Li Ermei bought a long-life silver lock at the silversmith's shop, hung it on her daughter's chest, and carried her home happily. As she walked, she teased her children with the silver lock and said, "Yu'er, do you like it?"
The children were too young and couldn't speak yet. They just kept smiling at her and hitting her face with their little hands.
Li Ermei had long wanted to buy a longevity lock for her daughter, but her family was too poor to afford it before. Now, Li Jinzhong won a lot of money, and she finally got what she wanted.
Originally, she could have bought a piece of gold, but Li Ermei felt that wearing gold was too conspicuous and she was afraid that someone would notice her, so it was not safe.
When he arrived at the door of his house, he found a burly man standing there. He didn't know what he was doing. When the man saw her coming, he asked in a rough voice: "Are you Li Jinzhong's mother-in-law, Li Ermei?"
Li Ermei said: "Yes, who are you?"
The man said: "I am from Sihaibao Bureau. Your man owes money, and I am here to collect the debt."
Li Ermei was startled and asked nervously: "Where is our man? Why hasn't he come back?"
The debt collector said: "Pay off the debt and he will come back naturally."
Li Ermei asked: "How much money does he owe?"
The debt collector said: "Not much, fifteen thousand taels of silver."
Li Ermei was shocked and said with trembling lips: "What, fifteen thousand taels, so much?"
The debt collector said: "Stop talking nonsense and get the money quickly."
Li Ermei thought for a while and said, "How do I know if you are a liar? I want to see my man."
The debt collector said: "Then come with me."
Li Ermei came to Sihaibao Bureau anxiously with her daughter in her arms, and saw Li Jinzhong for the last time in an empty room.
Seeing Li Jinzhong's nose was bruised and his face was swollen, Li Ermei asked nervously: "Officer, who beat you like this?"
Li Jinzhong said frustrated: "Why are you here?"
Li Ermei said: "They said you owed them fifteen thousand taels of silver and asked me to pay back the money. I didn't believe it, so they brought me here. Officer, is this true?"
Li Jinzhong nodded painfully, uncontrollable tears burst into his eyes, and he choked with sobs: "Second sister, I'm sorry for your husband and your children."
Li Ermei suddenly felt that the world was spinning. She leaned to one side and almost fell down. She said sadly: "So this is all true. Officer, fifteen thousand taels of silver. What can we give in return? It's what you won earlier."
It’s not enough to give everything back to others.”
Li Jinzhong glanced outside nervously, and when he saw that no one was watching, he whispered: "Second sister, listen to me, find an opportunity to take Yu'er and run away, as far as possible."
Li Ermei said: "Why are you running?"
Li Jinzhong said painfully: "If you don't run away, they will use you and Yu'er to pay off the debt."
Li Ermei's heart was as sharp as a knife, and she cried: "You, you, my brother tried to persuade you earlier and asked you to swear, but you still didn't listen. You still came. This is good, we are involved in this."
What should I do?" He said and burst into tears.
When Yu'er saw her mother crying bitterly, she cried too. Li Jinzhong regretted his mistake and also cried loudly. The whole family cried together.
At this time, the debt collector heard the cry and came over. He was used to seeing this kind of scene, and his expression was very cold. He said in a rough voice: "Daughter-in-law of the Li family, please ask everything clearly. Please take me with you."
I'm still busy getting money."
Li Ermei and Li Jinzhong parted in tears, and this farewell will be an eternal farewell. Li Ermei was unable to repay the loss of more than two thousand taels of silver, so she was sent to Cangzhou Yihongyuan to sell herself to pay off her debts.
The debt collector saw that Yu'er was a girl, and her parents were both good-looking, so the child would probably look the same in the future, so he packed her up with her mother and sent her to Yihongyuan.
The mother and daughter could not repay the debt of more than 2,000 taels of silver, so Li Jinzhong also signed a deed of sale and stayed in Sihaibao Bureau as a slave for the rest of his life to pay off the debt.
When Li Shuan learned all this, his sister and niece had already disappeared. He went to Sihai Bao Bureau to ask for someone. Bao Bureau showed him the deed of betrayal and told him not to make trouble again, otherwise he would report it to the police and let the police catch him.
Catch him and put him in jail.
Li Jinzhong worked as a slave in Sihai Baoju, with no food or shelter. His house was taken away by the Baoju, and he had no place to stay, so he had to settle in a dilapidated City God's Temple in the suburbs.
Li Shuan learned that Li Jinzhong lived in the Chenghuang Temple, so he went there with a pole. As soon as he arrived at the Chenghuang Temple, he took advantage of the moonlight to take a look, and saw Li Jinzhong curled up on the ground. Without saying anything, he got up with a pole and beat him while cursing: "You...
You beast, I'm blind, why did I give you my second sister? I have to beat you to death today."
Li Jinzhong did not resist, and let the thick pole hit him hard, crying: "Brother, I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry for my second sister, I'm sorry for Yu'er, I'm not a human being, just beat me to death. I don't want to live anymore..."
…”
At this time, little Li Yuan ran in. He saw his father carrying a pole out with an angry look on his face. He didn't know what his father was going to do. He was afraid that something would happen to his father, so he followed secretly behind him. He couldn't bear it when he saw his father beating his uncle too hard.
, stepped forward and grabbed his father, saying: "Dad, stop beating my uncle. If you hit me like this, you will break him."
Li Shuan pushed him. Little Li Yuan was pushed aside and fell down on his butt. Li Shuan shouted: "You don't need to worry about it, I have to beat him to death today."
Little Li Yuan sat on the ground and cried, choking with sobs: "Dad, please, don't hit me again."
Li Jinzhong cried: "Yuanzi, please leave it alone and let your father beat you. My uncle no longer wants to live, wuwu..."
How could Li Shuan really beat Li Jinzhong to death? He had to pay for it with his life. His son was still young, so who would raise him? He did not lose his mind. After slapping the pole a few times, he gritted his teeth and said, "Li Jinzhong, don't do it."
Let me meet someone again, otherwise I will beat you once I see you."
Then he shouted to Xiao Li Yuan: "Yuanzi, let's go!"
Seeing that his father had gone out, little Li Yuan ran over to see Li Jinzhong lying on the ground and asked, "Uncle, how are you?"
Li Jinzhong was seriously injured and couldn't get up. He looked at little Li Yuan and said, "Yuanzi, uncle is fine."
Xiao Liyuan choked and said, "Why did you sell your aunt and little sister?"
Li Jinzhong cried with tears in his eyes: "My uncle is not a human being. You should really let your father beat me to death with a pole. I am not a human being!"
Xiao Liyuan said: "I hate you!" He got up and ran out.
Li Jinzhong thought about death and thought: "What's the point of living for me? My fame is gone, my wife and daughter are gone, and I've even sold myself. It would be better to die happily if I live like this."
But he couldn't let go of his daughter Yu'er or his wife's second sister. He looked forward to reuniting the family. Although in his opinion, the hope of reunion was extremely slim, it was this extremely slim hope that supported him to survive.
Little Li Yuan said he hated Li Jinzhong, but deep down he still had feelings for his uncle. Seeing Li Jinzhong lying on the straw without even a bedding, he secretly took an old bedding from home and quietly placed it in the Chenghuang Temple.
One night two months later, several people from Sihaibao Bureau broke into Li Shuan's house. They said that Li Jinzhong had run away and asked Li Shuan if he knew his whereabouts.
Li Shuan said angrily: "I have nothing to do with this beast for a long time. How can I know where he died?"
When the people from Sihaibao Bureau left, they said harshly: "If you dare to harbor him, you will be left with nothing to eat."
Li Shuan said angrily: "I will harbor that beast. Are you kidding me?"
Later, Xiao Liyuan went to the Chenghuang Temple several times but could not find Li Jinzhong, so he cried a lot.
Little Li Yuan never expected that his uncle's disappearance would lead to a fatal disaster for his father.
[Author’s digression]: Dear readers, if you haven’t voted for your recommendation today,
If you still keep it in your bag, please vote for "Iron-blooded Guards". Zhainan would like to thank everyone here.