Zhou Village was an ordinary village by the Yellow River. Every year, they relied on the land to earn a meager income. Whenever there was a break in the farming season, Zhou Liushi would sit by the Yellow River to herd ducks. Thanks to Meton's promotion of artificial incubation, the number of ducks on both sides of the Yellow River had increased exponentially. The Zhou Family's duck herd was just one of the many.
The entire Zhou Village knew that Zhou Liushi missed her two sons the most. When she was herding ducks, Zhou Liushi loved to stare at the Yellow River in a daze. ,
The eldest son of the Zhou Family was doing business in other places, while the youngest son was serving in the army at the border. He was often not at home, so only the second son was by his side. Although Zhou Liushi strongly supported her two sons to go out, it had been years since they came back. How could she not miss them?
One day, Zhou Liushi was herding ducks by the Yellow River as usual. Just as she herded the ducks to the river, she saw her second son running over excitedly.
"Mother, there's a letter from big brother." The second son of the Zhou Family shouted excitedly.
"Really? Who sent it? Quickly thank them. Also, ask about how my eldest son and third son are doing. "Zhou Liushi was overjoyed.
The eldest son of the Zhou Family was doing business outside. Occasionally, he would ask a fellow villager to send a letter back. Even if her son had already paid for it, Zhou Liushi would still thank them or ask them to stay for a meal.
The second son of the Zhou Family shook his head and said, "Mother, it's not from a fellow villager. It's from the imperial court."
"How is that possible? Aren't the couriers only supposed to deliver documents to officials? Why would they send a letter to a merchant like your eldest brother? "Zhou Liushi said in disbelief.
"Mother, there's something you don't know. According to the couriers, the imperial court has reformed the courier stations. Now, the courier stations not only deliver documents to the imperial court, but also to the commoners. The price is only one copper coin. I think that's why big brother wrote to you as soon as he heard about this." The second son of the Zhou Family explained. He told his mother what he had learned from the couriers.
"There's such a good thing?" Zhou Liushi was skeptical. However, her son's letter was right in front of her. She couldn't care less. She said impatiently, "Quickly read it!"
"Mother above …"
The second son of the Zhou Family opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper.
Zhou Liushi was illiterate, and the second son of the Zhou family had only studied at a private school for a few years. Fortunately, the eldest son of the Zhou family knew his brother's standard, so he wrote simple greetings and reported his recent situation.
"Good, as long as your eldest brother is safe!" When Zhou Liushi heard about her eldest son's recent situation, she couldn't help but cry.
"Mother, you can rest assured! Our eldest brother has made a lot of money in Chang 'an with the support of the Mo Village. Next time when he comes back, he will be filial to you. "The second son of the Zhou family comforted him.
Zhou Liushi nodded. She suddenly remembered something and asked, "If the courier of the court can deliver letters, then what about your third brother's letter?"
The second son of the Zhou family said helplessly, "Mother, Third Brother is far away at the Great Wall. He's much further away than Big Brother. Even if we write at the same time, I'm afraid we'll have to travel for a few more days before we can get there."
Only then did the mother of the Zhou family nod. Seeing this, the second son of the Zhou family couldn't help but change the topic, "Mother, why don't we write a letter back to our eldest brother? According to the courier, as long as we stick a stamp on it and send it to the mailbox in the village, it will be delivered to our eldest brother. Just when the courier came, I bought a few more stamps."
The amount of stamps sold was related to the income of the courier station. Almost every courier spared no effort in promoting stamps. The second son of the Zhou family knew that his mother missed his eldest brother and third brother. Plus, the price was cheap, so he bought a few more.
"Write, not only to your eldest brother, but also to your third brother. Tell them that they don't have to worry about the family. Take care of their health is the most important thing." Zhou Liushi said with tears in her eyes.
Soon, the two letters were completed in the hands of the second son of the Zhou family. Although they were simple family matters, they contained a mother's longing for her son.
The same thing happened in the north and south of the Yangtze River. Regardless of whether it was a small courtyard in a village or a big courtyard in a bustling city, everyone was overjoyed when they received letters from their loved ones.
Reporting one's safety, expressing one's longing, allowed countless mothers to stop worrying about their children who were far away from home, and allowed the dreams of countless wives to come true. A small stamp carried a letter from home, filled countless families with laughter, and allowed countless relatives to be reunited across space.
"What!"
Mighty battle cries filled the wilderness. Outside the Great Wall's Yanmen Pass, teams of majestic soldiers were training nervously.
Yanmen Pass was an important border town. Although the Tang dynasty had defeated the Eastern Turks and there had been no wars at the border for a long time, the soldiers at Yanmen Pass never slacked off for even a day.
After a whole day of training, almost all the soldiers returned to their barracks exhausted.
"Zhou Laosan, your letter." Suddenly, the squad leader called out to an ordinary soldier, Zhou Laosan.
Zhou Laosan was stunned. He said in shock, "What's going on? Didn't I send my letter out? Why is it returned?"
"Could it be that your letter is overweight and you didn't put enough stamps on it?" One of the soldiers guessed.
The other soldiers looked at Zhou Laosan gloatingly. One of their soldiers had written a few pages of a letter but it was overweight. In the end, he had to put a few stamps on it before it could pass.
The squad leader shook his head and said, "This isn't a letter you sent out. It's a letter from your family."
"What?" All the soldiers were shocked. They had just sent out their letters and Zhou Laosan's letter was the first one they received at Yanmen Pass.
"Family members can write to us too?" Zhou Laosan mumbled in disbelief.
The squad leader said impatiently, "Of course. As long as there's an address, it can be delivered to you even if you're at the end of the world."
"Oh, it's a letter from Second Brother. He must've heard about the courier station and sent it to me!" Zhou Laosan asked the squad leader to check the sender's name before he came to a sudden realization.
Many of the soldiers looked at Zhou Laosan enviously. They could not help but be touched by his tacit understanding with his family. At the same time, they could not help but look forward to it. It would be great if they could receive a letter from their family and hear news about them.
Fortunately, the soldiers did not have to wait for too long. After the first letter was sent to the military camp, the second letter arrived one after another.
The general guarding Yanmen Pass noticed that many of the soldiers were waiting for the courier station to arrive. Every time a letter was sent back to Yanmen Pass, the entire Yanmen Pass would be filled with cheers.
The same thing was happening in almost all the military camps. Many of the generals were keenly aware that ever since the soldiers under their command had exchanged letters with their families, the homesickness that had pervaded the military camps had been swept away. All the soldiers and soldiers seemed to have taken on a new look.
"His Highness the Crown Prince's courier station is indeed extraordinary. If Yang Guang had such a brilliant method back then, the hundred thousand Guanzhong disciples would've followed him wholeheartedly. They wouldn't have died and the country would've fallen." Many of the generals lamented.
Who would've thought that a small letter could solve the homesickness that troubled countless generals?
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