When the pears are green

Chapter 141 Countermeasures

Song Li, who was awakened by the heat, looked at the layout of the house in surprise. She clearly remembered that she slept in the yard last night, and she also didn't remember changing her sleeping place last night. How could she wake up in the house?

Although the sun had just risen from the horizon, the fierce heat wave had already penetrated the open window and occupied the entire room.

Sweat rolled down Song Li's forehead. She quickly picked up the towel on the bedside to wipe it, only to find that her clothes had also been changed.

The sound of splashing water was heard in the yard. Song Li put on her shoes and walked to the door of the main room. She saw the "culprit" Jiang Qingzhou holding a ladle and scooping clean water from a wooden barrel and splashing it on the ground. A thin layer of white smoke immediately rose from the ground.

Jiang Qingzhou poured out the bucket of water and found Song Li standing at the door. He quickly threw the scoop in his hand into the wooden barrel, walked quickly to Song Li and asked with concern: "When did Xiaoli wake up?"

"I just woke up too. It's hotter today than yesterday!" Song Li continued to look at Jiang Qingzhou after saying that. She was thinking that they were almost the same height last year, but this year she was only up to Jiang Qingzhou's shoulders.

Jiang Qingzhou looked down at the loose clothes Song Li was wearing, and quickly turned his eyes away. Then he stammered and told Song Li about what happened last night: "There was no wind last night, and there were many mosquitoes in the yard. I saw that you were sleeping unsteadily, so I carried you into the house. Also, I saw that your clothes were soaked, so I boiled some hot water, wiped them for you, and changed your clothes by the way."

Seeing Jiang Qingzhou looking shy, Song Li smiled and hugged Jiang Qingzhou and said, "You and I are husband and wife, why are you shy?"

Jiang Qingzhou looked down at Song Li, whose eyes were full of smiles. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and said in defense, "I'm not shy. It's the sun that's shining on me."

Song Li bit her lips to prevent herself from laughing out loud, but her eyes still betrayed her.

Jiang Qingzhou looked at Song Li, whose smile deepened. He wanted to teach Song Li a lesson, but was afraid that Chen Yuan would suddenly come to the house, so he asked Song Li to continue watering the yard, while he went to the kitchen, where the heat waves and mosquitoes were reveling, to cook.

Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou had just finished their meal when Chen Yuan knocked on the Jiang family's gate.

Jiang Qingzhou heard the knock on the door. He carefully tidied Song Li's clothes before opening the door.

Song Li quickly picked a watermelon from the melon vine to treat Chen Yuan. When she brought the cut watermelon to the shade, Jiang Qingzhou had already told Chen Yuan what happened yesterday.

"Detective Chen, what do you think?" Song Li put a piece of watermelon in front of Chen Yuan, and then handed another piece to Jiang Qingzhou.

Chen Yuan smiled bitterly, and then told Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou: "This result is also within my expectations. After all, in Ruyi's mother's eyes, I am just a poor boy with unknown origins and no land. Although I am a constable, everyone knows that no decent person would do this. When the news that my brother-in-law had found a job as a constable for me spread to Yingzhou, my father was ready to come to Linhe County to fight with my brother-in-law. Fortunately, no one in my family has participated in the imperial examinations in the past few years, otherwise I would really be expelled from the family by our ancestors."

"Detective Chen, don't underestimate yourself. Ruyi's marriage is not something my aunt can decide alone. My uncle must also agree before the final decision on where Ruyi can marry can be made. My uncle and cousin have gone to the county town to work, and they won't be back until the autumn harvest, so there's no need to worry too much." Jiang Qingzhou comforted Chen Yuan, who was a little disappointed. He took a piece of watermelon from the ceramic basin and handed it to Chen Yuan.

"Besides, it's better to wait until after autumn instead of buying the land. After autumn, you need to pay the head tax, and more people will sell land at that time." Song Li continued Jiang Qingzhou's words. Although she didn't want to see the scene of land selling, this was an indisputable fact.

Chen Yuan nodded. He felt that what Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li said made sense. After eating the watermelon, he pondered for a while, and then continued, "I would like to ask Brother Jiang and Madam Jiang to help find out which families Ruyi's mother likes. The official matchmaker in the government office is a relative of Li Sheng. I want to find out which families they are, and then ask Li Sheng to find the official matchmaker to propose marriage for them. Although the girls in the official matchmaker's hands are not as good, their gifts will be lower, and there will always be girls who will be tempted. We can't put all the pressure on Ruyi. Madam Jiang, when you see Ruyi, please tell her my thoughts just now, so that she won't be anxious."

Song Li nodded in agreement.

"But, Constable Chen, if things are not as we think, and those families don't like the girls mentioned by the official media, what should we do?" Jiang Qingzhou felt that he should not be too optimistic about things. It is better to have a foolproof plan than to be caught off guard when the time comes.

"That's okay. I can use it to buy time first. After the autumn harvest, I can buy three to five acres of land, which won't be much worse than those families." Chen Yuan was still very optimistic. He believed that sincerity can move mountains and open up new horizons.

After Chen Yuan finished speaking, he took out a few thin threads from his bag and handed them to Song Li. He told Song Li that these were strings made of cow tendons and could be used as bowstrings for slingshots.

Song Li accepted it happily, and she asked Chen Yuan if she could use fish intestines to make bowstrings?

"Madam Jiang, fish intestines are usually used to make glue. I have never heard that it can be used to make bowstrings." Chen Yuan smiled and told Song Li what he knew.

Chen Yuan spoke to Jiang Qingzhou for a few more words. Seeing that the sun had risen higher, he said goodbye.

Song Li picked another watermelon for Chen Yuan to take home to eat. Although Chen Yuan had something to ask of her and Jiang Qingzhou, she couldn't get Chen Yuan's beef tendon for free.

After Chen Yuan left, Song Li happily picked up the tendon on the table and looked at it again and again. She returned to the main room and took out the Y-shaped branch that Jiang Qingzhou had polished, then tied the tendon to it, and then sewed a piece of cloth through the tendon to the middle of the bowstring to hold the projectile, and a slingshot was completed.

Song Li skipped into the yard and handed the slingshot she made to Jiang Qingzhou: "Qingzhou, try it."

Jiang Qingzhou took the slingshot and went to pick up a lump of mud next to the vegetable garden. He fixed the lump of mud on the cloth bag, then pulled the bowstring with his right hand, squinted his right eye and looked at the sycamore tree behind the kitchen. With a "whoosh", the sound of cicadas in the entire tree paused for a moment.

"Indeed it can. It's easier to carry than the one made by Constable Chen." Jiang Qingzhou handed the slingshot to Song Li with a smile.

Song Li also tried it and found it to be more convenient than the traditional bow, but its power was also much smaller.

Chen Yuan walked slowly on the way back to Heihe Town. Although he spoke to Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou as if he was relaxed, he was actually very nervous in his heart. He was afraid that Ruyi's family would eventually marry Ruyi to someone else.

Although he was walking under the hot sun in the dog days of summer, Chen Yuan felt as cold as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Chen Yuan went back to the government office to deal with it for a while, and then returned to his own courtyard. He lay on the bed thinking about himself and Ruyi. He knew that if he proposed to elope with Ruyi, Ruyi would agree. But he also knew that there was a rule since ancient times: marrying a wife and eloping a concubine. Even if they went far away, Ruyi would live with guilt towards the Jiang family and the Zhang family. Would such a marriage last?

Chen Yuan sighed, he lay down under the bed, took out two bricks, and took out a black wooden box, which contained all his savings.