I was divorced because I got pregnant during the lean years, so I went back to my parents’ home and

"Okay, I'll go back and think about it!" Grandpa agreed, then turned around and asked, "I can't read, how can I write?"

"It's okay. When you have made up your mind, go find Haixia and ask him to write it for you!"

Ji Xiaobei said.

Having said that, Grandpa Dasheng pulled Ji Xiaobei to sit down.

"Child, grandpa wants to ask you a favor. We have built this school, and we have to hire teachers from outside. We have to provide them with food and collect tuition. If we don't pay enough, people won't want to come. If we pay too much, we can't afford it..."

As soon as his grandfather opened his mouth, Ji Xiaobei knew what he was going to say.

"Master, you mean you want Haixia to be your husband, right?"

Grandpa nodded, thinking that Xiaobei was a smart kid who understood things immediately.

Ji Xiaobei thought for a moment and said, "We have to discuss this with Haixia. He has to go to Anzhou to take part in the Autumn Examination in August. He won't be able to teach for long, and he's busy preparing for the exam."

My grandfather said, "Bei, even if I didn't tell you, studying is a serious matter. Ask if there is a suitable teacher in town."

Ji Xiaobei didn't want Haixia to be the teacher. Shitou and the others only had one class left, so she gave Haixia some time to prepare for the autumn examination.

It would be a great thing if Haixia passed the exam.

……

In the sixth lunar month, the weather was so hot that it was hard to breathe.

The sun was baking the earth.

In this weather, the crops have not been harvested and the villagers are willing to spend every penny they have.

People who work in handicraft workshops naturally have nothing to worry about, as they get paid every day.

Ma Xiaoqi gave a piece of paper to Ji Xiaobei and said that her brother asked her to give it to Xiaobei.

These days, Haixia basically stays at home and studies hard.

Ji Xiaobei opened it and took a look, his face breaking into a smile.

The paper was filled with little things made of bamboo strips, katydid cages, bamboo chopstick baskets, bamboo curtains, small bamboo beds, bamboo hats, and rocking chairs for children...

Hahaha, I’m going to get rich again!

Ma Xiaoqi was puzzled: "Sister, what do you need these for?"

"Qi, go and get Grandpa Dasheng to come over here, quickly, I need him for something! No, ask him to get all the idle people in the village to come over here for me..."

Ji Xiaobei was extremely excited.

Mrs. Lin grabbed her.

From the look on her daughter's face, it was clear that she was going to cause trouble, and she didn't want her daughter to work hard.

My body can’t bear it!

If it weren't for Mrs. Huang, who gave him a shot of cardiotonic every day and said that Xiaobei was strong and would be fine with some work.

She insisted on keeping her daughter confined to the kang.

"Mom, look, the last time I went to Anzhou, I saw people selling these things. They were all little gadgets. We country people don't think they're good, but people in the city have never seen them before. They're so rare that they all scramble to buy them!"

Ji Xiaobei spoke so seriously that Mrs. Lin had no choice but to believe him.

Mrs. Lin: City people really haven’t seen the world. What’s so new about these things made of broken bamboo strips?

While the mother and daughter were talking, Ma Xiaoqi came with her grandfather.

In my lifetime, my grandfather was followed by a group of women, wives and men.

These people hang around the door of the workshop every day, scolding themselves for not being able to embroider or make clothes...

They surrounded Ji Xiaobei.

Mrs. Lin forcibly pushed the crowd apart.

"It's so hot, why are you crowding together? Aren't you afraid of getting prickly heat? Look at you all, you are all steaming, sucking away all the cool air in my house. My Xiaobei is going to die of heat..."

No one was angry or cared when hearing Mrs. Lin's nagging and cursing. Everyone was used to it.

Someone judged the direction of the wind and took the initiative to make way for Ji Xiaobei to stand in the wind.

Ji Xiaobei is not only Mrs. Lin’s treasure, but also the treasure of Jijiawan.

Every time I see Mrs. Lin, I always ask: "Where's our Bei? Is he in good health?"

Mrs. Lin was so angry that she glared: You are just meeting a girl and asking her how she is. Is that how you greet her?

Ji Xiaobei took a breath and held up the blueprint drawn by his grandfather:

“When I went to Anzhou, I saw that small items made of bamboo strips could be sold for money.

So I asked my grandfather to draw this picture. If anyone can weave bamboo products, go back and make one.

Bring it here and show it to me, I want to see if I can sell it.

Ji Xiaobei asked while holding up the paper.

"Oh, it's so complicated, I don't know how to do it... I only know how to weave bamboo mats and winnowing baskets!"

"I can also make bamboo shovels and bamboo rakes..."

"I can build a chicken coop with bamboo..."

The villagers of Jijiawan were once again excited.

After returning, regardless of whether I could do it or not, I just took the tools and went up the mountain.

There are so many bamboos in the mountains that you can never cut them all.

Some women surrounded her and asked, "Xiaobei, why are the people in Anzhou so narrow-minded? Is there really anyone who wants to buy it?"

Ji Xiaobei said: "As long as I like it, I will buy it and give you the money immediately. Don't worry about how I sell it!"

After hearing this, the old women ran home as fast as they could to get their machetes and go up the mountain.

Jijiawan was weaving bamboo products all night long.

The next morning, before Mrs. Lin opened the door, someone came with something and silently waited at the door of Ji Xiaobei's house.

The villagers all ran here with dark circles under their eyes. When they entered the alley, they automatically slowed down for fear of waking Ji Xiaobei.

Mrs. Lin was holding the urine pot, and when she opened the door, she almost threw the urine pot away.

A young wife was quick-witted and helped her stabilize the urinal...

"No, I mean, what are you doing here so early? No one's awake yet!"

Mrs. Lin glared and said unhappily.

"Mrs. Lin, you just got up. We didn't sleep all night. Do you think I'm good enough?"

A woman carried a rough bamboo basket.

Mrs. Lin looked at the woman's red eyes and lowered her voice: "I don't understand either. Let's wait until Xiaobei wakes up. You two go back and have a meal first!"

"Not hungry, not thirsty!"

People said in unison, then licked their dry lips.

Mrs. Lin had no choice but to go with them.

Not only was no one leaving, but people kept coming, filling up the entire alley.

The sun was already high in the sky, but Ji Xiaobei hadn't woken up yet. Mrs. Lin was getting a little anxious.

These people hadn't slept all night and hadn't eaten yet, so she couldn't help but go in and call her.

But she was suppressed by Ji's second and third wives.

"We are not in a hurry. Let the child get enough sleep. If he doesn't get enough sleep, how can he have the energy to show us the goods?"

"Yes, sister-in-law, we are not in a hurry. We are not hungry or thirsty at all. Really..."

"Yes, really..."

Looking at a group of people who lied without blinking an eye, Mrs. Lin stomped her feet in anger.

The sun is so strong, if someone gets sunburned, we can't take responsibility.

She scooped a bucket of water from the water tank and put it at the door for people to drink.

After drinking two buckets of water, Ji Xiaobei came out of the house rubbing his eyes.

"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Ji Xiaobei asked.

She sleeps until this time every day. Today, she saw that Mrs. Lin’s face looked so ugly.

In the past, when she slept late, Mrs. Lin would deliberately speak loudly at the door, or go in and pull the quilt to let the sun shine on Ji Xiaobei's buttocks...

After returning from the Liu family, my mother never complained about me sleeping in again.

"Bei, go check it out. The door is..."

"What's going on at the door?"