The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

"Mother, what are you thinking about?"

Fang Youming sat down next to his mother, just in time to block the wind.

When He Jiajing saw her son coming, she raised her hand and quietly wiped the corner of her eyes.

"It's windy here, be careful of dust getting in your eyes."

The wind and sand in Yumen are very strong, and now is the windy season. The sky is full of sand and dust, and the whole sky looks dark.

Fang Youming saw that his mother's eyes were red, and he guessed something in his heart.

"No, my son will protect you."

He Jiajing looked at her eldest son who was half a head taller than her and her nose felt sore and her heart was filled with a dense pain.

The old man is gone, and Ming has grown up in an instant.

"Youming is really becoming more and more like your father. That's great."

He Jiajing raised her hand to wipe the mud off her son's temples, but after touching it, she realized that it was not mud at all, but a small scabby blood scar hidden under the scattered hair on his temples, and it was not very clear.

He Jiajing paused and stroked gently, her voice filled with heartache.

"When did it happen? Look at me, I haven't seen it normally. It's a little itchy now that it's scabbed, so don't scratch it. Wait until it falls off and grows back. Don't scratch it, or it'll leave marks and look ugly."

Fang Youming did not dodge, but lowered his head slightly and let his mother play with his hair.

He Jiajing didn't ask where the scar came from, and Fang Youming didn't explain.

It is very common for refugees who are doing forced labor to have injuries on their bodies. As long as they are still alive, it is a good thing.

Fang Youming looked down at his mother's hands. Those hands, which used to be well-maintained with ointment applied every day, were now covered with ugly calluses and tiny pieces of dead skin around the fingertips.

"If your father were still alive, he would be able to protect you more."

He Jiajing loves her children very much. She has been supporting the three of them even though she is still young.

There was some sadness in Fang Youming's eyes. He hadn't dreamed of his father for a long time.

Regrets? Of course there are.

He didn't need to be beheaded, but because there was no medicine, he died on the road.

During the exile, the eldest son of the Fang family contracted dysentery and died due to lack of medicine.

Even the corpses were buried at a random place on the roadside.

Fortunately, the officials on the road had been bribed, otherwise the fugitives who died on the road would have been simply thrown away and their bodies would have been left exposed in the wilderness.

"The deceased is gone, mother, please do not grieve too much."

What can be said? Words of comfort are pale. For them, this is a scar that is difficult to heal, and every time they think of it, the wound will be torn open again.

When the family suffered a great disaster, he experienced all the bitterness of separation from life and death.

"I wonder if we can move your father's grave here. He's alone in that deserted place, with no one to burn incense and paper for the offerings."

Relocating graves is no small matter. With their current status, they can't even leave the city gate. It's simply wishful thinking to say this.

"We'll think of a solution later."

Fang Youming's voice was muffled. As a son, he didn't even have a coffin for his father's death.

It is said that the body was wrapped in a straw mat, and my father didn't even have any clothes when he was buried.

It was winter, and while they were still on the road, their father was already dying. He had contracted dysentery, and the constant vomiting and diarrhea had wiped out his father's pride. His lifelong pride didn't want to suffer this, and he went without food for several days.

Suicide by exile was a serious crime, so he could only secretly distribute the food to several children.

In addition, he was already ill, and the escorting officers and soldiers knew that he would not live long, so they simply turned a blind eye.

If you die early, the living will feel more at ease.

At that time, all the members of the Fang family were silent, watching the man slowly die in silence.

Without medicine, death is only a matter of time.

Life is too painful, it’s better to die.

Before he died, he specifically asked his grandfather to take off his clothes and give them to his two youngest children after he died.

He still remembered that when his father passed away, he kept saying sorry and muttering about his crimes, and he was repenting until the last moment of his death.

He felt guilty towards the Fang family. If he hadn't made the mistake, none of the family would have ended up like this.

"And your sister, she..."

"Mother!"

Fang Youming's voice rose.

"Mother, my sister is gone. I know you feel bad, but it's okay. Pu Ge'er and I are here with you."

He Jiajing knew that she had said the wrong thing and looked outside out of habit.

The place where they lived had a low wall half a person's height outside, left by the original owner.

The reason why it is only half a person's height is to allow people around to supervise each other.

Most of these fugitives lived here, and they watched over each other to prevent each other from escaping.

If one person runs away, when he is found, the five households around him will be whipped.

If you don’t find it, you will die.

"Yes, sister-in-law, although Sister Lang is gone, fortunately she did not suffer the pain of having her property confiscated and exiled. This is also a good thing for her."

Yao Wenqin, the second daughter-in-law of the Fang family, came over.

"It's a pity that neither of our two little girls survived."

Yao Wenqin pretended to wipe the corners of her eyes.

The Fang family has a lot of things, but most of them are boys, and there are very few girls in the family.

In addition to the girl from the Fang family's eldest branch, the other one is from the fifth branch.

Both girls were still young. When the accident happened, one was only five years old and the other was just born.

Half a year before the accident, Lang Jie'er, the eldest daughter of the family, had been ill and was later announced to have died.

The younger one caught a cold and died instantly.

At that time, some people said behind the scenes that the Fang family was a den for sons and that daughters could not survive in the Fang family.

You know, Mr. Fang of the Fang family has six sons in total and not a single daughter.

By the time of my grandchildren, we had two daughters, but they both died.

Later, the Fang family was reported for embezzling disaster relief funds, but they escaped the guillotine because they could not find where the funds were hidden.

"Yes, that's fine. That's fine too."

He Jiajing just wanted to say that she missed Sister Lang a little.

Be careful in what you say and do, and you won’t go wrong.

Old Master Fang noticed the movement over there. The room was so small, how could he not hear the conversation between the mother and son?

He sighed silently.

So what if I follow you?

She was so young, and she was a girl, but she didn't even have rice porridge to drink. How could she survive?

"Go to bed early. The children and women should go to the ground room, and the men should stay upstairs to watch the yard."

Mr. Fang spoke, and everyone responded, packed up, and went to find a place to rest.

"You Ming, don't think about it. We still have to dig a dry canal tomorrow. Go to bed early so you can be energetic tomorrow."

His mother was taken away by his second aunt, and he sat alone on the doorstep, looking at the dim sky.

"I see. Uncle Wu, you should go and have a rest too. I'll be right there."

Fang Youming stood up, his body looking a little thin in the dim light outside.

"elder brother!"

Fang Youhuai cried out.

"Come on, let's sleep together."

Fang Youhuai picked up some straw and piled them up randomly, which became their bed.

"coming."