At the foot of Zhongyang Mountain, Quan Erlang hugged his arms and lazily basked in the sun with a few people. He always likes to roll up his sleeves and reveal a floral embroidery. Even if the spring is cold now, it is the same, as if it doesn't know the cold.

The two messengers came from a distance, came to the white wall on the side of the road, posted a poster, and hurried away.

Seeing the servants go away, Quan Erlang said: "Let's come to reclaim the field, but as soon as we throw it at the foot of this mountain, we don't care anymore." These dog officials don't do their business, all day long, they post a list on the left and a list on the right, and they don't know what the ghost says. ”

The man next to him: "Erlang shut up." In the past, when we were pulling fiber in Bianhe, no one cared about us, whatever you wanted. Now it's different, we have to open up the fields and farm, someone is in charge, if you are so open-mouthed, sooner or later you will cause a big disaster! ”

Quan Erlang pursed his lips disdainfully: "What disaster?" The mouth grows on my head, and I want to say whatever I want! In such a life, there is no meaning at all, no matter how hard people dare to speak, it is too boring to live. ”

Others ignore him, close their eyes, and lazily bask in the sun.

After a while, Quan Erlang couldn't help it and asked the people around him: "Uncle Ding, what does the list say?" ”

Uncle Ding didn't open his eyes, and said weakly: "None of us can read and write, who knows what to say." ”

Quan Erlang said: "These dog officials, knowing that we are illiterate, but they post posts everywhere and don't find anyone to read it. ”

When a few people were basking in the sun, a man came from a distance with a burden, came to rest his feet, and said to a few people: "Brothers, I'm tired of walking, give me a sip of water to drink." ”

Quan Erlang opened his eyes, glanced at the man, and said impatiently: "We are all from other countries, and we came here to open fields." It hasn't been many days since I arrived, and the well hasn't been drilled yet, so where is there water for you to drink! I'm so thirsty, there's water in the river over there! ”

The man laughed and said, "What did my brother say?" If you drink the water from the river, don't you have a stomach upset? Even if there is no well, there must be hot soup burning at home, so it doesn't matter if I take a sip. ”

Quan Erlang said: "You need firewood to cook soup, don't you need to work hard to get firewood!" ”

Uncle Ding on the side stood up and said, "It's not easy for people to go out, and it's too much for Erlang to say so." Wait a minute, I'll bring you a bowl of water when I get home. I boiled this water last night, and it's already cool, so don't dislike it. ”

The man didn't dare to say anything, so he stopped and waited there.

Quan Erlang couldn't help it, and said to the villagers: "Wu Na man, what kind of business do you take on a burden?" ”

The man hated Quan Erlang, so he didn't answer, but when he saw that he was dressed in embroidery, it was not a good road, so he had to say: "I walk the streets and alleys, repair ironware for others, and earn some money to make ends meet." Look at the beginning of spring, go to Biyang County in the south to do business. ”

"It turned out to be a blacksmith. - By the way, do you have bows and arrows for sale? If you sell me a pair, go to the mountains to hunt some roe rabbits to eat. ”

The man said: "The guest officer laughed, I am a small blacksmith in the countryside, where can I sell bows and arrows?" If a guest officer buys a bow, he must go to the county seat. ”

Quan Erlang said: "If I have the money to enter the city, how can I still sit here!" - If you don't have a bow, you can sell me a good knife, and there are no tigers and leopards in this mountain, so you can always hunt some game with a knife. ”

"Don't hide it from the guest officer, I am dedicated to repairing farm tools for others, and I don't sell swords. There is only some pig iron on the pick, if there is a farm tool is unfavorable, it can be melted into a shower, just like steel. ”

Quan Erlang listened and said disdainfully: "This guy is talking nonsense! We are all in the army, and we use a lot of swords, steel is steel, iron is iron, two things. What do you pour with pig iron and what is it for? You can only deceive the ignorant farmer in the countryside! ”

The man was not in a hurry, and said slowly: "The guest officer doesn't know, this method is from Bozhou in the east, and it is very useful." Farm tools made of wrought iron, regardless of whether they are sickles or treadmills, are hard and sharp as long as pig iron is poured on the edge. ”

Where is Quan Erlang willing to believe? Just think that this man is a liar, and he is very despised.

The man also felt bored, turned around, and looked at the list posted on the white wall.

When Quan Erlang saw it, he couldn't help but ask, "You man, do you still know how to read?" What is written in the list? ”

The man was too lazy to take care of Quan Erlang, but on other people's territory, he had to be careful, and he didn't look back and said: "The text says that iron has been produced here since ancient times, and swords were made well in ancient times." Over the years, it has declined, and people have been recruited to prospect for mines in the mountains. If the iron ore can be discovered, the official will give a reward according to the iron production. If you can find a big mine, you can still be an official. ”

Quan Erlang's eyes lit up when he heard this: "This is a way to make a fortune, much better than farming!" What's your name, this man? ”

The man turned around and replied, "In Xia Yang Bin, everyone calls me Yang Dalang." ”

Quan Erlang said: "Since you are a blacksmith, you will find iron ore when you want to come." There is a list here in the government, you and I will go into the mountains to look for mines. If you can find a big mine, you can get a few rewards, and drink wine and eat meat. It's like you pick a burden and walk the streets. When luck comes, it will be even better to be an official! From then on, I will eat and drink all my life! ”

Hearing this, the person next to him couldn't help but say, "Erlang, you scold the dog official all the time, why do you want to do it yourself?" ”

Quan Erlang said: "If someone else is an official, I naturally want to scold." They drink wine and eat meat, and they have no portion of me. If I am an official myself, the money and food will be in my hands, even if I am a dog official, what does it matter if I do it! ”

Several people laughed together, scolding the officials every day, but it turned out that they were scolding why they were not officials.

Quan Erlang ignored them and said to Yang Dalang: "Since you are good at iron, you will definitely be looking for iron ore, let's go into the mountains to look for ore together!" ”

Yang Dalang said with a smile: "If you are a cook, you will not necessarily raise sheep if you cook it well." We who are blacksmiths can strike iron, but we don't even know how to smelt iron, let alone find iron ore. - However, unlike others, blacksmithing is a family craft, and before I learned how to pour pig iron, my family really smelted iron. I haven't dug iron ore before, but I have a recipe at home, so I might be able to find a mine. ”

Quan Erlang was overjoyed when he heard this, and jumped up from the ground: "Then what else do you say?" The eldest brother sent the burden to the village, and we went up the mountain together! ”

Yang Dalang shook his head again and again: "What's the use of going up the mountain?" The mine is not necessarily in the mountains. Young people, prospecting for minerals is not an easy task, and most of it depends on luck. You need to know where the iron is produced, and it is best to have mines that have been dug by previous people, and then look for them along the veins. It is located in the Central Plains, since ancient times, I don't know how many people have mined and smelted iron here, and for thousands of years, the good mines have already been mined. It is not easy to find a new mine, either digging deep along the pits of the predecessors or going to a remote place in the mountains. Even if you make up your mind to find it, it's not a day or two, a few months is nothing. If you want to bring food, you have to walk a lot, and you can walk wherever you say. ”

Quan Erlang is a person who is used to idleness, and he hates the stable life of farming from the bottom of his heart, and he is bent on making quick money. The opportunity is in front of you, how can you miss it? said to Yang Dalang: "What is this, borrow some money from the brothers, and when you receive the reward, you will distribute it to them!" ”