twenty villages walking behind him. He looked at the sky and saw that it was almost dark. He thought that there was a village not far from here. Perhaps they could go there to have a good rest, or they could continue on their journey and live in the city.
"Hurry up, hurry up. We don't have to sleep outside today. Hurry up." Gong Shi shouted at the people in the village and began to speed up. He lowered his head and looked at his feet as he moved forward.
The people in Little Bear Village also knew that this was a mission. They had never done this before. When faced with the unknown, they felt a bit of worry in their hearts, but also a bit of excitement and expectation. They were prepared to do a good job outside, and when they came back, they would become heroes of the village.
Therefore, they, who had already been on the road for more than ten days, didn't care about the fatigue of their bodies at all. They followed behind their future chief, hoping to have a good sleep in the city and eat a full meal so that they could save up enough strength to work.
When it was almost night time, the sky became overcast. Those familiar with the weather knew that there would not be rain. At midnight, they might be able to see the stars, so they didn't have to worry about being soaked through like they had been a few days ago.
Just as the group of people picked up their pace and jogged forward, many dots of light suddenly appeared in front of them. They swayed and illuminated the people nearby. There were actually many people holding torches and swaying in that direction. It was unknown what they were doing.
With curiosity in his heart, Gong Shi couldn't help but stop and look in front of him in a daze. The people behind him also stopped and pondered. The people in front of them didn't rest early at night, but instead ran up the mountain to do something.
After thinking for a while, Gong Shi, who still couldn't figure it out, began to slowly move forward. When he got closer, he let out a sigh of relief. He recognized the people in front of him. They were the people from the mountain village who couldn't make it in time to stay for the night. Not only were there adults, but there were also children climbing up and down.
When he discovered the other side, the other side also noticed that there were people moving around. Because they didn't light torches, the other side couldn't clearly see who they were. Immediately, a group of people gathered together and shouted at them in a chaotic manner.
"Is Qiang Mountain here? It's me, Gong Shi of Little Bear Village." Gong Shi didn't want to misunderstand and let the other side shoot a bunch of arrows. He hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in the mountains.
After shouting, Gong Shi signaled the people behind him to not move. He walked forward alone. When they were within the range of the torch, the people on the other side finally relaxed their vigilance. A person holding a bow walked out from the crowd and came in front of Gong Shi. He laughed and said, "Brother Gong Shi.
"Shi Tou, why did you come here? You must be tired. Come, eat some fruit. Later, come to my place and drink some wine. Good wine, the new official surnamed Zhang wants to sell it. Yesterday, when I was picking fruit, I caught a deer. I gave half of it to the official surnamed Zhang, but the other half hasn't been eaten yet. Just in time, I'll let you taste it. The new seasoning is different from before. "
Qiang Mountain was very enthusiastic. His enthusiasm made Gong Shi feel as if he didn't know Qiang Mountain. Generally speaking, if a deer was caught, it would be taken outside to exchange. Whether it was deer skin or deer meat, the exchange was more than usual. If a deer was caught alive, it would be even more amazing. How could he be willing to eat it?
What puzzled Gong Shi the most was what kind of official had come and even gave him half of one. Could it be that this new official was so powerful that he could control the people here?
With doubts in his heart, Gong Shi first waved his hand to the people behind him and asked the people in the stronghold to come over. He asked Qiang Mountain puzzledly: "What's the new official? How many people did he bring? "
"A big official, the most senior official. The whole Wing Prefecture has to listen to him. Even that Fang guy has to listen to him when he sees him. He has a lot of people, almost two thousand. The city can't accommodate all of them, so he tore down the city wall and built houses there. When the houses are built, people can live in them. When it gets cold, they have to rebuild them."
Qiang Mountain passed a fruit in his hand to Gong Shi and took a bite. He said while chewing.
After hearing this, a trace of worry appeared between Gong Shi's eyebrows. He looked at the people in the stronghold who were picking wild fruits and said sympathetically: "Is it because he has a lot of subordinates? You can't beat them, so he forced you to take a lot of things. You have nothing to eat, so you go to the mountain to pick wild fruits to eat? I don't know if they will also go to my Little Bear Village to rob. If they do, I will fight with them. "
"Fight!" The people in Little Bear Village also shouted hot-bloodedly.
"Hahaha ~!" Qiang Mountain spat out all the fruits in his mouth that he hadn't swallowed. He pointed at Gong Shi and laughed loudly. His other hand was still covering his stomach. It looked really funny. Even the people behind him also laughed.
Gong Shi didn't find it funny at all. His face turned red from the laughter. At this moment, a seven-year-old child in the mountain village fished out a piece of candy from a small pouch hanging on his body. He handed it to Gong Shi and said, "This is the first time I've seen you.
"Uncle Gong, here's some candy for you. The new official is called Zhang Zhong, and his youngest child is called Xiao Bei. Xiao Bei is very fun, and there's also a lot of candy. This is called malt candy, and it tastes like wheat when you put it in your mouth. Zhang Zhong is a good official, so I gave him the deerskin that I got from my family to make a cushion for him. I brought someone to deliver it to him, and his family even let me eat a meal called hot pot with this big prawn."
The child was very excited as he spoke and gestured with his hands.
Gong Shi was even more confused. He looked at the candy that the child from Qiang Mountain's family handed over. He wanted to refuse, but he also wanted to understand. He could only take it in his hand. He carefully squeezed it and found that there was a layer of wrapping on the outside. He peeled off the wrapping and found that there was a translucent thing inside. There was also a layer of glutinous rice paper on the outside.
He knew that this thin layer of paper could be eaten, but it was only wrapped on the outside of something delicious. He couldn't hold back the doubt in his heart, and under the child's expectant gaze, he threw the candy into his mouth. A sweet, honey-like taste instantly filled his mouth.
"Uncle Gong, is it delicious? I still have a few pieces. "The child was looking forward to sharing the candy with others.
Gong Shi suddenly had a feeling of recalling the candy he ate several times when he was a child. He was so happy. This candy was obviously better than the ones he ate when he was a child. He wanted to take it out and put it back into the child's mouth, but he felt that it was inappropriate. He could only hold back the idea and ask:
"Is this candy very expensive?"
"I don't know. One of Xiaobei's sworn brothers named Young Man said that the candy was made by himself. You can't buy it or exchange it. I know that Xiaobei's house is very beautiful. There are bright lights inside. Unfortunately, I can't get in. There are three floors, and the blanket inside is very smooth."
The child didn't know the value of the candy. He only knew that it was delicious. He also knew that Xiaobei's house was beautiful. The courtyard where the house was placed was built first. The ground inside was very smooth stone, which could reflect people's shadows.
Gong Shi found that the child couldn't understand it for a while. He had to look at Qiang Mountain and wait for him to explain.
Qiang Mountain's life was better recently. He exchanged a lot of things that he usually needed with fruits, including beautiful porcelain bowls. He was in a good mood. When he saw Gong Shi looking at him, he laughed and told Gong Shi what happened in the past few days.
From Zhang Zhong bringing people here, to eating, drinking, and playing outside the city, and then to collecting fruits to make wine, to opening a new shop, and to being cheated when he exchanged things before.
The more Gong Shi and the others listened, the more surprised they were. The more they listened, the more they didn't dare to imagine. How could there be such a good official? The one surnamed Fang had never found people to drink, sing, and dance with, let alone exchange things for the wild fruits that no one wanted.
Every year, when it was almost winter, the Fang guy would go to the villages one by one and ask the people in the villages to pay the rent and also hand over the land as tribute. If it wasn't for his pitiful appearance, they wouldn't have given him anything at all. The land he was given did not produce much at all. It was the worst land.
The new official was so good. He didn't mention the rent and tribute, but collected the fruits as soon as he came. He even sent the good things outside to open a shop in the city. What was his plan?
"Shi Tou, since the fruits can be exchanged, we don't need to look for work outside anymore. The people outside are not good. They always bully us. Let the people in the village pick the fruits and send them here."
One of the people in Little Bear Village was smarter. He immediately thought of the key point of the problem and came to Gong Shi's side to propose.
Gong Shi was no fool. How could he not think of this? But he had other ideas, so he asked, "Then can we also exchange things for tribute?"
"Yes. This year, Gaoshan Village is prepared to pay more tribute. The rest will be left for the official surnamed Zhang. Qiang Hu's village also said that even if the other villages don't pay, they will take care of everything."
Qiang Shan said generously.
"So the official surnamed Zhang is the same as the official surnamed Fang. He wants to use us and is afraid that we won't pay the tribute. He's just giving us benefits first."
Gong Shi analyzed.
"You idiot, do you really think the official surnamed Zhang is the same as the official surnamed Fang? The official surnamed Zhang isn't afraid of not paying. Yesterday, when I brought people to deliver the fruits, the official surnamed Zhang was standing in front of the shop and watching. It just so happened that the imperial court sent a fast horse to deliver the imperial edict. An imperial edict, something written by the emperor.
Guess what? If it were any other official, they would have set up an incense table and brought their family to kowtow, but the official surnamed Zhang didn't care at all. He took it, opened it, and threw it to the servant behind him. The person who delivered the imperial edict even had a smile on his face. He didn't dare to say anything disrespectful to the emperor.
How could he be afraid of not paying the tribute? "Also, after delivering the fruits, I sent people to ask around. Guess what? This time, he wasn't the only official who came. There were several third and fourth rank officials. Later, I heard that the imperial edict wrote that the old man in his family was going to be an official. They were all second rank officials. His mother was also a second rank official. What kind of imperial title is that?
Even a kid called Xiao Bao, who I've never seen before, is a sixth rank official. The people I sent heard from the three old men that the emperor felt that the road was too far, so he didn't give them the money or the official robes. He only sent people to bring a few goldfish bags and told them to prepare everything else themselves. "
Qiang Shan pretended to be mysterious as he talked about this gossip. The crowd also listened mysteriously.
After one of the people in Little Bear Stronghold heard this, he said, "Is it because the emperor doesn't treat his family well? He didn't even give them a reward."
"I think you're also an idiot." Qiang Shan looked at this person and continued, "This means that the emperor doesn't treat his family well. How could he give them a bad title? How could he treat the imperial edict like that? I saw it clearly when he threw it to others. It was like throwing a rag.
Listen to me, you don't have to pay the rent this year. If you do, you'll just be giving the official surnamed Zhang his salary. He may not be used to eating and doesn't care about that bit of food. However, you can only give more, not less. Don't use the tribute to threaten him. Otherwise, before he gets angry, the strongholds on my side won't agree. "
"That's right, we'll pay, we'll definitely pay. We don't have much food, but we have a lot of tribute. It's useless to keep it in our hands, so it's better to give it to him. If it's really like you said, he really doesn't care whether or not he can send tribute to the capital. The emperor also didn't give him a title, so it's even. But if we don't give it to him, he'll be unhappy and think we don't treat him as a brother.
Gong Shi finally understood. As for whether or not Qiang Shan was lying to him, he would know when he went down.
At the thought of going down, Gong Shi had an idea and said to Qiang Shan, "How about this? Let me take some of the fruit you're picking now. Each of you will carry a basket and see if we can trade. Oh, we have to wait until tomorrow. Then we'll pick the fruit together first and go tomorrow."
"There's no need. There are people at night too. I can deliver it once in the middle of the night and again before dawn. I'll give each of you a basket. Go and take a look. This shop is open 24 hours a day. There's another place called the hospital. It's also open 24 hours a day.
When you go down, go to the hospital first and let the doctor take your pulse. If you're sick, he'll make you medicine. It's not expensive. He said it's included in the 20% profit when you trade for fur and other things. "
Qiang Shan explained the situation in the city to Gong Shi and the others. At the same time, he signaled the people in the stronghold to give each of them a basket of wild fruit.
With hope for a better life, Gong Shi led the others to thank Qiang Shan and went down the mountain.
After walking for a long time, the originally tired people felt that they were full of energy again. After walking for more than an hour, they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. From afar, they could see the prefectural city in front of them and could hear the sounds of singing and musical instruments coming from the brightly lit area outside the prefectural city.
Occasionally, the wind would blow over and they could smell the aroma of meat and wine. After walking for a long time, they couldn't help but inhale.
The group couldn't help but speed up, wanting to see what was going on down there.
When they got closer, Gong Shi and the others finally heard a toast song that they had never heard before. However, it was indeed a song from their side. They didn't know what kind of musical instruments were used, but it was very well coordinated. When they heard it, they had the urge to dance.
When they could see people's faces with the help of the light, Gong Shi found another person he knew. This person was squatting next to the person using the musical instrument. It seemed that he wanted to learn.
That person also felt that someone was looking at him. When he turned his head and saw that it was Gong Shi, he immediately stood up and approached him.
"Shi Tou, you also heard the news and came here. Just in time. You've been rushing all the way here. Drink a cup of wine first. This wine is very good. One cup will make you feel dizzy. Eat two roasted fish.
"Qiang Hu, why didn't you stay in the stronghold and come down here at night?" Gong Shi put down the basket full of wild fruits, rubbed his shoulders, and looked around curiously.
"I came down today to see my two children. After they eat dinner and go to sleep, I'll come out and join in the fun." Qiang Hu waved his hand vigorously at the person in charge of delivering the wine.
Gong Shi didn't understand why Qiang Hu's two children wanted to come down the mountain to see. His eyes swept over the people dancing and singing in front of him, then looked at the people around them. He asked Qiang Hu, "Didn't you say that there was an official surnamed Zhang here? Where is he?"
"He didn't come out today. Do you want him to accompany you all the time? That's an official. He has official business to do. In the future, I'll be fine here. Except for the rain, every night outside the city is like this. You can sing and dance as you want. However, it is said that after the New Year, you have to prepare your own wine and food. "
Qiang Hu took the wine that someone brought and handed it to Gong Shi. He sighed with emotion about the situation here.
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