The five people moved carefully on the tree, and kept throwing the green dates down. Zhou Liru and Zhou Ligu Bai Shuping picked up two dustpans. Daji and two guards who were waiting at the side also bent down to help pick up the dustpans. I can't let it go.
It happened that someone came running to call them, "Masters and ladies, I'm going back to have lunch."
Only then did Man Bao and the others come down from the tree with disappointment on their faces, and then sat down on the grass and put on their shoes, "I only picked dates. Let's look at the pears after dinner."
Bai Shan responded with a full mouth, "Okay."
Several people took the green dates back to Zhuangzi, soaked some of them in well water, washed them and put them in the basket, planning to eat them as fruits after lunch.
It's just a pity that the few people who planned to go out to play after lunch didn't make it, because they were a little sleepy after eating enough. After all, they were still a little tired after running for half a day, and they got up early this morning.
Seeing them yawning and looking outside, Mrs. Liu said: "The sun is scorching right now, you guys go take a nap first, and wait until you wake up."
A few people felt that the days were still long and the idea was good, so they yawned and went to bed.
But when they woke up, the old Zhou Tou did not allow them to play again, he said: "I have already asked people, the place where Zhitian is not very far from here, the carriage will arrive in about three quarters of an hour, so we Let's go and see."
Man Bao was still thinking about the pears in the orchard, and said, "Father, there is no rush, we still have four days of vacation."
"Why are you not in a hurry?" Old Zhou Tou was on the verge of getting angry, and he said, "Didn't you see that someone in Zhuangzi is already farming winter wheat?"
"The capital is too north. Yongzhou is further north than the capital. We can only grow wheat for one season. If we can't let the wheat turn green before the snow falls, we will have to wait another year to plant wheat. Thank you."
Man Bao said: "You can plant beans."
"It's even worse to grow beans in such a good land," said old Zhou Tou, "Hurry up, don't be lazy, why are you even more lazy than Dad?"
Zhou Dalang said with a smile: "Father, she is not lazy, she just wants to play."
Xiaoqian said to Man Bao: "You still said that you are going to Yongzhou to see the lanterns. If you don't go today, how can you go to see the lanterns tomorrow?"
Man Bao was excited, and immediately said to her father: "Father, let's go now, it's only three quarters of an hour, soon, we may be faster on horseback, and we will arrive in two quarters of an hour."
Bai Shan also cleverly pulled out their horses, asked Lao Zhou for directions, got on the horses and ran away.
Old Zhou opened his mouth wide, turned his head and asked Zhou Dalang, "No one showed them the way, what are they running for, what if they go the wrong way?"
Mrs. Qian had already cleaned up, and said, "There are people on the road. They know the names of the places, so they will stop them from asking. They open their mouths under their noses. Are you afraid you can't find the way?"
Old Zhou thought about it too.
Mrs. Liu asked Zhuangtou to go with them. He knew the way and was familiar with the neighborhood.
From the capital city to Yongzhou, there are only a few low mountains along the way, and many lands have been opened up, becoming large tracts of farms.
Zhuangtou sat on the shaft of the car and chatted with old Zhoutou, and said: "Around here, the villagers have only a few fields, and more of them are professional fields and the land of the elders, so the people in the villages in this area are basically It is a tenant farmer, and the family only has a few acres of land, and the rest is rented and planted by other people, or there is no one mu of land, and it is all rented and planted.”
Old Zhou Tou asked: "How many years has it been since the Great Jin Dynasty, and they have lost all the land?"
Zhuangtou gave a wry smile, glanced at old Zhoutou's hand, then glanced at the back of the car, then lowered his voice and said: "I think you are a farmer like me, and I won't hide it from you. They were the ones who lost it, of course, there were also those who lost it themselves, but most of them were redeemed by the court and returned to work."
"I don't know why, the imperial court has recruited so many officials, and there are not enough jobs every year. What should I do if there are not enough?"
Old Zhou: "What should I do?"
"That can only be taken from the hands of us ordinary people. The yamen directly takes a little money and requisitions the cultivated land we have cultivated as work land, and redistributes some raw land. But look at the raw land, so much vegetation. It may not be possible to open up two acres, and you can only plant beans first, and people will starve to death. Who will open up that little land? It’s better to be a tenant farmer.”
Old boss Zhou was dumbfounded, so this is how their family Manbao's job field came about
Zhuangtou didn't know the identity of old Zhoutou yet, so he just asked with a smile: "Where is the old man going, where did the owner buy the land?"
Old Zhou regained his senses, shook his head and said, "No, it's my daughter who got assigned jobs."
"Your daughter?" Zhuangtou was puzzled, "Your daughter is the empress in the palace? No, I have seen Zhuangtou who is in charge of the land around here. I have never heard that the empress also has the land."
Only then did old Zhou Tou become proud, puffed out his chest and said, "It's not a lady, it's an official. My daughter is an imperial doctor, or a editor, she is a book repairer. She has become two officials, so she is divided into two." There is a thousand-acre job field, and we are here to see that job field this time."
Zhuangtou opened his mouth wide in surprise, and closed it after a while, "This, this is the official, oh, you have enjoyed the blessing of a daughter."
Old Zhou Tou smiled and narrowed his eyes, and finally found someone to talk to. He and Zhuang Tou nodded and said, "Isn't it? Among my sons, no one can compare with my little girl. Just being filial, she drank egg water when she was a child, and she still wanted to secretly save it for me to drink."
Zhuangtou recalled Zhou Man carefully, and said after a while, "You are so young, so you can become an official? No, I remember the old lady said that she is our future young mistress."
"Yes, our two families are engaged, and the one who is engaged to your young master is my little girl. They are working together in the palace now. My daughter is an official, and your young master is also very powerful. She is studying with the prince. "Old Zhou added another point of showing off, lowered his voice and said: "Do you know the prince, he is the future emperor."
And his son-in-law is now accompanying the future emperor to study, and rounding up means that his son-in-law and the emperor are classmates. Thinking about the old Zhou Tou, I feel a feeling of being out of breath.
Zhuangtou also felt a little out of breath.
In the capital, no, it was Mrs. Liu, the Zhuangzi of Yongzhou, who bought it to settle down and provide some fresh vegetables, fruits and food for the family in the capital, so there was no special selection and management.
In order to be able to integrate into the capital and Yongzhou, and to avoid troubles, the head of the village and the tenants were selected from the local area. However, she also sent the servants of the family to manage or work in the village. After all, those were her confidants.
Because it's not a prostitution, but an employment relationship, the head of the village and the tenants don't know much about the owner's affairs, and the young master of the owner's family is actually studying with the prince...
Zhuangtou was in a daze for a while before he realized that his boss was also so powerful? He never knew.