There is no payment for the paintings given to Master Yu, that is, they are given free of charge.
The reason why Qi Yu fully supported him was not only because he accepted his favor, but also because he felt admiration from the bottom of his heart.
Although the law strictly states that public weapons can be used for private purposes and power cannot be used to force others, in reality, if Yu Hai really wants to beat someone up and organize a fundraiser or something, he can still squeeze out some 'trophies'.
In Qiyu's view, things like fundraising must be completely voluntary. Whether to donate, how much to donate, and to whom to donate are all the rights of the donor. Others have no right to point fingers or make comments.
But there are some people who like to judge this and that from the moral high ground. Why? Their money was neither stolen nor robbed. It came entirely from legitimate income, so they naturally have the absolute right to distribute it themselves.
From this point of view, Yu Hai is still a good official. He is relatively honest, has a bottom line, and does not do anything that involves coercion or inducement.
However, just a few days later, Qi Yu silently retracted his previous evaluation.
Master Yu is indeed a good official, but he is not so sincere and even a little cunning.
According to his second uncle Zhou Dashui, Yu Hai fabricated more than a hundred sack trucks filled with weeds, falsely claiming that the court's disaster relief grain had arrived in advance, and boasted that the grain shortage had been completely resolved!
Is there really food coming?
After he did this, the squires who were reluctant to sell their grains no longer worried, and began to sell and hoard grains one after another. The grain shortage was really alleviated.
How clever it is to create something out of nothing!
It's a pity that Mr. Yu doesn't go into business.
As for the paintings he donated, I heard that they were exchanged for grain by Mr. Yu. As for how he used them, I don’t know yet.
With these grains as support, it will be enough to last until the real disaster relief grains arrive.
Qi Yu admires Mr. Yu very much. His methods of being high-minded and low-minded are really sophisticated and worthy of his careful understanding and consideration.
Put these things aside and make some plans for the future.
The eighth month of the lunar calendar is the time for the college examination, and it is also a "key battle" between young students and scholars.
Is this subject a test? Still not taking the exam?
If it is a cliché, it would be said: It is better to settle down for a period of time, and then take the exam after you have consolidated your skills, and the chances will be higher.
The truth is this.
Qi Yu didn't think so: It's better to strike while the iron is hot and work hard to see if he can win the title of scholar in one fell swoop!
However, if you fail the exam, wouldn't it be a waste of money?
Thinking of the actual situation at home, Qi Dalang began to worry about gains and losses again.
It's a bit undecided, so it's better to listen to other people's opinions.
right! Brainstorm ideas!
On this day, Qi Yu made a special trip to visit Shopkeeper You. As their relationship progressed, they talked about everything.
As for taking the exam, Shopkeeper You thinks it’s a good idea to give it a try.
He said that since he could get into the top ten in the government examination, it means that he is not inferior to others in knowledge and it is also a sign of strength. With this knowledge, why not work hard?
There is some truth!
After returning, I asked my family for their opinions.
Liu Quan believes that the family is very lucky this year, with good fortune and good academic performance. Now that we are on the right point of fortune, of course we have to take the exam!
Zhou even gave her full support: What kind of difficulty is this? Wouldn't it be possible to win the prize by eating a few more meals of first-class champion chicken?
All right……
Since you all think you can take the exam, let’s give it a try!
The plan was settled.
Next came the time to study hard behind closed doors and in the cold window. For two days, I only needed a small pot of lamp oil, which was all I needed was a head cantilever and a cone to stab my buttocks.
As time passed, Liu Quan's belly gradually became pregnant.
Seeing that she was thoughtful every day, Qi Yu couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, madam? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Don't worry, I'm in good health." Liu Quan sighed softly, "Well... do you like boys more? Or girls?"
Ahem! So that’s the problem!
Obviously, this is the traditional patriarchal thought that is at work again.
Qi Yu smiled and said without hesitation: "I like both boys and girls. They are both our flesh and blood."
"I guessed you would say that!" Liu Quan gave him a look and said: "The Qi Qiuchuan family is so domineering because they have five sons, but our family is a single generation. If we can't add more I'm a man, I'm afraid when we get old..."
"It's wrong to think like this! So what if he has five sons in his family? Are they just like flies? It's not about having many children, but whether they can be educated to become talents. No matter how many wolves there are, they won't be the opponent of one tiger. Do you think this is true?"
"But I still...want to have a boy." Liu Quan said with concern.
Qi Yu enlightened: "As the saying goes, a house that accumulates good deeds will always be happy. If we want to have descendants, let's do more good deeds." Seeing that his wife was still melancholy, he continued to do psychological massage: "Madam, if you can't let go of this knot, , why don’t you go burn incense and pray to the Buddha like your mother, maybe the gods and Buddhas will bless you?”
"Those... do they work?" Liu Quan asked hesitantly.
"If you believe it, it will work. If you don't believe it, it will not work. Since you want something, why not just believe it once." Qi Yu said with a smile.
"Okay, then I will listen to you. I will go and pray to the Bodhisattva, and then I will do some good deeds and become that kind of family that accumulates good deeds."
"good!"
Ms. Zhou fully supported her pursuit of Buddhism and even shared her experience with her daughter-in-law. However, her experience is limited to which store sells cheaper scented oils.
The old lady was even more optimistic about her future children. She told her son privately: When I see my wife crossing the threshold, she always steps with her left foot first. According to tradition, Liu Quan is pregnant with a boy.
What logic?
People who have both legs amputated will have a father-in-law?
Speechless...
Mrs. Zhou is not idle either. She goes to the market every now and then to buy vegetables, including chicken, fish, meat and eggs. She believes that it doesn't matter if adults eat less, but the grandson in the belly must not be deprived of nutrients.
Just when Liu Quan wanted to persuade Quan, her mother-in-law scolded her: "What are you thinking about?" Did you think it was for you to eat? That’s a dish for my grandson!
Awkward!
There was a sense of happiness all over the body at home and outside, and the years were improving. Unexpectedly, an accident happened on this day.
At noon, just as lunch was served, Qi Lan ran over crying.
Could it be that... my daughter was beaten by her son-in-law?
Zhou's first reaction was that her daughter came to complain!
"Mom, I can't live this life..." Qi Lan started to cry as soon as she stepped across the threshold.
"Did that Pocai bully you?" Zhou said with a face.
"No!" Qi Lan was stunned and then explained: "He didn't bully me, but someone bullied him."
What? Sun Dacai was bullied?
Mrs. Zhou was startled, then breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "It's okay if it's not you! Come on, come on! Sit down first, and talk to mother slowly."
"Um……"
Liu Quan looked at the clock and guessed that her sister hadn't eaten yet, so she added a pair of bowls and chopsticks.
The married girl was from her mother's family, so there was really no need to be polite. Qi Lan rolled up her sleeves and sat down to eat.
There are chickens and fishes, let’s wait until we’re full!
“The food tastes delicious!”
Qi Lan burped before talking about the matter.
Ah!
Something really happened!
It happened last night. Five strange burly men suddenly broke into Qi Lan's house. Without saying a word, they grabbed Sun Dacai and beat him violently. After beating him, they left without saying a word.
Why were you beaten?
have no idea!
Those thieves didn't leave a word from the beginning to the end!
Strange~~
Afterwards, the doctor looked at the injuries and said that the wounds on his face were just flesh, and a few more scars would not be a problem. However, his calf was fractured, and he had to lie down for at least three months before he could get out of bed.
It takes a hundred days to break the muscles and bones.
Regarding this matter, the Yamen also opened a case, but the people in the County Yamen are currently busy with disaster relief and have no time to investigate such a small case of a brawl.
The yamen servant also told Sun Dacai: Be honest!
…
Qi Yu thought for a while and asked, "Have the thieves ever robbed the family's property?"
"No, those people came empty-handed and left empty-handed. They didn't take anything." Qi Lan replied.
"This way it doesn't look like a robber committed a crime. If he is not a robber, he must be an enemy. Sister, think about it carefully, has your brother-in-law offended anyone recently?" Qi Yu analyzed.
"Who can someone like him offend?" Qi Lan shook his head and said with emotion: "He only dares to act mischievous at home, and when he goes out, he bends like a shrimp. How is that possible? What about offending people?"
"Those thieves didn't leave a word?"
"No, I just said hit him hard."
Weird!
What is the thief's motive for beating people?
"Brother-in-law, are you sure you don't know those people?"
"They all have their faces covered, and it's hard to tell what they look like." Qi Lan thought for a while, and then added: "I heard from Qiaoyun's father that one of them has a bald head, and the reflection is very conspicuous in the dark."
Bald? A monk?
Or a bald man?
You can't guess like this. There are so many hairless people, and you can't really infer anything from this alone.
"Woo~~"
"Why are you crying? If your leg is broken, we will treat it. For other things, we can only wait for the government to solve the case." Mrs. Zhou was furious when she saw her daughter who was not up to expectations.
"Treatment? The family has no money! How to treat him? He has been lying in bed for several months. What will the family eat?" Qi Lan said sobbing.
"Huh? So you came here to borrow money?" Zhou's face tightened, a little unhappy.
"Well...he asked me to come here." Qi Lan lowered his head and spoke in a voice softer than a mosquito.
"Remember, when Ah Ma asked him to borrow money, he not only didn't pay back a single penny and scolded your brother, but now he actually has the nerve to talk about it?...Oh, forget it, I won't be angry with this coward. I'm angry. Although he is a hateful person, I can't ignore it, let alone starve you and Xiao Qiaoyun! As for how much I can lend you, it depends on your sister-in-law's wishes." Mrs. Zhou is very vindictive, so she brings up the old things first. Once again, I finally agreed.
"Mom, you are so kind!" Qi Lan smiled cheerfully.
"What's so good? I expected your family to help Ah Mao more, but in the end, it turned out to be a burden!"
"..."
Qi Yu quickly winked at his sister, signaling her to stop talking, causing her mother to nag. Qi Lan didn't have any ideas at all, so he just kept silent after seeing this.
Liu Quan added up the total, took out five taels of silver and a bucket of rice, and gave them to her sister.
Qi Lan happily ran back after accepting it.
Mrs. Zhou looked at her daughter's retreating back with mixed feelings in her heart. When I was looking for her husband, I had always held the idea that a good girl would marry soon, but now I didn't get any benefits. Could it be that I was wrong?
…
As for disaster relief, the government finally took substantial action.
As far as Lantian County is concerned, Yuhai has made relevant arrangements. Relief points have been set up in the county and various districts to distribute gruel and grains.
The food is barely enough to eat, but people will not starve to death.
Is the court stingy and deliberately not dialing more funds?
They were stripped down layer by layer, and these were the only ones left. The officials were already very merciful.
Public sentiment gradually stabilized, public security returned to its original state, and there were no more vicious cases.
Early that morning, Liu Quan and Qi Yu bought yellow paper together and brought sesame oil, preparing to burn incense for Guanyin.
There is a small mountain temple to the west of Taohua Village, that's where it is.
Now that it is midsummer, the vegetation that has been gnawed away by locusts has sprouted new leaves and is full of life again.
The temple is also a disaster relief site. From a distance, you can see a long line of people lined up with no end. These are poor people waiting for relief.
In the face of natural disasters, people are so fragile!
Qi Yu and his wife both sighed and walked towards the small temple with a sigh of relief.
At this time, there were many people offering incense in front of the small temple. The more unsatisfactory times are like this, the more people want to turn to gods and Buddhas for protection, or to seek some psychological comfort.
Although there are many people, they are very quiet. When worshiping Buddha, you must not only be sincere, but also refrain from making loud noises.
…
"Little one! Shut your mouth!"
Suddenly, a very harsh sound broke the silence.
Following this threat, a child burst into tears.
