In the back hall of the Anping County government office, County Magistrate Lin finished his government affairs in the front hall and came to the third hall. He saw his nephew carrying the untouched food and retreating from the west wing, so he asked, "Is Ning still angry?"
Lin County Magistrate was born in a humble family. He was a typical farmer who became an official after passing the imperial examination. Now it has only been four years since he passed the imperial examination. His family is very poor and he cannot afford to buy slaves or use them. So he brought two half-grown children from relatives to help with work. This way, he could save money on buying slaves and help and promote relatives. It was the best of both worlds. Many families do this nowadays.
The ones who were stopped and molested by the county lieutenant's youngest son last night were County Magistrate Lin's only brother Lin Ning and his cousin Lin Zaoer.
Last night, the two brothers came back crying to complain, and County Magistrate Lin was furious and sent runners to arrest the county lieutenant's youngest son. But before they arrived at the yamen, the county lieutenant came to apologize, bowed and gave gifts, and even held his youngest son's head down to kowtow towards Ning's room to apologize, and slapped his own son hard in front of County Magistrate Lin.
The warrior struck hard, and the slap was so solid that within half a cup of tea, the boy's face was swollen like a pig's head, and was about two fingers high.
Even so, County Magistrate Lin knew that he was just avoiding the main issue and doing it for his own benefit. But they all worked in the same government office, and they would see each other every day. The rank of the county lieutenant was not much lower than that of the county magistrate. In addition, he had only been in office for a year, and his foundation was not as deep as that of County Magistrate Zhou. After calming down, he felt that it was not good to make things too awkward, so he could only let County Magistrate Zhou take the man back with a cold face.
Ning Ge'er was a little upset because of this. He didn't come out to eat at noon and didn't touch the pastries that were brought into the room.
Zao Ge'er shook his head slightly when he heard this. He grew up under the care of County Magistrate Lin, and had been playing well with Lin Ning since childhood. Although his uncle has become a high-ranking official, he is not afraid of him and still treats him as a family member. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "I think Ning Ge'er is not angry, but has other things on his mind."
"Oh?" County Magistrate Lin frowned and looked at the west wing for a while, then sighed helplessly. As a father, he could guess about 60% of what Ning Ge'er was worried about.
Lin Ning leaned against the window, staring outside in a daze.
Unlike other officials who either bought a house and sold it later or rented a yard to live in for a few years when they took office, their family was not poor, but they could not just buy a house.
There was a residence for the county magistrate in the county government, which was in the back hall. Others would just stay overnight when they were busy with official duties, but this family lived there as a whole.
Therefore, there was nothing good to see outside the window. There was only a very narrow corridor, and at the exit of the corridor there was a pomegranate tree. It was just spring, and tender green buds were blooming on the branches that had been bare for a whole winter. Occasionally, birds would stand on the branches and peck at each other's feathers.
When Lin Ning was born, his father was still a scholar who had failed the imperial examinations many times. He had some respect in the village, but as he failed the imperial examinations again and again, his respect gradually disappeared. The most popular time was during the Chinese New Year, when many people would bring red paper to his house and ask his father to write a couplet for free. The generous ones would stuff a bag full of peanuts into his pocket.
He was just an ordinary country boy, running around the village and the mountains with his friends every day, wild and unruly. His father and mother loved him very much and never restricted him.
He ran like crazy until he was eight or nine years old, when his father suddenly became smart. He passed every exam, including the examinations of Tongsheng, Xiucai, Juren... and was ranked at the top. When he was twelve years old, his father passed the imperial examination and was appointed an official. The family moved away from the small mountain village where they were born and raised. He first served as a county magistrate elsewhere for three years, and was transferred to Anping County after his term was completed.
Even if he was poor, being an official was better than living in the village. Ning Ge'er could eat fine rice and wear silk. The back hall of the county government, which was small and simple in the eyes of other county officials, was a good brick and tile house made of real materials for them! However, after only two years of happiness, troubles came.
This worry was hidden behind the honey at first: after his father became an official, many wealthy families wanted to make friends and become relatives. One of them proposed marriage to the younger brother of Lin County Magistrate, Lin Ning's uncle.
Lin County Magistrate's parents had passed away, and he only had this brother, who was still young and at the right age to get married. Seeing that the family was indeed wealthy and the young man was handsome, his uncle took a peek behind the screen and liked him, and the two families became relatives.
However, this happy event was the beginning of his uncle's tragic life.
Like Lin Ning, his uncle was also a farmer born and raised in the village. His parents died early and he was doted on by his brother and sister-in-law. He ran around the village and the mountains all day long like Lin Ning. The rich businessman wanted to marry the identity of Lin County Magistrate's brother, not him as a person. Even his favorite handsome husband disliked him.
But isn't that how marriages are these days? Especially for the rich and powerful. Marriage is not about love, it's about the union of two families, about the in-law relationship between the Lin family and the rich merchant. It can even be said that the boy and girl were married to another family on behalf of their father and brother, as a vehicle and tool to maintain the relationship between the two families.
But Lin Ning's uncle couldn't accept it. Firstly, the village was different from the rich and powerful. The poor families had only one husband and one wife. Reproduction was the most important thing, and the relationship between the two families was put aside. Secondly, County Magistrate Lin and her husband were childhood sweethearts, and they loved each other very much. Lin Ning's uncle saw the daily life of his brother and sister-in-law, and his expectations for marriage were the same.
But she didn't expect that after marrying the man she loved, her life would be so miserable.
If it were another family, since they were to form a friendly alliance between two families, they would naturally persuade their younger brothers to be obedient, generous, and decent, and to fulfill their duties as a legitimate ruler. The wealthy family also showed a lot of respect to the Lin family. The interests of the men in collusion between officials and businessmen were huge, so how could they turn against each other for a brother's inner house affairs?
But County Magistrate Lin loved his younger brother very much. He chose the rich merchant not because he expected the rich merchant to give him a lot of money. Although he did go for the money, he hoped that his younger brother could live a rich and comfortable life in the second half of his life.
After two years of hardship, they finally ended up in a divorce. Lin Ning's uncle took the child back to her mother's home and lived next door to Lin Ning.
Now, Lin Ning has reached the age of marriage and has encountered the same dilemma as his uncle.
Many people wanted to marry him, but few of them really liked him. They despised his vulgarity, laughed at his rough skin, wheat complexion, and rural air, but at the same time they were afraid of and envied the power in the hands of County Magistrate Lin, and they wanted to become relatives with him so that they could also get a share of the power.
The family of Zhou County Magistrate was the most prominent among them.
Last night, the Zhou family kid blocked him in the alley. Shen Qing stood on the second floor and watched, thinking that he was a playboy who coveted beauty. In fact, only Lin Ning and Lin Zaoer knew that the Zhou family kid laughed and stepped forward to untie his clothes, but what he said was: "You look like this, not even as good as my second-class maid. If you didn't have a good father, do you think I would be willing? You should be content. After all, your father has a higher official position than my father, and he works in the same place, so he won't treat you unfairly. Otherwise, if you marry into someone else's family, how will your fate be different from that of your uncle?"
"A guy, showing his face all day and wandering around the county, how can a young man like this? I feel wronged, if my father hadn't forced me to marry you... We both don't want to, after the marriage we can stop bothering each other, just treat it as an alliance, isn't it?"
Lin Ning thought that the boy from the Zhou family was slapped several times in front of him by his father. Maybe it was not an act, but because his father was very angry after knowing that the boy from the Zhou family spoke so honestly in front of him.
But in a sense, what the Zhou family boy said was not wrong. His marriage was neither good nor bad, as if it was destined not to have a happy ending.
Lin Ning recalled the moment when he was most helpless, when he kicked the boy from the Zhou family and dragged him out of the alley.
He had seen Shen Qing more than once, so even though Shen Qing was covering her face tightly, and the cloth covering her face fell off a little while she was running, he recognized her immediately.
Shen Qing is quite famous on the street. Not only the shops remember this generous young man, but also the girls and boys in this city, who would not secretly take a few more glances at Shen Qing when they saw him. In the past, Lin Ning did not understand her uncle and thought he was stupid. How could she fall in love with him after just one or two glances through the screen? They had never even spoken to each other, let alone know what kind of person he was!
But after secretly looking at Shen Qing a few times, he began to understand a little.
But he also knew that Shen Qing was very rich because he often walked on the street. So would he also despise them, or even hate them, like his former uncle?
The door knocked twice, and Lin Ning went to open the door in a gloomy mood. Standing outside was his father, County Magistrate Lin, holding a bowl of egg noodles. A small bowl of thin noodles in red soup, with two big poached eggs on top, sprinkled with emerald green onions.
County Magistrate Lin put the noodles on the table and said, "Ning, you're still not happy? Daddy cooked your favorite egg noodles and put two eggs in it. Eat them while they're hot, or they'll clump together and you won't be able to eat. I heard there's a new snack shop in the city, and the food is so delicious that many people have traveled across the city to buy it. I've also asked Zao to buy some back. You can have a bite first, and we'll eat the fresh food tonight!"
Lin Ning thought his father was very cunning! Children born in poor families, even if their families are now rich, many habits are difficult to change. In Lin Ning's case, it is a waste of food! He can skip snacks and meals. Anyway, the food is there, it won't go bad in the cold weather, and it can be heated up at night.
But noodles are different. If they are clumpy, they will not taste good!
Lin Ning was very depressed. Although he had no appetite, he still took the bowl and slowly ate it with a small dish of pickles beside him. Seeing that he was willing to eat, County Magistrate Lin was relieved and said gently: "It's my fault. Ning'er has been wronged. But many things in the officialdom require patience. It's not that I don't want to help you vent your anger, but we have to take it slowly."
Lin Ning was silent for a moment, swallowed the noodles in his mouth, and then whispered: "I know my father's difficulties. I am not angry because of this matter."
He was not angry with Magistrate Lin. To be more precise, although he was angry, he had no one to be angry at. What made him uncomfortable was the situation, his predicament, beating up the Zhou family kid, and still having others look at him like that, coveting him and despising him at the same time.
County Magistrate Lin was also silent. After a long while, he said, "Dad has discussed it with your mother. If it really doesn't work out, we'll pick a promising boy from our village and have him marry into our family. We're all from the same village and know each other well, so no one can look down on anyone. Dad will take care of him and teach him well. He can either pass the imperial examination or start a small business. With Dad's protection, his life will be better than when he was in our village."
He glanced at Lin Ning, feeling a little embarrassed to say this to his brother: "Do you have any favorite boy in the village? If you like one, Dad doesn't have to choose."
The image of Shen Qing flashed through Lin Ning's mind. He pinched the corner of his clothes, and before he could decide whether to tell his father about this, he heard Zao'er's excited voice coming from far away: "Ning'er! Ning'er! Good news! Great news!"
He pushed the door open and suddenly saw County Magistrate Lin sitting in the room. The smile on his face froze instantly.
County Magistrate Lin was puzzled. Zao Ge'er had never been afraid of him, but now he looked like he had done something bad and felt guilty. He frowned and said, "What good news? I asked you to buy food, did you buy it?"
Zao Ge'er put his hands holding the basket behind his back. It was empty. He had just walked out the back door and turned back. How could he have had time to buy anything? "Nothing... Nothing..."
Under the death stare of County Magistrate Lin, Zao Ge'er's psychological defenses finally collapsed: "Woo woo, I say! I just went out the back door and saw the young man who saved us yesterday. It seems that he is going to move to the small courtyard opposite us..."
County Magistrate Lin frowned and asked, "So how can this be considered good news?"
Lin Ning and Lin Zaoer were both silent.
County Magistrate Lin looked at his nephew, then at his brother, and stood up slowly: "I'll go outside and take a look."
Shen Qing went to see the house that he didn't get to see last night with the Gold Tooth Man today.
In fact, as long as there is nothing outrageous about this house, Shen Qing would probably buy it. Firstly, he had too many things from the small commodity wholesale market and urgently needed some empty houses to store things and make room. Secondly, before Xie Miyun came to "serve" him, Shen Qing had thought about finding a place for the Xie brothers and sisters.
The house in North City is now used for business, and Xiaomiao and Tieshan occasionally live there, so it is not very convenient for people to come and go. This house is at the back door of the government office, so it is definitely safer than North City.
Now Shen Qing wants to move Jie Miyun over even more!
This house is located in the prime location of the county town, which is incomparable to the suburbs at the city gate. It is a bit exaggerated to say that every inch of land is worth a lot of money, but it does make sense. This house is extremely "exquisite", from the house to the yard, everything is small and exquisite.
But it was very elegant, and every blade of grass and every tree looked carefully tended. Unlike the house in the north of the city, where Mudan and her friends had cleared away the dead grass and flowers and even planted some vegetables.
Shen Qing looked around and felt quite satisfied, so he asked the Gold Tooth Man to invite the owner of the house over for a talk and bargained a little - Shen Qing didn't lack the money, but if he didn't bargain he would seem a bit stupid and he had to be careful not to be taken advantage of.
The landlord was easy to talk to. He wanted to sell a house in such a good location, so he must have some urgent business and needed the money. He agreed to lower the price. Shen Qing didn't try to argue, so he just agreed. They walked out together and went to the government office to sign the deed.
The landlord's face was full of joy: "This is a painful thing to do. I will host Brother Jin and Young Master Shen for a drink later. Don't refuse!"
Speaking of eating and drinking, Shen Qing thought of last night, smiled and waved his hand and said, "Eating is fine, but drinking is fine. I drank too much last night, and I'm still not feeling well right now."
The man with the gold tooth laughed out loud: "I saw you drinking like that last night, and I thought you were a big drinker!"
Shen Qing thought, he can drink, but he can't stand what happens after drinking. As he was talking, Shen Qing's eyes suddenly swept to a man on the street, staring at them.
The man was wearing a half-new and half-worn casual outfit, and oddly, he was wearing an apron. Could he be a cook from somewhere?
Seeing Shen Qing looking back, the man didn't feel embarrassed at all for being caught. He nodded at Shen Qing, turned around and entered the back door of the government office.
Shen Qing:?
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