Vow to die at the end of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 45
The scorching sun is in the sky, dogs bark and cicadas sing.The weather at this time should hide at home to escape the heat, but on the threshing ground in Hougang Village, Shangshiqiao, many people are forming a circle, and two groups of people are facing each other in the circle.

There are many people on one side, and the leader is in brocade clothes; while the other side has only two people, about fifteen or sixteen, wearing coarse clothes.At this time, the older of the two teenagers shouted at the man in the Chinese costume.

"Master Fan, don't bully people too much! I won't sell my land!"

"Chen Da, what about your talented father? You can't die and end up with a corpse rolled up in a mat! Why don't you sell the land so that you can open the coffin!" said the man surnamed Fan.

"You will pay three taels of silver for ten acres of good land. This is only one-tenth of the price. How is it different from grabbing?" said the younger one.

"Chen Er, talk about your conscience. Your land is also called a good field? How long has it been deserted? I saw that after your father left, you brothers were so pitiful that you couldn't even handle a funeral. That's why I felt so bad. , took over your land. Don’t treat yourself like a donkey!" The man surnamed Fan curled his lips and said viciously.

"You? Are you shameless? Can you say such a thing?" Chen Daqi was almost at a loss for words.

Chen Da and Chen Er are brothers, Chen Da is called Chen Bo, and Chen Er is called Chen She.The villagers felt that these two names were too difficult to call, so they called them Chen Da and Chen Er.Chen Bo and Chen She's father was a scholar, or the kind of scholar who failed to pass the exam for more than ten years, but did not give up and took the exam again and again.There are some fields and houses passed down from the ancestors in the family, but after so many years of food and drink, only ten acres of land are left.The mothers of Chen Bo and Chen She died early, and they have always depended on each other for life with their father.But now, not long ago, my father also suffered a serious illness and passed away.In fact, Chen Bo and Chen She knew that the cause of their father's death was heart disease.On the one hand, his father did not have the ability and courage to resist the Tazi's order to shave his hair and obey the law, and on the other hand, he felt ashamed because of his weakness and incompetence.

Originally, the two brothers Chen Bo and Chen She agreed to sell a couple of acres of land in order to buy a coffin and engrave a stone tablet to bury their father.Unexpectedly, Fan Jian, the bully landlord in the village, found out.Fan Jian has always been thinking about the ancestral land of the Chen family brothers, and the Fan family ancestor rented the land of the Chen family when he was down and down.But later, because the ancestors of the Fan family lived frugally and saved money to buy land, they became more and more prosperous and their family property increased.However, the Chen family was obsessed with the imperial examinations. As a result, they tried and failed repeatedly, and the family gradually became dilapidated.Most of the fields sold were bought by the Fan family.

Now, the Chen brothers' father has passed away, and Fan Jian wants to buy the last land of the two brothers, so as to draw an end to the decades-long history of buying and selling land for the Fan and Chen families.However, because Fan Jian bullied the Chen brothers when they were young and wanted to buy them at a super low price, the Chen brothers rebelled.

"Hmph, this time you have to sell it if you sell it, or you have to sell it if you don't sell it! It's up to you! Big dog, Ermao, bring the land deed and let them press their fingerprints!"

Hearing Fan Jian's order, two people walked out behind them, holding the land deed and ink pad in their hands, ready to let the Chen brothers press their fingerprints.As a result, the Chen brothers naturally refused to follow, they called for help to the surrounding villagers.However, no one paid attention to it, and everyone was just watching the fun.Although many of them were relatives of the Chen brothers, Master Fan was not so easy to mess with.There's no point in offending Master Fan for these two fatherless children.

Seeing that the Chen family brothers were still making trouble, Fan Jian was not happy. He asked the healthy servants behind him to press down on Chen Bo and Chen She, picked up their fingers, dipped them in inkpad, and pressed them heavily on the land sale deed.Seeing that he finally fulfilled the wish of his ancestors, he emptied the Chen family's property and annexed their last land.Fan Jian's heart was as sweet as eating honey. He felt that he had a sense of accomplishment, and that he was able to fulfill the wishes of his ancestors.

Leaving three liang of silver as land purchase money, Fan Jian took his people and left.Seeing that there was nothing to see, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.In this hot weather, it is better to go back and wipe yourself with well water to feel more comfortable.

It's just that Fan Jian was happy, but Chen Bo and Chen She were not happy.After suffering on the ground for a while, they supported each other and stood up.Looking at Hougang Village, his eyes were full of hatred.And Fan Jian is their biggest enemy!

"Brother, what should we do? Our land is gone! The house at home has also been sold to buy medicine for Dad. Now we are homeless!"

Hearing what Chen She said, Chen Bo also had no idea.The Fan family is rich and powerful, how can my two brothers fight with others!While he was in distress, he suddenly thought of the rumors from Majia Village not long ago.

"Second brother, have you heard of the farmers' association? I heard that last month, bandits called farmers' associations came to Ma's village, and then ransacked the homes of several landlords and distributed a lot of land to tenants and poor households. , I heard that all the tenants who have no land in Majia Village have been paid!"

"Then let's go to the peasant association, and let the peasant association come to us to divide the land. It's best to divide all the fields of Fan Jian's family!" Chen She said excitedly.He seemed to see the hope of revenge.

"Well, that's right. Going to the peasant association is also a way out! But, let's take care of dad's funeral before!" Chen Bo said, clutching the three taels of silver in his hand.

"That's right. We'll go to Majia Village after finishing our father's funeral. Try to attract the farmers' association to our Hougang Village as soon as possible. Let's see how rampant Fan Jian will be then?" Chen She said viciously.

(End of this chapter)