Turn to the new year and come to 1927.
A drought came quietly in late spring and early summer.
It is not surprising that there is a drought in Bailuyuan.
Because this kind of thing happens almost every year in the original land, whether it is light or heavy, the price of water land is several times more expensive than that of dry land.
However, in previous years, the drought occurred every five, six, seven and three months. When the autumn rains continue in August, the drought will end.
But this year's drought started in April.
Because the drought came early, the wheat did not have time to fill, so the yield was greatly reduced.
In previous years, more than 100 catties of wheat could be harvested from one mu of land, but this year it is less than half of that of previous years.
Originally, the villagers thought that after the rain, they could plant a second crop, such as millet, corn, sorghum, etc., but after waiting for two months, every day was sunny and thin, and the rattles were red. sun.
The only water on the ground was evaporated, the ground cracked, the river dried up, and the ground was as hard as a rock, no matter how fast a shovel could dig it.
Even the pond, which has never been dry in previous years, is now completely dry.
By August 15th, it was time to sow winter wheat, but God had not yet rained a drop of water.
The folks really panicked now. If there is no time to plant winter wheat, there will be no hope for next year.
At this time, a large number of beggars and refugees have appeared in various counties and villages.
They are all harvested in summer and autumn, and there is no food at home, so they have to come out to beg.
The disaster victims are in groups, supporting the old and the young, leaving their homes and leaving their hometowns, like a hungry dragon.
Wherever it went, leaves, bark, grass roots, and even Guanyin soil were eaten.
The number of people who died of starvation is even more numerous, and they can be seen everywhere beside the road.
At the beginning, there were still people buried. Later, too many people died, and the remaining people had no strength, so no one even buried them.
Those corpses were all cheap wolves that came down from the mountain.
Because they ate a lot of meat, they reproduce very quickly, and in winter, they are already in groups.
In broad daylight, they dare to run in groups on the plains, and they are not afraid of people when they meet. On the contrary, the lonely villagers often become food in their mouths.
At this time, people remembered Xiang Nan's prophecy two years ago.
"Two years of severe drought, half a year of locust plagues, and half a year of plague. Ten rooms and nine empties, mourning everywhere."
Almost all of them are now fulfilled.
"God, what a god~" Many people looked up to the sky and cried bitterly. He regretted not listening to Xiang Nan's words, so now his wife and children are separated and his family is ruined.
It's just that money can't buy regret medicine, and it's too late now.
…
Because of the drought, the summer grain harvest failed, the autumn grain harvest was cut off, and the winter wheat was also cut off.
Although it was the twelfth lunar month, it finally snowed a lot, but it didn't alleviate the drought, and instead froze the trees to death.
Ordinary people can't see a little life.
God is like not leaving any way of life for the poor, blocking all ways of life.
The severe cold brought by the heavy snow is even more catastrophic for the villagers who are already short of food and clothing.
With the arrival of severe cold, more people died.
The county town carried corpses out every day. In July and August, there were only a dozen corpses a day. In the twelfth lunar month, hundreds of people are carried out in one day.
In this situation, food has become the most expensive luxury, and the price has skyrocketed.
In comparison, the prices of valuable fields, livestock, smoke soil, cotton cloth, wood, etc. have all plummeted.
Even the bride price for women has dropped by more than half. There are even those who don’t need money, give it away for free, and just ask for a stutter.
Xiang Nan stored several thousand stones of grain, filling several main halls of the Ancestral Temple.
"Hei Wa, if all these grains are sold, we can buy all of Bailuyuan." Lu San looked at the full grain and said to Xiang Nan with a smile.
Now the best fields in Yuanshang are less than a few dollars away, which makes him more and more admire his son's strength.
At the beginning, I didn’t even buy an acre of land, but now I can buy the whole land.
"Da, these grains cannot be sold." Xiang Nan waved his hand and said, "Tell Uncle Jiaxuan to bring someone to fetch the grain."
Lu San was taken aback, then nodded.
…
Bai Jiaxuan arrived soon with people.
Led by Lu San, they walked through the maze-like woods and entered the Ancestral Temple, and then they saw a lot of food, so much that it was about to overflow.
"Food~" Bai Xiaowu exclaimed, and immediately rushed forward.
He has not eaten fine grains for two months.
"Uncle Jiaxuan, according to the population of the village, three taels a day for those under the age of fifteen, and half a catty a day for those over the age of fifteen, you and Xiaowu will get it." Xiang Nan said.
"Hei Wa, I thank you on behalf of the folks." After hearing this, Bai Jiaxuan couldn't help but kowtow to Xiang Nan.
In this year of catastrophe, food is more important than gold. This amount of food is enough to live a whole village, and it is enough for him to kowtow to Xiang Nan.
"Uncle Jiaxuan, please don't do this. I am also from the village. What is a mere grain?" Xiang Nan hurriedly supported him.
Bai Jiaxuan was even more moved when he heard this.
Afterwards, the villagers began to distribute food.
Half a catty for an adult and three taels for a child. Although not much, it is already enough to survive.
"Fairy, living god~" The villagers were all moved.
Without Xiang Nan’s relief, they would have gone out to beg in groups.
Therefore, they gathered outside the temple one after another, and knelt down towards the direction of the ancestral temple.
"Uncle Jiaxuan, why is there no Xiaowen on the list?" Xiang Nan looked at the list of personnel summarized by Bai Jiaxuan and asked suspiciously.
"If you don't feed him, starve to death." Bai Jiaxuan gritted his teeth.
"Don't, he is your son after all. Besides, if you don't give him food, he will be more likely to go astray." Xiang Nan persuaded.
Bai Jiaxuan still refused to nod.
Bai Xiaowen still doesn't know how to repent. Not only did he not go to pick up his wife, but he was with that little widow.
The two of them are now living together in a bright and aboveboard manner, even tossing about in the house in broad daylight, almost losing the face of their Bai family.
He wished that his son would die sooner, so he would think it stinks up the land.
When Xiang Nan saw this, he stopped trying to persuade him.
Bai Xiaowen is now a beast, it is useless to save him, but it will kill more people, so it is better not to save him.
"By the way, write down the names of the gentlemen of Bailu Academy." Xiang Nan said again.
When the Zhensong army surrounded Xi'an last year, Mr. Zhu invited a group of gentlemen to return to Bailuyuan to compile the county annals. Now that the entire Sanqin land is facing drought, they are naturally not immune.
In the play, it also happened that Mr. Zhu borrowed food from Bai Jiaxuan, but was rejected by Bai Jiaxuan. Because Bai Jiaxuan is the patriarch of Bailu Village, but Bailu Academy is outside Bailu Village.
As the head of the clan, he can only take care of his own clansmen first, and he can only feel sorry for the old gentlemen of Bailu Academy.
But Xiang Nan knew that it was a great and meaningful thing for those gentlemen to compile the county annals, so he paid for the food.