I become a god in another world

Chapter 426: News of the Town
Chapter 426

"Wen, Wenxing County?"

The old man, whose butt had just touched the stool, changed his expression slightly when he heard what Zhao Fusheng said. Then he stood up suddenly, his knees bent and frozen in mid-air.

"what happened?"

Zhao Fusheng had just said it casually, but when he saw the old man's expression, he was moved and asked a question.

The old man sighed:
"So you're from Wenxing County. I feel relieved now that you mention it."

After he said that, he lifted up his trouser legs with both hands and sat down again.

While he was talking, Chunfen, who he had sent out to call people, and Anuma, who had been asked to fetch water, both came back.

I saw that Chunfen was supporting a woman who looked older than the old man. He quickly stood up and shouted:
"Fifth sister-in-law——"

He apologized to Zhao Fusheng and others, then got up to pick up the old woman.

The old woman looked about the same age as him, but she didn't look as energetic as him.

The old woman was short, only reaching Chunfen's shoulders, and she used a walking stick. She had red eyes and her hair was a little messy.

When she saw Zhao Fusheng and the others, she moved her lips but said nothing. The old man then said:
"Fifth sister-in-law, this is a stranger from Wenxing County. He said he was fleeing. He has been walking for a day and a night and wants to rest for a while at the farm and ask for some water to drink."

After saying this, he looked at Zhao Fusheng and others and said with a smile:

"Dear guests, this is the fifth sister-in-law of the Chang family in our village..." He said here and sighed:
"My fifth sister-in-law is also a miserable person. Something happened to her family, so I asked her to come out and give me some advice."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mrs. Chang Wu frowned:

"Are you from Wenxing County again?"

The word "again" made everyone's heart move and they exchanged glances.

"Sister Chang Wu, did someone from Wenxing County come to your village earlier?"

Zhao Fusheng asked frankly.

The old woman tried to muster her strength and sighed.

She held up her cane and glanced around. Everyone was standing there without moving. She was annoyed, so she raised her cane and slapped Chunfen's thigh hard, making a "bang" sound.

"You have no sense. My granddaughters are gone now. The ones left are all as stupid as elm trees. Hurry up and bring me a stool."

Chunfen felt a little embarrassed after being beaten. After being scolded by her, he responded several times and then turned back to the straw hut to move a stool for his mother.

After bringing the stool back, he helped the old woman sit down:
"Mom, be careful."

Seeing this, Chen's mother showed envy on her face and said:

"Old man, you are so lucky."

Chen's mother's sigh came from the heart. As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Duozi and Chen Laizi showed uneasy and ashamed expressions on their faces.

After hearing what she said, the wrinkles on Chang Wusao's face, which was originally full of sorrow, smoothed out a little.

The old woman raised her lips, and it was obvious that she was very pleased with Chen's mother's compliments, but she still said:
"What a blessing! This son is not very smart, but fortunately he is filial."

"It would be great to have a son, to carry on the family line." Mother Chen said sincerely:
"I think you are really happy."

"where."

Mrs. Chang Wu said modestly, and then looked at Chen's mother, where there was a woman standing on each side, with a boy in her arms.

Chen Duozi was not young anymore. She guessed the identities of the people and asked:
"I think you're not bad, sister. Are these your two daughters-in-law? Are the ones in their arms your grandchildren?"

"It would be nice if it was a grandson."

The smile on Chen's mother's face disappeared instantly, she became melancholy, and said reluctantly:

"I'm not so lucky. This is my grandson." When talking about the existence of 'Lu Pan'er', Chen's mother was both regretful and somewhat proud: "My daughter is more capable than me."

Zhao Fusheng has known Chen's mother for a month and has seen her get along with Chen Duozi many times, but this is the first time he has seen Chen's mother "praising" her daughter.

Chen Duozi seemed to have been praised too much by such words, and her expression was a little subtle - as if she was between happiness and humility, showing a very complicated look.

But she immediately became aware of Zhao Fusheng's gaze and turned her head involuntarily. The moment she saw Zhao Fusheng looking at her, Chen Duozi's face suddenly turned red for some reason.

She was a little at a loss. The praise from her mother that used to make her proud now made her feel awkward and embarrassed under Zhao Fusheng's eyes.

Chen Duozi pulled Chen's mother:
"Mom, stop talking."

"What's there to hide?" Mother Chen smiled awkwardly.

But in front of outsiders, she knew the identities of the Demon Suppression Division and others, so she did not scold Chen Duozi again.

……

After Chen's mother interrupted, this little episode actually brought her closer to Chang Wusao, and the defensive looks on her and Mr. Liu Sanye's faces eased a lot.

Everyone sat down one by one. Uncle Liu San looked around and saw that Chen's mother, who was holding her grandson, pulled a stool and sat behind the group. It was obvious that her status was not high among the group.

On the contrary, Ding Datong and others who seemed to be of extraordinary bearing surrounded Zhao Fusheng like the moon surrounded by stars, as if she was the leader.

As soon as he sat down, Mr. Liu San could tell who was in charge.

He was a little surprised, but didn't say anything.

Zhao Fusheng said:

"You just mentioned Wenxing County. Did people from Wenxing County come here to escape?"

"Yes, yes."

This is Chang Wusao's territory. Mr. Liu San did not say anything, but she spoke first.

"It's not so bad during this period. If it was earlier, people would have been fleeing here every now and then." At this point, Chang Wusao turned her head and looked at Liu Sanye:

"It seems that just last month, a group of people fled to Jin County with their families. There was also a family in the group at that time. It was said that they were officials in the county."

"An official?" Zhao Fusheng was stunned for a moment, then continued:
"That must be someone from the government office."

The moment the ghost disaster occurred, the people from the Demon Suppression Division were immediately enveloped by the ghost domain and all of them died.

If there were any government officials who escaped, they should be officials from the county government.

"That's not clear. It's really a sin."

Ding Datong said: "Big——"

He was about to speak, but then he remembered that Zhao Fusheng was still hiding his identity, so he stopped talking and changed his address: "Miss, if the people from the county government had escaped two months ago, then the disaster should have happened earlier."

County officials would never dare to abandon the city and flee unless they were left with no other options.

Zhao Fusheng was also aware of this - Wan'an County was shrouded in a ghost zone that day, and County Magistrate Pang and his men did not dare to run away.

The reason why people from Wenxing County dared to run away shows that Shangyang County is a rotten place.

"Life has become increasingly difficult these years. I heard that at the beginning of the year, the county issued an order to increase taxes to Wenxing County. I guess this is also the reason why so many people fled from famine."

Mr. Liu San said.

His words surprised Zhao Fusheng. This old man seemed to be somewhere between knowledgeable and out of touch. He knew that Shangyang County had increased taxes on Wenxing County, which Zhao Fusheng considered to be very knowledgeable. However, he seemed to be out of touch with the news and didn't even know that a ghost disaster had occurred in Wenxing County, causing most of the people in the county to flee.

She was thinking about something and asked:

"Did the county impose additional taxes on Wenxing County at the beginning of the year?"

"Yes." Mr. Liu nodded:

"I heard that someone in the county offended the chief of the county government."

"Is that true?" Ding Datong asked in surprise, "Who told you that?"

"Anyway, someone in the county said so..." Mr. Liu San originally spoke with confidence, but when asked by Ding Datong, although he tried to remain calm, his tone and expression showed that he was a little guilty.

"I should call you Master Liu San, right?" Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile.

Mr. Liu San is old and has great prestige in this village. Logically speaking, Zhao Fusheng is young and he should be able to bear being called "Mr. Liu San".

But he saw that Zhao Fusheng's words and deeds were unusual, and Ding Datong and others did not seem to be from her hometown. Instead, they looked like followers and servants. Ding Datong's calling her "Miss" just now confirmed Liu Sanye's guess. He immediately became a little reserved and said with a smile:

"The villagers only call me that because they want to give me face. You can also call me Liu Laosan."

"Third Master just mentioned that the county has increased taxes on Wenxing County. I wonder where you heard the news from?" Zhao Fusheng wanted to get some information out of him, so he still respectfully addressed him as 'Third Master'.

Mr. Liu Sanye felt quite touched by this attitude. He showed a bit of satisfaction in his eyes and was about to speak, but he remembered something and glanced at Mrs. Chang Wu.

Although he didn't say anything, his actions and expressions made it clear that the source of the information was related to Chang Wusao.

Everyone's eyes fell on Chang Wusao, and the old woman sighed, tears welling up in her eyes:

"My second son mentioned it when he came back before the New Year."

"Your second child is——"

Fan Bisi was very good at observing people's expressions and was a shrewd man. After hearing what Chang Wusao said, he had guessed something and subconsciously turned his head to look at the mourning hall built in the straw hut not far away.

He guessed correctly.

However, Fan Bisi was still young after all, and although he was smart enough, he forgot to conceal his actions for a moment, causing the Chang family members to turn their heads and look at the coffin. For a moment, all the villagers were filled with grief, and Chang Wusao even burst into tears.

"Ah, the guests must have guessed it. My second son——"

Meng Po lost her daughter in her early years, so she understood best the pain a mother feels when she loses her children. She couldn't help but shed tears silently.

After crying for a while, Mr. Liu San said to comfort her:
"Fifth sister-in-law, you still have to look forward. Even though your second child is gone, you still have several more children."

"That's true, but my second child is the most promising one. It's such a sin. Now that he's gone, what will happen to my family in the future?" Chang Wusao cried again.

Mr. Liu San said:
"Please accept my condolences, sister-in-law, but please don't let the guests laugh at you."

"It was us who disturbed them." Meng Po was moved by the scene and comforted them.

After a while, Chang Wusao adjusted her mood after crying. Then she raised her eyebrows, lowered her eyelids, and pulled up her sleeves to wipe her red and swollen eyes:

"Where were we just talking about?" After she asked, Mr. Liu San reminded her:
"Speaking of the second one."

"Oh, yes, yes." She nodded:

"I'm old, my memory is not good, and there are a lot of things going on at home recently. I really don't have enough energy."

She sighed and then said:
"Just like this girl said, I gave birth to five sons and six daughters—"

As soon as Mrs. Chang Wu finished speaking, an expression of uncontrollable envy appeared on Chen's mother's face.

"My daughter got married a long time ago, and now she has grandchildren. My sons are also very capable. My eldest son is a master in a county wine cellar—" When she mentioned her eldest son, her expression was slightly proud:

"He is well respected. Now he lives in the county and has married a girl from the county."

"My second son learned medicine from a shopkeeper in the county." She calmed down a little when she talked about her family, but she couldn't help but feel sad when she mentioned her second son. She couldn't help but cry:

"I started learning how to identify, cut and dispense medicines when I was 11 or 12 years old. It took me nearly 20 years to learn how to do it on my own."

"It was not until nine years ago that I finally got the recognition of my master. He took me to the county's medicine shop, and my salary increased a lot."

Whether Chang Erwa had completed his studies and received a raise in salary, it was a very significant event in the town. When the news spread, people in the surrounding villages were envious.

"We were very happy too. We borrowed five hundred yuan to buy meat and wine, set up two tables, invited his master to a banquet, and asked the villagers to accompany us."

When Chang Wusao said this, Liu Sanye nodded:
"I was there at the time, too. My fifth sister-in-law even mentioned that Erwa's master was not his biological father but was better than his biological father. She wanted Erwa to be filial to him in the future, take care of him in his old age, and hold a memorial tablet for him."

After saying that, he sighed:
"In the end, he didn't expect that the old man would die before the young. He didn't get to see his master off to the grave, but he got to die first--"

"My poor Erwa." Mrs. Chang Wu wailed.

"..."

Zhao Fusheng and Meng Po looked at each other.

The two talked for a long time, crying and sighing. Although it was worthy of sympathy that people had to endure the pain of losing a child in old age, they did not mention the main topic.

Zhao Fusheng listened patiently to Chang Wusao crying for a while, then said in a gentle voice:

"Since your second son has left the county and entered the prefecture, and the master has approved of him, he should have a bright future." She flattered, and Chang Wusao was overwhelmed with sadness and said loudly:

"If my son continues to work hard, he will definitely become the head of the shop in a few years!"

Zhao Fusheng said:

"If that's the case, how could something like this happen suddenly?"

Chang Wusao said with hatred:

"The old shopkeeper must be afraid that he would replace him, so he deliberately wanted to kill him."

Zhao Fusheng asked:

"Who is the old shopkeeper?"

Sister Chang Wu said:

"Apart from his black-hearted, rotten-lung Yang Kaitai, who else could it be?"

Mrs. Chang Wu used to speak clearly and eloquently. She raised five sons. Although she did not mention the last three, the first two seemed very promising to people at that time, which showed that the old woman was not a confused woman.

But after all, she was old and had lost her son. People who had experienced funerals were not very smart, and now she spoke incoherently.

Zhao Fusheng had no choice but to ask again:
"Who is this Yang Kaitai?"

Mrs. Chang Wu was so angry that she cried loudly. Mr. Liu San had no choice but to say:
"Yang Kaitai is the chief treasurer of the county, and also Erwa's master. He has taught him for more than 20 years—" He added:
"It was him we hosted before, too."

After he sighed, he continued:
"Besides that, he is also Erwa's father-in-law, and Erwa married his eldest daughter."

It sounds like the relationship between the two parties is close, not as distant as Zhao Fusheng had originally guessed.

As soon as Mr. Liu San finished speaking, Mrs. Chang Wu said angrily:

"He is a jinx! The girl he raised is a jinx. Who knows what Yang Jiaan is thinking? He married a jinx to my son and killed my son."

When Zhao Fusheng heard her say this, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Sorry guys, I didn’t finish writing this morning because I was dragged out to look at smart phones and cabinets. I got home too late, so I just finished it now...