I go to the ancient imperial examinations

Chapter 76
No matter what the villagers say that Zhan Dalang has no conscience, little Yao Shi is not at all worried.

Just looking at Zhan Dalang, whose face was slightly pale, Xiao Yaoshi said distressedly: "It's not just a dog, it's a blessing for me to eat it."

"Xiaoyu will never let you go!" His hands were clenched into fists, Erlang's eyes were red, and he glared at Zhan Dalang angrily.

Rhubarb was raised by Zhan Feiyu, but he also grew up with Erlang and Saburo. When Rhubarb was lost, Erlang searched the village again and again, his voice became hoarse, and he secretly wiped his tears at night. Killed by Dalang.

"Bad man!" The little girl shouted in a milky voice, walked over and kicked Zhan Dalang with her leg, and then ran back.

"Third, how did you teach Niuniu? You dare to kick her brother in the lobby!" Xiao Yao screamed, but the little girl was only three years old, and she was so angry that she raised her hand and put it down unwillingly.

Zhan Laosan stepped forward and picked up the little girl, and said coldly: "Niuniu also knows that she loves Rhubarb, and she has more conscience than Dalang!"

"That's right, second sister-in-law, you should still think about how to explain to Xiaoyu!" Ma's caregiver said, patted Erlang on the shoulder, and the family of four went back to the room.

After sending Erlang and Xiao Niuniu back to the room to play, Ma pouted disdainfully, "Dalang is also a fool, he dared to kill Da Huang, and he is not afraid of Xiaoyu's revenge!"

"The second brother and the second sister-in-law are used to coming out." The third Zhan pulled the chair and sat down, with great opinions on the second room.

Ma took over half of his trousers, poked two needles, and said, "Dalang is also a scholar, and he actually mixes with scoundrels like Liu Fu and Zhou Tian."

Zhan Laosan was just about to say that Erlang would dare to be such a fool, he would definitely break Erlang's legs, and he heard Ma's complaint, "I didn't tell Erlang to leave a bite to eat dog meat, and my brothers didn't care, I said that Dalang is the one. The most unscrupulous!"

Zhan Laosan looked at the indignant Ma Shi with a stunned expression, dare she be so angry because Erlang didn't eat meat?Such a stupid woman turned out to be her own daughter-in-law!

Zhan Feiyu didn't take revenge, and the villagers didn't feel surprised. It's a pity that Rhubarb died, but after all, he was a dog, and he died.

In the dark night, a thunderstorm broke the silence of the night, the wind howled like a wild beast, and the villagers who were awakened from their sleep turned over and went back to sleep.

With a creak, the slight sound of opening the door was drowned out by the sound of the wind.

In the middle of the dark night, he could not see his fingers, but Zhan Feiyu could not feel the fear and cold, and walked straight to a house in the village.

Zhou Tian fell into a deep sleep, and the sound of thunder did not wake him up.

Liu Fu, who was taken away by Ma Zhukuai, was released in the afternoon, and he was detained for two days without suffering. Ma Zaokuai didn't care about the killing of Rhubarb. Zhou Tian, ​​who had been worried for a few days, then fell asleep. Peace of mind.

Zhan Feiyu stuffed the lit incense into the room through the crack of the door. After waiting for a while, he took out the weak dagger and pushed the door bolt open little by little...

Out of the water!A shout broke the silence of the night, and then the sound of the copper basin being knocked woke up the neighbors. Looking out the window, the fire was blazing into the sky.

"Quickly put out the fire!"

"Take the bucket and bring the wooden tub at home!"

"The head of the house, put on the padded jacket and go out."

The raging flames lit up the sky, and the wind and fire burned even more vigorously. When the villagers saw the fire, they knew that they could not save it.

"Where's Zhou Tian?" Tsunade stepped back several steps by the fire.

Although the broken house where Zhou Tian lived was in the middle of the village, it was not adjacent to the houses on the front, back, left and right. Just be careful not to let the sparks burn other houses.

Hearing Muramasa's words, the chaotic crowd became quiet for a while, and everyone looked left and right to find Zhou Tian.

"I didn't see it, shouldn't I be burned to death?" The man fighting the fire put down the bucket and wiped his face.

It was cold this night, Zhou Tian must have been sleeping under the covers, and looking at the fire that filled the sky, the beams and walls of the two houses were burned, and everyone would be burned to death.

"Burn to death?" The villagers couldn't help looking at the burning house.

The village's face turned dark all of a sudden. It will be New Year's Day in ten days. People in the village are still burned to death. This new year is not good!

"Isn't it because Rhubarb was burned to death?" A sharp and mean voice sounded, and after Xiao Yao finished speaking, he hid in the crowd.

"Second Zhan, take care of your daughter-in-law!" The irritable village Zheng shouted angrily, he couldn't care about a woman, so he could only stare at Second Younger Zhan angrily, "If she keeps talking nonsense like this, she will be taken out tomorrow. Send it to the third aunt to learn the rules!"

The third aunt is also a member of the Zhan clan. She worked as a maid in a wealthy family in the early years, and later became a nanny. She had no children and finally returned to the village to support her. She is now 70 years old and she is the most strict in educating women.

When their daughters grow up, people in the village will send them over to let the third aunt teach them one or two, and learn a little about the means of the back house, how to get along with their husbands, how to deal with their mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and how to get along with their sister-in-law. The knowledge in this is profound.

"Cunzheng, my daughter-in-law is confused when she doesn't wake up." Zhan's second child was shamed in public, but he could only bear it. Now he has no reputation in the village, let alone the villager, even ordinary villagers look down on him. Zhan second child.

Xiao Yao didn't dare to speak, but these words caused a lump in the hearts of the villagers.

No matter how much you don't like Zhou Tian, ​​the scoundrel, but Zhou Tian, ​​who grew up with a hundred family meals, is also what they watched and grew up. It's always a shame that a life is lost.

"Ah!" Suddenly, a villager standing in the corner was taken aback and looked intently at the firelight, "Zhou Tian is here!"

Zhou Tian, ​​who was woken up by the crowd, got up and stared blankly at the burning house, not knowing how he fell asleep outside and how his two houses were on fire.

The barefoot doctor in the village, Uncle Wang, was also here. He took Zhou Tian's pulse and checked again for no trauma.

As soon as he raised his head and met the burning gazes of the villagers, Doctor Wang twitched the corners of his mouth, "Cunzheng, Zhou Tian is fine, his body is strong, and he is a little angry."

"Zhou Tian, ​​are you really okay?" the gossip-loving aunt asked.

Zhou Tian nodded, "It's fine." There was no pain in the whole body.

"The house is burnt down, but people are fine, it's not revenge who believes that." Xiao Yaoshi added another sentence, looking at Zhou Tian's violent expression at the moment of the firelight, he smiled proudly, "If it wasn't for that. Killing for life, Zhou Tian is estimated to have been burned to ashes by the fire."

Hearing this, Muzheng laughed angrily, and wished he could slap the little Yao Shi who was dead and alive.

"I don't know how Xiaoyu and I dragged Zhou Tian out of the house, and then set his house on fire!" Pushing aside the crowd, Mrs Li walked forward with a livid face, holding her hair in her hand before she had time. The combed Zhanfei fish.

Xiao Yao's expression was embarrassed, but she was not reconciled, and muttered: "Anyway, Zhou Tian only offended Xiaoyu."

"The second child, what are you doing, Fengyu and I went out together." The aunt who lived next door to the Li family said something fair.

Unaccustomed to the little Yao Shi who was like a shit stick, the aunt raised her voice: "Zhou Tian is not a dead person. He was dragged out of the bed and thrown into the corner without knowing it."

Zhou Tian was a young man in his early twenties, and Mrs. Li was not tall. How could a woman move Zhou Tian, ​​even with Zhan Feiyu.

"That's true." The villagers nodded in agreement. How strong can the mother and daughter of the Li family have?

Seeing that no one believed Xiao Yao, Yu Guang swept his neck and said, "She doesn't have the strength, but someone has it!"

Following Xiao Yao's eyes, everyone saw Boss Zhan standing on the left. He did farm work all the year round. Boss Zhan did have a lot of strength.

"Last night on the pillar, Da Linzi slept at my house!" Boss Zhan said with a dark face.

Seeing Xiao Yao repeatedly pouring dirty water on Li and Zhan Feiyu, Boss Zhan suddenly realized that the family he was protecting did not treat his wife and daughter as a family.

The mentioned Zhuzi said loudly: "My brother Dashan and Da Linzi are discussing going to the mountains to see if we can catch some hares or something for the New Year!"

The three of Zhuzi said that it was getting dark, and there were big men on the left and right, and they could sleep with a quilt. Fortunately, this was the case, otherwise, Boss Zhan would not be able to tell the truth tonight.

In the end, the instigating Xiao Yao was scolded by the village Zheng again, so he didn't dare to talk nonsense.

The wind stopped, the fire was completely extinguished, and the villagers went back to make up for their sleep. God knows how the fire started, it was strange and ruthless.

……

Zhou Tianren was fine, but his house was burnt down and his belongings were gone. He was a rogue who was stealing chickens and dogs, and the villagers were reluctant to help him. In the end, he could only temporarily live in the village's half-destroyed house.

Pacing back and forth in the house, Widow Liu said a little uneasy: "Fu'er, will it really be the girl who takes revenge on you?"

"Mother, I asked Brother Tian. He really doesn't know what's going on, but Mrs. Li can't drag Brother Tian." Liu Fu is a generous person, and he doesn't think it was Li's or Zhan Feiyu at all.

As for Boss Zhan, he has an honest temperament and can't do anything about setting fires. Besides, Zhuzi and Da Linzi lived with Boss Zhan that night, so it's impossible for him to do it.

Widow Liu was still worried. Before going to bed when it was dark, she fastened the door of the main room, and moved a chair to the back without worrying about it.

If someone pried on the door at night, the sound of the chair falling to the ground would definitely wake her up.

But Widow Liu's house was still on fire. Fortunately, there was no wind tonight. Halfway through the fire, Widow Liu woke up, screaming and shouting Liu Fu's name, and the mother and son ran out as if they were running for their lives.

The villagers who came later helped put out the fire, but Widow Liu’s room was burned, as was the kitchen where the food was stacked, leaving the main room and Liu Fu’s house to be fine, so they were caught by the smoke. Blackened.

The old patriarch was also disturbed by the two consecutive fires, and the villagers did not think it was an accident. How could there be such a coincidence.

"If you want me to say that it must be the ghost of the dead girl." Xiao Yao Shixi snorted and drank the porridge, and couldn't help but talk about it.

Although Ma didn't want to see Xiao Yao, she also gossips and echoed excitedly: "Zhou Tian and Liu Fu beat Rhubarb to death, and the house was set on fire, and the third one would be our house. Well, it must be the dried fish!"

"Shut up for me! Eat your futou!" Third Zhan looked at the dancing Ma Shi with a dark face and speechless. This idiot, she was happy when her home was burned?

Old man Zhan also had a dark face. He knew that his little daughter-in-law was stupid, but he didn't know she could be so stupid.

The second son of Zhan showed a loving attitude of defending Zhan Feiyu, "This fire is strange, Xiaoyu shouldn't be so cruel, Zhou Tian has only one clothes left now, and Widow Liu's house has two rooms, but the food is not enough. It's gone, and my belongings are almost burnt, and I don't know if I can survive this big winter without food and clothing."

Since Mrs. Zhan became mute, she was thin and skinny, her face was sullen all day, and her eyes were even more gloomy. When she looked at people, it made people chill.

Hearing about the fire between the two houses, Boss Zhan's hand holding the chopsticks trembled, and the pickles fell off the table with a bang.

Not that dead girl, but someone behind her must have done it!Thinking of her numb and sore throat, old lady Zhan's cloudy eyes were full of panic and anxiety.

"It really burned people to death, the yamen will definitely investigate, the dead girl is very shrewd, she is killing people without blood!" Xiao Yao identified that it was Zhan Feiyu's fire, his eyes were rolling, waiting to eat After dinner, she went to bask in the sun under the big banyan tree, by the way.

Xiao Yaoshi was complacent when suddenly half a bowl of coarse grain porridge was thrown over her head, "Ah! Mother, what are you doing!"

The Zhan family, who were eating around the table, also looked at the old lady Zhan who was holding an empty bowl, and Zhan Dalang and several children at the next table also turned their heads and looked over.

Madam Zhan said something, her stern eyes were terrifying, she stared at Xiao Yao Shi, and shouted again.

Xiao Yao Shi wiped his face, trembling with anger, and complained sharply, "How can I wash my hair in such a cold day!"

After Mrs. Zhan became dumb, her authority in the Zhan family gradually disappeared. Otherwise, Xiao Yao's daughter-in-law would dare to yell at her.

"Mother told you not to talk nonsense, whoever set the fire will be investigated in the village." Second Zhan guessed what Mrs. Zhan meant. Mother was afraid of offending the dead girl and finally causing disaster to the family.

Thinking about the reputation of the second house in the village today, although the second son Zhan is not reconciled, he can only bear it. The dead girl is good at reading, and the village leader and the old patriarch are all guarded.

Besides, there is no evidence for the arson, Xiao Yao's going out to talk nonsense will only make people think that the second room can't see the dead girl.

Mrs. Zhan was not sure, so little Yao wanted to go out and talk, but she could only boil a pot of hot water and wash her hair first. She never thought that her hair was still dry, so Ma would hug the little girl and be excited. ran out.

The rare good weather in winter, the sun shines down, and the warmth makes people drowsy, but everyone in the village gathered under the big banyan tree is in good spirits.

"Okay, all be quiet." Village Zheng said, raised his hand to signal these broken-mouthed women to calm down, and then looked at Widow Liu and Liu Fu, "Ms. Liu, tell me about the fire last night. ."

Widow Liu's eyes were swollen from crying. If it wasn't for a woman who supported her, she probably wouldn't have been able to stand.

Liu Fu was stealing chickens and dogs all day long. Widow Liu was afraid that he would harm the things in the family, so she put all the belongings in the closet of her house and locked it with a big lock. Who would have thought of being burnt out by a fire? .

"I was woken up by the thick smoke..." Widow Liu choked and said the matter again.

Village Zheng frowned and asked, "You said that you locked the door of the main room before you went to bed, and put a chair against the back of the door. When you ran out, the lock and the chair were all in good condition."

"Yes." Widow Liu nodded. After the fire, she immediately suspected that Zhan Feiyu had avenged Rhubarb.

But when the fire was put out and she calmed down, Widow Liu felt that something was wrong. The door latch was good. The person who set the fire could not hide in the house from the beginning and set the fire after she fell asleep.

But after the fire started, he dragged Fu'er into the yard by himself, and didn't see anyone running out of it.

Widow Liu's words were like a drop of water falling into the hot oil pan, and the villagers started chatting again, "Isn't it haunted?"

"What nonsense, how can there be any ghosts?" Some villagers who didn't believe it shook their heads.

"Could it be that Da Huang's ghost came to take revenge? Otherwise, the two of them were burned down!" Ninety percent of the women present believed this speculation.

Zhou Tian was not injured, but fell asleep from the bed to the corner of the wall; the widow locked the door, but the fire was still burning, isn't it evil enough?

After a quick swipe, the eyes of the villagers turned towards Ma Shi. Wouldn't it be Zhan's turn for the third one?

While eating fried peanuts, Ma Shi spit out the peanut shells and said confidently: "It depends on what I do, it's not that I killed Rhubarb, but to get revenge, I'll go to Dalang and burn the house of the second house!"

No matter what the people in the village think, no one doubts Zhan Feiyu and the Li family anymore, and they mostly guess about ghosts.

The superstitious old lady also asked Widow Liu to go to the mountain to burn some paper and put it on as an offering.

……

Five days passed in a flash.

Zhan Feiyu walked home in the twilight, and greeted everyone in the village politely.

"I don't know what the old Zhan family thinks." Looking at Zhan Feiyu who walked over, the aunt with a basket shook her head, "My father-in-law said that if Xiaoyu was born in our house, he would sell iron for her to study. "

The woman who was collecting clothes in the yard next door walked to the door, smiled and said, "Who said no, although Xiaoyu is a girl, but she will marry well in the future, and the big house has no son, so she will definitely pull the second house. The cousin of the third room."

"You don't know, I heard that the matchmaker from the county came to the village yesterday to be a matchmaker for Mrs. Li." Another woman came out of the yard and said in a low voice, "I heard Mrs. Li refused, and only told her If there is no reconciliation, even if they do, they will not marry again, so they will live by Xiaoyu."

Li's reputation is really good in the village. She is kind and generous, and she is caught inside and out. The only thing is that she has not had a son, but to have a good daughter like Xiaoyu, she is better than ten sons.

"Zhan Dashan is also good, but people are too filial. Who doesn't know that the old Zhan family is partial to the second room and the third room." The aunt who carried the basket shook her head disdainfully, even if the big room had no son, the old couple followed the big room to keep Have a good time.

Now that the trouble is like this, Mrs. Zhan is dumb, and Mr. Zhan carries a hoe to work in the fields at his age. It is useless to focus on the second and third bedrooms.

"Do you think the old Zhan's house will also catch fire?" As soon as these words were said, the three women couldn't help but looked in the direction of the Zhan's house, and now there is only one Zhan Dalang left.

"Mother, I'm going to take a bath first." Zhan Feiyu came back from the private school early today, and took advantage of the dawn to take a shower and wash his hair, and his hair was dried when he went to bed at night.

Li brought in another bucket of hot water, and put the gourd and scoop on the bucket lid, "Remember to heat the water and wash quickly, you're not dirty on your body."

"Mother, I know!" Zhan Feiyu smiled cheekily, asking her to take a bath like a villager once a month, that would definitely not work.

"That's fine, I'll cook first." Mrs. Li closed the door and walked into the kitchen.

Because the end of the year is coming, the dinner time of every household has been postponed. After all, there are many things to prepare for the New Year, especially the weather in these two days is good, which is suitable for washing quilts and clothes.

"on fire!"

"Old Zhan's house is on fire!"

An excited and excited shout sounded, and the villagers who were eating ran out with their bowls in their hands. After waiting for a few days, they finally made it!

"Grandpa Muzheng, Zhan Dalang's house is on fire!" Shan Wazi screamed and ran to the village Zheng's house to report.

Rhubarb is dead, these little friends who played well with Zhan Feiyu hated Zhan Dalang to death, but he was kicked out of the private school, so Shan Wazi and the others couldn't find a chance to take revenge.

As soon as the tableware and chopsticks were put down, Cunzheng got up and walked outside. The guillotine hanging over his head was finally put down. Fortunately, it was not dark, and it was much better than crawling out of the bed in the middle of the night. The bones couldn't hold up.

The aunt next door banged the courtyard door, and hurriedly said to Mrs. Li who opened the door: "Old Zhan's house is on fire, let's go and see!"

Li shi also heard the shouting just now, and declined warmly, "Xiaoyu is taking a bath in the house, so I won't go, so as not to cause trouble."

"Alright, I'll tell you when I come back." The aunt also knows that Zhan Feiyu likes to be clean, and it is estimated that all scholars are like this. In this cold day, you have to wash your hair and take a bath every seven days.

Fortunately, Mrs. Li moved out, otherwise the firewood would be wasted, and Mrs. Zhan would not have scolded them to death.

The wooden house where Boss Zhan lived was a little far from Lao Zhan's house, but the pillars ran over and shouted, and Boss Zhan followed.

The air was filled with the smell of fireworks. It was the north wing of the second room that was burned, and the two sleeping rooms were burned in the three rooms. The clothes and quilts were all burnt.

But it's better than Widow Liu's house, at least the food in Lao Zhan's house is all right.

"It must have been the fire set by that dead girl!" Xiao Yaoshi cried, with black marks on his face, and his hair was scorched by the flames, but no one was injured.

Zhan's second son's face was gloomy and ugly. Although copper coins and other items could still be found from the ashes, the bed, wardrobe and other furniture in the second room were all burnt, as were the clothes and shoes, and it would cost money to buy them.

Old man Zhan stood in the yard smoking a cigarette in a daze, but he didn't stop Xiao Yao's swearing. The fire was put out in time, and it didn't affect the house next to him, but if he had to buy things for the second room to spend money, the third room would definitely be noisy.

Looking at the messy house, she thought of the new cotton-padded clothes that a family of four wore for the New Year in the closet, which cost her more than one or two dollars!Xiao Yao's grief came from her heart, and she cursed with a ferocious face, "That dead girl has such a cruel heart, isn't she just a dog, does she still want our big man to pay for his life?"

"This can't be said nonsense. Xiaoyu was washing her hair at home when I came. Besides, your family is here, how did Xiaoyu enter the second room and set fire to it?" The aunt shouted to prove his innocence to Li and Zhan Feiyu.

In the middle of the night, he could still slander that someone set the fire, but it was still dark, and more than ten members of Lao Zhan's family were at home. Who could sneak in and set the fire? Are all these dead people in the house?
Village Zheng and the two clan elders walked out of the burnt house. The fire was extinguished in time. Although the furniture, clothes and quilts were all burned, the walls were still in good condition. Just buy some white ash and plaster it.

"Okay, the second child, keep your words." The village is looking at the mad little Yao Shi, understanding her mood and not scolding her, but she still has to say what she needs to say.

The village's words were said to Xiao Yao, but his eyes looked at Zhan's second child, "This fire has nothing to do with Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu is a scholar, if you slander her reputation, don't blame the clan in the village for giving Xiaoyu Fish out!"

"Cunzheng, I was just talking to Uncle Hu outside, and no one entered the yard of Zhan's house." Da Linzi said.

His mother is going to buy some New Year's goods in the county tomorrow. Da Linzi happened to meet Uncle Hu who was driving the ox cart back. The two stood outside the yard of Zhan's house and talked. If someone slipped in, Da Linzi and Uncle Hu would definitely see it.

(End of this chapter)