It was already autumn in Jiaxing.
Although there was still heat from time to time, every day in the morning and evening,
The west wind rolled up the fallen leaves,
A burst of coldness.
Old man Zhang's house had no firewood or rice. His wife had been hungry for a few days with her illness. Today, she finally couldn't get up,
She fell on the mud bed,
She exhaled more than she inhaled.
Old man Zhang and his wife had no children. They were old and weak and could no longer carry the heavy work in the city,
And no one to support them. In the past, they had only relied on the couple to pick up garbage for a living,
They were just waiting for death.
Before he left,
His wife gently held his hand,
She could no longer speak. She just stared at him gratefully and shook her head.
He looked at his wife's wrinkled face that looked like a living skeleton,
He knew that she was saying,
Thank you for taking care of me all my life. Even if you have no children, you don't blame me like the rest of the world. Keep the things. How to die is not to die? Don't waste your energy for me.
However, his wife had suffered with him for half her life. Starving to death... starving to death,
That would be too pitiful for his old wife.
Old man Zhang hesitated for a few days,
He felt that he was already old,
He didn't have to care about his face anymore. He finally made up his mind, hoping to let his wife eat one last mouthful of hot dry rice, so he sold the last valuable thing in the house: a piece of clothing that wasn't so tattered. He wanted to use it as a shroud for the couple's burial. He wanted to exchange for some rice.
Old man Zhang had a pair of inverted eyebrows that drooped listlessly. There was less flesh on his cheeks and more skin. When the cold wind blew, his face swayed, and the cloth on his body also swayed.
When he reached the rice shop, he carefully avoided the beggars who had recently increased in number. The shop assistant was sitting a few meters away from the door, bored.
He held a few copper coins tightly in his skinny claws. He stretched out a small cloth bag weakly and called the shop assistant, "Money... Rice..."
The shop assistant took the copper coins from his hand, weighed them in his hand, and began to pour rice into the small ragged bag.
There were often beggars wandering around the rice shop and grain shop.
A little beggar who often wandered around the rice shop crawled over. Only his eyes were left on his face, and only his bones were left on his body. He was naked and picked up the rice that spilled out when he poured the rice to eat.
The shop assistant pretended not to see it. Old Zhang also pretended not to see it.
After filling up two fist-sized bags of rice, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and a fat shopkeeper strode out. His long robe swayed, and the blue silk on his arm swayed along with it. He slapped the apprentice's small body and said, "You inhumane thing! Using my things as a favor? "
The shop assistant was only fifteen or sixteen years old. After being beaten, tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't dare to make a sound.
The innkeeper snatched the cloth bag and emptied it. He shook the bag until it was half the size of an adult's fist. Only then did he throw it back to the shop assistant.
"Look carefully, these few copper coins are worth the rice. You can't even calculate properly. Do you really want to ruin your master's family? "
The child beggar, who did not care and only focused on picking up the rice grains on the ground, was kicked away. It was lying motionless near the signboard of the rice shop. The flies buzzed around him.
In the dead silence, old Zhang stared blankly at the tattered cloth bag in his hand, which had suddenly lost more than half of its weight. His shriveled lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
Coincidentally, a group of short-haired people wearing linen clothes came to the side of the street. The leader was a volunteer army officer. He wore a red felt hat, bright silk clothes, and shiny leather boots. Ignoring the motionless child beggars on the street and the motionless old man by the shop door, he carefully lifted the hem of his skirt to prevent the dirt on the steps from sticking to the hem. "Brother Shopkeeper, how have you been?"
The innkeeper smiled and said, "Very good, very good." He then helped the officer up. "Oh, please be careful. Don't dirty your boots. The clothes make the man, and the saddle makes the horse. When I saw that you were wearing linen clothes, I almost thought that you were a noble young master. I didn't recognize you and didn't welcome you from afar. Please don't blame me. "
At this time, a mournful howl sounded from the medicine shop not far away. "You're heartless! The medicine wasn't this price the day before yesterday. My family starved for three days. It wasn't easy to raise money, but everyone said that the money couldn't buy a bag of medicine. 'Is your medicine made of gold?!' I'll fight with you! "
The innkeeper was so scared that his hands trembled.
The officer frowned. "You're making trouble again. You clearly saw the Blue Silk on the door. Tsk, you're really bold. "He then said to the innkeeper," I won't go in and sit. Brother, go do your own thing. If you have any problems, come and inform us. "
Murderously, he shouted at the other people with linen clothes and short hair, "Follow me!"
Old man Zhang trembled all over as he watched the poor man in ragged clothes being dragged away in front of the medicine shop.
It was just like … just like when the officials of the dynasty were still alive. They were being dragged away.
Luo Zhaoxue's confused day passed.
Ever since that day when she saw her brother's head rolling down, she was so worried that she became muddle-headed. She didn't know how she got back to her rented room, locked herself in the room, and cried loudly on her pillow. She cried until she was sweating all over. Only then did she fall asleep with a low fever.
The next day, she woke up to the workers' urging knocking on the door. She looked at herself in the crude bronze mirror. Her hair was messy, her face was haggard, and her eyes were still red. She didn't look like the Luo Liuniang who used to wear clothes in front of the mirror and leisurely spend half a day doing her makeup.
She was no longer the spoiled young lady from a wealthy family. After yesterday, she completely lost all hope of going back.
Who would still acknowledge a "murderer" as their daughter?
In the end, she carelessly spread a thin layer of powder on her face, tied up her hair, picked up her work clothes, and listlessly hurried out to work.
After all, the factory owner didn't care who died yesterday or how sad she was. He only knew that she delayed his work by stealing money from his pocket.
These days, she was muddle-headed like this.
When the tiring, stuffy, restless, and sweaty day came to an end, the female workers and some young people still had some energy left to discuss what to eat for supper.
In a daze, she followed them to the night stall and ordered a bowl of wonton.
Before the piping hot wonton was served, the female workers started to make a racket. They used official language with a thick foreign accent to complain, "Shopkeeper, why did a bowl of wonton go from two copper coins to five copper coins?"
A few individual customers who were eating wonton also started to make a ruckus.
The shopkeeper was very unhappy. He was originally afraid that these unknown female workers who showed up in public would dirty his bowl, so he gave them a separate bowl of wonton. But in the end, it was still a business, so he reluctantly entertained them. Now that he saw them taking the lead to make a ruckus, he flung the rag and snorted, "To tell you the truth, the world is in chaos right now. Why didn't the price increase? The price of noodles increased, and so did the price of dishes. If this wonton doesn't increase, how am I going to do my business? This is the price. If you don't eat, I'll take away the bowls and chopsticks. "
The female workers were still angry, but the factory owner repeatedly warned them not to fight with the locals. Otherwise, their wages would be deducted. So they could only sit down and criticize.
The female workers liked to talk about current affairs the most. It was probably because men needed to pay attention to current affairs and observe changes in order to support their families. The female workers, on the other hand, had to support themselves, so they had no choice but to pay attention to changes in current affairs like men.
The female worker with thick eyebrows and big eyes, Shen Chunjiao, pointed at the wonton and sighed, "I bought a cloth a while ago. With that price, I could have bought three bolts. Everything has increased in price, but only our wages haven't! "
The others sighed in unison. The short and pale female worker, Lianzi, was a clever person. She was the kind of person who often spread rumors that had both the beginning and the end. She was the kind of person who was called "clever". She mysteriously said in the crowd, "Hey, do you know why the price is going up? Some time ago, the third young master of the Luo family was beheaded. Did you see it? "
Luo Zhaoxue's chopsticks stopped.
Another tall, hunchbacked, but equally pale female worker, Lady Cloud, shook her head, "Sigh, I don't care. He's dead, and our wages won't increase by a single coin. "
Little Lianzi pushed her, "Who cares about him? I mean, since his death, the revolutionary army has turned the sky upside down. Sigh, they didn't even give face to the old masters in Jiaxing and forcibly divided the land. Look at how happy those Jiaxing villagers are! They used to worship the Bodhisattva and the emperor, but now they've all become the revolutionary army! "
"What, does this have anything to do with the price increase? I'd rather the revolutionary army replace the Bodhisattva and the emperor. The clay Bodhisattva needs to be worshipped, and the corrupt officials sent by the emperor need to collect taxes. They're not as harmonious as the revolutionary army. "
"Bah!" Little Lianzi spat, "Harmonious my ass! How many days has it been? "
"Why do you think the price of rice has been increasing these days? I can't even afford to buy rice with my little wage. I asked the shopkeeper of the rice shop why the price of the same rice has increased by more than three times! The shopkeeper said with his nose up in the air, 'My boss wears Blue Silk and is in the same group as the revolutionary army. If he pays tribute to the revolutionary army, how can he have rice for you lowly people to eat? It's good enough that I'm selling it to you. If you don't buy it, then get lost. '"
She vividly imitated, "I was angry! I jumped up and scratched the shopkeeper's face to let him see the power of women. Then someone wearing linen clothes came over and asked, 'Are you obstructing' free trade '? Then, I saw that linen clothes eat the good tea of the rice shop! "
"Sigh!" Little Lianzi spat again, and the workers immediately showed their righteous indignation.
Lady Cloud shook her head, "Sigh, I don't care. Which dynasty's officials don't do this? Anyway, our wages won't increase by a single cent. "
Shen Chunjiao said, "I don't think so. At least, they chased away those landlords and even divided the land. "She thought of her local relatives in Jiaxing and happily said that their family also got land in the countryside.
"You all only know how to bury yourselves in work, what do you know? Hehe, that land was said to be 'shared by all brothers and sisters,' but it still belonged to the revolutionary army. The poor people in the countryside each got four to five mu of land, and they were very happy. How much did the revolutionary army's lords get? The higher the rank, the more they got! They said that they couldn't buy land, so the Blue Silk took the money, and five taels of silver could 'get' a few more mu of land, you know? "
Lady Cloud still said, "Sigh, I don't care …" and so on.
Shen Chunjiao lowered her head and didn't speak. After a while, she looked up and said softly, "No matter what, I think they are good people. At least Rakshasa is a good person. When they entered the city, they redeemed me from the fire pit of being a slave. "
At this time, Luo Zhaoxue's face darkened. She stood up and said to the female workers, "Okay, shut up. Don't criticize the revolutionary army for no reason. Be careful not to let people catch you. "
Only then did the female workers remember that the army supervisor was here. One or two of them immediately felt uncomfortable and opened their mouths to drink soup and eat wontons.
After telling the female workers to shut up, Luo Zhaoxue's mood was like a plate of firewood.
She thought of the short-haired female ghost general who also had the surname Luo, and the scholar surnamed Yuan who named her Zhaoxue. She wanted to cry, but also wanted to sneer.
You killed my third brother and searched my house. I don't hate you. You are good men. But if you become people like my third brother and father, then I will hate you. Anyway, you bully the local people. Why can you bully them, but not my family!
I hope … I hope you don't become like my family. If that's the case, I will hate you. I will hate you too much!
"I'll treat my brothers to wontons."
Luo Hongfei said to all the generals in front of her.
But she didn't touch a single piece of wontons.
"General, you didn't put poison in it, did you?" A scholar from the landlord Wu family pretended to be calm and joked.
Luo Hongfei said, "Are you full? Then each bowl of wontons is fifty taels of gold. If you don't hand it over, you will be punished according to military law today. "
The foppish Deputy General Zhang, who had been beaten by Luo Hongfei before, spat out a mouthful of soup on the ground. "Luo Hongfei! Are you robbing me? "
"Aren't you robbing me too?"
The others didn't dare to look at the general and didn't dare to understand what she meant. They pretended to be stupid and said, "We don't have the money. Please forgive us, Big Sister …"
Yuan Du was no exception. A bowl of wontons was placed in front of her. She smiled bitterly and said, "My brothers are used to hardship after all …"
Luo Hongfei lifted her robe and knelt down.
"Aiya, Hongfei, what are you doing!" Yuan Du tried to pull her but failed. In a hurry, he knelt down with her too. "If you don't get up, I won't get up either!"
"Big Sister!" A few of them who grew up with the militia trembled and knelt down.
Those who came from aristocratic families also knelt down hurriedly when they saw that something was wrong.
For a moment, the scene was silent. Everyone knelt on the ground. Those wontons were still steaming, but no one took a bite.
At this moment, Li Baiquan rushed in. His face turned pale and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "General, it's bad. Our brothers stationed in a village in Jiaxing have mutinied!"
When he saw this scene, his words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't advance or retreat.
When they heard about the mutiny, the expressions of all the generals changed. Supervisor Zhang's expression was the worst.
"Why did they mutinied?"
Li Baiquan smiled bitterly. "They said it was unfair. A few of them took the lead and said that the higher-ups of the militia had embezzled public lands, accepted bribes from merchants, and colluded with each other. "
"What else did they shout?"
Li Baiquan lowered his head and looked at the blue silk on his arm. Finally, he smiled bitterly and said, "He also … also said that he wants to implement the Yuan Treasury System like Yunnan, and that he wants to restrict the 'rich people from buying land' … He wants to limit the price of goods."
"That's a good mutiny." When Luo Hongfei heard this, she smiled and said to the people kneeling on the ground, "My brothers in the militia are more courageous than us. You feel that it's' unfair '. You feel that you didn't get the glory and wealth after conquering the world, but you only dare to kneel in front of me. Since they dared to openly rebel against the dynasty, they also dared to openly mutiny against us. "
Everyone trembled for a moment, but Luo Hongfei said, "Alright, get up. I'm kneeling, what are you kneeling for? It's meaningless. Go out, the executioners are waiting for you outside. If you don't want to go out, that's fine too. They'll rush in. "
Everyone finally thought that Luo Hongfei was being considerate and knew that they had worked hard to conquer the world. They also needed a little "rest" at all levels. They wanted to raise it high, but they put it down gently. They heaved a sigh of relief and planned to receive their punishment.
Luo Hongfei himself was still kneeling.
When they all left, Yuan Du was still kneeling with her. With a trace of naivety, she said, "If you don't get up, I'll kneel here with you until I die!"
Luo Hongfei smiled faintly. "You're kneeling like a fool. Do you know what they're kneeling for and what I'm kneeling for? "
She looked at the sky outside the window. Her eyes were heavy, and even the clouds couldn't hide the haze in her eyes.
I'm kneeling for the people of Jiaxing. I'm kneeling for my dead brothers and sisters. I'm kneeling for letting them down and letting their blood and sweat go to waste.
What are you kneeling for?
She sighed.
You're kneeling for power. I'm afraid that if you don't kneel, I'll take away your power.
It's a pity that even the so-called "power" of the militia is just a favor from the brothers and sisters of the world.
The power that you all yearn for is not given by me at all. I can't give it either.
At the end of autumn that year. At the frontlines, the dynasty and the militia were still fighting. The militia reported victory and even took down Nanjing.
However, one of them happened in Yunnan. One of them happened in Jiaxing.
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