Go back to ancient times to engage in sideline business

After dinner, the stars and the moon are hanging over my head.The host proposed to stay overnight, but Tang Zhong was not stubborn, so he readily accepted and gave up on the spot the idea of ​​going home overnight.

Seeing Tang Zhong's silly face, the old man got angry and asked the young man to vacate a guest room, so he went to bed early.The young man boiled hot water for the siblings, and brought two thick quilts.

The guest room where Tang Zhong brothers and sisters stayed was used to pile up sundries. The young man had just tidied it up for a long time before he could manage to tidy up a bed and an armchair with barely enough space for his buttocks.

In other places, large and small wooden boxes are piled up, or parts of wooden furniture, such as bench legs, bed frames, table tops and the like.

A dim oil lamp stood on the bedside chest of drawers, and its lighting range was incomparable with the incandescent lamps of later generations.

But it is good enough to have an oil lamp. In Tang Zhong's thatched earthen house, when the sun went down, his eyes went dark.

Tang Zhong leaned back in his chair, still annoyed by today's sloppy purchasing behavior.If you have a little understanding of the grain prices in this era before you go out, if you buy grain as soon as you arrive in the town, instead of cotton cloth and soy vinegar oil tea, you won't even buy a grain of corn.

Fortunately, the family's savings have been replaced by a bunch of useless things.

After deep reflection, Tang Zhong felt oppressed in his chest, let alone sleep.Looking back at the bed, Tang Meng, the little girl, had already put a big character on her face and fell asleep.

Tang Zhong raised his hand and stuffed Tang Meng's bare feet back into the bed, then lifted the quilt and tucked the four corners.

The little girl was also working hard, following him out and running for a day, she didn't get any snacks, and she was starving and freezing with him.Which of the five-year-old children in future generations didn't grow up in the honeypot of their parents?

Speaking of which, today is thanks to the old man again.Otherwise, he and Tang Meng wouldn't know where to blow the cold wind at this moment!The identity of the old man was also asked by him.

Before tidying up the guest room, Tang Zhong saw the young man working alone, he was really embarrassed to be idle, so he also went into the house to help move things.

The two big men stayed in the same room for a long time, and the atmosphere was inevitably awkward. Tang Zhong found a topic and casually talked about Chen Ji's coffin shop on the other side of the narrow alley.

"That bastard surnamed Chen didn't care about family affection at all, and let the guy drive me away without even showing his face. After I curse him, he won't be able to sell another coffin again!"

"Don't talk so badly!" The man stopped him, "Master Chen is our boss, if you curse him for not selling his coffin, wouldn't my father and I have nothing to eat!"

Tang Zhong quickly covered his mouth, why is this thing so troublesome today!

Surprised, he was even more puzzled, how did his benefactor and enemy get together despite the moral gap?

It's rare for a man to be upright, don't look at the fact that he doesn't talk when he's working, but after getting a little familiar with him, he's straight-hearted, and he can say whatever he wants.

It turned out that the father and son, surnamed Gao, originally fled from other places. Because of their carpentry skills, they gradually settled down in Fengguan Town.But after all, there are not many carpentry jobs in the town, and it is still difficult to have a full meal.

Just at this time, the owner of Chen Ji's coffin shop came over and said that he could do the work for him and earn some money for handicrafts. The Gao family and his son agreed without thinking too much.

The two have cooperated for many years. Boss Chen relied on the solid craftsmanship of the Gao family and his son and his extensive network of contacts. The sales of coffins are booming.

Comparing the yards of the two families, it can be seen that Boss Chen has taken most of the money earned over the years, and that the Gao family and his son earned hard-earned money.

Tang Zhong was very annoyed, it was simply capital exploitation and beating workers!unfair!When I calmed down, I thought about it again, what kind of onion would I be, my family is still poor, and I still have the leisure to complain for others?

The crackling of the oil lamp on the table brought him back from his thoughts.

Thinking it was the dampness of the wick, Tang Zhong was dazzled by the light, got up and looked around the room to see if he could change the wick.

At that time, most of the oil lamps used were dried rushes.Rush grass is not a valuable thing, and it is not often sold at ordinary times. If it encounters a peddler in the streets, most people will catch up and buy a large ball for preparation.

When Tang Zhong was wandering around the town today, he met a salesman carrying rushes, and followed him curiously for a while.

There was nothing hanging on the wall, so Tang Zhong opened the low cabinet by the bed and rummaged through it.The grass was missing, but a stack of papers was brought out.

The paper has turned yellow for a long time. I thought it was straw paper that ignited the fire, but when I opened it with the flickering lights, it turned out to be pieces of woodworking drawings.

Wooden beds, wooden boxes, wooden carts and other wooden objects are clearly drawn on the paper, but they are all ordinary styles, nothing unusual.Thinking about it, it should have been left behind by Gao's father and son when they were doing carpentry everywhere in their early years.

Tang Zhong rolled up the drawings and put them away again, closed the cabinet door, and turned to look at the drawer beside him.

There are a lot of miscellaneous things in the drawer, such as charcoal pencils, ink fountains, chisels, etc., all of which are woodworkers.

Tang Zhong picked up a charcoal pencil, twirled it back and forth between his fingers twice, and then looked back at the low cabinet where the drawings were placed. For a moment, his thoughts surged...

When the sky was bright, the young man Gao Zhang came to knock on the door, and just as he raised his hand, he bumped into Tang Zhong head-on and opened the door.

"Get up? Let's go, wash your face and eat."

Gao Zhang greeted, and turned around to work on the coffin. Tang Zhong came out with a pair of panda eyes, and called people to stop repeatedly.

"This is……"

Gao Zhang looked at the stack of papers that Tang Zhong handed over to him, his eyes full of bewilderment.

"These are some drawings I drew last night when I was idle and bored. Inside are some pieces of furniture of unusual styles. If you are interested, you can take it out and have a look when you have nothing to do."

Gao Zhang responded with a clear voice, rolled his backhand into a tube and stuffed it on the waistband of his trousers.

"That's fine, you and your sister wash your face and go eat, the porridge is served in the pot by yourself, daddy is still waiting outside, I'm going to go first!"

Tang Zhong pointed to the blueprint on his trouser belt, heyed twice, but he still didn't understand what he said.

Silly man, what is drawn on the blueprints are folding tables, folding chairs and revolving dining tables, which are popular in the future market. If you can make them all, why would you work for a profiteer named Chen?

The brother and sister drove home in a mule cart, but no one was there when they entered the door.Tang Zhong searched around inside and out, but he still didn't see the shadow of Tang Laosan and the youngest.

Strange, where did people go all morning?

Tang Zhong put down the rice sent by Gao's father and son, and walked out without even having time to unload the bottles and cans on the mule cart.

"Second brother, where are you going?"

"Look for your brother and sister! Did you get dragged away by a big mouse!"

Tang Meng blinked, and said with a serious face: "No, I have blocked the mouse hole, and they must be at Aunt Gu's house."

Aunt Gu's house is at the bottom of the field ridge opposite Tang's house. Go out from the fenced yard, pass through a sorghum field, and you will arrive at the next ridge.

As soon as Tang Meng entered, Aunt Gu's big yellow dog jumped out and wagged its tail at the little girl.

The next moment, seeing Tang Zhonghou who was following up, the big yellow dog immediately bared its teeth, and put its tail between its sides in full vigilance.

At this time people were not happy to tie dogs, Tang Zhongsheng was afraid of being bitten, so he quickly squatted down and retreated.The eyes of one person and one dog are facing each other, and they are all inquiring about each other's motives.

"Xiao Doudou is not allowed to bite people. He is my second brother. He used to play with him a lot. Don't you know him?" Tang Meng stood in front and raised his little hand to cover the big yellow dog's mouth.

"Mengzi don't touch it, watch out for rabies!"

Tang Zhong squatted down and grabbed a handful of stones in his hand, ready to make a surprise attack on Big Gouzi at any time.Tang Meng was not afraid, he hugged the dog tightly by the neck, not allowing it to attack his second brother.

Aunt Gu leaned out from the room when she heard the movement, and after seeing her posture, she quickly picked up her cloth shoes and flew over, blasting the big yellow dog far away, ending the confrontation between humans and dogs.

"Why did you come back?" Aunt Gu came out with one bare foot, her face full of concern.

"Is it not going well on the road? Are you and Da Ya all right?"

Tang Zhong picked up the shoes and handed them back to her. He was about to ask about his younger brother and younger sister, but his older sister preempted him.

The little girl raised her neck and passed in front of Aunt Gu, muttering proudly, "I'm not called Da Ya, I have a famous name, and my name is Tang Meng!"

Aunt Gu's hands froze when she was putting on her shoes, she looked at Tang Zhong blankly, Tang Zhong laughed dryly, and hurriedly followed the girl's footsteps.

In the room, Uncle Tang was breaking the rice corn buns into the bowl bit by bit, when he heard Tang Meng's voice outside, he hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"Why have you been here for so long? Are you in danger?"

Tang Meng walked ahead like a little adult, opened his mouth and came: "We have no money, and two people invited us to eat white rice porridge, so we won't come back."

Uncle Tang was also at a loss, looking at the second brother who entered the room behind, and wanted to ask what was going on.

Tang Zhong coughed twice and said haha, what should he say about the embarrassing thing of spending all his money?

Looking at the sky, it was almost ninety o'clock in the morning, and it was time for the people of Fengshan Village to eat breakfast. Aunt Gu brought out two corn buns from the kitchen and handed them to Tang Zhong and Tang Meng.

"My family's eldest daughter and Erya went to drive cattle on the slopes. You guys ate their corn bread first, and the taro is still steaming on the kitchen stove. It will be ready in a while."

After finishing speaking, she took the cornbread that Tang Laosan had broken off in half, and said softly, "I'll feed you, you can eat first."

Aunt Gu skillfully broke the cornbread into small pieces, poured some hot soup into it, stirred it with a spoon, and took a bowl to feed the youngest member of the Tang family who was playing with her fingers on the bed.

Aunt Gu helped a lot in grandma's funeral before, and now she is taking good care of her younger siblings, Tang Zhong felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.An outsider can do this, how can this brother be so embarrassing.

Thinking about the family's situation in the future, he couldn't eat half of the cornbread in his hand.Tang Zhong groped around for a while, then got up and walked towards Aunt Gu in the back room.

Aunt Gu was holding Tang Biao in her arms to feed soup, when she saw the silver bracelet and two copper coins in his hand, she hurriedly put the bowl and spoon aside.

"What are you doing?"

"Aunt Gu, you have helped me a lot these days. We can't repay you. I only have this little money on me. I hope you can accept it. I can't come back from the county. Please visit my house often and help me Take care of my younger siblings, I thank you here in advance."

Tang Zhong bent down and made a gesture to bow to Aunt Gu. It was true to thank Aunt Gu, and it was true to ask Aunt Gu to take care of his younger siblings.

"What are you talking about? How can I be worthy of your salute!" Aunt Gu put Tang Biao down, got up and helped him up.

Although Xiao Zhong said that she watched him grow up, but now he is still a policeman from the government, saluting to her, a peasant woman, what kind of words!

"I recognize it, this bracelet is your mother's dowry. Put it away quickly, don't break it!"

Aunt Gu pulled out a cloth scarf from her waist, carefully wrapped the silver bracelet in Tang Zhong's hand, put it back into his hand, and said: "This is something left by your aunt, keep it well, don't worry about it. Don't take it out again! In the past, your mother and I have always been very close, but now that she's gone, I should take care of you for her, thank you will be my share."

She pulled Tang Zhong to the stool and sat down, turned around and picked up the bowl and spoon: "To tell the truth, Xiao Zhong, the names of your brothers and sisters, I came up with your mother together."

Aunt Gu hugged Tang Biao and smiled comfortably, and the corners of her eyes filled with years of hardship were full of love and pity.

A certain corner deep in Tang Zhong's heart was suddenly hit. The disappointment of the previous life was mixed with the anguish and grievance in the memory of this body, and his heart felt unbearably sour for a moment.

The long-lost loving mother's warmth made Tang Zhong, who had been a man for two generations, let go of his guard in an instant.At this moment, he is just Xiao Zhong, a young man who extravagantly seeks the protection of his parents.

"Second brother, you are so old, you still cry?"

Tang Meng stood beside the bed at some point, staring at his brother's tear-stained face with disgust.

The author has something to say:

Tang Zhong: I want you to take care of it!I don't want to lose face!