Chapter 138

Yin Zheng was the same as when he left and when he came back. Li Daqiang and Li Tiezhu, who drove the ox cart, said that Yin Dazhu and his wife thought the Yichuntang in the town was too expensive, so they thought of going to other small clinics to have a look.

As a result, the doctor there took a look at Yin Zheng's leg and shook his head, saying that the bone of the leg was injured and it could not be cured without ten taels of silver.

When Yin Dazhu and his wife heard this, they thought, "Ten taels!? This is going to cost them their lives!" They immediately decided not to treat him and urged them to carry Yin Zheng away.

Li Daqiang and Li Tiezhu originally advised them to go to Yichuntang for another check-up. Moreover, Yin Zheng's leg became like this because they refused to pay for the medicine and forced Yin Zheng to go hunting in the mountains to pay the tuition for Yin Youcai. He had to be treated no matter what.

Besides, the money they have extorted from Yin Zheng over the years has added up to at least twenty or thirty taels.

Hearing what they said, the Wu family immediately became angry and left without caring about the life or death of Yin Zheng, who had a fever and injured his leg.

Li Daqiang and Li Tiezhu had no choice but to drag Yin Zheng back. After all, they couldn't afford the ten taels of silver. Not to mention that they weren't close to Yin Zheng, so it was impossible for them to spend all their family savings just for a little pity. After all, they still had a family to support.

So no matter how much they couldn't bear it, they could only sigh that Yin Zheng had a miserable life, having such parents!

After hearing what Li Daqiang and Li Tiezhu said, the villagers were shocked. Yin Dazhu and Wu Shi really didn't care about Yin Zheng's life or death?!

It's fine that they didn't give Yin Zheng money to buy medicine when he had a fever, but they forced him to go hunting in the mountains and injured his leg, and they don't care?!

Although ten taels of silver is indeed expensive, Yin Zheng has earned a lot over the years.

Not to mention that Yin Zheng is a good hunter. He never comes down empty-handed every time he goes up the mountain. Last year, he hunted two wild boars and four baby wild boars, and sold them for a total of six taels and three cents.

In addition to hunting, he was also a good carpenter. During the slack season, he would go to the town to find work. If he was lucky, he could earn five or six hundred coins a month. If he couldn't find carpentry work, he would go to the dock to carry sacks. He would get one cent for carrying a sack weighing about two hundred pounds. Yin Zheng was always strong and could carry about a hundred coins a day.

Apart from these, most of the work in the Yin family's fields was done by Yin Zheng alone. Even so, Mrs. Wu was reluctant to spend money to treat his legs. This is really heartbreaking!

Upon hearing this, the village chief and the clan leader also came to persuade Yin Dazhu and Wu, but Wu just cried and said she had no money. In the end, even Xiao Wang helped to persuade them, and the village chief and clan leader only extorted 200 coins from Wu to give Yin Zheng the medicine for the fever.

Xiao Wang couldn't help it, so she secretly gave some money to Li Daqiang who went to buy medicine, and asked him to buy some medicine to treat the external injuries.

This is all she can do to help her third brother.

An hour later, Yin Zheng ignored Li Daqiang's sympathetic look and drank the medicine he handed over.

He had anticipated this situation. It would be unbelievable if Yin Dazhu and Wu would give him money to treat his leg.

However, he was a little surprised that his sister-in-law would give him money to buy medicine for external injuries.

Yin Zheng pursed his lips, tore off a clean cloth and wrapped it around his leg which was already covered with herbs.

He asked Li Daqiang to collect the herbs. As for why he knew about herbs, it was all because he learned it from an old doctor who was also doing labor service for Yin Youcai when he was doing labor service for him.

This herb is more effective than the wound medicine in town.

In fact, Yin Zheng did not want to use such a method that would damage his body, but in this world where filial piety is the most important thing, this is indeed the fastest way to divide the family.

After treating the injury on his leg, Yin Zheng asked Li Daqiang to go to the village chief's house to help bring Jiaojiao back.

When Jiaojiao was brought back from the village chief's house, there were three eggs in her pocket and two white flour steamed buns in her hands.

These were all stuffed into my pockets by Chen when I left.

Chen really likes Jiaojiao from the bottom of her heart. If she hadn't seen how fondly Yin Zheng treated Jiaojiao this morning, she would have really wanted to ask for Jiaojiao to be raised by her.

Jiaojiao was very happy to see her father. She ran forward with her short legs, a little wobbly, and tiptoed to hand the two steamed buns in her hand to her father lying on the bed: "Daddy, eat."

Yin Zheng only took one, and Jiaojiao stuffed the other steamed bun into his hand, saying, "Daddy, eat it. Jiaojiao, eat it."

After a day, Jiaojiao spoke much more fluently.

Hearing him say that he had eaten, Yin Zheng reached out and touched Jiaojiao's belly. Seeing that it was indeed round and plump, he took another steamed bun.

After giving his father the steamed bun, Jiaojiao took out all the eggs in his pocket and gave them to his father. Then he ran to the end of the bed and tiptoed to look at his father's calf. It was obvious that he already knew that his father's leg was injured, but he didn't understand what being injured meant yet. He just opened his big black eyes and looked at his father's calf curiously, which looked a little strange.

Seeing that he was having difficulty reaching his head by standing on tiptoe, Yin Zheng waved for him to come over. After Jiaojiao came over, he reached out and carried him to the bed.

Jiaojiao, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, took off her shoes and swiftly crawled to her father's calf. She curiously stretched out her finger and touched it lightly, then turned her head to look at her father.

Yin Zheng looked at him without saying anything.

Jiaojiao tilted her head in confusion, poked at her father again, and seeing that he still didn't respond, she crawled to his side using all her hands and feet. She fell forward and leaned on her father's arm, pointing at his calf, looking up and mumbling incoherently.

Yin Zheng reached out and pinched his little mouth. He saw Jiaojiao looking at him with wide eyes in confusion, and a hint of smile appeared in his dark eyes.

Moonlight filtered in from the window. Jiaojiao, whose mouth was pinched by her father, saw her father laughing at her, and angrily rubbed her head against her father's arm. After that, Jiaojiao felt a little dizzy, so she stretched out her little hands to hold her head and shook it.

Yin Zheng reached out and smoothed down his frizzy hair, the smile in his eyes lingering for a long time.

The day after he was injured, Yin Zheng's fever subsided. He used the crutch that Li Daqiang had cut for him and took out the white flour that Wu had hidden and ate it.

After eating white flour steamed buns and steamed dumplings for a few days, he began to worry about the new rice that Wu had left for Yin Youcai to eat when he came back, and the eggs that she had saved to sell in town.

After all these troubles were done, he started killing the chickens in his house, almost killing a chicken every few days.

After several days, Xiao Wang, who had originally felt a little sympathetic to the third brother, was so heartbroken that she gritted her teeth. Fortunately, the third brother did not forget to leave some chicken for Youbai when he ate it. Youbai's complexion has improved a lot in the past few days.

Logically speaking, given Wu's personality, she would never let him kill the chickens at home at will, but she couldn't stop Yin Zheng from killing the chickens on her own.

Although Yin Zheng injured his leg, it was only his left leg that was injured. He was able to move freely with the crutches made by Li Daqiang, and he was only a little slower than before the injury.

Besides, he was a tall and strong man. Just standing there with a knife in hand and a gloomy face was enough to scare people so much that their legs went weak. How could they dare to say anything, let alone have the courage to stop him?

In just ten days, all the flour, new rice and eggs in the house were eaten up, and even four chickens were killed. Wu was so heartbroken that she was shaking, and the way she looked at Yin Zheng was no different from looking at an enemy.

She told this to the villagers and asked the village chief to stop Yin Zheng. Not only did the villagers not believe her, they also advised her to kill two more chickens for Yin Zheng to nourish him, so as not to make the child feel cold.

Wu, feeling furious, immediately spat and cursed. "Bah, Yin Zheng's tall and strong body still needs nourishment? Her family's Youcai is the one who needs nourishment!"

Thinking of the chickens that were eaten, Mrs. Wu was so heartbroken that she really hated this unfilial son.

Isn't it just because he didn't have the money to treat his leg that he had to make his family suffer like this? Besides, that's ten taels of silver. If he really gave it away, wouldn't she be heartbroken? And his leg was caused by falling down the mountain without paying attention. How can he blame them? It's really a waste of raising him for more than twenty years. He's worse than raising a dog.

Wu went back cursing and met Yin Youcai who had returned from the town.

Yin Youcai was wearing a long green gown. His skin, which had not been exposed to the scorching sun, was a bit whiter than that of the girls in the village.

He stood there holding a folding fan, waiting for Wu to jog over. He really had the bookish air of a scholar.

Wu ran forward, took Yin Youcai's hand, and looked him up and down, her tone full of heartache: "You've lost weight, why have you lost weight? Did you not eat well in the private school? Let's go home and let your mother make you some chicken soup to nourish you."

Yin Youcai pulled his hand out of Wu's rough, dark hand, held hers, and said with a smile, "No need. Mom and Dad have worked hard managing the family land. The chickens are kept to lay eggs for your health. Don't be reluctant to eat them, your son will feel bad. Besides, when I pass the imperial examination next year, I can take you to the town to enjoy a good life. Then you can have as many eggs as you want."

Wu was so coaxed by Yin Youcai's words that her eyes disappeared with laughter. She kept nodding in agreement and looked at Yin Youcai with a face full of satisfaction: "Your father and I will wait to enjoy your blessing in the future."

"Oh, by the way, why did you come back suddenly? Mother remembers that this is not the ten-day holiday." Mrs. Wu suddenly asked.

Yin Youcai's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he smiled and said, "Isn't this a farm leave? My son thought about the large amount of land at home and was worried that his parents would be tired, so he asked for leave to come back and help share the burden at home."

Wu frowned. "Don't try to fool me with those sweet words. I've always been able to tell when you're lying. Tell me, what happened?"

Yin Youcai hesitated for several seconds, moved his lips, and swallowed his words, nearly driving Wu to death. Finally, with a face full of shame, he said, "My family didn't send any money, so I can't pay the tuition. I thought my family was really poor, and I couldn't bear to let my parents work too hard, so I thought of finding a copying job in town. I hope to save up enough money and maybe I can pay the tuition."

"But the private school is pushing me hard, and I'm really incompetent. I've only earned three hundred coins in ten days. Seeing that I can't pay the tuition, and thinking about my parents who are tired at home, I decided to just give up this school and go back home to help them farm, so that they won't have to worry about me when they are old."

Yin Youcai took out the purse from his arms and placed it in Wu's hand, saying with a wry smile, "I'm an unfilial child. I really don't have any talent. But this is the first money I've earned. I'm giving it all to you, mother. I hope you won't be too angry."

Wu was so angry that she raised her hand to hit him, but when her hand fell, she changed from a hit to a pat, her tone was anxious and distressed: "What can I say to you? Just go to school and study hard. Your father and I are at home, so you don't need to worry about anything. I was so angry with Yin Zheng these days that I forgot to send you money."

Yin Youcai, who had been lowering his head, looked up with a look of worry on his face: "Why did Second Brother make you and Dad angry again? Mom, you and Dad are old, so don't get angry with Second Brother. lest he get sick from anger."

"Don't call him second brother. If he had been half as worry-free as you are, I wouldn't be so angry. Let's go home and I'll get you some money."

When she got home, Wu took out three taels of silver from her room and gave it to Yin Youcai, along with the three hundred coins he had previously given her. She said, "Mother doesn't want your money. As long as you study hard, that will make me happier than anything else."

Yin Youcai took the money and said some nice words to Wu, which made her very happy. She immediately turned around and took out another five hundred coins and put them into his purse.

After achieving his goal, Yin Youcai put the purse into his arms. He did not leave that day, but stayed at home for three days, acting like a filial son.

During these three days, he found that there had been great changes in his family. The biggest change was Yin Zheng, his good second brother. Not only did his left foot have to be amputated, but he also picked up a son and raised him under his name.

In reality, it was unclear whether Yin Zheng's foot would remain unaffected after a hundred days of recovery. However, Yin Zheng deliberately led the villagers to think in this way, and since villagers tend to exaggerate things, over time, everyone in the village believed that he would eventually become lame and unable to do heavy work. This belief was also shared by Yin Dazhu and his wife.

Yin Youcai, who had lived in the village for three days, was influenced and thought the same.

During these three days, he watched Yin Zheng consume the family's things as if in a retaliatory manner, and was really afraid that the family would be dragged down by him, so he came up with an idea.

He instigated Yin Dazhu and Wu to separate Yin Zheng.

The reason he used was simply that his second brother was lame and couldn't do heavy work anymore, so he must be blaming his parents. He'd heard that his second brother had killed two bandits while serving in the army, and he was worried that his second brother might harbor resentment and attack his parents one day.

Wu immediately said, "He dares! He is rebelling against heaven!"

Yin Youcai continued to persuade him patiently, the whole focus being that his second brother was useless and would be a burden in the future. He also had a son under his name and was obviously vengeful. If he continued like this, he would definitely drag the family down.

Of course, he couldn't say such words that would give people a chance to criticize him, so he just guided Yin Dazhu and Wu to think in this direction in a more tactful way.

Guided by Yin Youcai, Wu and Yin Dazhu thought about it all night, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt that this was true. Just when they were still hesitating, Yin Zheng killed the last chicken in the house. The two of them were so heartbroken that their hearts were trembling, and they slapped their thighs and decided to divide Yin Zheng.

If he continues to eat like this, there’s no need to wait, our family will go bankrupt within two months because of him!

I really took a leave~