Zhao Yongtang wiped his face and recounted his unlucky experiences during this period.
"Son, what should we do?" I am also at a loss. His family is the lowest level of the poor, and he has no ability to resist. At this time, it is too late to regret that he has to take care of others.
"Mom, I have actually figured it out during this period. I don't have a fixed livelihood. Apart from doing odd jobs at the dock, I just carry big bags. There are jobs one day, and there are no jobs one day. I just hang out one day at a time. I'm here
After the military camp, I discovered that I liked life in the military camp. I lived a fulfilling life every day, even though I was very tired, but I discovered that I liked practicing with guns, standing in queues, and living a life of obeying orders and prohibitions every day."
His wife, Mrs. Lu, touched his forehead with her hand and said worriedly: "Master, do you have a fever? Since ancient times, a good man will not make nails, and a good man will not be a soldier. The soldiers are all Qiu Baye, which makes people hate him.
You're so scared. Why are you still running to be a soldier?"
Zhao Yongtang took out a red passbook from his arms, handed it to his mother, and said: "Mom, this is my military pay passbook. Now, the Beijing camp is not what it used to be. Uncle Dingyuan does not deduct military pay, and the pay and silver are paid in on a monthly basis."
You have kept our bankbook. You can go to Xinghe Bank in Xuanwumen every month to withdraw money. No one can embezzle our money without going through the hands of an officer."
The old lady took the passbook with trembling hands and asked, "Son, how much military pay will I give you each month?"
"Now the military salary is paid by Your Majesty from internal funds, because the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money at all. It's five silver dollars a month. If we go out, it will be doubled, and it will be one tael of silver a month. It's much more than what I earn from doing odd jobs."
This is not a small amount of money. The surrounding neighbors only earn more than 2 yuan of silver per month. Some of those who are literate, or can write and count, only earn more than 3 yuan of silver.
Qi Jiajun's salary was high, only three yuan more than one month's worth of silver. It can be seen that Chongzhen was determined to rectify the Beijing camp this time.
The old lady said: "If you are willing to make more money, I have nothing to say, but being a soldier means fighting. You said you would leave after the New Year. I am worried about your safety."
"Mom, I have no way out now. I just decided to go into battle and give it a try. Kill the enemy, perform meritorious service, and serve the court. Maybe I can get you a royal wife."
His wife and mother wept relative to each other. Now that things were like this, there was nothing else we could do except follow him on the Western Expedition. Deserters would be beheaded.
At this time, the door rang, and a pair of children came back. They went to pickle garlic for the pickle shop at the corner of the street.
The elder sister is thirteen years old this year, and the younger brother is only ten years old, but they have already started working for the family. For every ten kilograms of garlic harvested, they can earn one copper coin.
My wife and my mother took over some of the work for the coolies at the wharf, washing and mending their clothes. Commonly known as seamstresses. These coolies did the most tiring work and could only make do in Hukou. Many of them were single and only had their clothes worn out.
It can be sent to these people's homes for repair and starching.
"Dad, are you back?" A pair of children ran over, hugging Zhao Yongtang and crying.
"Good boy, let's not cry. Daddy has brought you something delicious." Zhao Yongtang hurriedly tore off two pieces of the soy pig's head and stuffed them into the hands of his children.
The two children looked at the pig head meat in their hands in a daze. These two poor children had never eaten meat when they grew up. Many poor people in the Ming Dynasty could not eat meat more than once in their lives.
"Is it delicious?" Zhang Yongtang asked.
"It's delicious, dad, you can eat it too."
Zhao Yongtang wiped his tears and said, "You guys can eat it. Daddy has meat to eat every day in the military camp."
"Mom, daughter-in-law, let's make dumplings today. We have chopped up more than ten heads of cabbage and five pounds of meat at home, wrapped them up, and frozen them. Let's have a good New Year this year. When we go to war, my son will also go to war.
Make meritorious deeds in the past and give the children a future."
My mother and my wife wiped their tears and got up to make noodles. A pair of children also ran over to help. The family was happily busy. This was the first time in many years that they could eat meat-filled dumplings during the Chinese New Year.
"When I finish making the dumplings, mother and daughter-in-law, I will take you to Xinghe Supermarket. Now, the military households in the Beijing Camp are applying for food books. We will do it today. From now on, you can go to the supermarket to buy them at home.
Cornmeal and other grains are available at low prices.”
The wife asked happily: "Is it the kind of food book that old Hu's family in the front yard has? His family works on a road construction site and can get a food book. In Xinghe Supermarket, you can get a food stamp for one cent."
The money can buy three kilograms of cornmeal."
"Yes, it's that kind. You have to bring the household stamp to apply for it. The whole family can go there. Now, thanks to Uncle Dingyuan's grace, military households can also apply for it. From now on, you won't be afraid of starving. Three kilograms of cornmeal, no matter what
Whether it's making porridge or making pancakes, it's enough for one day. It only costs thirty cents a month. What a good thing." Zhao Yongtang said while picking up the cabbage gang.
"After dinner in the evening, our family will go shopping. The second month's salary will be paid soon. Everyone in our family will make new clothes, make a new bedding, and buy an iron stove.
Buy a thousand pieces of briquettes to keep your home warm."
The old lady said distressedly: "As for how much money it will cost, let's save it and save it all. Save it first to save the dowry for my granddaughter and save it for my grandson to get a wife."
"Mom, when winter comes, you are out of breath and coughing. This year we will make it warmer and we are getting some medicine to treat you. We won't keep the money. We will start training next month, and the salary will be once a month.
It’s two silver coins. It won’t be too late for us to save money in the future.”
After an afternoon of busy work, the dumplings were all wrapped and placed outside to freeze hard. They were stacked one layer at a time in a large vat with a curtain, and the lids were covered with stones to prevent them from being eaten by mice or cats.
Zhao Yongtang boiled water again, mixed some mud, cleaned the cracks outside the house, and then went out. He went to the coal station and bought a second-hand iron stove that was unwanted by others and a set of stove tubes.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! He bought another thousand briquettes. Because he was from Beijing, the coal station gave him a preferential price and was responsible for delivering it to his home for installation.
Zhao Yongtang went back to buy some waste paper, which was paper that had been written on. When he got home, he asked his wife to make some pulp, and re-papered the windows, and carefully sealed the window seams.
The newly installed iron stove is very well designed. It can either use the stove tube to exhaust the smoke through the opening in the window, or it can be connected to the kang hole to let the smoke burn the kang at the same time. Just use a plug-in plate to seal one of the flues.
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Because I bought coal for more than 1,000 yuan, there was also a metal kettle on the stove cover, which was steaming. As the fire of the briquettes started, the temperature in the house suddenly rose.
It has become very warm because of the heating equipment and the cold wind cannot blow into the house.
The temperature in the room has come up, and I no longer cough.
After dinner, the family sat around the heated Kang and drank boiling water. Zhao Yongtang also put a little sugar in each bowl. His wife felt distressed and quickly collected the sugar and hid it in the cupboard.
Things like white sugar were considered a luxury item in the Ming Dynasty. They did not dare to be misused casually.
Zhao Yongtang hugged a pair of children, his eyes were red.
I cursed in my heart, this is the fucking way people live.
The two children drank the boiling sugar water in small sips, sticking out their tongues when it was so hot. Grandma asked them to slow down, but it was useless.
"Dad, can our family live like this in the future?" the daughter asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, you must be obedient at home. When dad comes back from the war, things will get better and better in the future."
Tatar heads are the hardest to cut off, so they are the most valuable. If you cut off a Tatar head, you can get an official promotion by one level, plus 20 taels of silver. If you don't want an official, you can get 50 taels of silver.
Later, the Jurchens became more and more courageous as they fought, and became as terrifying as the Tatars. As a result, the price of the Jurchens' heads also increased. At first, it was half that of the Tatars, and later it was the same as the Tatars.
Zhao Yongtang was thinking that if he could behead more Tatars this time, his family would not be short of money.
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