EBE Chapter 30 Don't stare at other people's children
Chapter 30 Don't stare at other people's children
Moreover, Si Sanlang said he would send their household registrations to the yamen!
Isn't that something you take away when you change your nationality?
What about changing from good status to slave status or from criminal status?
Even if it's not a change of place of residence, they still have to pay tribute to the officials to get travel permits, right?
I wonder if the officials in Huilan City are even more corrupt than Lord Yang in Qingshan County?
How should one speak to an official?
Xia Shoucai was sweating profusely from racking his brains.
Si Sanlang is the only scholar in Baihua Village; he shouldn't have provoked him.
Xia Shoucai quickly put on a fawning smile and softened his tone towards Si Shaoheng: "Brother Si, we won't part ways! If we don't know the way, we'll just follow you. Please calm down..."
"I am not angry."
Xia Shoucai:......
Even scarier.
"I apologize, really, Si brothers, I was foolish!"
"I'm really not angry. My wife has been through a lot of trouble on the way here, but she's furious because of your awful words."
Xia Shoucai: Understood!
He wished he could slide down to Cheng Ruoan's knees and kowtow several times.
"Sister-in-law Si, I'm so sorry, my mother and I have been walking all day and we're exhausted. We didn't think before we spoke, so please don't take it to heart..."
Cheng Ruoan took a small sip of tea and said, "Stop with the nonsense, I've already taken it to heart. Now, just tell me clearly, are you going to give me travel expenses or not?"
With Si Dalang's help over the past few years, the Xia family could still afford half of the fifteen taels.
Xia Shoucai gritted his teeth, gave his brother-in-law Si Dalang a look, and then planned to give Cheng Ruoan the travel expenses for his family of five.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Ruoan said, "Wait a minute. I've been thinking about it. Your Xia family members are easily confused, and when they're dizzy, they're prone to causing trouble. Three taels isn't enough to cover it, so let's each pay five taels."
Adding the five taels for the travel permit, I was given a total of thirty taels, and we continued our journey together.
Otherwise, let's just go our separate ways and each take half of the road.
Xia Shoucai:......
"No, I mean, Si family sister-in-law, are you just blatantly raising the price like this? Don't you have any shame at all?"
That's what they really meant when they said it nicely: "Are you shameless?"
Cheng Ruoan scoffed lightly: "How much is face worth?"
With your Xia family always stirring up trouble, traveling with you means I'm taking on far more risks than just 25 taels.
"Either pay the money, or we split up; the choice is yours."
The Xia family is now experiencing firsthand what it means to be caught in a dilemma.
Granny Xia wanted to rush out and scold Cheng Ruoan, but Old Man Xia held her back.
"Alright, let's do as they say! We won't get to the North on our own if we don't travel with them!"
"But where would we get twenty-five taels of silver?"
The Xia family was willing to go to the north with the Si family for two reasons. First, they couldn't bear to part with their son-in-law's support. Second, Old Man Xia's father was also from the north. Back then, the Xia family in the north was too poor, and there was no land left for Old Man Xia's father. So, his father took his family to Qingshan County to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land.
Old Man Xia gave Cheng Ruoan a sinister look and said in a deep voice, "Write an IOU. Once we get to the north, I'll figure something out."
And so, Cheng Ruoan had another IOU in his space.
After the farce ended, everyone obediently followed Si Shaoheng and Cheng Ruoan's arrangements and set up tents on the gentle slope behind the tea stall.
"Mother-in-law! Why did you steal the straw from that tea stall?! To make a thatched roof? No way! Didn't I buy tarpaulin? Use tarpaulin to put up the roof! Never mind, you go and watch the children, Sanlang and Silang can come and put it up when they're done with their work!"
Cheng Ruoan stood by the closed tea stall, leaning on her cane, her face contorted in pain.
She was speechless at Zhao's insistence on doing all the work.
This isn't helping, it's causing trouble!
The tea stall owner hadn't even left yet, and Zhao was already stealing his dry straw!
"Alright, alright, I won't do it anymore! What are you yelling about? You're so annoying!" Zhao cursed as she went to call the younger members of the Si family to come to her.
"Si Xin, Si Nian, Da Ya, Si Niu, come here quickly! Stop playing with the leaves and come with Grandma to wash your hands and face! It's time for bed!"
"No, no, the water's too hot, Grandma, you can wash yourself!"
The children ran off in all directions, their rebellious behavior almost driving Zhao Shi to her death.
The three sons of the Si family were helping to set up the tent, and the Xia family went to collect hay and firewood. Not wanting Cheng's eldest sister and son-in-law to be idle, Cheng's mother asked them to fetch water from the nearby ditch, boil it, and use it for everyone to wash.
The water was boiling and hadn't cooled down yet, so the little ones didn't listen to Zhao and continued playing wildly with their older brothers and sisters.
The tea stall owner was a kind-looking middle-aged man, and the cook was his wife. The couple were both in their forties, which would have been considered grandparents in ancient times.
They were delighted to see the family with their children, so they slowed down their closing time to leave the lights on for the family a little longer.
In the dim, almost romantic candlelight of the open space, Si Nian held up the plush rabbit that Cheng Ruoan had taken out of her spatial storage and shouted, "Who wants to play house with me and be the rabbit's family member?"
"I me me!"
"I want my own too!"
"Nian~ Sister~ wants~"
Even Si Niu was drooling and speaking unclearly.
"Then sit down properly, I'll assign you roles~" Si Nian was extremely satisfied, her little face raised, head held high and chest puffed out, like a beautiful little rooster.
Cheng Ruoan found it amusing. She had thought Niannian was really an introverted and delicate little girl. It seemed that she was only well-behaved in front of her and Si Shaoheng, but in private she wanted to be the leader of the kids.
But despite her laughter, she still called out seriously, "Niannian, give your little sister Si Niu something else to play with, don't put the doll in front of her!"
Just then, Lin walked past Cheng Ruoan carrying a stack of hay. She quickly called out, "Fourth sister-in-law, come here for a moment."
Lin tensed up and instinctively looked around for Si Silang.
Didn't see it.
But then I remembered what Si Shilang said: we should listen to the words of our third brother and sister-in-law as if they were the words of a Bodhisattva.
She gritted her teeth and went to Cheng Ruoan's side: "Third Sister-in-law..."
"Fourth sister-in-law, look at the doll that Niannian gave to everyone to play with, the kind that's made of fluffy material. Don't let Si Niu touch things like that in the future."
Mrs. Lin was taken aback: "Even fur-made clothing items are not acceptable?"
"No, that won't do. Otherwise, she'll have a relapse."
Also, I remember back in the village, Si Niu liked to pick little flowers to play with. From now on, make sure she doesn't play with flowers and plants.
Cheng Ruoan knew a little about asthma; in her previous life, she had a friend in an orphanage who had asthma.
Lin didn't understand why, but she was deeply shocked: "Can this really cause an attack?"
"Yes. We must be very careful with Si Niu's illness; we can't be careless. You should always carry that medicine with you; it can save Si Niu's life."
Madam Lin nodded vigorously, "Okay, I'll take it! Thank you, Third Sister-in-law."
As the two were talking, they missed glancing at the children over there a few times.
Suddenly, the tea stall owner shouted at someone, "You lot, get out of here! Stop squatting there watching other people's kids! Get out!"