There is a girl in the village

Lu Yuanchang and Gu Xiaofu looked from a distance, and saw a figure squatting at the gate of the Lu family's courtyard, and when they drove closer, they found that it was Aunt Zheng!

The current Mrs. Zheng is a bit older than before, wrapped in a torn and thin padded jacket, her black and white hair fluttering in the cold wind, the wrinkles on her face are getting deeper, and her hunched back makes her whole body They all looked very old.

"Fu Niang, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a whole afternoon." Seeing that it was Gu Xiaofu who came back, Mrs. Zheng ran over excitedly and took Gu Xiaofu's hand and said, she saw Gu Xiaofu's face was ruddy , well-dressed, and thinking about his own situation, he couldn't help but feel sad.

"Ma'am, why are you looking for a slave?" Gu Xiaofu felt Lu Yuanchang's dissatisfaction, and pulled out her hand without a trace.

When Aunt Zheng heard the words, she burst into tears suddenly, and said at the top of her voice, "My wife, Da Lang is going to die soon!"

Gu Xiaofu looked at Aunt Zheng who was crying so hard that she couldn't help feeling surprised, although she knew that Zheng Da would have this day sooner or later, she just didn't expect it to come so soon.Lu Yuanchang, on the other hand, had a sullen face, watching Aunt Zheng's tragic performance with disdain. She knew that the Zheng family was shameless, but who would have thought that they would be so cheeky, almost dying, and dare to come to her door.

"Funiang is my Lu family, your Zheng family is dead, what have you got to do with me!" Lu Yuanchang pulled Gu Xiaofu behind him, and said with a cold face, she had had enough anger in the Gu family, now Zheng The aunt just hit the muzzle of the gun.

"Mr. Lu, my wife has no wrong intentions. It's just that Da Lang still misses Fu Niang before he dies. I want to ask Fu Niang to see him for the last time so that he can go away with peace of mind." Zheng Da Niang begged.

"Huh, it's not unreasonable to act like this. Your Zheng family's face is really big enough! My Lu family can't bear it, please go back, auntie." After Lu Yuanchang finished speaking, he dragged Gu Xiaofu into the courtyard The door, slammed the door hard.

Gu Xiaofu listened to Mrs. Zheng knocking on the door, pleading, and looked at Lu Yuanchang in confusion.

For a long time, Lu Yuanchang hated the Zheng family, especially Zheng Er and Mrs. Zheng. The root cause was that the two conspired to sell Gu Xiaofu again, but she had never done anything wrong to Zheng Da. Much prejudice.Gu Xiaofu knew that no matter what the Zheng family did, it was Zheng Dali who rejected everyone's opinions and wrote the deed of sale, and it was Zheng Da who voluntarily let Gu Xiaofu go.

In Gu Xiaofu's heart, towards Zheng Da, there is gratitude, regret, and helplessness.If Zheng Da had a strong body, the Zheng family would not have married her as Chongxi's wife.After entering the Zheng family, Gu Xiaofu didn't even have time to mourn her own fate, so she took on the chaotic family affairs of the Zheng family.

She took good care of Zheng Da because of the status of husband and wife, and there is no love between men and women. Otherwise, when Zheng Da was in better health, she would not tactfully refuse if he wanted to consummate the marriage with her.But in the Zheng family, after all, only Zheng Da cared about her, Gu Xiaofu felt that it would be okay to see him for the last time when Zheng Da died.And Lu Yuanchang was so angry, I'm afraid there was something else going on.

"A Yuan, you already knew that Zheng Dalang was going to die?" Gu Xiaofu asked, recalling Lu Yuanchang's sudden attack two days ago, it was hard for Gu Xiaofu not to think so.

"So what, could it be that you still want to see him, could it be that you have him in your heart?" Lu Yuanchang became more and more annoyed after being exposed by Gu Xiaofu, she stiffened her neck and said.

"What kind of angry words are you talking about? Why are you always so narrow-minded." Seeing that Lu Yuanchang was thinking about it again, Gu Xiaofu said helplessly: "I am the wife of the Lu family, and you are my husband. Let me go I'll go, if you don't let me, I can go behind your back!"

"Then don't go!" After Lu Yuanchang finished speaking, he rushed back to the study angrily, closed the door and was sullen all by himself.

Gu Xiaofu looked at the trembling study door, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, how narrow-minded this person is!It doesn't make sense to be so jealous!

Gu Xiaofu heard the door of the courtyard kept ringing, so she opened the door, let Xiao Jiu in, and said to Aunt Zheng, whose face was full of tears: "Mother, you go back, I won't let you see Da Niang." Lang."

"Fu Niang, I know this is difficult for you, but you can come with me to see him for the last time, I'm afraid Da Lang really won't be able to make it through this time." Aunt Zheng wiped her tears, still refusing to agree.

"Auntie, I'm sorry, I can't go with you. Please tell Dalang a message. My family is doing very well in Lu's house. Thank you for his kindness that day." Clenching hands, closed the courtyard door.

That night, before Gu Xiaofu had time to make Lu Yuanchang happy, Yang Rong sent the news that Zheng Da had gone.According to the old rules, the Lu family asked Yang Rong to bring the silk gold there, and neither Lu Yuanchang nor Gu Xiaofu showed up for the funeral of Zheng's family.

In the twelfth lunar month of winter and disasters approaching, Zheng Da's funeral was even more bleak than Zheng Er's. Just after Zheng Da Niang buried Zheng Da in the ground, she bumped her head to death in the mourning hall at home.

For a moment, the villagers couldn't help but sigh, the good-natured family had died within half a year.Looking back at the beginning, the Zheng family was considered to be very prosperous. The Zheng family had a solid land, and Zheng Dagong's fame was just around the corner. At that time, who did not envy the prosperity of the Zheng family, but in just three or four years, it was empty.

Those who have good things started talking about Lu Yuanchang and Gu Xiaofu again, saying that Lu Yuanchang was cold-hearted and Gu Xiaofu didn't miss the old relationship.Some people also mentioned the theory of fate again, saying that if Gu Xiaofu hadn't gone to the Lu family, the Zheng family would not have declined so quickly.

The heavy snow kept falling, not only the Zheng family ended in this heavy snow, many poor families also started to freeze to death and starve to death one after another. There was no joy in the New Year in the village. Yang Ming was so busy every day that he never touched the ground. But the disaster gradually expanded, and even though he had three heads and six arms, he couldn't settle so many victims.

In desperation, Yang Ming had no choice but to contact the wealthy households in the village to help tide over the difficulties together.

In the afternoon of this day, the sun rarely appeared, shining warmly on people, but in the hall of the Yang family, everyone's faces were tense.

Those present today included Zhu Baochang, the heads of the Yang family, the Hua family, and the Sun family, as well as some good families in the village, and of course the Lu family.Originally, because of Lu Yuanchang's vicious reputation, he definitely had no part in this kind of occasion, and no one wanted to say a word to her, and had something to do with her, but now her vicious reputation is fading away, and she is the richest man in Luoxi Village. At a time of crisis, Yang Ming hosted a fundraiser, so how could he not be there.

"Everyone, I, Yang, have been the head of Luoxi Village for many years, thanks to the support and support of the villagers, but as the head of the village, I really feel ashamed. Over the years, there have been many major and minor disasters in the village, and the villagers have not It's because I, the village chief, can't do enough to live a good life." Yang Ming stood up and cupped his hands when he saw that everyone had arrived.

"The village chief is serious. If it weren't for the village chief's hard work, the village would not be as good as it is now. The village chief must not belittle himself." Hearing this, Father Hua hurriedly stood up and said, the current situation, being the village chief, is that The responsibility is heavy and the benefits are few. If Yang Ming does not become the village chief, how many people in the village will die.

"That's right, village chief, how can you take natural disasters into account? This matter is entirely up to God, so what have we got to do with poor people like us!" Father Sun also echoed.

When Lu Yuanchang heard this, he couldn't help sneering. Now these people say this because they are afraid that if Yang Ming doesn't become the village chief, this kind of shit will fall on them.The plague of locusts back then was also a natural disaster, so why should the blame be placed on her when she was young, but this rumor has been passed down to this day.

How could Yang Ming not know what everyone was thinking, but he just said modestly, he didn't want to make up for this mess, the purpose of today was not to resign, but to raise donations.

"Everyone's trust really makes me ashamed. It's just that natural disasters are still disasters. I'm afraid everyone still remembers the locust plague a few years ago. After a disaster that year, ten rooms were empty and the villagers died all at once. After seeing so many, who can’t feel sad, among all the people here, I think there are many relatives and friends who lost their lives, and I, Yang, always feel heartbroken when I think of it.” Yang Ming said, showing grief look.

Sure enough, as soon as this remark came out, everyone showed sadness, and some even looked at Lu Yuanchang with hatred in their eyes.Lu Yuanchang has been discriminated against for so many years, and she has already developed a copper-skinned iron frame. She has a cold face and does not speak. She just drinks tea quietly, thinking that tomorrow she will bring some good tea from Lu's house to her godfather and mother. The tea I'm drinking right now doesn't taste right.

Seeing that Yang Ming had almost finished laying the groundwork, Chief Zhu also stood up and said, "Mr. Yang, don't be overly sad. The affairs of the village are still waiting for you to take charge."

"Zhu Baochang's words are serious, I can't do anything alone." Yang Ming said modestly.

"Everyone, our Luoxi Village is the most affluent village in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages. It is due to the contributions of Village Chief Yang and the villagers. If it is not for everyone's concerted efforts, how can we survive one disaster after another. Just like According to nephew Lu Xian, she opened a warehouse early to provide relief, and none of her tenants starved to death, and none of her tenants suffered from cold, which is a great achievement." Zhu Baozhang said approvingly, he knew Lu Yuanchang's reputation, so This is also to rectify her name.

Lu Yuanchang was named, and politely said to Zhu Baochang: "Baochang is serious, this is the boy's job, and it is not worthy of praise."

"Now that the snowstorm has arrived, our Luoxi Village is at a time of life and death. As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Now many villagers in the village are struggling with life and death. I, Yang, have no power to deal with it. Today, I will be thick-skinned , please donate generously and give a helping hand, so that the tragedy of many years ago will not happen again."

Yang Ming's words really touched the wealthy households here, but they are not immune to the current disaster. Whoever is not guarding their food for safety, how can they donate so much? By next spring, their family will not be able to uncover the pot, and who will help them then.

Lu Yuanchang looked at everyone present with cold eyes, and couldn't help worrying about Yang Ming. Today's matter might not end well.

For a while, the hall of the Yang family was silent, and everyone was thinking carefully with their tea.

Seeing this, Chief Zhu and Yang Ming shook their heads helplessly. This was a voluntary donation, and if the villagers were unwilling, they could not force it.Zhu Baochang is more worried than Yang Ming. Now the entire Linchuan County is suffering from disasters. Among the several villages under his jurisdiction, only Luoxi Village is better. If Luoxi Village can successfully raise funds, then the other villages can also follow suit. Acting according to the law, if Luoxi Village fails, there is nothing to say, and everyone will starve to death and freeze to death. Anyway, the lives of ordinary people are not worth mentioning in the eyes of the government.

Time passed slowly, and some wealthy households had already started to leave. Seeing this, Yang Ming felt very worried. The donation was just a passing moment. If there is no harvest at this time, then there is no need to mention this matter in the future.

Baochang Zhu sighed helplessly when he received Yang Ming's plea for help. He stood up and said, "I have been to the county government for disaster relief, and the response I got was that the county government has no food left and does not provide disaster relief."

Everyone didn't react much to the news. It was not obvious whether the county government would save it or not. After so many years, I only saw those officials collecting money, but I never saw them spit it out.

"However, this time is slightly different than before. The county government has given permission to let the people rescue the disaster by themselves. As long as the village can ensure that the number of deaths is less than ten, the poll tax for this winter can be reduced by [-]%."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was like a fried pot for a while, whispering among themselves, this matter is too unusual, the yamen will actually reduce or exempt taxes, this is unheard of.

Zhu Baochang looked at the crowd helplessly, he knew that everyone would have this reaction, but he left a half-sentence unspoken, the county government did this not because it sympathized with the sufferings of the people, but because the magistrate of the county did it for the evaluation and promotion next year. If there are too many casualties under the rule, then the political achievements will not be good.

"Baochang, are you serious?" Papa Hua asked. His family has a large population. If he can really reduce or exempt taxes, then he won't lose much. He is afraid that the government will deceive the surname by cunning. How is life going.

"How can I talk nonsense about the government's words, everyone don't have to worry about it." Zhu Baochang said calmly, in fact, he was also worried that this was the evasion of the yamen, so he repeated the verification, and only then did he know the county magistrate's plan.

Hearing the words, the wealthy households were a little ready to move. Originally, they kept their food and did not donate it, but it was just to prevent disasters. Now, if the tax is reduced or exempted, they deserve it. After all, no one wants to see someone die in vain after being in the same village for many years.

Seeing this, Yang Ming hurriedly said: "As the village head, I should set an example, and I am willing to set an example. My Yang family will donate one stone of grain."

Lu Yuanchang raised his eyebrows when he heard the words. She knew well about the family background of the Yang family. The stone grain was really heavy. After thinking about it, she stood up and said, "Since the godfather is so generous, I can't just sit idly by. My Lu family also donated one stone of grain and another twenty catties of meat."

"Village Chief Yang, Nephew Lu Xian, Gao Yi!" Chief Zhu Bao exclaimed.

Everyone saw that Yang Ming and Lu Yuanchang had both donated, and it would be unreasonable for them not to donate. For a while, there were those who donated food, those who donated cotton cloth, and those who did not have much food and donated silver.Yang Ming recorded them one by one, and everyone put a bet on their own list, promising to send money and food to Yang's family tomorrow, and Yang Ming would coordinate to rescue the villagers.

When everyone dispersed, Yang Ming asked Zhu Baochang to have dinner, but Zhu Baochang refused, so he agreed.

Seeing this, Lu Yuanchang's starry eyes shone brightly. She found an excuse to bring food, went back to Lu's house, and brought Gu Xiaofu along.