novelAbuy Chapter 003 Brothers are for betraying.
Chapter 003 Brothers are for betraying.
Chapter 003
"Can't what?"
Chen Daniu scratched his head, but didn't say anything.
Song Yanniang was very famous. Song Kangnian stopped growing when he was nine years old, so naturally people around him would point fingers at him.
At this time, in order to protect her younger brother, Song Yanniang stood up for Song Kangnian. She fought with countless boys and won every time.
To those around her, Song Yanniang was nothing short of a devil.
She was not only fierce, but also very good at fighting. It can be said that she had dealt with many young and strong men in the surrounding area.
Chen Daniu silently mourned for Chen Boying in his heart, fearing that Chen Boying would not have a good life in the future.
Wang Tiezhu slapped himself, filled with remorse. If he hadn't turned and run away, Chen Boying wouldn't have been arrested. If only he had…
Chen Youshi bowed even lower, addressing Song Xianze with a deep bow, and said, "Mr. Song, my son has been willful and reckless, offending you. He truly deserves punishment. I beg you, Mr. Song, to consider that Youshi has served the court and give him a chance to atone for his sins!"
Chen Youshi pulled out a handful of loose silver from his pocket and handed it to Song Xianze: "As long as Mr. Song is lenient, you can punish me however you wish!"
Song Xianze bowed and said, "Uncle Chen, you flatter me. Boying has done nothing wrong. If anyone has made a mistake, it is Kangnian's fault..."
If an attempt to steal is unsuccessful and the perpetrator is caught, according to the "Great Ming Code," the person who attempts to steal shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane, and the first offender shall be tattooed.
Chen Youshi knew he was in the wrong and had already made up his mind that he would rather be extorted by the Song family than risk getting through this ordeal unscathed.
"Uncle Chen, you've come at the right time! Let's talk as we walk!"
Song Xianze naturally refused the silver from Chen Youshi: "Our Song family, though not a wealthy or powerful clan, is still a scholarly family, and we cannot disregard etiquette..."
Chen was a little confused: "Li..."
"That's right!"
Song Xianze said solemnly, "The Three Letters and Six Rites are absolutely indispensable!"
Chen Ying could tell that Chen Youshi still thought he was being forced to marry into the Song family. Chen Ying walked up to Chen Youshi and whispered that he had decided to marry Song Yanniang.
"Are you really going to marry that woman from the Song family?"
Chen was sometimes so angry that he trembled. It wasn't that he thought there was anything wrong with marrying an ugly daughter-in-law.
The problem is that Song Yanniang has a notorious reputation. Her parents died one after another, and the Song family members have their eyes on the family property of the siblings. The uncles and aunts of the Song family want to seize the children's property.
However, Song Yanniang was too ruthless. She dealt a terrible blow to the Song family members. It is said that her own uncle was literally killed. If Song Yanniang were to marry into the family, Chen Youshi would not be worried, after all, he was magnanimous.
But what about Madam An? Wasn't she bullied to death by Song Yanniang?
"Father, you've asked that for the third time."
"I'm asking you one last time, are you absolutely determined to marry me?"
"yes!"
"Do you know what people are saying? They're saying you... saying you... saying you have no backbone!"
"Father, does it matter what others say?"
"How can it not be important? Our Chen family's ancestors were all high-ranking officials, the sixth-rank centurions. Your grandfather, your great-grandfather..."
Looking at Chen Youshi's aged face, Chen Ying suddenly understood that Chen Youshi's opposition to the marriage was not only because of his pride, but also because of his inferiority complex.
As the saying goes, a daughter should marry into a wealthy family, while a wife should be married into a poor family.
Chen sometimes harbors deep-seated inferiority complexes, worrying that his son will be mistreated and fearing that his descendants will never be able to turn their lives around.
"Dad! Look at this."
Chen was taken aback for a moment, then took the neatly folded piece of paper. The paper was rough, but the ink was clear. At the top were five large characters: "Deed of Land".
"This...this is..."
"Land deed. Two and a half acres of residential land, right here. Bounded by the Zhang family's wall to the east, the official road to the west, the river ditch to the south, and the Wang family's field to the north. It's all in black and white."
"Where...where did you get so much money?"
"Given by Yan Niang!"
Chen Ying patted the money pouch on his body: "There's more here!"
Chen suddenly realized that her son was a complete stranger.
He barely recognized his son anymore. His son was a thief and a good-for-nothing, causing him endless worry.
But the question is, is it the son's fault?
If he were truly capable, would Chen Boyong need to resort to petty theft?
The first time he stole a chicken from Wang Baihu's house, it was to nourish his wife, An Shi, not for himself. Now, he's willing to marry Song Yanniang for the sake of money, not for his own benefit either.
Chen Shiyou originally had three mud-brick houses in the Baihu Office.
The problem is that their home has been swallowed up by the flood. Not only have they lost all their meager belongings, but they don't even have enough food for the next day.
It's still hot now, so sleeping in a straw shed is bearable, but what about when winter comes?
"Keep this land deed safe."
Chen Youshi approached Song Xianze: "Um... Mr. Song..."
Chen did not want to burden his son, so he discussed marriage with Song Xianze.
Seeing the change in attitude from Chen Youshi, the future father-in-law, the Song family was overjoyed. This troublesome aunt could finally get married.
In fact, if Song Yanniang had been resolute in her attitude, he would have agreed without hesitation, even if it meant marrying into the family.
Because the Ming Dynasty was not like later generations. The environment in later generations was relatively fairer. In the Ming Dynasty, it was an era where family connections mattered openly and fairly. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to defy fate and change their destiny.
More importantly, Chen Ying, who had no status, could not realize any of his ideas. Even if Song Yanniang was not good enough, she was still a small landlord with 278 acres of land.
Chen Ying's moral bottom line has always been flexible, especially when facing beautiful women.
The group headed along the official road towards Mamuji. About a mile from Mamuji, Chen Ying felt an urgent need to urinate. He looked around but couldn't find a place to urinate.
Left with no other choice, he walked to the ditch beside the official road. It was a ditch that was not very wide to begin with, but after the flood, it was three or four times wider.
He unzipped his pants to urinate, and suddenly, he paused for a moment. As the urine sprayed into the muddy roof, some dark metallic luster was revealed, and he was overjoyed.
I've always wanted to make money, and I've finally found a way to do it.
He didn't make a sound, but quietly made a mark with his foot.
Sure enough, they hadn't gone far when they saw a collapsed temple. According to Chen Ying's memory, this should be Ma Mu's South Temple, and the iron Buddha statue in the mud should be the South Temple's.
The group arrived at Mamuji, where Li Dayou's ancestral home, located on a small plot of land, was originally a shop facing the street, but the house had long been destroyed by the flood.
According to legend, this place was where Yi Yin grazed his horses. As the population gathered, it gradually formed into a market town, hence the name Ma Mu. In fact, the market town was formed because the Tongji Canal flowed through this area during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which led to the rise of commerce.
Although it is a small town, it is located on the official road from Yongcheng to Guide Prefecture, and there is a horse-breeding post station nearby. Although it is a small town, it is more prosperous than a typical small county town.
"Dad, look, this is our new home!"
Chen Ying pointed to the ruins by the street and said, "From here to Wangjiatian, it's all ours!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Daniu and Wang Tiezhu exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with bitterness.
Chen Daniu was extremely jealous of Chen Boying. If he were given a plot of land of two and a half acres, he would be willing to marry Song Yanniang, or even a sow.
The problem is, Song Yanniang didn't even glance at him.
Song Xianze instructed his family members to begin clearing the site. The soldiers Chen Youshi brought also came forward to help. They quickly cleared the boundary line and began driving boundary markers.
Song Yanniang stood beside Chen Ying, her tall figure standing out in the crowd. Today she wore a clean blue cotton dress, her hair neatly combed, but a worried look was etched between her brows.
"Chen Lang!"
Watching Chen Ying draw on paper with a charcoal pencil, Song Yanniang said with some concern, "Isn't this too extravagant? We don't even have fifty taels of silver at most. It probably won't be enough to buy bricks, timber, and tiles!"
"Yan Niang, you don't need to worry about the money."
Chen Ying explained, "We won't build brick houses, we'll build adobe houses!"
If you build an adobe house, the cost is almost negligible, especially since the land Chen Ying bought is close to a ditch, and he can directly take soil from the ditch.
After the flood, the ditches were almost filled in. Chen Ying could take soil from the ditches without causing any resentment from the surrounding neighbors. More importantly, with fifty or sixty people in Songjiazhuang, including the military households, the surrounding neighbors did not dare to cause trouble.
These days, people are relatively simple and honest. When a neighbor is building a house, they will come over to help. The host family only needs to provide food. With food to eat, the family can save some grain.
"If it's just food, then it definitely cost a lot of money!"
As they were talking, Chen Daniu walked over and said, "Boying, everyone's here—the diggers, the mud mixers, the lumberjacks, the general laborers. Shall we begin now?"
"start."
More than fifty people were distributed with shovels, picks, carrying poles, and baskets that Wang Tiezhu had prepared in advance, and the work began.
Song Yanniang and several other women began to build a simple stove on the open ground to prepare a meal, and soon everyone was working enthusiastically.
Around noon, Qin Siming, the Left General of the Ma Mu Hundred Household Office, arrived again with thirty or forty ragged soldiers.
"Old Chen, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you didn't even say a word about such a big thing as building a house."
Qin Siming did not put on airs as a high-ranking officer. At present, not only did the landlords have no surplus grain, but even a seventh-rank officer like himself had no surplus grain at home.
The soldiers were starving, so he had no choice but to shamelessly bring them over under the guise of helping out, just to get a meal.
"Lord General Banner!"
Chen hesitated, unsure of what to say. Chen Ying stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Commander!"
Chen Ying discreetly slipped a small piece of silver, about seven or eight qian, into Qin Siming's hand.
"Boying, you're a lucky guy!"
Qin Siming patted Chen Ying on the shoulder and said, "With your Uncle Qin here, don't worry, I guarantee I'll build you a good house!"
"My lord... I'd like to burn a few vats!"
Chen Ying smiled and said, "Old Shen from our centurion's office, and Uncle Wang, have this skill. Could we ask them to come and help out?"
"No problem, no problem, it's just a matter of a word!"
Qin Siming called out to a simple-minded soldier standing not far away, "Monkey, come here!"
"Greetings, Commander!"
"You're quick on your feet, hurry back to the centurion's office and call Shen Keqin and Wang Baishun over. Tell them to bring their cooking utensils!"
"yes!"
Qin Siming turned and walked towards the construction site to start working. As he worked, he shouted to the soldiers, "Everyone, give it your all! Anyone who dares to slack off, I'll deal with them!"
Qin Siming took the money and actually did the job.
Chen Youshi grabbed Chen Ying and whispered, "Boying! Are you crazy? Do you know how much it costs to build so many houses? And you're feeding so many people? There are almost a hundred people, how much food do they need to eat every day?"
"I have a way to handle the food issue."
"What's your plan?"
Chen Yingcai wouldn't tell Chen Youshi about the plan; if he knew, he'd probably be terrified.
At lunchtime, nearly a hundred people arrived one after another. They ate five bushels of millet, five bushels of wheat, and a bushel of grain that Song Yanniang had brought from the land. The meal was completely finished.
Song Yanniang was actually worried about the food, but thinking that it was for building her own house, she didn't say anything. Song Xianze had just opened his mouth when he was frightened into silence by a look from Song Yanniang.
With many people, the work was done very quickly. After the foundation was dug and compacted, the wooden frame was erected, the excavated soil was mixed with wheat straw, and then poured into the frame and compacted.
As the sun set, the five mud-brick houses and a section of mud wall had been built. Looking at the house that was beginning to take shape, Song Yanniang was overjoyed.
Song Xianze muttered to himself, "My silver, my grain..."
His heart was bleeding, and he couldn't help but slap himself again: "Serves you right for being so foul-mouthed! Now look what's happened... the silver is gone, and the food will be gone soon too!"
After everyone had dinner, they all left.
Song Yanniang said, "Chen Lang, I'm going back now. I'll come back later tomorrow!"
"Yan Niang, thank you for your hard work!"
"Chen Lang..."
Song Yanniang felt a sweet warmth in her heart and left reluctantly.
After everyone had left, Chen You said, "Go home, I'll stay here and watch over things!"
"No need, Da Niu, Tie Zhu, you two stay here with me!"
"good!"
There were still some timber and tools on the construction site, which definitely needed someone to watch over them. Chen Daniu and Wang Tiezhu picked up some dry grass and lay down on the ground to rest.
The two were exhausted, and around midnight, Chen Ying suddenly got up and woke them up.
Chen Daniu asked, puzzled, "Boying, what's wrong?"
Chen Ying lowered his voice and said, "You two, don't you want to find wives?"
Wang Tiezhu's eyes lit up: "I want to, I want to so much... Brother Chen, I'll kowtow to you!"
"No need, you two come with me!"
Chen Ying laughed and said, "I guarantee I'll find you both a wife!"
"good!"
The two nodded repeatedly.
"Da Niu, you push the cart; Tie Zhu, you take the iron shovel and a hammer!"
Although the two men did not understand Chen Ying's intentions, their minds were filled with thoughts of their wives. They pushed the cart along the official road and arrived at the location marked by Chen Ying.
Chen Daniu asked, "Brother, what are you doing?"
"Make money! Once you have money, will you two still have trouble finding wives?"
Chen Ying took an iron spade and dug through the silt, revealing an iron Buddha statue. Wang Tiezhu trembled with fear: "What... are you going to do?"
"You wouldn't... be thinking of selling this iron Buddha statue, would you?"
"Otherwise what?"
"Are you crazy? This could cost you your head!"
"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who will know?"
"But...this thing isn't worth much!"
Wang Tiezhu lowered his voice and said, "Pig iron only costs nine copper coins per catty. This iron Buddha statue weighs at most two thousand catties. It's not worth losing your head for two taels of silver!" (According to the "Military Compilation" from the Jiajing era, the price of pig iron, including transportation, was nine qian of silver per hundred catties.)
"Never mind how much silver it's worth, you two take this thing back, and I'll give you each ten taels of silver, how about that?"
"Ten taels?"
Chen Daniu looked at Chen Ying suspiciously: "Do you have ten taels of silver?"
"have!"
Chen Ying smiled and said, "Are you in or not?"
"Let's do it!"
Wang Tiezhu said indignantly, "The bold get rich, the timid starve!"
Chen Ying laughed, thinking to himself, "Now that you're on my pirate ship, you two better work for me!"