I farmed in ancient times

"Are you here?" Jiang Jinnian held onto the rail of the boat and asked with concern, "Do you want someone to see you off?"

"No need." Jueming said, "Get out of the boat here, and walk a short distance to the Daoliu River, just take a small boat across."

Thinking of Zhong Xin following him, Jiang Jinnian nodded slightly, "Be careful on the road, the fleet will go ahead, I will wait for you in Beijing."

"Okay." Jue Ming waved his paws and watched Jiang Jinnian's fleet leave, with the setting sun and the mighty sail sailing north along the blue water.

In the mansion, I heard that Caesar had lived in Bizhou for many years, and Zhong Xin came to Bizhou for the first time.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jue Ming glanced back at the road, and said to Zhong Xin: "It's too late, let's find someone else to settle down first."

Zhong Xin naturally had no objection. The two walked along the main road and turned when they encountered a small road that diverged. From a distance, they could see smoke rising from the small courtyards on both sides of the farmland.

On the way to the door of a house with a bamboo fence, Jue Ming stopped at the door and shouted loudly: "Is there anyone there?"

There are only three yellow mud houses in the courtyard, and the roofs are still made of straw. Although they look solid, they are a bit dilapidated.Just as Zhong Xin wanted to persuade Jue Ming to change his house, the door of the main room was pushed open with a "squeak" sound, and an old man with snow-beard and frosted temples walked out of the room, leaning on a cane.

The old man stood vigilantly in the courtyard and asked, "What's the matter with this little brother?"

Caesar Ming hurriedly said: "We are from Damo Township in the upper reaches. We came back from going out and saw that it was getting dark, so we wanted to stay here for the night."

The old man was not in a hurry to open the door to Jue Ming, and asked how far it was from Damo Township and who was in Damo Township. He walked slowly to the fence, pushed aside the bamboo fence, and invited the two of them into the house.

During the time I spoke, the sky was already dark, the moon jumped up from the mountains, and the sky was at the junction of darkness and light.

"There are only the two of us, my wife, and there is another bed in the west wing. You can stay in the west wing tonight." The old man pointed to the west wing, and Jue Ming hurriedly agreed, and the old man asked again, "Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet." Jue Ming said cheekily, "We have brought money, and we can buy you some food if possible."

"Why don't you buy it or not?" The old man said, "I'm the head of the house. Tonight's dinner will be treated as my old man's invitation. You guys rest for a while, and I'll go and explain to the lady and let her cook your meal."

Jueming nodded, "Hey!"

Putting down the package on his body, Caesar exercised his muscles and bones. If he is idle, he is still idle. Why don't he go to Dongchu to help out, and it would be good if he can light a fire.

Although Jue Ming was curious as to why there were only two old people at home, not young and old, his rationality told him not to worry about other things, and just stayed overnight.

There was a flurry of noises from East Kitchen, and Jue Ming stood at the door and said loudly, "Let me help you! I also cook every day at home."

The old man turned around, still holding half a bowl of yellow rice in his hand, and said with a kind smile, "No need, the visitor is a guest, how can you be ashamed?"

"I often do it at home." Jue Ming patted himself on the chest, reassuringly said: "If not, you can just kick me out."

Only then did the old man let go, and Jue Ming jumped into the east kitchen. The small kitchen could hardly move away, and the old man was cutting vegetables through a curtain made of hemp poles. Customers shouldn't be asked to do the menial work.

Seeing that the fire at the bottom of the pot was about to go out, Caesar asked if he wanted to add more fire, the old man nodded and said, "If you want it, add some more rice now to cook the porridge."

There was a dilapidated small bamboo chair next to the stove, and Jue Ming sat on it, looking for firewood while looking for firewood by the fire at the bottom of the pot.

There were only some scattered branches and soft firewood on the ground, and thinking that there were only two old people in his family, he made up his mind.

The old man scooped up water from the water tank at the door of East Kitchen, washed the rice, and brought it back and forth to add to the pot. Jue Ming hurriedly stood up and helped him lift the lid off.

Half a pot of sparse rice soup, clear to the bottom.

"The food at home is gone, and I haven't bought it yet." The old man said, adding a bowl of yellow rice, and asked Caesar to cover the lid.

Cassia sat on the small bamboo chair and added a handful of firewood to the bottom of the pot.

The grain yield per mu has more or less increased, but I didn't expect that there are still people who can't even eat the most basic three meals a day.

How could the old man have eaten up all the food?If Zhong believed that the two of us hadn't come, I'm afraid their meal tonight would be a bowl of clear porridge, right?

Caesar got up and went to the west chamber to look for Zhong Xin.

"Take the copper coins and ask the village for some rice." Jue Ming sighed, "Take a lodging rashly, I didn't expect that the two of them would not be able to get rid of the pot."

Zhong Xin understood, quickly took the copper plate, climbed over the fence and walked towards the village.

With less than enough time for a cup of tea, Zhong Xin came back with a small sack in his hand, as well as a chicken and a piece of pork belly, "Last year's rice."

Jueming nodded, and helped him carry his things into the East Kitchen.

Seeing Cassia Ming's posture, the old man hurriedly said, "What are you doing, little brother?!"

"Old man, don't be too polite, it's already troublesome to come to your house rashly." Caesar put down the rice, scratched his head and said embarrassedly: "We are both young people with big appetites. Treat the food as the money for tonight’s accommodation, come here, I’ll cook for you.”

Jueming snatched the knife from the old man and handed it to Zhong Xin, who took it to kill chickens in the yard

There was not much firewood in the house, and Caesar did not dare to waste it, so he quickly cleaned the rice he bought by the side of the vat, and put it into the pot.

After the chicken was killed, Caesar opened the small pot leading to the big rice cooking pot, and tested it with his hands. The water was slightly hot, not boiling water, and it was hot enough to scald the chicken and pluck the feathers.

Give Zhong Xin the water, and Zhong Xin took it to the yard to pluck chicken feathers. Sitting in front of the small pot, Caesia picked up a flint and struck it. The sparks fell on the ignited leaves. Cassia blew carefully, and gradually the leaves started to burn. Smoke comes out, sparks get bigger.

Put the fire-igniting leaves under the soft wood, and the cassia will continue to blow, and the fire will burst up all of a sudden, igniting the soft wood.

Cassia got up and went to scoop up water from the water tank.

Seeing that Cassia Ming cooks so quickly, it is not a temporary practice at all, and the old man finally believes in his saying "Cooking at home often".

Shyly retreating to the side, the old man sat behind the stove to light the fire, and the old man helped Jue Ming with a bowl from time to time to get something.

After the chicken is killed, the pot of hot water that Cassia Ming burns is ready, chop the chicken into pieces and scald the bloody water with hot water, cut off the fat skin, fry lard in the pot, put the chicken nuggets in it Fry and add salt.

At any rate, there was still some soy sauce, and Cassia added soy sauce, added water to the height of the chicken, covered the lid, and the action was done in one go.

The old man sighed in his heart, he didn't expect the two young brothers staying at the hotel temporarily to be so powerful.

If they can make it home in time, the family must have prepared enough food and soft beds for them. There is no need to stay in this dilapidated small earthen house and even cook their own dinner.

A smell of meat wafted from the lid of the pot, and the old man lowered his head, thinking of his son who left home.

In the village, whoever has more children and grandchildren will prosper, and the villagers dare not bully them.On the contrary, if there are few people, unless they have money or status, they will not even have a say in the village.

The rice was almost cooked, so Caesar took a spoon and carefully avoided the rice soup.

Through the curling white air, Cassia Ming's face was blurred, the same wheat-yellow skin, agreeing to such a skilled movement, the old man's lips moved.

His son is so good, how could he run away from home!It must have been delayed!

Jueming didn't scoop up the rice soup so cleanly, he left a little more, put the lid on the pot, put down the spoon and said, "Old man, the fire under the cauldron should be smaller."

The old man lowered his head and moved the firewood from the big pot to the small pot.

Seeing that the firewood was almost used up, Jueming didn't dare to delay, took out the chicken, and threw the chopped pork belly into the pot and returned to the pot, and the two meat dishes were fried like this.

Considering that the old man's teeth might not be very good, Caesar steamed the rice to make it sticky, and the four of them sat in the small cubicle separated by East Kitchen and had dinner.

There was not even a well in the courtyard, so after eating, Caesar used his muscles to stretch his muscles and carry a load to fetch a jar of water.

At night, Zhong Xin and the two of them huddled together on a hard wooden bed, and Jue Ming said, "Leave an ingot of gold for them when you leave."

"Official?"

"Although there must be many people suffering in places we can't see, we have met them. They are not bad-hearted, and they can help if they can." Jue Ming guessed that the old man must be There are children, if not, they will not be able to survive long ago.

Hope gold can help them last a little longer.

It's just that I don't know where the old man's child has gone. Is his father's child good or bad?

Before going to sleep, Jue Ming said in a daze, "Remember to exchange the gold for copper and broken silver, and help them gather some firewood tomorrow morning before leaving."

"Okay!" Zhong Xin replied.

The hard board bed was so tight that Cassia could not turn from side to side, nor could he lie flat, tossing and turning, half asleep and half awake all night.

When the sky was slightly bright, Zhong Xin got up, took the hatchet hanging on the outer wall of the East Kitchen Gate, and climbed over the fence to find dry firewood.

The cock crowed, and suddenly there was a loud conversation outside the door.

Caesar rolled his dry eyes, opened them and got up, pushed open the door of the west chamber and went out.

Across the fence, several men in soft armor glanced over sullenly.

Cassia Ming lost all sleepiness and asked the old man, "Who are they?"

"Isn't this at home! Old slippery man, how dare you lie to me!" The white-faced soldier in the lead yelled, raised his leg and kicked open the bamboo fence, leading people over directly.

"He's not! He's a passer-by who stayed overnight!" The old man waved his cane excitedly, "My son hasn't come back yet!"

The soldier spat, "He is your son!"

As he spoke, he stretched his hand back, and someone immediately handed over a brochure, "Guo Kai, 27 years old, seven and a half feet long, yellow and thin."

Jue Ming understood, this group of people regarded themselves as the old man's son and arrested themselves to serve as soldiers?When did Da Song become so unreasonable?

Just as he was about to open his mouth to explain, the soldier waved his hand, "Take it away, take it away, Yang County is missing your family!"

The old man waved his crutches and stepped forward to stop him, his beard shaking in anger, "If you want to take you, take me, an old man! This little brother is really passing by!"

"Aren't you exempted from military service by paying taxes?" Jue Ming frowned and asked, "Is that why you are so unreasonable!?"

The soldier blocked the crutches with his arms, and was hit by the old man's crutches. He said angrily, "Take it away! If you dare to hit someone in the court, I don't think you want to die today!"

As he spoke, the soldiers behind him immediately jumped up and surrounded Jueming.

If it is empty handed and bare fisted, Jue Ming is really no match for them, so he can only say: "Wait a minute! I will take it and salute."

"Hurry up!" The soldier stretched out his hand to push him, and Jue Ming staggered back a few steps, and went back to the west wing to get his package.

Why didn't Zhong Xin come back when he went up the mountain to collect firewood? !