Chapter 162
The rabbit fur was handed over to the garment shop before leaving the city. The original plan was to make three pairs of rabbit fur shoes for Jiaojiao and two pairs for Qin Mianmian, but Jiaojiao insisted that her father also have some.
Yin Zheng was tall, and the rabbit fur used to make one pair of his shoes was equivalent to Jiaojiao's three pairs. He had originally decided not to make them. Not only would the material be wasted, but he was young and strong, and his internal energy was high. He used to be able to get through the winter with just a pair of cloth shoes, but these rabbit fur shoes would probably make him sweat like crazy. But as Jiaojiao hugged his legs and blinked her watery eyes, Yin Zheng reluctantly gave in and agreed.
In the end, the rabbit skins they brought were only enough for two children and one adult to make a pair of shoes each, but Yin Zheng also bought a few pairs of shoes with cotton velvet for Jiaojiao and the others to change into. Of course, with Jiaojiao watching, he also bought a pair for himself.
The shoes have been ordered. I will buy New Year’s goods together when I come to pick them up in two days.
“Dad, it’s snowing!”
Jiaojiao, standing in the backpack, stretched out her hands to catch the snow falling from the sky and spoke to her father with sparkling eyes.
"Um."
Jiaojiao stood on tiptoe to cover her father's ears, and stretched her head forward to see his expression: "Dad, are you cold?"
"It's not cold."
"Jiaojiao isn't cold either."
"Jiaojiao, where are you looking?" Qin Mianmian pointed at a pine tree not far away and said, "There's a squirrel on that tree!"
Jiaojiao turned her head and looked over, saying happily, "Really, it seems to be looking at us."
"Yo Yo~" Yo Yo, who was walking beside them, also called out twice and leaned his head to look at the squirrels on the tree.
"dad."
"Um?"
"When it snows heavily, we can have a snowball fight, okay?"
"good."
The snow was falling lightly. On the quiet official road, a tall figure was carrying a backpack that was much larger than usual. Two fair-skinned children were standing in the backpack, talking about something with bright eyes. The tall figure walked silently, and occasionally opened his mouth to respond. There was no impatience in his low voice, and there was a kind of deep tenderness in the trance.
A white elk followed them, walking with cheerful steps and calling out "Yo Yo" from time to time. The deer's call was long and distant. The sound of bells came from a temple in the distant mountains. The fine snow gradually covered their figures.
In the capital, at Xie Mansion, a five-year-old boy was climbing into the study by stepping on the back of a servant.
"Young master, why don't we go? The eldest master will punish you if he comes back and sees us." said the servant who was lying on the ground and letting the young master serve as a stepping stone.
"Hmph, if Xie Shuyu dares to punish me, I'll complain to my grandmother." Yu Ge'er snorted disdainfully, "He won't let me into the study, but I insist on going in. I want to see what treasures he has hidden in the study."
As he said this, he took off the brocade and fur-trimmed cloak that was in the way and threw it aside. He put all his strength into searching up, and after some effort he finally got in. He clapped his hands, raised his chin proudly, and began to search in the study.
He must find something to hold against Xie Shuyu. With it in his hand, he will see if he dares to punish himself by copying books again in the future!
At this time, Xie Shuyu, who had returned from appreciating plum blossoms with a few friends, was walking towards the study. In his hands were a bag of pine nut candies that he had specially taken a detour to Changfuzhai to buy, and a copy of "The Great Learning" with annotations by Mr. Qingzhou.
The pine nut candy was intended for Jiaojiao, and "The Great Learning" was prepared for Yin Zheng.
Hengyang Town is too far away from the capital. It would take a month to walk there without stopping, and sending a letter is even more difficult. Since he came back, he has only exchanged letters with Jiaojiao once.
The winter melon was ripe, and Jiaojiao sent it over with a letter. Xie Shuyu found the handwriting soft but could still see the cuteness in it. He even made a box to put the letter in and keep it.
It’s a pity that the winter melon was so soft and rotten when it was sent to me.
After receiving the letter, he sent Yin Zheng all the imperial examination questions he had collected in recent years. He also copied the interpretations of the Four Books and Five Classics in his collection, and sent all the rhythm, standard writing format for answering questions, and experience in solving the questions to Yin Zheng.
However, he still hasn't received the returned letter. He guessed that the letter was lost due to the long journey. He would have to send another copy of the one he sent last time.
Xie Shuyu's goal was clear: to get Yin Zheng admitted as a scholar. Beyond that, he had no plans to allow Yin Zheng to take any higher exams. The reason was simple: the emperor's disciples represented the emperor's reputation, and Yin Zheng's appearance was not good, so even if he was a genius, he could not enter the court.
Next year, based on his judgment of Yin Zheng, if he reads all the books he sent him, he will probably be able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, which would be pretty good.
With the status of a scholar, he and Jiaojiao could live a much better life. At least they would not have to worry about military service and various labor services, and they could also be exempted from various taxes.
I wonder if Jiaojiao misses him? I heard that children forget things very quickly, so Jiaojiao shouldn't forget me!
"Master, the master and his wife invite you to the main courtyard."
Xie Shuyu, who was thinking about Jiaojiao, was stopped halfway and asked to go to the main courtyard.
Although Xie Shuyu was confused, he still handed the things in his hand to the servant and turned to walk towards the main courtyard.
Both his parents were in the room, and standing beside them was Xie Jinyu, who looked gloating. Xie Shuyu glanced at him and then looked away, bowing and saying, "Father, mother, blessings be upon you."
The moment he saw him, Master Xie slammed the table with a sullen expression and scolded him, "You bastard! Your mother and I have repeatedly urged you to get married, but you've repeatedly refused, and now you've got a mistress!"
Concubine?
Xie Shuyu stood up, his eyebrows and eyes calm, "Father, please be careful with your words. I don't have any concubines!"
Mr. Xie remained silent with a sullen face. Mrs. Xie, who loved the portrait more and more, had a glint of regret in her eyes: "Huaizhi, this child is really not yours?"
In the portrait in Mrs. Xie's hand, a young man, whose coarse linen clothes could not hide his noble temperament, was lying on an ill-fitting recliner, holding a copy of "Youxue Qionglin" in his hand and a child in fine cotton clothes in his arms.
There was an indescribable coldness and alienation in the young man's eyes, but when he looked at the child in his arms, there was an indescribable tenderness in his eyes.
Xie's father and mother knew very well what kind of person their son was. Their first reaction when they saw the painting was that the child was Huaizhi's. Otherwise, how could Huaizhi have such an expression? Moreover, they knew at a glance that the painting was painted by Xie Shuyu himself from the brushstrokes.
If the artist had not been soft-hearted when painting this picture, how could the eyes of the person in the painting have such a gentleness that even the person himself is not aware of?
Moreover, Xie Shuyu himself only painted landscapes and rarely painted people.
So when they saw this painting, even though they knew it was impossible, they still thought the child was Xie Shuyu's.
Xie Shuyu looked at the painting in his mother's hand, and remembered Xie Jinyu's gloating look when he entered the room. He had a rough idea of what was going on.
"The child in this painting is the one who saved my family. He was seriously injured and couldn't travel any further, so he stayed with this family for a while."
Hearing Xie Shuyu's denial, a hint of regret flashed across Xie's father's face. His son was excellent in every aspect except that he was too indifferent in terms of emotions.
When returning the painting to Xie Shuyu, Xie's mother was still a little reluctant. Not to mention that the child was fair and tender with curved eyes and eyebrows, which made people happy, but Xie Shuyu in the painting was more relaxed and comfortable than she had ever seen him.
Ever since he moved out of the backyard at the age of five, her son has become less and less humane day by day, especially his eyes. He is clearly a little person, but he has no desires or thoughts, which makes adults like them feel nervous when they see him.
It was okay as he grew up. He learned how to hide his sharp coldness and gradually made three or two good friends. However, she guessed that the reason her son chose these people as friends was because they were useful to him.
Xie Shuyu took the painting from his mother's hand, and when he turned to leave, he asked the servant beside him to take Xie Jinyu away.
"Mother! Mother, save me! Mother, mmmmm..." Xie Jinyu, who was being carried away, struggled for help, but the servant covered her mouth at the signal of Xie Shuyu.
Madam Xie stood up to say something, but was stopped by Master Xie: "If you and I can't do it, let Huaizhi deal with him! This habit of sneaking into the study must be severely punished once and for all, so that he won't dare to do it again, otherwise..."
As the year draws to a close, more and more people go out to enjoy the plum blossoms. There is a plum blossom garden on the back mountain of Zhenguo Temple. Many people come here to enjoy the plum blossoms, which also adds to the popularity of Zhenguo Temple.
Mrs. Qin also came to Zhenguo Temple to light candles and pray for her son. Since Mianmian went missing, she would come to the temple every few days to offer the Buddhist scriptures she wrote, asking the Buddha to bless Mianmian.
After silently reciting the Buddhist scriptures in front of the Buddha, she stood up and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she caught a glimpse of her son's name on a perpetual lamp.
The eternal lamps in Zhenguo Temple come in several sizes, the lowest being nine cents and the highest being nine hundred and ninety-nine taels. Mrs. Qin always orders the highest size, and the one in front of her is nine taels.
Madam Qin paused and asked the monk leading the way, "Master, who is offering this lamp?"
The monk stopped and the young monk beside him said, "Madam, this is what the young master of the Zhou Mansion ordered."
"Zhou Mansion?" Madam Qin looked back at the lamp that looked extremely cramped. With that child's ability to light such a lamp, it must have cost him several months' worth of savings.
She knew what the child was thinking, and she should have ignored it or even been disgusted by it. But when she thought about how much the child looked like Mianmian, she could not ignore the fact that he was having such a hard time.
Mrs. Qin withdrew her gaze and walked out. Well, since he and Mianmian are so similar, it’s not a bad idea to take care of him occasionally. Just consider it as a good deed for Mianmian!
What do I need to prepare for the New Year?
Yin Zheng pondered for a long time in the room, and wrote rice, flour, fish, meat, and firecrackers on the paper. He couldn't continue writing after writing about firecrackers.
He had never gone to the street to buy New Year's goods, and what he wrote were also what he had seen at home in the past. Oh, and there were also brocade clothes. I remember that Yin Yuanzhi and Yin Youcai would buy a new piece of clothing every New Year.
Yin Zheng wrote this down and planned to buy two more clothes for Jiaojiao and Qin Mianmian when he went to the county town tomorrow to wear on New Year's Day.
After writing this, Yin Zheng fell silent again. In the end, he had no choice but to go to the village chief's house to ask.
Yin Zheng put down his pen, stood up and took out a light yellow cotton jacket from the closet for Jiaojiao to wear. Knowing that her father was going to take her out, Jiaojiao consciously put on the rabbit fur collar and hat.
Yin Zheng turned around and saw that he had put them on himself, so he took out some cotton shoes for Jiaojiao to put on, and then carried him out.
Qin Mianmian was afraid of the cold, so when she heard that they were going to the village chief's house, she curled up on the kang to show that she didn't want to go.
It’s not far anyway, Jiaojiao and the others will be back soon.
Instead, Yoyo held the collar in its mouth and asked Qin Mianmian to put it on it, then happily followed Jiaojiao and the others away.
"New Year's goods?" Old Wang was surprised. "It's still about a month away from the New Year, why are you preparing New Year's goods so early?"
Yin Zheng said succinctly, "It's cold, so it's not convenient to buy New Year's goods."
Old Wang was surprised. In previous years, Yin Zheng would go to the mountains and stay there for a month or so when it snowed heavily. Doesn't he seem to be afraid of the cold?
As she was thinking about it, her eyes fell on Jiaojiao.
Jiaojiao was wearing a light yellow cotton-padded jacket today, a grey fluffy rabbit fur hat on his head, and a fluffy rabbit fur collar around his neck, which made him look even whiter and rounder, like the small Yuanxiao eaten during the Lantern Festival.
Old Wang suddenly understood. Ever since Jiaojiao was stolen by Li Ergou and almost sold to an unknown place, Yin Zheng has been keeping a close eye on Jiaojiao, carrying her wherever she goes. Seeing that Jiaojiao was dressed so warmly, Yin Zheng guessed that she was afraid of the cold. Yin Zheng was probably afraid that the weather would be too cold when he went to buy New Year's goods on the 28th day of the lunar year, and Jiaojiao would be cold, so he prepared to buy the goods in advance.
When it comes to the little lucky doll Jiaojiao, Old Wang is even more concerned: "As for buying New Year's goods, most of us farmers in the countryside buy some brocade clothes, new calendars, door gods and kitchen gods, as well as peach charms, spring invitations, peach charms, Tusu wine, and fruits and cakes to visit people's homes..."
In addition to the New Year's goods, Old Wang was worried that Yin Zheng was organizing the New Year's festival for the first time, so she also talked to him a lot.
Jiaojiao got down from her father's arms and planned to go to Aunt Chen's house to see Duoduo, but the threshold was too high. Jiaojiao turned over twice but failed to turn over and was a little confused.
Seeing that Jiaojiao couldn't turn over, Youyou used her head to support Jiaojiao's butt in an attempt to help him turn over.
Seeing that Jiaojiao was about to fall out of the door, Yin Zheng hurriedly walked forward and picked him up.
Jiaojiao, who was held by her father, pointed outside with bright eyes: "Daddy, Jiaojiao is going to Aunt Chen's house to see Duoduo."
Upon hearing this, Yin Zheng first sent Jiaojiao to Chen's place, and then returned to continue listening to Old Wang's talk.
Chen in the room was in confinement after giving birth. She was leaning on the kang and sewing a tiger hat with nothing to do. From time to time, she glanced at Duoduo who was sleeping beside her. When she saw Yin Zheng bringing Jiaojiao over, she smiled and waved to let Jiaojiao come over.
Jiaojiao, who was wearing too thick clothes, staggered over. She bent down and carried Jiaojiao onto the kang. Youyou stood by the kang and looked at Jiaojiao.
Chen looked at Youyou with surprise in her eyes. Why did the deer have a collar around its neck?
"It's not red anymore, it's turned white." Jiaojiao, who was sitting on the kang, raised her head and looked at the sleeping Duoduo in surprise.
Chen smiled and said, "When babies are born, they are all red, but they turn white in two days."
Jiaojiao blinked, puffed out her chest, and said to Chen with a little pride, "Daddy said Jiaojiao is not like that."
Chen couldn't help laughing, and when she was about to say something, a voice suddenly came from the side.
"That's what your father said to comfort you. He picked you up from the mountains. How could he know what you looked like when you were born?" Zhao, who came in with a basket, sat down on the kang. She placed the basket on the kang table and glanced at Youyou beside her. "Wow, this deer has a rabbit fur collar around its neck! This animal is treated better than humans."
"You're talking nonsense!" Jiaojiao said seriously, her hands behind her back, "Jiaojiao is Daddy's daughter, of course Daddy knows."
Zhao withdrew her gaze from Youyou and squinted at Jiaojiao, saying, "What nonsense is this little kid talking about? Your father picked you up from the mountains. The whole village knows this."
Relief grain arrived from above, and my father-in-law and several men in the family went to the town to collect it yesterday. Although it was just broken rice and rice bran, mixed with some wild vegetables, it was enough to get them through the day.
The tension that had been building for the past few days finally relaxed, and Zhao Shi was in the mood to chat and laugh. While mending the soles of her shoes, she looked at Jiao Jiao and said seriously, "Be careful, your father may not want you anymore after he gets married and has his own children."
"Third brother's wife!" Chen frowned and scolded.
Zhao rolled her eyes and said, "I'm just teasing Jiaojiao, why do you take it so seriously?"
"Daddy won't abandon Jiaojiao." Jiaojiao retorted. Thinking that her aunt said that, it must be because her aunt's father didn't want her because he had other children, she comforted her with a little sympathy: "Although your father didn't want you because he had other children, don't be sad, it's not good to be sad."
Zhao choked and put the sole of her shoe into the basket. Thinking Jiaojiao had said that on purpose, she said with an ugly face, "What kind of kid is that? What kid in the village would dare to talk to an elder like that? You..."
"That's enough! If you have nothing to do, go and clean up the chicken coop. Don't argue with me. You're an adult, and you're arguing with a little kid. I'm embarrassed to see you." Chen interrupted her impatiently and pulled the confused Jiaojiao behind her to protect her.
After Zhao angrily left with the basket, Chen turned around and tried to comfort Jiaojiao, saying, "Don't pay attention to your Aunt Zhao. She's just stuck in her head."
Jiaojiao blinked, lowered her head and thought for a moment before nodding in sudden realization. She said obediently, "Is Aunt Zhao the same as Uncle Li Dashan from the west end of the village? Tiedan said these people with poor brains are so pitiful they can't even get enough to eat. Aunt Zhao is pitiful, Jiaojiao won't be angry."
Chen: “…”
Li Dashan, the guy at the west end of the village, is a fool who doesn't know the difference between cold and heat, or hunger and fullness. He even runs outside naked in the heavy snow. Fortunately, my third brother's wife didn't hear this, otherwise she would be so angry!
Chen opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed it back when she met Jiaojiao's clear and bright eyes.
Forget it, my third sister-in-law deserves it!
After sympathizing with Aunt Zhao for a while, Jiaojiao put the matter behind her and continued to look curiously at Duoduo sleeping in the cradle.
Looking at Duoduo's small hand clenched into a fist and placed next to her face, Jiaojiao compared it with her own hand and said in surprise, "Auntie, Duoduo's hand is smaller than Jiaojiao's!"
This was the first time Jiaojiao saw a child younger than him.
Upon hearing this, Chen said, "Duoduo is smaller than Jiaojiao, so her hands are also smaller than Jiaojiao's."
Jiaojiao looked at Duoduo, then looked at her own hands, and exclaimed, "Auntie is amazing."
Chen: "Hmm?"
Jiaojiao put her hands behind her back and said seriously, "Auntie gave birth to Duoduo, which is amazing, just like daddy gave birth to Jiaojiao, both are amazing!"
Chen was stunned for a moment, then she understood what Jiaojiao meant and couldn't help laughing.
I didn’t expect that Yin Zheng, who usually looks like a taciturn person, would tell Jiaojiao that Jiaojiao was born from his belly.
Hahaha, ouch, she laughed so hard that her stomach hurt!
Li Duoduo was awakened by his mother's laughter and burst into tears. Chen, who was laughing so hard that tears came out, quickly got up and held him in her arms to comfort him.
Jiaojiao, who thought her aunt was smiling so happily because she was praised, shook her head. It seemed that her aunt was not praised enough. Jiaojiao would praise her aunt more in the future.
"Aunt Chen, Jiaojiao wants to go find daddy." After seeing Duoduo, Jiaojiao missed her father again.
Chen, who was busy coaxing Duoduo, quickly carried Jiaojiao down from the kang: "Go, be careful."
Jiaojiao nodded, and walked out with Youyou on her short legs, but when they reached the threshold, they were in trouble again.
When Yin Zheng came out, he saw Jiaojiao pursing her lips and struggling to climb over the threshold, and Youyou leaning against his butt from behind. He strode forward, picked up Jiaojiao and held her in his arms.
Jiaojiao was very happy to see her father, and said with sparkling eyes, "Dad!"
"Um."
"Jiaojiao wants to eat sugar cakes."
"good."
After Jiaojiao and Yin Zheng left, Old Wang knocked on the door of the third room with a bad look on her face.
"Who is it?" Zhao's voice sounded in the room.
"I!"
"Mother?" Zhao quickly got down from the kang and opened the door. "Why are you here?"
Old Wang half-lifted her eyelids and looked at her: "Your sister-in-law asked you to clean up the chicken coop. Did you do it?"
Zhao's face froze: "Mom, I've finished my work for today."
Ever since the eldest sister-in-law, the second sister-in-law and she became pregnant one after another, most of the housework has been taken over by my mother and several men in the family. Of course, they are not completely idle. Every day my mother will assign them some trivial but not tiring work, and they can rest after finishing it.
Today it was her turn to dig wild vegetables and sweep the yard, and she finished these things early.
Old Wang said with a sullen face, "Can't we do it again after we've finished it? Go clean up the chicken coop and then go feed the cows."
During the famine, the cows became thin due to starvation. Fortunately, the village not only grew wild vegetables, but also a lot of wild grass. Otherwise, the livestock at home would have starved to death.
All these are thanks to Jiaojiao, the little lucky doll. Old Wang wants to worship Jiaojiao as a idol. How can she allow Zhao, who is a fool, to bully Jiaojiao?
Zhao felt aggrieved and went to clean up the chicken coop reluctantly.
The eldest and second sisters-in-law were given preferential treatment when they were pregnant, but she wasn't, right? The more Zhao thought about it, the more upset she felt, and her actions were inevitably a bit exaggerated.
Old Mrs. Wang, who was making clothes for her grandson in the house, heard the crackling noise outside and ignored it calmly. She was very satisfied with the daughters-in-law married by her eldest and second sons, but the third son's wife was a bit troublesome. Not only was she confused, but she also refused to suffer any loss, which made the family uneasy. If she hadn't been pregnant when she came in, she would have definitely taken ruthless measures to change her temper.
When Li San was coming back with the grass on his back, he happened to run into Zhao who was coming out of the chicken coop. Zhao slapped him several times, leaving Li San confused.
On this side, Meng Qiwu asked someone to check on Yin Zheng after he returned.
She was very satisfied when she learned that this man was a farmer from Lijia Village in Hengyang Town, a powerless country bumpkin... As long as he was willing to cooperate with her in treating Qin Zhiyi badly, or even abuse Qin Zhiyi, and let her successfully achieve her goal, she might spare his life and give him some silver.
In the county town, after Yin Zheng bought the items on the list, he remembered the hand warmer used by the lady who got off the carriage that day, so he bought one for Jiaojiao. When he was about to pay, he remembered Qin Mianmian and bought one for Qin Mianmian as well.
Qin Mianmian, who was standing aside, didn't expect that she also had it. She smiled with her lips pursed, revealing the dimples on her face. She looked up at Yin Zheng and said, "Thank you, Uncle Yin."
"Daddy, Daddy has some too." Jiaojiao, who was in her father's arms, took out two copper coins from her pocket and handed them to the shopkeeper: "Hand warmers, Daddy has some too, Jiaojiao will buy them for you."
Yin Zheng, holding Jiaojiao, gave the shopkeeper a look and said he would make up the difference later.
The shopkeeper glanced at Yin Zheng, then at the pretty, fair-skinned kid in front of him. He stroked his beard and said calmly, "Two copper coins are not enough to buy a hand warmer."
Yin Zheng's eyes moved and he looked at the shopkeeper in confusion.
The shopkeeper calmly ignored his look.
"Yes, Jiaojiao has some more." Jiaojiao said a little anxiously. After handing the copper coins to the shopkeeper, she lowered her head and continued to search for copper coins in her pocket.
There were quite a lot of things in the pocket, including round pebbles, small pieces of wood, grasshoppers woven from straw, and some miscellaneous items. Jiaojiao rummaged around for a long time before she found a copper coin and quickly handed it to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper took the copper coin and said, "It's still not enough."
Jiaojiao blinked, lowered her head and searched in her pocket for a while. When she didn't find it, she raised her head a little confused.
Jiaojiao has no money!
Seeing the confused look on the kid's face, the shopkeeper couldn't help laughing. Just as he was about to say something, Yin Zheng reached out and took the three copper coins from him.
"Hey!" The shopkeeper reached out but failed to stop him.
Yin Zheng put the copper coins back into Jiaojiao's pocket, turned around, took a hand warmer and put it on the cabinet: "Check out."
Jiaojiao glanced at the three cents in her pocket, then looked at the hand warmer on the cabinet, smacked her lips, and thought it was so expensive. Jiaojiao couldn't afford it!
While settling the accounts, the manager would look up at Jiaojiao from time to time. This little kid was really rare. He knew how to feel sorry for his father at such a young age and even used his own money to buy a hand warmer for him. If he had a kid like this, he would be so happy that he could eat an extra bowl of rice every day!
"You have raised such a precious little kid." The shopkeeper was counting the bills while chatting.
Yin Zheng nodded: "Yeah."
Jiaojiao is indeed a rare person!
"My kid is no good. He's as naughty as a monkey. If he's not punished for three days, he'll tear the roof off the house."
"A while ago, he was busy, so his mother asked him to watch the fire while she was cooking, and he almost burned down the kitchen."
"One ounce, three coins, and eighteen coins." The shopkeeper glanced at Jiaojiao in Yin Zheng's arms and said, "But if you give me those three coins, I'll give you a discount."
There was no other reason, except that he was happy to see the little kid, so he took the three copper coins back to let his son share in the other person's good fortune, so that he wouldn't be pissed off by that little bastard twice in three days.
Upon hearing this, Jiaojiao was about to take money out of his pocket, but before he could take it out, Yin Zheng counted out the money, put it on the counter, picked up the things, and turned to leave.
The shopkeeper called out "Hey hey" several times behind him but didn't ask him to stop.
Along with the relief grain came an imperial envoy. This imperial envoy was very capable. As soon as he arrived, he killed a group of merchants who raised the price of grain, threatened a group of people, and appeased a group of people. After some mediation, he brought down the price of grain. Although it did not drop to the usual price, it was finally dropped to a level that ordinary people could afford.
The cost of buying New Year's goods for Yin Zheng this time was not high, which made him wonder, New Year's goods didn't seem that expensive.
But I have to tell the village chief about the drop in grain prices when I get back.
Upon hearing that the price of grain had dropped, the village chief clapped his hands with joy. He immediately gathered the villagers and told them about it, asking those who were interested in buying grain to follow him to the town tomorrow.
That day, Old Mrs. Wu suddenly chased Yin Zheng and said some strange things.
"It's enough to just pick up one of these unrelated kids and raise them. There's no need to pick up two."
"You are old now, and you will eventually marry a wife. One of these burdens will be enough."
"The kid you picked up earlier was young and could be tamed, but this one behind you looks like it's five or six years old. It's impossible to tamed it."
"This untamed little brat needs to be taught a lesson, or he'll ride on your other brats in the future."
Even if Yin Zheng ignored her, she still followed Yin Zheng around every day and talked to him, even shouting at the top of her lungs outside the yard.
"I'm your mother, how could I possibly harm you? Listen to me, don't be nice to that kid. I've got you a good bamboo stick, use it and hit him hard. I'll fix it for you once the stick breaks."
"Isn't there a saying that a good son is born under the stick? It means that children should be beaten, and beaten hard, so that they will be obedient and filial."
Qin Mianmian, who was in the room, heard Wu's shouting outside. She moved to Yin Zheng with her fists clenched, feeling a little uneasy. She stammered, "Uncle Yin, I will be good and filial. I will also be good to Jiaojiao and not ride on him."
Yin Zheng, who was cutting bamboo to make a small backpack for Qin Mianmian, heard this and looked at him: "Yeah."
Qin Mianmian blinked, and when she saw Uncle Yin was still cutting bamboo strips, she couldn't help but lower her head and purse her lips.
It was not until Qin Mianmian saw Uncle Yin weaving a backpack with thinned bamboo strips that she breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that he was not using the thinned bamboo strips to beat him!
Old Mrs. Wu's efforts were ineffective. A few days later, a strange man carrying five hundred taels of silver notes knocked on Yin Zheng's door. Before he could say a few words, Yin Zheng grabbed him and threw him out of the village.
"Oh, five hundred taels can't even satisfy this country bumpkin's appetite." Meng Qiwu put down the heater in his hand and didn't take it too seriously: "If they don't cooperate, then just push them away."
Now that he has arrived in Jiayang County, are you still afraid that he will run away?
You have to know that Jiayang County is the territory of her Meng family.
Within two days, some words spread in several villages including Shangyou Village and Zhaojia Village.
I heard that the little kid named Qin Mianmian who was picked up by Yin Zheng from Lijia Village was a disaster star and the locust plague was caused by him.
It is said that one time Yin Zheng took him to the county and met a wandering alchemist. The alchemist was shocked when he saw Qin Mianmian for the first time, and called her a doomed star who would bring disaster.
Also, this little kid was not abducted by a kidnapper at all, but was deliberately abandoned by his family because he has an unlucky star fate, which will not only bring disaster, but also kill all those close to him.
Within two days of these rumors spreading, Yin Dazhu brought two fortune-tellers and some villagers, including Widow Li, and knocked on the door of Yin Zheng's house at the foot of Wushan Mountain.
Two in one~
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