Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Uncle and Aunt, please stop fighting. Please."

Ji Yuan said as he ran outside, but he just reached the door and started crying.

The skinny eight-year-old child cried so hard that it was heartbreaking. Neighbor Amber couldn't help but say, "Why did the child do something wrong? Why do you want to beat him like this?"

"Yeah, isn't Ji Yuan usually very obedient?"

Some people who knew the inside story curled their lips. This was not the first time for the Ji family couple to do this.

Seeing the neighbors coming over, Uncle Ji looked grim and grabbed Ji Yuan by the collar and dragged him into the yard.

With just a ripping sound, the clothes that I had worn for several years were completely torn.

Ji Yuan had not expected this to happen. He tilted his head forward, exposing his entire back. The scars on the eight-year-old boy's back surprised his neighbor Amber.

Not only did he see it, but An Bo's wife exclaimed, "Why are there so many injuries?"

"What are you looking at? You are just a kid, how can you not get into some bumps and bruises?" Aunt Ji ran out with an empty bowl in her hand. "You greedy thing, you ate all the biscuits in the family, and you won't get beaten if it's in your house."

An Bo's wife was a quick-witted person, and she said directly: "You can't be beaten like this, with new and old injuries. Did your Ji Li also get beaten like this?"

After saying this, Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji were choked.

After this incident, the whole Anji Village knew that the only son left by the eldest brother of the Ji family was bullied by his younger brother, and his back was covered with scars.

Then I thought about how Ji Yuan was usually taciturn and the most obedient.

Every day when you see him, he is either herding cattle or cutting grass. On the contrary, his cousin Ji Li, who is four years older than him, goes to school every day.

Alas, being a child without parents is miserable.

As more and more people came to watch the fun, Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji had no choice but to give up and put down the branches in their hands angrily.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan didn't go back and just stared at them.

Other neighbors also advised: "Forget it, Yuan brother, your uncle and aunt had a hard time raising you, more people and more food, you should just apologize and go back."

Ji Yuan is not a child after all, and he knows that today’s situation has become enough.

Because no matter what, in the eyes of others, the third uncle and third aunt of the Ji family are indeed raising little Ji Yuan.

But these people didn't know that the real Xiao Jiyuan was already dead, dying of hunger and cold just as spring was about to come.

Ji Yuan touched his bloated belly and thought, "I will be able to eat more in the future."

For now, this is all he can do on the day Xiao Jiyuan died.

From now on, not only will you have enough to eat, but you won’t be beaten either.

Ji Yuan's eyes were filled with tears as he thanked his neighbors, which made the villagers feel indescribable.

Finally, he went to An Bo and An Bo Niang who spoke for him, and Ji Yuan said, "Thank you, An Bo and An Bo Niang. I'm going home first."

The two shook their heads slightly. Looking at the child's torn clothes, An Bo's mother thought of the usual behavior of the two people in the Ji family and said, "Let me mend your clothes."

Ji Yuan did not refuse. These were the clothes left by Ji Yuan's mother and the only clothes he had now that could cover his body. He could not just throw them away.

When he returned to the Ji family again, Ji Yuan was directly locked up in the woodshed by the angry Uncle Ji.

He didn't dare to fight again, for fear of attracting the chief of Anji Village.

The usually dull and dazed jinx actually started shouting. How unlucky.

Ji Yuan was optimistic and thought, fortunately, I don’t have to cook dinner today.

Ji Yuan, who was locked in the woodshed, once again felt the chill of late winter and early spring.

Little Epoch Times endured this day after day until he could no longer endure it.

Ji Yuan calmed down and thought about what to do next based on what he knew.

The dynasty he belonged to was similar to the Song and Ming dynasties.

But the country was unheard of, it was called Tianqi, and its reign title was Huayuan.

It is now the twentieth day of the first lunar month in the thirty-first year of Huayuan.

I am an orphan from Tianqi Kingdom, Jianmeng Mansion, Zhengrong County, and Anji Village.

Anji Village, as the name suggests, contains two surnames, An and Ji.

Most members of the An family have a big surname, and the village chief also has the surname An.

Ji is a small surname, accounting for one-third of the population, and it usually has a say.

The folk customs here are relatively simple and honest. In recent years, the spirit of learning has been very strong. Families with some financial resources will send their children to school for a few years, hoping that they can become a scholar and relieve the burden on their families.

Anji Village is no exception. Their village has a private school, which is called a private school.

It was set up by Mr. Zhao, a 53-year-old scholar.

Ji Yuan's cousin Ji Li was studying here, and this was also the place Ji Yuan accidentally visited while herding cattle today.

Jiyuan's third uncle and aunt's home is indeed quite good in Anji Village.

The family has some land and the house has been built nicely in recent years.

The other students in the private school were similar.

The ones with the best conditions are probably the three sons of a wealthy family in the village and the grandson of the village chief.

As Xiao Jiyuan remembers, he was originally going to be sent to a private school, but his family suffered a misfortune and he eventually died of hunger and cold next to a calf.

Thinking of this, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh, but it also seemed that Ji Yuan saw a way out.

read.

In his time, everyone read.

If you don't complete nine years of compulsory education, you will be laughed at as a "leak fish".

In today's dynasty, reading is definitely a good idea.

Not to mention anything else, even if I study for a few years and go to the county town to work as an accountant, it would be better than staying here all the time.

If he could really pass the imperial examination, he wouldn't stay here forever.

Ji Yuan looked at his little hands covered with frostbite.

In order to avoid suffering and to fulfill Xiao Jiyuan’s last wish.

He will work hard to learn the cultural knowledge here.

When I am older and the time is right, I will leave here.

He is gone from his previous life.

I think his grandparents who loved him have passed away, and his parents divorced long ago, so no one will be sad about this.

It’s a pity that I don’t know whether the bonus I earned by working overtime will be paid out. I hope the leader can be a little more humane and buy him a nice urn?

Ji Yuan has always been optimistic and is in the mood to joke about his past life.

As for this life, he will live a good life as well.

It's not yet dawn.

Ji Yuan got up according to Xiao Ji Yuan's habit.

Fetch water and cook.

Ji Yuan has the physical inertia of Xiao Ji Yuan, so he can do it.

When my third uncle and his cousin got up, they felt relieved to see that Ji Yuan, who had gone crazy yesterday, was the same as before. Just as they were about to mock him, they saw four sets of bowls and chopsticks on the dining table.

"What do you mean by this?!" Auntie San said sternly, "How can a jinx like you be worthy enough to sit with my family?!"

After finishing the meal, Ji Yuan wiped his hands, sat down at his seat, and said casually: "If you curse again, the star of misfortune will befall you."

Ji Yuan ate very quickly. He had things to do today and couldn't waste any time. He didn't even have time to find trouble with the family of three.

After dinner, Ji Yuan went to the cowshed and led the calf out. He had to feed the calf quickly before he could do what he wanted to do.

The home of An Mingpeng, a wealthy family in Anji Village.

To be called a wealthy family means that they have more land and all the family members have to work.

However, his family is large, with more than 30 people who have not divided up. They also raise two cows, two donkeys, five pigs, and countless chickens, ducks and geese.

I heard that when spring comes, new livestock will be brought in.

The calf that the Ji family bought was born from his cow. Although it needs to be weaned at around six months, it needs to be done gradually and the baby still needs to be brought in for milk every day.

Start with three meals a day and gradually reduce it until the calf's teeth are almost grown, then you can stop feeding it completely.

When Ji Yuan was a child in the countryside, he raised cattle with his grandparents, so he knew a little about it.

The one who opened the door for Ji Yuan in the morning was the eldest daughter-in-law of the An family. She usually took care of the livestock, was kind-hearted, and loved the hustle and bustle. "Brother Yuan, why are you here so early today? By the way, did your third aunt beat you yesterday?"

The eldest daughter-in-law of the An family had not originally planned to get a reply from Yuan Ge'er.

This child is always silent.

Unexpectedly, I heard Ji Yuan say, "The beating yesterday was not severe."

After that, Ji Yuan said again: "Madam An, can I come so early every day in the future?"

Ji Yuan mentioned two more times.

He would come on time three times a day, morning, noon and evening, to feed the calf.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the An family agreed without thinking. Anyway, she was in charge of the animals' eating, drinking, defecation and urination every day, so she could do it at any time. However, she began to think about what Yuan Ge'er had said earlier: "The beating yesterday was not severe, but how severe was it before?"

After she finished speaking, the child lowered his head as if what she said hit the mark, and thanked her earnestly: "I'll go feed Xiao Huang."

The eldest daughter-in-law of the An family clicked her tongue a few times, and when she saw the second sister-in-law preparing to go to the river to wash clothes, she pulled her over to gossip, lowering her voice: "The Ji family not only beat Yuan Ge'er left by the eldest brother of the Ji family yesterday, but also beat him before, and beat him severely."

When the half-full calf Xiao Huang Jiyuan was led out of the An family, everyone coming in and out of the An family couldn't help but look at him.

Poor thing.

It's miserable to lose parents.

Facing such gazes, the eight-year-old Ji Yuan seemed to know nothing. He took Xiao Huang and continued to herd cattle. During this time, he had to pick up some firewood, otherwise he would be scolded.

Ji Yuan picked and chose, finally chose a suitable branch, holding a bag of river sand, and finally squatted under yesterday's window when the class at Mr. Zhao's private school started.

Ji Yuan pricked up his ears and listened to Master Zhao's lecture.

It seems that because the homework assigned before the New Year was not known to these students, they had to be explained again.

"You don't know Thousand Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames, Three Character Classic, how can you go to the county school?" Master Zhao's voice was old-fashioned and stern. You could tell he was a strict teacher. "I'll give you three more days. If you still can't recite the Thousand Character Classic, each of you will be slapped ten times on the hand."

Ji Yuan sighed. The private school was full of children and teenagers ranging from five to thirteen years old, and they really couldn't sit still.

But I don’t even know the Thousand Character Classic, so my progress is really slow.

If I remember correctly, the articles Master Zhao mentioned all belong to elementary education, which is what children need to learn for their enlightenment.

It's okay for children aged five to eight, but his cousin Ji Li is thirteen and still can't recite it. Isn't this a bit exaggerated? If I remember correctly, this is his third year in school, right?

But for Ji Yuan, it wasn't much better. If it was about memorizing, there shouldn't be any problem, it could be considered a review for him.

But writing is different. Not to mention the difference in the font, he can't even write with a brush, and is certainly not as good as a child.

Forget it. Given his current environment, it’s good enough for him to memorize it first. The more he can learn, the better.

Mr. Zhao was leading the reading, and he followed silently in his heart. He placed the handful of sand on the ground as flatly as possible, wrote a line of words and then erased it, trying hard to remember how to write traditional Chinese characters.

However, this window is somewhat soundproof. When Master Zhao was leading the reading on the left, he could still hear it, but when he was walking on the right, it was not so clear.

While the yellow dog was eating grass nearby, Ji Yuan was sitting on the ground reciting and writing down the words seriously. Occasionally, if he couldn't hear clearly, he would stand up and listen.

The morning passed quickly.

When Ji Yuan heard Master Zhao say the word "get out of class is over", he quickly kicked up the sand and left before the students finished school. He wanted to take Xiao Huang to feed him for the second time.

When Master Zhao came out, he happened to see Ji Yuan's back and frowned subconsciously.