In early May, the Ling family no longer heated the kang.
Not wanting to sleep on the cold bricks, Chi Xingyue moved to the large carved bed on the other side.
Of course Ling Jiheng stayed with her, holding her in his arms, and soon fell asleep.
The next day, Ling Jiheng got up early to practice boxing, while Chi Xingyue stayed up until dawn.
As soon as I woke up, I heard a commotion outside the yard. Faintly, there seemed to be crying.
I quickly put on my clothes and went out to eat melon, and saw Old Man Han and a group of embarrassed-looking descendants kneeling in front of the old man, begging him to let Doctor Cheng check his eldest grandson's leg.
The old man never expected that after not seeing them for a while, the Han family had become like this.
He quickly pulled the man up and asked Shunzi to call Doctor Cheng.
Ling Jiheng also pulled up the eldest grandson of the Han family and asked Baozhu to serve tea.
Doctor Cheng arrived quickly. After examining Han Jianghe's leg, he shook his head regretfully: "The bones weren't properly connected, so they're dislocated."
"What should I do? Can it be cured?"
"It can be cured, but I can't say how effective it will be."
Dr. Cheng explained the risks of reconnecting the broken bones and asked them, "Please consider whether you want to try it."
Mr. Han was a little hesitant, but Han Jianghe was very firm: "Zhi, please help me."
It can be said that Dr. Cheng’s words are like a ray of light in the darkness. Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, he wants to become a normal person.
So the matter was settled, and Han Jianghe moved into the wing room of Zheguiyuan.
Chi Xingyue joked: "Our house is almost becoming a clinic!"
Ling Jiheng was helpless, but they had been friends for decades and he couldn't just stand by and watch someone die.
Besides, the Han family was a very honest family. Even when life was not going well, they never asked the Ling family for help.
If it weren't for the end of the road...
Ling Jiheng knew the pain of standing in the abyss.
The Han family rarely came to visit, so Mr. Ling invited them to have dinner at his home.
In order to take care of the other party's self-esteem, there was no big fish or meat, but a light bowl of vegetarian noodles.
But even this is a delicacy that the Han family can only enjoy once in a long time.
It’s not that they are so poor that they can’t even afford to eat, but after being exiled, they no longer dare to spend lavishly.
He saved all the money he earned from growing mushrooms, thinking that when the harvest got better, he would build a few houses and find wives for his younger generations.
The two families chatted about each other's lives as if they were in Jiangning Mansion. Old Master Ling even gave some advice: "If it really doesn't work out, let your children and grandchildren join the army.
No matter how arrogant the officer is, he can't just go into the barracks and force them into forced labor."
A few black lines flashed across Ling Jiheng's forehead. He thought to himself, how dare you say that? Aren't you afraid that the officials won't be able to find the person and will put the blame on the Ling family?
After a light cough, the old man realized what he had been talking about.
For a moment, he felt embarrassed and guilty, his eyes wandering and he didn't dare to look at Mr. Han and Ling Jiheng.
However, Mr. Han's eyes lit up, and he stood up and bowed to Mr. Ling, saying that he knew what was going on and would not implicate the Ling family.
After the meal, Mr. Han went home happily, carrying the medicine bag that Doctor Cheng had prescribed for the men in his family to nourish their bodies.
Although he signed an IOU of several hundred taels of silver on this trip, the old man felt it was worth it as his descendants' future was no longer bleak.
Grandpa Ling handed the IOU to Ling Jiheng and said, "Consider this as your last chance to help them."
Ling Jiheng smiled, not really caring. He thought the Han family was a decent person, otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed Doctor Cheng to see him.
***
On the tenth day of May, the wheat in the field had grown to calf height, but because the temperature was not high enough, the growth was slow and it was far from ready for harvest.
County Magistrate Huang was so anxious that he was sweating all over, but with the harvest being so bad, he couldn't do anything. He could only plead with General Zhou to postpone the tax collection.
Logically, this tax should go to the capital, but the fighting is raging there, and there has been no news for a long time.
The entire Youzhou is safe and sound under the control of Zhou's army, so it won't be too obvious which side to choose.
Of course, General Zhou was not an unreasonable person. He asked officials from various counties to resettle the refugees and ensure good labor production.
Wait until the grain is ripe and harvest it as soon as possible.
In addition to the land at the foot of the mountain, the Ling family also has dozens of acres of land that Jinbao had previously purchased.
On one side, wheat and sweet potatoes are grown, while on the other side, various vegetables are grown.
The wheat is green and has just begun to ear, and the sweet potato seedlings are winding and growing lushly.
And the fields full of vegetables are also lush and green.
The Ling family would spend two hours every day working in the fields, either pulling weeds or catching insects.
Chi Xingyue couldn't stand those big fat worms, so he chose to pull out the weeds.
I go out and stretch my arms and legs every day, and I feel much better.
On May 20th, people from the county came.
A notice was posted at the entrance of the village, saying, as rumored, that soldiers would be forcibly conscripted and sent to the military camp in ten days.
This time, no one dared to take chances and everyone went back to discuss the quota.
The sounds of quarrels, fighting and scolding were endless, and in addition, there was the sound of hard work at night.
Ling Jiheng called everyone together, took out a few paper balls, and let the younger generations draw them.
"Whoever gets drawn gets it, no one has any opinion." Including himself.
Unexpectedly, Ling Jiren took the initiative to speak: "I will go. I am the eldest grandson of the Ling family and I should shoulder the responsibility of bringing honor to the family."
Geng Suhua covered her chest and cried, but she couldn't say the words to stop him.
Ling Jiyi also stepped forward: "I'll go. Big brother has to take care of Mingyue, Minghao, and Weiwei."
Ling Jihao hesitated for a few seconds, then stepped forward. "I want to go, too. Although I'm not as capable as my second brother, I also want to try my best to bring our Ling family back to Jiangning."
It can be said that the Ling family’s idea of joining the army is different from that of most people, and the reasons are so sufficient that it is difficult to refuse.
Ling Jiyi advised Ling Jihao: "Fourth brother, you are young, you should stay at home and take care of your uncle and aunt."
Ling Jihao was unconvinced: "Third brother, I'm only a few months older than you. Why can you go but I can't?"
In a blink of an eye, he met Liang Zhijun's worried gaze and couldn't help feeling guilty.
"Son, you are my only child. If you join the army, how will I live? If you had told me earlier, I could have found you a wife.
Wait, doesn’t the notice say that we’ll be going to the military camp ten days later? I’ll go find a matchmaker right now.
No matter how tall or short, fat or thin, I will choose a child for you who is easy to bear and raise. You should work hard and leave a descendant for our third room."
Although Liang Zhijun didn't want her son to take risks, she couldn't take advantage of the eldest wife's family.
As for the second wife, I can’t and dare not even think about it.
The world is in chaos, and the Ling family must keep a capable male to keep things under control.
And this choice is irrefutable.
Ling Jiheng didn't say anything and let the two families discuss it. In the end, they chose Ling Jiren from the first house and Ling Jihao from the third house.
The reason is that one has children and the other wants to achieve great things.
Once it was finalized, I didn't worry about it anymore.
The Ling family was busy preparing luggage for the two of them, including various dried meats, pickles, and clothes and bedding.
The most special thing is the two boxes of first aid medicine hidden inside the clothes.
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