"Brother, I plan to join the army tomorrow!" Under the night, Yuan Bao pulled the slightly worn cotton-padded jacket on his body and reported in a low voice to his clan brother Yuan Kun.
"Join the army! Has your wife agreed?" Yuan Kun, who was peeing against the roots of a tree on the roadside, shivered and almost spilled urine on his shoes.
He was also wearing the same old cotton-padded jacket.
Although the weather has gradually begun to warm up, the two brothers of the same race have to wear the cotton-padded jackets until mid-April before they can be changed out and given to their mothers-in-law to take out and wash.
Otherwise, each person will have to buy at least one more jacket during this time of sudden warmth and cold.
And a jacket, including the inside and outside, costs seven feet of fine cloth, which is equivalent to more than 400 yuan.
The brothers used to work very hard every day in the mines of Zhaoyuan, and the income was only thirty yuan at most. After removing the food rations for adults and children, they would be able to avoid borrowing money. How could there be any leftover to buy jackets?
?
"She didn't allow it, saying she would rather farm and reclaim wasteland with me." Probably because he was a little muffled by the cotton-padded jacket he was wearing, Yuan Bao untied the buckle along his lapel with his hands, revealing his sweaty lower abdomen, "But we Zhaoyuan
Except for those rich people who have hundreds of acres of land to plant, who among the rest can support their wives and children just by farming?"
"That's true, but you have to think about it. On the battlefield, swords and arrows have no eyes." Yuan Kun shivered and slowly tied up his clothes. He rubbed his fingers high on the tree trunk and added in a low voice, "
Your wife is afraid that you will never come back. In addition, although the military commander who made the announcement promised to give you 800 yuan as a living allowance on the day you join the army, if he fails to keep his promise, will you be able to escape from the military camp and go home?
?! That Marshal Yang, I don’t think he is reasonable. Mine Superintendent Zhou even surrendered and was beheaded by him."
When Yuan Bao heard this, his head immediately shook like a rattle, "How could it happen? Zhu Laosi from Zhujiazhuang brought the money back this afternoon and gave it to his mother-in-law. General Lu under Marshal Yang's account was very polite and even gave it to him specially.
I gave him a day off to say goodbye to his family!"
"But they killed Zhou Mine Supervisor sent by the imperial court. It is said..." Yuan Kun was slightly older than Yuan Bao and more cautious. He looked around and added in a very low voice, "It is said that they were thieves.
The child went out for takeout and was caught red-handed. He was afraid of the court's punishment, so he rebelled against the court. If the rumors are true, they themselves are rebels!"
"Zhu Laosi said that it was all framed by others for Marshal Yang!" Yuan Bao was actually determined and just wanted to find someone to provide him with some support. Listening to Yuan Kunyue's words, the farther he went from the direction he expected, he couldn't help but frown.
He frowned and said, "Think about it, Marshal Yang was born in the Yang family in Qingzhou. Is it possible that he is short of money? How much money can he make by selling his children? How can it be worth his efforts?"
"In the past few years, there have been cases of missing children in our village. The little Qi Qi from Uncle Six's family was just walking on the street when he was pulled into a carriage and disappeared." It was dark, and Yuan Kun couldn't see clearly.
Knowing the change in the other party's expression, he thought about it and added in a low voice, "If you want to join the army, your uncle Liu must come back from Ye County. What if their little seventeen is really found? Is there someone who framed Marshal Yang?
, shouldn’t you just ask Xiao Qi to find out?”
"But, Zhu Laosi said that Marshal Yang only recruited three days of soldiers. After passing this village, there will be no such store!" Knowing that what the other party said was reasonable, Yuan Bao didn't want to miss the opportunity to make a fortune, so he raised his hand and rubbed his neck.
He added hesitantly.
After the words fell, he smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Eight hundred dollars can make a jacket for each of my wife and baby! Now I can no longer do the work in the mine. I have to rely on farming for a few years.
How can I save enough for these 800 coins? The baby is getting older now and has never worn new clothes. My wife has been patched up since she got married..."
He couldn't talk anymore, he lowered his head and rubbed the urine mud on the ground with his feet.
In fact, how could he not have considered the things Yuan Kun said before?
But in this life, what people fear most is poverty.
I used to work in the mines, and although it was hard work, I could still live with it after all. When I dreamed about it at midnight, lying in bed, I could also imagine that one day I would get lucky, dig up a piece of nugget gold, and smuggle it back with me hidden in my pants.
If you go home, you can take your wife and children and quietly go to a place where no one knows you and become a rich man.
But now, the mine supervisor has been killed, and the mine is in ruins. How can I be picky?
Being able to join the rebel army and get a share of military pay is a way out, and you can also earn 800 yuan to support your wife and children. If you don't join the army, I'm afraid that by this time next year, you won't have to sell the children yourself without anyone else.
Only by losing it can you and your wife survive the recession!
"Then you and your wife, let's discuss it carefully again! Alas -" Seeing Yuan Baochou in such a state, Yuan Kun could no longer persuade him. He sighed and added in a low voice, "Even if you have to go this way
, at least let her feel at ease before leaving. Otherwise, once the rebel army sets out, I don’t know when they will come back. You..."
"Brother, I want to ask you a favor!" Yuan Bao suddenly raised his head, looked into Yuan Kun's eyes and handed over his hand.
"What's the matter? Don't leave your wife and children to me. I have several families in my own family!" Yuan Kun had known Yuanbao since childhood and knew each other well. In an instant, he guessed what he was thinking and acted decisively.
Express refusal.
"No, I'm not entrusting it to you! Brother, don't make blind guesses!" Yuan Bao's face suddenly turned red and he waved his hands quickly, "I mean, what I mean is, if I can't come back. Please, brother, ask my sister-in-law to help me.
My daughter-in-law said she is a good family. I don’t ask for anything else, just treat her well and give my baby a bite to eat. In this way, even if I die outside, I can still close my eyes!"
"Bah, bah, bah!" Yuan Kun heard this and immediately spat at his feet. "How can you curse yourself like this! Spit with me, and then chant together, hurry up, the sky is full of spirits, the earth is full of spirits, bad things don't work, good things happen.
The spirit of…”
Only halfway through reading, he suddenly closed his mouth. He stood on tiptoes and looked towards the entrance of the village, "How come there seems to be the sound of horse hooves in the middle of the night. As for the dogs, the big yellow dog of Uncle Jiu's family in the west of the village used to bark fiercely.
Why didn’t you scream when you heard any noise tonight?”
"Brother, there are people! There are many people on horseback!" Yuan Bao has better eyesight than him. He immediately grabbed his clothes and tiptoed back, "Hurry and hide back home, they still have knives!"
"Yeah, you don't have to say it!" Yuan Kun turned pale with fright, turned around, squatted on the ground, and crawled away using his hands and feet, "Quickly, squat down, don't let them see, it seems like you are fighting...
…”
He himself thought that he hid in time enough and spoke in a low enough voice. However, there was still a scout who rushed over quickly on horseback and blocked him and Yuan Bao.
"Spare my life!" In an instant, the two brothers could no longer think about what happened after Yuan Bao surrendered to the army. They raised their arms and knelt down to beg for mercy.
They thought that there was a high probability that they would be killed this time. Unexpectedly, the scouts on horseback actually smiled at them and whispered, "Stay away and close the courtyard door tightly when you get home. No matter what happens today,
If you hear anything, don’t show your head! Do you hear me?”
"I heard it, I heard it, thank you so much, sir, thank you so much, sir!" Yuan Kun and Yuan Bao were granted amnesty and hurriedly kowtowed to each other.
The latter did not make any response, turned his mount, and flew away. Not long after, he and the other passing soldiers disappeared behind the night.
"God, you scared me to death!" After half a stick of incense, Yuan Kun came back to his senses. He first raised his hand to wipe a few handfuls of cold sweat, and then looked at Yuan Bao, who was also scared to death. Suddenly
He shook his head and laughed, "This time, you shouldn't have to join the army! You kid, you are not destined to be a soldier and eat food!"
"I won't go, I won't go, I probably won't be able to catch up!" Yuan Bao also raised his hand to wipe the sweat, and the expression on his face was unclear whether he was crying or laughing.
"Alas -" Yuan Kun thought for a moment, put away his smile, and sighed softly again.
That team must have gone to attack the rebels in a sneak attack.
Although the rebel army is much larger than that team, it may not be their opponent.
And with the rebellion against the rebels gone, Yuan Bao's chance to earn 800 yuan for his family expenses was gone. I don't know how he will survive the rest of this year.
