Pida squatted outside the fence and said to He Dadao, who was feeding the chickens inside: "A few days ago, you came to see the Hun family, but you are not at home. After a long walk here, I went to your field to see how the buckwheat grows. It seemed that she had the idea of coming back, but she couldn't decide for a while. You do your best, grow more crops next year, buy some family business, and maybe you'll come back. ”

He Da just nodded and did not answer. This year, the camp did not open the fields, but leveled the fields, although everything around was fine, and the lack of crops in the fields always made people feel panicked. If he is doing well, will his wife come back, He Da can't say well, and there is a bitter feeling in his heart.

When the two were chatting about whether they were together, Tsui Hark rode over and said in a loud voice: "The sun is up, it's not cold, you guys quickly clean up and go to the pond to fish." Remember that it must be more than two catties, as long as the anchovies, mandarin fish, bream and eels, and the rest are not. The camp is paid by the pound, as long as the fish are live. As long as the quality is good, how much you charge, it's all cash! ”

When Pida heard this, he jumped up from the ground and shouted to He Da: "Quick, quick, take out the net, let's go fishing!" ”

He Da agreed, straightened up, and went to the side to take the net. A dozen chickens were frightened and clucked around the yard.

After taking the net, He Da hurriedly walked out of the door, closed the courtyard door, and said to Pida: "What about the rest?" Call them here! ”

Pida said: "I've been waiting by the pond for a long time. There are a lot of things to do at home, feeding chickens and drying vegetables, so I came here to wait for you. ”

As he spoke, he hurried out of the village with He Da.

Gradually entering the winter, except for the occasional repair of bridges and paving roads, these people are idle. With the completion of land preparation, water from many swamps in this area was diverted into the lowlands, and many ponds appeared. In a vast and sparsely populated place, the fish in it have not been caught for many years, and they are large and numerous. Du Zhongxiao organized the manpower of the camp and fieldwork, and during this period of time, he specialized in fishing and transported it to Kaifeng Mansion by train to sell.

There are also many waters around Kaifeng, especially in the Yellow River, which is rich in carp, and those fish species are not valuable. In the south of Xiangzhou, there are some special fish that are not produced in the Central Plains, such as mandarin fish and bream, which are particularly popular in the capital. Although eels are also produced in the Liangjing area, the quantity is very small, and it is profitable to transport them.

This business is organized by the camp and field affairs, purchased at various settlements, loaded overnight, and can appear in the capital the next day. In winter, the water temperature is low, and the fish are not active, and as long as there is water in the pond at the time of transport, the density of fish can be very large. One carriage can transport nearly 10,000 catties.

Mandarin fish and bream are fresh and tender, especially suitable for steaming and other eating methods, and are very popular with the people of Beijing. You can make a lot of money selling fish this season.

Tsui Hark has been working as a servant in the camp for more than ten days, responsible for collecting fish in this area.

When he arrived at Pitang, Tsui Hark got off his horse, and immediately several villagers surrounded him, asked him to sit on a chair on the shore, and asked questions.

Xu Ke said: "Yesterday, I had to be commanded by the Yamen of the Yingtian Affairs, and the eels have been selling very well in the capital these days, and the price per catty has increased by six Wen. Also, the people of the capital are fond of eating crabs, so you can take a look at it in the past two days, where you can catch the fat, and buy it at a high price. ”

Pida said: "Xiucai, it's winter now, and the shrimp and crabs are hiding in the hole, where can they catch them?" If it is two months in the morning, there are everywhere by the water, it is very easy to catch, and it is creamy, and it tastes the most delicious. ”

Tsui Hark said: "At that time, I didn't know the taste of the people in Beijing, so I missed it, so I had to wait for the next year." Crabs are burrowed in holes, and as long as they find them, they are not difficult to catch. Take a look, you can catch the best, and if you can't, forget it. ”

When the railway was first opened, the capacity was tight, and the crab season was missed. There are no good crabs in the Kaifeng area, and the price is very high, and you can sell one consistently when you first go on the market. Of course, the quality of crabs here in Xiangzhou is also average, and it is better to have a railway and facilitate trafficking.

The railway was opened, and a large number of local products from the south were sold from Xiangzhou to the capital. Among the fruits, citrus and pomelo are the bulk of the fruits, and then there are various kinds of dried fish in the two lakes area. A business such as trafficking in fresh fish requires a lot of capital and a large number of people, and the farm work is the largest. Moreover, as a yamen, it was easy to get carriages, which was incomparable to ordinary merchants.

During this period, all those who were physically strong were fishing. Since only the fish that are not produced in the Kaifeng area are collected, the carp and herring caught can only be eaten by themselves. It didn't take many days for people in this area to vomit after eating. These days, it is not a big fish of dozens of catties, and the locals catch it and throw it back into the pond, and no one eats it.

Although there are many people who come to the camp, this area is still vast and sparsely populated, and the wild ponds are full of big fish, and they can't be caught at all.

Later, Du Zhongxiao and Su Shunqin sat opposite each other, chatting and drinking.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Master Zhang went to Dengzhou two days ago, and it will take a few days to come back. Zimei, if you have leisure, take a walk. In recent days, there has been fishing all around, and it is very lively. ”

Su Shunqin said: "Raise the kindness, and the officials will understand it." It's just that the yamen is busy with affairs, and he can't get out for a while. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Some trivial things, just leave them to the officials to do, and you don't have to do everything yourself." During this period of time, the farming was slack, and there was not much to do in the fields. And relax, wait until the beginning of spring, some are busy. ”

Su Shunqin smiled: "Director Zhang has the strictest management of officials, and all accounts must be seen in person." If I am idle, I will be displeased with him. Over the years, I have traveled around the mountains and rivers every day, and I have enough leisure to do some things. ”

At present, Zhang Yuzhi is in charge of the affairs of the camp and field affairs, and Du Zhongxiao only participates in the big planning. Su Shunqin is directly under Zhang Yuzhi, and Du Zhongxiao is not good at interfering too much. Zhang Yuzhi has been unlucky for a few years, but not only has he not been discouraged, but he has been more rigorous in doing things. For details, it is stricter than Du Zhongxiao.

After all these years of torture, Su Shunqin finally recovered, and he no longer dared to be as wild and uninhibited as before, and he was cautious in his actions. Zhang Yuzhi was an important minister before he was demoted, and he had some friendship with the people of the Su family, and the two cooperated quite happily.

Du Zhongxiao didn't say much about the camp and field affairs, and said: "There is no shortage of fish in the camp field these days, this good anchovy is very fresh and tender after steaming, you can taste it." In two days, I will go to Xiangzhou for some days, and the affairs of the camp and field affairs will be handed over to you, and I will be affected. ”

Su Shunqin hurriedly said that he didn't dare.

Yingtian is not so busy, and Du Zhongxiao's mind is on Chang Ping. A standing position is called a warehouse, which is of course not a warehouse, but a system. Focusing on grain, stabilizing local grain prices and relieving famines.

Grain is placed in the warehouse, which is a fixed asset, and grain is basically the same as money in this era. Local officials are also in charge, and there are often cases of misappropriation of grain and even lending. Du Zhongxiao's first step is to find out how much grain is in the warehouse. Next, the core is to close positions often and establish a business system. Grain is only one aspect of the regular liquidation, in fact, it is all-encompassing.

In this era, a unified market was not formed, and although merchants paid taxes, they often encountered various tax cards on the road. Long-distance trafficking is better for big businessmen, but small traders and peddlers can't do business at all. Railways and canals are so important for this reason, these transportation lines are easy to collect taxes and will not be extorted by local bulls, ghosts, snakes, and gods. The first step for Du Zhongxiao is to unify the market on Jingxi Road.