Chapter 465: Deep Nostalgia
Shangyuan is very lively today. Villagers from all over the surrounding areas have gathered here, occupying the entire large plateau.
Today is neither the New Year nor the New Year's Day, but the reason why so many villagers gathered here is more important than the New Year's Day, because today is the day when Li Lang of Shangyuan got married and returned to his hometown for a banquet.
Of course, there is no such thing as love or hate in the world without any reason. Most of the villagers who flocked to Shangyuan have never seen Li Lang, but if we talk about Li Lang's deeds, especially the help he brought to the village, And improvement means that everyone can talk endlessly.
Generally speaking, the water channels formed by the rippling Luoshui River and its tributaries, the deep wells and culverts distributed between the plateaus and ridges, and the fertile fields and fertile soil watered by these rivers and canals, as well as the lush green fields in the fields The development of crops, wheat, cereals, and Shu, as well as various workshops scattered in the riverside township, and the thriving industrial and agricultural industries all benefited from Li Lang's unremitting efforts.
In short, all the villagers' harvests of grain, millet, mulberry, and hemp can be freely and conveniently exchanged for various needed supplies. Compared with previous years, their needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation have been greatly satisfied.
As long as the able-bodied villagers work hard, they will have a variety of jobs to choose from. If they work hard and spare no effort, one income can be enough to support the daily expenses of a family of five.
But there are few rural households who are so unsympathetic to the hard work of their own family. The woman who heads the household only needs to set up a loom and work diligently on weaving, and her income in a year is no less than half an acre of fertile land. Some skilled women who can weave high-end fabrics such as Qiluo damask and brocade can even become the mainstay of the family and have a surplus due to their workmanship.
In addition, women and men in households who are too weak to work hard can also receive livestock cubs from Shangyuan based on their hometown registration and raise them at home. After they are raised, they will be sold to Shangyuan. This is also a great subsidy for family income.
Even young men and women who have not yet grown up can go to study literature, engineering, arithmetic, and martial arts. If they perform well, they can also receive subsidies and funding from schools and workshops. Although it is not a huge income, it is necessary to maintain growth and learn skills. The expenses are more than enough. Even without consuming food and clothing, these rural youths can grow up and acquire skills.
Although Li Lang has settled less and less in the countryside in recent years, the changes that have occurred in the countryside as a result are endless.
The villagers are cunning, and their poor life makes them extremely sensitive to any petty gains, so that they are careless and careless. The villagers are simple and simple. They cannot learn the intrigues and intrigues of the big shots. Morality only exists in the countryside, and the next step is the calculation of interests and the implementation of rules.
A few days ago, the news that Li Lang was going to return to his hometown to entertain the villagers spread along Shangyuan.
Although most of the villagers were related to Li Lang, either the men and women in the household worked in his workshop, or the children in the household were educated in his school, or they borrowed a sum of relief food and supplies from the Qu League on credit. Perhaps the wheat at home was ground for free.
Therefore, even though most of the villagers did not have an explicit invitation, when the time came, they all put down what they were doing and gathered directly at Shangyuan, even if it was just a few cheers and a salute from a distance. Saying thank you is a way to express the gratitude in your heart.
When the ferry Li Tai was riding was still approaching the opposite side of the Luoshui River, he was surprised by the crowds of people and thunderous cheers on the river bank. Fortunately, although the people's voices were messy, they gradually became louder and louder. As the distance got closer, I could still distinguish a few things about the loud voice. Basically, Li Lang was the light of Shangyuan, the leader of the village, and was deeply appreciated and loved by the villagers.
Li Tai was not surprised that he could accumulate such a deep reputation in his hometown. He has never been a stingy man who reared his own weight behind closed doors. As his property and power grew, Shang Yuan, who had the deepest stakes and shared weal and woe with him, also benefited a lot.
His contribution to Shangyuan was not just as simple as building canals, digging wells, and watering a few more acres of fields. It also improved and created the current situation of upgrading the entire local industry and greatly improving the quality of life.
Although Li Tai has not been in this world for a long time, he has done a lot of things, a lot of which are centered on Shangyuan and other areas in the lower reaches of Luoshui River.
The construction of water conservancy and the improvement of the industrial and agricultural foundation made Shangyuan one of the most important grain-producing areas and large-scale hydraulic facilities centers in the Guanzhong region. Suppressing bandits within the territory makes the living and production environment safer, and also provides a foundation for the development of commerce and trade.
The establishment of the Qumeng allows local personnel resources to be allocated more effectively, and is no longer restricted by the constraints of the large estate economy. It allows rural people, regardless of the size of the industry, to have the opportunity to participate in the integration of local resources and industrial development.
Of course, apart from this series of specific steps, one of Li Tai's greatest contributions to Shang Yuan was to protect the development of industry and order here through the improvement of his own position.
The textile industry supported by the big spinning wheel told the development, allowing Shang Yuan to control abundant funds. Then Li Tai exchanged the abundant funds accumulated by Shang Yuan for abundant wealth through activities in northern Shaanxi, Longyou, Chang'an and other places. commodities, as well as various first-mover industrial layouts.
In the future, as the process of unification of the world advances, the decrees of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties will be extended further, Li Tai's prestige and power will become higher and higher, and Shang Yuan's development will become even more outstanding. One day, although Huazhou is the domineering residence of the Yuwen family in name, it will look like Li Tai inside!
He was feeling the enthusiasm of the villagers while imagining a bright future, but he soon faced a rather embarrassing situation. You came to welcome me, but all the riverside piers were occupied. How could I go ashore and go home? Is this a warm welcome, or are you trying to drive me out of the countryside?
Fortunately, the welcoming villagers on the river bank also noticed this after seeing Li Tai's boat lingering in the river but not docking. Even though Li Zhusheng, Party Chief Zhao and others directed the villagers to lead the villagers back part of the way. , finally freed up the dock.
Linghu Yanbao, the chief minister who returned home with Li Tai, was not very aware of Li Tai's reputation and prestige in the village. Seeing such a grand scene, he felt as if he was facing an enemy array. The officers sailed across Li Tai's ship and let the guards go first. They boarded the dock to form a formation, and then asked Li Tai to come ashore.
When Li Tai set foot on the ground, his family members, disciples and fellow villagers who stayed behind in Shang Yuan came to greet him one after another, and they gathered around Li Tai to greet him politely.
Looking at the familiar and not-so-familiar faces, Li Tai felt more at ease. Shangyuan was the first place he established his feet after coming to Kansai, and it was like his hometown in his mind. Listening to the many local accents, he felt the joy and excitement of a wanderer returning home.
Looking at the enthusiastic crowd around him, Li Zhusheng said with a look of shame on his face: "Alang's marriage is a great joy for the family. I secretly planned to enjoy it with everyone, so I didn't keep the date of Alang's return a secret. But I didn't expect so many people. Many villagers came after hearing the news, and the situation became a bit difficult to control..."
Li Tai looked around and then said with a smile: "Last year, the bandits from the East came to Yubi for several months. The villagers thought about it and were worried for a long time. Now that there is a little slack in spring plowing, it is not a big deal to take advantage of this opportunity to have fun. Although we can't all have a banquet. , but try to satisfy them with social operas and entertainment, meat soup and Hu cakes, and the villagers will disperse when they are done with it, and don’t violently evict them!”
After hearing this, everyone quickly nodded in agreement. Although there were many villagers gathered here, Shangyuan City is now one of the largest rural grass markets in the lower reaches of Luoshui River. From the former Shangyang garrison to the current Shangyang defense The city extends to the northern section of Shangyuan, with warehouses and shops stretching along the river for more than ten miles. Many shops are full of goods, enough to entertain these villagers.
Taking advantage of the crowd gathered here, Wu Jingyi, who had been in charge of Qumeng for a long time and had a wide popularity in the village, stood up on the pier and shouted, announcing Li Tai's decision to the villagers. After hearing this, the villagers applauded and cheered again. Thunderous cheers.
When the bride, Mrs. Miaoyin, arrived in the boat, Li Taiqin helped her into the car, and then he got on the car and sat down. Then a group of soldiers and subordinates surrounded him and went up to Shangyuan Village.
Wherever they passed, people moved out of the way, spontaneously cleared a road, and kept throwing flowers and herbs collected in the fields towards Li Tai's car. Before long, the carriage was decorated into a fragrant and brightly colored float.
It was not the first time for Miaoyin to come to Shangyuan, but after feeling the enthusiasm of the people on both sides of the road outside the carriage, her pretty face was full of pride, and her eyes looking at Li Tai were filled with admiration: "So many villagers Come and welcome me, my family’s accumulation of kindness is higher than the mountains and deeper than the rivers, and it will surely become more prosperous in the coming year!”
As she spoke, she hugged Li Tai's arm tightly, her brows and eyes full of longing for the future.
After Li Tai heard this, he also laughed, took out flowers from the car window, weaved these flowers into a garland, put it on the head of his wife, and said with a smile: "It is certain that my family will be prosperous. , but the success of the family business is not the result of one person, and the wife has a lot to do. The villagers are not only welcoming me back home, but also congratulating me that I finally have a virtuous and beautiful wife. "
When Miaoyin heard her husband's compliments, she immediately smiled like a flower, and replied a little shyly: "They don't know me at all, how can they know whether I am beautiful and virtuous? It's just that I love the house and the bird, and the person who thinks she is worthy of the husband must not be A common woman. Of course I am not the best now, but if I stay with my husband for a long time, I will become a good person..."