Chapter 44 Chapter 44-Two-in-one, one person is not redeemed, the whole family goes down...
Old Man Lin was silent. Lin Changhai looked at Lin Cunzheng and said, "Uncle, you're worrying too much. We have some money at home. Xian'er has already been engaged, and that person will come to propose sooner or later. We can go and get the betrothal gifts tomorrow to deal with the emergency. It won't be a problem."
This method also made Lin Cunzheng frown. Who would come to ask for betrothal money when the other party hadn't already done so? How would Xian'er live after she got married?
But thinking about the fact that his family and his brothers' families were not well off, they could chip in, but none of them could come up with ten taels of silver, he asked helplessly, "Will this work?"
"It's possible, it will definitely work." Lin Changhai said, "Thank you for worrying about us, uncle."
Lincunzheng said, "We're family, so we don't need to be polite. So go and take a look first. If it works, let me know tomorrow morning."
Lin Changhai responded, and Lin Cunzheng didn't stay long. He left the yard and went home.
Not long after Lin Cunzheng left, Lin Changhai and Lin Changbo also went out. Old man Lin sat in the yard waiting for them, and waited until late at night until the two of them came back.
He left with nothing in his hands, but came back with more than a dozen silver ingots in his pocket, each weighing ten taels.
Old Man Lin frowned slightly: "Why did you take so many?"
Lin Changhai whispered, "Take it first. What if it's not enough? Dad, go see how much Mom has saved. We can put one or two in there when the time comes. All silver ingots would be a bit conspicuous."
Lin Changbo also nodded in agreement, and then the father and his two sons went into the inner room, found the old lady's key and opened the small box where she usually kept her money.
There were some copper coins and small change, and after several people counted them, they found that the total was only a dozen or so taels.
Lin Changbo looked at the broken silver and copper coins, then at the silver ingot in his hand, and asked the old man, "Dad, how much should we take with us tomorrow?"
Old Man Lin was silent for a long while before he said, "Take forty-five taels."
Several people poured out the broken silver, put it into a sack, and added three silver ingots, making a total of forty-five taels.
Lin Changhai took two of the remaining ones with him and hid the rest at home.
By the time they were done, the rooster in the backyard was crowing.
After the father and his two sons finished their work, they quickly went to bed.
Pei Ying got up when he heard the rooster crowing, and Lin Chuntao was also woken up by the system.
The two got up, washed, and hurried out.
As soon as they left the village, Pei Ying took the initiative to hold Lin Chuntao's hand, and Lin Chuntao smiled and let him hold her hand.
After walking for a while, Pei Ying and Lin Chuntao said, "Let's build a house this year and move in before the New Year."
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows when she heard this. She smiled and said, "Why do you think the same as me?"
Pei Ying looked at her with some surprise, with the corners of his lips slightly raised.
"That's my plan, but I don't know if I can save enough money, and I haven't had time to find out how much it would cost to build it."
Pei Ying said, "It's not too late to ask now. I'll find some time to find out, and then we can talk about the money. What kind of house do you want to build?"
"I originally wanted to build a two- or three-story wooden house, enclose a yard, and build pig pens and chicken pens inside to save time. But I saw that few people in the village built pure wooden houses. Most of them were like the old courtyards, with earthen walls and two floors separated by wooden boards. It was a bit cramped. I thought I would design it wider when I built it so that the house would be brighter."
Pei Ying listened to Lin Chuntao's words, and he probably understood what Lin Chuntao meant. He knew the house she was describing.
"If you think adobe exterior walls don't look good, then go ask if bricks are expensive. Then buy bricks to build the exterior walls and hire a carpenter to build the interior walls. Build the doors, windows, and walls together, using a unified color. It should look great when you're finished."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If you have time, you can ask about the price of bricks, the wages of the bricklayer, and the cost of carpentry. We can work it out later."
The two of them were talking and were about to separate unknowingly. Pei Ying reluctantly let go of her hand and said, "Come find me when you finish selling the mushrooms."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I understand. Go quickly, it will be late soon."
After the two separated, they both quickened their pace and went about their own business.
At daybreak, Pei Ying and his men had slaughtered the pigs, and Lin Chuntao had picked up the mushrooms and was carrying them towards the county town.
When she arrived at the county town, the sun had just risen and the market was becoming bustling.
A lot of people gathered around the place where she often sold mushrooms. When they saw her put down her backpack, they surrounded her with smiles on their faces.
"Madam, what kind of mushrooms are you selling today?"
"Are there any tricholoma?"
Lin Chuntao looked at them and smiled, "Yes, today we have tricholoma and chanterelles."
As she spoke, she placed the basket steady and removed the leaves covering it, revealing plump mushrooms. The woman in the lead said with a smile, "Pick me two pounds of green-headed mushrooms."
Lin Chuntao agreed, weighed two pounds and handed it to her, and put the copper coins into her bag.
There are few people selling mushrooms at this market, but many people buying them. Whether you can buy one depends on your luck.
Ever since Lin Chuntao had a fixed location, people who knew her would come and wait in advance, and her basket of mushrooms would be sold out very quickly.
Lin Chuntao packed her things and prepared to go find Pei Ying with a backpack on her back. Thinking that there was not much food left at home, she put the backpack on the stone block next to her, then called up the control panel, took out four dou of rice and one dou of flour, and carried them to the butcher shop.
At this time, many people gathered at the gate of the yamen.
When the case was being tried yesterday, there were many people outside. Only after the verdict was given did the onlookers leave satisfied.
Eighty strokes of the cane and one year of imprisonment could be redeemed with copper, but the Lin family was not rich, so no one thought that they could raise the money to redeem the old lady. People who loved to watch the fun finished their breakfast early and came here to wait, wanting to see this evil mother-in-law being caned.
Early this morning, Old Man Lin brought his family into the city, and Lin Cunzheng and Sun also came with them.
When they arrived, the people from the yamen had just started their shift and many people were gathered at the gate.
Old Man Lin took Lin Changhai and others to handle the payment of the redemption copper, while Lin Cunzheng and the old couple Sun did not go in.
The officials in the yamen were a little surprised when they heard that they came to pay the redemption copper. How could this family, all farmers, raise so much money, just dozens of taels of silver?
Although the magistrate was doubtful, he still acted according to the law. After all, many people sold their children into slavery in order to save an adult.
He asked the criminal lawyer to get the documents. "The redemption of the copper requires 41 taels of silver."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Changhai handed over the cloth bag filled with silver. The bag was open. The county magistrate took a look at it. The lawyer took out the redemption document from the back and said to Lin Changhai, "Pour out the silver."
Lin Changhai did as he was told, picked up the cloth bag and poured the silver money onto the table.
The magistrate took one look and saw the three ten-liang silver ingots. He frowned and reached out to take the silver ingots. After examining them carefully for a long time, he glanced at Lin Changhai and asked, "Where did you get these silver ingots?"
Lin Changhai smiled flatteringly and said, "Sir, this is what my ancestors left behind."
The magistrate chuckled, and his brows instantly became sharper.
"What's your ancestral surname?"
"My humble servant, my ancestors' last name is Lin."
After Lin Changhai finished speaking, the playful smile on the magistrate's lips disappeared, leaving only a gloomy face.
"I'll give you one more chance. Tell the truth! Where did you get this silver ingot?"
Lin Changhai, who was standing in the court, fell to his knees after being scolded. He looked at Old Man Lin with some uneasiness.
The magistrate looked at Lin Changhai's expression and slammed the table solemnly: "Speak!"
Lin Changhai was so frightened that he trembled and stammered, "Reply...reply to your Excellency, this...this silver ingot was picked up...picked up by me."
The magistrate stared at Lin Changhai, then said to the county magistrate beside him, "Master Chen, come up and take a look at this silver ingot."
County Magistrate Chen, who was called by name, walked over, picked up the silver ingot, looked at it, and said, "Sir, this... isn't this the silver from Prefect He's tomb?"
The magistrate nodded slightly and sneered: "This man told me that he found it!"
Lin Changhai listened to the conversation between the two people, and his clothes on the back were soaked. He...they did pick it up.
Just as he was about to raise his head to continue his defense, he heard the magistrate shout, "Come here, take Lin Hongtai and his entire family to jail!"
"Robbered a tomb and stole the silver! And you still dare to quibble!"
Everyone in the Lin family was stunned when these words came out. Robbing a tomb? Stealing silver? What was going on?
Not knowing the inside story, Zhang and the others looked at Lin Changhai and Old Man Lin in shock.
Lin Changhai was unsure. He had found the silver in the mountains, but out of greed, he hadn't reported it to the authorities and had hidden it in a cemetery. Over the past decade, they hadn't dared to use it. Except for when Lin Laosan remarried and the two boys got married, they took out three pieces and minted them into small silver coins. The rest remained unopened and buried.
How could this be tomb robbery and silver theft?
Lin Changhai kowtowed and begged for mercy, but the magistrate just looked at them coldly and ignored them.
"Come here! Take them all away!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Lin family was taken away by the officials in a chaotic manner. The county magistrate ordered the county magistrate: "Go to the Yongchang government office and invite Lord Xiao He to come. Tell him that the gang of thieves has been found!"
The county magistrate hurriedly stopped him and said, "Wait a moment, I will go there myself, and you can judge the case!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was in a hurry to leave. He patted his head and said, "Take the list. Don't leave out any member of this family!"
As he said this, he picked up a silver ingot and hurriedly left the government office with his men.
The Qian family was still inside the government office gate. In the blink of an eye, the Lin family was about to be imprisoned again. Qian Dingxiang had no time to be happy when the county magistrate looked at her and shouted, "Come here! Take this man away as well!"
When the official came to Qian Dingxiang, she quickly waved her hand and stepped back, saying, "Sir, I have nothing to do with their family. We want a divorce!"
The county magistrate said coldly, "Isn't the divorce still going on?"
Qian was dragged away screaming, and the people in the Qian family were also stunned.
Everyone originally came to watch the caning, but they didn't expect that this family could raise money, and the money they raised came from unknown sources, and was involved in other cases. Not only was an old lady not redeemed, but the whole family was arrested again.
All the onlookers were shocked by the sudden waves of attacks. Lin Cunzheng's face was pale and Sun was also confused.
"What's going on? Why..."
Before she could finish her words, Lin Cunzheng pulled her out of the crowd and to a deserted spot nearby. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he muttered, "It's over."
Sun frowned, full of doubts. They couldn't see clearly from outside, and it seemed that it was because of the money issue.
"What's going on? Didn't you say that Lao Wu and the others went to ask Zhang Bao for the betrothal money? How could something go wrong?"
Lincunzheng shook his head slightly, "They might be lying to me."
In recent years, Old Man Lin and his family didn't farm much, and Lin Changhai's brothers never went to the city to work. When Lin Laosan got married and Lin Changhai's two sons got married, they didn't raise money. It seemed that their family never lacked money, but Lin Cunzheng never thought about it carefully.
Seeing her husband staring into the distance with lifeless eyes, Sun was filled with anxiety.
"Please tell me clearly, what's going on?"
Facing Sun's questioning, Lin Cunzheng didn't dare to say a word. He pulled Sun and said, "Go home, let's go home first."
Seeing that the old man looked unhappy, Sun had no choice but to follow him.
It wasn't until they were out of the city gate that Sun continued to question Lin Cunzheng and said, "Old Five's family might have hidden dirty silver."
"What dirty silver?"
Lin Cunzheng shook his head slightly, "I don't know either, but the official just now seemed to have recognized the silver, so he detained them all."
Sun really didn't understand where they could get the dirty silver from in their small place.
"Everyone has stayed in the village for so many years. Where can they get the dirty silver?"
After Sun finished speaking, Lin Cunzheng paused and stood still, as if he remembered something.
"What did you think of?"
Lin Cunzheng said, "You forgot that more than ten years ago, Changhai and Changbo went with others to look for ginseng. They were gone for more than half a year before returning."
"But they didn't seem to have much money at the time. Later, when Changfu got married, he even asked us to borrow money. Have you forgotten?"
Lincunzheng shook his head. "But they paid the money back shortly after that, and it seems they never borrowed money from us again."
"You mean they got it back then? That's been many years."
Lincunzheng couldn't figure it out either, he was very puzzled.
Sun felt a little worried. After pondering for a long time, she asked her husband, "Will this matter implicate the villagers?"
"It shouldn't implicate the villagers, but we still have to take precautions. Chuntao and the others will definitely be summoned by the authorities. We need to tell them so they can be prepared."
As Lin Cunzheng spoke, he quickened his pace and walked towards home.
Lin Chuntao waited for Pei Ying to finish his work before leaving the market together. On their way from the market to the city gate, they would pass by the government office. At this time, the people who were watching the government office had not yet dispersed, and they were standing in groups of three or five on the roadside chatting.
Pei Ying looked at Lin Chuntao's expression and asked, "Do you want to go over and take a look?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and the two of them turned into the road on the right, walked through the long alley and arrived at the gate of the government office, which was closed.
The woman next to her looked at Lin Chuntao as she peeked toward the door and said with a smile, "Young lady, are you here to see that vicious woman executed as well? You're late."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly, then smiled and asked the woman, "Aunt, is the execution over?"
The woman shook her head and said, "It's not over. Their whole family has been thrown into prison."
Lin Chuntao frowned in confusion, "Ah? Why is that?"
The woman replied, "We were standing outside and far away so we couldn't hear clearly, but it seems the ransom money that family used was problematic and has been confiscated by the magistrate."
Is there something wrong with the money? Lin Chuntao couldn't figure it out for a moment. What could be wrong with the money?
Seeing her lost in thought, Pei Ying, who was standing beside her, asked, "Could this be someone's lost silver?"
The man next to the woman agreed, "It's very possible, but we haven't heard of anyone losing money recently."
"What about before? Have you ever heard of any rich man losing money?"
When Pei Ying asked this, the man frowned and thought carefully for a long time. "Now that you mention it, it reminds me of an old story, but it was more than ten years ago."
Pei Ying remained silent, waiting for his next words.
"More than ten years ago, it seems that an official's ancestral tomb was robbed, and all the silver and utensils inside were taken away. At that time, the officials even went door to door to question the thieves, but it seems that they didn't catch the thieves. Could they have stolen it?"
"This family looks like just some honest farmers, not really."
The man muttered to himself, but the woman next to him disagreed, "That's not right. You can't judge a person by their appearance. Maybe it really is them."
The man waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. I'm going home. The government will definitely continue the trial in a few days. I'll come back then."
After saying this, he called the acquaintances nearby and prepared to leave. Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying also left the alley together.
Many people in the city were talking about this, and Lin Chuntao frowned when she heard it.
Pei Ying said, "Don't worry. We are separated from them. Generally speaking, theft crimes will not implicate members of the clan, unless they are robbing the imperial tomb."
Hearing about the robbery of the imperial tomb, Lin Chuntao couldn't help but laugh, "Where can there be an imperial tomb in this place?"
Pei Ying smiled at her and curled his lips, "So, don't worry."
Although she was comforted, Lin Chuntao still went to look for Lin Cunzheng and Sun after returning home.
"Grandma, have you heard that they were all thrown into prison?"
Sun said, "Your great grandfather and I went and saw it."
"Does Grandma know what exactly happened? We just heard from passersby that there was something wrong with the silver."
Lin Chuntao frowned, looking completely confused, and muttered to herself, "What's the problem with the money?"
Sun patted her back gently and said soothingly, "It's hard to tell right now. Go back and hide the money at home."
After hearing what Sun said, Lin Chuntao asked, "Will the officials come to search our house? Will we be taken to the government office as well?"
Sun shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"I don't know yet, I can only wait."
Sun looked at Lin Chuntao, who was worried, and then looked at Pei Ying beside her and said, "It's okay. We didn't do anything and we don't know anything."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and thanked Sun. Lin Cunzheng and the others also had to get busy, so Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying didn't stay long. They quickly said goodbye and went home.
The younger sisters at home knew nothing about what had happened in the Lin family. Lin Chuntao called them over and told them the whole story in a serious manner. She then told them, "The officials may come to our house later. Don't be afraid. We know nothing. If they keep asking, you can cry and say that your mother died early, that your grandparents and father disliked us because we were daughters and treated us badly, and that your father drove us out after marrying a stepmother."
The sisters were a little confused, but looking at Lin Chuntao's serious expression, they nodded obediently.
"You go cut grass for the pigs this afternoon, and your brother-in-law and I will go to the fields to see if the corn has sprouted."
Lin Chunxing nodded in agreement. After lunch, she carried a backpack and left with her two sisters. Lin Chuntao counted the copper coins she had saved over the past few days, left about twenty copper coins at home, and put the rest in a small bamboo basket, preparing to bury them in the ground when she went to the field to plant corn seeds.
Pei Ying also returned to the house and took out the money he had saved and handed it to Lin Chuntao: "Divide it into several parts and bury it."
Lin Chuntao nodded and glanced around the house. The iron pot was issued by the government and passed through Minglu. She was a little worried about the government questioning her about the kitchen knife, so she put it into the bamboo basket. She thought for a moment and said, "You should bury your scissors too."
Pei Ying nodded slightly, turned around and went back to the house to get the scissors for her.
After the old couple Lin Cunzheng came back, the other three families saw that Old Man Lin and his wife did not come back with them, so they came to ask what happened.
There are too many children in the family, so things cannot be hidden, and some things are hard to say. Lin Cunzheng opened the door of the ancestral hall, and the four brothers and their wives entered the hall with their eldest son. Old Man Lin's incident came suddenly, and Lin Cunzheng was also confused. He could not estimate the seriousness of the matter at all. He had to try his best to take precautions, fearing that the officials would come to the village to search the house. Even if they did not find the dirty silver, the hard-earned money he had saved for half his life would be taken away.
As soon as he sat down in the ancestral hall, Lin Changzong asked, "Dad, what's going on with my fifth uncle's family?"
Lin Cunzheng sighed, looked at them and said, "Didn't I ask you guys last night about raising money for him? Later, I went to see him, intending to ask how much money he had at home to see if our combined contributions would be enough. But Lin Changhai said that there was no need to pool together. They should go to the family that was going to betroth Xian'er and take the betrothal gifts in advance. Although I felt that this was not good for Xian'er, I didn't say anything about their decision."
"Who would have thought that today, when Changhai and his men went to redeem someone with the money, they were directly detained by the government officials and thrown into jail."
"It seems that some of the silver they took was dirty. The magistrate said he was going to look for some important person and left in a hurry."
As soon as Lin Cunzheng finished speaking, the faces of several families changed drastically. The old lady of the second house asked Lin Cunzheng: "Brother, did Lao Wu and his family ask for the money from the family where Xian'er was betrothed? If so, which family should they ask?"
Lin Cunzheng shook his head slightly, "I doubt it. Chang Hai and the others didn't say anything when they were taken away. The money must have been in their own hands."
"Where did Lao Wu and the others get the money?"
Lincunzheng didn't know either. He looked at his brothers and nephews and said, "I don't know either. I called you here to tell you to hide the silver you've saved at home. The officials might come to search your house, so don't hide it all. Leave a small amount for them to find."
Several families nodded solemnly, their faces full of worry.
"Will Lao Wu and the others be beheaded?"
"have no idea."
"We don't know anything now, so we just have to do what we have to do."
After Lincunzheng finished speaking, everyone dispersed and went home.
The villagers didn't know what had happened to the Lin family at this time. They just saw that their yard was empty and there was no one. Seeing that the old couple Lin Cunzheng were also at home, they were very curious why the old man Lin and his family had not returned yet, but it was inconvenient for them to go to Cunzheng's house to ask.
In the afternoon, Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying were planting seeds in the field, and those curious people went to the edge of the ridge.
"Chun Tao, why haven't your grandparents come back yet? Did something happen?"
Lin Chuntao looked up at the person asking the question and asked, "Where did they go? You should ask the people in their courtyard."
The questioner looked at Lin Chuntao's sincere face, which seemed genuine, and asked in surprise, "Don't you know? Your grandma didn't come home yesterday."
Lin Chuntao frowned, "Where did you go if you didn't come back?"
The woman didn't know how to answer Lin Chuntao's question. She guessed, "I don't know either. Wasn't he taken away by the officials? He should still be in the government office, right?"
Lin Chuntao didn't respond, and the woman continued, "This morning I saw Muramasa and your grandfather and his family all leave the village. Now Muramasa is back, but your grandfather and his family haven't come back yet."
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard this: "Then Auntie will have to ask Great Grandfather. I don't talk to them, so how would I know?"
The woman smiled awkwardly and changed the subject: "What are you doing?"
Lin Chuntao said: "Some seeds haven't come out yet, I'll add some more seeds in."
"It's no use giving it supplements now, is it?" the woman said as they walked. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Just put some in. If there's no corn later, we'll have to eat some grass."
Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of Lin Chuntao, the woman walked away slowly.
Lin Chuntao spent most of the day mending the corn. After finishing the work on the two plots of land at the entrance of the village, she went to the back mountain. She divided the money into several parts, buried a small amount in the vegetable field, and most of it in the back mountain. The knife was also buried in the sand in the back mountain.
The sun was about to set when Lin Chuntao returned home carrying a small bamboo basket.
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