When Ma Fulai was 12 years old, his parents passed away one after another, leaving him and his 8-year-old sister Ma Lanxiang to live together. In order to support his sister, Ma Fulai helped a wealthy farmer in the village herd cattle during the day, knitted straw shoes at home at night, and took his sister to sell them on the street when he had free time.
Although life was extremely difficult, Ma Fulai still brought up his sister, and in a blink of an eye they were all at the age when they should start a family. This year, Ma Fulai was 21 years old and Ma Lanxiang was 17 years old.
But because the family is too poor, Ma Fulai has never married a daughter-in-law, but his sister Ma Lanxiang is different, the matchmakers in several nearby villages almost didn't step on the threshold of their family, and everyone in ten miles and eight towns knows that Ma Lanxiang is a big beauty.
Although Ma Fulai is not capable of marrying a daughter-in-law, he sees that there are many people who have taken a fancy to his sister, and he is very happy for his sister. But the sensible Lan Xiang was not happy, she knew that if it wasn't for her brother's hard work to bring her up, she might have starved to death, and when she thought of this, she had no interest in marrying at all.
In fact, speaking of Lan Xiang, it's not that she looks down on anyone, there is a young man named Liu Erbao in the next village, who can be Lan Xiang's mind, that Liu Erbao's family conditions are very similar to her family, his parents died early, and only an elderly grandmother pulled him up.
Generally speaking, children born in such a family naturally do not have the opportunity to study, but Liu Erbao's grandmother is very knowledgeable, she knows what it means to read, so she has to send her grandson to study if she is frugal, Liu Erbao finally lived up to expectations, and was admitted to Xiucai as a teenager.
In order to support his family and continue the exam, Liu Erbao went to the street to set up a stall to help people write inscriptions and paint, and he met Ma Lanxiang after coming and going. Although Ma Lanxiang did not go to school, but the mind is ingenious, so the embroidery skills are first-class, on weekdays, in addition to the straw sandals that her brother made at night to sell, she will embroider some handkerchiefs or something to sell in the market.
Liu Erbao is full of poems and books, Ma Lanxiang is beautiful and moving, and they all say that they will fall in love for a long time, and the two of them will get along like this.
But Ma Lanxiang didn't dare to tell her brother, firstly, she was worried that if she got married, how would her brother live alone in the family, and secondly, her brother would not be able to marry her daughter-in-law for a long time, which made her unable to rest assured.
But this time, because there were too many people who came to the door to propose marriage, Lan Xiang wanted to end this endless trouble, but when she thought of her brother, what she was about to say was swallowed back alive.
Ma Fulai was very happy, and asked his sister if she had a match, and she wanted to help her find a reliable family, and kept saying that her parents were gone, and she should take good care of her sister as an elder brother.
When Ma Lanxiang heard her brother say this, she couldn't help but drip a few tears from the corners of her eyes, and she was afraid that her brother would be too careful, so she hurriedly wiped them with her sleeve while her brother was not paying attention.
At night, Ma Lanxiang tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, she really wanted to help her brother marry a sister-in-law back, but there was no dowry these years, who would want to marry into her shabby family. Thinking of this, Ma Lanxiang got up and took out a package from under the pillow, which was wrapped in a handkerchief embroidered by herself, and it was full of some broken silver, and at a glance, she knew that it was saved by Lanxiang selling embroidery on weekdays.
I don't know if this money is enough for my brother to marry a daughter-in-law? Ma Lanxiang muttered to herself.
In any case, for the sake of my brother, I have to give it a try, yes, that's it, tomorrow I will go to Mrs. Liang to help my brother say goodbye. Ma Lanxiang said in a resolute tone.
The next day, Lan Xiang took advantage of her brother's work out, so she quietly took her bag of broken silver to find Liang Matchmaker, who knew that Liang Matchmaker only glanced at the package, and sneered: "I said Lan Xiang, you want to help your brother marry a daughter-in-law with such a little silver, wouldn't the daughters in the world be worthless, take it back, this money is not enough for me to run away." ”
Lan Xiang knew that the money was not much, but Mrs. Liang's words pierced her heart even more, she didn't understand why all women in the world were so snobbish, how good a person like her brother was worthy of entrusting her for life, and besides, people could be poor for a lifetime.
Lan Xiang didn't want to entangle with Mrs. Liang anymore, so she wanted to take the package and go home.
Who knew that Mrs. Liang suddenly blocked her way: "I said Lanxiang, I have been to you a few times, don't you take a fancy to the son of the king, not to mention that the father is rich and powerful, even his own subordinates also manage several shops, you are married to the main house, not a concubine, and this dowry can be less of you, when you take this money, you are still worried about not being able to marry a good daughter-in-law for your brother." ”
Lan Xiang didn't expect Mrs. Liang to suddenly mention the matter of proposing marriage again, she still didn't want to pay attention to it, so she wanted to bypass Mrs. Liang and walk over.
Mrs. Liang saw that Lanxiang was soft and hard and didn't eat, so she shouted at her: "I said Lanxiang, you are brought up by your brother, you can't be too selfish, think about your brother, you better think about the Wang family's family business, if you agree, remember to tell me, I don't want to give your brother the money to marry his daughter-in-law." ”
Lan Xiang walked all the way to the door of the house, she couldn't help leaning on the corner of the wall and sobbing, is she really as selfish as Mrs. Liang said, but she really doesn't like the son of the king, and besides, she already has someone in her heart Liu Erbao, how can she pretend to be someone else.
Wang Yuanwai has an only son, named Wang Jingui, who looks quite good, and the only drawback is that he is distracted, because his father is rich and powerful, so he can earn a few shops with a little cleverness without taking the test for fame. Once, he was wandering the street with a group of friends and accidentally saw Ma Lanxiang selling embroidery.
It is said that everything in this world is a thing, and the feelings are not different, Wang Jingui, who has always been flowery, has been deeply in love with Ma Lanxiang since he first saw her, and later inquired many times to know the details of Ma Lanxiang, so he spent a lot of money to invite the most famous local Liang matchmaker to come to the door to say goodbye. **Wan Fan Incentive Plan However, Liang Matchmaker, who has always been able to speak well, touched a nail in Lanxiang, and the girl from other people's families knew that she was favored by the son of a foreign family, and she was not happy to marry back to be the main room, but Lanxiang was never moved, but instead asked Liang Matchmaker to tell Wang Jingui that he had died of this heart.
Wang Jingui was originally beaming and waiting for the good news of Mrs. Liang, but who knew that he was rejected by Lan Xiang fiercely, so he was also angry, and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.
Wang Jingui is often accompanied by a group of fox friends and dog friends, among whom is a gangster named Wang San, who instigates Wang Jingui to rob if Ma Lanxiang does not agree.
Wang Jingui, who had always been a bully, did not take Wang San's suggestion this time, after all, his feelings for Lan Xiang were real, so he was afraid that Lan Xiang would not be willing to live a good life with him in the future. But for the sake of face, Wang Jingui still agreed to teach Ma Lanxiang a lesson.
So, they found Lanxiang selling embroidery on the street, not only ruined her embroidery, but also threatened her that if she didn't agree to this family business, then she Ma Lanxiang would not want to have good fruits to eat in the future.
After all, Wang Jingui is used to solving problems by force, thinking that this scare can make Ma Lanxiang obedient, but who knows that Lanxiang is more determined that people like Wang Jingui can't marry, so every time Liang Matchmaker comes to the door, she is eaten and closed.
After Ma Lanxiang left, Mrs. Liang's mind became active, and she hurriedly ran to Wang Jingui and told Ma Lanxiang about coming to her just now. Wang Jingui saw that this was a great opportunity, so he planned a game with Mrs. Liang, the purpose of which was to make Ma Lanxiang nod obediently.
Three days later, Mrs. Liang suddenly came to the door again, and Ma Lanxiang thought that she was here to talk to Wang Jingui again, so she didn't give a good face. Who knew that Mrs. Liang said that she came for her brother Ma Fulai's relatives.
Ma Lanxiang was very surprised, and said that this Liang matchmaker has two brushes, but she must have enough money, but that day she obviously looked down on her scattered silver, how could she take the initiative to help today.
Mrs. Liang saw that Lan Xiang was looking at her very cautiously, so she explained: "Let me tell you, if it weren't for the face of Young Master Wang Jingui, I wouldn't want to take care of your brother's matter, but he heard that you were worried about your brother's affairs, so he said that he had a suitable girl in his shop, and he didn't need a dowry just to find a reliable person to live with, I know you don't like Young Master Wang, but this matter has nothing to do with you after all, or you can tell your brother, if appropriate, we will arrange a time to meet." ”
Lan Xiang reacted at this time: "Thank you, Mother Liang, I still have to discuss this matter with my brother, and I will give you an answer." ”
Lan Xiang sent away Mrs. Liang, and sat in the courtyard alone in a daze, she couldn't understand why Wang Jingui was suddenly so kind, but when she thought that her brother could marry a daughter-in-law who didn't want a dowry, she was happy in her heart, and besides, she didn't have to marry Wang Jingui, at most, she owed him a favor, and she would have to pay it back when she had the opportunity in the future.
Lan Xiang was thinking in a daze, and suddenly, a big hand patted her on the shoulder, and Lan Xiang was so frightened that she quickly turned around and saw that it was her brother Ma Fulai.
Ma Fulai: "Sister, what are you thinking, I called you several times, but you didn't respond." ”
Lan Xiang realized that she had just lost her mind, but when she thought that her brother would be able to marry a daughter-in-law soon, she pulled her brother and sat down together: "Brother, I told you that you will be able to marry a daughter-in-law soon." ”
So, Lan Xiang told her brother Ma Fulai what happened.
When Ma Fulai heard it, he shouted that it was not good: "Sister, you are so stupid, they have designed a trap and are waiting for you to drill into it, have you forgotten Li Xiaolian on the street next door to us last year." ”
Lan Xiang couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, then Li Xiaolian still grew up with herself, but because her father was going to marry a concubine at an old age, she wanted to find a rich family and sell Li Xiaolian for money, who knew that the rich family not only wanted to marry Li Xiaolian but also didn't want to spend a penny, so he told Li Xiaolian's father that he promised to give him a concubine for free, as for Li Xiaolian, if she wanted, she would marry into his family, and she would not be reluctant to do so.
Li Xiaolian's father was used to taking advantage, and when he heard that there was such a good thing, he wanted to get a concubine for nothing, and his daughter kept it and sold it in the future when he had to do so.
But who knows, the rich man arranged for a woman to serve Li Xiaolian's father for a few days, and then sued Li Xiaolian's father, saying that he had abducted his maid, and as a result, Li Xiaolian had to sacrifice himself in order to save his father, and the old man Li was empty.
Ma Lanxiang realized that this was colluded between Wang Jingui and Liang Matchmaker, in order to get herself.
Ma Lanxiang said scaredly: "Brother, then I can refuse this matter, is it okay." ”
Ma Fulai sighed and said: "No, sister, since they have been eyeing this matter, even if you don't agree, maybe they will send someone over tomorrow, so that we can't tell the two of us clearly, or you should leave quickly, it is better than falling into the hands of Wang Jingui." ”
Ma Lanxiang heard that what her brother said made sense, but she didn't know that she could go to **.
Ma Fulai: "Sister, in fact, I already knew about you and Liu Erbao, but if you don't say it, I'm sorry to ask, since you have him in your heart, then go to him and let him take you away, so that as long as Wang Jingui can't find you, it's fine." ”
Although Ma Lanxiang was very reluctant to part with her brother, when she thought of Wang Jingui's conspiracy, she had to hold back her tears and pack her luggage overnight and rushed to Liu Erbao's house.
Liu Erbao was very distressed when he learned what happened to his sweetheart, so he discussed with his grandmother that he would take Ma Lanxiang out to hide for a while, and he would come back to pick her up in half a year at most.
Over there, Wang Jingui was waiting for Ma Lanxiang to take the bait, but he didn't see Ma Lanxiang answer for a few days, so he encouraged Mrs. Liang to implement the plan directly.
Mrs. Liang readily agreed, so she called the family to choose a maid and sent it to Ma Fulai's house.
Ma Fulai knew that this was a trap but he didn't say anything, he thought to himself that his sister was gone anyway, what else could Wang Jingui do.
Sure enough, Wang Jingui couldn't see Ma Lanxiang's figure left and right, so he asked Ma Fulai where he went, and Ma Fulai only said that Lanxiang went out to hang relatives. Wang Jingui knew that his plan had been discovered, so he poured all his grievances on Ma Fulai, and he asked the family to tie Ma Fulai's hands and feet and take him home.
Wang Yuanwai knew that his son was arrogant, and he was afraid that he would accidentally embark on the road of crime, so he persuaded his son to let Ma Fulai go.
Wang Jingui refused to listen, he wanted to spread the news that Ma Fulai was in his hands, he believed that as long as Ma Lanxiang knew that his brother was in his hands, he would definitely obey.
Ma Fulai was very painful, he didn't expect Wang Jingui to be so arrogant, he was afraid that his sister would really come back for him, so he tried every means to escape, but the people who looked at him were very cautious, and his hands and feet were tied, so he couldn't escape at all.
In the middle of the night, a dark shadow suddenly came in through the door, and the man took advantage of the slack of security to quietly untie Ma Fulai's rope and show him a way to escape.
Ma Fulai panicked, and ran for dozens of miles in a row without hesitation, until he really couldn't run, and then fell asleep against a wall.
The next day, a man suddenly woke him up, and Ma Fulai found himself lying on a bed with several unfamiliar faces standing in front of him.
The man standing in the middle said: "Young man, don't be afraid, I am a local farmer, my surname is Liu, these are the people I hired to work, I am old, you can call me Grandpa Liu, young man, why did you come to us alone." ”
Ma Fulai saw that the old man was very kind, so he let go of his vigilance, but he was still afraid that saying his name would bring unnecessary trouble to his sister, so he lied that he was an orphan and fled here because of a disaster at home.
That Mrs. Liu saw that Ma Fulai was very shrewd**, so she asked him what he would do, and Ma Fulai answered all of them 1510.
Mrs. Liu: "It just so happens that there are several cows in our Zhuangzi, since you have experience in herding cattle, then I will hand over the work of herding cattle to you, I will take care of your food and housing, and if you do a good job, I will give you some wages every month." ”
Ma Fulai was very excited: "Thank you, Taigong, I will definitely do a good job." ”
Over there, Wang Jingui was about to spread the news that Ma Fulai was in his hands, but his subordinates hurriedly came to report that Ma Fulai was missing.
Wang Jingui saw that the last chips in his hand were gone, and he was so angry that he vowed to chase Ma Fulai back.
The days passed quickly, and soon 2 years passed, Ma Fulai himself was very hardworking, and he was very grateful to Mrs. Liu, so he not only herded cattle diligently every day, but also insisted on helping Mrs. Liu carry water and firewood, and gradually Mrs. Liu became more and more satisfied with him, and everyone also gave him a salary, and Ma Fulai saw that it was more than twice as much as before.
Because Ma Fulai has hope, people have become energetic, and with the continuous work, he has also trained muscles all over his body, and he looks very strong.
One day, Ma Fulai was going to take a few cows to the river to drink, just by the way to give the cows a good bath.
When he had settled down and was about to sit down and wash his feet, he was about to take off his shoes and socks, when he saw a woman washing her feet in the river.
Ma Fulai hurriedly put on his shoes and socks, he thought to himself that he couldn't spoil the river, otherwise the girl downstream would definitely be angry when she saw it.
Who knows, but the woman suddenly shouted Ma Fulai, Ma Fulai was very surprised, how could there be someone here who knew him, when he looked at it, he knew that this was the concubine named Xiuying outside the king.
Ma Fulai hurriedly ran over, making gestures and thanking him, it turned out that the black shadow that appeared in the middle of the night at Wang Yuanwai's house last time was Xiuying.
Why did you want to save Ma Fulai, in fact, because Wang Yuanwai was afraid that his son would cause trouble, so he supported his subordinates and asked the concubine Xiuying to release Ma Fulai.
Xiuying is also a hard-working person, she originally fled the famine and came here, when she fainted in front of Wang Yuanwai's house with hunger, and was later rescued by Wang Yuanwai, Wang Yuanwai treated Xiuying very well, which made Xiuying enjoy a different warmth, so she married Wang Yuanwai and became a concubine.
Who knew that a year ago, Wang Yuanwai unfortunately passed away, leaving Xiuying, who was as beautiful as a flower, Wang Jingui had coveted Xiuying for a long time, so he forcibly accepted Xiuying, Xiuying was very humiliated, and several times she wanted to seek death but was watched by Wang Jingui's subordinates, until recently she felt that Wang Jingui was very mysterious, and every time she talked to her subordinates, she had to be disbursed.
It was not easy to inquire that Wang Jingui had discovered Ma Fulai's whereabouts and was about to attack him.
Ma Fulai was also surprised when he heard it, but he didn't expect that Wang Jingui still refused to give up after 2 years of the incident.
Xiuying: "I finally escaped this time to report to you, I told you not to sleep in the room tonight, I am afraid that they will hurt you, you must remember." ”
After saying that, Xiuying left.
Ma Fulai then drove a few cows back to the cattle pen, and thought about whether to sleep at night, he looked east and west, and found that there was a few feet wide open space in the cattle pen, so he picked up some corn stalks from outside and planned to sleep here.
When the night came, Ma Fulai couldn't sleep after tossing and turning, not because he disliked the smell of the cowpen, after all, he cleaned it every day, and he was worried that he didn't know how Wang Jingui would calculate himself.
Ma Fulai still fell asleep in a daze, as if in his sleep, the courtyard door did not know who broke it from the outside, several people walked into Ma Fulai's bedroom with a big knife, and only heard one person say: "Tie him up with a rope, and cut him if he is disobedient." ”
One of them was about to get started, but the man who spoke stopped him: "This kid is not here, doesn't it mean that he lives here." ”
Ma Fulai woke up and was about to catch his breath, but found that this was not a dream, the voice of the speaker was very familiar, and Ma Fulai knew that the person was Wang Jingui when he heard it.
Wang Jingui saw that he was empty, so he was about to leave, but as soon as he was discharged from the hospital, he was surrounded by a group of officials.
Wang Jingui and the others were so frightened that they all put down their weapons, so they had to be escorted away obediently.
Ma Fulai saw that the official was coming, so he walked out of the courtyard and offered to go back and be tried together.
Who knew that when he arrived at the lobby, Ma Fulai was stunned, and it was Liu Erbao sitting on it.
Liu Erbao became the county magistrate This matter has to start from 2 years ago, when Liu Erbao took Ma Lanxiang to the field, and finally settled down, the two began to be busy for their livelihood, Liu Erbao continued to set up stalls on the street to help people write and paint, and Ma Lanxiang continued her embroidery skills.
Once, a handkerchief of Lan Xiang was taken by a rich lady, so she invited her to help embroider a long scroll painting at home, because the embroidery was relatively large, Lan Xiang could not take it home to do, so she went to the rich lady's house every day to work, and after a long time, she became familiar with Mrs. Fu.
The rich wife was originally the wife of the prefect, because she liked Lan Xiang very much, so she wanted her to be an embroidery girl at home, Lan Xiang knew that this was an opportunity, so she tried to please the rich wife, after the introduction of the rich wife, Liu Erbao went to the prefect to do things again, and the prefect found that Liu Erbao was very knowledgeable, so he ordered him to continue the scientific examination, and finally became famous a year ago, plus the prefect this recommender, so Liu Erbao successfully sat on the throne of the county master.
Liu Erbao saw that the brother of his wife Lanxiang was kneeling below, so he wanted to step forward and help him up, but because he was not able to recognize his relatives directly in the county government, he asked Ma Fulai what was going on.
Liu Erbao was very grateful when he learned that his eldest brother Ma Fulai had suffered so much for himself and Lanxiang, and when he thought that everything was caused by Wang Jingui, he asked Wang Jingui to confess.
Wang Jingui relied on his money and didn't take Liu Erbao in his eyes, no matter how he asked, he refused to admit it, helplessly, Liu Erbao had to interrogate his comrades first, and the person named Wang San saw that something was wrong, so he quickly confessed and told all the bad things Wang Jingui had done before and after.
Wang Jingui saw that there was no denial, so he had no choice but to admit that the case was solved, Liu Erbao put Wang Jingui and others in prison, and everything was only waiting for the final verdict, but according to the sanction of the law, I was afraid that Wang Jingui would have to accept some reform.
Liu Erbao invited Ma Fulai into the house, and his sister Ma Lanxiang cried with joy when she saw her brother, the brother and sister had not seen each other for more than 2 years, so they hugged each other and cried.
Liu Erbao was very grateful to Ma Fulai for his dedication to him and Lan Xiang, and he promised Ma Fulai that he would treat Lan Xiang well and would definitely not live up to his expectations.
Ma Fulai saw that all the past was gone, and he was very happy, and after staying at his sister's house for two days, he was about to leave, saying that he would go back to Mrs. Liu's house to work, but in fact he went to find Xiuying.
Only Ma Fulai knew that if Xiuying hadn't come to remind him this time, he would have died, and he also knew that the reason why these officials came so timely was also due to Xiuying.
Xiuying was very happy to see Ma Fulai, so she asked him if everything was settled.
Ma Fulai smiled knowingly: "It's all over, I'm here to find you today, I don't just want to thank you, I also have something to tell you, if... If you don't hate me for being poor, I want to marry you. ”
Ma Fu's face blushed unconsciously.
Xiuying didn't expect Ma Fulai to say this: "I know you want to thank me, but I don't think I deserve you, Fulai, you deserve a better girl." ”
Ma Fulai said firmly: "No, Xiuying, I know how I feel about you, since you saved me for the first time, I know that you are not an ordinary woman, now that my sister has a home, it is time for me to start a family, and you happen to be alone, I want to take care of you, let's live a good life together." ”
Xiuying actually has a good impression of Ma Fulai, otherwise she would not have rescued her again and again, so she agreed to Ma Fulai's request.
Xiuying did not take away all the property of the Wang family, she also took her share, and then returned to Liu Taigong's village with Ma Fulai, and became a local tenant farmer like Liu Taigong, living a stable life with Xiuying every day.
Liu Erbao was loved by the people because of his hard work, so he was promoted all the way, and finally sat in the position of the second-class master, and Ma Lanxiang was also a husband and wife for a lifetime.
Ma Fulai because of his kindness and always understanding the suffering of the people, so he established a deep reputation in the local area, Xiuying only knew what real happiness was after marrying Ma Fulai, so he gave birth to three sons and one daughter to Ma Fulai one after another, and finally he was full of children and grandchildren, and lived a happy life.