Chapter 53 Preparing to Build a House
Unless it's something done purely for money, and involves egregious methods like deception, imprisonment, beatings, or drugging, the government will generally support the elders rather than the younger generation who are used as pawns to be pushed into a pit of fire for personal gain.
The problem is, how many of those who actually suffer such cruel treatment manage to escape and seek justice from the authorities?
Not to mention the vast majority of officials, yamen runners, and village heads in this world, who are completely ignorant of the law.
They themselves are still confused and living by old customs, so what can the people expect from them?
In their view, it's perfectly normal for elders to beat and scold younger generations, arrange their marriages, or sell them to brokers or wealthy families as slaves or maids... They've long been used to it.
For example, Xie Wanniang and the people in Mingfu Village were all ignorant of the law, equally confused and only vaguely aware of it. Otherwise, Xiao Yang wouldn't have been bought by Xie Wanniang.
It's important to know that the law also punishes buyers.
“Those who know of the sale of slaves or servants by means of bribery, coercion, or collusion, or who buy slaves or servants by means of bribery or coercion, shall each have their crime reduced by one degree. Those who know of the sale of their grandparents or parents by means of their children or grandchildren shall each have their crime increased by one degree.”
This means that those who knowingly purchase people as servants or slaves despite knowing that others have robbed, abducted, or conspired to sell them, will be punished one degree less severely than those who sell people.
Those who knowingly purchase children or grandchildren from grandparents or parents will be punished one degree more severely than the sellers.
If Xie Wanniang had read the laws of this dynasty, she certainly wouldn't have bought Xiaoyang directly from the Liu family for the sake of her own life.
Unfortunately, she is currently in a state of confusion, and her methods of doing things are all based on a state of ignorance stemming from past experiences.
Even more confused than her, Wang Xiaozhi had no idea that the magistrate had used the law to silence the family; she thought the family had been intimidated by the magistrate's authority.
The family dared not argue with the county magistrate, nor did they dare to risk offending their neighbors and even the vast majority of families in the surrounding area after their own scheme failed. They also dared not sue other families in the county who sold their children to brokers or wealthy households, or who used marriage as a pretext to exchange their daughters for money.
Helpless, they could only sheepishly return the sixteen taels of betrothal money given by the old widower, and then spend their days at home cursing the girl who had hidden in the nunnery.
Wang Xiaozhi told Xie Wanniang, "That girl is really pitiful. She works day and night in the embroidery workshop, and her eyes are ruined. I heard from the aunties and grandmas who live nearby that the girl can only barely recognize them when they are face to face with her."
Even in her current state, her heartless relatives still insist on leeching off her, which is infuriating.
Xie Wanniang sighed upon hearing this. She thought to herself, "In today's society, unless there's some special reason, two perfectly good young women would never go to a nunnery to become nuns."
Monks are also human beings, and troubles and conflicts are inevitable in places with many people. In addition, monks these days can not only eat vegetarian food, but also have to do morning and evening prayers, as well as planting vegetables, carrying water and doing all kinds of chores.
The group chatted and ate and drank until it was completely dark, at which point Wang Xiaozhi and Chen Zhaocai took the two children home.
They will still help with Hao Yu's marriage, but they need to wait until Hao Yu has chosen a suitable partner first.
Hao Yu, though he didn't express his opinion to others, had already decided in his heart that he would first inquire about that Miss Zheng.
If that Miss Zheng wasn't suitable, he planned to go to Lingshan Town to inquire about that Miss Chen.
Just as Wang Xiaozhi had predicted, Hao Yu preferred to get to know the Chen girl, who had a reputation for bringing bad luck to her husbands, rather than the Yang girl, who had a heavy family burden.
Xie Wanniang, being a young woman, felt it inappropriate to discuss Hao Yu's choice of a future wife with him, so she simply helped out quietly by doing what she could.
For example, by using the excuse that "they're not home, so I can't interfere in this matter," he would shield Hao Yu and Jiang Yuan from the villagers who were determined to change Hao Yu's criteria for choosing a spouse.
For example, after finishing the embroidery work he was doing, he temporarily stopped taking on new embroidery orders. Instead, he used his own money to buy fabric, embroidery thread, and other items to prepare clothes, shoes, socks, and brand-new bedding, pillows, pillowcases, and pillow towels for Hao Yu to wear when she went on her first date and got married.
She already knew that Jiang Yuan had bought a plot of land next to hers, and she didn't stand on ceremony at all, entrusting the construction of her own house to Jiang Yuan, who was quiet but very reliable.
With one person willing and the other interested, they discussed the matter so quickly that even Hao Yu couldn't help but marvel.
Well, the main problem is that Xie Wanniang has a lot of demands, and Jiang Yuan always seems to be a very easy-going and nice guy. No matter what outrageous ideas she comes up with, Jiang Yuan will listen carefully, take notes carefully, and then earnestly agree.
What Hao Yu found most outrageous was not Jiang Yuan's willingness to grant Xie Wan Niang's every request, but that he actually planned to build his own house according to Xie Wan Niang's ideas.
Although Hao Yu had long been aware of Jiang Yuan's feelings, Jiang Yuan's attitude towards Xie Wanniang once again refreshed Hao Yu's understanding of Xie Wanniang's importance in Jiang Yuan's heart.
He thought with some regret that he couldn't expect Jiang Yuan to marry a wealthy wife and pave the way for his future career.
Yes, Hao Yu doesn't mind marrying a country girl, but he doesn't want Jiang Yuan to be like him.
Since Jiang Yuan had agreed to let Chang Yao join the army at Zijing Pass in the next two years, Hao Yu wanted to make his career as smooth as possible.
Even if we don't talk about marrying into Chang Yao's family or marrying his cousin or sister, it would be good to marry the daughter of a military officer who has many brothers and some connections in the Northern Territory.
Putting everything else aside, at least once he gets to the battlefield, Jiang Yuan will have someone by his side who will be more dedicated to his personal safety.
Hao Yu had originally thought that once Jiang Yuan went to Zijing Pass, his feelings for Xie Wanniang would naturally fade away due to time and distance. Now it seems that he underestimated the importance Jiang Yuan placed on Xie Wanniang.
With a silent sigh, Hao Yu ultimately decided not to say anything to Jiang Yuan like "the bigger picture is more important" or "you have to consider your own life and future."
He didn't want to force Jiang Yuan to do anything Jiang Yuan was unwilling to do.
Jiang Yuan was completely unaware of Hao Yu's thoughts. In his opinion, although the large bathtub with inlet and outlet that Xie Wanniang wanted was a bit troublesome to make and the cost was a bit higher, it would indeed bring great convenience to their daily lives once it was installed.
She also wanted a semi-enclosed toilet with a sloping ramp that could be flushed, which was much cleaner than the simple latrines commonly used by the villagers.
The well pulley, which is installed above the well and used to draw water, is very convenient for women with less strength, the elderly, and teenagers.
Finally, there's a room with a firewall and large windows, which Xie Wanniang plans to use for embroidery, as well as to grow some vegetables and mushrooms in winter to improve their diet.
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