Dawei Fanghua

Sure enough, within a few days, people from Luoyang arrived.

Wang Kang went to the Qin family's house early in the morning, and even Mrs. Dong herself went to help with the cooking.She didn't see clearly who were coming from afar. She only saw the Qin family entering the gatehouse with two guests, followed by several soldiers with weapons.But she could guess that these people were from Luoyang.

The yard was very lively. Several villagers pulled a black pig out of the mix, and Rao Dashan was skillfully sharpening a butcher's knife.Pigs neighed and people yelled, making a huge noise.Rao Dashan has no real name. "Dashan" is the nickname given to him by his father. I heard that he and his father used to be butchers who specialized in killing pigs.

After killing the pig, various smells quickly wafted into the air. The smell of pig manure, fishy smell, and roasted pig hair were all mixed together. The smell was a bit nauseating.

But none of this could affect the guests. The two distinguished guests only showed up once and had already gone to the front hall.

Near noon, Mrs. Zhang personally selected people in the courtyard, selected a few good-looking women, and allowed them to enter the hall to serve food, so as not to disappoint the guests.Of course not those ugly-looking women whose clothes are dirty and torn.

Mrs. Dong was also assigned the task of serving food, tea and water.Mrs. Zhang told them that when serving food, they should kneel down next to the table and not look around, let alone raise their heads and stare at the guests.

So Mr. Dong entered the hall twice, but failed to see clearly the people inside.But she knew Erlang was also at the table because she heard his voice.

After everyone had cleared the food table, Mrs. Dong brought several bowls of tea into the hall.When she turned back to go out, she suddenly saw Erlang outside.The entire house was built on a platform, and Erlang stood beside the wooden railing on the platform.He was holding on to the railing, probably because he had drunk too much and wanted to get some air.

Erlang said something to her, and she listened intently, but she couldn't fully understand it.She was in a hurry to work again, so she couldn't think about it carefully.

After working hard for a long time, it still paid off.The Dongs were given a little bit of raw pig blood and offal, as well as half a piece of roasted pork leg and a stewed pork leg bone with not much meat left. Of course, these cooked foods were all leftovers collected from the hall.

They took the things home, and Agu (mother-in-law) had already made wheat cakes.The bread made by grinding wheat bran and wheat flour together is like putting vegetables in it.

When the aunt saw the meat, she kept saying, "Good people in the master's family are rewarded."Wang Kang also echoed and said: "The Qin family has always treated villagers and farmers well. We have accumulated good relationships and are now going to make a fortune."

On the contrary, Mrs. Dong didn't know what to say, and she felt a little unspeakable in her heart.

I heard my aunt mention it before that the Wang family's family background was good a long time ago, so Wang Kang was able to attend a private school when he was a child and could read and write sentences.Later, the embarrassment of livelihood seemed to gradually smooth out many things.

Although eating meat is rare, these are leftovers from other people’s meals.Of course he knew, but he was still grateful with Agu, already numb to it all.

Mrs. Dong didn't say anything, let alone blame her husband. After all, most villagers and farmers lived like this. Some people wanted leftover meat but couldn't get it.Everyone thought it was nothing. She didn't know why she had those thoughts.

Perhaps, it was just because I had a glimpse into the lives of the Qin family and those officials.If she had never seen it before, then she wouldn't have such strange thoughts, right?

Ms. Dong quickly took care of the things she brought back. She picked up a knife and planned to pick out the meat from the gap between the pork leg bones and then roast it with the remaining half of the meat.The bones are left for stew.While working, Mrs. Dong remembered what Erlang had said before, and silently pondered what it meant.

Erlang asked: Have you been to far away places?

Dong replied at the time: The furthest he had ever been was the county town.Erlang's response was probably: When you leave the Qin family manor, you will probably see another manor, and the scenery may not be as good as ours.We have mountains and rivers here.

However, Dong still looked forward to going to Luoyang.She had started packing her clothes and luggage this morning, and she had been in a good mood these past few days.She was almost unaware of her husband's farewell before leaving home.

Dong didn't have many long-term plans and didn't expect to get anything from Erlang.In her heart, her literate husband Wang Kang is very good. Now that Wang Kang has recovered from his illness, she is even more satisfied with the current situation.However, when she thought about being able to go to Luoyang, she was still very happy and looking forward to it, for no reason.

... As he left his hometown for Beijing and was about to leave, Qin Liang felt a little inexplicable.

Looking at the earthen walls of the manor, the low gray houses, and the gatehouse in front of the mansion, he felt that it seemed particularly friendly at this moment.The transportation in this era was not very convenient and the roads were long and blocked. He couldn't help but think about when he would be able to return after this separation.

My brother-in-law didn't stop until he reached the bank of Mingdu River.Luoyang is in the southwest, and Qin Liang and others have to cross the river first.

My sister-in-law repeatedly told me about trivial matters, and my eldest brother spoke earnestly and sincerely about how to be a good person. They talked a little more than usual.Qin Liang could feel that the reluctance of his relatives was sincere, but his brother-in-law's hope that he would go to Beijing to do something that would bring honor to his family was also sincere.So reluctance does not mean staying.

After Qin Liang got on the ferry, he said "Go back" and didn't worry too much.

There were two officials sent by the general's palace and about ten soldiers.

The civil official's name is Chen An, and he is probably a minor official in the general's palace.The military commander's name is Sun Qian, a military captain. He is not very good-looking, with a relatively large face and small facial features. If he takes off his official uniform, he is the kind of person who is not easily noticed in the crowd.

From Pingyuan County in Jizhou to Luoyang City in Sizhou, the place passing through is the boundary between Hebei and Henan. It belongs to the hinterland of Wei State, so there should be no danger.Military general Sun Qian seemed a bit redundant. Qin Liang felt that it would be enough for the general's office to only send Chen An.

However, after getting along along the way, Qin Liang found that Sun Qian was easier to get along with, and the two talked happily.Chen An, the history official, was cautious in his words and deeds and was not very willing to speak.With little communication, Qin Liang could not easily judge his personality.

When he went out this time, Qin Liang was accompanied by Rao Dashan in addition to Wang Kang and his wife.However, Qin Liang was not with his entourage. He rode with two officials.

The carriage made a lot of noise when it moved a little faster. There were many times when they didn't want to talk and just looked at the scenery along the road when they were bored.The three of them stared out the window for a long time, each seemed to be thinking about something, or guessing what the other was thinking.

There were only a few cars and horses on the long post road, and it was indeed very peaceful. There was no sign of bandits at all.Along the way, Qin Liang even felt that this fertile plain was very desolate and deserted.

Since the end of the Han Dynasty, the population has indeed decreased significantly due to fighting in various places, but the actual remaining population is far more than the millions listed in the household register, because the gentry manor has hidden countless attached farmers.Among the three kingdoms, Wei has the largest population, estimated to be tens of millions.

It is said that during the Taizu period, taxes accounted for about [-]% of people's harvests, and civil strife often occurred because people were overburdened.In recent years, the monarchs, ministers and nobles of the Wei Dynasty have become increasingly dissatisfied with their lives. Coupled with frequent wars, the taxes and levies on the villages have increased to sixty-seven tenths. The level of exploitation has never been seen in ancient times, and the rise and fall of various places | On the contrary, righteousness has been greatly reduced.However, it has become obvious that the world is lacking vitality.

When Qin Liang thought of this, he was speechless.

Now that he walked out of the Qin family manor, he could only look in the direction of Luoyang and could no longer look back at the way he came.