White tea legend

Chapter 22 The old woman and her sons
  The job of sweeping in the yamen is very low-paying. Naturally, no young man is willing to do it. But the old man is different. As he gets older and his physical strength declines, he cannot make much money. If he can find a job as a sweeper in the yamen, , that is, getting a job to provide for the elderly, saving a lot of support responsibilities for the children and grandchildren at home, and saving some money to make a legacy in the future.

Therefore, many old men are eyeing this job.

But, there are so many old men in the city, how can any old man get this job? The old man was able to occupy this pit because of his connections with a distant relative, who had some friendship with the county magistrate and the squad leader. The old man was usually kind-hearted and was highly regarded by this distant relative.

Now, the old man came to resign. The county magistrate and the team leader only made a symbolic attempt to persuade him to stay, and then agreed, because there were really too many old men with some connections who were eyeing this job, and repeatedly told the old man to resign and want to come back. , but I can no longer afford this job.

The old man listens to the old woman.

If the old woman asks you to do it, then do it; if the old woman gives you permission, then do it.

When the old man first came to do this job, he was still distressed because he was not allowed to leave his cell for twelve hours a day. He was undoubtedly in another form of prison. But over time, the old man got used to it. Here, the squad leader and the county magistrate were very kind to him, and the government paid for food and housing. He didn't have to be held hostage by the old woman like when he was at home. They didn't ask to light the lamps for fear of wasting oil, and they didn't let them eat until they were full. They didn't have to be cursed by the old woman with their eyes open and closed, so life was very relaxed.

The old man was reluctant to leave, but he could only pack his clothes and follow the old woman home.

But the old woman led him to the eldest son's house first.

The eldest son married the daughter of Zhu Yuan's wife in the city.

Yuan Wai Lang is an only daughter, and she originally wanted to marry a well-matched son-in-law. However, Miss Zhu disguised herself as a man to study in Hangzhou, and got acquainted with a classmate from the same hometown who was also studying in Hangzhou. love affair.

Ms. Zhu was very opposed to it for a while, but she couldn't stand it anymore. Miss Zhu was determined to marry her male classmate, and the old woman was very supportive and used half of her life savings as a betrothal gift. Seeing the old woman's sincerity, Zhu Yuanwai also gave a dowry to the young couple to buy a house in the city as a wedding room, and the old woman's eldest son had his own family.

After that, the old woman used the other half of her life savings to marry her younger son's adopted daughter from her cousin's family. The younger son and the younger daughter-in-law initially lived together with the old man and the old woman. The old man and the young daughter-in-law got along very well, but the old woman couldn't stand it. She always made fun of the ambiguous relationship between the old man and the younger daughter-in-law, and was picky about the younger daughter-in-law. The younger daughter-in-law couldn't stand it. With this anger, I had a small quarrel with the old woman every three days and a big quarrel every five days.

Later, the younger daughter-in-law's parents came to the house and had a serious argument with the old woman. The old woman thought that her life savings had been spent, and it might not be easy to find a wife for her younger son. She also thought that the cousins ​​could not become enemies, so she made everything together. Di bought a house in the city for his younger son and established a new business.

The sons all have their own families and are living a good life. The two sons have also given birth to children and have become fathers, but the two families have less and less interaction with the old woman.

Except for the Chinese New Year, I will never come back easily.

During the New Year, I reluctantly came back, had a New Year's Eve dinner hosted by old men and women, and then hurried back to my home.

We are in the same city, but we are no different from strangers, using the name of mother and son in vain.

The eldest son was shocked when an old man and woman suddenly visited him.

"Why are parents here? Why are you here? How long will you stay?"

Facing the eldest son's inquiry, the old man was dissatisfied, but the old woman did not allow him to express his dissatisfaction.

The eldest son is the old woman's favorite child, and she is more affectionate than the younger son. After all, he is the first son, the first child who makes her proud in the neighborhood.

The eldest son studied and followed Zhu Yuanwai to make a living of his own. It was a decent and leisurely living, which was the pride of the old woman.

But for the eldest son, the old woman may not be her pride.

Although the eldest son also knows that it is not easy for the old woman to raise him up with all the hardships, he is also aware of the old woman's fierce and unkind personality.

When the eldest daughter-in-law was in her confinement period, the old woman came to take care of her. She caused a lot of noise in the house and left the eldest son with lingering fears. He was filial to the old woman, but only in his heart. He could not get close to the old woman, let alone let the old woman join the life of his small family. Only in this way could he maintain the harmony and perfection of his small family.

The eldest son knows that he may not be a filial son, but if he can realize the happiness of his own family, it is what his mother wants to see, and to a certain extent, he has fulfilled his filial piety to his mother.

The eldest son has a kind-hearted nature and feels indebted to his mother. He has also read books and knows some etiquette of saints, so he speaks to the old mother very gently. Even if the content of the question is very rude, his pleasant tone makes the old woman listen. Yes, it feels heartwarming.

"We are not staying here, and we would like to invite you and your eldest daughter-in-law to go home. Come over when you are done with your work in the evening. You need to drive a carriage over."

After the old woman finished explaining, she led the old man to her youngest son's house.

The younger son was not at home and was still doing business on the street. The younger daughter-in-law received the old man and the old woman.

The younger daughter-in-law smiled brightly at the old man as usual, calling "Daddy" one after another, but turned a blind eye to the old woman.

Normally, the old woman would have to argue with her daughter-in-law, but today, the old woman didn't argue with her, and just told her in a hurry that she and her youngest son would come home in the evening, drive a carriage, and then take the old man home. .

The old man felt that the old woman was acting strangely today, and it was inexplicable. However, due to the old woman's long-standing power, he did not dare to ask or say anything more, so he followed the old woman back home in a hurry.

After opening the lock at home, the old woman breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the golden mountain in the courtyard was still there.

The old man was so frightened that he fell to the ground, as if he had lost his soul. His eyes were open, but he was motionless, as if he was dead.

The old woman was so anxious that she screamed, alarming Lu Yu in the room.

"Back." Bai Cha said towards the window.

Lu Yu nodded, motioned her to come to Xirang, opened the door and walked out.

Seeing Lu Yu, the old woman hurriedly wiped away the tears on her face. She almost forgot that there was a god living in her home, so she finally calmed down and asked Lu Yu to save her old man.

Lu Yu stepped forward to check the old man's pulse, rolled the old man's eyelids, and said to the old woman: "The old man can be saved, but it requires the use of precious Ganoderma lucidum. It would cost half a gold mountain to buy the Ganoderma lucidum."

The old woman was dumbfounded when she heard it, and she couldn't bear it immediately. She murmured: "People will always die when they get old."

When Lu Yu heard this, he ignored her and went back to his room.

"That's her husband, why is she so stingy?" Bai Cha's voice came from the room.

Lu Yu said, "Even if she were asked to use half a gold mountain to save herself, she would still be reluctant to part with it."

An incomprehensible sigh came from the air.

In the evening, two carriages came from two directions in the city and stopped in front of the old woman's door at the same time.

(End of this chapter)