Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

When Zhang Silang reached the corner of the main street, his pace slowed down.

The door panels of Zhang's shop have not been removed.

Five thick wooden planks were securely fastened to the door frame.

At this time of day, his older brother would usually be behind the counter, working on his abacus, while his sister-in-law would be sitting by the door, cracking melon seeds, the couple chatting and laughing as they counted their money.

There was nothing there.

The door was closed, and no light could get through the cracks.

Zhang Silang looked around for a while, gritted his teeth, walked to the main entrance, and patted the door panel.

Footsteps came through the crack in the door, quick and light, and paused behind the threshold.

A baby face peeked out from the gap, round with narrow eyes, compact features, and upturned lips. Upon seeing Zhang Silang, it grinned, "Fourth Uncle, you're finally back!"

Zhang Silang recognized Xige'er, the eldest grandson of his cousin Zhang Shi'an, who was studying at the county school. Last year, when he went to the capital for the imperial examinations, Xige'er had worked as his page for several months. "Shibalang, what are you doing at my house?"

Xige opened the courtyard gate a little and stepped aside to let Zhang Silang in. Without stopping, he said, "Fourth Uncle, something terrible has happened to your family! First, my grandfather and eldest uncle fell ill, and my grandfather asked me to come and check on them."

"He said there was no one in charge of the household, so he asked me to come and help out for a few days. Watching the house is just doing my duty as a junior... And... just yesterday, my aunt ran off with Liu Daqiang, the shop assistant!"

Zhang Silang already knew the news of his father and Zhang Dalang's stroke. He was about to step over the threshold when his foot dangled in mid-air. "What? My sister-in-law ran off with someone?"

"It's Ah Qiang, the one from my aunt's village..."

Xige followed behind Zhang Silang, talking as he walked. His voice was high-pitched and hoarse, with each word trailing off, "But today the county government arrested him."

"The whole neighborhood is buzzing with rumors. They're saying these two must have some kind of grudge. Even if they're released from the county government, our Zhang family will give them a good beating in front of our ancestors in the ancestral hall. They'll probably be beaten half to death and then kicked out of the Zhang family."

"Fourth Uncle, do you think Aunt will get a beating if she really goes to the authorities? And what about Liu Daqiang? Will he be exiled? If you ask me..."

Zhang Silang's face first turned red, then white. "That bitch!"

Xige'er chimed in quickly, "What a slut! My uncle's been acting like he's been drinking lately, he's practically swaying as he walks, and she's the one who calls the shots in the shop. And look what happened, she ran off with all the money in the shop and the shop assistant. Outsiders really are..."

Zhang Silang didn't reply and quickly walked through the porch. Xige'er, sensing the danger, went to the kitchen.

The door to the main room was ajar.

Zhang Silang pushed the door open with a creak. The table and chairs were still in their original positions, but there was a thin layer of dust on the tabletops, as if they hadn't been wiped for several days.

The curtain to the east room was lifted.

Zhang Shouren stood at the door. When he saw that it was Zhang Silang returning, the corners of his mouth first turned down, and then his whole face fell.

He rushed over and hugged Zhang Silang, wailing, "Silang! Silang! You're finally back! Our mother is gone!"

The sound, mixed with snot and tears, welled up in her throat and rubbed against Zhang Silang's shoulder.

Zhang Silang stumbled back half a step from being hugged, frozen in place. "Brother, what did you say? What? Mother's gone?"

Zhang Shouren cried so hard he couldn't speak, but he just held on tightly, his shoulders heaving. Zhang Silang was so tightly held he could hardly breathe, and he couldn't push him away, so he could only turn his head to look into the house.

Zhang Shiqing was standing in the east doorway.

He leaned on his cane, his body slightly tilted to the right. The left side of his face was expressionless, his eyelids drooping, and the corners of his mouth downturned. The right side of his face was normal, though his brows were furrowed and his lips were pursed, as if he were straining.

"Si Lang is back, come in!" Zhang Shiqing's voice was muffled, the words stuck together, as if his tongue was not obeying his commands.

Zhang Silang pushed Zhang Shouren aside and stepped into the east room.

Zhang Shouren followed behind, still wiping his face with his sleeve, which was soaked.

Zhang Shiqing had already sat down on the edge of the bed, propping himself up on the bed frame, half sitting and half lying down.

With the cane beside me, my right leg could move on its own, but my left leg felt like it had been disassembled and then put back together; no matter how I placed it, it didn't feel right.

He patted the spot next to him, and Zhang Shouren quickly sat down and helped him up, still sniffling.

Zhang Silang stopped in front of his father. "Father, my elder brother said Mother is gone..."

Zhang Shiqing raised the right side of his face to look at him. "You heard me right. Your mother is gone."

"Dead?"

"Hmm," Zhang Shiqing mumbled in response.

Zhang Shouren started sobbing again, but Zhang Shiqing glared at him and calmed him down. He stopped sobbing, sniffed, and told Zhang Silang what had happened.

"Si Lang, you know that your mother went to Yongning Nunnery a while ago to pray for your father's recovery. Although I know that your mother has the idea of ​​becoming a nun, well... let's not talk about that now."

"This morning, a clerk surnamed Xu from the criminal investigation department came to the county government office. He said that Zhang, the clerk, sent him to deliver a message: Our mother died in the cesspool outside Yongning Temple in the north of the city. She was discovered by a porter who was shoveling latrines."

"The county coroner examined the body and said it was murdered. The murderers are likely Wang Meizhen and the shop assistant, A-Qiang. They've already been arrested by the county government. Xu Shoufen also said that Magistrate Li will hold court tomorrow to hear the case, and the prefectural judge will also be there."

"Only after the prefectural government approves the request can my mother's body be retrieved and buried... Waaah... My dear mother! Why was your life so miserable..."

After Zhang Dalang finished speaking, he started crying again.

Zhang Silang stood in the center of the room, and tears streamed down his face after listening to the story.

At first, it was just one line, running down the bridge of his nose, and he didn't wipe it away himself.

Zhang Shouren's shoulders began to tremble after he let out his second howl. He didn't make a sound, but instead rubbed his face hard with the back of his hand, until his cheekbones turned red.

Feng raised him from childhood to adulthood. When Zhang Silang heard that she had died so tragically and so pathetically, he felt a pang of sadness, but not as intense as Zhang Dalang, which caused him to suffer health problems.

When Zhang Shouren saw him crying, he rushed over and hugged him.

The two brothers each cried separately.

Zhang Shouren cried loudly, like a child without a mother.

Zhang Silang cried silently, inexplicably recalling the way his stepmother looked at him when he was a child—sometimes resentful, sometimes desolate, sometimes ferocious.

He also recalled that whenever Zhang Sanlang taught him to read and write, his stepmother would have a dark expression. And whenever he talked back to Zhang Sanlang, his stepmother would quietly hug him and tenderly comfort him for a moment…

Zhang Silang's tears kept flowing down his face, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand when they reached the corners of his mouth.

Zhang Shiqing sat on the edge of the bed, the right side of his face trembling slightly. The left side of his face remained unchanged, completely still.

He waited a while, until Zhang Shouren's sobs changed from wailing to sobbing, and Zhang Silang stopped rubbing his face with the back of his hand, before speaking. His voice was clearer than before, but each word still trailed off, "Silang, how is your situation?"

Zhang Silang wiped his face with his sleeve, pursed his lips, and said, "Father, elder brother, the Ministry of Rites rejected our reply!"

Zhang Shiqing frowned on the right side of his face.