MLH | Chapter 32
乖仔 had only one pair of eyes that looked like Zhao ge’er’s, big ones, and in all the other places there was really not a trace of similarity.
Zhao ge’er’s heart could not help but jump.
“Then who do you think he looks like?”
“I don’t know!” Fang Zichen shook his head and said, “He just looks oddly familiar.”
乖仔’s features were quite good. To grow into this sort of appearance, it seemed that the beast who had forced Zhao ge’er probably was not bad either.
He had no intention of bringing up this matter again, so he told him about what had happened at the dock today.
Because there was still no sign of what would happen with Zuixiao Lou, he did not mention it to Zhao ge’er, only said that all the dock work had been finished, and he might have to go look for a new job.
“I don’t want to go be a soldier.” He said gloomily. For a modern person like him, fighting and killing was really too much to bear.
Zhao ge’er said, “We only conscript once every three years here. They just conscripted once in March this year. We can save a bit more money now, and by then we can use silver to pay it off.”
Fang Zichen thought about it, then quietly told him that there might be another conscription next year, and finally warned him not to tell anyone outside.
Zhao ge’er nodded and agreed, “I know.” He was a little uneasy, “Husband, then what should we do?”
There were two men in the family, and if they were conscripting, one of them would definitely have to go.
If he did not want to go, then he would have to pay silver, but one person was nine taels of silver, and the family was so poor it was practically ringing empty. Where would they get that money?
Right now it was based on voluntary enlistment, and if you did not want to go you could still pay silver, but if the frontier kept fighting for more than ten years, and there were not enough people to fill the ranks, what if they made it compulsory then?
Fang Zichen was not familiar with the rules of this era, so he asked, “Do you have any ideas?”
In the darkness, there was a brief silence.
After a moment Zhao ge’er said, “You can take the imperial examinations.”
“Hm?”
“If you have merit and official rank on your body, you can be exempt from corvée labor and taxes.” Zhao ge’er said.
Fang Zichen propped himself up and looked over in the hazy moonlight, “Then that means I have to study?”
“Mm!”
“If I go take the imperial examinations, who’s going to support the family?”
“I’ll support the family,” Zhao ge’er said decisively, “I can support the family.”
Fang Zichen smiled, “How will you support it? Go help Auntie He, that stingy old woman, dig sweet potatoes again?”
“I can help people wash clothes,” Zhao ge’er racked his brains for a solution, “I can go chop firewood too, and I can look for some wild vegetables to sell, I can also…”
“Stop, stop,” Fang Zichen said with a smile, “How much money can you make washing clothes for people once? And you’re so skinny, chopping firewood? The firewood would chop you about the same.”
Zhao ge’er was a little unconvinced again, “I can do it. I used to go chop firewood often at the Ma family,” in order to make it more credible, he held up two fingers and said, “I can carry two big bundles at once.”
“Fine, I know you’re impressive,” Fang Zichen did not argue with him, “I’ll see how things go first! If it really doesn’t work out, then I’ll just live off you, be your little gigolo.”
Zhao ge’er’s face turned red, “What nonsense are you talking.”
The Ma family had spent half a day frightened out of their wits. Seeing that Fang Zichen had not come to their door to seek revenge, they treated the matter as over.
The next day, just after Ma Erzhu and Li-shi had gone to the fields, Ma Xiaoshun rushed out of the house.
He was big and strong, and used to be a child king, but because he was overbearing, most of the children no longer played with him later on. The ones still hanging around with him now numbered only three or four, and their conduct was about the same as his, with not a shred of upbringing.
The village children played in separate groups. A few days ago, Ma Xiaoshun had gone head-to-head with his mortal enemy Liu Dali. Each of them had brought his little buddies to build houses out of mud, and had the others judge them to see whose house would end up the biggest and best.
The loser had to call out “grandpa” once.
In order to win, Ma Xiaoshun had pinched mud until the skin on his palms was gone. In order to make the walls of the house smooth, he even almost wanted to use his tongue to lick them. After three days of busy work, a big house had finally taken shape.
Today, once he had molded the courtyard wall and enclosed a big yard, it would be done.
Liu Dali’s group was no good. That house was rough as hell, not smooth at all, and even the windows were crooked and twisted.
He had already won for sure.
Ma Xiaoshun felt pleased with himself, and with a few little buddies, he was working with great enthusiasm when someone beside him shouted,
“Boss Ma, 乖仔 is here.”
“He’s here, so what.” Ma Xiaoshun said without care.
“No, he came with his father.”
Ma Xiaoshun shot up to his feet, his neck stiff as he turned to look back.
乖仔 was sitting on Fang Zichen’s shoulder, his little face flushed red with excitement, and he pointed with his small hand, “Father, it’s him.”
Ma Xiaoshun took off running, and Fang Zichen tightened his grip on 乖仔. In just two or three steps he rushed over, grabbed a fistful of his collar,
“Still want to run?”
Ma Xiaoshun was so scared that he burst into loud wails. The few little buddies who played with him all shrank together, not daring to breathe.
Liu Dali’s group stood dumbly, only feeling that Fang Zichen was insanely awesome.
Ma Xiaoshun was that big, and Fang Zichen lifted him with one hand, like picking up a chick.
Ma Xiaoshun struggled fiercely. Fang Zichen threw him to the ground, the force not large at all, and Ma Xiaoshun did not even fall over. He barked, “Shut up. If you keep crying, I’ll pull out your teeth.”
Ma Xiaoshun immediately stopped, yellow snot was about to flow to the corner of his mouth, and when he sucked in, that big yellow bug went back into its hole.
Fang Zichen: “······”
He was about to throw up the breakfast he had just eaten.
Fang Zichen swept his eyes around and found that several children were covered in mud, and two big houses stood by the field ridge.
One was impossible to look at, while the other was pretty good, looking decent and proper. The wall surface was smooth. To knead rough mud into this kind of effect, it would probably take quite a lot of effort.
Children in the countryside loved playing house with mud the most. Knowing full well, he asked the question anyway, “What are you doing?”
Liu Dali did not fear him, and said, “Uncle, we’re making houses.” He recounted the bet he had made with Ma Xiaoshun. Fang Zichen walked to the mud house Ma Xiaoshun had made and lightly touched it with the tip of his foot.
Ma Xiaoshun was nervous beyond belief, and tears were about to fall again.
“乖仔, watch how Father avenges you.” Fang Zichen finished speaking, bent and straightened his knees, and with one forceful kick, that house which Ma Xiaoshun had painstakingly made through three days of bitter effort flew off, bang, and landed on the ground, instantly falling apart into four or five pieces.
For children, a spanking is not the most painful, most miserable lesson. Sometimes one sentence of “Go do your homework” or “I threw away your Transformers” was even more fatal.
Fang Zichen struck right at the weak point.
Ma Xiaoshun burst into tears with a wail.
His hard work scattered all over the ground, and the few partners also began to sniffle along with him.
乖仔 clapped his hands, overjoyed, his little feet flapping不停, “Father is amazing～ Father is the most amazing～”
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