"What did you say? Go mining in the west!"
Yunmu's younger brother Sun Dali knew that Yun's father had a broken leg, so he went to visit him empty-handed.
He first complained to Yun's father, saying that Yun Lan was ignorant and unfilial, and was obsessed with money. He picked up Yun Mu and asked him for money. His words were all about the five taels of silver.
Father Yun was tired of listening to this.
Although he allowed his wife to use things at home to subsidize her parents' home, it did not mean that he liked his brother-in-law. Moreover, he could easily take out five taels of silver. It seemed that Sun Dali was not as poor as he cried.
Father Yun had intended to borrow money from him, so he apologized to him in a gentle voice, saying that it was all Yun Lan's fault, and that he was the elder and should not argue with him. He would not do that again in the future.
After three rounds of conversation, Yun's father mentioned borrowing money, and Sun Dali pretended to be distressed.
"Brother-in-law, it's not that I don't want to lend you the money, but you know the situation at home. I really can't even come up with a single ounce of silver."
Father Yun saw that he was teasing Qiao, so he grabbed his hand and said earnestly, "Da Li, you can't just stand by and watch someone die. If you have any requests, just tell me."
This is exactly what Sun Dali was waiting for.
He pretended to be embarrassed: "This...ah, it's difficult for me to do it."
"Brother-in-law knows that you have many connections. You can't delay your leg any longer. Your sister is so good to you. You don't want her man to become a cripple, do you?" Sun Dali felt a pain in his heart when he mentioned the cripple. Only after experiencing suffering can one know the benefits of health. He now urgently wants his leg to get better.
"Well, to tell you the truth, there really is a way."
Father Yun said anxiously, "You tell me."
Sun Dali Shen said mysteriously, "An iron mine has been discovered in the west, and we're urgently looking for people to dig it up. It's a bit dangerous, but the pay is thirty cents a day, with food and lodging provided. I can earn ten taels of silver a year, which is much better than digging in the fields. This is the news I got by chance, so don't tell anyone."
"No, no." Yun's father disagreed at first, but then he heard that there were ten taels. A farmer could only earn two taels a year at most, and ten taels was a huge sum of money.
Seeing his hesitation, Sun Dali said, "One year can earn five years' worth of money. Think about it, brother-in-law. Yunlan is only nineteen now, very young. In another year, she will only be twenty. There's no time to waste."
"I'll think about it."
"The recruiter said that we need to pay five taels to register. My father-in-law's three sons have all signed up and will leave the day after tomorrow. Yunlan can go with them and nothing will happen. You know Old Man Ge from my village? He made his fortune by mining when he was young. He has three wives and nothing has happened to him now."
Yun's father was tempted. Although mining is dangerous, it will only take a year and nothing will go wrong. Things have their priorities and he cannot delay. His son will understand.
After Yunlan returned home and learned of his father's plan, he felt a little disappointed. For five taels of silver, his own father asked him to go mining. Didn't he know that many people who went there would never come back?
Yunmu was also shocked: "What did you say? Go to the west to mine!"
Father Yun said, "It's only one year. Dali said that if you sign up, you'll get five taels of silver. You have to pay back the money you borrowed, and you also need money to treat your leg. There's nothing we can do about it."
"This..." Yunmu hesitated, "Is there really five taels of silver?"
Sun Dali: "Really? I can't lie to you. My father-in-law's three sons have all received the money, a total of fifteen taels of silver. It's not too late to sign up now. We will set off the day after tomorrow."
"Boss, look?" Yun's father and mother looked at Yun Lan.
Yun Lan smiled sarcastically. Even though his father usually thinks highly of him, he is selfish at heart.
"The imperial court has strictly prohibited the theft of minerals, especially iron ore. I won't go."
Sun Dali's smile faded, and he said with a stern face, "What about stealing minerals? Don't think you can say whatever you want just because you've studied for a few years."
"Isn't that right? Coming to such a remote place like our village to look for someone, isn't it just to isolate us from the outside world so they can control us?"
Sun Dali fell silent. He told others that this job was to help the government find people, but anyone with a discerning eye knew what was going on. The emperor was far away here, and there was collusion between officials and businessmen. Many people mined secretly. A few years ago, a den for privately minting copper coins was destroyed, and all those involved were punished.
Yun's father and mother also fell silent. If a scholar was caught secretly digging for minerals, his future would be ruined.
But at 30 cents a day, even a bag carrier at the dock can't earn that much.
"Besides," Yun Lan said, "Do you think you can go mining whenever you want and leave whenever you want? You can't leave until the mine is fully mined, for fear of leaking the news."
The three of them fell silent, and Sun Dali left in embarrassment.
That night, Yun's father couldn't sleep because of the pain in his legs, and he lay in bed crying.
"Ouch, it hurts so much, ouch——"
Yunmu heated up the water and gave Yun's father a massage, but his pain did not ease at all and became more and more severe.
"Ah--" Yun's father roared and pushed Yunmu to the ground with a ferocious face.
"You all wish I were dead. My legs hurt so much, so much...ah..." Father Yun held his legs and arched them like a shrimp. He was in so much pain that tears came to his eyes.
Yunmu fell to the ground at a loss. It was the first time she was treated like this after being married for so many years. She was overwhelmed with grief for a moment.
"God, what did we do wrong? Why do you treat us like this?"
Qi Han was also feeling upset: "I still have one or two taels of silver. My family can pool their money together and get some painkillers. I'll borrow some money from my classmates for the medical treatment..."
Father Yun threw the cup beside the bed to the ground. "Who would lend you money? Painkillers are useless. I want to get my leg treated right now!"
Yunmu's crying stopped, and she heard her father say, "Tomorrow, you will deceive Qisheng and bring the eldest girl back."
Yun Lan was shocked and asked, "Dad, what do you want to do?"
"What for? Humph, sell the girl to a brothel. Although she is no longer a virgin, she is well-fed now. She can definitely be sold for five taels of silver."
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