Zhang’s Courtyard, in the side room.
Zhang Qinggu was sitting at a wooden table, on the table was a piece of coarse paper filled with small characters. He wrote the inscription, then carefully tucked the paper into a yellow envelope, and finally wrote the last line on the envelope:
[Yanling County, Adviser Chen Mansion, Attendant Room, Zhang Yuchuan to receive]
After writing the recipient’s name, Zhang Qinggu took a deep breath, recalling the entire process of answering Xia Hong’s questions in the main house. On his aged face, a blush resurfaced, and his pupils were filled with excitement.
This year, he was already sixty-seven years old.
According to normal Cold Resistance Level life expectancy, there were still about thirty years to live.
But that’s under normal circumstances. He, a slave since childhood, has lived in Qingwu Village, endlessly collecting, mining, hunting, and farming over the years, without receiving adequate resource supply, his body had long been overburdened.
According to his estimate, he probably has only seven or eight years left to live.
"Twenty-eight years ago, I risked my old life to serve as Cold Beast bait for the Subordinate Bureau, relying on the reward to break through the Cold Resistance Level, not only successfully extending life but also shedding lowly status, entering slave status, thus was able to build a solitary courtyard in the village, marry and give birth to two sons;
After decades of diligent work, the eldest son Shan Hong and the younger son Mountain River grew up, married, and had children, giving our Old Zhang Family three grandsons and granddaughters;
Sadly, the good times didn’t last long. Thirteen years ago, the two sons heard of my deeds, and to gain a civilian status for the children and grandchildren, they risked their lives to the rice fields to harvest for the Subordinate Bureau, resulting in all four spouses dying simultaneously, leaving me and three grandchildren.
Now all three young grandchildren have grown up, who would have thought, who would have thought heaven would be so favorable, giving our Old Zhang Family another chance to change fate!"
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Zhang Qinggu said in a low voice after these words, he turned his head towards the main house and continued: "As long as the adults fancy Zhu’er and Hong’er, and are willing to buy their slave status and keep them by their side, the two granddaughters will have a future path.
Yuchuan has better aptitude than they do, staying in the County City as a servant in a prestigious household, it appears glamorous but is ultimately a masterless slave, with no future prospects. It’s better to e back to meet this adult, if all three siblings could be favored, then no need to spend a lifetime like the old man, lingering in this Slave Village with no chance of turning over."
Zhang Qinggu was unwilling to be ordinary when he was young, otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked his life to be Cold Beast bait. It could be said his entire life he worked hard to turn his fate, both for himself and his family, influencing his two sons as well.
Unfortunately, the two sons did not have the same luck as he did, ending up with a double tragedy.
But even so, Zhang Qinggu never gave up the idea of changing fate, from a year ago, he spared no expense of over 5000 silver to clear all connections, painstakingly sending the eldest grandson to the County City Adviser Mansion as a servant, which can be seen.
The people of Slave Village, supposedly should not own private property, but there are policies above and countermeasures below, secondly, Subordinate Bureau probably harbors some thoughts of giving the people of Slave Village a little hope, usually turning a blind eye, so most people, as long as diligent and steady, can save some money.
But the amount, naturally, cannot be too much.
More than 5000 silver, which Zhang Qinggu had saved his whole life, painstakingly accumulating bit by bit.
You should know, his Late-stage Cold Resistance cultivation, six-mane strength, the cost to shed slave status is only 3000 silver; the two granddaughters only have Earth-digging Realm cultivation, the cost to shed status is lower, only need 500 silver.
It’s said with this silver, he could have directly shed his slave status, and because his strength already has 5 manes, meeting the standard to enter civilian, only needing to pay a very low fee, could shed slave status, being a mon person of Chen Cang.
The problem is, he’s so old, what use is entering civilian?
A year ago, his three grandchildren were already fifteen, losing the eligibility to enter status with their father and grandfather, in fact, even with the qualification, he wouldn’t choose to do so.
Once entering civilian, everything originally owned by Slave Village would be reclaimed by the Subordinate Bureau, including this courtyard he spent half a lifetime building, additionally unable to live in Slave Village, must find his path elsewhere.
He, a sixty or seventy-year-old old man, taking three grandchildren with Earth-digging Realm cultivation, where could he find a way out?
Going to the County City is one way, but the mountains are high and roads are distant, whether they can reach it is another matter, like them grandfather and grandchildren, with no foundation and no strength, even if they reach County City, they can’t possibly live any decent life.
The tax standard for civilian status is 50 silver per month, once payment is missed for three consecutive months, the Registration Book will be immediately reclaimed, falling back to lowly status, then can only engage in lowly occupations.
silver, which took Zhang Qinggu a lifetime to accumulate, 50 silver monthly tax for him is harder than ascending to heaven, not to mention adding three grandchildren, that’s 200 silver, which is impossible.
Now nearly seventy, naturally he has no ambition like when he was young, no longer holds hope for his future, but three grandchildren are different, the eldest grandson Yuchuan is only nineteen, the two granddaughters even younger, they are still young, have a broad future.
So after much deliberation, Zhang Qinggu finally gave up shedding status, decided to use this over 5000 silver for a good path for his eldest grandson.
Naturally, sending him to County City Adviser Mansion as a servant.
User Comments
0 comments from readers