237 Good News from Heaven
When Da Qiangzi entered the yard, he found that almost all the family members were there, except the three of them.
Mrs. Hu came forward, and Da Qiangzi noticed that her eyes were a little red. He didn't say anything and parked the mule cart.
"Grandfather, grandmother, father, and second uncle are all at home."
He Zishu forced a smile and said, "We are discussing something. We will have dinner in half an hour. Daqiangzi, why are you back today?"
"Uncle, I came back specially for something. Is there anything wrong at home?"
He Zilin was a little dejected. "The yamen runners came again today. Our villages will have to sign up in three days, one household per person. I said I wanted to go, but your second uncle insisted on going. You just got married and don't have any children yet. You're halfway through your medical studies, but your family doesn't want you to go."
Li started sobbing.
He Zishu patted her shoulder and said, "Why are you crying? I can do accounting. Maybe I will be assigned to logistics accounting. There will definitely be a shortage of people in this field in a military camp with so many people."
He Zilin sighed, "Second brother, no matter what, I should go. I am the boss of this family."
Da Qiangzi quietly took out three pieces of paper with seals on them and said, "Stop arguing. Look at what these are."
He Zishu came closer, took it and looked at it: "Da Qiangzi, where did this come from?"
Da Qiangzi laughed, "My uncle asked someone to send it here specially. Ping An spent a lot of effort to ask the eldest master to get it. There are five places in total, one for Wan Qing's family, one for my family, and two for the great grandfather and the third grandfather's family. The remaining one is given to the Wanjia Village chief to thank him for protecting Ping An and my uncle last time."
Old Man He asked hurriedly, "Old Second, what is that?"
He Zishu was overjoyed: "Ping An got us a place, and Chang Sheng asked someone to deliver it to Da Qiangzi. We don't have to serve in the army, and we don't have to go to our uncle's and third uncle's houses."
"Ah?" The whole family was delighted.
Just now he was so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe, but now he was told that he didn't have to go to die anymore. The sudden joy made everyone unable to believe it. Those who could read and those who couldn't read, one by one, squeezed the papers, and then let Da Qiangzi read Changsheng's letter.
It is impossible for someone to bring such an important thing without sending a message back.
Da Qiangzi read the letter word by word: "My uncle means that we can't tell you about this for now. If we can't hide it anymore, we can say that Ping An, Er Qiang and the doctor from Baicaotang went to the border, and some of the quotas belong to the eldest son."
The family members nodded repeatedly.
How could Ping'an and Erqiang go there? They are still children. The capital city is thousands of miles away. Who could know?
The He family didn't know that they were right.
Old Man He said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, hurry up and have dinner. After dinner, send the food to Patriarch Wan and tell him clearly that it is Ping An and Chang Sheng who are thanking him for protecting them."
The He brothers nodded.
Wanjia Village.
The Wan clan leader's family was equally miserable. Two brothers were vying to go, and several of their newly-adult grandchildren were also vying to go.
This broke Patriarch Wan's heart into pieces.
The He brothers came to their house at night and asked them to stop arguing.
"It's Ping An's eldest and second uncles. What's going on so late at night?"
He Zilin smiled and said, "We brothers are here to give you a surprise."
Patriarch Wan was puzzled: "Why the surprise?"
He Zilin took out a piece of paper and said, "My family's Ping An and his father asked us to send this quota to express their gratitude to you for protecting them. With this quota, your family will not have to serve in the military."
The Wan family was shocked. Is there such a good thing?
Village Chief Wan took the paper and found it was stamped with the government seal: "Dad, second brother, it is real. It is stamped with the government seal."
He Zishu said, "The people under the eldest son of Baicaotang went to the border and got a few places. You'd better not say that Changsheng and Ping'an got them for you. I don't care how you explain it."
Patriarch Wan has calmed down: "Ping'an's uncle, don't worry, we will definitely not make things difficult for you. The people in my family don't have any skills, and they will probably die if they go to the battlefield. Ping'an and Changsheng saved the lives of my family. This great favor can only be repaid in the future."
"After the things were delivered, my brother and I went back. My parents were waiting for us at home. My father urged us to deliver them quickly, saying that your family must be in trouble as well."
"Isn't it? Alas, I didn't expect the war to come so soon. The last conscription was many years ago, and many people in our village died that time. Let's not talk about this anymore. You can go back now. Thank you very much."
…
At the same time, Wan Changgeng's home.
The father and his sons were also talking in a low voice.
"Dad, I will go back to the county with Brother Daqiang tomorrow morning. You must keep this quota well and give it directly to the recruiter when the time comes. If you don't dare, ask the clan leader or village chief to take you there. Don't tell anyone who asks you."
Wan Changgeng nodded, "I know, this concerns the lives of my father and me, so I must not tell anyone. My injuries still prevent me from doing any serious work, and I would have been worried if I had let you go. Now that your lives are saved, you brothers must be aware of the kindness your uncle and Ping An have shown us."
Wan Qing, Wan Xiang and Wan Xi all nodded.
If it wasn't for Ping An, Dad's leg would have been broken long ago. If the county magistrate hadn't been considering the eldest son, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to get the money back from the Xu family.
Ping An paid for the medical expenses himself without charging a penny. After deducting the fifteen taels, plus the ten taels that his second uncle brought later, the family had almost fifty taels left, and they didn't have to build a house. If it hadn't been for the severe drought and the subsequent war, their family would have been able to get by.
Unfortunately, there are not many medicinal herbs on the mountain now. We can only grow more vegetables in places with water sources. These days, anything that can fill our stomachs is good.
The food stored at home can last for two years if we save it a little. It is stored in several places. Now the whole family lives in the old house. In times like these, it is still safer to live in the village.
Wan Changgeng hid the paper and felt relieved. At this time, his daughter came to call them for dinner.
Dinner was porridge as usual, but with the steamed buns that Wan Qing brought back. The family chatted and laughed with the side dishes.
No one mentioned Xu again.
One month after leaving the Wan family, Xu quickly got married. What good would it be for a woman with four children to get married again?
Wan Changgeng felt a little bitter in his heart.
Divorcing Xu was because she had gone too far. She did not care about her husband's life or death. Instead, she took all the money in the family and returned to her parents' home. Even so, he was not prepared to stop his sons from supporting her in the future. After all, the child was hers. But she was eager to get married again, so there was no need for his sons to raise her.
The moon is crescent. In Hejia Village, Wanjia Village, and countless villages and towns in the Great Zhou Dynasty, millions of people have turned gray due to worry about military service and war.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
