On the way, Jin Bao took out a few banknotes and said, "Old Master, this is what the master told you to give to other families for circulation."
Old Master Ling took the banknote and looked at the amount on it. He couldn't help but feel distressed: "Heng'er gave too much, they..."
"Old Master, the master said that the family has money and food, so don't worry. These banknotes are his gift."
Old Master Ling nodded and said nothing more. However, his heart was trembling, and he felt that this grandson was more extraordinary than he had imagined.
That’s right, Ling Jiheng was always thinking about the furniture and gold and silver he had collected from several other families, and decided to compensate them with silver notes.
Of course, they won’t give too much, maybe just one hundred taels of silver per family.
But each branch of the Ling family only received 200 taels of silver when the family split up. This amount of silver notes is really huge.
No wonder the old man felt distressed and had complicated emotions.
I don’t want to know at all why my grandson doesn’t give more to the first and third wives.
All I can say is that he's too old to take care of things. Let's hand the burden of the Ling family over to the younger generations.
Although Qingshan Village was large, the oxcart moved quite fast. It wasn't long before they reached the thatched cottage to the east.
A group of people were digging the foundation and building a house, working hard.
The arrival of Mr. Ling instantly attracted everyone's attention. When he slowly got out of the car, the Han family was even more upset.
Why? The people who were exiled had cars and servants, but in order to build a house, they not only emptied their family savings, but also sold their only two cows.
It is true that comparing people will make you die, and comparing goods will make you throw them away.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Han hurried over from a distance. Looking at the well-dressed old man, he felt a little restrained for a moment.
However, Mr. Ling invited him into the car, and the two of them drank wine, ate barbecue, and cared about each other's lives in the car.
It's just that one looks envious, and the other sighs inwardly.
Finally, Mr. Ling took out the banknotes he had on him and said, "This is a small token of my appreciation to you and your family. Take good care of yourself."
When Mr. Han saw the amount on the banknote, he couldn't hold back his tears.
It was truly a ray of sunshine when he was at the end of his rope, rekindling hope in the heart of this old man in his sixties or seventies.
Everyone in the Han family was very anxious when they heard the old man crying, but they didn't dare to get close.
A moment later, Mr. Han came down with mooncakes and meat, with a happy smile on his face.
Old Master Ling waved his hand and asked Jinbao to go to Dahe Village.
Dahe Village is some distance away from Qingshan Village, and it took the two of them almost half an hour to arrive.
As soon as I arrived here, I was surrounded by people, because this was a gathering place for exiled prisoners. Normally, even the village head would not come here, let alone the master who drove the ox cart.
Old Master Ling got out of the car with the help of Jinbao and asked a few people before he found the second master of the Chen family, the old master of the Wang family, and the old master of the Li family who were digging a pit.
One of our five old friends is missing now. It would be a lie to say I’m not sad.
But that's what life is like, gathering and dispersing.
Old Master Ling did not mention those sad things. He handed the festival gifts to a few people, and after a brief greeting, he stuffed a silver note into each of their hands.
It was like a blessing after a long drought. Both Old Master Wang and Old Master Li were grateful to Old Master Ling.
But it’s different for Mr. Chen Er. He always feels that his grandfather’s death is related to the Ling family.
If they had extended a helping hand back then, would my grandfather have been able to reach Youzhou?
There was something obscure in his eyes, but he hid it well.
Old Master Ling didn't notice it, but Jinbao saw it clearly but didn't expose it on the spot.
As it was getting dark, the two hurried home.
When passing by the woods, I heard a man's teasing and a woman's sobbing in the grass.
Old Master Ling was frightened and quickly asked Jinbao to check.
Jinbao parted the grass and saw two strong men holding down a girl, whose clothes were almost torn.
Jinbao didn't hesitate and knocked the man unconscious and rescued the woman.
Although the woman was afraid, she did not cry.
With tears in her eyes, she bowed to the two of them and said, "Thank you both for your help. My daughter..."
Old Master Ling hurriedly stopped him: "Girl, pack up and go home quickly. We haven't seen each other today. Remember, ah!
Be careful when you go out in the future, and try not to go out alone!"
Seeing the man's thin figure and his clothes covered with patches, Mr. Ling sighed.
He took out the last bag of mooncakes and a few pieces of barbecued meat from the car and stuffed them into the little girl's pockets: "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, good times will come after bad times!"
The reason why Mr. Ling said this was because he saw that the temperament of the other party was definitely not something that could be cultivated by a small family.
Xiahe Village is full of exiled prisoners, but exiles are not necessarily guilty of serious crimes. Many are innocently implicated, and who knows if they will be remembered by the emperor one day and reinstated.
Mr. Ling also thought that since he had met her, he would establish a good relationship with her. He did not ask for anything in return, but only wanted to accumulate blessings for his descendants.
He nodded and left, his movements were extremely smooth.
The moment the ox cart disappeared, Cui Wan'er raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, hugged the mooncake in her arms, and then made up her mind.
He found a sharp stone and stabbed the scoundrel in the eyes with it.
There were shrill screams in the woods that could be heard from far away, but no one dared to join in the fun.
Cui Wan'er was very fast and destroyed the two men's eyes in just a few seconds.
"Ah, my eyes, my eyes!" The two men lay on the ground howling, and neither of them thought of running away.
Cui Wan'er took off her coat, picked up a big rock, and smashed it on the two men's heads with a fierce look on her face.
It didn't take long before the two of them were exhaling more and taking in less.
Cui Wan'er was frightened at this. She threw the stone away, wiped the blood off her face and hands, cleaned up the scene, put her coat back on, combed her hair again, and then ran away with the mooncakes and barbecue.
As he approached the cellar, he adjusted his expression and shouted with joy, "Grandfather, look what I brought you back? Mooncakes!"
The Cui family rushed out and asked, "Wan'er, are you serious? Where did you get the money?
No, Xiahe Village is so far away from Yunrou County. Even if you have money, you can't go back and forth so quickly. Where did you buy the mooncakes?"
Cui Wan'er opened the oil paper and said, "I didn't buy it. I just went to the mountain to collect firewood and happened to run into my grandfather's old friend.
He didn't expect us to be exiled here, and since he hadn't prepared anything at the moment, he gave me the mooncakes from the car and said he would pay me a formal visit in two days."
"Wan'er, are you serious? Which friend of your grandfather is this?"
Cui Wan'er hesitated a little: "Maybe it was my grandfather who got pregnant in his early years. Wan'er just felt that he looked familiar, but she didn't know his name.
But I did hear the driver shout, and it seemed his last name was Lin."
"Lin, Lin, could it be the governor?"
"Maybe not. That master is quite low-key."
The Cui family members didn't care: "It's okay, even if he is not Governor Lin, he is still a person of status and position."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
