"It's just ahead, we're here! Big brother, please pull over for a moment." Jiang Miao lifted the car curtain and looked at the path between the two mountains. There was a stone beside the road, like a tortoise shell covering the ground. The last time he came out, he deliberately found a reference point so that he would not forget the way home.
Pei Che looked outside: "Aren't you going any further inside?" He didn't see the house, so there must be some way to go.
"The carriage can't go further in, so we can just walk by ourselves. Mr. Pei, thank you for this trip!" Jiang Miao took out his bag and put it on the frame, then jumped down and took the small stone.
Jiang Miao returned to his state of carrying a lot of bags and small packages. He said goodbye to Pei Che and Pei Mu in the carriage, then stood politely by the roadside, watching the carriages go away.
"Brother, Master Pei is such a good man!" Little Stone said excitedly while carrying a small bag. This was his first time riding in a carriage, and he didn't expect it to be so comfortable and warm.
"Yeah, I didn't expect that he would let us take a ride." Jiang Miao didn't expect that Mr. Pei was so approachable. He is indeed a good person!
"Why is that little boy so quiet?" Perhaps because they were of the same age, Little Stone would occasionally peek at the little boy. He found that he was silent, lowering his head to play with his things, and even not talking to his own brother.
"He doesn't like to talk. You didn't like to talk to others when you first came either." Jiang Miao said. He also noticed that the child seemed a little too quiet, always giving people the feeling that he was isolated from the world.
"Oh!" Little Stone nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The two walked forward, passed the small path leading into the village, and the familiar field road appeared in front of them again, winding and extending into the distance.
Last time they left the village very early and didn't meet many people on the road. Today it was close to noon, and it was time to cook at home, so there were not many people on the road, only a group of children playing games at the entrance of the village.
"Xiao Wu!" Little Shitou had sharp eyes and recognized his familiar friend at a glance. He instantly became energetic and shouted loudly towards that direction.
If there was anything bad about living in the city, it was that he had no playmates. When his brother was busy, he could only stay in the house and play by himself. Although his brother also let him play in the yard, he heard that there were many kidnappers in the city, and he was afraid that he would be kidnapped by a kidnapper and never come back.
"Xiao Shitou, you're back!" Xiao Wu heard the familiar voice, turned around and ran over immediately, "I thought you would never come back. Aunt Jiang said that Brother Sanshui took you to the city and sold you!" He was worried and sad.
Jiang Miao was speechless. What was wrong with that person? He squatted down and asked, "Xiao Wu, what did Aunt Jiang San tell you?"
Xiao Wu thought for a while: "Aunt Jiang San first said that you kidnapped Xiao Shitou, and then another aunt came to scold her, saying that she gave her five taels of silver. The two quarreled, and someone told them to stop quarreling. Later, when the aunt went back, Aunt Jiang San said that you wanted to take Xiao Shitou to the city to sell him, because that would be more valuable."
Xiao Wu was still young and had not learned the words very well, but this was enough for Jiang Miao to understand the meaning.
"Thank you, Xiaowu. This bag of snacks is a gift from Xiaoshitou. Take it back and share it with your family." Jiang Miao untied the bag, took out a bag of pastries and handed it to Xiaowu.
Xiao Wu hurriedly shook his head and refused to take it. Xiao Shitou said, "Xiao Wu, you eat it. This is made by your brother, and I also helped. You used to share your food with me, and I will give you the delicious food if I have it!"
"Okay, thank you, Little Stone, and thank you, Brother Sanshui!" Xiaowu took the cake and followed them back. He kept talking to Little Stone on the way, and their childish chatter made Jiang Miao laugh. Seeing Little Stone, who was more active than usual, Jiang Miao felt that he had to ask more about those academies after returning. How could he do it without a companion
When they arrived in front of the Zhou family's yard, Xiao Wu stood on tiptoe to look forward and found that the door was open, so he said, "Xiao Shitou, don't go through their house later. It would be bad if they catch you again." He thought it would be better for Xiao Shitou to follow Brother Sanshui.
"Don't worry, Xiaowu. My brother won't let me get caught!" Little Stone's eyes sparkled with trust in Jiang Miao. His brother was tall and handsome, cooked delicious food, and was also very good at making money!
Jiang Miao had originally planned to settle that bad debt after returning, but now he is not going to do that anymore.
Jiang Miao took Xiao Shitou for a detour and returned to his second uncle's house. He knocked on the gate and it was his cousin Jiang Yu who opened the door. She made a vague sound in her throat and was filled with joy. Jiang Miao and Xiao Shitou called "Sister Xiaoyu". She smiled and took Jiang Miao's arm and walked into the house.
No one had eaten yet. A middle-aged man, who looked a little old, sat on a stool in the main room, holding a pipe. He squinted his eyes and took a puff, enjoying the rare leisure time.
"Second Uncle?" Jiang Miao called out tentatively. The man suddenly heard the voice and forgot to spit out the cigarette for a moment, so he choked and coughed a few times.
"Miao, Xiao Shitou, you're back?" Jiang Maolin stood up. "Xiao Yu, go ask your aunt to cook some noodles and a dish. Come and sit down."
"Uncle, don't let Aunt work too hard. I also brought some food back. Let's have some drinks later!" Jiang Miao took out a bundle and handed it to Jiang Yu. Inside was braised pork head and fried peanuts wrapped in oil paper. Both of them were bought from a small shop. They were very popular in Yifeng Street. Shopkeeper Wang had introduced them to Jiang Miao several times.
In addition, he also bought a small jar of wine. Unfortunately, he didn't know that his second uncle smoked dry tobacco, otherwise he could have bought some tobacco.
"Why buy these? Will the family be without food for you? It's not easy to make money outside, don't be so generous. People say that a poor family will become rich on the road, if you have money, save it to marry a wife..." Jiang Maolin naggingly taught his nephew. He actually felt a little guilty towards Jiang Miao and Xiao Shitou. His brother and sister-in-law were gone, but he couldn't raise the two children for them, and he had to let Jiang Laosan take one away. Later, the eldest nephew ran to the city alone to find a job, and didn't come back for half a year. If something happened to him, how could he face his brother and sister-in-law
Jiang Miao sat beside Xiao Shitou, patiently listening to him. He hadn't heard such caring reprimands from his elders for a long time. He used to feel impatient before he experienced anything, but later he realized that this was a very precious treasure that he would never have again if he lost it.
While they were talking, Jiang Yu left with her things. After a while, she came back with dishes. The pork head was sliced and seasoned with dipping sauce, and the sizzling peanuts were placed in a large earthenware bowl. There was also a bowl of steamed dried vegetables and a pot of stewed radish. The last dish was scrambled eggs, which Second Aunt Jiang brought to the table. When she saw Jiang Miao and Xiao Shitou, she greeted them and asked Jiang Yu to call the others to eat.
In addition to his cousin Jiang Yu, who was raised in his second uncle's house, Jiang Miao also had three younger cousins and one younger cousin. It was rare to have so many children in one family in modern times. Jiang Miao had seen the three younger cousins last time and had memorized their features. The boy who followed behind must be Jiang Xin.
The kid looked very clever. As soon as he saw Jiang Miao, he came over and said, "Brother Miao, I went out for a drink the last time you came back, and I didn't see you. They said you went to the city. Is it fun in the city? Are there many people? He is Xiao Shitou, finally someone younger than me. Xiao Shitou, you can just call me Brother Xin."
"…" This kid is quite talkative, but because of this, Jiang Miao finds him quite friendly. Little Shitou, however, is different. Facing this brother Xin who is clinging to his brother, he becomes a little wary. He calls him brother Xin, and then squeezes into Jiang Miao's arms, trying to monopolize Jiang Miao's embrace without leaving any trace.
"What Brother Xin? You kid!" Uncle Jiang patted him, "Little Shitou was born in the first month of the year, and he is more than eight months older than you!"
"Ah?" Jiang Xin looked as if the sky had fallen. "I'm still the youngest? Then I have to call him Brother Shitou?"
Everyone in the room laughed. After experiencing a change of identity, Xiao Shitou felt better about Jiang Xin. After all, he was his brother.
They had a lively meal. Although the Jiang family was poor, the children were well-educated and none of them fought over the food. As a boy, Jiang Xin did not receive any special treatment like other families. He ate as much as his sisters ate.
After the meal, Jiang Miao handed the cakes and a piece of folded coarse cloth to his second aunt. Second aunt Jiang was a little surprised, because a piece of coarse cloth must cost several hundred coins.
"Uncle and aunt have troubled you for many years. Now that I have earned a little money, I naturally have to buy something to honor you." After Jiang Miao finished speaking, he was scolded again before letting his aunt accept the things.
When Jiang San's family was mentioned, Jiang Maolin's face turned a little ugly. A few days ago, his wife had a quarrel with the woman of that family. The woman was really a piece of shit. How could she take money and still make up stories? She said that his nephew secretly kidnapped the little nephew. The implication was that they had raised an ungrateful person in the past few years. After saying that the nephew gave them five taels of silver, the woman said that his nephew must have done something bad outside to get so much money. Not to mention that his wife was angry when she heard it, even he wanted to beat the woman when he found out later.
"It's okay if I don't give it to him. I don't think he would dare to do anything!"
"Uncle, the money must be given. Only by giving it can Xiao Shitou be separated from his family." Jiang Miao said, "After all, he raised Xiao Shitou. If he doesn't give them money, the name of adoptive parents will always be attached to Xiao Shitou. The villagers may think that Xiao Shitou is pitiful now, but when Xiao Shitou grows up and succeeds, the villagers will think that he is ungrateful and an ungrateful person. It will be even more troublesome to leave them behind at that time."
In modern times, Jiang Miao has seen similar news. People always show sympathy to the weaker party. They don't care who is right or wrong. They only care about whether there is a place to vent their criticism and let them judge others from a moral high ground.
Jiang Maolin pondered for a while and said, "You are right. How about this? Let's invite the clan leader over as well. With the clan leader here to keep them in check, let's see if Jiang Lao San and his family dare to talk nonsense again!"
This is indeed better. Jiang Miao had previously thought about asking a respected elder to come over and take charge of the situation, but he didn't know anyone and was afraid of being exposed, so he could only pin his hopes on his second uncle.
The two men carried their things and went to find the clan leader. The current clan leader was older than Jiang Maolin. He was the eldest son of the old clan leader and took over the position after the old clan leader passed away.
After hearing about the purpose of Jiang Miao and his friends' visit, the clan leader was a little hesitant. He also knew about this matter. A few days ago, two women in the clan had a quarrel, and it was his wife who went to mediate. When she came back, she told him about this matter, and kept saying that Jiang Laosan's family was not honest, and took other people's money and still spread rumors.
But the problem is, the document of recognition of relationship was originally written by his father, and now he, as a son, has to help others break up the relationship. Doesn't this make sense
Seeing that the clan leader hadn't said anything, Uncle Jiang got a little anxious: "Clan leader, what are you still thinking about? Jiang Lao San's family is not a good person. They beat and scolded my nephew as soon as they had their own child. Some time ago, they said they wanted to find a family to adopt him. Who doesn't know that they want to sell my nephew for money? Now my nephew has raised the money and is waiting for you to be a witness."
"Maolin, that's not the case. They are a bit too much, but the child was not adopted by others, right?" The clan leader laughed and did not express his opinion.
"Clan leader, please allow me to speak. Do you know what Third Aunt Jiang said about me? She said I was a kidnapper and even kidnapped my own brother to sell him." Jiang Miao showed the indignation of a young man who was wronged. "To put it mildly, this is slandering me alone. To put it seriously, this is a disgrace to the entire Jiang family!"
"What do you mean?" As the clan leader, what he cares most about is the reputation of the clan.
"Everyone knows that kidnappers will be beheaded if caught by the government. She told others that I was a kidnapper, and the villagers naturally wouldn't believe it, but what if outsiders heard it? Rumors always spread quickly, and if one person spreads to ten people, ten people will spread to a hundred people. I'm afraid that everyone in the surrounding area will know that there is a kidnapper in Jiangjiawan. Will others dare to have contact with our village in the future? What if the rumor spreads further and a big master who wants to kill one person to warn the rest arrests all of us as kidnappers?"
Jiang Miao escalated the situation to a level that Chief Jiang could not accept. Looking at his face that was as black as ink, Jiang Miao said in his heart, "Yeah, it's done."
Jiang Laosan's house was open at this time, and the couple were teaching their child to walk in the yard. Suddenly they saw the clan leader coming over, and they were a little puzzled. When Jiang Laosan saw who was behind the clan leader, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Chief, why are you here? Please sit down. Mother, why don't you pour me a bowl of hot water?" His attitude was very attentive.
"No need, just finish the work quickly, I have work to do later." The clan leader, who usually quite accepts this kind of talk, looked a little cold today.
"Clan leader, can you tell me why you are here?" Jiang Lao San asked even though he knew the answer, sounding like a dead duck trying to be stubborn.
"Why do you think I'm here?" The clan leader glanced at him. "You're such a good Jiang San. You insisted on adopting someone else's child and asked my father to come here to be your witness. Now you don't treat the child well. You took five taels of silver from someone else and are still making up stories about him behind his back. Are you worthy of the letter of recognition my father wrote for you? Don't say you're from the Jiang family when you go out. The clan can't afford to lose you!"
The clan leader scolded Jiang Lao San harshly, but he didn't dare to say a word. He just stood there with a red face, stammering his lips, looking very embarrassed.
Jiang Laosan's wife couldn't stand it any longer: "Clan leader, what are you talking about? Why didn't we treat our children well? Isn't that what the villagers teach us? Besides, what five taels of silver? It's clearly four taels and five cents. He still owes us five cents!"
The clan leader was already angry, and she challenged him, and he felt that his authority was challenged. "You, woman, it would be fine if you didn't say anything, but you said that Sanshui kid tricked his brother into the city and sold him, right? If my father were still alive, a woman like you who talks too much and spreads rumors would definitely use the clan rules to divorce you on behalf of Jiang Lao San! How can I let you argue here!"
Jiang Laosan's wife was a little scared, but she still said stubbornly: "Who knows what he did in the past six months? How could an ordinary citizen save so much money?"
Jiang Miao was speechless. If she made a lot of money, did she do something illegal? Was she thinking of making money this way
"Ignorant woman! What good will it do you to have a kidnapper in our clan? If you dare to make up stories again and ruin the reputation of our Jiang family, I will take you to Qianjia Village and let the head of the Qian family teach you a lesson!" The head of the clan glared at her fiercely. The reputation of the Jiang family could not be ruined by a woman.
Jiang San's wife was really scared now. If she was taken back to the village, how would her parents live? Her brothers and sisters-in-law would definitely skin her alive!
"Chief, clan leader, I am short-sighted and have long hair. I won't dare to say that again!" She shrank behind Jiang Lao San while holding the child.
"Sanshui boy, give them the money." The patriarch was satisfied.
Jiang Miao took out the five cents of silver he had prepared and placed it on the table at Jiang Lao San's house, then called Xiao Shitou to bid farewell to Jiang Lao San and his wife. Xiao Shitou knelt down obediently and kowtowed three times to the two of them.
After he kowtowed, Jiang Miao pulled him up and brushed the dust off him. Seeing that Xiao Shitou had a pouty mouth and tears in his eyes, he knew that he was somewhat sad, so he squatted down and comforted him in a low voice.
"He's a good child." The clan leader sighed. Even children know how to consider family ties, but the two adults were not moved at all, and their eyes were full of impatience.
“Look carefully, this is the letter of recognition that my father wrote to you. Your copy is in the hands of Sanshui boy, and the Jiang family and the clan members have also brought theirs.” The clan leader raised the three pieces of paper in his hand, then tore them into pieces and threw them up.
Pieces of paper fluttered down, symbolizing that the shackles that imprisoned the small stone were broken from now on.
The clan leader stared at the two of them and said, "Once the kinship certificate is destroyed, you will no longer have any ties with Little Stone. If you meet him on the road, he will just be an ordinary clan member. I advise you not to bring this up again, and don't go around making up bad things about him. If I find out, I will definitely punish him according to the clan rules! Do you understand?"
(End of this chapter)