God's Taoism is free and easy, starting with taking in the clam girl

Chapter 111

When night fell, there was still a group of people in a stone village working around a wooden house in full swing.

Two villagers are beating on the wooden roof and using wooden nails to reinforce the roof.

The people below the wooden house are either handing out planks, nails, and wedges, or holding torches in their hands to gather the light of the fire to illuminate the people on the roof.

When the sky was completely dark, the two people on the roof finally called it a day.

A brand new wooden house rose from the ground, and everyone looked different, but some were happy and some were worried.

In fact, this is the fifth house to go up in just a few days.

In today's Yiyishi Village, the first and second circles around the sacred stone are almost occupied by houses, and the newly built houses are outside the first and second rows of houses, gradually forming the embryonic form of the third circle.

They are all fleeing households with relatives and friends in the village.

Although the requirements for accepting new villagers have been raised again and again, but there are many people fleeing famine recently, and there are always some relatives and friends that the villagers cannot refuse.

Moreover, once the relatives and friends of a certain family are accepted, one cannot favor one over another, and other people will naturally have something to say.

Therefore, as soon as this opening was opened, the population of the village increased at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The village is so big, and its resources are very limited, whether it is water or arable land, there is only so much.

Fortunately, each household has stored a lot of old grain from last year. If you tighten your belt, you can still meet everyone's needs.

However, when the population of the village exceeds a certain limit, the old grain will disappear at a very fast speed under the countless mouths waiting to be fed.

If Chen Liang persists until the crops grow, everyone will usher in a great famine.

The villagers are well aware of this, but they can't think of a good solution in a short time, so they can only continue to raise the requirements of the village to join.

After the wooden house is built

A man with a strong body and bronzed skin all over his body saluted respectfully and respectfully to the helpers.

He was about to take out a thank you gift from his pocket, but he saw a group of children coming out of a ring of houses in the village and walking towards this side.

Each of them held a large wooden basin in both hands, and they walked with their feet on their feet all the way, walking carefully and quickly.

After a few breaths, the group of children came to the crowd, and the leading child smiled and said:
"Uncles and uncles, you have worked hard. My mother asked me to bring a supper. This is the tea my mother prepared. It is a good tea picked during the Grain Rain not long ago. Now is the best time to drink it...""

Everyone couldn't help but look at his hands, and saw that he was holding a basin of dark yellow liquid in a wooden basin, and the liquid was slightly rippling as he put the basin in.

While speaking, he put down the wooden basin in his hand with a slight smile, looked back at the other children behind him, and greeted:

"Brother Tao, Tie Dan, Erya, you guys also bring the pots in your hands..."

Several other children were moved when they heard the sound, and put the wooden basins in their hands in front of everyone.

Several people brought a total of four wooden pots, the first pot was filled with fragrant Grain Rain tea, the second pot was steaming hot fried wild vegetables, and the third pot was even more extraordinary, it was made of wood dug out from the forest in the west. Bamboo shoots fried a pot of meat, and finally a pot of white rice.

It was only then that everyone realized that this so-called late-night snack had meat and vegetables, rice and tea, which was extremely rich.

On weekdays, who would dare to make such a fuss?

The New Year's Eve is nothing more than that!

"Sister-in-law of the Li family is too virtuous. She just wants to help out a little bit. How can she make such a sumptuous supper." One of the villagers who came down from the roof was polite.

"We accept Sanniang's wish, Ergou, this tea can be kept to quench your thirst. As for the food, you should take it home. Everyone will have a hard time in this disaster year, so there is no need to be so extravagant and wasteful." Another person Also echoed.

"That's right, we're just helping each other. My family came to vote two days ago, and your father helped out a lot."

A tall and strong man with full beard and strong body spoke, and looked at another man beside him as he spoke.

"Am I right in saying that, Brother Big Niu?"

That man is none other than Li Daniu, Li Ergou's father.

Li Daniu saw that everyone was willing to give in and shirk, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved.

He is not a stingy person, nor is he reluctant to part with these pots of food, rice and meat, but now that the signs of a disaster year are becoming more and more obvious, every extra food reserve may give him a chance to survive in the future.

Li Daniu looked around and saw that everyone's expressions were sincere and frank, and they didn't seem to be fake at all, so he couldn't help but feel hot.

It is said that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. He grew up in the village, and the relationship between villagers is not like relatives, but relatives.The friendship between them has already surpassed the relationship between countless blood relatives, and it cannot be affected by one more meal or one less supper.

"The folks are really thinking about me..."

Just when he was about to say thank you, a resolute female voice sounded from the direction of the first ring of the village.

"I appreciate everyone's kindness, San Niang. Today's supper is not only to thank everyone, but also to celebrate my fourth brother's move to a new home. San Niang has prepared some simple food, and please don't be disgusted... "

The voice got closer and closer, and when he finished speaking, a woman in coarse clothes had already walked up to the crowd.

Tie Sanniang made up her mind to keep everyone eating late at night, but everyone seemed to be ungrateful instead of happy.

The man standing right in front had a wry smile on his face:
"San Niang, why bother..."

A woman who helped light the torch also echoed: "Sister-in-law Daniu, you are too out of touch, this is..."

"That's right, we still don't treat us as our own family..."

"Sanniang, if everyone is like you, won't we have to prepare a feast like this when we build new houses in our village?"

As soon as these words came out, the scene suddenly became silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on the person who spoke.

I saw that the man who spoke was strong but short in stature, he was the shortest Duan Lao San in the whole village.

Duan Laosan saw that everyone's eyes fell on him, and suddenly felt uncomfortable all over. He couldn't help touching his head in embarrassment, and said strangely:
"Why are you looking at me like this, am I wrong?"

Everyone couldn't help but become more silent when they heard the words. Except for a few deep-minded people, no one thought about this level, but simply felt that something was wrong.

But when someone spoke thoroughly, everyone finally understood what was wrong.

If everyone followed Tie Sanniang's approach, which household would dare to ask everyone for help in the future?
Tie Sanniang was just to express her heart, and everyone's thoughts have changed from simple sympathy at the beginning to a more long-term perspective.

These four wooden basins seem to have turned into hot potatoes, making people in a dilemma.

For a moment, everyone couldn't help but froze.

"The food is getting cold, everyone, don't refuse any more, don't disappoint Mrs. Daniu's good intentions, and don't let these precious pots of food just go to waste."

When everyone was at a stalemate, Zhou Shun, a highly respected elder in the village, slowly walked up to them, looked around them, and finally fell on Tie Sanniang, and said slowly:

"Neighbors and folks come down from the farms to help each other. It is a kindness. Providing tea and supper is also a sincere thank you. There is no need to elevate this matter to other levels."

"However, there is a shortage of food in a disaster year, so we must not be so extravagant and wasteful in the future. Forget it this time, let's not be an example!"

As soon as Zhou Shun said this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time they couldn't help but set their eyes on the pot of bamboo shoots and meat.

The pot of fried meat is not like the regular meat of chicken, duck, pig and beef. It looks very delicate and firm, and the faint fragrance makes people salivate.

Someone couldn't wait, picked up the chopsticks and moved towards the pot of meat.

When he took a bite of meat, the delicious taste immediately conquered him, and he couldn't help but admire:
"What kind of meat is this, why is it so delicious?"

Tie Sanniang smiled but did not answer, while Li Ergou looked eager to speak, but was interrupted by his mother's gestures.

Seeing that Tie Sanniang's family refused to answer, everyone didn't continue to ask questions. They just ate their food with sullen heads, but the chopsticks in their hands couldn't help but pinch the delicious meat frequently.

Except for a very small number of villagers in the village, the rest are farmers who do manual labor, and their food intake far exceeds that of urban residents.

Although Tie Sanniang prepared four large pots for the supper, it couldn't stand everyone's free hand to eat it.

Soon, the four wooden basins with vegetables and tea were emptied.Tie Sanniang offered to add some food, but this time the elder took the lead in refusing.

The crowd returned with satisfaction holding their stomachs, leaving behind Li Daniu's family of three and the brawny man with bronzed skin.

Tie Sanniang ignored her husband's ugly face, stared at the bronze-skinned brawny man, and said, "Now that the house is completed, it's a good start. I wonder what the fourth brother plans in the future?"

It turns out that the owner of this new house is Tie Sanniang's fourth brother.

The fourth brother's surname is Tie, and he comes from a family of blacksmiths in Anyuan County.

More than a dozen generations of the Tie family have made their living by blacksmithing. This Tie Xin painstakingly inherited the blacksmithing craft handed down from his ancestors. He was originally an official artisan forging weapons for the barracks. certain status.

It's just that under natural disasters, even the rich and gentry in the city have become short of water, and the craftsmen whose status is only a little better than the common people are naturally not much better.

Not enough to eat and drink, and seeing that his family was dying of thirst, he gave up his official household registration and became a wilderness, and came to a stone village to join his sister.

Hearing his third sister's inquiry, a wry smile appeared on his face, with a rather helpless expression:
"Third sister, you know that my brother has spent most of his life in the official camp, and all his skills are devoted to making a living in the blacksmith business. I'm afraid there is not much room for him in the village."

"I guess it's a bit difficult to survive only by blacksmithing skills."

"For the current plan, we can only take one step at a time. Brother Wei plans to find some work in the village to support himself first, and then find a piece of uncultivated wasteland to open up wasteland and farmland. When the time is right, he can cultivate it."

Tie Xin's bitter thoughts had to be said to be the most conservative and prudent approach, but Tie Sanniang shook her head after hearing this.

"Fourth Brother's idea may be a good idea elsewhere, but it may not work in our village."

"how do I say this?"

Tie Xin was stunned. He felt that this village was not much different from other villages except for the strange boulder in the middle and the lack of water.

Unexpectedly, in the mouth of my sister, there seems to be something completely different from other villages.

Tie Sanniang said slowly: "Fourth brother's idea of ​​reclaiming wasteland and expanding the land is very good, but there are still some problems. All the land around our village that can be reclaimed has been reclaimed."

"Of course, if you are willing to open up wasteland and expand the land outside the village, that's a way, but you can't get the protection of Master Shenshi. Without the protection of Master, whether the crops in your field can grow is a big problem."

"Master Shenshi protects the crops??"

It has been a few days since Tie Xinku joined the village. He knows that there are currently four major gods in the village, namely Lord Shi, the god of the land, Zhuanzhu, the god of water, Yunxi, the god of rats, and Liu Ruyi, the god of agriculture who joined the village almost at the same time.

When he first learned that there are so many gods in this small village, it was far less shocking than he was at this moment.

Isn't master Shenshi an earth spirit?
The earth spirit is born to grow, although it can control a place, it cannot stimulate the growth of plants.

As a descendant of a family of blacksmiths, he has been in the official camp for many years, and he is not ignorant of the affairs of the gods. Seeing that his sister seems to have become accustomed to this situation that deviates from common sense, he always has a feeling of unreality in his heart.

"Of course, as long as everyone needs it, Grandpa Shenshi can take care of everything. If our village doesn't have Grandpa Shenshi to support us, I'm afraid our village would be empty of people and money." Tie Sanniang didn't speak, but Li Ergou on the side rushed to answer. up.

"Er Gou, children should not interrupt when adults are talking." Tie Sanniang pulled her child and pulled him behind her, but explained to the puzzled fourth brother:
"Third sister can't explain clearly for a while. In short, fourth brother just remember that in our village, if you want to live a good life, you must understand Master Shenshi's preferences. If you want to do something, you just need to follow Master Shenshi's preferences." If you do it, you will be successful.”

Having said that, she cautiously looked left and right, and when she found no one around, she put her head next to Tie Xinku's ear, and said in a low voice:

"Didn't the fourth brother ask me where the pot of meat came from?"

"There were so many people just now, it's inconvenient for my sister to disclose. Now I can tell fourth brother clearly that it is Master Shenshi's favorite thing—rat meat!"

"what?"

Tie Xinku was startled when he heard the words, and the fresh meat he had just eaten appeared in his mind, and he felt that the delicious meat suddenly became stench.At the same time, his stomach kept shaking, and there was an uncontrollable upheaval.

He couldn't help but quickly covered his mouth, but still couldn't hold back his retching.

"哕"

After a long time, the suffocating feeling of nausea was driven away from his mind. Tiexin wiped away his tears, but the tears were choked out. He took a deep breath, with a bitter look on his face:
"You even secretly feed everyone rats... aren't you afraid of the plague?"

Li Ergou frowned and looked at his uncle who seemed to have been greatly insulted, and couldn't help but rushed out from behind his mother.

"What is eating mice secretly? We ate them in a fair manner under the direction of Master Shenshi!"

"Also, what we eat is the most delicious bamboo rat, not the kind of rat that spreads the disease in your mouth..."

"Fourth uncle, my mother's intention is already very obvious. She just wants you to raise these bamboo rats, which Master Shenshi loves most, with me. If uncle can't pass the test in his heart, then our family can't do anything."

Tie Sanniang did not stop her son this time, but quietly stood aside and watched. She also wanted to see what choice her brother would make.

(End of this chapter)