Chapter 106: Not as good as a ghost marriage...
***
Besides, after waiting for a day, Lin Laogen and his wife went to the government office again.
They had handed the officer a tael of silver before, and the officer showed them a clear way forward.
After Old Zhou's family left, they cried and complained about their grievances, saying that their two sons were still young, the older one was less than sixteen years old, and the younger one was only thirteen years old. They hoped that the officials would show mercy and give the two children a chance to start a new life.
Finally, the chief clerk pondered for a moment and softened his tone, saying that although the behavior was bad, it did not cause any consequences and could be tolerated at his discretion.
The Lin couple were asked to pay thirty taels of silver per person to redeem the people.
When Mr. and Mrs. Lin heard this number, they almost fainted. Even if they sold all their belongings, they couldn't afford that much.
But there is no way.
I need to save my son!
He is the lifeblood of the Lin family, their future cannot be ruined!
I can only go home to raise money.
"Dad, where are we going to get so much money? Why don't you go and ask Fourth Sister for help?"
"I won't go. If she has a conscience, would she send Da Gen and Xiao Gen to the government? These are all immoral things she did. If anyone wants to go, you go..." Lin Laogen didn't want to be cursed.
Then he blamed Lin's mother again, "Why did you make a fuss about her when she was fine? If you hadn't made a fuss about her, maybe it wouldn't have gotten to this point. Last time you said you would report it to the police, it was just talk, but this time you've really implicated Da Gen and Xiao Gen."
Mother Lin said aggrievedly, "The witch Gu said that she was abnormal, so I went to wash it. It was the witch Gu who harmed me. I will go to her to ask for some money later..."
"You just took two pieces of tofu. What kind of silver can you get from her? How much property do we have left in our family? Didn't our third sister bring back ten taels of silver a few days ago? And the one who sold the girl before..." Lin Laogen complained.
Mother Lin replied, "Besides food and drink, Da Gen and Xiao Gen ask me for some money from time to time. How can I have any extra money? The fourth girl has turned her back on us, and the third girl has been divorced. How long will it take for her to earn some money by embroidering?"
"Then you have to think of a way to prevent your son from going to jail and ruining his future."
Lin's mother agreed.
After returning home, Third Sister Lin came over to ask about the situation. Mother Lin shed tears and told her the whole situation.
Third Sister Lin was also anxious. She was divorced by her husband's family. She wanted to go back to her husband's family but couldn't find a way. Besides, it was difficult for her husband's family. Her father-in-law had a serious illness and now she had no money to treat him. She didn't know if his life could be saved...
"I, I'll go find my fourth sister and think of a solution, okay?"
Mother Lin disagreed. "Don't waste your energy. It was the Zhou family who sent your brother to jail. They kept the money used to bail him out a secret from the Zhou family. If you send him up like this and tell them, they'll find out and go to the officials to reason. Your brother won't be able to get out even if he has the money."
Third Sister Lin cried, "What should we do?"
Seeing that the fire was almost burning, Mother Lin asked, "If you really care about your brother, would you be willing to save them?"
"Me? I don't have any money either! I must really want to save my brother..."
Mother Lin wiped her tears again, "Now your brother can only rely on you. The government wants sixty taels of silver. We can only collect thirty taels by selling everything we have. We still have thirty taels left, so we have to let you suffer. You have been divorced by your husband's family anyway, so it's just right. I will let Gu Shenpo find you another marriage, and our family will collect a high betrothal gift again..."
Third Sister Lin was stunned. "Mom, I don't want to get married again. I want to go back to the Zhao family. My son is still in the Zhao family. I will wait for them to calm down after a while..."
"So you just want to watch your two younger brothers die without helping them?" Lin's mother interrupted her.
"That's not what I meant." Third Sister Lin quickly clarified.
Mother Lin cried, "If you want to save me, just listen to my arrangement. Marry me first and get some money for the bride price. Then you can sneak back and hide. You can still go back to the Zhao family in the future. I am your mother, how can I harm you? Your brother is suffering in prison now. They are both weak. I don't know how long they can last..."
Third Sister Lin felt that this was not a good idea, but when she saw her mother crying like that and was worried that her brother would suffer in prison, she agreed.
So, Lin's mother took her to the ancient witch.
The witch Gu thought she was here to cause trouble for her, but she was wrong after all.
"I was also bullied by the Zhou family. Don't even think about asking me for an explanation. People are always mean. Besides, you only brought half a piece of tofu to my house, and you didn't even give me the one or two taels of silver you promised me. I won't ask you for more. Let's call it even."
As a result, Lin's mother said she would not pursue the matter.
He wanted to ask the witch Gu to arrange a marriage for Third Sister Lin.
"Look at my girl, she's only about 20 years old. Although she's divorced, she's pretty and can marry someone who can afford her a lot of money, regardless of family background..."
The witch Gu lamented that Lin's mother was really cruel and ruthless.
Anything can be done.
Even if it means selling someone else's daughter, that's fine.
This is her own daughter!
"There haven't been any ghost marriages recently. These things are just coincidences. How can there be bachelors who die suddenly all year round? If you want to get married, go to a proper matchmaker. Just ask for a higher-class one."
Mother Lin wiped her tears and said, "You think I am thinking about this? My son has been arrested and is in jail. I have no way to redeem him with money. Generally speaking, how much money can the in-laws offer? At most, 70 or 80 taels. She is a second marriage, and no one is willing to give 30 or 40 taels. Only you can sell more for a one-time deal."
The ancient witch is not a good person either.
She said, "Since you think so, why not sell her to a place like that? The pay there is good. You are a pretty girl, not too old, so you should be able to sell her for some money. If she has a conscience, she can save some money from the private money of her patrons, and maybe even help support your family. It's not much different from a ghost marriage..."
Lin's mother knew where that place was.
When my second sister was sold, she was bought back from childhood to be trained to be an otaku.
The girls from their family are all good-looking.
That would require her and Lin Laogen to have a baby.
"Okay, I'll think about it."
After leaving Gu Shenpo's house, Lin's mother felt a little conflicted, because the third girl was the child she had raised.
Should we sell the third girl to that place?
If people knew about this, they would also be afraid of people stabbing the Lin family in the back.
It would be better if they arranged a ghost marriage and were buried with the dead so that no one would know.
***
The Zhou family is efficient and does what they say.
The well outlet was sealed and blocked with a guardrail, so ordinary people could not open it.
Then, the well water was changed to a hand-cranked one, which could directly pump up water without having to put a bucket down to draw water.
The backyard wall was reinforced and raised to prevent cats and dogs from climbing into the house.
There are many men in the Zhou family, so doing these physical work is no problem for them.
With the help of the neighbors next door, it was almost done in a day.
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