Three Kingdoms

After the cold breath invaded the north and south of the Yangtze River, goose-feather-like heavy snow fell, covering many places in China.

In Sanfu, Chang'an, although the snow has not yet reached the level that hinders people's travel, the number of pedestrians on the road has decreased a lot, and judging from the experience of previous years, since it is already snowing heavily, it means that it is very likely to receive There will be snow when we come down, just one after another.

Therefore, in such weather, ordinary people rarely go out unless necessary. The most common method used by ordinary people in winter is to stay up. Reduce the amount of activity, which reduces calorie consumption, and allows them to eat less and stay up longer.

For the children of the gentry, the first heavy snow actually inspired more desire to play.

Of course, it means heavy snow. Not many people were interested in the first snow, because the first snow melted easily, and then there was mud on the ground, and there was really not much scenery. However, under the heavy snow, the sky and the earth were pure white, which made these people with black or gray hearts. , naturally I felt a little washed.

Especially near the Wuling Tombs in Chang'an, after all, commerce is developed and there are quite a few people from well-off families. Many people can light charcoal fires, wear thick fur clothes, warm wine and talk and laugh...

There was also a snowman built in the backyard of the General Office. The snowman has a fat head and a round belly. He does not have a carrot and broom as a costume, but has a bamboo horse and a wooden sword.

The snowman was built by Huang Yueying. Although this guy is already a mother of a child, he is only about 20 years old after all. In addition, he was in Jingzhou before and rarely saw heavy snow. Therefore, in Chang'an, whenever heavy snow falls, he is more or less excited and naughty. From Huang Yueying staring at Fei Qian and smiling, sometimes patting the snowman's head, and inserting a bamboo horse and a wooden sword, Fei Qian could roughly guess that Huang Yueying was using herself as a template for the snowman.

Fei Zhen also followed Huang Yueying crookedly. Sometimes she couldn't stand firmly in the snow, and would lie down on the snow with a pop. Huang Yueying just laughed, and then didn't let the maids and slaves help her. Fei Zhen didn't feel the need. He used crying to win sympathy, staggered up again, and then chased his mother who seemed to be unreliable. Then Huang Yueying shook the snowy treetops and covered his head with another meal. Falling snow...

Fei Qian watched and didn't stop him. In fact, children are not as delicate as adults think, especially those who may enter the brigade in the future, let alone be afraid of wind, snow, this or that.

Fei Qian gave some instructions and asked someone to prepare some hot water and ginger soup. After the children had enough fun, they could take a hot bath and drink some ginger soup to ward off the cold. Naturally, there would be no problem.

Passing through the corridor and arriving at the front yard, Pang Tong and Xun You were already sitting in front of the stove in the hall, warming rice wine and chatting. When they saw Fei Qian, they both stood up to greet him.

Fei Qian waved his hand, sat down, took the bowl of warm wine handed over by Pang Tong, took a sip, and suddenly felt the warmth spread down to his limbs. Even the soreness behind his shoulders seemed to be relieved. After a while, I couldn't help but exhale a breath of alcohol, "Ha..."

"Is the wine good? Pang Tong said with a smile, "It would be better if there is some Qiang cooking..."

Fei Qian laughed and said, "Let's put the food aside for now and talk about business first..."

Pang Tong muttered something in a low voice.

"Um? Is eating the right thing? "Fei Qian's ears are also very sensitive.

Pang Tong waved his hands repeatedly, "No!" I just said "This is also a business matter"..."

Fei Qian knew that Pang Tong was quibbling, but he didn't pursue it, so he asked Xun You, "How are the things that keep out the cold going?" 』

Xun You cupped his hands and said, "Everything has been sent out." The army has enough hay, thick cloth, linoleum, and blankets to survive the winter without any worries. Coal was also sent to civilian villages outside the city, and people were sent to conduct inspections and inspections. If anyone was found to be corrupt, he would be dismissed from office immediately and investigated..."

Fei Qian nodded.

"How's the civil service exam going this year?" Fei Qian asked again.

Xun You was silent for a moment and said: "I'm afraid there are too many people who can't bear it... If you are strict, you can go from ten to three or four..."

Fei Qian also fell silent.

Fei Qian has said several times before that he must strictly govern the government and assess the performance of officials. However, perhaps it is difficult to correct the habits developed over three to four hundred years in the Han Dynasty. Perhaps these officials did not pay attention to this assessment standard. , so that now, at the end of the year, many officials have not met the standards.

Some of these officials who did not meet the assessment standards were idle and only enjoyed official perks but did not do practical work. There were also some who worked hard but lacked ability and failed to do a good job. Of course, some unlucky ones are also not excluded, such as those who encountered a locust plague. of……

Although Fei Qian really wants to put things in order, the problems he faces are equally difficult. If strictly implemented, removing these three or four levels of people will cause great turmoil, and this turbulent process will undoubtedly be painful and troublesome. At the same time, from another aspect, if Fei Qian does not deal with these incompetent officials, he will go back to the old path of the Han Dynasty...

Fei Qian looked at the snowflakes flying in front of him, watching them cover up the turbid gray-black earth bit by bit into pure white, and said in a deep voice: "We must deal with it strictly!" Just like the snow in winter, if it is not chilled to the bone, how can it be fragrant in the coming year? 』

Xun You sighed slightly and nodded silently.

Pang Tong put his hands on his hands and smiled, saying, "My lord, what you said is very good!" If we don't deal with the evil officials today, they will come to harm us tomorrow! Integrity is stable in all directions at the moment. If we don't strictly investigate and deal with it now, when will we wait? 』

Fei Qian nodded slightly. It is difficult to conquer the territory, but it is even more difficult to manage the territory well. It is even more difficult to change old habits and promote new order when managing the territory. However, even if it is difficult, we should not not do it. Therefore, as Pang Tong said, the four sides are temporarily calm. If we don't take advantage of this period to make reforms and changes, why should we wait until the external threat is greater? Come to do it?

The three of them could not help but be silent for a while.

"Haha..." Fei Qian put aside his worries for the time being and said with a smile, "With such a snowy scene, let's put aside business for the time being and enjoy some leisure time!" It's time to cook mutton and Qiang in the stove! Someone come! Go and prepare some beef and mutton, set the pot up here, and eat while enjoying the snow..."

Pang Tong quickly said: "Very good!" Very good! And bring more fat ones! 』

When the servant heard this, he turned to look at Fei Qian.

Fei Qian waved his hands helplessly, and then said to Pang Tong: "Shiyuan, you need to change your obesity habit..."

"If you don't get fat, how can you be happy?" Pang Tong disagreed, "It's fragrant and full of oil, how happy life is!" 』

Fei Qian could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

The heavy snow was flying down, falling on the eaves and roofs, puffing softly, as if following Fei Qian and the other three, covering their mouths and laughing quietly...

Heavy white snow fell in the city and outside the city.

This is a little-known village under Zheng County. Well, it is not even marked in the county and township atlas. Niu Dalang came out of the mountain against the wind and snow, carrying a large pile of firewood on his back.

If in later generations, at his age, some people would probably argue with their parents, saying that their parents don't love him, don't care about him, don't care about his ideas, force him to study all day long, and just do nothing all day long. He knows how to work to make money, but when he comes home, he only knows to ask about his scores and scores, indicating that his life is meaningless, and he can tell others that he will die at every turn...

However, Niu Dalang does not have this qualification, because his father Niu Sixia is no longer alive. Let alone complaining to his father, even wanting to receive a few more moderate beatings from his father is a luxury.

His father died and his mother collapsed. Seeing his little sister staring in fear and huddled in the darkest and narrowest corner of the house, Niu Dalang gritted his teeth, held the heavy farm tools in his hands, and carried them on his back. .

A few noble people came here, comforted them with Wen Yan, and gave them a lot of money and items...

Then, there is no more.

Niu Dalang's mother just cried and couldn't say anything. Niu Dalang himself didn't know what to say. When listening to those noble people speaking, he could only barely answer words like "I know" and "Okay". As for what kind of request he could not think of, even if he thought of it, he couldn't say it.

The surrounding neighbors also came. During those days, the better ones would help clean up, cook some food, take care of my mother and little sister, and then leave with a sigh without taking anything. After all, other people’s homes also have a lot of things. You can't always stay in the Niu family to take care of things.

Those with a bad relationship just came up to him lukewarmly and said: "Look at the Niu family, they are still somewhat lucky. Look at these things... The Niu family has made a fortune, tsk tsk, it's worth it. If my old ghost is One life can be exchanged for these artifacts, I can't wait to let him go as soon as possible..."

Has it been posted?

not at all. Niu Dalang was ignorant and confused, and his mother was too weak to keep those utensils and miscellaneous wealth. One family said they were borrowing them for two days, and another family said they were in debt. Within a month or two, they all disappeared without a trace.

Farmers only harvest once or twice a year, so most of them are of the Nianguang family. This year's harvest will be used to offset the old accounts of previous years, and then they will continue to credit the young crops in the new year, etc...

So it is certain that my father owed money, but did he really owe so much money when he was still alive?

Although Niu Dalang felt something was wrong, he didn't understand because he couldn't read. Looking at the handprints on the IOUs one after another, Niu Dalang didn't know and couldn't tell whether they were the handprints drawn by his father.

Anyway, the money gained from Niu Sixia's life not only failed to bring blessing and wealth to the family, but even the original cow was lost, which could be considered as "wiping out" all the debts.

Niu Dalang unloaded the firewood on his back in front of the courtyard gate. The little girl heard the sound and ran out to help. There were frostbite after frostbite on her red hands and feet.

"Why did you come out without wearing shoes?" ” Niu Dalang drove the little girl, “Go! Go inside! It's cold outside! "Most girls are reluctant to wear shoes. Even if they are straw sandals, they think they will break if they are worn too much.

The younger sister was silent and did not answer, but her hands did not stop. She helped stack the firewood under the eaves in the courtyard, and then looked at her brother timidly, still not speaking.

"How is mother?" Niu Dalang asked.

The younger sister shook her head.

"Hey..." Niu Dalang stretched out his hand and touched the little sister's head.

The younger sister's hair is messy, sparse, and yellow. Niu Dalang's hands were rough and dirty, with bits of dirt and wood residue, but the girl still tried hard to stretch her neck forward to make her head fit more closely to Niu Dalang's hands, like a dog trying to please its master. .

Niu Dalang knew that his little sister had been living in panic since she was a child. She had been like this from childhood to adulthood. She was in a panic and had no food to eat. When she was in a panic and had no food to eat, her family would either sell her or give her to someone else to exchange. Order "Meat Lotus Root" and come back...

Now that her father is dead, my little sister is even more panicked. Several times when Niu Dalang wakes up in the middle of the night, he sees his little sister huddled in the corner, staring at him, tightly holding the corners of his clothes, motionless...

"It's okay...it's okay..." Niu Dalang said, not sure whether he was telling his little sister or himself, "it's okay...it's okay...we will survive, we will be together" ...』

It's actually just as cold inside the house.

It was windy and cold outside, like a sharp knife cutting at me, while inside the house it was cold and cold, like a blunt needle pricking me.

Niu Dalang held his little sister in his arms, and the two of them huddled up, shivering, and stared at the sky outside the window, waiting for the sky to get dark. At that time, they could rekindle the fire, ward off the cold, and cook the late breasts, and then After eating, I quickly went to bed and rested for a few hours with some warmth, until I was woken up by the cold again.

Suddenly a voice came from outside the courtyard: "The Niu family, are the Niu family here?" 』

Niu Dalang recognized that it seemed to be the voice of the neighbor's aunt, so he quickly responded and walked out, "Here you are!" exist! Is it Aunt Wang? 』

Aunt Wang looked at Niu Dalang with a little pity on her old face, "Is my Niu girl feeling better?" Have you eaten, kid? Come on, there's a piece of cake here, don't dislike it, take it! obedient! Take it! 』

Aunt Wang couldn't help but stuff the black pancake into Niu Dalang's arms, then looked around and frowned: "It's such a cold day, why don't you light some fire to warm yourself up? If it freezes, what will you do next year?" Don't be reluctant to give up the coal you received. Use it when you need it. It's fundamental that people are kind..."

"Ah uh..." Niu Dalang sniffed, "What did you say, ma'am?" What coal? 』

Aunt Wang couldn't help but ask: "Huh?" Haven't you picked up your coal yet? 』

Niu Dalang was stunned.

Aunt Wang understood, sighed, and said: "The Hussars are kind, and every household will be given something per capita... While it's still early, go to the next village to find the director of the pavilion... Remember to bring a basket." ...Go quickly, go quickly..."

The coal and charcoal in winter are not only used for heating, but also represent a little more hope of survival, extending the life of suffering in winter!

Niu Dalang hurriedly took the basket and rushed to the next village.

The village next door is much larger than Niu Dalang's village, and the largest courtyard is the home of Zhao Tingzhang.

From a distance, Niu Dalang saw long white smoke rising from the chimney of Zhao Tingchang's house. The door was also wide open and there was a lot of people. It seemed that there was a faint rolling heat wave sweeping over, driving away all the cold inside and outside the courtyard.

There were two helpers outside Zhao Tingzhang's door. One of them stared, "What are you doing?" Do you know where this place is? ah? Don't hang around here if you have nothing to do! 』

Niu Dalang was shivering, his clothes were mostly soaked in the wind and snow, "I...I...come, come, get...coal...coal..."

"Get it, get it!" ” Bang Xian snorted, “It ended yesterday! Just came to get it today! Do you think this is your home? Come whenever you want? ah? get out! 』

Another helper patted the wooden sign beside the door and said, "Did you see it?" Such large characters are written clearly and clearly! As of yesterday, you can get it with your card! Those who fail to collect within the time limit will be considered as voluntarily confiscated! Do you understand? Ah ha, I forgot, you will definitely say you don’t recognize it..."

Niu Dalang nodded repeatedly, indicating that he really did not recognize the words on it.

The two helpers laughed loudly and pointed at Niu Dalang, as if they had encountered something extremely happy, "I said, don't you, you don't even recognize it... These unscrupulous people are all the same!" Whether you recognize it or not is your business, do you understand? This sign is here, this is the rule! This is the process! This is true for everyone, treated equally, and extremely fair! Who the hell do you think you are, and what qualifications do you have to break rules and procedures? ah? 』

Niu Dalang fell to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face, "Young man, you really, really don't know...Small, small, yes, it's the village next door, really, really, really." I’ve never heard anyone say that... If it weren’t for Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang told me, the younger one would have known..."

"Ah, ah, ah, ah..." The young helper grinned in disgust and turned his head away from Niu Dalang, "He's doing this again. He kneels down and cries at every turn. You unscrupulous people, can you have some backbone? ? Isn't it just a little coal? What's the point? ah? 』

Niu Dalang wiped his tears and said, "My mother is bedridden at home, and there is a little sister who I need to take care of... Without these coals, I'm afraid it will be difficult... I also ask my two uncles to help me... I'm so kind and kind, little one, sure……"

"Ah, I remembered, you are the boss of the Niu family, right?" Okay, okay, do you have the sign? "The slightly older helper frowned. Seeing Niu Dalang's look, he might have thought of something, and he felt a little soft-hearted. He sighed and said, "Give me the sign first, and I will help you ask..."

Another gangster pulled him, "Are you stupid?" 』

"Hey, I'm just asking, it's not up to me whether it works or not..."

"Have you thought about it..."

"knew! "The elder assistant said, "Tingzhang Zhao has unparalleled benevolence and is well-known in the countryside. Of course he will not ignore death, but it is a good thing..."

"Tch, it's up to you, it's up to you..." The other helper no longer stopped him.

Less than half an hour later, the older gangster came out with a frown on his face. He pointed at the sign and said to Niu Dalang, "The sign says Niu Sixia's, right?" Aren’t you Niu Sixia? 』

Niu Dalang nodded repeatedly, "I am Niu Dalang... That brand belongs to my father..."

"General Hussar has an order not to take it under false names... The brand you are holding is "Niu Si Xia", but you are Niu Dalang..." The old helper also seemed to have a headache, and he said a bit awkwardly, "The pavilion chief is benevolent, I'm willing to make an exception for the sake of my fellow villagers, but this... the brand doesn't match the person, so I can't take it. If I give it to you, we will be disobeying the military order and will be beheaded..."

"I...this..." Niu Dalang was dumbfounded.