Chapter 77： Gaojia

Chapter 77 The Gao Family

As he was talking, an old man about the same age as Old Yang came out of the main room on crutches. He was obviously very happy to see Old Yang and his party, but his words were wrong.

“Are you a colleague from the Yamen again?”

Gao Yong: “No, I invited him to build the house.”

Old Man Gao nodded understandingly, "Since we are colleagues, we have to stay with others to eat, my daughter-in-law."

Following Old Man Gao's call, a woman in her early thirties ran out of the backyard, "Dad, what's going on?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman saw Old Man Yang and the three of them, and a trace of doubt flashed in her eyes.

Old Man Gao trembled and said: "A Yong's colleagues, hurry up and cook for others!"

Mishi looked at Gao Yong.

Gao Yong smiled bitterly and said: "I invited the master who repaired the house, but my father got it wrong."

Mishi suddenly understood and smiled apologetically, "My father-in-law doesn't have good hearing, so he can't hear very well."

At this age, Old Man Yang was very surprised.

Gao Yong explained: "My father used to work in a quarry. He worked for decades. Later, when his hearing was affected, he still gritted his teeth and persisted. By the time we realized it was too late, we had to yell when talking to him."

Speaking, Gao Yongzhen explained to Old Man Gao the origins of Old Man Yang and the others.

Old Man Gao finally understood this time, and he took Old Man Yang to the backyard with great enthusiasm. He pointed at the row of six old houses and said: "Don't think this house is old, but their foundations are stronger than those built later. I quarried stones and built them piece by piece when I was young.”

Old man Yang bent down to take a closer look, and immediately took a breath of air, "It's true! We don't see many houses here that can use stones to lay foundations!"

At this moment, Old Man Gao probably guessed what Old Man Yang meant, and he looked very proud.

Old Man Yang walked around the house again, touched his chin and said: "The foundation is good, but the adobe is not very good. Look at how the seams are cracked. When the northwest wind penetrates into the house, sleep I can wake up from the cold half the night.”

Mi Shi, who was following over, nodded vigorously when he heard this, "You really keep talking about it! These houses are the hard work of my father-in-law. He is reluctant to let us demolish them or move them out. It's okay to live in them in the summer, but not in the winter." Living here, even if you put on ten quilts, you won’t be able to bear the cold, no matter how hard we try, you won’t listen!”

Mi's face looked helpless. Old Man Yang remembered what Old Man Gao had just shown off, and an idea flashed in his mind, and he shouted at the top of his voice: "Are you reluctant to part with this foundation?"

"No! I will fight with anyone who dares to push my foundation!" Old Man Gao immediately made a fierce look.

Old man Yang continued to shout: "Do you think this will work? I will keep the foundation and renovate the adobe above for you. I guarantee that the foundation will not be damaged, okay?"

Old Man Gao looked suspicious. Old Man Yang nodded vigorously and thought to himself that talking to Old Man Gao was really draining his throat. He couldn't hold his throat if he yelled twice more.

Gao Yong and his wife saw that Old Man Gao was hesitant and saw that there was something going on. They quickly joined the persuasion team and tried their best to get Old Man Gao to compromise. In this way, in addition to the cowshed that needed to be renovated, this row of old houses also needed to be renovated.

After settling on the house, Old Man Yang took a look at the wasteland behind the old house and found that he could use adobe to enclose a yard and build a cowshed inside. He would not have to worry about the cows being stolen and could still live with everyone. separate areas to improve the environment of the yard.

Because he believed in Old Man Yang, Gao Yong agreed readily. After they discussed it, Mi Shi also prepared the meal. The three Yang family people did not want to take advantage of others and refused to stay to eat at any cost. During the discussion, a middle-aged man in long robes came in. He didn't look like a farmer.

Mishi greeted him very warmly: "Gao Xiucai is here! I just made some food, so you can stay and eat too."

Gao Minghan waved his hand and said, "No need, Mrs. Sister-in-law. I came over after dinner at home, mainly for school matters."

“What’s going on in the school?” Gao Yong asked with wide eyes.

Gao Minghan did not answer, but looked at the three Yang family members.

Gao Yong hurriedly explained. Gao Minghan bowed to the three of them, then sat down and muttered: "I heard that Qian Wen's aunt committed a crime and was imprisoned. From Rongshu Village, do you know?"

Gao Yong was stunned for a moment, glanced at the three Yang family members without any trace, and nodded slightly, "There is such a woman, surnamed Qian, who was fined and imprisoned for three years by the county magistrate. What happened?"

Gao Minghan frowned and sighed, "Qian Wen is in the year of the dancing elephant this year (sixteenth year). He finally passed the county and government examinations and obtained the qualifications for children. He only needs to pass one more academy examination to become a scholar. The academy examination requires six people from the village. I can only get off the hook if I and two scholars provide guarantee. I finally got through to Tang Xiucai in the county and he is willing to work with me to provide guarantee for Qian Wen.

Unexpectedly, Tang Xiucai suddenly came to me today and told me that he would no longer guarantee Qian Wen and refunded the premium. I said a lot of nice things and found out that it was because Aunt Qian Wen had committed a crime. The court stipulated that felons within the third generation could not participate. In the imperial examination, I want to ask Aunt Qian Wen what crime she committed. "

Gao Yong tapped his fingers on the table little by little, "Gao Xiucai is very optimistic about Qian Wen?"

Gao Minghan nodded, "I have taught so many students, but Qian Wen is smarter and has the best chance of passing the college exam. If he can't pass, the others will definitely have no chance!"

Yang Erdan clenched his fist angrily, "It's so unreasonable! The Qian family is so bad, why should they take advantage of all the good things!"

“Son, do you have a problem with Qian Wen?” Gao Minghan looked at Yang Erdan in surprise.

Yang Erdan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "I have nothing to do with Qian Wen, but Aunt Qian Wen is my second aunt. Their family is not a good person! Why can their family produce a scholar! God is so unfair!"

Gao Minghan frowned.

 Gao Yong talked about the conflict between the Yang family and the Qian family with some embarrassment.

Gao Minghan's eyebrows were almost twisted into knots, "Qian Wen has been studying with me for eight years and has always been a respectful and polite boy. I have met his father several times and he is a very talkative man. As I described to you Very different."

Yang Erdan wanted to say something more, but Gao Yong stopped him with his eyes, "Gao Xiucai, the Yang family and the Qian family have conflicts, and the quarrel is very big. Anyone who is willing to inquire will know. Of course, these things have nothing to do with you. , you don’t have to worry about it, we don’t know what kind of person Qian Wen is, so it’s hard to comment. I just want to tell you everything about the Qian family, so that you have an idea.

As for Qian's crime, it is not a serious crime and will not implicate Qian Wen. You can explain it carefully to Tang Xiucai. As for whether Tang Xiucai is willing to guarantee Qian Wen, that is another matter. "

Gao Minghan should have been relieved knowing that Qian Wen would not be implicated, but for some reason he always felt heavy in his heart and vaguely uneasy.

He didn't even see Mishi put the dishes and chopsticks in front of him. He just said that he had something to do and left.

(End of this chapter)