From Longtou Village under Pingyangwei in Shanxi Province, Wang Daniu, Chen Mazi, Li Fugui, Scholar and other military households who had left Longtou Village were walking home talking and laughing.
I went out to fight this time and gained a lot. There were brand-new silver dollars in each of my arms, and I was planning for a better life in the future.
The house must be rebuilt, and it must have a large courtyard with three entrances. Blue bricks and white tiles are absolutely standard. The front door and the courtyard must be hardened with the most popular cement. I heard that Beijing and Tianjin
People in the area have become popular in using reinforced concrete to build houses. There is no need to worry about leaks in the houses built, and they can be built with multiple floors.
However, this building style has not spread to Shanxi yet. The price of cement is relatively cheap. The key is that steel bars are very expensive. Currently, only Miyun Iron Works can produce qualified steel bars on a large scale.
If you have a house, you must marry this wife.
They are all old bachelors in their twenties. In the past, when I saw other people's wives and children sleeping on the bed, I could only be jealous. But now, I have to choose carefully.
Then buy dozens of acres. If you don't finish growing it yourself, you can rent it to others to grow, and you can live a small life like a small landowner.
"Tsk, tsk, Brother Big Niu, you are still very good. You killed four Tatars. This reward is 400 taels of silver, which is enough for a lifetime."
Chen Mazi said with some envy that he only got one head and was only rewarded with one hundred taels of silver.
"Haha, these hundreds of taels of silver are nothing. I haven't heard of it. Here in the Beijing-Tianjin area, you can work casually and earn 2 taels of silver a month."
"I heard that some sailors who specialize in going to sea can earn hundreds of taels of silver a month. Those are the real rich people. Our little money is nothing, we all have to pay for it with our lives."
Wang Daniu smiled and said, he must change the topic and not let everyone focus on himself.
"My dear, you earn hundreds of taels of silver a month and thousands of taels of silver this year. Can they spend all of it?"
When Li Fugui heard this, he couldn't help but exclaimed.
"Are you afraid that you won't be able to spend all your money?"
"The money is never enough. I heard that people in the Beijing-Tianjin area eat meat every meal."
The scholar smiled and took over the topic.
"Eat meat every meal!"
Everyone couldn't help but sigh. Eating meat was definitely a luxury for poor military households like them. They usually didn't even have enough to eat, let alone eat meat.
Now that they heard that people in the Beijing-Tianjin area can actually eat meat every meal, you can imagine how shocked they were.
Even though they each have hundreds of taels of silver in their pockets and a huge sum of money, they would never dare to be so extravagant when it comes to eating meat every meal.
“If you have the chance, you must visit Beijing and Tianjin.”
Wang Daniu said with some yearning.
"Yes, I must go and see it if I have the chance. I heard that the world outside our Ming Dynasty is vaster. There is a place called Golden Continent. Gold is everywhere. Every stone you pick up is gold."
The scholar nodded. He knew how to read. Now some newspapers from the Beijing and Tianjin areas are slowly being circulated, allowing more people to learn about the outside world.
"Golden Continent?"
"Is there gold everywhere?"
When everyone heard this, they were all stunned.
"Scholar, please tell us in detail."
Chen Mazi immediately became interested and said quickly.
"Come next time, next time we come, we will be home soon. When we all drink together, I will take the newspaper and give you a good talk."
The scholar smiled and said, looking forward, he could already see Longtou Village. Hundreds of people had gathered at the entrance of the village, and they seemed to be waiting anxiously.
"I'm back~ I'm back~"
Someone saw Wang Daniu, Chen Mazi and others, and immediately said in a hurry to the people waiting at the entrance of the village.
"Finally back~"
When the villagers at the entrance of the village heard this, they all became excited.
"Everyone, get ready~"
Old man Wu, the leader of the village, said to everyone.
When Wang Daniu, Chen Mazi and others arrived at the entrance of the village, the firecrackers that had been prepared were lit, and they kept crackling, just like during the New Year.
"Welcome back our village heroes!"
Old man Wu said to Wang Daniu and others.
The news of this great victory had already been sent back. Of course, along with the good news was the reward of one hundred taels of silver for killing a Tatar, and two hundred taels of silver for those who died in battle.
Every household in the village has someone going to fight the Tatars, and they are all military households. When the war goes out, every household has a quota, and someone must go to fight.
At first, no one was willing to go. In some families, several brothers even turned against each other and even turned against each other. In the end, they had to draw lots to decide who would go to the war.
Who knew that this time we would get such a generous reward? Because everyone fought desperately, not many people died. In the past, if we fought against the Tatars, even if it was a city defense battle, if ten people went out, they would only be able to come back at most.
half.
But this time, out of ten people who went out, six or seven were able to come back, die in battle, and receive a pension of two hundred taels of silver from their families. No one was afraid of death.
Those who are not dead, those who can kill Tatars on the battlefield, this Tatar's reward of one hundred taels of silver is enough to make people jealous.
When Wang Daniu and others came to the village entrance, when they first looked over, they saw pairs of blood-red eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
Especially young people like himself who did not dare to fight. At this time, all of them had red eyes and their intestines turned green with regret. When they looked at themselves and others, the envy, jealousy and hatred in their eyes were all gone.
Can feel it clearly.
"Thank you everyone~Thank you everyone~"
Wang Daniu and others smiled and bowed their hands in thanks, and soon after, people from each family quickly gathered around the expedition member of their own family, asking some anxious questions.
So did Wang Daniu, his father, his mother, his brothers, sisters, and uncles all gathered around.
"Daniu, Daniel, how many Tatars have you killed?"
"Have you got the silver reward?"
"How many are there?"
"Hurry up and show it to everyone."
Everyone was talking to each other, and what they were most concerned about was naturally how many Tatars Wang Daniu had killed and how much silver he had received as a reward.
"Ahem~ Let's go home and talk."
Wang Daniu coughed slightly, smiled and said.
"Yes~yes, let's talk when we get home, let's talk when we get home."
Wang Daniu's father, Wang Yigengen, nodded quickly, and everyone in the family went home in a noisy manner.
In the courtyard of Wang Daniu's house, the Wang family, old and young, all gathered together and sat around. Everyone looked at Wang Daniu.
"Ahem, this time, I killed four Tatars and got a reward of four hundred taels of silver."
Wang Daniu looked at the eager eyes of everyone, smiled and said.
There was no way to hide this matter, because everyone in the village who went on the expedition knew about it, so everyone would naturally tell each other about it.
"Four hundred taels of silver~"
When everyone heard this, everyone immediately smiled. Four hundred taels of silver was an astronomical figure that they had never dared to think of before. They did not expect that Wang Daniu actually killed four Tatars this time.
"Daniu, this money must be taken out and divided among everyone."
Wang Daniu's second uncle Wang Ergen said directly and decisively.
"Yes, Daniel, this money must be taken out and divided equally among the houses."
Wang Daniu's third uncle Wang Sangen also nodded and said.
Wang Daniu's father has three brothers. In normal times, it is a good thing to have more brothers. For example, every time he goes on an expedition or when something happens, Wang's three brothers, one, two and three, only count as one military household, so one person is enough.
.
However, there are many brothers, and there are many things to do. For example, in the military field handed down from our ancestors, three brothers are very few. In addition, like this time, everyone is pushing back and forth on who will go on the expedition.
.
Whenever there was any benefit, the three brothers would always fight with each other.
Wang Daniu's money hasn't even been used yet, but his second uncle and his third uncle's family are asking for a share of the money.
"Why should I share it with you?"
Before Wang Daniu could speak, Wang Daniu's mother Ma immediately became furious.
"This silver is a reward for our great master who went through life and death and fought bloody battles to kill the Tatars. If you want money, do you have the guts to kill the Tatars yourself?"
"When we first went on the expedition, I didn't know who was pushing and pushing us, saying that we were the eldest family, and this incident must also be our eldest family's fault."
"It's better now, everyone is here to share the money, I'm dreaming!"
Ma is very fierce, a typical rural shrew, and with a lifetime of quarrels, she is someone who refuses to take any losses.
"Sister-in-law, you can't say anything else. This quota handed down from our ancestors does not only belong to your big house. If our big bear goes on an expedition, he will definitely be able to kill the Tatars and get money."
When Wang Ergen heard this, he immediately became unhappy and said quickly.
"That's right. This military household inherited from our ancestors is not just from your eldest family. What's more, we are all brothers. If we have wealth, we will naturally share it. This money must be divided equally among the three families."
Wang Sangen said with a very firm attitude, his eyes were red, four hundred taels of silver, each family can get more than a hundred taels of silver, with these more than a hundred taels of silver, they can turn around immediately.
"I put my words here today, you don't want a penny of this money."
"Otherwise I will die here."
"Your Big Bear was so frightened that he wet his pants when he went on the expedition and couldn't even stand up. There is also the Third Uncle's house, your Big Sheep and the Second Sheep. When they went out for the war, they couldn't find a single person. Now they are amazing.
, everyone came back to ask for money."
"You are so capable, why didn't you kill the Tatars in the first place?"
Ma's face was full of disdain. The three brothers' family had many conflicts in the past.
In the past, when we were doing work for hundreds or thousands of households above, Wang Daniu's family basically contributed. His second uncle's and third uncle's families never contributed, euphemistically saying that they were small, and Wang Gengen was the boss.
Everything is naturally inherited from Dafang.
This time also for the expedition, people from the Ergen and Sangen families all pushed to Wang Daniu's side. In the end, there was no other way, so Wang Daniu was dragged to the expedition. But who knew that this time he would be able to get a reward of four hundred taels of silver.
"Brother, who are you to say, are we still brothers?"
"If they are brothers, the money must be divided equally."
Wang Ergen looked at Wang Yigeng. He couldn't defeat Ma at all. He could only place his hope in Wang Yigeng. Wang Yigengen was an honest man and had no independent opinions. In addition, he was the boss, so he often let his two
younger brother.
Wang Yigen didn't speak from the beginning to the end, he just sat there, silent, without saying a word.
"Brother, we are brothers. We share hardships and share blessings. You can't live alone."
Wang Sangen also followed suit and said.
"This silver~"
Wang Yigen was silent for a long time, and then he thought about it and was about to speak.
At this time Wang Daniu spoke,
"I will not give you any of this money. I am going through life and death on the battlefield at this time. I have exchanged my life for the money. If you want money, go kill the Tatars yourself."
Wang Daniu said without looking at it, looking at his second uncle, third uncle, and then his several cousins, he felt annoyed. He had taken advantage of his family since he was a child, but now he has the audacity to ask for money.
,dream!
"Well said, if you want money, go kill the Tatars yourself!"
When Mrs. Ma heard that her son was so stubborn, she immediately smiled. Then she poked Wang Yigen's head and said, "You loser, if you dare to say even a word, I will kill you."
She knew very well that Wang Yiyi had a soft temper and even softer ears, so she blocked his words directly.
"Daniu, how could you do this?"
"This money doesn't belong to you alone. It belongs to everyone in our family. How can you take it all to yourself?"
When Wang Ergen heard this, he immediately became unhappy and quickly said to Wang Daniu with a dark face.
"That's right, this money belongs to all of us in the Wang family. You can't take it all for yourself. You must share it equally, otherwise I won't agree."
Wang Sangen also nodded and said, as if he would not give up until he got the money.
"Daniu, you can't do this. You have money but lose brotherhood~"
"If we hadn't let you go and killed the Tatars, would you have been able to get four hundred taels of silver?"
"That's right, the silver is divided even if it is divided."
Wang Daniu's cousins, Wang Daxiong, Wang Erxiong, Wang Dayang, and Wang Eryang also shouted that they were very scared when facing the Tatars, but they were not afraid at all when facing Wang Daniu, not to mention that they still had money. Now they all have money.
Extremely jealous.
"Brother, please tell me, are you still the head of the family?"
"Is it the big boss who has the final say in this big house?"
Wang Ergen also continued to encourage his eldest brother. He knew his eldest brother's temperament very well.
"I have nothing to say. This money was obtained by Daniel himself by going to the battlefield and killing the enemy. He has the final say."
"Besides, he has reached the age to start a family and start a business. Logically, he has already started a family by himself, and I can no longer control him."
Wang Gengen was silent for a long time, thought for a while and said, this time, he was not soft-hearted.
He knew that the benefits of his two younger brothers' urinary properties must not be omitted. As for giving, it was impossible. In the past, he would have given in to his two younger brothers for trivial matters.
But this time, this money was paid for by his son's life and death, and his two younger brothers had such huge appetites that they even wanted to share it equally, which seriously touched his bottom line.
He originally wanted to ask Daniel to give a few dozen taels of silver to the second and third families. Dozens of taels of silver was a lot, enough to do a lot of big things.
Who would have thought that the second and third bedrooms would actually demand to share the money equally, which he absolutely cannot accept.
After seeing their faces clearly, he was not blindly stupid, so he directly handed over the matter to Wang Daniu. But Daniu's attitude was already very clear. It was a dream to get money from Wang Daniu.
"Brother, how could you do this?"
"That's right. Wang Daniu is still a child. What does he know? If the money is in his hands, he might be cheated away soon. It's better to give it to all of us to share."
Wang Yigen and Wang Ergen immediately became anxious. Without Wang Yigen's support, it was absolutely impossible for them to get the money.
"Daniu is already over 20 years old. If his family hadn't been poor, he would have started a family and started his own business long ago. Recently, Matchmaker Tang has told me that if he has a suitable partner, he will marry Daniu."
"I won't take any of this money, it's all Daniel's own."
After Wang Gengen said this, he left directly. Annoying, it was originally a very happy thing, but now it has become very annoying. Out of sight, out of mind, so he simply went out and prepared to find the Tang Matchmaker to give him to everyone.
Niu went to talk about the marriage.
"Brother~"
Seeing Wang Yigen go out, Wang Ergen and Wang Sangen immediately became anxious and quickly wanted to shout to stop, but Wang Yigen was determined and ignored them and left directly.
Seeing that Wang Yigen was finally not confused, Mrs. Ma was relieved, and then said to Wang Ergen and Wang Sangen with a smile on her face: "It's getting late, and our family hasn't prepared any extra food. I'm really sorry to wait for Daniel."
When we get married, I’ll treat you to wine and dinner.”
There is no doubt that this is an order to evict the guests. The people in the second and third rooms are so annoyed that they want to come over and share the money. It's a dream.
"Hmph~"
"Sister-in-law, you get the money today whether you divide it or not, otherwise we won't leave."
Wang Ergen's daughter-in-law, Han, also showed the spirit of a shrew and looked like she was relying on her.
"Yes, yes, we won't leave if there is no difference in money."
Wang Sangen's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhou, also followed suit.
"touch~"
At this moment, Wang Daniu drew out the prairie scimitar he had captured from the battlefield, and smashed the table in the courtyard into pieces with one blow, looking murderous.
He had killed people on the battlefield, so he naturally carried a murderous aura. When everyone saw his appearance and then looked at the gleaming scimitar, they immediately trembled.
"I give you this silver. Do you dare to take it?"
Wang Daniu's eyes were blood red and he said fiercely: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already made a decree. Anyone who dares to touch the money of us people will have their heads moved."
"Otherwise, do you think this money can come into our hands? Do you think we can come back safely?"
"The blood-sucking Hundreds and Thousands of Houses above have long wanted to rob us of our money, but no one dared to touch us. One Thousand of Households wanted to take away our money and were torn apart by a car and quartered by five horses.
.”
"This silver is the money that His Highness the Prince rewards us heroes who have contributed to the court and killed the Tatars. Are you worthy of it?"
"Do you dare to take it again?"
"If you don't want to move the heads or be quartered by five horses, then come and get them?"
After Wang Daniu finished speaking, he also sneered and looked at his uncle and cousin without a glance.
Wang Ergen, Wang Sangen and others looked at Wang Daniu's posture, then looked at the scimitar in Wang Daniu's hand, and weighed it carefully again and again, and suddenly fell silent.