At this time, Liu Yuanlin, whose face was pale and his mouth was black, could no longer speak. Ma Shuqin wanted to pick him up and find Lang Zhong to rescue her, but her slender body had no strength at all, although there was no one in the orchard, she still shouted, Brother Yuanlin fell from the tree...... screamed a few times, and then saw that Liu Yuanlin, who was lying in a pool of blood next to Li Shu, was on the verge of stopping breathing, but his eyes were still open, as if he was looking at Ma Shuqin, looking terrifying.

Ma Shuqin didn't stay or escape, so she had to go around in a circle in the orchard, looking in the direction of Taohuawu Street and screaming, someone fell to death in the orchard......

After a while, several people in the street rushed to hear the noise. Ma Shuqin cried and pointed to Liu Yuanlin's bloodstained corpse next to the plum tree and said that he climbed the plum tree to pick plums, but unfortunately fell down and died.

Some of the people who came knew Ma Shuqin and Liu Yuanlin, who had died, one was the daughter of Ma Wai in Nancun, and the other was Ling Lang of Liu Yuanwai in Beicun, and knew that they were engaged, and Ma Yuanwai's family had accepted Liu Yuanwai's one-carriage bride price, and their wedding date was set for the sixth day of May.

Now that the big day is not far away, who knows that this tragedy has occurred. There were many people who came to look at Liu Yuanlin's corpse lying next to the plum tree, but no one helped to get the corpse away. Ma Shuqin was both frightened and grieved, crying in front of many visitors.

At this time, someone saw the scene of the incident and ran to Beicun to deliver the letter. This bad news was like a thunderbolt from the blue, which made Liu Yuanwai, who had only one son, almost collapse. The burly man instantly became very fragile, unable to stand, his body trembled, and he was about to fall.

Xu Youcai, the butler who followed him like a bodyguard, silently supported him, and only let go did Xu Youcai let go until he sat down on a Taishi chair in the hall. I heard Liu Yuanwai say again, ...... quickly

Xu Youcai understood the meaning, and immediately prepared a carriage as a funeral car, and the messenger sat in the carriage to guide the way. About half an hour, Liu Yuanlin's body was transported back from the orchard at the north end of Taohuawu Street, where the accident occurred, and spread it on the front yard.

Yang people didn't know that Liu Yuanlin's undead who came with the corpse found that Ma Shuqin did not come with him to accompany the funeral, and they were very unhappy. Although according to Liu Yuanlin's age, he is an adult, but he is not married after all, and he is still a child in the eyes of adults.

There is a local custom that when a child dies, he does not leave the body overnight, nor does he prepare a coffin, but only uses a wooden board to nail a coffin-like frame for burial, and has to be sent up the mountain to dig a pit and bury it overnight.

Liu Yuanwai did not come according to custom, he treated his dead son as a dead adult, and spent silver to buy a cypress coffin for his son to "sleep"; He also asked the mortuary on the street of Taohuawu to give his son's body a facelift, that is, to carefully stuff the bloody intestines that his son shed into the broken stomach, and then stitch it up and restore it, and then put it into the body.

However, Liu Yuanwai's family did not let his son's body stay overnight in front of the house, but carried it up the mountain overnight for burial.

As dissatisfied with Liu Yuanlin's undead, Liu Yuanwai found that during the handling of his son's funeral, not only did his in-laws Ma Yuanwai not come to mourn, but even Ma Yuanwai's daughter Ma Shuqin did not come to accompany the funeral.

And it was only a few days later, and before the "first seven" was completed, Ma Yuanwai asked someone to return all the bride price, which made Liu Yuanwai very annoyed.

He wanted to ask someone to write a lawsuit to discuss the law, one to comfort his son's spirit in the sky, and the other to vent his anger for our Liu family.

In fact, there is a reason for him to go to court, I heard that his son fell from a tree and died in order to pick plums for his future daughter-in-law Ma Shuqin, so Ma Shuqin has to bear the corresponding responsibility.

Liu Yuanwai thought so, and did the same, he asked someone to write a petition and handed it to the county office, complaining: Liu Yuanlin seems to have fallen to her death while climbing a tree, but in essence, it can be said that Ma Shuqin killed her.

He was tragically killed for Ma Shuqin to climb trees and pick plums, and it can also be said that he sacrificed his precious life to meet Ma Shuqin's demand for eating plums.

But Ma Shuqin is too indifferent and ruthless, and she doesn't fight Liu Yuanlin's body during the funeral. It doesn't matter if he doesn't come to accompany the funeral, he doesn't explain the reason to the parents of the deceased and apologize, so unkind and unjust, which arouses the public anger of the Liu family and everyone, so Liu Yuanlin's parents strongly demand that Ma Shuqin compensate 1,000 copper coins to appease the deceased's family and calm the incident. Plea for a prefectural order to make a fair verdict.

The county magistrate saw the situation, so he sent the official to pass Ma Shuqin from the countryside to the county Yashengtang for interrogation, Ma Shuqin nodded sometimes and shook her head, but rarely spoke.

The parents who accompanied her said, Shuqin, you have to speak, otherwise you will suffer a dumb loss. The county order said, Ma Shuqin, what do you mean by shaking your head? Don't shake your head, just talk.

Ma Shuqin wiped a handful of tears and said that what Liu Yuanwai said was true, the little woman was guilty, she didn't want to argue, she just wanted to admit her guilt. The reason why I didn't go to the funeral was because I felt that I didn't have the face to see the family of the deceased. I shook my head meaning, the Liu family wants me to compensate for 1000 copper coins, I personally can't take it, I want my parents to take it, I can't bear it, I grew up, food and clothing, etc., everything is given by my parents, although my parents are kind to me, but I haven't reported it at all, and now I have caused such a big disaster, and then I want my parents to bear the responsibility that should have been borne by me, I am really ashamed of my parents.

The county magistrate felt that Ma Shuqin had a good attitude in admitting her guilt, and from her words, she could hear that although she had no choice but to get into trouble, she was not evading, but was too self-blaming, and showed a true and kind filial piety.

So, the county magistrate asked, since you can't come up with the money to compensate the Liu family, and you don't let your parents take the money to compensate on your behalf, you say, what should I do with the county order?

The little woman was willing to go to jail to compensate for the 1,000 copper coins that the Liu family demanded compensation. The county magistrate made a ruling. When Ma Shuqin said this, she knelt down and kowtowed.

The county commander stretched out his hand and lifted it lightly, signaling Ma Shuqin to get up. Ma Shuqin stopped kowtowing, but still knelt down and said, County Master, if you don't follow the little girl, the little girl will be difficult to obey.

The county magistrate was shocked and said sharply, this case is not something that can be solved by kneeling down for a long time and kowtowing and admitting guilt, so get up quickly.

Ma Shuqin stood up at this time, patted the dust on her knees, and then waited for the county order to make a fair verdict.

The county magistrate stroked his black hair lightly, weighed this civil case, and thought that according to Liu Yuanwai's appeal, it would not be much to ask Ma Shuqin or Ma Yuanwai's family to compensate 1,000 copper coins, but it was inappropriate, because Liu Yuanlin climbed a tree and fell to his death, which was caused by his own carelessness, and he himself had to bear the main responsibility, and Ma Shuqin could only bear subsidiary responsibility.

According to Ma Shuqin's own words, she would rather go to prison than compensate for the money. However, imprisonment is a punishment imposed on the offender and the guilty. Obviously, as far as Ma Shuqin is concerned, her behavior is only moral, not a crime, at best, so it is impossible to sentence her to prison to serve her sentence.

However, if Ma Shuqin is not given a certain financial punishment, it is unreasonable to be reasonable. So, the county magistrate thought about it again and again, spread out the paper on the table, wrote a short article similar to a mediation letter, and then put down his pen, looked up, looked at Ma Shuqin, Liu Yuanwai and other parties and the family members on both sides of the court and said, I plan to deal with this civil case like this, and order Ma Shuqin to set up a stele in front of his grave for Liu Yuanlin, who unfortunately died.

In addition, starting from next year, every Qingming Festival, Ma Shuqin must go to burn incense and worship to comfort the souls of the deceased and obtain the forgiveness of the deceased's family. If both parties agree, come up immediately and draw the charge.

Liu Yuanwai in front of the hall felt that this was very good, and was about to get up and salute the county order, express his agreement, and draw a pledge on the mediation letter. Ma Shuqin didn't say a word, and went directly to the table where the county magistrate was sitting, stretched out her hand to take the pen, and was about to sign and draw.

The horseman who was sitting in the back row of the public hall suddenly stood up and stopped, Shuqin, slow, my father has something to say.

The county magistrate then raised his hand to the horseman: Speak-

Ma Yuanwai did not speak immediately, but bowed to the county order and Liu Yuanwai one by one, and then straightened up and said, with all due respect, the first thing the county master said, let our Ma family erect a stone tablet for Liu Yuanlin, who unfortunately fell to his death, and it can be done.

Second, let my daughter Ma Shuqin go to burn incense and pay tribute to him every Qingming Festival, and I can do it as I say, but has the county master thought about it, my daughter Ma Shuqin did not marry Liu Yuanlin before his death, and she is not the daughter-in-law of their Liu family, I am afraid it is not appropriate to do so.

Besides, my daughter Ma Shuqin is going to get married, and if she does this, it will have an impact on her future marriage. You think, once our Ma family has a son-in-law, if we find that she goes to the cemetery that has nothing to do with her family every year, it will be difficult to accept it.

At this time, Liu Yuanwai said unhappily, since this is the case, our Liu family does not need their Ma family to go to my son's grave to erect any monument and sweep any tomb, let their Ma family lose money!

The county commander made a gesture and motioned for Liu Yuan to stop his mouth. But Liu Yuanwai had already said what he had to say, and the county magistrate did not deny him, but remained calm, and looked at Ma Shuqin, and asked, what is your opinion?

Ma Shuqin, who had been standing here for a long time, did not answer immediately, but tightened the brush that she had already held in her hand, and then signed the mediation letter, dipped her thumb in the red clay on the side of the table, and then pressed her handprint on the mediation book, which is also called a drawing charge. Then he pushed the mediation letter to the county order, saying that the county master, I agreed.

Shuqin, didn't you hear what I just said? The horseman asked with a frown.

Hearing it, don't worry about his daughter's marriage, Ma Shuqin said, I think so, since the father-in-law can take a fancy to me, he won't care about this matter, not to mention that this is a clear thing. If people can't understand and tolerate this, I'd rather never marry.

The horsemen sitting on the side of the court were silent. Liu Yuanwai still stood in front of the hall and hesitated, occasionally turning sideways to look at Ma Yuanwai's face. The county magistrate looked at him with a lightning gaze and said, Liu Yuanwai, do you agree or disagree?

Liu Yuanwai did not answer, but answered with actions - he walked over quickly and signed the mediation form.

The next day on the eve of the Qingming Festival, a stele engraved with "Liu Yuanlin's tomb" was erected in front of his tomb.

Ma Shuqin also came to burn incense and worship, and Liu Yuanwai's family had no gossip when they saw it. But during the Qingming Festival in the fourth year, Ma Shuqin, who had been married from other places, never came here to worship again. Xu is getting older, and Liu Yuanwai's family no longer cares about this matter.

Which knows? The living do not care, but the dead do not. In the later Qingming Festival, the undead Liu Yuanlin saw that Ma Shuqin, whom he loved before his death, would never come to his grave again, so he felt resentful, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, Ma Shuqin, as long as there is a chance, I will definitely fix you.