Chapter 85: Pull Him Down
It really lived up to the saying that good men do not live long, but evil deeds last for a thousand years. All the members of the Helian family were alive, without a single casualty.
No one expected that when the wolves attacked, Xia Chengwen would snatch Xia Qingping from Wang's arms and throw him into the wolves.
As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Xia Chengwen is really worse than an animal.
Wang had completely gone mad, and she looked terrifyingly gloomy, just like the snake Sachiko hiding behind her.
In order to save her son, Yang lost an arm and was staggering. Fortunately, Xia Qingluo was by her side.
Ninety percent of the elderly and children in the team died, but my third uncle was still fine.
"Bury your relatives and those around you on the spot. We will be on our way soon."
Zhang San also felt sad. He could never bring back the brothers he brought with him, not even their corpses.
But he still had work to do, so he could only suppress his sadness in his heart.
"Sir, please let me carry my father away. I can't leave him here alone!"
"Master, please buy a coffin for my old mother. It's all because of me, her son, that she got into trouble..."
"My son, what will I do if you leave me?"
…
Zhang San took off the whip from his waist and swung it to the ground, saying sternly, "I'll give you a quarter of an hour to deal with it quickly. If you haven't buried them in a quarter of an hour, then we'll leave them exposed in the wilderness. Every one of you who's still alive and can vent your anger will get up and continue on your way!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and then they all took action.
A ragged old man tremblingly picked up his grandson's body, tears streaming down his face. He dug the hole with trembling hands, and each move seemed to use up all his strength.
Next to her, a woman knelt on the ground, holding her silent child tightly in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, she reluctantly placed the child in a simply dug pit, and scooped up a handful of yellow soil with both hands, as if she wanted to bury all her love and reluctance under the cold earth.
All around, cries and shouts intertwined, forming a picture of human tragedy.
The moonlight was like silver, shining coldly on the devastated earth, covering the sad scene with a veil of silence.
Under the moonlight, the team slowly set off and continued forward with heavy steps.
Everyone's face was filled with fatigue and sadness, but no one stopped.
Zhang San walked in front, holding the whip tightly in his hand, his eyes firm and cold, the moonlight outlined his resolute figure.
Occasionally, low sobs could be heard from the group, mixing with the night wind, making the atmosphere even more desolate. In the moonlight, their shadows stretched out long, as if telling a series of unspeakable sad stories.
The team walked for two hours before Zhang San asked the entire team to stop and rest.
At this time, it was late at night and everything was pitch black. Only sporadic torches flickered with faint light, barely illuminating the surroundings.
Everyone was sitting or lying down, exhausted. Some bowed their heads and remained silent, crying silently; others huddled together, looking for a little comfort.
In two hours it would be daybreak, and the Xia family members were resting in the horse carriage and the donkey cart.
The donkey and the horse came back on their own after the wolves were surrounded and killed.
The next day, the air pressure was very low as everyone was on their way. They hurried down along the Lijiang River and did not find the ferry crossing downstream until nightfall.
Zhang San looked at the boat that had already pulled up and landed, then turned to the others and said, "It's hard to travel at night. Let's find a fishing village on the shore to stay overnight and cross the river at daybreak tomorrow."
A fisherman returning from fishing looked at the long line and hesitated for a moment before approaching and asking, "Are you looking for a boat to cross the river? You're too late. All the boats stopped operating half an hour ago. If you want to cross the river, you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Only then will there be a boat."
"I see there are quite a lot of you. Have you found a place to stay? If not, you can stay in our village for one night. It's just that each person has to pay fifty coins, but dinner is included. You might consider it!"
Xia Chengsheng stepped forward and said, "Brother, is there an inn nearby where we can stay?"
If there was another place to stay, they wouldn't have to enter the village and disturb the villagers. There were so many people in the exile team that they were afraid of scaring the villagers if they entered the village.
The fisherman, holding his fishing lantern, looked a little embarrassed. "No, we don't allow inns in this area. If you want to stay, you can only stay in the nearby fishing village."
Xia Chengsheng understood the reason as soon as he thought about it. He thought that there were many people passing by who needed accommodation like them. If they could stay overnight at a fisherman's house, it would be an extra income.
If someone opens an inn here, that would mean they are stealing their business and cutting off their money, which is like killing their parents. That's definitely not allowed.
The fisherman watched them move, feeling a little uneasy. "Would you like to come with me to our village for help? Don't worry, the price we ask for is very fair. We won't charge exorbitant fees. To be honest, the fees charged by the other two villages are much higher than ours."
He had never solicited customers before, and he used to be dedicated to fishing.
With so many people, his family definitely cannot accommodate them all, and they have to share the space with other families in the village. The thought of it makes him excited. He can get 50 cents per person and take a commission of 10 cents. With so many people, he can't earn that much even if he works hard fishing all year round.
In fact, he didn't want to solicit business. Thinking of the situation at home, he had no choice. A penny can make a hero fall!
The Xia family must have wanted to find a place to have a good rest, but they couldn't find any other place to rest at the moment. They had women and children in their family, so they could only follow into the village.
"My family and I will go to the village with you to rest."
Xia Chengsheng looked at the other people in the team and said, "I can't make the decision about the other people in the team."
The Xia family was preparing to enter the village, so it was impossible for Zhang San and his brothers to enjoy the sea breeze by the river.
Besides, they are all injured now and need to find a place to rest.
It's only fifty cents per person, it's not like they can't come up with it. As for the other people in the team, he doesn't believe that they can't even come up with fifty cents.
If you really can't come up with the money, there are always cow sheds and pig pens in the village!
"We'll go too. As for the others, they'll go too. Those with money will stay with the villagers, and those without will just find a place for them to stay."
The fisherman was very happy to hear this. He was really capable of making such a deal.
In order to prevent the business from failing, he immediately announced: "We have a cowshed and pigpen in our village. If anyone wants to live there, it's free!"
The faces of the people in the team were just like the palette, sometimes blue, sometimes white, sometimes red, it was quite spectacular.
Due to the official authority of the officials, they dared not speak out and could only hold their breath.
If they dare to say one more word, they may not even have a place to stay even if they pay, and they may not even be able to sleep in a pigsty.
For dinner, they want to eat some hot food and feel like human beings!
You have to endure it, you can only endure it!
The exile team followed the fishermen into the village. The village was called Liuxi Village. Opposite Liuxi Village was Liudong Village, and the two villages were facing each other from a distance.
In addition to these two villages, there is also a Nanbei Village, which is a bit far away from them.
Occasionally, we also do some business to attract customers, but the main business is the boat business.
All the boats on the river belong to the Nanbei Village and the Beibei Village. If the other two villages want boats, they need to rent them from them.
At this moment, the moonlight shines on the river, making the waves sparkle. Wooden boats are quietly moored on the shore, like sleeping beasts.
The fisherman led the way with a fishing lantern in his hand, and Zhang San and the others followed behind.
The fisherman was afraid that the business he had worked so hard to attract would go to waste, so he spoke to them familiarly and introduced the situation here.
After he finished speaking, he sighed and said, "Before, our three villages were equally matched. Later, when the North and South villages became prosperous, they monopolized the entire boat business on the river. If our two villages wanted to use boats, we had to rent them from them, and sometimes we even had to beg them for money!"
"I heard they're planning to build an inn at the ferry recently."
The fisherman sighed again: "Oh, how are we going to live from now on? Once they build the inn, we won't even be able to attract business. People coming and going will have to stay at the inn, and the cost will definitely be much higher."
Xia Qingyu couldn't help but ask: "Is there no one taking care of them?"
If no one takes care of it, I don’t know whether the people in the other two villages can survive. Even if they can survive, they will definitely be oppressed and exploited by the people in the north and south villages.
The fisherman smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No one cares. The people in Nanbei Village have people above them, so we can only endure it!"
With more business coming in, the two villages have thought about opening an inn.
They want to open an inn, but now the people in Nanbei Village are unwilling to do so.
Xia Qingyu fell silent for a rare moment. In the past, as the third son of the Marquis of Changxin's Mansion, he would have been the first to jump out and fight for justice when encountering such injustice.
But now he is no longer the third son of the Marquis of Changxin Mansion, but just an exiled prisoner.
He understood the principle that if one is poor, one should take care of himself, but if one is rich, one should help the world.
The Xia family is now in a precarious situation, so how can they allow themselves to cause trouble again at this critical juncture?
It's not just this small fishing village that has been oppressed. There are many villages like Nanbei Village, or even worse ones, in the Xuanyuan Dynasty!
Only by solving the problem from the root can we put an end to the chaos. It is time to think about pulling Emperor Shunkang down from that position. After all, his virtue is not worthy of the position!
It’s not that the other members of the Xia family don’t feel pity for these fishermen, nor are they without compassion.
They all knew that allowing the North and South Villages to dominate was not a good thing, but they had no choice.
Jiujiu popped up again and said in his mind: "Xing'er, look at how pitiful these fishermen are. Don't you want them to live a better life and stop being oppressed?"
Xia Xing'er rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "They're pitiful. I want them to live a better life, but I'm just an exile now. You know what an exile is, right? What can I do?"
Jiujiuxixi said angrily: "Xing'er has forgotten what system I am. I am a rebel system. Rebellion system doesn't understand!"
Xia Xing'er paused. She had truly forgotten that the cheap system that was delivered to her door was a rebellion system, which wanted her to rebel.
The system heard Xia Xing'er's thoughts and said happily: "Xing'er, your thoughts are the same as Jiujiu's. Such a dynasty is better off gone. Why keep such a king around? Should he be deposed just before the New Year?"
"Xing'er, it would be even better if you could become the empress, but it's okay if you don't want to be one. Don't forget that you still have a father, three brothers, and three nephews. Any of them can be the emperor."
"They are your relatives. I believe they can manage a dynasty well and be a good emperor who works hard and loves his people!"
Xia Xing'er was shamefully persuaded by Jiujiu. After thinking about it carefully, she felt that this was not impossible.
"Jiujiu, look at your family, there are only eleven of you, and you are still prisoners. What can you use to rebel?"
For a long time...
"Xing'er is right!"
Xia Xing'er thought to herself, she has money and food, but she is short of people. This is not impossible, but she needs to think about it carefully!
Xia Qingyu didn't know that his little sister's idea coincided with his.
The fisherman knew that he couldn't offend the people of Nanbei Village, but he had been suppressing his emotions for too long, so he accidentally revealed too much. When he realized what was happening, he quickly kept silent!
"Our village, Liuxi Village, is right in front!"
The fisherman saw the dim light coming through the window of the house in front of him, and although he was exhausted, a happy smile appeared on his face.
But before he could get any closer, he heard his wife's angry voice coming from inside the house: "How dare you come to us and ask for money? Mother has been ill for so long, and when you came in, did you ever ask about her or go in to see her? You even stole the money I saved for her medical treatment and medicine. Are you still human?"
"Mom has been ill for so long, and you haven't even given me a penny, let alone a greeting. Wang Dana and his daughter died in the river, which is what they deserve. It's retribution. Stealing my chickens and ducks is fine, but you even stole the blessings I prayed for my children. I didn't even say hello twice for Mom's sake, and you dared to jump in front of me. I really gave you face!"
"Get out of here right now, or I'll beat you to death with a fire poker!"
"Don't even think about taking a single penny from us. Not to mention we don't have any right now, even if we leave and throw it away to feed the dogs, we won't give it to you heartless creatures!"
There was a crackling sound of things being smashed in the house. Wang Dachui, who had brought people back, ran into the house in no time, fearing that his wife would suffer.
He happened to run into his two nephews who were fleeing from the house in a panic. He was immediately furious: "What are you two bastards doing here? Aren't you angry enough about making your grandmother and aunt angry?"
When the two nephews saw Wang Dachui, they stepped forward and held his hands as if they had seen a savior.
"Uncle, uncle, we have no other choice, so we come here to ask you for help. My father and sister fell into the water while fishing, and now they are breathing in more than out."
"Second Uncle, you and my father are brothers, born of the same mother, we are blood relatives. You can't just ignore my father! Now you are the only one who can save my father."
The two of them looked listless and miserable, with red eyes and tears welling up in their eyes, but they tried hard to hold them back, as if once the tears broke, they would no longer be able to stop the sadness and despair in their hearts.
Their hands were tightly clasped together, their knuckles turning white from the force, and their eyes were full of pleading and helplessness, which made people feel pity.
Wang Dachui looked at his two nephews and was thinking about how to refuse.
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