Chapter 58 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 58 Disasters and Tomorrow Unknown...
"Did you hear? Yu's house collapsed."
"The house collapsed? Wasn't it added to before his second son got married? Which room collapsed?"
"It all collapsed. The two old rooms collapsed, and so did the new one. It's raining so hard. They couldn't build that house very solidly when they first built it because they were short on money. It's been soaking all day and all night, so it's going to collapse, isn't it?"
"What a disaster! This rain ruined 30% of my rice crop! 30%! All my hard work this year has been for nothing." The person who said this sighed. "What about Yu's family? Are they hurt?"
"It seems that Qingye was injured. His wife was pregnant, and he was protecting her when the pillar fell and hit his shoulder."
Shangxi Village was filled with gloom early that morning, with rumors circulating about the losses suffered by various families. Yu Dayou's story was particularly prevalent, as his house had completely collapsed. Looking out from the front door into the courtyard, only half of the newly built room remained. The rest of the house was completely shattered, impossible to repair, and had to be rebuilt.
Zhou Yuehua and Zhou Jianer had cried countless times.
We were living in good times, but now that the house has collapsed, I don’t know what to do.
If they want to build a new one, that will cost money, but they just built an extension to their house and got married, so how much money do they have left?
Bai Wanqiu's situation is better. His parents' home is nearby, so he and his husband can stay there for a while. At most, he will be looked down upon.
What's even more difficult is my eldest brother and sister-in-law's side.
Zhou Jianer's family wasn't in Shangxi Village. Xiaxi Village was to the west of Shangxi, while Wuyang Village, her family's hometown, was to the north. Wuyang Village got its name from the five large poplar trees at the entrance of the village.
However, the distance to the northwest wasn't a problem; at most, the two of them could just walk a little further. The problem was my eldest sister-in-law's relationship with her family. Although her mother was her biological mother, she was extremely partial to her son. After my eldest sister-in-law got married, she treated me like spilled water. She could stay home for a day or two, but she wouldn't agree to stay longer than that.
She disagreed, and so did her eldest sister-in-law's father. He felt that once a girl married, she belonged to another family and could not ask her parents' family for help when she had difficulties.
Yu Qinglong waded through the water to his home in Shangxi Village. He found it completely shrouded in a gloomy haze. His father and sister-in-law cried until their eyes were red and swollen. His eldest brother, with a bandage on his shoulder, was completely paralyzed. Things were scattered everywhere.
Seeing her youngest son burst into tears again, Zhou Yuehua asked, "Why did you come here when the road is so difficult? Is your mother-in-law's family okay?"
Yu Qinglong said: "My mother-in-law's house is fine. Some water got in, but it's not a big deal."
As for the fields, it’s hard to tell at the moment.
They came here directly after returning to Fang's house. He thought that his house here must have been flooded as well, but he didn't expect it to be so serious that it collapsed directly.
Yu Qinglong saw the mess in the yard and asked, "Dad, where are we going to live from now on?"
Zhou Yuehua said, "Qiu'er and your second brother will stay at the Bai family for a while. We haven't decided on your eldest brother and your eldest sister-in-law yet. Your second aunt said it's not okay, so let's go live with her first. But you know, your second uncle and second aunt are pretty good with us now, but with the third room next door, I'm worried your eldest sister-in-law won't feel comfortable there."
The third wife's family had been refusing to let the old lady go, and now she was living there. The relationship between the third and second wives was completely ruined, with arguments happening every now and then. Zhou Yuehua was worried about her own child living there, especially since her eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant.
Fang Shu said, "Father-in-law, why don't you let my elder brother and sister-in-law move to my house for a while? You and father-in-law can go too. Come back and live here after the house is rebuilt."
Zhou Yuehua said, "How can this be possible? Going there would only cause trouble for my in-laws. I know you mean well, but this is not the way to go."
The youngest son has just gotten married and is now moving in with his parents and brother and sister-in-law. What will his in-laws think?
Zhou Yuehua felt that this was not acceptable. His boss had gone to the fields to inspect the damage and was not around. But even Lezhun would not agree.
Yu Qinglong didn't say anything. But since Fang Shu had brought it up, he wanted to go back and ask. His parents were both very nice people, and perhaps they would agree. They still had to discuss it, since he couldn't go to Second Aunt's house anyway.
Third Aunt lives next door, and she's a madwoman now. Yu Qingfa and Yu Qingcai are even worse. If anything happens to my eldest sister-in-law and my father, they'll regret it for the rest of their lives.
"Dad, how much money would it take for our family to rebuild our house?" Yu Qinglong asked Zhou Yuehua while cleaning up the mess at home.
"At least twelve or thirteen taels of silver."
"How much can the family afford?"
"Right now, your father and I only have two taels of silver. With your eldest and second brothers contributing a little, maybe we can get four taels and three cents. Or maybe there's even more. Last month, your father and I discussed paying off the money we owed for building the house. We thought the sooner we paid it off, the better. But who would have thought it would rain so hard all of a sudden?"
With a place to live, a family can survive as long as they stick together. But now that the house is destroyed, I'm afraid a lot of the crops in the fields will also be ruined. We haven't even had time to harvest them yet, and even if we rush to harvest, we won't be able to get much back.
Zhou Yuehua couldn't help crying again: "I thought life was getting better and better."
Yu Qinglong felt bad after hearing this and held Zhou Yuehua's hand, "Don't cry, Dad. I'll go back and talk to Shoucheng about whether we can borrow some money from the Fang family first. We can't be left without a place to live. At worst, we can pay it back when we make money later."
Zhou Yuehua said, "That won't do. You just got married, and you're already borrowing money from your parents-in-law. What will they think of you then? Dad doesn't want you to suffer this injustice."
They had been looking at the piles of rocks, grass, mud, and wood in the yard since early morning, and they had considered asking the Fang family for help. After all, the Fang family was the best off of their in-laws. But they simply couldn't bring themselves to ask.
Their youngest son finally had a good life, and they didn't want to cause him any more trouble.
Yu Qinglong said, "What's wrong with being wronged? We're all family, and we should help each other when things go wrong. Don't worry about it. My parents-in-law and Fang Shu treat me very well. I'll ask them. Even if I can't help too much, at least a little help will be good."
It's okay to be poor, but you can't be without a place to live. Winter is coming soon after the autumn harvest. If you don't find a place to live by now, how will you survive the winter? This is the north!
Zhou Yuehua still didn't want to do this, but Yu Qinglong didn't intend to listen to him either.
The family spent the morning simply cleaning up the yard. Afterwards, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went to see Doctor Mo again.
Dr. Mo's house was also severely flooded, but the house was sturdy. If we cleaned the house and took the damp items out to dry, there wouldn't be any big problems.
"For the next few days, you should focus on your family matters. This rain has been really heavy, and a lot of crops have been destroyed. You'll have a lot of work to do on both ends."
"Thank you, Master. If you have anything else for me to memorize, I'll take it with me."
"For now, it's still the same. Just remember them carefully. Oh, right, take this." Doctor Mo took out a small cloth bag. Inside were two small medicine bottles and several packets of prepared Chinese medicine. "The bottles contain medicine for injuries, and the packets contain a soup to dispel cold and dampness. Boil five bowls of water into three bowls. Drink it twice a day. It's damp and cold in this weather, so drinking it regularly will also be beneficial."
"Thank you, Master."
Yu Qinglong grabbed his things and headed back to Xiaxi Village before dark. The road was muddy and muddy, enough to make anyone want to stay home for ten days or half a month. But even in this situation, he still had to go to the fields to harvest.
When he and Fang Shu arrived at their home in Xiaxi Village, his parents were discussing this matter. The soybeans could be harvested now. They were supposed to be harvested in two days, but because they were late, the beans were soaked. And the rice, which was supposed to be harvested in ten days, had to be harvested early.
"How is your father's family? Is everything okay?" Fang Wu's eyes were red and swollen from crying, but she still couldn't help but show concern.
"The house collapsed." Yu Qinglong said, "Mom, there is something I want to discuss with you. I don't know if it's possible."
"What's the matter?"
"My father's house collapsed, and my second brother and his husband moved to my father-in-law's house. But my father, father, eldest brother and his wife are having trouble finding a place to live. Our wing room is usually empty, so why don't you let them stay here for a few days? My father's family will also find a place as soon as possible, and we'll move out then."
"That's not impossible. But what are they going to do in the future? At this time of year, even if they build a house, they won't be able to live in it this year."
Everyone was busy working in the fields right now, so who would be building a house? This would take another half month, or even longer. If we built the house then, winter wouldn't be finished. And if we went to town to hire a craftsman, the cost would be much higher.
Yu Qinglong naturally thought of this question as well, so he asked, "Mom, do you know if there's anyone in our village whose house is vacant and rented out?"
Fang Wu said, "I haven't heard of that. Why rent a place? Didn't mother just agree? Just ask your family to come live here. We have a lot of houses, so we can accommodate them all. Wouldn't it cost more money to rent somewhere else? The harvest on this land won't be good this year, so we have to save as much as we can."
Yu Qinglong said, "Thank you, mother. Just because you take such good care of me, I will definitely live a good life with Shoucheng. When I make money, I will let him take the provincial exam and he will be no worse than others."
Fang Wu found a way to be cheerful in the midst of hardship and said with a smile, "How do you make money?"
Fang Shu said, "Mother, Long Ge'er is amazing. His storybooks are very profitable. In fact, when we went back to the county, we went to the bookstore there to ask if his storybooks were for sale. The young owner of the bookstore was so impressed after reading them that he paid a two-liang deposit on the spot."
"Two taels of silver? That's so much?! You must be kidding me."
To save two taels of silver, a family of four would have to work hard all year long, and they might not even be able to save two taels; after all, they still have to live. But her husband has only been here for less than a month and he's already earned this much! How long has this child been learning calligraphy?!
"If I lied to you, I'd never be able to eat sugar cakes again." Fang Shu said, "This is true. But this young master was brought in by Xi Kuan, and his followers also helped us copy a lot of books, so we gave them half. We won't divide it this way in the future."
"Oh my God, we've finally got a little golden boy for our family!" Fang Dingman said, "Brother Long is incredible!"
Fang Wu couldn't believe it now. Her son passed the imperial examination and helped people exempt dozens of acres of land from taxes, but he only earned a few taels of silver a year!
Two! Two!
That’s two thousand coins!
Yu Qinglong said, "Mom, Shoucheng and I have decided that I will continue writing. This way, we can save money faster together. However, I will definitely be busy, and I will be able to help less with family matters. I'm sure you and Dad will have to work harder."
Fang Wu said, "How can this be considered hard work? What do your father and I work so hard for all year round? Isn't it just to give you a better life? If you can earn money, then write. Mother is not like other mothers-in-law who can't stand seeing their sons and husbands doing well. When your grandmother was alive, she told me that only when the whole family is well can everyone live a better life. You can scheme against others but not against your own family."
Yu Qinglong felt thankful for marrying into the Fang family for the umpteenth time. He nodded and said, "Thank you, mother."
Fang Shu then said, "Father, Mother, you must not tell anyone about this, or it will easily arouse jealousy. If something goes wrong, this way of making money might be gone."
Fang Dingman and Fang Wushi nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I definitely won't tell you. / I will never tell you."
Fang Wu made a gesture of worship and said, "It must be the Bodhisattva who is blessing us. Today, your father and I went to the fields and saw that all the crops had fallen. I felt sad for a long time. This is finally a happy event."
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
In fact, they hadn't intended to talk about this on the way back to town, but seeing the two elders' worried faces, they changed their minds. As for why they didn't tell their parents in Shangxi Village, it was mainly because it made no difference whether they told them or not.
The people here assume that once a daughter or son is married, he or she belongs to another family. The money earned by the daughter or son also belongs to the other family and has nothing to do with them.
Some parents might think of taking advantage of their children, but most wouldn't do such a thing. Yu's parents are like that: they can help their children, but they wouldn't ask them to pay for anything, especially their youngest son, who is a boy.
If Yu Qinglong could earn ten or eight taels of silver at a time, which could directly solve his father's urgent needs, then he might just give the money directly. But it wasn't that serious yet, so there was no point in talking about it.
He was thinking about two other things now.
After returning home, the couple bathed and sat in the study. They had wanted to take a carriage home that morning, but the owner, knowing the bad roads, refused to send a vehicle. The fare was too steep, so they walked home.
It seems like I've been walking all day today, and the roads are muddy and wet.
While Yu Qinglong waited for his hair to dry, he took a pen and paper. He drew a design and showed it to Fang Shu: "Shoucheng, what do you think of this pen holder?"
Fang Shu looked at the picture and was surprised: "Is this used to hold a brush?"
Yu Qinglong said: "It can hold not only brushes, but also pens, ink, paper and inkstone."
He pointed to several functional areas in the diagram: "Look at this space. It can hold two or three pens. And this lid can be removed and used as an inkstone. A stone base will be embedded inside. This place can hold paper. You can easily hold a dozen sheets of rolled paper without worrying about pressure. And here you can hold ink sticks."
This is a wooden multi-purpose pen holder with auspicious Ruyi patterns painted on the outside.
Fang Shu opened his mouth wide: "This, this is too convenient! If this can be made, won't it sell like crazy?!"
Regardless of others, he will definitely buy it, even if he has to go hungry for three days!
Xikuan and his followers will definitely like it too.
Who wouldn’t want such a convenient and beautiful pen holder?!
Yu Qinglong said, "I asked you to take me to the stationery store because I wanted to see what everyone was using. I thought about this on the way there. I also thought someone might want to buy some."
Fang Shu said, "I can't say anything about that book, I don't have the experience that Xikuan has. But this one, as long as the price is right, I can guarantee it will sell very well. It's not only beautiful, but also can be stored, it can protect the paper, and it's easy to put away. The most important thing is that it even comes with an inkstone! It doesn't take up much space!"
How on earth did they come up with this?! Surely only a fairy could come up with something this magical!
Yu Qinglong said, "Maybe there will be paperweights in the future. I plan to talk to my second brother and ask him to find some wood and make a batch. Next time I go to the county town, I can bring them over and try selling them together."
The consumption level in the town is really not that high, but it is much better in the county.
There's definitely a market for this kind of thing.
He had to make money, and make it quickly.
Fang Shu wanted this pen holder so badly that he looked at the picture again and again at night.
Yu Qinglong said, "I'll give you the first one I make. I'll make one for you alone that's different from the ones sold outside, okay?"
Fang Shu was so happy that he rolled around in his arms, hugging the quilt several times: "You said so."
Yu Qinglong said, "Yeah."
Fang Shu sensed Yu Qinglong's continued worry, so he lay on his side and patted him gently, saying, "Brother Long, if your father-in-law doesn't have enough money to build a new house, you can take it from our jar. We have enough money of our own to build them a nice house. It would be a shame to leave them without a place to live. I've also thought about inviting them home, but I think they'll refuse. So, you can rent them a house first or something. In short, if you need money, don't be shy to tell me."
Yu Qinglong nodded and, for the first time, rested his head on Fang Shu's arm: "Rest early. We have to get up early tomorrow morning to harvest the crops."
"No one will say anything to you if you don't go."
"That's true. But more people means more strength. We can write the storybooks at night, but we can only work during the day to harvest the crops, and only for a few days."
Fang Shu kissed Yu Qinglong's forehead: "I don't want you to suffer."
Yu Qinglong said, "Marrying you is already a blessing. No other man can do whatever he wants like me, but I have to endure some hardships."
Not to mention anything else, in this era, how many sons-in-law are waiting to eat the ready-made meals prepared by their mothers-in-law?
Only when you are content can you be happy.
The next day, the family finished breakfast early and set off for Shangxi Village at dawn.
Xiaxi Village also had land, and even more. But after discussing it with Fang Dingman, Fang Wu decided to go and see the Yu family in person. The children said that the in-laws would still have some concerns about living with them, but if they could talk, perhaps things would be better.
Not long after they arrived, two people left the area from the dilapidated temple.
Two bandits had been hiding for two days without being seen, and then one of them fell ill with typhoid fever after being caught in a heavy rain. He had thought he would go back once he got better, but he didn't expect that after a night, he still had a high fever!
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The author has something to say: There was a big flood today, and the small theater couldn't be happy anymore [burst into tears]
PS: My eyes hurt, I'll come back later to catch bugs. Thanks everyone. [Please]
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