Chapter 028 Instigation
She came from a world hundreds or even thousands of years later, and it would be unfair for her to use modern standards to measure the good and bad of Xu's father and mother.
The cognitive differences between different eras are like an insurmountable gap, and we will encounter it more often in the future, not just today.
Perhaps she will have to struggle with this cognitive difference all her life.
She sighed slightly, but her face didn't show any sadness. She simply said, "Since everyone despises the supplies I obtained in exchange for my marriage, and disdains my kindness, then I don't want to force it. It just so happens that this batch of supplies has been stolen. How you live in the future depends on your own ability. Here, the ointment is for you. It's my last token of my gratitude to the Xu family."
Xu Zhenying handed over the ointment.
There was still such a nonchalant expression on her face, and this time Aunt Mei didn't dare to reach out to take it.
Xu Zhenying smiled, but his tone was inexplicably oppressive, "I gave it to you, so take it. Remember to return it to the Fang family after you use it."
Xu Zhenying put down his things and left.
Grandmother sulked and said, "What is this girl talking about? What does it mean to rely on one's own ability? She makes it sound like she wants to split up with us. She's so stubborn, I don't know who she took after."
Xu Degui vaguely felt that something flew out of his palm, and felt that his authority as a father was challenged. He felt uneasy but refused to keep it.
Miao looked at her husband for a while, then at Xu Zhenying's back. She bit her teeth lightly, stamped her feet, and was about to chase after her, but was grabbed by Xu Degui. "Why are you chasing her? Let her run away. She's so unruly, most likely because you're too indulgent."
Miao's heart felt like it was being roasted on fire. She didn't want to displease her husband, but she also felt sorry for her daughter. "Master, how can you say that? Even if it's wrong for her to secretly trade her marriage for supplies, you used and ate those things. How can you turn against her and blame Ying'er? Besides, the Zheng family forced Ying'er to become a concubine, clearly intending to break off the engagement. Qingying's behavior at the time was inappropriate, but what else can we do? Are we going to argue with the Zheng family about right and wrong?"
Xu Degui was speechless for a moment, but he stiffened his neck and said, "As the saying goes, a son should not speak of his father's faults, and a minister should not expose the king's faults. Even if the elders did something wrong, she can't be so ruthless. The daughter of an ordinary family would feel ashamed and unable to raise her head after breaking off an engagement, but look at her, she has to show off in public. What will people outside think of our Xu family when they see her -"
Miao turned around and said angrily, "Who are these outsiders? Do you think we are still in Bianjing? Look around, they are all exiled criminals. How can they care about my family's affairs--"
"Spoiling a child is like killing him. How can you keep indulging and spoiling her? Look at how her temperament has changed in the past few days. She's always being picky and opinionated, and she's very opinionated. She just questioned my second brother like that. Where's the gentle and obedient look she used to be? If I don't discipline her strictly, won't she rebel?"
Xu Zhenying didn't care about the quarrel between Xu's father and Xu's mother, so he turned around and walked out.
The accommodation at night was a large bunk bed in the post station, which was specially prepared for exiled prisoners. The conditions can be imagined.
The dilapidated windows were dilapidated and crumbling from years of disrepair. The mattress had already turned yellow, and underneath lay only cracked mats. The bamboo surface was greasy, and countless people had slept on it. She could smell the odor from a distance, and even if she held her nose, she didn't want to go in.
More people started fires and gathered together, planning to spend the night outside in their clothes.
At night, the escorts did not guard the post strictly, so after removing the shackles, they went to the post station to eat.
The cost of being a fugitive in the Zhou Dynasty was very high. Under such a strict household registration management system, it was almost impossible to move without a household registration and one could only hide for the rest of his life.
Therefore, the escorts were not worried about anyone escaping.
Liu Jieshi walked into the house, followed closely by Huang Yazi. They stomped their feet, and the fire jumped.
Huang Yazi walked over quickly and squatted down near the fire. His teeth chattered with cold, and he cursed, "Damn it! It's only October, how can it be so cold? It's been getting colder every year, and more and more people are fleeing from the north to Bianjing. If this continues, the price of grain will go up again next year."
There was a pot of porridge and several sets of bowls and chopsticks on the wooden table in the room.
The ones who had just entered the room had obviously already eaten, so they went to the second floor to choose a room with better conditions.
The job of exile was arduous, with numerous dangers and challenges along the way, and one might even risk losing half their life. Therefore, only those from poor families dared to take on this job, and they had to be in good health, otherwise they wouldn't make it to the place of exile.
Fortunately, there were always prisoners who kept giving gifts and bribes along the way of exile. Although each trip took a long time, the rewards were also great, so many people were willing to take the risk.
Liu Laoshi moved a stool and sat down, scooped two spoonfuls of hot porridge, handed one bowl to Huang Yazi, and took the other bowl himself.
Huang Yazi took it and looked at it. The white rice porridge was watery and mixed with a few wild vegetable leaves. He cursed again: "It's so watery, are you feeding beggars?!"
Liu Laoshi smiled slightly, pressed Huang Yazi's shoulder, and narrowed his eyes. "Brother Huang, don't worry. I have something good."
He turned and walked outside. A cold wind blew in. Huang Yazi shouted, "Liu Laoshi, why don't you close the door..."
"Hey!" He stood up trembling and was about to close the door, but saw Liu Laoshi coming towards him with two bundles in his hands. Huang Yazi took a look and recognized that they were the Xu family's things.
It is said that a lean camel is bigger than a horse. The Xu family was exiled, and they must have taken good things with them.
Huang Yazi's eyes lit up with joy. "Oh, this is really good stuff. Bring it here so I can see if there is anything to eat."
Liu Laoshi threw it over, and Huang Yazi immediately opened the bundle. Seeing everything inside, including a few steamed buns, dried meat, and some pickled vegetables, he immediately took them out and wolfed them down with the bowl of porridge. As he chewed, he said, "These damn officials, even if they were exiled, they would have a better life than us. I should have whipped them a few more times earlier. I hate corrupt officials the most in my life."
Liu Laoshi was also chewing his dried meat fiercely, but he didn't respond to Huang Yazi's words. He just said, "Let's divide the Xu family's things later. I see there are a few boxes of medicine in there. They are all from Huichuntang. They must be expensive. Send them to Zhao Bantou."
"Oh." Huang Yazi narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said with a smile, "You are trying to drag all of us into this? Well, it would be a waste if such a good thing was given to the Xu family. It would be better for us to use it. It would be considered as getting rid of a pest for the people."
Liu Laoshi patted Huang Yazi's shoulder and chuckled. "Brother Huang, what you said makes sense. The Xu family is no good. I heard that these things were obtained by their daughter in exchange for her own marriage. In such a critical moment, who would dare to marry someone who has offended Uncle Zhu? It's only natural for them to break off the engagement, but the Xu family refused to give in and insisted on extorting hundreds of taels of silver from them. Don't you think they're taking advantage of the situation?"
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