When Fangzheng heard that, he immediately knew the severity of the matter. This was no longer an extreme action that stemmed from a minor family conflict. His daughter clearly didn't care even if she froze to death!
Fangzheng asked, "Can you tell me the details?"
Honest Liu hesitated, but he eventually said, "How should I put it? It's not my place to talk about their family matters. I'm afraid others will say that I'm badmouthing them behind their backs. Master, everyone in our village knows about their family matters. If you have the time, go take a look. My father-in-law is rather pitiful. "
Fangzheng nodded slightly. "Alright then. This Penniless Monk will follow you down the mountain to take a look. By the way, did you report to the police? "
Honest Liu said helplessly, "I didn't, but Old Jin, who saved my father-in-law, did. Unfortunately, my father-in-law refused to speak the truth when the police came. He said that he wanted to run away from home and that it had nothing to do with my sister. With him saying that, what else could the police say? In a fit of anger, Old Jin called me over. Now, my father-in-law is at my place. "
"Now, where is your father-in-law?" asked Fangzheng.
"At my place. I don't mind him staying at my place since I can provide for him. But you know my family's situation. I still have to provide for my family. It's already very difficult. Besides … Sigh, it's a long story, "said Honest Liu.
Fangzheng knew Honest Liu's character. He knew that three slaps wouldn't yield a fart, so it would probably be the end of the world if he hoped to get everything out of him. Instead of wasting time on him, he might as well head to the village and listen to the mouths of the villagers. That way, he would be able to understand most of the situation.
Therefore, Fangzheng informed his disciples and followed Honest Liu down the mountain with Red Boy.
Honest Liu's village was called Five Rivers Village. It was more than twenty kilometers away from One Finger Village. After reaching the foot of the mountain, the duo hitchhiked for half an hour before arriving.
Five Rivers Village was situated at the intersection of five small rivers. The local villagers once joked that their village was the northeastern Jiangnan's water village. However, it was only a joke. After all, compared to Jiangnan, the houses in the northeast lacked the gentleness of Jiangnan and had more of the roughness of the northeast.
However, the Five Rivers River was the best place to view the rime ice. From afar, one could see that the five rivers were filled with willow trees! The water vapor that rose from the river hung on the willow trees and instantly dyed the willow trees white, making them look fluffy and shiny! The Five Rivers Village was hidden under these willow trees. One could see the white roofs and red walls reflected in the water. It was truly a beautiful sight.
Fangzheng looked from afar and could not help but marvel, "As expected of a water village in the northeast. It's so beautiful."
Honest Liu scratched his head and said, "It's nice, but it's a pity that it can't be exchanged for money. It's useless."
Fangzheng smiled helplessly at Honest Liu's thoughts.
When Red Boy saw Honest Liu striding ahead, he whispered to Fangzheng, "Master, this fellow is also obsessed with money."
Fangzheng ruffled his head and whispered, "There are conditions for appreciating beauty. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, one will get sick of it after seeing it too much. Moreover, in a situation where survival was not guaranteed, many people were not in the mood to live. Matter was not absolute, but matter could influence the direction of thought. Only when people don't have to worry about survival will they seek out the direction of their dreams. "
Red Boy didn't fully understand as he whispered, "Master, is this the reason why you are greedy for money?"
Fangzheng didn't say a word as he swept his gaze around and saw that no one was looking at him. Therefore, Fangzheng raised his hand and smacked the back of Red Boy's head! He thought, "Darn kid, why are you speaking the truth?"
That's right. The reason why Fangzheng liked money was that he was afraid of being poor when he was young. He no longer wished to live a life where he would occasionally not be able to eat, or where the people closest to him would starve themselves in order to feed him. Fangzheng cherished the beautiful memories from his times of hardship, but he knew very well what kind of life he yearned for.
Perhaps some people would say that Fangzheng was materialistic in this aspect, a lowly one. However, Fangzheng wanted to say, "The person who said that definitely doesn't lack money! At the very least, he hasn't starved to death! "
Shaking his head to dispel the thoughts in his mind, he quickly followed Honest Liu's footsteps into Five Rivers Village.
As a village with the most rivers, Five Rivers Village naturally had the most bridges. However, Fangzheng realized that although there were many bridges in Five Rivers Village, there weren't many that could be considered bridges in the truest sense of the word. Most of them were simple suspension bridges made of wooden planks and chains. Such bridges were passable for people, but there was no way a car could cross them. There were also bridges made of simple welded steel. The bridge was very narrow, and only humans could pass through, not cars.
Red Boy looked at such bridges and mumbled. "Master, don't the people in this village drive cars?"
When Honest Liu heard that, he turned his head and said, "If they can't even afford to fix bridges, who can afford cars?"
"Then what do you do when you are farming?" asked Red Boy.
Honest Liu said, "We have oxen, so we can wade across the river. There are relatively shallow areas in the river. As long as there isn't a storm or a flood, we can basically cross it. "
Red Boy lowered his head to look at the river below. Due to the cold weather, the surface of the river had basically been frozen. He could even see some children playing on the ice. Red Boy asked, "Aren't these children afraid of falling into the river?"
Honest Liu said disapprovingly, "The ice is as thick as a person. Cars can even run on the ice, so what can a few children do? However, they can't go to places that aren't frozen. The ice there can crack at any time. "
Red Boy looked at the children who were pulling the ice out and sliding their sledges. His eyes were filled with interest.
"Do you want to play?" asked Fangzheng.
Red Boy immediately looked up as though he was already thousands of years old. How could he possibly play such low-grade games? "It's boring!"
Fangzheng smiled and didn't expose the little guy's thoughts. He followed Honest Liu into the village.
As the weather was too cold, the northeasterners who loved to stand and chat on the streets were nowhere to be seen. The windows of the houses with store signs were slightly open, and thick smoke billowed out. Clearly, the chatterers had turned into smoking gods and were hiding inside to smoke.
Fangzheng wasn't in a rush to go to Honest Liu's place. Instead, he patted Honest Liu, indicating that he planned on visiting the store.
Honest Liu was rather dull as he scratched his head. "Oh, alright. I'll head back first. I haven't fed the chickens and ducks at home. Master, if you are done, come to my place. My father-in-law is still at my place. "
Fangzheng pressed his palms together and nodded, indicating his agreement.
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