I

After another two miles, the sky was already dark.

The brothers and sisters picked up dead branches and leaves along the way, took out a broken earthen pot, and prepared to make a fire to cook porridge.

"Cha, chap!"

Zhao Han has already used the fire sickle from the Hou Ye's house.

Put a flint with dry grass, and then rub it with a scythe, and it will ignite in a few seconds.

The price of rice was too expensive, so Zhao Han only bought three catties of millet and three catties of corn.

Millet is yellow rice, one of the ancient five grains.

As for corn, it was introduced to China during the Wanli period. The first planting province was Guangxi, and the second planting province was Henan.Just by looking at such a jump in the region, you can know that there are officials promoting it. No matter what era, there will always be a few good officials who do things.

The people at the bottom have nothing else to ask for, but expect to meet a good official.Moreover, it doesn't have to be the sky, it is enough to be able to do practical things.

"Second brother, I'm here to wash rice." Zhao Zhenfang was very active.

Zhao Han smiled and said, "Then I will leave the cooking to you."

Zhao Zhenfang proudly said: "I would start a fire when I was four years old, and my mother and eldest sister praised me for my ability."

Zhao Han stroked the top of the little sister's head, not knowing what to say.

The water is scooped from the canal, millet and corn are mixed in the pot, and a pinch of coarse salt is sprinkled in, and the aroma of the food will soon spread.

The brothers and sisters feasted, and after they were full, they slept together in cotton cloths.

The next morning, Zhao Han felt something was wrong.

The little girl felt hot all over, and when she touched her forehead, it really was not too hot.

The reality is so unreasonable, Zhao Zhenfang followed the whole family to flee the famine.There was a heavy rain in Tianjin, and I was soaked all over and didn't get sick.When the cold wave invaded, he shivered from the cold at night, but he was still not sick at that time.

But now the weather has turned hot, the temperature was normal last night, I can still eat and wear warm clothes, and the nutrition is relatively sufficient, but I am sick and feverish for no reason!

Zhao Han was afraid that his sister would burn her brain, so he hurriedly asked, "Little sister, can you hear me?"

Zhao Zhenfang opened her eyes, squeezed out a smile, and said weakly, "Second brother, I don't have the strength..."

"Then go to sleep, have some porridge first, the second brother will take you to the doctor." Zhao Han comforted.

There was still some of the multigrain porridge cooked last night. Zhao Han helped his little sister to drink it.

He did not return to Yangliuqing Town. Because of the existence of a large number of hungry people, the shops in the town were closed, and it was impossible to open doors for strangers.

Ten-year-old Zhao Han, carrying his six-year-old sister on his back, followed the canal and set foot on the road to Jinghai County.

Just one mile forward, Zhao Han's legs trembled.

He put the little sister down and tore the cotton cloth used to keep out the cold into several long strips.Then it is tied from the foot to the knee, and slowly wrapped in circles to make a marching weapon - leggings.

If you don't have leggings, you will be overloaded on a long journey. Even if you can reach your destination, your two legs will be destroyed directly.

Zhao Han leaned on the spear in one hand, and supported the little sister's leg with the other, gritted his teeth and insisted every step forward.

Even after recuperating for more than half a month, this body is still too weak, and the physical strength is below the average of his peers.

If it wasn't for the sneak attack at night, it would have been impossible to kill Hou Ye!

I don't know how far I have walked, Zhao Zhenfang suddenly woke up, lay on her brother's shoulder and said, "Second brother, am I going to die?"

"I can't die." Zhao Han stopped to wipe his sweat.

Zhao Zhenfang is still talking to herself: "If I die, I will definitely see my parents and my eldest brother. I just don't know where my sister is. She used to leave me the delicious food. I miss my sister so much these days. ."

Zhao Han comforted and said, "When we grow up, let's go to my sister."

Zhao Zhenfang didn't speak anymore, and she didn't know if she fell asleep.

After walking another two miles, I came across a willow tree that had not been peeled off by the river.Zhao Han couldn't walk anymore, and his whole body was soaked with sweat, so he had to stop under the shade of a tree to rest for a while.

Touching the little sister's forehead again, it was still burning hot.

Zhao Han boiled water from the canal, soaked a cotton cloth with cold water, wiped the little girl's body to cool down physically, and took the opportunity to restore her strength.

When the boiling water is no longer hot, wake up the little sister and drink it.

Dark clouds drifted from the sky, obscuring the sun instantly, and the temperature became sultry.

Don't rain, don't rain, don't rain!

Zhao Han became flustered, and hurriedly carried his little sister on his back again, the little sister who was having a fever couldn't get wet.

"Huhuhu..."

Short and heavy breathing, accompanied by the dull thunder from the sky, Zhao Han could only move forward step by step.He didn't dare to stop anymore, for fear that he would not be able to walk if he stopped, but gradually he really couldn't walk, so he could only sit down and rest, while physically cooling the little girl.

I don't know when, the dark clouds in the sky dissipated, and it seems that God doesn't plan to rain.

Zhao Han breathed a sigh of relief, but the local farmers could only sigh.

Moving on for a few miles, Zhao Han met three farmers, who seemed to be father and son.

These belonged to the tenants, who paid rent only to the landlords and did not have to pay the tax collectors.Fortunately, I met a benevolent landlord who allowed them to default on their land rent and lent them seeds to replant autumn crops.

Zhao Han immediately stopped, put the little sister on the ground, and then picked up the spear to be alert.

The father and son were also taken aback and stared at Zhao Han from a distance.

Confirmed eyes, is irrelevant person.

Zhao Han continued on his way, and the three tenants went to the canal to steal water.

Yes, steal water!

During the dry season, or in case of drought, in order to ensure the smooth flow of water, the Grand Canal does not allow anyone to come to carry water.One of the important tasks of the canal guards along the coast is to prevent farmers from stealing canal water to irrigate their fields.

The two sides crossed each other and looked at each other, both of them were miserable people.

Suddenly, Zhao Han took out a handful of copper coins: "Old man, are you short of money?"

The old peasant said angrily, "Who doesn't lack?"

Zhao Han asked, "How long will it take to get to the county seat?"

The old peasant replied, "A dozen miles away."

"Help me carry my sister to the county seat. These copper coins are for deposit," Zhao Han took out another piece of silver. "When we arrive at the place, the silver will be given to you as well."

"Really?" One of the old farmers' sons was overjoyed.

Zhao Han put the copper coin on the ground and took a few steps back: "Get it yourself."

The old farmer immediately came to pick up the money.

"Wait!" Zhao Han stopped drinking again.

"What's the matter?" the old farmer asked.

Zhao Han said: "Only one person is allowed to go to the county seat, and the others are not allowed to follow. I'm afraid that you will kill people and get more money. Of course, you can also try. I have killed more than ten people with this spear, and I don't want to kill more people." Then three or five."

The three father and son looked at each other.

Zhao Han really had no choice. His physical strength was almost exhausted.

We can only gamble that these three farmers are honest people.

After discussing for a while, the father and son decided that the old farmer and the second son would continue to carry water, and the eldest son would go to the county town with Zhao Han.They were also betting that Zhao Han's words would count, and that they would give some life-saving money.

Continue on your way.

The eldest son carried the younger sister forward, Zhao Han followed behind with a spear, and he would kill anyone if there was any change!

The two stopped and walked, stopping for a short rest every time they advanced two miles.By the way, I fetched water and wiped the little sister's forehead with a wet towel, so as not to burn her due to the high body temperature.

After walking for nearly twenty miles, I finally saw the city wall of Jinghai County in front of me.

When they got outside the moat, the peasant put down Zhao Zhenfang, turned around and said to Zhao Han, "Little brother, I won't go there anymore."

"Okay." Zhao Han took a few steps back, put the broken silver on the ground, then turned around and waited for the other party to pick it up.

No accident happened, the farmers picked up the money and left.

Zhao Han looked at the other side of the moat with a chill in his heart. He had a hunch that he might not be able to enter the city.

It is only because there are a large number of hungry people outside Jinghai County.

Moreover, the hungry have already flooded over the moat, scattered in the residential areas outside the city, begging for food in the streets and alleys.

The people of Jinghai who live with Guo are panic-stricken, and they stay behind closed doors.If it lasts for a few more days, they will also have to run out of food, because there is no way to buy rice on the street.

Zhao Han carried his little sister across the bridge, and the streets outside the city were starving, and there were starving people lying everywhere.

Going all the way to the city gate, the gate is closed.

……

Fei Yinghuan and Wei Jianxiong, the master and servant, left Tianjin a day later than Zhao Han, but they walked fast, and they came to Jinghai County at this time.

"Open the city gate!" Fei Yinghuan yelled.

The guard stood on the tower, saw Fei Yinghuan wearing a Confucian shirt, and replied, "This husband, please come back, the county magistrate has an order prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving."

Fei Yinghuan drew his sword and pointed at the tower, and said angrily, "Let's go and report to the servant Wang, that Fei Dazhao is here. If he doesn't let me in, when I return to Jiangxi, he will spread the word about what he did in Jinghai County. Good thing. Excessive extortion, starvation everywhere, cannibalism... I want to teach him to discredit and make the Wang family be cast aside by the elders of Sang Zi forever!"

Wang Yongshi was the magistrate of Jinghai County.

The guard did not dare to neglect, and immediately ran to report.

Zhao Han's eyes lit up, he asked the little girl to lie down against the wall, tidied up her clothes, walked over, and bowed her hands, "I see you, sir!"

Chapter 008 [Boiling]

under the city walls.

Fei Yinghuan glanced at Zhao Han and said strangely, "Are you... the son of an old friend?"

"My father is a Juren in Wuqing County, Bazhou Prefecture. His surname is Zhao, and he is not Shilang." Zhao Han was full of nonsense, and without changing his face, he directly referred to Xiucai's father as a Juren.

"Zhao Shilang?" Fei Yinghuan thought hard, then shook her head, "I have never heard of your name."

Nonsense, it's a strange thing if you've heard of an inferior talent.

With a sad face, Zhao Han said half-truth: "My father is upright and honest. Although he is a leader, he is still as poor as water. This year, there was a severe drought in the county. My father and the whole family fled the famine and encountered horse bandits in the north of Tianjin. My father, mother, and eldest brother all Therefore, my younger sister and I were lucky enough to survive..."

Fei Yinghuan was a little moved, and when he was staying in Tianjin, he also knew that there were horse bandits outside the city, which happened to match what Zhao Han said.He couldn't help sighing and said, "Alas, in this filthy world, scholars are also in such a miserable situation."

Zhao Han pointed at the half-conscious little sister, raised the spear in his hand, and said, "I took my younger sister to beg for food in Tianjin, and I was often bullied by other beggars. Fortunately, I practiced martial arts with my father. On the way to the south, the younger sister became seriously ill. , I want to enter the county town to seek medical treatment and medicine, but the city gate is closed and cannot enter."

Fei Yinghuan glanced at Zhao Zhenfang, and said sympathetically, "The two of your brothers and sisters are young, so it must have been difficult for them to go all the way up to this point."

It's all high-sounding nonsense, this guy is a master of Tai Chi.

Seeing that the other party still refused to help, Zhao Han knelt down and kowtowed: "Sir, please bring my brother and sister into the city!"

Wei Jianxiong, who was next to him, suddenly helped: "Young master, it's just a little effort."

Fei Yinghuan glared at her servant before saying, "Get up and wait with me."

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the magistrate of Jinghai, the magistrate king, finally appeared on the tower.

Fei Yinghuan greeted with a smile and clasped his fists: "Brother Qi Zhao, it's been a few years, I miss him very much."

Wang Yongshi sternly said, "Fei Dazhao, I heard that you are going back to Jiangxi to ruin my reputation?"

Fei Yinghuan smiled and said, "How dare you, Brother Yu came to Jinghai, but he was exhausted. He wanted to ask Brother Qi Zhao to borrow a few taels of silver for the toll."

Wang Yongshi suddenly scolded: "Fei Dazhao, you bastard, I am the Wang clan of Shanxi Yangcheng, but I have nothing to do with Jiangxi Wang clan. Even if you go back to Jiangxi to spread rumors, I really won't let you enter the city today!"

"Hey," Fei Yinghuan was still laughing, "My brother really won't let me into the city, so why should I come to see me in person?"

Wang Yongshi snorted coldly, and then said to the doorman, "Put down the willow basket and hang up this bastard!"

Full of vulgar language, no scholarly demeanor.

Wang Yongshi, courtesy name Qizhao, was born in Yangcheng, Shanxi. He came from the Wang family of Sanhuai.

The two have been friends for many years, and they have passed the general exam three times together, but they both failed.

Wang Yongshi didn't want to take the test again, so he asked the elders in his family to pay for the position of the county magistrate.During his tenure, he was very popular with the people for punishing the wicked.Ding's father was worried about keeping filial piety for three years, and last year he was transferred to the county magistrate of Jinghai.

There is a Wang clan in Jiangxi, which belongs to the branch of the Yangcheng Wang clan.

More than ten years ago, the Jiangxi Wang clan built an ancestral hall and wanted to rebuild the genealogy, so he sent someone to contact the main clan in Shanxi.Wang Yongshi, as the representative of the main sect, went to Jiangxi to help with the genealogy cultivation. During this period, he met and became friends with Fei Yinghuan.