Linxia

Chapter 216, Five Years

Time is like water.

On Yanyun Street in the east of the city, the green tiles on the roofs of new houses have been dyed white by the snow five times, which means that five years have passed in a hurry.

It's the time of year again when grass is growing and birds are singing.

The Fang Family Garden is planted with roses, gardenias, cockscombs, morning glories, etc., as well as plum trees, peach trees, orange trees, and cherry trees, all in a riot of colour.

In the corridor not far away, grape vines climb along the shelves above, forming a lush green shade.

Right below, Qiuqiu was wearing a moon-white skirt with yellow butterflies sprinkled on it. Her hair was combed into a smooth and neat bun with a red and green silk bow on it. She was as delicate as a porcelain doll.

Opposite her, a pair of twins sat upright, practicing numbers, but the former was very serious while the latter was a little inattentive, with his eyes rolling around.

——These are her two younger brothers: Fang Tai and Fang Xi.

Qiuqiu stared for a while, then stood up, and like a teacher, she walked around behind them with her hands behind her back. When she saw someone did something wrong, she would mutter, "How stupid!" or "Wrong again," and knock on the other person's door.

Well, this guy knows very well that it is better to beat his brother as early as possible.

For several times in a row, Fang Xi's forehead turned red, his eyes were watery, his mouth was pouting, and he was about to burst into tears.

Qiuqiu quickly covered her brother's mouth, asking him to hold back his tears, and whispered, "Be good, Xixi, don't cry. I'll tell you a story later."

As soon as these words were spoken, Fang Tai, who was about to shout out to help his brother, stopped and remained silent.

"Wow wow wow!"

Just at this moment, Huahua suddenly rushed over and shouted in front of them.

Qiuqiu, Fangtai and Fangxi knew something was going on and followed.

I saw a place where Guaiguai caught a snake from somewhere and ate the whole thing. Only the snake's tail was left struggling and twisting in Guaiguai's mouth.

The three siblings screamed in fear.

The maid Caiyun came over, found a pair of tongs, and tried to force the snake out.

Who knew that Guaiguai didn't know what was good for him, jumping up and down, making them so exhausted that they couldn't catch him even after they were out of breath.

Qiuqiu stamped her feet in anger: "Forget it, forget it, Daguai has eaten the snake's head, only the tail is left, I guess it's okay."

Cailan and her two siblings watched helplessly as the snake hid obediently in the tree. It took it a while to eat the entire snake, its stomach full.

“It seems to be quite big!”

"Yes, my belly is so big it's about to burst!"

"You guys go and write, I'll go talk to mom." Qiuqiu said, turned around, and ran to the yard.

In front of the window, Tian Xuan was checking the account book. Even though she had given birth to three children, she was still fair and slim. She was wearing a dark blue satin robe with silver plum blossoms, which made her face look even more beautiful.

At this time, Qiuqiu came over and complained that his two younger brothers were very stupid, always made mistakes, and loved to cry. Then he danced and exaggeratedly talked about how Guaiguai ate a snake.

Tian Xuan heard this and was helpless with Guai Guai. Suddenly she remembered something and walked inside and took out a piece of white cloth about four inches wide and five feet long: "Qiu Qiu, you are seven years old now, it's time to bind your feet."

When Qiuqiu heard this, she turned around and wanted to run away.

But Tian Xuan stopped him and bumped into his arms: "Qiuqiu, mother has asked, girls cannot not bind their feet. If they grow a pair of big feet, I'm afraid they won't be able to get married in the future."

Taizu of the Great Xia Dynasty banned foot binding, but it was not effectively enforced and is still prevalent among all social classes today.

For example, around our new home, some wealthy families nearby all bind their daughters' feet, even some ordinary well-off families further down do the same.

As for the very few girls who did not bind their feet, when they grew up and were looking for marriage, the girls looked like they had done something shameful. They didn't know where to put their feet, and had to wear very long pants or long skirts to cover them.

In this social atmosphere, Tian Xuan could not allow her daughter to be willful or indulge herself, lest Qiuqiu regret it when she grew up.

Qiuqiu seemed to understand what he said, but she didn't say that she would not marry. She said very cleverly, "Mom, didn't you also bind your feet?"

Tian Xuan was both angry and amused when she heard this. She grabbed her daughter and slapped her on the butt twice: "Mom was still in the countryside at that time. How could she be the same as you?"

After thinking it over, she decided to bind her daughter's feet.

Foot binding is a big thing that is usually done by the mother. The specific steps are to wrap the feet with cloth, then some mothers will carry their daughters to a large table, let them stand, and then push them off the table; some mothers will use braids to whip their daughters, and the little girls will run when they know it hurts, and fall down when they run. This is to break the bones of the feet and make them deformed. Then they will wrap them with white cloth, and after they are tightly wrapped, they will sew them tightly with needle and thread.

The standard for the bound feet is that the smaller they are, the more beautiful they are. It would be best if they could fit into a bamboo tube measuring rice and spin around. This is called "three-inch golden lotus."

Tian Xuan naturally didn't want to push her daughter off the table, or chase her and beat her. She repeatedly asked her daughter and found a way to make her suffer the least. She grabbed the forefoot with her left hand and the heel with her right hand, and squeezed hard in the middle to break the foot bones, which could also have a similar effect...

She held her daughter and prepared to start, but Qiuqiu was quite strong and struggled out, jumping and shouting "Daddy" loudly.

Fang Lin came over from the study following the sound. Compared to five years ago, his appearance had not changed at all, but there was a touch of maturity and tranquility in him.

He asked what happened, and when he heard it was because of foot binding, he shook his head secretly. With his past life experience, he naturally knew the disadvantages of foot binding: "If Qiuqiu doesn't want to, then let her do it. As for the issue of getting married in the future, my daughter Fang Lin will not have trouble finding a husband."

"Daddy is the best." Qiuqiu cheered, rushed over, hid behind Fang Lin, and stuck out her tongue at Tian Xuan.

In fact, Tian Xuan was not very determined. Seeing Fang Lin say this and Qiuqiu really didn't want to do it, she gave up.

"Daddy, do you want to read more?"

"No more watching. I'm going to go to the alley to see Master Ou."

"I want to go see Grandpa Ou, too."

"Okay, let's go!" Fang Lin stood up holding Qiuqiu.

When they passed the corridor, Fang Tai and Fang Xi asked about it. When they heard that they were going to the alley, they immediately put down their pens and ran after them.

Fang Lin walked in front holding his daughter in his arms, and the two brothers followed him, jumping and skipping, and went out happily.

……

West Lane Hutong.

Fang Lin came to the Ou family and put down the snacks.

Five years have passed, and Mr. Ou is still as vigorous as ever. His clothes are clean and tidy, his gray hair is neatly arranged, and a square scarf on his head sets off his aging yet upright face.

However, during this speech, Fang Lin discovered that Master Ou covered his mouth with his hands when he spoke.

Mr. Ou explained: "Two days ago, the last front teeth fell out."

This is because they are afraid that saliva will spurt out when they speak, which would be impolite.

"Then how should we eat, Master?" "Don't eat what you can't eat. Otherwise, you won't be able to chew it, just like a cow chewing the cud, which is also uncomfortable. That's fine, but the most uncomfortable thing about the desire for food is..."

Master Ou pointed at his eyes. Although his tone was still calm, there was a kind of suppressed frustration underneath: "My eyes are not working well now. When people stand in front of me, I can't see their facial features clearly. I can't recognize strangers. When I eat, I can't see the dishes on the table. I can't read books at all. I eat and sleep, sleep and eat, and I have become a living dead."

"Master, have you ever seen a doctor?"

"I've seen it, and the doctor said that this is what happens when people get old."

"It should be cataracts. If it was in the past life, it could be treated with surgery, but in this era, there is no way." Fang Lin sighed secretly and planned to find a literate servant for the master later.

He talked to Master Ou for a while and then came out.

Passing by Xin's house, I saw Xin Yaer. She was still small, only two feet tall. She was holding a stick longer than herself and standing in front of the door to chase away chickens, because there was grain drying there to prevent chickens from stealing it. But these big roosters seemed to bully her because she was small. When she chased one away, another came, making her so busy that she was out of breath.

Before Fang Lin could say anything, Qiuqiu, Fang Tai and Fang Xi, the siblings, rushed over to help drive the chickens away.

Several little dolls gathered together.

Fang Lin saw Granny Qiu pushing Mr. Qiu back and chatting with them.

Granny Qiu said, "Mr. Xin and Xin You went to the dock, Xiaoyun is in the factory, and only Yaer and her brother are left at home, standing on a stool to cook... That big rooster is really abominable, bullying Yaer because she is short, and sometimes it would come over to peck at the rice in her bowl during meals, and Yaer would rush to grab the food from the big rooster..."

As Fang Lin listened, he felt a sense of sadness. Suddenly, he heard a series of rapid "cluck, cluck" sounds. It turned out that Qiuqiu, her two siblings, and Yaer had joined forces to chase the rooster far away.

"The Xin family is lucky. After Ya'er, they gave birth to two strong children...Now, the Man family is getting worse and worse. The widow Niu that Man Gensheng married later was better at first, but now it's getting worse and worse. She has forced Man Laogong and Man Laotai to live on their own, but they have to do a lot of work, including growing vegetables and taking care of the children. Every month, they are only given enough grain to make ends meet, not a bit more..."

When Fang Lin heard this, he suddenly thought of Chuntao and thought to himself that this was retribution and she had come back. He wondered if Grandma Man regretted it now.

……

Leaving Xixiang Hutong, Qiuqiu and her two siblings said goodbye to Xin Yaer reluctantly. Passing by the river, they saw many children flying kites on the green grass on the embankment.

Fang Lin met Shopkeeper Liu who was out with his grandson and granddaughter.

Qiuqiu was somewhat of a "social expert" and soon brought her two younger brothers to mingle with the grandson and granddaughter of Manager Liu.

In fact, most boys of this age are indifferent to girls of the same age, no matter how pretty they are. They prefer things that involve fighting and killing, such as Three Kingdoms cards and Journey to the West cards, and they argue about which character is more powerful.

But Qiuqiu has her own trick. Whenever she goes out, she will hang her treasure bag, which is a beautiful cloth bag that can be worn around her neck and contains many cards and comic books.

With these, Qiuqiu quickly subdued the group of little kids and became the king of children, raising his chin proudly like a proud little peacock.

Fang Lin was talking to Manager Liu.

"Prefect Yan is capable. The prefectural city has been getting better and better in recent years."

Shopkeeper Liu sighed: "Every year, the levees are reinforced, so even if it rains heavily, there are no floods. Many restaurants have opened in the area outside the city, and many fish ponds have been dug. The food is good, the taste is good, and the scenery is beautiful, so the business is naturally good..."

——On the one hand, this is because the foundation left by Prefect Pu was good, and on the other hand, there were no such serious floods, so what Prefect Yan did was enough to deal with it.

"Yes, it is also because there are many people coming to Huai'an, close to the dock, and occupying the geographical advantage, that we can support the business of those restaurants outside the city."

"This is all thanks to you, Fang Lin. You set up the Popular Fiction Association and held the competition. Many people come here to buy goods, and some come here to have fun... I think all the businessmen in the city should thank you." Shopkeeper Liu said sincerely.

This is true.

Ever since Huai'an became the popular fiction center of Daxia, and the distribution channels of the "Popular Fiction Guild" expanded beyond the Jianghuai region, there have been many merchants traveling to and from Huai'an, which naturally led to economic prosperity in the area.

After chatting with Manager Liu for a while, Fang Lin said goodbye and went back with his three daughters. On the way, he met Qiao Xu who was going to the bookstore and said hello.

……

At the beginning, Fang Lin gave Qiao Xu an opportunity, and he came to the provincial capital and became a small manager at the dock.

Later, Fang Lin's business grew bigger and bigger, and he opened many "skills training classes". Qiao Xu was unwilling to do this job at the dock with no end in sight for his whole life, so he came to Fang Lin and, after asking for his advice, he resigned from his position as a dock manager and entered a "skills training class" for further studies. Now he works as the head of a shipyard under Fang Lin.

He is taking a day off today and came to Xuan Mo Zhai to buy books.

The main store of Xuan Mo Zhai.

There were not many customers at the moment, and Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, Liu Hongwen, Geng Shi and several other waiters were talking.

Huang Di smiled and said, "On the eighth day of this month, my son will be one month old. You all should come over!"

"Now that they have a child, Brother Huang and Madam Qiu can be said to have achieved their goal." Chai Yiwei said jokingly.

"Yiwei, don't talk about me. You're married too. When do you and your sister-in-law plan to have children? And Brother Liu, don't you plan to take the provincial examination this year?"

"I'm not going. I went to the academy to find a teacher to test me two days ago. He said that my level is still far behind, so I gave up." Liu Hongwen shook his head and said, "Come to think of it, this store is not bad either."

"Yes, that's right, it's all thanks to Lord Fang's care!" Geng Shi sighed.

Nowadays, his wife Su Xiaoqing is also a small manager in the women's factory workshop. Overall, his family is considered a well-off family in the provincial capital.

As they were talking, Qiao Xu came in. He knew Huang Di and the others, so he greeted them and told them not to worry about him and went to look for a book himself.

The bookshelf here is neatly arranged with the complete works of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, Fengshen, and White Snake. There are not only regular versions, but also illustrated versions, painted versions, character cards, etc.

These are all Fang Lin’s works, occupying an entire horizontal row and placed in the best position.

——Yes, in the past five years, Fang Lin has written the third and fourth parts of "Journey to the West", the second, third and fourth parts of "Investiture of the Gods", and the entire four-part series of "Legend of the White Snake", completely establishing his position as a leading figure in the world of popular fiction.

If Huai'an is now the center of popular novels in Daxia and a holy place in the eyes of novelists, then Fang Lin is the great master who founded a school of popular novels in their eyes. Anyone who comes to Huai'an will definitely come to Xuan Mo Zhai to admire him, and those who have enough money will buy a whole set of his works for collection.

For example, at this moment, a customer with a foreign accent came in and waved his hand: "Boss, give me a collector's edition of all the works of Mr. Fang!"

……

Qiao Xu bought some books at Xuan Mo Zhai, and thinking that his brother Qiao Sheng was nearby, he bought two pounds of pork head, half a roast chicken, and a bighead carp.

Such a generous gift was unthinkable in Xiaohe Village before, but now as a factory manager, this little thing is nothing.

Qiao Sheng is still working at the 'Second Good Product Weaving Workshop'. He was naturally happy to see his younger brother coming. He went to buy some wine and pulled him to sit down.

The two brothers ate food and drank wine while talking about the villagers who came to the capital.

"You Chaodong was named an excellent worker last year, and I heard that he recently bought a dormitory to live in... Geng Cong also wanted to be named an excellent worker, but he was not as good as him. He tried to use a backdoor, but was discovered and reported to the whole factory... I heard that Bai Rao and Song Qingqing got together again, and the Bai and Song families had a fight over this, but this is in the capital, so there is nothing they can do..."

"To be honest, these villagers, including us, have all benefited from Lord Fang!" Qiao Xu sighed sincerely.

It is indeed true. The flapping of Fang Lin's butterfly wings changed the fate of many people.

……

(End of this chapter)