In the fourteenth year of Yingzong's orthodoxy (1449 AD), the Huang Xiaoyang Rebellion occurred in Chonghebao Village, Nanhai County, Guangdong, and the rebellion was quickly quelled by local officials. In order to prevent similar chaos from happening again, the Ming Dynasty court in the third year of Jingtai (1452 AD), the four capitals of Dongchong, Maning, Ding'an, Xilin and Baiteng Fort in Xinhui in the South China Sea were divided, and Shunde County was set up, and Taigong Fort was used as the county governor, and renamed Daliang.

In Daliang, where the county is located, two people who are obviously outsiders dressed as scholars have just sat down on the teahouse when Dr. Tea comes forward to greet them. While chatting with guests, the partition window on the second floor is pushed open to let in the cool breeze on the water and at the same time allow guests to look at the surrounding scenery.

"What's there to eat?" The older scholar and Dr. Tea discussed what to order, while the younger scholar sat on the table and looked out the window.

Outside the window, on the head of the river port, the shop pù hangs the banner of "Wansheng Rice Shop", which is the largest grain store here. Beneath the stone steps at the head of the river port, there are open boats moored from the township on the left. The ship was loaded with new rice, which pressed the hull very low. Vegetable leaves and garbage rise and fall in the river, as if they could flood into the cabin at any moment.

Dr. Nacha curls his tongue and recommends the characteristics of the store to the older scholars. Tea and refreshments.

"The shop has always been famous for its beautiful tea, exquisite dim sum, and a variety of patterns. The tea is beautiful, the quality of the tea is high, and it can meet the taste of your guests; The water is boiling, and the water is used from nearby mountain springs. The boiling boil is boiling. Only a large boiling of water can brew the true taste of tea. ”

"That's it! Don't you want to sell yourself and brag here, let me ask you, how much do you pay for tea here? ”

Older scholars think about the actual problems of prices and consumption, rather than just staring at the rice shop across the street like young people.

"Sir, you can rest assured. Although the small shop is located in the South China Sea, but it is also a good quality and cheap child, and the folks near the left have a ballad that sings like this: 'Go to the Erli Pavilion to drink tea, and the tea silver is not much to spend.' Cakes are all resistant, and they can best resist the stomach without spending time. ’”

"Two?" The young man's gaze closed from the window. "I went all the way to the north and south. Even if I have seen some of the world, I have never heard of a place where Erli can drink casually! ”

"So, sir, you can only do it. One will if it exceeds two percent. Even if it's a small treat, how about honoring the two of you at a time? ”

"Zhenzhi. Maybe that's why prices are so low? Regardless of him, he was very tired from walking all the way, just drinking tea and eating snacks. ”

"Brother Zhong Zhao. I hope that as you say, I hope that I will not be asked to take off my padded jacket and mortgage the restaurant's food account. ”

"Haha! You, you! ”

The person known as Brother Zhong Zhao pointed at Xu Hongzu with his finger, and he couldn't stop laughing.

Yes, the person who came was none other than the famous traveler, who was seen by the people of the time as a prodigal who tried and did not do his job properly. In recent years, Xu Hongzu or the famous Xu Xiake, who does not avoid the wind and rain, tigers and wolves, is accompanied by the long wind and clouds, fills his hunger with wild fruits, quenches his thirst with clear springs, and travels to famous mountains and rivers all over the world, which can be regarded as fulfilling his wish.

This time I came to Guangdong, I planned to travel to the scenery of Luofu Mountain with my brother Xu Zhongzhao, and if I was rich, I bought a boat and went west to Guangxi to see the landscape of Guilin.

The morning sun shone on the bluestone pavement on the river port, which only allowed two or three people to walk side by side, and also slanted down from the half-new Mingwa canopy, through countless flying dust and small insects, and fell on several old bamboo hats that walked into the rice row.

Those who wore old bamboo hats probably came out before dawn, and when they arrived at the door of the rice store, they couldn't take a breath, so they came directly to the counter to inquire about the price of rice this year. "Brown rice is five dollars, grain is three dollars." Mr. Mi Xingli replied to them.

"What!" The old bamboo hats barely believed their ears. Suddenly the fervent hope sank, and everyone froze.

"Didn't you sell for one or two or three in March?"

"One or two halves were also sold in April, don't say it's one or two or three dollars."

"Where is there such a fall!"

"Don't you know what time it is? It's time for Shinya to go down! Not only Shunde, Sanshui, Gaoming, and the South China Sea! The rice everywhere is like a tide, and I am afraid that it will fall in a few days! ”

The old bamboo hats seem to have been drained of the essence of the body, and suddenly sat on the stone steps at the door, this year God opened his eyes, it can be regarded as a smooth wind and rain, and the small insects do not come to make a stalk, an acre of paddy field will be overcharged with such three or five buckets, who thinks that the farmer can breathe a sigh of relief. Who knew that when I arrived at the rice shop, I got such a price! Isn't this more than in previous years to let the farmer live?

"Lose that mother! Is it okay if Lao Tzu doesn't make a slump? Lao Tzu was transported back by the original ship and put it at home to eat it himself, okay?! "Someone made such a voice, intending to use the tactic of retreating to advance, threatening Mi Xing to raise the purchase price, even if it was only a dollar or two.

"Toot!" The gentleman sneered, "A real country braincase!" If you don't do it, the Cantonese people will starve to death? You rocked the boat and went to both sides of the Pearl River to see! There are many places in the south rice and the south valley, and the first few batches have not been eaten, and several batches of Nanyang galleons have arrived. ”

Nanmi, Nangu, Nanyang galleons, that's a distant thing, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the price of rice here, you can leave it alone. And since the rice that had already been transported to the city had been declared invalid as a tactic to raise prices, it could only be used as a complaint. How can you not be sluggish? The landlord had to pay the rent, and he had to pay the fire consumption, pay the three salaries, and pay the sacrificial money in the ancestral hall, and the debts borrowed everywhere always had to pay some interest.

"Otherwise, let's go to Foshan and have a look!" Foshan, known as the world's four gatherings, has a large number of smelters, where the grain has always been imported, maybe in Foshan, there will be a better price waiting for them, some people think.

However, Mr. is again a "toot! ”。 At the counter, he twisted his sparse short beard and said, "Don't talk about Foshan, even if you shake it to the provincial capital." The rice industry bigwigs of the province. Before coming down in Xingu, he had already discussed it with Li Ergongzi. The public price of the same industry, the price of these two months is five dollars for brown rice and three dollars for grain. Which family dares to eat the bear's heart and leopard gall? ! Against their counterparts in the province?! ”

"There is no benefit in going to Foshan," the companions also raised a refutation. "I'm afraid it will take dozens of miles of water to Foshan here! The road was not very smooth, and I heard that several 'big days' were collecting tolls along the way, and I ran into them. I'm afraid that even the ship will have to be compensated! ”

"Sir, can you raise it a little higher?" It's almost a pleading tone.

"Raise it up a little? You eat a lamp grass to say lightly! First, our rice shop is opened with capital, you must know, raise it a little, that is, for you to be on an errand. Secondly. Prices have been raised. It is against our counterparts in the province, how will we do business in the future? Who would do such a stupid thing? ”

"The price is so low that we never dreamed of it. Last year's rice price was seven and a half yuan, and this year's rice price is sold for one or two or three yuan. That's what my brother said. One or two halves have also been sold; We want to. This year should be a little more than seven and a half dollars. Where do you know that there are only five coins! ”

"Sir, it's the old price last year, seven and a half dollars."

"Sir. Poor farmer, do your good deeds, earn less. ”

A burst of pleading voices came along the river, although they were all spoken in the local dialect of the Shunde countryside, Xu Hongzu couldn't understand it, but from this scene, it can also be roughly guessed that it is a farmer who is exploiting the harvest in the rice industry.

"Sir, your tea!"

Dr. Tea holds two teacups in his left hand, which contain tea leaves; Holding a large copper pot in his right hand, he came to Xu Hongzu, and picked up the teacup lid with his left hand: his right hand lifted it up, and in an instant, a stream of boiling water poured down from the copper mouth, like a green dragon spitting water. Dengshi startled Xu Hongzu. Look at the tea cup again, it happens to be filled with most of the tea, and there is no leakage around it.

"Little brother is a good means!"

Rao is Xu Hongzu traveled south and north, and he has never seen such a scene. He couldn't help but be amazed.

"Where, practice makes perfect! Your dim sum sir. ”

Several plates of cakes were placed on the table for the two Xu brothers to eat.

"Little brother, did you serve the wrong snack?"

Xu Zhongzhao called back Dr. Cha, who was about to leave, and pointed to the snack plate on the table and questioned him.

It's nothing else, the cake is actually sprinkled with a layer of fine snow-white white sugar, how can this be made? If you eat this plate of dim sum, you will travel to Guangzhou, but I am afraid that the two brothers will have to leave their clothes in the pawnshop again!

"Sir, you just have to rest assured, these two plates of dim sum and a pot of tea really only cost two cents. The small shop will never dare to embarrass the customers and deceive the customers. ”

After listening to Xu Zhongzhao's questioning, Dr. Tea was also quite aggrieved, when had he ever seen such a northern Yankee? It's really not a cool person! For two cents of silver, it's like this!

Xu Zhongzhao was suspicious, and handed a piece of broken silver to Dr. Tea, "Okay, this is our tea money, don't collect it again for a while!" ”

"What did you say? This tea is also a lot of money, and you can drink it twice more in the small shop. ”

Picking up the piece of broken silver, Dr. Tea smiled.

"Little brother, what's wrong with the door of this rice shop?"

"It's not a new thing, this is not the season for rice to be on the market, and there is a large amount of new rice in Nanyang to Guangdong, and the local rice price will naturally not go up!"

"Huh! New rice in the South Seas? How much does his rice cost? ”

"New rice is eight dollars and one stone."

"I just said that Cao Mi is five coins and three coins of Gu, is it related to this?"

"Sir, do you want to pay five dollars for one stone of brown rice with rice and chaff in it, or would you like to buy eight dollars and one stone of new rice that has been milled twice?"

I see! No wonder prices in Guangdong are so low. Xu Hongzu chewed the snack in front of him that was sprinkled with Western fine sugar on the surface of the pastry.

"Is this dim sum also cheap because the price of rice is cheap?"

"You're half right."

Dr. Tea still had a smile on his face, "It's true that the price of rice is cheap, but the caster sugar from Nanyang is also cheap, and the urn of 300 catties of vegetable oil is extremely cheap." The three come together, and this is what really makes dim sum fruit cheaper. ”

"The price of rice is cheap, isn't that the same as when Emperor Wanli was alive? Wood, rice, oil, salt, chicken, goose, fish, and meat are all eaten in a variety of ways, all of which are cheap? It is a family of several people who have big fish and meat every day, and the cost is only two or three dollars. That's a lot of money. If you want to come to that small family, you can earn twenty or thirty yuan a day, and you can live a day. ”

Xu Hongzu and Xu Zhongzhao both recalled the scene when the Wanli Emperor was alive, and couldn't help but be amazed, not wanting to be in this chaotic world, but Lingnan was a peaceful scene.

"We don't know anything else, but our Guangdong governor went to Beijing because of the low price of rice and oil."

Speaking of his parents, who were promoted to the capital, Dr. Tea was also honored, as if he was the one who was promoted.

Between words. Two more boats were parked in the river. Three or four old bamboo hats rose up from the stone steps. Underneath the old bamboo hat is the face of the sauce red with hope. They then joined the group that had arrived first, and the slanted pillars of light landed on their black trousers.

"Tell me what the price is this year."

"It's worse than last year, only five dollars of silver!" With a look of frustration and helplessness.

"What!"

Hope is dashed. The rice in the open boat has to be soured. Is it really time and travel expenses? Go to Foshan where the harvest may not be as good as Shunde's rice harvest? It is destined to be sold only to Wansheng Rice in this city. There was silver in the rice shop, and silver was needed in the black trousers of the old hat.

Listen to the chirping and quacking. Xu Hongzu thought that it should be the old bamboo hats of the rice and the gentlemen of the rice shop debating the quality of the rice, arguing about the shallow and full of the rice. The open boat carrying the rice immediately floated a lot, and the vegetable leaves and garbage that were still undulating between the boats disappeared when they landed. The old bamboo hats sent their hard-earned income for a year into the room of Wansheng Rice Bank, and what they got was more or less strings of money.

"Sir, can't you give silver?" White rice can't be exchanged for white silver, as if they have discounted it again, and they always feel weird.

"Country buns!" The hand holding a brush pressed on the abacus beads, and a disdainful look shot out from the glasses, "The money has always been used for one or two pieces of silver, and whoever is good for you to make a copper plate." We have no silver here, only money. ”

"Then, let's change Nanzhong Tongbao, Jiajing Tongbao and Tianqi Tongbao are also OK" Judging from the horse behind the money, I know that it is Chongzhen, a running horse. Moreover, the feel and the color of the copper plate are told to the old bamboo hats, I am afraid that this money is not easy to spend!

"Scared!" The voice was very stern, and the index finger of his left hand pointed strongly, "Emperor Chongzhen's country, you have to use Emperor Chongzhen's treasure!" This is Chongzhen Tongbao, you don't want it, but if you want to go to prison? ”

If you don't want this money, you have to go to court, I can't understand this reason. But no one wanted to find out, and after looking at the horses after the money was made, and exchanging suspicious glances with each other, they stuffed the money into the empty pockets of the old trouser gowns or the empty blankets that were wrapped around the waistbands of the trousers. ”

The streets soon became lively.

The old bamboo hats came to town today, and there were a lot of plans: when the soap ran out, they had to buy ten or eight yuan to go back. South salt also has to bring a few catties. Nanyou bought from the hawker who carried the burden to the village, and there was only such a small scoop of ten money, which was too much of a loss; If several families buy a can together and use it, it will be much cheaper. The colorful Nanbu on the counter of the cloth village heard that as long as eight and a half feet, the woman has been red for a long time, and today the rice is shouting to come out together, a few feet by herself, a few feet by a big one, a few feet by a few feet, and a few feet, all have a budget. Some women even want to buy a glass mirror, which is really weird, and it shows the slightest detail of people; Compared to the bronze mirror full of patina at home, one is really in the sky and the other is underground. It's rare that this year's weather should be shining, and one acre of land will be overharvested so three or five buckets, so that the hands that have always been tightly squeezed are a little relaxed, who says it shouldn't be? Paying rent, paying taxes, salaries, paying various apportionments to the ancestral hall, paying off debts, and relieving the money, you can probably deal with the past; There's probably more to deal with than the past. In such a state of mind, people are full of hope.

But as the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

They only know that the money they get from selling this year's new rice is not half-hung or a bunch is their own.

Anyway, the money in the pocket is not your own, and you have to fill the deficit, since the deficit can't be filled, then simply put the deficit aside, don't bite if there are more lice, and don't worry about more debts! And there are some things that are really necessary to get by.

People walked in groups of three, in groups of five, through the narrow, filthy streets, cursing and cursing the damned plague rice shop, and the Nanban thousands of miles away, so that they could have lived a little better. It gets worse.

"The southern porcelain basin is scraping, ten copper plates are really fair, brother, come and go one?"

"Hey, brother, there are all kinds of Huananbu here, especially big discounts, eight and a half cents of silver a foot, a full foot plus three, do you want to cut some back?"

Although the shouts of the guys are full of real gold, and the full foot plus three. However, today, although the villagers have Tongbao in their blankets. It's a pity that it's only for a while on them.

After bargaining with the fellow shopkeepers, arguing about the quality of Chongzhen Tongbao and many other issues, the money that had just arrived became necessities such as Nanbu, Nan soap, and Nan salt.

The same. Some of the old bamboo hats also returned to their own boats. Let the woman start cooking. I took out the pickles, and bought a little barbecued pork and two-corner rice wine at the roast meat stall downstairs in the teahouse. Start drinking.

After two sips of wine and a few words of complaining and scolding, the river became more and more lively. Words like "Brother, Brother Qi" floated around on the water.

"Five coins and a load of silver, I really met a ghost!"

"Last year was a flood, the harvest was not good, and it was a loss. This year is a good year, the harvest is good, or the loss is still a loss! ”

"This year's losses are worse than last year's; Last year, it was seven and a half dollars. ”

"I have to get out of the rice I ate again. Alas, I took the rice I had grown, and then went to buy the short-lived southern rice! ”

"Why do you want to get out, you damn ghost! I must stay at home and feed my wife and son. I don't pay rent, I'd rather go to jail and lock them up! ”

"I have no choice but not to pay rent! Liao, practice, and exalt! Lose that mother! What is the matter with Liaodong in Guangdong? Why do we have to farm the land with the money of the thieves?! ”

"In the past, it was the foundation of wealth, and now it is tired! This field is really ungrowable! ”

"Quit, quit the rent, and run away. I think the escapees are full of freehand. ”

"Flee the famine, the debt is also repaid, and the money for the ancestral hall does not have to be paid, so it is easy to calculate, let's go together!"

"Who's going to be in charge? Some of their minds fled from the famine, men and women, young and old, who listened to their heads. ”

"I don't think it's bad to go to Nanzhong to work. The little king of our village, isn't it? Working in a factory in Nanzhong, I heard that the monthly salary is one or two halves. One or two halves, at today's prices, is three quintals of rice! ”

"What are you turning to the old calendar book of the next year! The salary of Nanzhong has already risen to two or two a month, and I still have food and housing, three meals a day, and white rice and meat every day! You still don't know? ”

"So what are you waiting for? Hurry up! ”

"What are you going to, there is a notice in the yamen, you are not allowed to go. Who dares to catch the flail for a day! ”

"Grandpa, it's been settled in half a day, who dares to go?"

"Dare to go? The bookkeeper of the landlord's house said that the people who go to the outside there will be locked up first, and then you will be given some medicine to make you a bull demon! It's the kind with horns on its head! Then go to work in a mine that stretches dozens of miles underground! Or go to the old forest and mop wood! ”

"I'm a lung! Who did the Lao Tzu work so hard to farm for? A person took a sip of wine and asked thoughtlessly.

"For whom? To the landlord! There are also officials who collect tax donations! It's just that there are no farmers themselves! ”

Another person pointed to the signboard of Wansheng Rice Bank and said, "It's close in front of you, it's planted for them." We are exposed to the wind and sun, brave the wind and rain, lose heavy profits and borrow debts, pay rent and taxes, and plant them, and they say, 'Five dollars and a load of silver!' He swallowed our oil and water! ”

"It would be nice if we set our own prices. In good conscience, I don't want to ask for more than eight pieces of silver. ”

"I'll cut you with a peach! What dreams are there! Don't you hear? They opened a rice shop with their capital, and they refused to do errands for us. ”

"Then, our fields are also planted with capital, why should we be on errands for them! Why do you want to be an errand for the landlord! ”

"I just thought in the room: now let you get cheap, and put the rice here; If you don't have anything to eat in the future, I'll eat yours! He deliberately kept his voice low, and his eyes slanted towards the shore with red silk.

"When you really don't have anything to eat, where there is rice, it is not against the king's law to take some to eat!" Straight voice.

"This spring, didn't Xin'an County grab rice?"

"I heard that the Dapeng Institute has sent troops and killed a lot of people, and the head is hanging around the county wall!"

"Those who are here today may also have their heads cut off, who knows"

The peasants who came to rice spoke the local dialect of the countryside of Shunde, and they rattled so much that Xu Hongzu, who was in the teahouse, was confused, and it happened that Dr. Tea came to flush the water, so he asked him.

"Little brother, what are the people down there talking about?"

Dr. Nacha listened attentively for a while, and smiled, "Sir, I have often seen such things since Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, and I haven't seen what they can do, it's just talking." Some people drank two taels of yellow soup and had no mouth to cover. ”

"Every year when the new valley comes down, these people will scold here for a while, because we are opposite the rice shop, this kind of thing is really not uncommon. You can see it almost every year, not only in Shunde, you can see it almost everywhere when you walk on both sides of the Dongjiang River, and it is usually tight! ”

After drinking a pot of phoenix tea alone, and using two plates of dim sum, the two Xu brothers got up and left, and sure enough, as Dr. Tea said, it was only two cents of silver.

Back at the inn, Xu Hongzu opened the diary, and he wanted to record what he saw today.

"Today, I drink tea on the street with Brother Zhong Zhao, and the price of goods here is far cheaper than that in Jiangnan. A pot of tea, two plates of sugar cakes, but two cents of silver. However, when I saw the scene of the peasants making grain, I felt quite worried in my heart! ”

"After tea, Dr. Tuocha searched for a ship to go west to Guangxi, and said that he would eat for five taels of silver. Someone in the teahouse said that on the way to Guangxi, it was quite uneasy, and there were often small groups of bandits lurking in the bush. ”

Closing the diary, Xu Hongzu always felt that today's events, although the low prices here made him, an outsider, quite profitable, but the situation of those farmers always made him feel as if something big was about to happen. (To be continued......)

PS: Salute to Mr. Ye Shengtao! It seems that it is time to ask for a monthly pass. Although the gods are not bad, they are of great significance to me. Thank you!