The weather is dry...be careful of candles...With the sound of bamboo clappers ringing a few times, it is already the fifth watch. Wan Erjia, the watchman, walked into Fuyun Lane with a lantern in hand. This alley is located in the center of Shangyun Town. It is a prosperous area. Rich families live on both sides. Every household is a high-walled compound. Either rich or noble.
On the deserted street, Wan Erjia reminded people on the roadside to be careful about fire prevention and to close their doors and windows while slowly walking deeper into the alley. When Wan Erjia passed a big willow tree on the street, through the dim light from the lantern, he could vaguely see a person squatting under the tree, and from time to time, a few women's cries could be heard. Wan Erjia was so frightened that he took a breath of cold air and the hair on his back stood up.
"Did I meet a ghost?" Wan Erjia thought with fear in his heart. The night was dark and windy, and Fuyun Alley was eerily quiet. Wan Erjia originally wanted to walk out of the alley quickly. However, while he was afraid, his heart was also full of surprise. So, Wan Erjia gathered his courage and tiptoed towards the tree with a lantern in hand.
As Wan Erjia slowly approached, under the illumination of the lantern, the figures under the tree became clearer and clearer. When I got closer, I saw a woman sitting on the ground with her hands on her knees and her back against the tree, still sobbing. Judging from the vague outline of her face, this woman should have good facial features and a good appearance.
"Are you a human or a ghost?" Wan Erjia asked in a timid and trembling voice. When the woman heard the question, she stopped crying and slowly turned her head to look at him without answering. Wan Erjia was a little confused, raised his right hand and scratched the back of his head, and then asked: "Girl, where do you live? Why don't you go home late at night and are crying here?" The woman looked directly at Wan Erjia, Still no answer.
At this time, Wan Erjia was no longer afraid, because he saw the woman's shadow on the ground through the moonlight, and he was sure that the woman was a human being and not a ghost. "Could it be that he is mute?" Wan Erjia thought to himself. The two looked at each other for a long time, and the woman seemed not to understand what he said and never answered.
Wan Erjia was confused for a while. "There's no way to waste time with her like this!" Wan Erjia thought in his mind. "If the girl doesn't have a place to live, why not go home with me and stay for one night?" Wan Erjia said. The woman seemed to understand this sentence, stood up slowly, and walked towards Wan Erjia.
Wan Erjia led the way, and the woman followed behind. Along the way, the woman didn't say a word, just walked silently. This made Wan Erjia even more convinced that this woman must be mute. Wan Erjia lived on the outskirts of the city, and it was not until the sky was getting brighter that the two of them walked home. After placing the woman in the west wing, Wan Erjia breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his room.
Wan Erjia has a loyal face and an honest person. Although he is not a good person, he is definitely not a bad person. His life was not rich, but he was not poor either. There were three tile-roofed houses at home, which were left to him by his father. Before Wan Erjia could remember, his mother died of illness. His father was a watchman and had been a watchman all his life. One night eight years ago, he went out on patrol and was unfortunately killed by a group of thieves on the street. After his father died, Wan Erjia's son inherited his father's business and also became a watchman. The job of a watchman involves working day and night all year round. No woman would want to find such a husband. Therefore, although Wan Erjia is nearly thirty years old, he still has not married a wife.
After placing the woman, it was already dark. Wan Erjia, who had not slept all night, fell on the bed and fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already noon. Wan Erjia, who was squinting his sleepy eyes, suddenly remembered that the woman he brought home in the middle of the night had not eaten yet. Then he went to the kitchen and cooked a bowl of porridge, brought it to the woman's door, and knocked gently on the door a few times.
Not long after, the door opened, and Wan Erjia's eyes lit up. He saw this woman's slender figure, wearing a light green dress, with pink peony flowers printed on the cuffs, and waist-length black hair. He has a ponytail, his handsome face is white and rosy, and his delicate facial features are like sculptures.
Wan Erjia stood motionless, dumbfounded.After an unknown amount of time, the woman coughed lightly, and Wan Erjia finally recovered and said softly: "Girl, you must be hungry. I made a bowl of porridge. You can drink it while it's hot." The woman had no expression on her face. He took the porridge from Wan Erjia's hand, and then said softly: "Thank you!"
Wan Erjia was shocked by the woman again, and shouted out uncontrollably: "It turns out you are not mute!" The woman frowned slightly and said, "Who told you that I was mute!" After saying that, the woman closed the door. Wan Erjia's emotions were a little complicated, and he walked towards his room while shaking his head.
After lunch, Wan Erjia lay on the bed and took another nap. When he woke up, the sun was almost setting. Wan Erjia rubbed his eyes, walked out of the house, and found the woman sitting under the eaves, her mood seemed to improve. Wan Erjia went to a place two meters away from the woman, sat on a piece of bluestone, and started chatting with the woman. The woman told him about her unfortunate experiences in the past two months with tears on her face.
The woman's name is Zheng Cailian, she is 21 years old and lives in Taohua Village on the eastern outskirts of Shangyun Town. My parents are both elderly. My mother, Wang, has always been in poor health and is frail and sick. She cannot do heavy work and can only do some simple sewing and mending. His father, Zheng Yanli, has been making tofu all his life. With his superb skills and ancestral techniques, the tofu he makes is white, tender and smooth, and is famous in villages all over the country.
In order to feed his family, Old Man Zheng would get up before dawn every day to make tofu, and then use a pole to carry it to Shangyun Town for sale. Although it is a bit hard work, the income is still considerable, and the family has no worries about food and drink.
In recent years, the only daughter in the family, Zheng Cailian, has grown up. She has a graceful figure and exquisite facial features. The sensible Zheng Cailian saw her father working so hard, so she took the initiative to take on the important task of selling tofu. At first, Old Man Zheng was worried and went to town with his daughter to sell tofu. As time passed, Old Man Zheng stopped following his daughter when he saw that he was already familiar with the business of selling tofu.
Zheng Cailian is not only beautiful, but the tofu she sells also tastes great. Therefore, people give her the nickname "Tofu Xishi." As long as Zheng Cailian appears in the market, people buying tofu will line up in a long line. Time has become a beautiful scenery on the street.
Zheng Cailian's excellence is noticed by many people. Matchmakers come to the Zheng family every day to propose marriage. But Zheng Cailian felt that her parents were old and her mother was not in good health, so she wanted to stay at home and take care of her parents for a few more years. Therefore, Zheng Cailian is only in her twenties and has yet to get married.
One day, Zheng Cailian finished selling tofu and stood on the street to pack up her burden and prepare to go home. Suddenly, he was surrounded by four or five men. These men had evil intentions and looked at Zheng Cailian with evil smiles on their faces. Zheng Cailian felt something was wrong and wanted to run away, but it was too late. She was covered by these men and dragged into Fuyun Lane and into a large family.
Zheng Cailian was pulled to the backyard by these men and pushed into a room. Standing in the room was a man in his twenties with bronze skin, looking at her with a lewd smile. Zheng Cailian was so frightened that she huddled in a corner and did not dare to look up. The man walked towards Zheng Cailian and said confidently: "As long as you obey me, I guarantee that you will enjoy endless glory and wealth in your life!" After hearing this,
Zheng Cailian took a breath, looked at the man with angry eyes and said: "In broad daylight, you robbed a girl on the street, do you still have the king's law in your eyes?" The man spat and said disdainfully: "The king's law? In this Shangyun Town, my father is Wang Fa!" After saying that, the man picked up Zheng Cailian and pushed her to the bed... After Zheng Cailian cried heartbreakingly, a satisfied smile appeared on the man's face. ...
The man's name is Xue Baoshan. His father, Xue Huairen, is the top wealthy businessman in Shangyun Town. His family owns thousands of hectares of fertile land and hundreds of houses. His business is spread throughout the town. His family is extremely wealthy and extremely wealthy. He is truly the leader of Shangyun Town. The richest man. Xue Baoshan is the only son in the family and has been pampered by his parents since he was a child. When he grew up, he was uneducated and incompetent. Taking advantage of his family's wealth, he committed mischief everywhere, bullying men and dominating women, and doing all kinds of evil. The people dared to be angry but dared not speak out.Xue Huairen also turned a blind eye to what his son did.
Zheng Cailian was imprisoned in Xue's house and was humiliated by Xue Baoshan. She tried to escape several times, but was chased back by her servants. Zheng Cailian's parents learned that their daughter had been snatched away by the Xue family from people in the market, and they came to ask for her daughter many times. Not only did he not come back, he was beaten many times by the Xue family's servants. The mother, Wang, was already frail and sickly, and was beaten several times by members of the Xue family, so she died of illness at home soon after. Unable to bear the pain of losing his daughter and wife, his father became ill and lay in bed for less than a month before dying of depression.
A happy family of three was ruined by Xue Baoshan. Zheng Cailian, who was imprisoned in Xue Baoshan's house, had no idea about the death of her parents. After two months of crying, Xue Baoshan was tired of Zheng Cailian and let her go. Zheng Cailian ran home with tears in her eyes.
Zheng Cailian was heartbroken after learning that her parents had died. The next day, Xue Baoshan was taken to court. Unexpectedly, Xue Baoshan's father gave the county magistrate a sum of money. The county magistrate dismissed the case and only ordered the Xue family to compensate Zheng Cailian two hundred taels of silver and hurriedly closed the case.
Zheng Cailian's prayers to heaven failed to work, and her prayers to earth did not respond. She broke into Xue's house several times and wanted to kill Xue Baoshan to avenge her parents, but she was kicked out by the Xue family's servants. I had no choice but to sit under the big tree and cry, hating myself for being incompetent. After that, there was a scene where Wan Erjia, the watchman, met Zheng Cailian under the big tree.
After saying this, Zheng Cailian couldn't help but burst into tears. The tears were like broken pearls, constantly falling to the ground along her pretty face. Wan Erjia sighed and lowered his head. He knew very well that he could not afford to offend even an ordinary servant of the Xue family, let alone Xue Baoshan.
"Girl, if you don't mind, just stay here with me for as long as you want." Wan Erjia said to Zheng Cailian. Zheng Cailian looked at Wan Erjia with tears in her eyes and nodded silently without speaking. After saying that, Wan Erjia picked up the bamboo bag and walked out of the door, and went on night patrol.
Before I knew it, a month had passed. One day at noon, the two were sitting at the table eating. Suddenly, Zheng Cailian put down her rice bowl and started vomiting. Wan Erjia hurriedly ran to find the doctor. After some diagnosis and treatment by the doctor, he learned that Zheng Cailian was three months pregnant.
This news was like a bolt from the blue to Zheng Cailian. In this era, if a woman becomes pregnant before marriage, even if she is not immersed in a pig cage , she will be drowned in the spit of the common people. First she lost her parents, and then she became pregnant out of wedlock. Zheng Cailian no longer had the courage to continue living. At this moment, her only thought was to die.
Zheng Cailian walked into the kitchen slowly with a helpless expression on her face and her eyes stiffened. She picked up the kitchen knife in her right hand and put it on her neck... At this critical moment, Wan Erjia strode forward and started from Behind him, he grabbed Zheng Cailian's arm that was holding the kitchen knife tightly with his right hand, and put his left hand around her neck.
"Girl, one corpse and two lives, why are you suffering?" Wan Erjia asked. "My parents have left me, and now I am pregnant out of wedlock. How can I have the face to see people in the future? It would be better to die..." Zheng Cailian was emotional and kept crying. After hearing Zheng Cailian's cry, Wan Erjia felt very sympathetic to her. For a young woman, getting pregnant out of wedlock was tantamount to a death sentence for her.
Wan Erjia thought for a moment, showed determination, and said decisively: "I will marry you!" The kitchen knife in Zheng Cailian's hand fell to the ground with a clang. The two of them stood there quietly without speaking. For a long time, Zheng Cailian pulled away Wan Erjia's left arm that was holding her neck, lowered her head, and entered the room shyly.
The next day, Wan Erjia and Zheng Cailian simply got married in the presence of several neighbors. After getting married, Zheng Cailian taught Wan Erjia the Zheng family's ancestral tofu-making skills. Wan Erjia quit his job as a watchman and concentrated on making tofu with his wife Zheng Cailian at home. The couple lived a prosperous and sweet life, and Zheng Cailian's face showed a long-lost smile.
Half a year later, Zheng Cailian gave birth to a fat boy. Apart from the darkening of the skin, the child had no other problems. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that the child was not Wan Erjia's. However, Wan Erjia didn't care. He was so happy that he held the child from ear to ear. He regarded the child as his own and named the child Wan Xugang. Seeing Wan Erjia's performance, Zheng Cailian was very pleased.
Wan Xugang, a child, was smart and sensible since he was a child. He was sent to a private school by Wan Erjia to start studying at the age of six, and he became a scholar at the age of fourteen. The teachers in the private school are all very optimistic about Wan Xugang's future. Wan Xugang has read all the books of sages since he was a child and is extremely filial to his parents. In addition to studying, he often helped his father sell tofu on the streets, competing for the heavy work at home. Wan Erjia saw this and felt happy in his heart.
There was just one thing that had been bothering Wan Erjia and made him a little at a loss: his son's skin color. Both Wan Erjia and Zheng Cailian have white skin, but Wan Xugang's skin is bronze. Wan Xugang often asked his father: "Father, many friends often ask me, why are you and your mother's skin white? But my skin is so dark?" Wan Erjia also had a headache about this problem, so he said: " When you were a child, you had a skin disease and you often bathed in Chinese medicine. After you recovered from the disease, your skin turned into this color!" Wan Xugang was also dubious about this answer.
One day, a carriage passed by Wan Erjia's house. There was a person sitting in the carriage with bronze skin. Yes, this person is Xue Baoshan. Xue Baoshan went out to collect the bill this time. He sat on the carriage and kept scanning the B&Bs on both sides of the road. Coincidentally, at that time, Zheng Cailian was washing clothes in a wooden basin in the courtyard, and she was recognized by Xue Baoshan who was passing by at a glance.
Although Zheng Cailian is in her thirties, her charm is still there. Xue Baoshan asked the driver to stop on the side of the road. He got out of the car with two servants and walked into Wan Erjia's courtyard. Zheng Cailian, who was washing clothes, recognized her enemy Xue Baoshan at a glance, stood up in a hurry and glared at him, her hands shaking with anger.
Xue Baoshan came to Zheng Cailian and asked with a sly smile: "We haven't seen you for many years, how are you doing, little lady?" Zheng Cailian scolded angrily: "You are worse than a pig or a dog. You are not welcome in my home. Get out!" At this time, Wan Erjia, who was picking soybeans in the woodshed, heard the conversation in the yard and hurriedly ran out of the woodshed and stopped in front of Xue Baoshan.
When Xue Baoshan saw that there was a man in Zheng Cailian's house, he became jealous and ordered two servants to beat Wan Erjia well. Zheng Cailian tried her best to stop him, but she was unable to do so. At this moment, Wan Xugang, who was studying in the room, ran out. Looking at the bronze-skinned young man in front of him, Xue Baoshan was stunned and his expression began to turn serious. Then, with a wave of his right hand, the two servants stopped beating Wan Erjia. While Wan Xugang glared at Xue Baoshan, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Xue Baoshan said nothing more, thought for a moment, turned around and left Wanjia with two servants. Wan Xugang hurriedly helped his father up from the ground, and together with his mother, he helped his father into the house and lay on the bed. After five or six days of training, Wan Erjia returned to normal.
Since experiencing this incident, Wan Xugang often asked her mother: "What grudge does that bronze man have against us? Why did he attack his father so viciously?" Zheng Cailian saw that her son had grown up and some things could not be concealed, so she The truth was told to Wan Xugang. However, Zheng Cailian did not state that Xue Baoshan was Wan Xugang's biological father. After hearing this, Wan Xu clenched his fists angrily and nodded.
After that, Wan Xugang secretly swore in his heart that he would study hard to gain fame, become a good official in the future, and handle cases impartially for the people. Three years later, Wan Xugang successfully passed the examination. Five years later, during a spring visit, Wan Xugang won the first prize and was entrusted with an important task by the court, becoming the governor of the eight prefectures.
A year later, Wan Xu just returned home in fine clothes, and people lined the streets to welcome him. At this time, Wan Xugang had not been home for three years, and Zheng Cailian had turned gray at the temples. Mother and son reunited after a long separation, crying each other.After crying for a while, Wan Xu started to look around and said unconsciously: "Why can't you see your father?"
Zheng Cailian cried even more aggrievedly when she heard her son's question. It turns out that as early as half a year ago, Wan Erjia was selling tofu in the market. Xue Baoshan ordered his subordinates to beat Wan Erjia to death on the roadside on the grounds that it hindered his walking! The county magistrate took Xue Baoshan's money, sentenced Xue Baoshan to accidental injury, and paid Zheng Cailian one hundred taels of silver.
Wan Xugang was filled with grief and anger after hearing this. Early the next morning, he went to his father's grave, knelt down and cried bitterly. After paying homage to his father, Wan Xugang led people straight to the county government office. After entering, he showed his badge as governor of the Eight Prefectures. Subsequently, the county magistrate was dismissed from office, investigated and imprisoned.
Sitting in the seat of the county magistrate, Wan Xugang sent someone to call Xue Baoshan. When he saw the governor of the Eight Prefectures, Xue Baoshan not only refused to kneel down, but also had a very tough attitude. Seeing that Xue Baoshan was so rampant, Wan Xu just ordered the yamen officer to beat him until he knelt down. The yamen officer hit Xue Baoshan on the back of the knee with a stick, and Xue Baoshan fell to his knees with a "plop".
At this moment, the people watching the excitement in the hall saw that the governor of the Eight Prefectures in front of them was not only not afraid of Xue Baoshan, but also had great intentions to punish Xue Baoshan. They became bolder and spoke out their grievances one after another. Some had their legs broken by Xue Baoshan, some had their wives taken away by Xue Baoshan... The yamen recorded the people's grievances one by one and presented them to Wan Xugang.
After Wan Xu just saw it, he slapped the alarm tree angrily and said: "Xue Baoshan, so many people have signed a lawsuit against you, do you have anything else to say?" So what if I did it? So what if I sent someone to kill Wan Erjia? I am your biological father, how dare you kill me?”
After hearing Xue Baoshan’s words, the people in the hall began to There are different opinions. In court, the two people had the same skin color, and Xue Baoshan said such words, which makes people think deeply. Wan Xugang was shocked and his face was a little solemn. He looked at Xue Baoshan's skin color and then his own. His mother had been insulted by Xue Baoshan. Wan Xugang fell into deep thought.
After thinking for a moment, Wan Xu just ordered the yamen to fetch his mother Zheng Cailian. In the back hall, Wan Xugang knelt in front of Zheng Cailian, begging her mother to tell the truth. Seeing that the matter had been brought to court, Zheng Cailian had no need to hide it anymore, so she told her son the whole story and admitted that Wan Xugang's biological father was Xue Baoshan.
In fact, this result was already expected by Wan Xugang. After hearing his mother's words, he did not react excessively. Wan Xugang knelt in front of Zheng Cailian, and whispered with tears in his eyes: "Mother, back then I secretly vowed to be a good official who handles cases impartially for the people. Now, Xue Baoshan has aroused public outrage, even if he is my biological father , I can't tolerate it either!"
Zheng Cailian looked at her son kneeling on the ground, said nothing, and nodded with determination. After that, he turned around and left the back hall. Wan Xugang stood up and wiped away his tears, strode into the courtroom, and slapped the prison wall angrily again: "Xue Baoshan, you are a beast, harming the people, bullying men and women, even if you are my biological father, today I I won't spare you."
Xue Baoshan knelt in front of Wan Xugang and said disapprovingly: "If you chop me down, wouldn't you be afraid of being struck by lightning?" Wan Xugang stood up and came to the hall with murderous intent on his face. Next to the knife, lift the knife with your right hand and put your middle finger under the knife with your left hand. Immediately after he raised the knife and dropped it, there was a "click" sound. Wan Xugang's middle finger on his left hand was cut off by the knife and fell to the ground.
In an instant, blood spurted out from the severed finger, and the people in the hall screamed. Xue Baoshan's mouth was so frightened that he almost dropped his eyes to the ground! The yamen servant quickly brought cotton cloth and stopped Wan Xugang's bleeding. Wan Xugang leaned down with difficulty, picked up the severed finger on the ground, and threw it in front of Xue Baoshan.
"You killed my grandparents, forcibly insulted my mother, and then beat my adoptive father to death. It is unjust! There is no way to repay the kindness of my life. Today I am cutting off my fingers and severing the father-son relationship with you!" Come here! Kill Xue Baoshan!" As soon as Wan Xu finished his last words, Xue Baoshan's head fell to the ground before he could realize what was going on. The people in the hall burst into thunderous applause.
Three days later, Wan Xugang brought his mother Zheng Cailian to the capital and moved into Gaomen Courtyard. From then on, Zheng Cailian lived a life of fine clothing and fine food. Wan Xu just married the daughter of a minister of the DPRK, and his career as an official has been smooth and rapid.
