Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Lin Family
Along the way, Xu Yunfan didn't let Qin Run carry Xiaobao. Only when they reached Dashan Village did Xu Yunfan let out a heavy sigh, "Oh my god! This mountain road is making me dizzy."
He went up and down the mountain again, seemingly endlessly, and he was almost losing his temper.
"Father~"
Xiaobao slept as long as Xu Yunfan walked on the mountain road. There was no other way, it was really comfortable to have someone carrying him on his back and walking non-stop.
Xu Yunfan turned his head back and said, "Well, my little piglet is awake."
"Xiaobao is not a piglet." Xiaobao pouted, put his index finger on his lips, hesitated, and looked at Qin Run with his big eyes from time to time, obviously embarrassed.
"Xiaobao, are you hungry?" Qin Run noticed the glistening liquid at the corner of Xiaobao's mouth and couldn't help but smile. "Don't be embarrassed to tell your little daddy. Just tell me if you're hungry."
"Little daddy, Xiaobao is hungry~" When Xiaobao spoke, his eyes were watery and his voice was soft. His cute appearance seemed like an arrow that accurately shot Qin Run's heart.
Qin Run touched Xiaobao's face, which was very tactile. "Just bear with it for a while. Daddy will heat up some buns for you later."
The buns were already cold, and they were meat buns, so the meat filling inside had become oily. The child had a weak stomach, so Qin Run didn't dare to let Xiaobao eat cold food. He could only wait until he got to the village chief's house to see if he could borrow some fire to heat up the buns.
Xu Yunfan quickened his pace and soon went down the mountain and entered the village.
From the moment they climbed the first mountain, Qin Run and Xu Yunfan chatted for a while, but then they became obviously absent-minded.
Xu Yunfan thought Qin Run was tired, so he didn't say anything else. He just listened carefully to the rustling sounds coming from the path from time to time, to prevent anything from suddenly running out and hurting anyone.
As they walked along, Qin Run discovered that there were several times when Xu Yunfan became alert even though he clearly didn't hear anything. Every time Xu Yunfan picked up a stone and threw it into the bushes, there would be a sound of movement.
Xu Yunfan has sharp ears and is also good at martial arts. When he was in the capital, he was able to spot those people hiding in the dark. So, that night in Prince Xiao's Mansion, did Xu Yunfan really ask the maid for snacks just because he didn't want to go hungry?
Or, had he already noticed Su Yan outside the door, so he deliberately said those words that seemed to others to be embarrassing and ignorant of etiquette?
Because he wanted to test Su Yan's attitude. Was the maid's attitude towards them her own, or was she deliberately instructed by someone to give them a warning?
It is so that they can see clearly how their words and actions are incompatible with the palace. If they have any shame, they should know what it means to be ashamed of themselves and know that the palace does not welcome people like them.
The reason Xu Yunfan spoke up was to test whether Su Yan would feel ashamed after hearing what he said, and think that the two of them, who came from the same village, were not worthy of being on the stage...
Afterwards, Xu Yunfan talked about fighting for the family property, all of which were tests for himself at the risk of offending Su Yan.
Qin Run couldn't help but feel his heart beating fast. If he hadn't discovered this today, would he not know what Xu Yunfan had done for him without him noticing?
Qin Run, who was still concentrating on his thoughts, was startled by a few dog barks.
“Wangwang…”
As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, they heard several dogs barking one after another. Xu Yunfan's hair stood on end and he grabbed the stick tightly, "There are dogs here!"
Qin Run: "Dashan Village is located in a remote area, so it's normal to have a few dogs. Don't be afraid, these dogs are usually tied up by their owners."
As soon as he finished speaking, people soon appeared from the yards where the barking of dogs came from.
The villagers who came out thought that it was some second-rate guy who came here to look for something. Few people from other villages came to their area, except for some second-rate guys with dirty hands who would occasionally come and look around to see if they could find an opportunity to steal something and sell it for some money.
But when they came out and saw the people entering the village, the villagers standing at the door were a little confused.
Are there still people who bring their brothers and children with them to stake out these days?
That's probably not the case.
"Hey... Aren't you Doctor Xu from Jishi Medical Clinic?" At this time, a man with a cane came out. This man was the lame man that Xu Yunfan had met outside Jishi Medical Clinic.
After saving the man, Xu Yunfan hurried back to the village and said nothing after leaving the clinic. The villagers of Dashan Village remembered him simply because of Xu Yunfan's face.
Later, after the villager Lin Dahai, whose arm was bitten by a wolf, was rescued, they went in to see him. Only then did they learn from Dr. Meng that Lin Dahai was able to be saved thanks to Xu Yunfan.
However, they sent the person to the town that day and waited for so long. It was getting late, and if they didn't go back to the village, they would have to walk at night, so they had no chance to come and express their gratitude.
Seeing someone actually come to their village, the lame man hurriedly shouted to the neighbors. Lin Dahe quickly opened the gate and came out, excited and enthusiastic, "Doctor Xu, why did you come to our village? You've come such a long way up the mountain. If you don't mind, come in and have a bowl of hot water."
"Excuse me for disturbing you," Xu Yunfan said politely. "I came to Dashan Village today to discuss something with your village chief. I wonder if he's available?"
Lin Dahe waved his hand to let the other villagers rest assured. "Doctor Xu wants to see me? Oh, by the way, I'm the village chief of Dashan Village. I wonder what Doctor Xu wants to see me about?"
"Dahe, who are they?" Lin Dahe's husband Lin Qing heard voices outside the yard, and when he went out, he saw three strangers.
Seeing that the clothes the two adults were wearing were made of good material, he was afraid that they would block their way, so he stood aside a little nervously. When he looked up again, he couldn't help but meet the same pair of big eyes.
"Hello, uncle." When Xiaobao saw that the other party discovered that he was peeking, he smiled at him shyly.
With two children, Lin Qing's heart softened, "Hey, hello, you are such a good child."
"Brother Qing, this is the Doctor Xu I mentioned. He and Doctor Meng saved your brother together. This is..." Lin Dahe got stuck when introducing Qin Run.
Well, he was so excited to see Dr. Xu that he even forgot about the people around him. That was really wrong.
Xu Yunfan: "He is my husband, Run'er from the Qin family in Dali Village. I carry this on my back because it is my advantage... uh, my precious son."
"Oh, oh, oh..." Lin Dahe uttered two "ohs" before reacting, "Ah? Doctor Xu, you even have a son?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't known Xiaobao was smart before, but now that he knew, Xu Yunfan could only bite the bullet and say, "Well, don't look down on me because I'm small, but you know I'm gifted."
How old does Doctor Xu look? Is he over 18?
Looking at the child on Xu Yunfan's back, with that chubby face, he must be about three years old.
It takes eight months of pregnancy to give birth. By this calculation, Doctor Xu's ability is really amazing.
Lin Dahe said with a strange look on his face: "Ah, that's really impressive." Anyway, he felt inferior to him.
After learning that Xu Yunfan was Doctor Xu, Lin Qing hurried to boil a pot of hot water and heated up the buns Qin Run had brought for him.
"Little Daddy, what's that smell?" The meat buns had just been heated up when a few children appeared at the kitchen door.
The children were probably out collecting firewood. Their faces were flushed, their hair was messy, and there were some grass scraps on their patched clothes. Qin Run lowered his eyes to look at their hands. The black nails, cracked skin, scratches on the back of their hands, etc. all proved that these children worked regularly.
Lin Qing glanced at the children and waved them to go out and play. "This is my brother's lunch. Uncle brought it to him. You guys go out and play."
The children were not very big, only about eight or nine years old, and were at the age when they were greedy. But after Lin Qing said that, they stopped looking at the buns in Lin Qing's hand and asked, "Brother? Where is he? Can we play with him?"
Lin Qing looked at Qin Run embarrassedly.
Qin Run took the plate of buns from Lin Qing's hand and waved to the children, "Sure, uncle is busy, can you help him out?"
"Sure." said the leading child.
Qin Run picked up a meat bun and handed it to the child. "This is my first time here, so I didn't prepare any gifts. I'm treating you to these buns. Could you please give one to your brother and take him out to play with you?"
"Huh?" The child looked at the buns in front of him, took a step back, and waved his hand to refuse. "Uncle, we can take my brother to play with us, but we can't take the buns. This is my brother's lunch, we can't take them."
They ate, what did the younger brother eat?
Besides, they don’t know this person, so how can they just eat his food?
Not to mention, they ate meat buns. As they knew, these were made of white flour and were expensive, so few children in their village could eat them.
Daddy has always told us not to be greedy. Bad guys outside like to cheat children with food. Although the uncle in front of us is in our home and is not a bad guy, we can't just take his things.
Qin Run could see that several children shook their heads and were unwilling to take them, but it was not because they didn't like eating them. For children from poor families, who could resist the temptation of meat buns?
Lin Qing waved his hand like he was driving ducks, telling them to go out and play.
"It's okay," Qin Run smiled, "I brought a lot of meat buns, I can give one to each child."
Finally, each child came out of the kitchen holding a meat bun. After leaving the kitchen, they did not go anywhere and were not in a hurry to eat the buns. Instead, they looked around and saw that there was no younger brother in the yard. They looked into the main room and saw an older brother they had never seen before holding a handsome little brother in his arms.
When the handsome brother looked over, the children's faces suddenly turned red.
Who doesn’t like a cute and sensible child?
Xu Yunfan put Xiaobao down. The little guy didn't make a fuss about playing, but just squeezed in between Xu Yunfan's legs. He didn't make a fuss about being held, but just lay obediently on Xu Yunfan's thighs, looking outside the house curiously.
"Do you want a hug?" Xu Yunfan asked him.
Xiaobao raised his head. Because he had been pulling at the thighs for a while, his chubby cheeks were rosy. He shook his head and said, "No, Daddy is tired. Xiaobao can stand."
"Oh, Doctor Xu, your child is really sensible. He knows how to care for his father at such a young age." Lin Dahe found a low stool and said, "This is what my child used when he was little. He has short legs, so it's a good place to sit. He won't fall."
"Sorry to bother Village Chief Lin." Xu Yunfan pulled a stool over, but before Xiaobao could sit down, Qin Run took him out.
The villagers were not well-educated when it came to naming, so there were so many people with the same name. Xu Yunfan didn't know how many people named Dahe he had met. He simply called out to the village chief, "Chief Lin, are those children yours?"
Men's fertility is not as good as women's, but that doesn't mean they can't have children. Xu Yunfan has seen some uncles have three or four children.
Xu Yunfan glanced around the yard. Wow, six children, about the same height and probably not much different in age. He had heard that some people have different ideas and want to have more children. With so many children, if one of them is not promising, there will always be one who is promising. They hope that their children will bring honor to the family in the future. The poorer the family, the more children they have.
But in the end, the child still suffered.
Lin Dahe smiled bitterly and said, "No, I... can't afford to raise too many children. Only two of them are mine. The other four are two of my eldest brothers, Lin Dahai, who was bitten on the arm by a wolf and rescued by Doctor Xu a few days ago. The other two are my younger brother's."
A'di, that is, Lin Dahe's younger brother.
Without waiting for Xu Yunfan to ask anything else, Lin Dahe said helplessly, "My sister-in-law married here from another village. Her village is a big one, and the conditions are better than ours. My father saved her father's life, so when my eldest brother couldn't find a wife, her father only accepted a nine-liang betrothal gift from my family and married my sister-in-law here. But the conditions here really can't compare to those outside. It's not that bad, but the transportation is also inconvenient. Of course, this is also because of my eldest brother. He's a cripple, and... My sister-in-law felt wronged, and later ran off with a peddler after giving birth to my two nephews."
Xu Yunfan: “…”
Nine taels of silver?
As far as he knew, the betrothal gift for a girl or boy here was only about five taels. Lin Dahai's family asked for nine taels from the Lin family, and even for the sake of saving their lives?
If it were Xu Yunfan, he really wanted to laugh at the Yue family. They couldn't even take advantage of someone's misfortune like this.
Seeing that Xu Yunfan seemed confused, Lin Dahe wanted to say that Lin Dahai was a cripple, and it was difficult to find a marriage with such conditions. There would be no market for him in the blind date market. But family members don't dislike family members, but outsiders do.
When his eldest brother came back, the sixteen-year-old boy was pointed at and criticized by the villagers because of his lame leg. Some children followed Lin Dahai and imitated him, either for fun or because they were bad at heart, and then laughed out loud. If the Lin family scolded them, the children's parents would protect them and quarrel with Lin's mother. In those two years, Lin's mother quarreled with countless good women and couples in the village. Lin Dahai saw it all and remembered it in his heart. He was depressed all day long. His parents had no choice but to give up everything for his eldest brother and come here.
In this regard, Lin Dahe has never resented his parents' choice. Perhaps some people would resent it, thinking that his parents only considered the eldest son but not the second son and the youngest son.
Lin Dahe and his younger brother wouldn't know, because they all knew that their eldest brother was conscripted at the age of fourteen. Why?
That’s because the family has no money. If the father dies, who will support the family? How will their family with three children and a woman survive?
For the sake of the family, the eldest brother went there, but he was sent back the next year with a lame leg. When it was windy and rainy, his leg would hurt badly. They all knew it, so why should they complain?
They have no right to complain, and they can't complain at all. All they feel is sadness and discomfort.
Lin Dahai's wife ran away, leaving him a lame man. Lin Dahai couldn't rely on his second brother for everything just because of his lame leg. Besides, his second brother had to take care of the family land and help his third brother from time to time. It would be fine if he couldn't help, but how could he bother him for everything?
Because of this thought, seeing that the weather is getting colder, Lin Dahai plans to chop some firewood while it hasn't snowed yet and he can still go into the mountains. Otherwise, this winter will be very difficult to endure.
However, he was bitten by a wolf before he had chopped a few bundles of firewood. How could a lame man like him outrun a wolf?
It was not until the shrill sound was heard that the villagers working at the foot of the mountain knew that something had happened, but they did not run away. Instead, they called their friends, picked up hoes, ran home, and rushed up the mountain with axes and hatchets.
When they rescued Lin Dahai, he was already a bloody man, but fortunately he was quick-witted and endured the pain to jump into the gap between several bundles of firewood that had been pushed over. Unfortunately, one of his hands was bitten by a female wolf.
Lin Dahai's life was saved, but he had lost so much blood that he had to stay in bed for at least half a month. His two children at home could occasionally get him some water to wipe his face. The two children, the older one was eight years old and the younger one was seven years old, and each one was very thin. Lin Qing was worried about them, so he called the children to his home to eat and live, and asked Lin Dahe to take care of him.
As for Lin Xiaoxi, the third brother of the Lin family, he also had a miserable life. She married a man from another village. The man treated Lin Xiaoxi well, but Lin Xiaoxi's family background was like that. Her husband's family looked down on her and made things difficult for her everywhere. Every time when her husband was not around, they would let Lin Xiaoxi do all the dirty work. Who told her that even if Lin Xiaoxi was bullied, only her second brother could stand up for her?
Although the Lin family is poor, Lin Xiaoxi's husband doesn't care. He and Lin Xiaoxi didn't get married through a matchmaker, but because they fell in love with each other. He doesn't mind that Lin Xiaoxi's family is poor. Every time his family members criticize Lin Xiaoxi, this man will not tolerate his family members bullying his husband. If they dare to bully Lin Xiaoxi, he will definitely fight back. In short, everyone in Lin Xiaoxi's husband's family thinks that Lin Xiaoxi is a troublemaker and that their son forgets his mother after getting a wife. He only gives half of the money he earns to his family, and uses the other half to help the Lin family. This makes the Lin family very angry.
Later, Lin Xiaoxi's husband said that he went on a long journey with some brothers he met in the town to make a lot of money, but he never came back after that. Later, the man who went out with Lin Xiaoxi's husband in the town came back. Lin Xiaoxi went to his house to ask about it, but the other party said that her husband had offended someone outside and was beaten to death. He also warned Lin Xiaoxi's husband's family that if they continued to inquire about the trouble, the family might come to their house one day. It was their son's fault for being ignorant.
These words scared Lin Xiaoxi's husband's family. Less than half a month after returning home, Lin Xiaoxi and her two sons were kicked out of the house.
As for why his husband's mother-in-law doesn't want two eldest grandsons?
It's because the two grandsons are following in their footsteps, just like their father who forgot his mother after getting a wife. They know how to protect their little daddy at such a young age. Even as a grandmother, if she dares to scold her little daddy, the two children will definitely make a fuss, just like their father.
Anyone who wants this grandson who doesn't support his grandmother can have him, but their family doesn't want him anyway.
In this way, Lin Xiaoxi could only cry and return to Dashan Village with a few old clothes. Apart from her mother's home in Dashan Village, which could provide a shelter for the three of them, father and son, where else could they go?
Lin Dahe knew about this and had thought about going to the village to seek justice, but the villagers advised him to give up. The other party was already in that situation. If he went to make a scene, Lin Xiaoxi would not get any good result if he went back. He might vent his anger once, but life would become even more difficult for the three of them. Now that Lin Xiaoxi had returned with the child, it was better than working like a slave for others there and having to eat leftovers in the end. He had returned to the mountain village. Although he was a little poor, at least he could still have a hot meal.
In this way, Lin Dahe's family had six children, but only one man and two brothers were the main labor force, so life was naturally tight.
Lin Dahai had an accident and needed to recuperate, so Lin Xiaoxi went to the town to find a job. She worked as a clothes washer for a wealthy family. The daily wage was not much, only fifteen cents, but this wage was very high for Lin Xiaoxi.
Xu Yunfan didn't ask directly, but he got a general idea of the Lin family's situation.
Lin Dahe was not stupid, so he naturally knew that Xu Yunfan was asking questions indirectly, but he still said it. Is there anything that cannot be said?
No, as long as Xu Yunfan is willing, he can find out by just asking around. Besides, it is not their fault, nor are they in the wrong. They are the victims. Why should they think it is shameful and difficult to talk about just because their wife ran away and they were kicked out of the house by their mother-in-law?
Xu Yunfan drummed his fingers on the tabletop, where he could only use a stone as a footrest due to a missing leg, and said formally, "Village Chief Lin, my name is Xu Yunfan. You don't leave the village often, so you probably don't know that I'm actually a live-in son-in-law. I'm currently a tutor at the Qingfeng Academy in town. My husband has two shops in town: one sells food, and the other specializes in making wedding attire. He also owns several factories."
Worried that Lin Dahe didn't know what a factory was, Xu Yunfan explained it again, and then said, "Now we want to open another shop. After all, this shop is special and requires carving..."
The more Xu Yunfan talked, the more confused Lin Dahe became.
He had never been to Yunrun store, let alone eaten the food there, but he had heard of it.
They heard that Yunrun store not only sells sweets, but also all kinds of food, and that Yunrun store has a second floor that specializes in selling noodles. That day, they heard from passers-by outside Jishi Medical Clinic that the noodles sold on the second floor of Yunrun store are quite fragrant. Usually, customers who go upstairs to eat noodles will not even leave any soup. They all said that the soup is made with bones and other things, and it tastes fresh and fragrant. Even the chili sauce provided is unique.
They also said that the noodles there include rice noodle rolls, minced meat noodles, fresh meat noodles, hot and sour noodles, fried noodles, etc. In short, although they are all noodles, each flavor is different and delicious. There is an endless stream of customers going upstairs to eat noodles every day. People start waiting there at dawn, and even at night there are still people going to eat. The business is booming.
Lin Dahe and his friends waited outside the Jishi Medical Clinic for several hours that day, and they heard it mentioned countless times by people passing by.
"Hey, man, you're in town today too. Have you had noodles yet? If not, let's go together. Now that we're here, if we don't have a bowl of noodles and then go back, it would be a waste of our trip. Let's go, let's eat together."
"I just had Laoyou noodles last time, so I have to try something else today and try to try all the noodles there."
After hearing these words several times, Lin Dahe knew about Yunrun Store, even if he wasn't familiar with it.
But he never expected that one day, the owner of Yunrun Store, the teacher of Qingfeng Academy, would come to their remote mountain village in person, and the other party came here for no other reason than to hire them to work.
Is this... is this surprise real?
Why is he so unbelievable?
Lin Dahe was stunned by this unexpected surprise and could barely speak. He seemed to be filled with hatred and asked tremblingly, "Doctor Xu, are you really going to hire us to work? Twenty cents a day?"
"Yes," Xu Yunfan emphasized. "However, my requirements will also be very high. But don't worry, I will let you adapt to the learning process first, and practice the strength of your fingers and the stability of your wrists. After a while, I will find people who can read and write well to assist you. In the meantime, you can also prepare the wood you need, and I will pay you for your work."
The best materials for making fonts are pear wood, jujube wood, and poplar wood. There are other things that need attention, which Xu Yunfan and Lin Dahe also explained clearly.
"The reason I'm giving you priority is because of my personal experience. Most of the people in your village have been to the battlefield. I admire you very much, so I'm giving you priority. So please don't let me down."
Lin Dahe hesitated and said, "Doctor Xu, thank you very much for trusting us and giving us this job. On behalf of everyone, I can solemnly give you an answer. Even though we have no experience in this job, we will take it seriously. During this time, we will study hard and will definitely not let you down."
Lin Dahe was a sensible man. "But what I said was certainly pleasant to the ears. It's easy to say it with just a few words. But I still want to gather the villagers out to show you, and let everyone see their future boss. Doctor Xu, do you agree?"
On the other side, Lin Qing poured two bowls of water into Lin Dahe. Qin Run did not sit in the main room, but asked Lin Qing to take him for a walk around the village.
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