Description [Edit]
There were two daughters in Jiang Family. Each of them was as beautiful as flowers and jades.
Time had caught up with the famine season. One must be sold to survive.
Jiang Yun Zhu pulled the shorter stick and was taken away by a human broker.
Seven years later, Jiang Yun Zhu's face was even brighter. She was dressed in rich clothes and surrounded by servants.
At this time, she was already the young madam of Marquis An Ping Manor. It went without saying, she was extremely honorable.
It turned out that the human broker sold her to Marquis An Ping Manor back then.
At this time, Jiang Yun Xiu's face was battered by wind and frost. Every day, she worried about firewood and rice.
After receiving the brocade handed over by her elder sister, Jiang Yun Xiu gritted her teeth until blood came out. If she was the one who was taken away by the human broker…
Returning to the day of drawing lots, Jiang Yun Xiu snatched the short stick first. This time, she wanted to be the one above others.
Jiang Yun Zhu smilingly took the long stick. She thought it was so easy to go from a maid to the Young Madam of Marquis Manor?
Note: The wealth and honor in the heroine's dream was earned by her own struggle, not by being sold.
Don't get sold, live even better!
Chapter 1
It was the busy autumn season for farmers. But at this time, the people of Qinghe Village were all looking around at Jiang's house in the north of the village.
First, a few servants on tall horses led the way, and then a carriage slowly followed. The carriage was covered with bright jade and bead curtains. Even the horses that pull the carriage were plated with gold and silver. Indescribably luxurious and rich.
Some didn't know the situation, asked, "Who is this? Jiang Family have such relatives?"
"That's Jiang Family's daughter. I think she's called Jiang Yun Zhu. I heard that she was sold out in the early years. I haven't seen her for a few years. Who would have thought that she would become Young Madam of the Marquis's Manor. She is truly a person above people. The wealth is extraordinary." Someone lamented. Don't know whether they were lamenting Jiang Yun Zhu's fate or lamenting that they didn't have such a good daughter.
The carriage stopped at the gate of Jiang's house. Five or six maids stepped forward immediately, surrounding a young gentleman and a slim lady. They entered the courtyard.
With a glimpse, everyone saw the appearance of the young gentleman and the beauty.
"That's the gentleman of Marquis Manor. He looks really handsome!"
"I just glimpsed Jiang Family's girl. Tsk tsk, she looks like a celestial lady. No wonder she can be the young madam of Marquis Manor."
"How did Jiang Family give birth to such a daughter?"
...
Everyone was envious and jealous. There were many discussions. In the crowd, Jiang Yun Xiu clenched her teeth so hard that she almost bled. This carriage, this wealth, even that handsome man. She could have had it, as long as...
"Mother has wronged you. You guys choose one. Whether you're staying or going, it's fate." With tearful eyes, Mrs. Chen stretched out both hands forward. In each hands, she holds a dead branch stick with only a little exposed. The two branches were of different lengths. Whoever chooses the long branch will stay, and whoever chooses the short branch will leave with the broker.
The vision in front of her was spinning. Jiang Yun Zhu collected herself and saw clearly what was in front of her.
Three mud-tiled houses and a small courtyard were both real and a little unfamiliar. This seemed to be the yard she lived in when she first came to this world. What was going on? Wasn't she already married and had become the young madam of Marquis Anping Manor?
"Yun Zhu, your illness is still not cured. You choose first." Mrs. Chen spoke.
Jiang Family had two daughters. The eldest daughter, Jiang Yun Zhu, was 16 years old. The second daughter, Jiang Yun Xiu, was 15 years old. Two daughters, the palms and backs were both flesh. Mrs. Chen felt pained. But there was no other way now. Have to sell one.
In fact, Mrs. Chen preferred to let Jiang Yun Zhu stay, because she had just suffered a serious illness a few days ago. She was so burnt silly. If she was sold, it would be very difficult for her to survive.
But as soon as she thought of her staying and Jiang Yun Xiu leaving, Mrs. Chen wished she could take back what she had just said. She couldn't bear to part with any of them.
Jiang Yun Zhu looked at the two sticks in Mrs. Chen's hand. Finally, she confirmed that this was indeed the moment when she first transmigrated to this world.
She clearly remembered these two sticks. The one on the left was short, and the one on the right was long. At that time, she chose the one on the left and was sold into Marquis Anping Manor as a maid.
Once she left, it had been seven years. Everything was vivid in her mind. But why did she return to this moment again.
A dream that lasts merely a millet soup's cooking time?
Jiang Yun Zhu hesitated.
But someone next to her became impatient, "Hurry up, what time is it? I'm still waiting to go back." A powdered woman urged Jiang Yun Zhu first before speaking to Mrs. Chen, "Sister, I say, you shouldn't cry. Yes, six silver liang is a lot. You can ask around. Right now, two silver liang can buy a grown girl. How many people want to sell but can't! If it wasn't due to seeing how pleasing to my eyes two daughters are, would I give you such a high price? "
Speaking of here, the woman's eyes spun. She took Mrs. Chen's hand and eagerly suggested, "Sister, if it were me, why draw a lot. How about you sell them both to me? Following me, both will have good days coming. Isn't it better than starving and freezing with you? Thirteen liangs! Sell them both to me. They will have a way out and you will have a better life, right?"
The more the woman talked, the more excited she became. The two daughters of Jiang Family were so lovely. They were fifteen or sixteen years old, like the dewdrops on the peach blossoms in the morning. As long as she buys them, she can make a fortune by reselling them.
Mrs. Chen quickly shook her head violently. Selling one would be helplessness, but selling two would be a loss of conscience.
The woman's hope was in vain. She secretly cursed in her heart. What a brainless person. On the surface, she only urged, "Then hurry up. Which one will you sell to me?"
Mrs. Chen looked at Jiang Yun Zhu and motioned for her to choose.
At this time, Jiang Yun Zhu had come to her senses. No matter if it was a dream or something, life still had to be lived.
After hesitating for a moment, she reached out to Chen's left hand. She wasn't from this world. The original owner was dead. Since she used this body, she should pay back her parents. Besides, if everything was really like the dream, then she had already experienced it once. This time, it should be easier.
Beside her, Jiang Yun Xiu's complexion dramatically changed. Just now, she experienced a life transition from great sadness to great joy.. She couldn't believe it. Heaven really gave her a chance to start again. This time, she would never be a peasant woman in a mountain village!
She wanteds wealth and glory. She wanted brocade clothes and fine food.
As long as she gets the stick on the left, she will be sold into the Marquis of Anping. Then she will have everything that Jiang Yun Zhu had before.
She had thought about it more than once. Now it is finally coming true!
Thinking of this, she took a step ahead of Jiang Yun Zhu and grabbed Mrs. Chen's left hand, "Mother, I will choose this branch."
Suppressing her excitement, she declared.
"Yun Xiu." Mrs. Chen was surprised. She didn't know which stick was longer and which was shorter. Right now, Jiang Yun Zhu was choosing and she had already chosen the stick in her left hand. Why would Jiang Yun Xiu snatch?
Though Jiang Yun Xiu didn't have any malicious intentions, she seemed to be stimulated. Suddenly, she loudly complained, "Mother, why did you let Elder Sister choose first? Can't you let me choose first?"
That was right. Jiang Yun Xiu resented Mrs. Chen. In the previous life, she stayed by Mrs. Chen and Jiang Cheng's side and was filial to them. She took care of her younger siblings and obeyed their words. She married that worthless Xu Qing Shan. But them? Jiang Yun Zhu was always on their minds.
Thinking about what she was doing, whether she was fed and clothed.
When in fact, she was eating delicious food and merrily drinking every day in Marquis Anping Manor, while they ate bran and swallowed vegetables every day in the village.
So what did she count as? What did her contribution count as?
And when Jiang Yun Zhu came back and became a noble madam, she was no longer in their eyes.
They were both daughters. And they treated her like this?
This time she must replace Jiang Yun Zhu and live that kind of rich life. No one can stop her, otherwise she will fight them!
The more she thought about it, the more Jiang Yun Xiu felt annoyed. She directly squeezed Mrs. Chen's hand, and pulled out the stick from her hand.
Mrs. Chen's hand hurt from being pinched. She stared at Jiang Yun Xiu in disbelief.
Jiang Yun Xiu didn't care about her. She was fixated on the stick in her hand. It was the short branch. It was really the short branch. Everything was true. She was going to be the young manor of Marquis Manor.
Though Jiang Yun Xiu's eyes were red, she was smiling. This reaction looked strangely distorted.
Mrs. Chen only felt that Jiang Yun Xiu in front of her was very unfamiliar. As if she was not her daughter at all.
Jiang Yun Zhu had noticed Jiang Yun Xiu's abnormality. In everyone's general perception, being sold was tantamount to suffering. The better ones were sold to rich people as maidservants. They got beaten and scolded at every turn. Their life and death were up to another. The lowly ones and the unlucky ones were directly sold into brothels. Their lives were ruined.
In her dream, she was sold to the Marquis of Anping. The bitterness of it wasn't enough for outsiders to understand.
That was why she thought she'd better choose the short branch.
Now? Wasn't Jiang Yun Xiu afraid of being sold before? Why did she suddenly snatch the stick in Mrs. Chen's left hand? And she was ecstatic to find that it was a short stick inside.
Thinking of the experience in the dream, Jiang Yun Zhu raised her eyebrows. It couldn't be that Jiang Yun Xiu had a similar dream?
She remembered that Jiang Yun Xiu was very dissatisfied with her in the dream. She had once said in front of her face that if she had been the first to choose at that time, maybe she would be the young madam of Marquis Manor now.
What's more, she seemed to try to seduce Lin Ting An. But at that time her face weathered a lot of experience. Her blooming period was long gone. How could Lin Ting An possibly fall in love with her?
Interesting. Jiang Yun Zhu didn't move and continued to watch.
"Mother, I chose the short stick." At this moment, Jiang Yun Xiu had calmed down and said to Mrs. Chen as if declaring.
"Yun Xiu." Chen was very worried about her.
"Jiang Yun Zhu, I chose the short stick." Jiang Yun Xiu directed at Jiang Yun Zhu. When she said this, her chin was slightly raised. Ambition reached the max. Heaven favored her. This time it was finally time for her to be beautiful and prosperous and fro Jiang Yun Zhu to roll in the mud.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Yun Zhu finally confirmed her guess just now. It seemed that she had indeed had a similar dream.
Thinking of all kinds of things in the Marquis Anping Manor, she smiled. Jiang Yun Xiu really wanted the life in her dream?
Then she will give it to her. Just hope that she won't regret it by then!
The matter was settled like this. The two parties wrote a contract and the money was delivered. Jiang Yun Xiu packed up her things and left with the woman.
Jiang Yun Xiu didn't bring anything except the clothes on her body. From her point of view, these things in the house had a poor aura. Carrying them would make people look down upon her.
Before leaving, she said to Jiang Yun Zhu, "Elder Sister, if you can't live on in the future, come and beg me." If she is in a good mood, she might reward her with a few liang of silver. Just the way she gave her stuff like satin in the past.
Beg her? The corners of Jiang Yun Zhu's lips rose. She thought it was so easy for a maid to become Marquis Manor's young madam?
Besides, why would she beg her? Her good life had just begun!
Long after Jiang Yun Xiu left, Mrs. Chen was still standing at the gate, as if she could wait for her to come back this way.
Jiang Yun Zhu knew she was sad and didn't bother her.
The sun was slightly slanting. Autumn sun that shone on people was warm. Jiang Yun Zhu looked up. Seeing the high sky and calm clouds, her heart instantly opened up. This long-lost sense of freedom really made people extremely happy.
That's right. Jiang Yun Zhu didn't miss the life in the Marquis Anping Manor at all. Including her husband Lin Ting An who everyone admired.
To her, it was like a prison. Originally, she thought about how she would escape if she entered the Marquis Manor this time. Now everything was all right. A lot of effort was saved.
But right now she had an urgent problem to solve.
The past two years Changfeng had been severely affected by disasters. Last year, there was a severe drought and no crops were harvested. This year, there was drought and locust plagues. How serious was this disaster? Summer was the time when plants were lush, but when one looked around, there was no green at all. Bare ground for thousands of miles around.
The people were destitute and homeless. Countless people died of thirst and starvation.
It was also because of this that hardworking couple Jiang Cheng and Mrs. Chen were forced to sell their daughter to live.
Jiang Yun Zhu thought, can't stay in this Changfeng anymore.
One, the disaster here was too serious. There was an old saying, rather be a dog of peace than a person in troubled times. She felt this was very reasonable. If the society was stable and the people live and work in peace and contentment, then a dog may eat meat. Just like modern society.
Conversely, if the society was in turmoil and the people were poor, no matter how hard a person works, it will be difficult to live the life he wants.
So if they want to live a good life, they must first move to a rich place.
Another point, she remembered that there would still be a drought in Changfeng next year.
Jiang Family will go to flee when the mountains are poor and rivers run out next year. That was why she couldn't contact them when she wanted to after she gained a firm foothold in the Marquis Anping Manor in her dream.
Since this was the case, why not switch from being passive into taking initiative and move in advance?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yun Zhu wandered around in the yard.
Soon, she found Jiang Cheng, who was squatting with his head drooped under the back eaves. He was this body's father.
Afraid of embarrassing Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yun Zhu backed away. Then she deliberately made her steps heavy and walked over there.
Hearing footsteps, Jiang Cheng quickly wiped his eyes, and stood up.
"Father, I know you're sad. But things are already like this. Let's think about what to do in the future. As for Yun Xiu, I think we will meet her again in the future." Jiang Yun Zhu persuaded. She was telling the truth.
Jiang Cheng thought she was comforting him. How could they possibly see their sold daughter again.
"It's Father who wronged you guys." Jiang Cheng spoke. It was him who was useless.
Jiang Yun Zhu didn't want to talk about this topic. In famine years, people exchanging their children for food happened.
Jiang Cheng was silent for a while, thinking that it was time to think about the future. He already lost one daughter and didn't want to lose another.
"Don't worry. With these six liang, we should be able to last until next year when we are frugal with the expenses. Once next year's spring..."
"What if there is still a severe drought next year?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked.
Jiang Cheng was stunned by the question and subconsciously wanted to answer 'How is that possible.' But when he thought about the severe drought last year and the severe drought and locust plague this year, it seems that next year's severe drought wasn't impossible.
That's right, what if there was a severe drought next year? He froze.
Jiang Yun Zhu waited for him to come back to his senses.
After a while, Jiang Cheng responded, "Call your mother and Jiang Lin and the others over. Let's have a good discussion."
Jiang Family didn't only have two daughters, Jiang Yun Zhu and Jiang Yun Xiu, but also two sons and a daughter- Jiang Lin, Jiang Yun Xue, and Jiang Wu. It was just that they were too young. During this time, no one wanted them even when given to others for free.
Jiang Yun Zhu nodded and went to call Mrs. Chen and others.
After a while, the whole family gathered in the house.
Jiang Yun Zhu held Jiang Wu's hand and entered the room.
Jiang Wu was only six years old this year. Quite healthy and cute.
Both Jiang Cheng and Mrs. Chen had good looks. Jiang Cheng had a typical square face, while Mrs. Chen had the gentleness of a Jiangnan water town and fair skin. So the children of Jiang Family were all very good-looking. When Jiang Yun Zhu saw Jiang Wu, she was fond of him.
Unfortunately, in the dream, he seemed to have died on the way to seeking refuge.
That was right, if going according to the situation in the dream, Jiang Family will wait until next year when the money is spent before fleeing. Jiang Wu was so young, it was normal that he can't hold on.
Fortunately, it shouldn't happen now.
Jiang Yun Zhu clenched Jiang Wu's hand. Jiang Wu leaned against her leg and blinked his big round eyes. He seemed to sense that something happened at home
"Family Head." Chen didn't know what happened and asked Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng repeated what Jiang Yun Zhu said just now and asked her what she thought.
Mrs. Chen was at a loss. Will there be a severe drought next year? Lord Heaven just won't give people a way to survive! But now that it was autumn and there was no sign of rain at all. Maybe it will really happen next year...
She didn't dare to think about it before. She always hoped that it would be better next year. But now someone pointed it out, it was like she awakened from a dream.
What to do? She looked at Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng turned to Jiang Yun Zhu. He felt that after this incident, she seemed to have grown up a lot.
Father, Mother, I think we should move. More accurately fleeing from disaster." Jiang Yun Zhu's words were surprising.
"Move? Where will we move to?" Mrs. Chen subconsciously refused. She knew the pain of being displaced. At that time, she and old Father Chen fled to Jinniu Village. After finally taking root here, she didn't want to leave here.
Jiang Yun Zhu turned to Jiang Cheng. She felt that he would support her.
Yes, Jiang Cheng understood the reasons. A tree moves, it dies; a person moves, it's alive.
He discussed with Mrs. Chen in a hushed voice- if there was another drought next year, they will definitely not be able to hold on. Even if there was no drought, their life will certainly not be easy.
It was already autumn, but there was no sign of rain at all. Jiang Cheng felt that there was a high chance of drought next year.
The more Mrs. Chen listened, the redder her eyes became. She knew that Jiang Cheng was right.
By evening, Jiang Family had reached an agreement that they were going to move.
"Pack up. Let's head out these two days." Jiang Cheng declared.
"These two days?" Jiang Yun Zhu didn't expect Jiang Cheng to be in such a hurry.
Jiang Cheng responded, "It's already autumn. It's going to get colder and colder. We better find a place to stay before winter begins." Otherwise, they'll freeze to death if there's no roof to cover them in the cold weather.
This was reasonable. Jiang Yun Zhu understood.
Jiang Family immediately got busy and prepared to leave Changfeng.
As for where to go, they wanted to go south. First, there was a lot of rain in the south. Second, the temperature became warmer as they headed south. This was the same direction as they fled in the dream.
The very same night, Jiang Cheng repaired the cart at home.
Mrs. Chen packed up the things at home.
Jiang Yun Zhu helped her.
In fact, there was nothing much to pack. In the past two years of disasters, the family had sold everything that could be sold. Now there were only some broken tables and the likes that no one wanted, which can't be brought along.
"Elder Sister, do you want to bring this thing?" Jiang Lin asked Jiang Yun Zhu as she held up a broken clay pot.
"Not bringing." Jiang Yun Zhu firmly replied.
Jiang Lin turned to run off.
"Elder Sister, what about this one?" Jiang Yun Xue asked Jiang Yun Zhu while holding a tattered bundle wrap.
Jiang Yun Zhu examined the bundle wrap. One would disdain it even when used as a rag. But now…
"Bring," she answered. At least it was a piece of cloth. In case it was too cold on the road, they could use it as a cushion to sit on or something.
Jiang Yun Xue happily folded the tattered bundle wrap carefully like a treasure.
Even Jiang Wu helped out. The children busied away like fire reaching for the sky.
Mrs. Chen watched from the side, feeling both relieved and worried.
They worked away until dark before everyone ate and rested.
Early the next morning, Jiang Cheng got up early and went to the town to buy food, which they'll eat on the road. All he bought was sorghum rice. These days, the price of rice had skyrocketed. How can poor people possibly afford rice in these times? They all bought this kind of grain. This kind of grain was rough and difficult to swallow. It used to be used to make wine. Now, having anything to eat was good enough.
He bought fifty jins of sorghum rice, which cost him five hundred wen.
The price had risen too fast. He felt more and more certain about leaving here.
Mrs. Chen went to the village to inquire about the situation, to see which way was easier to travel and if they want to leave Changfeng, do they need to go to the county government office to arrange a guide.
Only after she inquired about it did she know that some in the village had already fled.
Most of them also went south, but the road they took was different. The people in the village didn't know which road was good. After all, only those who have walked knew and they never came back.
As for the road guide, someone had once asked. The county yamen didn't arrange it at all. And if it wasn't handled well, it might anger old Master Official and get arrested. After all, so many people want to leave Changfeng. If the higher-ups find out, the official's black hat may not be kept.
If one wants to leave, they can only go secretly.
At noon, the family got together again and discussed what they had gathered. They became more determined to leave here.
After eating, Mrs. Chen immediately became occupied. She wanted to mix the sorghum rice with rice bran to make pancakes for them to eat on the way.
Jiang Yun Zhu took out all the brined veg left in the pickling jar and cut them into shreds. These were also for on the road.
Her speed was very fast. Within a short while, six or seven brined veg turned into thin shredded brined veg.
There was still some sesame oil at home. This was reserved for the New Year. Now it was no longer of use, she poured it all into the pickles.
After finishing this, she went to prepare water. Now that there was a drought everywhere, water was a precious thing.
Initially, there was a well in Jiang's yard. But like most of the wells in the village, it had run out of water now. To get water, one can only go to the well at the head of the village. That well was deep.
Jiang Yun Zhu and Jiang Lin lined up for half an hour and brought back two buckets of water.
The water was muddy yellow.
Jiang Yun Zhu frowned. Was this drinkable?
"It can be drunk after leaving it overnight." In the kitchen, Mrs. Chen noticed this and spoke. As for boiling, they didn't even have firewood for cooking, so how can they boil it?
"Burn the tables, benches, and beds at home. Better boil the water to drink, otherwise what to do if we get sick?" Jiang Yun Zhu said.
Mrs. Chen's jaw dropped in surprise. Burn the table and bed? How could this do... But after thinking about it, they were about to leave here. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with it.
Jiang Cheng and Mrs. Chen had started from scratch. They accumulated all the things in the house one by one. Such as the bed, which they bought when they got married. And the table, which Jiang Cheng asked someone to make when she gave birth to Jiang Yun Zhu.
Each and every thing contained her memory. But now they were going to be burned...
Mrs. Chen remained silent. She knew that this time they have to burn their boat and bet all the house on one hand.. She was very scared, but with her family by her side, she didn't seem to be afraid. And, she had to be strong to protect her children from wind and rain.
Jiang Yun Zhu looked at the two buckets of water, but thought of one thing. Right now they can boil the water to drink. But what about on the road? The water could be worse than this. Maybe she should prepare for this in advance.
After thinking about it, she decided to make a filter to avoid drinking dirty water as much as possible.
This filter was very simple. It consisted of charcoal, pebbles, gravel, and cotton cloth.
Jiang Lin and the others had nothing to do. Seeing what she was doing was very interesting, they all surrounded her to watch.
Jiang Yun Zhu asked them to help. The tasks of washing the stones and scrubbing the jar was assigned among them. Soon, a vase-shaped filter was ready.
The bucket of water was poured into the vase.
A trickle flows from the bottom of the vase. It was crystal clear.
The three children were all attracted by this miraculous scene. While Jiang Yun Zhu had some confidence in her heart. It worked.
Chapter 3
The next day, Jiang Yun Zhu helped Mrs. Chen continue to make sorghum pancakes. Fifty jins of sorghum rice had to be ground into flour and then made into pancakes. This consumed a lot of time.
After a discussion, Jiang Cheng and Mrs. Chen went their separate ways.
Jiang Cheng went straight to the west of the village, stopped in front of a vermilion door in the west of the village, and knocked on the door.
After a while, a man came out. When he saw Jiang Cheng, he immediately held the doorway, "My house is out of food. Our mother didn't get to eat last night .She's still hungry!"
Looking at that posture, it seemed that he was afraid that Jiang Cheng would enter the door or open his mouth to borrow food from him.
This man was Jiang Cheng's elder brother, Jiang Hai.
Jiang Cheng glanced at his slightly protruding belly. It would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed. Jiang Hai took over Father Jiang's position and worked as a manager in a restaurant in the town. The lifestyle was prosperous. Even when the past two years' drought were bad, it wouldn't be to the point he said it was.
"Who is it?" A woman in the courtyard loudly asked. Afterward, she continued, "No matter who it is, borrowing food isn't going to happen. We still can't eat enough ourselves!"
"I know." Jiang Hai replied and looked at Jiang Cheng. Conveying, you heard it, our family doesn't have enough to eat!
Jiang Cheng knew this was the result.
"I want to see Mother." He muffled out.
He was about to leave soon and once he left who knows if they would meet again in this life. He was thinking that he should meet and tell old Madam Jiang.
"See Mother?" Jiang Hai snorted, presuming Jiang Cheng wanted to borrow money from old Madam Jiang since he came up empty-handed with him.
"Mother, Second Younger Brother said he wanted to see you." His hands still held the door and shouted inside.
"Now you know to see me. Why didn't you think of this mother when you married that family wrecking wife?" Old Madam Jiang angrily retorted from inside.
At the beginning when Jiang Cheng wanted to marry Mrs. Chen, old Madam Jiang strongly disapproved. In the end, Jiang Cheng married Mrs. Chen and old Madam Jiang directly separated them off and gave them nothing. Most days, she wouldn't look for Mrs. Chen and Jiang Cheng.
"Mother." Jiang Cheng called from outside the door.
"Married a wife and forgot the mother. I don't have a son like you." Old Madam Jiang berated.
Her words were very heart stabbing. Jiang Cheng had never forgotten her. During these years of marriage, he would always remember her every time Jiang Family made something delicious.
Jiang Cheng felt resentful, fell to his knees, and kowtowed to old Madam Jiang.
Jiang Hai stood at the door, looking at him as if watching a joke.
After kowtowing three times, Jiang Cheng raised his head, "Mother, I'm leaving."
He meant that he was leaving Changfeng.
"Scram!" This was Old Madam Jiang's response. She never came out to see Jiang Cheng from the beginning to the end.
Jiang Cheng steadily took in the courtyard, stood up, and walked away.
In a dilapidated small courtyard in the south of the village, there was another scene right now.
Mrs. Chen closed the door, hushedly told old Mister Chen about their departure, and finally said, "Father, come with us."
At the beginning, old Mister Chen and Mrs. Chen had sought refugee here. Later Mrs. Chen married Jiang Cheng and old Mister Chen lived alone all the time. In the past two years, he had problems with his eyes and couldn't see clearly. Usually, Mrs. Chen took care of him. Once Mrs. Chen leaves, he'll be alone and waiting to die. This was why Mrs. Chen said this.
"No. You guys go. I'm alone and can live alone." Old Mister Chen shook his head.
He was old and his eyesight wasn't good. Following Mrs. Chen was dragging her down.
"Father..." Mrs. Chen had a plan in mind, so she didn't say anything more.
However, as if remembering something, old Mister Chen entered the back room . Shortly later, he came out with a cloth bag and handed it to Mrs. Chen.
Mrs. Chen opened the cloth bag to find a silver hairpin and a few pieces of silver inside.
She recognized that the hairpin belonged to her mother.
"It should have been given to you a long time ago. I always want to keep it by my side and look at it again, as if your mother was still there. Now that you are leaving, take it with you." Old Master Chen told.
Mrs. Chen's tears couldn't stop streaming down. She put away the cloth bag and became more determined about the plan.
In the evening, Jiang Family was all set. The sun had just set and everyone began to sleep.
The next day after two o'clock in the morning, Jiang Family got up, took their things, and left the house quietly.
The moment she locked the door, Mrs. Chen's tears almost fell again. But this time, she held back, she couldn't cry!
Jiang Cheng also felt depressed .The road ahead was long and the burden on his shoulder became even heavier.
For a moment, he really wanted to turn back and stay behind. What if the next year was better? But he also knew that he couldn't gamble because he couldn't afford to lose.
On the contrary, Jiang Lin and the other three children were full of interest. Perhaps to them, this was just a long journey.
"Let's go." Jiang Cheng said.
The family quietly went to the residence of old Mister Chen in the south of the village.
Jiang Lin climbed over the low wall lightly, went in, and opened the door. Jiang Cheng and others went directly into the courtyard.
"Who?" Though old Mister Chen's eyesight was poor, his ears were extremely sensitive. And because he was old, he was easily awakened. He heard the noise outside and asked in surprise.
"It's me, Father." Jiang Cheng replied.
Old Mister Chen was very surprised. At this time, what happened?
Feeling uneasy, he quickly got up and opened the door.
"Father, quickly come with us." Jiang Cheng said in a low voice.
Only then did old Mister Chen understand Mrs. Chen's plan. It turned out that she had made up her mind to take him with her from the very beginning. She didn't say anything yesterday because she was afraid that he would refuse. Touched and sad at the same time, old Mister Chen didn't want to leave with Mrs. Chen. He urged them to leave at once. It would be bad if they were seen by others later.
Of course Mrs. Chen refused to leave and insisted on bringing old Mister Chen with her.
Old Mister Chen disagreed.
The two people were pushed and pulled on this matter.
Jiang Yun Zhu anxiously watched from the side. She felt that they should bring old Mister Chen along. Old Mister Chen's eyesight was bad, but his body was still very strong. Joining was no problem.
With how bad the drought will be next year, he would starve to death if he stays.
"Maternal Grandfather, if you don't leave, we won't leave either." She sincerely said to old Mister Chen, "Father and Mother will definitely take you with us. We also shared the same thought."
"Yes, Maternal Grandfather, you can come with us. I'll support you." Jiang Lin and the others immediately piped up. After finishing speaking, the three of them surrounded old Mister Chen. Some supported his arms, and some pulled his legs to drag him out.
Old Mister Chen's throat choked up, "Good children, I'll go by myself."
He finally understood what Mrs. Chen and the others wanted and decided to go with them.
He didn't have anything to pack up. The most valuable thing was given to Mrs. Chen yesterday. So he took his clothes and went out with Mrs. Chen and others.
The family continued to head south, intending to leave the village from the south and then head south all the way.
At three o'clock in the morning, it was still completely dark. There was no one on the road.
Seeing that they were about to leave the village, a female voice hesitated, "Elder Sister-in-law Chen, is that you?"
Mrs. Chen was startled, "Who?"
She uttered in shock.
A woman came around a corner with a bucket of water.
In the haze, Mrs. Chen recognized her and heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out to be her.
This woman's surname was Liu. She had married into Jinniu Village around the same time as her, but she had it much more difficult than her.
It was said that she used to work in a brothel. The villagers didn't understand. Lu Family's old second was good-looking and the family was rich. How come he went out and married such a woman back?
Maybe this woman was especially good at that kind of thing? After all, she came from that kind of place. Everyone was maliciously guessing.
Because of this, no one in the village was willing to talk to Mrs. Liu. Mrs. Liu usually stayed at home and never walked outside the gate.
Such days were initially peaceful.
Until last year, when Lu Family's old Second died of illness. Mrs. Liu became a widow with a child.
When it came to widows, there was a lot of gossip. Especially when this widow was good-looking and had that kind of experience. Like she was born to be frivolous.
No wonder she came out to fetch water at this hour, Mrs. Chen sighed. She had no friendship with Mrs. Liu. During this time, there was no rice for cooking at home. She asked to borrow from all the people she knew, but she didn't get a single grain of rice. Who would have thought of coming back, when she encountered Mrs. Liu on the way back and she was willing to lend it to her.
Mrs. Chen was grateful to Mrs. Liu and regretted that she listened to the rumors and didn't spend more time with her.
She bought the food the day before yesterday and paid her back the food first. It wasn't easy for the orphan and widow.
"Elder Sister-in-law Chen, you are?" Mrs. Liu's voice sounded nice and soft.
Mrs. Chen pulled her aside. Seeing that they were about to leave the village, she didn't want to hide it from her and told her their plan. In the end, she told her, "Younger Sister, you should make plans early. In case next year is a famine year... "
Needless to say, Mrs. Liu's face had turned pale.
During peaceful times, she didn't have it easy. In a year of famine, even if she had money, she would probably be peeled by life.
Mrs. Chen finished talking here, turned around, and followed Jiang Cheng and others to leave.
"Thank you Elder Sister-in-law for reminding me. Elder Sister-in-law's lifesaving grace, Yuan'er and I will definitely repay it in the future." Mrs. Liu Shi said from behind.
Mrs. Chen waved her hand. She can't help her, so there wasn't much lifesaving grace.
After leaving Jinniu Village, there was a wilderness ahead. After walking for a long time, Mrs. Chen suddenly asked Jiang Cheng, "Say, about Yun Xiu. Do you think..."
Jiang Cheng knew that she must have thought of Jiang Yun Xiu after meeting Mrs. Liu and feared that she would also fall into that kind of place.
"She won't." Jiang Cheng comforted her.
Mrs. Chen nodded.
Jiang Family left. They left a letter under Jiang Yun Xiu's pillow, explaining their whereabouts. In fact, in the dream, they had left for Jiang Yun Zhu. But by some mistake, she didn't see that letter at all.
Chapter 4
The sky was bright. Jiang Yun Zhu and others had already arrived in the neighboring Lincang County.
They didn't have a guide, so they didn't dare to enter the county town. They just passed through the villages and towns.
The morning sun shone on everyone.
Jiang Cheng was pushing the cart with their belongings on it. Jiang Wu was sitting among the pile of bundles. His little face was full of excitement. He kept urging Jiang Cheng to hurry up.
Mrs. Chen supported old Mister Chen on the left side.
Jiang Yun Zhu held hands with Jiang Lin and Jiang Yun Xue to the right.
When the family was together, it seemed that the road under their feet wasn't so difficult.
At this moment, Jiang Yun Xiu didn't have it so easy. That woman, Mrs. Zhang, was taking her around like she was a peddler selling goods.
Yes, goods! Not like a person at all. Just like cattles, horses and sheeps.
"Look at this face, this figure." Spitting saliva, Mrs. Zhang introduced Jiang Yun Xiu to the rich businessman opposite them.
Jiang Yun Xiu felt disgusted in her heart. This man could almost be her father. Besides, how can a small wealthy businessman compare with Marquis Anping Manor.
"Ah!" She let out a startled call like the first cry of a new oriole. It turned out that Mrs. Zhang was dissatisfied with Jiang Yun Xiu's expression which looked as if someone owed her money and pinched her waist.
Jiang Yun Xiu sent an shocked fury gaze at Mrs. Zhang.
Suddenly, she felt something on her feet. When she turned her head, she saw that the rich businessman was lifting her skirt and pinching her feet.
In ancient times, areas like feet were private parts. Even when Jiang Yun Xiu had married someone in her dream, she had never been treated so frivolously. Feeling ashamed and angry, she backed away in panic.
"The feet are a bit big!" The rich businessman remarked in dissatisfaction as he supported his stomach. From time to time, his eyes glanced at Jiang Yun Xiu.
Her frightened look just now was quite alluring.
Jiang Yun Xiu's eyes turned red immediately, feeling wronged and infuriated at the same time. He, he actually disdained her feet for being big.
Mrs. Zhang quickly whispered to the rich businessman. As they discussed, they looked at Jiang Yun Xiu.
Jiang Yun Xiu was exasperated and anxious. Shouldn't she be sold to Marquis Anping Manor? What was going on?
In the end, the deal wasn't successfully negotiated because of the price.
After leaving the rich businessman's house, Jiang Yun Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. However, Mrs. Zhang berated her, calling her a money-wasting thing. Reaching this point, she still acted like this. Just now, he just touched her feet. And she made a mountain out of a mole hole. After being made comfortable by a man, she might rush to be touched if he doesn't touch her.
Mrs. Zhang was used to hanging out in low-class places. When she started to curse at people, she specially referred below the abdomen. The foul words were quite unpleasant to hear.
How could Jiang Yun Xiu ever experience this? Her tears couldn't stop streaming down. She wanted to kill herself and never suffer this humiliation again.
But when she thought of Marquis Anping Manor and the man who was like a bright moon, she told herself that she had to persevere.
Squeezing a smile, she said to Mrs. Zhang, "Auntie, Changfeng is hit hard by drought and everyone has no money. Why don't we go to Luzhou, which has always been prosperous."
Luzhou. Marquis Anping's Manor was in Luzhou. She can't wait to go there.
"Go to Luzhou? Going to Luzhou doesn't need money? Little wasteful hoof, as soon as you roll your eyes, I know what you're up to. Don't try to fool me." Mrs. Zhang put her hands on her hips and scolded Jiang Yun Xiu again.
After scolding enough, she continued to take her everywhere.
There were brothels, wealthy households, and officials.
Those buyers would wantonly comment on Jiang Yun Xiu's appearance, figure, and any minor flaws on her body. She felt as if she had been stripped naked, allowing others to pick and choose. Completely no dignity at all.
A few times, she almost collapsed.
Fortunately, she had always had a belief in her heart that supported her through. Just wait, when she becomes the Young Madam of the Marquis Manor, she must make everyone who made things difficult for her sorry! She silently swears.
Jiang Yun Zhu wanted to eat crispy outside and tender inside sesame seed cakes. Also, boiled fish, beer duck, sweet and sour pork ribs, cashew nut shrimp... She remembered that she had dinner with her friends before transmigrating and these were the ones on the table.
At that time, she was losing weight and put down her chopsticks after eating very little.
If she was given another chance, she swears, she will never let them down again.
In the past two days, Jiang Yun Zhu's memories of modern times have become clearer, as if it was just yesterday.
"Robbery! Help! Someone come. Someone is robbing things." Jiang Yun Zhu was thinking about all kinds of delicacies when she heard someone shouting in front.
She looked up and found that they were passing a village. On the road ahead, there was a donkey cart and beside the donkey cart, two men were pulling a bag.
One was an old man who looked about forty or fifty years old. He was the one who shouted.
Opposite him was a tanned man in his thirties.
The old man was obviously not as strong as the man opposite him. The bag in his hand was about to be taken away.
Jiang Cheng also saw this scene. He was enthusiastic to help and immediately shouted, "Let go!"
Seeing someone coming, the tanned man panicked but didn't let go of the bag in his hand.
The two of them used too much force. The cloth bag was torn and a pile of coarse pancakes fell to the ground.
The tanned man grabbed a pancake and stuffed it into his mouth.
At this time, Jiang Cheng had already run over.
The tanned man quickly picked up a few pancakes, ran into the village in a hurry, and disappeared.
Jiang Cheng wants to chase.
"Father!" Jiang Yun Zhu hurriedly called to stop him. She saw just now that after the thick pancake fell to the ground, there were figures shaking in the nearby houses. That tanned man openly robbed and no one came out to stop him. This clearly indicated some problems.
In famine years, people can do anything to survive. So it was better to be careful.
Jiang Cheng was worried about Mrs. Chen and the others, so he abruptly stopped.
Jiang Yun Zhu hurriedly helped the old man pick up pancakes.
After a while, all the pancakes were collected.
"Thank you, thank you." The old man couldn't stop expressing thanks. These pancakes were his life.
"No need." Jiang Cheng helped him put the pancakes on the donkey cart.
At this moment, a young man hurried out of the village carrying a bucket. He saw Jiang Cheng and immediately shouted, "What are you doing!"
He was the old man's son and had just gone into the village to buy water. When he heard the old man shout, he ran back as quick as possible. Seeing Jiang Cheng holding his family's pancake bag, he thought he was going to snatch their family's pancakes.
"Qing Shan, it's not him. He helped out." Father Xu quickly halted the young man.
The young man came over and asked the whole story with a few words. Only then, he realized that he had mistaken the benefactor for a thief. At once, he apologized to Jiang Cheng.
"No need. Let's get out of here quickly." Jiang Cheng noticed the figures nearby and said vigilantly.
Everyone set off immediately and left the village.
When they reached the edge of a town and no one was following them, everyone felt relieved and started talking.
Father Xu and Xu Qing Shan were from the neighboring county. They also fled to the south, but they had a goal - going to Changshi Village in Wuling County in Lu Prefecture. Over there, Father Xu had a distant cousin. They will go there to visit relatives .
But according to Father Xu, he hadn't contacted him for four or five years. So he didn't know the situation there.
Afraid, it wasn't much better. Jiang Yun Zhu thought to herself while listening. When Xu Qing Shan came out of the village just now, she felt that he looked familiar. However, she didn't dare to recognize him. But now she was almost sure that it was him.
Xu Qing Shan. In the dream, he was Jiang Yun Xiu's husband, a.k.a. her younger brother-in-law. She didn't expect them to meet here. It seemed that fate was really amazing.
She remembered that in the dream he and Jiang Family lived in Qinghe Village in Lu'an County in Lu Prefecture. Not Changshi Village in Wuling County. It meant their relative visiting didn't not go well.
Of course, there may be other reasons. Just a slight difference and the matters in this world will go in completely different directions. In the dream, Jiang Yun Zhu only found Jiang Family seven years later and only met Xu Qing Shan two or three times. So she didn't know much about his past.
Unexpectedly, they met him here in advance. It goes to show that fate was sometimes very strange.
Jiang Yun Zhu's mind was running wild. When Father Xu heard that Jiang Cheng and the others were going to the south, he immediately invited them to go on the journey together. This way, they can have care.
Going with Father Xu group, Jiang Cheng group benefitted. They were two men and a donkey cart. Jiang Cheng and the others consisted of old and young. And there was only one small cart.
At first Jiang Cheng didn't want to drag them down, but Father Xu insisted on this. So the two families joined together.
Jiang Cheng continued to push the small cart. He was young and strong. It wouldn't be a problem to keep up when the donkey cart moved slowly.
Mrs. Chen and the others could also take turns sitting in the donkey cart for a while. This made it a lot easier for them.
The two families chatted a bit from time to time and got to know each other better.
In Jiang Yun Zhu's impression, Xu Qing Shan was tall, but was often seen hunched over. He was taciturn and seemed to listen to Jiang Yun Xiu in everything.
But look at him now- a slender body, a rough face, and two piercing eyes. I can't imagine how he will become the way he was in seven years later.
Jiang Yun Zhu kept staring at Xu Qing Shan and Xu Qing Shan seemed to have sensed it. He turned to look at her.
The eyes of the two met. Jiang Yun Zhu didn't dodge and smiled friendly at him.
Jiang Family's children were all good-looking, but the prettiest ones were Jiang Yun Zhu and Jiang Yun Xiu. They all have fair skin, long brows like willow leaves, almond-shaped eyes, and red lips like plums in snow.
It was just that Jiang Yun Zhu's appearance was on the softer side, like an apricot blossom in spring. While Jiang Yun Xiu's appearance was more charming, like a silk hibiscus.
Her smile was delicate and tender like a watery light shining. It was indescribably moving.
Xu Qing Shan blushed immediately and hurriedly withdrew his eyes. He had never seen a more beautiful girl than her. Especially those eyes. Clear contrast between black and white. It was as if they had stars.
Jiang Yun Zhu didn't pay it any heed. She didn't want to judge someone because of what happened in her dream.
Two days later, the group arrived at the edge of Zhuding County. Changyuan County was further ahead. There was a large piece of uninhabited wasteland in the middle and no where to replenish drinking water. So they stopped at a small shop by the road to rest. Firstly, to rest the feet. Second, to buy some water and take it with them on the road.
In the past, when there was no drought, one could go to various houses to ask for some water to drink. But now it was no longer possible. A bucket of water costs ten yuan. It was a necessary to buy it.
After paying the money, the shop brought out a bucket of water for them. The water was also muddy yellow.
Jiang Yun Zhu took out her simple filter bottle. After a while, a little bit of clear water flowed down from the jar.
No matter how many times they looked at it, Xu Qing Shan group and Jiang Cheng group found her filter bottle very novel. Why did the inputted dirty water come out of such an ordinary vase so clean?
They sat at a table by the roadside, drank tea and ate pancakes as they waited for the water to be filtered before heading on the road.
At this moment, a group of people and horses suddenly came from the west like thunder.
The team of more than a dozen people were all tall and sturdy. The people sitting on the horses were all dressed in black clothes with golden Qilin patterns embroidered on them.
With swords on their waist, everyone was full of murderous aura.
Especially the one heading the group. He had a pair of slightly slanted phoenix eyes, which was cold like glaciers.
Although the people in the small shop didn't know the origins of these people, they all knew that these people weren't someone they could mess with. Unconsciously, they fell silent and looked over there cautiously.
Seeing that person, Jiang Yun Zhu's heart couldn't help but pound. Why was it him!
Chapter 5
Jiang Yun Zhu knew that man because his reputation was too great.
Shen Feng Ming, the son of Princess Danyang and the nephew of the current emperor.
Speaking of him, one cannot fail to mention the Qilin Guard he was in charge of. They were probably similar to the Jinyi Guard in the Ming Dynasty. They directly received orders from the emperor and had the power of guarding, investigating, and jailing.
Throughout all the dynasties, Qilin Guards was an existence that made everyone unsettled. When it comes to Shen Feng Ming's, it was even more frightening and chilling.
Wherever he went, those places where corruption, law-breaking, gangsterism and self-interest exist will inevitably flow like rivers of blood and chicken and dog weren't even left off. That's why when everyone mentioned him in private, they called him Shen No Keep. Quite evident, he got a fierce reputation.
In the dream, Jiang Yun Zhu had seen him before. That time, he suddenly came to the Lin Manor and proposed to stay in the Manor for a few days.
Who in Lin Family didn't know of him? When he came to the door, it was like the king of Hades knocking on the door. Everyone suddenly felt that a catastrophe was imminent. Even Jiang Yun Zhu thought that Lin Family was going to be goners and wondered how she would survive if she became a criminal.
During that time, Lin Family was really gloomy. Even Lin Ting An was in doubt every day.
Who would have thought that one day, he would suddenly leave. And left so quietly.
Everyone in Lin Family couldn't believe it. This god of killing just left. At first they thought that he was leading the snake out of the hole and made others confused.
But who would have thought that after a month, the Manor was still calm. There was news from the capital that he had returned to the capital.
It was only then that the people in Lin Manor believed that Shen Feng Ming had really let them go and they were safe.
Survival after the catastrophe, ecstatic and joy emerged!
Because of this, Marquis Anping finally nodded and agreed to let Lin Ting An officially marry her as his wife and make her the young madam of the Marquis Manor.
So speaking of it, Jiang Yun Zhu had benefited from his light in the dream.
As for why he suddenly came knocking and why he left, it remained a mystery.
Jiang Yun Zhu's feeling for him was just one word, fear. Especially now that they were refugees and people who had no guide and were a hundred miles away from their place of household registration. When they encountered Shen Feng Ming, it was like a mouse meeting a cat.
Now she hopes Shen Feng Ming and his group will leave quickly.
But heaven didn't seem to hear her call. The group actually slowed down as they got closer to the shop, as if they were going to hit the tip here.
The shop boss was both happy and nervous when he saw the big business.
Jiang Yun Zhu was thinking, was it too late for them to leave now?
It was too late. Those Qilin Guards were very fast and had already arrived in front of the small shop. Every one of them got off their horses. They looked well-trained.
"Boss, bring some pots of hot tea and some food. We are in a hurry. By the way, the horses have to be fed and drunk. We won't short your money." A tall man walked inside the shop and said to the boss.
His name was Yang Sheng. He was Shen Feng Ming's deputy.
"Yes, yes." The shop boss hurriedly agreed and arranged for someone to feed the horses, while he wiped the table, served the tea, and urged the kitchen to hurry up.
The shop wasn't big. There were only seven or eight tables. Two tables had guests. The guests at that table were mostly done. Seeing such a group of people, they immediately got the bill and left; leaving only Jiang Yun Zhu and others in the shop.
Jiang Yun Zhu group just arrived. They hadn't finished their tea. As they were hesitating, those Qilin Guards entered and filled all the remaining tables in a flurry. This simply blocked them at the table in the corner.
As for Shen Feng Ming, he was sitting at a table on the other side. On his table, the only other person was Yang Sheng.
This small shop only made steamed buns, mantou, and some simple cold dishes. These things were convenient. After a while, a few baskets of steamed buns and a few dishes of cold dishes were placed on each table.
"How about, we go too." Surrounded by such a group of people with such haunting auras, Father Xu said to Jiang Cheng in a low voice as his calf muscle spasmed.
Jiang Cheng was also afraid of trouble, so he nodded and wanted to find a gap to go to the shop boss to pay the bill.
At this moment, Yang Sheng spat out a mouthful of water. Initially, he was extremely thirsty. Once he got the bowl of tea, he couldn't wait to take a big sip. But was this tea? More like chinese herbal soup.
"shop boss, shop boss." He held up the tea bowl and called the shop boss.
The shop boss came out in a hurry, "What's wrong, guest?"
"What is this?" Yang Sheng asked. His clothes and appearance had an angry and intimidating vibe.
The shop boss's legs went weak. He looked at the tea bowl in his hand, "Tea."
He stammered.
"Is this tea? Why does it taste strange?" Yang Sheng asked.
Hearing what he said, the shop boss took in their dusty appearance and guessed, "Everyone came from afar, right? The water in Changfeng tastes like this."
Without waiting for Yang Sheng to ask, he continued, "The water in Changfeng didn't taste like this at the beginning. Aren't there severe droughts for the last two years? The water in the river and the well has dried up. To tell you the truth, it's good enough to be able to drink water now. Who cares about the taste or not. "
"Is the drought in Changfeng very serious?" A clear voice suddenly asked. It was Shen Feng Ming.
"Serious. How can it not be serious? The common people are almost reaching a deadend. Especially with this year's locust plague. That's..." The shop boss opened a shop here. What hadn't he seen with some many people coming and going every day. Speaking of this year's disaster, he sighed endlessly.
"Didn't the imperial court distribute rice grains for disaster relief?" Shen Feng Ming's voice became colder.
"Rice grain? Maybe it is distributed elsewhere. But I didn't see it though," the shop boss answered.
Shen Feng Ming looked at Jiang Yun Zhu group. In this store, apart from the shop boss, they were the only ones left. Seeing that they were dragging their whole belongings, they seemed to be victims of disasters.
Yang Sheng understood and immediately approached Jiang Yun Zhu group.
Jiang Yun Zhu's scalp was numb. What she was afraid of came true.
Father Xu and the others also became nervous.
Yang Sheng walked to Jiang Yun Zhu's table and got attracted by the vase that was filtering the water. What was it?
He carefully examined it. It appeared to be an ordinary broken vase. However, the dirty water flowed in from above and clean water came out.
He picked up the vase, weighed it, and poured the contents of the vase on the ground.
A layer of pebbles, a layer of coarse sand, a layer of fine sand, and a layer of charcoal. In the end was a bit of cotton wool and a layer of cotton cloth.
What an exquisite device.
It wasn't that Xia Dynasty didn't have something to clean water. Like their Qilin Guards, they used a kind of pill made of alum. When they encounter dirty water in the wild, they use one.
In addition, he had seen water washing methods, stone washing methods, etc.. He had never seen such a simple and delicate method. The results seem to be better.
He reached out, took the tea bowl from the side, and scooped a bowl from the bucket below. Sure enough, the water was extremely clear.
He took a sip. There was no peculiar taste at all.
"Who made this?" He asked curiously.
Jiang Cheng and the others all looked at Jiang Yun Zhu.
"It's me." Jiang Yun Zhu could only reply.
Yang Sheng looked at her. His eyes lit up. He didn't notice there was such a girl in this small shop as there were too many people. Her eyes were clear and shining, like a lotus in water.
"How did you come up with that?" he asked.
Naturally, it was improved by later generations based on the experience of the predecessors. However, Jiang Yun Zhu didn't dare to say that. She gave the same explanation she had told Jiang Cheng and the others before- she heard some old people in the village mention it and decided to try it. Unexpectedly, it worked.
Yang Sheng had been traveling all over for so many years and had seen many strange people and strange things. He wasn't too surprised when he heard this. He felt that Jiang Yun Zhu had a clever mind.
"May I have some water for tea?" he asked.
"Okay." Jiang Yun Zhu dared not refuse.
Yang Sheng directly handed the filtered water to the shop boss. He also gave him a bag of tea leaves and told him to make some tea quickly.
"By the way, serve them some steamed stuffed buns and side dishes. Charge them to my bill." He ordered the shop boss again.
The shop boss immediately complied. Shortly later, he brought a few baskets of buns and five-six side dishes to Jiang Yun Zhu's table.
The hot steamed buns were white and big. Through the thin skin, the filling inside can be faintly seen. It looked so fresh and ruddy.
A dish of five-spice bean curd, a dish of peanuts in old vinegar, a dish of sliced salted duck eggs with burnt yellow oil inside, a dish of cold pig ears, and a dish of fragrant braised pork.
One can imagine how tempting these things were to people like Jiang Yun Zhu who ate cold pancakes and drank cold water every day.
Even old Father Xu couldn't remember when was the last time he ate braised pork.
Jiang Wu and the other children stared straight at the white and fat buns, wishing they could swallow them in one gulp.
Fortunately, Mrs. Chen and Jiang Cheng had taught them the word of manners. They all held back and didn't touch the food.
"Don't be reserved. Eat it. Treat this as a gift from me for using your water. By the way, I messed up your thing." Yang Sheng turned around and directed to the shop boss, "A few more steamed buns."
He noticed these few baskets of buns weren't enough for Jiang Yun Zhu group.
The shop boss brought up another four-five baskets, which filled up the tables. Now, almost everyone had a basket of steamed stuffed buns in front of them.
The unique sweet fragrance of wheat penetrated into everyone's hearts.
Yang Sheng made a beckoning gesture.
Father Xu group couldn't make up their minds and turned to Jiang Yun Zhu. The vase belonged to her. The water too.
Jiang Yun Zhu felt that it was better to go along with Yang Sheng. She said to him, "Thank you."
Then she softly spoke to Father Xu and the others, "This is the other's good-intention, so let's eat."
After finishing speaking, she picked up a steamed stuffed bun first and put it in Jiang Wu's bowl.
Jiang Wu looked at her. Receiving her affirmative gaze, he bit into the bun.
The delicious meat juice flowed into his mouth in an instant. He thought it was the most delicious bun in the world.
Seeing this, other people also started to eat one after another like a wind had swept away all the clouds.
Yang Sheng moved a chair and sat next to Jiang Yun Zhu's table. Once they were almost done eating, he asked, "Where are you going?"
They ate and drank to their fill. On top of that, Yang Sheng didn't look like a bad person. Old Father Xu and the others weren't so afraid of him and started chatting with him.
After a while, they revealed their true self and had even expressed a lot of dissatisfaction toward the local government.
Jiang Yun Zhu tried to interrupt several times but failed. In fact, this Yang Sheng was too powerful. His methods of inducing and pulling out confessions were top-notch. How can honest old Father Xu group resist his cross-examination.
Jiang Yun Zhu sat obediently on the chair. Now she just hoped that the people on the opposite side would let them go because they were just ordinary people.