Xie Ming

"Jialin, you came here in this snowy weather, there must be something you need, right?"

After the old man got off the ground, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He spoke quickly and decisively, without any hesitation, and asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Jialin stammered, rubbing his hands together.

"Uh, haha, no, I just came to take a look at your legs."

I really didn't know how to bring it up, so I pretended to be stubborn and said that nothing was wrong.

Seeing this, the two old men were in no hurry to say anything, and smiled knowingly.

"Hoo Hoo Hoo"

"Okay, okay."

"Normally, you're busy with a lot of things to do."

"We men don't talk much either."

"Now that we're here, let's not rush back."

"I'll have Xiaoyun pick out a few dishes later, and then we'll have a drink together."

Since the guests are coming, they should be treated well.

Even if there isn't a proper feast, we should still keep up with the conversation.

Upon hearing this, Jialin, with a restrained expression, quickly waved his hand to decline.

"Oh well, never mind."

"Your legs are so bad, you should drink less alcohol."

"Once everything is fully healed, I'll invite you to my house, and I'll have your nephew's wife come and help."

One should also be mindful of social etiquette and politely decline.

Seeing the situation, the two old men understood and did not insist on keeping him.

"Hehe, okay, that's great."

"Well, with the wind howling outside, the harvest has really been getting worse year by year."

"It's so cold."

“Look, the icicles on my eaves are as thick as bowls.”

"When was the situation like this in previous years?"

The second old man changed the subject, steer the conversation away from the main point.

Taking advantage of the situation, Xu Jialin tilted his head and continued talking.

"Yeah, you're right."

"It's alright, you don't need to worry."

"Before I left, I used a stick to poke him."

"It can't keep hanging like this; it looks dangerous."

Yuan Na Jialin thought that this statement was a deliberate hint from the old man.

After all, when asking someone for a favor, how can one not be sincere?

If it's a matter of principle or reason, then it's acceptable to put in the effort and do the work.

Furthermore, given his seniority and the fact that his leg had become injured during the holidays, it's only right that he, as a junior, help out with some chores.

Unexpectedly, despite his suspicions, the old man made a feint and then used the matter to entangle the minister.

Then, the conversation took a turn, and the topic was glossed over.

"Hoo hoo hoo, no need, no need."

"You don't need to come."

"I'm really getting old."

"I originally thought I could rest for a couple of days and then walk on my own, so as not to bother others and get disliked."

"That won't do. You can see for yourself, it's even hard for him to stand up."

"Yesterday, I told Xiaoyun's father that Xu would come as soon as he had some free time."

"Don't worry about it. Raising children is for old age security, so it's only right that he finds it."

The phrase "raising children to provide for old age" is just something the old man said because he's getting old and his mouth is loose, so he just blurted it out without thinking.
It wasn't just a slip of the tongue; it was intentional, with hidden meanings in his words.

In any case, Jialin must be feeling very upset when he hears this and leaves.

Not to mention she has no sons, she has two daughters. One, Hongwen, was kidnapped, and the other, Jingyi, has now disappeared.

How could he feel good after hearing this?

So he held his breath and pondered what he had done to offend his two grandfathers, that they would say such hurtful things.

This silence caused the atmosphere between the father and son to freeze completely, and they remained silent for quite a while.

Jialin hung his head, clearly feeling a bit annoyed.

Seeing the situation, the two old men knew when to stop and broke the silence with another word.

"Ugh"

"Jialin, what's the harvest in town this year?"

He paused mid-sentence. "Ah, that's not good."

"The frost arrives early in autumn."

"After a few snowfalls, it will be even more difficult."

In the end, we always have to ask for favors. My second grandfather has a strange temper, and it's been going on for a long time.

Since he asked, Jialin should answer him.

"Who can argue with that?"

"To be honest, a couple of days ago, Wangxi's family and Youqing's family both came and cried."

Suddenly, these words clearly have a follow-up.

"kindness?"

"Is...is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jialin looked up again, quite surprised, and inquired further.

Seeing that they truly did not know, the two old men breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. I have elderly parents and young children at home, and they can't survive without food in their mouths."

"It's heartbreaking to see people lacking food and clothing." He slowly built up the story with each sentence.

"This, this won't do."

"If you really can't afford to eat, you should come to my place. What kind of nonsense is it to make a scene with you, sir?!"

"Second Grandfather, you don't need to worry about this. I'll go and check on each family tomorrow."

"Logically speaking, the money should have been paid out by the time the pay was delivered this time."

"I"

Jialin, knowing it was a matter for the clan, didn't mince words and took responsibility, taking the blame upon himself.

Listen, the old man started stuffing tobacco leaves into his pipe.

Xu Jialin saw this and wisely got up and went to the outer room, where he took a piece of red charcoal from the stove with fire tongs.

The old man tilted his head and took two puffs, puffing out smoke.

He casually gestured for Jialin to order some as well.

Jialin pulled out his tools from his waist, indicating that he could handle it himself.

Judging from the setup, Xu Xiaoyun, who followed behind, also placed the tobacco basket from the kang (a heated brick bed) in front of the small table for Jialin to handle. Seeing that there was nothing else to serve, Grandpa gave her a look and went out to watch the water boil again.

"Hey, it's a mess, it's a mess everywhere."

"The imperial court is incompetent. One rebel, Li Zicheng, has left, and now this scoundrel, the Rat Braid, has arrived."

"Hmph, another year has passed in the blink of an eye. Back then, in town, there was that guy, that Xiao guy, who dragged those people away."

"What good did they get in return?"

In the end, the two old men finally spoke out the anger that had been building up inside them.

Originally, he was annoyed by Jialin, and that's exactly what happened.

“This time, Jialu’s nephew, Wang…” He pretended not to remember him.

"Wang Fu," Jia Lin said.

"Oh, right, Wang Fu, that's his name."

"He wasn't assigned any job like delivering wages or messages."

"This time when we came into the mountains, we learned that Wang happy opened the sealed container a month ago and then he was gone."

"Youqing injured his leg, and he'll probably be crippled too."

"When they get paid, they're all so happy they eat and drink like crazy."

"But going out to join the army and fight in wars isn't an easy job at all."

"Our heads are like money we're risking our lives for, hanging on our belts."

"They don't even consider the consequences of these kinds of things."

"Once someone is gone, where will you go to mourn at their grave?"

“They come to me crying and making a scene.”

What can I possibly do?

"You can't even keep your own pets tied up."

"There's no other way, just take whatever looks good."

"He just came to ask for some things. If I gave them to him, it's fine. I don't mind."

"I'd rather get rid of them quickly than have them come here crying and wailing, it's just too much trouble."

"Don't you think so, Jialin?"

The meaning couldn't be clearer: he was angry at Xu Jialin for rushing to help Xiao Lang's army back then.

The entire town's militia and able-bodied men vied to be recruited and left with the troops.

Aside from the gossip circulating in town, with some suspecting that Xu Jialin had profited from the situation, what truly troubled his two grandfathers was the fact that their grandson-in-law, Xu Wenze, had left without a word. (End of Chapter)