Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 15: The Coffin and the Son-in-law
As long as Zhang Shou hides in the kitchen and doesn't have to worry about maintaining his manners, eating a few dumplings is just a matter of a moment.
He had only been confused before, but now as he walked in the village, he had a vague idea in his mind.
The village where the Zhang family lived had a total of thirty or forty households and more than a hundred people. It was not big, but it was not small either . Almost all the people in the village were tenants with different surnames. There were no rich peasants who farmed independently, and there were no other landlords.
For the countryside far away from the city, where there is no royal law but only clan law, it is absolutely abnormal that people of different surnames live together and only these orphans and widows are considered wealthy.
Moreover, in the past three years, he had never seen any ruffians or bullies. Even if Qi Liang had been chased by creditors, it was normal private lending, mainly caused by Qi's father who was unproductive but heavily in debt.
Now that I think about it, the tenants in this village must have been carefully selected. If so, the Duke of Zhao was not indifferent to them. At least he not only raised the orphan and the widow, but also established a good living environment for them.
However, this quiet village far away from the hustle and bustle is now becoming like a vegetable market.
This noon time was the only chance to rest during the daily harvest. There were no longer only children in the village, but the adults had all returned from the fields. Especially now that the harvest season was almost over, people's voices seemed to have become higher.
So, when the eight guards from the Duke of Zhao's mansion went shopping for the eldest lady and their own homes, the villagers at home were very excited when they saw the guards, whose clothes showed that they were very wealthy, and asked them what they were buying.
A large bunk bed requires boards, and building a new bed also requires boards. But in such a small village, where can you get the best boards?
At this time, Zhang Shou saw with his own eyes that Yang Laoguan, the oldest man in the village who claimed to be highly respected, asked his two sons to carry a coffin board that he had saved for his entire life to the door of his house. He personally invited Zhu Hong, who was dressed in fine clothes, to come over, and then pointed at his own coffin board that had not yet been untied and began to brag about it.
Occasionally the old man would tap on it with his fingers to prove that the wood was indeed of high quality.
As for Zhu Hong... I heard that this was the coffin board that had been saved long ago, and his whole face was a little blue.
Zhang Shou originally just stopped to watch the fun, but when he found that Zhu Hong saw him, he had an idea and simply took the initiative to step forward.
Sure enough, when he saw him coming, Zhu Hong showed an expression of relief.
"Mr. Shou," he bowed first, then coughed dryly and said, "We are just staying here for a few days. How can we use other people's funeral supplies..."
Glancing at the old man Yang with his eyes rolling around, Zhang Shou knew what the old man who had one foot in the coffin was really thinking. He immediately interrupted Zhu Hong and said earnestly, "I know that the word 'shoucai' sounds unlucky. But if it's unlucky, why do people prepare the boards in advance, and some even saw and paint the boards before they die?"
"It's very simple. It's to wash away diseases and disasters. Since it can be washed away, it proves that these things that sound unlucky are actually very blessed. Moreover, the people in this village are warm and honest. When they heard that you are guests from afar and are staying here temporarily but lack beds, they are willing to give up the things they have accumulated all their lives. If you are unwilling, they will only think that you look down on them."
Zhu Hong felt that there was something wrong with what he said, but Zhang Shou was so sincere that he hesitated unconsciously. Especially when he saw that the father and his two sons were obviously a little angry, and it was clear that Zhang Shou had hit the nail on the head, he became even more embarrassed. However, the last straw that broke the camel's back was still to come.
"It's impossible to make a decent bed without good boards. I don't think the government can send boards from the capital. We can cut trees now, but how can we start the work without drying them? If you don't like the idea of using boards for funerals, then I'll let you sleep on my bed and give me the new bed made of these boards. How about that?"
"That won't do!"
After spending the night on the tree behind the Zhang family's wall, Zhu Hong, who still had bloodshot eyes, suddenly felt his scalp tingling. Although the eldest daughter and Zhang Shou had not yet married, the lady regarded him as a future son-in-law. Even if he felt from the bottom of his heart that Zhang Shou, who grew up in the countryside, was not worthy of the eldest daughter except for his face, he could not let Zhang Shou sleep on a bed made of coffin boards just for his own taboo!
What if I turn around and shorten my lifespan... Ugh, don't let your imagination run wild for now...
He took a deep breath and finally said, "In that case, I'll buy the board!"
He glanced at the board, which was obviously old and had been polished by someone, so it still looked quite round and had not yet been made into a coffin. He reminded himself not to be afraid of such supernatural things and said, "Twenty taels of silver, I'll take it!"
The father and son of the Yang family were immediately overjoyed. When they saw Zhang Shou turn around and discuss the price with them earnestly, the three of them immediately nodded like chicks pecking at rice and agreed readily.
Seeing that Zhu Hong didn't ask for help, he left the silver and carried the board away. Yang Laoguan held the heavy silver ingot in his hand. After everyone had gone far away, he stepped forward and asked Zhang Shou in a low voice: "Young sir, where did these guests come from? I wanted to offer five strings of coins, but he directly asked for twenty taels! After all, he is a rich man. He doesn't even use coins, but silver."
"Haha, from the capital." Zhang Shou said with a smile. Seeing that Mr. Yang immediately took a breath of cold air, he slowly added, "From the Zhu family of the Zhaoguo Mansion."
He deliberately revealed Zhu Hong's background, and then he noticed that Old Man Yang's face suddenly changed, while the two sons of the Yang family were simply stunned, as if they found it very strange that such a high and mighty nobleman suddenly had a relationship with their own small village.
"I bought your boards for 20 taels, and took them to Carpenter Xu to saw them apart, polish them, and paint them to make a bed. This urgent need has been solved. Otherwise, if I buy them from somewhere else, the transportation and labor costs are all expensive, so he spent the money well. Besides, they won't live in my house permanently, and when they leave, I will have no use for these bed boards, so I will naturally return them to you. In this way, you get a bargain!"
Zhang Shou deliberately made it sound very relaxed. The two sons of the Yang family felt that they had gotten a great deal. They were delighted for a moment. The elder one even bowed and said, "Thanks to the young master, otherwise we wouldn't have earned this money. I will go and order a pair of good fir boards for dad later. I will spend a few taels of silver to cover the ceiling, and the rest will be enough for our two boys to get married!"
"Hmph, those two useless little things. The young master was willing to teach them how to read and write, but they didn't study hard. They deserve not to be able to get married! It's all because of you two. The top beam is not straight, and the bottom beam is crooked. Why don't you get in now!"
Mr. Yang suddenly yelled a few words of abuse, then drove his two sons away unreasonably. Then, with a complicated expression on his face, he handed the twenty taels of silver that he had just put in his arms back to Zhang Shou.
Seeing this, Zhang Shou, who had already guessed what was going on, naturally showed a look of surprise: "What are you doing?"
"If I had known that you were from the Duke of Zhao's mansion, I would never have accepted these twenty taels of silver. Please return it on my behalf, young master!"
Zhang Shou naturally refused to accept it: "Are you afraid that the people in Zhaoguo Mansion will think you are cheating them of their money? They gave it to him, not you who asked for an exorbitant price. Besides, aren't you complaining about back and leg pain all day long? Take the money and go see a doctor, get some medicine and take care of yourself, and you can live a few more years. The Zhaoguo Mansion might have to pay a hundred or eighty taels to buy a bed in the capital, so they don't care about this little money!"
"That's not what I meant..." Yang a low voice. After a long while, he sighed and raised his head and said, "After all, I was once a soldier under the Duke of Zhao. If the Duke of Zhao hadn't called a military doctor to save my life when he was patrolling the camp, I would have been lost outside the Great Wall. Besides, using a coffin board to make a bed for a living person..."
He paused for a moment, looked at Zhang Shou in confusion and said, "By the way, why would people from the Duke of Zhao's mansion come to this countryside and make a bed? It sounds like they want to stay here permanently? Could it be that they are staying at your house, young master?"
Zhang Shou was originally feeling lucky that he had finally found someone who seemed to know the inside story and could find out some of the ins and outs of this village, but when he heard what Yang Laoguan said, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on his spirits.
But he knew how cunning this old guy was, so he quickly gave him a strong dose of medicine.
"Don't mention it. I stayed at home and my fiancée fell from the sky. She's the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhao's mansion!"
However, he never expected that as soon as he finished speaking, Yang Laoguan's eyes lit up and he shouted with a smile: "It turned out to be my son-in-law!"
