Chapter 8: Poverty is due to the many ancestors

This era is too harsh on women's reputation, and even if she doesn't agree with it in her heart, she has to comply on the surface.

"Mom!" Li Yulan jumped up and down, "How could you do this! Are you still my mom?"

"Don't you know whether I am your mother or not? If you don't want to cook, then go to the fields with your elder and second brothers."

"Mom!" Li Yulan was extremely angry, but she had no choice but to slam the door to vent her dissatisfaction.

Wang also wanted to object, but she didn't dare to. She always felt that her mother-in-law was now silently crazy, and her sister-in-law was about to cook.

Forget it, as long as my mother-in-law doesn’t take her husband to hunt wolves, I’ll just cook.

The third wife had no objection, so naturally Mrs. Du would have no objection either. In the past, it was the mother and daughter who cooked, and they would be scolded if they didn't cook well.

Boss Li had some opinions. How could the work in the fields be finished if the third brother didn't go?

"Whether you have any opinions or not, keep them to yourself. As long as I'm alive, I have the final say in this family. If you don't want to listen, I'll agree to his decision and let him go. This year, we'll send three or four males to labor for the corvée, and we'll consider it a benefit to the people."

Wang: He is crazy indeed!

The others also kept silent.

The matter was settled. Qin Fangci didn't care about any other little thoughts of the other rooms for the time being. She gulped down the clear soup and porridge, feeling even more irritable.

I only have a few coins in my hand, and I feel so anxious because I have no money.

This family is poor but has many ancestors.

It was dawn and people were still there.

Qin Fangci let out a breath and stood up quickly.

"Big Egg and Second Egg are now in your care. If you don't obey, just act like your uncle. Don't be afraid, I'll take care of you."

Qin Fangci didn't make many arrangements for Dadan and Erdan yesterday because she wanted to hand them over to Li Baisong. To integrate into this family, one needs to get along with others. In this era, especially if one wants to take the imperial examination, one cannot leave the family.

Li Baisong nodded heavily, feeling nervous but also eager to try. "I know, mother. The road over there in Shuang'an Mountain is not easy to travel. You should be careful too."

Following her mother-in-law's instructions, Wang got up early in the morning and baked a few pancakes, stuffing some vegetables into the pancakes to serve as a base.

Most people here only have two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Qin Fangci and the other two were out and couldn't make it in time for the morning meal, so they ate early. The others had to wait until breakfast as usual to eat.

Qin Fangci and Daya each carried a basket on their backs, and the third child carried a large backpack with a pickaxe, a sickle, and a small basket covered with flowered cloth. It was impossible to see what was inside.

Qin Fangci thought that the trip should not be in vain, so she dug up all the medicinal herbs she knew. If she couldn't find any, she would go to the bamboo forest to look for bamboo shoots. Spring bamboo shoots have already sprouted in the past few days. She could dig them up, blanch them, and soak them to make a dish. She could also dry them and eat them in winter.

The three people, Li Lao Da, Li Lao Er and Yuan Shi working in the fields, followed reluctantly behind. After leaving the main road, Qin Fangci stood at the intersection and watched them with a cold brow as they turned into another small road and walked into the fields with heavy steps. From their hunched and slow posture, one would have thought they had already served ten days or half a month of corvee labor.

Li Lao Da is a lazy guy. He goes to the toilet three times in the morning when working in the fields with Li Lao San. The original body caught him before, but he didn't blame him too much because the work in the fields had already been done by others.

Over time, it became a tacit agreement. Before Li Lao Da started working, he would complain of a stomachache and ask to rest at home for a while. Qin Fang would scold him and urge Li Lao San to go to the fields earlier and work more.

Li Laosan is really capable. Even with this kind of job, he can still find time to help out at his mother-in-law's house.

Li Lao Er went out every day, sometimes bringing back a few dozen coins, sometimes even a little food, which was enough for him to eat that day. The original owner had conceded that he didn't have to work in the fields. When Yuan Shi came into the family, she gave birth to two big, fat boys, feeling like she was a great contributor to the Li family. The original owner also praised her. Over time, the situation became one person working in the second branch, while three people were the head of the family.

Yuan complained every day that her mother-in-law was partial to her. It was true that she was partial. She couldn't even treat everyone equally. Sooner or later, this family would fall apart.

After going around a small hill, you will reach the entrance of Shuang'an Mountain. As the name suggests, Shuang'an Mountain consists of two mountains connected together, like a saddle.

There is a cliff on the side of Shuang'an Mountain close to the village. Below the cliff is a low stone hill with not very tall vegetation. Therefore, there are no large wild beasts in this area. Most wild beasts are active on the other side of Shuang'an Mountain, and the roars of wild beasts can occasionally be heard in the village.

There are also mountains beyond Shuang'an Mountain. I heard that the country of Canglang is on the other side of the mountains. The people there can train wolves since they are born. They are a very powerful race, but they were defeated by Da Qi in the past.

"Mom, there are stones everywhere here and not many people come here. What are we doing here?" Li Laosan was puzzled. Did his mother want to dig some stones back so that people in the village could come here to get some when they needed stones?

Is this where my uncle was injured? Daya was puzzled and looked around quietly, trying to find any bloodstains on the ground. She thought her grandmother was going to take her to sell it for money. Daya let out a breath and stood by in even more silence.

"Mom, I can break the stones. I should go borrow a sledgehammer first." Li Laosan felt relieved. He was afraid of beating wolves.

"Let's not throw stones today. Let's go up a little bit. Be careful where you step."

"Mom? What are we going to do?" Li Laosan's heart began to lift again. They didn't come here to play with rocks. Could they really be here to hunt wolves? But wolves wouldn't come here. They had to go around the other side and enter Shuang'an Mountain.

"Just leave when I tell you to. Why ask so many questions? You'll understand when you get there."

"Oh, I see." Li Laosan shut up obediently. Forget it, I'll just do whatever my mother says.

The three of them walked up slowly, Li Laosan sometimes supporting Qin Fangci, sometimes pulling Daya. Daya was careful with her steps and actually saw a few bloodstains, so this was indeed the place where her uncle had been yesterday.

What is my uncle doing here? Daya looked up at Qin Fangci. Could it be that grandma is trying to call back my uncle's soul? They didn't seem to have brought any incense, candles, or paper money.

Finally reaching the junction of the stone mountain and the cliff, Qin Fangci could finally see the three Dendrobium plants more clearly.

The one at the bottom should be just within the reach of Li Laosan with his height, and Daya can also sit on Li Laosan's shoulders on the one at the top. The one at the top is too high, so the three of them have to stack up or Daya have to step on Li Laosan's shoulders.

Forget it, it’s pretty good to get two plants. When she walked up, she saw a lot of ferns. After picking these two Dendrobium plants, it would be nice to take some ferns back.

"Third brother, put down the backpack and give me the small basket inside."

Dendrobium was found by the original Li Xiaowu. For these herbs, the child fell and had blood all over his head, and even lost his life. She couldn't build a tombstone for him, nor could she worship and sweep the grave from time to time. She could only burn incense and paper for them, hoping that they could live well no matter where they went.