Chapter 181 Seek kindness and get kindness
He began to harbor resentment.
Why do I have to be so tired every day?
Turning his head, he saw his two brothers doing even more tiring work than he was. Not only did they have to work on the farm during the busy season, but they also had to go to town to find odd jobs during the off-season.
He had done those jobs.
They either built houses for the rich people in town or did manual labor at the docks.
They can choose to work in the fields when the sun is not too strong, but they don't have that freedom when working for other people. No matter how hot it is outside, they can't rest unless the owner or the person in charge tells them to.
He worked under the scorching sun for two days and then suffered heatstroke and died.
From then on, his family never dared to let him go out to work again.
However, as a result, he couldn't earn money, and his status at home plummeted.
Although his family didn't say anything, he could keenly sense their disappointment in him.
Moreover, later on, all his brothers got married, but his marriage remained unsuccessful because he hadn't saved enough money to get married.
That's right, all of them saved up for their wives' dowries themselves.
Although their parents would fill out forms for them, they would only give each person five taels of silver, and the rest they had to save up themselves.
Although his elder brother only studied and did not earn money in previous years, spending most of the family's savings, he later became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) and then a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination).
Although he didn't make it into the top three, he officially left his commoner status and became a gentleman with official rank.
The scholar returned to the county town, married the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and also secured the position of county magistrate, earning five taels of silver every month.
My older brother has made something of himself.
He doesn't need his father-in-law's support; he gives his family two taels of silver every month for living expenses.
With this money, the Li family lived a more respectable life.
Moreover, the eldest brother and sister-in-law are both filial people. They would come back to visit their parents every ten days or half a month, and each time they would bring back a lot of good things. Such actions drew praise and envy from the villagers.
In contrast, Li Qingmiao, who lacked talent and was unable to do heavy work, finally managed to scrape together enough betrothal gifts and marry a wife, but his wife was not Cuihua.
Cuihua looked down on him because he lacked talent and official rank.
His wife is a shrew.
The tigress preferred a refined gentleman like her elder brother, and looked down on Li Qingmiao, her own brother's husband, who was in no way as good as her elder brother. She only married him because of Li's elder brother's reputation.
Li Qingmiao always maintained a clear head. He knew that he was once the most talented young man in the entire Dasheng Empire, and he also knew that even when he was old, he could still attract the attention of countless young women and wives with his talent.
He wanted to recite poems in the way he remembered to prove that he was no less capable than his older brother, but he couldn't recall the poems that he used to recite so easily.
He successfully lost everyone's attention, even his wife ignored him.
All eyes were on the eldest brother.
This was clearly his wish, but he wasn't happy about it.
He missed the spotlight he had when he was the center of attention, the gaze of others, and their expectations.
Most importantly, I miss the days when I didn't have to work.
Whenever he complains that life is too tiring, the people around him will say, "Who hasn't gone through this?"
They even accused him of being pretentious, because in reality, his life was already better than that of most people in this era.
At least he never went hungry. Although his family didn't have meat at every meal, they at least ate fragrant white flour pancakes, steamed buns, and rice.
Meanwhile, other families either ate black flour paste or ate bran and drank wild vegetable soup.
Li Qingmiao wanted to say that he didn't have to live this kind of life originally, and everything his elder brother owned should have been his!
But no one believed him. Even his parents looked at him as if he were a fool, their eyes filled with disappointment.
His mother looked at him intently and said something profound: "Everyone should pay the price for their choices."
And so, Li Qingmiao grew old in a life of mediocrity.
His children were very filial, but the family was not wealthy enough. So when he fell seriously ill, his family could not afford to treat him. He could only watch helplessly as his body grew weaker day by day, and eventually died in agony.
Before closing his eyes, a strong thought came to his mind.
If I had been recognized as a talented person by the teacher in the school, would everything have been different?
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
Suddenly, Li Qingmiao felt his consciousness, which had been shrouded in darkness, regain its light. He opened his eyes and saw Yu Zhiyi's smiling eyes.
And the relatives around him whom he had messed up.
Li Qingmiao breathed in the fresh air deeply, feeling incredibly grateful that it was all just a dream.
However, before he could completely relax, he heard Yu Zhiyi say, "You have fifteen lives on your hands, so you will be reincarnated in the animal realm for fifteen lifetimes, and then be reborn into an ordinary farming family. Don't you particularly hate the expectant looks from others? Heaven has granted your wish, so in this life, you can be mediocre and live a life of mediocrity."
She smiled brightly: "Congratulations, your wish has come true."
Li Qingmiao's eyes widened in horror: "No! I don't want to be mediocre! I don't want to live a life of mediocrity!"
The person who had been so arrogant, practically floating on air, suddenly knelt down: "My lord! No, my fairy! Please, don't be so cruel to me! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!"
When the wronged spirits of the Li family saw Li Qingmiao in this state, they suddenly felt completely relieved.
The resentment around them quickly dissipated, and they returned to their living state.
Although the Li family lived in the countryside, they were all respectable people, dressed cleanly and neatly, and their hair was always combed very neatly.
At this moment, their clean faces were full of peace, and they bowed to Yu Zhiyi in unison: "Thank you, Daoist Master!"
Yu Zhiyi silently recited the Rebirth Mantra: "Go and be reborn."
So everyone in the courtyard saw the mysterious, ancient door that had appeared out of nowhere, and felt a bone-chilling cold.
Fortunately, the seven members of the Li family quickly disappeared through the door, and the door closed swiftly.
Li Qingmiao was taken away.
Even without the poisoning certificate from the Wei family couple, Li Qingmiao would have died without a doubt.
However, Yu Zhiyi never overlooked any of the evil deeds of villains, let alone such a heinous act as murder.
Soon, not only was the evidence of the Wei couple's poisoning found, but also all the evidence of Li Zhangshi's parents being murdered by Li Qingmiao and Li Zhangshi's legs being maliciously broken was also found.
Seven days later, Li Qingmiao was beheaded at Caishikou because of the irrefutable evidence, her heinous crimes, and her egregious influence.
This time, he had no chance of escaping, because Yu Zhiyi had placed a spell on him, preventing him from moving except when he was eating, drinking, or relieving himself.
Each time he could move around, he only had less than fifteen minutes.
In such a short time, even if he manages to escape, he can't get very far.
Yu Zhiyi did not stay to wait for the execution. After organizing all the evidence, she took it back to the capital.
At that time, only one day had passed since she left the capital, and only three days had passed since she returned from Caonan Village.
As soon as he returned to his residence, he was informed that Du Ziheng had returned to the capital.
However, he neither returned to his residence nor reported to the Ministry of Personnel.
Yu Zhiyi wasn't surprised and smiled meaningfully: "It's nothing, it's only human nature."
It's time to make a clean break.
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