While they were chatting, the porter had already loaded the goods on the carriage. Zhou Zhihui came over and said to Yunxi: "Master Sun, the goods have been loaded."
"Then go back." Yunxi ordered, and the group returned to the city.
When they returned to the city, because the carriage was already full of goods, Yunxi and Zhu Youdou had no place to sit, so they followed the carriage, side by side with Zhou Zhihui, chatting casually as they returned to the city.
After walking for a while, Zhou Zhihui couldn't help but secretly admire Yun Hei: "Although this man is a young master from a wealthy family who is inexperienced in the world, he is not a very delicate person. Today is already November 21st.
Although it has not yet reached March 9th, which is not the coldest time of the year, it is already very cold. The young master named Sun Yijun is talking and laughing as usual; and he looks quite strong and has steady steps. He should be a
Those who practice martial arts. It is not easy for a young master from a wealthy family to still practice martial arts.'
He looked at Zhu Youdou again: "This is far from enough. His feet are a little fluttery. He is fat and afraid of the cold. He is really a pampered young master."
Glancing around, he discovered two more strange things: "There is something strange about this young master named Sun Yiming. Although his accent is a Beijing accent, some of his words have a Henan flavor, as if he was staying in Henan."
It's really strange.'
'Also, what did the guard say when he was always next to Li Gong? Not only did he talk to Li Gong when he returned to the city, he also talked to Li Gong when he came here, and he still spoke in Henan dialect. Could it be that his hometown is in Henan?
?But how come you work as a guard for people from the capital?'
He was silently wondering in his heart when he suddenly heard Yun He asked: "Shopkeeper Zhou, I was in the Taoist temple just now. I saw there were a lot of people inside. Are there many people like them working in Kaifeng City now?"
"Quite a few, thousands of people." Zhou Zhihui recovered his mind and said.
"With so many strong men, why don't they go home and farm, but stay in the city as laborers? Nowadays, there are not many people in Ming Dynasty except Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so there won't be any fields in the countryside."
"Sun Daguan is right. There are indeed a lot of fields in the countryside. There are no empty fields in the upper fields, but there are all in the middle fields. Unless the lower fields are in a very good location, no one will farm them. Each family has a wife and half-grown children.
With my help, I can cultivate thirty acres of land even if I don’t have livestock, and there will always be food to eat.”
"Then why don't they go home and farm? Thirty acres of land is much more than the land of ordinary people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
"Of course for the high officials, it's because they earn more in the city!" Zhou Zhihui said with a smile: "Even if it is your own thirty acres of land, you don't have to pay rent, but most people can't occupy the land.
In Zhongtian, one acre of land can produce more than one stone of grain. Thirty acres of land can produce only forty or fifty dan of grain. The tax on one acre of land is three liters, three in five spoons, and the tax on thirty acres of land is about one stone."
"Yes, there is only one stone in tax, so there is still so much left. I heard that ordinary people can spend four or five guans a year, and the remaining grain is worth at least seven or eight guans, which is enough.
"
"Officials, how can it be so simple! In addition to the court tax, there is also an additional fire fee. The government officials said that when grain is sent from the countryside to the official treasury, the person who transports it must eat the grain, and an additional 20% of the fire fee will be added.
In addition, when they collect grain, they also use the method of big fight and small fight, so the people always have to pay more."
"In addition, the forty or fifty kilograms just mentioned is the best situation, with good weather and good weather. But in Henan, there is almost one year of abnormal wind and rain every three years. Although there are fewer major disasters, the grain production will be less, and one acre will be less.
It’s one stone. Thirty acres is thirty stones.”
"Farmers themselves also have to eat grain. There are five people in a family. If a strong man wants to be full, he needs two liters of grain a day, which is seven dan a year. A woman eats less and needs four or five dan. Children
If it's less, it's still two or three stones. If a half-grown boy eats more than a strong man, the whole family will have to eat twenty stones."
"In addition, we have to save the food for next year, so there is not much left after all. If someone in the family gets sick, all the money and food left will be used up. In addition, we have to save money for the children to study for two years.
I really can’t read the book before I come back to farming; I still have to save money for my son to marry a wife, build a house, replace farm tools, buy cattle, and so on. Thirty acres of land is simply not enough! For many farmers,
Even though I don’t have a house to rent now, and the court’s taxes are not high, I still can’t bear to eat enough in the spare time in order to save money.”
"Being a laborer in the city is different. What you get is money, not food that you will definitely suffer when you exchange it. When you are busy, a strong man can work hard and earn fifty cash a day, which is enough for a month and a half;
When you are free, like now, you can earn an average of more than ten coins a day, more than half a month. Calculated in this way, you can earn more than ten coins a year. My wife at home can grow some grain, cotton and vegetables. When she is free, she can earn more than ten coins a day.
Weaving can also earn some money and food. This is more than twice as much as the family can earn by farming in the countryside. So why don't they work in the city?"
"By the way, Sir, I've been to Jiangsu and Zhejiang too. The fields there are paddy fields. Although it's hard to plant, you can harvest a lot of food. Henan is all dry land. It's a little easier to plant, but you can harvest less food.
Therefore, ordinary farmers do not have as much land as ours, but their lives are better than ours," Zhou Zhihui said at last.
"Is it just because I make a lot of money?" Yunxi asked again.
"Hey, my dear officials, we ordinary people are not just thinking about making a living. We can go wherever we can make more money. However," Zhou Zhihui thought for a moment and said, "It is true that some people are not just because they can make money in the city.
I wish I could stay in the city."
"In the countryside, parents are in charge. Without parents, there is still a clan. Everything cannot go against the will of the clan. Some young people feel uncomfortable and feel that no one is in charge of them in the city. Even if they live in the city, the food is not as good as
In the country, but also willing to stay in the city."
"There are also some young men who came to the city to make money as laborers before they were twenty. Seeing that there are many recreational things in the city, they can play in different ways; unlike in the countryside, where there are only so many recreational things, and they will get tired of them in a few days.
.There are also people who are unwilling to return to their hometowns because they are greedy for the things in the city. It is not good for such people. The original purpose of coming to the city is to make more money, but they have spent all the money they have earned because they are greedy for entertainment things.
Nothing."
"There are some like this," Yunxi muttered, and then asked, "Is there nothing else?"
"No more." Zhou Zhihui thought for a while, but couldn't think of a reason anymore and shook his head.
At this point, they had already entered the city. Seeing that he could not give any other reasons, Yunxi chatted about other things. After walking for a while, they came to the place where Yunxi pretended to put the goods. Yunxi asked the laborers to move the goods from
They unloaded the carriage and sent it in, asking the guards to give them money. These laborers weighed the yellow copper coins in their hands, smiled on their faces, and said in Mandarin with a heavy accent, "Thank you, Master!" and bowed again.
Turn around and leave.
Yunxi also said to Zhou Zhihui: "Shopkeeper Zhou, there's nothing to do today, that's it. It's really troublesome to shopkeeper Zhou, this little thought is for you." He took out a ten-guan note from his waist and handed it to him.
To Zhou Zhihui.
Zhou Zhihui took the money and the smile on his face became brighter: "Why is this so embarrassing?"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Shopkeeper Zhou told me so many things just now and helped us hire workers. This is what shopkeeper Zhou deserves." Yunxi said with a smile.
Zhou Zhihui gave in a few more words. Seeing that Yunxi insisted on giving him money, he put the treasure banknotes into his pocket and said: "Master Sun, if there are still people who are of use to this villain, please send someone to Shuanglin in the west of the city."
'The lumber shop is looking for a villain."
"I understand, you can go back." Yunxi said a few more words to him before Zhou Zhihui left.
As soon as Zhou Zhihui left, a guard under Yun He came over and said: "Master, I just talked to the laborers, and they said..." The guard asked him from the laborers that they were working in the city.
The reason for the labor was revealed. Although he was Yunxi's bodyguard, his hometown was in Henan, so he could communicate with the laborers.
After hearing this, Yunhe praised him a few words and asked him to step aside. Then he told Zhu Youdou why he had found out from Zhou Zhihui. Finally, he said: "Sixth brother, now you know why these people are unwilling to go home.
Is it because you farm the land and stay in the city as a laborer?"
"Fifth brother, this is why you went through all this trouble." Zhu Youdou suddenly realized: "First talk to the shopkeeper who is familiar with the situation, so that he can let down his guard, and then ask about things that are not directly related to him.
, you can get the answer to the question. At the same time, we arrange for the local guards to talk to the laborers. Our group all have Beijing accents. The laborers will feel more friendly when they suddenly hear a Henan accent. They can speak casually and can ask some questions.
The truth."
"Actually, it's best to sneak into the labor force and talk directly to the labor force. The answers you get will be the most honest. But firstly, it takes a few days for new people to integrate into them, and I don't have so much free time; secondly, let's go again
No matter how you pretend, you can't look like a laborer, and it's hard to guarantee your safety among them, so we can only do this." Yunxi said.
"High, really high." Zhu Youduan praised again.
"This is nothing. Without your help, Sixth Brother, it wouldn't have been possible." Yunxi smiled and said a few words, then said seriously: "I have thought of the first two points because they are willing to stay in the city. Making money in the city
Duojia has no clan to control it. The third point I didn't expect was that I was greedy for the prosperity of the city. I should have thought of it." These people who stayed in the city are not the same as those who became Beidiao, Shangdiao, Guangdiao or others in later generations.
The drifters are the same, so the reasons why drifters in later generations are willing to stay in big cities should not be much different from them.
Yunxi thought for a while and then said to Zhu Youdou: "Now that the reason is known, Sixth Brother, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
