Chapter 3: Father Dead, Mother Sick, Family Broken

Hearing this, Jiang Jinshi immediately responded: "Yes! Mother, I'm back."

After speaking, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li glared fiercely at Jiang Jinshi, signaling him not to tell on her.

Jiang Jinshi passed Jiang Li and walked into the room. It was only then that Jiang Li noticed that the grain bag on her brother's back was actually bulging.

Could it be that he had brought the grain back again?

As soon as this thought popped up, Jiang Li couldn't help but laugh at herself for daydreaming.

In the narrow room, there was a stove. Sunlight shone in through the holes, outlining white lines in the room. A bed was placed against the wall, and a pile of debris was stacked in the corner.

Looking toward the person on the bed, Jiang Jinshi's pupils shrank.

Most of the people he had seen so far had sallow complexions; this was because most of the bottom-level people in this dynasty lacked nutrition.

But the person in front of him had sunken eye sockets, cracked lips, and no light in her turbid eyes. This was also the first time Jiang Jinshi understood what it meant to have a deathly complexion.

His own mother was like this, yet the original owner only thought about that widow. He immediately cursed in his heart again.

Jiang Jinshi sat carefully on the edge of the bed, feeling incomparable heartache for the woman in front of him.

Thinking of himself in the present world, having no relatives, the family affection he had always longed for was trampled on like this by others.

"Little Ten, these years are not good. After I'm gone, find a good family and marry off your sister!" While speaking, Liu Yu gently placed her hand on Jiang Jinshi's leg, her eyes full of pleading.

Jiang Li, who had entered at some point, hid behind and secretly wiped her tears, looking at her mother on the bed with heartache.

This also made Jiang Jinshi's eyes feel a bit sour, and then he made up his mind in his heart.

Since the original owner wasn't a good son, whatever he did would be better than him!

Without responding to his mother's words, Jiang Jinshi picked up the cloth bag and walked outside.

Seeing that her son didn't respond to her, Liu Yu's eyes dimmed a bit more. What she couldn't let go of now was this sensible daughter, fearing that she would be sold by her son for money after she was gone.

As Jiang Jinshi walked out of the room, only the sobbing Jiang Li and the helpless Liu Yu remained in the room.

They had long been used to such scenes. At first, Jiang Jinshi was a pretty good child. Although his heart was higher than the sky, he could at least be called filial.

But ever since he got involved in gambling, he seemed like a completely different person, constantly stealing things from home to sell.

If the two dared to stop him, the original owner would even push his mother.

The pension money from his father's death in battle had long been sent to the gambling table, and coupled with the drought in recent years, there was no surplus grain at home.

Even the only twenty catties of grain were taken away by Jiang Jinshi last night. Thinking about it, he should have lost it all, otherwise, why would he come home?

Liu Yu had long had the will to die. Whenever she saw the young Jiang Li working hard and Jiang Jinshi being so unpromising, she only hated herself for being a waste who could only lie on the bed.

So she began to reduce her eating and drinking, trying to reduce the burden on her daughter.

Her foot wasn't a serious problem either; it only needed patient medication and proper care to recover.

But where was the silver at home to invite a doctor?

After going back and forth, she dragged herself into this state.

Desperate emotions gradually permeated the room. Outside, Jiang Jinshi's puzzled voice suddenly came.

"Little Pear, is there any firewood at home? It's time to cook."

Jiang Li's emotions collapsed in an instant. She turned around with red eyes and roared: "No, there is nothing at home!"

After saying this, Jiang Li seemed to have all her strength drained, sitting on the ground in a daze.

Jiang Jinshi's head poked out from the door, looking at Jiang Li in confusion: "Isn't there still twenty catties of grain?"

After speaking, he lifted the cloth bag and shook it twice to signal Jiang Li.

Hearing this, Jiang Li was somewhat incredulous, but her eyes couldn't move away from the bag.

Although she didn't believe Jiang Jinshi's words, but...

What if?

Hope gave Jiang Li some strength. She supported her body and walked toward Jiang Jinshi.

Reaching out to take the bag, the heavy weight made Jiang Li somewhat happy. The grain in this bag was saved bit by bit by her; no one knew it better than her.

Opening the bag and seeing the full barley, Jiang Li finally put her heart at ease.

Only then did Jiang Jinshi carefully examine this cheap sister of his. A rough cloth garment with patches on top of patches looked somewhat loose, like a child stealing an adult's clothes. There were two tear stains on her thin, bony face.

Noticing Jiang Jinshi looking at her, Jiang Li raised her head and glared as usual.

Jiang Jinshi didn't expect this one thing to change her impression of him. Take it slow!

"Is there any firewood at home?" Jiang Jinshi rubbed his stomach and asked again. He was really hungry now!

"No, the trees around that could be cut have all been cut. Little Jiang Mountain belongs to the city people; they don't let us cut it."

Jiang Li shook her head, wiping the tears on her face indiscriminately.

Only then did Jiang Jinshi remember that last month, a big man from the neighboring village went to Little Jiang Mountain to cut firewood and was eventually taken to the yamen and given thirty strokes. He died a few days after being carried home.

As the saying goes, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea; firewood being ranked first shows its importance. For ordinary people, achieving "firewood freedom" is simply a fantasy.

Under normal circumstances, the yamen would also turn a blind eye, after all, firewood is a necessary material for the survival of the people.

But ever since a new County Magistrate took office two years ago, the surrounding trees have been strictly controlled. A peddler inexplicably appeared in the city, and a load of firewood rose from thirty wen at the beginning to eighty wen now.

One had to know that a load of firewood was only enough to support four days, and this was still in summer. If it were winter, more would be needed for heating.

Looking around, Jiang Jinshi walked to the fence and started to dismantle it. Although it was just some bamboo strips, fortunately, there were many of them, enough to make a meal.

The three people in the room were all hungry, so they couldn't care about anything else. Fill their stomachs first.

Seeing that Jiang Jinshi intended to cook by himself, Jiang Li hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. In her impression, this big brother of hers had never cooked, letting him cook was simply wasting grain.

In winter, one could only use the stove in the room. Now in summer, it was better to cook outside to avoid the smoke choking the sick mother.

Jiang Jinshi indeed didn't know how to cook with such simple facilities. He sat casually on the mud floor of the courtyard, looking at Jiang Li, who had light in her eyes again.

One second she was desperately collapsing and crying, the next second she was rekindled with hope because of twenty catties of barley. She was really easy to satisfy.

Sigh!

A father who died in battle, a sick mother, a broken home, a gambling brother, and her who mends and patches.

If I don't help her, who will?!

Jiang Li's hands and feet were fast. Before long, three bowls of barley porridge were freshly cooked. She then glanced at Jiang Jinshi, who was sitting on the ground in a daze, and carefully carried the hot bowls into the room.

This scene naturally caught Jiang Jinshi's attention, but he didn't take it to heart. He was still thinking about how to make money to support the family.

"Little Pear, I won't eat. You two siblings eat! Mother isn't hungry!" ===== CHAPTER 4 =====