The invasion of the abyss begins with the Laughing at the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 41 Big and Small Packages
In the winter in southern Liaoning, it gets dark very early. At the hour of You, the sky becomes dark and hazy, giving a feeling of seeing flowers in the fog.

"Finally home! I wonder how my brothers and sisters have been doing these past ten days? Have they eaten well?"

"The fortress lord has given me so much reward money. My family won't have to go hungry anymore. My younger brothers and sisters can also learn to read and write, and if possible, they can learn martial arts."

After turning a few streets, Xiao Changgui shook the food, cloth, etc. on his back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. A simple thatched hut suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Under the howling cold wind there is a hot heart. His steps become lighter and more agile, his eyes become brighter and brighter, and gradually become lively, no longer as numb as before.

Wearing a brand new black padded jacket and warm sheepskin boots, Xiao Changgui couldn't wait to knock on the door. The "dong dong dong" sound could be heard from far away.

"Brother, you are back!"

After a long while, a skinny boy wearing an old cotton-padded jacket looked out through the gap. When he saw his brother, he quickly pulled down the bolt and opened the rough door.

"elder brother."

Following closely behind, a little girl about five or six years old with two pigtails came staggering over, her little face rosy and her big eyes like black grapes.

"Changan, Nannan."

Putting down the food and cloth on his back, Xiao Changgui squatted down and took out two sugar figures from his arms, one was Sun Wukong waving his golden cudgel to the sky, and the other was a fat Zhu Bajie.

Making sugar figures is a traditional handicraft. It uses sucrose or maltose as raw materials and can be made into various animals and figures after heating. The most common one is the Monkey King making trouble in the sky, which is the most popular among children.

"Wow! I have a sugar man too."

"So sweet! I've never eaten such delicious candy figures in my life!"

Xiao Lunlun looked at the sugar man in his hand, his eyes shining brightly, like stars in the night sky, twinkling.

There are only three people left in the Xiao family now, Xiao Changgui, Xiao Changan and Xiao Lunlun. The oldest, Xiao Changgui, is only sixteen years old. The adults in the family are either exhausted or die of illness.

Ten days ago, Shen Yuanliang's recruitment of three hundred servants was the Xiao family's last hope. If they failed, they would have no choice but to sell themselves as slaves in Yongning City in order to have any hope of survival.

"Changan, we won't have to go hungry anymore."

"This is the one stone of grain I just bought. It's enough for you to eat for a month. I'll buy more next month. And these cloth and cotton. Let Aunt Li next door make you a set of clothes."

In the slightly leaky house, Xiao Changgui kept on chattering, explaining everything clearly, for fear that his younger brothers and sisters at home would be cold or hungry.

It is the dead of winter, and with natural disasters and man-made tragedies continuing, food prices in southern Liaoning are soaring. In order to appease people's hearts, Shen Yuanliang opened a large grocery store in the fort.

There are all kinds of goods including grain, cloth, salt, etc. The servants under Shen Yuanliang can buy what they need at preferential prices.

Outside, grain costs two or three taels per stone. With his status as a servant, Xiao Changgui can buy up to two stones of grain every month at a unit price of one tael of silver.

During this event, Shen Yuanliang won the hearts of the 300 servants and ordered them to attack wherever he directed. Otherwise, facing the 300 horse bandits, they would have scattered long ago.

Not only the Xiao family, but nearly three hundred households in Jingbian Fort and Yongning City were all in a festive mood, as if it was New Year's Day, and all the servants returned home with bags of varying sizes.

The sweet smell spread instantly, it was the smell of happiness and hope!
……

Shenjiawubao
"Mother, in the battle with the bandits three days ago, nearly eighty of the three hundred servants were injured or killed, and twenty-six died in the battle." "Many of them are the backbone of their families. Now they have paid the price of their lives for our Shen family. I have to let them have no worries."

"In addition to the thirty silver coins for the funeral, those who have adults in their families can let them do some sewing and mending work to ensure their livelihood. There are sixteen orphans without adults, and I want to set up a Yulin Hall."

Looking at Shen Chen who was weaving, Shen Yuanliang touched his nose and said embarrassedly.

For Shen Yuanliang, who had nothing, annexing the Wang family's business was indeed a bit too much. It was like a snake swallowing an elephant, and he lacked "his own people" in every aspect.

Li Wan'er was in charge of the finances of the fortress, and with the assistance of Aunt Chen, she did the logistics work for the three hundred servants. She was busy all day and had little time to rest.

Shitou is responsible for training the three hundred servants and works diligently. Shouhou is in charge of intelligence work and is not seen all day long. No one is idle.

For these orphans, Shen Yuanliang, whose top priority is to practice martial arts, can only seek help from Shen Chen.

"Okay, leave it to me!"

"Idleness is also idleness."

Shen Chen, who was becoming more and more elegant, looked up at Shen Yuanliang, smiled and said.

At that moment, everyone in the entire fortress had their own things to do. Shen Chen was bored and had to pick up her old job of weaving. She wanted to make a few sets of clothes for Shen Yuanliang by herself.

"These orphans can be taught to read and write, or even practice martial arts. If they have no talent for either, they can be taught a craft."

"It's not in vain that their fathers have been with me, and I can live with my conscience."

Speaking of this, Shen Yuanliang's face became heavy and he sighed.

In troubled times, some things cannot be left unchecked. We still have to have some moral bottom line and be conscientious.

A general's success is the result of the sacrifice of countless lives. Even after achieving success, we must not forget those who sacrificed their lives for the cause, and we must not let their descendants be bullied and left alone.

He just gave her a few dozen taels of silver and left her alone. The moral values ​​of his previous life prevented Shen Yuanliang from going against his conscience.

"Well, you did a good job. A family that accumulates good deeds will be blessed. Your father named you 'Yuanliang' because he hoped that you would be a kind-hearted person."

"Our Shen family has replaced the Wang family and become a well-known wealthy family within a hundred miles. We must always remember not to be like the Wang family, doing all kinds of evil and causing outrage among people and gods."

Hearing this, Shen Chen showed a look of satisfaction and felt very relieved.

For Shen Chen, who is honest and kind to others all his life, good and evil will be rewarded in the end. It's not that there will be no reward, but the time has not come yet.

Shen Yuanliang killed Master Wang in one fell swoop, and even defeated 300 horse bandits a few days ago. Shen Chen was very worried, fearing that Shen Yuanliang would become arrogant and go astray, and wield the butcher knife in his hand against the lower-class people.

"Mom, don't worry, I won't let you down."

After being together for many years, Shen Yuanliang knew what Shen Chen meant. He immediately looked at her with firm eyes and patted his chest to assure her.

Treat your enemies as cold and ruthless as winter; treat your friends as warm as spring.

(End of this chapter)