Daming Town Haiwang

Chapter 1618 Is this still a year of famine?

In a rural area in Kaifeng, Henan, Uncle Wang looked at the cracked fields, and couldn't help praying in his heart.

"Lord Dragon, at least it will rain a little. If it doesn't rain, there will be no harvest in this field."

Since the beginning of spring, there has been no next month in Henan for several months. The sun is shining every day, and the fields are cracked by the sun.

Looking at the wheat in his own field, Uncle Wang couldn't stand it any longer. He took a bucket and prepared to dive into the river to water it.

It was only when I came to the river that I realized that the river, which used to have a good flow, had now bottomed out and turned into a trickling stream.

"There's not even water in the river."

Uncle Wang looked at the dry river bed, and walked helplessly to the village with his bucket.

As soon as I walked to the entrance of the village, I saw many villagers sitting under the big tree at the entrance of the village to enjoy the shade and chatting.

"This year's severe drought is really rare. Even the water in the river has dried up, and I still want to pick up some water to irrigate the fields."

Uncle Wang came under the tree, and seeing the villagers in the village sitting very leisurely, he couldn't help sighing.

"I am sixty years old, and I have only seen this kind of drought twice. The last time was more than forty years ago, and I was only a teenager at that time."

"That year, just like now, there was no rain for several months, even the river dried up, and the crops in the fields died of drought."

"At that time, everyone was eating bark and Avalokitesvara soil. After eating the bark, everyone started fleeing. There were bones everywhere on the way to fleeing famine. It was really horrible."

Uncle Wang recalled the scene at that time in his mind, and he didn't even say some things. After all, there are children around, and the matter of changing children to eat must not be said, otherwise these children will definitely be scared bad.

"Isn't it? At that time, after eating the bark, this person's belly was as big as October pregnancy, and he couldn't even poop."

Old man Li, who was also aged next to him, heard it and said, "I remember that there were more than 200 households in our Wangjia Village at that time, thousands of people. After the drought, there were only less than 80 households left in our village. No, people in every household are starving to death."

"My eighth brothers survived. My fifth brother and I were both lucky. We met a kind-hearted master and cooked porridge for the victims. We survived after eating the bowl of porridge."

"Now seeing these children wasting food makes me angry, and I wish I could beat them up. Looking at the food in this area, if there was a piece of steamed buns like this, I don't know how many people could be saved."

"I have a younger sister who was bought for three steamed buns at the time, and I don't know what's going on now."

When Old Man Li was talking, he couldn't help but want to hit his great-grandson, but he couldn't bear it. He was afraid that he would melt if he kept it in his mouth, so he was just putting on a show.

"Isn't it? In those days, this food was very precious, especially in this famine year, one person couldn't exchange much food."

"It's not like now, even in this famine year, you don't have to worry about food and drink. Every household in this family doesn't have hundreds of catties of grain, a cellar of sweet potatoes, and a beam of corn."

Uncle Wang also followed suit.

"Now there are many, many fewer people in the village."

"In the past, there were so many people in our village, and there was only so little land, and every household would be stuck on that little land. They couldn't eat enough and couldn't wear warm clothes all year round."

"Now, the migrants, the migrants who have migrated to the city to work, leave us old men and old women with our children in this village."

"There used to be a large village with thousands of people, but now there are not even one-tenth of the people in it."

"Yes, yes, look at those fields in the distance. In the past, everyone was scrambling to plant them, but now there is no one who gives them for free."

"Actually, it's almost as good as a severe drought or not. If there is no drought, no one will plant it. It is uncomfortable to see my own field being barren. It is passed down from the ancestors with great difficulty."

Uncle Wang also sighed again and again.

The world has changed, too fast.

The fields that everyone used to compete for are now barren and no one is planting them.

In previous times of famine, the land was full of hunger and people fled everywhere.

Now it is also a severe drought once in decades, but everyone can sit and chat leisurely under the tree. The children hold corn cobs in their hands, eat half and spit out half, which is cheaper for the chickens behind.

"The food is distributed, the food is distributed~"

At this moment, a few four-wheeled carriages came to Wangjia Village with a full load of grain, and a few officials got off the four-wheeled carriages. Looking at the villagers, they started shouting with tin horns.

"Distribute food?"

When Uncle Wang, Uncle Li and others heard this, they immediately gathered together and asked, "What kind of food are you sending out?"

"We have a severe drought in Henan, and the imperial court allocated grain."

"Everyone go back and bring their ID cards. Every family, every family of four will be given a [-]-jin bag of flour."

Zhang Ping said with a smile, he is a soldier, and after retiring, he worked as an official servant here in Kaifeng Mansion, so don't send him down this time to distribute food to everyone.

"Five catties of flour for a family of four?"

When the many villagers heard this, they immediately rushed to tell each other excitedly, one by one hurried home to get their ID cards, and then excitedly came to the carriage to wait for the flour.

Although there is enough food in the house, the free food of the court is not taken for nothing.

"It's still better in today's era!"

Soon, Uncle Wang was carrying a few bags of flour and putting them under the tree. He was full of smiles and couldn't close his mouth from ear to ear.

His family, Ding Xingwang, received four bags of flour, which amounted to two hundred catties.

All the young people in this family have gone to work in the city, leaving only the elderly and children. These two hundred catties of flour are enough to last until next year.

"Yes, yes~"

"It's better in today's world. If there was this bag of flour in the house back then, my brothers would have survived, and my sister wouldn't have been bought away with a few steamed buns."

Uncle Li looked at the flour and nodded in admiration.

Only those who have experienced the great famine will truly understand the value of food.

At that time, human life was worthless, and a few steamed buns could buy a girl, which was considered good.

If it was bought by a rich family, at least there is still food to eat, and more people will starve to death in the great famine. There are corpses everywhere on the road.

"Everyone can eat food at home with peace of mind. If there is not enough food, the imperial court will distribute food at that time."

"This time, the drought in Henan is very serious, and the emperor also exempted us from many taxes in Henan. This year and next year, we don't have to pay grain for farming."

"In addition, I heard that those commercial firms and factories in the Beijing-Tianjin area are also organizing disaster relief donations. It is estimated that there will be some things to be distributed by then. There must be cloth, tea and so on."

After Zhang Ping distributed the food to the villagers, he also routinely publicized the disaster relief policy of the imperial court.

The most feared thing about famines is the lack of food. In fact, they are afraid of chaos. As long as there is no chaos, everything will be better. Natural disasters are not terrible, what is terrible is natural disasters combined with man-made disasters.

"And cloth, tea hair?"

When many villagers heard this, they were even more dumbfounded.

This is when people are sitting at home and things are falling from the sky.

It's fine to distribute a large amount of food, but we still have to distribute horses and tea leaves to everyone. Is this still a year of famine?
"There must be, everyone, don't worry."

"Everyone can read, have you read the newspaper?"

"Didn't the Great Ming Daily publish the imperial court's disaster relief policy?"

"This food is [-] catties per bag for four people. It must be distributed to everyone in full. When everyone gets the food, they will testify to us, and the higher-ups will send people down to check."

"If there is any embezzlement of relief food and supplies, all of us will lose our heads."

Zhang Ping said very seriously.

As soon as the disaster relief supplies arrived, the Da Ming Daily had already announced the method and situation of the disaster relief, and everyone in the world knew about it.

How much food is distributed to the disaster area, how many people are there, and how much is distributed to each person, all of which are clearly written.

On the one hand, it is to reassure the people in the disaster area, don’t be afraid, there is plenty of food for you to eat, enough for you to eat until next year, and on the other hand, it is to prevent people from embezzling the food and materials for disaster relief.

In the past, because of poor information, even if it rained cats and dogs from the emperor, when it came to the common people, there might not even be a single drop of rain.

No matter how much money is allocated, under these layers of deductions, even a tael of money will not fall on the heads of the common people, only the food for disaster relief, and these officials may partner with profiteers to sell it at a high price.

It is a bit of a conscience to openly donate part of the food to cook porridge for disaster relief, and at least it can save some victims.

How did the common people know that in fact, enough money and food had been allocated from above to provide relief, at least all of which were swallowed up by the officials in the middle.

It is different now, with the Daming Daily, the imperial court can announce the methods and quantities of disaster relief, so that everyone in the world can know.

Coupled with the fact that elementary and middle schools are now vigorously popularizing, it can be said that every household has people who can read and write, so they know the situation of disaster relief.

If the food and supplies for disaster relief are running low in the hands of the common people, the common people will know about it, and they will naturally make trouble, once the higher-ups know about it.

The corrupt officials among them will never escape the fate of their heads. Embezzlement of disaster relief funds is a felony in that dynasty.

(End of this chapter)