Tranquility

Tangning was running when she saw a figure running in another field from afar.

Since the officers and soldiers entered the village, all the villagers stayed at home. Their natural fear of the government prevented them from going out to watch the excitement. The village was empty, like an empty village.

Although the two were far apart and it was almost dusk, how could Tangning not recognize her enemy!

Without saying a word, Tang Ning turned and chased after her. In the deserted field, there were only two people chasing one after the other against the setting sun.

Niuniu was used to the field since she was a child and was familiar with the terrain; although Tang Ning ran fast, she was far away from each other and had never been in the ground before, so she often stepped on pits. Seeing the two getting farther and farther away, Tang Ning was anxious and suddenly Seeing a figure flashing from behind, it strung up behind Niu Niu like a ghost, grabbed her shoulder with one paw, and knocked her down to the ground.

Tangning was dumbfounded. He had seen Dr. Lu use lightness kung fu before, but this person was too fast, right?Faster than a car.

Tangning chased after him, and was about to thank him, but when the man turned his face away, Tangning was surprised, "It's you!?"

It was Mo Yi who came. Mo Yi had been ordered to secretly protect Tangning, but this time he was in an open field, and he was a few steps late because he couldn't hide.

Mo Yi had an embarrassing smile on his face. As a secret guard, he suddenly appeared in front of people. He was a little at a loss, so he had to smile. Unfortunately, because he had been hiding in the dark alone for a long time, he had a paralyzed face. Smile, it looks scary.

"Why are you here?" Tangning asked.

"I sent him to protect you." A voice suddenly came from behind.

Tang Ning turned her head to see that Xie Baiyun was dressed in white, and she seemed to be walking in a leisurely manner, but she was walking quickly. Although she was walking in the ground, the hem of the robe was spotless.

"Brother Xie, why are you here? What happened to the Zhang family? Who is he?"

"It's a long story, you should send this woman there first. This time, the people from Dali Temple took the lead in raiding the house. I followed here quietly. It's not convenient to show up. Why don't I go to your house and wait? ?”

Tangning looked back at Niu Niu, but saw that she had already been knocked unconscious, no wonder why she had to see her.

Xie Baiyun went to Tang's house, and Tangning asked Mo Yi to drag Niu Niu to Zhang's house.

The Zhang family is in a bleak scene. There are people kneeling on the ground in the main hall. There are masters and slaves. The masters are still wearing their usual fine clothes. It will not be long before these clothes will be taken off. In the future, even the poorest family in the village may be dressed. It's not as good as the world is changing, but it's just like this.

Grandpa Zhang tremblingly knelt at Dali Sizhi's feet, bowing his head silently.The old lady Zhang next to her was crying, and the other female relatives were afraid of the officers and soldiers, sobbing softly, but the old lady Zhang didn't care, anyway, she was half buried in the ground, so what was she afraid of.Mrs. Zhang has been a country woman all her life. After such a big incident, she just wanted to save some money and quietly leave it to her only great-grandson, so she used her youthful snarky energy to make trouble and not to be searched.

Fortunately, she can make a fuss, there is someone who can make a fuss better than her. Aunt Tang just lost her husband, and the mourning is easy to catch. The officers and soldiers were tormented by her. They are all from the city. How long ago have they seen such a riot vulgar woman.Judging from the meaning of her words, she is not from this house, and even more let them be tied up.

"Master Qingtian, my wife, I was wronged. The old lady is not from the Zhang family. The old lady belongs to the deceased Carpenter Tang! My son is the master of Juren! Oh, what a crime I have done, It’s just that I came to Zhang’s house to see the married girl, God is so ungrateful, my husband has just died for more than half a month, and I’m tormenting my poor old woman like this~~~”

Aunt Tang was sitting on the ground, she couldn't straighten her waist, she looked as if she was lying on the ground, her blue-gray muslin clothes were covered with dust, at this moment she shed a lot of tears, and when she reached out to wipe her tears, there was a tear on her arm. There were bursts of ashes, and tears and dust smeared on the face, and it was almost impossible to see the original face, looking very miserable.It's just that what she said really sold out her daughter who had just escaped. Niu Niu repeatedly hurt her, and she was completely desperate for this girl.

Her husband died, and her daughter left her and ran away. She could already foresee how difficult her life would be in the future. She was in a desperate situation, and she actually felt a lot of resentment. She resented Carpenter Tang for being weak and incompetent for giving birth to so many sons; Her son, if her son was still alive, how could she be in such a situation now, and later on with Sister Cheng's incident, she resented Tangning's heartlessness even more; but now she resents Niu Niu the most, as much as she loves Hatred, counting from when Niu Niu caused her dystocia when she was a child, one after another, it is clear, like thousands of needle pricks, it hurts my heart.

Si Zhi of Dali Temple was counting belongings next door, and was annoyed by the quarrel, so he dropped the booklet and scolded outside the threshold of the main hall with a sullen face,

"Why are you arguing! Mrs. Wu, since you are here to see your daughter, then call your daughter out to testify."

It stands to reason that everyone in the main hall knew Aunt Tang, it's just that everyone couldn't care less about themselves, so they couldn't care less about other people's lives.Besides, if this troublemaker is released, the officers and soldiers will naturally pay more attention to others, and it will be less likely for them to engage in petty actions.

Aunt Tang's cry suddenly broke down, as if her neck was stuck, her face was flushed, she didn't know what to do, but there was a weird smile on her face that wanted to cry or not , she pointed behind Dali Sizhi, "That's my daughter!"

The smile on Aunt Tang's face widened, and there was a hint of schadenfreude. Look, no matter how fast you escaped, it didn't matter if you were caught or brought back.

Si Zhi ignored her, turned around and saw a boy in black dragging a young woman with disheveled hair and messy clothes to the front.

"you are?"

"Cao Min just passed by the field and saw this woman running away, thinking that the adult must have missed it, so he caught it and handed it to the adult." Mo Yi tried his best to mobilize his stiff muscles, trying to make a flattering face. Looks like, but unfortunately unsuccessful.

Fortunately, Si Zhi thought he was nervous when he saw the official, but he didn't care much, so he ordered his subordinates to reward him.

Turning around, he happened to see Tangning standing far away. Tangning was dressed in a heavy filial piety, which was very conspicuous under the setting sun.

But it turned out that Tangning felt that although she had a grudge against Niu Niu, she rushed to send her sister here, fearing that she would be known as a mean sister, so she asked Mo Yi to bring Niu Niu here.It's just that he was not familiar with Mo Yi, so he was a little worried, so he stood far away and looked towards this side.

Si Zhi of Dali Temple didn't expect so much. He only thought that Tangning and Mo Yi were not in the same group. He guessed what kind of relationship Tangning had with this family and came here to inquire about the news.

Although Si Zhi of Dali Temple was only at the sixth rank, he was an official after all. Tangning was just a recruiter. Now that he was seen by others, he would naturally go forward to pay respects.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mo Yi quietly disappeared again.

As Tangning approached step by step, Si Zhi of Dali Temple, who was still an old god, changed his expression. He recognized the person in front of him, and it was the illegitimate son of Master Lin who was rumored in the courtyard!

Tangning bowed slightly, "Students greet you, sir!"

Si Zhi didn't dare to take it seriously, with a kind face on his face, he gestured to help him up, "It turned out to be Tang Juren. I heard that your father passed away unfortunately, and my condolences have changed. It's just that Tang Juren came here..."

Before Si Zhi finished speaking, Aunt Tang suddenly yelled again: "San'er, I am mother! Are you here to pick me up? San'er, you are here, San'er!"

Si Zhi frowned, looked at Tangning, his eyes were full of questions, "I don't know that this aunt is Tang Juren's mother, so it seems that Tang Juren should have come to pick her up..."

Tangning's originally cold expression became more icy, "My mother has passed away many years ago."

Si Zhi paused for a moment, seeing that he did not continue, he could only ask, "Does Tang Ju know this aunt?"

Tangning's face was icy cold, her dark eyes were as cold as a pool, and under the reflection of the setting sun, her straight face was exactly the same as Lin Qingyu's, even her icy demeanor was exactly the same.

Si Zhi was overwhelmed by the aura he exuded at this moment, in a trance he thought it was Master Lin who came in person.

"do not know!"

After uttering the three words, Tangning suddenly felt as if a boulder had been lifted from her body, feeling relaxed and happy.Looking at Aunt Tang's disheveled face, Tangning felt extremely happy.

It was this stepmother who had been pressing on him all the time, she was the one who pushed Sister Cheng, and pushed him and Mr. Cheng into the abyss. Now, she finally suffered retribution, and she was old and lonely.Although I don't know why the Zhang family ransacked the house, just looking at it like this, the whole house is afraid that they will be sent to work as coolies, or sold as military prostitutes and slaves.

However, even if he avenged him, sister Cheng still went there without seeing her son.Tangning was lost in sad thoughts, but she didn't notice that everyone in the hall listened to his words, and the hall was completely silent.

Just as Aunt Tang had a glimmer of hope, she was beaten back to despair. She knew she was doomed, thoroughly.She didn't dare to imagine the hellish days in the future. She knew she was crazy, or she hoped that she would be crazy, "Tangning! You unfilial son, I will sue you for disobedience, how dare you kill your mother, you vicious..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was gagged by the officers and soldiers on both sides who had reacted. She struggled desperately, her eyes staring like copper bells, fixedly staring at Tangning.

Tang Ning looked at Aunt Tang expressionlessly, but the corners of his mouth were naturally turned up. Looking at it this way, he seemed to be mocking, a bit more indifferent.

Si Zhi, who was standing next to him, was overjoyed. Tangning and this old woman were clearly having a relationship. Judging by the expressions of the people in the room, he might have committed a big taboo by saying "I don't know each other".

In this way, as long as he tidied up Tangning properly and let Mr. Lin accept this favor, he would definitely benefit from returning to Beijing.

Fortunately, these people are all going to rob their homes and go into exile. When they arrive in the extreme north, they have nothing to say, and these subordinates don't know the ins and outs of the matter, so they are easy to deal with.

Tangning didn't know what was going on in Si Zhi's mind. He wanted to find out what happened, but at this moment, he just wanted to go home quickly and return to the room where he and Sister Cheng used to live. To tell sister Cheng that he took revenge.

Just as Tangning was leaving with fists in her hands, the old man Zhang who had been keeping his head down in silence suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!"

Under the eyes of everyone, Mrs. Zhang slowly raised his head to look at Tangning, and then turned to Si Zhi, "My lord, the sinners watched Tang Juren grow up, and now the sinners' family will be exiled as slaves. Before leaving, say a few words to Tang Juren and ask your lord for your convenience, the sinners will be grateful!"

Si Zhi turned to look at Tangning, but Tangning was looking at Mrs. Zhang. Under the almost humble pleading gaze of this [-]-year-old man, he couldn't bear to refuse after all. Listen to what he wanted to say. If he has something to ask, He just didn't agree, and nodded slightly.

Mrs. Zhang begged to have a private conversation with Tangning again. Although Si Zhi was a little displeased, it was just that the adults had done it, and there was no need to take Joe for such a trivial matter, so he arranged a small room for them.

In the ear room, Mrs. Zhang wanted to kneel again, but Tangning held her tightly and pushed her down on the chair.He guessed that Mrs. Zhang was begging him for something, but he didn't know what it was. Besides, he couldn't bear to make a sixty-year-old man kneel down.

Mrs. Zhang knelt for a long time. He was old and his legs could no longer bear it. Although he had suffered a lot in business in the first half of his life, he was rich and peaceful in the second half of his life, without any grievances.Seeing that Tangning was determined not to accept it, she didn't insist. She sat down and took a breath before saying:

"It's getting late and time is running out, so I'll just make a long story short. Tang Juren should have heard of it. I used to go out to do business in my early years. At that time, I just went out and couldn't figure out the way. I just listened to what people said to make money and did what I did. After three or four years, instead of making any money, they lost all their capital.

So I entrusted my relationship with Ding's family to become a shopkeeper. At first, I worked honestly for three years, saved some money, and tried my hand at the door, so I wanted to go out and do it alone.

At that time, the Ding family was only middle-class in Jiangnan merchants, but later his eldest daughter entered the famous Jiangnan family, the Lin family, as a good concubine. With the influence of the Lin family, the Ding family's business expanded several times.Even so, the Ding family is still not satisfied. Businessmen seek profit, and greed for money is their nature, but his family is too greedy, and they have to intervene in many businesses that their family has never dabbled in, and even robbed other people's land later. "

Tang Ning sat up slightly. At first, he thought that he had heard it, but after hearing him mention Jiangnan Lin's family, he took it seriously.

"This business is just like that. If you take more benefits, others will take less. Although the Lin family is famous, the daughter of the Ding family is just a concubine. The Lin family is also noble, so they don't want to get involved in business affairs. Besides, the Ding family has a backer, so others don't have it. So after the Ding family expanded to a certain scale, it was counterattacked by other businesses. .

It was at that time that I thought about going out to do it alone, and I was afraid that I would encounter an unwarranted disaster. But at that time, the Ding family was expanding too fast, and there was not enough manpower, so the person in charge didn't want to let me go.I talked it through for a long time before he let me go out to do business, but I still had to be attached to the Ding family. I originally had the idea of ​​borrowing the name of the Ding family, so I agreed without even thinking about it. "

Old Mrs. Zhang sighed suddenly, shook his head, and continued: "I don't know, I have already boarded a pirate ship, how could I escape easily? I got deeper and deeper in the muddy water of Ding's family, and finally found that Ding's family has many business partners. The thieves on the Internet colluded together, and they cooperated internally and externally. I don’t know how many business opponents they have harmed. On the surface, I seem to be a businessman, but I have to secretly disclose information to the thieves.

I know that if things go on like this, I will not end well, and I feel like retreating, I am stuck in the mud, and I can't get out of it long ago.Until I met Zhou's in-laws, that was Zhou's family, which was considered rich, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Xu were sisters, and Zhou's family had the support of Xu's family, which was a tough nut to crack.I gained his trust through the marriage of my son and daughter..."

The old man Zhang raised his head, covered his eyes, and said after a while: "This is all retribution. I have caused many people to be ruined, and now I have finally repaid it to myself. I knew it from the time the boss couldn't give birth to a son..."

Tang Ning listened, and was shocked. This Ding family is too rampant. They say that the magistrate who destroyed the family, the magistrate who destroyed the family, the Ding family can't be a governor like this.

"and after?"

Old Mrs. Zhang calmed down, only then did he stabilize his emotions, and said in a deep voice: "That robbery was unprecedentedly tragic. I died, everyone died, and they all died together. I was the only one who was prepared and escaped. Miss Zhou's family was picked out of the dead.

I changed clothes with a dead person, took this opportunity, and took Miss Zhou back here quietly. The child was frightened and stupid. After all, I was sorry for her. Well, just don't get excited, and when you get excited, you will get confused and beat people indiscriminately.The boss was okay with her at first, but later became impatient... This is all retribution! "

Tang Ning didn't want to hear his confession. If I knew today, why bother? According to Mr. Zhang, I don't know how many people's lives were on his hands. Today's ransacking the house is considered light.

"The old man came to see me today, is it because he told me about the old man's family history?"

Mrs. Zhang suddenly stared into Tangning's eyes, and the speed of her speech suddenly slowed down, as if deliberately aggravating it.

"Of course not. Don't Tang Juren want to know how your mother, who was originally a lady, ended up in this small Zhangjia Village, and married a vulgar man like Carpenter Tang?"

Tang Ning's heart skipped a beat. In fact, when Mrs. Zhang mentioned bandits just now, he had some vague guesses, but he didn't dare to think deeply.

"When I first saw your mother, I felt that something was wrong, so I asked people to go out to inquire, but I found out that on the road from Weihai to Yizhou, a rich family was robbed by bandits. At that time, the government was alarmed. Although it was deliberately suppressed, there were still rumors. Leak it out. I sent my daughter-in-law to visit your mother, and when I found out that her surname is Lin, I felt bad."

Tangning stood up abruptly, with a cold expression on her face. This old Mr. Zhang was too thoughtful. He had already found out this point, but he didn't say a word. He was keeping this secret by himself. He was obviously capable of saving Mother, even if someone informs the Lin family and the whereabouts of Miss Lin's family, that's fine.But he was afraid that he would be involved, so he just watched the golden and precious young lady wander here.As expected of someone who came here in a bloody storm, he has such a hard heart.

Fortunately, he used to always think that although the two brothers of the Zhang family were useless, Mrs. Zhang was sensible, and he took good care of him all these years. From the beginning when the second brother picked up cow dung, he came out to clean up the mess, until Qiuqiu bit the bad guy. At that time, there were only two women in Zhang's family who came to make troubles, which really left room for him. Later, he made Niu Niu his equal wife without any fuss.

These things were thought to be reasonable at the beginning, but now it seems that there are always some shadows.But Tangning didn't want to dwell on the past anymore. It was not the son's fault to teach the father. If he could teach two sons like this, what good would Mrs. Zhang do.

Now that the matter had come to an end, Tangning was even more sure that Mr. Zhang would have something to ask after knowing what kind of person he was, so he said coldly, "You have said so much, you just asked me for something."

At this time, Mrs. Zhang was not hypocritical, and immediately said: "My old bones and neck are buried in the soil. There is nothing to be afraid of. I only have pity on my great-grandson, who is only two years old. What I did is wrong for us. The whole family has carried it, but he still doesn't know anything about a child, I just ask Tang Juren to protect him and find him a family, as for whether he can grow up, it depends on his luck."

After speaking, he knelt down for Tangning.