The fat boy didn't get that much exercise throughout the year. He held Qin Zhao with his sweaty hands and panted as he spoke.
Qin Zhao patted his hands and said, "Sit down first. I'll pour you a glass of water."
"It's already so late!" Chen Yan'an got angry when he saw his slow pace and said angrily, "You're in such a bad shape that you'll survive a beating. Hurry up and leave!"
After saying this, he suddenly saw the chicken and eggs that Qin Zhao had placed on the stove. He was stunned for a moment: "Qin Zhao, you got rich? How come... "
Qin Zhao: "Sit down first, I will tell you slowly."
Before Chen Yanan could answer, there were some footsteps outside the door, and a female voice came: "Yanan, didn't you go to school? Why are you here?"
A woman came in with a few strong men.
The woman looked quite young, with slanted eyes and a shrewd face.
Chen Yanan instantly became timid: "Mom..."
Seeing that he was still holding Qin Zhao's hand, the woman said sternly, "Come here!"
Chen Yanan hesitated for a moment and did not move: "Mom, Qin Zhao..."
"You want to plead for him?!" The woman was immediately annoyed, her voice sharp, "This man used to be in the Chen family, he ate our food and wore our clothes, not to mention he didn't know how to be grateful, now he's dragging his feet on paying the rent, why are you pleading for him?"
Chen Yanan: "But..."
"Shut up." The woman spat, then turned to Qin Zhao with a more relaxed expression. "Qin Zhao, I know it's not easy for you, and I don't want to embarrass you. How about this, you leave the village now, and don't take the things in this house with you. Just consider it as paying off the money you owe the Chen family over the years."
His expression changes faster than turning the pages of a book.
Jing Li hid in a small wooden barrel and secretly looked out, with only his two eyes showing.
The money Qin Zhao had on him now was far enough to pay the rent, and Jing Li was not worried at first, but when he saw how aggressive these people were, he couldn't help feeling a little scared.
I always feel that... things are not that simple.
Qin Zhao did not answer.
This small mud house was not big to begin with, and it became even more cramped after a few burly men squeezed in.
Mrs. Chen glanced around and felt confident.
She has always been smart and capable, otherwise she would not have raised her son alone after her husband's family died early, and sent him to school in the town. You know, at this age, her son is the only one in the whole Linxi Village who can go to school.
Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, the class divisions in this era were very obvious.
But for most farmers, reading and writing is still too far away from them.
It's just that the birth rate has been bad recently. Every time a scholar is born, there is one less labor force. Moreover, it takes a lot of money and material resources to train a scholar, and there is no guarantee that he will pass the exam. Which family is willing to do such a loss-making business
But Mrs. Chen is not like that.
From the beginning, she never let her son do a single day of farm work, because she knew that if he stayed in the village, he would have to farm for the rest of his life, and his ancestors would never have the chance to turn things around, but passing the imperial examination would be different.
That is an opportunity for one person to succeed and for everyone else to benefit.
As for coming here to embarrass Qin Zhao, there is no other choice.
There was no man in her house, and she had to do all the farm work and housework by herself. She also had to support a son who was studying. You can imagine how difficult it was.
It will soon be the day to pay tuition fees at the academy. If I don’t think of a solution, I may not be able to pay it this year.
In the past, she could shamelessly ask her husband's relatives for money, but now, the old lady of the Chen family is on the verge of death, and several of her brothers and sisters-in-law are waiting to divide the family property. Not to mention lending her money, it is not certain whether she can get anything when the family property is divided.
You must strike first.
She had been eyeing Qin Zhao's room for a long time.
This mud house was the old house of the Chen family before they became rich. She had to persuade the mother of the Chen family to give this house to her son for study. Who would have thought that her son would not live up to his expectations and bring back a burden, occupying this house for three years for nothing.
Now that her mother is bedridden, she naturally wants to take the opportunity to take the house back.
That’s not all.
She knew that Qin Zhao had good stuff here.
When this man was rescued, he only pawned his tattered clothes, which was enough to pay for his food and medical fees for half a year.
The man was wearing more than just a piece of clothing at that time.
Those things must still be hidden in this room. As long as she drives those people away, they will be hers.
When Mrs. Chen thought of this, she smiled with a determined look on her face.
Sister-in-law Chen said, "Qin Zhao, I don't want to make things too ugly. Do you want to leave by yourself, or do you want me to have someone send you off?"
As soon as she finished speaking, several men slowly walked up to her.
Qin Zhao's movements were still unhurried. He took out a purse from his arms, and the copper coins inside it jingled as he moved.
Qin Zhao said: "Thanks to the Chen family for taking care of me for so long, I should pay you back."
"You have money?" Mrs. Chen's face changed, and she said, "I don't know if it's enough. Let me count it."
She reached out to take it, but Qin Zhao dodged her hand.
Qin Zhao said politely: "The name on the lease is the grandmother of the Chen family. Even if the money needs to be repaid, it should be returned to her, not you, sister-in-law."
Mrs. Chen was a little embarrassed, and she forced a smile and said, "My mother can't move most of her body now, let alone speak, so we, the younger generation, can only collect debts for her."
"… Are you stalling here on purpose because you don't have enough money?"
Mrs. Chen's target was the valuables that Qin Zhao had hidden in the house. Not only would she not let him go to the Chen family to pay back the money, she wouldn't even give him a chance to pack up his things.
She didn't delay any longer and ordered loudly: "Don't talk to him, get him out!"
Several big men came forward in response.
Jing Li was so anxious that he was about to jump up, but he saw Qin Zhao kicking the bench beside the table and taking the wooden barrel off the table.
He didn't use much force, and the bench hit the calf of the big man closest to him. The man cried out in pain and was pushed by the people behind him, falling straight onto the table, with his body hitting the corner of the table.
"ah!"
The earthen bowls on the table fell to the ground, and the man's facial features were distorted in pain. Seeing this, a man behind him turned around and hit Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao's eyes flickered slightly, and he dodged the opponent's oncoming fist by just turning his head. But the man used too much force and almost fell into the firewood pile beside him.
"You... you..." Mrs. Chen's face was grim, and she pointed at Qin Zhao with trembling fingers, "You can't even handle a sickly person. Come on, everyone, get the money and everyone will get a share!"
"Enough!" Chen Yan'an stood in front of Qin Zhao and said, "Mom, since Qin Zhao said he has money, why are you still forcing him like this?"
Everyone blocked Chen Yan'an in front of them and no one dared to attack again.
"What do you know? Get out of the way!" said Mrs. Chen. "He's asking for the money back. He's just stalling for time! If we don't get the money today, he'll take the money away with him when your grandma dies. Who can we ask for the money? Do you still want to continue your studies this year?!"
Chen Yanan whispered: "I didn't want to..."
"Chen Yan'an!"
"Grandmother Chen... had a stroke?" Qin Zhao interrupted softly.
"So what?" Mrs. Chen laughed mockingly, "I heard that you know a little bit about medicine. So, do you still want to cure my mother?"
Qin Zhao: "You can give it a try."
"Really? You can really save my grandma?" Chen Yan'an's eyes lit up.
"Grandmother Chen has been kind to me, I will do my best." Qin Zhao looked at Sister Chen, "If I fail to save the person by then, it won't be too late for Sister Chen to drive me out of the village."
Mrs. Chen's face looked gloomy.
She looked at Qin Zhao, then at Chen Yanan who was standing in front of him, and said, "Three days."
"I'll give you three days. If you can't cure it, get out of this village."
Qin Zhao: "It's a deal."
Mrs. Chen took her people away.
After they left the house, the men said unhappily, "Mrs. Chen, that's not what we said just now. We left our farm work to accompany you on this trip, but in the end, we didn't get a penny?"
Mrs. Chen: "Go, go, go, each of you go to my house and get half a bag of flour, don't get in my way."
The men left contentedly. Mrs. Chen turned her head to look at Qin Zhao's mud house and whispered, "You'd better be able to cure him."
Inside the house, Qin Zhao went to close the door.
"The person has already left." Qin Zhao said.
Chen Yanan relaxed all over and fell to the ground: "I...didn't I just yell at my mother? It's over, it's over. She's going to beat me to death when I get home..."
"..." Qin Zhao ignored him and looked down at the koi in his arms, "Are you scared?"
Jing Li looked up at him in the water.
He didn't expect that Qin Zhao actually had some skills. His agility just now seemed like he had practiced kung fu.
He became more and more curious about who Qin Zhao was in the past.
More importantly, Qin Zhao looked... quite handsome just now.
Jing Li felt a little dizzy.
Qin Zhao put the barrel back on the table, picked up the stool and Chen Yanan that had fallen to the ground, and pressed them to the edge of the table: "It's done, there's no point in thinking about it."
Chen Yanan was immediately unhappy: "I saved you, what's your attitude?"
Qin Zhao poured a bowl of water and placed it in front of him, saying, "Thank you."
"That's more like it..." Chen Yan'an drank some water, calmed down a little, and asked again, "By the way, can you really cure my grandma? My family has asked several doctors in town to see her, but they are all helpless. You haven't even been to my house to see her, so how can you be sure that you can cure her?"
"… Or should we just run?"
Qin Zhao asked: "If I really run away, will you not want the money from your family?"
Chen Yanan was speechless.
Qin Zhao fiddled with the little fish in the water and said leisurely, "Your mother is so anxious to raise money for you, is it because it's time to pay the tuition?"
Chen Yanan remained silent, and Qin Zhao continued, "You don't want her to raise money because you don't want to go to a private school."
Jing Li suddenly realized.
He thought that Chen Yan'an had a change of heart and came to inform Qin Zhao.
It turns out I just wanted to skip school.
After being exposed by him, Chen Yanan stopped pretending and said dejectedly: "I am not a good student at all. I am the only one among my classmates who has not passed the examination for Tongsheng. I might as well go home and farm instead of wasting so much money."
Qin Zhao said: "The next Tongsheng exam will be in February next year, so there is still time."
"Alas, I still won't be able to pass the exam even if I am given a few more years..." Chen Yanan sighed and stood up. "No more talking. I have to go back and comfort my mother. When will you come to see my grandmother?"
Qin Zhao: "I still have to prepare, early tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Chen Yan'an looked into the house and asked curiously, "By the way, I haven't seen you for a few days. You ate well, with fish and chicken. Did you pick up any money on the road?"
I'm not for eating!
Jing Li fluttered twice in the bucket.
"..." Qin Zhao pushed the koi back into the water and said, "It's a long story. I'll explain it to you slowly another day."
After seeing Chen Yanan off, Qin Zhao returned to the table.
"You haven't come back to your senses yet?" Qin Zhao asked with a smile, "Don't you want to eat meat?"
Of course!
Jing Li hadn't eaten anything since this morning and was so hungry that he stopped thinking about anything and just stared at Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao touched his back and turned to the stove to cook.
The half chicken was handled very cleanly. Qin Zhao directly removed the chicken legs and sprinkled some seasoning on it to marinate.
The remaining meat and bones are separated, the chicken bones are used to make soup, and the meat is set aside for later use.
Qin Zhao's cooking movements are smooth and neat, which is pleasing to the eye.
Jing Li was watching in the wooden barrel, but his eyes unconsciously fell on the other person's hands. Whether holding a pen to write or holding a kitchen knife, those hands were beautiful and impeccable.
He casually rolled up the cuffs of his wrists, revealing a section of his slender, white wrist bones.
Qin Zhao beat two more eggs into the millet flour, mixed it into a paste, put it into the oil pan, and quickly fried a few egg pancakes. He also fried the remaining chicken with wild vegetables, and they were ready to eat after taking it out of the pan.
That’s it
Jing Li was still staring at the chicken legs on the stove. Qin Zhao picked a small piece of chicken, rinsed the grease off the surface with water, and then threw it to Jing Li: "That needs to be marinated for a while, and I'll make roasted chicken legs for you to eat in the evening."
… All right.
Jing Li reluctantly bit the chicken that was about to sink into the water.
Eating in water will affect the original taste of the food to some extent, but there is nothing you can do about it since he is a fish now.
It’s good to have something to eat.
After the meal, Qin Zhao found some lotus leaves and yellow mud, wrapped the marinated chicken legs in them, and threw them into the stove to bake.
After doing all this, Qin Zhao turned to Jing Li and said, "I'm going out for a while. Do you want to come with me or sleep at home?"
The little koi had already been so bloated that its belly was turned inside out in the water. Upon hearing this, it lazily shook its soft fins without even raising its head.
"I won't let you eat so much next time." Qin Zhao shook his head and sighed, then pushed open the door.
Just as he turned around, a faint red light suddenly flashed in the wooden barrel.
Qin Zhao looked back as if he had sensed something, and the little koi was still lying quietly in the water, with not even the slightest ripple on the water surface.
Did I see it wrong
Qin Zhao didn't think any more, closed the door gently and left.