Chapter 117 Spring Festival
After the contract was signed, the village head held the thin piece of paper in both hands, his rough fingertips carefully avoiding the places where the ink had not dried, his eyes blurred with tears.
Each adult man or woman can rent one acre of land. A family can have at least four adult men and women, and as many as eight or nine. A family can plant this much more land, and get free high-quality seeds. No rent is collected for the first three years, so this winter should be better than in previous years.
But when his eyes fell on the name written at the bottom of the paper, the village head suddenly widened his eyes. The surname "Xiao" was the royal surname.
The village head's hands trembled slightly as he held the contract. He looked up cautiously at the handsome man before him. He swallowed and asked tentatively, "My dear... are you... are you..."
Just now he heard something like "return"...
Xiao Ji had anticipated this and raised his hand to stop the headman from speaking: "I am just a distant relative of the Xiao clan."
His tone was relaxed, without any hint of arrogance. "Don't be afraid, head of the village. Just write the contract as it should be."
The fact that he could live in the palace was already related to the royal family, so Xiao Ji did not intend to hide his bloodline, but only concealed his true identity.
The village head was skeptical, his gaze lingering for a moment on the striking "Xiao" character on the contract. In the end, he said nothing, silently signed his name, and pressed his fingerprint.
They had done a lot of work for the young master, and their wages were always paid on the same day. The young master shouldn't be the type to go back on his word. Let's go back to the village and ask around.
Finally, he bowed deeply and said, "Don't worry, my dear husband and wife. The young and old people of Hedong Village will definitely cultivate this land well!"
Xiao Ji nodded and said, "Then the division of the land will be handed over to you. Don't cause any trouble. There is still more than half a month left. You should hurry up and lead the villagers to weed and prepare the fields."
The village head carefully put away the land deed, agreed and took his men back.
When he was about to go around the screen wall, the village head looked back again - it was already sunset, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the eaves, casting a layer of gold on the young couple.
The young boys and girls held hands, looked into each other's eyes, talked and laughed happily. Such a harmonious scene made the old village chief unable to take his eyes off.
"Uncle village head, why haven't you left yet?" asked the young man who came with them in confusion.
The village head finally came to his senses, wiped his face, and walked quickly forward. He patted the land deed, which he had kept close to his chest, and a surge of anticipation welled up in his heart.
"Let's go back to the village!" He said in a loud voice, his steps much more brisk than when he came. "Gather all the villagers tonight, young and old, and let's discuss the weeding and land division!"
*
Now that he had some free time, Xiao Ji couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked Qing Wu why he said what he said today.
He held Qingwu's hand and slowly played with and rubbed it. Zhao Tong, Baozhu and others beside him saw this and immediately left, leaving the eaves to the couple.
Meeting the boy's inquiring gaze, Qing Wu tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Because it was influenced by my grandmother, but it was also what I saw with my own eyes, so I was inspired by it..."
Seeing that he was listening attentively, Qingwu began to talk about the past: "I was eight years old that year, and I followed my grandmother to Longxi to practice medicine. One winter day, we found a swaddling cloth in the corner of a dilapidated temple."
Her fingertips unconsciously pinched Xiao Ji's palm: "The child's face is purple from the cold. Grandma said that judging by the size, he is less than a month old."
Even though ten years have passed, Qingwu still can't suppress the grief and anger in his heart when he thinks about this incident again.
"I begged grandma to look for her family." Qingwu curled his lips, "Grandma said that if you are willing to throw it away, then you won't want it. But I don't believe it and insist on looking for it..."
Xiao Ji felt her breathing become rapid, and he gently squeezed her hand, and Qing Wu finally came out of her memories. She looked at Xiao Ji, then lowered her eyes again, hiding her emotions.
"Finally, we found out who the family was. When the man heard our intention, he wouldn't even let us in. He just said through the fence, 'Don't want her anymore. Let her be reincarnated as soon as possible.'"
"I was very confused at the time and tried to persuade him several times, but he refused. Just when I was about to give up, a woman rushed out of the house, barefoot and weak."
Qing Wu suddenly closed her eyes, unable to suppress her emotions any longer. "She knelt on the ground and begged her husband, saying, 'I can spin more cloth and eat less, please keep your daughter with you'..."
Looking at his wife who was about to cry, he wanted to stop her from reminiscing any further, but Qingwu held her hand instead - since it had come to this, he had to finish.
"The man picked up a broom and started beating her, calling her 'a money-losing bitch who wants to raise a little money-losing bitch,' until the woman stopped begging and fell silent."
The boy's voice tightened, "That woman...?"
Seeing the worry on Xiao Ji's face, Qing Wu knew she had made the right choice—he wasn't indifferent to the lives of ordinary people just because he was once a descendant of the emperor. She wiped away the tears from her eyes and a smile appeared on her lips.
"No, the woman is still alive. After the man beat her, he went into the house. Grandma went to see her and asked if she wanted to leave and be with her child. Although the woman was barely breathing, she nodded with all her might, and Grandma saved her."
She and her grandmother took the woman and the baby away, and learned on the way that this was not the first girl the woman had given birth to.
"The one in front was thrown into the river by him... I finally begged him to give this one to someone to raise, but I didn't expect him to be abandoned in a dilapidated temple! It's all my fault, I realized it too late..." The woman hugged her child and cried loudly, and swore that she would never go back.
Grandma immediately hired a carriage and took the woman to another city a hundred miles away. "Before leaving, I will go back and kill that man with a single blow."
As she said this, the girl was surprisingly calm, as if it wasn't just a life that was lost. This was completely different from Qingwu's previous behavior.
Xiao Ji felt like he seemed to have met a different lady - she obviously valued life so much and tried her best to treat every patient, but now she was so indifferent when talking about her grandmother killing someone.
Qing Wu was actually secretly watching Xiao Ji, and when he saw that he did not change his tone after hearing this sentence, he breathed a sigh of relief.
She walked around Xiao Ji and sat down beside him, but she couldn't suppress her curiosity.
"Don't you think my grandma is too..."
Before she could finish her words, Xiao Ji interrupted her, "No, he abandoned his daughter and beat his wife, he deserves to die."
"And, Qingqing, I also want to thank your grandma. If it weren't for her thunderous methods, I don't know if I would have met you."
This was a bit unpleasant to say, and Qingwu glared at him slightly.
But Xiao Ji was right. If it weren't for her grandmother protecting her, she would have disappeared in the countryside long ago.
Seeing the melancholy that suddenly overflowed from the girl, the boy couldn't help but move closer to her and lean against her until their arms were tightly pressed together.
Qingwu originally thought that he would be satisfied with this, but who would have thought that after a while he kept making small movements, making it impossible for her to speak clearly.
She put one hand behind his back to stop him from moving around, but unexpectedly the boy showed a look of satisfaction.
"That's fine, Qingqing, you can hold me too."
The girl was silent for a moment, but she could hear the joy in his voice, and her hand never left the boy's back.
She continued, "When we got to the county town, my grandmother gave her one or two taels of silver. The woman was skilled in weaving, and she found work in a cloth workshop with her child. We stayed in the county town for another half a month, watching her settle down and her life getting better day by day."
"Later, when we were about to leave, the woman asked grandma to give the baby girl a name, Fengchun."
The sun has completely set, night has fallen, and the sycamore trees are swaying gently in the wind.
Amid the rustling of leaves, the girl's voice continued, "At that time, the woman's state was completely different from before. She held the child and had a smile on her face. I realized that the only way for a woman to protect herself is to establish a career."
"But in this world, among the four professions of scholar, farmer, merchant, and artisan, which one is suitable for women to succeed?"
"A scholar needs to study hard for decades; it's not something that can be achieved overnight. Emperor Yang is gone, and there's no way for women to become successful. Business and industry also require a family background. By chance, I've come to a place where I can only choose agriculture. Agriculture is the root of the people, and the country divides it. If women can also share in the land, then they will have the most basic career to establish themselves in."
"Even though they are less powerful than men, as long as they work hard, they can do just as well as men. They can support themselves and raise their offspring."
"Then countless babies will be able to truly see spring, just as they are experiencing spring."
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