The Nineteenth Chapter: The Man People

  Liu Duotou took the villagers to dig a pond, this work is much easier than digging earth, just need to clear away the mud and weeds inside, and then re-pave the bluestone, what's more, it's working under the thatched shed, as long as you don't get rained on, it's a good job.

  The winding ditch, I don't know who designed it, Yun Zheng leaves a laborer every thirty steps, he has been trying his best to straighten the ditch, and finds that these laborers are as silent as wood, not encountering any of the rumored stubborn ones, taking advantage of the rest time to tell Liu Duotou about this doubt.

  "Who dares? This is for the big army to work, those military uncles won't reason with you, one knife on the neck and you can only listen to them talk reason, it's better to finish the work properly, getting rained on might not kill you, but a knife on the neck will definitely kill you."

  "That makes sense!" Yun Zheng gave Liu Dou a thumbs up and praised him, then asked: "I heard that the current officials are famous for their kindness and sympathy for the people's suffering. I also heard that every year when it snows in Dongjing Bianliang City, the officials will distribute charcoal money to the people in the city, is this true?"

  "It's true, young one. Such things don't happen often. In Bianliang City it might be possible, but not here. To give out money, the treasury needs to have money first. Our treasury is empty, a mouse could run through it. Even if County Magistrate wants to help, he can't, and we're a border state, next to Qin Feng Road, where there's almost always war every year. As long as there's war, we need to provide large sums of money and grain to support Qin Feng Road. So, there's no way out, just suffer through the hard days." Liu Du Tou let out a bitter smile and squatted under the shed, silent.

  It seems that this sentence touched Liu Dou's sore spot, and Yun Zheng changed the subject, starting to talk to him about the hanging coffins of the Bo people, saying that he really wanted to see how the Bo people could hang their coffins on the cliffs.

  Those Yi people are so extravagant, when they're alive, they can't even afford clothes or food, but once they die, they become precious, and even the poorest families will sell their wives to buy a coffin for the deceased, then hire someone to carry it with ropes to the cliff, this is simply tormenting the living, one death and the whole family falls apart. What's there to admire?

  Liu Doutou did not expect Yun Zheng would tell him this matter, and looked at Yun Yan in surprise.

  "To others, it may seem simple to just send the dead and coffins up, but in my opinion, it requires precise calculations and a set of rigorous craftsmanship, which is a very difficult thing to do. Think about it, a hundred-meter-high cliff, putting people and coffins halfway up the mountain, the weight of the dead and coffins is around 300 pounds, right? Plus the weight of two ropes is also 50-60 pounds, lifting or lowering this 300-400 pound weight by 20-30 meters, and accurately placing it on pre-set wooden stakes, requires very high skills. So I really want to see how those illiterate Yi people do it."

  Yun Zheng didn't lie about this, when he came here to travel back then, he was very curious, although he had seen the restoration process on TV before, but it still used modern pulleys, which doesn't count, being able to see it in person is pretty good.

  "Reading books is stupid, what's good about it? If you want to see, it's easy. In the prison, there are Qiang people locked up. At night, they'll suffocate one with a sack and three days later, you can see for yourself."

  Liu Dutou's words made Yun Zheng's hairs stand on end, and he hastily waved his hand, saying: "Then I'd better not look at it, this is creating evil karma. If we really do this, I'll have to guard against thunderbolts hitting my head, lest I get struck dead."

  "Get out, just a Yi person, who takes him as human? Men are lazy like pigs, surrounding the fire pit all day, doing nothing, relying on women to make a living. After giving birth to children, the first thing they do is sell them and exchange for wine. The county magistrate has pity on those women and strictly forbids human trafficking. For over ten years, the population of this county has not increased, it's all because of their evil deeds. Last year, the county magistrate's evaluation was mediocre, how can he be promoted with such achievements? He must be severely punished. In my opinion, killing a few will make them stop."

  Liu Doutou is actually a very good person. In his opinion, if a man cannot support his family and protect his wife and children, then there is no need for him to live. Yun Zhen agrees with his view to some extent, but disagrees with the way he handles things.

  "Yun Dai, you now have some money too. Your younger brother is alone at home and you're not at ease either. How about this: why don't you spend some money to buy a maidservant? Let her take care of your brother. With your temperament, it's doing a good deed and also saving a good girl from suffering. What do you think?"

  Yun Zheng suddenly jumped up, looking shocked and said to Liu Dou: "You'd better spare me, I've only just started eating well for a few days, and now you want me to be the master? Find a concubine? What's wrong with you, always trying to pair me up with women, I'm only 14 years old this year."

  Liu Dutou smiled slyly and said: "At the age of 14, he can already support his family, that's a man. Dragging along a three or four-year-old younger brother, life is better than these good-for-nothings by a hundred times. He eats well, dresses warmly, and raises his younger brother to be white and chubby. What's the big deal about buying a woman? Let me tell you, when I was 14, I already had a son. Your family now lacks only one thing - a woman, huh, lacks someone to do laundry and cook meals. Look at your clothes, the stitches on the torn parts are really embarrassing."

  "The Great Song Dynasty's law stipulates that a woman who sells herself into servitude must be paid wages every month, and after five years, she can regain her freedom and return home. But I really can't afford it now." There is indeed such a person, and Yun Zhen's heart is also moved, but thinking of the Great Song Dynasty's law, raising a servant girl is a very costly thing, and he doesn't have the conditions for it now.

  Liu Dou's head was drinking water and spat out a mouthful of water, coughing for a long time before adjusting his breath, rubbing his chest and asking Yun Zheng: "Are you talking about the law of the Song Dynasty? Why didn't I know that my brother had bought someone, it's yours, if you like it, keep it at home, if not, sell it, who said you have to pay wages every month?"

  Yun Zheng couldn't tell Old Liu that he knew these things from historical records, could he?

  Liu Doutou pulled Yun Zheng onto the ox cart, and those laborers didn't need to be managed as they worked on their own. Before long, the two of them arrived at Dou Sha Guan. Old Liu yelled for the ox cart to turn into Shi Zi Street, a place Yun Zheng had never been before. That was where the military prostitutes of Dou Sha Guan were located, in the red-light district, and he didn't even have any interest in taking a look.

  All the way, countless women in black or floral dresses saw Liu and enthusiastically waved to him, apparently he was a regular here.