Heavy snow fell from the sky, and the entire Red Plains was shrouded in a vast white world.
Baozhong opened the wooden window a crack and looked at the thick white snow that had accumulated overnight in the small courtyard. He was stunned for a long time until he heard a series of coughs behind him, and then he quickly lowered the wooden lattice to block the cold air outside the window.
He took a few steps to the bed and knelt down. Seeing his mother lying sickly on the bed, Baozhong felt sour in his heart. The eyes of the seven-foot man turned red.
The mother weakly raised her hand and gently placed it on Baozhong's wrist. Her voice was hoarse: "Don't be like this, sir. Sons of Ren's family are not allowed to cry."
"Mother... my son is unfilial and has allowed you to suffer like this."
"Buddha said that people are here to suffer when they live in this world. Maybe I can finally stop suffering this time and go find your father..."
"Mom, don't say that. You will get better. Bodhisattva will bless you. Don't talk for now. My son will bring you some hot water. It snowed last night. When you recover, my son will take a good look at you.
This snow scene.”
I served my mother and drank a few sips of hot water, coaxing my mother to close her eyes and fall asleep again. Then she quietly got up and walked out of the door quietly.
He paced back and forth anxiously in the small courtyard, opening the courtyard door from time to time and looking outside. After waiting for a long time, he finally saw his brother who hurried back.
Seeing his younger brother coming back alone, Baozhong asked hurriedly: "What should I say?"
Xizhong said in frustration: "The doctor refused to come. He said he would come when the medical fees owed to him would be settled."
The doctor is a member of the Xifeng family, but in fact, his ancestors were Han people who defected to Dangxiang. Because the battle at Baima Mountain was defeated so quickly three years ago, the doctor who accompanied the army also failed to escape and stayed in the city.
Three years ago, the White Horse Court found out about this doctor's background and planned to convert him to Han nationality and open a clinic on the street. However, the doctor refused. The reason for the rejection was simple. He considered himself a member of the Party.
And believe in Buddha.
Since the beginning of the year, Baozhong's family has been unable to afford the doctor's consultation fees. Now they owe one year's debt. Baozhong wants to curse, but he can't. After all, the doctor has been paying for his mother's medical treatment for the past year.
More than ten times, it was considered that I had exhausted all my benevolence and righteousness. I clenched my fists tightly and gritted my teeth in silence for a long time before loosening my grip. After thinking about it, I said, "I'm going to find Li Yansi!"
Xi Zhong grabbed him and said, "Brother, I was surrounded by Jing Cheng and others on my way back. They wanted to borrow food from our family."
Baozhong shook his head: "Where is the food?" As a member of the Renduo family, Lu Ze, Baozhong originally had a rich family, but in order to take care of the Renduo family members left in Hongyuan, more than two hundred mouths devoured him for three years.
, no matter how rich the family is, they are now in poverty. The Renjia family is not a wealthy family in the Tuoba tribe of Hongyuan, so they cannot intervene in the distribution of food for the party members in Baimayuan. They have been deducted here and there, and now they are really impoverished.
I only heard Xizhong say: "That's what I told them. Where can there be food now? But they said, if it doesn't work, let you take the lead and lead everyone into the mountains to grab a handful. Those untouchables in the White Horse Department are living extremely happily now."
, they robbed our cattle and sheep, we should take them back!"
Baozhong thought for a while and said: "This matter needs to be considered in the long term. It is no better now than it was then. It is not feasible unless it is a last resort."
"Brother, life is so difficult. I think they have a good idea. Just lead everyone to have a fight!"
"Don't panic first. Please tell everyone not to be stupid. There is a new Abbot Zhao in Baima Courtyard. Let's take a look at his behavior first. Besides, the food will be distributed tomorrow. Let's talk about it after this juncture. As for today's food, I will discuss it later.
Go and borrow it from Li Yansi."
Baozhong walked through the streets and came to the home of his ancestor Li Yansi. He looked at the bumpy brick wall in the corner and the pile of dry firewood piled outside the small door.
It’s not a good time.
As a prominent figure in the original Qiongxi Town, Li Yansi's family was definitely not in the same situation as it is today.
When they were defeated, the Ming army once occupied half of the town as a garrison. Later, thousands of Han people moved in and took over the houses occupied by the Ming army. Many Dangxiang people who had occupied the houses crowded into Dangxiang in the town.
Li Yansi had no choice but to split up the mansion. Now the great patriarch and his family are crowded into two small courtyards, looking very embarrassed, just like the Baozhong family.
Li Yansi met Baozhong in the flower hall. Hearing that Baozhong said he was here to borrow food, he pressed his fingers on the pear wood table countless times: "Baozhong, I remember you came here seven days ago. That eighty kilograms
Did you finish the food so quickly?"
"Zuru, my Ren family has more than 200 households, how can there be enough..."
"Baozhong, I don't have any food left at home. If you continue to be patient, tomorrow will be the day for food distribution."
"Zuru, my mother has been lying in bed for three days. The doctor has stopped treating her. I have to pay back the consultation fee."
"You go back first. I'll tell him later and let him go to your house to see your mother. Is your mother feeling cold again?"
"yes."
"Baozhong, it's not that my uncle said something harsh. Your mother is weak and suffers from wind-cold symptoms every three days. The doctor went to diagnose and treat her, but the same thing happened. After the diagnosis and treatment, the prescription was given. Do you have the money to go to a Han pharmacy to get medicine?
"
"Zuru, can you think of a way?"
"What can I do?"
"I heard that the food distributed by Baima Yuan was twice as much as what we got..."
Li Yansi immediately jumped to his feet, pointed at Baozhong and said: "What do you mean? You mean I deducted your food? Am I that kind of person? Don't you know that Ming Dynasty makes everything lose, they say
It’s so much, how much can actually be distributed? Besides, you don’t care about the Dangxiang clan members outside the city, why don’t you just ask? Even if I don’t distribute the full amount to you, I haven’t pocketed a pound of food! I’ve used it all to give to the clan members.
!”
Looking at the furious Li Yansi, Baozhong didn't say anything more. He just said: "Zuru, let's rent those lands to the Han people. It's better than letting them go to waste."
Upon hearing this, Li Yansi immediately exploded. He pointed his finger at Baozhong and shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about? Baozhong, am I unwilling to rent? Han people are unwilling to rent!"
"But the land rent is too high..."
"Where is it higher? It's much less than before! In the past, we could harvest seven bushels per acre of land, but now we only harvest four or five bushels, which is already very little! What's more, there are still two bushels of rent, and the Han people are not renting crops.
What? How can you say that I don’t want to rent?”
"But today is different from the past. In the past, there were three tribes of slaves working the land. It's hard to treat the Han people as slaves."
"Baozhong, you are definitely wrong to think this way! Why am I doing this? Is it for myself? Isn't it all for us party members? I have persisted for three years now. As long as everyone keeps standing up
, Baimayuan has to nod and agree! Now it’s up to us who can persist to the end!”
"But……"
"Baozhong, we can't go back! I've asked about it, the country is already powerless against Hongyuan. At this time, we party members must focus on one place. Only in this way can we be like the three parties.
Same, implement self-government! Those lowly slaves can be self-governing, why can’t our noble party members?"
"Zuru, Hongyuan already belongs to the Ming Dynasty, how can we insist on it? As long as a decisive and decisive figure comes, we will bring disaster upon ourselves."
"But he didn't come, right? The previous Zeng Zhili was not this kind of person. What about this Zhao Zhiran? He has been here for a month and has done nothing. In my opinion, he is not this kind of person either."