happy event

Chapter 26 How does prison food taste?
Dong Xiucai walked around the gate of the yamen countless times, and finally gritted his teeth and went to find a few friends who were familiar with him on weekdays.Although those people are all talented scholars like him, they have no family background and no future.But as the saying goes, Qin Hui still has three friends.These few people have lived in Qingping County for decades, and they all have relatives and friends.So, after Dong Xiucai promised to thank each other with a big gift, one of them went to the county government office to find his nephew who was a servant of the government office.

It turned out that the county magistrate Xu arrested Niu and sent him to jail because of his affection. In fact, he really didn't want to repeat the case, after all, the word "fake money" is too sensitive.Niushihua used fake banknotes for children, but pulling out a radish and bringing out the mud would be a big deal behind the fake banknotes.Once this case is reported, it will be fine if no one pays attention to it, but if any censor goes crazy for a while and intends to seize this case to make a name for himself, there will be countless unlucky people.In the end, all the hatred might fall on him, a ruthless rank-[-] official.

Therefore, the magistrate of Xu county deliberately gave a private hint that as long as the Dong family paid 50 taels of silver, the matter would be over.

When Dong Xiucai got the news, he heaved a long sigh of relief and felt worried at the same time.He did not earn much from teaching the village children. If the ancestors had not left five acres of fertile land and an ancestral house, the family would have been drinking the northwest wind for these years.It is a bit embarrassing to suddenly have to take out so much money now.

After thinking about it for a long time, he still bribed the prison guards to meet Niu Shi.Niu has been lying in the cold and damp prison for most of the day, his body is burning with pain, and his stomach is growling with hunger.Suddenly, my child's father came to visit, asking where the family kept the money, so as to save her from the sea of ​​suffering.How could she be stingy anymore, not to mention the money pot buried in the back garden, even her own jewelry and the dowry saved for her youngest daughter were all contributed.

Dong Xiucai originally wanted to scold her a few words, but seeing her miserable appearance, he swallowed his words again, and hurried back to his home, Zhang Luo Yinliang.

Dong Juan, the youngest daughter of the Dong family, was usually spoiled by her mother, and she developed a savage and selfish personality. Now she saw her father take away her dowry and jewelry, and she didn't care that her mother was still waiting for her life in the prison. Rolling on the ground crying and refusing to give way.

Dong Xiucai was so angry that his face was livid, his beard trembled wildly, he kicked his daughter away, and finally asked his youngest son Dong Yi to help him dig money pots in the back garden.

I don't think Dong Yi is also a master of the nest. Since childhood, relying on his mother's love, he is a good hand at bullying his elder brothers and sisters.He didn't know who heard from someone in the village that his mother was sent to prison, and maybe the government servants would come to arrest him and lock him up together, so he went to the kitchen to gather some steamed buns and pancakes and hid them quietly in his home. The cellar, thinking of hiding for a few days to avoid the limelight.

Dong Xiucai shouted and couldn't find the child, so he was so angry that he had to search for money and pick up things by himself and send them to the pawnshop in the city.The shopkeeper of the pawn shop carefully identified it for a while, but he didn't deceive the customer. He only said that there were only two ingots of fake silver in all the money, and the rest were real silver, a total of 20 taels.In addition, seven or eight pieces of hairpin and ring jewelry from Niu's wife were pawned for another 30 taels, just enough to make up for the fine.It's just that we have to find another way to reward friends who help out with money.

Dong Xiucai hesitated for a full quarter of an hour, but in the end he was still reluctant to pawn the land deed hidden in his bosom.After all, the Dong family has only a few acres of land left over from generation to generation. Even if this family business cannot prosper in his hands, it cannot be easily defeated.

But even so, the Dong family folded all their savings over the years this time.No matter how self-proclaimed Dong Xiucai was, and disdained the stinky stuff, he still frowned in distress.Even if he asks a friend to hand in the money, seeing Niu being released, he doesn't show any joy on his face.

Seeing the blue and clear sky outside the gate of the county government office, Niu felt that he had finally escaped from hell and ascended to heaven.

She supported the big tree by the roadside, and while rubbing the red and swollen stick marks on her body, she yelled to fight for her belly, "Master, I'm starving to death! Go and buy me some steamed buns. With meat, the more the better!"

Master Dong just sent his friend away with a smile, but he was having a headache where to raise money for a thank you gift.Hearing this, he glared at Niu sternly in annoyance, and rarely cursed angrily, "All the money in the family has been lost, and you have the face to ask for meat buns? Why don't you hurry and go home!"

Niu's face trembled with distress when he thought of the 50 taels of compensation. It was rare to be scolded but he didn't open his mouth to refute.Dong Xiucai snorted coldly, turned around and left. Niu shouted loudly, "Master, Master, where are you going? I have injuries on my body and I can't walk!"

Dong Xiucai hated him so much that he stopped in his tracks and wanted to turn around to shout and curse, only to see Dong Rong and Dong Ping hurried over.

It is said that if you don't do anything wrong in your life, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night.After Dong Rong went back to the small courtyard, no matter how much she thought about it, she felt that Niu's imprisonment was definitely thanks to her, so in a guilty conscience, she asked Sister-in-law Liu and others to hang around the gate of the yamen, and to come back and report anytime. .

It was Dong Pingfang who was so angry by Niu Shi. Seeing her sister's arrangement like this, he even pulled her sister to persuade her not to be too kind, and to repay grievances with kindness.

Dong Rong stuck out her tongue secretly, secretly glad that she didn't tell her younger brother the truth, but she said solemnly, "This is a disaster that affects our entire Dong family, and we shouldn't stay out of it."

Dong Ping thought of his father who had just found out with some conscience a few days ago, so he had to bow his head in resentment, and stopped talking.The siblings waited for half a day, and finally heard the news that Mrs. Niu was about to be released.So Dong Rong packed ten taels of silver and rushed outside the yamen with her younger brother.

Seeing the arrival of the eldest son and daughter, Dong Xiucai's complexion improved a lot.It is said that women marry and obey their husbands, and the eldest daughter is now the Cao family, regardless of the affairs of the natal family, which makes sense.But the eldest son, Dong Ping, is duty-bound. Although he may not have any savings, it is always good to have one more person to think of a way.

Dong Rong stepped forward to salute her father, but before she could speak, the half-dead Niu Shi scolded sharply, "You two brats dare to come here, just now I was arrested and taken into the yamen, you see They don’t even help.” After she finished speaking, she turned to Dong Xiucai and complained, “My lord, they are so unfilial, you have to take care of them.”

Dong Xiucai looked at the son and daughter suspiciously, but he didn't speak but his face was already a little unhappy.Dong Rong sneered in her heart and didn't make much excuses. She just recounted the situation at that time lightly, and finally said, "At that time, the second mother must have been terrified, so she grabbed and bit at random. My daughter thought, if one more person goes to prison, the family will Maybe I have to pay another piece of money, why not stay outside and help dad figure out a solution."

Dong Xiucai nodded and praised, "Sister Rong is right, it's okay for you to go in too. Only brother Ping, who has to take the county examination in autumn, if there are bad rumors, it will hurt your reputation."

What kind of words are these? It's clearly patriarchal.Dong Rong secretly rolled her eyes, and she didn't want to delay her efforts to show the love between father and daughter, so she reached out and took out two silver coins from her bosom, and brought them to Dong Xiucai, saying, "Father, this is my Brother Ping. You can spend the money you earned from working for a while."

Dong Xiucai was worrying about money, so he was overjoyed when he saw this, and he wanted to accept it immediately but felt embarrassed, so he hesitated to decline and said, "You have already married into Cao's family, and family affairs can no longer drag you down."

Niu who was on the side heard this, she was afraid that her master would not swallow the fat around her mouth, and she would not feel the pain in her body, so she rushed to Dong Rong in a few steps, snatched the silver scorpion and died. Clenched in her hands, she shouted, "Why don't you get married if you are married? She has eaten so much food from the family since she was a child. Now let alone ten taels, even 100 taels is not much."

"Shut up!" Dong Xiucai was so angry that his beard stood on end, and he yelled loudly at Niu Shi, who made him lose face, "It's all caused by you, and you want the child to use all his money to help the family, you really Very thick skin."

As he spoke, he was about to break Niu Shi's hand and take back the silver box. Dong Rong saw that his subordinates were trying their best but couldn't "rob" Niu Shi, so she smiled secretly and said lightly, "Father, don't be polite to me, just like two My mother said, the money is for me to repay the family's upbringing. My daughter's ability is limited, and I'm afraid I won't be able to help if I want to in the future."

Dong Xiucai put down his hands awkwardly, and tried his best to promise his father's posture, "Sister Rong, it's enough for you to help the family this time. Even if you have gold and silver mountains in the future, the family will not worry about it." , he glared at Niu Shi again, and continued, "If anyone dares to bully you again, father will never forgive her."

Niu curled his lips, touched the silver lock in his hand, and felt that he had taken advantage of it, so he didn't speak again.

Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Dong Rong said a few more words and took Dong Ping back to the courtyard.Dong Xiucai, who was left behind, snatched the silver coin from Niu Shi and rushed to buy a thank-you gift. While Niu felt sorry for the silver that flew away before it was warmed up, he dragged his bruised legs and walked home. .

Passers-by saw that her dress was covered with filth and gave off a stench, so to describe her as embarrassed was to cover her mouth and nose and avoid it, which made her even cursed, vowing to find Granny Cao who caused her to come here.

Besides, after Dong Rong finished her day's business, she lay on the kang in the middle of the night and calculated carefully. This time she took action to rectify the Niu family. She really lost her wife and lost her army. Get in a lot.It can be seen from this that she is really not a material for doing bad things, she should be more patient if she can bear it in the future.If you really can't bear it, you have to plan carefully before launching revenge, otherwise it may be who will suffer in the end.

Thinking of this, she slowly fell asleep.And lying next to her, the silly Zhu who was snoring so loudly opened his eyes at this moment, and he carefully glanced at the woman beside him who had an annoyed face even in her sleep, and smiled innocently up.

(End of this chapter)