Lin Dan was awakened by a heart-wrenching cry. He looked closely and saw that the young woman had gray hair and a weathered face, as if she had aged ten years in the blink of an eye. He also saw two eighteen kneeling on her left and right. The nine-year-old child always calls the little woman his mother.
Lin Dan suddenly realized that it was not that the young woman had aged in the blink of an eye, but that he had slept for too long, and ten years had passed in a flash. The young woman's home was even more dilapidated than it was ten years ago. There were white banners hanging on the beams and two coffins placed in the middle of the main room. It turned out that both her parents-in-law had passed away. No wonder she cried so miserably. But what about the scholar? The scholar, who should have been the pillar of the family, was nowhere to be seen. Only neighbors came and went, helping the woman with various chores.
Lin Dan did not rashly ask about the situation of this family, but just watched silently. Seven days later, the woman's parents-in-law were buried and the neighbors began to come to her house one after another to ask for the money she owed. Here, one tael, there, two taels, all added up to a huge amount of twenty or thirty taels.
The woman had neither extraordinary physical strength nor any skills to make a living, so she had no choice but to sell her family's land to pay off the money she owed for burying her parents-in-law. Seeing that she was frowning all day long, the two children asked her what to do in the future. She just said that when their father became a high-ranking official and returned home in glory, he would naturally redeem all the family’s land, and everyone’s life would be much better than now.
The two children fell asleep full of longing, but the woman covered her face and cried bitterly in the dead of night. She had long lost contact with her husband, so how could she know if he would come back? If he could go back, why didn't he come back after ten years? His parents are here, and his home is here too. He only needs to follow the rural road to return. Why would it take so long? Even if it is inconvenient, you could at least ask someone to deliver a message!
Could it be that he met with an accident outside and has passed away forever? Thinking of this, the woman cried even more sadly. She was even more heartbroken when she thought about losing her family’s land and not having enough food to eat in the future.
Lin Dan couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he asked slowly, "Can you read?"
The woman was confused and looked around, but she quickly remembered what happened ten years ago and nodded, "I can read. You, you are still here?" During the past ten years, she had called out to this remnant soul many times, but got no response. She thought that she had either left or dissipated on her own, so she kept the jade pendant, which was still valuable, thinking that if her husband needed it urgently in the future, he could pawn it for some silver. I never expected that my husband left home one afternoon and never came back. He disappeared inexplicably.
"I was originally thinking of going to town tomorrow and pawning this jade pendant. My family is now penniless, you can see that, right?" the woman said cautiously.
Lin Dan said calmly: "As long as I am here, this jade pendant is a priceless treasure. Why are you chasing after trivial things? I will teach you some ways to survive and save you from this emergency for the time being."
“Please give me some advice, gods!” The woman was already drowning, so she would grab any floating wood she could find without hesitation. How could she be afraid that Lin Dan was just a ghost? She quickly placed the jade pendant on the Buddhist shrine and bowed again and again. Thinking of some incense and candles at home, she went to get some.
Lin Dan stopped her, "I don't need any offerings. Just take a pen and paper and write down what I say. I will teach you a few embroidery techniques and some medical knowledge. You can sell your embroidery to earn money and treat your neighbors to consolidate your network. At least you can survive in this land."
"Thank you for your advice!" The woman quickly found the paper and pen left by the scholar and wrote down Lin Dan's words in crooked handwriting.
One was teaching while the other was learning, and before they knew it a year had passed. The woman was very intelligent and quickly mastered several embroidery techniques and simple medical knowledge. Not only did she pay off the family's debts, she also saved some money. She also earned some reputation for curing illnesses and saving lives. Even though she was an orphan and a widow, she was never bullied by her neighbors. She also sent her eldest son to a private school to study and write, and was considered a very respectable family in the area.
Lin Dan was knowledgeable and often taught the two children through his wife's mouth, so the children grew up well. The boy was extremely smart and passed the imperial examination at the age of ten, and had a bright future; the girl stayed at home all day long to study embroidery skills and was also a good housekeeper.
Seeing that the woman's life was getting better and better, Lin Dan fell into a deep sleep again. When he opened his eyes again, five years had passed. He was awakened by a burst of crying again, but he saw that the small mountain village had completely changed. There was silt everywhere left after the flood receded. Many corpses were lying in the mud and had been soaked and rotten. The woman's home was right in front of him, but it was dilapidated and in danger of collapse.
The surviving neighbors knelt in front of their homes and cried bitterly. Fortunately, the woman's two children were still alive, but they had lost a lot of weight, and their once bright eyes were now filled with despair and death.
"Mom, what should we do in the future?" Five years later, they asked again in despair and helplessness.
The woman's answer did not change: "It will be fine. When your father becomes a high-ranking official, he will come back to pick us up."
No, this small mountain village is located on high ground, but it was still invaded by floods. It is obvious that the entire state’s land cannot escape the disaster. The imperial court could not have been unaware of such a big thing. If the scholar had become an official, he would have been able to get the news. But until now there has been no news from him. This shows that he is either dead or his wife and children are dead. How could he come back? Lin Dan saw through it, but didn't say anything. He just reminded her calmly, "Be careful of the epidemic. I'll teach you a recipe to prevent and treat the plague. Remember it..."
The woman had long been accustomed to her sudden appearances and disappearances, and even though she was surprised, she did not show it on her face. As long as the remnant soul was still there, she had a backbone, so she immediately went to the mountain to dig some herbs to prevent the outbreak of the disease. Under her guidance, the survivors of this small mountain village buried the bodies of their relatives in time, cleaned their houses, killed snakes, insects, rats and ants, and drank herbal juice every day to strengthen their bodies.
When the surrounding towns were attacked by the epidemic, this small mountain village was the only one that remained peaceful. More than a month later, the imperial court dispatched a large number of troops to confine all the towns and villages where the epidemic was discovered. Anyone who tried to escape was mercilessly shot with bows and arrows. Only the people in the small mountain village escaped.
When everyone heard the news, they respected the woman even more. Any delicious food would be sent to her house, and people came to her house one after another for medical treatment. Those who were rich gave more for the consultation, and those who were poor gave a few copper coins as a token of their gratitude. Even so, the woman earned back her lost family fortune in a very short time, and followed Lin Dan's advice to present the prescription for curing the epidemic to the court.
Curing the plague was undoubtedly a huge political achievement, so the county magistrate happily reported it to the prefect, and the prefect reported it to the governor... Three months later, amid the sound of gongs and drums, the local county magistrate personally presented the woman with two hundred taels of silver, the deed to one hundred acres of fertile land, and a commendation order signed by the emperor himself.
The woman's reputation in the local area has reached an unprecedented high. The house destroyed by the flood has been rebuilt with large brick and tile houses. In a few years, her son may be able to pass the imperial examinations and embark on an official career; her daughter will marry into a prominent local family and live a life of luxury. As long as nothing goes wrong, she should live a peaceful and happy life for the rest of her life.
Lin Dan watched carefully for a while, then felt drowsy again. At this moment, a fellow villager who was doing business abroad brought back a message to the woman, saying that her husband Xu Zuguang was seen in the capital, riding a tall horse and wearing a green official robe. He must have been very successful.
The woman was very excited when she heard the news. She immediately took out ten taels of silver to reward her fellow villager. She went home and packed her luggage to go to the capital to find her relatives. Her children not only had no objection, but were ecstatic. This was because over the past decade or so, whenever the family encountered difficulties, their mother would tell them - it’s okay, everything will be fine once their father becomes a high-ranking official.
So having a father who is a high-ranking official has become the children's obsession. Now that the obsession has come true, how can they still maintain their sanity?
Lin Dan had repeatedly warned the woman not to always mention the words "father is an official" and to teach her children to be self-reliant, but the woman was willing to listen to her in everything, except when it came to matters involving her husband, she would become particularly paranoid. In her opinion, she is not the pillar of the family, only her husband is, even though this man has been absent for more than ten years.
"We should think about this matter carefully," Lin Dan said seriously. "More than a decade has passed. It is impossible for him to still be alone. Since he is an official, it is normal for him to have wives, concubines and children at home. If you go there rashly and find out that he has set up a new family, how will you deal with it? In my opinion, you should spend money to hire a traveling merchant to help you get the news, and then we can talk about other things later. You have taken root here. You have reputation, connections, and wealth. It is better not to leave unless it is absolutely necessary. Here, you are the respected Madam Lin. If you go to the capital, who will know who you are?"
"You are wrong. Wherever my husband is, that's where my children and I will settle down. As the saying goes, when you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; when you marry a dog, you follow the dog. This is true. You don't know my husband. He is a very upright person and loves me deeply. He will never marry another wife or concubine. He must have his difficulties if he doesn't come back. Why don't I take the children to find him and give him a surprise?" The woman said with certainty.
Lin Dan knew that the woman had been bewitched by Mr. Xu and would not listen to any advice, so she kept silent.
The woman was determined to find her husband, otherwise she would never return home. She sold her house and land, leaving no way out for herself and her children. Lin Dan tried to persuade them several times but to no avail. She could only watch from the sidelines. Before they set off, she reminded them, "You don't have to take anything else with you, but you must not lose the tablets of your parents-in-law, your and your husband's marriage certificate, and the imperial commendation order. The journey is dangerous, and you, a weak woman, can't protect your children. Why don't you spend some money to hire a caravan to take you a way?"
The woman seemed to be fed up with Lin Dan's preaching and did not respond, but still did as she was told silently. Seeing her casually put the marriage certificate into the package, Lin Dan said, "Hide the marriage certificate and the commendation order. I remember there is a flap under these two tablets, so hide them there. Without the marriage certificate, your future is uncertain. Without the commendation order, it will be difficult to gain a foothold. It's better to be careful."
The woman curled her lips impatiently, but still pulled away the base of her parents-in-law's tablet and hid the commendation order and marriage certificate in the interlayer.
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