After Ming Dynasty

Chapter 4 Food
The three of them got together in the wing room. After hearing the story, the old lady couldn't help being surprised and said, "My son is not only wise, he has also improved his skills. He did the right thing and said it well. You are a father, let your son compare gone."

Father Zhu had no choice but to smile bitterly, "Madam, now is not the time to make fun, but let's talk about what to do in the future."

After hearing this, the old lady thought about it, then suddenly slapped her thigh, glanced at her and said, "You have to tie the bell to untie the bell. My son promised, you just let him figure out a way."

This sentence can remind old man Zhu, you boy, please say something!

Facing the questioning eyes, Zhu Yiyuan could only tell the truth, "I was thinking, first of all, I want to survive, and secondly, it is best not to shave my hair. If I want to achieve these two, I can't refuse Xie Qian. In fact, there is nothing good for us. Chosen."

What Zhu Yiyuan said was the truth. Strictly speaking, they should really be grateful to Xie Qian, otherwise they would have to run away at risk, who knows if they would die outside.

"What really matters is what to do next." Zhu Yiyuan pondered.

The old man was devastated and said powerlessly, "What else can I do? Xie Qian is so fierce, he didn't put us in his eyes at all. I, I saw Zhang Xu's head, and I panicked. I always felt that I couldn't get better. Xie Qian can kill me without the Qing court doing anything."

Zhu Yiyuan said in his heart that his father was not stupid at all. Since ancient times, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was not easy to be, and King Xiaoming died in the hands of his own people... Besides, they are not as good as others.

But this is not a reason to lie down. After all, Zhu Yiyuan still wants to fight, even if he really proves that he is a waste, he will die without regret.

"Of course we can't disobey Xie Qian now, but Xie Qian didn't stipulate that we can't do anything. It's okay to do things for him and help him solve problems, right? As long as we can do things and make friends, we can win over some people. I It's not about poaching Xie Qian's corner, the key is that the Qing army came to kill us, so we can save our lives with a few more helpers."

Father Zhu nodded again and again, but then said worriedly: "That's what you said, but those people are all Xie Qian's subordinates, why should they listen to us? Just because of our clan status? Or the future status of King Lu?"

Zhu Yiyuan couldn't help but smile wryly, if it really depended on this, maybe someone would cut off their heads and go to the Qing court to ask for rewards!

"It's not about letting anyone listen to us, it's about making friends with people, forming good karma, and getting acquainted first. In addition, we should pay more attention to Xie Qian. He also said that he is a domestic servant." Origin. I guess he must be very low self-esteem, and he is very concerned about fame and status in his heart, so he thought of the name of King Lu and commanded Shandong. At this time, it is best to have someone who can comfort him, laugh with him, play with him, and He makes friends and makes him confident. Tell him that no matter where the hero comes from, you are the best, a great hero, a great hero. If you can smooth out his hair, our situation will be much better."

When Zhu Yiyuan said this, he also wanted to sacrifice himself, after all, he had already chatted with Xie Qian once.

But how did I know that the old lady couldn't help laughing, and even stretched out her hand to slap the old man, "Did you hear me, this job belongs to you. Show off your ability to coax people back then, and pour more ecstasy soup on Xie Qian. "

The old man's face turned red in an instant, and he scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about! I, I have been honest all my life, and the sun can learn from it."

The old lady was speechless, and I was not confused, why are you talking nonsense with your eyes open?The Zhu family was pretty good back then, but Father Zhu was indeed a dandy.After getting married, I gradually calmed down, especially when my son was getting older, so I finally let go.

But he is proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, walking a dog with an eagle, raising grasshoppers, and fighting crickets.

"Anyway, when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun, your father is definitely this." The old lady stretched out two big thumbs.

Zhu Yiyuan was immediately overjoyed. When it comes to prescribing the right medicine, what he did in his later life might not work...

"If you can grasp Xie Qian's temperament and do what he likes, you can really get twice the result with half the effort. Nothing else, it's all about living, so you have to work hard." Zhu Yiyuan persuaded.

Faced with the ardent expectations of his wife and children, Mr. Zhu really couldn't shirk it.He thought: "Xie Qian said that he has been in the Han family for 30 or [-] years and has read some books. No matter what his hobbies are, as long as it is what the scholar-bureaucrats like, I should be able to talk and chat with him. Come. It’s just to form good karma and make more friends, who will do this?”

Although the father used a questioning tone, he obviously couldn't let the old mother show up.

Zhu Yiyuan gritted his teeth, "I'll feel the situation first, and then figure out a solution."

As long as the hoe is swung well, there is no wall that cannot be dug down...not to mention that Xie Qian didn't show much respect to the Zhu family and his father, so naturally he didn't need to feel too much guilt.

Zhu Yiyuan suddenly felt that he was running a race... To win against two opponents at the same time, not only the Qing court, but also Xie Qian must use the fastest speed to win the capital of self-protection.

The end of failure is the death of the whole family.

The pressure was really not small. At this moment, there was movement outside the courtyard gate, and someone came driving a carriage.

"Master Zhu, I'm sorry, it was Chief Xie who asked the little ones to send the things back."

It turned out that Xie Qian took the initiative to return the stolen property.

This is a great thing, and the family of three welcomed them out.

I saw that the rebels who came moved quickly, put a few boxes in the yard, and then drove away in a carriage without giving them any time to ask questions.

Father Zhu frowned, are there just a few boxes?Why is it less?
At this time, the old lady came to check, and she found some clothes and satins, a few books, some calligraphy and paintings.

As for the gold and silver utensils, there is nothing of value.

Besides, there is only one bag of food, weighing up to fifty catties. Is this also called returning?After the geese had plucked their feathers, they left the geese to stew for themselves, and sent back a bunch of goose feathers.

"Let's not talk about anything else, I've stored nearly a hundred shi of grain at home, why is it so little? Did they steal it?"

The old man's mind turned quickly, and he had no choice but to smile bitterly: "It's good to have it privately, I think Xie Qian didn't even think about it and returned it to us."

Zhu Yiyuan nodded vigorously, he absolutely agreed with what his father said.

"Food is so expensive now, and Xie Qian has more and more people under his command, but he has not been able to break the Zhang family. The rations must not be enough. To say that it is returned is just a meaning, and it must not be taken seriously."

Now the old lady was speechless, "What is this?"

Zhu Yiyuan persuaded: "Take it as food for the Nalu Palace to raise soldiers."

The old lady became even more angry, "If you really ate my food, you can just listen to my orders, that's fine, I admit it. Now it's better, take our food and raise soldiers for Xie Qian. Who is my hard work for? No Say more, or you will die of anger."

The old lady turned her head and went to the kitchen. Zhu Yiyuan pondered for a while, her heart beating wildly. From this, it could be seen that they were not important in Xie Qian's eyes, so when dealing with Xie Qian, one had to be extra careful.

Zhu Yiyuan still wanted to chat with his father, but there was another sound of crying and mourning outside, which was extremely miserable.

The Zhu family's father and son hurried to the gate of the courtyard. Looking through the crack of the door, it turned out that there were soldiers from the rebel army who were driving the villagers from Qingshiji, stumbling towards the head of the village.

Zhu Yiyuan looked at it for a while, and finally understood, "Xie Qian said that he wants to temporarily live in Qingshiji and drive out the villagers, to make room for his subordinates."

Father Zhu was startled, and suddenly panicked: "He won't drive us away?"

Zhu Yiyuan shook his head slightly, if he wanted to drive them away, he would not send the things back.

Father Zhu finally felt a little bit of joy. He, the future King Lu, still had some value.

But when he thought of the poor villagers, Father Zhu could only lament, "Don't demolish houses to death from freezing, and don't plunder to death from starvation, that's the realm of the Yue family army. There is no way to sympathize, and Xie Qian won't listen to us, so come here Let's eat."

Zhu Yiyuan frowned slightly, thoughtfully, he went to the dining hall, the old lady moved quickly and was ready, Zhu Yiyuan was thinking while eating.

"Xie Qian expelled the villagers, and he will definitely not give them food. The villagers have been robbed...we should help them." Zhu Yiyuan lowered his head and said.

Father Zhu was taken aback, and put down his chopsticks, "How can I help? Your mother hid some food, but we want to eat it too. Besides, if we go directly with the food, will it annoy Xie Qian?"

The old lady also said, "There are still ten stones of grain in the dark room. It is not impossible for the villagers to eat. We have been neighbors for many years, it should be. We don't know how many days we can live in this kind of world. A hundred stones, maybe they were all taken away. It’s just that we can’t take Xie Qian’s pulse, so we can’t take risks.”

The old lady was absolutely right, Zhu Yiyuan rolled his eyes and said: "It's true that you can't take risks, but if you want to live now, you can only report to the group to keep warm, and you should support each other. No matter who you face, a family is just a piece of meat. There are hundreds of folks in Qingshiji, and they know each other well, as long as these people get together, it will be a force. Even if it takes a little risk, it is worth it. If we don’t look for them, who else can we look for?"

Zhu Yiyuan said: "I'm going to meet Xie Qian right now, and reason with him, maybe I can get some food."

Zhu Yiyuan wanted to get up and take action, but his father stopped him, "What did you say just now? I'll do it."

After finishing speaking, he hurriedly took a few mouthfuls of food, and then left on his own.

As soon as he left, my wife also went to the back kitchen, Zhu Yiyuan was still worried.

The old lady said with a casual smile: "You, don't think your father is timid, but he has a clever mind! If it weren't for the delay in the status of the clan, maybe he could still be admitted to the Imperial Academy and become a prime minister!"

Unexpectedly, in the eyes of my mother, Mrs. Zhu is quite remarkable.

Zhu Yiyuan also joked: "It's better now, maybe I can earn a princess."

The old lady scolded with a smile: "Stop being silly, hurry up and go to work with me. Your father will definitely be able to get the food."

About an hour and a half later, Old Man Zhu came back humming, with two stones of round-grained rice on the horse behind him...

(End of this chapter)