When the members of the Seedling Protection Team stood in a straight line, the people who were fishing on the other side of the river stopped what they were doing and looked in their direction in confusion.
The fishermen in Old Willow Village naturally saw the arrival of so many people. It would be a lie to say that such a large team of adults and children was not attractive.
The people in Old Willow Village did not know what so many people were planning. At first, they thought they were just passing by, but when they saw them stop at the pier of the bridge, they guessed they were preparing to cross the river.
"Third Grandpa, they want to cross the river. Where are the planks we removed from the bridge? Don't let any children fall. "A young man in his twenties among the fishermen looked at the person next to him and asked.
In fact, he wanted to help. He knew where the planks were placed.
The person he called Third Grandpa was the village chief and also the head of the Liu family. At the same time, he was the only person in the village with the status of a high scholar. He was stubborn and xenophobic, so the young man was worried that he would not agree.
The truth was just as he guessed. The old man did not show any intention of helping. He said, "I used it to build a shed for the chickens. I can't take it out. Those people don't know how to find a place to hide from the rain. Instead, they brought a group of children to play. Do you know who they are? They might be kidnappers. Go and call for help. Our Old Willow Village is not a place where just anyone can come and cause trouble. "
"Third Grandpa, they don't look like bad people to me." The young man did not want to get into a fight.
"What? Did they carve words on their faces? Go. "The old man was obviously angry.
"Ah!" The young man agreed and turned to run into the village. However, he had just run less than 30 steps when the old man's voice sounded again.
"Wait, wait and see. Aiya, where did they come from? It's strange. "
When the young man heard the order, he stopped and turned to look. He was stunned by what he saw.
He saw three rows of people walking out of the crowd on the opposite bank. Two rows were on the left and right. They held the rope with one hand and pulled the people in the middle row with the other hand. The three rows crossed the bridge together. When they reached the end of the bridge, the front row stopped and the back row connected.
Then, he heard the clear voice of a girl, "Protect the left and right. Lie down in the middle. It's time to protect the seedlings."
The three rows of people immediately moved. The left and right sides of the iron rope with their forearms crossed. The row in the middle was close together and they lay down on the iron rope.
For a moment, the left and right were walls, and the middle was a road.
Then, the fishermen of Old Liu Village saw the children wearing bamboo hats and walking towards the river on the road paved by people. They felt that the bridge was actually more stable than the wooden planks. It was not slippery, and the wind could not penetrate it.
"Third Grandpa, it … it doesn't look like he's abducting … selling children." The young man walked to the old man's side and said with a complicated expression.
The old man was speechless. His small eyes narrowed even more. It was only when the first child crossed the bridge and was settled down by the person who came from the other side of the bridge that he sighed and muttered, "Sigh ~! Drifting in the wind and rain, I swing back, proudly lying down on the shore, my heart sincere. Hong Nong's world … has changed. "
"Where … where's the change?" The young man raised his head.
"The people from the Zhang Family and the Wang Family are here. The one from Sanshui County, quick, go back to the village and ask someone to make room. Erzi, you go." The old man instructed another young man to go back to the village.
The young man at the front didn't understand. "What? Third Grandpa, how did you know that it's Zhang Xiaobao? "
"How would I know? I only know that the people from the seedling protection team are here. Didn't that girl shout just now? Protect the seedlings, protect the children. Do you really think that they are protecting the wheat seedlings and the rice seedlings? Come with me to welcome them. "
The old man called out and rushed to the bridgehead first.
The young man was the second to follow. As he walked, he muttered, "It's the Zhuang Miao Protection Team."
The people from the Miao Protection Team were strong and didn't care about the discomfort of the iron chains under them. They also didn't care about the pain of the children stepping on them. They just let the team of children walk on them.
When Xiaobei and the other nine people also walked across the bridge, the old man from Old Liu Village happened to come to the bridgehead at the same time.
The different rice seedlings patterns on the clothes of Xiaobei and the guards proved their identities. In the Tang Empire, other than the Zhang Family and the Wang Family of Sanshui County, no one else dared to use rice seedlings as a symbol.
Otherwise, even if the Zhang Family and the Wang Family didn't object, the merchants and the government office wouldn't agree. The rice seedling symbol represented strength and credibility. How could it be an ordinary symbol used to confirm one's identity?
The old man looked at Xiaobei and the others. A smile appeared on his wrinkled face. He spoke from his mouth that had lost a front tooth.
"Sure enough, other than the people from the Miao Protection Team, no one else would be willing to lie on the cold iron chains and let a group of children step on them."
"Who said that? My brother and sister said that there is a country where any regular army can do that. Not to mention iron chains, even if it's a steel knife, they have to lie on the ground. It's like the drums in war. If the drums don't stop, they can't stop. Old Grandpa, you are …? "
Xiaobei didn't agree with the old man's words. After refuting, she remembered that she didn't know the identity of the other party.
The old man didn't care. "Since Xiao Bao and Cuckoo said there is, then there must be. I'm the Muramasa of Old Willow Village."
"Ah, so it's Grandpa Muramasa. I've heard so much about you … Grandpa Muramasa, I finally meet you. Let's not talk nonsense. Help the children to settle down. It's time for them to freeze."
Xiaobei, who was about to be polite, was pulled by Xiaoyuan. She quickly changed her words and talked about business.
"Grandpa Liu, I'm Zhang Xiaohai. I have other important things to ask of you." Xiaohai was afraid that his sister would forget the important things when she was happy, so he stood up and said.
The old man was shocked and quickly said, "Don't say anything. If the Zhang Family and the Wang Family ask for something, it must be for the Tang Empire. How can we retreat? Is there something in the county? That's also my business. Just tell me and I'll do it. The Emperor has one child, and I serve the Tang Empire with no disloyalty. "
"Grandpa Liu looks like a good person. Oh, you're a good person even if you don't look. My name is Zhang Xiaobei. Grandpa Liu calls me Xiaobei." Xiaobei didn't expect to meet such a strong old man in a small village. She confirmed his identity, meaning that she didn't want the old man to call her an official. Some people should be respected.
Old Man Liu was speechless. Then he smiled and praised, "This old man is jealous of the old bastards from the Zhang and Wang families. It's not because of their generous salary, but because of their descendants. I don't know how they taught them. They're still young, but they're much better than most people who are in their thirties. This is filial piety!"
When Xiaobei and the other nine children heard Grandpa Liu mention their elders, they immediately raised their heads and leaned forward to show respect. They usually liked to fool around, but when it was time for them to show the temperament of an aristocratic family, they didn't hesitate at all. They were even better than the children of the royal family.
Xiaoyuan said, "In fact, we haven't done enough. True filial piety is not to be praised by others, but to be happy to laugh."
The young man behind Old Muramasa was confused. He didn't understand what they were saying, so he looked at Third Grandpa in confusion.
With this comparison, Old Man Liu felt even more helpless. As he led everyone into the village, he whispered to his juniors, "What Xiaobei means is that we don't need to talk about official positions. If we really want to talk about official positions, they have a bunch of official positions. Even the youngest one is older than me, the village chief. I'm older, so they respect me, so I praised them for being sensible.
Later, the young boy said that they don't feel happy because others praise them for being filial. What makes them happy is that they can often see the smiles of their relatives. Sigh! These kids have all turned into spirits. "
"Who's so powerful? Who taught them to be like this? "the young man said with jealousy.
"Why don't you ask why they're so powerful? How can they be taught by others? "Old Muramasa glared at the young man.
The young man lowered his head in shame and didn't dare to make a sound.
Old Muramasa didn't continue to compare the young man with Xiaobei and the others. He also knew that they weren't on the same level. Instead, he instructed the young man.
"When we get back to the village, immediately arrange for people to lay planks on the bridge. Many children come. Everyone in Tang knows that the Zhang Family and the Wang Family value children very much. They will definitely bring a lot of things. The planks need to be laid, and holes need to be punched and tied to the iron chains with willow twigs. The same should be done on both sides to prevent people from slipping down."
"Tied? That's too troublesome. "The young man could imagine the difficulty of the actual operation.
"Is it more troublesome than building the bridge for free and using cement for our village?"
"That's what they do."
"Are we freeloaders? When it comes to willow weaving, Old Willow Village in Guo Province is the best. If we don't do it, we'll wait for them to move the construction here to lay planks. In the future, when we meet outsiders, I'll lie down and you'll sit on my head. "
"How dare I? Why would I sit on your head?"
"Tell others that they don't need to look at my old face. They can know what the people in Old Willow Village look like by looking at your buttocks."
"No, I'll go. I'll go right away. Please don't be angry. Otherwise, I won't be able to sit even if I want to. My butt will be smashed by my father with willow twigs." The young man was frightened. He ran away, leaving behind a trail of mud and disappeared from the sight of the team.
Xiaobei looked at the departing figure and "pondered" with a finger in his mouth. After his brother Xiaohai patted his finger, he rubbed his arm and said, "The road is not easy to walk on. We have to arrange for people to build a cement road."
Two children in their teens happened to run out of the village. When they heard Xiaobei's words, they seemed to know how to build a cement road. They reminded him, "It's impossible to build a cement road on a rainy day."
Xiaobei's eyes turned into the shape of a crescent moon. He smiled and said, "Others can't build it with cement, but our family can. Not to mention the rain, if necessary, we can build it with a knife."
"How do we fix it?" The children in the village were not convinced.
"First, use a charcoal fire to roast it. Then, build a shed to shelter it from the rain. Then, fill it with cement and lay a straw curtain. Pour water on it while roasting it," Xiaobei said.
The two children obviously did not expect to be so wasteful. They were surprised and continued to ask, "It will cost a lot of money. Don't you think it's not worth it?"
"Whether it's worth it or not depends on the result. I think it's worth it to build a cement road now. Then, it must be worth it." Xiaobei clearly had the temperament of a rich second generation.
"Wastrel," the two children said in unison.
"I'm not. When I go to a restaurant to eat, I don't throw away the leftover steamed buns. When my clothes are too small, I don't throw them away. My coat can be changed into a waistcoat." Xiaobei showed his diligence and thriftiness. Therefore, the project of building a cement road on a rainy day in Old Willow Village was put on the agenda.
The villagers, who became very easy to talk to because they knew the identity of the other party, warmly received Xiaobei and his team. They were relieved to let Xiaobei's team take care of the children. They organized the adults and took all kinds of tools to the county town.
The people of the seedling protection team began to build sheds. There were not so many houses in the village for people to live in.
They cut trees in the rain and tied the branches together. When the next day, houses built from the materials of willow trees stood in the village.
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