Chapter 144 Ancient Farmer (1) (1/2)

Chapter 144 Ancient Farmer (1) (1/2)

The spring breeze was blowing, and the peach trees planted in the yard were blooming. Lin Shiheng was sitting in front of the window, and a pink petal happened to float into the house with the spring breeze.

This picture is beautiful no matter where it is placed, but it is a pity that the original owner does not think so.

The peach tree in the yard has been growing since he was born. I don’t know when it started. It’s crops, not fruit trees.

But for the original owner, this peach tree represents himself who was admitted to the scholar examination but failed repeatedly.

The flowers bloomed early but did not bear fruit for a long time.

The place where Lin Shiheng is now is a place called Linyang Village, and the house he is staying in is the old house of the Lin family.

There are three sons in the Lin family. The eldest and second son are ordinary farmers. Only the third son, the original owner, is loved by his parents the most because he has a son from his parents. He was fair when he was a child and does not look like him. He is a person who can work in the fields to make a living, and because his parents are old, Lin's father and Lin's mother are afraid that their youngest son will go west before they grow up and have no support. After thinking about it, they decided to send him to the town to study.

The original owner was really quite smart, because his elderly parents used to coax him when he was young, saying that he could only live a good life if he studied hard, and they thought hard about it.

At the age of thirteen, he passed the examination to become a scholar.

As the territory of the Ye Kingdom grew larger, there were naturally more scholars, including a few young ones. When the late emperor was there, there was even a 14-year-old number one scholar.

But in remote areas, such a young scholar is very rare. Especially since he passed the exam in the first time, he is even more rare.

When the news that he was admitted as a scholar at the age of thirteen came out, it almost caused a sensation in the entire Linyang Village. Everyone was saying that the Lin family was very lucky and that an official would be born in the future.

The original owner who could become an official in the future was naturally promoted to the sky. He did not travel far, and the husband who taught him was just an old scholar throughout his life. He did not know that there is a sky outside the world and there are people outside the world. Listen to others. If you say that he is a child prodigy that is rare in a thousand years, you really believe it.

Since then, he has not studied so hard, but has put in a lot of effort on his own.

The pen, ink, paper and inkstone must be of the best, and the robe and blue shirt must be spotless. Coupled with his handsome face, it is indeed a beautiful scenery in the dusty countryside.

It's a pity that no matter how beautiful you are, if you don't have ink in your belly, you still won't be able to pass the exam.

He took the exam from the age of thirteen to the age of twenty-two. At this age when others had three children, the original owner failed to find a wife because of the exam.

Of course, it’s not that others look down on him. Although he failed to pass the imperial examination, he is still a scholar. If he is willing to put down the imperial examination and work as an accountant in the town, or open a school, he will always make more money than foraging for food in the fields. He was a strong farmer, not to mention his face, which attracted the attention of many girls in the village.

The original owner remained unmarried because he was unwilling to do so.

He was good-looking and talented, so why should he marry an illiterate country girl? As for the good-looking merchant girl, it was not like no one came to inquire about him when he first became a scholar, but the original owner did not like the merchant at that time. I want to marry a rich, powerful, and good-looking official daughter.

Now that he is older and has failed the exam, he wants to settle down and marry a merchant's daughter. He is also a shrewd man, so he is not willing to marry his daughter to a farmer's son who has not passed the imperial examination for nine years.

The girls in the village didn't dislike the original owner, but he himself looked down on him.

There would have been no problem if he continued like this, but when he was twenty-two years old, when Lin's father went out to drive the cart, the cow was frightened for some reason, and he fell from it.

Father Lin is now sixty years old. In this era, half of his feet are already in the coffin. He was almost killed by such a fall. The doctor who was invited did not say that it could not be cured, only that he could not be cured. It costs a lot of money, and even if it is cured, you will not be able to do hard work in the future, you can only take a good rest.

As soon as these words came out, Lin Da and Lin Er were hesitant.

They were unwilling to let their biological father see a doctor. They were all from the countryside, and their families were not very wealthy to begin with. They spent a lot of money to see a doctor, and what they got in return was not a strong laborer but a sick child, who would have to be taken care of by someone else in the future. It's really not necessary.

Of course, their behavior was not obvious, it was all their daughter-in-law's behavior. Lin Da and Lin Er just didn't stand on their parents' side when their daughter-in-law was talking.

But even this was enough to chill Mother Lin.

The parents worked hard to raise their sons, feed them, clothe them, and start a family for them. But when something happened to their biological father, the sons actually didn't want him to come back to life.

To Mother Lin's relief, her beloved youngest son firmly stood by her side and expressed that he must let his biological father see a doctor.

In fact, the original owner was not as filial as Mother Lin thought. He had never worked in the fields since he could remember. He relied entirely on family support to buy brushes, rice paper, books, clothes, and travel expenses for his exams. These were all paid for by his parents.

The eldest and second brothers have always complained about him spending money to study. If his father really leaves, Mother Lin may not be able to support the second and second bedrooms alone. Who will support him then?

This farce caused by Lin's father needing medical treatment finally ended with the separation of the family.

Mother Lin was disillusioned with her two sons and asked the elders of the clan and neighbors to testify. The Lin family was divided, and the eldest and second bedrooms lived alone, while the two elders lived with their younger son.

This was something the original owner didn't expect.

He just wanted his parents to continue to support him, but he didn't expect that the job of supporting his parents, which should have been given to his eldest brother, actually fell on him. He simply regretted it.

After Lin's father was cured, he could no longer do heavy work. Lin's mother had to take care of the fields and her husband. Originally, he only needed to stay in the room and study. He also needed to take care of the housework. In just a few days, he could no longer maintain his previous noble character. Image, exhausted and exhausted.

Finally, when Lin's mother cautiously proposed to hire a wife for him to come back and take care of the housework, she had no choice but to reluctantly agree because she didn't want to do housework anymore.

The daughter-in-law I married is eighteen years old. The reason why she is not married even after she turns eighteen is because her parents are very poor. Although her father is a good person, what is the use of being nice? He is poor.

Secondly, because her mother died early, people would not dare to marry a daughter without a mother's upbringing. Furthermore, there was a rumor in the village that this girl was blocking her father from doing good deeds, so she must be an unkind person, so some People who are afraid that if they marry a bad woman and come back to make trouble, they don’t dare to marry her.

Third, it was because the girl's mother had been married for ten years and passed away with her as a single child. People were afraid that the girl would follow her mother and not give birth to a boy.

In short, all the circumstances combined made this eighteen-year-old girl become an old girl who could not get married.

The original owner didn't want to marry her, but he needed someone to support him, so he married her coldly.

You know that he doesn't like her, and of course he won't give her a good look.

After the girl got married, she worked almost every day, taking care of the fields, serving her parents-in-law, and providing for her husband. The original owner disliked her for being illiterate. Although she was good-looking, she was a country girl and didn't care about sex. This made her unable to get pregnant for three years after her marriage. , with great difficulty, the original owner passed the exam and became pregnant. She thought the hard days were coming to an end, but what she waited for was a letter of divorce.

The original owner has disliked this wife for more than a day or two. Before, he still needed her to provide for him. Even if he disliked her, he would not divorce her. Now that he has gained the title of Juren and is once again in the enviable sight of everyone, naturally he does not want to wrong himself anymore. .

He is not stupid, he knows that it is not good to divorce his wife as soon as he is admitted to the imperial examination. In addition, he dislikes the sick Lin's father. After he has a lover outside, he and his lover carefully design a "daughter-in-law kills father-in-law" case.

Then, he got his wish by sending his daughter-in-law to prison and getting rid of Lin's father, a burden.

After that, he never passed the exam again and remarried his original lover, the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

I thought I could enjoy it in the future, but because my lover's family was rich, I developed a domineering attitude. She also took advantage of the fact that he killed his father and framed his wife. Even though he couldn't give birth, he still suppressed him and refused to accept it. concubine.

For ancient times, not being able to have children of one's own was the biggest punishment. The original owner dreamed back countless times at midnight and regretted that he had ignored his wife's pregnancy and framed him. If he wanted to frame him, he should have waited until the child was born before taking action.

When he was in his forties, he was so angry that he discovered a lover's affair, and he died of pain not long after.

【Ding! This small world mission: Protect Li Lanlan, current completion level: 0]

Li Lanlan was the first wife who had devoted herself to taking care of her husband and his parents-in-law for three years, but was beaten up again.

Lin Shiheng was a little surprised, [The original owner didn't seem like someone who would give up his soul to protect others. 】

[His wish is to kill and marry his wife and adulterer, and his mission to protect Li Lanlan is to release the system. The two cannot be confused. 】

[Okay, I got it, you can withdraw. 】

Another peach blossom floated in along the wind. Lin Shiheng held the petals, placed them gently on the table, and stood up again.

There happened to be an old lady walking in with bowls and chopsticks outside. She saw her son getting up, and a smile appeared on her face: "Shi Heng has finished reading so early today? Come and eat."

Because Lin's father was still recuperating in bed and Lin's mother had to take care of him, the original owner ate in his room.

Lin Shiheng took a look at the food she brought and saw that it was white-flour steamed buns, a bowl of porridge and a few side dishes. He asked, "Mom, what did you and my dad eat? These white-flour buns are expensive, so you can give them to my dad." Well, the doctor said he needs to take a good rest."

Mother Lin's nose felt sour when she heard her youngest son's words.

In fact, what she and the old man ate was not very good, just a little gruel. They were old and were reluctant to eat something too good. They gave their son white-flour steamed buns and they had nothing to eat, so they just went to their house with the gruel. At that time, I happened to meet the boss. Although the family was divided, because they had no money to build a house, they still lived in the same house, but they didn't cook together. As a result, the boss saw that they were not eating well, so he didn't ask a question and just let him go. Mother Lin, who was already feeling cold, was heartbroken.

When the sons were young, the two elders spared no effort to harm their sons. However, when they grew up, they actually managed to kill their own father.

They married their two sons and helped them raise their grandchildren. But when the end came, they were so eager to leave the third child to them. How could they not be heartbroken?

Unexpectedly, the younger son, who had never seen what they were eating, thought of this.

Mother Lin felt a little comforted, thinking that at least she still had a filial son, and the smile on her face became a little happier, "It's okay, mother and father eat well. Studying is a waste of brains. You eat better, I will You and your dad will be happy."

"There's no need to eat so well, the situation at home is like this." Lin Shiheng took the bowl of porridge on the plate and put some vegetables in the bowl, "I don't do any physical work every day, so eating these is enough, and the rest You can eat it.”

Seeing that Lin's mother wanted to say more, he took the plate with a smile: "It's okay, mother. I'm so old, how can I starve myself? I'll go to the county this afternoon to see if I can find a job copying books. If I find it, I can buy good medicine for my father."

Lin's mother's heart, which was stabbed by her two sons, softened after the youngest son said such filial words. Her eyes were red, and she wiped them with the corner of her clothes and said: "Didn't you say before that it was a disgrace for scholars to copy books to make money? My family is not so poor, so don't lose your reputation for the family."

"It's okay, mother."

The original owner lied to his family that copying books to make money was a disgrace. After all, he just wanted to be supported and didn't want to work so hard to make money.

Lin Shiheng came back directly: "Now that the family is divided, my parents are relying on me alone, and my father is bedridden. As a son, I will be ridiculed if I do nothing. Now I am copying books to buy medicine for my father, which can only benefit my reputation."

Lin's mother was relieved, "Then don't take too many jobs, don't get tired."

"Don't worry, mother, I still have to take care of you and dad. Now my son has no ability, so I will trouble you two to accompany my son to suffer together. In the future, I will make sure that you and my father enjoy happiness in glory and comfort."

This moved Lin's mother again. While being moved, she thought of the two unfilial sons in the family.

When the family was divided, they didn't say much, but the two daughters-in-law were shouting that they were partial to the younger son and loved the younger one. Lin's mother admitted that it was mostly because she felt that the younger son suffered.

She gave birth to the eldest son at the age of sixteen, and the second son at the age of eighteen. After that, she did not get pregnant for more than ten years. She and her old man used all the money they had worked hard all their lives to help their two sons get married and start a family.

When they had almost spent all the savings they had saved for their sons, the youngest son came.

The youngest son was born at the age of thirty-seven. At that time, the eldest and the second son had become fathers, and the nephew was older than the uncle. There were a lot of children in the family, and they took care of them all together. Naturally, they could not be as careful as the first two.

Later, when the youngest son grew up, she and the old man could not take out the savings for many years to marry him off and have children. The first two older ones took advantage, so what was wrong with them loving the younger one a little more?

No matter how much pain she felt in her heart, at least she was impartial on the surface. There was a younger son, and there were older and younger wives. The money for sending the younger son to school was more, but that was also earned by their hard work, and they didn't spend a penny of the older and younger wives' money. If they really had to compare, they spent much more money on the older and younger sons than on the younger son. Why did they resent their parents?

They even resented it so much that they stopped their father from seeing a doctor.

Lin's father was capable. When he was young, he worked as a peddler and saved a fortune. Later, he bought a cow. The family raised pigs, chickens and farmed. On weekdays, he drove a cow cart to pull goods to make money. The money for the treatment would empty all the savings of the two elders, but it would not affect the older and younger wives. Why did they stop him? It was because they were afraid that all the money would be used to treat their father's illness, and they would not inherit the money when they died in the future.

For money, they didn't want their father anymore.

In fact, if Lin's father was awake at that time, he might not want to treat him. Parents don't want to be a burden to their children, not to mention that he is old enough. But he was not awake at that time. Lin's mother was grieving and prepared not to treat him. Then she met the two daughters-in-law who couldn't wait to stand up and express their opinions. She was so angry that she said that she had to treat him.

She thought of the two unfilial sons hiding behind their daughters-in-law and letting them speak up while they kept silent. She shed two more tears. Then she thought of her youngest son who didn't want to eat white flour buns and gave them to the two old people, and she felt a little comforted.

The mother was angry. The two ungrateful wolves were unfilial, but she and the old man didn't care!

In the future, she would just think that she only gave birth to Shi Heng as a son and only be his mother!

The more she thought about it, the better her youngest son was. Lin's mother suddenly thought of what she had asked the matchmaker to inquire about before.

The matchmaker said before, it seems to be the girl from the Li family at the west end of the village, right?

I heard that she is a good worker. She is a little old, but there is nothing to choose from given the current family situation. It is better to settle down early and marry her home. With a wife to take care of her, Shi Heng will not be so tired.

Mother Lin was thinking about something, so she asked her son: "Shi Heng, what do you think of the girl from the Li family? I have seen her several times. She is very pretty and hardworking. She is a perfect match for you."

She thought her son would be a little unhappy, after all, he had always wanted to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official. Unexpectedly, Lin Shi Heng paused slightly, "The Li family?"

"Okay, then I will trouble you."

He was so straightforward that Lin's mother, who was prepared, was a little confused. She looked up and glanced at her son carefully, and asked: "Shi Heng, I know you don't want to marry a girl from the village. This time, your father and I are dragging you down."

" Mother, what are you talking about? "

Lin Shiheng frowned slightly and said in a gentle voice: "I think that husband and wife are one body, and we cannot marry an illiterate person. How can it be a burden or not? If the girl from the Li family agrees, I will naturally teach her to read when she enters the house. By then, it will be no different from marrying a girl from an official family."

Mother Lin felt better. She was soft-hearted and always obeyed her husband. The most powerful time in her life was probably the last separation. Now that her husband is still lying, she naturally listens to her son. As soon as Lin Shiheng agreed, she immediately went to the matchmaker's house and asked her to help ask the Li family for their opinions.

If it were someone else's family, maybe the matchmaker's trip would have been in vain. After all, everyone knows the situation of the Lin family now. A poor scholar who failed the exam and is unwilling to do other things to make money, with two 60-year-old old men and two brothers who don't help him. , one of whom still needs to take medicine to support her, but any family who loves their daughter will not marry her off.

But now the only widower in the Li family is Father Li. How can he understand the twists and turns of the man's family? When he heard the matchmaker praise Lin Shiheng so highly that he was the only scholar in the village, he felt a little moved. In addition, the matchmaker wanted to express his gratitude to Lin Shiheng. The matchmaker specifically focused on Li's father's weaknesses and said, "Now that the old Lin family is sick in bed and has no one to take care of them, how much they need someone, Li's father's heart softens immediately."

He is a kindhearted person in the village, and he is also a fool who talks behind the three aunts and six women's backs. In order to do good deeds, he can endure hunger by himself, even without a blanket. Now, in order to do good deeds, he has promised his daughter out. .

Even out of concern for the Lin family's hardship, the betrothal gift was just a bit of a show-off.

The matchmaker was very proud and said it was a good match, but she was also a little worried that Li Lanlan would go home and find out that her biological father had "sent her out for good deeds" and regretted the marriage. On the way back, she went to find people in the village to tell them about the happy event of Lin and Li's marriage. In this way, even if Li Lanlan knew that the Lin family was a fire pit, she would still have to jump. By the time she got home, the news had spread throughout the village.

Li Lanlan went to work in the fields early in the morning. She worked hard until it was almost dark before walking back with farm tools on her back. She made pancakes yesterday for today's day's work, but she didn't know until she left the house in the morning that the pancakes had been taken out by her own father. I went to the man at the end of the village who broke his leg. He said that this man was the only breadwinner in their family and their life was very difficult. He wanted to help him.

She almost lost her temper and cried. That family was in trouble, so wouldn't their own family be in trouble? There were only two people doing the farm work at home. She was still a girl with little strength, so she finally made money through hard work. Li's father turned around and took pity on others and sent them away. What he did was that Li Lanlan was clearly in his own home, and he had to hide the money after making it. She was afraid that her father would know that farm work was tiring easily, so she made the pancakes just because she was afraid that she would be too tired to hold on. However, Li's father gave them to others.

Li Lanlan simply couldn't figure out why Li's father was willing to give his love to unrelated people, but couldn't understand her.

Because there were no cakes today, she felt her eyes darken several times. When she walked back, she was not in good spirits. She was feeling uncomfortable when a young girl wearing floral clothes ran over with a look of pride on her face: "Li Lanlan, Congratulations, I really didn’t expect you to be able to marry a scholar, but we are so envious.”

She spoke of envy, but her face was full of gloating. Li Lanlan was shocked and stopped, "What did you say?"

"You don't know yet? Your father has promised you to a scholar from the Lin family, the newly separated Lin family. He lives with his parents alone."

Li Lanlan was in no mood to argue with this girl. She hurried home all the way and asked directly: "Dad, did you really promise me to the Lin family?"

Father Li was drinking water. He stood up and laughed after hearing this: "No, the Lin family is not having a good life now. I heard that the old man is ill and needs people to take care of him, so he can't spare any money. The Lin family's scholar is a weak scholar and can't do it." When I was doing farm work, a matchmaker came to me, so I thought, isn’t this a good thing, so I agreed.”

Li Lanlan almost fainted. She had never met Lin Shiheng. She had only heard about the situation of the Lin family. People in the village were saying that it was difficult for the scholar to find a wife. With the situation in his family, no one dared to marry his daughter.

This is her father.

Her biological father.

The village knew that the Lin family was not doing well, so they all avoided letting their daughter go. However, her biological father insisted on letting her marry him just to do good things for him.

Li Lanlan closed her eyes and hid the tears in her eyes. The hope she had for her biological father gradually cooled down. When she opened her eyes again, there was only a feeling of indifference.

"Okay, I'll get married. You tell them to get married. The sooner the better."

After she gets married, she will definitely take care of her husband, serve her parents-in-law, and be a down-to-earth wife of the Lin family, as Li's father wishes.

It's just that in the future, if her father does something good and leaves her without food or clothing, she won't care about it anymore.