kvmb Chapter 182 The government conscripts laborers to mine.
Chapter 182 The government conscripts laborers to mine.
In the courtyard, Wenwen was directing her brothers to unload goods from the cart into the yard.
"Brother, take these pheasants and rabbits and kill them."
"Second brother, take these bags of rice and flour into the kitchen."
"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, these bags of sweet potatoes and potatoes, wash some and boil or roast them first, then take them to the kitchen. And these too..."
"Second brother, remember to take all this meat and vegetables inside..."
After Wenwen finished making the arrangements, she turned around and saw Grandpa Wang. She smiled and approached him, "Grandpa, we have rice, flour, pheasant, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pork, vegetables, and wild greens. You can use these to cook your meal."
The reason for this whole incident is that Wenwen overheard the entire conversation between Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang in the kitchen, which is why she rushed out with her brothers to prepare this meal.
Before entering the house, she had already decided that the Wen family had plenty of food and she must not take advantage of the elderly.
We just need to wait for everyone to come inside and rest for a while before we can ask Grandpa Wang to let us use the kitchen.
To everyone's surprise, Grandpa Wang was so honest that as soon as the Wen family came in to rest, the old couple started preparing a meal.
Even knowing there were many people around, they were willing to give up their last bit of rice to give their benefactor a bowl of porridge.
This simple and honest nature was a bit hard for the Wen family to bear.
Thus, Wenwen and her siblings' performance was a step too late.
Grandpa Wang stared in disbelief at the bags and baskets of food in front of him.
This? These? These foods?
Can a single cart hold so much?
He saw it with his own eyes; his benefactors took it off the cart. There's no mistake about that, right?
But they are exiled prisoners, how could they bring so many supplies on their journey?
This pile filled the entire yard, enough to feed the elderly couple and their three children for more than half a year.
He wondered if the kitchen could even hold such a large load of food.
Looking at the supplies on the ground, Grandpa Wang swallowed hard, then turned to look at the thin porridge he was holding, so thin it reflected his own image, and a huge sense of disappointment welled up inside him.
He had just been planning to tighten his belt to give his benefactor a good meal, but now it seems that they have taken advantage of him instead. Where does he put his face now?
Hearing the commotion outside, Granny Wang shuffled out. She had barely stopped at the kitchen door when she saw the yard piled high with grain and several baskets of vegetables. A little bewildered, she stammered, "What...what is this? We can't..."
Seeing the two elderly people's eyes well up with tears, the siblings quickly comforted them, saying, "Grandpa, Grandma, we have a lot of people in our family, and we eat a lot. It takes a lot of energy to cook a meal."
At this moment, the Wen family members also came out of the room.
Wen Yuanqian led his son and son-in-law to Grandpa Wang, picked up a bowl of porridge, and slowly began to drink it.
"Brother, this porridge is so good, it's so soft and sticky, just right for my teeth, hehe..." He said to his family members beside him while drinking, "You should also try the cooking of your grandparents."
the other side.
Grandma Wen walked to the kitchen door, took Wang Da Niang's hand and said, "Old sister, let the children take care of this meal. We'll chat for a while."
As a result, the small courtyard was divided into several camps.
The men of the Wen family surrounded Old Man Wang and chatted idly.
Grandmother Wen and Aunt Wang sat to one side chatting.
The women of the Wen family were busy in the kitchen, while a group of young boys and girls helped wash and chop vegetables.
As for the Wen family's children, they were playing with the Wang family's children. Besides the three children who fell into the water, there were several younger children in the Wang family's house, who were the same age as Wen Qing.
So, a dozen or so children ran, jumped, shouted, and cheered in the yard, making quite a scene.
Soon, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, slowly filling the entire courtyard. The wafting fragrance acted like an invisible hook, whetting the children's appetites.
The children, who had been chasing each other, gradually stopped running, slowly approached the kitchen door, stood still, and stared intently into the kitchen with wide eyes.
The older children secretly swallowed, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
For younger children, saliva slowly gathers at the corners of their mouths and then slips down without them noticing.
Wenwen and her sisters were preparing to serve the dishes when they turned around and noticed the scene at the door.
She put down her work and came out to greet the children, "Come, come, wash your hands. After you wash your hands, you can eat soon."
The Wen family children quickly followed, and Wen Chengmo didn't forget to pull his newly acquainted friends along as well.
Wen Chengjing took the lead in asking, "Sister, do you have chicken legs?" After asking, he even slurped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
This made Wenwen laugh out loud, "Yes, yes, everyone has one, don't worry."
"Wow, hurry up and wash, hurry up and wash..."
After a while.
Honey-glazed braised pork, stewed chicken with potatoes, spicy rabbit, stir-fried pork with greens... one dish after another was served into the main room.
Fortunately, Grandpa Wang's main house is quite spacious, and it could easily fit three or four large tables.
Wen Yuanqian warmly invited Mr. and Mrs. Wang to sit down and have a meal together.
Grandpa Wang rubbed his hands together, looking embarrassed, and politely declined, "No need, we can eat in the kitchen."
Grandma Wang looked down and pulled the children in her family over, saying, "Yes, yes, we're in the kitchen."
Wen Yuanqian and his wife each pulled one of their children to sit down beside them. "We've taken up your house, how can we not let the host sit at the table? Brother, eat, eat whatever you like."
Grandmother Wen also greeted them, "Old sister, it's fate that we're sitting together for a good meal. Eat, eat as much as you like."
Wenwen also gave her children a look, and the group of children followed the adults' example, each pulling a friend and sitting down at the children's table.
Wow, there's so much delicious food!
"Ah, my favorite, braised chicken leg, my sister really didn't lie to me."
A delicious and visually appealing meal began amidst the children's innocent laughter.
Towards the end of the meal, Wen Chengjian and his friends had an extra treat, quickly roasting some sweet potatoes and potatoes for everyone to fill in the gaps.
Wen Yuanqian had almost finished eating. Looking up at the spacious and bright main room, he asked, "Brother, your house is really big. It must be very lively when the family gathers together."
Grandpa Wang replied with a smile, "Yes, we have many children in our family. When the whole family comes back for holidays, it's very lively."
After saying that, Grandpa Wang picked up his rice bowl and started eating in silence.
After a while, Grandpa Wang put down his chopsticks and continued with a wry smile, "However, this happened several years ago. Ever since the imperial court ordered the conscription of laborers to mine, all the able-bodied men and women in the village have been taken away, leaving only us old folks and young children at home..."
years ago?
The imperial court has issued an order to conscript laborers to mine.
The Wen family members who held official positions in the court were startled.
In recent years, while they were in Kyoto, they had not heard any reports of new mines being discovered, and the imperial court had not issued any decrees to conscript laborers for mining.
Judging from how deserted Grandpa Wang's house is, he doesn't seem to be lying.
Is there something inside?
Everyone instinctively looked at Wen Yuanqian.