Zhou Rushuang bit her lip, her eye circles a little red.
"Lang Jun just woke up. He must be hungry. I'll make porridge for you."
"You just said that I was bought back. What happened?" Zhao Cheng was eager to understand his situation and interrupted Zhou Rushuang.
Zhou Rushuang's tone was full of disappointment, and she replied in a low voice: "Because Rushuang is already fourteen this year, but... Rushuang doesn't have anyone suitable for marriage, so she went to the official media to buy a husband."
She was talking about the laws of the Chen Dynasty regarding marriage and betrothal, which stipulated that if a woman was between fifteen and thirty years old, she would not marry.
This "account" refers to the head tax, which is one hundred and twenty cents per person. Each person collects one tax every year. If a woman reaches the age of fifteen and is not married yet, she will have to pay five taxes every year starting from this year. The tax is six hundred cents.
Zhou Rushuang obviously couldn't afford the money, so she could either follow the arrangements of the official media and marry one of those lame and blind old widowers, or buy a ready-made one from the official media.
"Official media?" Zhao Cheng repeated the word. The official media Zhou Rushuang said obviously did not mean the official media, but the government-run media office, which specializes in managing marriage registrations.
"Official media still buys and sells people?" Zhao Cheng found it a bit unbelievable.
Zhou Rushuang shook her head and said: "No, the ones you can buy in the official media are all men of the right age who are not married, and they are considered to be ready for crime." She hurriedly explained: "But don't worry, husband, I... I am treating you like a husband." Once you buy it, your husband will no longer be guilty."
Zhao Cheng leaned on the straw mat and sighed. After traveling to this place, he has been isolated from the prosperity and hustle and bustle of that life. He can no longer enjoy Iberian ham and Butania blue lobster, nor can he appreciate the sunshine of Mount Kailash. But there was a feeling of relief.
In the previous life, I should have been drunk to death in the KTV box, so the tight string can be relaxed.
Whether it is business war, hegemony, or annexation and cannibalization, it has nothing to do with him. Now he is just a commoner in the Chen Dynasty, and he seems to be alone and without worries.
On the contrary, one can learn from Li Taibai and ride the white deer among the green cliffs to visit famous mountains as soon as possible. Be a madman who travels far to seek immortality in the Five Mountains and enjoys traveling to famous mountains throughout his life.
Despite Zhao Cheng's harsh tone and indifferent attitude, Zhou Rushuang gradually became happy.
Lang Jun has just recovered from a serious illness, and it is the first time they meet each other. It is inevitable that they are a little alienated. I believe that as long as I work hard to serve Lang Jun, life will eventually get better day by day.
Zhou Rushuang quickly lit the charcoal fire under the stove, grabbed two handfuls of grains from the rice vat and put them into the pot. She looked back at Zhao Cheng who was leaning on the straw mat, and then went to grab a handful of grains from the rice vat.
The blue cloth bag she brought back contained scattered ears of rice picked up from the fields, grain grown in the wasteland, rice beans and other miscellaneous grains.
Originally, the grain she had saved was enough for her to survive the winter alone, but after buying Zhao Cheng back, the small tank of loose grains was obviously not enough, so she went out to look for more grains and wild vegetables, otherwise it would be very difficult for the two of them this winter. It’s hard.
"Zhou Rushuang, are you at home? I am your Aunt Wang. You have a big happy event today."
Before he finished speaking, the door of the ruined temple was pushed open, and a fat woman in her forties with flowers on her temples stepped in.
Behind the woman, there was a middle-aged man with a yellowish complexion.
When Zhou Rushuang saw the woman entering the ruined temple, she quickly bowed her hands and said, "Hello, Aunt Wang."
Aunt Wang smiled so much that the wrinkles on her face bloomed. She grabbed Zhou Rushuang and said, "Aunt Wang knows that you are still unmarried. The Chinese New Year will be celebrated in a few months. If you don't get married, your husband will have to pay six children next year." There’s a hundred-dollar head tax.”
"No, Aunt Wang has always been thinking about finding a husband for you. Look at the person next to me, he is the famous Li Dashan from Liuxi Village."
"He has hundreds of cattle and sheep, and more than ten houses. If you marry him, you will enjoy endless glory and wealth."
The middle-aged man next to Aunt Wang touched the short mustache on his lips and ran his eyes around Zhou Rushuang's body.
"Thank you Aunt Wang for your kindness, but Rushuang already has a husband."
The smile on Aunt Wang's face was a little stiff: "You silly girl, what kind of good stuff do you think you bought from the government media agency?"
The woman simply pulled Zhou Rushuang behind her, pointed at Zhao Cheng and said, "Don't think that I don't know your ins and outs just because you stay silent."
"Tell you, don't try to trick us, Miss Rushuang."
"Aunt Wang!" Zhou Rushuang said a little anxiously: "He is my husband."
Aunt Wang pointed at Zhao Cheng and said, "Silly girl, Aunt Wang has already done all the research for you. Don't listen to this guy's sweet talk. His name is Zhao Cheng, and he is the scoundrel from Liuxi Village."
"To say that his family was originally well-off, it's a pity that he failed to live up to his expectations. Just three years after his father and mother died, they completely destroyed the huge family fortune. He is proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling."
"You still think that he is some kind of good person. Even God can't bear to see him and let him get the plague. Otherwise, why do you think he doesn't marry someone as old as him? Not to mention Liuxi Village, including the people from all over the country, who would be willing to marry him?" Marry your daughter to him?"
"Listen to Aunt Wang and return this guy. With the little money you paid for him, Li Dashan can easily replenish it for you."
"Be obedient. Look, Mr. Li Dashan came to see you and brought several gifts. You are considered a lucky one."
Zhou Rushuang shook her head: "Aunt Wang, Rushuang already has a husband."
Seeing Zhou Rushuang's lack of interest, the woman became a little anxious: "Zhou Rushuang, don't take Qiao. Mr. Li Dashan wants to take Qiao as a kid because he thinks highly of you, so don't be disrespectful."
As she spoke, the woman tightly grabbed Zhou Rushuang's thin arm and dragged her out. Zhou Rushuang was obviously hurt by her and tried desperately to struggle away.
Zhao Cheng couldn't help it. Although he didn't want to admit that he was Zhou Rushuang's husband, he couldn't watch Zhou Rushuang being bullied.
"Let her go!" Although Zhao Cheng's voice was not loud, it was cold and powerful. He controlled tens of thousands of people across the business world, and the capital flow in his hands could even leverage the economy of a small country. Naturally, he had the aura of looking down on the world.
Even though he was half lying on the straw mat, the domineering and cold expression in his expression still made the woman shudder.
Li Dashan, who had been following the woman, took a step forward and said, "You are a child of the Zhao family. Originally, I..."
Zhao Cheng didn't want to listen to his ramblings at all, so he raised his hand and pointed toward the door: "Get out!"
Li Dashan held it in his heart for a long time, and his whole face turned the color of pig liver.
He wanted to reprimand Zhao Cheng sternly, but when he thought that this guy was a notorious scoundrel, and now half-dead, he would not give up until he knocked his bones and sucked out his marrow if he really got him involved.
So Li Dashan swallowed back the remaining half of his sentence, turned around and left.
