Chapter 211 How much money
Three silver-white and bright laurel moons hang in the sky. The city is filled with lanterns and fireworks.
Facing the biting cold wind, Zhang Shun wrapped the tattered cotton coat he was wearing even tighter. There were already several patches of varying sizes on the cotton coat. The patches had fine stitches. Although they were shabby, they were extremely clean. , obviously someone mended and cleaned it from time to time.
"You said our hard life, when will it end?" Peng Laosi sniffed hard and rubbed his rough hands together, trying to get rid of the coldness in the cold night.
Zhang Shun wrapped his torn cotton clothes tightly to warm up for a while, then took his hands out of his sleeves and exposed them to the cold wind again. He shook his head and said, "Hurry up and work, otherwise we will wait for the sergeant supervisor from Xia Fucheng to arrive." To be beaten.”
After saying this, he blushed, lifted a heavy and huge bluestone brick in front of him, and piled it on the stone platform in front of him.
Peng Laosi also tried to lift a bluestone brick, but failed several times. He sighed: "I am old, I am not as strong as you young people."
Zhang Shun kept his head down and piled bluestone bricks one by one on the stone platform. Peng Laosi helped them sprinkle the glutinous rice mortar and spread them evenly layer by layer.
Looking around, we can see that this long bluestone platform is more than ten feet wide and stretches for nearly a hundred feet. Countless coolies in ragged clothes are stacking bluestone bricks on this long stone platform. From time to time, some people fall to the ground due to fatigue. The sergeant discovered that the whip with ferocious steel barbs would be whipped down hard, causing a stream of blood to splash.
"Lord Zhizhou, according to this progress, the envoy Qingtai can be completed within three days." A young general wearing black armor looked cold and spoke respectfully to the old man beside him.
The old man was wearing a gorgeous black robe. He stood on the edge of the attic and looked down at the long green platform that almost spanned most of the city, and nodded.
The young general is very good at observing words and expressions. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Master Zhizhou, why are you so unhappy? My subordinates may be able to share your worries."
The old man looked at the dimly lit city below him. Most of the people there had fallen asleep. Only the poor laborers recruited from various towns were still working through the night.
Turning around and entering the warm attic, he puffed his sleeves and sighed: "In five days, the two new envoys of the Shangzong will come to Anxi Prefecture. I am a little uneasy."
The young general lowered his head and casually glanced at the countless hard workers who were still working under the pavilion. He turned around and followed the old man into the pavilion. He cupped his hands and said, "My lord, there is no need to be anxious. Ambassador Liu who just left a few days ago has always been... Do you think highly of your Excellency? Presumably, even if there are two envoys replaced, they still have to show respect to Ambassador Liu? "
The old man frowned and scolded: "Confused!"
The young general was obviously a little dissatisfied. He gritted his teeth and said, "The head of the family has been in the Xiantian Peak realm for decades. As soon as the envoy Liu came here, he directly made the family head of the state. So far, a long period of time has passed. Over the past few years, our Xu family has become deeply entrenched in the state capital, so the two new envoys will always have some concerns?"
This old man in gorgeous robes is named Xu Wenxuan. In addition to ruling Anxi Prefecture, he is also the current head of the Xu family.
Xu Wenxuan glanced at him coldly and said, "You have been with me for two years, why are you still so confused? In front of the emperor's envoy, we are not even ants, and the former envoy Liu just disdained to talk to me. Just wait until there is any intersection.”
The young general Xu Sheng's expression changed, he hesitated to speak, and finally quietly closed his mouth.
Xu Wenxuan paid no attention to what he was thinking. Instead, he shook his head again and sighed: "The two envoys this time have no idea what their tempers are. They just hope they can be like Envoy Liu and disdain us."
…
Three days.
Zhang Shun's worn-out cotton-padded clothes already had several deep cracks. From time to time, low-quality cotton wool flew out from them, and crimson blood stains oozed from them. Already exhausted, I walked in the city with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
Looking at the tall houses on both sides of the main street in Fucheng, Zhang Shun could hardly hide the envy in his eyes. Almost all of the people living in Fucheng were wealthy gentry families. Not only did they not have to work, but they could also gain the respect of others, and These are things I have never gotten.
Touching a few pieces of silver in his arms, Zhang Shun seemed to have thought of still...
The wife and children, who were waiting hard at home, walked much more briskly, and a rare smile appeared on their young but weather-beaten faces.
After leaving Fucheng, he dragged his tired body along the official road for dozens of miles, and finally saw Zhangjia Village in the distance. Zhang Shun had not slept for three full days, and even the meals he ate were provided by the state government. porridge, swaying, as if he would fall to the ground and fall asleep the next moment.
He stretched out his hand and pinched his numb arm hard, steeled himself, and walked towards Zhangjiacun.
A few days ago, all the villages and towns under the Anxi Fucheng Autonomous Region conscripted hard laborers to build Yingshi Qingtai. A total of five young and strong laborers were produced in Zhangjiacun. After eating and drinking, he went to a brothel in Fucheng to have a good rest. Only Zhang Shun dragged his exhausted body and wanted to go home early to see his wife who had been waiting so hard for him.
Touching the few pieces of silver in his arms again, Zhang Shun felt much more at ease. He opened the wooden door of his small courtyard and noticed an unusual silence.
"Xiuxiu?" There was a hint of anxiety in Zhang Shun's voice.
No one responded.
His mother died young when he was young, and even his old father couldn't handle the work of taking care of the golden feathers and flowers in the cemetery. He died of illness last year. Zhang Xiaoniu, where can he go?
"Xiuxiu?"
Zhang Shun searched the three simple wooden houses up and down, but still couldn't find any figure, and his voice couldn't help but tremble.
While he was thinking blankly, a burst of noise came from outside the courtyard. Zhang Shun's eyes gradually regained focus and looked at several evil warrior slaves wearing short clothes who rushed in from outside the courtyard.
A strong domestic slave took the lead. Looking at the ragged Zhang Shun, his eyes showed a fierce light, and he stepped forward and kicked him hard.
Zhang Shun had not slept for three days and was already exhausted. He was no match for this warrior slave. Several ribs in his chest were broken by this powerful and heavy kick, and he flew several feet away. He spurted out a large mouthful of blood mixed with minced meat, his breathing became more rapid, and he made a "ho ho" sound from his mouth.