In December, during the winter solstice, the days become shorter and the nights longer, and the coolness turns to colder.
There are thousands of lonely trees in the mountains, most of them are dead and withered, without a single green leaf.
After a night of cold, the sun just came out in the morning, and the white frost on the ground turned into tiny, crystal-clear ice chips.
The pedestrians in Yongning County wore thick coats and could occasionally hear the creaking of branches as they walked on the road. They clasped their hands together and wrapped their collars tightly for fear that the cold air would penetrate into their bodies through their necks.
To date, Ning Caijun has been here for more than two months.
He was confined to the backyard every day and rarely went out. He slept in the woodshed without any quilt to keep warm. His worn, black clothes were stained with stains - this was the patched robe he wore when he came here earlier, and now it had many holes in it and was full of leaks.
The scholar usually ate two meals a day, one breakfast and one lunch, and all of his food was the leftovers of the servants, guards and female relatives.
Most of the time, there wasn't much food left when it was his turn to eat. Some servants, who were too powerful to be merciful, would spit in the leftovers, forcing Ning Caichen to eat every grain of rice and lick the pots and bowls clean.
During the more than two months of humiliation, everyone in Huichun Hall regarded bullying Ning Caijun as a form of fun or a way to vent when they were in a bad mood.
The scholar was tortured to the point where his hair was disheveled, his eyes were dull and he was like a numb walking corpse without any resistance.
This day.
In the backyard of Huichun Hall.
The woman with a large head, short body, fat body, nose bigger than garlic, and face like steamed buns called the scholar in the woodshed and said, "Mr. Ning, the master of the family has a good job for you today. He wants you to go to the mountains to catch winter mice for medicinal purposes. When you go, you will follow Zhao Ge'er and the others."
As he was speaking, the guard known as "Brother Zhao" walked in from outside the courtyard with a few companions: "Then, Mr. Juren, please come in quickly!"
After he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter. The guards and female relatives no longer called the scholar by his real name, but just called him "Master Juren!"
The reason was that more than a month ago, a security guard accidentally saw a line of words carved in the corner of the woodshed: If I don’t pass the imperial examination, I would rather marry you than be a human being!
The incident quickly spread throughout Huichun Hall and then to the entire Yongning County. A storyteller in a certain restaurant even used it as a new selling point, mocking and ridiculing it, and making up some fabricated stories to entertain the diners.
Gradually, a phrase became popular in the city: How is the scholar today?
The fighting spirit burning in the scholar's heart was like a ball of velvet being trampled under people's feet and played with at will.
——
However, when Ning Caijun went out this time, Liu Baolong specifically ordered his servants to wash his nephew thoroughly and change into clean cotton clothes. He also asked the servants to be respectful when he was out and not let outsiders see any clues.
After all, Huichuntang's reputation has now reached a new level, and it is at its peak. Even the neighboring counties know about this. The more outsiders hate and talk about this scholar, the more they will remember the kindness of Doctor Liu and Madam Ning. Huichuntang's business is becoming more prosperous and making a fortune every day.
Liu Baolong has always believed that doctors are like businessmen. The most important thing to make a fortune is not medical skills, but reputation.
If outsiders think: Doctor Liu and his family have the heart of a bodhisattva.
Just imagine how many customers Huichuntang would attract just for this sentence? How many people would come here just for its reputation?
This was what Liu Baolong and Madam Ning had been planning all along. If it was a stranger, they would not treat him like this, but after all, it was their nephew's family affair, and no one cared whether there was any hidden secret in it.
What the general public trusts most are their own eyes and ears. They believe that what they see and hear is the truest and most original side. The provocation of emotions is displayed vividly here. They are being used in a trance without knowing it, but instead enjoy it and feel very beautiful.
On the main road in the city, Ning Caijun, wearing a clean leather coat, walked in front, followed by a few servants who pretended to be respectful.
With a "bang", someone threw a pile of dog shit, hitting the scholar's face accurately.
It turned out that the two naughty boys made faces and looked at Ning Caijun with contempt.
When the pedestrians on both sides of the street saw this, they covered their mouths and laughed, their eyes full of gloating satisfaction.
There were also a few strong men who pretended to walk closer and suddenly bumped into Ning Caijun.
At this moment, the scholar's heart was filled with despair, and he felt deeply desperate about the evil of human nature.
I don't know how long I walked, but as soon as I stepped out of the city gate, there was no one around. The guards of Huichun Hall immediately changed their expressions and walked in front of Ning Caijun arrogantly, cursing from time to time: Damn it, walk faster!
Perhaps feeling that scolding was not enough, one of them kicked the scholar, hitting his calf. Ning Caijun felt so much pain that she limped and quickened her pace.
"Don't go back tonight if you don't catch twenty winter mice!" Zhao Liu spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground, threw a bamboo basket and a shovel to the scholar, and then went up the mountain with several other guards to catch game, preparing to have a feast later.
Ning Caijun had never caught a winter mouse before, and he had no idea where it was hiding. He was like a headless fly, digging everywhere to find a hole. He worked for half an hour but found nothing. Instead, he was so tired that his back ached and he was sweating.
“Help!”
Suddenly, the scholar heard a cry for help from the river not far away. He hurriedly followed the sound, but saw a young woman who was swept away by the fast-flowing water. She choked on several mouthfuls of icy water and her whole body was almost sinking to the bottom of the water.
Ning Caijun was eager to save the woman, so she took off her cotton coat, trousers and shoes, and without thinking, jumped into the water and swam towards the woman. The cold water penetrated her bones, and soon her limbs became numb, stiff and painful.
He gritted his teeth, his face flushed red, and he was determined to save the woman.
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