Pi San didn't expect that he would be stopped outside the county magistrate's house. He had been able to go in and out without any obstruction before.
But no matter how he explained, the guard refused to let him in. Pi San guessed that this must be the intention of the county guard Pan Chenggui. Pan Chenggui had always disliked Pan Ming's association with him.
Pi San, his teeth itching with hatred, sat down on the steps outside the house, thinking that Pan Ming would always come in and out.
But as soon as he sat down, the guard came to chase him again and refused to let him sit on the steps. He had no choice but to stand by the wall opposite the mansion and wait.
After waiting for nearly an hour, he saw Pan Ming running towards the house in a hurry. Pi San quickly called out "disciple" to catch up, but I don't know whether his voice was too soft or Pan Ming was too anxious to hear. In short, Pan Ming
His figure ran into the house in a flash, but he didn't have time to cross the road.
Pi San was unhappy. All his good mood in recent days was ruined today, but he didn't dare to delay the arrangements arranged by Scar, so he could only continue to wait, thinking that Pan Ming would still come out.
It took another half an hour before Pan Ming finally left the mansion, followed by four young men, each holding an armful of cotton wool. Then the five masters and servants boarded the carriage of the Sheriff's Mansion that was always ready.
Pi San felt strange and decided not to say hello yet. Instead, he hired a carriage and followed quietly.
The carriage drove for nearly two quarters of an hour before stopping at Gushu Alley.
Pi San knew that this place was a notoriously chaotic slum, with a mixture of good and bad and all kinds of people. What was Pan Ming doing here? He became more and more curious, got off the carriage a little further away, and followed on foot.
Pi San followed Pan Ming into Gushu Alley.
Pan Ming walked very fast, and Pi San was afraid of losing him, so he could only step up his pace. He didn't pay attention to his feet, and stepped into the mud, soiling his newly bought cotton shoes and cotton robe.
Pi San was so angry that he cursed secretly and chased him to the bottom corner of the alley. Finally he heard the people inside talking:
"Master and Madam, I have sent you some quilts. Don't worry, these are not used in the house. They are just left there anyway. I will bring them over for you to use." Pan Ming said with a smile.
Zhufeng was rolling up his sleeves to pick up branches from the ground. Although the weather was cold, he was sweating profusely. For no other reason than he was cleaning up the ruins.
Wen Ya wielded the newly bought hoe to hoe the weeds in the yard, Qingyu and Hongtao were responsible for cleaning, and Shi'an and Zhufeng were responsible for picking up rocks, branches and other messy things in the house.
Pan Ming and the four boys he brought with him made Zhufeng happy. He took the things first, put them in the basket on his back, and then greeted: "You came at the right time, come and help me for a while, and I will treat you to tea later."
"But he said this to the four boys. Apparently he felt that young master Pan Ming was of no use.
Pan Ming was also happy. He could fulfill his filial piety to his master and let his master recognize him as soon as possible, and then learn great supernatural powers. He was willing to do anything. He immediately ordered the other four people to start working, and he also started working together.
A group of people were very busy, talking and laughing, in front of a pile of ruins.
When Pi San saw this, his eyes were so filled with hatred that he could bleed. The front foot even called him master, and the back foot came here to show his courtesy. Sure enough, he was as hateful as his father.
However, are these five people the five out of the ten people Scar mentioned? What about the other five people? Was it this group of people who were counting with him, or another group of people?
Pi San thought for a while, came up with an idea, and left quietly.
But he said that although Pan Ming was a young master and had been well-dressed and well-fed since he was a child, he was quite agile at doing rough work. A group of people cleared out the ruins in less than an hour. Although it was still in tatters, the ground was now neat and clean.
Even the concave and convex parts have been flattened or filled in, making it look much more comfortable.
There was nothing else in the house except a dilapidated wooden bed and some tables and chairs with missing legs and corners, but fortunately it was enough to protect them from wind and rain. The family of five used all the cotton batting Pan Ming brought and just laid it.
Although the three beds look shabby, they are warmer than anything else.
Pan Ming looked at such a simple place, but the master and his family could still have smiles on their faces. He was deeply moved and felt that he seemed to understand something. He no longer disliked the dilapidated house.
"Master, what are you having for dinner?" he asked.
This question really stopped me. I felt like there were a lot of things to add, but I didn’t know where to start first.
Qingyu glanced at the house that had been almost tidied up, and said: "Go to the streets and buy everything that needs to be bought."
A few other people had no objections.
When he was about to go out, Zhufeng took out his cotton-padded jacket. Although it was old, it was better because it didn't cost money. Moreover, when he picked clothes, he always picked half-new clothes, and the size was suitable. It would be warm and decent for five people. It was necessary.
The only flaw was the straw sandals on the feet. Based on this, the family of five decided to go to a clothing store as the first stop.
Pan Ming took Qingyu and five others to choose five pairs of cotton shoes and socks at a ready-made clothing store, which cost a total of two yuan and ten coppers. The family of five negotiated with the shopkeeper for a long time, and finally bought the pair for two yuan. The five people exchanged their shoes on the spot.
As for the straw sandals, I didn’t throw them away. After all, I will still rely on them in the coming spring.
After buying the shoes, the family of five discussed and decided to go to the market first. So Pan Ming took them to the market again.
It was almost evening, and there were not many people in the market. A family of five was wandering aimlessly. When passing by a rice shop, the five people looked at each other and walked into the rice shop in a tacit understanding: food is the most important thing.
.
However, when they entered the rice shop and saw fifty copper coins per pound of rice, Qingyu and others were shocked. They still remembered that Zhao Qian had said ten copper coins per pound of rice, which was five times the price...
Zhufeng pointed at the rice and complained bitterly to Pan Ming: "That's so unkind. Is the rice in your Chengyang County made of gold? Is it so expensive?"
Pan Ming scratched his head in embarrassment, "The price of rice has indeed risen a lot. This year's grain production is small and taxes are heavy, so the price of grain can only rise."
The shopkeeper who heard Zhufeng's words turned over the rice price sign, and it read fifty-five copper coins, "It's still a bad day, so it's five copper coins cheaper."
When the conversation came to this point, several people were at a loss and formed a circle to discuss how much to buy.
Zhufeng Ti bought ten kilograms first, and then mixed it with rice bran to eat. Anyway, now is not the time to pursue enjoyment. I haven't eaten anything all the way, so the rice bran is already considered good.
Others thought it was reasonable, but Qingyu pulled Pan Ming down and asked in a low voice: "Young Master once said that the grain tax will be levied again soon?"
Pan Ming nodded and lowered his voice and replied: "I overheard this. I guess it's just the past two days and my father has not made an official announcement yet."
Qingyu calculated in his mind that Shi'an and Hongtao earned twenty taels, plus the twelve taels that Tiger sold, and deducting what he spent today, he still had thirteen taels left on hand. No surprise, in
I will stay in Chengyang County for three months, and then continue on my way to Yinzhou after the winter.
She and a few others whispered: "The price of rice will rise at the latest tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Let's buy one stone of rice first, which will be enough for the five of us for three months, and then buy one stone of rice bran. Mix the two and we will be able to eat."
Yinzhou.”
Everyone calculated in their minds that one stone of rice was worth five taels and nine cents, plus one stone of rice bran... rice bran was ten copper coins per catty, that is one tael, one cent and eighty coppers, and a total of seven taels and eighty coppers.
The four people's hearts trembled a little, Zhufeng asked first: "How much money can we have left?"
"There are still six liang and twenty coppers left." Qingyu replied.
After hearing this, several people became depressed. They finally had a small treasure chest and half of it would be removed in the blink of an eye.
But the junior sister in charge is right. If you don’t buy it now, the price will definitely increase later, and war may come at any time. You can’t place your hope on the future. Prepare in advance if you can prepare. In the past, they were the ones who didn’t have a meal before.
Never want to think about it again.
After thinking for a while, everyone unanimously decided to buy one stone of rice and one stone of rice bran.
Zhufeng represents the head of the family. It is rare to have such an appearance, so he boldly told the store the quantity.
At first glance, the store owner thought he heard it wrong, so he asked again. After confirming that he heard it right, he smiled happily. He didn't expect such a large amount of business to come to the store just before closing, so he simply gave away ten kilograms worth of it.
He paid four cents for flour and promised to send someone to deliver it to his door.
Qingyu thought that she still had to walk around the market, so she asked the store to wait until they finished shopping before delivering them.