Chapter 80: Visiting Relatives

Li Taohua was missing today, so even if they left Master Tang San to help at the stall, they were still in a mess.

The ingredients that usually sell out in two hours took three hours today.

"Second sister, why is there still braised meat here? Did you forget to take it out just now?" Tang Yixiao asked when he found some braised meat wrapped in oil paper while packing up.

"I left those things here on purpose," Qin Huiyin said. "I'll use these things and take them away later. By the way, Third Grandpa, please take me to the dam entrance."

"What are you doing at the dam?" Tang Yi asked with a smile, "It's full of men, it's a mess. I heard that Aunt Li from the village went to see her son, but was driven away without saying a word."

"You guys go to the teahouse and wait for me, listen to a book, drink some tea, and eat something. I'll be back soon." Qin Huiyin instructed.

"I'm not going." Tang Yi said with a smile, "The tea in the teahouse is expensive. The cheapest one costs dozens of coins. Not to mention the food there, which is even more uneconomical. Even if we make money now, we can't waste it on these unnecessary expenses. If you want to go to the dam mouth, we will accompany you. We will come back together to buy things later."

Tang Luwu nodded repeatedly.

Third Master Tang said, "Are you going to see the boy from the Song family?"

"Yes, he has no other relatives. Anyway, my mother was his stepmother, so I am also his sister. He is repairing dams at such a young age, and I want to see how he is doing."

When Tang Yixiao heard about going to see Song Ruize, he said sourly, "He is so strong that even the tigers in the mountains are afraid of him. What's so good about him?"

"You brat..." Third Master Tang blamed, "It's a good thing that your second sister is loyal and righteous, why are you pouring cold water on her?"

Tang Yi smiled and pursed his lips without saying anything.

Tang Luwu patted Tang Yixiao's shoulder and said, "His father is gone, he won't take mother and Yinyin away."

Tang Luwu understood Tang Yixiao's feelings best. They liked their current life very much and didn't want anyone to destroy the harmony of their family. After all, Song Ruize was Qin Huiyin's former stepbrother. The two had lived under the same roof for a year. Tang Yixiao was worried that Qin Huiyin would care about Song Ruize and no longer care about them.

The bullock cart arrived at the dam mouth.

Qin Huiyin walked towards the entrance holding some scattered copper coins.

"Who are you?" a yamen runner in official uniform asked ferociously.

"Brother, is Captain Feng here?" Qin Huiyin said with a smile, "Thanks to Brother Feng for taking care of us on weekdays, I want to thank him."

"Friend of Boss Feng? Okay, wait here for a while, I'll go ask him if he's here today." The yamen runner walked away, and came back not long after, saying, "You came at an unfortunate time, he just left not long ago. If you want to look for him, go to the yamen and try your luck."

Qin Huiyin took out five coins, put them into the hand of the yamen runner, and said, "Thank you for helping me make this trip. Brother, my brother is repairing a dam here, I wonder if I can see him by the way. If it's not convenient, forget it, there's nothing else, I just miss my brother."

Qin Huiyin's eyes were red, and she forced a bitter smile: "I know that big brother is also on duty. You have strict rules and will not cause trouble for you, big brother."

The yamen runner looked at her red eyes, aggrieved and wanting to cry but forcing herself to hold it back, and the tough guy also felt a little tender in his heart: "What's your brother's name?"

"My brother's name is Song Ruize."

The dam repair project was not small, and more than 3,000 people were called in. These 3,000 people ate, lived and worked together, and only the dam leaders in charge of each team could barely recognize the people under their command. The yamen runners occasionally changed shifts to maintain order, and unless they were the most troublesome people, they generally could not call out the names of the long-term workers.

"Song Ruize..." The guard was puzzled, "I think I've heard of it."

Under the mountains of rubble, strong men with bare upper bodies and covered in dust were carrying the stones.

Some people are responsible for breaking stones, some are responsible for carrying stones, some are responsible for digging the soil, some go up the mountain to chop wood, and some are responsible for carrying wood...

Jiang Qibin stopped, patted his shoulders, and said with a bitter face: "Brother Ze, don't keep working like a fool. The dam head is not always watching us. You should take a break if you need to."

Song Ruize said calmly: "Your leg hasn't healed yet. Even if you don't work, they won't do anything to you."

"If I stop for a day, I will lose ten cents. My family is still waiting for me to take money back. How can I dare to be lazy? Besides, I am smart. I am only responsible for putting stones into the basket and not moving around." Jiang Qibin said, "I have to pay off my debts after I get the money this month. I have to work. If I don't work, I will feel uncomfortable all over."

Song Ruize said nothing more.

Jiang Qibin looked at Song Tiegen who was not far away and said, "Your cousin is such a mean person. He speaks ill of you everywhere. Now everyone is avoiding you and deliberately distancing themselves from you."

"Your cousin only dares to trip you up and play dirty tricks, but you have offended Yang Baotou, and now all the hard work and dirty work have fallen on your head. Brother Ze, this can't go on! This dam will take several years to repair. If it continues like this, how are you going to live?"

Song Ruize did not respond.

Jiang Qibin had long given up expecting Song Ruize to respond. If he hadn't been the only one willing to carry him to the doctor when he was injured that day, and had argued with the doctor for him, Song Ruize's indifference would have put out his passionate heart long ago.

But fortunately, he saw the unknown side of Brother Ze and realized that although this person was thin-skinned, he was actually kinder than anyone else in his heart.

"Song Ruize, Batou is looking for you, come over here." Someone shouted loudly.

Jiang Qibin stopped what he was doing and said nervously, "Brother Ze, here we go again. I don't know how they're going to make things difficult for you this time. Brother Ze, just give in and say a few nice words."

Song Ruize put down what he was holding and went to Yangbaitou's tent.

People who passed by him looked gloating.

For the men who were repairing the dam, watching Song Ruize being harassed by Yang Baotou was one of their pleasures. Otherwise, it would be too boring to just work all day.

"Guess what Yang Baotou wants him to do next."

"The work he is doing now is the dirtiest, most tiring and hardest work. He has more tasks than others, and it's good enough that he can hold on until now with his small body. Even if Yang Baotou hates him, he dare not go too far. The county magistrate and the man from the capital often come to check on the progress. If the situation gets out of hand, it will be difficult for Yang Baotou to do his job."

"This kid is really inhuman. He has completed so much work. To be honest, sometimes I feel a chill down my spine when I look at him."

"Yesterday Li Su deliberately bumped into him, but he was like a rock and didn't move at all. Instead, Li Su fell out and hit his head, which cost him one or two taels of silver. This money was paid by the public treasury, and it will be deducted from his wages after he gets paid. Two hundred coins will be deducted every month, leaving him only one hundred coins for food, drink, and defecation."

“It’s really weird.”