The warm spring light shrouds the streets of Tokyo, and there is still a hint of chill in the spring breeze. White catkins are flying everywhere, tickling the noses of pedestrians, and several refreshing sneezes are heard from time to time in the streets.
The climate is getting warmer and everything is recovering. The last harsh winter seems to be fading away, and the vitality in Tokyo has burst out again. The streets are filled with people and it is a lively scene.
The guise supported by long poles swayed in the breeze, a stove was set up, a few tables and chairs were set up, and the most ordinary restaurant in Tokyo was set up. Liu Yang sat on a bench and slowly ate pancakes.
, but his eyes were always focused on the scene in the market, the horse-drawn carriages passing by, the peddlers carrying burdens, the coolies carrying bags, the vendors spread out along the streets, the officials wandering around, and the patrols passing by from time to time.
There are also classes in the city. After decades of development, the boundaries of settlement in Tokyo have become increasingly clear. There have long been the poor in the south, the rich in the north, the rich inside and the lowly outside. Of course, in terms of liveliness, there are also
It belongs to Nancheng, Nanshi. Whether the city is prosperous or not depends not only on the places where wealth and wealth gather, but also on the lives of these small people in Guizhou.
"Ah sneeze!"
The crisp sound attracted Liu Yang's attention. When he looked down, he saw his second son, Liu Wenji, holding a porridge bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. He was at a loss, with water and rice on his face. Seeing this scene, Liu Yang didn't know what to do.
Something happened.
With a gentle smile on his face, Liu Yang took out a handkerchief and handed it to him: "Wipe your face clean yourself!"
"Yeah!" Liu Wenji responded obediently.
Looking at the porridge bowl that was half missing, Liu Yang asked: "Are you full?"
"full."
"Is it tasty?"
"tasty!"
"Take you to other places for shopping!" Liu Yang chuckled.
Hearing this, Liu Wenji's smart eyes suddenly shone, and his little face showed a look of joy. He stood up directly with a positive look. Although he was taught to be obedient and obedient by the Crown Princess and Concubine Xiao, he was not familiar with the world outside the palace.
, still full of curiosity and fantasy.
"Store, check out!" Liu Yang stroked Liu Wenji's head and turned to shout to the busy vendors on the street.
This is a husband and wife team. Upon hearing the greeting, the male host trotted up quickly, with a warm smile on his face, and his honest and rough face clearly showed the shrewdness of a small citizen. He glanced at it, rubbed his hands, and said carefully: "Guest
Official, a total of fifty-two articles!"
For such a small vendor, Liu Yang was considered a big customer. Not to mention his exquisite clothes, the plate of venison was worth twenty coins, and few people usually ordered it.
"Fifty-two articles." Liu Yang muttered.
Seeing his reaction, the store owner hurriedly introduced the price of the vegetables, then gritted his teeth and made a generous look: "Just give me fifty cents!"
Noticing his expression, Liu Yang smiled: "It's not easy for you to make a living, so how can I take advantage of your two cents?"
"Pay for it!" After saying that, Liu Yang rushed to Wang Yue, who was waiting at the side.
Seeing this, the store owner immediately smiled and praised Liu Yang for being generous. After changing the money, Liu Yang glanced at the hawker, waved to him and said, "If you are not busy, can you sit down? I have a few questions.
One or two.”
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, a little embarrassed, but Liu Yang showed his dignity and did not dare to refuse. He quietly sat down and said carefully: "What does the guest want to ask? I don't understand anything."
Liu Yang was originally excited, but when he saw his reaction, he took it seriously and said gently: "Don't be nervous, we just have a simple chat."
"From your accent, do you think you are from the capital?"
"Exactly! I've been living in Tokyo since my grandfather, and it's been decades now!" the store owner replied.
Liu Yang smiled a little: "In this way, your family has grown up together with the big man and Tokyo until now!"
"What you said is so good!" The shopkeeper showed a simple smile, and there was a bit of pride in his tone: "Both generations of the villain's grandfathers have joined the army and followed His Majesty to conquer the world. You know Zhaolie Temple, the spiritual tablets enshrined in it,
They have the names of my ancestors and father, and I still go there to worship them every year!"
"Oh?" After hearing what he said, Liu Yang became more interested and his expression became gentler: "She is still a heroic queen! I wonder where she was sacrificed?"
"My grandfather was killed in Shouzhou, Huainan, and my father was killed in the Qianyou Northern Expedition and in the Battle of Nankou!" The man sighed.
Hearing this, Liu Yang nodded slightly: "It is only because of heroes like your grandfather who sacrificed their lives that the great Han Dynasty can be as prosperous as it is today!"
As he spoke, Liu Yang glanced at the street vendor and the shop he was leaning on, and said curiously: "As far as I know, when soldiers sacrifice themselves on the battlefield, the court will use their military rank and merit to pay pensions and grant land. There are two generations of your grandfather.
, the pension you receive should be quite enough to support your family, how can you start such a hard and small business?"
Mentioning this, the shop owner opened up his chatterbox and responded: "Neither of my grandfathers became military officers, and even my grandfather was only a little long. Of course, he also left more than two hundred acres of land for us descendants.
.
However, my family also has uncles and nephews. After the family division, the land of each family has been spread thinly. The villain has four sons. The eldest son is already married, and he has to buy an adoption gift for the remaining three sons. Now,
The land is managed by the sons. Thinking that there is still this real estate in Tokyo and that the villain also has some cooking skills, he tidied up and ran the business.
After all, there are a lot of diners in Tokyo, and you can make more money, and the income is higher than that of a few acres of land!"
Liu Yang frowned subconsciously: "How many acres of land! Didn't your grandfathers leave more than two hundred acres of land? How many uncles, nephews, and brothers are there in your family? Even if the property is divided, they still can't support the family?"
The store owner was a little hesitant, but then he came to his senses. Seeing this, Liu Yang had a straight face: "But it doesn't matter!"
He was startled, hesitated for a while, and then hesitantly said: "This little family is assigned thirty-five acres of land, which is fertile land by the 50-foot river. If we manage it well, it will not be a problem to support the family, and there may even be
Surplus. However, the imperial tax is not low and there is a lot of labor. The price of food has never been able to rise in the past few years. What's more, more than 20 acres of land have been sold."
"Ordinary farmers would like to hold on to their fields for the rest of their lives. Your home is fertile land with a five-foot river flowing through it. How could you sell it? What kind of difficulties does your family encounter?" Liu Yang looked like he was searching for the root of the matter.
"My lord, I can't say any more!" The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly, with a hint of fear on his face.
I took a deep look at this person, "The hardships of the common people", these four words suddenly appeared in my mind. These are the property owners after the heroes. Where are the real ordinary people in Guizhou?
After thinking about it, Liu Yang smiled again and said in a gentler tone: "I just asked casually. If you have any scruples, I won't force you. Also, tell me, how long have you been running this food stall?"
"About five years!"
"How much profit can be made in this day? It must be five or six hundred dollars!" Liu Yang said with a smile.
The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly: "There are not that many. Big customers like Guanren are still rare. Ordinary diners can only spend a few pennies to order some rice and pancakes. Even if they order chicken or mutton slices, they won't be enough."
Twenty coins!"
Hearing what he said, Liu Yang nodded, pointed to the more than half of the venison left on the table and said, "Your venison tastes good!"
"To be honest with the officials, our small stall is not as good as those big restaurants. The venison is hunted by the villagers themselves. There is not much meat, but it is cooked with more care."
"Not bad!" Liu Yang chuckled: "However, the taste is a bit bland, not much salt is added!"
Hearing this, the store owner felt a little embarrassed and whispered: "Salt is expensive these days."
"How much is the price of salt in Tokyo now?" Liu Yang asked immediately.
"Hey!" He sighed and said, "Now it has reached eighty cents per dou, which is double what it was ten years ago. Even half a year ago, it was only sixty-seven cents per dou."
"Why?" Liu Yang's face looked ugly.
"It is said that because of the rebellion in the northwest, the local green and white salt cannot be transported, so the price of salt has also increased."
After hearing this, Liu Yang thought for a moment and couldn't help but said angrily: "What does the northwest rebellion have to do with Tokyo? How many people in Tokyo eat green and white salt?"
"The officials are right! Common people in Tokyo like us eat Yangzhou salt, Cangzhou salt, or Hezhong salt. The northwest is too far away from us. Although green and white salt is good, only those high-ranking officials can afford it.
, the northwest is in chaos, and the price of salt is rising everywhere, so we still have to buy it, hey."
Seeing him sighing, Liu Yang remained silent for a while and changed the topic: "It's quite hard to run a business in this city, but have you encountered any trouble? Are there any oppression by the government or harassment by scoundrels?"
"this"
Seeing his hesitation, it was self-explanatory. During the conversation, I saw two young men wandering over, wearing futou, wearing silk, nostrils pointing to the sky, swaggering through the market. The businessmen along the street took the initiative to say hello. Of course, the one who attracted Liu Yang's attention was
Those merchants and vendors all took out copper coins, actively stuffed them into the pockets hanging on their waists, and carefully complimented them.
When they arrived at the store, the old man also hurriedly accused Liu Yang and left. With the same action, he took out a few coins. The two young men showed satisfied expressions.
However, after briefly sizing up Liu Yang who was sitting on the street, he quickly averted his gaze. He also took two pieces of venison, gnawed away, and walked along the street. As you can imagine, after just strolling through a street like this, their waists
His pockets can be filled with coins.
Seeing this scene, Liu Yang had mixed feelings in his heart. Of course he knew what was going on. When the old man from the store returned, he asked: "How much money did you pay?"
"Ten!"
"Is it like this every day?"
The old man shook his head and looked at it openly, or maybe he was used to it: "Not really, it's just every once in a while."
"What are the identities of these two people? I don't think they are like tax collectors. You get up early and work late, and you don't get much from your hard work in a day. So let them get something for nothing and take it for free?" Liu Yang asked.
When asked, the old man did not answer, but thought for a moment, and then said with a cup of his hands: "This official obviously has an extraordinary status, and he doesn't know the difficulties of ordinary people like us. This street has already been settled, and it is good for us."
It is said that it is enough to spend some money to buy peace of mind and be able to operate safely, so why bother asking for trouble.
What's more, they also collect taxes on behalf of the government."
This last sentence touched Liu Yang's sensitive area. He stared at the old man with piercing eyes: "What's going on? Please elaborate!"
But this time, the old man no longer dared to talk nonsense. He shook his head repeatedly and refused to say more.