The sound of crying could be heard coming from inside the house.
Meng Jing said aggrievedly, "Nothing happened at all! I've been into the mountains so many times, why won't I be allowed to go up again, and why won't I be allowed to have any contact with the people on the mountain?"
Mencius' mother said, "Those are the descendants of sinners! You, you...when did you become so disobedient!"
Inside the room, Ah Mian was intently eavesdropping on their argument, nestled in someone's arms, her eyes wide open: "So that's how it is. I was wondering why they didn't move down the mountain to live."
In the short time that followed, Meng Jing was punished by being made to stand facing the wall in the courtyard.
Mencius' mother sighed, "When I was little, this village wasn't called Qingshan Village, it was called Hunting Village. People lived off the mountains, and there were quite a few hunters in the village. Hunters were very unruly and always defiant. They were always dealing with wild beasts, and nine out of ten of them didn't have a good end. During the drought, several groups of people banded together and refused to pay their taxes. Later, when the army came, all of them fled to the mountains."
Meng Jing stopped sobbing and listened intently.
"That year there was a famine, and many people starved to death. Everyone felt that fleeing to the mountains like that wouldn't guarantee survival. The officials in the imperial court drove all the surviving villagers, especially the men, to other villages. From then on, the people in the mountains became criminals. If they ran to the city and were discovered by the upright officials, they might not only die, but the soldiers would also have to go into the mountains and wipe them out!"
“Actually, it’s not so bad,” A-Mian whispered to Meng Chijian. “There are lots of treasures in the mountains, and they’re all very valuable. Once you go up the mountain, you’re not on the official register. You can keep all the land you grow, no matter how much or how little you cultivate. You don’t have to hand it over to the government, or do corvée labor or get conscripted…”
A strange image flashed before Meng Chijian's eyes—
The little wild man, A-Mian, wore a few blades of grass, had green patterns painted on his face, and eyes as black as obsidian washed with clear water. He held a wooden stick with a stone tied to it and ran through the mountains and fields.
If it had been more than ten years ago, when the village was conscripting men, and the Meng family had ultimately chosen to flee to the mountains, they might have really encountered someone like Amian. Not only that, but even if they had set many traps, they probably wouldn't have been able to catch Amian; the little savage would have simply kept secretly eating their food and then left in their frustration…
A-Mian was suddenly patted a few times by a large hand, and asked in confusion, "Why are you patting me?"
Meng Chijian said nonchalantly, "You have no clothes to wear on the mountain, yet you run around everywhere. Don't you know shame? Besides, you don't interact with people, you can't read, and you're no different from birds and beasts. It's one thing to disappear on your own, but do you expect your children and generations to hide in the mountains?"
The Meng family deliberated carefully back then, but ultimately did not flee to the mountain overnight, precisely because of this consideration.
If one becomes a criminal, wouldn't one be unable to live an upright life for all eternity?
“There are no doctors or books to read on the mountain. You’re often hungry, and you never know when a snake or wolf will drag you out of bed. People should live in places where people live. You absolutely cannot go back into the mountains on your own. I will tell Xiaojing as well.”
Ah Mian felt a pang of regret when she thought of those matsutake mushrooms, but she still obediently agreed.
On the other side, Meng's mother was also in tears: "You are my youngest son, you are trying to kill me! It's one thing if the person you met was just a child, but if those criminals find out you know their whereabouts, they will kill you. From now on, you must never have anything to do with that person again..."
Meng Jing hesitated and said, "That child is alright, he... he often sneaks down the mountain."
"No. In a few years, you'll be engaged too. I'll ask your second and third brothers to keep an eye out for you and find you a good match. That way, I can finally rest in peace!"
Meng Jing murmured for a long time before saying, "Alright, I'll just ignore him then. Mother, please don't cry."
Upon hearing this, A-Mian frowned deeply.
The children on the mountain had given Xiao Jing more than four taels of silver, but after she went to the girls' academy, she turned her back on him. I wonder what he must be thinking.
Isn't this a case of using people to advance and not using them to retreat?
Sure enough, Xiao Jing went back to her room and started crying quietly.
"I don't know what will happen in the future."
“A son grows up and is no longer under his mother’s control.” Meng Chijian blew out the candle. “Tomorrow I will take you to the academy and tell the teachers that you can no longer ask for leave on your own. Go to sleep.”
Ah Mian ignored him, turned over and thought the mountain was nice, at least there was no tyrant there.
The next day, Meng Chijian, who had been sleeping in the woodshed for many days, felt that he couldn't go on like this any longer.
But last time was by chance, and now is definitely not the time to have a child.
Meng Chijian dropped A-Mian off at the academy that morning and rushed to the pharmacy to find Wen Qiao before opening his shop. Wen Qiao now avoids him whenever he sees him, but unfortunately, his wheelchair was a step too slow. Meng Chijian stopped him and asked, "Is there any way to prevent a married couple from having children temporarily?"
Wen Qiao said, "Having many children brings many blessings, what's wrong with that?"
Meng Chijian said, "We don't know any methods of contraception. I don't want to be like ordinary people, having my wife give birth to six or seven children. In the end, the children who can survive will live, while the ones that can't be raised or are weak will be abandoned in front of the temple, causing so much suffering and sin for no reason."
This idea is quite shocking these days.
Having children is entirely beneficial, especially in rural areas. More children mean more labor; girls can work and take care of their younger siblings, making them natural little maids; boys can fight, and when they grow up, they can farm and fetch water, making other families afraid to bully them.
Moreover, since it is difficult for a baby to "stand up", you have to have many babies so that at least a few will survive!
"You're not the only one in the world troubled by this. But those medicinal soups containing saffron, musk, arsenic, and the like, while they may prevent pregnancy, are extremely harmful to a woman's body!"
Meng Chijian frowned upon hearing this, thankfully he hadn't listened to the midwife or the so-called "experienced person".
"If that's the case, then so be it."
Wen Qiao then realized that he did not intend for A Mian to drink those medicines, and said with a softened expression, "Last time I took her pulse, I saw that A Mian's body was very healthy. Her internal deficiencies had been replenished, and now her qi and blood were abundant. This is the right way."
Meng Chijian nodded, "He's just too active, so he can never gain weight. He's lost a little weight recently."
Seeing that there was no solution, Meng Chijian got up to go to the shop.
"Wait a minute..." Wen Qiao thought of something, "Now that you mention it, I do have something in mind. But I heard it from my father, and I don't know if it's feasible. That method is something only nobles would use."
Ordinary people rarely needed contraception, but nobles and even royalty did not want their bloodline to be lost. Since herbal medicine was not foolproof, they came up with an idea.
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