Salt drying requires a pool, and the laying of the pool requires labor.
Unlike Taizhou, because of the depression of the salt business in Haizhou, the local officials are more powerful than the salt officials. However, the kitchen households were miserable, burdened with salt tax and land tax, and selfless salt subsidies, which led to frequent escapes of kitchen households, or donated their fields to large households, and became tenants themselves.
Zou Yunpan couldn't bear to be harsh on the people, but he couldn't do anything about this state. As long as he could complete the task of Gangyan every year, he would turn a blind eye.
That is to say, the Haizhou branch has no way to help Feng Sheng, she not only has to contribute people, but also money.
Fortunately, in this world, most of the problems can be solved with money, and the private salt business in Huainan has also accumulated a lot of money for her, and now it is appropriate to spend it on Huaibei.
Because Feng Sheng was willing to spend money, he quickly built a pool in the coastal area, and it was also approaching the end of the new year.
Fan Jinchuan has sent two letters to Feng Sheng, telling her to return to Yangzhou before New Year's Eve.
Regarding this, Feng Sheng did not intend to go back.
Firstly, it attracts attention, secondly... What are you doing back in Yangzhou
Since her father died, she has no home, wherever she goes, there is her home.
…
"Why is Mrs. Fang standing outside? It's cold outside, come in quickly, and we'll be able to eat in a while." Zou Yunpan's old wife, whom Feng Sheng called Aunt Hu, brought dishes into the room. , while greeting Feng Sheng who was standing on the corridor.
"Hey, here we come." Feng Sheng let out a breath of cold air, and lifted the curtain to enter the warm room.
Zou Yunpan's two grandsons were playing back and forth in the room. There was a charcoal pot burning in the room. There were already many dishes on the table, exuding a strong aroma of food, which made people move their fingers.
A voice greeted Tong Baihu from outside, and then the door curtain was lifted, and Tong Baihu also arrived.
"Sit down, the wine is ready for you too."
"Auntie, you come to sit too." Feng Sheng said.
"You men drink, we don't drink, and I will set up a table with Danzi and his mother and two children later. This New Year's Eve will always be lively."
Zou Yunpan and Fengsheng Tongbaihu gave way to each other, and the three of them sat at the table, along with Zou Yunpan's son, a simple and honest young man named Zou Muliang.
Footsteps came and went outside the door, it was very lively, this was Aunt Hu and her daughter-in-law, and the helper Dao Qi and the few Jin Yiwei also arranged a New Year's Eve dinner. They are all big men, and they don't pay attention to finesse. As long as there is meat and wine, and enough food, it is enough for them to eat.
As the last dish is served, the table for women and children is also set. Zou Muliang led his eldest son to set off firecrackers outside the door, Feng Sheng also went out to watch, and finally everyone in the room went out.
In the middle of the courtyard, a thick firecracker and a hanging firecracker were placed.
Zou Muliang lit a piece of incense and asked his son to light it. The little boy was too scared to light it, but was eager to try it. Finally, under the protection of his father, he stretched out his small arms and used the incense to light a firecracker.
First light the firecrackers, and then light the hanging whip.
After hearing a bang soaring into the sky, the firecrackers had already exploded.
Crackling, crackling, crackling...
Feng Sheng went to cover her ears, and vaguely heard Tong Baihu laughing that she was afraid of setting off firecrackers, Zou Yunpan and others looked at her with smiles on their faces. It made her want to take back her hand, but she was too embarrassed to take it back, and she had to pretend to be righteous, emphasizing that a man is not ashamed to be afraid of setting off firecrackers.
Besides, she was not afraid, but felt that the sound was too loud.
Zou Muliang lit another string of firecrackers and threw them in the yard, surrounded by the two children, laughing and clapping.
Faintly, besides the sound of firecrackers, there were people shouting something, but they couldn't hear clearly. It wasn't until the tall man in a cloak stepped in from the door in the dark that Feng Sheng realized that it was King Wei who had come.
This time, this kind of place, King Wei
Although the others had never met King Wei, they could tell that this man had an unusual aura, especially with so many people around him.
The firecrackers have been blown up, and the smell of fire is pungent.
Feng Sheng blinked, making sure he read it correctly, and went down the steps and said, "Why are you here? I have seen His Royal Highness King Wei."
Zou Yunpan was about to ask who it was, but when he heard that it was the king of Wei, he hurriedly saluted.
"Passing by." King Wei said briefly.
It happened that Tong Baihu also stepped forward to salute, he raised his hand and walked over.
"Lord King Wei, please come inside, Zhuo Jing has just prepared a New Year's Eve dinner, if His Highness doesn't mind, please use some inside." Zou Yunpan said as he walked him in.
pass by? There are ghosts! Feng Sheng followed behind and also went in.
…
The arrival of the king of Wei changed the atmosphere immediately. The old and weak, women and children all went down, and only a few men were left in the house.
Feng Sheng likes those two little boys, and also likes to chat and eat with Aunt Hu and the others, and she feels a bit resentful about Wei Wang as an unexpected guest.
As for King Wei, although he didn't say he disliked him or not, he didn't refuse Zou Yunpan's invitation to sit on the throne. He sat upright on it, and several other people followed in a proper manner. Dewang, a dog leg, also came today, and five people and six people stood beside King Wei to serve him.
In this case, it is doomed that the New Year's Eve dinner will not be lively.
It was neither salty nor bland, and no one spoke. For some reason, King Wei seemed a little displeased, and his face became colder and colder.
Suddenly there was a crisp sound, and it was King Wei who threw his chopsticks and stood up and walked out, and the others also hurriedly stood up.
Zou Yunpan accompanied him out, Feng Sheng was too lazy to move, so he sat down and continued eating. I don't know what happened outside, but after a while, Baihu came back and said that King Wei had left, and that King Wei's temper was well-deserved, and it really was cloudy and sunny.
gone? Good to go!
After a while, Zou Yunpan came in from the outside, apparently sending King Wei away.
…
Outside the Yamen of the Haizhou Subsidiary, in a spacious and comfortable carriage, Dewang half-bent, hesitantly said to Wei Wang: "Your Highness, are you really leaving?"
King Wei gave him a cold look and said nothing.
"You see, it's hard for you to come here. It's freezing cold now, and it's New Year's Eve. Could it be that you're rushing back overnight?"
"Noisy!"
Dewang was too frightened to speak.
After a while, he poked his neck out and said, "The things I brought haven't been sent out yet, should I still send them?"
King Wei didn't speak, Dewang glanced at him, and carefully got out of the car.
…
Just as Feng Sheng said to call the child out and ask Aunt Hu and the others to come out, another person came outside.
This time it was Dewang who came.
Dewang held his airs, followed by two guards holding various brocade boxes.
"Your Highness has prepared a few year gifts and asked me to bring them. Zou Yunpan is for you and your family, and Tong Baihu is for you. Master Fang, this is for you." Dewang pointed to two The guards were holding two or three brocade boxes in one hand, and one gift box was stacked up so that it almost covered people's faces.
In this way, it seems clear why King Wei came.
Originally, Zou Yunpan and Tong Baihu were wondering why the king of Wei came suddenly at this time, and now everything has been answered.
I don't know if it was because of his mentality, but Feng Sheng actually felt that the two people looked at him with ambiguous eyes, and suddenly felt a little restless.
"By the way, Master Fang, His Highness still has something to tell the servants to convey."
In this case, Feng Sheng could only go outside with Dewang.
"I still don't know what orders His Royal Highness King Wei has?" Feng Sheng said nonchalantly.
Dewang looked her up and down, smiled and said: "Master Fang, you should stop pretending nothing happened, don't you know why His Highness came here?"
"This-"
"Whether you understand it or not, Master Fang, what you and Master Fan are going to do, can you still use His Highness? Offending His Highness, what good will it do to you? Don't blame me for not warning you, our Highness is the best It's grudges, and if anyone's grudges are remembered, it will never be undone." Dewang grinned as he spoke, with a vicious look on his face.
Feng Sheng's thoughts fluttered.
Indeed, she shouldn't have offended King Wei, but the behavior of King Wei that time made her subconsciously avoid him like a snake.
She sighed, bowed her hands together and said: "Fengfu is stupid, I really don't know how to deal with it, so please ask my father-in-law for advice."
Dewang hooked his fingers: "Come here with your ears."
After the two talked, Feng Sheng shook his head from time to time, and it took about a cup of tea before the two reached an agreement.
…
Outside the yamen, it was cold and windy, the carriage still parked there quietly, surrounded by ten or twenty guards.
Feng Sheng went to the carriage, cleared his throat and said: "It's getting dark now, it's not suitable to travel at such a time, why don't His Highness stay here for one night, and go on the road tomorrow?"
No one in the car spoke, and the cold wind made the curtains flutter.
"Even if His Highness is not thinking about himself, he should be thinking about these guards. Traveling at night in cold weather is the hardest thing, and it's not safe."
Still no one spoke.
Feng Sheng's eyes flickered, and he leaned over to the car window, pretending to listen, and then said to himself: "Yes, yes, Your Highness."
She made a gesture of invitation, and said to the guards on the horse: "There are food and wine prepared in the house. Tong Baihu and the others bought two sheep specially yesterday. This kind of stewed mutton in winter, together with a few jars of burning knives, will last you a long time. It’s very refreshing. Eunuch De has already arranged it inside, let me welcome His Highness in, and please everyone... "
The guards did see Dewang go in, and saw Feng Sheng talking to His Highness in the car, they thought it was Wei Wang who changed his mind temporarily, they thought it was strange that His Highness left suddenly, so they drove the horse inside without thinking much go.
The threshold that had been taken down had just been installed when it was taken down again.
After the carriage drove in, it stopped.
The curtain of the car was lifted, revealing Wei Wang's face as cold as frost and snow.
"Fang Fengsheng, you are so courageous!"
Feng Sheng pulled out a smile: "I'm afraid His Highness won't get used to it, so I asked someone to prepare another table, and I hope His Highness won't dislike you."
King Wei gave her a cold look and got out of the car.
…
The other table of noodles is actually a pot of stewed mutton and radish, with several dishes.
There were only two people on the table, Wei Wang and Feng Sheng.
During the meal, Wei Wang kept his face cold, and he didn't throw the chopsticks again.
After a meal, Feng Sheng was exhausted, she was about to stand up and say goodbye, when suddenly the silent winter night seemed to wake up all of a sudden.
Far away, rumbling, and the endless sound of firecrackers. Because they were too far away, these voices mixed together and turned into a sound wave, breaking through the night sky.
On the other side of the main courtyard, the Zou family seemed to have also set off firecrackers, causing a lot of noise.
Feng Sheng went outside the house, stood on the porch and looked at the distant sky, there was indeed a faint light of fire. It seemed that some wealthy family set off fireworks, and the fireworks shot straight into the sky and exploded in the dark blue night sky.
It's time to pass, and it's a new year.
"Auspicious new year."
"Auspicious new year."
Feng Sheng looked over in surprise, and saw Wei Wang's condensed profile.
…
At the same time, Yangzhou City is busier than Banpu Town.
At midnight, it seemed that the silent city suddenly woke up.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The night is lit up.
In the room, Fan Jinchuan, who was accompanying Bao's vigil, suddenly woke up.
Opening his eyes, both Baoshi and Man'er looked at him.
"It's time, mother, let me ask someone to set off the firecrackers."
"It's up to you to say it."
Outside, whips were crackling.
Fan Jinchuan walked out and looked at the colorful night sky.
Last year's New Year's Eve, the laughter was still vivid in my memory, but this year there was one person missing.