[Yuncheng County County Government]

"It's noisy outside, what the hell is going on?" The county magistrate's wife, who was sleeping next to Magistrate Wu, was the first to wake up from her dream of gold and silver. She got up slightly from the quilt and looked through the paper. The window had a slight red glow, and I couldn't help but push the man next to me.

At this moment, County Magistrate Wu was still dreaming about his high-ranking official and generous salary. He dreamed that he was riding a tall horse with gongs sounding in front of him to clear the way. He was escorted by heavy troops at the back, leading the carriages and horses filled with gold that wound to the end of the sky. Yinzhuang returned to his hometown after a long absence, and in front of him were the old neighbors and fellow villagers who greeted him on both sides. He himself felt proud of the spring breeze while sitting on the horse. If this was not a return home in fine clothes, then who else would be better than him? Not to mention the original Chai Laocai, even the two Chai Laocai are not as valuable as the little finger he is extending now. Just as Magistrate Wu was making noise with gongs and drums along the stone road where he used to play. The sky and the earth are heading in the direction of his old house. Everything on both sides of the street is the same as it was when he was a child. It seems that nothing has changed. The peach tree in Aunt Li's yard still sticks out of the courtyard wall and is full of flowers. The juicy peaches hung on the branches, making Mr. Wu greedy.

Not to mention him now, when he was still a child, Magistrate Wu would be particularly greedy for Aunt Li's peaches every year at this time. Every day when he left his husband's study room and went home, he would stare at it longingly for a while. , at that time, the eldest son of Mr. Chai’s family was about the same size as Magistrate Wu, and he generally coveted the cheating daughter of Aunt Li’s family. Finally one day, they sneaked up among the naughty children. On the wall of Aunt Li's house, just when the children riding on the wall were about to pick the peaches, Aunt Li discovered these children stealing the peaches at this critical moment. She shouted loudly and scared the children off the wall. Come, those watching from outside the wall disperse in a rush.

Mr. Wu was the child who fell to the ground at that time. Like the eldest son of Mr. Chai's family, he didn't even touch the leaves of the peach. Instead, he was frightened by Aunt Li's loud shout and fell off the high wall and broke his head. However, , for Aunt Li, who is known throughout the county for her carelessness and stinginess, these two children who tried to steal her peaches dared to ride on the wall of her house. They dared to do such a thing in broad daylight. Forgive me, Aunt Li, who made a big deal out of a trivial matter, was so excited that she didn't care that they had a bloody head, a bruised nose, and a swollen face, so she dragged these two little beasts to the county government office, cursing and pulling their ears.

This was originally a farce that couldn't be taken seriously, but in the end, it got an increasingly unexpected result. The county magistrate at that time was confused because he had an affair with Aunt Li's daughter, so it was just such a trivial matter. , a trivial matter that could have been ignored was investigated as a major theft case that caused a sensation in the county. The bloody Magistrate Wu not only had to see a doctor himself, but also had to compensate Aunt Li's Tao'er. Originally speaking, this Tao'er It was not worth two cents. Although the county magistrate judged the case like this, it was not much money even if he had to pay compensation. However, accidents happened one after another. From then on, in the young mind of magistrate Wu at that time, A seed was buried in it and cast a shadow.

The county magistrate, sitting next to Aunt Li's daughter's pillow, followed Aunt Li's request and bought his worthless peaches for fifteen taels each. At that time, although Magistrate Wu's family was not poor, He was not rich either. His father went to Beijing to take the exam and had no news for many years, leaving Magistrate Wu and his son to depend on each other. It was not an easy task to come up with these fifteen taels now. It was simply a matter of time. It's terrible. Poor County Magistrate Wu stayed with his mother like this. He knelt in front of the lobby, orphaned and widowed, and cried and begged for several days. However, Aunt Li was not accommodating at all, and the County Magistrate was even more unwilling. Magistrate Wu's mother was forced to give up her only small yard to Aunt Li temporarily.

If this is the most irritating thing, then there is something even more irritating. Later, Magistrate Wu and her son were tricked by the then magistrate into changing the deed of the property pledged to Aunt Li without authorization. In this regard, there was a more conspiracy. The plan fell on Magistrate Wu's home, which was almost dilapidated at that time. In the end, the house was gone, but the debt of fifteen taels was still shouldered by Magistrate Wu's mother and son. A small peach caused a small The dispute, beyond everyone's expectation, could develop to the point of knocking on other people's heads. It was a shameful and outrageous situation. However, the fact is the fact. The desperate Wu County Magistrate mother and son were forced to fight against each other late at night. They packed their bags and left their hometown to visit their relatives, but unfortunately, their actions were noticed by some evildoers. Under Aunt Li's instructions, they accidentally beat Magistrate Wu's mother to death on the street.

This life-threatening matter failed to bring Aunt Li to justice in the end. Instead, they just sentenced those scoundrels to give away three taels of silver. Such a lawless incident completely changed Wu's life at that time. The magistrate's understanding of the entire world.

These blows were the source of the distortion of Magistrate Wu's mind, but what really catalyzed his spiritual transformation was another thing, that is, he finally learned that the elder of Mr. Chai's family who had escaped with him that year was... My son rode to the top of the wall of Aunt Li's house, fell off the wall without even touching the peach leaves, and was sentenced by the county magistrate to pay Aunt Li fifteen taels to settle the case, and this was just the front of the stage. , and behind the scenes, not only did the county magistrate at that time return the full amount of fifty taels, but Aunt Li also had a special intention and picked a basket of "fifteen taels" that was "popular throughout the county" at that time to honor the rich man. It was during the banquet that Mr. Chai came up with the idea and helped the then county magistrate to devise a plan to defraud Magistrate Wu's house.

When he knew the truth, it was actually the most painful time. However, at that time, Magistrate Wu had learned to be patient. All the tears he shed had been shed when he simply buried his mother and cried for three days and three nights. After doing it, he hid in an uninhabited place on the mountain. He was thinking, he was thinking from beginning to end, why the same thing was so different between two people, just because Was Mr. Chai's family rich? Was it just because Aunt Li had a nepotistic relationship with the county at that time? Was it just because the county magistrate at that time had the power of life and death to dominate the party... Magistrate Wu thought about it for a long time at that time. However, such an answer was not something he came up with at that time, but he gradually understood it when he went to the streets to beg for food and suffered the cold eyes of the world. It was what he learned when his father came back to be an official one day. You gradually understand when you are respected by everyone.

This is the terror that power brings; this is the power that wealth brings. In his eyes, there is no human kindness, and of course there is no humanity. Only power and money can consolidate one's dignity, food and clothing. Sharp weapons, in his opinion, only with these two things in hand can he get what he wants, avoid what he is afraid of, and protect what he wants to protect.

Therefore, when the county magistrate at that time was transferred, and when Wu County Magistrate's father was finally transferred back, Wu County Magistrate's whole life reached a brilliant turning point. He no longer had to huddle in the streets and alleys, and no longer had to hug wild animals. The dog came to keep himself warm, and he no longer had to suffer the cold eyes of the world for a mouthful of scraps. Instead, he was washed from top to bottom overnight, and a dedicated maid came to braid his hair again. He changed his hair. Wearing a brand-new and most fashionable satin dress, he stepped out on the streets again, surrounded by official officials, brand new from the inside out. His world changed, and his mind also changed, and all the disgusting faces were gone. No more. Instead, he looked frightened and said good things about himself with a smiling face. He no longer had to put a smiling face on other people's cold ass. Now even if he raises his ugliest feet, the county All the girls were willing to use their big breasts for warmth. Even Aunt Li, who had been so difficult in every possible way, was so frightened that her family fled overnight. Although Aunt Li eventually became a widow, their escape failed after all. Let County Magistrate Wu have such a big hatred in his heart.

It was such a world. When he was reborn from a small beggar to a small government office overnight, he bought the best steamed buns in the county, came to his mother's grave, and told his mother everything that happened that day. , As he spoke, Magistrate Wu shed tears again, but as he spoke, the tears dried on his face forever. When the sun set in the west, he left his mother’s grave and left the county He broke the best buns into pieces and placed them on the grave. The guards sent by his father to accompany him to protect his safety did not understand. However, he who was unwilling to speak knew deeply that he was forced by Aunt Li and the county magistrate. When the family was about to be destroyed, his mother pawned her last tiara in exchange for three steamed buns, and left them all to him. He could still remember clearly in his dream what his mother said back then: "Mom, you are not hungry. Eat quickly so that you and your mother can escape from such an unjust place." At that time, Magistrate Wu looked at his mother with tears in his eyes. His stomach was so hungry that he ate it with big mouthfuls, but he was stunned to say no. His mother was so hungry that she secretly picked up the steamed buns he had left on the ground and fed them into her mouth little by little. In fact, it was not until the end that her mother fainted from hunger, lost strength halfway, and was finally dragged back by those ruffians. , he realized that it was actually his mother's favorite food. It was not that his mother was not hungry at that time, but... what follows, every time Magistrate Wu thinks of this, he doesn't want to think about it anymore.

He would not deny that he did not want to face it, he would just think about what his world would be like if they had fifteen taels at that time, or even only fifteen taels, and then his mother would Will not sleep underground forever...
Chapter completed!