The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 28 Is it okay?

He Da didn't care what County Captain Zhou thought of him. Even in the past, officials and wealthy families usually didn't treat them well.

He didn't care then, and he doesn't care now.

However, he would rather talk to Wen Gu.

On the way to find the blacksmith, He Da introduced Wen Gu to the blacksmith named Yu.

"When the world was in turmoil, the elderly in his family couldn't survive. The Yu family has two brothers. The eldest, Yu, is a blacksmith and has been married for a long time. His wife's surname is Ma, and they have a daughter who is over seven years old.

"Yu Lao Er is about the same age as me. I've spoken to him a few times. I met him when I was running errands for a noble in the county town."

In short, let's be street urchins together.

"Have the Yu brothers ever officially taken names?" Wen Gu asked.

"It seems to be called... Yu Gang, Yu Tang?" He Da thought for a while and replied.

They usually just call people by their surname and ranking, not their first names, which are hard to remember.

Wen Gu praised: "What a good name!"

He Da:?
Is this a good name? It sounds like a fish tank or a fish pond. What's good about it?
It’s not as good as the name I gave myself, “He Qiu”!

He Da curled his lips and continued, "I heard that his great-grandfather was a young military general. When County Magistrate Tan was in office, he often recruited Boss Yu to do work.

"The eldest son of the Yu family has a quiet personality, but he's tall and handsome. He used to interact with officials and has accumulated a lot of connections. Many people in the city used to work as guards for his family and are willing to give him face."

Therefore, even if there is no one in the county government office now, even if several civilian forces in the city need blacksmiths, they will mainly persuade and win them over rather than force them.

He Da also wanted Wen Gu to be mentally prepared and ask Yu the blacksmith to do the job without using threats.

Review and understand.

People working in industries controlled by the government have seen all kinds of people. If you want to ask him to do something at this time, you can't ask for a little favor, and coercion by force is even more inappropriate.

After entering the city, there was a bad smell in every direction. Wen Gu and the others also covered their faces with a breathable double-layer cloth with a little herbal powder sprinkled in the middle layer.

The shops along the street were covered with mottled marks, some of which were leftover bloodstains, some were black marks from burns, and some had no apparent source, like a thick layer of scabs on the wall.

A little higher up, there was a broken arrow stuck in the cracks of the bricks. The arrow shaft had been broken, and the missing part was probably burned as firewood. The arrowhead was stuck too deep, so no one dug it out.

He Da told Wen Gu that after collecting the iron arrowheads, he could exchange them for food from the government.

In the inconspicuous corners, there are severely rusted metal pieces. I don’t know what they were used for in the past. Maybe they fell off armor, or maybe they fell off other tools, or maybe they were stained with blood and no one dared to pick them up.

The wooden doors, window frames, and building materials of the shops on both sides of the street were removed and chopped into firewood.

Some were prying brick walls open, perhaps dragging bricks and tiles from vacant houses back to their own homes to build walls and courtyards for defense. Several shops were left with only the ground below them.

The people who came out were also walking in a hurry, with alert expressions, and would panic at the slightest movement.

There was a lot of debris and garbage on the road, leaving only a narrow path for walking.

That is to say, the temperature is dropping now. If the temperature were a little higher, the various odors would be stronger.

Like a garbage dump.

Even with the cloth covering my face, I could still smell the odor coming from the piles.

"Are these streets always like this?"

Wen Gu pointed at the garbage and debris scattered on the road and asked He Da.

"How could that be? It wasn't like this when our county magistrate was here. The county magistrate said that too much garbage would easily lead to epidemics, so he sent people to clean it up. But half a month ago, those people left with the county magistrate, and the streets became like this." He Dahui replied.

Wen Gu sighed, quickened his pace, and said to Zhou Shan beside him, "We shouldn't stay here for long. Let's finish our business and leave as soon as possible."

Zhou Shan, who had also dealt with small-scale epidemics when he was a county lieutenant, felt the same way and said solemnly:

"Yeah! Change into clean clothes immediately after leaving the city."

If the Taoist priest has elixirs, it would be best to take a few pills made from herbs.

Even if you are not infected with the evil plague, you must prevent other diseases.

He Da observed the expressions of Wen Gu and County Magistrate Zhou, seeming to be lost in thought.

A short distance ahead is the blacksmith's shop.

"It's right here. His house is just over the shop."

He Da pointed out the place to Wen Gu and left. He was in a hurry to go back.

Wen Gu thanked him but didn't keep him. He admired He Da, who had a clear understanding of the situation, was humble, and had a quick mind, making him the most suitable person for foreign communication and gathering information.

Don’t worry, just finish the blacksmith’s business.

When He Da returned, he passed by the same street again, looked at the piles of debris, and recalled the words of Wen Shusheng and County Magistrate Zhou.

Not suitable to stay for long?

Leave as soon as possible?

Thinking about things all the way, I ran to a large courtyard surrounded by bricks and stones.

This yard was occupied by people from their village after they came to the county town.

At that time, people would band together to grab the empty houses. Of course, some wealthy families with few descendants who were still at home would suffer a little injustice.

Less than one-third of the people in He Da's village survived, but if they stick together, they can still find a good place to stay.

The person with the most say in this house now is a woodcutter. His family has many people, and the most people are still alive, including several young and strong people.

He and his younger brother, who was in his early teens, were the only ones left in the He family. When the chaos broke out, his younger brother was studying at the academy in the county town, which was under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Tan. The chaos was soon quelled, but his parents and second sister who stayed in the village were not so lucky. When he rushed back, it was too late.

He returned with a heavy heart. A thin young man of similar age was already waiting in front of the house. He handed He Da a covered basket containing three large paper bags, which were the reward from Wen Gu.

The guys guarding the gate usually kept a close eye on He Da, so whenever he found something, he wouldn't bring it back himself.

As soon as he saw the three large paper bags, He Da's originally heavy mood eased a little.

Wen Shusheng is such a good person!
On the other side, Wen Gu and Zhou Shan came to the blacksmith shop.

When County Magistrate Tan was in office, he recruited craftsmen from the city to work there. When County Magistrate Tan left, they returned home.

But fuel was in short supply, and the blacksmith shop had long since closed.

The iron smelting industry in this dynasty is well developed, and the technology is capable of efficiently producing relatively high-quality steel.

I don't know how good the blacksmith's skills are.

He walked past the shop and came to the door of Yu the blacksmith's house and knocked.

The man who opened the door was a burly man. He used to have a beard, but now due to the special circumstances, he shaved it off for the convenience of life, but the shaved beard was bumpy.

This was the blacksmith Yu that He Da had mentioned. He looked alert.

Wen Gu briefly stated his identity, observed the other party's reaction, took out a small paper bag containing grain powder and opened it.

Blacksmith Yu quickly called Wen Gu and others into the house and closed the door.

But both sides also maintained a relatively safe distance.

Wen Gu observed the small courtyard.

There are several large water tanks in the yard. They used to be placed next to the iron shop to prevent fire. Now that the shop is closed, they moved the water tanks here.

Judging from the other party's reaction just now, the Yu family's current life is not too good. Only a small food bag knocked on the Yu family's door.

It was fine when the county magistrate was in office. Craftsmen who were recruited to do the work would be given appropriate compensation.

We've probably been out of food for half a month now. What's going on? Blacksmith Yu can't get any work? Is it technical issues or something else?
Under a simple shed nearby, there were some tools, which must have been transferred from the blacksmith shop.

I saw an object while reviewing the past.

He pointed to a long-handled object with a front that looked like a branding iron. "Are they lynching here?"
"What is this?"

"Iron," Yu the blacksmith replied in a muffled voice. "The old style isn't suitable for now. I think this one is perfect. It can be used after just heating it, saving firewood."

Wen Gu was stunned.

Iron?

This idea is quite retro. If you hadn’t told me, I would have thought it was a branding iron for torture!

The irons of this era looked roughly like a spoon. I have never seen an iron that looked like this.

Seeing that Wen Gu seemed to be doubting his professionalism, Yu the blacksmith asked, "Do you think it's okay?"

Wen Gu said sincerely: "It's very cruel!"

As a senior practitioner who has worked for the government, you are the legendary "Execution (No)" boss, right?

(End of this chapter)