"Don't worry about that. The sooner this family is divided, the better!"
"Come on, Xiaorong, let's go find Muramasa."
Su Xiaorong glanced hesitantly at Wang Dajiao. Ten taels of silver was no small sum.
What if they couldn't come up with it?
"How can you earn ten taels a month, my husband?"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely make it with me, and you can live on plain white bread every day."
Su Xiaorong was clearly skeptical of Ye Ming's words, but as he painted this beautiful future, she suddenly felt as if he could actually do it.
"Yes, my husband, I believe you."
With that, Su Xiaorong and Ye Ming left.
..
"Mom, aren't you afraid those two little bastards will just run away?" Ye Qingshan said, a little worried.
"Why should I be afraid? This world is not peaceful. If they really run away, they'll just become refugees. Do I need to say more about what happens to refugees?"
The government was short of soldiers. Men were being captured to serve in the army, and women were being sent to marry or sold to brothels.
For men captured, it was almost certain death.
"Even if Ye Ming wasn't stupid, it's impossible for him to earn ten taels of silver a month. There's no work for him in this icy and snowy place. In a month, he'll have to come back and work like a slave to support us mother and son."
Hearing this, Ye Qingshan finally felt relieved.
"Mom, you promised to pick up my wife?"
"What? I am so tired, I'll go back tomorrow. I'm going to sleep first. You go make porridge with the remaining rice."
Ye Qingshan instantly wilted when he heard that he had to work.
"Mom, why do I have to cook?"
"If it's not you, such an idiot, who cooks, then I still have to cook?"
..
Ye Ming dragged Su Xiaorong through the snow, slowly walking towards Muramasa's house.
They both wore straw sandals, which not only rubbed their feet, but also allowed the melted snow to seep in easily, making them very cold.
Since they didn't have long pants and couldn't just take out the things in the system space, Ye Ming tied a loop of hay around his legs to act as pants. Although it was uncomfortable, it was much better than freezing.
"Husband, to Muramasa's house, how long will it take?"
It snowed heavily last night, and even the muddy roads were covered with a thick layer of snow.
The two people stepped on the muddy road, making a puffing sound.
"It's not far. The mud-brick house in front is Muramasa's."
In the original owner's memory, Muramasa Liu Dahe's family was the only family in Qinghe Village who lived in a mud-brick house. So it was very easy to find.
As soon as the two arrived at Liu Dahe's door, they were spotted by Liu Dahe's son.
"Hey, isn't this a fool? Why did Wang Dajiao let you out today?"
Ye Ming tried hard to search his memory for the identity of the man in front of him.
Liu Dahe's son, Liu Qiang.
He was not a bad man and often gave the original owner food.
Su Xiaorong was immediately displeased when she heard the man in front of her call her husband a fool. She immediately retorted.
"My husband is not a fool. He is not a fool now!"
"Hahaha, fool, you have a very protective wife. Is this the blessing of fools?" Liu Qiang said with a smile.
"Brother Qiang, I'm really not stupid anymore. I came here today to talk to Uncle Liu about something important."
Liu Qiang was stunned when he heard Ye Ming speak normally.
He began to look Ye Ming up and down carefully, and found that his eyes were clear and bright, not as cloudy as before.
"Silly boy, are you really not stupid anymore? How did it happen?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you in detail when I have time. Is Uncle Liu at home now?"
Seeing that Ye Ming seemed to have something urgent, Liu Qiang didn't rush to ask.
"My father went out. Many people froze to death in the village. When the snow stopped, he went to report to the government. What do you want to talk to him about?"
Hearing that no one was there, Ye Ming was silent for a moment and continued.
"It's like this, I plan to divide the family. But I don't have much money now, so I thought of coming to Uncle Liu to see if there are any empty houses in the village."
"If there's a house, Xiaorong and I will move in first. If not, we'll figure it out later."
"What the hell, you want to split the family?"
This news surprised Liu Qiang even more than the fact that Ye Ming wasn't stupid anymore.
Wang Dajiao was notoriously mean and stingy in the village. Ye Ming was nominally her son, but in reality, everyone knew she always treated him like a beast of burden.
Wang Dajiao would definitely not agree to a split.
"We have a lot of houses, but will Wang Dajiao agree to a split?"
Hearing this, Su Xiaorong said indignantly, "Of course not. Mother-in-law wants ten taels of silver!"
"Ten taels of silver, why doesn't she just go and grab it? I'll tell you what's right. A shrew like Wang Dajiao would just be obedient after a beating!" Liu Qiang said, ready to confront Wang Dajiao.
"No need, Brother Qiang. I'll figure out the money. The key is to find a place to live first."
Remembering that when he passed by Wang Dajiao's house before, Ye Ming was still living in the cowshed, Liu Qiang temporarily gave up the idea of confronting Wang Dajiao.
"Several families in the village have died this year. My father and I buried them yesterday. But most of those houses have collapsed or are broken down, so it's probably hard to live in them. But Hunter Wu's house, after some repairs, should be habitable. If you don't mind, I can take you there."
Hunter Wu was a well-known hunter in the area and had no problem getting through the winter.
But one time, while trying to sell a wild boar he'd shot in the county town, a passing general from the imperial court took notice and took him to the barracks.
His mother, left without support after her son left, starved to death.
"I don't mind, but I'm sorry, Brother Qiang."
"What's the trouble? No one's living there anyway, so you won't be able to stay for long."
Liu Qiang believed that Ye Ming would never earn ten taels of silver in a month.
As for the separation from Wang Dajiao, it would probably take a long time.
Hunter Wu's house was at the end of the village, near Qingshi Mountain, with a stream beside it, making it a good location.
The three of them walked for a while before arriving in front of the thatched cottage. The earthen walls outside the thatched house had collapsed a lot because no one had repaired them.
Even the beams of the house were bent a little by the thick snow.
"Okay, this is it."
"It hasn't collapsed yet. It can be lived in after a little cleaning."
Ye Ming took a quick look and decided that it was liveable, but it would take a long time to clean up.
"Okay, I've brought you here. If everything is ok, I'll leave."
Liu Qiang took out two roasted sweet potatoes from his arms.
The sweet potatoes were not big, probably only half the size of Su Xiaorong's fist, and the surface was roasted with a layer of char.
"I don't have anything good to treat you, so I'll give you these two sweet potatoes."
"No, Brother Qiang, you helped us find a place to live. I'm already very grateful that you are willing to accept your things?"
Liu Qiang stuffed the sweet potatoes in when Ye Ming refused.
"You still have to clean up the house later, and you must not have brought any food with you when you left Wang Dajiao's house, right? How can you clean up the house without something to eat?"
"If you really feel bad, just think of it as lending it to you. Return it to me in a few days when you dig up the sweet potatoes. No more words, I'm going back."
.....
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