Yingzhou is located between Xiangyang and Jingzhou. It was originally the hometown of the Western Liang Dynasty. More than ten years ago, Yang Xuangan served as the governor here. He fell into love and gave birth to Yang Yuanqing in this life. He almost died of illness when he was two years old.
The soul from years ago brought Yang Yuanqing back to life.
Yang Yuanqing's biological mother, whose surname was Li, was the daughter of a middle-class family in Jingshan County, Yingzhou. When Yuanqing was two years old, she and her son fell ill at the same time, and unfortunately passed away.
More than ten years later, Yang Yuanqing once again returned to his hometown where he had been away for thirteen years.
It's the end of October, and a heavy first snowfall has covered the Jianghan Plain. Fine snowflakes are flying all over the sky, mixed with mist and a busy look, adding a peaceful and festive atmosphere to Jingshan County, which has been shut down in recent years.
In the morning, two warriors on horseback appeared on the official road outside Jingshan County.
"Yuan Qing, do you still remember what it was like when you were two years old?" Unconsciously, Niu Niu had changed her name to Yuan Qing.
"Why don't I remember that I was only two or three years old when I first met you? You were riding a bamboo horse in the yard and you still refused to call me brother."
"Really? Why can't I remember? I just remember the things you did to bully me when you were a kid!"
The two walked away from the city gate talking and laughing. Yang Yuanqing reined in the reins. In fact, he only vaguely remembered that the Li Mansion was in the city, close to the west city gate. There were two old locust trees at the door of the house, with pavilions like canopies. Yang Yuanqing stared at them for a long time.
, not far ahead, two old locust trees shaped like crowns fell into his sight.
"It should be right there!"
He urged the war horse, feeling a little nostalgic and nervous. Do his uncle and aunt still remember him? Niu Niu stopped talking. She understood Yuan Qing's mood at this time. She was just as nervous when she and her mother returned to their hometown.
.
"Who are you looking for?"
At the door of the house, a boy of about six or seven years old wearing an octagonal hat tilted his head and looked at him, his round and chubby face rosy.
"Is this Li Dalang's home?" Yang Yuanqing probably still remembers his uncle's nickname.
"Is this young master looking for my elder brother?" someone behind him asked Yang Yuanqing. When he turned around, he saw a woman in her mid-thirties standing behind him. She was wearing a light green narrow-sleeved striped silk skirt and a t-shirt on her upper body.
Wearing a green half-sleeved short jacket embroidered with lace, a thick red cloth draped over the shoulders, a kind smile, and a basket in his hand, the basket was covered with blue cloth, with several colored cakes and fruits exposed on the edge.
The boy jumped up immediately, "Mom, give it to me, give it to me!"
The woman helplessly took a piece of cake to him and said, "You kid, you know how to eat it!"
With this soft tone and kind smile, Yang Yuanqing suddenly remembered that this woman was his aunt back then, and her surname seemed to be Zhou.
"aunt!"
Yang Yuanqing shouted softly, "Do you still know me?"
Zhou was stunned, why did a nephew suddenly come to him? She looked at Yang Yuanqing up and down, and a distant memory came back to her mind, that of the child who was sent to the capital.
"Yuan Qing...is that you?"
"Aunt, it's me, do you still remember me?"
Mrs. Zhou excitedly put down the basket and grabbed Yang Yuanqing's hand, "My child, it's really you! You have grown so tall. I remember that you were just a little taller back then."
Mrs. Zhou wiped away the tears from her eyes and glanced at Niu Niu behind her again, "Is this... your wife?"
"She is my sister!" Yang Yuanqing laughed.
"younger sister?"
Ms. Zhou was stunned for a moment, then she suddenly slapped her forehead and laughed, "I look so confused. She is obviously an unmarried daughter, but I still ask if she is your wife. I understand."
Niuniu quickly stepped forward and saluted Yingying, "Niuniu has met my aunt."
"This girl is so beautiful!"
Mrs. Zhou praised it sincerely, "It's really unparalleled in our county."
She quickly took Niu Niu's hand and smiled at Yuan Qing: "Come home with me quickly. Your uncle was talking about you a few months ago."
"How is uncle?" Yang Yuanqing asked with a smile as he led his horse behind.
"Hey! It's been like that for more than ten years, settling accounts all day long. Today I'm thinking about buying two acres of land, and tomorrow I'm thinking about buying a cow. I'm busy all day long."
"It seems that my uncle and aunt are doing well."
"The past few years have been good. The harvest in the village is good and the taxes are not high. Your uncle bought a hundred acres of fish ponds in the past few years, and the aquatic products can be sold at a good price. I think it is better than in previous years."
Yang Yuanqing could also see that the clothes his aunt was wearing and the house had just been renovated in the past two years. It was made of green bricks and black tiles. The barns on both sides of the front yard were filled with grain. This was a very wealthy family.
"Da Lang, who do you think is coming?" Aunt Zhou called impatiently as soon as she entered the courtyard.
A middle-aged man walked out of the room, with a medium build, a square face, a black beard on his chin, wearing a blue linen robe and a plain scarf on his head.
"Madam, what's the matter?"
When the middle-aged man saw Yuan Qing, he was stunned for a moment, "This little brother is..."
After Yuan Qing's biological mother died, his uncle and aunt raised him for nearly a year, and they were kind to him. Although his memory was vague, Yuan Qing knew that this was his uncle. He took a step forward, knelt down, cupped his fists and saluted, "Nephew."
My son Yuanqing pays homage to his uncle!"
"You are... Yuan Qing!"
Uncle Yuan Qing was surprised and happy. He quickly helped him up and looked him up and down with excitement in his eyes. "Oh! You have grown so tall. I remember you were born on Yuan Day. You will be sixteen soon. I haven't seen you for more than ten years. You are back."
Visit my mother’s grave!”
Yuan Qing nodded, "I just came back to visit my mother's grave."
Zhou took Niuniu over and introduced her husband with a smile: "This pretty girl is a girl from Yuanqing. Her surname is Zhang and her nickname is Niuniu."
Niu Niu blushed and bowed, "See you, uncle!"
Li Dalang immediately understood who Niuniu was from Yuan Qing. He was so happy that he stroked his beard and smiled, "Okay! Come in and sit in the house."
He ordered a young boy to lead the horse to the stable, and then took Yuan Qing's hand into the house. The main hall was brightly lit, the floor was paved with blue bricks, and there was an altar table on the left. The table was filled with various tributes to worship the God of Wealth.
Zhao Gongming, there are several couches in front, covered with mattresses, and a brazier is placed in front of them.
Yuan Qing took out a few pieces of high-quality silk and satin bought from the capital from his horse bag and handed them to his aunt, "This is a little bit of my heart. Please accept it!"
The couple hurriedly declined, but Yuan Qing just refused, so they had no choice but to accept it. At this time, another girl walked out from the side door. She looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, had a delicate face, and looked quite like Mr. Zhou. Her clothes were similar to those of her mother.
Likewise, Li Dalang pointed at Yuan Qing and smiled at her: "Liniang, this is Yuan Qing, do you still remember?"
Yuan Qing still remembered that he had a cousin who was one year older than him. When he was a child, his uncle often joked that he would marry her cousin to him.
He quickly bowed and saluted, "Cousin, I am Yuan Qing!"
The girl pursed her lips and smiled, and quickly returned the gift to him, "Father was talking about you just a month ago, and you really came."
Mrs. Zhou pulled Niuniu and said with a smile: "We women will go to the backyard to talk. We will talk to their uncles and nephews here."
Li Liniang was envious when she saw that Niu Niu was extremely beautiful. She quickly stepped forward to hold Niu Niu's hand and made love to her. They went to the backyard. When Yuan Qing saw that her cousin was still wearing braids, she smiled and said, "Uncle, isn't my cousin married yet?"
?”
"I already have one in my husband's family, and I will get married in February next year."
Li Dalang sighed and said, "It would be great if you came back last year and could still see my grandfather."
Yang Yuanqing remembered that his grandfather was very disgusted with their mother and son. He didn't have a good impression and didn't want to ask about him, so he changed the topic and asked, "What does uncle do for a living now?"
Li Dalang knew in his heart that when Yuan Qing's biological mother became pregnant out of wedlock, his father was furious and kicked his sister out of the house, but he secretly took her back. His father never forgave his sister until his death and refused to allow her grave to be moved back to the Li family tomb.
He didn't mention anything about his grandfather and took Yuan Qing to sit down. At this time, Liniang brought two bowls of tea, put them on the table, nodded to Yuan Qing, and went to the backyard.
Li Dalang smiled and said: "My name is Dalang, actually I am the third child. Fourteen years ago, our five brothers separated. Your grandfather gave me 100 acres of ancestral land outside the city. After more than ten years of hard work and frugality, the paddy field increased to 300 acres.
The life is getting better gradually. The year before last, I bought another 100 acres of water surface to raise fish and shrimp, and I can earn hundreds of dollars a year."
Yang Yuanqing knew that his uncle's family was a small landowner and had always been relatively prosperous, but it had gotten better in recent years. He smiled and asked, "How are other families?"
"How to put it, of course there are poor and rich. In fact, everyone is the same. The key is just two words, diligence and frugality. As long as you grasp these two words well, you will generally live a good life. Most people with poor family backgrounds will not be able to manage a household. Rich people
Just spend it carelessly, and you won’t be able to save your family fortune.”
Li Dalang was quite talkative, and he was in a good mood, so he couldn't stop talking. "The Emperor of the Sui Dynasty was good. Taxes were very low, and they could be reduced or exempted in disaster years. But there were a lot of corvees. In the past few months, I went to the county government office."
I have been working as a sergeant for two months. If I don’t go next year, I would rather pay 30 cents. I am too old to support it.”
Yuan Qing also laughed, "Uncle is not even forty yet! Why is he so old?"
Li Dalang shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "If I can live to be sixty years old, I will live a long life. I can only live for twenty years at most. I can earn a good share of the family property and leave it to my children and grandchildren. By the way, you have two cousins."
"I just saw one at the door."
"That's the boy Fu'er, the naughtiest one. There's also a noble boy who is studying in the county school and can only go home once a month. I'll let him come back in a few days."
Yang Yuanqing shook his head, "Uncle, I will go back tomorrow."
"What are you doing in such a hurry? It's rare to come back. You have to stay for at least ten days and a half before leaving."
"Uncle, I'm really sorry. I have something to do in the army, so I can't stay for a long time."
Li Dalang then remembered that he had not asked Yuan Qing, and smiled apologetically: "I forgot, what are you doing now? From your tone, it sounds like you are joining the army?"
Yuan Qing nodded and said with a smile: "I am serving as a town general at Fengzhou Frontier Fortress. This time I am asking for leave to go home to visit relatives."
"Promising!"
Li Dalang gave a thumbs up, "I'm afraid that you will become one of those dandy boys from the capital. If you can go to the frontier to join the army, then you are a good man. Your mother, Izumi, is knowledgeable and will be happy for you."
Yuan Qing nodded silently, "Uncle, I want to go to my mother's grave now."
"Okay! Just wait a moment and I'll prepare some paper money for incense candles."
.....Beside a small green river outside the city, Yang Yuanqing saw his biological mother's grave. It was a small solitary tomb. The grave was covered with white snow, and a willow tree was planted next to it. The willow branches were planted beside it.
The head of the tomb hangs lightly, and a tablet is erected in front of the tomb, which reads: "Mei Panniang's tomb is erected by brother Dalang."
Yang Yuanqing stared at the tomb silently, his nose aching for a while. This was the tomb of his biological mother. She was buried here alone, and she couldn't even enter the family tomb.
The uncle lit the incense candle at the side and whispered: "Mother Pan, your son Yuan Qing has come to see you. He has grown so big and is very promising. You can rest in peace now."
Yang Yuanqing slowly knelt down in front of his biological mother's grave. Thinking about the discrimination and humiliation he suffered from the Yang family since childhood, a strong emotion struck his heart. He couldn't bear it anymore, and he cried loudly in front of his mother's tombstone...
...Yang Yuanqing held back his grief. He wiped away his tears and said to his uncle: "I want to erect a new monument for my mother in my name. Also, I have bought several acres of land nearby. Please ask my uncle to use bluestone for me again."
My mother is building her tomb. I will come back next year and the next year. I will also fight for a royal title for my mother and bury her in Fengfengguangguang, so that the county magistrate and the governor can come and pay homage."
"Don't worry! I will take care of it for you." Yang Yuanqing nodded, then turned back to Niu Niu and said, "You come and kneel down too!"
Niu Niu stepped forward and slowly knelt down in front of the grave, kowtowed three times, and whispered: "Niu Niu pays homage to my mother."