Crossing the famine, I am a poor fish, and my descendants have to work hard

After seeing off the village chief, we began to pack up and prepare to leave.

Feed the horses, give them water, and harness the carriage.

As expected, when people didn't push the cart, the movement speed was much faster.

Zhao Yuanzhen started to talk about the Four Books and Five Classics today. In the Daliang Dynasty, the imperial examinations were inseparable from these Confucian classics.

“Four Books and Five Classics” is the name of the “Four Books” and the “Five Classics”.

The Four Books include: The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects, and Mencius.

The Five Classics include: The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals, collectively known as The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals.

Let’s start with the Analects of Confucius, one of the Four Books.”

Zhao Yuanzhen bought three copies of the Analects and gave one each to Qian Xiaohui, Li Zhijuan and Zhang Zijin.

"The Analects was compiled by the disciples of Confucius, the representative of Confucianism, and his disciples.

It was not edited by Confucius. This book reflects Confucius' thoughts. It records some of Confucius' classic thoughts and remarks.

Let's start studying now. The Analects has 20 chapters in total, and we will study the first chapter today.

Confucius said: "To learn and to practise it from time to time, is it not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is it not a pleasure? To be not angry when people do not know you, is it not a gentleman's behavior?"

What this sentence means is that Confucius said, isn't it a pleasure to review what you have learned frequently after studying?

Isn't it a joy to have like-minded people coming from afar? Isn't it also a gentleman's self-cultivation to not get angry when others don't understand you?

The character 曰 is similar to 日, but if you look closely, you will find that they are different in height, weight and thinness. 曰 is shorter and fatter, while 日 is taller and thinner.

. . . . . . "

After finishing the "Xue Er Pian", everyone started to read the book and learn the characters and recite them by themselves. If you don't understand something, you can ask.

Zhang Zijin studied very hard. He finally passed the enlightenment stage and could study the Four Books and Five Classics. This sounded very impressive. He would be as impressive as his uncle in the future.

Zhao Yuanzhen began to study Chinese medicine on her own.

They set out at about 6.30:, and it's just past eight now.

At around ten o'clock, the two daughters-in-law went downstairs to catch the bus.

Zhao Yuanzhen also went downstairs.

Give the carriage to my son. Let them sleep.

Zijin and Xinshu were still in the carriage.

At lunch time, Qian Xiaohui took out the wild jujube steamed buns that she had steamed yesterday. Because these buns were made with jujubes and brown sugar, they looked a little black from a distance, like black-faced buns.

But in fact, Xuanruan is very sweet.

Zhao Yuanzhen and her two daughters-in-law also covered their mouths with their sleeves and ate the steamed buns, of course secretly mixing in a few slices of braised beef.

Otherwise, she really couldn't eat the dry steamed buns.

The two little guys said they were not hungry. They wanted to wait for their dad and big brother to eat together. Zijin was practicing calligraphy on the small table with his uncle.

Zhao Yuanzhen let them do what they wanted. There were sugar-roasted chestnuts and various fruits on the table, so they wouldn't go hungry.

At almost one o'clock, the two sons woke up.

Zhao Yuanzhen entered the carriage and put down steamed buns for her son and grandson, and also placed a plate of sliced ​​braised beef in soy sauce on the small table.

There was warm tea on the table, and the daughter-in-law washed the fruit every day. But the grapes were almost finished.

The sugar-roasted chestnuts are almost finished.

Let's see when to fry more. They all love this.

The two sons ate their fill and drank some water. Then they took a pear, ate it, and jumped off the carriage to solve their own problems.

Zhang Zijin also wanted to go, and Zhang Xinshu wanted to accompany him, but he said no, and then he jumped down by himself.

After a while, Zhang Zijin came back in a hurry.

He spoke hurriedly as soon as he got in the car.

"Grandma, I saw my aunt. She seemed to have been beaten and kept crying. Go and take a look!"

Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked! Aunt? Zhang Qingyan?

She quickly asked her son to drive the carriage, and took her two daughters-in-law, Zhang Xinshu, and Zhang Zijin to look for Zhang Qingyan.

I didn’t dare tell the old lady for fear that she would worry, so I went to see what was going on.

Before I even got to the place, I heard some yelling and cursing.

"Qingyan, I have no choice but to sell you. Our family is really struggling to make ends meet. You can't just watch your whole family starve to death. Your uncle is a scholar. He will take the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official in the future. He can't starve to death! Please save our whole family."

"Wife, I'm so hungry. I can't help it! When I have money in the future, I can buy you back!"

"Mom, I'm hungry, please go and get me something to eat."

"Yes, mother, go ahead."

Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed, "What a jerk! A family with all the limbs is actually selling a woman for food. The child born by this sister-in-law is also an ungrateful person."

Zhao Yuanzhen knew very well that to deal with the best, he had to solve the problem once and for all, and never give him the opportunity to exploit loopholes and act like a rogue.

She pulled them aside.

"We have to prevent future troubles. Otherwise, if we don't sell him out today, he will be sold out tomorrow. Xin Shu, go back to the carriage and write a contract. Make two copies.

Just write "Buy out your little aunt. From now on, your little aunt will have no relationship with the Zheng family. After writing, put on a mask and come out and send it over. Don't tell anyone else yet."

Zhao Yuanzhen thought that since he wanted to sell it, he might as well sell it completely at once and cut off all ties with his family.

She pulled Li Zhijuan over again.

"When you go, you can say you are buying a maid for your master's family. It's a one-time purchase. There will be no relationship between the two families in the future. If you break the oath, you will have to pay 100 taels of silver.

Then ask them to find a few village chiefs to be witnesses. Don't reveal your identity. You just got married last year, and they don't know you. "

Li Zhijuan and Qian Xiaohui were both from the neighboring village. When they were fleeing, they both wrote letters home.

Li Zhijuan nodded. Although she was very nervous, she still had to help her mother get things done.

Zhao Yuanzhen was afraid of being discovered, so she took Xiao Zijin and Qian Xiaohui and walked beside the convoy.

Soon, Zhang Xinshu brought the contract. Zhao Yuanzhen took it and read it. There was nothing wrong with it and it was written very comprehensively. So she asked him to deliver it to his sister-in-law.

"What's going on? I heard that your family is going to sell someone? Who is it? Let me see!" Li Zhijuan also put on a mask, looking arrogant.

You know what, it looks quite realistic.

"Yes, that's right. It's my family, this woman. See how much you can sell it for. We want food." Zhang Qingyan's mother-in-law nodded and bowed with a smile.

"You are too thin. I can tell you haven't eaten for a long time. You won't die when you get to my house. Then my master will be at a great loss."

Li Zhijuan looked at her aunt’s unrecognizable face which was so thin that she looked unrecognizable. These beasts are not even human!

"No, she is in good health and very capable! Don't worry."

Zhang Qingyan’s husband, Zheng Yinzi, was afraid that he could not sell it, so he said anxiously.

"Who knows! No matter how you want to sell it, our master will only buy it out. After the buyout, the person will have nothing to do with you.

You can't visit me, and you can't have any more dealings with me. If you come to me privately to bother me, you have to pay me 100 taels of silver. Do you agree? If you agree, I'll buy it. If you don't agree, don't stop me from going to the next house."

Li Zhijuan spoke with an impatient and disgusted tone.

"Agreed, agreed, we agree to buy out, and we will never look for her or see her again."

"Okay. Then all of your family members should put their fingerprints on the document. Those who can write should sign and put their fingerprints on the document. Then we should ask the clan leader or village chief of your village to come and witness the incident." Li Zhijuan looked reluctant.

"Okay, Dabao, go find the village chief." Grandma Zhang Qingyan quickly sent her eldest grandson to find the village chief.

"Mom, please don't sell me. I'll go dig wild vegetables. I can dig wild vegetables. I won't eat anymore. I'll give them all to you." Zhang Qingyan didn't want to be sold. If she was sold today, she would never see her mother again!

She had already given up on her husband's family and her son, but she was still thinking about her mother. She wanted to see her mother again and was afraid that her mother would never see her again.

Zhang Xinshu thought about it and added a sentence to each of the two deeds, stating that if the seller's family members came to meet him privately in the future, they would be required to pay a breach of contract fee of 100 taels of silver.

It’s better to put these on paper.

After a while, the village chief of their village came.

"Old Zheng, you really want to sell the second son's wife!"

The village chief frowned in disapproval. The second child's daughter was from the Zhang family next door. If the Zhang family knew about this and came to their village to ask for her, it would be no small matter.

Because Zhao Yuanzhen's convoy was moving fast and was on the official road, and the Zheng family's people were resting on the hillside beside the official road, the two villages did not meet each other.

It’s just that Xiao Zijin was solving a personal problem, and he saw it.

"There's nothing we can do, Village Chief. My family has run out of food. If there's no more food, my eldest son will starve to death. He is a scholar. He will bring honor to the family in the future. Nothing can happen to him!" Grandma Zhang Qingyan cried and gestured.

She looked as if she had suffered a great injustice, even though it was clearly someone else who was sold.

"Are you going to sell it or not?" Li Zhijuan asked impatiently.

"Sell, sell, sell! Sign and seal it now," said Zhang Qingyan's mother-in-law hurriedly.

"Village chief, please persuade my mother. Even if I have worked like a slave in the Zheng family, you should also look at my mother's family! Aren't you afraid that my mother's family will come to your house to ask for me?"

Zhang Qingyan knew that it was useless to ask her mother-in-law for help, so she might as well threaten the village chief, hoping that the village chief would stop it for the sake of Zhangjia Village.

"Bah, what do you mean by your mother's family? We are fleeing from famine and it is still unclear whether we can see them or not. How dare you threaten us? I tell you, even if your mother's family comes, I am not afraid. My son is going to be a high-ranking official in the future and he will not be afraid of a bunch of peasants like you."

Zhang Qingyan's mother-in-law was a little scared, because her mother-in-law was very powerful. Their Zhang family was a big family. But now they were fleeing from famine, and they might not see them. Their village was robbed, so their village must have been robbed as well.

Besides, there is no other way. My eldest son is a scholar and he cannot go hungry!

The village chief wanted to persuade them again, but then he thought that what Old Mrs. Zheng said made sense. Everyone was fleeing famine, and it was not certain whether they could encounter Zhangjia Village.

Besides, the eldest son of the Zheng family is a scholar in the village. If he really becomes an official, the village will also benefit!

Faced with the choice of starving the scholars in his own village to death or selling his daughter from another village, the village chief chose to save his own villagers without hesitation.

The village that has such a bad family like the Zheng family is really not a good family. The village chief is also useless, otherwise the whole village would not have been robbed. Now the villagers are asked to sell their daughters-in-law.