Chapter 67: 积德行善
[Accumulating Merits and Doing Kind Deeds]
The deed of sale has already been filed in the Yamen, as long as the silver is given to do the handover, Li Haitang is not an unreasonable person, he asked his little brother’s new page boy, Si Xi, “We’re departing for Deer City tomorrow, you’d better go back to say hello to your family first.”
“Master, can I get a month’s money in advance?”
Si Xi pressed his head down very low, his voice was very small, his uncle and aunt were both kind to him, once his parents were gone, he had no one to rely on. His uncle and aunt didn’t mind him eating at all.
That winter, his aunt went to the town in the snow and wind to work, washing clothes, just for 200 wen a month.
In the severe winter months, the water was bone-chillingly cold, and his aunt’s hands were full of cracks, but she gritted her teeth and insisted.
He is not stupid, knowing that aunt did everything for his own good. His family situation is too difficult, aunt’s body health becomes bad, and at night she always coughs.
“What about the reason?”
Li Haitang signalled Si Xi to say whatever he had to say, no need to hide it.
“I’m going to Deer City, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back once, seeing as it’s getting cold, I want to advance the first month’s monthly silver first.”
At the beginning of October, it will snow in the north. Buying charcoal now can be cheaper, otherwise the colder it gets, the higher the price of charcoal will be, and if the family relies on firewood alone, it will definitely not be enough.
“No problem.”
Li Haitang answered with her mouth full, thinking to go to Si Xi’s aunt and uncle’s house first to take a look, if the conditions are very difficult, she will help if she can, so that Si Xi doesn’t have any worries and doesn’t have to worry about family matters all the time.
Li Jin Hu was called young master, still very unaccustomed to, blushing slightly, deliberately with one’s hands clasped behind one’s back as he walked, the group let Si Xi lead the way, through one street after another.
The north of the city is mostly inhabited by poor people, the houses are low, the alleys are dark without seeing the sunlight, and there is a sewage ditch at the entrance, emitting the sour smell of decay.
Uncle and Aunt Si Xi live in the third house at the entrance of the alley, only two small rooms, with a stove room on the side.
The courtyard was small, with two egg-laying hens and some firewood, making it look messy.
“Ge, you’re back!”
The door was wooden boards cobbled together and nailed on, Si Xi reached in and skilfully opened it from the inside.
There was a rattle at the doorway, and two small children came running out of the house, the older one an eight or nine year old female child, the younger one five or six years old, being held by his sister’s hand.
“Dog egg, Da Ya!”
Seeing his siblings, Si Xi smiled a simple smile and straightforwardly and honestly introduced Li Haitang’s family. Chen Da Ya was very formal as she met a stranger for the first time, instead it was the younger one, pulling on Si Xi and not letting go, “Big brother, mother is giving out the monthly silver today. She said she can buy a few catties of brown flour and make dumplings with cabbage!”
“That’s right ah, we’ll eat less, and save it for you when the time comes.”
At the mention of eating, Chen Da Ya revealed a smiling face, and then there was another hesitation, “Big brother, you found the main family, can I stay and eat?”
“Yes, let him stay and eat ba.”
The Chen family is dilapidated, the family has four walls, Huang Ji dental shop mate is right, Li Haitang’s heart is very touchy, family members have one heart, think of each other, this is better than anything, unlike the Li family, family but doesn’t look like a family. No one expects you to be good.
“There are still some cakes on the carriage, why don’t you take them to eat?”
Xiao Lingchuan saw his wife lost, knew that she thought of the Li family, in fact, all people hope that the relatives will accompany them around. It’s just that those things can not be forced so he would take good care of her in the future.
“Husband, let’s not enter the door.”
Hearing that Si Xi’s uncle was bedridden, it wasn’t very polite for several people to rush to the door, so why not just sit in the courtyard for a while and wait for Si Xi’s aunt to come home.
The cakes on the carriage were all bought yesterday, Li Haitang’s mouth is picky, she has little interest in these groove cakes with only sugar and oil, and only uses them on weekdays to pad her stomach when she’s hungry.
Cakes with moulded designs are good for the poor. Chen Da Ya and her brother Dog Egg (Gou Dan) were too scared to take it.
“Take it and eat it, consider it given by your Big Brother.”
Li Haitang’s impression of this big family was a few more points better, the two children clearly had eager eyes, but they did not reach out, indicating good upbringing.
Chen Da Ya glanced at Si Xi, tremblingly took it, greeted her, and entered the room.
A few moments later, Si Xi’s second uncle leaned on his crutches and struggled to hold the wall to go out the door.
“Master, our dog egg can eat a bit, but he has no crooked heart, he is a good boy.”
Second Uncle Chen is a man, face disheveled, pleading, “As long as you let him eat full, what dirty work, he can do it. I hurt my leg, could not do work, the family relies on his second aunt alone to support me. I act as the Second uncle, ashamed to face my dead eldest brother and sister-in-law ah!”
Second Uncle Chen said, a seven feet tall man with red eyes, if he did not build a house and fell down, it is not necessary to rely on women to support the family.
“Second Uncle, what are you saying? It’s all because I dragged you down.”
Si Xi wiped a handful of tears, told the whole story, the original family days, his parents just left, he was young and unintelligent, he only knew that he had to eat. Several days of work, he went to the family for a month’s rations.
Cold winter months, no one went out to do work, not earn silver, could not afford to buy rice and noodles, therefore the family could not pass the year.
His Second Uncle can only go out to find work to do, as long as the other side has enough money to give, then it’s fine, only then broke his leg like this.
For more than half a year, he has been waiting to be sold. Every time someone comes to the door, heard that he can eat, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
Si Xi also tried to eat less, drank cold water for a day, and fainted on the second day.
“The leg was broken for six months….”
Li Haitang has a bit of research on orthopaedics, but she is not good to bring it up, as long as there is silver money for treatment, Second Uncle Chen should be able to recover, but the delay is too long, the treatment, I am afraid that in the future, I can not do heavy work, maybe a little limp.
“Second uncle, the main family promised me an advance of one month’s silver money, let’s go see the leg (leglike support)!”
He had 200 Wen a month, which was worth a mate in town, and the main family said that if he did a good job, there would be extra rewards in the future.
“Er Gouzi, you’re lucky to have stumbled upon a good master, but you can’t always ask for help.”
Second Uncle Chen taught that you can’t take the help others give you as a matter of course, so that over time, you’ll easily become a white-eyed wolf (thankless wretch).
Other people help when you are in trouble, it is a favour, not to help, it is also reasonable, even if it is a relative, you can’t always ask for help.
“Second uncle, I know, I will try my best to work.”
Si Xi nodded, he will take good care of the little young master, grabbing the work, selling oneself is not that scary, there is food and drink, the main family is very good to get along with, they are all good people.
“Second Uncle Chen, you don’t have to take it to heart, the help is also to let Si Xi have no worries.”
Li Haitang didn’t want to burden this family too much, she hadn’t spent the ill-gotten wealth she had got from Counselor Qin, and didn’t mind using it for a good cause.
“You are all good people, good people have good rewards.” Second Uncle Chen knew in his heart, he knew that the kindness of receiving a little water should be repaid by the spring. His family’s condition, what can other people have a picture of? Even if it is a piece of cake, a copper coin, he has to put in his heart, when he has the ability, it must be repaid double.