Linxia

Chapter 124, Deception

Xuan Mo Zhai, since Prefect Pu confirmed that selling popular novels was legal, Manager Liu had decided to take a gamble and buy more copies of "Water Margin". But at this juncture, something went wrong at home.

That day, Shopkeeper Liu was still furious when he talked about this matter: "I have been smart all my life, how could I give birth to such a stupid son?"

"Boss, what's wrong?" Fang Lin asked.

"After the money-begging incident that day, Hong Yingheng came to him to talk and complain. My silly son treated him as a friend again...Yesterday, Hong Yingheng asked him to look at a treasure, a Northern Song Dynasty porcelain. He took it to appreciate it, but accidentally broke it when he took it over."

"It sounds like a setup?" Huang Di interrupted, "Did the shopkeeper ask anyone to look at the porcelain fragments?"

"How could such an elaborate trap be flawed here? I specially hired someone to identify the broken porcelain fragments, and they are indeed from the Northern Song Dynasty." Shopkeeper Liu sighed.

"It sounds like an authentic piece with flaws and cracks, or like authentic porcelain fragments stuck together. Once the thing is broken, it will be hard to tell." Fang Lin frowned.

"Yeah, I thought so too. This kind of game also involves a lot of money, and my stupid son took the initiative to get involved. There is no way to sue him... After suffering such a big loss, the kid finally realized his mistake, but it's too late now. What can I do? I still have to clean up his mess and compensate him according to the price. This has drained all the cash in the store."

Shopkeeper Liu said this with a sigh.

Fang Lin, Huang Di and Chai Yiwei didn't know what to say about this matter, so they could only remain silent.

Moreover, because Liu Hongwen was tricked, Manager Liu took out his savings and emptied the cash in the store, which affected the purchase of goods for "Water Margin".

The small amount of "Water Margin" they had was quickly sold out, and then they could no longer get it. In the following days, many customers came to ask about "Water Margin", but when they heard that there was no "Water Margin", they turned around and went to other stores. As a result, other business in the store also declined a lot, and it became increasingly deserted.

Under such circumstances, Shopkeeper Liu smiled less and less, and he was no longer in the mood to chat as usual.

……

Time passed quickly and it was soon time for another day off, so I returned to Xixiang Hutong.

Walking along the way from the alley, all the neighbors he met greeted him warmly, and Fang Lin responded politely one by one.

At the door of the Ou family, the students had just finished school. Master Ou went out with a bamboo tube of water in one hand and a rattan chair in the other. When he saw Fang Lin, he asked, "You're back. It's quite early today?"

"There's not much business in the store, so Manager Liu asked me to come back early." Fang Lin said as he sat down here to chat. He had been busy writing Romance of the Three Kingdoms in recent days and was quite exhausted, so it was a rare moment of relaxation.

"How can business be bad? Everyone in the alley knows that popular novels are very popular recently, and the whole city is talking about "Water Margin." said Mr. Ou.

"It's like this..." Fang Lin told how Liu Hongwen was deceived.

After listening to this, Master Ou sighed and said, "The world is no longer the same as it used to be. People are treacherous and many scams are hard to guard against."

He also told a case: "I have a classmate who lives in Fengyang Prefecture. His surname is Shen. He is considered the most powerful teacher in their prefecture. Most of the candidates who come to Beijing for the imperial examination every year are his students.

But there was such a liar. Just a few days after the Juren went to Beijing for the imperial examination that year, he came to the Juren student's home and said that Teacher Shen had sent me here to deliver a letter to tell your family the good news. He also said that Teacher Shen had dreamed last night that your husband had passed the imperial examination, so he came to tell you.

When the students heard this, they were naturally very excited. They thought about who Teacher Shen was. Regardless of whether the dream was true or not, since Teacher Shen said that they would be on the list of successful candidates, it was almost certain.

The liar said, "Teacher Shen has many students, and it is obvious that he favors your family. If other people knew about it, wouldn't it be seen as partiality and give people a chance to talk about it? So, just keep it to yourself and don't let Teacher Shen down." The student's family agreed again and again, saying that it was the right thing to do.

The student's family naturally had to express their gratitude when someone came to announce the good news. They took the silver and the letter. After reading the letter, they said, "Jianghuai has many talents, which are the best in the world, even Beijing and Zhejiang are not much behind. I have read all the volumes of your Qilinzi Sutra, and there is no one as wise as you... In the middle of the night, I dreamed of a flying bear holding a red flower to announce the good news..." The student's family was overjoyed after reading these auspicious words. They hid the letter and waited for the good news to come next year.

But the next year, most of the families of the successful candidates returned with nothing, including this family. So I told my classmate about it, intending to ask for an explanation. Unexpectedly, after I said this, many families of successful candidates said they had received the letter and took it out one after another. They were dumbfounded when they saw it, because the handwriting and words in each letter were exactly the same. "

After Mr. Ou finished speaking, he sighed: "How powerful are the scammers? They take advantage of the candidates' mentality and cater to their preferences. The scammers are overjoyed and even cover up for you. By the time they really find out, it's already the second year. Where can you go to investigate?"

"Yes!" Fang Lin listened attentively. The deceptions in this era were so sophisticated.

As they were talking, a groan of pain came from the Xin family. It was Sha Xiaoyun's voice.

"Master, what's going on?" Fang Lin asked.

"Xiao Yun is not dizzy, but today she complained of a stomachache. My husband is taking care of her..."

……

In the Xin family's house.

Sha Xiaoyun was lying on the bed groaning. Mrs. Ou saw blood on her pants and thought it was her period. At this time, Sha Xiaoyun suddenly said, "It seems like something came out!"

Mrs. Ou handed over a pair of clean trousers and asked Sha Xiaoyun to change into them for her to see. In the setting sun through the window, she saw him taking something and was surprised.

When Sha Xiaoyun saw this, her face turned pale with fright, and she blurted out, "How could I have given birth to a mouse?" Then she covered her face with her hands, fell on the bed and cried, her body twitching. Madam Ou looked carefully and said, "Xiaoyun, that's not a mouse, it's a baby."

Indeed, it was a little girl, only five or six inches tall, with a few sparse yellow hairs on her pointed head, small eyes, a small nose, and a mouth that was just a slit. Her ten fingers were curled inward, and her hands and feet could move.

Soon, the news spread and the women from the neighborhood came over, including Fang's mother and Tian Xuan.

"Xiao Yun is not in good health. This is a premature birth... A few years ago, I also heard that someone gave birth to such a small baby. They said it was a bad omen and threw it away."

"What a sin! The Xin family just had a better life, but now this has happened again."

"I don't know if this kid can survive. Well, let's see what Mr. Xin thinks!"

……

At this time, Xin Laoguan and Xin You came back from work at the dock. Xin You changed his worn-out shoes and called out "Xiao Yun" happily as usual.

Mrs. Ou came out with the baby and said, "Your Xiaoyun gave birth to a baby. It was born early and is only six or seven inches long."

When Xin Laoguan and his son Xin You heard this, they saw a baby that looked like a mouse without a tail, and they were instantly struck by thunder.

Xin You had grown up a little and stood there in a daze.

"Good, my Xin family has a successor." Old Man Xin forced a smile on his face.

"Some say it's hard to raise a child, and some say it's lost. Dad, Youzi, do you want to keep him?" Sha Xiaoyun stood at the door with a pale face, and looked at the father and son nervously after saying this.

"Dad!" Xin You called out beggingly.

"Alas!" Elder Xin sat for a long while and sighed, "You can't throw it away. This is the sin I committed in my previous life. It's what the Xin family deserves for giving birth to such a thing. Raise it, raise it well. If you can't keep it alive... you can't blame anyone."

Sha Xiaoyun breathed a sigh of relief, and there was a gentle light in his eyes when he looked at Xin Laoguan and Xin You, father and son.

She found an old cotton shoe of Xin You and put the doll inside it, which fit perfectly. She then scooped some rice soup, dipped the cotton in the soup, and placed it near the doll's narrow mouth. Fortunately, the doll could suck on it, so she would raise it like this from now on.

The Xin family also thought it through and thought it was no big deal. The adults would live one day, and the child would live one day as well. Later, they asked Master Ou to name the child. Master Ou named the child Yaer, Xin Yaer, which means like a grass sprout, small but able to grow tenaciously.

……

For dinner, the Fang family had stewed pork ribs with radish, which smelled delicious. However, everyone was in a bad mood because of what happened in the Xin family.

Fang's mother talked about the Xin family: "Back then, Mr. Xin hit his head at the dock and barely managed to survive... Later, Xin You also had a hard time finding a wife... It wasn't until Xiaoyun came into the family that the Xin family's situation improved. But not long after that, this happened again. Why does God choose to torture the poor?"

"Yes!" Father Fang also sighed.

"Dad, Mom, we just need to help out, but we still have to look forward and live our lives," Tian Xuan said comfortingly.

"By the way, we're going to watch a play tomorrow. It is said that there will be a scene where Wu Song fights a tiger. It's the same part that we've heard Liu Mazi tell stories about during the Lantern Festival. Let's go and see it tomorrow." Fang Lin changed the subject.

Even with his efforts to adjust the atmosphere, the atmosphere during dinner tonight was not as cheerful as usual.

In the house, only Guaiguai was free from worries. After finishing his meal with relish, he would sit there and play happily by grabbing his tail.

After meal.

Fang Lin went back to the house, thought for a while, and took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone he had bought a few days ago. He had planned to stop and rest tonight, but now he changed his mind.

What happened to the Xin family today was undoubtedly a spur to him.

"Don't let the temporary peace blind you and make you lazy. Otherwise, when the tide of fate comes, it will sweep you away without a word."

Fang Lin took a deep breath, thinking of his father and mother falling ill on the way to the city. He vowed never to experience that feeling of powerlessness again. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and began to immerse himself in writing.

Inside the house, the oil lamp burned quietly, emitting a soft and hazy light. The brush rubbed against the paper, making a very faint sound.

A bright moon shines in front of the window. Outside the window, unknown insects are chirping and fireflies are flying by. The summer night passes just like that.

……

(End of this chapter)