In the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Daming Hongzhi, Beiping, Qingxi Village.
In the early summer, a rain came down from the north, dropping on the eaves of every cottage in Qingxi Village.
In the afternoon, a 15-year-old boy was whispering with a 5-year-old boy in the farm yard of Qingxi Village.
……
At dusk, a rare light was lit in the second room on the east side of a small farmyard in search of the sun.
Occasionally, three or two 'cough' sounds are heard in the cabin.
Chen Wei sits quietly at a wooden desk and writes a letter about family division. After he finishes, he looks outside the door.
He took a sip of medicine soup with a chipped porcelain bowl, and silently said, 'Ten, nine, eight, seven...'
On the count of one, a group of dignified relatives and neighbors came to the door.
At the head of the group were my grandparents. Beside them stood my uncle, aunt, uncle and aunt. In addition, there were more than ten villagers in the village.
Sure enough, the time was just right. Grandparents came to me with people to help me.
Chen Wei is a passer-by. It was at this time that the original owner was forced into a rage and died directly, so Chen Wei, the passer-by, occupied the nest.
Chen Biren, Chen Wei's uncle, is an old boy. He came back from studying in Beiping City this afternoon and brought a blue and white porcelain vase of the Tang Dynasty to play with. It is said that his classmates in the county lent him to study the historical materials of the Tang Dynasty.
In the afternoon, Chen Wei went to clean the study for Uncle, but the blue and white porcelain vase was broken. This blue and white porcelain vase is of high value, which is beyond the reach of the Chen family.
Therefore, grandparents and uncles came here to find their own teachers and accuse them.
Chen Wei calmly finishes the last mouthful of medicine soup in the bowl, and sighs faintly.
The vase is fake, and of course it was not broken by itself. It is the youngest son of the uncle's family. Of course, it doesn't matter who broke it. The important thing is that after cleaning Uncle's study, the vase is broken, so they have reason to find their own teachers.
This is a game against oneself.
Grandparents heard that there was a rich merchant in Beiping County who could pay one or two silver coins for hiring.
For this one or two silver coins, my grandparents and uncle sold themselves as slaves. They have already received money from the rich merchants, and now they have to send people to the rich merchants.
Such 'expensive' vases, they know that Chen Wei's family can't afford to repay them, and then they will guide Chen Wei's father and mother to sell Chen Wei to the rich businessmen in the county as servants.
The tiger poison doesn't eat its son yet. What's more, the original owner is your grandson!
Although he is not his own grandson, why is he so unfeeling? The original owner was not Chen Zhongyi's own son. He was picked up by Li Yinlan from a tributary of the Yongding River 15 years ago.
Chen Zhongyi is the second child of the Chen family. The Li family is his wife. They are also Chen Wei's adoptive father and mother. At this time, they are busy farming and haven't returned yet.
Uncle Chen Boren said with a gloomy face, "Chen Wei, do you know the value of the vase in my study?"
"It was lent to me by my classmate to study historical materials. Do you know how rare a blue and white porcelain from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty is?"
The uncle boasts that he is a scholar and always loses his wits when he talks. Chen Wei wants to correct him that the blue and white porcelain was made in the Song Dynasty, but not in the Tang Dynasty.
However, it is enough for Uncle to fool the unknown rural people with this trick.
"It is worth thirty-three taels of silver. How can I explain it to my classmates? How can I repay this vase?"
Grandmother even said: "Usually you can't stand it, you can't even mention it. Doing something small at home can make such a big mess!"
"What do you want to do about it?"
"Thirty three taels of silver, how can we pay back? If someone reports to an official, your uncle will be arrested. You are really... You can't accomplish anything without defeating something!"
The eldest aunt then said, "Mother! Biren is a scholar, and the only hope of our old Chen family is that he can't be caught! Isn't his life ruined?"
"Let me see, whoever does something wrong should bear the responsibility. Let Chen Wei go in."
"Sick, dead sooner or later." Her voice was very low at the end, but Chen Wei heard her.
The original owner fell ill when he was picked up. He has been ill since he was young. His family has been poor for more than ten years. His grandparents have been partial to his uncle and uncle's family. Chen Wei has no good food to supplement nutrition, let alone pay for medical treatment.
It is a miracle that Chen Wei can live so long.
The original owner began to help his family when he was eight years old. Although he was ill, he could do whatever he could to help his family clean up.
When he grew up, he was responsible for cleaning all the houses in the whole farm yard for free, and also helped to add firewood, cook pots, and wash dishes.
These are not hard work, but the son of uncle's family and the son of uncle's family have never done them once.
In fact, he was also used as a servant in this family.
Li's heart ached for him, and his father was hesitant to speak. Although they were dissatisfied, they did not dare to quarrel with their grandparents for fear of being branded as unfilial.
There are many rights and wrongs in rural areas. If you don't do a good job, it will spread quickly. If you talk too much, you can't be a man.
The original Lord is very happy about this. He is gentle and quiet when he says something nice, but cowardly when he says something bad.
When Chen Wei recalled the past of the original owner, he was very unhappy.
He raised his eyes and looked at the people blocking the door of the house. He asked, "Uncle, what should we do now?"
Chen Boren sighed deeply and said: "Xiao Wei, uncle has dredged up a lot of relationships. Finally, he found a compromise. Ning Yuanwai recruited a servant. You can go in and work for three or five years."
Grandma nodded and said to Chen Wei, "Let's do that! Don't you thank your uncle?"
Chen Wei ignored his grandmother and asked Chen Boren, "Uncle, when did you find the vase broken?"
Chen Biren blurted out, "Just now."
Chen Wei said, "Why am I sure I broke it?"
Chen Biren replied, "Only if you clean my study, who else can there be?"
Chen Wei nodded faintly and asked, "I have another question. You just know that I broke the vase. How can you think of a solution right away?"
Chen Boren was speechless. He said to himself that the boy used to be silent. Why does he talk so much today?
He casually prevaricated: "I have thought about the solution to the problem with my friends in advance."
The neighbors around looked at Chen Biren with suspicious eyes.
Grandfather had to speak with dignity and said, "Biren is a scholar. He works in a proper way, so he naturally wants to make up for it."
"Don't be ungrateful."
The grandmother also followed her and said, "Yes, your uncle thinks about you. It's better not to take you into the government. You don't know how to thank him. You also ask questions. Why? Do you still suspect your uncle is trying to kill you?"
"No respect!"
