In Shangping Village, Feng County, deep in the Qinling Mountains, Carpenter Li and his family were sitting together having New Year's Eve dinner.
Li Er was bringing his new daughter-in-law, who seemed a little reserved and shy, and was wearing brand new clothes. As for everyone else, they were also wearing new clothes.
The food on the dinner table is also quite sumptuous. The braised pork is so fragrant that it makes people salivate when they smell it. There is a big bowl full of it. You can eat it with your belly open today, which was simply impossible in the past.
There was also a large bowl full of dumplings stuffed with pork and cabbage. Everyone was already so greedy before the dinner started that their mouths watered just looking at it.
In addition, there are pork stir-fried fungus, cold pig ears, braised fish, and chicken stewed with mushrooms. The portions of each dish are quite large, and they are meant to be eaten with open stomachs.
This has never been such a luxury during the Chinese New Year in the past.
Mainly because Li Da sent money to his family, which not only allowed Li Er to marry a wife, but also allowed everyone to have a prosperous New Year.
Ten taels of silver is nothing to outsiders. Those with high wages can earn it in one month. Even for ordinary people, two months is enough.
But for the mountain people in the mountains, ten taels of silver is a huge amount of wealth, enough to accomplish many big things.
Building a house, marrying a wife, buying property, etc. all together can't cost more than ten taels of silver.
If any family has ten taels of silver, it is considered a wealthy family in this mountain.
Li Da specifically told him to buy more clothes and eat better in winter, so Carpenter Li was rarely generous.
Of course, this is also because Li Er has to seize the time to immigrate to Black Earth Province after celebrating the New Year.
After eating this New Year's Eve meal, Li Er estimated that he would be leaving soon after celebrating the Lantern Festival. During this period, he would take his wife back to her parents' house to stay for a few days and say a good goodbye.
Counting it all together, things at home are actually only a few days away.
Although he was very reluctant to give up, Carpenter Li also knew that he would only remain poor in this mountain, with no way out or development. Only by immigrating could he find a way out.
Moreover, if Li Er goes out, the freed house and fields can be better divided among the remaining two sons. Otherwise, even if Li Da goes out, if there are three brothers left, there will still be no one in this mountain.
Enough fields and houses.
Of course, the most important thing is that I know from Li Da’s letter that Li Da lives a pretty good life outside. He has food and drink, a large area of fertile land, and a lot of money in his hands. He lives a small life.
Not to mention how comfortable it is.
There was no sound during the meal. Everyone ate with open belly, and everyone's belly became round after eating. Only then did Carpenter Li start chatting with everyone.
"I don't know what boss and the others eat during the Chinese New Year?"
Carpenter Li's mother-in-law missed Li Da and said the same thing.
"The food must be better than ours. Didn't it say in the letter that the Immigration Department sends them things from time to time? It's the Chinese New Year. The food must be better than ours."
"Besides, my boss has been building roads for more than half a year since he immigrated. He gets several taels of silver a month. He can't buy anything to eat. It's not like we are in the mountains. Sometimes even if you have money, you can't buy anything."
Carpenter Li thought for a while and said.
"Do you think it's really as good as the boss said outside?"
Carpenter Li's mother-in-law thought for a while and asked again.
"It can't be false. I heard people say that now is a peaceful and prosperous age, the emperor is wise, and the people's life is very easy. I heard that not only people can immigrate to the Black Earth Province, but they can also immigrate to overseas colonies and vassal countries. They all have the same benefits.
What about the land division?"
Carpenter Li said.
"It doesn't matter if you immigrate or not~"
"It's nice to live in this big mountain, but it's too poor. We have many children at home, so food is a problem."
"How can we support a large family on just one-third of an acre of land?"
"Father-in-law, after my parents' family heard about my eldest brother's situation, they also wanted to let my eldest brother emigrate with Li Er. Is that okay?"
Li Er's daughter-in-law, Lu, thought for a while and said weakly.
There are also many brothers and sisters in the Lu family. There are two eldest brothers and a younger brother and sister. Originally, the eldest brother had not married yet because he had no money. This time, he married off the Lu family and used the money he received.
Used it to marry my eldest brother a wife.
They are all poor, but poor people are still poor. It is still not easy to get a wife in this big mountain. You also have to be selective when marrying a daughter. Obviously, it is not easy to get a wife if you have many brothers and sisters.
"Of course it is up to his own wishes. This is the policy of the imperial court. It is also the imperial court that organizes the immigrants. If you want to immigrate there, just follow him, so that you will be taken care of on the way."
"After the Chinese New Year, several people in our village are preparing to immigrate together. When the time comes, you will be able to take care of each other along the way, and we will feel more at ease."
Carpenter Li smiled and said.
"You have to remember that your eldest brother Li Da's address is in Shangyun Town, Heitu Province. After arriving in Heitu Province, you will be close to each other. There should be more contact between these brothers, so that the relationship will not be sluggish.
, when something happens, brothers should also support each other, help each other, and must be united."
"Don't worry, dad~"
Li Er nodded solemnly.
To be honest, he is now full of curiosity about the outside world. He wishes he could grow wings and fly out now to see if the outside world is really a colorful world as his elder brother said.
Letters from my eldest brother have become the most precious thing in the family, and are collected very well by my parents.
Even though no one in the family knew how to read, it didn't stop his father, Carpenter Li, from time to time to take out the letters and show them off to his fellow villagers.
Sometimes he would even take it out and talk about the contents of the letter with fellow villagers in a decent manner. Of course, he remembered it all after the real shopkeeper Lin of the Lin Family Salt Shop read it to him.
At first, the villagers thought that Li Da was crazy for choosing to immigrate. The outside world was in chaos, with wars, famines and years of famine. During droughts, there was no water to drink.
However, as Li Da sent letters back one after another, and also sent money back, Carpenter Li often told everyone the contents of Li Da's letter.
Everyone saw that Carpenter Li had built a new house in his house and married Li Er. During the Chinese New Year, everyone was still wearing rags, but Carpenter Li had already put on new clothes. It is said that Carpenter Li and his wife
All the clothes were sent by Li Da from Heitu Province. It cost more than 200 yuan to send these clothes alone.
This dress looks very nice, but it looks different when worn. Carpenter Li is even more embarrassed and talks about this all the time.
This also made the people in the village shaken, and they were all wondering whether the outside world was really different from what their ancestors said, and whether it was really as Li Da said, with easy life, good money, and enough food and clothing.
Stay warm and live in a comfortable house.
After learning that Li Er was also going to immigrate after the Chinese New Year, there were young people in the village who were willing to live in poverty and decided to emigrate with Li Er just like Li Er.
Even Li Er's daughter-in-law, the Lu family, knew some news and things. Lu's eldest brother, Lu Da, was also preparing to immigrate with him after the Chinese New Year.
"Hmm~"
Carpenter Li nodded, and then let out a long sigh.
The eldest brother is gone, and the second brother is also leaving. Now that he is gone, it is a question whether we can see each other again in this life, and I feel extremely reluctant to part with him.
But I also know that this is the wisest choice. There is really no way out in the mountains. I will starve to death, but I don't want to be full and poor.
The roads are very inconvenient. Even going to the nearest town requires several hours of walking on mountain roads. In such a place, it is difficult to find a wife, and you can only marry a girl from the mountains.
If you have many sons but no girls, it will be difficult for you to find a wife.
If the eldest son hadn't gone out to send money back, the second eldest brother would never have had the chance to marry a wife, because the family really had no money.
Only by going out can you find a way to survive, have more choices, and live a better life.
After the New Year, in the third grade of junior high school, Li Er took the Lu family back to his parents' home. He stayed at her parents' house for seven or eight days. When he came back, he also wore the clothes of his brother-in-law, his family, and two people from the Lu family's village.
A boy from the same village.
These two young men were from poor families and had no money to marry. After hearing about Li Da, they decided to go out and have a look at the outside world.
If you stay in the mountains, you may not even be able to get a wife, but if you go outside, you will always have a chance.
If it's like what Li Da said, maybe he can still have a good time and live a prosperous life.
As soon as the Lantern Festival was over, Li Er, Lu Da and seven or eight young people from the two villages also picked up their backpacks, said goodbye to their families, and embarked on the road to immigrate to Black Earth Province.
For them, other places are not considered at all. Now they just want to immigrate to Black Earth Province as soon as possible and live the life that Li Daxinzhong mentioned. They have enough food and clothing, have their own fields and houses, and can earn money.