Farmhouse Green Plum

The shopkeeper brought the teapot, picked up the cups on the table, poured four cups of tea, and asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Song Ying calmed down and asked like someone buying something outside, "How much is the braised pork?"

"20 Wen."

As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, Song Ying and the other two widened their eyes, unable to believe it was so expensive.

Pork is now about 16 wen per pound. Even if the price fluctuates, it will only be 15 wen or 17 wen.

Although they have never eaten out, they have heard people complain that there is not much meat in restaurants.

It's not worth it to buy a few pieces of meat for 20 cents.

Song Yuan, who didn't have a penny on him, didn't think it was expensive at all. He asked Song Ying excitedly, "Sister, how much do we want to buy?"

The shopkeeper saw that Song Ying and the other two were about to back off, so he hurriedly said, "Our braised pork is made with the best pork belly, and the portion is generous. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Song Ying hesitated and said, "Then we want one."

Since it's a celebration, it doesn't matter if it's a bit expensive. After all, they have to avoid their family members and can't buy meat and cook it themselves.

"Okay," the shopkeeper said with an increasingly friendly smile, "This is your first time here, right? I won't charge you for the rice. It's a gift from auntie. Please come more often to support my business in the future."

Song Ying's eyes lit up and she responded: "Thank you, auntie."

When she entered the door, she saw that the rice on the other two tables was all white rice, without any other grains mixed in.

At home, we can only have such a meal during the Chinese New Year and after the rice harvest.

In an instant, she felt that the 20 cents were worth it!

"Oh, your little mouth is so sweet." The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

Luo Yanxing and Zhao Xiaocui felt the same way when they heard about the rice delivery. After the shopkeeper left, they whispered to their companions and themselves: "The three of us will give 20 cents together. It's not that expensive when we share it."

After waiting for a while, the fragrant braised pork was served. It was bright red in color and smelled fragrant. Before the shopkeeper put it on the table, Song Ying and his friends started drooling uncontrollably.

The shopkeeper was cheerful as he placed rice and a large plate of braised pork in front of them: "Eat quickly."

Song Yuan couldn't wait and immediately picked up a piece and put it into his mouth. His cheeks bulged from the heat, but he was reluctant to spit it out.

Song Ying and the other two did not laugh at him. They were also very greedy, so they started eating as soon as the shopkeeper left.

I blew on it slightly and took a bite. The fat and glutinous meat and the juice burst in my mouth. It was not greasy at all and was so delicious that I wanted to swallow my tongue.

Luo Yanxing wrapped the meat in his mouth, squinted his eyes happily, and said incoherently: "It's delicious! I have never eaten such delicious meat!"

Song Ying nodded desperately to show his agreement, took two mouthfuls of rice, and quickly picked up another piece.

The four of them devoured the dish in no time and finished the braised pork clean, even using all the juice in the dish with rice.

The plates were so shiny that you could reflect your own reflection, and there was not a grain of rice left in the bowl.

They stood up with satisfaction, Luo Yanxing paid the money, and they carried their backpacks and walked out.

This time when she came into the city, Song Ying only brought 2 cents with her, the money from selling medicine today, and put it in her backpack together with the money from other people.

Song Ying didn't want to attract attention, so he said to Luo Yanxing: "We'll give you the money when we get back."

"Okay, Xiao Cui and I will each pay 6 wen, how about you pay 8 wen?"

Remembering that Song Yuan had eaten a lot, Song Ying said, "Let's divide it equally among the four of us. I'll pay for my brother's portion."

Luo Yanxing thought about it and nodded, "That's fine."

Then he turned around and asked Song Yuan: "I haven't bought you any snacks this time when we went to the city. What do you want to eat?"

Every time they went into the city to buy food for Song Yuan, it was their way of keeping Song Yuan quiet, and everyone took turns paying.

“Tanghulu!”

"Row!"

The few of them talked as they walked. Song Ying walked in the middle, holding Song Yuan's hand. Luo Yanxing and Zhao Xiaocui walked on the left and right, slightly behind them, keeping an eye on her backpack to prevent anyone from stealing things.

Song Ying's backpack was full of money, more than two thousand coins!

They walked towards the street where the candied haws vendors often stood, looking around. If they could find a candied haws vendor nearby, they could buy some and then leave the city directly.

Carrying so many copper coins is not a big deal, but it makes me nervous.

While searching with his eyes, Song Ying suddenly caught a glimpse of the three middle-aged men drinking in the restaurant, one of whom was not far behind them.

She was a little surprised at first. Those three men were just drinking to kill time, unlike the other guests who left after eating. How could they finish eating so quickly?

Moreover, when they left, there were clearly still a lot of dishes on the table.

Song Ying's heart tightened. Could this person be coming for them?

Thinking of the copper coins in the basket, her heart started pounding and almost jumped out.

She tried to calm herself down and lowered her voice, "The bearded man who was drinking in the restaurant seems to be following us."

"Where?" Luo Yanxing and Zhao Xiaocui suddenly became nervous and subconsciously turned their heads to look.

Song Ying grabbed their hands and said, "Don't look back, let's go to the clinic first and see if he will follow us."

Zhao Xiaocui shook her hand back vigorously, her voice trembling: "Okay."

Luo Yanxing felt better and asked nervously, "Why is he following us? We didn't show off our wealth in the restaurant."

The 20 wen she paid was brought from home, a total of 30 wen, which was nothing to an adult, just the price of two pounds of meat.

"No matter how small a mosquito's leg is, it's still flesh. Maybe he saw that there was no adult with us," Song Ying paused and shuddered. "Could he be a beggar?!"

She looked at Song Yuan, Luo Yanxing and Zhao Xiaocui also looked at Song Yuan, feeling that this guess was probably correct.

Since childhood, they have been told that beggars like children under the age of seven or eight the most, especially boys. Some families who cannot give birth to boys will look for beggars to buy.

Song Yuan was frightened by their gazes and could not help but turn back to look at 'Pa Huazi', but Song Ying held his head down and said, "Don't look. If he finds out that we have noticed, he might just try to snatch it away."

Song Yuan was frightened. He lowered his head and stared at the road ahead, no longer daring to look around.

When they turned the corner and pretended to look for the candied haws vendor, they found that the bearded man was still not far behind them.

It really was directed at them.

The three girls turned pale with fright and managed to stay calm with great difficulty.

When they arrived at the clinic, they walked in slowly, and as soon as they entered, they rushed to the pharmacy.

"Hey? Why are you back? Did you forget to take something?" Lin Wenxuan was surprised. He tilted his head to look around, but didn't find that they had left anything behind.

"Brother Lin, someone is following us." Song Ying was panting and speaking incoherently.

Luo Yanxing and Zhao Xiaocui also nodded desperately, "Let us hide quickly."

As they talked, they kept looking towards the entrance of the clinic, feeling anxious and afraid.