Chapter 8, Provoking the World with the Canal?

Lu Wenliang carried his cousin's bedding and went ahead, while Lu Si locked the door and followed behind his cousin. He was still wearing the same cotton coat from yesterday, but he had changed into a different pair of cotton pants, as the previous pair had been torn by the black dog from the Wu family.

Lu Si patted the boy's head; although he was one year younger in physical age, his actual mental age was a full ten years older than the boy's.

Not far away, the neighbor Jiang Kuizhao called out to Lu Jia. Jiang Kui was about the same age as Lu Wenliang, both in their forties, but he was a bachelor

As the sun rises, the official road gradually becomes lively

If a notable figure emerges in the village, it is likely that someone will be invited to pave the road. Building bridges and paving roads has always been a favorite activity of the gentry.

Moreover, tens of thousands of laborers were recruited from Huaiyang to dredge the river channels, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of transportation. Generals Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie, and others also abandoned their flood-affected areas and moved southward. Zhenfei made arrangements to receive them all.

When a person engages in heavy labor, it is easy to sweat. As sweat is produced, the salt content in the body is lost. If salt is not replenished in a timely manner, it can easily lead to a lack of strength

It is necessary to carry some money, as there are various places where money can be useful.

Song Wu mentioned that the gathering point Wangjia She is ten miles away from Lu Si and their Datuan Village. The place names in this area often include terms like "tuan" (group), "she" (society), "zao" (stove), and "duo" (mound), which are remnants of the past when stoves were used for salt production. Notably, there are many place names that include "zao," such as Sanzao, Liuzhao, and Shiqizhao.

Go back

These cotton pants belong to his father, Lu Youwen

Seeing his younger brother tidying up, Lu Wenliang also stepped forward to help tie things up. However, he turned around to see his brother running to the kitchen to fetch a kitchen knife.

"Go on, go on, it's late, the government will speak." Lu Youcai waved his hand, signaling his son to go with peace of mind.

As all the village teams were eager to rush to Wangjia She, Chen Dazuo returned to the team after greeting the Lu family.

Datuan Village has a total of 23 households, and according to the government’s policy of one person per household, theoretically there would be 23 able-bodied men going to Huai'an together

After finishing breakfast, Tian E went to retrieve the items she had prepared for her husband and son during the night. Compared to Lu Si, who only had a blanket, Lu Wenliang had a few more items to take with him

Song Wu, the team leader from Datuan Village, confirmed the attendance of everyone by calling out their names one by one. After ensuring that all had arrived, he instructed the group to follow him to the assembly point at Wangjia She in the district.

This side of Sanzao

Breakfast was ordinary; Lu Wenliang must have discussed everything he needed to with his wife last night, and there isn't much to say on his father's side either

Take it with you, in case you need to chop some vegetables or something when you get to your destination

Under the anxious admonitions of the two elderly individuals, the three members of the Lu family left their home carrying bedding and tools on a shoulder pole. Apart from their different clothing, they appeared no different from the migrant workers that Lu Si had once been in his previous life.

Lu Si called out to Zhou Wang, who was talking to his wife. Zhou Wang responded and, amidst the reluctant gazes of his wife and children, walked towards the three members of the Lu family. Then, the group proceeded to walk towards the village entrance along with Jiang Kui, who was ahead of them.

Lu Si and his group of seventeen followed Song Wu, walking along the small path by the edge of the fields at the village entrance for about 3 miles until they reached the main road

... ...

The closer one gets to Wangjia Village, the more river engineering teams from various villages gather, and from a distance, it seems there are at least a thousand people.

Lu Si probably thought that these women's men were not at home, and they were reluctant to spend more money on food, so they took it upon themselves to manage

Upon arriving at Uncle's house, I saw Aunt Wu and Sister-in-law Tian'e setting the table with bowls and chopsticks

If the authorities can regularly distribute the allocated grain on time, it would be considered a fair treatment of the river workers

At the village entrance, several people have already arrived, all of whom are from Datuan Village working on the river. The rest of the people are arriving one after another.

Before long, Song Wu arrived and called everyone to follow him to the north side of the ferry. Upon arrival, they saw officials from the yamen organizing the teams from various villages.

Therefore, it is generally expected that the river workers bring their own salt and pickles, as relying on the government to provide these for everyone is very unrealistic

Larger towns do have watchtowers specifically arranged for the elderly and weak to keep watch. However, for a small village like Lu Si's, with only about twenty households, there seems to be no necessity for such arrangements.

When Lu Si had almost finished eating, Uncle Lu Youcai suddenly tapped Guangyuan's forehead with his chopsticks, then tapped the bowl in front of Guangyuan again, and said unhappily, "Eat cleanly"

In the autumn and winter of the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Lu Zhenfei, the Deputy Minister of Rites, was promoted to the position of Right Assistant Minister of War, overseeing the transportation of grain and serving as the Governor of Huaiyang. He dispatched generals such as Jin Shenghuan and seventeen others to guard the rivers along various routes, from Xu, Si, and Suqian to Andong and Shuyang. Additionally, he organized local militias, rewarding them with beef and wine, and successfully gathered tens of thousands of elite soldiers from the regions between the two Huai rivers

The transportation in this era is not as well-developed as it is in later times, where even remote villages have cement roads. Aside from the official roads paved with stone slabs and blue bricks, most of the other roads are dirt paths, which become utterly impassable when it rains, and can truly be referred to as genuine cement roads

After walking ten miles, everyone felt somewhat fatigued. After putting down the food and tools they were carrying, they simply sat down on the ground.

Um, which one

Lu Wenliang was also greeting someone, who was from his grandmother's maternal side, and was of the same generation as him, named Chen Dazuo

"As long as you are full, that is enough. Life is hard; if you want to eat something, ask your father to buy it for you." Tian E secretly wiped away her tears; she truly felt heartbroken for her husband and son.

Since they are all from the same area, the river workers from each village are all fellow townspeople, many of whom are also related by blood or marriage, thus the number of greetings exchanged on the road has increased

Slowly, the queue at the ferry terminal grew larger and larger, stretching endlessly in both the north and south directions. The clamor of voices was overwhelming, resembling a large army that had suddenly emerged from the flat ground.

There is a bag of rice weighing approximately 30 pounds, a small jar of pickled vegetables, a package of flour biscuits, and some salt.

Looking at the physiques of these women, Lu Si does not believe that he is significantly stronger than they are when it comes to work

Gather here at Chenjiazhuangzi

Ah, well then, I'm leaving!

This is just a small number of people; you will realize how many there are when the horse arrives in Huai'an

This is the first time Lu Guangyuan has seen so many people, feeling both surprised and excited

Guangyuan, being impatient, picked up the bowl of porridge on the table and gulped it down, only to burn his mouth and cover it in pain, causing his mother, Tian'e, to scold him for a while

"What are you doing with the knife?" Lu Wenliang asked, puzzled

My goodness, there are so many people!

This money was left to his son by his father, Lu Youwen, when he went to Haizi to cook. If it weren't for the fear of being called a spendthrift by his uncle, Lu Si would have long taken this copper to the town to buy meat.

The women in the village waited until the figures of their husbands were no longer visible in the distance, and only then did they gradually disperse

Lu Si, while speaking, grabbed a copper coin and casually stuffed it into a small cloth bag, which he then tucked into his bosom

Outside, the villagers who were going to work on the river gradually emerged from their homes, with adults and children bidding farewell to one another. Lu Si then saw Sister Zhou Er holding her son Da Bao while talking to her husband, holding his hand.

Wen Liang, you must take both of them to the construction site. Listen to and carry out the tasks assigned by the authorities, and do not argue with others. If there are any issues, consult Lao Ma and Song Wu, and absolutely do not go looking for others on your own. Also, be sure not to wander around aimlessly

Strangely, there are even women in some of the teams

In this era, the rooster's crow essentially serves as an alarm clock in the countryside. Given the conditions of the farmers, they certainly cannot afford such things as hourglasses, let alone the clocks that were introduced from the West.

Upon reaching the official road, Lu Si saw that many groups were already heading west. The larger groups consisted of thirty to forty people, while the smaller ones had seven or eight. All were villagers like them, carrying bedding and tools.

Let's go, lock the door, and first have breakfast. Leave the key for your sister-in-law, so that when the old man comes back from the lake, he can get in.

Lu Wenliang took an egg and cracked one side on the table while peeling it, and he spoke to his father about matters at home after he left. Lu Si also reached out to take an egg to peel.

Without a woman in the house, the life of the two of us, grandfather and grandson, has become just that way

However, the interactions between the two parties have been limited to these significant matters, and they have not been in frequent contact in daily life, especially since Lu Si's grandmother passed away over thirty years ago

Guangyuan did not dare to cry out in pain, and with a mournful expression, he hurriedly scooped the remaining grains of rice in his bowl into his mouth. Lu Si's bowl was empty, which was because he had been frightened into submission by his uncle and father since he was young.

This quilt is indeed unappealing to the eye, it is too dirty, and I do not know when the last time the quilt cover was washed.

In the eyes of farmers, wasting a single grain of food is deserving of being struck by lightning

Mom, when will Dad be back

Lu Si casually wrapped the kitchen knife in a piece of cloth and stuffed it into the quilt, then squatted down to drag out a small ceramic jar from under the bed. He shook it, and there was a sound from inside the jar, after which he poured out twenty to thirty copper coins.

It is understandable to bring rice, pickles, and flour biscuits, but I find it somewhat puzzling why one would bring salted radish.

Mom, wait for me to come home and bring good things for you to eat

Sister Zhou Er also does not know when her husband will return; all that was mentioned was that the deadline for the river works is tight, without specifying when he will come back

Lu Wenliang responded to Jiang Kui and turned to his father, Lu Youcai, saying: "Father, we are going over now"

... ...

At the end of winter, the morning temperature is quite low. Coupled with the fact that many have just bid farewell to their families, aside from Lu Guangyuan, who treats the journey to the river as a playful outing, and Lu Siwai, who sees the trip to Huai'an as an opportunity, the villagers' mood is generally not very good, resulting in a lack of conversation along the way

Life is challenging, one must eat salt, otherwise there will be no strength

The main road was constructed during the Jiajing period, starting from Yancheng County in the south and ending at Huai'an Prefecture in the west, with an additional branch leading north to Shanyang County

Little Four, once you arrive at the destination, you must listen to your elder brother in everything. Do not make arbitrary suggestions one by one. Furthermore, let me remind you again, you must not take your nephew out to wander aimlessly...

Lu Youcai only turned around slowly to head home, with his slightly hunched back, after the figures of his nephews and nieces had completely disappeared from sight

Lu Si was no exception; a large group of people sat by the river waiting like this

Guangyuan is truly full of spirit, with a face that reflects a strong desire for travel. It seems he really considers going to Huai'an Prefecture for river work as a form of play

Breakfast still consisted of sweet potato porridge, but it was accompanied by several boiled eggs, which Tian'e had specially prepared

Song Wu casually remarked, signaling to everyone to wait here first while he went to ask Elder Ma where they were to gather in this area

"Wen Liang, let's go!"

The master has arrived

Lu Youcai is an experienced commentator; the Huai'an Prefecture area is one of the places in Southern Zhili where river works are more frequent due to the numerous waterways within its territory

Dabao held his mother's hand, watching his father's figure fade away, feeling both reluctant and somewhat happy. The reluctance stemmed from the fact that his grandfather was no longer at home, while the happiness arose from the realization that his grandfather would no longer be overseeing him.

Lu Si has also met Chen Dazuo. Three years ago, when his uncle San celebrated his grandmother's eightieth death anniversary, Chen Dazuo and his brothers came to represent the older generation of his grandmother's family.

However, in reality, there are only 17 individuals; the rest either work in exchange for grain, hire others to take their place, or have no male members in the household, such as the family of Old Wu Si at the entrance of the village

Wu wiped her tears with her sleeve and silently followed behind the old man

Concerned about the worms in her son's stomach, Sister Zhou entrusted her eldest son to a neighbor and called upon the third daughter of the Li family, who was also going to the town to buy some goods, to accompany her to the town to get medicine for her son and to bring back some soy sauce.

Oh

This piece of grass dam

Lu Wenliang might have been worried that his younger brother would oversleep, so he came to knock on the door before the rooster crowed, unaware that his brother had already woken up and was in the process of bundling the quilt

Guangyuan shouldered the yoke that carried the quilts of the two father and son, turned his head, and smiled at his mother.

"Brother Tuesday, let's go"

The team from Datun Village has been arranged together with the three neighboring villages because these villages all belong to the same area.

For some unknown reason, a phrase suddenly surfaced in Lu Si's mind - "Do not say that the stone man has but one eye, for it can stir the Yellow River and the world."