"Boss, recently, many people fleeing famines have rushed in Hejian Mansion. The streets are full of people. They are hungry and their eyes are green. They stuff them into their mouths when they see food. Even the pig slurry has been snatched away. It is very difficult for us to get some food!"

"In previous years, when we encountered disasters, the government would provide some relief. We can also mix a bowl of porridge. Why is there no movement this year?"

"I heard that there is a big war in the north, and the food in the treasury is transported away for military rations, so naturally there is no share of us poor people!"

...

"Hey, boss, have you become clean?"

In the afternoon, the friends came back one after another, mostly empty-handed and dejected. Fortunately, the monkey and chewed brothers caught a pheasant and a few pheasant eggs. Hongxiu and Jinya pulled out some gray vegetables, which was a wild vegetable with a slightly bitter taste.

We all started to do it together, after twisting the pheasant's neck, plucking the hair, opening the creek, cleaning it carefully, and not giving up the crops, gizzards, and intestines. During this period of famine, every little food is precious.

There was no seasoning in the dilapidated temple, so I had to pick some wild garlic, stuff the wild onions into the chicken's belly, wrap it in yellow mud, and finally throw it into the fire pit. The "beggar chicken" made in this way is not only delicious, but also doesn't waste anything!

On the other side, Hongxiu and Jin Ya carried out a broken iron pot, poured it with clear water, put it on the stove and cooked it, ready to make a pot of egg, wild vegetable soup!

This food is definitely not enough for twelve people to eat, but there is no other way.

Last year, several provinces in Shandong, Henan, and northern Zhili suffered a drought. Some places reduced grain production, some places had no harvest, and even trees and weeds were dead!

Since the beginning of spring this year, there has been no rain for a few months. The fields and seedlings have died of drought. The people have no choice but to sell oxen, fields and property. Until there is no need to sell, they will take their families out to escape the famine!

Northern Zhili is under the feet of the emperor. It is densely populated and rich in the area, so it is relatively easy to survive. Therefore, refugees flock in, begging along the street, working as a hard worker, or selling themselves, just wanting to have a bite of food and a place to live!

As more people beg along the street, the difficulty of food naturally increases, so Xue Yu and his friends' living space has been further reduced!

"God blesses you, next year, there will be good weather and good harvests, and every household will have a full meal, so it will be easier for us to beg!"

"The mouse is really unpromising. She just wants to beg for food all day long. When life is better in the future, I, Manniu, thinks of being an apprentice at the blacksmith shop in the city, and rely on my strength to earn your own meals. What do you want to do in the future?"

"I just want to farm steadily and work hard to harvest grain. From now on, I will eat steamed buns with my left hand and big cakes with my right hand, and eat a round belly every day!"

"I want to go back to the mountains to hunt, and I have meat to eat every day!"

...

"Boss, what do you want to do in the future?"

While preparing supper, friends talk about the future. No matter how hard the days are, they can survive, as long as they still have dreams in their hearts!

Xue Yu remained silent. As a time traveler, he knew deeply that last year was not good, this year was not good, next year was even worse, and every year was worse, because the Ming Dynasty was facing a natural disaster!

During the Little Ice Age, countless people in later generations discussed topics countless times!

For nearly eight thousand years, the earth has been relatively warm and the rainfall is moderate. Such a good natural environment has promoted the progress of human civilization. However, in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, that is, after 1500 (the 13th year of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty-Hongzhi), the temperature on the earth suddenly dropped!

Especially from 1600 to 1644 (the 28th year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty - the 17th year of Chongzhen), it was the coldest in the past thousand years, and it was also the second place in the past ten thousand years, and it was ranked sixth and seventh in the past one million years. It can be said that humans have never encountered such a bad climate since they entered the civilization period!

Because of the cold weather, China's rainfall belt moved south. As a result, it was drought in the north for years, floods continued in the south, and crop yields dropped sharply. The people were not covered in clothes, but could not fill their stomachs, struggling on the brink of death, which led to a large-scale civil unrest!

The civil unrest is like a flood, one wave higher than another, and eventually destroyed the Ming Dynasty!

Of course, the demise of the Ming Dynasty was only a secondary factor, and man-made disasters were the main factor. If the Ming Emperor had made some achievements, if civil and military officials were honest and self-disciplined, if the gentry and landlords did not impose excessive taxes and gave the people a way out, history might have been rewritten, right?

It is said that if you are rich, you will benefit the world, and if you are poor, you will be safe. Xue Yu is very poor now, so he can only protect himself. Specifically, he is to find a way to fill his stomach and his friends!

When you have enough food and drink, there is another warm place to live. Xue Yu may consider how to save the world!

"It's time to eat, everyone is here to have a meal!"

The beggar chicken was roasted and knocked on the hard mud shell outside. The inside was filled with bright and fragrant chicken. According to the old rules, the beggar chicken was placed in front of Xue Yu and he would distribute food to everyone.

Xue Yu first tore off one chicken leg and gave it to the little rabbit, the other one to Hongxiu, the chicken breasts were given to Jin Ya, and Yuzhe gave it to other friends. In the end, only the chicken head and chicken neck were left in his hand!

The friends were already hungry and immediately swallowed the chicken cleansed. They swallowed all the soft and crisp bones. They couldn't bear to leave the remaining hard bones. They kept them all in a jar and kept them for bone soup. They could save their lives at critical moments!

Of course, this little chicken is not enough, but there is no other food, so I had to pour wild vegetable soup desperately. Everyone drank a few big bowls, and at least they stretched their belly.

After dinner, everyone sat around the fire, staring at each other:

First, if the wild vegetable soup is not full, your stomach will soon become hungry again. Reducing unnecessary activities can save some physical strength!

Second, this era is relatively backward and there is no entertainment at night. The people work from the sunrise and rest from the sunset. Those who can afford oil lamps at night are rich families. As for the dim lights and singing and dancing, it is a nightlife that only high-ranking officials and nobles are qualified to enjoy!

"Brother Shitou, tell me a story!"

"What, I'm telling a story?"

"Well, Brother Shitou is the best at telling stories!"

The little rabbit moved over and pestered him to listen to the story. Only then did Xue Yu realize that he had another task, which was to tell stories to make everyone sleep!

The problem is, as a big man, I have never married a wife or brought up a child in my previous life, where can I tell stories?

"Okay, I'll tell a story about a big bad wolf?"

"No, the big bad wolf specializes in eating the little rabbit!"

"Then I'll tell the story of a big tiger?"

"Don't have big tigers, little rabbits are afraid!"

...

Xue Yu was fucking her stomach and thinking about the children's stories she had heard when she was in kindergarten, but was denied by the little rabbit. The stories that boys liked were indeed not suitable for girls!

"Okay, I'll tell you a story about "Longmen Inn", you will definitely like it:

It is said that a long time ago, there was a large eunuch named Cao Shaoqin in the East Factory who framed a loyal minister to death and used his exile as bait to try to kill all his old subordinates.

Qiu Moyan, a hero of the Jianghu, was entrusted by his lover Zhou Huaian. After a bloody battle, he rescued a pair of children of the Yang family. He also made an appointment to meet at the Longmen Inn on the border of the desert, and then fled outside the pass.

Unexpectedly, the three major players in the East Factory led a group of experts to follow him. Jin Xiangyu, the owner of this Longmen Inn, secretly fell in love with Zhou Huaian. Unfortunately, Zhou Huaian already belonged to Qiu Moyan.

...

Finally, in a piece of quicksand, with the help of the little Tartars and Jinyingyu, Zhou Huaian used the Yin-Yang Zi Mother Sword to pierce Cao Shaoqin's throat with a sword, but unfortunately Mo Yan also fell into the quicksand..."

Xue Yu's voice is not suitable for singing, but it is very good to tell stories. It is vivid and in a good mood. The listeners are intoxicated. Finally, they fell asleep in their dream of martial arts, and someone even started to snore!

Xue Yu did not sleep, but leaned against a wall, closed his eyes and pondered. When he merged with Xiaoshitou, he had to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of his friends, but this responsibility was really a bit difficult!

A half-destroyed temple, a broken iron pot with a crack, a rolled-blade kitchen knife, two black pots, and seven or eight white porcelain bowls. These are all the belongings.

There is no copper coins, no food storage, no quilt, no change of clothes, and several people don’t even have shoes. How can this poor family be a poor family?

If this continues, even if everyone does not starve to death, they will sooner or later be frozen to death!

You can't sit there and wait for death. Tomorrow, you will go to the city and find a job to earn money to buy clothes and food for everyone. It's better to settle down again. Living in a dilapidated temple is too dangerous and it's too cold in winter!

At least I went to college, had rich knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry, unique skills in finding minerals, and knowledge that exceeded 600 years of this era. It shouldn’t be difficult to make money, right?

Maybe by chance, there will be some adventure, such as meeting noble people appreciated, or favored by ladies from a family, etc., which will make you reach the top in one step. This is how many time travel novels are written!

With a longing for the future, Xue Yu fell asleep and had a beautiful dream, dreaming that he was a high-ranking official, rode a horse, lived in a luxury house, delicacies every day, silk, satin, and... three wives and four concubines!
Chapter completed!