The house is not spacious, but it's still new. As you enter, there are two rooms, and Lin Jinrong and others are sitting in the outer room. Against the wall stands a bookcase with a few old books scattered on it. Next to the bookcase are several large trunks and cabinets that have been locked up, with yellowed auspicious words still stuck on them. There is also a long table with a flower vase, incense burner, and other items on it, as well as several six-sided glossy stools. Although everything is tidy and in its place, the workmanship of the wood can be seen to be only average.

  Before long, Ma brought in a brass kettle and said: "I'm really sorry, there's no good tea, sister just warm up your stomach." She poured Lin Zhen Rong a cup of hot tea and handed her a plate of melon seeds. After saying two sentences, someone knocked lightly on the window twice. Ma quickly got up and rushed out: "Maybe something happened, Fourth Sister sit slowly. If you can't bear it, go lie down on the bed, there are newly washed quilts, clean ones."

  "Big sister, you're busy, don't bother with me." Lin Jinrong poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Lizi: "It's the middle of the night, let you come out with me to blow cold wind, also drink a cup to warm your stomach. Bring over a stool to sit."

  "The young lady said where are you from, you and your wife aren't afraid, am I still afraid?" Lychee thanked her and held the teacup, sitting sideways by the charcoal basin, saying in a low voice: "This house is so quiet."

  It seems that she is not the only one who feels strange, Lin Jinyong gently stroked Liuzhi's hand. The two of them stared blankly at the copper charcoal basin for a long time, when suddenly they heard a loud wailing sound from outside. Then Chunmeng walked in with a pale face and said: "It's all over, Madam told Miss to stay here and not go out, don't rush out."

  It's indeed a case of one foot in the Ghost Gate, and if you can't pull it back, you'll die. Lin Jian was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh: "Where is the child?"

  "Chun Ya said in a low voice: 'It's a girl, I heard she's quite weak.' It turned out that when Master Shui came earlier, Chang Dà Niáng had already fainted. After administering acupuncture and using the ginseng brought by Tao Shi, they were only able to deliver the child."

  Lin Jinrong couldn't help but think that in a family like this, with Chang Dajie being a stepmother, unless the elder sister and brother were kind-hearted, the girl's life would be difficult. But looking at how carefree Ma Shi and Lin Jia's young masters seemed earlier, it was likely to be tough for her.

  Not long after, Tao's family was supported by Gong Mama and Tie Huaijia to walk in, looking very miserable, pale lips, shaking hands, it can be seen that the scene just now made her very stimulated.

  Lin Jinrong quickly got up to support Tao Shi and sat her down in his own seat, poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over. He didn't know what to say, thinking for a while, and could only say: "Mother, we're also causing trouble for others by staying here. Why don't we go back first, prepare some things, and come over again when they've set up? We can ask if they need any help and pay the bill together."

  Tao also didn't want to stay here any longer, so he agreed. Several people walked out of the room, Lin Chang hurried over to see them off, with tears streaming down his face, and said many words of gratitude. Tao couldn't help but stop him for a moment to comfort him: "Do your best as a human being, know that fate is in heaven's hands, control your grief and be content, this is the right principle..."

  Suddenly, a loud shout was heard from inside, with men and women yelling, accompanied by the barking of dogs, creating a chaotic din. A young man wearing white clothes rushed out from the inner courtyard, ran towards Mrs. Tao, and knelt down with a "thud". In a hoarse voice, he loudly exclaimed: "Third Mistress, Third Mistress, you are so kind and compassionate, please save my poor sister! I'll be your servant, your slave!"

  Lin Jinyong saw clearly that the white clothes on the young man's body were just his outer garment turned inside out to serve as mourning attire, and in his arms he still tightly held a small infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. Behind him, Ma Shi and the Lin family's elders, as well as a young man of about twenty years old who resembled Lin Jinyong and was likely the second son of the Lin family, rushed out and stopped upon seeing this scene, their expressions somewhat uncomfortable.

  Ma's face turned iron-green as he sternly said: "Third Brother, don't spout nonsense and scare Third Aunt!"

  Lin Chang glared at the Tao family, gritted his teeth and kicked the young man in the chest, shouting: "You little beast! Get out of here! Be careful not to scare your sister!"

  "He's still holding the child!" Lin Jirong couldn't understand what was going on, but he subconsciously exclaimed. However, he saw that although the young man had been kicked by Lin Chang and his body was tilted to one side, he still stubbornly held up the infant high, his eyes wide open and staring fixedly at Tao Shi, the baby in the swaddling clothes making a faint cry like a kitten.

  Lin Changbiao's face turned stern as he dragged the young man away: "Get in!"

  That young man's face was as white as snow, and he struggled while hoarsely shouting: "Third Madam, Third Madam, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, my mother's bones are not yet cold..." The rest of his words were covered by Lin Chang's hand, and Ma Shi took the opportunity to rush forward and snatch the baby away, running quickly inside.

  What's going on here? Tao furrowed his brow: "What's the matter?" Lin Chang gestured to his two sons behind him to drag the young man in, while smiling and saying: "Let Third Brother and Sister see the joke. This child can't bear that his mother is gone, he's not in his right mind, a bit crazy. I heard his sister is weak, thinking we don't care... Don't mind it, don't mind it."

  Lin Dashi sneered and said, "Of course, this is a close relative, who would ignore it?"

  That young man struggled desperately, his face covered with a handkerchief, twisted in the lamplight, snowflakes fell on his head and face, quickly melting into water, flowing down his cheeks, but he didn't feel any chill at all, just struggling desperately, a pair of eyes like those of an extremely sad old lady stared at Tao Shi and Lin Jianrong, with a gaze that was sorrowful and desperate to the extreme.

  Lin Jinrong was no longer the ignorant woman she used to be. In her previous life, she had also heard people say that there were cruel parents who would not raise their children, and when they encountered a disaster or a difficult year, they would often drown their children in a water basin. There were even some families who were relatively wealthy but because of the practice of marrying for wealth, the dowry was usually twice as much as the betrothal gifts given by the groom's family. The parents and older brothers did not want to divide up the family property, so they too were cruel. Among them, there were both sons and daughters, but it was mostly daughters who were drowned and abandoned.

  Now Lin Changjia is obviously very much in line with this condition, with a thin fortune, an elderly father who has remarried, two older sons born to his original wife, one of whom has just had a son, and another who is already old and has not yet spoken of marriage. After the death of his second wife, he left behind a young son and a newborn daughter... Originally, there were already rumors of weakness, and after the incident, it was only natural that they would wither away. This young man clearly knew something, which is why he took advantage of this opportunity to flee and seek help. If they didn't care, then the newborn baby would be doomed to die.

  She would have been fine if she hadn't met him, but since they did meet, how could he pretend not to know? Lin Jianrong stepped forward and said loudly: "Uncle, is this my third brother? He was young when he encountered a great change, it's inevitable that his mind is unclear. Fortunately, Mr. Shui is still here, please ask Mr. Shui to take his pulse and write a prescription?" Before the words were finished, the boy's eyes lit up.

  Lin Changyi was taken aback, and immediately ordered the gate to be opened: "No need, thank you for your kindness, Fourth Young Lady. Today has already troubled you too much, I dare not delay you any further. If Third Brother and Sister are implicated because of this, I will be the sinner. I'll send you back first."

  His family situation is complicated, although Tao knows that an empty hole doesn't attract wind, but as an outsider woman, it's really not good to say much more, and even less good to intervene in such things - involving the dispute between former and current wives, the dispute over family property, that's endless trouble. Although she felt a pang of sympathy, she also pulled Lin Jianrong's hand, nodded towards Lin Chang: "No need, you're busy, we'll leave first. There are things to say, that child is really pitiful."

  Lin Chang hung his head and casually responded with a "yes".

  Lin Jinyong was dragged out by the Tao family, watching as the light in that young man's eyes slowly dimmed, yet still refusing to give up struggling, kicking and punching wildly under the restraint of two adult brothers, like a desperate, pitifully cornered beast.

  Two doors reflecting the snow light, still brand new, slowly closed, isolating the desperately struggling boy inside. Large flakes of snow fell from the sky, covering everything, and cold winds howled in the nearby mountains, rolling up wave after wave of snowy fog.

  There's a kind of taste in this world called despair, real and tangible despair. You can see hope, it's even right next to you, you feel its existence, but no matter how hard you try, you just can't grasp it, and can only watch as it slips away from your fingers... This kind of taste is enough to last a lifetime. Lin Jiran thought back to when she heard that distant relative of the Lu family tell her that Lu Xian had already escaped with his parents, and then thought about herself struggling desperately in the river water, and her eyes became slightly moist.

  She pulled Tao's arm tightly and begged: "Mother, we've come all the way here, let's do a good deed to the end. Let's figure out what's going on? I feel like something is off. This uncle said he was told not to hurt that child, but he still kicked him, without any concern or measure... Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Even if it's just a misunderstanding, we should clarify things before it's too late, so we can sleep at night and avoid regret later. He and this child have no mother to protect them, it's really pitiful. If his family truly treats this child well, they won't blame us for being nosy. But if they have evil intentions, then we'll be doing a good deed by intervening. I'm begging you..."

  It's unclear whether it was Lin Jianrong's last sentence "No mother to protect her, how pitiful" that moved Mrs. Tao, but after hesitating for a long time, furrowing and then relaxing her brow, she whispered to Gong Mama: "Since we've run into this, we can't just pretend not to have heard. Why don't we go ask? If it's really not possible, I'll hire a wet nurse for the girl myself. It won't cost much."

  Mrs. Gong's expression was very difficult: "Good wife, this is a good deed, but it's also endless trouble, who knows what will happen in the future..." She didn't finish speaking, but she meant that doing good deeds should be done within one's capabilities.

  A little explanation, the word for money

  Please don't question it, this custom of not raising children has a basis in fact.

  This situation was very popular in the Song Dynasty, and Fujian was the most serious. Jiangnan East Road, Liangzhe Road and other relatively rich areas also had this situation, which was a very serious social problem.

  The "child" in the phrase "not raising a child" does not only refer to boys, but also includes girls. However, drowning female infants is more severe than male infants, mainly due to reasons such as poor harvests, poverty, and difficult living conditions. Another reason is that when elderly people have children, they face the problem of dividing property, and parents and older brothers are unwilling to have many children to divide the family's assets thinly. As for drowning female infants, it is not only because of the traditional idea of preferring boys over girls but also because of the practice of marrying off daughters with a large dowry, which leads people to be unwilling to raise daughters in order to avoid dividing up the family's property.

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