Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 185
After the ceremony, Master Fang and his team officially started working, swinging their axes and chopping, sending wood chips flying.

Ordinary people don’t have so many requirements, so their coffins are naturally not luxurious. Most of the time, they just make do with whatever they have, and at most they can paint them a little bit if they have the means.

With Master Fang and his colleagues' skills, I think this job can be done in less than half a day. After all, he is not working alone, he has two apprentices.

The preparation of a coffin is a major event in life, as it is the preparation of a place to live after death. It should be celebrated, and some "smart" families will even use this opportunity to hold banquets and collect gifts.

Tsk, as for things like banquets and gifts, there are so many reasons as long as you think of it. Building a gate, erecting a monument, or even a sow giving birth to a litter of piglets can all be reasons...

Xiaomiao's family obviously does not have such conditions, so who would care?

After looking at him from a distance for a while, Chen Xuan decided to go in and say hello and congratulate him since he had already come here and they happened to meet, so he turned around and left.

Of course I'm not leaving. Since I'm here, I can't go empty-handed. I have to show my appreciation by showing some appreciation.

After a while, Chen Xuan carried about ten pounds of coarse grains, a few pounds of pickles, and one or two pounds of pig offal, and walked towards Xiaomiao's house.

The total cost was less than two grand, and these things were enough.

It’s not that he is reluctant to give something better, but Xiaomiao’s family will definitely not accept the better thing, and it may also harm them. This is just right.

They can mix ten or so pounds of coarse grains with other things to eat for a while. Pickles can add salt to the meal. Pig offal is a rare meat for Xiaomiao's family and it also has some oil.

Woof woof woof~!

Before he even reached the door, an old yellow dog tied with a rope from Xiaomiao's house barked at him, wagging its tail. It was not making an attacking gesture, but more of a warning.

A single log took up most of the small yard. Master Fang, who was holding an axe, was the first to see Chen Xuan. He stopped and asked in surprise, "Boss, why are you here?"

"Master Fang is busy, so call me Ah Xuan. We're all done now, so it's inappropriate to call the boss." Chen Xuan smiled and said, "I came here to do something. I heard Xiao Miao mention that you were going to make a coffin for Mr. Zhou. I happened to meet you, so I came to take a look."

It was indeed inappropriate to call him the boss. Master Fang immediately changed his tone and said, "I see. Brother Chen, please come in quickly. I will inform Xiao Miao right away."

As Master Fang was speaking, he felt emotional. This Chen Xiaolangjun was truly a good person. Not only had he been kind enough to take care of Xiao Miao for a while, but he actually still remembered this matter. When he met him, he even came to his house in person with gifts, and it was obvious that he was sincere. How many rich people could do this?
"Master, who are you talking to? I seem to hear you calling the boss? Have you found the next buyer?" Xiao Miao's voice came from inside the house, and a person also walked out.

When walking into the yard, Chen Xuan stroked the dog's head. The old yellow dog of Xiaomiao's family was very docile. It sat down and wagged its tail and let him do whatever he wanted.

This dog is very old, definitely much older than Xiao Miao. It must have accompanied her throughout her growing up years. When it dies of old age in a few years, Xiao Miao will be so sad. Chen Xuan suddenly thought of a dog song.

The foxtail grass on the slope sways, making people cry...

Seeing Zhou Xiaomiao, Chen Xuan put away his thoughts and smiled: "Xiao Miao, have you been okay these past two days?"

"Oh, it's the boss. Why are you here? Come and sit here. I'll find a stool for you." Xiao Miao was surprised at once, and then hurried back to the house to find a stool.

After a while, he brought out an old, patinated stool from the house and said awkwardly, "Master, please sit down. The house is too narrow and dark. Please sit outside. I didn't mean to keep you out. Don't be angry."

"Call me Brother Chen or Brother Xuan. Calling me Master isn't appropriate," Chen Xuan said with a smile, patting her head. He sat down naturally, handed her the things in his hand, and said, "I was passing by and saw Master Fang closing the coffin, so I came to see him. I just want to congratulate him. I didn't bring any gifts, so take them and don't be disgusted."

Looking at the thing in Chen Xuan's hand, she knew it was a 'good thing' just by smelling it. She quickly stepped back and waved her hand, saying, "I can't accept it, Boss...Brother Chen, I'm very grateful that you can come. How can I accept your things?"

"Master Fang, Xiao Miao, who is this?" An old voice was heard from inside the house, and soon two people, one old and one young, appeared at the door.

The old man was hunched over, his face was full of wrinkles, his hair was gray, he was wearing coarse cloth clothes that had been patched countless times, and he had a simple face.

The younger one was only four or five years old, dark and thin, with a head that was a little bigger than his peers, a dull look in his eyes, a finger in his mouth, a dirty face, and a runny nose.

Chen Xuan stood up and said, "You two must be Mr. Zhou and Xiao Miao's younger brother, right? I'm Chen Xuan, your junior. Xiao Miao was working for me some time ago, and I passed by here today, so I came to see you. I have something in my hands, so I can't greet you. I hope you can forgive me."

After a moment's hesitation, Mr. Zhou quickly said in a flustered and slightly excited tone, "You are Young Master Chen. Xiao Miao has been mentioning him to me every day. I should have come to thank you in person. You came so suddenly without any preparation. Come and sit down."

As he said this, he urged Xiao Miao: "What are you still standing there for? Master Chen is here, go and get a glass of water!"

"Uncle Zhou, you are too polite. I am not a young master. My young master has been studying in the academy for a while. You can just call me A Xuan or Chen Xuan. There is no need to be so troublesome. I will sit for a while and then leave," Chen Xuan said quickly.

It was already difficult for them, and Chen Xuan didn't want to bother them too much, so he really just wanted to sit there for a while and leave. Xiao Miao didn't care about that and ran into the house to get some water.

Mr. Zhou stepped forward and said gratefully, "Chen...Brother Chen, you are a guest now. How can a distinguished guest just sit and leave? You should at least stay for a meal. Xiao Miao is not sensible. I know how much you cared for her some time ago, but I never had the chance to thank you. You can't leave no matter what. I'm cooking now."

"Really, there's no need. I feel embarrassed if you do this, old man." Chen Xuan said with a helpless smile. This is the simplicity of the lower class people.

Mr. Zhou said stubbornly: "We agreed to stay for dinner and not leave no matter what, otherwise I will go to your door to kowtow and thank you."

"Well... well, I'll just listen to Uncle Zhou," Chen Xuan said helplessly. He really couldn't refuse.

He immediately smiled and said, "That's right."

"Brother Chen, have some water. We don't have a cup at home, only a bowl," Xiao Miao brought a bowl of water and handed it to Chen Xuan with both hands. The bowl was a coarse pottery bowl with a hole missing from it.

Chen Xuan took the bowl with one hand and handed her the things again with the other hand, saying, "Then you take the things and put them away. You can't ask me to take them back, right? My young master is very picky. He will dislike these things. Xiao Miao, you don't want me to be punished by my young master, right?"

I'm sorry, Xiao Gao, I can only use you to block the knife right now.

"This..." Xiao Miao was at a loss for a moment and subconsciously looked at his grandfather.

Uncle Zhou was old, so he could tell that Chen Xuan was just making excuses. However, he also knew that Chen Xuan would never take it back. It was not going to work this way, so he said shamefully, "We are the ones who owe Brother Chen, but you still bring gifts to your door. It's really... Well, I'm so embarrassed to accept it. Xiao Miao, take it. Don't tire Brother Chen, or he'll be angry."

Xiao Miao then took it, carrying it with some effort, and bowed to Chen Xuan, saying, "Thank you, Brother Chen."

"That's right, put it away," Chen Xuan said with a smile, sitting down and drinking a sip of water.

Uncle Zhou didn't know how to get along with Chen Xuan, so he used the simplest excuse: "Brother Chen, please sit down. I'll go cook. The stove is still burning."

"Okay, old man, you go ahead and get busy," Chen Xuan nodded.

At this moment, Xiao Miao's younger brother withdrew his dull eyes from the house. He had been looking at the pig offal and swallowing his saliva. Then he tilted his head and looked at Chen Xuan with a grin and said, "Big...Brother, you...are...a good...person."

He spoke very slowly, and it was obvious that he was not only not very smart, but also had a certain language barrier.

Chen Xuan had secretly observed him before. His defect was obviously a congenital defect and could not be cured. He sighed in his heart, but wanted to smile and said, "Hello, thank you very much. This is the nicest thing I have heard this year."

"Hehe," he smiled stupidly, then staggered to the side and squatted down to look for ants.

Soon Xiao Miao came to Chen Xuan again. Probably because there were no extra stools at home, he simply squatted down and said, "Brother Chen, grandpa asked me to come and talk to you so that I won't neglect you."

"Can Mr. Zhou handle this alone? I'm really causing you trouble."

Xiao Miao quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, Grandpa is very happy that Brother Chen can come."

Nodding, Chen Xuan hesitated and asked, "Xiao Miao, what does your grandfather usually do? What's your brother's name?"

"Grandpa is old, but still strong. He doesn't have any proper business, so he can only make some small things to sell, such as dustpans, brooms, backpacks, straw sandals, and raincoats... He makes anything that can make money. My younger brother is called Zhou Fugui. He was born stupid. Grandpa said he was born prematurely. Mom fell down and gave birth to him when she was seven months pregnant. He almost didn't survive," Xiaomiao narrated calmly, blinking her big eyes.

Chen Xuan felt emotional, and while chatting with her he also took a look around her house.

There were just two low mud-walled thatched houses. Looking inside from the door, the dimly lit house contained only a handful of daily necessities, which were in tatters.

There is a dry toilet on the left side of the house and a small shed on the right side where firewood, tools and other sundries are stored.

After taking everything into consideration, the family could be described as penniless. However, there was no complaint about the difficult life on Xiaomiao's face. Perhaps it was because he had become Fang the carpenter's apprentice that gave him hope for the future, and his eyes were filled with longing for the future.

In fact, looking around, we can see that most households are like this, and there are many whose situation is worse than Xiaomiao's.

During the casual chat, Chen Xuan noticed the idiotic Zhou Fugui beside him and couldn't help but ask in amazement, "Xiao Miao, what's going on with your brother...?"

(End of this chapter)