Red apricots make spring

Chapter 60 Farewell to Aunt Liu
Busy days always go by so fast, and before you know it, four months have passed. Wen's fried stinky tofu stand is quite famous in the city. After eating two pieces of fried stinky tofu, I feel weak all over.

The business is good, and there are more gossips from the diners. This ancient world, which was originally vague, has gradually formed a specific outline from those gossips in Gentle's mind, so that she can understand it more or less. Some of the political customs here, now she has slightly melted into this world, and she is no longer as frightened and confused as she was when she first traveled.

During the time when Ruan Rou set up a stall for business, she did not forget to visit Aunt Liu often and bring her some clothes and food to change. Added up, after four months, she also spent nearly 30 taels of silver, much more than she earned from setting up a stall.But no matter if it is distressing or helpless, there is no way to save the money, otherwise Mrs. Liu might not be able to make it through today in prison.

Fortunately, the new official has been in office for more than a month, and Mrs. Liu's case is under trial.The gentleness at this time has already dispelled the idea of ​​bribing the county magistrate, because judging from the greediness of those jailers asking for money, there is no thousands of taels of silver, which cannot impress the county magistrate. Wan Xuehuayin!This is true for honest officials, let alone corrupt officials?She doesn't have the financial resources, and now she only hopes that the new official will light three fires of incorruptibility after taking office. After all, Mrs. Liu just attempted murder, and she hopes that she will not be sentenced to death.

Gentle hope was good, and it came true. The new official set off three fires when she took office. After several days of careful examination of the case, it seemed that there was no sign of accepting money from the Zhao family. However, she suddenly discovered that the final result was actually worse than It is not much better to directly sentence Mrs. Liu to death. Mrs. Liu was sentenced to eighty canes and spent five years in the frontier!

Eighty sticks!Although those yamen servants have the weight in their hands, they will not beat to death the criminals who need to go out in vain, but after eighty sticks, it is estimated that most of Liu's life will be lost, and this is not like a capital crime, and it has to be reported to the court for review. After recuperating for a few days, the prisoner was directly escorted to the road for execution. When he reached the destination all the way, his life would probably be gone, so it would be better to stick out his head and stab him!
Fortunately, it was too late after the trial of the case that day, and the cane punishment was postponed to the next day, which gave Gentle a buffer time, and gave her a chance to bribe those yamen servants who were in charge of carrying canes, and spent ten taels of vain money , bought a guarantee, and the two yamen servants promised with all their mouths that when they held the staff, they only hit the flesh loudly, and they would never hurt Mrs. Liu's bones.

During the execution of the cane, Xiaohuan clamored to see Mrs. Liu, but Ruan Rou insisted on rejecting her. She didn't even leave the stall that day, and asked Mother Wen and Wen Gang to guard Xiaohuan closely, and even followed her to the latrine. She ran to the yamen to be recognized and cast herself into the trap.She herself prepared money to reward the officials who escorted Aunt Liu all the way to the exile place, and made a lot of food for Aunt Liu to take as dry food on the road, together with some changes of clothes and stick medicine, they were labeled as rations. He took a big burden and went to the Yamen with it on his shoulders.

On the day of the farewell, Rourou secretly stuffed another ten taels of silver into Aunt Liu, but she was afraid that she would not be able to keep the money and would be blackmailed by the officials, so she quietly gave Aunt Liu a pair of copper bracelets and a copper hairpin, telling The silver wrapped under her copper skin is necessary for her to carry it for self-defense, whether it is to deal with the local officials when she goes to the exile, or to keep it when the sentence is over, and it is necessary to sell it and return it.

When things got to this point, gentleness was no longer something she could control. She could only watch Sister-in-law Liu being exiled, but Sister-in-law Liu had been squatting in prison for the past few months, and she was more calm than her, even He comforted her by saying that exile is also good. She is a woman, and she will not be sent to do any heavy work. At most, she can do some sewing, weaving and dyeing or cooking, which is better than staying in a prison without death or life.The only thing she can't worry about is Xiaohuan, who keeps begging for tenderness, and must take good care of her.

Ruan Rou felt all kinds of emotions in her heart, Auntie Liu took Xiao Huan more seriously than her own life, with such a mother in pain, Xiao Huan was more or less happy.It's just that the tearful woman with disheveled hair and shackles in front of her made her look sad. In the past, Mrs. Liu was such a strong and neat person, but now she is being beaten in public and begging for help. .

"Don't worry! Xiaohuan, I will definitely take care of it." Apart from the comforting promise, Wenrou was already choked with sobs.

"Let's go, let's go, we've been delayed for quite a while!" The escort officer was impatient with waiting, and urged him repeatedly.

"Go back." Aunt Liu turned her head cruelly.

"Just say one more word, and it will be ready right away." Rourou forced a smile to accompany the official, and leaned into Mrs. Liu's ear and whispered: "After you leave, I will take Xiaohuan to the capital to wait for you to come back, please remember Look for us there, I only know how to cook, and most of the time I do something related to food, so it shouldn’t be hard to find us.”

Beijing?Aunt Liu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, she knew in her heart that moving out of this city would make it safer for Xiaohuan to hide, so she wouldn't have to worry about being recognized all day long.

"Let's go!" The escort officer looked at the sky, pushed Aunt Liu and left.

Wenrou stood there, silently watching Aunt Liu's disappearing figure until she disappeared into the sky, then turned around in a sense of loss, checked the direction, and walked home.

When she went back and saw Xiaohuan, her eyes were already swollen from crying, she was sitting on a bench in a daze, staring at the corner of the wall, and when she heard Wen Rou enter the room, she turned her head numbly and asked, "My mother...she, go gone?"

"Let's go!" Rourou sighed for a long time, walked over and hugged Xiaohuan lightly, and said, "Don't think too much, this is already the best result, it's better than a death sentence."

"Five years!" Xiaohuan couldn't help crying as she said, she lowered her head and sobbed, "I don't know if she can survive these five years, will we, mother and daughter, have a day to meet again... ..."

He stroked her hair tenderly and compassionately, and comforted her: "There will be a day of meeting! But in the past five years, you have to be obedient and don't think about sad things all day long, otherwise your mother will be punished for your crime. In vain."

Xiaohuan wept silently and nodded.

"Okay! Cheer up!" Rourou said something in a brisk tone, but she didn't know whether she said it to Xiaohuan or herself, and then she shouted to Wen's mother and Wen Gang outside the house Said: "Mother, brother, clean up, we are moving!"

"What? Moving again!" Mother Wen dropped the needlework in her hand, rushed in and complained repeatedly: "What has happened to me in this life, why can't I live a peaceful life? Well, why do you want to move again? "

Wen Gang was extremely happy, and asked excitedly, "Sister, where are we going to move?"

Rou Rou looked at Mother Wen who was still complaining, and smiled slightly at Wen Gang: "The capital!"

(End of this chapter)