Qing Yao

Chapter 47 It’s all fake
"Why would the Zhao family make such a request?"

Not only was the county magistrate puzzled, Zhao An was also puzzled: their son had just died, and the two old people didn't want their daughter-in-law and granddaughter anymore? Wasn't this a bit too much?

He didn't mind the widow left behind by Zhao Youlu, and he was relieved when he heard that the child was a girl.

It would be difficult to force a son on him.

Raise it, it's so frustrating. How many stubborn men in the world would raise someone else's son?

If he doesn’t raise him, and the Zhao family doesn’t agree, how can he be Zhao Youlu?

Don't make a fuss about this matter anymore and turn a happy occasion into a bad one where you get a silver bracelet.

It’s better to be a girl. When she grows up, you can just prepare a dowry and send her off.

I don't expect my daughter and son-in-law to give me two packs of cigarettes or two bottles of wine during the holidays. I just hope that my fellow Taoist will be prosperous and not cause trouble.

Thinking about the fact that Zhao Youlu's wife had only given birth a few months ago, an evil thought suddenly came to his mind. If the county magistrate and Teacher Song had not been there, he would have had an unusually sweet smile on his face.

Then she felt a pang in her heart and cursed herself for being such a bad person. The woman's husband had just died and she was suffering, so how could she take advantage of the situation?

If she really wants to follow me, I have to cultivate some feelings with her and wait until she is completely familiar with me and has let down her guard before I can do anything.

Everything will fall into place.

Without water, it’s not called a canal, it’s called a dry road!

"Well, it's not the fault of the two elders of the Zhao family."

Teacher Song handled this matter personally, so of course he knew what the two elders of the Zhao family were thinking.

According to him, there are two factors. One is that the Zhao family did not have a good foundation. They spent a lot of money to support their son Youlu's education, hoping that Youlu would pass the imperial examinations and help the family. However, he did not expect that his son was unlucky and died of illness at an early age. This death not only made the Zhao family lose hope for the future, but also made the already poor family even worse off.

The fact that they had to borrow high-interest loans to hold their son's funeral shows how difficult the Zhao family's situation was.

"I've inquired about the local area and learned that the Zhao family only has a few acres of thin farmland. Besides that, they rely on the money their elders make from weaving bamboo baskets and straw mats. They're incredibly poor, practically broke. It's hard to even support their daughter-in-law and granddaughter."

At this point, Song Jiaoyu sighed with some sympathy. He also came from a poor family. In order to support his studies and preparation for the imperial examinations, his family sold everything they could.

Fortunately, God gave him a way out. At the age of 35, he passed the imperial examination and was appointed as a teacher in Ganquan, which was considered a successful career.

Then he expressed his other guess, that the two elders of the Zhao family might have the idea of ​​favoring boys over girls.

For poor families these days, whether it is a daughter or a granddaughter, they are all a loss. The situation is better in the areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but in Fujian and Guangdong in the south, girls are drowned after birth. In many places, there are even villages without daughters, and the government has repeatedly banned it but the problem persists.

This is the prevailing trend and it is difficult to change it.

Although there are not a large number of drowning baby girls in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, girls are generally not valued in rural areas.

In addition, the son is gone and the daughter-in-law is young. It is estimated that she will run away (remarry) sooner or later, so instead of raising the mother and daughter-in-law in vain, it is better to "pack up" and send them away.

Life would be easier if there were two fewer people to eat with.

"Every family has its own problems,"

The county magistrate was touched, but he expressed a different opinion from that of Teacher Song.

It seems that the two elders of the Zhao family don't even want the only bloodline of their own son, which is very cruel. But from another perspective, doing so may not be the result of the two elders wanting to give their daughter-in-law and granddaughter a better path.

To put it bluntly, the person who can get the county to "mediate" with the Zhao family must have a better family background than the "poor student" Zhao Youlu.

Now that the other party has something to ask of the Zhao family, the two elders of the Zhao family naturally want to seek some "benefits" for their daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

Even if the daughter-in-law and granddaughter are not liked by others after they go there, it is better than staying in the Zhao family and suffering in poverty.

To think about it in a darker way, as long as the daughter-in-law knows that this "husband" is not her real husband, he will have to coax her and serve her, and naturally he will not dare to abuse the granddaughter of the Zhao family.

"After hearing what you said, I think it is true."

Teacher Song glanced at Zhao An and had already prepared the documents for the boy to donate to the imperial court. It would not be long before the boy had the title of imperial student.

This matter was assigned by the prefect. It is estimated that once the title of student is obtained, this kid will be able to become an official. Even if he cannot be an official, he can at least be a clerk in charge, which is much better than Zhao Youlu who died of illness.

Zhao An felt that the two elders of the Zhao family were angel investors.

Not in the second or third round, but all in in the first round, which shows great vision.

No matter what purpose the two elders of the Zhao family had in forcing their daughter-in-law and granddaughter to Zhao An, he now had no room for bargaining, because the county magistrate and Teacher Song never said that this was not possible. They even hoped that Zhao An would become the "savior" as soon as possible so that the matter could be over as soon as possible and no further complications would arise.

"Zhao Youlu,"

The county magistrate shouted.

Zhao An didn't react until the county magistrate picked up a book and threw it at him. Then he realized that he was Zhao Youlu and quickly said "Hey!" "The student is here!"

The county lord snorted slightly and said, "Since the Zhao family has such a request, and you are not married yet, and your parents are not around, I will take charge of marrying you to Zhao Youlu's widow. Are you willing?"

What else could Zhao An say? He just said yes with a sad face.

"Congratulations to the groom."

Teacher Song smiled with his squinting eyes and did not understand at all that Zhao An was not able to obtain first-hand resources. He kept teasing him and said that he was a good matchmaker. If Zhao An had a fat boy in the future, he would have to bring some gifts to the county school to treat him to a meal.

This made Zhao An feel jealous, and he comforted himself in an Ah Q way: If Zhao Youlu's wife can give birth to a daughter, she can give birth to a son. It's better than marrying a woman who can't give birth.

Although it is not a first-hand resource, the advantage is that I understand it.

Just one word of understanding can instantly make you feel comfortable.

"Since you're willing, let's just leave it at that."

In order to avoid any further complications, the county magistrate asked Instructor Song to take the trouble to take Zhao An to the countryside in a carriage to pick up the mother and daughter.

Teacher Song had nothing to say and wanted to get this matter over with quickly. After all, he was also one of the participants in this matter.

Thinking that Zhao An seemed to be living in the Certification Office, the sudden appearance of a daughter-in-law and daughter would definitely cause criticism, the county magistrate asked Song Jiaoyu if there were any vacant rooms in the county school.

"There are a few empty rooms for teachers behind the county school. I'll have someone clean one up."

"Well, I'll have to trouble Old Song to make another trip."

"I have never felt any hardship in doing what your Excellency has instructed me to do."

"."

After the two veteran officials had "pulled" each other for a while, the newly-minted groom Zhao An was taken by Teacher Song to pick up his wife and children.

Zhao Youlu's hometown was in the Sanyang River area, more than 50 miles east of Yangzhou. It was noon when Zhao An and his companions set out, and the sun was almost setting when they arrived at the destination.

Teacher Song deliberately delayed entering the village until this time.

Because impersonation is something that cannot be allowed to happen in public, even if the county handles it, it has to be low-key. If they really go to the village to look for the Zhao family in a high-profile manner, the neighbors will definitely be curious and come to take a look, and there may be a big commotion.

The carriage stopped two miles away from the village entrance.

Teacher Song meant to wait a little longer and enter the village quietly after dark.

Zhao An got out of the car and looked around. It felt like a pure rural area. Cicadas on the roadside trees chirped from time to time, and the water in the small river next to it looked extremely clear, the kind that could be drunk directly.

He retracted his gaze and looked at Teacher Song who was sitting in the car. He asked cautiously, "Sir, what should I address Zhao Youlu's parents when I meet them later?"

This is indeed a problem, one that needs attention.

Many big things are often ruined by small gifts.

"Nonsense, of course I call you dad and mom." Teacher Song liked to smoke, and he smoked a long pipe. With a puff, a smoke ring flew onto Zhao An's face. "You are Zhao Youlu now, not Zhao An. Understand?"

"understand!"

Zhao An nodded repeatedly. He really had to adapt to the identity of Zhao Youlu. He had to force himself to engrave the name Zhao Youlu in his brain and imprint it in his bones.

In the past life, wasn’t there a criminal who had been on the run for many years under an alias and was subconsciously turned back by the police when he heard his real name?

He couldn't make such a stupid mistake.

After smoking a pot of tobacco, seeing that it was completely dark, Teacher Song asked the driver to wait here and he took Zhao An quietly into the village.

Very low-key, wearing casual clothes.

Zhao An followed behind step by step, feeling nervous and curious.

He was nervous because he didn't know what the two elders of the Zhao family would think of his new son, and he was curious about what Zhao Youlu's wife, who would take over the business, looked like.

His requirements are not high, just average looks, but older.

Don't be short, thin and small.

On the way, I wanted to ask Song Jiaoyu Zhao Youlu's wife what she looked like, but I was too embarrassed to ask.

The starry sky was quite brilliant, unlike Zhao An's previous life when the sky and the earth were pitch black at night. Now the moon was bright in the sky and the view was clear.

I guess it’s because there’s no light pollution.

Zhao An was holding eight gifts in his hands, including Yangzhou specialties such as dates, white sugar, and small cakes.

I bought it with my own money, so it's only right. How can I let my new son come home empty-handed?

Arriving at the village entrance, Teacher Song looked around and pointed to a half-brick and half-thatched courtyard in the distance and whispered to Zhao An, "That's the Zhao family."

Zhao An nodded and followed Teacher Song to the Zhao family's house quietly. The two waited quietly outside for dozens of breaths to confirm that there were no outsiders in the Zhao family's courtyard before knocking on the door gently.

The door opened. It was Zhao Youlu's mother, Chen, who opened it.

She is also a miserable person. A woman who is less than 40 years old looks like a 60-year-old woman, and her hair is visibly white, which shows how hard she has worked in this life.

Teacher Song had been here before, and Chen recognized him. She glanced at Zhao An and silently welcomed the two of them in. She must have known why they came.

"Sister-in-law, is your husband here?"

Teacher Song asked after entering the courtyard.

"Here I am."

Chen walked into a dark room and whispered a few words. The light in the room came on immediately. It was a rapeseed oil lamp. The lamp was small and produced a lot of smoke, so the lighting effect was very poor, but it was cheap.

No matter how cheap it is, farmers will save as much as possible. They will not light the lights at night unless necessary and will just go to bed.

After entering the house with Teacher Song, Zhao An saw a middle-aged man with an extremely haggard spirit sitting beside a wooden bed that had been used for who knows how many years.

The bed was covered with a mat patched with cloth in several pieces, and the padding underneath seemed to be straw.

There are many mosquitoes in summer, but there is no mosquito net on the bed.

Looking at the walls again, they were oily black, with small holes like beehives in many places. Apart from the bed, there was only a square table in the room with a brick under one of the legs.

The ground is not made of blue bricks, but just compacted soil.

Poor, really poor.

Zhao An sighed repeatedly, not knowing what to say for a moment, until Teacher Song patted him gently. Then he quickly put the gift in his hand on the table, then knelt down respectfully and kowtowed to the middle-aged man: "Dad!"

He then changed direction and kowtowed to Chen who was standing at the door: "Mother!"

Chen didn't say anything, just looked at Zhao An.

Zhao Youlu's father, the middle-aged man Zhao Sixi who was sitting beside the bed, said, "Son, please get up. Although you used my son's name, we dare not call you father and mother."

Zhao An was a little embarrassed.

Teacher Song came to his rescue, saying that Zhao An was highly valued by his superiors in the government office and was an honest person, so he was a very good young man.

"This child's parents are not around anymore. Now that he's connected to your family and has called you dad and mom, I say you two should treat him like your own son, and he'll treat you like his own parents."

Without waiting for Teacher Song to finish speaking, Zhao An quickly kowtowed to Zhao Youlu's parents and called them "Dad and Mom" ​​again.

Chen remained silent, looking very pitiful.

It was still his husband Zhao Sixi who spoke first. He didn't say anything to Zhao An, but just asked his wife to go to his daughter-in-law's room to talk.

Teacher Song remained silent, and after Zhao An stood up, he leaned against the door somewhat awkwardly.

This would be a time when the family is separated, so it would not be convenient to talk or chat.

Not long after Chen left, the sound of a woman crying was heard. No one knew what Chen said, but the woman gradually stopped crying.

Soon, Chen came out, followed by a young woman holding a child.

The light in the yard was bright enough to see clearly, but the woman kept her head down, so Zhao An couldn't see her appearance.

As for the figure, it’s okay.

At least from the side, it's still acceptable.

Whether they are good-looking or not, they must be taken back.

It is estimated that Zhao Youlu's parents had already told their daughter-in-law about this matter, so there was no scene in the courtyard where the daughter-in-law angrily refused and the parents-in-law forcibly sent the child away.

Everything was very quiet. Zhao An followed Teacher Song, and the woman followed Zhao An.

Under the moonlight, the three figures were like shadow puppets, one in front and one behind.

When they arrived at the village entrance, Zhao An looked back and saw two figures outside the Zhao family yard looking at them.

After arriving at the carriage, Teacher Song got on first. Zhao An put the package the woman was holding on the carriage first, then reached out to help the woman get on. The woman instinctively avoided him and indicated that she could get on.

Seeing this, Zhao An could only smile awkwardly and nod slightly.

The bus was a county school bus. It was very spacious inside and could even accommodate two or three people without feeling crowded.

After everyone got on the carriage, the driver whipped the horses and drove them along. The road ahead was clear and did not affect the journey at all.

Inside the carriage, there was silence.

There's nothing much to say.

Teacher Song started snoring after a while. He was really tired these days because of Zhao An's trouble.

Zhao An always wanted to see what his adopted wife looked like, but Zhao Youlu, his wife, seemed to know what he was thinking. She either lowered her head, turned sideways, or held the child higher.

I just can't see it.

This made Zhao An feel itchy, and he didn't know whether Zhao Youlu's wife would recognize him as her fake husband.

It’s really unfair to think about it. With such a clean body, I have fallen to the point of taking on other people’s favors.

He already had a fake degree, and now his name is fake, his identity is fake, his wife and children are fake too. Damn it, I should have just had the surname Jia.

(End of this chapter)