Chapter 003: Traitor 3
"Brother, why did you rent our land to uncle?" Xiao Chen couldn't help but ask after the kind-hearted people who came to watch the fun left.
In his previous life, besides the fact that Mr. Wang admired him, his help was not in vain. He also regarded the land as a "subsidy" to show his filial piety to Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang taught him how to read and write so that he could take the imperial examinations. At the same time, he also had to provide for Mr. Wang, who was alone in his old age.
Although he was not adopted by Mr. Wang on the surface, he was no different from father and son. It was just an exchange of interests between the two sides, and there was no mention of family affection.
Although the cost of taking the imperial examination is high, the fame and fortune that comes with it are even more astonishing.
Wang Xiucai saw that Xiao Chen had a photographic memory, was naturally intelligent, and had a brilliant mind, so he decided to take him in as a disciple. Otherwise, in these days when everyone was struggling to make ends meet, who would do good deeds and support someone they had no connection with?
Furthermore, once a teacher, always a father. Even if he was not adopted, as long as Xiao Chen wanted to take the imperial examination, he had to respect Wang Xiucai.
Wang Xiucai and Xiao Chen both knew this very well.
Now that Xiao Yan has rented the land to Uncle Xiao, he no longer has the opportunity to go through Mr. Wang. How can Xiao Chen not be anxious?
Xiao Yan remained calm and asked, "Why don't you do farm work?"
After saying that, Xiao Yan glanced at his short body meaningfully.
Xiao Chen: “???”
Xiao Chen: “!!!”
As the saying goes, hair is a woman's life, and height is a man's pain. Xiao Chen, who was half a head shorter than the northern students in his previous life, immediately jumped to his feet.
"Brother, what's with that look in your eyes? Are you laughing at me for being short?"
Xiao Yan said confidently: "That's right, you are so short, are you going to work in the fields?"
It was impossible for him to do farm work. He would never do farm work in his lifetime. Xiao Chen knew the best outcome was to rent the land to someone else in exchange for food, but anyone could do that, so why did it have to be his uncle?!
Xiao Chen frowned, and naturally couldn't tell anyone that he was planning to give the land to Mr. Wang. In his previous life, he could have done so, but in this life, his brother was still alive, and Mr. Wang, as shrewd as he was, probably wouldn't be willing to support his brother for nothing.
He stammered, "Uncle is not a good person, we can rent it to someone else!"
Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Chen with a kind and tolerant look, as if he were a fool. "Uncle is our family. Would anyone else be willing to go over uncle's head and risk the reputation of stirring up trouble, as well as the risk of Er Gou constantly causing trouble?"
The reason why Xiao Chen was able to take back the land so easily in his previous life was, firstly, because the matter that his uncle's family had been arguing with for several years was exposed, and everyone knew that his uncle's family was vicious.
Secondly, it was because of Mr. Wang’s fame and the fact that he accepted Xiao Chen as his disciple; thirdly, it was because Uncle Xiao was not in the right and had done all kinds of bad things, so the head of the village stepped in to suppress him, which made it possible for the plan to succeed.
Uncle Xiao has never tortured Xiao Chen in this life. If he wants to rent land, he naturally has to consider his own family first. Otherwise, others will say that he disregards the feelings of relatives and does not even consider his own family. Even if he becomes rich in the future, he will be an ungrateful person.
If you want to live in the village, you have to consider the basic concepts and reputation of this dynasty.
As for giving the land to Mr. Wang? Sorry, Xiao Yan didn't have the idea of disregarding his own life and death just to dedicate it to Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen naturally had to think about such important matters as studying for the imperial examinations and paying taxes, so that he would not have so much free time to make enemies with others.
That’s right, as the male protagonist, how could there not be a crowd of cannon fodder waiting to be slapped in the face by him?
As the male protagonist, Xiao Chen is a natural monster-attracting character, much like Conan's death-ghost physique. Wherever Conan goes, there are murders; whereas wherever Xiao Chen goes, there are people of all ranks who look down on him, provoke him, mock him, and bully him.
Even when the new emperor was still the crown prince in his previous life, he still had a lot of hatred towards Xiao Chen, so he couldn't wait to kill Xiao Chen as soon as he ascended the throne.
If Xiao Chen had not turned evil, he would probably have been a famous official rather than a traitor.
The system created this reformation mission because it noticed that the male protagonist of this world had turned evil and almost caused the world to collapse.
Xiao Chen is smart. Even though his memories of his previous life are not very clear, he is not a child who knows nothing at heart.
After hearing Xiao Yan's words, he suddenly realized what was going on. He was still a little unwilling, but he also knew that this was the best way to deal with it.
Although he could not follow the path of his previous life, he firmly believed that with his brain which was even smarter than that of his previous life, he would be able to make Mr. Wang agree to accept him as his disciple!
Besides...
Xiao Chen looked at Xiao Yan lying on the bed, and remembered the scene when he defended him before, and his heart warmed slightly.
In this life, he is finally no longer a lonely man who is isolated from his relatives.
The touch was still warm in his heart when he heard his good brother say, "Go boil some water, put more water in, and remember to ask Aunt Zhao to help you wash your hair. When you have time, pick up some firewood to repay the favor."
Xiao Chen: “!!!”
Xiao Chen widened his eyes and took a step back suddenly.
In this dynasty, cutting hair was considered a serious crime of filial piety, and there was even the criminal law of "toning the head". However, it was not so strict for young children, especially for poor families who did not have so many rules.
After all, our family conditions are not good, and in winter, we wash our hair only once every one or two months to prevent illness. Children are more susceptible to illness than adults. Whose child has never had lice on their head?
Then, people with clean heads were no longer surprised, and no one would talk about filial piety.
But this doesn't mean Xiao Chen wants to become bald, how ugly would that be! ?
Xiao Chen, who had not yet become a high-ranking official but already had the burden of being a high-ranking official, expressed his stern refusal.
He shook his head suddenly, regarding Xiao Yan as a scourge and a beast: "I won't clean my head!"
Xiao Chen's eyes flickered. "I've heard others say that our bodies and hair are given by our parents. How can I be an unfilial person?!"
Xiao Yan didn't insist: "Okay, you sleep in the small bed tonight."
The Xiao family's old house had five vacant rooms, a main hall, and a small kitchen. Due to years of disrepair and aging, only two rooms and the small kitchen were usable, and meals were usually eaten in the next room.
The two brothers originally slept in separate beds, but Xiao Chen was naturally more afraid of cold than ordinary people, and had a cold constitution. He was not very quiet when sleeping and liked to kick off the quilt.
As the older brother, he slept in the same bed with Xiao Chen in order to prevent his younger brother from catching a cold and to make it easier to take care of him.
Fortunately, he usually slept at the head of the bed and Xiao Chen slept at the foot, so they didn't get lice.
The original body could risk getting lice on his head, but Xiao Yan would not indulge him in this bad habit.
Either clean your head or sleep in separate beds, there is no other choice.
Xiao Chen also knew about his own illness. With the example of Xiao Yan's serious illness before him, he didn't dare to die from a cold.
He pursed his lips, looking reluctant, but did not protest anymore.
When Xiao Chen went to the next room, he moved the stone behind the foot of the bed, revealing something wrapped in a piece of cloth.
When he opened it, he saw two strings of copper coins, a piece of silver worth one tael, and a silver-plated hairpin of not very good quality.
These are the money left by Xiao's mother, and the hairpin is her dowry, which weighs about three taels and is of great significance. It is also a relic and a memory. Even if Xiao Yan is short of money, he will not think of pawning it in exchange for silver.
One string of coins is equal to one thousand coins, and one thousand coins is equal to one tael of silver.
So their family currently only has three taels of silver and is extremely poor.
Xiao Yan planned to wait until he felt better before going to town to buy some cotton and cloth to make a quilt. Winter was approaching, and without a warm quilt, he would probably shiver even when sleeping.
Quilts, clothes, and shoes, everything cost money, which made Xiao Yan feel oppressed.
We have to find a way to make Xiao Chen work harder!
After hiding the silver, Xiao Chen was still thinking about it when he reluctantly walked back.
Xiao Yandun looked up following the movement, the corners of his mouth became straight, and he seemed to be suppressing something.
Xiao Chen: “!!!”
Xiao Chen was already sensitive, and when he saw Xiao Yan like this, he immediately became angry and pretended to be dignified: "Don't laugh!"
If he were to grow up in another twenty or thirty years and hold a high position, he might still be able to intimidate others. But he was only seven years old now, and no matter how stern his face was, it would only reveal the arrogance of a brat.
In fact, Xiao Yan’s sense of humor is not that low, it’s mainly because Xiao Chen looks a little funny now.
I saw that Xiao Chen's short hair was sticking to his scalp and was of different lengths.
A patch of white scalp was exposed, and a very abrupt patch of hair grew up, and it looked like it was bald, as if it had been gnawed by a dog.
No matter how good your foundation is, you can't withstand such destruction.
The weird and funny are combined into one, which makes it feel a bit ugly.
The corners of Xiao Yan's mouth, which had been raised wildly, pulled down. Before he could say anything, the person who went to Uncle Xiao's house to help them get food was already outside the door.
This good-hearted and kind-hearted person is well-known in the village for being lazy and good at water.
Shanshui was named because when he was born, his father was fishing for his mother in the river.
Shanshui, good at swimming, implies that his father hopes that he will have endless fish to eat in Shancai Village, which is nestled between mountains and rivers. Compared with Shancai, Shanbao, Shanyin and Shanjin, it is particularly simple.
Shanshui has four older brothers who are almost a generation younger than him. He is a late-born son and is very favored in the family.
The more he is spoiled, the more lazy he becomes. However, although he is a bit of a gossip, he is not a bad person by nature. He is different from Uncle Xiao, who is also lazy but plays tricks behind people's backs.
Shanshui is fourteen years old this year, but because both his parents are tall, he is tall and strong.
Although he was only fourteen years old, he was as strong as a man.
Fortunately, he was taller and stronger than his peers. Otherwise, with his gossipy mouth, he would probably have been beaten black and blue.
Shanshui walked in with a smile, showing off the two big bowls in his hands.
"Look, look!"
"Brother Yan, you have to thank your uncle very much! If it weren't for my quick eyes and hands, I'm afraid your aunt would have hidden it!"
Shanshui is only four years older than Xiao Yan, but he is a generation older.
He is playful by nature and gets along well with the children in the village, so the children always like to call him Brother Shui instead of Uncle Shui.
But he had an uncle's heart and always mentioned Uncle Shui, trying to take advantage of others, especially those of his generation who were already married and had children who were not much different from him!
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