from widow to dame

Chapter 14

Due to the matter of raising money, the entire Wang family fell into a depression, and Mrs. Pi didn't look good on anyone. She had probably borrowed money everywhere.Of course, the result could be seen in her dark face.In the early morning of this day, snowflakes began to float in the sky profusely, but within one morning, the entire yard was already covered with half a foot of snow.

Mrs. Pi was sitting in the stove smoking a cigarette pipe, and Wang Wuniang and Wang Liulang were sitting at the table with nothing to do, but Wang Dalang's family was not there. Hearing that Mrs. Tian had a heartache, she was already lying on the bed. for many days.Su Huiniang added two more firewood to the stove. The winter in this mountain valley is really cold. Just as the shriveled bupleurum was being burned in the hall, a man suddenly shouted from outside the yard: " Is this Wang Tiezhu's house?"

Pi Shi was slightly taken aback, Wang Tiezhu was the name of her dead old man.Wang Liulang couldn't stay still the most and was the first to rush out, and then jumped back a moment later in a hurry: "Mother, it's not good, it seems to be an official from the yamen."

Sure enough, after a while, a man and a woman walked in. The man in front was wearing a gray robe, a black hat on his head, a torture shackle in his left hand, and an iron chain in his right hand. A few days ago, when Pi saw him, his legs went limp on the spot.

"Huiniang..." At this moment, the woman behind the official called out emotionally.But I saw that she was about 46 years old, short in stature, wearing neat cotton clothes, but her face was yellow, and there was a look of sadness between her eyebrows.

Su Huiniang's heart skipped a beat, she acted in disbelief, and exclaimed, "Mom?"

When the woman heard this, her tears were falling down even more, Su Huiniang hurriedly stepped forward to support her, the mother and daughter on this side were hugging each other and crying, and Pi Shi and the others on the other side looked at each other quietly glance.

"Sister-in-law, don't cry now. When you finish your business, you and your family will be reunited." The official said in a deep voice.

Lin, who is Su Huiniang's mother, nodded.

"Huiniang, let me introduce you. This is your father's sworn brother. His surname is Chen. He was in Beijing on business. This time he was escorting prisoners from the imperial court. He passed by here and came to visit our family." Mrs. Lin These few words were spoken hesitantly, as if they were reciting something.Su Huiniang wiped her tears, and excitedly called out to the visitor: "Uncle Chen."

The official surnamed Chen almost nodded, then turned to look at Mrs. Pi and the others and said, "Which of you is the head of this family?"

After hearing what she said just now, Mrs. Pi already knew that the official was not here to arrest people, and she couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief. Although she wondered when the Su family, which was so poor that it was almost impossible to open the pot, had such a relative, but at this time she said : "Officials, please sit down, please sit down... This is my mother-in-law!" She raised her hand and was about to come over to pull Lin: "It's all a family, a family!"

"What kind of family?" The official surnamed Chen stretched out his hand, and instantly knocked down Pi's extended arm. He frowned and said, "To tell you the truth, the official is going to lead Hui Niang away today."

"What?" Mrs. Pi's face changed greatly when she heard this: "Su Huiniang is the daughter-in-law brought back by our Wang family. How can you... how can you just take it away."

"That's nonsense," the official said in a deep voice: "Huiniang is only 14 years old now, at the same age, what are you doing to keep your dead son as a widow? The official knows that your family gave the Su family two taels Silver as a dowry gift, today the official will give you five taels of silver, and it will all be regarded as redeeming Hui Niang to come out, and from now on, it will have nothing to do with you from bridge to bridge or road to road."

Hearing this, Mrs. Pi's heart was moved. Now is the time for her to ask for money urgently, and five taels of silver can be regarded as earned.The reason why she spent money to marry Su Huiniang in the first place was because she wanted to leave a burnt paper for her Shiro, and secondly, she hoped that Su Huiniang could serve their family.Sure enough, since Su Huiniang came in, she took care of all the housework. She was diligent and clean, but it saved me a lot of worry.Thinking of it this way, Pi Shi felt a little bit reluctant.

At this moment, Wang Dalang, who heard the noise, hurried in, followed by Tian, ​​who was holding the child.Seeing the official surnamed Chen standing there, they were all shocked.But all the poor people have a deep respect for the officials in their bones, so at this time, no matter what they think in their hearts, everyone in the Wang family shows a trembling look on their faces.

"Why, you didn't hear what the official said?" The official surnamed Chen put on a face, the iron chain in his hand rattled, and asked gloomily, "Or do you say you don't want to?"

"Ahem...official, official." Napi was terrified in his heart, but said: "Huiniang has been at our house for more than half a year. As a mother-in-law, I ask myself, I treat her better than my own daughter." Fortunately, um, let’s not talk about her food and living for the past six months, but when I got married, besides the two taels of silver, I also spent a lot on the matchmaker and the wedding sedan chair... It’s a lot of money Come down, at least...Pi's heart was hardened, he opened his mouth and said: "At least ten taels of silver. "

She had thought that the official would get angry, but she never thought that the other party would hesitate for a moment, and turned around to look at Su Huiniang.

"Ten taels of silver, plus the old house I live in now." Su Huiniang said calmly, "House deed, land deed, divorce letter, all three are indispensable."

"Siblings!" Wang Dalang yelled anxiously, but was glared fiercely by the official surnamed Chen.

That shabby house was full of money and it was not worth two taels of silver, Na Pi immediately nodded and said cheerfully: "Okay!"

Selling a "daughter-in-law" is a dishonorable thing, and Mrs. Pi didn't want to make it public, but the official clerk surnamed Chen opened his eyes wide and rattled the instruments of torture in his hand, so Mrs. Pi had no choice but to send Wang Dalang to invite her. Li from the village is coming.The old man was startled when he heard that there was an official messenger coming from the Wang family, and hurried towards this side with a few elders from the village.

The small stove of the Wang family was immediately crowded with people, and the official surnamed Chen showed a domineering look from beginning to end, even when he was talking to Li Zheng, he didn't raise his eyes. The more respect you have, the more scruples you look at Su Huiniang's mother and daughter.

"Since both of you agree..." Li Zheng's gray beard trembled wildly, and said, "Then write a letter of divorce!"

The writer was an old man in the village, to the effect that: Su Huiniang has been abandoned by the Wang family since today, and now the Wang family has issued a letter of divorce, allowing her to remarry, without any disputes, fear of future failures, and voluntary agreement According to this, the covenantee, Wang Silang's mother Pi, was on the eighth day of December in the third year of Darui.Afterwards, both parties pressed their fingerprints.There were three copies of the document, one was given to Su Huiniang, one was given to Wen Shi, and the last one was taken away by Li Zheng.After Xiu finished writing, Mrs. Pi took out the house deed and land deed of the old house and gave it to Su Huiniang. After confirming that it was correct, she carefully put it in her arms.

"Here, this is ten taels of silver, you take it!" The official surnamed Chen raised his hand, and the vagrant silver fell into Mrs. Pi's hand.

Seeing Yinzi Pi's face immediately burst into a smile, she glanced at Su Huiniang, and said, "My good boy, although you are no longer from our Wang family, I still treat you as my own girl. If you have any difficulties, just come to find your mother, we are still a family."

"Thank you, Aunt Pi, for your kindness." Su Huiniang said with a smile: "Your surname is Wang, and our surname is Su, but they are not considered a family. Don't say this in the future!"

Pi Shi's face froze when he heard the face's words, but seeing the official staring at her coldly, he laughed a couple of times without embarrassment, lowered his eyes, and stopped talking.In this way, after everything was settled properly, the official surnamed Chen rejected Li Zheng's invitation, and only said something softly to Mrs. Lin and Su Huiniang.Then, he said loudly to the crowd: "The official still has some work to do, so I'm leaving. My widow and niece may take root in the Wang family's cave in the future, and I need to rely on the support of all of you. "

After saying these words, the official surnamed Chen generously handed over five taels of silver to Lizheng, saying that he would ask him to take care of Su Huiniang and others, and he happily accepted it, and repeatedly stated that he would take a good look at it.

"My brother from the Su family and the official are brothers who knelt on the ground. Mrs. Lin is my sister-in-law, and Hui Niang is my niece. If the official finds out who bullied them..." The official surnamed Chen showed a murderous face, shook his hands and raised the iron chain, and with a bang, a hole was smashed into the whole ground. "

Everyone in the room was taken aback by this scene, their faces turned pale, and they trembled as if they were sifting chaff.

"That's it, sister-in-law, brother, I'm going now, and I'll come to see you after finishing my errands!" The official surnamed Chen clasped his old fists, and walked away under the fearful eyes of everyone.As he walked all the way, the wind was blowing fiercely, and the snow half a foot behind made creaking sounds under his feet, and the cold wind blowing on his face could not hide his shining eyes.

Not long after, he left the gate of the village, and his figure gradually disappeared.

"This is the remaining ten taels of silver." At some point, a thin figure appeared beside him.

The official surnamed Chen immediately took over, and his aura changed from the awe-inspiring aura just now to a bit wretched.

"Old Chen, I have played Wusheng on stage for half my life, and this is the first time I have acted in reality." The surnamed Chen said proudly: "I didn't see it, but those people were taken aback by me." I'm stunned."

"Stop talking nonsense, take the money and leave quickly. You also know that fake officials will lose your head. If someone finds out, hehe..."

The man surnamed Chen was stunned when he heard the words, since the money has been settled, he is going to go far away.

(End of this chapter)