"Fourth sister-in-law!"

Gu Tianya shouted and rushed over in a few steps.

It was cold and the water was cold.

By this time the woman had fallen to the ground, lying on her back on the edge of the ditch, half in cold water and half in mud.

Gu Tianya's eyes were red, and he struggled to pull the other party out of the water.

He wanted to help the other party stand up, but he was powerless when he had the heart. In desperation, he could only let the other party lie on the bank of the ditch, and Gu Tianya and several other women squatted around.

I saw that this woman's face was pale and bloodless, and her eyes had lost their vivid color.

She seemed to know that sooner or later she would have such a day, so she didn't care that she was tired and died here, but she clearly had a wish to be fulfilled, so she didn't want to close her eyes.

She still used a breath to keep herself from dying.

She stared at Gu Tianya, a pair of thin and pale little hands also grabbed Gu Tianya, he seemed to be trying to save up all his strength, and finally opened his mouth weakly, as if pleading: "Child, my child ......"

It turned out that her last wish was not fulfilled, but she had children at home.

Gu Tianya only felt a sour nose.

He wiped a handful of tears, nodded hard at the fourth sister-in-law, and promised loudly: "Don't worry, your child will not starve to death, as long as I Gu Tianya lives for one day, your child will never starve to death." ”

The fourth sister-in-law's eyes lit up significantly.

But she still grabbed Gu Tianya with both hands, and said weakly again: "I want to follow... I want to talk to A-Yao... Be like A-Yao......"

Gu Tianya did not hesitate, and assured loudly again, "Okay, just like A-Yao, when I go home today, I will also take your child to my home, and from today on, your child is also a member of my Gu family." ”

As soon as she finished speaking, the fourth sister-in-law seemed to let go of the burden in her heart, and the light in her eyes quickly dimmed, and she was about to break her breath.

But she suddenly seemed to return to the light, and the whole person suddenly sat up from the ground, and shouted loudly: "Money, money, my wages ......"

Halfway through the words, he suddenly fell back down, his eyes completely lost their brilliance, and his round eyes were open with a thick unwillingness.

When he was dying, he couldn't close his eyes.

This is the third women's clothing in Gujia Village who died of exhaustion from working in the ditch.

Gu Tianya's tears couldn't be suppressed, he endured his grief and reached out to help the fourth sister-in-law close her eyes, but he seemed to be because of his blurred tears, and the palm he stretched out couldn't touch the fourth sister-in-law's face.

"Alas......"

At this moment, I suddenly heard a soft sigh behind me, and someone's footsteps slowly approached.

After the visitor arrived, he let out a light sigh again, like apologies, and as if helpless, and said: "Little brother Gu, I reminded you a few days ago that you Gujia Village can't fight like this anymore, and if you fight like this, I'm afraid that none of you will be able to live." It's only been half a month, and you've already fallen two people......"

Between the sighs, this person's body also squatted down, he reached out and patted Gu Tianya's shoulder, and said softly: "Take your people, go back to rest for a few days, rest, and then come to work." ”

Gu Tianya squatted on the ground and didn't get up, he just turned his head to look at the person who spoke.

This person is none other than Sun Qi, who has just ascended to the throne of the Miyun Sun family.

But seeing Sun Qi's steward squatting beside him, as if he wanted to say a few more words of persuasion, Gu Tianya waved his hand indifferently, and a muddy hoarse sound came out of his throat, as if he was treating a stranger: "Money!" The salary of the fourth sister-in-law! ”

Sun Qi nodded without hesitation, then reached out and took out a handful of copper coins from his arms, he handed the copper coins to Gu Tianya, and sighed at the same time: "You also know, I am just a steward, the rules set by the ruler of the main family, and I, the steward, have no ability to change ......"

He smiled bitterly and said again: "A woman's work for a day is only worth three copper coins, although it is not yet dark, but I can privately assume that this woman has finished a day's work, so I will pay her three copper coins." ”

He said three copper coins, but what he took out was clearly a handful of copper coins.

He looked at the fourth sister-in-law lying on the ground, held the copper coins in his palm and sighed: "I'm just a steward, there is only so much I can do, there are a total of twenty wen here, three of which are her wages, and as for the extra seventeen wen, it can be regarded as the mourning soul of my steward." ”

As he spoke, he shoved the money into Gu Tianya's hand, stood up and said, "Take the women of your village back, and come back to work after resting, if you don't agree, I will cut off your work errand." Brother Gu, don't blame me, I'm just a steward, and there's only so much I can do. ”

Gu Tianya glanced at him and nodded for a long time.

Sun Qi's hands arched slightly, turned around and left along the ditch.

Gu Tianya kept watching his back, until he suddenly shouted when Sun Qi's figure was about to disappear, and said, "The extra seventeen yuan is the debt that our Gujia Village owes you." In the future, I will pay you back......"

Sun Qi's footsteps stopped obviously, and then he raised his feet again and walked away, but his voice came from afar, and he said in a very solemn tone: "It's okay!" ”

Sun Qi knew that this was Gu Tianya protecting him, because he was just a steward of the Sun family, and it was a violation of the law for him to pay money privately today.

The rules set by the rulers of the family, the house slaves are not allowed to change at will, a woman can only be issued three copper coins for a day's work, this is not only a kind of oppression, but it is also a kind of rule, and the poor must not be allowed to save excess money, otherwise who will jump into the cold water to work in the winter?

If you don't come to work, how can Sun's 10,000 acres of fertile land make winter fertilizer? If you can't store enough winter fertilizer, how can you plant in the spring of the next year?

The life of the mud leg is just that, not as good as the manure and farming of the family.

Giving the poor three cents a day is to ensure that the poor will not starve to death, but it is resolute not to let the poor earn more money, otherwise the family's dominance over the poor will be reduced.

Although Sun Qi only paid an extra seventeen yuan privately, strictly speaking, it could not change the situation of the poor in the entire Miyun County, but after all, he broke the rules set by the Sun family's rulers, so Gu Tianya specifically explained that the money was borrowed.

……

At this time, it was almost evening, and the cold wind was getting more and more fierce, and the women wiped their eyes and tears and squatted on the ground, quietly waiting for the only man in Gujia Village to make a decision.

Although they are all older than Gu Tianya, the backbone of women in this era is always men, even if Gu Tianya is not yet an adult, but in the eyes of the women of Gujia Village, they are still the backbone.

"Let's go, let's go home!" Gu Tianya suddenly wiped away a handful of tears, bent down and struggled to pick up the fourth sister-in-law lying on the ground. Although the body of the fourth sister-in-law was very heavy, Gu Tianya gritted her teeth and carried it on her back.

Fallen leaves, to return to the roots, no matter how heavy the body of the fourth sister-in-law is, Gu Tianya has to carry the fourth sister-in-law back all the time.

He slowly raised his feet, looked at the women around him, shouted softly again, and said solemnly: "Sisters-in-law, go home!" ”

The women gathered around and each helped him take a hand, although Gu Tianya was still carrying the fourth sister-in-law, but the women were stretching out their hands to support them, which could reduce some weight and not make Gu Tianya tired in the middle.

When they came to work, there were fourteen people, and in just one month, only twelve of them came home.

The sky was very cold, and the body of the fourth sister-in-law was also getting colder, a cold wind was like a sharp blade, and Gu Tianya's tears were surging again.

He felt unbearable in his heart, and suddenly couldn't hold back his crying, and said with tears on his face: "Fourth sister-in-law, let's go home, go home, you have to follow well......"

No matter how tenacious his mind was, he was only an eighteen-year-old boy after all, and the women in the village were his sisters-in-law, and the villagers were familiar with them like a family.

This kind of pain is difficult for outsiders to know.

He carried the body of his fourth sister-in-law all the way, followed by the women of Gujia Village, he walked in the direction of home step by step, and kept shouting 'The fourth sister-in-law must follow'.

This is a folk rule, the person who dies outside must call the soul home, otherwise the person who will carry back can only be a soulless corpse, and the person who dies will become a lonely soul in the wilderness.

"Fourth sister-in-law, you can follow well, fourth sister-in-law, you can follow well......" Gu Tianya kept screaming, as if he was really summoning the soul of the fourth sister-in-law to follow him.

As he walked step by step, he often burst into tears, and because he was carrying his fourth sister-in-law on his back, he couldn't spare his hands, so he could only wipe him with the women who followed him.

So Gu Tianya kept screaming again, and said loudly: "Fourth sister-in-law, follow along, brother, I'll take you home, don't get lost." In the next life, you have to cast a good lift, and when the time comes, you must keep your eyes open, and don't come to Gujia Village again......"

I hope there will be no hardships in the next life, Huang Quan waved his hand and smiled, fourth sister-in-law, this is my blessing from Gu Tianya to you, you can follow well, don't get lost.

……

As it grew dark, the poor people who worked in the ditch finally began to call it a day.

Many people sat tired by the ditch and gasped, silently watching Gu Tianya walk with the body of his fourth sister-in-law on his back, these people were all poor people from nearby villages, and everyone had sympathy and unbearability on their faces.

It's a pity that it's just sympathy and can't bear it, and I can't help anything else.

Gu Tianya took the women and slowly left the range of the ditch, and suddenly his body shook, and his eyes looked at a place in front of him in a daze.

But when he saw there, there was a man kneeling on the ground, and another person beside him was holding a leather whip, as if he was waiting for him.

The person kneeling on the ground was clearly the person in charge of Sun Qi not long ago.

As for the person holding the leather whip, it turned out to be Sun Zhao, the eldest prince of the Miyun Sun clan, it is said that he came back this time to serve as the commander of Miyun County, how could such a big man appear here in the ditch?

Gu Tianya's face changed slightly.

And Sun Zhao, who was holding a leather whip over there, also raised his hand at the same time.

Viciously slammed down.

Syllable!

Syllable!

Syllable!

The leather whip was continuously whipped, and in a blink of an eye, it was seventeen strokes, and the kneeling Sun Qi was in charge of the flesh, but he never dared to dodge and beg for mercy, until all the seventeen whips were drawn, Sun Qi glanced at Gu Tianya's side.

Sun Zhao, who was holding a leather whip, also glanced at Gu Tianya, and suddenly asked in a cold voice: "Do you know why Sun Qi was whipped with these seventeen whips?" ”

Gu Tianya nodded.

He understood very well that it was because of the seventeen dollars that Sun Qi had taken out privately.