My humble days in ancient times

Many people saw Xu Qinghe driving the donkey cart. As soon as the brother and sister stopped at the door, many people gathered to watch.

Xu Ruyi went into the house to get some stools, but they refused to sit down, saying it was more comfortable to stand and that they could just look around and then go back to cook.

A villager asked, "Qinghe, how much silver did you pay for this donkey cart?"

Xu Qinghe replied, "The donkey is seventeen taels, and the cart shed is two taels, for a total of nineteen taels."

"Oh, that's about right. This carport is new too. Not bad."

Everyone chatted for a while and then left.

After a while, Li and Xu Dafu came over, and then Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan also came back from school.

Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan touched the donkey and laughed. They got back on the donkey cart, looked around, and were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.

Xu Qinghe said: "Sit tight, I'll take you for a ride around the village."

The two children sat in the car, their hearts bubbling with joy. Xu Qinghe joked: "When you go to school in town, I will drive you there in the donkey cart." Actually, to be more precise, he was sending Xu Qingyan there, because the academy in town did not accept girls.

After a walk around, Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan were still not satisfied.

Li was also happy to see this and praised, "Well done, Ruyi and Qinghe. I feel relieved to see how capable you are." After that, she took Xu Dafu and went back happily.

Xu Qingyan ran over and said, "Big Brother and Big Sister, we're happy today. Should we make something delicious to celebrate?"

"Do you want to eat meat again?" Xu Ruyi pinched his cheeks.

Xu Qingyan nodded: "The braised pork made by elder sister is so delicious."

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "Greedy cat, I'll do it now."

After Xu Ruyi finished speaking, she rushed into the kitchen and started sharpening her knife. Soon, smoke began to rise from the chimney.

On a sunny afternoon, the breeze gently blew through the lush trees on both sides of the country road. At this time, four brothers and sisters were seen happily driving a sturdy and new donkey cart, slowly heading towards the bustling town.

Sitting at the front of the donkey cart, elder brother Xu Qinghe and younger sister Xu Ruyuan chattered like two cheerful little birds. They sometimes discussed family matters, sometimes excitedly anticipating the upcoming trip to town. Eldest brother Xu Qingyan would turn his head from time to time, gazing at Xu Qingyan's innocent smile from inside the cart, his heart filled with warmth and joy. Meanwhile, younger sister Xu Ruyuan gesticulated with her hands, making Xu Qinghe burst into laughter.

Arriving in town, the four of them were immediately captivated by the dazzling array of goods before them. Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan, in particular, were wide-eyed with curiosity. They first visited a cloth shop, carefully selecting beautiful fabrics and buying two bolts of coarse cloth and two bolts of cotton. They then went to a shoe store, trying on a variety of shoes, one pair for each of the four siblings.

After browsing the clothing stores, the four siblings began their food shopping spree. Sweet and delicious osmanthus cakes, soft and delicate red bean cakes, crispy and crumbly sesame pancakes...every item made their mouths water. Soon, their baskets were filled with all sorts of delicious treats.

Afterwards, they also bought some school supplies - pens, inkstones, paper, and inkstones. These were essential items for Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan, who were still studying.

Finally, Xu Ruyi also bought a few storybooks and a book about the history of the dynasty. Passing by a blacksmith shop, he bought a lot of hunting traps.

Xu Qinghe was puzzled: "What are you buying these for?"

Xu Ruyi said mysteriously, "You'll know tonight."

After returning home with a full load, Xu Ruyi felt that today had been particularly fulfilling. The setting sun cast a long shadow on them.

Xu Ruyi sighed: "It's great to have my own donkey cart. I can go whenever I want. It's very convenient." Delighted, she switched places with Xu Qinghe, set up the donkey cart, and didn't forget to instruct her sister beside her.

A villager who happened to pass by saw this and was amazed: "Such a young girl can pull a donkey cart. It's incredible!" This made Xu Ruyi laugh.

At night, Xu Ruyi placed several traps at the entrance to the yard and another not far from the donkey. As a result, the whole night went peacefully.

The first thing Xu Qinghe did after getting up was to collect the hunting traps. While doing so, he wondered if it was a waste of time.

While the brother and sister were preparing food, Xu Dafu came over. The brother and sister told him about the hunting trap and asked him to be careful when entering the yard so as not to come too early and make mistakes.

Xu Dafu nodded: "Don't worry, the old man's eyes are still sharp and he can still see."

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "It's not a question of whether you can see it or not. You have to remember that there are traps in the yard."

After a two-day delay, as soon as Xu Ruyi and Xu Qinghe arrived, some customers started asking, "Why didn't you set up your stall two days ago?"

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "It's just that something happened at home that delayed me. I don't think I'll be able to do it again in the future unless it rains."

The customer smiled, took the omelet, paid for it and left.

Business was as brisk as ever, and the brother and sister were busy, so time flew by. When there were no customers, they would sit on the stools they had brought and drink some hot water, which was quite nice. The newly bought water bag was filled to the brim, but they generally didn't dare drink more than they could.

After closing the stall, he went to a nearby shop to exchange the copper coins for silver, and then bought a large piece of oilcloth before going back.

Back home, I went to the back mountain and cut down four logs, each about the thickness of a bowl. I buried them in the ground, covered the stakes with tarpaulin, and tied the tarpaulin to the logs with ropes. That was a simple shelter from the wind and rain. Fortunately, the weather was gradually warming up, otherwise a shelter would have been impossible. With the tarpaulin covering the cart and the donkey, we didn't have to worry about rain.

At night, Xu Ruyi continued to put in the traps. Xu Qinghe advised, "Isn't this bad? What if a neighbor comes to visit and gets caught accidentally? A normal person wouldn't be able to handle it."

"You don't come in broad daylight, and you don't come before dark, but you come in the dark. What are you doing here? You definitely have bad intentions."

Xu Qinghe was helpless: "You are just too cautious."

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "It's called 'better safe than sorry.' Don't have the intention to harm others, but be on guard against them. Just be careful in everything, and you won't go wrong."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Xu Qinghe gave up.

It was a dark and windy night with only a few stars scattered across the sky.

A figure broke into Widow Wang's house.

Widow Wang looked carefully at the person who came and found it was Wang Erdan from the village. Wang Erdan was usually lazy and thieves. So she asked a little unhappy, "What are you doing here?"

Wang Erdan was also angry. If other men could come, why couldn't I? He was asking questions knowing the answer. Of course, he was angry, but he couldn't show it on his face. "I came to see you."

Widow Wang smiled and said, "Let's go after we're done." Then she started pushing Wang Erdan out of the house.

Wang Erdan grabbed Widow Wang's hand and said, "How can you push someone away? I have money."

Widow Wang didn't make a fuss until she heard there was money. She said, "Five hundred coins a night. If you can't pay, leave."

Wang Erdan was shocked. "Five hundred wen?" His eyes widened like bells. His mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg. This middle-aged woman is not a young and beautiful girl, yet she wants so much. Pah, old woman, without makeup, her face is probably as dry and wrinkled as old tree bark. I think a kiss from her would make her sick for most of the night. Villagers only make twenty or thirty wen a day doing odd jobs, how dare she ask for so much?

Wang Erdan took out a tael of silver and said, "See? This is for tonight and tomorrow night."