Eighth Brother Zhong was the eighth son in his family. He was less than thirty years old and lived in Shangyuan Village.
Shangyuan Village was located southeast of Lantian County. There were about a hundred households in the village and it was considered a large village with a radius of a hundred miles. Lantian County was located east of Chang 'an.
Although the distance from Shangyuan Village to Chang 'an was not far, in fact, the people in the village had never traveled far unless they were conscripted into the army.
During the Tang Dynasty, following the Sui Dynasty's rules, the government troops system was implemented. The so-called government troops system meant that the people would farm the land during normal times. When they were not farming, they would train. During wartime, they would be dispatched by the imperial court to fight in the army.
The advantage of this was that everyone was a soldier.
Apart from the regular army of the imperial court, the rest of the people could be soldiers. It could be said that everyone was a soldier. Shangyuan Village was relatively large. Because of this, many people in the village were conscripted when there was a war, so many people in the village were injured.
Eighth Brother Zhong was once conscripted to fight in the war. The war he participated in was the Battle of Qianshui Plain with Li Shimin. In that battle, Li Shimin defeated Xue RenGao, but Eighth Brother Zhong was injured. His right hand was broken on the battlefield and he could not fight again.
After returning home, Eighth Brother Zhong's right hand seemed to have recovered after a few years of recuperation, but in fact, it could not withstand gravity. Even if his right hand looked normal, he could not participate in the slightly heavy farm work.
In Eighth Brother Zhong's case, he was no different from a cripple.
Especially for people of Eighth Brother Zhong's age, he had elders and children to take care of. His seven brothers and sisters were not in good condition either. The eldest and the fifth died when they were young. The second and third brothers were the elder brothers, and the fourth, sixth, and seventh sisters were the elder sisters. The three sisters married outside. Although the two elder brothers stayed in Shangyuan Village, which was not far from Eighth Brother Zhong's home, the second and third brothers were also conscripted into the army and fought in the war.
The second brother came back with a limp, and the third brother was stabbed in the body on the battlefield. Although Old Third was lucky enough to keep his life, he was still sickly all day long. Most of the time, he would be lying in bed. Half of the 365 days in a year, he would be taking medicine.
Although the three brothers of the Zhong family were injured, in fact, they were in relatively good condition. At least they came back.
At least he was still alive.
Eighth Brother Zhong was a diligent and down-to-earth person. He was not willing to just eat and wait for death. Therefore, he found a bamboo weaver master and learned some of his skills. Every day, he would weave some bamboo mats, baskets, baskets, and so on. He would sell them and earn a little money to survive.
Even so, he spent most of his time at home. The land at home was managed by his wife, Madam Ma.
If it wasn't for Madam Ma handling the household chores, Eighth Brother Zhong wouldn't have been able to handle it.
Now, Eighth Brother Zhong was weaving baskets. The bamboo strips were all handled with a bamboo knife and placed neatly in the courtyard. Bamboo could be seen everywhere in the courtyard, as well as some discarded bamboo strips.
"Not good!"
Just as Eighth Brother Zhong was concentrating on his work, suddenly, there was a loud shout from outside.
Accompanied by a loud shout, a young man rushed in.
The young man was from Shangyuan Village. His name was Wang Fu.
She was about sixteen or seventeen years old.
Wang Fuyi rushed in and shouted, "Eighth Uncle, it's not good. Auntie fell down."
"Boom!!"
It was as if Eighth Brother Zhong's mind was struck by lightning, leaving him dumbfounded. At this moment, he seemed to have lost consciousness and was in a daze. After a long time, he regained his consciousness.
Eighth Brother Zhong stood up, but his legs were sore and his body was a little shaky. Trembling, he asked, "Wang Fu, what happened?"
Wang Fu said, "Eighth Uncle, Auntie went to the mountain to pick herbs and fell down the mountain. She will be carried back soon. We don't know the specific situation yet. I ran in front and came back to inform you so you can be prepared. "
Eighth Brother Zhong was stunned.
He really didn't know what to do about this matter.
At this time, Eighth Brother Zhong's son and daughter also came back. Eighth Brother Zhong's son was only ten years old and his daughter was only twelve years old. They were still young and couldn't support the family business. The two also got the news and hurried back to Eighth Brother Zhong's side. They panicked and asked how their mother was.
Eighth Brother Zhong didn't know the specific situation, so he could only tell them to shut up and wait. After a while, Madam Ma was carried back. Eighth Brother Zhong immediately went up to her and asked, "How is it? How is it?"
Madam Ma's weathered and rough face looked painful. She said, "Husband, I'm useless. I fell down the mountain and hurt my waist. I can't do anything in a short time. I'm useless, I'm useless! "
Madam Ma burst into tears when she said this.
Eighth Brother Zhong couldn't do the heavy work. It was Madam Ma who did the heavy work. But now, Madam Ma fell down, and the family's affairs were all messed up.
Eighth Brother Zhong comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. She can be cured."
Eighth Brother Zhong thanked the villagers who carried Madam Ma back and then thanked Wang Fu. Then, he asked Wang Fu to help find a doctor to treat Madam Ma's illness.
The courtyard was empty.
Only Eighth Brother Zhong's family was left. Whether it was Eighth Brother Zhong's son or daughter, they were all crying. Eighth Brother Zhong scolded, "What are you crying for? Your mother just fell down her waist. It's not a big deal. She will recover."
He comforted his son and daughter and let his daughter take his son to play. After his children went out to play, Eighth Brother Zhong looked at Madam Ma who was lying on the ground and couldn't move. He comforted her again, "When the doctor comes, he will treat her well. Don't worry, it's not a big deal."
Madam Ma's eyes were filled with tears. She said, "Husband, I'm useless. Besides, it's not a big deal. There's no need to find a doctor. I'll be fine after a few days of rest. "
From the bottom of her heart, she didn't want to be treated.
The family didn't have much money at all. If they used it all for treatment, the family, which had slightly improved, would lose everything. Therefore, Madam Ma didn't want to be treated.
Eighth Brother Zhong said, "No, you must be treated."
Madam Ma sighed and continued, "But the family's money is to find a marriage for Second Brother and settle the marriage in advance. Now that I'm sick, I need a lot of money. There will be changes in Second Brother's marriage. "
Eighth Brother Zhong said, "We can't care so much. At most, we'll wait for a year or two."
For Eighth Brother Zhong, Madam Ma was the most important.
After Madam Ma heard it, she was sad for a while. Tears flowed out of her eyes and kept falling down from her cheeks. Her heart was in extreme pain. Because this time, she had caused a great burden to the family.
"Is Eighth Brother Zhong at home?"
At this moment, outside the fence, there was a deep voice.
Eighth Brother Zhong said, "Yes!"
Immediately after, someone came in. It was the village chief. In the Tang dynasty, four families were a neighbor, five neighbors were a protector, and five protectors were a village. The village chief's name was Yang Yi. When he saw Madam Ma's appearance, he asked a few questions with concern.
After Eighth Brother Zhong answered one by one, he asked, "What can I do for you, Village Chief Yang?"
Yang Yi laughed and said, "Eighth Brother, this is a good thing. The imperial court has sent a decree to let you go to Yongxing Square in Chang 'an City quickly. At the latest, you have to arrive tomorrow and gather outside the world's first teahouse in Yongxing Square. "
This was the arrangement of Du Qi.
He asked the government to come forward and let the local village chief send a letter to gather the retired soldiers in the counties near Chang 'an.
"Yes!"
Eighth Brother Zhong immediately responded.
He piled up a smile on his face and said, "Village Chief Yang said it is a good thing. What is it?"
Yang Yi shook his head and replied, "I don't know what it is. But looking at the messenger, it must be a good thing. Alright, I don't have much time. I have to inform the others. Hurry up. After all, there is a distance from Lantian to Chang 'an. "
After Yang Yi finished speaking, he turned and left.
Eighth Brother Zhong got up and sent Yang Yi away. He returned to Madam Ma's side and said, "I don't know what it is. Alas, you are not well now. How can I leave?"
Madam Ma's eyes were firm. She gritted her teeth and said, "Go, you must go. Husband, you call the eldest and second son back and let them look after me. You go to Chang 'an first and see what is going on. "
"Good!"
Eighth Brother Zhong was also a simple and honest person.
After listening to Madam Ma's words, he quickly called the two children back and told the two children to take care of Madam Ma. He simply packed his luggage, took two pancakes, and left in a hurry for Chang 'an.
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