Qiu Yizhi thought: You two, one is a rich kid with a history book, the other is the leader of the flower kingdom that everyone is eager to meet, how can you understand the suffering of the people? When you are desperate, let alone selling calligraphy to survive, if you really have no food, you may even cook and eat these calligraphy and poetry manuscripts.
However, Qiu Yizi was not in a position to say this out loud, and only said that Mr. Lin and Miss Wu were people of noble character and were not comparable to a parasite like him.
In this way, Lin Shuhan and Wu Ruofei packed all their belongings into two large carts, rested for a day in the manor, and then set off for Shanyin County.
When Qiu Yizhi came to Jinling City this time, in addition to Yuchi Jiming, he also selected ten personal soldiers to come with him. Qiu Yizhi originally planned to borrow the imperial envoy's office from Zheng Xin to accommodate these people. However, since many of them had conflicts with the Japanese and suffered minor injuries, Qiu Yizhi specially booked a secluded inn outside Jinling City and gave them more silver to let them recover.
After nearly a month of recuperation, not only have all of these people's injuries recovered, but they have also become fatter and stronger, and look better than when they first arrived in Nanjing.
So among the group of people - Qiu Yizi and Yuchi Jiming each rode a horse, Lin Shuhan sat on a strong donkey, Wu Ruofei and Yang Ying'er sat in a carriage, and there were two other large carts full of Lin Shuhan's belongings, and the rest of the personal soldiers some rode horses and some walked - they went all the way to Shanyin County.
It was already past midsummer and approaching early autumn. Although the weather was still hot, there was a cool breeze from time to time, which made people feel very comfortable. Qiu Yizhi's trip was different from the past. He had no mission to accomplish. He enjoyed the scenery of lakes and mountains along the way, and talked with Lin Shuhan about everything in the world, ancient and modern times. He walked at a leisurely pace and was very happy.
One day, a group of people climbed over a small hill along the official road. When they were feeling thirsty, they saw a simple tent at the foot of the hill. In the tent, there were three eight-immortal tables and a dozen chairs and stools of various colors. It seemed that someone was busy burning firewood and pouring water - it was a tea stall.
Qiu Yizhi had walked this road four or five times, but had never seen such a tea stall. He was a little suspicious, so he asked Yuchi Jiming beside him: "Jiming, you have walked this road countless times, do you remember there is such a stall here?"
Although Yuchi Jiming is a woman, she has practiced martial arts since she was a child and grew up among men. Her mind is not as meticulous as that of ordinary women. After hearing Qiu Yizi's question, she scratched her head and replied, "I can't remember clearly. It seems that there is, but it also seems that there is not. Why do you ask this, uncle?"
Qiu Yizhi had experienced life and death several times and was a smart person, so he said, "I always feel that there is something strange here, but I can't tell what's strange about it..."
Yuchi Jiming laughed and said, "My father said that my uncle is very bold. There is no place in the world that my uncle dare not go to, and no one that my uncle dare not go against. But I don't know when my uncle became so timid? If you think this tea stall is weird, just go and take a look. What's the point of doubting it here out of thin air?"
Qiu Yizi glanced at Yuchi Jiming, thinking that with a niece like her who was an excellent martial artist guarding by his side, nothing unexpected would happen, so he nodded vigorously and said, "Okay! Let's do as Jiming said, and go take a look. If there is really something strange, we have a lot of people here, and we can deal with it immediately, which can be regarded as eliminating harm for the people; if it is just an ordinary teahouse, we can drink some tea here and take a rest."
So the group of people, some riding horses, some driving carts, and some walking, took advantage of the mountain and headed towards the tea stall at the foot of the mountain.
Qiu Yizi and Yuchi Jiming took the lead and walked down the mountain first. They leaned over to look into the tent and saw two men, one old and one young, boiling water and wiping the table in the shed. It was indeed a tea stall that was neither big nor small and a bit simple.
Qiu Yi asked the two men in the stall, "My fellow villagers, I often walk this road. How come this is the first time I see you setting up a stall here?"
A younger man, about 25 or 26 years old, said, "Why do you walk here so often? I live nearby! Today is the first day we open the shop."
Seeing that there were no farmers in the wild mountains, Qiu Yizi asked, "Brother, I don't see many people living nearby. Why did you decide to set up a stall here?"
The man glanced at Qiu Yizhi, but he didn't slow down his work at all. He said unhappily, "Nonsense, it's because there are not many people around that we chose this place to set up a stall and do business with passing merchants. If there were teahouses and restaurants everywhere, who would come to drink our herbal tea?"
Although the young man spoke in a rude tone, his words were not entirely unreasonable, leaving Qiu Yizi speechless and frustrated for a moment.
But then another older man said, "I say, we are all guests, why are you talking like you have taken gunpowder? If everyone in the business is like you, who will come?"
The young man seemed a little angry after being scolded by the old man. He simply put down the rag in his hands that was wiping the tables, chairs and benches, squatted aside, lit a pipe and smoked it.
Seeing this, the old man sighed, put down the fan he was fanning the fire with, walked up to Qiu Yizi, bowed, and said, "Sir, don't be angry. This is my son. I have spoiled him since he was a child. Look at him, he is in his twenties, tall and strong, but he still acts like a child. Please forgive me, sir!"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "As the saying goes, 'brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons fight together in battle.' It's rare for you and your son to set up a stall here."
The old man replied, "It is the off-season for farming now, and I have nothing to do, so I dragged my son here to set up a stall to make a little money so that the customers can eat their fill. It can be considered as doing good deeds. To be honest, I wanted to drag my son here a few days ago, but he thought it was too hot, so he didn't come out until today. You see, it hasn't opened yet."
Seeing that the old man's dark face was covered with wrinkles, and that he looked like a farmer, Qiu Yizi relaxed a little and said, "What the master's son said is right. Farmers work hard all year round, and it's good for them to take a break in such hot weather."
The old man shook his head and said, "Young Master, you are a scholar, right? I can't read a single word, and I don't know if the books of sages have mentioned the hard work of farming. Young Master, you see, my father and I have cultivated the land in this valley, but we can't get more than a few hundred kilograms of grain in a year, which is enough for us to eat. If we don't start a small business now, we won't even have money to buy new clothes during the New Year."
Qiu Yizhi listened very carefully, but heard Lin Shuhan say behind him: "The sage knows astronomy, geography, and human nature. How could he not talk about these things? If you don't believe it, please listen to the first sentence of the "Great Learning": "The way of the Great Learning is to manifest the bright virtue, to love the people, and to stop at the highest good." It's just that the officials nowadays have read so much that they have forgotten even such simple teachings of the sage."
Qiu Yizhi was stunned after hearing this and said, "Mr. Lin, are you calling me a dog?"
Lin Shuhan laughed and said, "Of course not. I am talking about those mediocre officials who are just sitting there doing nothing. As long as you care about the people, you are not a dog."
Qiu Yizi said, "It doesn't matter if you call me a dog. Haven't you heard that 'the saints are unkind and treat the people as straw dogs'? I have the honor to be a running dog of the saints, which is also a wish come true."
The old man listened to Qiu Yizhi and Lin Shuhan talking back and forth, but he was confused. After a long while, he took over the conversation and said, "I can tell that you two are learned people. I didn't understand a word you said. But you two are talking so much, so why don't you have a bowl of cold tea from me?"
Qiu Yizi was startled when he heard this, and thought: Although this old man is honest and simple, he seems too hospitable, so I can't trust him completely.
So he asked again, "I'm not in a hurry to drink tea. I'm just curious, why did the old man leave the good land to cultivate, but came here to reclaim wasteland? Although I don't farm, I know a little about farming. This is called cultivating raw land, which is both laborious and thankless. The court has repeatedly issued orders, but few people are willing to endure this hardship."
The old man didn't seem to hear the tentative meaning in Qiu Yi's words, and asked back: "From the accent of this gentleman, is he from the north?"
Qiu Yizi nodded and said, "Yes, my last name is 'Xia', which means summer. What's your name, old man?"
The old man smiled and said, "So you are Mr. Xia. I don't have a name for myself, my last name is Zhao. People call me Old Zhaotou. That's my son. People in the village call him Little Zhao."
He paused, and continued, "No wonder you came from the north. You don't know the customs of our Jiangnan region. Jiangnan is not like Jiangbei. Although the land is more fertile, there are more people and less land. As more people farm, the rent will increase. In recent years, I heard that the north suffered disasters, but the south has been prosperous, so the rent has increased again and again. I am an old man and I am thinking that if the rent continues to increase this year, it will be difficult to have enough food and clothing. So I thought of taking advantage of the opportunity of the new emperor to encourage land reclamation and come to this unowned land to cultivate. After three to five years, this land will belong to my Zhao family. Even if I work hard for two years now, it will be worth it."
Qiu Yizhi listened and pondered for a while, then turned to Lin Shuhan and said, "Although what this old man said is easy to understand, it is indeed a great article that will benefit the country and the people! I just wonder how many of those officials who are in high positions in the government can understand it."
Before Lin Shuhan could reply, he heard old man Zhao say, "This guest doesn't look like a peddler, but rather an official on a secret visit! I'm an old man who doesn't know how to control my words. If I say something wrong, don't punish me!"
Qiu Yi was shocked and was about to deny it, but she heard Xiao Zhao squatting on the side say loudly: "Dad, why are you talking nonsense with these people? If they want to drink tea, we will make it; if they don't want to drink, let them go quickly, so as not to block our signboard!"
Qiu Yizhi smiled and said to Old Zhao: "Lord Zhao's son is a quick-witted man, and he looks quite similar to one of my subordinates named Wang Laowu! I just wonder if they can get married?"
Old man Zhao laughed and said, "My son is lazy and stupid, he has no skills, but he is good at finding a wife. He got married three years ago and started a family. His wife probably works harder than my son and gave birth to a pair of grandchildren. If I hadn't thought about leaving them an inheritance, why would I, an old man who is almost fifty, still suffer so much?"
Qiu Yizhi listened to what Old Man Zhao said, and relaxed a little. He said, "Okay, let's talk about speculation today. I will drink a bowl of tea from the old man and help you make a fortune. There are nearly 20 people in my group. I wonder if the old man has enough tea to drink?"
"Oh my! Young Master is really my God of Wealth!" Old Man Zhao exclaimed, and then shouted to his son, "Don't be lazy, there is not enough water and tea leaves, why don't you run and ask your wife to bring some tea!" (To be continued)