Sun Yuanniang came to the door of Ji's house, straightened her clothes, and touched her bun. Seeing that she looked decent, she walked into the courtyard of Ji's house with broad steps.
Unexpectedly, it was quiet in the courtyard, not even a person was seen.
She simply walked towards the Ji family's patio house. Just when she reached the eaves, she heard voices coming from inside. She couldn't hear exactly what was said, but the tone was brisk.
It was still lively when there were guests.
Sun Yuanniang was about to spit. Their family was notorious in the village and anyone could talk about it, just like a rat crossing the street.
On the contrary, the Ji family is harmonious with He Lele. If the Ji family had not given any face to the You family, they would not be where they are today.
Speaking of which, how could I not feel resentful?
But before she could say anything, the boss of the Ji family walked out first.
"Is something wrong?"
Sun Yuanniang immediately stood up straight and said, "I'm here to do something."
"It's time to eat."
Daniel has been working for the Ji family for several years, and the Ji family does not treat him the same way as they treat their servants. The banquet guests are familiar people who can sit down at the same table and invite him to eat with him. They don't just open a table. .
The food at home is good today, and no one wants to be interrupted while eating.
He was a little unhappy when he saw Sun Yuanniang coming at this hour: "Madam Sun, please wait a moment."
"I'm here to do something important. After I've done this, I'm still in a hurry to do other things!"
Sun Yuanniang felt even more unhappy when she saw that someone who was working under someone else's roof dared to talk to her like this. Those talkative women in the village had just changed their previous flattery towards her family. They were simply short-sighted. How dare a peasant woman and a peasant man, just a servant, dare to yell at her:
"You are a long-term worker, but you have become the master of the master. If you delay my affairs, can you bear it?"
Daniel couldn't argue with her, so he had no choice but to go in and inform Li Zheng.
When the people at the table heard that Sun Yuanniang was coming, they didn't look too good. Ji Yangzong put his chopsticks on the bowl, cursed a few times and stood up.
"I'll just go and take a look. Father-in-law and Huo Lang, you continue to eat. I'll take care of the other end."
Huang Yinsheng said: "Go ahead."
Ji Yangzong hurried out, saw Sun Yuanniang standing outside, and frowned displeased: "What are you doing here again?"
"I'm telling you, Li Zheng, if you hadn't taken care of the village affairs, I wouldn't have come here. But don't worry, I won't come if you want me to come in the future."
When Sun Yuanniang saw Ji Yangzong's impatient look, she was not at all ashamed that the You family had done something wrong. On the contrary, she was too lazy to do any face-saving projects. She said in a showy way: "We bought a property in the city. Ling and I Xiao will be moving to the city soon, and I have come here to do the paperwork."
Ji Yangzong sneered: "It seems that I can't stay in the village anymore, so I'm rushing to move to the city."
"Water flows to lower place, man goes to higher position."
Sun Yuanniang didn't look good when Ji Yangzong was so blunt. She wanted to save some face, so she simply stopped hiding it and said: "We are talented at Ling Xiao and were promoted by Tongzhi Xue. We are a disciple that Mr. Xue is satisfied with. Only when you enter the city can you listen to training from time to time."
"Then you have to hurry up. Seeing that the transfer of officials is imminent, Mr. Xue will be transferred by March next year at the latest. Don't end up in vain by then."
Pre-research Du Jia t "Xie Lizheng's reminder, even though it's only been three or five months, it's very easy for Master Tongzhi to take care of two people who don't know their level."
Ji Yangzong did not speak when he heard this, but Sun Yuanniang smiled proudly when she saw this: "These people must not fight with the officials after all. Otherwise, how could there be so many people who want to study and take scientific examinations? We can talk to each other one day."
"Some ordinary people in the city just don't know the depth. They think they can say a few words in a place with a bigger hand. If someone agrees, they feel great. They act in a hurry and think they have the upper hand. Little do they know that their recklessness has already buried their wounds. The root of the problem."
Ji Yangzong was shocked.
Sun Yuanniang asked forcefully: "Li Zheng, do you think so?"
"No matter how humble the ordinary people are, they still have to protect their reputation. If they are too embarrassed to speak out because they are afraid of power, they will only make the evildoers even more arrogant."
"Everyone knows who did the wrong thing first and who had malicious intentions first."
A steady voice broke in. Sun Yuanniang raised her head and frowned: "Doctor Huang is here too."
Huang Manjing and Ji Taoyu followed them, and to Sun Yuanniang's surprise, Huo Shu was also there.
She and Huo Shu had nothing to do with each other, but she bumped into him several times at Ji's house, and often threatened him.
So now that I see this person, I can't help but feel frightened: "It's so lively at Li Zheng's house."
With Huang Yinsheng and Huo Shu around, Sun Yuanniang felt a little scared.
Not to mention that Huang Yinsheng had opened a medical clinic in Tongzhou City for many years, and had many relationships with officials and minor officials in the state government who had cured diseases. Even if she did not care about these, she still cowarded Huo Shu, for fear that if he disagreed with him, he would be killed again. She picked it up.
"Since we need to go through paperwork, Mrs. Sun, please come and lay your fingerprints."
Ji Yangzong said something and led people to the study hall where the formalities were done.
After Sun Yuanniang came and made such a fuss, I couldn't continue to eat comfortably, but fortunately, I was almost done.
After Huang Yinsheng handed over the message, he didn't stay in the village for long and hurried back to the city.
It's chaotic outside, there have been a lot of injuries and illnesses lately, and it's winter and the seasons are changing. He's the only doctor in the hospital, so he doesn't have much room to move around.
After seeing off his father-in-law, Ji Yangzong came back from outside with his hands behind his back, but his face was filled with anxiety and he didn't look good.
Although he knew that Sun Yuanniang was deliberately trying to show off today, her words undoubtedly touched on his heart. If the Xue family was really forced to resort to tricks, the Ji family would be in trouble.
After going to the city, everyone rushed to get close to the Xue family. Although the You family was in the wrong in the matter of Taoyu, and You Lingxiao even wiped tears at the gathering and said that he couldn't let go of Taoyu. One thing is behind the other, so he doesn't dare to mention the Ji family's affairs to the Xue family.
But as time goes by, who knows what tricks the You family will come up with, which will always be a serious disaster.
Huo Shu probably knew what Ji Yangzong was worried about.
"The Xue family has not made a marriage contract with the You family at this time. It is just a bet. You Lingxiao has potential, but it is not the only choice for these official families."
Ji Yangzong looked at Huo Shu: "What do you mean?"
"If Bet Debao has no potential, based on Li Zheng's understanding of the Xue family, will he continue to support You Lingxiao, or give up the chess piece?"
Ji Yangzong said: "You Lingxiao is indeed talented and well-born. This is what the Xue family likes. But after all, the You family's family background is ordinary, and the people of the same clan are not on the same page. Without potential, the Xue family will be nothing more than a daughter. , I will definitely not support you again."
Huo Shu responded: "Indeed, since this is the case, Li Zheng no longer needs to worry about the You family."
Ji Yangzong still didn't quite understand what Huo Shu meant, but Huo Shu didn't speak again.
Huo Shu glanced at the direction of the Ji family's kitchen house and said:
"Thank you for your hospitality today. I'll go back first."
Seeing Huo Shu's expression, Ji Yangzong calmed down and said, "Xiao Taozi and his mother are washing dishes in the kitchen. I think they are almost done. I'll ask him to see them off for you."
"No need to bother."
After finishing speaking, Huo Shu turned around and left.
Ji Yangzong frowned, a little confused.
When he returned to the house, Taoyu wiped his hands on his scarf and said, "Is Azu gone?"
"gone."
Taoyu fastened the food box: "Where's Brother Huo?"
"all gone."
"gone?"
Taoyu's eyes widened when she heard this, and she quickly ran out with the food box.
Ji Yangzong looked at his irritable brother and said to Huang Manjing, "This kid."
"There are still a lot of the shrimps you bought today, which are big and fresh. Xiao Taozi said that everyone didn't eat well when Sun Yuanniang came over. Seeing that Huo Shu also liked the shrimps, she gave him some leftovers to take back. "
"That's fine."
Ji Yangzong said: "This child is quite attentive."
"Brother Huo!"
Huo Shu walked leisurely towards Zhao's house, ready to go do something, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
He turned around and saw Taoyu running over the field ridge holding a food box.
"You walked too fast."
Huo Shu walked back a long way, and Taoyu came up to join them, but she was already out of breath. He quickly handed the food box to Huo Shu.
"What's this?"
Taoyu gasped and said: "The You family came over and disturbed the meal. Dad was afraid that you didn't eat well, so he asked me to send you a food box. There are a lot of dishes left at home. If you don't mind that they are leftovers, take them back. Eat."
Huo Shu didn't comment, but still took the food box.
He opened it and took a look, then his eyebrows moved.
There was a plate of shrimps in the food box, but it was smaller than the ones on the table at noon. The shells of these shrimps had been peeled off but the meat of the shrimp heads had not been twisted. They were neatly arranged on the plate. Full of two floors.
Huo Shu thought about Tao Yu who had just eaten and went into the kitchen. Even when Huang Yinsheng left, he only said hello in a hurry without seeing him off.
He thought he was tired from cooking all morning and didn't want to...
There was an unspeakable throbbing in Huo Shu's heart, which made him unable to take his eyes away for a long time.
"Well, I was afraid that the dish wouldn't hold much, so I peeled off the shell."
Taoyu saw that Huo Shu had been staring at the shrimp without shells, as if she had been seen through, and her ears turned a little red: "Is there someone jealous at home?"
Huo Shu carefully closed the lid of the food box and nodded.
"That's good."
Taoyu was a little embarrassed: "I, I will go back first, which will take up a lot of your time."
"Taoyu."
Huo Shu suddenly stopped the man who was about to run after saying that.
"Um?"
Huo Shu looked at the little brother in front of him quietly, Taoyu's eyebrows moved slightly, and he looked at Huo Shu in confusion: "What's wrong?"
"without."
"It's chaotic outside, don't go out. If you need to go out in an emergency, let me know."
"good."
Huo Shu opened his mouth, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. For the first time, he was tired of saying too little.
After a moment of stalemate, he could only say: "Go back."
Taoyu responded.
He turned his back to Huo Shu and walked forward. His mind went blank for a moment, but then he thought about Huo Shu accepting the food box, and his steps were still a little brisk.
When he reached the corner, he suddenly stopped again.
Taoyu pursed her lower lip and slowly turned her head to take a look at Huo Shu's leaving figure. However, when she turned around, she saw that the man was still standing there and looking at him quietly.
The winter wind was a bit cold as it passed by Huo Shu, but he seemed to be leaving in a detour. The man just stood in the wind.
Their eyes met, and almost suddenly, in an instant, Taoyu clearly felt that something was rising in her heart, and it slowly became very hot as her heartbeat beat rapidly.
It was like a flood being discharged, or like the spring sun falling to the ground, suddenly filling his body and becoming so full that even the cold wind didn't feel cold.
Taoyu quickly looked away and took a deep breath. He raised his hand and touched his forehead. He felt something was wrong. He didn't know if he was getting cold due to the cold wind blowing in the morning.
But this symptom is not like the precursor of wind chill, and the forehead is not hot.
He didn't know why, so he ran back as if he was running away.
Two days later, it was approaching the end of the month.
Ji Yangzong came back from the city with a pulled face.
He went to the government office of the prefecture to discuss with Hufang Dianshimen the day when grain would be sent to the city, and to test whether he could add more people this year.
Unexpectedly, I was so unlucky that I met a fellow magistrate in the household room, and received a few scoldings from him. It was a busy time for the state government, and he asked the Yamen to waste manpower.
It didn't matter if he was scolded by his superiors, but Tongzhi's attitude towards him made him wonder whether You Lingxiao and Sun Yuanniang had already blown something in front of him.
Ji Yangzong felt unhappy and depressed.
The situation is currently in turmoil, and the state government does not provide more manpower to ensure that the villages deliver food to the city's granary. If something unexpected happens, although the government cannot escape the blame, what benefit can the state government get?
Ji Yangzong thought that it seemed like it was time to go to his good friend Li Zheng to discuss sending food to the city in turn.
Just when he was frowning, he saw a group of seven or eight villagers at the head of the village, discussing something animatedly.
Ji Yangzong took a breath, and his face became even more grim, but he was not talking about their parents' shortcomings again.
Unexpectedly, before he walked over, a villager saw him first.
"Li Zheng!"
Several villagers saw that Ji Yangzong seemed to have found a backbone, and hurriedly ran forward.
Before anyone could reach him, he shouted: "This is terrible! Erlang of the You family is asking for a beating!"
"What?"
The villager repeated again: "Yujiro asked someone to beat him!"
Ji Yangzong scolded:
"Don't talk nonsense. He is a civil servant. Who dares to attack a civil servant?"
Seeing that Ji Yangzong didn't believe it, the villagers said anxiously: "It's true!"
"Sun Yuanniang just came to do the paperwork two days ago. She said that she had bought a house in the city and wanted to move there. How can she be beaten by someone?"
Ji Yangzong was afraid that the villagers had picked up a few words from somewhere to talk about, saying that wind is like rain, so they even made up such words.
"Oh! Li Zheng doesn't believe that he went to You's house to see him. He just returned from the village road not long after he was carried back."
Murato waved his hands and said, "The blood was everywhere. Yujiro's face was covered with dirt and blood, and he almost didn't recognize who he was."
"Yes, yes, it's so scary! Mrs. Sun was crying and shouting, and half the village could hear her."
Ji Yangzong couldn't help but feel a chill running down his spine when he saw that the villagers said they had noses and eyes, and not just one person said that.
"Who did it?"
"People from other villages carried You Erlang back. They said there was a gang riot outside. The gangsters were riding horses and holding knives. They robbed and beat people when they saw them. People passing by fell down when they saw them. Bad luck."
The farmer's body was trembling as he spoke: "You Erlang probably got into this disaster when he saw the gangsters being robbed, and he also saw kind-hearted passers-by carry him back. Otherwise, he would have fainted and died on the road. If he bleeds too much, it would be a disaster. "
Ji Yangzong's eyes widened, and his mouth was open and he couldn't close it.
After a long while, he asked: "How are you now?"
"I don't know, I just watched people send it back."
It was pity for the farmers to see You Lingxiao almost lose his life, but now they suddenly saw the bandits making trouble in front of them, and they felt very confused.
It has been decades since Tongzhou City, and this is the first time that they have seen banditry so close. People who liked to go into the city said a few words before. There was a slight breeze, but everyone just regarded it as an anecdote and never thought about it. This will lead to trouble.
Nowadays, people are panicked and everyone is in danger.
"Li Zheng, you said it's such a mess outside, what should we do?"
"Yes, will you come to the village?"
Ji Yangzong comforted the villagers and said: "Don't worry, everyone, the government has sent officers and soldiers to chase and suppress them. Recently, everyone has been trying not to leave the village."
"At this juncture, we must not panic. I will go to You's house first. You go home and tell your children not to go out for fun."
"Yes Yes Yes."
Ji Yangzong rushed to You's house, still a little unsure of the truth of the matter.
It wasn't until we arrived at the door of You's house and saw many people from the You family standing anxiously in the yard that we were sure that something had really happened to You Lingxiao.
He walked into the courtyard casually, expecting that the You family would show off their faces, but he didn't want to but came up to him: "Li Zheng, you're here!"
"How are you? Are you seriously injured?"
As soon as Ji Yangzong finished speaking, he saw his wife walking out after hearing the sound.
"Are you here too?"
He asked as he walked inside.
When I arrived at the door of the back room, I saw Taoyu sitting beside the bed again.
Ji Yangzong's eyebrows tightened: "Xiao Taozi, why are you here!"
"Ling Xiao was seriously injured and couldn't call the doctor at the side for a while. Thinking that Brother Tao had been taught medical skills by Doctor Huang, I invited him over first to have a look."
You's parents explained quickly.
Huang Manjing just didn't trust Taoyu coming alone, so she followed her.
Everyone in the room was waiting for the preliminary results. Taoyu's hands were covered with blood. She glanced at his father, and then said to Sun Yuanniang, whose face was covered with tears:
"He has mostly superficial injuries, but the most important thing is that his hand is broken. We still need to call a doctor quickly."
Sun Yuanniang almost fainted when she heard this, and the Youshi people in the room also exclaimed: "Can I still write after this!"
When Sun Yuanniang heard this, she grabbed Taoyu in horror:
"Hurry up and set Ling Xiao's bones. Even if you hold a grudge against him, you shouldn't ignore him at this time! This is a human life. How can a doctor be like you!"
Huang Manjing saw Sun Yuanniang going crazy and quickly pulled Taoyu from her hand to protect her behind her: "What are you doing!"
"As a doctor, you should treat the wounded and sick equally. He was seriously injured, and my medical skills are shallow. If I rashly set his bones, I would be harming him."
Taoyu said: "The most urgent thing is to quickly hire a doctor with good medical skills."
After hearing this, Sun Yuanniang finally became more rational and quickly looked at her uncle in the room: "Brother, is the doctor you invited coming soon?"
The members of the You family hesitated for a moment, but no one spoke.
I don't know who muttered: "With such chaos outside, how dare you go into the city to ask for a doctor..."
"Your nephew is like this, but he is so greedy for life that he refuses to even hire a doctor! Instead, he hired a half-baked doctor from the village. You are trying to kill Ling Xiao!"
Sun Yuanniang was so angry that she almost vomited out a mouthful of blood when she saw that the You family was only thinking about their own safety at this juncture and refused to even invite a doctor.
"Ling Xiao is a child of your You clan! If something happens to him, no one will be able to benefit from it."
The members of the You family were not happy that Sun Yuanniang asked them to jointly finance You Lingxiao's purchase of a house in the city. Now that they saw him yelling like this in front of outsiders, they also said directly:
"I said Ling Xiao's mother, you scolded us for being greedy and fearful of death, yet we all dragged the whole family out to find fault with how the whole family can live. You two have been squeezing all the money out of us, but now you want us to do it for you Jia Lingxiao is too greedy to risk his life."
"Am I greedy? He treated us orphans and widowed mothers harshly in every possible way, and then Ling Xiao shamelessly attacked us after getting better. Which one of you in the You family is not greedy?"
As if Sun Yuanniang's scolding wasn't enough, she suddenly stood up and said, "I will fight with you this morning!"
The room fell into a fight and quarrel for a while. You Lingxiao opened his eyes in the noisy environment and saw Taoyu standing by the bed, suddenly thinking that he was dead.
He tentatively called out: "Ah Yu?"
However, no one heard the sound at all. Taoyu turned around and glanced at You Lingxiao, and quickly said loudly: "Stop making noise, people are awake!"
The people in the room paused and suddenly became quiet. Sun Yuanniang hurriedly rushed to the bed: "Son, you are finally awake. You scared me to death!"
Sun Yuanniang cried while talking: "Those uncles, aunts and uncles of yours are all heartless people, and they won't even hire a doctor for you."
The members of the You family were a little concerned about their dignity, but the head of the You family hesitated and said, "Okay, I'll go."
"Brother, ride our mule, hurry up."
After the two left, Sun Yuanniang wiped her eyes and said, "Ling Xiao, how on earth did this happen? Did you really meet a gangster?"
You Lingxiao's breath was weak. Seeing that he was lying at home, he felt slightly at ease. However, after hearing what the gangster said, he felt frightened again:
"I, I don't know either. I just went to pay the remaining payment for the house today. I heard a noise on the road, and suddenly my vision went dark and I fainted."
At this point, You Lingxiao wanted to touch the money bag on his body, but his right hand couldn't move. Instead, a heart-breaking pain came over him: "My hand."
"Ling Xiao, don't move around. Wait until your uncle invites the doctor to come over and give you a good look."
Youshi Laowu stepped forward to check, and frowned: "The silver is lost."
"What happened to my hand!"
You Lingxiao tried to move his hand again, but there was still no response, only a stinging pain.
The more this happened, the more frightened he became: "Mom, my hand!"
"Ling Xiao, don't worry, just let the doctor come and see you. It will be fine."
Sun Yuanniang held You Lingxiao down: "It'll be fine."
"My right hand! How can I write!"
Seeing that You Lingxiao was a little manic, the people in the room were afraid that he would fall off the bed, so they hurriedly stepped forward to comfort and control him.
Seeing this, Ji Yangzong looked at Huang Manjing, then Ji Yangzong stepped forward and said:
"It'll be good if you wake up. People in the village are in panic now that this happened. I have to stabilize people's hearts and call on the villagers to make some countermeasures. I'll leave first."
Not wanting Ji Yangzong to speak like this, You Lingxiao became quiet instead.
"Ayu..."
You Lingxiao, who was on the bed, suddenly called out weakly: "Don't leave, I'm in severe pain all over."
Taoyu looked back at the pale man on the bed. Although the blood stains had been wiped away, there were still many wounds on that handsome face, which looked strangely pitiful.
Ji Yangzong frowned when he saw this, fearing that his brother would be soft-hearted.
"I have saved some painkillers. My Azu made them. They are very effective. Ask Mrs. Sun to apply them on you and you will feel better."
"Sorry, my medical skills are limited and I can't cure your hand."
Ji Yangzong and his wife breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this. After saying that, they ignored You Lingxiao's shouts and said nothing more, and left the right and wrong nest together.
"I came and went to the city today, but I didn't see any gangsters."
Ji Yangzong was a little confused as to why he met You Lingxiao and even asked the gangsters to beat him up.
"You haven't heard of any panic or chaos outside?"
"You didn't hear that he was going to pay for a house. I heard that he was entering the yard for the second time. He was carrying a lot of money. He must have been targeted by the gangsters."
Huang Manjing said that she could not help but feel fear in her heart: "The gangsters are fierce, and there is absolutely no sense of friendship in killing and robbing. His survival is considered a blessing from God."
Ji Yangzong always felt that things were not that simple, and there were weird things everywhere, but he couldn't explain why and didn't dare to make a hasty conclusion.
Seeing You Lingxiao like this, he didn't have much sympathy. He had done many evil things and deserved retribution.
After thinking about it, he looked at Taoyu, who had been silent since coming out of You's house, and said, "Why don't you say anything? Are you scared, or do you feel sorry for You Erlang?"
Taoyu shook his head and denied his father's words about feeling sorry for You Lingxiao.
He is a scholar and knows better than ordinary people how important reputation is, but he still uses it to frame him.
When he learned the truth of the matter, he had already given up. When it came to feelings, he could only express disgust.
However, when he heard about the banditry outside, he was indeed a little scared: "You Lingxiao's hand bones were shattered so badly that even if Azu comes, he may not be able to save his life."
He could set bones, but he didn't have the ability to set such bones. Asking a doctor next to him was just to give them some hope.
The Ji family couple looked horrified when they heard this, and were about to speak when suddenly there was a figure leaning on the tree trunk in front of them, as if waiting for them.