Bai Jin’s family lives not far away, and the backyard is close to the mountain.
He went out to chop wood, and by the way, he exercised his current weak body. If he didn't want to be powerless, he would have to start from a young age.
The man walking towards him looked very familiar, and he happened to be one of his enemies.
This man has a sinister appearance, but he is a young man. He walked over furtively, his eyes slightly rolling, and he had a gangster air. He was a bastard who was highly despised by the villagers.
When he saw Bai Jin, his eyes lit up and he came over with a smile.
"Qingnu, is your mother feeling better?" The man rubbed his hands with a malicious look on his face.
Bai Jin sneered: "How dare you come to me? Do you really think I don't dare to do anything to you?"
The gangster just wanted to make a profit, and by the way, Bai Jin and his family didn't have any extra food or money. He just recognized that the orphans and widowers of Bai Jin's family were easy to bully, and no one bothered him after Zhang was brought back for so long.
Then the thief suddenly became bold.
Bai Jin's stomach was churning. He wanted to hold the knife and give this disgusting man a blow, but he didn't have the urge. This person is not the culprit. He will have plenty of ways to deal with the other party later.
It's better to borrow some help!
Bai Jin held a hatchet in his hand, with fierce eyes. He was barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes. "My mother is sick in bed now, and my father died in the mountains. It can be regarded as a family ruin! If you continue to provoke me, I don't mind dragging you." Let's die together, so we can have a companion on the road to hell! "
He is afraid of those who are ruthless, and those who are ruthless are afraid of his own life. He is the one who is desperate for his life now.
The gangster was frightened by the ferocity in Bai Jin's eyes, and realized that the other party was not joking. The blade in his hand was filled with cold light, and a white light flowed under the setting sun. He had just seen this knife strike a wooden pillar that was harder than him, cutting iron into two pieces like mud.
"I just came to say hello to you, don't get excited, don't get excited." He shuddered and was about to leave angrily.
Bai Jin suddenly stopped him: "Why don't you go to my uncle? If he doesn't give you money, you threaten him to tell the village chief that he used money to bribe you, or make a big deal about it. The news was spread all over the country. They couldn't leave their hometown, and they definitely wanted to be famous and consider the future marriage of their children. "
Bai Jin had no intention of letting go of his greedy and ruthless uncle's family from the beginning . .
There was no chance to knock the uncle down in one fell swoop, and we didn’t want to make things easier for him, so we might as well just let this gangster join them in the fight.
The gangster froze in place, his expression slightly moved as he listened to his idea, and a greedy look appeared on his face.
He was still denying: "I have nothing to do with your uncle, don't accuse me wrongly."
The actual expression on his face revealed his thoughts clearly, and he strode away without any hesitation.
Bai Jin stared at his back with an even colder look in his eyes.
*
After Zhang took the medicine, her body recovered a lot. Except for her buttocks, which had been beaten to a bloody pulp, and now has scabs after taking the medicine, it is still difficult to get out of bed. Her face is no longer as pale as before.
She no longer even coughed, her gray cheeks were much rosier than before, and the vague air of death finally no longer lingered around her.
Bai Jin breathed a sigh of relief, and the heavy stone weighing on his heart was finally lifted half way. As for the rest, there is an unresolved debt crisis, whether it is reality or the system.
After he came back today, he left the remaining fifty coins after necessary expenses, and returned the other four coins to some villagers according to his memory, and took back the voucher for the original loan.
Bai Jin also discussed with Zhang about becoming a book boy for the county magistrate's son.
Zhang's face changed, obviously recalling the bad experience before, and she firmly refused: "No!"
Bai Jin persuaded her: "Mom, I'm fine. The county magistrate this time is a new official. If there is really a problem, I can leave again. They will have many benefits by recruiting book boys."
Ms. Zhang was silent. She also knew the current predicament of the family and she was still the weakling in the family. If there is no more expenditure, we will really face the crisis of starvation.
And every time her son goes into the mountains, she is very worried, for fear that something unexpected will happen to him.
She gritted her teeth and finally relented under Bai Jin's persuasion: "Whether you can become a book boy or not, you should try it first. If it doesn't work, go home quickly and don't be impulsive!"
Bai Jin didn't tell her that book boys must be literate. Because Qingnu himself comes from a poor family, it is difficult for him to have enough to eat given his family background, let alone support him in his studies.
Mrs. Zhang looked at her child's quiet and well-behaved smile, paused slightly when her eyes moved to the small mole on his forehead that was as red as blood, and sighed silently.
Qingnu's father had injured her lifeblood during her pregnancy. In order not to be squeezed out by the big family, and to gain the family fortune, the Zhang family hid Qingnu's true gender, and always raised her as a son who would inherit the incense. , never revealed the fact about my brother.
Now I don’t know whether it is good or bad.
As the morning unfolded, the sky turned white, and golden light suddenly appeared, piercing the layers of clouds and mists, dyeing the eastern sky with a dazzling orange.
Bai Jin quickly got up, he had to go into the mountain again.
You can't go to the county town in the afternoon just to apply for the position of book boy, right? Although he is relatively confident in himself, there is always a possibility of eventuality in everything.
He wanted to grab both hands, at least the trip to collect the medicinal materials would not be in vain.
Just like yesterday, Bai Jin walked to the place where the group of people gathered. This time Brother Dayong was much more at ease with him. Seeing his thin shoulders carrying a heavy amount of medicinal materials, he understood clearly.
"Qingnu, everything will take its course. You're still young, so don't tire yourself out by rushing to pay back the money. By then, the gain will outweigh the loss." Brother Dayong often sells game to the stewards of wealthy families in the city. Or the shopkeeper of a restaurant, who has been chewing words for a long time, can also explain why.
Bai Jin was not a person who refused to listen to advice, and nodded towards him, "I understand, thank you Brother Dayong for reminding me."
He smiled brightly, and his crescent-like eyes shone brightly, making many people stunned and sighed. He doesn't look like a farm boy.
We arrived at the county town again and saw that the sun was still early.
Bai Jin went straight to the drug store. This time he didn't make as much as yesterday, but he still had three ounces of money. He was already very satisfied.
Without the herbs on his back, Bai Jin felt light. After asking the shopkeeper for directions, he walked directly to the county government office.
The county magistrate lived in the county government residence, and the imperial court had a special place for the magistrates to live. The front yard was the place where the court was raised, and there was a small garden separated from the back yard. The backyard is where the family members live.
Officials are not allowed to live outside their homes without any reason.
Bai Jin carried a small basket on his back and searched around to find the backyard of the county government office. There were quite a few people at the side entrance, some of them came with their children, and some of them just came to watch the fun.
He wrapped his clothes tightly and squeezed in with difficulty.
He saw a middle-aged man with a goatee in front of him registering, and he hurried over.
The man with the goatee said without raising his head: "Name, place of origin."
Bai Jin: "Bai Jin, as white as the spring snow, cautious in words and deeds. A native of Guangxing County, Miancheng, Yingzhou." He speaks clearly and can speak in an elegant way. Word.
The man with the goatee raised his head in surprise: "You came alone, didn't you accompany me?"
"Yes, my elders have something to do and can't come."
"Do they all know?"
"Yes!"
the man with the goatee asked again. After registering a few questions, I handed him a small wooden sign and said it clearly: "Take this in and do a small test later."
Bai Jin looked at the wooden sign in his hand. It says Yiren, so it seems to be a queue.
Quite rigorous, he muttered in his mind.
The time had passed, and the crowd was dispersed, leaving only the children in the backyard and the worried adults waiting outside.
Bai Jin took a quick look and saw that there were more than twenty children, which was quite a lot.
They were arranged on tables and stools. They must have been warned by the adults before they arrived. They all sat down obediently and no one made any fuss.
A piece of paper and a charcoal pen were prepared on the table, and the middle-aged housekeeper shouted loudly on it: "Write a thousand words silently, and it takes a stick of incense."
This is a simple request, after all, the person invited Bookboy, if you can’t read or write, why do you need me?
Bai Jin scanned the audience. Some children were calm and composed, some were sweating profusely, and some had red eyes wiping tears. He twitched the corner of his mouth.
It feels like it's unfair for me as an adult to compete with them, but nothing in this world is absolutely fair.
He suppressed his random thoughts and started writing. Fortunately, when he was in elementary school, his teacher asked him to go to the Children's Palace to find a hobby to learn. At that time, he was pressured to exercise his mind and was forced to choose calligraphy.
It takes six years to practice calligraphy.
The time of burning incense passed quickly, and many people's cheeks were blushing under the sun. A soft female voice behind the screen asked the housekeeper to prepare herbal tea for the children to relieve the heat. Bai Jin guessed that the other party might be the hostess.
A bowl of herbal tea tastes sweet, refreshing and relieves the heat.
After finishing writing, the housekeeper put away the examination papers, and the lady asked the children to stand in the shade under the eaves to escape the heat.
Even a person can read more than twenty papers very quickly. The housekeeper announced with a serious face: "Numbers A, Geng, Yi, D... will stay, and the rest can go."
The children left dejectedly, Many eyes were red, but because there were noble people here, I was afraid of bumping into them, so I had to hold back my tears and look sad.
The lady gently asked the housekeeper to give some candies to the children who were about to leave, which could be considered to comfort them in their ups and downs.
Sugar is not cheap these days.
There were only six children left, and Bai Jin and the others were waiting for the housekeeper's arrangements.
The screen was pulled away unexpectedly. Bai Jin quietly raised his head and saw a noble and beautiful woman sitting on a chair with a four or five year old boy in her arms. Next to her stood a seven or eight year old boy wearing a long gown and brocade clothes. .
The boy standing had a good temperament, graceful facial features, and a noble and unparalleled posture, which already vaguely showed how much of an immortal he would be in the future.
But in Bai Jin's opinion, the other party tightened his immature face and pretended to be mature and old-fashioned.
It made him want to laugh a little.
When he secretly observed the boy, the boy also raised his thick, long and slender straight eyelashes, revealing his ink-stained eyes, and looked directly at him.
Bright as spring flowers, bright as autumn moon.
The author of the online article who wrote about ancient people who were extremely beautiful and graceful even when they were young is not deceiving me!