He was born as a blacksmith, but he dominated the world

Chapter 368 How many more years can we have

"You bastard! Even if your father knows you, you shouldn't commit treason! Beating an imperial official is punishable by death!" A young man of seventeen or eighteen shouted.

He believed that he had done nothing wrong. Even if the person was an old acquaintance of his father, how could he dare to do such a thing!

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately stepped forward.

Jiang Lin took a sudden step forward, and the ground shook in an instant. The entire prefectural residence was shaking violently as if it would collapse at any time.

Everyone was frightened and pale, looking at the figure whose feet had cracks like spider webs and whose aura was as heavy as a mountain, speechless.

Malu also looked at Jiang Lin's figure, and suddenly remembered the first time he saw Jiang Lin. In his childhood eyes, that figure seemed taller than a mountain.

For a long time when he was young, Malu's greatest wish was to be as tall and strong as Brother Chen.

But only now did he realize that it was impossible.

Taking a deep breath, Malu pushed away the guards' support, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and walked forward: "I'll ask someone to prepare a car and go back with you to attend the funeral."

"I'll take you back." Jiang Lin grabbed his arm with one hand.

Malu was startled, then looked at his family: "Then they..."

Jiang Lin pulled him and walked out of the mansion, but the voice remained where it was.

"They don't deserve it."

Since he didn't see any trace of that aura on the magistrate's daughter a year ago, Jiang Lin knew very well that these people had nothing to do with the blacksmith shop.

He just forgot who he was and what he was here to do, but he understood a lot of things.

Malu was dragged out of the yard in silence.

One step would cover a distance of several hundred meters. Such speed made Malu look horrified and his mood became even more complicated.

Dad is right, Brother Chen is not an ordinary person.

"father……"

He worked as a Tongzhi for two years, but when he returned to the blacksmith shop, he saw the neighbors helping to set up the mourning hall, and his mother Lu Yinghong cried hoarsely.

Malu's feeling of guilt is beyond words.

Seeing Jiang Lin pulling him over, everyone was shocked, thinking that Malu had known the news in advance, otherwise how could he come so quickly?
However, people did not show much fear towards this senior official. Instead, many of them showed disdainful expressions.

Many of them watched Malu grow up, and everyone saw clearly how high expectations Ma the blacksmith had for his son.

He failed the provincial examinations for many years, but he was never blamed. Instead, he was given money every year and hired a teacher to teach him.

After Malu became successful, he has come back only a few times in recent years.

He didn't even see the blacksmith Ma for the last time. Such behavior was extremely unfilial.

The strange looks from the old neighbors made Malu unable to raise his head. He walked into the house with his head lowered and looked at the stiff body that was still in his mother's arms.

The white hair and thin body made Malu's eyes tear up instantly.

He fell to his knees with a thud, crying out in pain: "Dad! I am an unfilial son!"

When Lu Yinghong looked up and saw him, her crying stopped abruptly.

Then she pounced on Malu like a madman, tearing his hair and clothes, and hitting his face and shoulders.

The heartbroken cry sounded again: "Why did you come just now? Why did you come just now?"

The millipede crawled on the ground and allowed its mother to beat it.

Yu'er's eyes were also red and swollen. She walked to Jiang Lin and asked in a low voice: "Did you hit him?"

Half of the millipede's face was swollen as high as a mountain, and five finger marks were clearly visible.

Jiang Lin nodded, Yu'er wiped her eyes and said, "He deserves to be beaten."

The next day, Yu'er brought the porridge over early in the morning.

Seeing Malu still kneeling in front of the mourning hall, Lu Yinghong squatted in the mourning hall and burned paper money with a wooden face.

She sighed slightly and walked to Jiang Lin, who was in mourning: "Brother Chen, have some porridge."

"I'm not hungry." Jiang Lin shook his head.

For many years no one knew that he had never been hungry.

Eating together every day is more of a coping mechanism, and it can also be said to be a manifestation of adapting to local customs.

At this time Jiang Lin seemed to sense something. He turned his head to look outside the city, then took a step forward.

Yu'er was holding the porridge, not knowing where he was going.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Lin was out of the city and took a few steps to a distance of two miles.

In front of him, several carriages, surrounded by guards, were slowly driving towards this side.

Noticing someone blocking the road, the curtain of one of the carriages was lifted to reveal an old face.

After taking a look at Jiang Lin, the old man got out of the carriage.

He was Malu's father-in-law, the former prefect.

This time I came here to bring my family to attend the funeral of Blacksmith Ma.

From a distance, the old man bowed to Jiang Lin.

However, before he could even say anything, Jiang Lin's voice rang out like thunder.

"roll!"

The strong wind made the carriage like a small boat in the stormy sea, which could capsize at any time.

The horses neighed in fear and pulled at the reins frantically, trying to run away in all directions.

Even the knowledgeable former prefect was shocked at this moment.

Jiang Lin's aura was so powerful, like a volcano that was about to erupt at any time, with an almost earth-shattering pressure.

They are just mortals and cannot bear such pressure.

The old man shouted at people in panic and quickly retreated.

Jiang Lin was like an insurmountable mountain blocking their way, preventing them from moving forward.

Jiang Lin didn't turn back until these people retreated far away and disappeared from his sight.

A few days later, the blacksmith Ma was buried. Ma Lu kowtowed dozens of times in front of the grave, his forehead bleeding, but no one stopped him.

Because everyone felt that this was what he owed.

After this year, the millipedes would come back during every festival.

Every time he brought various gifts, but Lu Yinghong never spoke a word to him again.

In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed and Lu Yinghong's health was no longer good.

One month before the end of the year, she collapsed at the door of her house and never got up again.

On his deathbed, Lu Yinghong pointed at the box in the room and said in a trembling voice, "Open it."

Jiang Lin walked over, moved the box over, and opened the lid in front of her.

There were a lot of things inside, including silver, jewelry, and some miscellaneous little gadgets, all of which were things that Malu played with when he was a child.

Looking at these things, Malu had a complicated expression.

Although her mother has ignored her, she still keeps these things.

Lu Yinghong seemed to suddenly come to life. She reached out her hand and took out a piece of children's clothing from the box. It had never been washed, but the original pattern had been lost due to the passage of time.

There seemed to be a few shallow footprints left on it. Lu Yinghong raised his head and glanced at the millipede.

Malu quickly lowered his head and stretched out his hands: "Mom."

However, Lu Yinghong did not look at him again, her eyes were fixed on Jiang Lin.

She handed the old baby clothes to Jiang Lin, and watched him take it in his hands, rarely showing a smile.

"I still remember how silly you looked when you first came here. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, but you seem to be the same as before."

Lu Yinghong's voice gradually became weaker and lighter.

"When I made the bed for you, I still had selfish motives and saved a few taels of silver."

"It's just that I couldn't find you a wife."

"Do you still remember that year when your master bought you your first string of candied haws?"

Her voice could no longer be heard, and she passed away with deep longing for the past and deep regret.

Malu knelt down beside the bed and cried softly.

This year, the Tongzhi Lord turned fifty years old.

Many neighbors still came to help at Lu Yinghong's funeral, but most of them were young faces.

Many familiar elderly people have passed away, leaving their sons and grandsons to inherit the family business.

Yu'er also came back after hearing the news.

She is three years older than Malu. Although she has taken good care of herself, there are still deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and most of her hair has turned white.

After Lu Yinghong was buried, Yu'er did not leave.

She came to the blacksmith shop and looked at Jiang Lin, who was still working on the iron as usual, with a complicated look in her eyes.

She was about to become an old woman with her body half buried in the ground, but he was still so young and hadn't changed at all.

Almost all the people who lived nearby at that time have died. How many years can I live?
Looking at Jiang Lin, Yu'er suddenly asked, "Brother Chen, after Uncle Ma and Auntie are gone, will you miss them?"

Jiang Lin replied without even looking up: "Yes."

Yu'er looked at him for a long time, and suddenly a blush appeared on that somewhat old face.

"Brother Chen?"

"Ok?"

"If one day I am gone, will you... miss me?"

Jiang Lin paused and looked up at her.

The girl who once stuffed his wallet has grown old, but her shy look is still the same as it was decades ago.

Jiang Lin's heart moved slightly, and he wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to start.

However, Yu'er was not disappointed, she seemed to have seen the answer.

With a smile on her face, Yu'er said, "I regret it a little."

"Malu is right. I should have come to you wearing a red wedding dress. Maybe you would have agreed."

Jiang Lin was stunned, but Yu'er chuckled.

She seemed to have untied the knot in her heart. She waved at Jiang Lin and said, "When you get old, you just like to say impossible things. Let's go, Brother Chen."

Jiang Lin nodded and watched her leave.

Malu came over, looked at Yu'er's departing figure, and said, "I regret it too. I shouldn't have gone to school. I should have learned blacksmithing with you."

Jiang Lin turned to look at him and asked, "Don't you want to take the top exam?"

"I won't take the exam anymore." Ma Lu's face also showed a bit of age, with a bitter look on it: "I won't take the exam anymore. Now think about it, even if I become the top scholar, what will it matter? It's better to be like you, brother Chen, and be free and easy in this blacksmith shop."

Jiang Lin didn't say anything. Only he knew what the blacksmith shop meant to him.

Although Malu said he would never take the exam again, he was promoted to prefect a few years later.

Time passed year after year, and in the sixtieth year since Jiang Lin came to the blacksmith shop, a little girl of six or seven years old came here.

She was wearing a white silk dress and looked at Jiang Lin timidly, with curiosity and some fear in her eyes.

Jiang Lin looked down at her from above, as if he had noticed something. He raised his head and saw a middle-aged couple in their thirties or forties looking at him with uneasiness a hundred meters away.

Their faces looked familiar. Jiang Lin had a good memory and recognized the man as Malu's son at a glance.

He couldn't help but frown slightly, and a soft childish voice came from in front of him: "Are you Grandpa Hongchen?"

Jiang Lin looked down at the little girl in front of him again and asked, "What did your father ask you to do?"

The little girl looked uneasy, lowering her head and twiddling her fingers: "Grandpa asked us to come, he wants to see you."

"Mali? Why doesn't he come himself?" Jiang Lin asked.

"Because..." The little girl's voice suddenly became tearful: "Grandpa is going to die."

(End of this chapter)