Zhan Feiyu ignored Mr. Zhan’s expectant gaze and followed Muramasa and the old patriarch into the main room. Except for Mr. Zhan who was sitting on the right side of the big square table, Mrs. Zhan and Mr. Zhan were sitting on the bench below him.
.
Sister-in-law Ma and Xiao Yao were probably warned in advance by Mrs. Zhan, so they stood close to the door.
Seeing everyone coming, Ma smiled extremely attentively and said, "I boiled the tea and will bring it over."
"Okay, let's get down to business." The old patriarch didn't lack for a sip of tea. He waved his hand and sat down. "Boss and the third child should also sit down."
Muramasa looked at the Zhan family members who had different expressions, and explained the purpose of his visit straight to the point: "The incident of horse frightening in South Street is over. The boss has also been exterminated. I have also reported it to the Yamen. In the future, the boss
He is no longer a member of our Zhan clan."
Under the dim light of the candle, Boss Zhan was sitting on a square stool with his head lowered in silence. A large darkness enveloped him, and the expression on his face could not be seen clearly, but everyone in the room could feel Boss Zhan's pain.
Since ancient times, only the most treacherous and evil people will be exterminated from the clan. Without the protection of the clan, they are rootless floats. When they die, they cannot enter the ancestral graves. They can only find a piece of wasteland and be buried as lonely ghosts. There is no Zhan.
The incense offered by the family’s descendants.
Zhan Feiyu's dark eyes were cold and silent. If he had known this, why did he do it in the first place?
But looking at the devastated Boss Zhan, and thinking of how much he had loved him over the past few years, Zhan Feiyu turned his head away, with sore eyes.
Zhan Laosan and Ma looked at each other, feeling a little uncomfortable. Although the eldest brother was taciturn, he had always protected his younger siblings since he was a child, and he had shouldered the burden of the family early on.
After eliminating the clan, the three brothers became two.
Zhan Laoer's body has not yet recovered, his face is sickly pale, and his face is full of guilt and self-blame.
On the other hand, little Yao curled his lips in disdain, not acknowledging Boss Zhan's great kindness at all.
Silence spread in the room...
"Boss, pack your things and go live in Majia Village tomorrow." Old man Zhan choked with sobs, still a little reluctant to let go of his eldest son, but seeing the sick second son, he finally acquiesced to the expulsion of the elder Zhan from the clan.
Boss Zhan's eyes were red, and when he opened his mouth, his voice was hoarse, "Dad, I understand."
With a helpless sigh, old man Zhan picked up the dry cigarette on the table and started smoking. The smoke filled his face, which looked old and decadent like the bark of a dead tree, filled with heavy and unresolved sorrow. As soon as the boss left, Tian
There is no one to do the work in the fields.
"I'm not in a hurry to leave." As soon as Muramasa finished speaking, he looked at Boss Zhan who suddenly raised his head. He was really a pitiful person who must be hateful.
But looking at the way a man in his thirties was holding back his grief, Muramasa couldn't bear to continue: "We are not the only people from the Zhan clan in the village, but there are also many people with other surnames. The boss moved to the old Orion's wooden house at the end of the village.
Stay here first."
Unexpectedly, he could still stay in the village. The excited Boss Zhan wiped his face fiercely and suppressed the tears that burst out. It was not until this moment that he realized how difficult it was to be exterminated in place of his second brother.
Others did not expect that the village and clan would be open to the issue. Ma had already sent someone to send a message back to her parents' home, but they never expected that Boss Zhan could stay.
"Doesn't that mean the clan has not been exterminated?" A sharp and harsh voice sounded, and little Yao's face was grim with dissatisfaction.
After such a commotion, the second wife's backbone was about to be broken. If the result is like this, it would be better to let the head of the family get rid of the clan. It's no different anyway!
Muramasa and the old clan leader sneered, and the clan leader's grandson standing in the corner even let out a surprised sound, thinking he heard wrongly.
"Second son's family, shut up!" Old man Zhan slapped the table and shouted angrily. This family troublemaker is going to embarrass the Zhan family!
Zhan Laosan glared fiercely at the sullen little Yao family, and couldn't help shouting, "What's wrong with you, eldest brother, staying in the village? Get out of Lao Zhan's house if you're not happy! Didn't you make a fuss about remarrying before..."
"Third brother!" Mrs. Zhan looked reproachfully at Hun Buqing's younger son. If he was unhappy, he should also worry about his second brother.
Zhan Laosan didn't want to quarrel with his mother, but he couldn't hold it back and cursed with a stick in his neck, "Second brother is not a good person either!"
Muramasa and the old patriarch knew this very well, and only the third child in the Zhan family cared about brotherhood.
"Although we won't move away, the punishment of extermination will remain the same. The eldest brother is not a member of the Zhan family. When you divide the family in the future, the eldest son will not have a share in the land, house, or money. Of course, you must be reluctant to part with this son and supplement some money privately.
, the village clan won’t care.” The old clan leader said slowly.
"That won't work. We've all eliminated the clan. How can we divide the money?" Ma family exploded, fearing that Boss Zhan would divide the family's money.
With Mrs. Ma being the villain, little Mrs. Yao didn't speak, but her face dropped, obviously she didn't agree.
"Okay, it's your Lao Zhan family's business to divide the money or not." The old patriarch was too lazy to talk to the two sisters.
When the conversation changed, the old patriarch said coldly: "Similarly, you are not allowed to ask the boss for help with the Zhan family's work. Since the clan has been eliminated, it must be implemented to the end. Both the Zeng family and the villagers are watching, and the clan rules can be determined by
You are not allowed to fool around!"
The old patriarch looked sharply at Mrs. Zhan, and this was obviously directed at her. Boss Zhan is no longer her son, and don’t expect him to do cow or horse work, otherwise exterminating the clan will be like child’s play.
Who cares about clan rules anymore?
"Boss, I've said everything I need to say, do you understand?" the old patriarch asked.
Boss Zhan nodded hurriedly, as long as he could stay in the village.
Hearing this, the Zhan family members all looked ugly, but they did not dare to speak in the face of the majestic old patriarch.
Zhan Feiyu has been silent since she entered the house. Although she was adopted, these are her elders after all. But even if her father was exterminated instead of her second uncle, they are still not satisfied.
A sarcastic coldness flashed through his eyes, and Zhan Feiyu suddenly said: "Grandpa, my father has to eat even if he stays in the village. Uncle Maotang has moved to the county, so why not let my father take care of the family farmland."
This was originally a matter that was discussed, but Muramasa didn't expect that Zhan Feiyu would bring it up first, and took over with a smile, "That's good, the clan fields do need someone to take care of them."
"Boss, in the future, the clan land will be handed over to you, and the clan will share some food with you. As for the two taels of silver, it will be regarded as the rent for Li's three houses. After all, you are not getting along!"
The village allocated three houses to Li and Zhan Feiyu, which were different from the wooden house given to Boss Zhan. They were three brick houses. Many people in the village were jealous.
In the past, when Maocai took care of the clan's fields, in addition to giving him some food, he would also give him an extra two taels of silver as compensation.
Now the clan fields are being managed by Boss Zhan, and the money is used as rent, which not only makes the villagers speechless, but also prevents the Zhan family from coveting these two taels of silver.
Hearing this, little Yao's eyes turned red with jealousy, and his slender face twisted with resentment.
According to the old clan leader, the eldest brother was eliminated from the clan, and in the end only the sister-in-law and Xiaoyu were benefited! No one was left to do the farm work at home!
Old Man Zhan and Old Mrs. Zhan looked equally ugly. Although the old patriarch did not allow Boss Zhan to help the family, they were the boss's parents. With Boss Zhan's character, as long as they spoke, the boss would definitely come to work secretly.
But now this road is blocked!
Boss Zhan cannot handle the ten acres of clan land by himself. During spring planting and harvesting, the clan has to send people to help. In his spare time, Boss Zhan also has to go to the fields to weed and fertilize. Even if he wanted to, he would not have time to help.
The Zhan family is at work.
The key is that the two taels of silver supplementary money were returned to Mrs. Li. Old Mrs. Zhan bit the flesh on the inside of her cheek with her teeth, and then she could not make a sound, but her wrinkled old face looked even more mean and ferocious.
Having said all that needs to be said, it was already dark, and the old patriarch, Muramasa, also stood up and left.
Boss Zhan sent the person to the gate of the hospital and planned to continue sending him.
Muramasa paused and patted Boss Zhan on the shoulder, "Go back. By now you should understand who treats you well."
"I know." Boss Zhan couldn't help but look at Zhan Feiyu. This was his daughter, the daughter who sweetly called him daddy. She would go to the fields to bring him water when she couldn't walk steadily.
But at this moment, looking at Zhan Feiyu's cold jade-like face in the night, he could no longer see the smile he had before. Boss Zhan was so uncomfortable that he could not speak, and his heart was filled with panic. He had lost his daughter, so that's fine.
My wife is lost.
…
The affairs of the Zeng family were like the wind blowing across the water, and the ripples gradually subsided. The villagers chatted in the east and west, and Zhan Feiyu still got up to read before dawn and rested only in the middle of the moon.
The winter solstice is approaching, and it has been almost three months since Shanwazi and other Mongolian children entered school. They can recite "Three Character Classic" and "Thousand Character Classic" fluently, and Douda's calligraphy has gradually become neater.
Looking at the Meng children playing in the yard, Lin Fuzi, who was standing at the window, said warmly: "When the cathode reaches the extreme, Yang Qi begins to emerge. When the sun reaches the south, the sun is short and the sun's shadow is long, so it is called the winter solstice. Little fish, from
There are still five days left for the cultural conference, are you ready?"
"I have asked my senior brother. Although the literary meeting includes music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine and tea, the main focus is poetry. I have prepared ten poems. I will ask you to correct them tomorrow. If you keep them, you can get away with it." Zhan Feiyu said proudly.
Head, looking confident and proud.
Mrs. Lin, who turned around, laughed angrily at her shameless appearance, "The literary society not only has student members from the county school, but also Zhao Jiaoyu will come over, and there are also two tutors who are also from Juren."
Therefore, let alone Zhan Feiyu's fluent poems, even Master Lin's poems were not outstanding at literary conferences. They were not many but exquisite. Instead of writing ten poems to make up for the number, it is better to write one well.
Zhan Feiyu nodded in an educated manner, looked at the worried Master Lin, and suddenly laughed.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhan Feiyu took a square step with his chest held high, chanting in an old-fashioned way: "The article was born by nature, and it was accidentally acquired by a good hand. It is absolutely flawless, so it does not need to be artificial."
Master Lin was stunned and murmured again, "The article is made by nature, but it comes from a good hand. What a good sentence!"
Seeing Master Lin who was extremely excited, Zhan Feiyu touched his nose guiltily and said, "Master, please calm down. I didn't write this, I heard it."
Ignoring Zhan Feiyu, Mrs. Lin quickly walked to the desk, picked up a pen and started writing quickly, "The article is made by nature..."
Master, is he crazy? Zhan Feiyu silently pushed back all the Tang poems and Song lyrics in his mind. If he plays another ancient quatrain, Master will probably not be able to wake up.
Uncle Dong rang the bell, and Zhan Feiyu glanced at Mrs. Lin who was still reading, and then tiptoed out of the study.
In the lecture hall, Shan Wazi and several crazy naughty children were busy arranging their clothes. Master Lin paid attention to his manners. Anyone whose clothes were not neat and tidy would be punished with a ruler!
Zhan Dalang stood up and looked at Zhu Peng and others with angry eyes, "Who knocked over my inkstone?"
"Maybe you didn't put it away yourself." Zhu Peng sneered and leaned lazily on the table behind him, "It's just a few pieces of paper that were ruined. If you are short of money, Dalang Zhan, just say so. There is no need to find an excuse. Anyway,
We all know you are poor!"
The jeers suddenly started, and several of Zhu Peng's henchmen were laughing so hard.
"No wonder I feel like a starving ghost when I eat."
"That's not because there is roast meat at noon."
"Zhan Dalang, you are out of town now. We are all classmates. When we have dinner tomorrow, I will pick out all the meat for you to eat. You are so hungry and thin when you look at it." Zhu Peng shook his head exaggeratedly, as if he was really
I felt sorry for the hungry and thin Zhan Dalang.
"Master Zhu, don't you always throw meat to your dog at home?" As soon as he said this, the roar of laughter almost lifted the roof.
His face flushed with anger, Zhan Dalang clenched his fists tightly with both hands, as if he wanted to crush the people who were mocking him.
Since the elder Zhan was exterminated, the second wife has lost her good reputation in the village, Sanlang has no playmates, and Zhan Dalang has been excluded and isolated in the private school.
Zhu Peng, the dandy young master, even more aggressively bullied Zhan Dalang because his father was involved with his eldest brother. Zhu Peng didn't like Zhu Kun, but he didn't dare to retaliate, so he finally took his anger out on Zhan Dalang.
"Master, I'm going to memorize Mencius soon." Zhan Feiyu said slowly.
"God forbid you ever hit me..." Zhu Peng screamed and didn't bother to pay attention to Zhan Dalang. He glanced at his red and swollen left hand and realized that he really couldn't be tortured by the ruler anymore.
The others also started looking for books, flipping through them, and endorsing them as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Suddenly, there was the sound of reading, which made Mrs. Lin who came out of the study stunned for a moment, and then laughed with satisfaction.
At three o'clock in the morning, classes ended and the private school returned to peace. Zhan Feiyu would still stay alone and said, "Master, that poem was not written by me."
Master Lin glanced at the stupid Zhan Feiyu and said quietly: "I know that even if I give you ten years, you won't be able to write it."
Being despised, Zhan Fei puffed up his cheeks and smiled sinisterly, "Master, I only read the first four sentences. You don't want to know the rest?"
After sorting out the homework handed in today and placing it on the right side of the desk, Master Lin said without raising his head: "Xiaoyu, you seem to have forgotten who is the master and who is the student? Do you want me to give you a few more questions?
Let’s hone your poetic talent.”
"I don't want it, Master, you can't be so cruel!" Zhan Feiyu screamed, and her gentle and elegant Master disappeared!
Master Lin looked over with a threatening look and gave up his position.
Zhan Feiyu picked up the pen and wrote quickly: "The article was originally made by nature, but it was accidentally obtained by a good hand... If Hou Kui no longer writes it, who will be able to follow it for thousands of years."
The writing speed was so fast that if she was a little slow, Master Lin would really ask her to compose eight out of ten poems.
When the sun sets in the west, today's class ends.
Looking at Zhan Feiyu who was about to go back, Master Lin said: "Literati have looked down on each other since ancient times. There will definitely be many people who will target you at this literary conference. Fortunately, you are young and those people will not go too far, so as not to end up in the wrong place."
The big bully has a bad reputation.”
Seeing Zhan Feiyu's expression as if facing a formidable enemy, Mrs. Lin smiled and touched Zhan Feiyu's head, "Don't worry too much. I'll think about it carefully in the next few days and just write a poem."
If Mrs. Lin modified it for her, it would definitely be seen, and she was afraid that someone would spread it randomly. What was obviously just a modification would turn into a scam, and Zhan Feiyu would be accused of cheating.
"I remember Master." Zhan Feiyu agreed obediently. In fact, she felt that after the poem "Wo Chun", even if someone targeted her at the literary meeting, she would not be allowed to write a poem, but there was no need to say this guess.
, making the master more worried.
The last ray of light faded, and Zhan Feiyu returned to the village through the night.
Naturally, Zhan Feiyu wouldn't let Dahuang pick her up after she moved out. Li stayed at home with the courtyard door closed every day, but the idle scoundrels in the village still kept an eye on her.
Although I dare not do anything, it is easy to attract rumors, so it is safer to leave rhubarb at home.
In the house, Mrs. Li knew that Zhan Feiyu was back when she saw Rhubarb lying on the ground wagging its tail and running outside. She couldn't help but walked out quickly, "Xiaoyu, he's back."
"Mom." Zhan Feiyu grinned and glanced to the right. A wall more than two meters long was built outside the original bamboo fence, and there were a lot of stones scattered beside it.
"Your father is here during the day." Mr. Li's expression was cold.
She was disappointed with Boss Zhan, but he wanted to help, and Li did not refuse. Compared with a bamboo fence, a stone wall would definitely be safer.
It's just that Boss Zhan has to take care of the family fields, and he has to go to the mountains to find stones, and he has to build a wall after moving back. By the time he finishes, it will probably be the Chinese New Year.
"Mom, don't stop me. It's better for my father to work here than to go back to his old house." Zhan Feiyu took Li's arm intimately and walked into the house.
Looking at Dalang's attitude towards him in the private school, he knew how much the people in his old house resented him, and they would almost be cut to death.
But Zhan Feiyu likes to see those people who hate him but can't get rid of him, so he plots a plan, but in the end he shoots himself in the foot.
In contrast to the dinner where the mother and daughter talked and laughed, in the wooden house, the elder Zhan ate vegetable soup and ate hard pancakes with crumbs.
Old man Zhan is a cook, and he has learned from him before, but the farm work in the fields requires him to do it. Old man Zhan finally let Mr. Zhan learn to cook. Fortunately, Mr. Zhan knows how to cook, so he will not go hungry after moving out.
.
On the other side, the elders of the Zhan family.
The quarrel in the main room came out again, and there was a quarrel almost every day. Zhan Dalang picked up the script and read it, and now he was not so agitated.
"Second brother, can you honestly say that you picked up the money from the bank?" Ma Shi frowned and looked at Zhan Lao Er and Xiao Yao sarcastically, "This was obviously given by Young Master Zhu. Why did the eldest brother get the money?"
The clan has been eliminated, but you, second brother, are holding the money. Go out and ask if there is such a good thing in the world!"
Zhan Laosan didn't stop Ma. Who wouldn't be tempted by the one hundred and fifty taels of silver? If the second brother wants to take it all for himself, it's absolutely impossible.
"Third brother and sister, there are so many people in the world who pick up money. This money was picked up by my boss. He told me when he came back!" Little Yao refused to let go. The third brother wanted to share the money and was daydreaming!
The second wife's reputation is now bad, this money is just a comfort, even if Xiao Yao takes out the money, even if he holds a kitchen knife to her neck!
"Have you had enough quarreling? Do you want me to call your mother over and ask her how she raised her daughter?" Old Mrs. Zhan looked at the quarreling little Yao and Ma with a fierce look, "I don't want to
After that, I will immediately ask the second and third sons to write a letter of divorce, and you both should go back to your parents' home!"
The scolded little Yao family and Ma family each glared at each other, sullen and did not dare to speak again, but looking at their unconvinced looks, it was obvious that they would not give up.
"Mom." Zhan Laosan looked at Mrs. Zhan, who had a mean and stern face, "I will ask my brother to follow me to Baofeng Bank tomorrow. I will give you three hundred coins for depositing this money in the bank. Why don't you take it back and put it at home."
There is a fee for depositing the money in the bank. A storage fee of 200 liang must be paid to the bank every year.
Old man Zhan, who smoked dry cigarettes, nodded in agreement, "The third brother is right, take out the silver first, and leave it to your mother for safekeeping for the time being. There are many places where silver is needed at home."
Hearing this, no one else spoke. Without Boss Zhan, the harvest in the field would be less than half. Li is diligent, takes care of the vegetable field well, raises chickens and ducks well, and can also make shoes and sell them for money.
.
Although Zhan Laosan went to the dock, he was lazy and did not haul enough goods, which was not even half of what Zhan Laoer made.
In addition, Zhan Laoer's body is not strong enough to do heavy work, so the big family spends more and earns less, so the life can be imagined.
…
Early the next morning, Zhan Feiyu went out at the same time, but saw Boss Zhan who had already picked up rocks and walked over. It was frosty in the morning, but Boss Zhan's forehead was hot and sweating.
Boss Zhan quickly put down the flat basket filled with stones and said cautiously: "Little fish."
There were three stones in each of the two flat baskets, weighing at least more than 100 kilograms. They were picked from Pianzi Mountain in the north. They probably went to the mountain to pry the stones before dawn.
Seeing that Zhan Feiyu didn't speak, the light in Boss Zhan's eyes went out, and he suppressed the pain and said: "Then you go to the private school, and be careful on the road."
Zhan Feiyu left in silence, hoping that his father could always keep a distance from the people in the old house, so that his mother would forgive him.
"Xiaoyu, wait for me." As soon as Zhan Feiyu walked out of the village, he heard a shout from behind. When he looked back, he saw Shan Wazi running over with a pancake in his mouth.
"Why are you so early?" Zhan Feiyu asked with a smile. This was more than half an hour earlier than usual.
Shan Wazi vented his anger and took a bite of the pancake, swallowed it in twos, and then said angrily: "It's not my fault that Dalang Zhan came to my house before dawn and knocked on the door, asking me to ask the master for leave on his behalf."
Shan Wazi's whole family was woken up and couldn't sleep. Shan Wazi simply went out and could keep Xiaoyu company.
Looking at Shan Wazi who was angry but extremely envious, Zhan Feiyu laughed and said, "If you dare to skip school, I will definitely tell the master and let the master come to your house to talk to your aunt in person."
As if he had been hit hard, Shan Wazi stared blankly at Zhan Feiyu, who was smiling like a flower. He suddenly raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. The little fish laughed so horribly just now!
"Don't be stupid, let's go. Even if you don't pass the imperial examination, I will teach you arithmetic when you can read and write, and you can work as an accountant in the county in the future." Zhan Feiyu patted Shan Wazi on the shoulder.
The multiplication tables and chart accounting method are more than enough to serve as an accountant.
Once you study hard, time passes very quickly.
After lunch, there was a break for two sticks of incense. Zhan Feiyu was thinking about writing a poem with the theme of plum blossoms. The noise in the private school was too loud, so he didn't tell Mrs. Lin and walked to the bamboo forest in the south.
"Yong Mei"
The horizontal branches are out of the corner, and the west wind is blowing hard.
The cold fragrance accompanies yellow pistils, walking in the snow to find old friends.
Zhan Feiyu quickly went over Ping Ping in his mind. How should he modify it? Without Master's correction, he could only rely on his own efforts.
Suddenly, there were footsteps in the bamboo forest, and Zhan Feiyu was lost in thought until a black shadow blocked the light.
Whoa! Zhan Feiyu suddenly raised his head and was startled. His body instinctively leaned back, and the back of his head hit the bamboo behind him with a thud.
"It scares people to death!" Zhan Feiyu rubbed the back of his head and looked at Yin Wuyan sadly, "If I were knocked stupid, a generation of prodigies would wither away... This is the loss of the Daqing Dynasty!"
"A child prodigy who is not even good at anything?" The cold voice was flat, but there was definitely contempt in Yin Wuyan's tone.
Zhan Feiyu suddenly ran out of words, smiled cheekily, raised his head and looked at Yin Wuyan, "Brother, are you looking for me? Is that tea poisonous?"
If she relied on Zhan Feiyu, she would not be able to find a doctor to check even if she stole the tea.
"It contains the secret medicine Li Ren Zui." Yin Wuyan glanced at Zhan Feiyu, who had a happy face. It seems that there are benefits to being cowardly. At least he can escape.