After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 567 Women's Prison
Early the next morning, Haijiao went to talk to Jin Jiashu.

The two young men whispered for a long time, so Haijiao could only hurriedly bring a piece of cake from Jin's house and eat it while on his way, otherwise he would be late for school.

After he left, Zhou Xiao met Jin Jiashu at work. Jin Jiashu called him into the house again, whispered to him for a long time, then stuffed a small bag of silver into his pocket and told him to go out.

Not to mention how Jin Jiashu went to his teacher Xie Wenzai for classes later, after Zhou Xiaojian left the Jin family, he first went to the home of Captain Huang, talked with him for a while, left a practical but inconspicuous gift, then turned to the prison door of the prefectural yamen, and when Aunt Jin came with a basket with a haggard face to deliver medicine and food, he intercepted her.

Aunt Jin received another ten taels of silver from Zhou Xiaojian. This was the second sum of money from Jin Jiashu, which was prepared for her to use for the funeral of Mrs. Jin Er. Although her mother had not yet died, she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart, thinking that her mother might be able to recover. She was not angry about receiving this money, but was very surprised.

With this money, she had more money on hand. She could hire a better doctor to treat her mother, buy her better medicine, or buy her some food that was more beneficial to her body. Even if her mother really couldn't hold on, she could still handle her funeral in a more decent manner.

She entered the prison with the small bag of silver, greeted the female prison boss and the female jailers with whom she had long been familiar, and then stepped aside to wait quietly. The female prison boss drank the hot soup leisurely and ate the steamed buns she bought for breakfast, then walked slowly to the door of the cell of Old Lady Jin Er, opened the door, and let Aunt Jin in.

During this period of time, Aunt Jin did this almost every day. The jailers didn't mind putting her in the cell. Old Lady Jin Er originally had a bad temper, a sensitive identity, and had been ill for a long time. She could die at any time, and others couldn't help but feel unlucky. The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had already arranged it, and the people in the government prison simply arranged her in the most remote cell, which was a distance away from other female prisoners, so that she didn't have to contact or talk with other people.

Anyway, the women's prison was not crowded, with seven or eight cells still vacant, and Mrs. Jin's cell was located at the innermost position. To get out, she had to pass through all the cells, jailers, and prison bosses, so there was no need to worry about any problems. This made it convenient for Aunt Jin, who could go into the cell every day to take care of her seriously ill mother, and come and go freely, and no one worried that they would escape.

However, Aunt Jin was not a prisoner after all. She was always honest and well-behaved in front of the prison guards, and she would buy them some wine, meat and food from time to time, and bribe them to please them. Therefore, the prison guards were polite to her and would invite her to eat with them on weekdays. Of course, the meal was not free. She had to pay for the food and add some good meat and vegetables from time to time, which actually cost a lot. It was just that Aunt Jin felt that doing so would make it more convenient for her to take care of her seriously ill mother, and it was worth it, so she was willing to spend the money.

Today, Aunt Jin received a sum of silver and was in a good mood. Even though she saw that her mother's condition had not improved at all and she couldn't even swallow the medicine completely, she didn't feel sad. At lunch, the jailers invited her to go together, and she generously took out a piece of silver and treated everyone to meat. The jailers all smiled, and friendly pulled her to sit down, and enthusiastically introduced her to the cheap and affordable coffin shop in the city. After all, the condition of the second old lady Jin was obviously too serious to last for a few days, and she would have to hold a funeral sooner or later.

The female jailer saw that Aunt Jin's smiling face was about to burst into tears under the enthusiastic suggestions of the crowd, so she waved her hand to drive them away: "Go away, go away, what nonsense are you talking about?! My mother is not dead yet, don't you think it's taboo to say these things?! Don't you have money to buy more vegetables? Go buy them quickly! If you don't go, the good meat in the food store will be sold out soon!" The jailers smiled and dispersed. Aunt Jin wiped the tears from her face, forced a grateful smile, and thanked the female jailer: "Thank you very much. Actually, don't blame everyone, they are also kind and want to help me. Although my mother is sick now, it is a taboo to say these funeral words, but to be honest, there has been such a precedent in our hometown. The old man in the family was almost dying, and the children and grandchildren bought funeral clothes and funeral materials in advance. After washing, the old man got better."

The female prison boss did not comment. She remembered what Captain Huang had told her that morning, and advised Aunt Jin: "I know you have some private money, but to be honest, you should not just focus on being filial to your mother. I have been working in the prison for more than ten years, and I have seen many prisoners with this disease. She is old, and it is obvious that she cannot be cured. You should also think about the future. What will you do when your mother passes away? Your brothers are not reliable, and you are unfamiliar with this Chang'an city. Your hometown is far away and you have no relatives. When your mother passes away, if you don't have some money, how will you live in the future? Think long-term! It won't be a big deal if we eat less meat. If you have money, you should keep it for yourself!"

Aunt Jin couldn't help crying after hearing this. "Sister, you are telling me this because you really want to do good for me. I miss your kindness. But the one in there is my biological mother. Although she has many faults, she has always been good to me. She took me in when I was driven out by my husband's family. Now that she is in trouble, I can't abandon her. How can I still be a human being? She has never suffered in her life, and only suffered such a great crime when she was old. I don't have the money to redeem her and take her out to recuperate. All I can do is to do my best to take care of her food, clothing and daily life in prison. When she passes away, I will also take care of her funeral affairs so that she can leave in a decent manner. As for myself, I have hands and feet, how can I not support myself? Chang'an is prosperous, even if I wash clothes and mend clothes for others, I can earn three meals a day."

The head of the prison sighed, "Did you think it was so easy to make a living in Chang'an?! The weather was warm before, and you had a house to live in, so you could earn a few copper coins by doing laundry and mending for others. But when the weather gets cold, and it's icy and snowy everywhere, and you need hot water to wash clothes, you can't even afford the rent, let alone find a place to heat water. What will you do then? If your mother dies by then, even if you want to live in the cell, we will kick you out. There is no such rule in the government office!"

After Jin Dagu knew that the landlord refused to renew the lease, she had asked the jailers about where she could rent a house, so the head of the prison knew her current predicament. Hearing what the head of the prison said, Jin Dagu couldn't help but show a sad expression: "I don't know what to do..." She paused, "At worst, I can go find my cousin! He has money. He gave me ten taels the day before yesterday and another ten taels today. He is a soft-hearted child. I don't think he will watch me become homeless and starve to death on the street. He is a man who is going to study for the imperial examination and cherishes his reputation very much."

The female prisoner rolled her eyes at her and said, "What are you dreaming about? He gave you some money out of kindness, but he can't let you live in his house. Don't you know that your mother and brother killed his parents and brothers? You are not his relative, but his enemy! He gave you money out of kindness. But if he ignores you, no one will say anything bad about him! If you expect to rely on him to make a living in the future, you are making a wrong idea!"

Aunt Jin was stunned.

It seems to be true. But if she can't rely on Jin Jiashu, what should she do? !

(End of this chapter)