"What a pity Zihuai!"
"Isn't it true? After decades of studying the books of saints and sages, I ended up dying in a foreign country before I could get ahead..."
"How did Zihuai die? Did Yingshi tell you?"
"I know this. I just heard from the Ying family that she suddenly fell ill when she arrived in Daliang City while traveling around the country, and she eventually died!"
There are villagers everywhere in the yard, including old and middle-aged people, as well as some men and teenagers, and women are also whispering to each other.
While the villagers were lamenting Zihuai's death, many women were complaining.
Back in the village, it is no exaggeration to say that every household had sent corn to Zihuai's family, in the hope that Zihuai would not forget the friendship between neighbors and give charity in the future.
The results are good now. Not to mention the glory and wealth, Zihuai is no longer alive. So, wouldn't the food given to Zihuai's family in vain?
Think of this.
The more the women talked about it, the more they regretted it. Especially the villagers who gave gifts to Zihuai's family during festivals. They all felt that their crops had been stolen for so many years.
"Father, mother!!!"
When Yan's father came to the yard, he saw Shou'er's grandfather kneeling on the mat with a weak look on his face. Shou'er's grandmother cried hoarsely and slapped the ground. Yan's father's eyes couldn't help but turn red. He looked at Ying, Look at the wrapping cloth on the bamboo mat in the yard.
At this time, Yan's father couldn't believe that his brother was really dead!
"Father, mother, my condolences!"
Yan's father held back his sadness. Fortunately, Yan's father, who was already middle-aged and had lived and worked hard for half his life, had already looked away.
Birth, old age, sickness and death are all human nature, just like the people working in the fields. They don’t know whether the harvest will be enough to eat or whether they will have enough clothes to survive the winter, let alone in troubled times, wandering around the country and not returning home all year round. 's eldest brother.
"Damn it, my life is so miserable!!! Woohoo~! My life is so miserable!"
Shui Shou's grandfather and grandmother didn't react when they heard Yan's father's words. But when Ying saw Xiao's eyes, which were red and swollen and even a little black and blue, she was so excited that she knelt forward and immediately hugged Xiao. She was squeezing her thighs and wailing loudly. Even just now, before Shi Shi came, Ying Shi didn't cry like this.
See this.
Shi didn't think much about it, thinking that Ying was sad, so she quickly stretched out her hand to comfort Ying's back.
Despite the fact that in the past, Mrs. Ji was very concerned about big and small things, and she would argue with Mrs. Ying if she disagreed. Even when her uncle was still alive, Mrs. Ying did not give in at all.
But in the final analysis, Mrs. Xiao is just a woman with only so much knowledge. The principle that the dead are the most important is deep-rooted in Mrs. Xiao's heart.
No matter how much discord there was in the past, no matter how much dissatisfaction there was in the past, Xiao Shi would not care about it anymore.
"Condolences!"
Seeing Ms. Ying holding her hand, Ms. Xiao sighed and kept comforting Ms. Ying. Seeing Ms. Ying hugging her, she only thought that Ms. Ying was really sad.
At this time, Mrs. Xiao didn't even notice that Mrs. Ying was in the village in the past, and she was telling the villagers openly and secretly that Shui Yan, who had been away from home for many years, was probably no longer alive.
Therefore, whenever the Ying family sees the Jin family, she will call the Jin family Shou Ta Niang, but now, the Ying family calls the Jin family Yan Ta Niang.
"Life is miserable~!! Ooooooh!"
Yingshi was crying, suddenly gasping for air, her body felt very tired, her head was dizzy, and she couldn't even cry.
Thinking that this period of time was too tiring, Ying didn't think much about it. Shi was also there, thinking that Ying was too sad, so she quickly helped Ying up and walked towards the resting place.
Seeing Ying's appearance, neither her grandfather nor grandmother, nor the other women, nor Zitai spoke. After all, Ying was really tired on the way back from finding Zihuai's body.
Only Cen Qing, looking at Ying's appearance, was not surprised at all.
Looking at the wrapping cloth in the mat in the yard, Cen Qing felt happy and even more ridiculous. Even Cen Qing did not expect that Yingshi was not even willing to buy a coffin for Zilu's father, so she just held one. cloth and put the bones back.
Cen Qing knows better than anyone how much money the Ying family has, but the Ying family actually threatens her not to tell others. When Bai Yan comes back in the future, she will also tell Bai Yan that all the money was stolen by those slaves when he came back. Walk.
Yingshi was sure that she did not dare to tell the truth to Bai Yan, and even more sure that even if she told Bai Yan, as Bai Yan's aunt, Bai Yan would not blame her.
In the yard.
Cen Qing sat on her knees on the ground, looking at Zilu's grandfather and grandmother with red eyes. She slowly scanned the courtyard and saw the countless crowds of villagers bustling around.
This place used to be her home, but the people in this home sold her to human traffickers without mercy.
Now that she is back, in this courtyard, Cen Qing only feels a chill, a biting coldness.
Cen Qing wanted to take revenge, so she didn't tell the other villagers the truth about her departure.
This also led to the fact that all the villagers believed Ying's slander against her in the past, and even her parents were unwilling to come and take a look at her.
"Yan his mother! Sit, sit!!"
Under the wooden house, as Shi helped Ying to rest, what surprised Shi was that Ying's face was full of exhaustion, but she still did not forget to let her rest together.
"You're not tired, there are many people at home now, I'm going to help!"
Shi said softly, and after seeing that Ying was fine, she was about to leave to do some work.
However, when she finally had the chance to get along with Mrs. Ying, how could she let Mrs. Ying leave? She immediately pretended to be dizzy and out of breath, and asked Mrs. Xiao to stay anyway.
When Mrs. Ji was willing to stay, Mrs. Ying became even more concerned about her family. During the conversation, she looked for opportunities both inside and outside of her words to explain the quarrels and actions of that day. Not to mention her tone of voice was full of guilt. Even the way she looked at Ms. Xiao showed self-blame. It seemed that it was not her fault at the beginning, but now she has woken up.
Having been with Ms. Ying for more than 20 years, Ms. Xiao had never seen Ms. Ying, who had always been at odds with her, showing such an expression. When she heard Ms. Ying's words, Ms. Xiao was not used to it and was at a loss. From time to time, she looked at other people around her. , I feel in my heart that there is something abnormal about Yingshi today.
If we say that at first, Mrs. Xiao thought that Mrs. Ying was overly sad, that's why.
Then, as the sun sets, the next day...
Not to mention Mrs. Xiao, all the women and the villagers who helped felt a little weird. Mrs. Ying would accompany Mrs. Xiao whenever she had something to do. For example, Mrs. Xiao would bring water to the villagers, and Mrs. Ying would help boil the water. When cooking dinner, Ms. Ying helped light the fire and get firewood. When Ms. Xiao saw that the villagers who had helped had eaten and were about to clean up, Ms. Ying followed her closely, chatting with her while helping. Wash the dishes...
Mrs. Ying almost stayed by Mr. Shi's side, as if she was afraid that Mr. Shi would be bored or tired. If they hadn't known about the relationship between the two, all the villagers could not help but guess that the two had known each other since childhood. , deep feelings.
finally.
Two days later, not to mention the strange looks in other villagers' eyes, even Shi herself couldn't stand Ying's closeness. On the second day when Ying used fear as an excuse and insisted on Shi sleeping in the same bed with her, Shi Seeing that everything had been sorted out, Shi couldn't bear it any longer, so he left Yan's father behind on the grounds that his daughter-in-law was worried about being alone at home, and returned home with Shui Shou.
Mrs. Ying took Cen Qing all the way to the entrance of the village with Mrs. Xiao and saw that Mrs. Ying was about to leave. There was a look of reluctance in Mrs. Ying's eyes.
"Mother Yan, I heard that the fields at home have not been cultivated yet. When the work here is finished, I will take Qing to help your family farm. The more people there are, the faster we will go, and we will not be so tired!"
Ying's eyes full of exhaustion looked at Xiao with affection.
"Shou'er, take good care of your mother and don't let your mother get tired, otherwise my aunt won't be able to forgive you! If there is something too busy at home and you need help, you must tell your aunt that we are all one family, no need to be polite!"
Mrs. Ying looked at Shui Shou with a serious face and ordered.
"Yes, Auntie!"
Shui Shou was a dull and honest man, with the same temperament as his father, but at this moment, looking at his aunt, Shui Shou answered with a boundless smile on his honest cheeks.
Not to mention his mother at the moment, she couldn't resist her aunt's enthusiasm. Even Shui Shou himself was a little afraid of his aunt. Ever since he could remember when he was a child, Shui Shou had never seen his aunt give him such a good look.
Looking back on the two days of helping, my aunt was concerned about his leg injury from time to time. She also said that she had heard of an old doctor who was particularly good. She would go and look for his nephew in person in the future. No matter what she found, she would be happy. I must kneel down and beg the doctor to help cure my leg injury.
There is also the matter of his wife Junhan. After all the years since Junhan was married to Shui Shou, this is the first time that my aunt has cared so much about Junhan, asking her for help and talking about how to take care of the children.
"Mother Zilu, go back! I've been coming back all the way. I haven't had a good rest in the past two days and my body has collapsed. Take a rest quickly. You don't have to worry about farming. You've been busy! If you have time, take care of the two elders!"
Seeing the appearance of her eldest son, Mrs. Xiao quickly urged Mrs. Ying to go back. She swallowed her saliva when she saw that Mrs. Ying, who once only knew how to eat, drink and pay, and never wanted to help, went to help farm the fields uncharacteristically. , quickly refused.
Seeing Mrs. Ying who is full of enthusiasm now, Mrs. Xiao had no energy to get angry no matter how much she complained in the past. She always said that she would not hit anyone with a smiling face. Mrs. Xiao would rather that Mrs. Ying was like before, with a mean and mean look on her face, than now. It was so enthusiastic that she was overwhelmed.
"This is not okay! There are so many things at home..."
Mrs. Ying looked at Mr. Shi, shook her head quickly, and was about to say something. At this time, several women went to wash clothes together. When they passed by, they heard what Ms. Ying said, and immediately teased Ms. Ying, saying that Ms. Ying had not done it before. Say, even if you kill him, you won’t do anything to help the Xiao family? He also said that no matter what, he would ask Grandpa Zilu to drive Yan’s father out of the house and not let him go home during the holidays...
"What do you outsiders know? In the past, you couldn't speak out loud. After all, we are all a family. It's your turn for outsiders to point fingers. Who do you really think you are? Don't beg me in the future!"
Ying's weakness was poked, and she immediately raised her eyebrows and looked at the women with an unkind expression.
Since yesterday, Mrs. Ying heard women in the village say privately that the food they had given to Zihuai's family was all stolen by rats. If Mrs. Xiao hadn't been there, Mrs. Ying would have endured it yesterday. I couldn't help but want to argue with these people who used to try their best to curry favor with Zihuai, and remind these women, but I still remember the days when I was groveling and had a pleasing smile on my face.
Today, these women actually came to sow discord between her and the Shi family. How could the Ying family bear it?
"Please? Pfft~ Zihuai is not alive anymore, what else do you need to ask for in your home? Zilu? Don't think we don't know that Wu once met Zilu in the Chu Kingdom, and he was just a gatekeeper. The doorman, I heard that he is still the son-in-law! Such a status~..."
Hearing Ying's words, the women all burst out laughing. Seeing Ying's anger and wanting to get violent, they also knew what Ying's face would be like if they really got into a fight, so they all looked at each other and continued to move towards her. He walked towards the river and ignored Yingshi.
"OK OK!"
Mrs. Ji quickly stopped Ms. Ying and advised her not to be angry. She was already weak and needed to calm down.
"Okay, in the future, don't forget your face today!!!"
Mrs. Ying looked at Mrs. Xiao, and her face, which was originally filled with anger, suddenly lost its anger and became full of pride. She shouted bitterly to the women who had left, her voice was very loud, even from a distance. The busy villagers in the field all looked over.
"Okay, okay, calm down! If Zi Lu succeeds in the future, they will definitely regret it!"
Shi said comfortingly.
Cen Qing stood next to Yingshi and looked at Bai Yan's mother, Shishi. Cen Qing's cold face showed a little kindness in her eyes.
For Cen Qing, the happiest and most comfortable days in her life were at Yanmen Shanwu. She will never forget the days after meeting Bai Yan. Bai Yan asked her to stay in the restaurant and asked the shopkeeper to take care of her. her thing.
Now listening to Shi's words to comfort Ying, Cen Qing knew that Ying's confidence in saying those words was not because of Zilu.
After a while.
Watching Mrs. Shi leave with Shui Shou, Cen Qing heard Mrs. Ying next to her cursing the women and sneering, as if she was looking forward to waiting for Bai Yan to return to Shui Shou to see those women, but she could still laugh.
"Qing, you should make more inquiries in the past two days and ask the people in the village who went to Linzi if they have heard any news about Bai Yan returning to Linzi!"
Yingshi told Cen Qing that she was also very anxious at this time. If the funeral had not been held in the past two days, Yingshi would have wished to go back with Shishi and live directly at Shishi's place.
"Um!"
Cen Qing lowered her head and responded while supporting Yingshi.
Water village.
Shi and Shui Shou, who had just returned to Shuicun, entered the courtyard and saw Jun Han with his sleeping child. Shu'er was also playing with soil not far away. However, what surprised the mother and son was that Jun Han's sister Ping was also there.
"Eldest sister, it's okay if you don't go. I'll come back and talk to you in a few days!"
Ping looked at her eldest sister Yunhan and said with a bit of hatred. At this time, seeing Shui Shou and her eldest sister's mother coming back, Ping could only leave first.
This time, she didn’t know that Shui Shou and the others were not at home. If she knew that Shui Shou’s grandfather’s house was holding a funeral, she would have brought her husband and her husband’s friends over today to let the eldest sister take a good look. Compared to Shui Shou, a lame man, those people How good are the clothes a person wears? Just one piece of clothing is something that Shui Shou will never be able to wear in his lifetime.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, especially after I finally heard that my husband has a good friend who wants to take a concubine, and my husband and those friends have already been interested in the eldest sister and want to meet her.
So, why not bring them over in a few days?
Let's take a look first, but Ping doesn't believe it. What can Shui Shou's family do even if they know the purpose of their visit? Who can afford to offend his beloved and his good friends?
"Sister, please take your leave first!"
Ping said, and then glanced at Shui Shou and Shui Shou's mother. Looking at the two people greeting them, Ping nodded casually and left the yard with a woman older than Shi.
"Why did Ping'er come here in such a hurry?"
Shui Shou watched his wife and sister leave in a hurry, and looked at his wife with some curiosity.
Later, after Yun Han told him, Shui Shou and the Ji family learned that they had heard that Lord Wu Lie of Qin State was on a mission to Qi State, and it seemed that he was about to arrive in Linzi. There were hundreds of officials from Qi State, as well as countless famous families, as well as the people in the city. , all in the city, very lively.
Ping came here just to invite her to come and have a look!
"I see!"
Shui Shou nodded when he heard the words, and suddenly realized it. However, Shi frowned slightly when he looked at Junhan's helpless eyes.
Then what happened to Guan Yunhan when Lord Wu Lie of Qin State arrived? Why did Ping not hesitate to come to this mountain in person and ask Yunhan to come?
……………………
Outside Linzi City.
Along with the continuous sound of iron hoofbeats, the official road sounded, and a little dust was flying, one carriage after another, under the protection of the cavalry, kept driving.
Different from many exquisite carriages with Qi flags, the two carriages with Qin flags are particularly eye-catching.
Inside one of the Qin carriages.
Bai Yan raised his hand and opened the side of his face. When he saw the familiar river in the distance, Bai Yan, who had been homesick for many years, couldn't help but his eyes turned red, and a few tears appeared in his eyes.
"If you want to go back, give it a few days! Wait until the cavalry goes south and the troops arrive outside the city, then go back home!"
Mr. Wei was in the carriage, looking at his beloved disciple, and said with some melancholy, but his tone was no longer as harsh as before.
In the past two days, after noticing something strange about Bai Yan, Mr. Wei also learned many secrets from Zhao Qiu that he had never known before.
The same was true. When he saw Bai Yan's appearance, Wei Laofang spoke so softly.
"In the past in Bogu City, although I tried to fool these Qi clan members, these clan members obviously did not intend to give up. Not only did they personally accompany them to Linzi, but they also planned to meet the King of Qi together. They had obviously made up their minds to persuade the King of Qi. Send troops to attack Qin! If they know where your family is, it will inevitably cause a lot of trouble!"
Mr. Wei comforted him.
Looking at Bai Yan's red eyes, there were already some tears, and the thought of going home to see his relatives could no longer be suppressed. Mr. Wei could only tell the truth and let Bai Yan calm down and endure it a little longer.
Home is right there. If we go back immediately, we will only have endless troubles.
"Teacher, don't worry, the disciple knows!"
Bai Yan looked at the distance by the river, at the distant place, under the giant tree, where he hid his money many years ago and where he first met his wife Tian Feiyan.
Putting down the curtain and looking at Master Xu's concerned eyes, Bai Yan nodded. When he saw Zhao Qiu's eyes moving away, Bai Yan felt warm in his heart.
Close your eyes and calm yourself down.
The river is far from Linzi, so riding a carriage is several times faster than walking.
Not long after, the Qi cavalry who had been escorting the carriage all the way left one after another and were no longer around the carriage. Listening to the sound of the cavalry gradually disappearing, Bai Yan, who had been closing his eyes to rest, slowly opened his eyes and knew that he had arrived at Linzi City.
As the carriage gradually slowed down and got closer, not long after, the faint sound of a huge crowd of people was suddenly heard.
"Here he comes! Lord Wu Lie of the Qin Kingdom is here! Look! It's really the carriage of the Qin Kingdom..."
The noisy sounds came one after another, becoming more and more numerous and louder as the carriage approached.
Bai Yan turned around and looked at Mr. Wei. They both knew that after arriving at Linzi City, whether the King of Qi could return to the Qin Kingdom as soon as possible would depend on how he could persuade the Queen of Qi when he went to the Palace of the King of Qi.
The carriage stopped slowly, knowing that the official from Qi State responsible for welcoming them was outside.
Bai Yan looked at Mr. Wei and nodded, then stood up and walked out of the carriage alone.
(End of chapter)
