Chapter 87 Ancient World: Stepmother (4)
During dinner in the evening.
Zhao Lianhua reminded Changqing again to be careful with his words tomorrow.
Changqing readily agreed, which made his younger sister, Li Huanxi, look at him with great concern. Changqing gave her a look that said, "I'm not stupid," which reassured her.
Changqing slept very well that night.
Li Fusheng, on the other hand, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
"Lianhua, do you think it's inappropriate for us to send Changqing to do corvée labor?"
Suddenly, he sat up, nudged Zhao Lianhua beside him, and asked.
Zhao Lianhua had worked all day and was so tired that her whole body ached. She lay down and became drowsy. When she heard Li Fusheng's words, she mumbled something.
"What's inappropriate about it? If he doesn't go, are you suggesting Qingyue go instead?"
Li Fusheng fell silent. Qingyue was his lifeline, and a scholar at that; how could she possibly do manual labor?
But the thought of him going alone made him uneasy. Forced labor wasn't something easily endured, and hearing that this time it was repairing a river embankment, working by the water, made it even more frightening—what if a flash flood occurred in the middle of the night…
"Hey, go to sleep. Don't overthink it. Changqing is strong and hardworking, so it's only right that he contributes to the family."
Zhao Lianhua said one more thing, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
She was quite at ease, as her son never disobeyed her. It was just a matter of sending him to do corvée labor, not sending him to his death.
Li Fusheng: ......
That's what I'm saying, but why do I have this bad feeling?
He couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought about it, so he just lay down.
He didn't sleep well all night, and the next day he had dark circles under his eyes.
Early in the morning, the sound of gongs could be heard at the entrance of the village.
The officials arrived.
The whole family immediately tensed up, changed into new clothes, and waited at home.
Corvée labor was a major event.
The higher-ups took this very seriously. Two officials went door-to-door checking people's names, and those whose names were called were to gather at the village entrance and be taken away that afternoon.
Li Fusheng stood at the door, looking at the two officials and the accompanying Li clan chief not far away, his palms sweating.
Li Xiangling didn't go to town today either; she stayed home to watch the excitement.
Changqing wasn't nervous at all. To be honest, just standing there, he was half a head shorter than Li Fusheng. If the officials were to choose, they definitely wouldn't pick him. In the story, it was only because he listened to his mother and volunteered that the officials, understanding his filial piety, allowed him to go.
Now, should I talk to him about filial piety?
That would be hilarious.
Li Fusheng looked nervous. He glanced at Changqing, who stood calmly beside him, and muttered to himself:
"Hey, in two years, when Qingyue passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, our family will be exempt from corvée labor."
The implication is that the hardship is temporary, and there will be blessings to enjoy later.
Zhao Lianhua tugged at Changqing's sleeve: "Son, things aren't easy at home. Your brother Qingyue is studying, and your father and I still need to take care of things in the fields. Unfortunately, our village has been selected for corvée labor this time. You're all grown up now, so you should go this time."
She paused at this point.
"A month or two will pass quickly. When you come back, Mom will ask someone to act as a matchmaker and find you a wife..."
Changqing remained completely unmoved.
Bringing up the issue of corvée labor now is probably to avoid giving him time to consider refusing, right? In the story, if the original owner was already in favor, would he still be in favor?
He remained silent.
A voice came from around the corner.
"Hey, Fusheng's family, are you planning to send Changqing to do corvée labor? Your mother is too heartless."
Aunt Dongzhi came out while cracking sunflower seeds, followed by several of the village's most gossipy women, their faces beaming with gossipy smiles.
Li Fusheng's face darkened.
Why are they here? No wonder I felt something was off last night, could it be because of this?
Zhao Lianhua hadn't expected this woman to return. Her expression faltered for a moment, then she forced a smile and explained, "Sister Dongzhi, our Changqing is the most sensible one. He's considerate of his father's age, so he volunteered..."
Aunt Dongzhi spat.
"Who are you trying to fool? Your Li Fusheng is too old, but Li Qingyue is just the right age."
Li Fusheng's expression changed.
Before he could speak, Li Xiangling snorted, "My brother is a scholar, how can Li Changqing compare to my brother?"
Changqing lowered his head and remained silent.
Li Huanxi, the younger sister, opened her mouth as if to say something, but he pulled her back and she didn't say anything.
Changqing knew that he didn't need to speak at this time; Aunt Dongzhi was the perfect mouthpiece. She didn't have a son, but Li Fusheng's son was able to go to school, which made her very unhappy. She would get angry whenever she mentioned it. Sure enough, upon hearing this, Aunt Dongzhi immediately snorted.
"A scholar? May I ask if you passed the county-level exam or the imperial exam? Hehe, to be honest, I still have a few books at home, and I've even read them. Does that mean I'm a scholar too?"
The old lady's fighting power was explosive; Li Xiangling was no match for her and was defeated in one round. She was so angry that her face turned red and she kept stomping her feet.
Li Fusheng had already realized that the other party was there to make him uncomfortable.
"Sister Dongzhi, this is a family matter, you probably have no right to interfere."
"Hehe, I can't interfere in your family affairs, but I just can't stand seeing your whole family bullying Fu Guan's child!" Aunt Dongzhi sneered repeatedly. Of course, she wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
Fu Guan is the name of Chang Qing's biological father. When Aunt Dong Zhi brought it up, everyone's expression changed.
Zhao Lianhua stepped forward with an awkward smile.
"Sister Dongzhi, where did you hear this gossip? Changqing is my child, would I bully him..." She turned her head to look at Changqing, "Son, tell Aunt Dongzhi, has anyone in this family bullied you?"
She was very confident that her son would stand by her side. As long as her own child was on her side, she would have no choice but to keep quiet about any other opinions.
Aunt Dongzhi and the women behind her all looked over.
In contrast, Changqing and his sister were both thin and dark-skinned, while Li Xiangling, who was two years younger than Changqing, was fair-skinned and about the same height as him, despite being a girl.
Changqing remained silent.
His silence made Li Fusheng and Zhao Lianhua's faces turn ugly.
Zhao Lianhua kept giving her meaningful glances.
Changqing looked up and saw his mother making faces, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Mom, the officials are here."
Suddenly, he said this.
Everyone fell silent as the two constables, followed by the Li clan chief, approached.
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