Shaanxi, Ningxia Wei, Mengchengyi. Watermark advertising test Watermark advertising test

This inn, located at the junction of Weihe, Qingyangfu and Pingliangfu in Ningxia, is shrouded in a miserable wind and rain.

The New Year's Eve of the first year of Chongzhen was not an easy time for the postmen of Mengcheng Station... For the poor people of this era, celebrating the New Year was just about passing the test! What kind of celebration could there be? Even the landlords

When Lao Cai cut a pound of pork and came to visit him to pay New Year greetings, he was also a weasel giving New Year greetings to a chicken—not a good intention!

After celebrating the New Year, it’s time to settle accounts!

Is it time to repay the high-interest loan? If the principal is not repaid, you have to get some interest, right?

Is it time to pay off the rent owed? Although the harvest is not good, it has nothing to do with the landlord’s wealth!

There are also all kinds of exorbitant taxes and apportionments that should be calculated, right? Unless you have a reputation to protect yourself, otherwise you have to pay twice as much - one part is for the emperor, and the other part is for the gentry who cannot pay.

, and one portion is for the official official...

For Mengcheng Postmaster Li Hongji and Li Jin's two uncles and nephews, the end of the year means that they have to spend a sum of money to repay the usury loan from Postmaster Zhao Papi.

This Li Hongji is the Li Zicheng whom Zhu Youjian misses day and night! He is from Mizhi County, Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. His father's name is Li Shouzhong. He also worked as a postman and also did a small business - he used it to deliver letters for his superiors.

Or he could take the opportunity to transport goods, and he was quite prosperous for a time. After the death of his first wife, he was able to marry a good person to fill a house, and he gave birth to two more sons, which already shows the problem.

However, a horse-falling accident changed everything. Li Shouzhong was first seriously injured and later died. His family, which was originally decent, also declined rapidly. After the funeral, it was almost impossible to get rid of the blame.

In order to support his mother and younger brother, the adult Li Hongji had no choice but to follow his nephew Li Jin, who was several years older than him, to work as a postman at the Mengcheng Station in Wei, Ningxia.

But it’s not easy to be a postman! Because you have the oil and water of “carrying goods”, you can also get a little food and horse money, so you have to spend money to be a postman on a foreign mission. But Li Hongji, Li Jin’s uncle and nephew

The two of them had no money. Fortunately, they had been working as foreigners with Li Shouzhong since they were children, and they had developed a good horse riding skills. They also had acquaintances at Mengcheng Post, so they came to work as postmen first and then settle the bill - the payment was due.

The bribe is owed first, and the interest will be calculated according to usury.

Li Jin, who was a few years older and was responsible for managing money, originally thought that as long as he and his uncle were not afraid of hardship and saved some money, they would be able to save money in a few years to repay the loan shark they owed Zhao Papi.

But who knew that Li Hongji, an uncle, was so ignorant! After visiting the brothels in Pingliang Mansion, he spent most of the little money he had finally saved.

Seeing that Zhao Papi is about to come to collect the bill, but Li Jin can't get the money, how can he survive this!

"Second uncle, I'm not talking about you. You are such an old man, why are you so ignorant? You don't think my mother-in-law would have to go to that kind of place! Work in Mengcheng Yi for a few years, save up money and go back to Mizhi

Wouldn’t it be better to get married and get married?”

In a dilapidated room that was leaky and had to fill the holes with cotton wool when sleeping at night, Li Jin, a tall man with thick eyebrows and big eyes and sideburns, was sitting on a broken chair and scolding his uncle Li Hongji.

.

This is the eldest nephew teaching his younger uncle. My nephew Li Jin was born in the 28th year of Wanli. He is already 28 years old this year. Because he has gone through a lot of hardships, he looks old and looks like a middle-aged uncle. My nephew Li Hongji is just now.

22 years old, very good-looking, tall, broad shoulders, bulging cheekbones, plump, high nose bridge, deep eye sockets, thick eyebrows, bright eyes, even if he is being scolded, there is no timidity in his eyes.

.

Seeing that his eldest nephew had finished speaking, he laughed: "What's the matter? Anyway, I don't go to the brothels, and I don't have enough money to pay off the debt of the King of Hell named Zhao, so I might as well spend a few days happily."

"You..." Li Jin was really helpless against his second uncle and stamped his feet, "Why are you like this now? If I knew you were so unsatisfactory, I would be so angry down there!"

Li Hongji shook his head and said with a smile: "Well, Ada is gone. I'm still angry, so don't worry!"

"But..." Li Jin was very angry at his careless uncle, "You are so angry, grandpa, but what about that old boy Zhao Papi? We can't get the money, how can he give up? What will we do if our postmen are fired?"

"This shabby postman has long been unwilling to be a soldier..."

As soon as Li Hongji finished speaking, Zhao Papi's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Well said! Well said... There is nothing good about this poor postman!"

Then I heard the door creaking and being pushed open. A middle-aged man with a fat head and big ears and a rosy complexion laughed and walked in. He was also carrying a jar of wine and a few ropes tied with hemp ropes. Oil paper package together.

The person who came was none other than Yi Cheng from Mengcheng Station, and he was sending Zhao Hong, nicknamed Zhao Bapi.

Li Hongji glanced at Fatty Zhao, looking nonchalant, but Li Jin was so anxious that he jumped up from his chair and stepped forward to kneel down for Zhao Papi, but was stopped by Zhao Papi.

"Li Da, don't bow to me, I really can't keep you and your uncle." Zhao Bapi said with a smile.

"Zhao Yicheng, you sir, don't be as familiar as our uncles and nephews..." Li Jin was so anxious that he almost cried.

Times are bad now, and it’s not easy to find a job! Moreover, Li Jin and Li Hongji’s uncles and nephews don’t have any skills. They only know how to ride horses and shoot arrows. They are postmen and ride horses every day! Moreover, they are not running in the Taiping Territory. You have to guard against thieves and wolves, so archery skills are also a must.

But apart from being a soldier, this skill in horseback riding and archery is of no use in other livelihoods!

Moreover, there are too many military towns in the northwest. Yulin, Ningxia, Guyuan, Gansu... four towns are crowded together. How many children of military families want to find a way out? There are too many people who can ride horses and archery, and the four towns in the northwest None of his generals were very wealthy, and they could not support many servants.

Therefore, the abilities of Li Hongji and Li Jin's uncles and nephews did not have much use. Even if they joined the army, they could only serve as frontline soldiers.

Zhao Bapi seemed to be in a good mood today. He was not angry even when someone scolded him behind his back. He even put the wine and meat on a broken table with a smile, and then sat down on the chair in a dignified manner.

"Don't get me wrong, when I come here today, I actually have a good future for you two uncles and nephews...a future as a servant!"

"The servant?" Li Jin was stunned, "Yi Cheng, are you entertaining us? Can the general of the family like you?"

yes!

Zhao Hong feels the same way. Although Li Jin and Li Hongji look very powerful, they are either Yiding (Mongolians) or military households. They are just ordinary households in northern Shaanxi. Who would want them to be servants? ?Can I fight?

But the superiors specified that they wanted a "Ningxia Wei Postman", a man with the "surname Li", "between 20 and 30 years old"... Aren't the two uncles and nephews of the Li family just right?

This time the call was not in vain. If you hand over one, you will be rewarded with 10 taels of silver!

Of course Zhao Hong did not keep Li Jin and Li Hongji.

And he also saw that these two Li family members were not made to be postmen at all! They didn't know how to carry goods or collect money, so they had better leave as soon as possible.

"It's not the general," Zhao Hong said with a smile, "it's the long live master! The long live master wants to raise a family..." Zhao Hong smiled, "The imperial envoy to recruit the family has arrived in Guyuan Town. You two don't celebrate the New Year either.

After a good meal, hurry over. If you are recruited, you will become the emperor's retainer from now on, the popular one, the spicy drinker... Oh, I heard that those who fail to win the aunt will be given to the palace maid as their wife!

"

"What? You're also sending your wife and palace maids?" Li Hongji's eyes lit up, "My nephew, we have to go!"

Li Jin sighed when he saw his uncle's lecherous appearance, but he was still worried. He turned around and said to Zhao Hong: "Yi Cheng, if we can't recruit servants, can we still come back as post soldiers?"

"Yes!" Zhao Hong said, "It's not a good job as a postman, so why not take it? Don't worry, you two. If you can't find it, just come back! We won't lay off people!"
Chapter completed!