Qin Shanshui walked on the loess land with his mother-in-law on his back and his daughter who had just turned 5 years old.
Their shoes were worn out, and their soles were bruised and blistered when they walked on the ground barefoot.
He gave the only bit of water he had to his daughter to drink, and the corners of his mouth were chapped and bleeding.
"Master, please leave me behind! I can walk faster with Yun'er."
Qin Shanshui roared: "Shut up, I will help you all survive.
I heard that once we reach the Weihe River, we will have a way to survive.
We are almost there, you must hold on."
Qin Shanshui and the others fled from Suidezhou.
He was originally a tenant of the gentry, and there was a lot of rebellion in the area.
He heard that in many villages, the gentry were massacred by rebels.
Most of the young men in the village were hijacked by the rebels and driven to attack the city.
The elderly and children were killed directly, and the women were kidnapped.
They had been worried that rebels would storm into their village, but they never expected that the nightmare would really come.
He went to his father-in-law's house that day, and when he returned to the village, he saw a fire burning in the village from a distance.
He knew that the village had been invaded by rebels and that his parents and eldest brother might be dead.
He fled immediately with his wife and daughter and became a refugee.
They followed the large army of refugees and fled southward.
He knew some hunting skills, and he ate weeds and insects and caught some hares and voles to satisfy his hunger.
Sometimes he would follow the large army of refugees, grab some food, and escape all the way to Fengxiang Mansion.
The refugees didn't know where to go at first, but they heard rumors that everyone south of the Weihe River could have food to eat.
They fled all the way south.
Along the way, Qin Shanshui saw many human tragedies.
Some people couldn't help but eat dirt and soon fell on the road.
The next day, his body was gone.
Qin Shanshui also saw that someone in the team directly exchanged children.
At first he didn't understand what these people were doing.
Until he saw someone eating meat.
At that time they traveled through the driest areas.
There is not a blade of grass in a radius of ten miles, and even field mice cannot survive in such a place. How can they have meat to eat?
What are you eating? You’ll understand if you think about it carefully.
This sight made Qin Shanshui's hair stand on end.
He and his wife looked like thieves to each other. If anyone approached them, they would be beaten away with sticks.
To prevent his daughter Qin Yun from being eaten as food by these hungry and crazy people.
Qin Shanshui had been a hunter and was very strong. After maiming two people, no one among the refugees dared to mess with him anymore.
When they passed through the city, the city gates were closed and there was not even a place to put porridge. Officers and soldiers were sent to drive them away.
As we approached the village, many villagers stared angrily, holding sickles and hoes ready to fight.
The difference between a bandit and a refugee is exactly the same word.
When encountering poorly defended villages, refugees turn into homeless thieves.
Qin Shanshui also followed the large army and looted the village.
Their whole family was able to get here alive, and they just robbed a bag of grain from a wealthy family's home.
But he didn't dare to kill anyone. He knew that once he killed someone, he would not be able to control himself.
Along the way, Qin Shanshui saw many refugees who were killing people.
Without exception, these people took the initiative to find bandits to join with the young men in the team.
It's not like this group of refugees who specialize in taking remote roads to avoid rebels and prevent them from being kidnapped.
Qin Shanshui walked hard step by step. He didn't know how long he had walked.
He felt severe pain in his stomach, and his stomach was about to be digested by itself.
He felt that his strength was gradually disappearing.
Suddenly I heard a burst of cheers from the team in front.
"We're here, there's a porridge shed ahead."
Qin Shanshui cheered up, fearing that the porridge would be eaten by those in front of him, so he wanted to walk forward quickly, but he didn't have the strength to walk fast.
He heard a loud bang.
The refugee team immediately dispersed, but no one ran far, looking eagerly at the cauldron in front of them.
The aroma of food coming out of there made these hungry people unable to move away.
Qin Shanshui saw a man with a scarred face lying in front of the cauldron.
A big hole was opened in his chest by something unknown, and blood kept flowing, dyeing the yellow earth red.
This is the dominant figure in the refugee team. Except for a few young men like him, no one dares to mess with this person.
Other refugees are often bullied by him.
Qin Shanshui saw a big man carrying an iron pipe come out and yelled:
"In front of me, you dare to kill people and seek death.
You had no laws before, and some people had no taboos.
But when we got here, there were rules again.
Those who want to drink porridge line up, follow the direction of the road, and there is a porridge shed in front.
Once you cross the Wei River, someone will come to settle you down, and you can all live a good life from now on."
The refugees were so frightened that they lined up seriously even though they were hungry.
Qin Shanshui saw that the team was moving very slowly, and he was very anxious.
I kept praying in my heart that these porridges would not be eaten up.
He found that he could smell the aroma of food and felt relieved.
Soon it was Qin Shanshui's turn. He saw that the large pot was filled with a paste made from rice bran and wild vegetables.
The porridge man scooped out a bowl of rice bran paste, poured it into the bamboo tube next to him, and handed the bamboo tube to him.
Everyone is given a bamboo tube.
Qin Shanshui took the bamboo tube and thanked these people profusely.
He handed the bamboo tube to his daughter and wife.
They left the team, sat on the ground, and ate rice bran paste.
He poured the rice bran paste inside the bamboo tube into his mouth.
It's so fragrant, the temperature is just right, and it doesn't burn your mouth at all.
"Master, I feel that I have regained a lot of strength and I can walk the rest of the way."
Qin Shanshui knew that his mother-in-law was just too hungry to walk and could walk on her own after eating something.
They walked along the road and there was a porridge shed every ten miles or so.
The first two porridge shacks are all rice noodles, while the ones at the back are half-dry and half-thin rice.
They had passed the last porridge shack, and the porridge man told him that the Weihe River was not far ahead.
It was getting dark, and the refugees were ready to find a place to rest.
There were no beddings, not even straw mats.
Just lie down on the ground and sleep.
It's summer now and it's not cold at night.
Qin Shanshui found a channel made of stones with water in it
He filled the bamboo tube with water and the family drank happily.
"Dad, what kind of stone is this? It can be so long. How are they connected? Why can't I see the seam between the stones?"
"I don't know, it should be a local specialty stone."
Qin Shanshui followed the team during the day and walked across a wooden bridge over the river.
There are many troops patrolling on both sides of the river.
After walking across the wooden bridge, he found a row of tables here.
Behind the table, there is a man holding a small wooden stick.
He used a small stick to write something on paper.
Qin Shanshui followed the large army to the table.
He thought that these people wanted to write a deed of betrayal.
As long as they can stay together as a family and someone can give them a bite to eat, they will be treated as tenants by anyone.
"Name? Where are you from? How many people are in your family?"
There are three people living in the family, including my mother-in-law and daughter."
Qin Shanshui saw that the words written by this man were different from those he had seen before.
After the man finished writing, he handed him a wooden sign.
"You are assigned to the farm in Yimen Township. Take this sign to the village chief of the farm in Yimen Township."
Qin Shanshui looked at the wooden sign, which was about the same size as his daughter's hand. There were some strange symbols on it.
He held the wooden sign and followed the large army forward.
Until someone checked the wooden sign in his hand.
"Yimen Township Farm, the fat man wearing the red hat on the far right, just go to them, don't make a mistake."
Qin Shanshui followed this man's instructions, took his wife and daughter, and walked to the fat man in the red hat.
There were people here to receive them, a man and a woman.
Like the people here, they all wear uniform khaki clothes.
Qin Shanshui felt that what they were wearing was linen, but it didn't feel like it, more like dyed cotton clothes.
Clothes made from linen will not be so delicate.
"I am Wang Yanhu, the head of the farm in Yimen Township, and next to me is my wife.
From now on, I will take care of you. We are all brothers and sisters.
After everyone is gathered, we will set off.
When you come to our place, Commander Su will definitely make sure everyone has food to eat.
You don’t have to worry, we’ll have dinner together tonight.”
Qin Yun grabbed his mother's arm and said happily: "Mom, from now on we don't have to go hungry, we will have food to eat every day."
Qin Shanshui saw people coming to their team one after another.
There were probably more than 500 refugees gathered in this team, many of whom he didn't know.
This should be to break up a group of refugees and distribute them to different places.
Just after noon, the number of refugees had reached more than 500, which was the number of refugees their farm needed to accommodate.
Wang Yanhu went to communicate with the management and was allowed to leave.
Wang Yanhu said loudly to the refugees: "Let's go home and there will be food to eat wherever we go."
The refugees followed Wang Yanhu, thinking about the farm.
As they were walking on the road, it suddenly became dark.
Qin Shanshui thought it was dark clouds passing by, but he soon heard a buzzing sound and saw a large swarm of locusts passing by.
"The locust plague is coming, and all the bookmakers are doomed."
Qin Shanshui yelled in horror.
He knows how powerful locusts are. After these things fly over, all the dealers will eat them up.
When Wang Yanhu saw this scene, he said easily: "Don't be afraid, I have encountered this kind of locust swarm many times.
Especially when the rice seedlings first came out, there was a huge locust plague in our area.
But the loss is not big at all. They will be eaten by chickens and ducks when they land.
Our local locusts have long been eaten by chickens and ducks, and these locusts must have flown in from other places."
Wang Yanhu was also very afraid of locusts before. The farm he managed did not raise chickens or ducks at that time, and other farms sent many chickens and ducks to support him.
The chickens and ducks, which had been hungry all day, rushed towards the locusts immediately.
They hunt very quickly, and the locusts are quickly eaten by chickens and ducks.
Qin Shanshui soon came to a small village on the mountainside.
The villages here are very well built and the houses look like they are all newly built.
There were crops growing around that he couldn't recognize.
There are many locusts in the field, but there are more chickens and ducks chasing the locusts in the field.
These locusts are completely different from the locusts Qin Shanshui knows.
The locusts only eat a few leaves, and they are eaten by chickens and ducks in large numbers.
Wang Yanhu said loudly: "This is where you will live from now on. I will take you to dinner and share a house before night.
Now, my wife and I will take you to take a shower and change your clothes."
Qin Shanshui took his wife and daughter into the small village.
Wang Yanhu led the lined-up refugees to the large bathhouse in the small village.
Qin Yun watched someone walk into the bathhouse.
She grabbed Qin Shanshui's arm tightly, with a look of horror on her face, very scared.
At a young age, she saw many of her peers separated from their parents and then disappearing the next day.
Wang Yanhu saw many children and women with a look of fear on their faces.
During this period, he often came into contact with the refugees and knew that they would suffer a lot along the way.
"Don't worry, we are very safe here, so I will teach you outside and you can come in one by one."
Wang Yanhu was outside, teaching these refugees how to use soap.
He gave everyone a new piece of clothing and asked them to go in and take a bath.
"I don't want any old clothes. Just throw them next to the tub. You can come out wearing new clothes."
Qin Shanshui watched many refugees go in and come out soon after.
They put on fresh yellow clothes, and their bodies were washed very clean, and their faces were no longer covered in dirt.
Qin Shanshui felt relieved and soon entered the bathhouse with his wife and daughter.
There are many bathtubs in the bathhouse.
There is a coal stove burning hot water, and there is a lot of cold water in the bathtub.
They started washing their bodies with soap.
I discovered that these things called soap are really useful.
Just apply some on your body and you can wash away the dirty things.
Qin Shanshui put on Wang Yan's tiger-haired clothes.
By touching the clothes with his hands, he could recognize that they were linen clothes.
But unlike ordinary linen clothes, these linen clothes feel very thick and do not cut your hands when you touch them.
When he put it on, he felt that it was very comfortable and not irritating at all.
Qin Shanshui looked at his mother-in-law and daughter, both of whom were wearing new clothes.
Wang Yanhu took all the refugees back to the camp.
“Our farm mainly raises pigs, chickens and ducks.
The men are responsible for feeding the pigs and digging the biogas pits.
The woman is responsible for feeding the chickens and ducks.
Children who can work are responsible for some tasks within their capabilities, such as collecting eggs.
They all need to work hard, and whoever gets into trouble will be punished by not being allowed to eat that night.
Now go to dinner with me, and after dinner we will share the room.
Tomorrow we will officially start work.
We have no limit on rice, we can eat as much as we can."
When Qin Shanshui heard about this good thing, his eyes lit up.
It was the first full meal he had eaten in his life.
There are also vegetables to eat, stewed radish.
After Qin Shanshui finished eating, he followed Wang Yanhu to share a room.
These are all newly built brick houses, most of which are the same.
They live in allocated houses.
"Master, am I dreaming?
What’s more, it’s a good thing that we can have enough to eat without spending any money.”
Qin Shanshui also found it incredible.
In northern Shaanxi, even if you work hard, you can't get a stone of food.
He was chatting with his mother-in-law, wondering what was waiting for them in the future?
But my life during this period has been much better than in northern Shaanxi, and no matter how bad it is, it will not be worse than being a refugee.
Qin Shanshui got up and went to have breakfast with the crowd.
This time it’s still rice, and there’s an extra dish, sweet potato leaves.
After dinner, Wang Yanhu took Qin Shanshui and other male refugees to dig a methane digester.
His mother-in-law is responsible for feeding the chickens and ducks, which is not a tiring job.
His daughter is responsible for picking pig hairs, especially the hardest bristles for pigs, which need to be collected without missing a single bristle.
Qin Shanshui lived on this farm. This kind of life without hunger was so happy.
After work, he can also check out the conditions on the farm.
The farm was near a small river, and crops he didn't recognize were grown here.
Feeding pigs, chickens and ducks every day requires a lot of rice bran. This farm is too rich.
After work, he asked the farm manager Wang Yanhu.
With such good land, why not grow wheat?
This kind of paddy field does not grow wheat. It would be a pity to grow other things.
Wang Yanhu pointed to the cement ditch next to it: "There was no water here before, and only sweet potatoes could survive here.
At that time, we had to go to the river twenty miles away to fetch the water we drank every day.
When the cement ditch is built here, the water from the Wei River will be diverted.
There is no shortage of water here, and the superiors agreed to expand the breeding farm and establish a large-scale breeding farm here.
Here in Baoji, it only rained a few times after August.
At the beginning, the land was extremely dry and wheat could not be grown at all.
Wait until next year, wheat can be grown here.
On the hillside, sweet potatoes will be grown again.”
Qin Shanshui works on the farm day after day.
He was able to eat two meals a day and he felt that his body was gradually recovering.
Every time you need to transport pigs to the army, you need several people to control the big fat pigs in the pig pen.
Now he can tie up the big fat pig with a rope by himself.
Qin Shanshui envied the people in the army very much. Their farm had to transport five or six pigs to the army every day.
"Everyone comes out. The township health center comes to our place to treat everyone and vaccinate them."
Wang Yanhu shouted from door to door on the farm early in the morning.
Qin Shanshui took his mother-in-law and daughter out of the room.
He had no idea what vaccinations meant, but he knew what it meant to see a doctor.
During this time, Qin Shanshui had become familiar with Wang Yanhu.
He asked secretly: "Brother Hu, we don't have money, so we can't afford medical treatment."
Wang Yanhu said loudly: "Don't worry, everyone, Commander Su Hesu will pay for your vaccinations and medical treatment. You don't have to spend a penny."
Qin Shanshui was relieved. He didn't know how much it would cost to provide them with food. He didn't expect that there would be doctors to treat them.
He came to the farm's grain drying ground, where several temporary tables were set up.
Qin Shanshui saw several strangely dressed women sitting behind the table.
They wore white cloak-like outfits.
The mouth was also blocked with a piece of white cloth, and two straps were stretched out to hang from the ears.
"I am Zhang Linghua, director of the Yimen Township Health Center, and I am responsible for vaccinating everyone today.
Treat simple illnesses."
Zhang Linghua followed the advice of her good sister Qu Qingyi and applied for the Ministry of Health to become a preparatory doctor.
He studied medicine with Wang Wenjun, but his grades were not very good. He graduated from the first class and was assigned to the Yimen Township Health Center.
She was responsible for setting up the Yimen Township Health Center and gained a new life when she came here.
No one cares about her past, and the villagers respect her very much.
Zhang Linghua took several doctor apprentices she trained to help these new refugees vaccinate against cowpox.
These doctor apprentices are all young people in the village who are fifteen or sixteen years old, and they learn medical skills from her.
Qin Shanshui sat down and saw a child. He dipped a steel needle into a porcelain bottle and pricked his arm, and a little blood came out.
This is vaccination, I don’t know what it does.
“After getting vaccinated, it is normal to have a fever and sore arms or throat.
If the fever is not serious, apply a cloth dipped in cold water to your forehead.
If the fever is too severe, let the farm send a truck to the township health center and let me treat him."
Zhang Linghua saw that all the refugees had been vaccinated against cowpox, and she explained the situation to everyone.
She then took pulses one by one, checked everyone's body, and treated some simple diseases.
Qin Shanshui waited with his wife and daughter. He saw some people had their pulse checked, and the doctor prescribed some medicine and told him to take the medicine on time.
Soon it was their turn. Qin Yun checked his pulse first. There was nothing serious.
The doctor asked her to eat on time so that she would not go hungry again.
Qin Shanshui took his pulse and the doctor said that he was a little weak and that he was hungry and that he would get better if he ate more.
When the doctor took his mother-in-law's pulse, Qin Shanshui saw the doctor frowning, and he felt something was wrong.
"Your wife has a big problem, and I can't treat this disease.
I only know that she has physical problems and there is no way to get pregnant now.
If you still want to have children, you'd better go to Hanzhong City to see it.
Wang's Medical Center in Hanzhong City is particularly good at treating this kind of infertility."
"It would be great if it can be treated. If I have a chance, we will go for treatment."
Qin Shanshui is only twenty-three years old this year, so of course he wants to have children.
It has been five years since the birth of my daughter Qin Yun, and my mother-in-law has not become pregnant again.
He felt that there was something wrong at that time, and they looked down upon the doctor.
The witch in the village said that their family was full of evil spirits, so she accepted him as a hare's leg, but she didn't think much of it.
But now that he doesn't have a penny, how can he take his mother-in-law to see a doctor in Hanzhong City?
That night, my daughter Qin Yun had a fever.
He used the method taught by the doctor and kept wiping his forehead with cold water, and the fever subsided quickly.
Qin Shanshui has been feeding pigs these days and thinking about how to make money for his wife and soldiers.
Mistakes were made while feeding the pigs. Several pigs forgot to feed them and grumbled with hunger. They were scolded by Wang Yanhu.
A few days later, the township health center came to the farm again to vaccinate everyone.
The doctor said this is the last vaccination.
Qin Shanshui stepped forward and asked how much it would cost to go to Hanzhong City for treatment.
When he learned that it cost at least six taels of silver coins, he felt very desperate.
This is six taels of silver. A farmer like him needs to save for four or five years in a good year to save.
Wang Yanhu saw Qin Shanshui's depression and asked him to find out about the situation.
After learning the reason, Wang Yanhu told Qin Shanshui that he now wanted to take his wife to see a doctor, but there was only one way.
That is to join the army.
After joining the army, his wife became a military dependent and enjoyed half-price discounts for medical treatment.
Now there are buses to Hanzhong City every month in the countryside.
There is no need to pay any fees for bringing sick military dependents back and forth.
When refugees like them join the army, they are directly given ten taels of silver to settle down.
The military expenditure is one acre of land per year, and rewards will be given for meritorious service.
I heard that after winning the battle, there will be a chance to divide the land.
If Qin Shanshui thinks about it well, he can sign up with him.
When he returned home in the evening, Qin Shanshui discussed with his mother-in-law about joining the army.
His mother-in-law objected strongly and accused him of not wanting to live a stable life.
Qin Shanshui was also hesitant, but he didn't sleep all night and figured it out.
He didn't want to become a refugee again. He didn't want to experience that precarious life where he could die at any time.
Only by having power in your hands can you and your family live a stable life.
During the time he came to the farm, Zhu Shi often came to the ancestral temple in the village to promote Yan and Huang beliefs.
Master Zhu told stories about many people who joined the army and were knighted.
Qin Shanshui understands the treatment of military dependents by the commander-in-chief.
Even if he dies after joining the army, his wife and daughter will live without worries for the rest of their lives.
Qin Shanshui made up his mind, found Wang Yanhu, and signed up to join the army.
