From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 40 Each Family
Du family.

In the main room, Du Hai sat on the armchair, his brows furrowed, and he said nothing.

Wang Qian's eyes were red and she also didn't say anything.

The two brothers Du Yong and Du Meng stood there with nervous expressions.

The atmosphere was depressing. The maids serving tea and water stood aside, not daring to breathe.

Du Hai learned that Liu Yaozu had been beheaded and his property had been confiscated, and the 500 taels of silver he paid for exemption from military service were essentially wasted.

Let’s not talk about the loss of money. The current problem is who to choose to serve in the army?
He was leaning towards Du Yong because he was stronger, but choosing Du Yong for this reason would be unfair.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Why not flip a coin?"

There was no response, and you could hear a pin drop in the room.

Du Hai took out a copper coin with "Qian Yuan Tong Bao" written on one side and no words on the other side.

"If the characters are facing upwards, then Da Yong is gone. If there are no characters, then Er Meng is gone."

After saying this, he placed the copper coin on the knuckle of his left index finger and flicked it with his thumb.

With a crisp "ding" sound, the copper coin was thrown into the air and flipped at high speed in the air.

As the coin landed, Du Hai turned his head away, not wanting to see it, and slammed it down on the table with his left hand. The force was so great that it nearly cracked the wooden surface.

Everyone's eyes were focused on his left hand.

Du Hai slowly opened his palm, and the copper coin "Qian Yuan Tong Bao" on the table was facing up.

----

The gate of the Liu family mansion was closed.

There was a group of people blocking the door.

"Mr. Liu, open the door! Return the money!"

"It's only natural to pay back your debts. Do you still want to refuse to pay?"

"I raised that five hundred taels of silver by selling my family's land. How are we going to survive if you don't pay it back?"

Someone banged on the door.

At this time, a horse came closer and stopped outside the Liu family mansion.

The man on horseback jumped off the horse and shouted, "What are you doing?"

"Liu Hongzhan? When will your Liu family pay me back the five hundred taels of silver for exemption from military service?"

They surrounded Liu Hongzhan and asked him for money.

“Who did you give the money to?”

"Your uncle Liu Yaozu."

"Then ask my uncle if he wants to go."

"You and your uncle are both dead, shouldn't you pay back the money?"

Liu Hongzhan was filled with rage at this moment. He roared, "My uncle died, and our property was confiscated, but the government didn't even bother implicating our family. Why should you ask us to pay back? Get out, all of you!"

"That……"

"Get out of here! Otherwise I won't be polite!"

After all, he was a high-level warrior, and when the debt collectors saw him angry, they could only leave in fear.

"A bunch of bastards, do they dare to come when my uncle is here?"

Liu Hongzhan returned home cursing.

Liu Yaozong, Liu Hongwei and Liu Hongtu were all waiting for him.

In their family, Liu Hongwei was already married and his wife was pregnant, so they did not have to be conscripted.

Liu Hongzhan and Liu Hongtu, both over fifteen years old and unmarried, need to choose one of them to join the army.

"Second brother."

When Liu Hongtu saw his second brother coming back, he looked at him with pleading eyes.

Liu Hongzhan ignored his third brother's gaze and looked at Liu Yaozong: "Dad, let the third brother go. He is quite skilled in martial arts and won't die that easily. I have to stay at home."

"Ah? Second brother, you are much better than me in martial arts."

Liu Hongtu didn't expect that his second brother would ask him to go to the battlefield.

"It's precisely because I'm stronger in martial arts that I have to stay at home. If it weren't for me, could I have driven away those debt collectors at the door?

Besides, once I master the third level of Zhuang Gong, I have hope of breaking through to the Xiantian realm and restoring the glory of our Liu family. "Third brother, with your martial arts talent, it's difficult for you to master the third level of Zhuang Gong, let alone break through to the Xiantian realm." Liu Hongzhan's words made sense. His family had bullied and offended so many people before, and now that his uncle was dead, without a high-level warrior to take charge, they would be retaliated against.

"But...but I'm afraid of death, second brother."

Liu Hongtu's voice trembled.

"Am I not afraid of death?! In front of the immortal, you and I are no different."

"..."

Just as the two of them were trying to evade responsibility and argue their own point, Liu Yaozong interrupted them: "Enough! Let's decide by drawing lots."

Several people came to the room where the memorial tablets were placed.

"Draw lots in front of your grandfather. Leave it to fate. Whoever is chosen is their fate. Do not complain."

Liu Yaozong put two wooden sticks into the stick tube, one with "up" written on it and the other with "down" written on it.

"If you draw a good lot, you stay home. If you draw a bad lot, you go to the army."

Liu Hongzhan and Liu Hongtu knelt on the cushions, facing their grandfather's tablet.

The two of them kowtowed respectfully, praying for their grandfather's blessing in their hearts, and then went to draw lots at the same time.

Liu Hongtu was so nervous that his mouth was dry and his throat was rolling as he swallowed saliva. He looked carefully and saw "up" written on the wooden stick.

"Hu~~"

He let out a long sigh, feeling relieved.

"Depend on!"

Seeing that he had drawn a bad lot, Liu Hongzhan suppressed the curse words in his heart and said only one sentence: "I hope my eldest brother and third brother can take good care of the family."

----

Tonggu County.

Many families are worried about conscription and don’t know who to choose.

Most of the pedestrians on the street had sad faces.

Kong Xiao walked out of the back door of "Qinxiang Pavilion", yawning, and swaggered towards the restaurant.

Qinxiang Pavilion is a famous brothel in the county. It is very expensive and is known as "a minute of spring night costs a hundred taels of silver."

Kong Xiao was a short man, barely 1.5 meters tall. He wore ordinary clothes, a wine gourd tucked around his waist, and exuded the scent of cosmetics.

Last night he once again spent a romantic night in Qinxiang Pavilion and slept until noon.

Entering the restaurant, he ordered a few signature dishes and a pot of fine wine, and enjoyed the food and wine happily.

His life was so comfortable that the worries of the people in the city had nothing to do with him.

"Time to get some money."

He thought to himself.

Maintaining such a luxurious lifestyle requires high expenses.

Kong Xiao's money was stolen, so he could spend it like water without any regrets.

He was not a local, but a "roving bandit" from Yunbian County.

When he was young, he had a good talent for martial arts and had amazing light skills, earning him the nickname "Flying on the Grass" in the local area.

Unfortunately, when he reached middle age and mastered the third level of standing meditation, he was stuck at a bottleneck and failed to break through to the innate realm.

With his strength and reputation as a top-level warrior, he married a young and beautiful woman. Their married life was harmonious, and soon his wife became pregnant.

However, he unexpectedly discovered that his wife had cheated on him and the child was not his!

He suffered a mental breakdown and killed his wife with his own hands, and then killed the adulterer's entire family. He then became a wanted murderer by the court.

With his excellent martial arts skills, he escaped the government's pursuit many times.

From then on, he lived a life of hiding his identity and wandering around as a thief. With his strength, as long as he was careful and did not provoke strong enemies, he would not be caught.

His appetite grew, and his targets became richer and richer.

Occasionally, when he was discovered, he would kill, and the theft turned into murder and robbery.

"There was a family named Xu in Baihe Village before, and they were also rich."

Kong Xiao thought about what he had learned when he committed the crime in Baihe Village.

He was the one who did what happened to Zhao Shuai's family!
(End of this chapter)