He sat in the tea shop until the sun was west, and the sky was not so hot. Han Zhen stood up and said, "An Niang, I'm leaving."

"Can Erlang come tonight? If you come, I will leave a door for you."

An Niang said, her moist peach blossom eyes couldn't help but look at the tiger down the mountain on his chest.

The atmosphere in the Northern Song Dynasty was very open, and tattoos were a fashion trend, not limited to men and women.

From princes and nobles to ordinary people, countless people have tattoos and tattoos.

Even in Kaifeng City, there is a special tattoo club called Jinti Club.

During the Gods Competition, the Jinti Club also holds a flower embroidery performance to show off its tattoos.

There was a close servant next to Song Huizong, named Li Zhi.

Li Zhi was a standard son of an official, and his great-grandfather Li Changling served as a Huainan Transportation Commissioner during the reign of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong.

Li Zhi had a large tattoo on his body, which was very exquisite. After seeing it, Emperor Huizong of Song specially gave him the title of "Broken Body Exiled Immortal".

From the tattoos on Li Zhi and the attitude of Song Huizong, we can see how much the Song people like tattoos.

"I won't come, I'll go home."

Han Zhen waved his hand and stepped out of the county town.

Looking at his departure back, An Niang felt a little disappointed.

...

Han Zhen’s family is in Xiaodong Village, not far from the county town, about five miles away.

Following his footsteps, he could reach it in less than half a quarter of an hour.

As soon as I left the county town, I met the thugs who returned from playing tricks.

Seeing Han Zhen, the thugs immediately came up. Ma Sangou, the leader, grinned with a black face and said, "Brother Han, look at the brothers' gains."

It really made these guys catch the fish.

Three crucian carp with chopsticks, one grass carp with more than three pounds, and some shrimps and crabs were also covered with clothes.

"good!"

Han Zhen nodded with a smile.

These thugs seem to be free and easy, but in fact, life is hard, so they can only fill their stomachs and rarely eat meat.

The main reason is that Han Zhen is unwilling to do something like stealing and bullying the weak.

Like the rogues in the west of the city, they are not so particular.

A thug urged: "Brother Han, let's go back to the temple and cook."

Han Zhen waved his hand: "No, I'll go back to Xiaodong Village and come back tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Ma Sangou handed over the fish in his hand without saying a word: "Since Brother Han is going home, how can he take some fish back empty-handed?"

Although the other ruffians were reluctant to leave, none of them felt it was inappropriate.

When you come out and spend time, you are just a loyalty.

The key is that Han Zhen treats them very well on weekdays. If Han Zhen had not protected them, he would have been beaten to death by those rascals in Xicheng.

Seeing someone swallowing secretly, Han Zhen smiled slightly, leaving only three small crucian carp, and stuffed the big grass carp into Ma Sangou's hands: "Those are enough, you can go back first."

Ma Sangou was reluctant to let go and had to take over the grass carp.

After saying goodbye to his own group of little brothers, Han Zhen walked along the Xiaodong River with a big stroll.

Han Zhen was traveling at home, and there was a big brother on it.

However, compared to his inhumane strong body, his eldest brother has been weak and sick since childhood. He passed away less than a year after marrying his wife, leaving behind his widowed sister-in-law.

In order to avoid suspicion, Han Zhen spent all day in the county after his elder brother died, but he went home every few days, bringing some coarse salt and linen to help do some farm work, and secondly to shock the young man.

There are many troubles in front of the widow, especially her sister-in-law is pretty. If she doesn't go back, she will definitely be harassed by a lazy person.

As we approach Xiaodong Village, large areas of fields began to appear on both sides of the road.

Among them, there are a lot of wastelands.

Most of these deserted fields were left by fugitives, but no one dared to farm them.

The reason for all this is the household and subsistence system.

Once you have too much land, it may be determined by the government as a third-class household.

Therefore, no matter how difficult the fourth and fifth-class households are in their own right, they can only guard their own few acres of thin fields and dare not make up for the idea of ​​these deserted fields.

Does it feel ridiculous if you are absurd to have a field but you dare not plant it?

However, this is the most true portrayal of the peasants in the late Northern Song Dynasty.

The north is a little better, while the south is even more difficult.

Because compared with the various taxes in the north, there is an additional tax in the south called "Shen Dian Money".

The so-called vocational money is commonly known as the vocational tax. One man in the family counts one, and he has to pay the vocational money as long as he becomes an adult.

After adulthood, I pay seven dou and five liters of Ding rice every year.

This tax causes poor farmers to dare not have more children, and even if they are accidentally given birth, they will endure the pain and drown.

When Su Dongpo was exiled to Hubei, he saw with his own eyes: "The poor people in Huangzhou have many children who do not give birth to them, and they are easily soaked in a water basin when they are born." "The villain in Yue and the fields in Hubei only raise two men and one woman, and they will kill them after this."

I dare not raise children, and I dare not plant them in fields. I am the only one in the Song Dynasty!

...

Along the way, I encountered villagers working in the fields from time to time.

When they saw Han Zhen, they opened it and said hello.

"Han Er, are you back?"

"yes!"

This is due to his good reputation. If it were other rascals, these villagers would probably be afraid to avoid it.

His house is close to the west of the village head. There is a wall made of rammed loess, a layer of dry straw on the roof, and a small yard is surrounded by bamboo fences in front of the door.

In the corner of the yard, two ridges of vegetable fields were cultivated, and some leeks and ginger vegetables were planted.

At this time, a pretty little woman wearing a sackcloth turban was watering the vegetable field.

Hearing the footsteps, the little woman turned her head and said happily: "Oh, uncle is back."

"Sister-in-law."

Han Zhen nodded and stepped into the yard.

The little woman is Han Zhen’s sister-in-law, her surname is Zhang, and she has no name, but her nickname is Runniang.

On weekdays, the village calls her Han Zhang.

Han Zhang's appearance is pretty, with a pure aura emitting between his eyebrows and eyes, and his figure is like a persimmon tree not far away...the branches bear fruit!

Han Zhang glanced at the crucian carp in his hand and said curiously: "Why are there still fish?"

"Sangou and the others caught it in the river, so I divided some of it."

"Uncle, please be hungry, I'll go cook now."

Han Zhang said, took the crucian carp from his hand, squatted in the yard and started processing.

I saw her holding a kitchen knife in her hand, she skillfully opened her belly, and then carefully scraped off the fish scales.

Han Zhen stood aside and asked, "Sister-in-law, have you not had a scoundrel come to you these days?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhang paused slightly in his hand, and then shook his head.

Seeing this, Han Zhen said loudly: "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Han Zhang pursed his lips and said timidly: "Previously... two days ago, the fourth brother of the Lu family came to knock on the door. I didn't dare to open the door. After a while, he left."

The fourth brother of the Lu family?

A cold light flashed in Han Zhen's eyes and he ordered: "Sister-in-law, cook, I'll come when I go."

Hearing the anger in his tone, Han Zhang quickly put down the kitchen knife, got up and grabbed his arm: "Uncle, don't be impulsive, it will be bad if you cause a life."

She was not worried that Han Zhen would suffer a loss, but she was worried that Han Zhen would be insignificant and beat him to death...

"Don't worry, sister-in-law, I feel at ease."
Chapter completed!