Chapter 148 Dad, please save me
Da Lang and Er Lang frowned slightly.
The two were older and had experienced the panic brought about by the turbulent times of the previous few years.
There were various conscription decrees, corvée labor for building bridges and roads, and taxes of various strange names. Every time the bell rang, the village was filled with sorrow.
Therefore, being a grain transporter is definitely not as easy as your aunt said.
Dalang asked tentatively: "Does our family also need someone to help?"
Qin Yao calmly poured herself a glass of water and nodded, "Yes, your father will go."
She spoke in a relaxed tone, as if it was a normal thing and there was no need to worry too much.
Dalang's heart sank suddenly. He looked at Qin Yao hesitantly for a few times. Erlang pulled the corner of his clothes hard. Finally, he took a deep breath, said nothing, and picked up the kettle to fill her cup with water.
"Once the food is transported, can Dad come back?" Si Niang asked curiously.
Qin Yao touched her chubby little face and said, "Yes, I will be back after completing the mission. Maybe I can even come back for the New Year."
The premise is to complete the task!
Si Niang nodded, she understood but not completely. She looked at her eldest brother and then at her mother, and always felt that something was strange, something was wrong.
But seeing that my mother was still testing my brothers' homework with a smile on her face, I felt completely relieved. If my mother said it was okay, then it must be okay
. We washed our faces and feet with hot water and went back to our rooms to sleep.
It was still raining at night, the sound of the rain was sometimes loud and sometimes soft, and a chill came over me. Fortunately, I had replaced the bed with new soft straw and the quilt with thicker ones.
In the middle of the night, I was sleeping soundly, listening to the rain falling outside, when suddenly the gate of the yard was slammed "bang bang bang".
Qin Yao and the four children in the next room were all awakened.
Qin Yao stood up and shouted outside the courtyard: "Who is it?"
"It's me, my lady, I'm home!"
It turned out to be Liu Ji.
As Qin Yao was getting dressed, she thought to herself, is it a day off today?
But it was just in time, so she wouldn't have to go to the city to bring him back for corvée labor.
Qin Yao opened the door and immediately retreated under the eaves of the main room to shelter from the rain.
Dalang and Erlang also opened the door and poked their heads out. Seeing the man in a dishevel on the rainy night, they hesitantly called out, "Dad?"
Liu Ji closed the courtyard gate, let out a sigh, and quickly ran into the main room. He took off the useless hat on his head, revealing a miserable face that was drenched by the rain.
His wet hair was all stuck to his face, his gown was covered in mud, and his cloth shoes were even worse, having been soaked in the mud and water into a different color, and his original shape was unrecognizable.
Dalang pushed Erlang into the house, put on his clothes, went straight to the kitchen, lit a fire and boiled water, and heated up a bowl of ginger soup and handed it to Liu Ji, "Dad, drink some ginger soup to warm yourself up."
Liu Ji felt warm in his heart and reached out to pat the child's head, but when he saw that his hands were covered in mud, he withdrew his hand with a little embarrassment, took the bowl and drank the ginger soup in one gulp.
When he arrived, it was dark and raining, and the road was muddy and slippery. He almost made it to the village entrance, but in the end he fell at the door of his own house and got covered in mud.
After the father and son finished cleaning up, Qin Yao stood in the corridor with her arms folded, watching the figures moving back and forth in the kitchen and bathroom with an unpredictable look on her face.
After washing his hair and taking a shower, Liu Ji changed into clean linen clothes and walked out of the bathroom.
As soon as I raised my eyes, I met those indifferent eyes, and my heart suddenly tightened.
"My wife, I'm fine. You can go back to your room and rest." Liu Ji said gently, "I'll wash my clothes and go to bed."
Qin Yao nodded and waved to Da Lang who was still busy cooking porridge for Liu Ji in the kitchen, "Let him do it himself, you go back to sleep."
It is not good for children's health to stay up late.
Dalang groaned, but was still a little concerned and gave his father instructions for a long time before going back to his room to sleep.
Liu Ji was facing the stove alone. The porridge in the pot was steaming under the roasting fire. He looked back at the bedroom opposite and subconsciously moved closer to the stove. The coldness on his body was dispelled, but the chill in his heart grew deeper.
He is now certain that the figure that hurriedly walked past the restaurant entrance that evening was Qin Yao.
She saw it, but didn't react at all?
This was even more terrifying than her rushing up and beating him up!
Feeling uneasy, and with no one delivering his living expenses and no response to his four letters, Liu Ji borrowed a bamboo hat from a classmate and rushed back overnight as soon as the evening class was over.
It was already late and there were no oxcarts or horsecarts on the road, so I walked all the way home.
He walked for three full hours, from dusk to nightfall, and from nightfall to late at night, when he finally reached home.
The moment the door opened, Liu Ji had already prepared himself mentally for a storm, and the explanation was about to come out of his mouth.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the door opened, the people retreated out of the main room, without giving him a chance to speak.
After that, she kept watching his every move with an indifferent look.
Just now, when he was taking a shower in the bathroom, he couldn't help but touch the back of his neck several times. He always had the illusion that a knife was placed on his head.
The porridge in the pot was cooked, and the aroma of rice filled his nose. Liu Ji touched his stomach and thought, "Forget it, I'll eat first. I'll be a brave man again when I wake up tomorrow!"
What did Dalang just say? Oh, there's still a small bowl of fried pickled cabbage with lard residue on the second layer of the cupboard.
Liu Ji took out the leftovers and mixed them into the porridge, filling his stomach.
After finishing the meal, I cleaned the stove and washed the dirty clothes. The chickens in the yard started crowing.
Liu Ji blew out the oil lamp, yawned, pushed open the door, fell headfirst on the fragrant and soft mattress, thought about nothing, and fell into a sound sleep.
He slept until mid-afternoon.
No one in the family called him, which was too considerate.
As a result, from the time he returned home at midnight until the afternoon, he did not hear any news about the court's conscription of laborers.
It was not until he leisurely strolled out of the village and saw that the villagers were all in a hurry that he realized that the atmosphere was wrong.
"Hey! Where are you guys going?" Liu Ji asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? Why are you all so sad?"
The cousin who was stopped by him asked in surprise: "You don't know yet?"
Liu Ji shook his head. Should he know?
Seeing his expression, his cousin sighed with envy: "Your wife must have helped you get a quota for substitute service, so this time the court will recruit civilians to transport military rations, which has nothing to do with you."
Having said that, she hurried to leave, not wanting to stay with him any longer, for fear that she would become jealous and go crazy.
Liu Ji called out several times but failed to keep the person. He stopped where he was and repeatedly savored what his cousin had just said. His eyes suddenly widened.
The imperial court conscripted civilians?
Another corvee?
Somehow, the uneasiness that he had suppressed suddenly surged up.
Thinking of Qin Yao's indifferent attitude towards him yesterday, Liu Ji's face changed drastically and he hurried towards the village chief's house.
He flipped through the conscription list and saw the two big words "Liu Ji" on it.
"It's over, it's over!"
A basin of ice water poured over his head, and Liu Ji trembled all over. Under the surprised gaze of the village chief, he turned around and ran towards the old house:
"Dad! Please save my son!"
(End of this chapter)