Chapter 47 [VIP]
Lin Changbin was jolted awake. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a flatbed cart with his hands and feet tied, and the child behind him was nowhere to be found.
He thought he had been robbed and begged for mercy, crying, "Have you arrested the wrong person, gentlemen? Do I look like I have any money? Please, please let me go..."
However, the driver remained silent, only cracking his whip incessantly.
It wasn't until evening, when they arrived at the post station, that Cao Kun had someone take Lin Changbin down to use the restroom, and then brought him into the post station for a meal.
Seeing that they had no intention of harming him, Lin Changbin grew bolder and asked, "Excuse me, where is my son?"
Cao Kun gave the waiter a wink, and the waiter brought the baby out of the room. The baby had already been fed noodle soup and was now fast asleep.
Lin Changbin quickly took it and held it in his arms.
"May I ask why you've arrested me, brave sir? Is there some grudge between us?"
Cao Kun scoffed at his pathetic appearance. "There's no grudge between us. Someone asked me to take you back to the county town."
"Could it be Chen Rong? Or Lin Qiu... that unfilial son, he knew I was coming but didn't even bother to see me!"
"Bang!" Cao Kun slammed his hand on the table, startling Lin Changbin so much that he almost fell off his chair.
"I...did I say something wrong?"
"Shut up and eat. If you say another word, I'll throw you out!"
Lin Changbin dared not speak again, finished the steamed bun in a few bites, and did not dare to say another word on the way.
Two days later, back in the county town, Cao Kun dragged him out of the car and threatened him, "Don't go to Qingshui Town to look for Madam Chen again. If you do, it won't be as simple as just sending him back!"
"Oh, oh, I understand..." Lin Changbin had no money left to go. It had cost him more than two hundred coins to take a bus from the county to the town. Now his pockets were emptier than his face, so how could he afford to go?
He had only taken two steps when someone called out to him. "Hey!"
Lin Changbin paused, turned around, and asked, "Does the brave warrior have any further instructions?"
Cao Kun said, "The porter's shop is short of an accountant. How about two hundred cash a month?"
Lin Changbin immediately beamed with joy, "Yes, yes!"
After everyone left, the waiter approached and asked, "Second Master, who is this guy?"
"My father-in-law."
"Huh? I thought you were my enemy! The accountant gets five hundred coins a month, but you only give him two hundred."
"Get to work, forget about all that nonsense."
Cao Kun kept Lin Qiu under his watchful eye because he didn't want to put Lin Qiu in a difficult position, to prevent him from causing trouble. Otherwise, given the dirty deeds Lin Qiu had done, he would have been kicked out long ago.
Lin Changbin's arrival did not cause Chen Rong much trouble; on the contrary, his quiet departure was somewhat unexpected.
However, Chen Rong didn't take it to heart; she wouldn't even glance at someone like that who died outside.
*
During this period, in addition to looking after the new house, Wang Ying also had to go to the fields to observe the growth of the crops.
The weather has been bad this year. It's already mid-March and there's still no sign of rain.
The fields were so dry they were cracked, and the wheat was about to reach the heading stage, but it was short and withered.
Seeing that half a year's hard work had been in vain, the villagers, young and old, were all anxious, their mouths blistered. Every household started carrying water to irrigate the fields, but with so many people and so little water, fights often broke out over water for irrigation.
In the morning, Wang Ying left home to take a walk around the breeding field, and on the way she encountered two families fighting.
The men and women were locked in a fierce struggle, pulling hair and tearing clothes, hurling all sorts of vulgar insults at each other.
Wang Ying quickly stepped forward to break up the fight, "Stop fighting, Uncle Liu, Aunt Zhang, let go of each other's hands!"
When the men saw that it was their boss, they finally let go of their grumbling and started to straighten their clothes and put on their shoes, still grumbling as they went.
"Everyone else is carrying water to irrigate their fields, but your family is doing the opposite, blocking the water flow and dumping it directly into the fields. Don't you have any shame? How are you going to irrigate the fields below?!"
"Pah! Your name isn't written on this river. It's your own fault for not being able to get water because your land is located underground!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Seeing that the two were about to fight again, Wang Ying quickly scolded them, "Stop fighting! The river water is for everyone. If your family wants to use it, others have to use it too. We all depend on the crops in the fields to make a living. You can't just use it all and then not let others use it!"
"The boss is right! This shameless shrew is completely unreasonable..."
"Shut up too. Let's talk this out. How can you keep swearing?"
The man fell silent after being scolded. Seeing that neither of them was convinced, Wang Ying guessed that they would fight again if she left, so she simply asked them to come with her to the experimental field.
Upon arriving here, everyone slowed down in surprise. This field was completely different from the surrounding fields. The lush green wheat seedlings were half a hand's width taller than the surrounding fields, showing no signs of drought.
An elderly farmer had already rushed into the wheat field to check, and found that the soil was dry and barren, unlike anything that had been irrigated.
"Boss, how come this wheat field is growing so well?"
"Yes, the leaves haven't turned yellow at all, and they're growing so well!"
"The wheat in this field is planted with a drought-resistant variety. After the spring harvest, we will distribute the seeds and the whole village will switch to this variety next year."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately beamed with joy.
Wang Ying took out her notebook and used a charcoal pencil to record the growth cycle of the wheat. It seemed that the Changfeng No. 3 variety she had cultivated had a good ability to adapt in ancient times.
However, the plants in the photo are much shorter than those in the experimental field, probably because they were not fertilized.
With the weather getting warmer, Wang Ying planned to teach them how to compost wet manure so that it could be used when planting millet in June.
"Master, how's the house construction going?"
"The foundation is finished, and we can start building the walls today."
The foundation is the cornerstone of a house. There is a folk saying that goes, "If the foundation is well laid, the house will never collapse." The foundation alone is dug six feet deep and tamped layer by layer. As long as there is no earthquake, the house can be lived in for hundreds of years without any problems.
The old man surnamed Liu said, "Once the foundation is laid, the construction will be quick. The walls can be built in ten days or half a month, and once the main beam is in place, the house will be finished."
Wang Ying listened with increasing longing, and the thought of this being her future home filled her with energy.
"You're not allowed to fight anymore. Share the water and don't fight over it. If you fight again over this, I'm raising the rent."
The two men froze, then quickly forced a smile and said, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare!"
This tactic was more effective than mediating a fight. Wang Ying suppressed her smile and hurried towards the new house.
When I arrived, I happened to see Chen Qingyan teaching several village children to read. He seemed much more relaxed around the children, and his speech was no longer hesitant, much like when he used to run a private school.
Wang Ying didn't go up to disturb him, but asked him about opening the private school when she got back that evening.
"Do you still want to open a private school in the village?"
Chen Qingyan nodded without hesitation. He quite enjoyed teaching children, and the sense of accomplishment he felt watching them gradually learn to read and behave properly was beyond words.
"Then let's wait until the house is renovated before we start recruiting students."
"good!"
Wang Ying remembered the letter her fourth uncle had sent when she returned to town last time, and felt that she should tell Chen Qingyan about this.
“When I went back last time, my mother said that my fourth uncle sent a letter saying that his term of office would end next year and he might be transferred back to Kyoto.”
"This is a good thing."
"The letter also said...after returning to Kyoto, I'll see if I can pull some strings to get your case regarding the imperial examination overturned..."
Chen Qingyan was stunned and speechless for a long time.
Wang Ying quickly said, "However, this matter is very difficult. Fourth Uncle only mentioned it briefly. He didn't dare let us tell you, for fear that he might disappoint you even more if it couldn't be done."
Chen Qingyan grasped Wang Ying's hand and said, "I understand. I have long given up hope on the imperial examinations. If Heaven takes pity on me and gives me another chance, I will cherish it. Even if Fourth Uncle fails to make it happen, I will not worry about this matter anymore."
After these incidents, Chen Qingyan matured considerably.
People can only gradually become stronger after enduring the trials and tribulations of life.
*
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the main structure of the new house has been completed. An auspicious day was chosen for the raising of the roof beam.
In ancient times, there were specific customs associated with raising the roof beam. It was not only a celebration of the successful construction but also a way for people to express their wishes for a better future.
Two days in advance, Wang Ying asked Uncle Chen to catch two pigs and a sheep, intending to treat the villagers who had helped her to a meal today.
Chen Xi's wife brought the village women to help early in the morning, while the men went to the new house to wait for the roof beam to be raised.
The head of the roof-raising ceremony was presided over by the village's elderly carpenter, who is almost seventy years old this year. In this era of poor medical care, living to seventy is definitely considered a long life.
The old man, with his gray hair and sharp spirit, came over leaning on a wooden cane. Looking at the tall, blue-brick house, he couldn't help but exclaim, "This house is really impressive. I've only ever seen houses like this in town."
Most of the houses in the village are made of mud bricks; bricks and tiles are too expensive to build, and you couldn't afford to build one even if you saved up for a lifetime.
Wang Ying smiled and said, "I'd like to trouble you, sir, to help with the raising of the roof beam."
"Good, good, good." The old man walked around the house with his hands behind his back, muttering auspicious words. Then he asked someone to bring a rooster that had been prepared in advance, and collected the chicken blood to drip onto the roof beam to ward off evil spirits.
Next comes the worship of the gods of heaven and earth, and the invitation of the ancestral master Lu Ban to descend and support the pillars and beams.
Offerings of three kinds of sacrificial animals were laid out, incense and candles were lit, and while kneeling and praying, chanting: "May the pillars support the heavens and the earth, may the family prosper, may the beams bear the sun and moon, may blessings flow forever..."
Everyone held their breath and watched the old man. Some young carpenters quietly memorized the words, thinking that perhaps they would be the ones to raise the roof beams decades later. This is what it means to pass on the torch.
After the worship was completed, the appointed time arrived, and with the old man's command, "Raise the beam—",
Dozens of men pulled on thick hemp ropes, chanting as they carried the roof beams little by little to the roof and put them in place. The beams were now in place!
Dunzi lit firecrackers, and Chen Dashun threw lucky money down from the roof. Adults and children scrambled for it joyfully, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
After the beams were laid, the tiles were laid. With many people working, the work was quick, and it was finished before noon.
Everyone laughed and joked as they returned to the village for dinner. The feast was held at Chen Xi's house, with a total of eight tables. Every table had wine, meat, and freshly steamed gray flour buns. Everyone ate to their heart's content.
While they were eating, a mule cart suddenly stopped at the door. Chen Ershun jumped off the cart and exclaimed, "Young master, young sir, another letter has arrived from Laizhou!"
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