Chapter 121 A visitor at midnight
The two brothers understood the reason, but they couldn't help feeling heavy.
Humans are not plants or trees. Even Shen Ning squatted in the kitchen and cried, wiping his tears after knowing the result.
Sang Luo prepared a few geese and chickens, boiled them for a while, and then cut them into strips. She then baked them with the bamboo strips that had been used to bake the dried meat, preparing to make the dried meat to take with her. Looking at the little girl crying softly while she was making a fire, she felt bad when she thought about the half year she had spent with Shen Jin's children.
The little girl was furious when she thought about killing the chickens, ducks and geese she had raised for half a year, not to mention that the cousins who grew up together had to be separated before the chaos came.
She could only whisper to comfort him: "Let's not talk about whether Shen Jin and the others are willing to follow us. If you want to take Shen Jin and the others with you, think about it. Do Hu Zi, A Xu, Er Niu and San Niu also have cousins? Do they miss their cousins just like you and Xiao An? Can we take them with us? No."
Shen Ning wiped her tears and sobbed while saying, “Sister-in-law, I know everything. I just can’t help crying. I’ll be fine after crying for a while, really.”
While crying, she thought, if her uncle and aunt were not so bad, if they had not treated them like that in the past, if they were still a family, Xiaojin, Xiaoyin, Xiaotie and Tian Yaer would have gone with them.
The second and third cows are cousins.
Chen Ning still knew the difference between cousins, and all the cousins left together.
But Shen Ning knew better what kind of people Third Uncle and Third Aunt were. No one in the family would be willing to take them with them, and she herself was unwilling to do so. Think about what kind of life they lived last summer, the fear and despair at that time, and then think about the eldest sister-in-law who almost lost her life at that time, and she felt that it was not right.
But Xiaojin and Xiaoyin are really miserable. Why do they have such parents? It would be great if they had a good father and mother.
Shen Ning knew that this was no longer just quietly giving some food or quietly playing together. This was not something that could be done quietly.
The sobbing and suppressed crying of Shen Ning in the kitchen could be vaguely heard in the backyard. Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang also sighed. Thinking about it, their family was actually well taken care of by everyone. At least the eldest brother's family was not kicked out alone. There were six children in the family, and five of them were in the big house.
Of course, Lu Sanlang knew very well that this was due to the friendship between his second brother, Chen Lie and Chen Dashan, who had been through life and death for three years, and the fact that their Lu family was deeply involved. So now their family was keeping a close eye on their eldest sister-in-law and guarding against the Wang family, and dared not let any problems arise.
The two brothers didn't know that if you don't think carefully, you will get what you want.
The Wang family’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came to Shili Village again.
Mrs. Lu was really fed up with this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. They treated her family's grain as if it were the Wang family's property. Ever since she returned home from the courtyard halfway up the mountain, Mrs. Lu had been on guard against them. She didn't dare to pack up her things after returning home, for fear that once the news of paying taxes came out, the Wang family would come again and find out something. So while other families closed their doors and quietly started to pack up, her family continued to do as usual.
She really expected it.
Mrs. Lu got into the role quickly. She was very depressed and depressed. When she saw Mrs. Wang, she went to her like she had finally found someone to talk to. She said, "My dear, we can't live like this anymore. We have to collect taxes again. You know about this, right?"
Mrs. Wang's face was not looking good either. Who could have thought that collecting taxes in advance had become a habit? Every time, it was collected in advance, and the advance was getting earlier and earlier.
The two old ladies were like close sisters pouring out their grievances, until Mrs. Wang changed the subject and mentioned grain. Mrs. Lu suddenly came out of her grudge state and regained her usual shrewdness. She looked at Mrs. Wang warily and said, "My dear, you are not going to borrow grain from my family now, are you? Even if you don't buy grain, it's enough to pay the tax now."
Mrs. Wang's expression froze. This was exactly what she had planned. When she heard about paying taxes, the first thing she thought of was the house full of grain in the Lu family.
But the old man suppressed her thoughts and told her clearly that she couldn't bring it up like that. If she did, given Old Lady Lu's temper, not only would she not be able to borrow any grain, but she would also have to give it to the Feng family in the future, which would be a big blow to the Feng family.
Mrs. Wang said immediately, "Look at what you said. How could that be possible? I heard that someone in the next village had his leg chopped off because of paying taxes. I was worried about you, so I came to see you."
Mrs. Lu heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this: "That's what happened. I heard about it. The girl from that family is getting married in our village. The imperial court is too cruel. It really drives people crazy."
Mrs. Wang's eyes flashed: "That's right."
As he said this, he looked behind him furtively and pulled Mrs. Lu into the main hall: "Mother-in-law, don't you have any ideas now?"
Mrs. Lu played dumb: "What's your idea?"
Mrs. Wang said, "Pay taxes. With the current grain prices, how much tax do we have to pay? We also have to serve in the military. Who will go this time? Will your Sanlang go?"
After saying this, Mrs. Wang stared at Mrs. Lu's expression.
Mrs. Lu's heart skipped a beat, as the Lu family was now trying to get their hands on her food.
Fortunately, she should have been panicking at this time. She also stared at Mrs. Wang: "What does my mother-in-law mean by this? Could it be that..."
"It's what you were thinking."
Mrs. Lu shook her head repeatedly and lowered her voice: "Wouldn't that mean we have to abandon our family and our business? It's not that serious. We store grain mainly because we're afraid someone will rebel. Would we become refugees because of taxes and labor service? No, no."
She shook her head like a rattle, looking at her own house with reluctance, "If we really have to leave, and if things don't get chaotic, what will become of us? My house, this yard, those lands, and the family business that I have built up over decades will all be gone. It's impossible."
He even asked Wang Pozi: "Can your family let go of my mother-in-law?"
Naturally, Mrs. Wang was reluctant to let go. Mrs. Lu was right. It had not come to that point yet. What if things did not get out of hand, what if the dynasty did not fall, then if they left, wouldn't everything be gone?
She was just following the old man's instructions and came to test the Lu family. Besides, she hadn't been here for a few days, and she couldn't feel at ease until she confirmed whether the food was there.
Seeing that Mrs. Wang had no intention of leaving, Mrs. Lu felt relieved. She could not blame her for being suspicious. She had not seen her daughter for more than two months. She had not seen her before the New Year, and Chunniang and her husband happened to be out. After the New Year, the whole family went back to work, leaving only the old and the young at home.
When asked about this, Mrs. Lu said that the family in the county was also on a tight deadline, mainly because they were scared by the refugees, so they insisted on raising and repairing the yard as soon as possible. I heard that they even secretly asked their trusted servants to dig secret passages and so on. The deadline for those of them who could only do peripheral work was also tight, and they could not afford to rest at home for a few more days. They were paid to do the work, no questions asked.
Wang Po was naturally uneasy because she couldn't see Wang Chunniang. She couldn't feel at ease unless she came every few days to keep Lu Po at bay so that her daughter-in-law would have the opportunity to go to the west room, lift up the window paper and look inside to confirm that the food was really there.
These probing words today were also meant by her old man, to test the Lu family's rules and see if they wanted to run away now. If they really wanted to run away now, that wouldn't work. Don't keep watching them for so long, otherwise they would run away with the Feng family.
Now that the attempt has been made, the daughter-in-law has probably seen everything she should have seen. When she heard Mrs. Lu ask this, Mrs. Wang gave up and slumped down as if she had lost her spirit. "That's right. Who can be willing to abandon their home and career? But haven't you heard recently? I heard that our Huainan Road is not stable anymore. Many counties have refugees who have gone into the mountains to become bandits. Some wealthy families have had their entire families killed, and some entire villages have been killed and robbed. Mother-in-law, our clan has found a secret place in the mountains to hide grain. If the situation is not right, they can escape at any time. Chunniang's father specifically asked me to come and ask you if you want to hide some of your grain with ours first? Otherwise, if there are refugees causing trouble, if we leave all of it at home, then the people can escape, but can the grain? Won't everyone suffer?"
It was not surprising to Mrs. Lu that the Wang family had started to prepare for retreat. After all, all kinds of bad news were flying around after the New Year. But Mrs. Lu really wanted to spit at Mrs. Wang's words. But she couldn't show any strangeness on her face. She just pretended to be hesitant but curious and asked, "Where are you hiding the grain?"
Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "We can't tell you that. We have to hide all the food in there. We have to keep it secret. We haven't told anyone about it, except you. I can give you a portion, but we can't reveal the location."
Seeing that Mrs. Lu was hesitant, Mrs. Wang raised her eyebrow and said, "Don't you trust us, my dear relatives? If we don't hide the food inside now, it will be too late. Then we won't be able to take it with us. Think about it, if we don't have enough manpower, Chunniang and her brothers can come to help carry it at night."
The words of helping to move the grain had already been said. Mrs. Lu felt disgusted in her heart, but she still looked frightened by Mrs. Wang's last words that she couldn't help him. She walked around the main room several times.
Mrs. Wang was almost dizzy from all the spinning. She seemed to have finally made up her mind: "Mother-in-law, it's okay to move some of the things over there just in case. Even rabbits know to dig three burrows, and it's right to store food separately. But such a big matter is not something I can decide as a woman. Now there are taxes and conscriptions. Those of us in the county must have heard the news. We should come back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest. I have to discuss this with the old man before we can make a decision."
"Besides, moving the grain over there is the food that our family needs to survive. If you don't let us go, my Dalang and Chunniang, your daughter and son-in-law, can go with us. Someone in our family must know where the food in our house has been moved, otherwise I dare not give it to you."
As if he felt that what he said was unpleasant to hear, he added: "It's not that I don't trust my in-laws and mother-in-law, but if there is chaos, our two villages are separated by a distance. What if we can't catch up? How can we find the grain? Then it will be a waste of stockpiling."
To put it bluntly, that's not a bad deal for your Wang family.
Mrs. Wang thought to herself, "Isn't it because you don't trust us?" The old woman was just saying nice things.
However, Mrs. Wang felt relieved when Mrs. Lu made such a calculation, because it showed that the Lu family really wanted to take advantage of their family.
She also expressed her embarrassment: "As the old saying goes, a daughter who is married off is like spilled water. We don't treat Dalang and Chunniang as outsiders. We trust Dalang and Chunniang, but I'm afraid the clan will be unhappy."
Mrs. Lu said immediately: "Forget it, let's think of another way to see if the Feng family can take us with them."
This really worked for Mrs. Wang. She grabbed Mrs. Lu's hand and said, "No, it's not that serious. I'm telling you, you've only been married to the Feng family for a few years, and how many years have you been married to our Wang family? We have five grandchildren who are related to your Lu family by blood. How can we not be more reliable than the Feng family? If not for you, my in-laws, then for my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, right? In this case, you have to wait for your in-laws to come back and ask. I'll also go back and ask Chunniang's father to discuss with the clan and come up with a solution. Do you think it's okay?"
When Mrs. Lu heard this, she finally smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for your concern for us, and please say good things for us. We in the Lu family have no relatives here. In fact, even if we know, we still have to rely on a big family like your Wang family. There is really nothing to worry about."
Mrs. Wang responded with a smile. It was a great harvest today to see that Mrs. Lu was willing to move some of the grain to their place. When the eldest daughter-in-law came in, she gave her a look without saying a word. Mrs. Wang knew that the Lu family's grain was still there, and the last bit of uneasiness in her heart was resolved.
Thinking about the Lu family's food now, it was just like the food of my own family. Thinking about the population of the Lu family and the taxes they had to pay, my heart ached.
She held Mrs. Lu's hand and advised sincerely, "My dear, don't worry about paying the tax. The head of the village also said that the deadline is the tenth day. I think we should wait and see, and decide whether to pay it or not on the last day."
Mrs. Lu also agreed: "That's right. We paid this year's grain last year. There's no reason to keep collecting it in advance. The crops in the fields can't grow in advance. And this year is different from last year. Last autumn, we paid this year's rent and taxes in advance. Most people can still get by by tightening their belts because they just harvested the grain. This spring, many people will have to rely on wild vegetables, grass seeds, and leaves to fill their stomachs. I think someone is bound to make trouble. We have to wait and see."
The two families had a friendly meeting, and Mrs. Lu cordially escorted the couple to the village entrance. Before leaving, she repeatedly asked Mrs. Wang to speak to the clan members to help her. She looked as if everyone was counting on her.
After they parted, Mrs. Wang quietly asked her daughter-in-law, "Did you check the food in the house?"
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family was happy: "Yes, it is the same as before, exactly! Mother, did the Lu family really know where our family hid the grain?"
Mrs. Wang sneered, "Can we really let them know? Even if our family agrees, the clan won't. We'll find a place to lead them to carry their food over there first, and then we'll carry our own food over there as a show. It would be best if we can get you uncles to cooperate, and then we can move it away later to be done with it."
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family smiled and said, "That's a good idea."
Now that the food has been moved away, how to use it in the future will depend on their family. Thinking about the room full of food, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Wang family are really relaxed and happy!
After sending away the two plague gods, Mrs. Lu returned home feeling relaxed both physically and mentally. She had dealt with them for the last time, and she wouldn't have to see them again from tomorrow onwards. If she could see them again next time, she wouldn't have to pretend to be stupid and put on a smiling face, she could just confront that damn old woman directly!
After bolting and locking the gate, Mrs. Lu took out the key hanging on her body, opened the padlock of the west room which was locked all day, and pushed the door open. The bamboo racks at the back of the west room had been emptied long ago, and only the row on the outside was filled with "grain" piled very neatly, with not one sack more or less, and even the way they were arranged had not changed much to the naked eye.
Mrs. Lu weighed the sacks. Some of them contained clothes and bedding for her family. She tried to squeeze them into the same shape as when they were packed with grain, and put them into the sacks. The younger ones in the family could carry one each in the middle of the night. As for the other heavy things that had not been packed in time, she and the second and third sons could carry the most important ones.
As for the other "grain bags" that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family saw, well, leave them to the Wang family. After all, she has been thinking about them for so long, and she must let them have a try. The sacks are also good things. She specially spent money to buy them from the county. As relatives, she will give them to the Wang family.
I just don’t know if the old thieves will be so angry that their mouths will be crooked. It’s a pity that I can’t see what that scene will be like. But she can still be happy just thinking about it.
…
The other families didn't know about what happened to the Lu family. After dinner, everyone in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain put away all the pots, bowls, and utensils and started to clean up.
I was busy until it was completely dark. I could say that I took away everything that could be taken away, except the pillows and bedding on the bed. I took a nap at night, rolled up and tied up everything before daybreak, and carried it with me on my shoulder.
As for the yard, various shelves and furniture, and some heavy rice jars and stone mills in the kitchen, these could not be taken away, so they could only be left behind with regret.
After everything was packed up, it was almost midnight and the whole village and mountain had gone quiet. The Lu brothers made their beds on the floor in the kitchen and prepared to sleep. Sang Luo and Shen Lie were also preparing to put down the curtains with their two children to rest, but before they reached the bed, Shen Lie's ears moved slightly and he vaguely heard footsteps, and there was more than one person.
He put his fingertips to his lips, signaling Sang Luo and the others to keep quiet. At this moment, there were two knocks on the courtyard door.
During such a sensitive period, the hearts of the six people in the courtyard tightened. The Lu brothers who were already lying in the kitchen sat up quickly, and Chen Lie and Sang Luo also quietly walked out of the main house.
Chen Lie asked, slightly wary: "Who?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
