Although Li Hanlu was very beautiful, she was a rough person. She didn't understand poetry at all. She didn't know that the playboy next to her had already written her into the poem. Otherwise, she would definitely hurt him in a fit of anger. As for Li Ya 'er, she was even more so. She had been doing farm work since she was a child. Later on, she learned some martial arts. The only thing she didn't learn was poetry. Li Hanlu naturally couldn't teach her what she didn't know.
As for Ang Lee's poetry, it was from reciting. He basically didn't know how to write poetry. He could only improve his level by copying other people's poems. It was almost impossible for him to teach others.
Although she didn't understand what these playboys were saying, Li Hanlu didn't like the way they looked at her. She was even a little angry. She didn't know why, but when Ang Lee looked at her like that, she would be very happy. But once it was another man, she would be very angry.
Perhaps this was the so-called submission! Li Hanlu's body and heart were tightly sealed. Outsiders were not allowed to enter, but Ang Lee had already broken through her defenses. As a result, she submitted both physically and mentally, becoming Ang Lee's beautiful concubine. She was loyal to and loved Ang Lee. Once there was a master in her heart, her body and mind would be completely closed. Outsiders would no longer be able to enter.
It was like raising a pet dog. It was very friendly to its owner, but when it saw a stranger, it would show its fangs. It might even hurt the stranger if it misjudged.
Li An was a handsome man who had tender feelings for the fairer sex. Naturally, he wouldn't raise Li Hanlu like a dog. He was very respectful to each of his beautiful wives and concubines. He even gave enough respect to the servants at home.
Of course, Ang Lee's respect and love were not in vain. Everyone was loyal to Ang Lee, just like how a pet dog was loyal to its owner.
"Ya 'er, let's go up and take a look."
Li Hanlu used her cold eyes to respond to the scholarly young masters who occasionally glanced over. Then, she led the group of people to the higher part of the bridge. The higher they went, the fewer people there were. It was quieter this way.
Seeing the cold beauty leave, these young masters naturally didn't dare to act rashly. None of them dared to follow her. Looking at the guards beside Li Hanlu, they knew that they couldn't afford to offend such a noble lady. As such, they could only sigh and write their feelings of being ridiculed by the beauty into their childish bullshit poems to express the feelings in their hearts.
The higher they went, the more spectacular the scenery was. Moreover, it was relatively quiet. There were no noisy discussions around them, and there were no uncomfortable gazes.
"Elder sister, why did we have to run so far? If the time is up, we will have to run back. "
Li Ya 'er looked at the distant train and said.
Li Hanlu said, "I don't like places with too many people. You know that. And those people who were reciting poems just now made me very uncomfortable. I don't want to see them."
After saying that, she looked at the rolling river under the bridge and the transport ship passing under the bridge.
Generally, in places with more water sources, the water vapor would be stronger, giving people a foggy feeling. There was no doubt that there were many water sources on the Yangtze River, so most of the time, the weather near the Yangtze River was foggy, giving people a very hazy feeling.
Li Hanlu liked this hazy feeling very much, just like how she liked the world of ice and snow in the Northern Kingdom. Li Ya 'er also liked this feeling.
The misty feeling of the water vapor was much softer than the foggy snow in the Northern Kingdom, but overall, it was relatively similar. Therefore, they liked this feeling more. There was a sense of nostalgia in it.
Li Hanlu's group took the opposite road, but for the sidewalk, there was no such thing as the opposite road. Moreover, the pedestrians were relatively sparse, so there was no possibility of collision.
There were only a few pedestrians on the opposite road. After all, there were very few people on the Yangtze River Bridge. People who wanted to cross the river nearby would naturally choose to take the bridge, while people who were too far away could only choose to take a ship. After all, no one would be willing to take a big detour.
For people who wanted to go a long way, they would generally choose to take a train. If it was really inconvenient, they would take a carriage. Businessmen who wanted to go a short way would also choose to take a carriage when transporting goods. After all, it was the most cost-effective to take a long way by train.
Precisely because of that, there were relatively few pedestrians on the sidewalk, while the main road in the middle was full of cars. If there was a large group of businessmen, it would be even more lively.
The officials who were in charge of the bridge naturally preferred businessmen and tourists, because they were the only group they could collect tolls from. The pedestrians on both sides and the trains below didn't have to pay tolls.
"Elder sister, cars are starting to appear in Ezhou too," said Li Hanlu.
She seemed to be thinking about it.
Although these were all new things that Li An had come up with a few years ago, they were still not very popular. There were indeed more of them in Chang 'an City and Luoyang City. However, in a remote area like Ezhou, it was indeed very rare to see a trace of a car.
Li Hanlu nodded. Suddenly, she saw a small official on a bicycle patrolling back and forth on the bridge. It could be seen that the bicycle belonged to the imperial court, not him. The imperial court could assign a bicycle to a small official who was guarding the bridge, which showed how much importance the bridge was to the imperial court.
"Grandson, slow down, slow down."
An old lady came from the opposite side and ran over with staggering steps. In front of the old lady was a child of three or four years old. Although he was very young, he ran faster than the old lady. When he was about to reach Li Hanlu, he accidentally fell and directly fell at Li Hanlu's feet.
"Ouch, I told you to slow down. You fell!"
The old lady scolded while panting. She ran to the front but stopped. She tried her best to bow to Li Hanlu and the others. She could see that the other party was of noble status, while she was just an ordinary old lady.
The child was a little dirty, but he was very sturdy. After falling, he did not cry. Instead, he quickly got up as if he had never fallen.
"Little baby, did it hurt?"
Li Hanlu asked with a smile when she saw the child who got up and looked at her in a daze. Li Hanlu also smiled. She never felt repulsed by the child's gaze. After all, the child's gaze was innocent and made people feel more comfortable.
The child was a child who had not seen the world. Although he was a little naughty, he was very timid when he met strangers. He was so scared that he did not dare to say a word. He just stared blankly at the strangers in front of him.
It was the old lady who bravely stepped forward and said respectfully, "The child is immature and offended Madam. Please don't take offense."
Li Hanlu showed a rare smile and said, "It's okay. The child is very cute. How old is he?"
"Madam, he's just four years old."
The old lady replied.
Li Hanlu nodded and said, "He's at the age where he's mischievous. But you have to take good care of him. If he falls from this bridge, it will be terrible."
"Madam, you're right. As soon as I let go, the puppy ran forward desperately and fell. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to catch up with him."
The old lady said.
"He's only four years old and you can't catch up with him. He's going to suffer in the future."
Li Ya 'er said with a smile.
"Madam, you're right. This puppy is getting harder and harder to control. We have to teach him well in the future so that he won't be so naughty."
The old lady said.
"Are there only the two of you in the family? Where are the others? "
Li Hanlu asked curiously.
The old lady said with a smile, "They're all busy. When the farm is busy, they have to work in the fields. When they're not busy, they also work in the workshops in Jiangbei to earn more money to support the family. My house is in the south, not far from the bridge. It's only a dozen miles from the workshop. When the child wants to see his father, I send him there and bring some cooked vegetables and dry food for them. That way, we can save a lot of money. "
"Don't the workshops in the Tang dynasty provide food and accommodation? Why do we have to bring dry food?"
Li Ya 'er asked.
"Madam, you're right. The workshops are run by the imperial court, and they do provide food and accommodation. But if we don't eat there, we can get more money, which is the food. The living place is very crowded and dirty. But we're all farmers, so it doesn't matter. The children are tired and don't want to come back every night after work. If they could come back every day, I wouldn't have to send them dry food and cooked vegetables every other day."
The old lady spoke very kindly. At first glance, one could tell that she was kind. What she said was, of course, all true. The imperial court had set up many state-run workshops, and they provided food and accommodation. That was a rigid rule of the imperial court.
However, the people in charge of the workshops naturally provided the worst food in order to get some benefits. Therefore, many workers were unwilling to work there. They proposed to buy their own food before the meal instead of the food provided by the workshops.
This was common in many construction sites in the later generations. For example, a plasterer's salary for a day's work was 200 yuan, but they were responsible for their own food and drink. If they ate the food provided by the foreman, their salary for a day would become 190 yuan. In this way, they would lose 10 yuan. Therefore, the workers would choose to bring their own dry food and salted vegetables instead of eating the food provided by the foreman.
This was the real portrayal of the poor people at the bottom of society. Whether it was in the Tang dynasty or in the civilized society of later generations, it was the same.
"You're so old. Why don't you drive a carriage to deliver the dry food? It'll save you some strength. "
Li Ya 'er looked at the long bridge and said.
The old lady answered with a smile, "We have a donkey at home, but the driver has to walk on the road in the middle. He has to pay. The money he has to pay for a round trip is enough to feed our whole family for two days. I can't bear to spend it!"
After saying that, he had a distressed expression on his face, as if he had really been charged. The thing that poor people liked to do the most was to save money. As long as they could save, they would definitely save. Unless they really couldn't save, they would choose to spend money.
Since the sidewalks on both sides were free, they naturally didn't need to spend money to walk in the middle.
"Madam, this bridge has been open for some time. How much has your life changed because of this bridge?"
Li Hanlu asked.
The old lady said excitedly, "It's changed a lot. In the past, we had to take a boat to Jiangbei, and we had to spend money every time. But now, it's different. We can just walk there. Before the bridge was opened, my sons would wander around the village and do nothing except work during the busy farming season. Now, after the bridge was opened, a workshop was built on the opposite side. My children are working in the workshop. Our annual income is several times higher than before. Now, we can eat meat every festival. Our life is getting better and better."
As she spoke, the old lady was so excited that she almost forgot her identity. She began to chat with Li Hanlu.
"By the way, our life has become so good thanks to the officer who built the bridge. If he hadn't brought people to build the bridge, we wouldn't have a good life. He is the great benefactor of our village."
The old lady said excitedly.
"Do you know who the officer who built the bridge is?"
Li Ya 'er asked excitedly.
The old lady smiled embarrassedly and said, "The children all know, but I don't know. I only know that he is an assistant minister. He has the same surname as the current royal family. He is a very powerful person. Our village is grateful to him and remembers his kindness."
After that, her face was full of admiration and gratitude.
Li Ya 'er and Li Hanlu looked at each other and were very proud. After all, the old lady was talking about their husband. Naturally, they were very happy.
"I didn't expect our husband to have such a good reputation among the people. Even the old lady said he is good."
Li Ya 'er couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, you are the family of our great benefactor. I have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Puppy, kowtow to the two ladies."
The old lady was really frightened and hurriedly asked her grandson to kowtow.
After a period of adaptation, the four-year-old child was no longer afraid of Li Hanlu and the others in front of him. He obediently knelt down and kowtowed three times. It seemed that he had practiced a lot. His movements were very skillful.
"Get up. Come, these candies are for you."
Li Ya 'er always had the habit of eating candies. She always had a certain amount of candies and other fruits in her pocket all year round. At this moment, it came in handy. She stuffed all of them into the little boy's pocket, and put the rest in the little boy's hand.
The little boy looked a little silly. Naturally, he didn't refuse, but he didn't thank them either. He just stood there quietly and looked at Li Hanlu and Li Hanlu kindly.
"Madams, how can this be? This old one didn't bring any decent local specialties. If the madams don't mind, you can come to our village and take a look. Our village has a lot of local specialties. It's good to bring some back."
The old lady invited very warmly.
"Wu wu wu wu …"
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