Take a Door with You

For more than 200 years since the founding of Daliang, chaos has begun to appear, and disasters occur frequently in the north, especially in Ningxi.

In the first year of Tianfu: "There is a severe drought in Ningxi, three coins for a bucket of rice, people eat each other, and the dead sleep on their pillows."

In the third year of Tianfu: "Played in March of the third year. Last year, Ningxihe Province was devastated. The room was like a chime hanging, and there was no grass in the field. The side square bucket of rice was as expensive as four yuan, and the army and the people were in trouble."

In the first year of Qianyou: "In the great wilderness of Ningxi, a bucket of rice costs eight coins. The people began to dig grass roots, willow leaves, and bark, and then pounded stones to eat them. They fell to their stomachs and died. People killed thieves, and zombies were everywhere."

...

In July of the second year of Qianyou.

In Qingcili, Xijing City, the third courtyard from the left, Cao Xin returned home and was afraid after a while: "Fortunately, I ran away early when I saw the situation was not good!"

In the past few days, I have heard discussions about the drought in Ningxi in the streets and alleys one after another. All kinds of tragedies are shocking.

For the people in Xijing City, Ningxi is too far away after all. Xijing is one of the five capitals of Daliang and the first-class prosperous city in the world. It is difficult for the people of the capital to experience it personally.

But Cao Xin is different.

He was accidentally killed in a car accident while traveling in his previous life. In this life, he grew up in Ningxi until he was five years old. Later, his family couldn't make ends meet, so his father, Cao Kun, took his family and ran away.

Out of Ningxi, into Tanxi.

Pass through Tanxi and enter Shangjiang.

Finally, he came to Xijing City from Shangjiang Province.

For three full years, after going through untold hardships, the Cao family's seven sons and two daughters died, and three lost two. Even the pillar Cao Kun died of illness last year, and died in Shangjiang.

When they arrived in Xijing City, the original family of eleven was left with only mother Cao Zhang, elder brother Cao Ren, eldest sister Cao Xian, seventh eldest Cao Liang, and Cao Xin, the fifth member of the family.

"well!"

Thinking of the three years of life and death, Cao Xin couldn't help but sigh.

After three years of fleeing famine, he was displaced.

Among them, the hardships are not enough for outsiders.

Now, although he has settled in Xijing City and has become a "city dweller" that everyone envies, the hard times are not over yet.

"Poor!"

Cao Xin went back to the house and opened the rice jar. It was empty enough to run a horse, but it was really poor enough to wait for the rice to be cooked.

wrong!

Where can I eat rice!

The drought in the north is severe. Although Xijing City is still prosperous and luxurious, it has been affected to some extent. The most intuitive thing is the rise in food prices.

Four or five years ago, in Xijing City, one tael of silver could buy two stones of rice, and a catty was as low as four wen.

This year, it has risen to 14 Wen a catty, more than three times.

White flour 17 Wen, also increased by three or four times.

But people's wages have not risen.

In the past, a strong labor force earned 40-50 Wen per day, which could buy ten catties of rice or nine catties of flour, enough to feed a family of five.

But now, ordinary people in Xijing can no longer afford rice and white noodles.

They mainly eat coarse grains——

Corn ballast 10 words.

Red sweet potato 2 texts.

...

Visible decline in quality of life.

Even the people who were born and raised in Xijing City were in a difficult situation, and it was even more common for the Cao family who had just escaped from the famine in the Northwest to go hungry for nine meals in three days.

Eat the last meal and worry about the next meal.

Life is too difficult.

Even if there is a tile to cover the current day, it is the eldest brother Cao Ren who sacrificed his life for it.

When the family came outside Xijing City, when Cao Ren was looking for work at the Caishui River Wharf, he happened to rescue a small leader of the Caishui Gang, and was later taken under his command.

The little boss gave Cao Ren 200 Wen to settle down, and through the relationship between the Cai Shui Gang and the Sun family, a wealthy businessman in the city, he vacated two upside-down rooms in a large courtyard under the Sun family's name.

Although the inverted house does not see the sun all year round, at least it has roots, which can protect it from wind and rain.

It stands to reason that this has surpassed countless disaster victims, and even surpassed many people in Xijing City.

Putting it on ordinary people, especially the disaster victims in the north, one humble life can be exchanged for two houses, two hundred Wen's family expenses, and money for hard work, which is something that everyone can only dream of.

But Cao Ren is the eldest brother of Cao Xin. Even though Cao Xin was older than Cao Ren in his previous life, in this life, Cao Xin still admires and respects the character of this half-brother.

He couldn't watch Cao Ren, who was only sixteen years old, live a bloody life in the gang, and he didn't know when he would lose his life.

"make money!"

In the end, we still have to return to 'money'.

If you have money, you can travel all over the world, but if you don't have money, you can't go anywhere.

"How to make money?"

The Cao family was poor and poor, and they couldn't do business without capital, and even small businesses were difficult to do.

handicraft?

Technical work?

Won't!

There is a technology that will not be reduced to the point of fleeing thousands of miles.

"Begging!"

Cao Xin thought of the only money-making skill honed along the way, and then thought about the excitement of the Ma Xing Market in Xijing City. If he could set up bowls there and beg for money, with his "Lotus Falling" accent, he would make hundreds of dollars a day. Text is not a dream.

But if the elder brother joins a gang and goes begging on his own, the reputation of the Cao family will be completely ruined. Neither of these two houses may be able to be kept, and they may be evicted by the residents of the courtyard.

"Difficult difficulty!"

The world is not easy, Cao Xin sighed.

...

As the sun slanted westward, the courtyard gradually became lively.

Counting the newly moved Cao's family, there are 16 households living in this large compound, with nearly 100 people. Most of them are the Sun family's clerks, workers, masters, and shopkeepers, and they are scattered in many properties under the Sun family's name.

Colleagues plus neighbors, the relationship is naturally close.

Talking in twos and threes, their mental outlook is completely different from that of the people in the three northern provinces.

However, the excitement belongs to them and has nothing to do with the Cao family.

Cao's family came from famine, and the city people are proud and xenophobic on the one hand.

On the other hand, the Cao family has no official business, and the head of the family Cao Boss is a gangster, and no one wants to get involved.

Newcomer.

Too poor to eat dirt.

The door is deserted.

This is the current situation of the Cao family.

...

"Fifth brother, fifth brother."

Cao Xin was sitting, and his younger brother Cao Liang trotted back, holding a handful of peanuts in both hands.

Cao Liang is six years old today, two years younger than Cao Xin. He is thin and thin. He is malnourished all the year round, making him look like he is only four or five years old.

The clothes are also tattered, and Cao Xin has forgotten where he picked it up.

When I first arrived in the courtyard, I was often laughed at.

However, after three years of hard work, he now has a residence in Xijing City, so he doesn't have to travel all day, although because his family is ostracized in the yard, no children are willing to play with him, and even if it weren't for his two older brothers, he would still have to be bullied. But Cao Liang has long been used to it, and he can do well alone.

"Fifth brother, look!"

"I dug up earthworms and sent them to the backyard. They were given by Miss Xiaoyan."

Cao Liang's face was dirty, gray and sweaty, his lips were white, but he was very energetic.

Yesterday he saw a few children of the same age in the yard catch bugs and send them to Xu Dazhi and Fang Xiaoyan's home in the backyard, and brought back a few handfuls of wilted vegetable leaves, so he got an idea.

Early this morning, I excitedly went to dig earthworms, and then sent them to the backyard repeatedly, and got back a handful of peanuts, which made him very happy.

Labor can be exchanged for harvest, which makes Xiao Caoliang very satisfied.

Even if a layer of skin is sunburned, I don't care.

"Man, that's a lot."

"Go, go into the house and drink some water."

After being praised a few times, Cao Liang burst into laughter.

Cao Xin also laughed.

The couple in the backyard are from a wealthy family, and Xu Dazhi often goes to the countryside. Cao Xin doesn't know much about it yet.

Fang Xiaoyan has a bodhisattva heart.

The other families in the courtyard are neither good nor bad, and look down on the Cao family, but there is no conflict for the time being.

But the Yan family in the front yard——

Cao Xin glanced at the gate of the courtyard. The Master Yan from the Yan family was there. He was about forty years old. He said he was a "master", but he was actually just a "teacher". He was in charge of literacy enlightenment for children in a small school. That's all.

After a busy year, there is not much to gain.

Without fame and fame, not even a child, the status is just like that.

At this time, the strict master was watering a few potted plants with a kettle in one hand, and a book in the other.

But whether it is watering or reading, it is secondary. He mainly talks to the neighbors who have come back from work, and sometimes he will step forward to help carry over the threshold when he sees a heavy object.

A few words of praise.

Help both hands.

Those who have been praised and helped should be taken care of to some extent.

Two onions and one garlic.

Occasionally, I can gain a little bit, which is of little value, but the victory is for nothing.

If you can't eat and drink, you can't get poor.

This is the family motto that Master Yan secretly set at home.

It's a pity that Mr. Yan, who has always been the favorite to calculate, has suffered a dull loss from the Cao family.

At the beginning of this year, the eldest of Mr. Yan's family got married, and the young couple has been active all the time. They wanted to tidy up two upside-down rooms in the courtyard and move out to live alone.

But the composition of the courtyard is too complicated. Except for a few families who have lived in it for generations, the other houses are all properties of the Sun family in the city, and the people who live there are all hired workers of the Sun family.

To vacate two inverted rooms, apart from talking about more than a dozen residences in the courtyard, you have to go to the Sun's house to find out.

Master Yan procrastinated and asked four times, and finally when he was about to open the door——

What a coincidence!

The Cao family took the way of the Caishui gang, contacted the steward of the Sun family in the upper city, and moved in with the fire line, which to a certain extent cut off the Yan family's humiliation.

Under such circumstances, the Yan family's attitude towards the Cao family can be imagined.

The whole family, only Mr. Yan, although he is stingy, but always smiles and greets people, so he smiles a little towards the Cao family.

As for the rest of the Yan family, the youngest of their family and the eldest brother of the Zhen family took the lead in isolating the two brothers Cao Xin and Cao Liang. Even the younger Cao Liang was beaten when he joined them. In the end, it was Cao Xin who retaliated and the eldest brother Cao Ren's deterrence is irrelevant.

Some children are very kind.

Some are very annoying.

some--

Very vicious.

...

Chatted with my brother, and watched every family come home.

While recognizing people and deepening his impression, Cao Xin sorted out the gossip he had heard from the parents in the courtyard these days——

Which one is close to which one.

Which one has quarreled with which one.

old widower.

little widow.

There are various gossips in my mind.

Don't look at a small courtyard with sixteen households, the complexity is probably no less than that of the emperor's harem, and the doorway is deep.

Cao Liang put the peanuts in the house and didn't want to eat any of them. After washing his face, he ran to Cao Xin and told him that there were still earthworms, and he would go digging them tomorrow.

The small face is serious.

Not long.

Two familiar figures entered the yard.

Master Yan's complexion at the gate of the courtyard changed slightly, and he wanted to pretend not to see, but after hearing the greeting of "Master Yan" twice, he still replied——

"Sister-in-law Cao."

Here, Cao Liang shouted excitedly when he saw it——

"mother!"

"Sister!"

Cao Xin laughed immediately, and it was his mother Cao Zhang and elder sister Cao Xian who came back.

...

"well!"

"There are too many people on the street, and businesses are booming, but there are no workers."

The elder sister, Cao Xian, is only thirteen years old this year. She is dark and thin, and has a lot of trouble. She gulped down two bowls of cold boiled water and complained to Cao Liang.

For more than half a month, Cao Xian and his stepmother, Cao Zhang, went to the market every day under the bright July sun, hoping to find some work to supplement the family and share the burden for his elder brother Cao Ren.

But in this troubled world, it is hard to find a job that makes money.

If you have such a job, you are usually picked up by an acquaintance, or at worst an acquaintance of an acquaintance.

The Cao family has just arrived and has no foundation. It is almost impossible for the mother and daughter to find something to make a living.

access.

contacts.

In the current situation, it is far more important than hard work.

"Let's rest at home tomorrow, it's too hot today."

Cao Xin talked to the elder sister a few words from time to time, and seeing that Cao Zhang was a little depressed, he poured a bowl of water to persuade him.

"Xiao Wu is right."

"Mother will rest at home tomorrow, I can just go around by myself."

When Cao Xian took the words, she also saw that Mrs. Cao Zhang was not in good health, so she came back early today.

"What a matter."

"Go to bed early tonight."

"I don't worry about being alone, big girl."

Cao Zhang shook his head.

She didn't want to hold her son and daughter back.

The two sons are eight years old and six years old, and they both stay at home to eat leisurely. Cao Ren, the eldest son born by the predecessor, was working hard to earn money outside, and Cao Xian, the eldest daughter, also went out to find work from dawn to dusk. How could she be able to stay at home as a stepmother?

"Mother and eldest sister will rest tomorrow."

"If you accidentally overheat your body, brother will be in vain for a month."

Cao Xin simply persuaded both of them.

In this kind of age, one would not dare to get sick. Once one gets sick, one will die unless one carries it over by one's own.

The Cao family, including their father Cao Kun, all died of illness.

When Cao Zhang and Cao Xian heard this, they fell silent.

...

It was approaching evening.

Big brother Cao Ren finally came back.

"Brother."

Cao Xin brought a basin of well water to wipe his elder brother's face.

"I'll do it myself."

Cao Ren often frowned, but he always smiled when he saw his family members.

He is only sixteen years old this year, but he looks very old. He is barely an adult male in a family of five, and the pressure is too great. Every night, Cao Xin can hear him sighing in his sleep.

Worried about family starvation.

Worried about being hacked to death in the gang.

Cao Ren shouldered too much, so he seemed a little taciturn.

He handed the cloth bag he brought back to Mrs. Cao Zhang, and while washing his face, he said, "I'm going to Liancheng tomorrow, and it takes half a month to go back and forth. This is half a month's ration for our family."

Going on a long trip?

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in no mood to look at Budouzi, and all looked at Cao Ren.

"Liancheng."

"In Shangjiang Province!"

"The Caishui Gang has always operated along the Caishui River, so why go to other provinces?"

Cao Xin frowned.

Shangjiang Province is also a disaster area. Although it is not as serious as Ningxi, no one can guarantee that nothing will happen along the way.

Back and forth for half a month.

Too dangerous!

"The price of food over there has risen fiercely, and the gang is going to ship a batch there to earn more money."

"There are a lot of people on this trip, and a few big bosses in the gang will lead the team, so there will be no problem."

On the contrary, Cao Ren comforted everyone.

After washing his face, he took out another money bag from his pocket and handed it to Mrs. Cao Zhang, "Mother, there are a total of two hundred copper coins here, about one hundred and twenty Wen, for family use. There are also thirty pancakes. The food at home can be saved for about half a month. When I come back from this trip, the gang will give out reward money again, and then I will have a lot more money on hand."

Thirty coarse grain cakes.

Four people in the family, counting as half a month, eat two sheets a day, and one sheet for each meal. It is not easy to eat full, but I can barely eat half full, which is better than the previous half a month.

The point is, getting back 30 pieces of cakes and 120 Wen at one time will instantly make the Cao family's family richer.

But all of this was achieved by Cao Ren's hard work.

...

into the night.

The Cao family finished their dinner in a slightly depressed manner, and then each of them washed up and went to bed.

There are two inverted rooms, one big and one small, the small one is used as the main room, and the big one has two beds, and a family of five sleeps in it.

Cao Liang slept with his mother and eldest sister.

Cao Xin slept with his elder brother Cao Ren.

The two brothers were talking quietly.

The former worried about the family.

The latter one worried about Big Brother.

The two were worried, and they fell asleep without talking for too long.

Vaguely, Cao Xin heard the sigh of his eldest brother after he fell asleep, which was familiar and heavy.

in sleep.

Cao Xin dreamed of a 'Bronze Immortal Gate', when the light bloomed, copper coins, rice, salt and a piece of pork belly sprayed out of it, making his mouth water.

"Gudong~"

Hungry, Cao Xin suddenly opened his eyes.

But see deep in my mind——

The Bronze Immortal Gate is alive and well!

...

PS: New book upload!