When I returned to the cave, a bamboo table was placed in the center of the cave. The afterglow of the evening shone down from the top of the cave, and it looked full of a quiet and strange feeling.

A pot of taro stewed chicken, a scrambled eggs with wine and leeks, a large plate of cold cucumbers, a roasted eggplant and fried cowpeas, each one is full of a large plate, and even the bowls and chopsticks on the table are densely packed, twice as many as usual.

"Xiaoqi is back, wash your hands and prepare for dinner!" A Lian came over with a pot of wine, and Xiaozhu also went to get a wooden basin to prepare for water.

"We have washed the pond outside, Xiaozhu goes and bring the oil lamp to light up!" Zhao Qi turned to look at the two couples, "Look, the food is ready for you, sit down and don't be polite!"

"Thank you, my boss!" The two men quickly clasped their fists again, and then took the seats. Xiaozhu quickly came over with an oil lamp to put it on the table. A Lian also brought three wine glasses to help the three of them fill the wine, and then went to carry the clay pots for cooking. The two women also quickly helped to serve the rice, and then picked up a little vegetables and hid under the pergola to eat.

"Sister A Lian, Xiao Zhu, grandma, I've been busy for a whole day and come to eat!" Zhao Qi waved.

"The grandmother and Baoer have already gone to rest, saying that they will not disturb the guests. Xiaoqi accompanied the guests to drink, and Xiaozhu and I will talk to the two sisters-in-law!" A Lian and Xiaozhu each picked up some vegetables in their bowls and went to talk to the two women under the pergola.

"The boss is a kind-hearted person, it's a blessing for us to meet him!" The thin and mature man sighed deeply.

"I won the awards and won't say much. I've been tired for a day. Don't be polite. Let's have a drink together to make you feel good, please!" Zhao Qi raised his glass.

"Thank you, please!"

"Please~"

The three of them raised their glasses and drank them all, and then Zhao Qi picked up the chopsticks to invite them to eat. The two men were tired for a day and had not eaten such a sumptuous meal for a long time. Therefore, they took up the chopsticks and started to feast on their feet. The wind blew the remaining clouds and the dishes began to decrease at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The two men buried their heads and ate for seven or eight minutes, and most of the dishes on the table were killed. Zhao Qi then put down his chopsticks and invited him to drink again.

"Please ask me, the food my wife cooks is so delicious. I have never eaten such delicious food yet..." The young man raised his glass to exclaim.

"So the little boss is so lucky. Seeing that your family is repairing a house, life will definitely get better and better in the future, which makes us envious!" The older man also raised his wine glass and sighed sadly.

"Thank you two, Jiyan. My family has actually started to get better in the past one or two months. It was not as good as you before. We survived with the help of our fellow villagers. If we don't talk about this, as long as we work hard, our lives will get better slowly!"

"Try hard...ah!" The older man sighed with a lonely face.

The younger man also drank with a depressed expression.

Seeing the condition of the two, Zhao Qi was really not good to say much, so he kept asking for food and drinks. After drinking seven or eight cups of each, the two men gradually became drunk on their dark and thin faces, and they gradually became more talked. So Zhao Qi also began to ask some things near the Huaihe River. Both men and the two men told a lot about what they knew and heard.

After all, since the border of the Song Dynasty retreated to the Huaihe River line, the people in the once prosperous Huaihe River basin began to suffer. First, the Jin people continued to move south and broke through the Huaihe River direction every year to attack Huainan. However, the Song army did not dare to give up the defense of the Huaihe River. Therefore, the Song and Jin countries repeatedly tug-of-war on both sides of the Huaihe River. Year after year wars caused a large number of people in the Huaihe River to leave their hometowns, and a large number of farmland gradually became deserted.

Since the coalition of the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Jin Dynasty, the failure of Duanping to Luo River has made the Huai River Basin even worse. The Mongols are even more cruel than the Jin people. They slaughtered villages and slaughtered the city. Now the two Huai River areas are empty, and the local people are either dead or dead. There are not many decent villages on both sides of the Huai River. Even if the remaining ones are left, they are all people who cannot escape and do not want to escape.

Some of the large number of refugees generated in the Lianghuai area were summoned by local governments, some were forcibly arrested and exiled as rioters, and more people fled south with their families and their families. Big cities such as Yangzhou, Taizhou, Chuzhou and Hefei are the first choice. Now, at least hundreds of thousands of refugees have poured in many cities north of the Yangtze River.

Most of the people who can escape the Yangtze River and go to various places in the south of the Yangtze River to make a living are young and strong people who have some family background.

Just like the two couples Zhao Qi invited, they are cousins ​​themselves, and they are not very different in age. The older one is twenty-six years old this year, named Zhang Yuanzhong, and the younger one is only twenty-three years old this year, named Zhang Yuanyi. They have only been married for a few years. They originally lived in Zhongli County near Haozhou, and Haozhou is relatively close to Huaiyuan. Huaiyuan not only has garrison troops, but also has Jingshan City nearby. It was originally a safer place, and the lives of the local people are relatively stable. However, just after spring this year, the Mongols began to attack Jingshan in early February. The people fled in various places in the village. Hundreds of people fled together, but only the two brothers could escape the Yangtze River. In order to cross the river, the two brothers gave all their money to the local fishermen, so they crossed the river privately, and then begged for help all the way to Qingyuan Mansion in the south.

The situation they said was similar to what Zhao Qi guessed and heard.

In short, the Mongols were more savage and fierce than the Jin people. They almost killed people when they saw them. The Jin people were influenced by Confucian culture in the Central Plains. In fact, they almost stopped killing the people in the later period, and were also very kind to the people who occupied the area. If the people did not have a strong sense of state, there was no difference between living in the Jin Kingdom and living in the Song Dynasty. They said the same words, wrote the same words, read the same books, and even secretly visited each other's relatives and married their daughters. Therefore, the Jin Kingdom also proposed the concept of China Unified for the first time in Chinese history, using it to justify itself.

But obviously, it is necessary to be careful when changing neighbors.

Lao Wang and Lao Zhao next door have different personalities.

The Mongolians not only want to steal your wife and daughter, they also want to occupy your house and property.

"The boss doesn't know that those Mongolians are cruel and domineering, and there is almost no living place where they pass. When the Mongolians attacked, they were suddenly attacked. Mengcheng, which was close to Huaiyuan, was broken. I heard that it had been killed for three days, and there was almost no one left in the city. It was so miserable..." Zhang Yuanzhong's eyes were red and he squeezed his wine glass tightly and shook his head.

Bang ~

The tall and thin Zhang Yuanyi punched the dining table with a heavy punch, and his eyes widened and said viciously: "It's a pity that all the officials of the imperial court hid behind and did not dare to rescue him. If Grandpa Yue had recovered the Central Plains forever, how could the Mongols suddenly come to the Huaihe River!"

Zhao Qi could only shake his head while smiling bitterly.

Yue Fei's reputation exploded in the minds of the people of the Central Plains, and he existed exactly like a god.

Yue Fei's death actually greatly shook the trust of the people in the Central Plains in the Song Dynasty.

Since Yue Fei's death, the Song and Jin dynasties negotiated peace, the people and local gentry in the Huanghuai River Basin gradually lost interest in the return of Song.

"This time the Mongolian army invaded fiercely, and there will be more and more battles in the Jianghuai area in the future. It is normal for our Song Dynasty court to be unsuccessful and cannot win. It is a wise choice for you to escape to the south. As long as you can survive and find a way to settle down, your life will gradually get better!" Zhao Qi comforted.

"I hope this is the case with my boss!" Zhang Yuanzhong sighed and drank a glass of wine, then put down his chopsticks and clasped his fists at Zhao Qi, "The boss is kind, so we can get this opportunity to help, and we also invite my brothers to drink. This kind of kindness is unforgettable. Although we have nothing to do, we still think we still have some strength. If the boss is useful in the future, we will definitely not refuse!"

Zhao Qi nodded and asked curiously: "Are you planning to settle down temporarily in Yanggong Town?"

"Yes, Qingyuan Prefecture is prosperous and peaceful. Continue to the south, Fujian and Guangdong. It may not be better than here if you go there. Besides, Yanggong Town Harbor is so prosperous. With the strength of my brothers, it is still no problem to come and find a physical job to make a living!" Zhang Yuanzhong nodded.

Zhao Qi thought for a moment and shook his head slightly and said, "It is not that easy to find work in the harbor. The travelers and guilds here are relatively xenophobic. If you don't have a familiar person, you won't want them!"

"We know what the boss said, but I heard that there is a harbor called Xiaolong Bay nearby that is being built, and we want to try our luck!" Zhang Yuanzhong said hesitantly.

Zhao Qi pinched his chin and thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Xiaolongwan is indeed OK. If you two want to go, I can help..."
Chapter completed!