After the separation, the family had a lot of fish and meat every day, and the best was furious

Hu Zi whispered: "Mom, if you promise me not to be angry, I will tell you, otherwise I dare not say it."

The more she listened, the more Hu Zi's mother felt something was wrong. She had lived a cautious life all her life, and in order to allow them to survive, Hu Zi's father even sold himself to City Lord Nie to do hard labor.

She only has Hu Zi as her child, and she just wants him to be an upright person and not go astray.

"Huzi, even you don't listen to me?"

Hu Zi's mother covered her chest and burst into tears.

"Mom, you're not well yet, don't cry, I'm telling you, I'm telling you..."

Hu Zi turned around to support his mother, constantly stroking her back. After his mother's breathing stabilized, he knelt in front of her and told her everything that happened on the official road yesterday...

"That's how it is. That's how we got the bread and rice..."

After hearing this, Hu Zi's mother slapped Hu Zi in the face. She stood up with shame on her face and pulled Hu Zi to kneel in front of Wan Weiran and Lin Ting.

"I'm sorry, it's my son Hu Zi who is ignorant. I didn't know he would do such a thing. I will definitely teach him a lesson.

I will also return the rice at home to you. You are so kind and generous that you have forgiven me for coming to my rescue in the middle of the night in the freezing cold. Huzi and I have no way to repay you and would rather serve you like slaves."

Her son robbed someone else's things and then brought the person to her for treatment. Hu Zi's mother felt really guilty and sorry.

"Aunt, please get up. The ground is cold. Your body can't stand the cold and that's why you have abdominal pain. You get up first."

Lin Ting helped the man up. There was firewood burning in the house, and apart from a little smoke, it was still very warm.

"I'm sorry. I apologize to you on behalf of my son Hu Zi. It's my fault that I didn't teach him well."

"Aunt, those things of Hu Zi were not stolen by him. They were a deal we made with him. If it weren't for Hu Zi, we would still be stuck on the official road.

We gave him that half bag of rice because he led the way. It's what he deserves. You don't have to feel any burden."

Hu Zi's mother was skeptical. She turned to look at Hu Zi and asked, "Is this true?"

Hu Zi nodded aggrievedly: "Yeah!"

Seeing that the room was full of women and children, and that it was almost dawn, most people would have gotten up at this time, but Shen Qingzhou and Lin Ting noticed that there were almost no men.

"Huzi, don't worry about the one or two taels of silver for the medicine. My husband will give it to you, but I want to ask you something."

Shen Qingzhou took out a tael of silver from his purse and gave it to Hu Zi. He was extremely grateful to Lin Ting and the others.

"What do you want to know?"

Lin Ting asked his own question: "You just said that the City Lord Nie your father sold him to was Nie Tian from Yunzhou City, City Lord Nie?"

People usually only heard of selling children, or even wives. This was the first time Lin Ting heard that an adult man could be sold.

"Yes! City Lord Nie controls 60% of the land in Yunzhou City, and he needs a large number of people to manage his farm.

Because the slaves there are expensive, but we are cheap, only one or two taels of silver a year, and each person is sold for a minimum of ten years.

It's a contract system, and you have to work for him for ten years. He only wants young and strong men.

But our family had no food to eat, and my father thought, it’s just some farm work, so he went and finally got ten taels of silver for me and my mother.

But we only have half an acre of land, and we have to pay taxes on the harvest every year, so it's not enough to eat. People around us are in the same situation, so I made mistakes like yesterday."

No, Lin Ting felt that this matter was not that simple. Since it was a contract system, why did those who went there never come back?

"Huzi, after your father left, you never saw him again? You never heard of him, right?"

Hu Zi nodded and said, "City Lord Nie has many manors, some of which are located in other places. My father might have been sent to work in one of these manors and wouldn't be able to come back all year round.

Besides, he has already sold ten years of his life to City Lord Nie. Whether he returns or not is no longer up to him. My mother, I, and the neighbors next door can only wait at home."

Shen Qingzhou and Lin Ting looked at each other. If all the strong men in Yunzhou City were bought by Nie Tian, ​​then where could they find people to clear the snow on the official road?

"I know. It's daybreak now. Go get some medicine for your mother."

"Thank you, thank you benefactor!"

Hu Zi ran out, and Lin Ting and the others also came out of Hu Zi's house. Outside Yunzhou City, there were only the elderly, the weak, women and children, and there was not a single strong man to be seen.

"Master Lin, how about we go to the city to look for someone?"

This is the last resort. There is a lot of fog in the morning and the sun should be out during the day, but Lin Ting said they can't wait that long. The sooner they arrive in the capital, the sooner they can feel at ease.

"Let's go check the situation first."

The three were about to leave when they passed a muddy corner and heard crying and talking coming from the other side.

"Erdan's mother, I know this isn't a good thing, but there's nothing we can do. Let's do this while my daughter and Erdan are still asleep."

Then a woman cried, "I... I can't do it. I really can't do it."

The name is Erdan, isn’t this the kid Lin Ting met yesterday?

He is dirty, thin, and has big eyes. He is reluctant to eat the steamed buns he gets and leaves them for his family.

"You are all useless women. It is because you can't bring yourself to do it that we have to eat your children. If we didn't have any other choice, who would be willing to do this?"

Eating one's own children, these four short words made Lin Ting break out in a cold sweat.

Erdan is actually a girl. She is so young and she is only focused on finding food for her family. She is still sleepy now. Does she know that she has been put on the chopping board by her family?

"hateful!"

Wan Weiran couldn't stand it anymore, so he rushed out and cursed at the two families?

"Murder is against the law. If you guys eat my children, I, Wan Weiran, will be the first to report it to the authorities.

Besides, you have both hands, can't you find food for yourselves? If all else fails, you can go to Yunzhou City to beg, to beg for food, and you'll be able to survive anyway.

Instead of discussing exchanging children for food, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. You are worse than animals."

Lin Ting looked at the two families discussing the matter. Erdan's mother was so thin that only skin and bones were left, and her grandfather looked listless.

Even when they were discussing it, both of them had tears on their faces. They didn't want to do it, but there was really no other way.

Wan Weiran's scolding also attracted many people to watch, even though they knew that the two families were discussing exchanging children for food.

The people around didn't make much of a fuss, as if they were already used to such things.

"Master Lin gave Erdan a steamed bun yesterday, but she was reluctant to eat it, saying she wanted to save it for her family.

She's thinking so much about you, and you're actually here planning how to eat her. Where's your conscience?"

Wan Weiran rarely loses his temper, but this time he really couldn't stand it anymore: "Cry, cry, cry... Speak."