There's a Space Man in the Village [Rebirth]

Chapter 69

The merchant ship traveled on the river for four days and finally reached the border of Zhao State.

If you continue to move forward along the river, you will be other countries. If you want to go out without special approval from the court, you will have to go through various formalities just like going abroad and entering modern times. Otherwise, what will happen if the enemy country sneaks in spies?

Compared with the wharf in Tongniu Town, the border is called the real wharf, and their small place is completely a corner.

Not to mention Xiaobai who has never been out, even Huo Chengyi was stunned when he saw it.

The entire border wharf is not only crowded with people, but there are hundreds of thousands of large ships that stop there, and the rest of the small and medium-sized ships are almost innumerable.

What Huo Chengyi didn't know was that there was a reason for the prosperity of the wharf here.

Although Zhao State is not the most powerful of the surrounding countries, its geographical location is special, it is located in the center of the surrounding countries, and Zhao State is the only way for businessmen from all countries to travel.

It is precisely because of this that Zhao Guo makes a huge amount of income by collecting taxes and fees from these merchants every year. Although he does not think highly of the merchants, he also gives a lot of convenient policies.

However, this terminal is not actually a real border, it is just a cargo ship hub terminal next to the border, and the real border is more than 100 miles away from here.

The weather is getting colder now, and it will snow in a few days.

So after saying goodbye to everyone on the boat, they didn't listen enough to the hustle and bustle, and when the two got off the boat, they quickly hired an ox cart at a high price to avoid getting stuck in the middle of the road when it snowed.

In fact, Huo Chengyi wanted to find a caravan.

He is not worried about the safety of the road. Because there is a large hub terminal here, and there are a large number of officers and soldiers guarding the border, no one dares to block the road here, and the journey is very safe.

Of course, the reason why the caravan wants to rub the road is because the caravan has horses, and horses are by far the fastest means of transportation on land.

However, where they were going to garrison troops on the border, all the caravans were handed over at the wharf, and few others went here, so they had to hire ox carts at high prices.

Why is it said to be a high price, because the little old man who drives the car only asks for ten taels, and he doesn't bargain!

What is the concept of ten taels? In their village, they can say that the two daughters-in-law are back, and the two ox carts hired by this place cost ten taels, which shows that they are outsiders.

However, they had to jump in this pit, because no one would go out again when it was snowing, and when they came back, they would definitely be trapped in the middle of the road.

That's why the little old man of the ox cart they are hiring happens to live there and wants to go back, otherwise they really can't hire an ox cart.

Therefore, the two of them can only bear the pain for this high price.

Huo Chengyi's mentality is slightly better. In modern times, he often encounters such high-priced events when he goes on business trips.

And Xiaobai, who was reluctant to eat a few cents of meat biscuits before, was bleeding in his heart, and after getting on the ox cart, he expected to haggle with the old man who drove the car.

It's not that he is too stingy, but that they don't have enough money to spend. Huo Chengyi's money is basically spent on buying and constructing factories.

Originally, the boat fee was expensive, but now it costs 10 taels to hire an ox cart, and they have to stay outside for at least two months, and go to the military camp to see Grandpa Zhou and spend money on the officers and soldiers. ?

"Uncle, Xianggong and I are poor people in the countryside. It's not easy to go out. You can see if the money for this car can be reduced. If you add another seven or eight for ten taels, you can buy a cow. It's really too expensive. Anyway, you Let's go home, too? Uncle, please, uncle..."

In order to lower the money, Xiaobai sat in the back of the ox cart and kept rubbing and blistering all the way, and he heard chattering in his ears.

But his attitude was very good. When he was young, he pretended to be pitiful and he felt like bullying, and the old man who was driving the car in front of him had a bitter expression.

It's not that the old man signaled Huo Chengyi to take care of his daughter-in-law without beating around the bush. Generally, men have a better face outside, especially young men. If the daughter-in-law wipes her face outside, she will definitely be unhappy.

But the old man didn't expect that the couple he met today was an odd couple.

The young husband rolls around in order to bargain for the price, without the slightest shyness of the young husband.

The tall, imposing man next to him turned out to be a 'wife-controller', and the little husband gave him a look at him, and then he gave his husband a beating on his shoulders and legs along the way. He really wasn't a man!

Just as it is now, a certain attentive voice came from behind:

"Daughter-in-law, are you thirsty after so long? There is also the honey water that was previously packed in the animal skin water bag. It is still hot and the wind is blowing. Come on, let's drink together."

"Daughter-in-law, are you tired from sitting? This scooter is too hard and the road is uneven, do you want my husband to hug you? I'll find a thick padded coat to cushion you when you're resting... "

Put up some wool! Why don't you just sit in the bullock cart, why is it so precious that you use thick cotton coats as cushions and waste things!

Also honey water, didn't you just drink juice just now? It's over so soon, this pair of cows drinks, does it take so much to quench your thirst? !

The old man who was driving in front of him heard that he wanted to turn around and beat people, his expression was a little unlovable.

A certain little brother who had replenished his physical strength soon began to call him energetically, "Uncle..."

"Uncle...", and a man with a strict wife followed suit.

The old man who was driving the car finally couldn't bear it any longer, and turned his head to stare.

"You two have a lot of money, you can't have less than ten taels of silver! Aren't you going to visit relatives in the barracks? My son is the centurion of the barracks. I'll let him take you in to see the head office for free!"

After speaking, The old man exhaled and turned back to continue driving the cattle.

If he doesn't give discounts to these two goods, it will annoy him to death!

It is indeed a bit expensive to hire a downwind ox cart for 10 taels of silver, but if the other party can help you enter the barracks for free to see people, it will save you an 'entry fee' and it will be even.

The husband and wife sitting behind the ox cart stopped talking immediately, snickered and hugged each other, kissed twice, clapped their hands silently, and finally quieted the noisy

road ... , the bullock cart carrying a cart and three people couldn't finish it.

And the old man's ox is also getting older, and the speed is even slower, only walking one-third of the way in a day, in other words, they will be delayed for three days.

If it wasn't for the old man clapping his chest and hugging his son, he would definitely be able to bring someone into the barracks, not to mention Xiaobai, even Huo Chengyi wouldn't want to give these 10 taels of money for the car.

Although the speed of the bullock cart is slow, it is fortunate that there are several villages along the way, so they will not sleep in the wilderness at night.

But of course it's not free. They pay 30 cents per person per person for the night, but the old man doesn't need it.

Why doesn't the old man use it? Huo Chengyi guessed from the familiar appearance of the old man greeting the village chief that this old man not only deals in ox carts, but also in the business of tourists.

Staring at the old man who drove the car with a smile on his face, he took the introduction fee of 20 wen from the village chief. He couldn't help but suspect that the original one-and-a-half-day journey turned into three days was entirely the intention of this ghostly old man!

The old man must have encountered customers with expressions like them, so he quickly explained with a smile.

"Hey, Lao Guo, I really didn't cheat you, I can't do it if the dirt road is not easy to walk for three days, and the accommodation fee is not expensive at 30 cents per person. The price of staying in an inn is definitely more than this price. Besides, there are no inns on this road. You don't want to sleep in the wild, don't you? Go to bed early, let's go early tomorrow morning..."

Compared with the unbearable roar on the road before, the old man's attitude is much better now, after all, he has only paid half the car fee, and he does not want to lose this business. .

Now that it's dark and the road is far away, Huo Chengyi doesn't bother to talk about these few pennies anymore. In fact, it is indeed more cost-effective to live in a village than an inn, and he can only go out when he is out.

That night, I slept well, and I woke up early the next morning to continue on my way.

At night, he stayed overnight in another village and continued on his way.

After two days of getting along, Huo Chengyi and the little old man also got to know each other well. In fact, the old man not only likes to make money in various places, but also good people.

It's not easy to see them coming from out of town. Later, I offered to stay at his house temporarily when they arrived at the border. Of course, the accommodation fee still has to be paid, but the meaning is enough. Otherwise, staying in an inn for more than ten days is really a fortune. Not a small overhead.

I have to say that the old man made the two feel a lot more comfortable, and they were willing to give the car money for ten taels.

After getting acquainted with each other, everyone's words also increased.

Huo Chengyi really had something to ask the little old man about.

"Uncle Guo, I want to ask you something. In the past few days, I saw that every family in the village we passed by was making baskets and putting them in piles in the yard. The number is not small. What do you do with so many baskets?

" He found out the situation from the first day they asked the villagers to borrow the hospital. In the past two days, whether they were borrowing or passing by the village, they were all rushing to weave baskets.

Even when there is a bumper harvest, everyone doesn't need so many baskets. Why do the villagers make so many things here? Is it possible that there are still people buying them?

"Hey, little brother Huo, you really guessed it right. It's not a secret that someone wants to buy the basket..."

Old Man Guo smiled and didn't hide his explanation.

"You outsiders may not know very well. We are next to a place called 'Black Sangang' on the west side of the border of Zhao State. That place used to be fought by all countries, but there was no result. In the land, a group of desperadoes have gathered..."

"These people come to the border villages every year to snatch things, but they don't get much, they don't hurt anyone, they're just annoying, they are mobile, and the imperial court sends troops to destroy them. It can't be destroyed, and if there are too many troops, it will cause suspicion from other countries, so this year the imperial court plans to build a circle there for defense. This will not require carrying a basket of stones, let everyone make up, and then the imperial court will give money Buy it."

This makes sense. In ancient times, things were transported and loaded with baskets and baskets.

However... Huo Chengyi suddenly moved in his heart and continued to ask.

"Uncle Guo, when do these people commit crimes every year?"

"Winter, the land in Heishangang is barren and there is no way to grow food, so what else can we do except rob us? It's fine when we have a good harvest. What if they go crazy when we don't have enough to eat? The imperial decree has finally been passed down, and the border guards will start building the wall."

In fact, the imperial court had already decided to build the border wall, but who made the ancient traffic complicated, and the capital was farther from the border, the imperial decree was sent quickly for two months.

Although I don't know how long and how high the city wall of Heishangang will be, it was delivered to the imperial decree last month, and the construction project, stone cutting, material purchase and delivery, etc., were delayed, and it was absolutely impossible to complete in just one month.

Repairing the border defense wall is not the factory wall of the village. It has very high requirements whether it is sturdy or high. With the technical tools here, it will take at least a year and a half to repair the shortest one.

"Then the city wall can't be repaired for a while, isn't it because the people from Heishangang are going to attack again this winter?"

"Yes, but it's only this winter, everyone, bear with it and wait until next year to repair it. , but the government asked us to make baskets, this year, every household made a little bit of money to add two bowls of meat to the table for the New Year..." The

common people think very much, as long as there is hope in life, they will not feel bitter.

However, Huo Chengyi smiled, but he had an idea in his heart, so he changed the subject and continued.

"Uncle Guo, I think you are very familiar with the people in this village. Can you do me a favor? I need to do something and need a lot of carpenters. The masters have all contacted me, and I will give you the introduction fee of five cents per person, what do you think?"

"Really?" The old man Guo, who was driving cattle, turned his head in surprise when he heard this.

"Really. There is no limit to the number of people, as long as they can work hard, including the apprentices, they will find them all. I will add a deposit of one or two to you when the payment for the car is paid, and you can help me with the matter."

Huo Chengyi guarantees.

If things haven't been done yet, a deposit of one or two should be paid first, which is guaranteed to be cost-effective.

The old man Guo nodded without hesitation.

However, Zhou Weibai was a little worried when he heard that he didn't know what he was doing, so he quietly came over and asked anxiously.

"Brother Huo, what are you going to do? We don't have much money, and we won't be able to pay wages..."

They only brought dozens of taels with them when they went out, and they used a lot before they got there. Please There are so many carpenters that there is no limit to the number of carpenters. If they can't get money by then, they will be beaten to death.

"Don't worry, the mountain people have their own tricks. As the saying goes, those who are daring and timid will starve to death. If we want to do it, we will just go back with a big wolf, and we won't go all the way."

Huo Chengyi smiled and said. Extraordinary figure.