1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

At this time, Jia Dongxu no longer had the arrogance he had before. He stood aside with his head shrunk, like a defeated rooster.

He looked at his master Yi Zhonghai and whispered.

"Master..."

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai seemed to have aged dozens of years in an instant, and his originally straight back became a little hunched.

"Dongxu, I'm going back first."

In writing these short seven characters, Yi Zhonghai seemed to have used up all his strength.

After saying that, he left the workshop without looking back.

As soon as Yi Zhonghai left, the other masters in the workshop came forward to flatter Liu Haizhong.

Chen Xiao didn't like this kind of boasting and praise. After watching the excitement, he returned to his workstation and started working.

......

The time came Saturday.

Chen Xiao and Qin Huairu got up very early.

Chen Xiao was scrubbing the dust and dirt off his bicycle in the yard.

Qin Huairu locked the door and came to Chen Xiao, reaching out to straighten his collar.

"Don't move, your collar is a little messy."

Smelling the fragrance of hair at the tip of his nose, Chen Xiao took a deep breath.

If they were not in the compound, he would have carried Qin Huairu back to the house long ago.

Qin Huairu straightened her collar, and Chen Xiao got on the bicycle and patted the back seat for Qin Huairu to sit on.

Qin Huairu put her arm around Chen Xiao's waist and just sat on the back seat. Chen Xiao kicked his feet on the ground and walked slowly out of the courtyard.

At this time, he happened to meet the door god Yan Bugui. He was holding a bamboo pole in one hand and a bucket in the other. He had just walked out of his house, obviously preparing to go fishing in Shichahai.

"Uncle San, it's almost time to get your salary, right?" Chen Xiao greeted him.

Yan Bugui was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile on his face.

"It's almost there, don't worry, Chen Xiao. I'll definitely pay you back as soon as the Third Uncle gets his salary."

"Look at what you said, Uncle San. I didn't ask you for money. You said that yourself."

As he spoke, Chen Xiao pedaled his bicycle vigorously.

After leaving the courtyard, Qin Huairu, who was sitting on the back of the bicycle, pulled Chen Xiao's clothes.

"Chen Xiao, does the Third Uncle owe us money?"

"Yes, it's quite a lot, four dollars."

"Then we have to ask him for it right away! Four dollars is not a small amount of money."

The two rode their bicycles to the Old Drum Tower Street and bought a few pounds of pork with three-finger fat, as well as snacks such as osmanthus cake and donkey rolls.

Originally, Chen Xiao was planning to buy another old hen, but was stopped by Qin Huairu.

He said he had already bought several pounds of pork, so it would be a waste to buy another chicken.

I have to say that Qin Huairu is a good person in this regard. She doesn't have the mentality of supporting her brother. She buys a lot of things and sends them to her parents' home during festivals.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, after riding bicycles for nearly an hour, the two finally arrived home.

"Mom, I'm back."

Before entering the courtyard, Qin Huairu shouted inside.

At this time, Zhang Cuilan was picking out rotten soybeans with a winnowing basket in the yard. When she heard her daughter Qin Huairu's voice, she put the winnowing basket on the ground, wiped her hands on her clothes, and then got up to go outside the yard to pick it up.

"Really? If you're coming back, why are you buying so many things?"

"You must have spent a lot of money on so many things. You two just got married and don't know how expensive food and daily necessities are. You'll understand once you have children."

Although she said this, Zhang Cuilan was already grinning from ear to ear.

Which mother-in-law doesn't want her son-in-law to bring home a lot of things every time he comes over?

It's not that I'm greedy for these things, but I want them to show off to my neighbors.

"Mom, where is my dad?" Qin Huairu got off the bicycle and said while looking into the yard.

"Your dad went to the back mountain with the villagers to look for medicinal herbs early this morning." Zhang Cuilan took the things from her daughter Qin Huairu, and then invited Chen Xiao to sit in the house.

"You must be tired after riding your bike for so long. Huairu, take Chen Xiao inside and sit down. I'll make lunch for you two."

"No need, auntie. How could a young man get tired after riding such a short distance?" Chen Xiao waved his hand in thanks.

He is now a little interested in the back mountain.

Qin Huairu said there were konjacs in the back mountain, so she might as well take the opportunity to pick up her uncle and see if she could find some.

Chen Xiao said to Qin Huairu.

"Huai Ru, it's still early. Why don't we go to the back mountain and bring uncle back?"

"By the way, let's see if we can dig up some konjac."

"Konjac?" Zhang Cuilan was a little confused. "Why dig that thing? It's poisonous. No one would eat it unless it was a famine."

Qin Huairu took a shovel from the yard and said to Zhang Cuilan.

"Mom, don't worry about this."

"Aunt, Huairu and I will go to the back mountain first."

After saying that, the two of them walked out of the yard and headed towards the back mountain.

Behind him, Zhang Cuilan looked puzzled.

I still can’t guess why Chen Xiao is digging konjac.

That thing is not suitable for human consumption, and even livestock cannot be fed because it will cause poisoning if eaten if not cooked thoroughly.

Outside Qinjia Village, there is a small hill. Although it is not high, it is continuous and stretches as far as the eye can see.

Qin Huairu looked at the konjac while looking for her father Qin Tieniu.

"Huai Ru, does your father usually go into the mountains to look for medicinal herbs when he has nothing to do?"

Chen Xiao didn't know what konjac was, so the task of finding it fell on Qin Huairu.

He was only responsible for carrying a shovel and traveling around the mountains and rivers. In March, the whole mountain was still bleak, with only a few plants that were not afraid of the cold dotted with patches of green.

"After working in the fields, rural people go to mines or go into the mountains to look for medicinal herbs to supplement their family income."

"My father is old and in poor health, so he has to go into the mountains to look for medicinal herbs. If he's lucky, he can sell the herbs he finds in a day for a few cents."

"But the vast majority of people don't have much income. There are very few valuable medicinal herbs on the mountain. Most of them are worthless. After drying, they can only be sold for a few cents per pound."

After saying that, Qin Huairu sighed, realizing how difficult it was for her father, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

After hearing this, Chen Xiao thought about it in his heart.

If the konjac cream is really successfully made and sells well, Chen Xiao definitely won’t have time to dig for the raw materials.

It would be better to let all the villagers of Qinjia Village dig for us, and then buy them according to the price per kilogram.

At this time, Qin Huairu pointed to the trunk of a plant that had already withered and turned yellow.

"Chen Xiao, I found konjac!"

Chen Xiao looked in the direction Qin Huairu pointed.

"This plant is konjac!" Qin Huairu continued.

Then Chen Xiao picked up a shovel and started digging the soil next to the konjac. After just a few shovels, most of the konjac fruit was exposed.

Just looking at it, it weighs at least five or six kilograms.

Then Chen Xiao continued to dig the soil next to the konjac. The soil on the mountain was full of rocks, so it was not easy to dig.

Chen Xiao was so tired that he was sweating profusely before he dug out the whole konjac.

I weighed it in my hand and realized that my estimate was wrong. It was at least seven or eight kilograms.

"Chen Xiao, are you still digging? I just saw a few more konjacs." Qin Huairu said.

Chen Xiao tapped Qin Huairu on the forehead.

"If you dig me up again, I'll take you back!"

"One is enough. We'll go back after we find your father."