His original name was Zhou Hesheng. He was from Qinghe Town. He was 18 years old. Both his parents had passed away, and he had no relatives.
He should have died three days ago, but because he didn't have time to close his account, he is being kept alive in this world by Jin Yu.
After changing his identity, they also changed his name.
Only then is it finished.
"Come on, come on, it's lunchtime. Your auntie is treating you to dinner, just the three of us."
"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony, haha."
So Yan Xia took Zuo Li and Jin Yu to the restaurant.
We ate at the same restaurant where Deng Qiuzhi treated us last time.
It's just that the dish names are too fancy.
The food at his place is pretty good.
Zuo Li had to work in the afternoon, so he didn't order any wine. He took a sip of pigeon soup, and his eyes narrowed at the delicious taste.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
“Aunt Yan, look at my terrible memory. Although you don't keep in touch with your family anymore, I've thought about this and I still have to tell you. Your father, Yan Hecheng, was doing corvée labor, right? A couple of days ago, when I accompanied the magistrate to supervise the work, I happened to run into him. He had lost a lot of weight and seemed to be sick. His face was pale, and his hands were covered in cuts. So I took it upon myself to plead with the magistrate to let him rest for a day. But as you know, this is a unified management system for three counties, and our county is the smallest. We are of little influence, and it's not good for the magistrate to always interfere. You…”
Zuo Li is a filial son, even though his parents treat him badly.
He wouldn't just stand by and watch his parents die.
It was someone else's business, so he couldn't interfere. He could only offer Yan Xia a subtle reminder.
"The master mentioned that the bridge won't be finished until at least the end of the year, and by then your father's health might not be up to par..."
Yan Xia's smile faded.
She didn't really care about the news, but the worry in her heart made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Even though the original owner's soul had already left, why did she still have this feeling?
She found the meal tasteless and unappetizing.
When she returned to the shop, Yan Xia was also absent-minded.
Several pastries were ruined.
That's enough.
Consider it for the sake of one's own reputation, if the original owner's father died because of forced labor.
The outside world doesn't know how they'll portray her yet.
Yan Xia drove the carriage to the county government office and went with Zuo Li to the place where the bridge was being repaired.
“Aunt Yan, I knew you would be soft-hearted. Although your mother… cough cough, your father is actually a very good person. When he met me, he asked me how you were doing, without mentioning at all that you should go and save him. Actually, I put the situation in a better light. Your father’s health is already very poor. After all, he is getting old and does such hard work every day. A while ago, before it got warm, I saw that his hands were red and swollen. I guess they were frostbitten. If he really works until the end of the year, even if he survives, he probably won’t live for many more years.”
"Well, I've thought about it. He is, after all, my father. Any grudges we held were resolved in court that day. Although I can't be very filial to him, I plan to bring him back to live out his remaining years in peace. You know I'm not short of money; this is just for the sake of my reputation..."
Zuo Li didn't respond. He was an expert judge of character, and Aunt Yan was the kindest person, always tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He had just returned to the county office at noon and handed over his duties to his subordinates. He knew that Aunt Yan would definitely come looking for him.
Sure enough, less than half an hour had passed.
Aunt Yan arrived.
“Aunt Yan, please don’t say anything out of line when we get there. The other two adults have rather fiery tempers, so naturally the officials under them also like to bully others. Just follow behind me and I’ll do the talking.”
"Yes, that's what my aunt thought of, that's why she contacted you. Thank you, Xiaoli."
Yan Xia had already changed how she addressed him.
They no longer called him Zuo Yachai, but Xiao Li, a name as if he were their own child.
The place where the bridge is being repaired is not far away; it only takes an hour to get there.
With the driver now on the left, the speed is much faster.
After parking the carriage a short distance away, Yan Xia followed behind Zuo Li and walked towards the construction site.
"Zhao, the constable, good afternoon. Come, come, the weather is nice today. Please have a pot of wine with your brothers."
Today, the officials from Wangcheng County are supervising the construction.
Zuo Li went up and slipped two pieces of silver into the hand of the head constable.
It is two ounces.
"Haha, Brother Zuo, you're too kind. What brings you here?"
Zhao, the constable, was fat and had big ears, which was a stark contrast to the imposing Zuo Li.
You can tell from appearances who is a good-for-nothing and who gets things done.
"Let me introduce you, this is my aunt. My uncle is being stubborn and insists on being forced into labor. My aunt is heartbroken. Last time I ran into him, he wasn't feeling well, and when she told my aunt about it, she was so distressed she cried. Do you think it would be convenient to let my uncle go back? Don't worry, we're all family, I know the rules. My aunt is willing to give five taels of silver, consider it as treating the brothers to breakfast tomorrow. What do you think?"
You can't hit a smiling face, so Zuo Li immediately gave him two taels of silver and offered to pay five taels to redeem him.
Even if he hires a strong laborer for two taels of silver, he can still make a net profit of five taels.
Besides, he could also gain favor with the Left Yamen Officer, so why not?
"No problem, no problem. We're all brothers. Even without money, we'll release him. Haha, who is it? Please bring him here so I can remove his name from the register."
"Thank you, Brother Zhao. I'll go find someone right away."
Zuo Li quickly led Yan Xia to bring Yan Hecheng over.
Yan Hecheng has lost at least 20 pounds.
His body was all skin and bones, with no flesh visible, and his face had an abnormal flush, probably from a fever. He almost fell while walking.
He might be delirious from the fever.
"Alright, name crossed out. Your grandpa doesn't look too good. Hurry up and take him to the clinic. I won't keep you any longer. It's getting late. These wretches can't do any work without a beating. I have to go teach them a lesson. I won't entertain you any longer."
The implication was that Zuo Li should give him the money quickly.
Zuo Li naturally understood, and he took out five taels of silver from his waist and stuffed it into Zhao Yacha's hand.
Zhao, the constable, immediately grinned like a pig's intestines.
After saying goodbye, Zuo Li helped Yan Hecheng leave.
The three returned to the carriage.
Zuo Li let Yan Xia sit in the carriage to take care of her father.
He drove himself back to town.
“Aunt Yan, you're not angry that I acted on my own, are you? This money really can't be saved. Although before, paying just one tael of silver would have exempted me from corvée labor, the person is already here. One was willing, the other was unwilling. You know the situations are different. The other two magistrates won't care about these small matters. Since ancient times, the underlings have been the most troublesome. If we don't feed them, we can forget about bringing the person out. The only reason they're giving me face is because of those two taels of silver…”
Zuo Li's voice was very loud, and Yan Xia inside the carriage could hear it clearly.
Yan Hecheng has already fallen into a coma.
My forehead was burning hot, at least 40 degrees Celsius.
"Xiao Li, your aunt doesn't blame you. Even if it were seventy taels, you should still spend it. Thank you, we're all family. You don't need to explain to me, I understand your good intentions. Hurry up and go straight to the clinic. My father has a high fever and has already passed out. I'm afraid he's not doing well."
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