Chapter Fifty-Eight: Who is the Thief?

ood time to take leave. Now is just the right moment!”The officials seemed unable to believe it, their eyes fixed on Marquis Xinting, none of them expecting him to take the initiative to give the new...Li Lao quickly invited them into the house for tea, and then sent Jiakxi and Jiani to the field, calling Li Laosan and Li Si back. 。Soon, the hall was filled with people. 。The village head was also a straightforward person, getting straight to the point and explaining his intentions. 。"Big sister, we're here to discuss something." 。My six brothers and I, together we have twenty acres of land. 。But they are not in good health and it is very tiring to plant every year. 。Furthermore, delaying the harvest means that besides grain tax, there is only a meager amount of food left. 。Originally, they were all fertile fields, well-cultivated, and could earn a couple of ounces of silver each year. 。It's a pity no matter how you look at it. 。He let out a sigh and continued, 。"So, I'm here today to ask your family if you want to take on these twenty acres of land next. Your family has a lot of manpower, so this twenty acres should be manageable for you." 。During autumn, besides paying the grain tax, just leave some rations for me and these few old brothers of mine. 。Of course, they can also help out with some small tasks in the fields on ordinary days. 。As much as one is able, no one would shirk their responsibilities. 。"Well, what do you think"

Lao Li was taken aback. She turned to look at her three sons, who were also surprised 。"Village chief, brother, this matter, several old brothers seem to be at a disadvantage, don't you think Otherwise, the land is still yours to cultivate. " 。Once we're done with things at home, we'll go help you. 。“ No, it's not like that. 。Uncle Zhao next door, was the first to speak. 。"Big sis, we're both half-broken." 。Every year, from spring planting to autumn harvest, the heavy physical labor is simply unbearable. 。Looking at the field, which was planted haphazardly, we felt uneasy. 。If your family takes it in, they definitely won't act like this again. 。And how much have we helped with that 。In autumn, take some provisions, just enough to keep from starving. 。“ The rest of the old men also chimed in. 。"Yeah, that's just three mu of land." 。Last year, I only planted two mu of land, and that was with the help of villagers. 。"It's a shame that something so good ends up in the hands of us cripples." 。Old Li could see that they were sincere. With only ten acres of land, their family was indeed struggling. 。She pondered for a moment, then said: 。"I know the old brothers are well-intentioned and want to take care of our family." 。But we can't take advantage of you, after all, life isn't easy for anyone. 。So, we've taken on these twenty acres. 。You guys don't have to say anything, autumn only needs one mouthful of food. 。What will our family eat later, and what will you eat 。Even if there were no grains in the fields, your meals would not be lacking. 。"That can't be done!" the old men immediately objected. 。Although the Li family's life was also tight, because there were many children, they couldn't be frugal with their mouths. 。In ordinary days, the Li family's food was the best in the village. 。... she often buys white rice noodles and doesn't say anything. When Tao Hongying goes to the kitchen, she also brings back meat dishes... 。If they continue to eat with the Li family in the future, the Li family will have to feed six more mouths. But it's too much of a loss. 。“Yeah, we just need a few bags of sorghum.” 。"When you get old, you can't do anything. All you need is something to eat." 。Li Laoliu and his brothers were all softhearted. They often took care of the old man in their daily lives. 。At this point, of course, one should advise 。Uncle Zhao, just listen to my mother! 。We brothers farm diligently, and in autumn we harvest abundant grain. 。"Yeah, you guys are always a pain to deal with even on normal days. " 。The day before yesterday, I didn't cook the sorghum rice properly. From now on, I won't eat mushy rice anymore. 。"Li Laosan is truly honest and simple. He blurted out what the old men had said, making their faces flush." 。There was no woman in the house, and they just threw together whatever food they could. 。The rice was often overcooked... Li Lao Tai settled it with a single statement, “Then that’s how it’ll be done. The village head is right here, might as well write an official document” 。Afterward, several of the old brothers' fields will belong to our family to cultivate. 。Then, we packed food at home and added another two sets of clothes, shoes, and socks for next year. 。Write it all down, so that when someone talks nonsense in the future, we won't be afraid. 。Several old men were all excited to hear it, this was simply beyond their imagination. 。From now on, you won't have to worry about food and clothing. 。Uncle Zhao quickly said, “Just add one more sentence to the document, and from now on, all the chopping wood and farming will be ours.” 。None of you grab it, we can still do these jobs. 。"Okay, that's settled. 。The village head slammed his fist on the table, his face flushed with excitement as he urged Li Laoer to quickly write a letter. 。Li Lao'er took a pen and paper, and wrote it down carefully and clearly. 。Then the three brothers, along with the six elderly gentlemen, all pressed their handprints. 。Finally, the village headman, as a witness. 。For a time, everyone was overjoyed. 。Having given presents to the old men and the village head, Li Lao embraced her granddaughter, remaining silent for a long while. 。Jia Yin struggled to stand up and went to rub her grandmother's furrowed brows. 。 Li Laotai came to her senses, smiling and kissing her granddaughter. Then she called out to her sons. 。"With twenty more acres to plant, we still don't have enough manpower." 。That way, you two go to the Livestock Market and see if you can buy a good mule. 。It's best to bring a hand truck, it's convenient for hauling things. 。After that, Hongying had more chores to do at home, such as cooking or picking up and dropping off family members. 。Upon hearing this, everyone was excited. 。Adding livestock to the household is a big deal. 。A mule may not be as fast as a horse, but it is easier to handle and more hardworking. 。Whether it's plowing the fields with a wooden plow or pulling carts on journeys, he is adept at both. 。

An even better helper than a donkey, but the price...

"Mother, it's going to cost twenty taels of silver. Will this be difficult for the family"

Li Laotai waved her hand, giving her sons a reassurance.

"Don't be afraid, there are still over sixty taels at home, enough to spend." 。" Then Li Lao'er finally felt happy, yelling, 。Tomorrow is the cattle market on the north side of the county town, let's go take a look. 。"Yeah, it's best to ask around each village too. Just in case there's a suitable one." 。"From now on, you won't have to borrow the village chief's cart all the time." 。" Li Laotai patted her granddaughter, also smiling with joy 。With Wu Cuifua, that stupid woman, gone from the house, there's no need to watch her every move anymore. 。It's more convenient to talk now, and no one interferes when we discuss anything. 。At this time, Wu Cuifang, who was being worried about by Li Laotai, was truly in a precarious situation. 。She sat on the ground, slapping her thighs and cursing. 。It's been a month since I was chased out of my house. 。In the midst of the bitter cold winter, she would spend her days soaking in icy well water to wash clothes. Her hands swelled like steamed buns, each one a testament to frostbite. 。The mistress of the house, even though she only gave ten jin of sorghum rice a month, still had to cook her own meals to fill her stomach. 。Originally, these grains were only enough to keep her half-fed. 。But Wu Erdog occasionally came over and found that she was living and eating by herself, so he also came to mooch off her food and stayed. 。He got up early, ate breakfast and left. He spent the day at the casino and came back in the evening to eat dinner and go to sleep. 。It's truly much more comfortable than before, when I was homeless. 。This left Wu Cuifang in a difficult situation. She tightened her belt and shared meager meals with her younger brother. 。While others gained weight during the Lunar New Year, she lost a significant amount of weight. 。Today is payday, she is happy that she can have a good meal. 。As a result, in the blink of an eye, the food bag was gone. 。"Who the hell would do such a thing, stealing food from my house!" 。"Why isn't he struck by lightning and killed! What a ruthless, despicable thing to do. A complete disgrace!" At this moment, in the large courtyard, every household was busy cooking. 。She sat at the door, yelling like that, of course everyone could hear her clearly. 。It's so unfair. To be living a good life and suddenly get labeled as a thief, no one wants that. 。Then, the ill-tempered ones came out. 。"Wu, before you open your mouth to insult someone, maybe you should wipe your eyes first." 。You're blind, aren't we all. 。You have a thief living in your house, they stole things and are blaming others. 。"How can you be so shameless!" Wu Cuifang jumped up from the ground with a cry, clutching her waist and retorted 。"You said whose house has a thief You're blind!"e going out to work as an official. If he encounters those cunning gentry and wealthy households, how can he deal with them if they take advantage of Li Ge'er's youth and naiveté! Thinking this wa...