I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 193 Ouyang Xiu: I am not as good as Liu Qi, far inferior to Liu Qi

After about half an hour.

Zhao Zhen, Ouyang Xiu, Su Liang, Zhang Maoze, and Cao Hu, dressed in shabby brown shorts, appeared on a rural road five miles south of Changqing County.

Several imperial guards were hiding around, patrolling without daring to relax for a moment.

Once a suspicious person appears, they will immediately come to Zhao Zhen and others.

Now, it is the slack season for farmers, and wheat seedlings are blooming green on both sides of the rural road.

More than 30 farmers were standing or squatting, chatting leisurely.

Tree planting tools such as shovels, buckets, ladles, poles, and ropes are placed beside the road.

Soon.

Several ambulances loaded with locust saplings and pulled by donkeys drove over.

The leader was an official from Changqing County.

Everyone called him Manager Liu.

Su Liang also found Manager Liu and got such a job for the five people.

Due to the floods in many prefectures and counties on Beijing East Road in Hebei Province a month ago, some out-of-towners came to Qizhou to seek refuge with relatives and friends, and they also did some government errands to make a living.

Therefore, the faces and accents of the five Su Liang people are not too out of the ordinary in the crowd.

The reason why Su Liang took Zhao Zhen to plant trees.

On the one hand, I want to let them experience the authentic life of a farmer.

On the other hand, it is because only in this atmosphere of sharing food and work can the inner voices of these poor tenant farmers be heard.

If you wear brocade clothes and ask people on the roadside whether they are happy or not.

The people will think that it is officials from above who are secretly investigating. Based on past experiences, who dares to say that they are unhappy!

"Come on, come on, come over here!" Manager Liu shouted at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, everyone gathered in front of Manager Liu.

"Today we are planting street trees. You all have your eyes wide open. Dig the holes according to the positions I have drawn in advance and plant the trees firmly. They cannot be planted crookedly or shallowly. Who wants to be sneaky? I will deduct his money!"

"You guys are responsible for carrying water, you guys are responsible for digging holes, and you... you... you... are responsible for carrying saplings..."

Manager Liu arranged tasks for everyone.

Most of the people in the village don't have any polite words to say, they are straight forward and rude.

The words may sound unpleasant, but they usually don't play tricks.

The five Su Liang people were also assigned to different positions during the allocation.

Ouyang Xiu and Zhao Zhen were responsible for fetching and carrying water from the well; Su Liang and Cao Hu were responsible for digging tree pits, and Zhang Mao was responsible for carrying saplings.

Followed by.

Manager Liu also explained some precautions when planting.

These locust trees are street trees, protecting farmland and roadbeds, and can also serve as road signs.

The spacing and categories must meet the county government's requirements, and there can be no mistakes.

Followed by.

Everyone began to work.

As soon as they started working, Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu were a little exposed.

The two of them didn't know how to use the windlass in the field to draw water from the well.

Fortunately, Cao Hu was nearby and taught them quickly, otherwise Manager Liu not far away would have yelled at them.

……

People especially like to chat while working.

After Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu slowly learned to fetch and carry water, several familiar people began to chat with each other with laughter.

"It used to be forced labor, but now it's better. I can earn a hundred cents a day. During the slack period, although the money is not much, it can supplement the family income. I don't have to ask my son for money anymore!"

"What I like most is daily income. Nowadays, apart from us in Qizhou, which place can have daily income? It would be good if it can be monthly income. If you work for more than half a month, you won't have enough money for drinks in winter!"

"We are still going to have good days in the future. During the summer harvest, I just bought five acres of fertile land. As long as there are no natural disasters next year, my family will not be hungry!"

"Old Ma, you were a tenant farmer last year. This... this... you are going to become a landlord in the blink of an eye!"

"I don't know a single word, so how can I be destined to be a master? I just need to be able to fill my stomach. Thanks to the current reform strategy!"

……

What the people talk about are trivial and trivial matters.

But what Zhao Zhen heard from inside were all the benefits of Qizhou's reform.

Ouyang Xiu is good at chatting with people.

Not long after, a commoner who was chatting with him told almost everything about the family members, whether his son was married, and whether his daughter was married.

From the words of these people, Zhao Zhen could feel that they had benefited and supported Qizhou's reform.

In less than an hour, Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu were a little tired.

There were even blisters on the palms of my hands.

After being pampered for so long, they really can't do this kind of hard work.

Su Liang, Cao Hu and Zhang Mao were better, and basically not considered a laggard, but compared with common people of their own age, they were still far behind.

"Hey! Did you two not eat in the morning? By the time you carry the water to the saplings, the saplings are dying of thirst. Can you hurry up?" Manager Liu stood in front of Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu and said loudly.Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu lowered their heads and couldn't help but speed up their pace.

This is the second time that Manager Liu has urged the two of them.

Just now, a kind-hearted citizen told the two of them that Manager Liu always likes to curse. You must not talk back to him when he curses. Just ignore him.

Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu learned very quickly.

Although the two worked very slowly, they always had smiles on their faces and were very curious about everything around them.

Gradually, the sun passed noon.

"Let's have dinner!"

As a loud voice came, everyone put down the guy in their hands.

Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu washed their hands and faces and came to the dining area.

Meals are simple.

Multigrain steamed buns made from a mixture of sorghum and wheat, a large pot of steaming vegetable porridge, and a pile of pickled vegetables.

One person can eat up to four steamed buns, but he can drink vegetable porridge as he likes.

Soon, Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu had lunch.

The two of them have never been hungry.

Zhao Zhen picked up the steamed bun and couldn't eat it after just one bite.

The steamed buns were cold and hard.

At this time, the two of them saw that others were tearing the steamed buns into pieces and kneading them into the hot vegetable soup, and they couldn't help but imitate them.

Leave it to the past.

Zhao Zhen and the other five had no appetite at all when they saw this kind of food, but they ate very deliciously today.

On the one hand, there is hunger.

On the one hand, the food of the surrounding farmers is very appetizing.

Zhao Zhen ate four steamed buns and drank a bowl of soup; Ouyang Xiu ate four steamed buns and drank a bowl of soup.

The two of them wanted to fill the soup again, but they never thought that the pot had reached the bottom.

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but sigh in his heart: If I were a farmer doing this kind of work, I would probably not have enough to eat every day.

At noon, you can rest for half an hour.

The farmers sat on the ground one after another, and some lay directly on the grass.

At this moment, Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu's clothes were stained with water and mud, and their faces were stained. They were sitting cross-legged on the ground without any particular care.

At this time.

A farmer shouted loudly: "Old Xutou, sing one for everyone to relieve our fatigue!"

"Sing one!"

"Sing one!"

"This old Xutou was a teapot (turtle master) in Qizhou City when he was young!"

……

The farmers started making noises.

Followed by.

A middle-aged man with gray hair and a relatively thin body came out. He rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Today, I will sing a fun song for everyone!"

Immediately, a slightly hoarse voice sounded.

"The most beautiful thing in the world, the one you love, thin and beautiful waist, body. Fragrant curtain, wake up, hair and make-up, wine, red face, apricot blossom, spring..."

Zhao Zhen, Ouyang Xiu, and Su Liang instantly heard that this was a erotic poem.

And it comes from Mr. Liu Qi.

The middle-aged man's singing skills are very rough, but singing here and now has a unique charm.

The surrounding farmers are immersed in it.

Either looking into the distance, or the whole person is in a state of relaxation, all showing an expression of enjoyment.

At this moment, everyone seems to have returned to their youth.

I remember the first love.

The feeling is subtle and relaxing.

Even Zhao Zhen, Ouyang Xiu, and Su Liang were gradually immersed in this atmosphere.

Feeling comfortable, at ease, and unrestrained.

It's like living in a beautiful dream...

After a song is over.

Ouyang Xiu murmured: "Poetry comes from the people, there is no difference between elegance and vulgarity. Beside the well water, I am not as good as Liu Qi, far inferior to Liu Qi."

this moment.

Zhao Zhen and Ouyang Xiu truly understood the value of Liu Yong's poems. Folks can do without Ouyang Xiu and Yan Shu, but they must have Liu Yong.

(End of this chapter)