The Chen family's old house.
Old Chen was sitting on a bench in the yard, head down, holding a pipe and puffing away at his pipe.
He was anxious; his family had neither money nor food.
Chen Zhancai's stomach was growling with hunger, but he stayed at home all day, just eating and waiting to die, doing nothing. How was he going to live in the future?
Old Mrs. Chen was already emaciated from hunger.
In order to get something to eat, she shamelessly begged the eldest and second eldest sons' families, but they wouldn't even give her a glance.
She threw a tantrum, rolling on the ground, but all she got in return was the villagers' accusations and curses.
Looking back, it makes sense; she had gone too far with her actions before.
Now that the family has separated and kinship has been severed, who has an obligation to care for the two of them?
She felt frustrated and regretful, but what could she do?
Fortunately, Wu Baoan, the village head, was a decent man. He promised to provide the couple with ten catties of millet every month. With this little bit of food, they wouldn't starve to death.
Now the elderly couple doesn't dare to leave their house, for fear of being gossiped about behind their backs.
They thought they could finally have a few days of peace, but who would have thought that good-for-nothing Chen Zhancai, who leeches off them, would shamelessly return?
The elderly couple were so angry they gritted their teeth, ignoring their beatings and curses.
Chen Zhancai was extremely shameless; he remained silent and did no work.
All he does all day is eat, sleep, and then eat again...
Just then, Erdanzi from the village rushed into the yard like a gust of wind.
"Auntie, why are you still staying at home? Aren't you going to come and see what's going on?"
Grandma Chen shook her head listlessly, "I'm an old woman who can't even get enough to eat, how can I be in the mood to watch the excitement?"
Erdanzi chuckled dismissively and began to talk on and on.
"Auntie, you don't know yet, Qing'er is quite something now. She's now the Princess of Anyang, personally appointed by the Emperor. She's on the imperial payroll. Qing'er just said that all the tax revenue of Anyang will belong to her from now on. But Qing'er is beautiful, kind-hearted, and compassionate, so she said she'll only collect 20% of the previous tax revenue."
Do you know what 20% means? It means we don't have to hand over half of our grain from our fields anymore; from now on, we only need to pay 20%. The whole of Anyang is praising Qingya; from now on, every family will be able to eat meat every day!
Old Mrs. Chen's face turned pale and then red, and she glared fiercely at Erdanzi, "Why are you telling me all this?"
Erdanzi sneered, "I'm telling you all this to tell you that since your family has lost its land, these good things have nothing to do with your family. Even if Qing'er becomes a member of the royal family, you won't benefit from it. Who told you to bully people? You weren't satisfied with being kicked out, and you insisted on severing ties with your family. Now look what happened, you regret it to death!"
"You bastard, what does it matter to you whether I regret it or not? You're just a bored idiot, get out of here!" Old Mrs. Chen almost fainted.
"Don't you know right from wrong? I came here specifically to tell you so you'll regret it." Erdanzi said and ran off in a flash. He had come on purpose to embarrass Old Chen's family.
Old Mrs. Chen felt like dying, but what good was regretting it now? Time couldn't be turned back, and she could never go back to the past.
At this moment, Chen Zhancai, still half asleep, rubbed his eyes and came out of the house. "Mom, I'm hungry. Quickly get me something to eat."
Grandma Chen acted as if she hadn't heard him and ignored him.
Chen Zhancai rolled his eyes and then asked Old Man Chen, "Dad, what did you eat for breakfast? I'm hungry."
Old Chen glared at him irritably. "There's not even a blade of grass left in the house. What are we supposed to eat? Go scoop a spoonful of manure from the latrine and drink it!"
"Why are you acting crazy so early in the morning, telling me to eat shit? Why don't you go eat shit yourself!" Chen Zhancai muttered under his breath, dissatisfied.
Old Man Chen was already angry because of Erdanzi's words. Seeing that his good-for-nothing son dared to talk back to him, he was so enraged that he grabbed a carrying pole from the ground and rushed over, hitting Chen Zhancai while cursing him.
"You unfilial good-for-nothing! All your education has gone to waste. Look at the state you've become! Can't you be a little more capable? You just stay at home all day, wasting your time. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Get out of here! Because of you, we lost our house, sold our land, and even kicked out my most dutiful son. How dare you stay in the house? Why don't you just die...?"
"Dad, what's with all this yelling so early in the morning? Are you sick? You're the one who told me to leave. Don't regret it. Who will take care of you in your old age and see you off when I'm gone..." Chen Zhancai muttered as he was about to leave, glancing at Old Lady Chen as he went. He was hoping she would stop him, but she didn't even look at him. Furious, he turned and left.
Old Mrs. Chen did not stop Old Mr. Chen from venting his anger.
She was also completely disappointed in her glib-tongued son.
Let's go, out of sight, out of mind. She doesn't want to raise another tyrant.
A few days later, Chen Zhancai huddled among the beggars in Qingshui Town.
After leaving Nanshan Village, he thought he was going to find Liu Fengjiao, but he didn't even get through the gate.
In order to see Liu Fengjiao, he had no choice but to climb over the wall, only to stumble upon a scene he never wanted to see in his entire life.
Liu Fengjiao and Wang Qichang were deeply entangled in their illicit affair.
Enraged, he immediately opened the gate, called over passersby, and exposed their affair to the public.
Chen Zhancai felt relieved for a moment, but Liu Fengjiao ultimately drowned in Chentang, Wang Qizhang's property was confiscated and he was exiled, and his son Chen Jiye, unable to bear the blow, disappeared without a trace.
He hasn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and he's huddled in a corner, disheveled and filthy, having lost the will to live.
I don't know when it started, but this scholar turned into a beggar despised by everyone.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
Ru Hua's belly was slightly protruding, and a happy smile appeared on her face.
She became fair-skinned, beautiful, and pregnant with another man's child.
If he hadn't sold Ruhua for a few coins, with Ruhua's abilities, he certainly wouldn't have ended up like this.
Chen Zhancai regretted it, and tears were already streaming down his face without him realizing it.
It's unbelievable how a perfectly good person has ended up living like this.
He feared death, but the world had no place for him anymore. He figured he might as well become a monk and distance himself from worldly affairs...
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