My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 73 Strange Men and Women

Time flows like water, calm and undisturbed; a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of this month, Lin Ziping traveled to every village in Fuchun. He met the bandits who had returned to Maomao Village from Maomao Mountain. At that time, they were simple and kind villagers who greeted Lin Ziping with warm smiles. He also passed by the inn where he had stayed when he first arrived in Fuchun County. Xiao Yi stood at the door with a humble smile, bowing and scraping to the passing guests. He visited the pharmacy where Zhu Zi worked. Zhu Zi shed his restraint in front of him and seemed to radiate light. Lin Ziping had also been to the mountains, the fields, caught chickens, and walked dogs. He immersed himself in this land, feeling the pulse of this era, as if he had become one of the people striving for this era.

The county government office is planning to erect a mirror.

It is said that the county magistrate recently studied ancient books and was deeply moved, so he spent a lot of money to have a mirror made and placed at the entrance and exit of the county government office, in imitation of the ancients.

In this era, mirrors were still made of copper, which reflected a yellowish luster and made it difficult to see clearly. Their clarity was not even as good as the 2-yuan mirror that Lin Ziping used before his time travel. Now, the practical value of a copper mirror was less than that of a basin of water, so the consumer group was limited to wealthy families.

The object in front of them was about 2 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. It was covered by a red cloth and carried by several strong men. Bai Xin carefully directed them as they moved. The red cloth floated, and the intricate patterns carved on the mirror could be vaguely seen.

Lin Ziping had only seen these patterns in museums and on television. People often exclaimed that they were truly a testament to the aesthetic sense of our ancestors. Although Lin Ziping only caught a glimpse of them in person and did not see the whole picture, it was not difficult to see that the craftsmanship was superb, just like a work of art.

People from all rooms and classes gathered together to watch the excitement.

"Put it here," Bai Xin instructed. "Be careful."

Several burly men held their breath, preparing to carefully lower the object, when suddenly a "thud" was heard.

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw a basket that had been placed at the doorway at some point. It was now overturned on the ground, and something was rolling out.

"What are you doing? The red cloth is about to fall off! The county magistrate is going to unveil it himself!" Before anyone could see what was rolling out of the basket, Bai Xin's scolding voice rang out again.

Lin Ziping glanced back and saw a man carrying a mirror who was distracted, the red cloth covering it slipping slightly, and he was awkwardly apologizing to Bai Xin.

Bai Xin is becoming increasingly unreliable. Lin Ziping shook his head inwardly and silently complained.

"What's so interesting about watching a few burly men set up a mirror?" Lin Ziping walked towards the overturned basket, wanting to see what had fallen out.

The basket is brown, and the straps are made of several strands of hemp rope twisted together, with several knots tied in some places, indicating that it has been used for a long time.

Lin Ziping was about to turn the basket over when he leaned closer and saw that it had almost been sent away.

A thin woman was seen trying to climb out of a basket on her back. Hearing a sound behind her, she turned around in fright.

"Oh my god! I've seen a ghost in broad daylight!" Lin Ziping took two steps back, pounding his chest in fright.

"Get out of the way."

Lin Ziping felt as if he had been thrown into the air.

Oh no, today is an unlucky day for me!

Are you alright?

One hand steadied Lin Ziping.

After Lin Ziping regained his footing, he saw that it was Xiao Jiazheng who had pulled him back, and said with a smile, "Thank you."

The commotion attracted the attention of others, and those who had been surrounding Bai Xin turned their gaze to Lin Ziping.

Lin Ziping looked towards the basket on the back and saw a man holding a woman whose face was covered in blood, shaking her and asking, "Qinniang, are you alright?"

Hey buddy, this lady might be fine now, but if you keep wandering around like that, something bad might happen!

Lin Ziping took out a handkerchief and handed it over: "Stop the bleeding for her first."

The man seemed not to hear, holding the woman tightly in his arms.

"Xinhua, quick...quick...let go, Qinniang is in a lot of pain," said one of the people who were moving the bronze mirror together.

The person named Xinhua quickly let go, looked up and scanned his surroundings before looking down again.

Lin Ziping stepped forward and handed the handkerchief to the man, saying, "Let her wipe herself."

The man took the handkerchief and said softly, "Thank you."

Lin Ziping stepped forward to help straighten the basket. He then saw the woman's condition. The blood on her face had been wiped away, her eyes were closed, and she had delicate features. She was lying quietly in Xinhua's arms, which looked rather heartwarming.

The basket was quite wide and about 1 meter high, and contained nothing but some scraps of cloth. Lin Ziping glanced at the woman again, feeling something was off.

"Zhang Xiaowu, what kind of people did you find? This is a matter personally arranged by the county magistrate. Are you going to take responsibility if something goes wrong?" Bai Xin's displeased voice came.

“Brother Bai, I’m sorry, my brother isn’t usually like this,” Zhang Xiaowu said. “It’s because his wife fell out that he’s worried about her, that’s why he’s acting like this.”

Lin Ziping looked over and saw a young man. Upon closer inspection, the man looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen him before.

“Zhang Xiaowu, you can’t stay at the city gate now. Magistrate Feng took pity on you and gave you this job, but look at today…” A bailiff next to Bai Xin also frowned and said.

"Master Bai, Master Liu..."

Upon hearing this address, Lin Ziping thought of the group of professional beggars at the city gate. He carefully examined the man who bowed and apologized to Bai Xin and recognized him as the young man who had helped Zhang Ershun up. So many days had passed, and the man's face was covered in ash that day, so he hadn't recognized him today.

Lin Ziping stood up and heard Zhang Xiaowu say, "This is my fault. But my brother loves his wife very much. His wife lost her legs, and he still takes care of her without abandoning her. Gentlemen, please have pity on him."

No legs? Lin Ziping understood the purpose of the basket.

The group's voices were quite loud, and some of the onlookers recognized the couple.

"Oh, it's that couple. The man is so kind and devoted to his disabled wife, never abandoning her. The story has spread throughout the city. Everyone praises him as a responsible man, and many women envy his wife for marrying into such a good family."

"I've never heard of this before. Tell me about it."

……

Amidst the chatter of those around him, Lin Ziping figured out the relationships between the characters.

The man's name was Hu Xinhua, and no one knew the woman's name, only that Hu Xinhua called her Qinniang. The couple had a daughter and lived in Pingding Village. Their life used to be decent, but Qinniang inexplicably became unable to walk. The couple sought medical help everywhere, and eventually Qinniang became like this. People around them urged Hu Xinhua to divorce Qinniang, but he refused and even hit those who tried to persuade him. Both of their elderly relatives had passed away, and they had no contact with any relatives. Due to drought, the family bought some land, and to better care for Qinniang, Hu Xinhua carried her on his back in a basket, never leaving her side.

Those around him praised Hu Xinhua, and Bai Xin's expression softened. He didn't criticize him further and waved for Zhang Xiaowu to leave with his men.

Hu Xinhua put Qinniang in the basket on his back and followed Zhang Xiaowu away.

As the group walked away, voices of praise and envy could be heard from the surrounding area.

Lin Ziping found it strange, his mind filled with doubts. How could Qinniang suddenly be unable to walk? Even if she couldn't walk, there was no need for amputation, was there? They were inseparable, carrying a basket on their backs every day, but didn't they have a daughter? Why didn't they bring her along? Couldn't the daughter help take care of Qinniang?