Dressed as a widow, raising cubs, farming and building infrastructure in Ming Dynasty

Chapter 15
Sister Ma Feng pouted, took off her shoes and got on the kang, with a face full of displeasure: "It's not because the Tatar soldiers have been having a violent riot recently. The city gate is closed and everyone dare not go out. The shop has been closed these days." The business here is very light..."

Erlang didn't admit he was a stranger at all. He looked at Sister Ma Feng with great interest and then opened his arms to hug her.

Sister Feng said with a smile: "Our Erlang is still the best. I have to be hugged by my aunt every time!"

Sister Ma Feng said with joy while teasing Erlang: "Sister-in-law, have you heard about it? My brother is a blessing in disguise this time, and he is appreciated by their Qianhu adults! It is said that my brother saved the lives of Qianhu adults! It seems that my brother saved the lives of the Qianhu adults! I'm not far away from being promoted! From now on, I will really be Erlang's aunt!"

Qin Liu saw that what she said was nondescript, his face darkened and he got off the bed: "I'm going to make lunch, you can eat some here too!"

Sister Ma Feng followed her somewhat sarcastically and said, "Brother hasn't told you yet? He's such a boring gourd! Sister-in-law, my brother is good at everything, but he doesn't like to talk. But what is he thinking in his heart? I But he can make a good guess. He refuses to marry the second young lady of Mr. Lei’s family in the town, because he already has someone in his heart..."

Seeing that she was talking more and more outrageously, Qin Liu waved a wooden-handled ladle and glared at her: "You girl, you are always talking behind your back. What's the point?! Go and help me bring in the firewood!"

In these days of chaos and chaos, who has anything to think about?It would be more serious to earn back the money to buy land and build a house, and save a sum of money to take the whole family to a safe place in the south.

Sister Feng stuck out her tongue and went out. Dalang had already run ahead of her and came back with a few pieces of firewood.

Qin Liu kneaded the dough and praised Lang sincerely: "My eldest brother is really good!"

Dalang grinned: "My grandpa taught me."

After that, Dalang added water to the cauldron, sat down and lit a fire to heat the water.

Qin Liu could not help but sigh with emotion at Dalang's sensibleness. A child from a poor family had already become the master of the family.Dalang is only six years old this year. During the day, he lives with his disabled grandfather and his one-year-old brother at home. Since he is easy to move, he has become the main labor force in the family.

Thanks to Old Man Li and Dalang helping her take care of Erlang, she had the energy and free time to go to the dumpling shop to be busy.

After eating, I was washing the dishes and wiping the stove when Ma Ang came.

He glanced around the room at Old Man Li, Qin Liu, Sister Feng, and the two children, with a slightly serious look on his face: "Uncle, it's better for your family not to go out in the past few days."

Old Man Li sat up straight, took a breath of cold air, and said with a bit of panic in his tone: "The Tartars are attacking the city again?"

Ma Ang shook his head: "A group of Tatar soldiers came from Dushikou. They looted outside our sand castle and then went to the earthen fort. The damage there was serious. Our side was robbed last year. After all, I didn’t go into the city this year. But it’s always better to be just in case.”

Old Man Li looked at the neatly stacked wheat bags in the east room and felt worried.

Ma Ang asked: "Does your home have a cellar? It's better to hide it in a cellar."

Old Man Li shook his head depressedly.

Now it is too late to dig a cellar.

Ma Ang consoled him: "Tatars may not come to the city this year, and your home is located in a remote location, so don't scare yourself yet."

Old Man Li thought for a moment and then said: "Dushikou is less than three hundred miles away from us. The Tatar soldiers can reach us in one day because of their fast pace! They haven't gone back yet?"

Ma Ang said in a heavy tone: "I'm afraid they haven't left yet. I heard that the pass on the other side of Dushi has been blocked. If they want to return to the grassland, they can only find another way to the west. It is said that they have already gone to Yuzhouwei. .”

Old Man Li pondered for a while and then asked: "Are the people coming this time from the right wing or from Dayan Khan?"

Ma Ang shook his head: "It's not clear yet. The accent sounds like he's from the right wing." Qin Liu listened to their chat with his ears raised, and when they stopped talking, he asked: "What's the relationship between Dayan Khan and the right wing?"

Ma Ang explained: "Dayan Khan is the current Great Khan of Mongolia. People in Guan Nei call him 'Little Prince'. He is a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. The right wing is the tribe to the west of Dayan Khan's royal court."

Qin Liuqi said: "Little prince? He is the little prince who married the queen who is more than 20 years older than him when he was seven years old? What does the queen's name seem to be, Queen Manduhai?"

Qin Liu remembered watching TV in modern times and there was such a little prince, but she couldn't remember the details.

Ma Ang nodded: "There is such a saying." He learned about it from listening to the veterans chatting in the military camp.

Qin Liu pondered, this Shabaozi Town is a remote and remote area, and the news coverage is limited. Fortunately, it is not on the front line.Dushikou Town in the north is the first pass facing the Mongolian grassland tribes.

But the Tatar soldiers can kill them in a day, so there is really no sense of security in this town.

……

After a few days, the turbulent Shabaozi Town was finally safe.

The city gate reopened, and people's faces were filled with smiles after the disaster. There were even more sincere smiles among the patrons who usually came and went.

Ma Ang was officially appointed as the general banner for his meritorious service by killing several Tatar soldiers.Everyone in the Ma family was in great joy, and all the guests who came to eat and drink porridge were even given free meals that day.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, for every hundred garrison troops, there is one person per hundred households and two general bannermen.The imperial court granted the general banner five acres of rent-free land.

This shows that the Ma family will be able to support their family by just farming without relying on the dumpling shop business!

Ma Ang himself was even more excited.Today, he finally has some insignificant achievements and can be considered as a military attache.Although he is only the most inferior general, it is better than just a soldier who cannot support himself.

All this was due to his personal efforts, and more importantly, the widow of the Li family taught him how to read, for which he was very grateful in his heart.

He looked at the half-built house behind Yanzi Tower and thought about how to build the house quickly.

The new house was finally completely built in September.

In addition to the three houses each of the Li family and the Ma family, as well as the kitchens and warehouses of the two families, a row of small houses were built in the backyard, with kangs built inside and the doors facing north.

This was added by Qin Liu on a whim, and the reason is very good: "If the store's business is good in the future, it will recruit more people, and it will also give the guys a place to stay."

The fundamental reason is that we are still afraid of something like the Tatar soldiers happening last time.If Tatar soldiers ran into the house, what could she, a weak woman, do?
The best thing is to build a row of small houses. Even if the Tatar soldier wants to hide and recuperate, she can just go to the small house. The door faces the street to the north, so it will not affect her life.

What Qin Liu is most satisfied with is the heating pipes made of porcelain.

Their home is on the east side, and Ma's home is on the west side.

On the east side where the east wing was supposed to be built, Qin Liu built a large connected house where the water tower, kitchen, laundry room and boiler were all located.Part of the hot water heated by the boiler goes to the Yanzi Building in the south through porcelain pipes, and part of it goes to the three main rooms in the north.

There is heating in the house, so the children don't have to wear bulky cotton-padded jackets, which make them tired and difficult to move around.Burning heating is a waste of firewood.However, Qin Liu was still willing to spend this money to make his life more comfortable.

(End of this chapter)