Chapter 13 The Sufferings of the People
"Xiumei, go find out which village this mountain belongs to." Wei Ruo ordered.
"Okay."
Xiumei trotted in the direction of the people. Most of the people working in the nearby fields were locals. Asking them would get the answer Wei Ruo wanted.
After a while, Xiumei came back and told Wei Ruo that the mountain was called Xiaoyang Mountain, and it was the property of a village called Yueying not far away. Because the terrain was relatively steep, the cost of cultivating the terraces was too high, so it had been left uncultivated. This village The villagers are all cutting firewood on that mountain.
"Did you ask them if they were willing to sell it?" Wei Ruo asked.
"Of course I asked."
Xiumei has been with Wei Ruo for so many years, how could she not know Wei Ruo's thoughts.
"Although the person I asked is not from Yueying Village, he said that as long as the price is right, the villagers will definitely agree to sell it. Because of the Japanese pirates in recent years, the people of Xingshan County have been having a hard time, and Yueying Village is even more miserable. , other villages still have several acres of farmland, but Yueying Village is full of barren hills that are inconvenient for farming." "
Yes, I understand."
Grandma Zhang couldn't help but listen to the conversation between the master and the servant. Laughed out loud.
"Miss, do you want to buy this Xiaoyang Mountain?"
"I'm just asking to find out the situation." Wei Ruo said casually.
"It's okay to ask, but the thought of buying a mountain should be kept in your stomach, young lady. Our school captain's office also bought Mantou Mountain three years after we came to Xingshan County. Even though the people of Xingshan County are not living well now. It's better. The price of that mountain can't be too low. Don't even think about it if it's less than a thousand taels of silver." "A thousand taels
... that's indeed a lot of silver." Wei Ruo murmured, with a look on his face. Thinking.
"Miss, it's good that you know. If you miss your days in the countryside, then go to Mantou Mountain for a walk and see your own fields, but don't do it yourself like before, otherwise the long-term workers will laugh when they see it. of!"
Only the people in their house know about growing vegetables in their house, and the shame is also left on the family.
If she couldn't help but do this outside, then this person would be disgraced to the entire Xingshan County.
"Okay."
Wei Ruo didn't confront grandma this time, and turned around and went back to Mantou Mountain.
After walking around for a few times near the foot of the mountain, we went back.
###
In the school captain's house, Wei Qingwan was supervising Wei Yilin's copying of "Xue Er".
Wei Yilin has been active and playful since he was a child, and is not the material for studying.
Today, he was sent back by his husband for making trouble in school. When he found out, Yun was very angry and ordered him to copy "Xueer", with Wei Qingwan responsible for supervision.
Wei Yilin pursed his lips and was very reluctant. He wrote few words and looked around from time to time.
"Yilin, hurry up and write, otherwise you won't be able to finish it even when it gets dark, and you will be hungry if you don't have dinner." Wei Qingwan said with a distressed look on her face.
"Three times is too many! Sister, my good sister, please help me copy. You can imitate. If you imitate my handwriting, my mother won't be able to tell." Wei Yilin coquettishly begged Wei Qingwan to help him.
"It won't work..." Wei Qingwan looked embarrassed.
"Sister! My good sister! You are my only good sister!"
Wei Qingwan was moved when she heard this "only".
Now in the family, only her younger brother is devoted to her, and she doesn't want to lose his love and trust in her.
"Then...okay." Wei Qingwan said, "But I will only copy it once for you, and you still have to copy the remaining two times yourself." "No problem!" Wei Yilin immediately became happy, "I knew my sister was The one who loves me the most is no more than the new one, who doesn't know what to do day by day, and today she actually asked her mother to let her go out." "
She went out? Where did she go?" Wei Qingwan said in surprise.
"I went to the north of the city and said I went to see the farming. Do you think she is weird? She likes farming so much, so she could just stay in the countryside. Why would she come back?" Wei Yilin said with disgust.
"Did mother accompany her?" Wei Qingwan asked.
"She went by herself. Mom is so busy and has so many things to worry about at home, so she doesn't have time to accompany her to do that kind of thing!" "Is
that so..." Wei Qingwan was thoughtful, looking a little downcast. .
Seeing Wei Qingwan's sad look, Wei Yilin quickly comforted her: "Sister, don't worry, although my mother is very good to her, I'm sure she is the same as me in her heart. She must like you far more than Wei Qingruo." !"
Wei Qingwan shook her head: "It doesn't matter, she has suffered in the countryside these years, and her parents should treat her better. I owe her, how can she ask her parents to treat me better? How is she?"
"Sister, you just think too much and think too much about other people." Wei Yilin said helplessly with his mouth flat.
"We are a family, and I should think about everyone. Yilin, you are not young anymore, so you should think more about your parents and stop making trouble." "I understand, I understand." He promised
. , in fact, I didn’t take it seriously at all.
###
On the way back from the north of the city, Wei Ruo looked at the scenery along the way through the carriage window.
She saw many more beggars begging along the street than anywhere else she had been.
The streets were not as prosperous as she had imagined in the county town, and were not as lively as the town of Huaibei.
After asking Grandma Zhang, I learned that many of them were local fishermen. They were reduced to this situation because the Japanese pirates were causing trouble and they were unable to fish and lost their livelihood.
In addition, in recent years, due to bad weather, erratic wind and rain, rice production has been greatly reduced, farmers have failed to harvest, and some people with a weak foundation have been reduced to begging to survive.
Knowing the reason, Wei Ruo looked at the ragged and skinny beggars again, and his mood couldn't help but feel a little lower.
Especially when their eyes met her, a rich lady dressed in gorgeous clothes and riding in a carriage with servants accompanying her, Wei Ruo, a modern soul, couldn't help but tremble slightly.
There was no light in their eyes. When they looked at Wei Ruo, their eyes were empty and numb, without jealousy or hatred, as if they had accepted this miserable life.
After walking for a while, Wei Ruo saw a vendor selling seafood.
After asking about it, I learned that the fishermen went out to catch it in the middle of the night, risking being killed by Japanese pirates.
But because everyone's living conditions are not very good, the sales are not very good, and there are still a lot of baskets left.
Wei Ruo saw that the seafood was very fresh and asked Xiumei to buy them all.
Hearing Wei Ruo say to buy them all, Granny Zhang, who was traveling with her, immediately showed her eyes widened, and then said to Wei Ruo as tactfully as possible: "Miss, seafood is not cheap. There are fewer people selling seafood now, and the price It's too high, this big basket costs at least two taels of silver!"
Where did Wei Ruo get the money to buy so many things?
If you take something else and can't pay it back, it will bring disgrace to the captain's office.
Otherwise, she would get the money on credit first and ask someone to go to the principal's mansion to collect the money. Then the principal's mansion would have to pay for her willful behavior.
"Well, I know, I use my own private money." Wei Ruo could see what Nanny Zhang was worried about.
Private money? Where did she get her private money?
(End of chapter)