Chapter 76.1
Chapter 76.1
Chapter 76.1
This time he read the memory, he felt as if he was full of indignation and despair. However, this anger wasnt for the original owner himself.
Sure enough, after reading this time, it was clear that the original owner was indignant for the others.
The world overhead was another novel. The background setting depended on the original author, which was similar to the Republic of China. However, there were also some places that were quite different from the real world. For instance, the male lead was neither the original owner nor the people close to him. He, the person who loved the female lead, and the person who hated the male lead to the point of breaking, was only a passerby, mentioned in a couple of sentences.
Lin Shiheng stopped looking at the original story and accepted the memory carefully.
The original owner, nicknamed Jiuer, was born in the most difficult situation. Despite how poor the family was, they had children after children, and by the time he, the ninth child, was born, the eldest had just started working while the second youngest was still a baby who needed care.
(TNote: Jiuer = Little Ninth.)
Jiuer was born weak. Upon birth, he laid quietly in the tiny bundle, cowering in a worn swaddling blanket that had been washed too many times, unmoving. At most, he cried like a kitten, almost inaudible.
The family felt that he wasnt easy to raise and was afraid that he would die prematurely within a few days of being raised. Furthermore, they couldnt spare anyone to take care of him because a breastfeeding baby needed to be watched at all times. After much thinking, they endured the pain and asked a calligrapher to write the nickname on the baby and threw him to the streets.
At that time, the country was in turmoil, and people couldnt even take care of themselves. Many officials who wore boots and rode horses rushed past the street every day. They wouldnt care if there was something left on the ground. In the freezing weather, the fragile baby was put on the cold ground. Babies that were thrown to the streets either froze to death or were trampled by passing horses. This was the same as letting him die.
It was just a coincidence that the first miss of the Fang family accompanied her mother to go out to a banquet early that morning, and their carriage wheel broke down on the road nearby. When they came down and waited for repairs, Miss Fang saw a baby on the ground in the distance.
She was only 5 years old. Because she was the only daughter in the family, and she was well-raised by her parents since childhood, she was also sensible. When she saw that a baby was thrown on the ground in the cold weather, she was immediately alarmed and called her mother.
Mother Fang, who was also raised to be kind-hearted, picked the baby up and saw the words Lin Jiuer. She knew that someone had deliberately left him here. The coachman often ran around here, and this kind of thing was common. She guessed that the childs family couldnt feed him, so they deliberately put him here and wrote his name in the hopes that a kind-hearted person would raise him.
Only, in this weather, people were either working or at home, and the soldiers who rode horses came and went one by one. How could someone be so good as to take in a child from the side of the road?
This was also Jiuer fate. Madam Fang had been married for 8 years, and only had a daughter, Miss Fang. She finally got pregnant a while ago, and waited carefully, but she still miscarried the baby boy. Looking at this crying child at the moment, it was hard to avoid thinking of her son that didnt get a chance in life. In addition, Miss Fang had a good heart and asked carefully if she could take the baby home. After careful thought, she nodded and agreed.
Father Fang was a teacher. Because he studied well and had many students, he was very prestigious in the local area. At that time, everyone still had a couple of wives and concubines. However, Father Fang refused to have concubines, and wholeheartedly stayed with his wife. Even if he only had this one daughter in the family, he never thought about accepting a concubine. He only thought about waiting for his daughter to grow up and finding a suitable son-in-law to bring to their family.
Seeing his wife holding a child when she came home, he didnt care at first, just thinking that it wasnt a big deal in raising him as a servant boy. He didnt think that raising a child would naturally bring out emotions. Mother Fang who had just lost her child, when looking at Lin Jiuer, she felt that this was her own child reborn, coming to find her. She loved the child more and more, as if he was her biological child. With great difficulty, the frail child, whose cries couldnt be heard, was raised into a cute and clever child.
He was very young, but the Fang family had never lied to him about his family background. He knew that Miss Fang found him first, so he was very close to his sister.
As Father Fang grew older, and looking at his wifes age, the doctor said that it was very difficult for her to get pregnant after her miscarriage before. Thus, he never wanted to have another son, and thought that he should accept Lin Jiuer as his adopted son, so that the child could support their daughter. After all, if he went away first and left two women at home, how could they keep the family business?
Unfortunately, although Father Fang respected his wife and loved his daughter, his thoughts had always been old-fashioned. He was willing to give everything to Lin Jiuer, the child they brought back, but he always refused to teach his daughter to study, only to read books such as womens Buddhist scriptures. Miss Fang was reluctant to read them when she was young. In the end, she couldnt stand being surrounded by girls of her age. If she studied, she would be different from them. So, she resigned herself to fate.
Because his daughter was close to the boy, he grew up in front of himself, and Lin Jiuers life was also considered to be saved by his daughter; Father Fang could see clearly that, if Lin Jiuer was allowed to become the young master of the Fang family, he will certainly be able to protect his wife and daughter.
Father Fang thought clearly, but didnt expect for Mother Fang to block it when she heard.
Mother Fangs thoughts were also very simple. These two children were raised by her, and she knew clearly whether he was close to them or not. In addition, although Lin Jiuer wasnt good at reading, he had a very good temper. He wasnt a fool who could be fooled by others. The Fang family had their own business and didnt need people to strive too hard. They might as well match the two children who grew up together in front of her. Lin Jiuer grew up in the Fang family, so even if they looked for a husband for their daughter outside, wouldnt they still be living in the Fang family? So, when the time comes, wont everything be as it was before their daughter got married?
She told her husband about this idea, but Father Fang didnt agree. After all, she was the daughter he pampered since she was born. Although he also felt that Lin Jiuer was a good child, he didnt want to give him the house and the person. Whats more, although a 3-years-older female, was like holding three gold bricks, Miss Fang was 5 years older. When Lin Jiuer grew up to marry, she was already old enough to have a baby.
(TNote: a 3-years-older female, was like holding three gold bricks = marrying a woman 3-years older will help the husband prosper more, because she would be old enough to take care of the household; a saying from ancient times, when people got married in their teens.)
In addition, when the daughter was married, there were the in-laws and the maternal family, and they were each others check and balance. If the in-laws and maternal family became one, he, as the father, will eventually think too much. Peoples hearts are fickle, and his wife and daughter may have no way back.
She could have married someone from Mother Fangs cousins from her maternal family. They grew up together, close as siblings. In addition, Mother Fangs maiden family was also a scholarly family. The cousins are all well-read, and such a person was a more desirable son-in-law.
The husband and wife had a dispute in this respect, but they didnt reveal it to the two children, only dragging the matter along to see the situation. In the first place, Miss Fang was a girl and was never allowed to participate in family matters anyways. On the other hand, Lin Jiuer was vaguely aware of the situation, but he was young and regarded Miss Fang as a sister. In addition, after Miss Fang was old enough, they werent related by blood. So, every time they met, he only saluted and left in a hurry. How could any feelings emerge?
Although there was no emotion, he didnt reject it. The Fang family was very kind to him. Not to mention marrying Miss Fang, a sister who had a good relationship with him, even if they asked him to die, he would accept it without blinking. So, he only studied harder, thinking that if uncle and aunt asked him to marry Miss Fang, he must treat her well all his life.
It was just that, when he grew up, Father Fang sent Miss Fang to marry his best friends son.
That friend also had a good family background, and had a very good relationship with Father Fang. In addition, his son was taught by Father Fang before studying abroad, which could be regarded as a teacher-disciple relationship. For a masters daughter to marry a disciple, it could be considered a good marriage.
Father Fang didnt just marry off his daughter based on the friendship between the two families. She was his only child. Although there were some constraints on his daughter because of his feudal thoughts, how could he not love her in his heart?
Toward the future son-in-law, he did a good job of finding out the other partys reputation among gifted scholars, and specially asked the nephews who are said to be close friends with the son-in-law. Mother Fangs family had three nephews, all of whom have studied since childhood, and now were all big talents. Hearing the cousins marriage, they all congratulated her, saying that the cousins future husband was a very good talent. After marriage, they would certainly be a harmonious couple.
Father Fang put down his worried heart, agreed to the marriage proposal from his best friend, and made the engagement. When the time came, he married his daughter off.
Nowadays, most people marry early, and Miss Fang was only 15 years old when she got married. She was taken out of the door wearing a bright red wedding dress, while the 10-year-old Lin Jiuer was still living as a guest in the Fang family. Although he regarded her as a sister in his heart, he couldnt really stand up and carry his sister out of the door as a younger brother should. He could only mingle with a group of guests and watch the bride be taken to someone elses home.
After Father Fang married off his daughter, he spent the rest of his thoughts on teaching Lin Jiuer. However, although he was sensible and obedient, his literary talent turned out to be quite bad. He could only learn by memorizing with diligence superior to those real talents.
When his daughter got married, Father Fang thought of accepting him as his adopted son. But it was so unfortunate that before he mentioned it, he had a serious illness and could only lay in bed, unable to speak.
Soon, the Fang family was in chaos. Mother Fang was too worried that her husband was ill, and Lin Jiuer had to take care of this and that. He was still too young and had been detained in his studies before and had never learned anything else. In haste, she could only rush to Miss Fangs in-laws house and beg for her help in looking after things.
When going through the city to sign up for a number, because things were urgent, Lin Jiuer reported that he was a distant relative of Madam Fangs. After which Miss Fang rushed to bring someone over to take care of the family, and her parents finally got better. However, Lin Jiuers name as Madam Fangs relative was set. Since they were relatives now, he could no longer be accepted as an adoptive son.
(TNote: there was a time in the old days when going through city/province check points, one must declare their ID. It would be considered as an official thing/ recognized by the government.)
Although Father Fang and Mother Fang felt helpless, they also knew that he was young and had been raised to study, and he didnt know much about these common things. They also recognize him as a relative and continue to support Lin Jiuers studies.
Unexpectedly, after everything, the serious illness still brought down Father Fang. Within 2 years, the country was in turmoil. After another serious illness, Father Fang passed away. Mother Fang received a shock, and her body wasnt as good as before.
The Fang family only has one relative, Lin Jiuer, who serves as an adoptive son. However, he wasnt outstanding in literary grace. Some shopkeepers bullied Mother Fang as a woman and bullied Lin Jiuer for being too young, falsifying accounts to make deficits. The large Fang family started to go into decline.