novelaction Chapter 144 Cangshan Village, Lu County
Chapter 144 Cangshan Village, Lu County
The two men looked at each other and then looked at the county magistrate, only to see that he had already turned his attention to the horses, as if what he had just said was just a casual remark.
Zhou Dacang followed behind absent-mindedly, as if he was thinking about something.
Zhou Guo looked at him and saw that he didn't look like he was going to refuse. He felt a little uneasy, thinking that his uncle might have the same idea.
"Okay, we'll sell all 34 horses here, right?"
The head of the village said hurriedly, "No, no, there are two horses that are not for sale. There are only thirty-two horses left."
The county magistrate nodded and did not ask them why they kept two horses. Thirty-two horses are thirty-two, and there are more than ten mares in their prime among them. If they are sold to the military camp later, they will definitely make a lot of money.
"I will have someone bring thirty-two cows here later, and you can claim them. I will also give you thirty taels of silver for each horse. What do you think?" The county magistrate was a little embarrassed. The government was really poor and could not afford to pay so much money. He had to keep the money for resettling refugees.
Zhou Guo was a little surprised when she heard that she could get another thirty taels. She thought the maximum she could get was twenty taels.
The head of the village was so surprised and happy that his face turned red with excitement. "Okay, okay, that's great, sir, you can take the horse away."
It's already very good to be able to get compensation money, and I can get another thirty taels and a cow, which is a good deal.
"Huh, what good deal? I've asked around. A strong horse can be sold for at least sixty taels, and a cow can be sold for a maximum of twelve taels. There's a difference of twenty taels." Some people in the team still refused to accept the offer and thought it was sold too cheaply.
The head of the village head frowned, "Speak louder, louder. It would be best if the soldiers at the city gate could hear us. Then tomorrow the officials will arrest us and beat us with sticks. That will make you happy. You are tired of living. We still want to live a few more years."
Everyone lost their temper after hearing these words.
"Let's just leave it at that?" Some people still felt unwilling.
"Come on, be content. He is an official, higher than our county magistrate. Think about the county magistrate. If it were him, we would not only not be able to make requests, but we would be beaten if we were a step slower and would not be able to get anything back."
Yes, everyone remembered that when they were in the village, the number of miscellaneous taxes increased every year, and the time for labor service during the winter when farming was not busy was getting longer and longer. They also had to bring their own dry food, and if they were a little slow they would be whipped. They suffered a lot every year. The new county magistrate did not treat them as human beings. If it hadn't been for this war, they would probably have to go out to beg for food like everyone else in a few years.
With contrast, the good becomes apparent.
These officials all seem to be good.
They were all speechless. Only then did they remember that they were dealing with an official, an official higher than the county magistrate. If they were not careful, he could beat them with a stick, throw them into jail, and whip them.
……
The horses were taken away, and on the morning of the next day, the government office really brought them more than thirty strong cows.
I was so envious of the other refugees next to me. So cool! So many cool people!
One cow is equivalent to three or four laborers.
There are so many strong bulls, and according to the principle of pairing mares with cows, each family is picking and choosing and arguing about it. For a while, you want this one and I want that one, and the argument is getting fierce.
The village head came forward and took some effort to get everyone to choose their own cows.
Everyone led their own cows back to their respective sheds, and the whole family gathered around the cow, looking at it happily. What a cow!
Wasn’t it their grandfather’s wish for several lifetimes to have a cow? Now he really has one, it feels like a dream.
At the Zhou family's home, Mrs. Li looked at the sturdy yellow ox in front of her with tears in her eyes. In fact, when the Zhou family was well off before, they had cows. Not only cows, but also a donkey. However, the years were getting worse and worse, and the taxes were heavy. The family's financial situation became worse and worse, so they sold all the livestock.
When selling the donkey, all the children cried and refused to sell it. When selling the cow, the whole family was reluctant to let it go. The two old people had tears in their eyes for several days. Without the two animals, the family's situation became worse and worse. Later on, they couldn't even get enough food to eat.
Now the cows are back, and they have better assets than before, but the two old people are gone, and the children's father is also gone, and the house is in disarray.
Zhou Dacang and several older people were equally surprised when they looked at the cow. It was more pleasing to them than the horse at home. They could already remember when their family sold the livestock. Before selling the cow, their family was still doing well and they could have meat from time to time. After selling the cow, meat appeared less and less on the table. Later, they could not even have enough rice. They started to drink porridge, and later mixed bran into the porridge and wheat bran into the steamed buns. Gradually, they got used to it.
The return of this cow is more like a sign that life at home has gotten better, which means a lot to them.
Zhou Guo saw his family members happily touching the cow's head and neck with tears in their eyes. He was very puzzled. He had never seen them so excited when the family had two horses. Even if the government office did not allow them to exchange cows, the money they had was enough to buy a few cows.
Turning around and looking at the other families, every family was so excited.
Only then did she realize how important a cow is to a farmer and how it has different meanings.
That afternoon, the manifesto was posted on the four city gates and distributed to various counties, along with more than a dozen convoys of vehicles.
The refugees rushed forward.
Someone read under the manifesto, "Zhang Sigen, Zhang Changmao, Li Ergou... were assigned to Yi County... Zhou Dacang, Zhou Cheng, Wang Changgen, Wang Fugui... Lu County..."
All the people in Zhouguo Village were assigned to Lu County, but they didn’t say which village they were in. No one said which village they were in.
After finally finishing the reading, someone asked, "Sir, which village were we assigned to? Why didn't you say which village?"
"The news has been distributed to all counties. You will know it when you arrive at the county seat."
Some refugees have already left, carrying the elderly and children with them.
Zhou Guo and his group harnessed the ox carts and set off in the direction of Lu County. They didn't know what kind of county Lu County was, but it should be a good place since they had exchanged so many horses for it. There were also a small number of other refugees who followed them.
It took two days on the road, and on the morning of the third day, they finally arrived in Lu County.
The city gate of Lu County is taller and stronger than those of ordinary county towns, and it looks quite good from the outside.
A notice has been posted at the city gate, and people from the county government are waiting there.
Seeing them coming, he began to read the contents of the notice loudly.
Zhou Guo's family, Wang Fugui, Wang Changsheng, several other Zhou family members and two families from the neighboring county were assigned to Cangshan Village. Other families were also broken up, and several families were assigned to other villages. Fortunately, these villages were not far away and could be traveled back and forth in half a day, so they could still be cared for.
But seeing so many families disbanding on the spot, everyone felt uncomfortable.