One hundred and forty-seven
In winter, it gets dark quickly, and it is dark, damp and cold at night, so the duty hours of the government officials are also shortened.
Yu Ying also knew Fu Wei's duty hours. Even though he was busy paying taxes recently, he rarely stayed in the yamen.
After Fu Zhen, who was on duty at the yamen today, came back, he heard that Fu Wei had left his post earlier.
As Fu Wei had not returned for a long time, Yu Ying suddenly remembered the incident of hiring a killer to break his leg. She couldn't help but feel worried. She picked up a lantern and went to the alley with Fu An.
When I reached the alley entrance, I saw a small dot slowly approaching from the darkness. Only when it got closer could I make out a human figure.
Yu Ying's intuition told her that it was Fu Wei.
She waited at the entrance of the alley. After a while, the figure became clearer and she was sure it was Fu Wei, so she hurried forward.
Only when I approached did I notice that Fu Wei was holding a box.
"Why are you here?" Fu Wei glanced at Fu An, and finally his gaze fell on Yu Ying.
Fu An quickly responded, "My uncle hasn't come back yet so late, and my aunt is worried, so she came out to wait for him."
A smile appeared on Fu Wei's lips, and his voice was clear: "Let's go back."
After returning home, Fu Wei told Luo that he had already had dinner and there was no need to prepare anything else.
Yu Ying put down the oil lamp and went back to the house with him. She turned around and was about to take the box from his hand, but he laughed and said, "You can't hold it."
Yu Ying glanced at the eye box curiously and muttered, "Could it be filled with stones?"
Fu Wei smiled without saying anything, put the box on the table, took out the key and handed it to her: "Open it and take a look."
Yu Ying took the key and walked to the box with doubts in her mind.
Before unlocking the box, she still tried to move it out of disbelief, but the box, which was only the size of a stone pillow, was so heavy that she couldn't even lift it. It was so sinking.
How come it was so easy to hold Fu Wei in my arms just now?
As if seeing her confusion, Fu Wei smiled and said, "I grew up in the army. Although I am not as strong as you, my elder brother, I am still much stronger than an ordinary person."
Fu Wei was elegant and graceful, with a noble temperament. If he hadn't mentioned it, Yu Ying would have almost forgotten that he was not an ordinary scholar, but grew up riding on horseback, holding a longbow and spear.
After thinking about it carefully, although he looked gentle and refined, she knew best that beneath his robe, his arm muscles were strong and powerful, and his waist and abdominal muscles were tight and firm, and felt hard to the touch.
I didn't realize I was thinking in the wrong direction and my ears turned a little red.
He suppressed his dirty thoughts, opened the box, and was stunned when he saw the golden gold.
There was no sudden surprise, just a daze. After a while, she closed the box and turned to look at Fu Wei, opened her mouth, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Fu Wei looked at her and said, "Where did this come from?"
Yu Ying nodded repeatedly.
Fu Wei smiled: "Mo Lang sent it."
"Why did he...give you so much gold?" Didn't he give you dozens of taels of silver before? Why is he giving you gold now? And it's so generous. This box of gold must weigh dozens of kilograms, right?
Fu Wei told her the truth about his conspiracy with Mo Lang to plot against the bully Liu.
Hearing his words, Yu Ying became a little worried: "If Prefect Shen finds out that the bully's money wasn't embezzled by the county magistrate, and combined with the bully's confession, I'm afraid he will really think that it was the bandits from Mu Yunshan who robbed it."
Fu Wei put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Don't worry. Even if we're discovered, Mu Yunshan will take it himself. It won't affect us at all. I only took 30% of the deal and got this box of gold. They got 70%. You can imagine how much wealth they have."
At the end of his words, Fu Wei said in a calm and calm tone, "You can imagine how much they took. It's a sure win."
Yu Ying glanced at the box. Although the bully had done many unjust things, it could still be considered stolen.
Yu Ying, who has done a lot of good deeds since childhood, received "stolen money" for the first time. She felt subtly conflicted, but that was all.
She looked at Fu Wei and asked, "What are you going to do with this money?"
Fu Wei said: "I'll follow your arrangements."
Yu Ying looked at the box thoughtfully, then stepped forward and opened it again. She took out eight gold bars and placed them on the table. She said, "These are for self-defense and to find a place to store food. The rest were exchanged for food."
Eight gold bars, one hundred and twenty-eight taels of gold, one thousand two hundred and eighty taels of silver, plus what she usually saved, so far there are more than seven hundred taels, and there will be income in the future, which is enough for them to use in troubled times for the time being.
"But if we collect grain on a large scale, it might attract attention." Yu Ying frowned slightly, looking a little worried.
Previously, the grain collected was scattered and small. If we collect □□ 1,000 taels of grain, it might really attract attention. Moreover, the quantity is large, and we need an official seal to go to other places.
Fu Wei pondered for a while and said, "I'll take care of this matter."
Yu Ying looked at him, and Fu Wei explained, "Besides Ming Cong, I also have some close connections. Perhaps I could ask them for help."
Since Fu Wei said so, Yu Ying left the matter to him, and she only needed to find a place to store the food.
Taxes have to be paid in the last few days of the year, and the grain supply will be reduced for a period of time, so we have to catch up.
After hiding the gold, Yu Ying asked him, "What's the current situation in Xin County, and what's the situation with the Yu family?"
Fu Wei sat at the table, took a sip of tea, and replied, "I don't know the situation of the Yu family yet, but I heard some things from Mo Lang about the situation in Xin County. Liu Fushen was captured by the county magistrate. The Xin County magistrate was already furious because Liu Fushen escaped, and when he learned from him that all his money had been robbed, he was even more furious. He wanted to execute Liu Fushen directly, so that he would be dead and could escape without any evidence. But when he was about to make his move, the people of Prefect Shen arrived."
"Liu Fushen seemed to think that the Xinxian County Magistrate was ruthless, so he became disloyal and accused the Xinxian County Magistrate of robbing him of all his wealth and even killing him. He refused to admit that he had raped a woman and killed someone."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying sneered, "When dogs bite each other, they end up with a mouth full of fur."
These two people colluded with each other and then plotted to murder each other, which is just a dog-eat-dog fight.
Fu Wei smiled and continued, "I guess Mr. Chen will come to tell us about the Yu family's affairs tomorrow. Liu Fushen has been arrested, so there's no need to worry."
Yu Ying shook her head: "I'm not worried about this, but I'm always a little anxious, as if something is going to happen."
Fu Wei hugged her, turned around and kissed her forehead, and said slowly: "I will discuss everything with you, don't worry too much."
*
Fu Wei was right. On the morning of the next day, Chen Langjun came back, but he did not go to look for Fu Wei. Instead, he waited in the teahouse for Yu Ying to see him.
Yu Ying finished seeing one patient and it was the next one's turn to come in. When she looked up and saw that the person who came in was Chen Langjun, she asked Fu An to go out and see how many other patients were there.
After Fu An left, Chen Langjun said, "The Yu family's matter has been resolved. I will return to report."
Yu Ying thanked him, "Thank you so much, Mr. Chen."
Mr. Chen shook his head: "Doctor Yu, there's no need to thank me."
Yu Ying hesitated for a moment, but still asked about the Yu family's situation.
"There's nothing wrong, but Doctor Yu's mother seems to be quite ill."
Hearing this, Yu Ying's expression involuntarily became more serious.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Chen and examining two patients, Yu Ying returned to the clinic, packed some precious medicinal herbs for nourishing the body, and wrote two short letters.
One letter was to Li.
One letter was to Yu Dalang, asking about Li's illness and what medicinal herbs were still needed. He told her in the letter and she would have someone send them when the time came.
He went out and sold some furs to keep Li warm, and bought some soft cotton cloth to make clothes for the unborn baby.
After everything was packed up, he sent someone to send it to Shidi Village in Xin County.
Yu Ying did everything that Yu Liuniang should have done, and even did better than Yu Liuniang.
She did it for no other reason than to have a clear conscience.
Because of Yu Banniang's affairs, the correspondence with the Yu family became more frequent.
The Yu family received more gifts from Yu Ying.
At the end of the year, the Yu family received New Year's goods sent by Yu Ying again.
Yu Dalang's wife, Song, was nursing her ten-day-old son. When she heard her sister-in-law bring her more gifts, she couldn't help but sigh to her husband, "Everyone in exile has a hard life. But thanks to Sixth Sister's help, our family is getting better and better every day."
Yu Dalang, who was chopping herbs, nodded: "Yes, Sixth Sister has really grown up."
Hearing this, Song asked, "By the way, Dalang, who did you learn Sixth Sister's skills from? Could it be that mother or father left her some medical book?"
Yu Dalang shook his head. "It's good enough that we can take some money with us. How could we possibly hide the medical books? I asked my mother, but she told me not to ask any more questions. She seemed to know something about the situation. She was serious, as if she was involved. Perhaps someone else helped the Fu family, but she was afraid that spreading rumors would incriminate others, so she kept her mouth shut."
At this point, he seemed to have guessed something and said, "Sixth Sister's abilities aren't very great. It doesn't seem like she discovered the epidemic. Perhaps she found out through some other means, or perhaps because she was once the daughter of an imperial physician, speaking out would make people more convinced, so someone used her to tell the truth. Who knows."
Song nodded and replied, "You have a point, but why doesn't Sixth Sister come back to see Mother?"
Yu Dalang pondered for a moment before saying, "We are criminals. She has finally gained the favor of the higher-ups. It is not a good thing for her to have close contact with us. It is better for her not to come."
Song thought about her family's current status and sighed.
"But having said that, she often sends gifts to me through others. This kind of thoughtfulness is something that many girls who marry out of town cannot match."
Yu Dalang nodded and smiled, then continued to cut the herbs.
Since Sixth Sister was helping him, he couldn't just show his appreciation. He had to get some more herbs and wait for her to send a letter, and then have them deliver it to her clinic.
As long as the clinic is open, there will always be a need for medicinal materials.
Not only did they send the medicinal materials, they also wrote down all the medical books passed down by their ancestors and sent them over.
In the past, my family always said that these medical skills were passed down to sons and not daughters.
If my daughter marries into another family and teaches them the skills that support our family, how will we make a living?
But given their family's current situation, what difference does it make whether it's passed down to a boy or a girl?
Liu Niang's surname is also Yu. She is famous all over the world, and the Yu family also benefits from her.
He didn't believe that the Yu family would stay in this place forever. With the same status, the Yu family would definitely turn things around one day!
*
On New Year's Eve, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law went to buy groceries. There was little festive atmosphere on the streets, with only a few children playing and having fun.
No need to guess, it's all because of this tax.
Those who planted medicinal herbs last year had a surplus after selling them and paying taxes, but those who had no means of making a living were forced to perform labor service.
The stay would last for half a year. If the family still could not pay the taxes after half a year, the stay would be extended.
In this case, how can we have a happy New Year?
There are too many poor people, and Yu Ying can't help them. She can only turn a blind eye and pass by.
After returning home with his sister-in-law, Fu Wei was about to put up couplets, while Fu Zhen helped Luo Shi slaughter a chicken, and the two children took some food to feed the kitten.
Less than half a month ago, two yellow and white orange kittens, barely a month old, lay sickly nestled in a pile of debris in the alley. Their mother had disappeared. They were discovered by some children playing around. Knowing that Fu Ning's family had an aunt with remarkable medical skills, they held the kittens and waited at the entrance of the alley for Yu Ying to return.
Fu Anfu Ning was afraid that the kitten would not survive, so he would get up two or three times every night to check on it.
The children also came to see the kitten early in the morning.
Half a month passed, and the two little kittens grew stronger and stronger.
After Yu Ying petted the kitten, she went to post couplets with Fu Wei.
Yu Ying doesn’t care whether other families have the New Year atmosphere or not, but she cherishes this New Year festival especially.
First, she was not at the Fu family during the New Year's Day last year, but now that she is here, they will have a lively time.
The second reason is that this may be the most stable and peaceful New Year in the next few years.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Yu Ying and Fu Wei went to pay New Year's greetings to the county magistrate, and it happened that Qian's staff and his family were there too.
The county government has a seven-day New Year holiday, but someone still needs to take turns on duty. It is more humane to take a compensatory day off after the shift.
Even during the New Year holidays, the men could not put aside their work. The magistrate, Fu Wei and his staff member Qian went to the study to discuss matters.
Women and children were drinking tea and chatting in the front yard.
Somehow the conversation turned to children. Mrs. Qian, Qian Muliao's wife, who had originally targeted Yu Ying, was not as aggressive as before, but she was much quieter with her mouth.
She glanced at Yu Ying's belly and asked meaningfully, "Madam Yu and Mr. Fu have been married for almost two years, why don't they want a child?"
In this era, if a woman hasn't gotten pregnant after three months of marriage, no one knows what others will say, let alone Yu Ying and Fu Wei who have been married for almost two years.
When others asked her about it, Yu Ying just smiled and said, "Let things take their course."
Yu Ying responded with the same words: "Let nature take its course. The baby will come when it comes."
Madam Qian blurted out, "How can this be left to nature? I haven't gotten pregnant in the past two years. Madam Yu, you're a doctor yourself, don't you find it strange?"
If this were said by someone you weren't particularly familiar with, it would be quite offensive. The magistrate's wife coughed lightly and interrupted, "Madam Yu has a clinic to run and she has to see patients every month. How can she see patients if she has a child?"
"But this woman's job is to take care of her husband and children. She can just leave the important tasks to the men. Why should she expose herself to the public and suffer?"
Yu Ying was about to speak when the county magistrate's wife spoke first: "I don't like to hear that. Madam Yu is a skilled doctor and has saved countless lives. How can you say that it's not as important as being a good wife and mother? We don't have the saying that women shouldn't be seen in public here. As long as they have the ability, whether they are men or women, becoming famous is naturally a matter of honor for the family. Do you have to be a good wife and mother to be considered a woman?"
After being confronted by the magistrate's wife, Madam Qian dared not argue anymore.
Because of these words, Yu Ying felt a little more respect for the county magistrate's wife and replied with a smile, "My husband and I have discussed it and decided to wait a year or two before having a child."
After saying this, he looked at Madam Qian and said, "As for the fact that I haven't gotten pregnant in the past two years, I understand pharmacology and have used other methods to avoid pregnancy. Madam Qian, you don't have to worry about me."
The two of them were arguing with her at the same time. Madam Qian didn't want to bother herself anymore and could only smile awkwardly: "I am too nosy. Madam Yu, please don't take it to heart."
Yu Ying smiled but said nothing.
As they were chatting, a servant suddenly came in hurriedly from the moon gate and went straight to the magistrate's wife.
Yifu stood behind him and asked, "Madam, do you know where the master is?"
The magistrate's wife stood up and saw that he looked serious and hurried. She frowned slightly and asked, "What happened?"
The servant responded: "Someone from our family is here."
The magistrate's wife was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, composed herself, and replied, "The master is in the study."
Yu Ying, who was standing nearby, frowned slightly when she heard the words "someone from our family".
The Zhou family's main home is in Yuzhang, thousands of miles away.
The Zhou family is a large and powerful family in Yuzhang, holding a large number of troops. County Magistrate Zhou is an unpopular illegitimate son of the Zhou family.
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