Bianshanhan [farming]

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the New Year's Day is over, and at this time, Li Qinghong and others are about to leave.

Not only him, but Li Qingfeng followed a group of people to carry the wine barrels, and they also wanted to bring the wine brewed last year and the dry goods collected to the capital.

Li Maoqun was yawning next to him. He lay down late last night and only slept for less than two hours. Now he leads dozens of apprentices to make wine every day, and the sorghum and barley he uses are all grown in the border town.

These years, the harvest has not been bad, and every family has more and more food, which is of course a good thing, but there is too much, and you can’t finish it, and you have to do your best to dry and ventilate it. Some food exceeds a certain number of years, and there is no way eat.

The border town is remote, and it is too troublesome to transport grain to sell. "Three catties of grain and one catty of wine", it is a little easier to make wine and sell it.

This idea did not come up on a whim. After tasting the white wine and beer brewed in the border town, everyone praised it, so it was decided.

When Xu Qingyuan was in the capital, he drank the wine from the border town and tasted its coldness. When he got here, he said that the wine had the smell of the border town, which was unique.

After saying this, he decided to stay in the border town, and wrote a letter to take to the capital, one to the private school and one to his nephew.

Later, when Li Qingwen watched Master Xu and Li Maoqun taste wine together, he realized that he could actually make wine.

Li Qingwen had to leave too, he had to go back to Bingzhou to go to the grave, and then go to Uncle Qin.

He put a lot of seeds on the sledge, these were to be taken to the capital by the third brother, some were to be given away, and some were to be planted by himself.

Before leaving, Li Qingwen went to look for Zhou Yao. Ever since he was seriously injured, Zhou Yao had to check his pulse after seeing him. Until now, she didn't know how Li Qingwen saved the day. Although it was a bit regrettable, Li Qingwen was able to live a good life. Coming down is already the best result.

Because Zhou Zhenzhen has been at Li's house since Chinese New Year, Zhou Yao is extra energetic. As a doctor who is used to seeing life and death, she can calmly face all kinds of injuries, but she cannot match her daughter's sonorous voice.

After hearing Li Qingwen's reason for going to Bingzhou, Zhou Yao's eyes were a little complicated, so Mo Ming said let him endure for another two years.

Letters from the border town flew towards Li Qingwen like snowflakes. He packed several bags and turned into a mailbox in his dreams.

When Li Qingwen left, Jiang Cong was hundreds of miles north of the border town. After saying goodbye to his family and the villagers, the long sledge meandered forward in the snow.

Mao Dundun, raised by Su Yuanbao, chased him out for several miles. The people and the dog Yiyi bid farewell many times, and those who saw that scene wept.

In the past few months, Su Shuqing has been lying down and getting enough sleep. On the way back, he got off the sledge many times, ran along the track marks, and sat all the time, feeling cold.

Everyone went to Linsu together, and here, they were divided into two groups, Su Shuqing, Qi Min and others took a boat to the capital, while Li Qinghong and his fellow clansmen were going back to their hometown in Bingzhou.

At the end of winter, the remaining snow in Liushan County has not yet cleared, and a group of travel-stained people arrived at Yangshu Village.

People from the whole village ran out to respond. The trembling old man grabbed Li Qingwen and the others' hands, with tears in his eyes, and couldn't leave the people in the border town.

Originally, the house of the Li family was still there. Although no one lived in it, the village would help clean it up twice a year. The last time it was cleaned during the Chinese New Year, it is still very clean.

On the first day they arrived in Yangshu Village, they went to have dinner at the house of their grandpa, the oldest family member. The family wanted to bring out everything to entertain them, and they talked until midnight.

On the second day, Li Qingwen and the others went to the ancestral hall to talk to their ancestors and elders about the affairs of the border town. The people in the village took out the genealogy and marked it next to the names of Li Qingwen and Li Qingzhuo. The promising children of Longmen are what the younger generations of the same clan will learn from in the future.

The drinks before offerings in the ancestral hall have also become those of the border towns. Even though they are separated by thousands of miles, they are still connected by blood, drinking a glass of wine together, and sharing the sky together.

Since the severe drought, Yangshu Village has become the most attention-grabbing village in Liushan County. Dozens of households have planted the land of the whole village. They have livestock, money, fields, and grain. Wealthy ones are the ones girls from nearby villages most want to marry.

And because the Li family brothers successively helped many neighbors living outside, anyone who mentions Yangshu Village outside now has to give a thumbs up.

After leaving the ancestral hall, I went to repair the cemetery on the mountain and worship my relatives.

They not only wanted to worship their own family, but also other people. Other people did not come back from the border town, so they burned the paper for them.

The news of Li Qingwen's return quickly spread. Many people from other villages came to the door. Some came back from the pier in the capital, and some people were unfamiliar. It was known at a glance that their children were working in the capital to pay back the ransom money. .

During the few days in the village, every household took turns to invite them, and it was almost time for Li Qingwen and the others to leave.

Everyone else was going to the capital, and Li Qingwen went to Qingcheng by himself.

Qingcheng is the capital city of Bingzhou, Zhu Chun is the prefect there, and Qin Lin is naturally around.

After leaving Yangshu Village, the Li family brothers traveled together for a certain distance, and then separated. Li Qingwen started running around in his teens, and it was the first time he had traveled alone.

Bingzhou was very poor. Li Qingwen knew it very well. He traveled from the capital to Hongzhou for thousands of years and passed through many places. At this time, he had a deeper understanding of the poverty of Bingzhou.

Bingzhou is not a small place. Judging from its size, it can be ranked in the forefront of Daliang. However, it is dry and has little rain. It is not possible to grow crops without land, and everything is useless without water.

Although I have never seen the county chronicles, according to the old people in the village, they have experienced [-] or [-] times of severe and minor droughts since they were young. It is rare that there is no rain like in previous years, and Liushan County is only in Bingzhou a microcosm of .

When Li Qingwen was on his way, it happened that Bingzhou was windy in spring, and the loess covered the sky and the sun. Even if he covered his mouth and nose, the earthy smell still tightly trapped people in it.

This kind of wind occurs every year. Many people say that the wind blows away the rain, but there is nothing they can do.

Against such a wind, the people on the road are covered with dirt, the trees on both sides of the road are thin and weak, and the farmhouses and villages in the distance are also covered with dust.

While lying in the dilapidated inn, Li Qingwen took out a book mixed with thin paper from his bag, and under the dim oil lamp, the familiar handwriting was revealed in front of his eyes. fell asleep.

This letter is from Jiang Cong. It was not written when they parted in the border town, but written last year.

Li Qingwen was very busy studying in the capital, and Jiang Cong would write down the latest events on paper when he was free in the border town. It could be several pages long, with a short line, like a diary.

The time they met was very short. Li Qingwen could imagine Jiang Cong's daily life by looking at these simple records. He was indeed very busy, spending most of the year on horseback.

After waking up, Li Qingwen packed up and continued on his way, and finally arrived in Qingcheng during the spring plowing.

Qingcheng is not small, the streets are low and dilapidated, there are many glamorous tall courtyards, but there are more dilapidated houses, luxurious carriages and dozens of servants can be seen on the street, even though it is from Bingzhou Fucheng, but the other small towns that Li Qingwen walked through here are not as prosperous.

Li Qingwen inquired about the location of the government office, rode straight there, reported his name to the porter of the government office, and waited outside.

Soon, Qin Lin came out quickly, wearing old uniforms, there was still water left on his chin, and the clothes were almost as much dirt as Li Qingwen's.

"Zai'er, you've suffered a lot on this trip, is everything okay at home?" Stepping over the high threshold, Qin Lin held Li Qingwen's hand with both hands, and said with a smile, "Uncle was wondering when you would arrive, but I didn't expect So fast."

"Uncle Qin, don't worry, everything is fine at home." Li Qingwen followed him into the mansion, and fell behind Qin Lin, talking about the border town.

When he arrived at the side hall, Li Qingwen took out his father's letter, and a servant brought Li Qingwen a water basin and cloth towel, and then clear porridge and pickles.

While Li Qingwen was drinking porridge, Qin Lin finished reading Li Maoxian's letter.

After dinner, Qin Lin asked Li Qingwen to rest first, because he had some things to deal with first.

Lying on the hard old wooden bed, although Li Qingwen was tired, he couldn't fall asleep. There was a lot of sand in the porridge, his teeth were sore from scratching, and he accidentally bit his tongue. It didn't bleed, but it hurt a little.

When Li Qingwen woke up, it was already late, and when the boy came over, he said Master Zhu had returned and was waiting for him, so he hurriedly washed up and went to see Zhu Chun.

Compared with the last time in the capital, Zhu Chunhei has become thinner and thinner. He asked Li Qingwen about his studies gently, knowing that his award was detained by Qin Shuyuan, he couldn't help laughing, "Master Qin has sharp eyes, and he can see that nephew Qingwen is really good. As a talented person, I intend to let you stay in the capital to serve."

As if he was the one being praised, Qin Lin patted Li Qingwen on the shoulder proudly, "Zai'er is just as capable as his father."

Although I haven't seen Uncle Cheng so far, Li Qingwen has heard from his mother that the three brothers are especially generous in praising each other. Whether at home or outside, when they mention each other, they can't help but praise each other.

Just like now, Zhu Chungang said that Qin Lin has already started to say that Li Maoxian is bold and courageous, and Cheng Nianming is as careful as a hair.

Zhu Chun has been with him for decades, and he has heard these words countless times, but he still nods seriously.

After finishing speaking, Qin Lin said: "Zai'er, Uncle Zhu and I have read your current affairs policy when you applied for the exam many times, and we couldn't help it for a while, so we mentioned it when we wrote to your father."

Hearing that it was a current policy, Li Qingwen was slightly relieved, it was finally not a poem.

Qin Lin brought over a few sheets of paper, on which were copied the answers from Li Qingwen's exams, one for the provincial exam and two for the provincial exam, word by word.

This was copied from the examination paper by the Imperial Academy, and many copies were distributed to various government offices following the imperial court's decree.

However, these three articles were not published at the same time. They were published in the first two years of the rural examination. Dung pits began to be dug in northern Daliang. After a year of ripe dung, it was used in the fields last year. There has been a marked increase in production.

The last two articles were distributed from the capital to various places after the autumn harvest last year, but the results were not good.

Because these two articles are about public health, they are too trivial to have visible changes like grain production, so many places are perfunctory.

Of course, there are other reasons for this. For example, the firewood in the farm is limited, but the firewood in the city needs to be bought with money. Usually, drinking hot water is used to burn money. It is a bit extravagant, and it is not something ordinary people can insist on. .

Of course, this has to be figured out slowly.

Qin Lin and Zhu Chun thought more than ordinary people. After seeing these, they knew that Li Qingwen wrote them, and they were very excited, because these are practical and useful things that cannot be learned in books.

After reading Li Qingwen's test paper, Qin Lin and Zhu Chun both understood that Li Qingwen is a person who can help the people live a good life, and they wished to go to the capital to find Li Qingwen immediately, but they also wanted to know Li Qingwen's thoughts on his future career, so they couldn't delay Child, so Qin Lin wrote a letter to Li Maoxian.

When Qin Lin said that he wanted Li Qingwen's help, it was not an excuse, but a real difficulty.

After resting in the government office for another two days, Li Qingwen followed Qin Lin out of Qingcheng in a donkey cart, bumping all the way east.

Zhu Chun is a clean and honest official, and the only salary he has is to support his family, entertain guests, and entertain guests.

Originally, the servant Qin Lin was supposed to follow when he went out, but with Li Qingwen around, Qin Lin asked him to stay in the government office to help Zhu Chun.

Qin Lin drove the donkey proficiently. They walked along the path. The mountains in the distance were white. It was not unmelted snow, but a place of bitterness.

The donkey was tied to a tree. Li Qingwen and Qin Lin walked up the mountain and grabbed a handful of soil. The white mixed with it was saline.

There are many such lands in the east of Bingzhou, and the crop yields are extremely poor. Because of this, farmers in two counties have been affected, and the most serious situation is that more than 20 villages starve to death every year.

After Zhu Chun and Qin Lin came, they left these places. Because there was no river, they could not wash the fields with water, and covered them with good soil pulled from other places. However, after a year, the original good soil also turned white. halogen.

Zhu Chun has consulted many people, and even invited people from the capital to help deal with it, but they all said that the salinity here is very serious, and it is difficult to restore it to its original appearance.

The money was allocated from the government office to help the affected people first, but the matter of the fields had to be resolved.

Li Qingwen had planted rice in the extreme north, and his response in the rural examination could increase Daliang's grain production by a huge amount in a year, which was enough to prove his amazing talent in this area, so Qin Lin wanted him to help with this.

It took many days for the uncle and nephew to walk through this saline-alkali land. The villages they passed were dilapidated, and most of them were thin old people and children. The adults who were able to work had to go to the towns to find work. If they can't farm and earn copper coins, they can only starve to death.

Qin Lin has been here many times, and all the old people in the village recognized him, so they dragged him to live in their own house, and cruelly took out the few eggs at home, boiled them, and served them to Qin Lin.

Without Zhu Chun and Qin Lin, I don't know how many people would have died. They are lifesavers.

When the eggs were boiled on the dark stove, the bare-bottomed children in the family watched eagerly. When the eggs came out of the pot, they stuffed their fingers into their mouths, and the saliva kept dripping out.

The host was a couple of old people, they spoke very quietly, and they could hear the kind of hunger and weakness. Qin Lin went to open the rice urn, saw that the inside was almost bottomed out, and asked: "The rice noodles brought during the Chinese New Year, Why are there only these left?"

The rickety old man bowed his head in shame, and the old lady cried and knelt down, "My lord, don't blame me, my grandson fell ill a month ago, and my family had no money to treat him, so I had no choice but to sell rice to save my life..."

Qin Lin helped him up, and said in a gentle voice, "I'm not blaming you, don't panic."

Li Qingwen looked around, it could be said that the house was empty, and the egg on the plate with a big hole was very sad right now.

Qin Lin put the whole family on the kang, took out dry food and distributed it to the elderly, and gave the eggs to the children.

The child looked at his grandpa and grandma, but took it with his hand, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it, rolling his eyes so choked.

Li Qingwen was taken aback, "This is impossible, hurry up, spit it out."

Eggs are sold for money, and where they can be found anywhere, the children were reluctant to spit them out, and swallowed them abruptly.

After eating dry food for so many days, Li Qingwen felt that this meal was particularly difficult to swallow.

At night, when I was sleeping on the kang, I heard the old man coughing non-stop in another room, almost all night long. On such a day, I can’t get enough to eat, and it’s even more difficult to see a doctor. Serious illnesses are waiting to die, and minor illnesses drag on. .

There are more than 2000 families like this.

When he first arrived here, Li Qingwen felt that life in his family was not easy. Now it seems that there are too many people worse than them.

When it was almost dawn, Qin Lin got up first and stuffed a handful of copper coins. The old man and the old lady cried and knelt.

Li Qingwen didn't sleep all night. Hearing the movement outside, he slowly opened his eyes.

He knew that life was not easy, but he still felt uncomfortable.

This month, all parts of Bingzhou are planting in spring, but the land is still dead, and the people who rely on it for food are miserable.

Li Qingwen and Qin Lin walked here for a while, and the county magistrates of the two counties heard the news and came together, both looking bitter.

The people are poor, taxes cannot be collected, and the county government is also suffering. Because of this, several county magistrates have been punished. They also want to do well, but they are powerless and have no money.

Of course, Li Qingwen knew that in saline-alkali land, due to various reasons, the salt in the soil accumulated, resulting in the inability of crops to grow.

There are many ways to improve saline-alkali land in the books, but the effect is mediocre, and the investment is huge. Because the causes of saline-alkali are different, it is very troublesome to treat.

In the previous life, when the technology was advanced, there were no good measures, and Li Qingwen didn't have any good ways to improve it here.

But there is no good way is not no way.

After walking so much, Li Qingwen discovered that these saline-alkali lands are not barren, and there are still many weeds in them. These weeds are of a very single type, and they can survive because of their salt-alkali tolerance.

Therefore, Li Qingwen said to Qin Lin: "Uncle, I don't have a good idea to change the field. Why don't we try to grow something that can grow here."

Qin Lin said: "Zai'er, I've tried to grow all the crops, but it doesn't work."

"Crops are not good, have you tried grass, shrubs and trees?" Li Qingwen asked.

The two county magistrates next to them were stunned. The purpose of planting crops is to eat, and to plant grass and trees to let the common people eat grass and leaves?

Qin Lin knew a lot more about farming than these two, and he said thoughtfully, "Do you want to grow something that can be sold?"

"Yes." Li Qingwen said: "Uncle, I collected a lot of seeds in the border town. I don't know anything else. There are two kinds that can be planted here."

What Li Qingwen is talking about is white thorn fruit and seabuckthorn. White thorn fruit is drought tolerant and likes salt and alkali. The fruit can be used as medicine, and the core can be used to extract oil. Its whole body is full of treasures. It can be used to make wine, leaf tea, and fruit tea. At night, seabuckthorn is similar to that of white thorn fruit, and the fruiting period is shorter.

These two are not what Li Qingwen cares about the most. What he wants to grow is pasture that can grow here. The pasture can be harvested in the year it is planted, used to feed pigs, cattle and sheep, and sold to make money to support the family.

Li Qingwen told Qin Lin what he thought, and Qin Lin applauded, but the two county magistrates looked hesitant, but they didn't speak.

Daliang has always attached great importance to farming. The fields are the lifeblood of the people and the foundation of the country. It is unheard of to feed the fields to the livestock. If they are accused, they may follow suit, but if this matter The decision made by the magistrate has nothing to do with them.

Qin Lin has been a local official with Zhu Chun for many years, and he knows what the land means, but he wants the people to live more. Instead of letting Tian put it aside like this, he might as well give it a try.

However, the seeds are still in the border town. Even if someone is sent to pick them up now, it will take several months to go back and forth. This year, it is already too late.

However, Li Qingwen pulled a lot of seeds to the capital, and if he went to the capital from here, he could give it a try.

Although Qin Lin spoke slowly, he did things without delay. He immediately returned to the government office with Li Qingwen and asked Zhu Chun to send someone to the capital immediately.

By the way, Li Qingwen also sent a few letters to the capital.

After everyone left, Zhu Chun pondered over Li Qingwen's method carefully, and the more he thought about it, the better he felt, and a hearty smile appeared on his dark face.

Although the seeds haven't come back yet, Li Qingwen has a lot to do. Follow Qin Lin to visit various villages, record household registration, population, age, taxes, autumn harvest, firewood, water wells, etc. Li Qingwen couldn't hold back his money The bag was pulled out.

Drilling wells in villages where water is hard to come by, buying chicken cubs for poor families, and letting them raise the chickens well, whether it’s selling chickens or eggs, at least it can supplement their families. …

Qin Lin not only spent all his salary on the poor people, but also sold most of the things he received from Li Maoxian every year, and scattered them out. He and Zhu Chun have always been so poor, but he didn't want to Li Qingwen spends so much money, there are too many people in this world living a hard life, this is just a drop in the bucket.

Li Qingwen also understands this truth, he records every expense, and only waits for Zhu Chun to stamp him with the official seal and send it to the household department. If he can make up enough money, he can exchange it for a plaque written by the imperial pen.

Li Qingwen knows the difficulty of having no money, but he doesn't keep his money like his life, and he doesn't like to squander it. Food and drink expenses are ordinary, he has land, property, a lot of gold and silver treasures, and a capable sweetheart...

While Li Qingwen was busy in Bingzhou, the border town dispatched troops to the north, and the Luoche people across the river took the lead in attacking. They had the best boats, but none of them landed alive. There were countless casualties.

Jiang Cong, holding a strong bow, turned the river into a moat. Countless soldiers of the Luo Che Kingdom fell into the water with arrows and never climbed up again.

Blood stained the banks of the river red, and the land under the setting sun was no longer peaceful.