The Sweet Little Fulang

After the new year, there will be no snow, but the spring has not yet arrived, and the sky is still not so warm. The grandmother of the Wu family is getting old, and she has to tighten her belt to survive the cold winter, but she has not survived the cold spring. She catches cold at night and suffers. For typhoid fever, the family had no money to buy medicine, so I went away within a few days.

The Wu family was poor, and they couldn't even make a decision about their son's marriage, let alone such expensive things as funeral banquets. If relatives donated a little money to buy a thin coffin, they would probably only have a broken straw mat to wrap themselves in.

They are all from the same village. When the second wife of the Shen family was poor, the Wu family never underestimated them. Every time the grandmother of the Wu family saw them, she would still say a few words. As before, she didn’t take pleasure in others’ misfortune. Now that she’s gone, Wei Lan According to the custom of the village, Xiang brought some rice noodles over.

Most of the country people are poor, no matter if there is not so much food for wedding and funeral banquets, they have to rely on relatives and villagers to help them, and most of them get these.

Because Ling Jun was too young, Lu Gu stayed at home to see that the child hadn't passed. After learning that the Wu family's grandma had left early in the morning, Wei Lanxiang took out the red paper. Red paper is pasted on the doors and windows of the house to block it.

The red paper in Shen Yan's hand rattled when the wind blew, and the cold wind whizzed, it was really cold, but luckily it wasn't raining or snowing.The two of them glued the red paper tightly so that it would not be torn by the wind.

"Today I really gave my uncle enough face." Ji Qiuyue hugged Xiao Ling in the room and laughed.

Just now when Lu Gu was making paste, Ling Jun woke up. She hugged Zhaoer and came over to coax her. She never thought that brother Ling would recognize her today, and after coaxing her a few times, she stopped crying. Because there was a funeral in the village, she had already put on Zhaoer's clothes. The red bellyband, by the way, put it on for Xiaoling too.

On the bed, Zhao'er was sitting on the quilt and playing, her chubby figure looked stocky, holding Brother Ling's rattle in his hand and shaking it. He also had it himself, but usually he didn't like to play very much. He only saw it when he came to Lu Gu's room. Only then did he clamor for it.

"Other people's is fragrant." Ji Qiuyue glanced at her son and scolded with a smile. Sometimes Zhao'er saw Ling Jun eating milk and fruit, and she was greedy and anxious, and cried when she couldn't grab it. It's not about grabbing mother's milk, no matter what is in a hurry, he knows to bully his younger brother.

Lu Gu pasted up the red paper and came in, seeing her holding Ling Jun, he picked up Zhao'er and played with him, Zhao'er giggled happily.

It was windy outside, they didn't go out of the room, they just played in the house, now Zhao'er is more than one year old, sometimes playing on the bed, can stand up by grabbing the head of the bed, the chubby arms and legs are quite strong, and the front is still staggering Learn to take a step.

Shen Yan put away the paste bowl and red paper, and came in with a sewing basket. Seeing that they were all on the bed, she moved the bed table and came up by herself.

After this year, even though her birthday hasn't come yet, according to what they say, she is fourteen years old, and she is already a big girl, and she will be married in a year or two. It can be seen with the naked eye that she has grown taller and no longer looks like a girl. As short as before, even his appearance has changed a bit, he is no longer so immature.

In the past, she was heartless and only knew how to play, but now that she has grown up, she knows that she needs to practice more embroidery and needlework. No matter what, she can earn a little money by needlework.

Rural daughters and Shuang'er's wedding gowns are mostly sewed by themselves. Poor people can't afford too much red cloth, so they can only wear one red hijab. Their family's life is better, and they can afford enough red cloth to make wedding gowns. Wei Lanxiang She is already slowly preparing a dowry for her.

It's not just Wei Lanxiang, she has saved a little money in the past two years, and her family doesn't want her, and she can't spend a few copper coins on weekdays, so she saves it for herself.

Seeing her making handkerchiefs, Ji Qiuyue smiled and said: "It's going to be warm tomorrow, I'll go back to my mother's house, and I'll take two new handkerchiefs for my old mother, and let them see our Yanyan's handicrafts. gain knowledge."

It was just two handkerchiefs, Shen Yan would not be reluctant, nodded and agreed: "What's the matter, all the ready ones are in that basket, you just pick what you like."

Several of their sisters-in-law, aunts and nephews were sitting on the bed, talking, laughing and playing. Not long after, Wei Lanxiang came back, took a few bowls from home, and lent them to the Wu family envoy for two days.

The door was open and the main room could be seen, Ji Qiuyue asked, "Mother, what's the matter?"

Wei Lanxiang scooped hot water from the clay pot with a bowl. Grandma of the Wu family had just left in the morning, and some things in the Wu family were not in order. Seeing that there were not enough dishes, she simply went home to drink water, and then brought a stack of bowls. .

She wiped her mouth and said: "That's it, stop for three days as usual, turn around and wait for Erqing to come back, tell him and Daqing to come over there to find me, and see when the grave will be dug. I hope there are not many people digging graves, so let's do good deeds."

"You two also turn out the red belt and put it on again. The dolls at home are small, so they collided carefully." She warned, and then said: "I'll take a few bowls from home. You cook at noon. If I eat there If you don’t come back, if there is nothing to eat, remember to leave some food for me.”

"Understood mother, you go now." Ji Qiuyue promised, if she and Lu Gu hadn't taken care of the children, and Shen Yan was a girl who hadn't left the court, otherwise besides Wei Lanxiang, the two of them would have to help today.

Shen Xuanqing went to deliver the rabbits again today. Unlike in winter, there is less rain and snow now, and the road is actually going smoothly. In those days, as long as it snowed, the snow melted and the ground was muddy, and he and Shen Yaoqing had to go together Going to drive the car, once the wheels get stuck in the mud on the road, several people have the strength to push the car.

He got up early in the morning and left early, and only after he came back in the afternoon did he know that the grandmother of the Wu family had gone. To him, digging graves was just hard work, not a big deal. As for not being able to eat a good vegetarian feast, it was nothing to him, it was not bad. food.

Before going to Wu's house, he went back to his hometown for lunch and was going to dig a grave. It's not easy to sleep with Lu Gu and the children in the past two nights, so he must sleep at the big house at night.

Several people in the family and Wei Lanxiang had already eaten, Shen Xuanqing came back late today, as soon as he entered the yard, Lu Gu asked Shen Yan to hold Brother Xiao Ling, and went to the kitchen to serve the meal by himself.

"These two days you and elder brother rested over there, I have already found out the red belt, I will change it for you when you come back and enter the gate of the courtyard." Lu Gu sat beside him and watched him eat.

Shen Xuanqing smiled and said: "Okay, I'm going to Jixing Town today, and the master happens to be in the tavern. I wanted him and brother Yang Xian to help me pay attention to see if there is any shop for sale. I never thought that there is a shop here." , used to sell groceries, needles, thread, brain pots, pots and pans, and sometimes vegetables and fruits, because they only sell goods, and the shop is not as big as other shops.”

Hearing this, Lu Gu's eyes lit up. He had heard Shen Xuanqing talk about Lingjun's schooling before, and only when he went to the town can he go to the school where his son went to school. But if he wanted to rent a house, he would be far away from home. I will go back, but they can’t help with farming and raising livestock. I can’t just sit at home and eat. I must find a job and earn some money.

Running errands or doing odd jobs for others is definitely not as profitable as opening a shop.

Shen Xuanqing said again: "I heard from the master that although the shopkeeper is only a small business, he can earn a little money all year round. He doesn't have to worry about food and drink. Unfortunately, he likes to drink. Sometimes he gets drunk at night and sleeps until noon. His wife is soft-tempered. , I dare not say too much, and I will be beaten if I say too much.”

He took a sip of the rice soup, and after swallowing what was in his mouth, he said: "That man drank more and more last winter, and when he got drunk, he even gambled with others. At any rate, I didn’t lose all my family’s wealth, only the shop was left. First, someone else asked for debts and emptied the shop. If I didn’t call my relatives to come over, I almost couldn’t keep the land deed of the shop.”

"Now their family can't make ends meet, and they don't have any silver or copper coins left. It's still the old lady who asks acquaintances to pay on credit. They only get some rice and vegetables to eat. The purchase cost is gone. They are discussing about selling the shop to pay off the remaining debts. Pay it off, keep a little capital in your hand, buy some groceries, and go back to being a peddler."

"That's how it is." Lu Gu took a sip of water to moisten his throat. He had no one to teach him the truth and good words. After hearing this today, he felt the danger of gambling. Fortunately, the two men in their family only drank for a drink. , Gambling is never touched.

Shen Xuanqing ate two mouthfuls of vegetables, and another big mouthful of steamed buns. Since the home had enough rice noodles, he ate fine white noodles and miscellaneous noodles alternately.

He picked half a bowl of vegetables into his mouth two or three times, and when there was nothing in his mouth, he said: "I have asked Master to inquire about how much the shop costs. I will go there again in two days and have a look at the shop first. Okay, let’s buy it and build up the business slowly, there are still a few years left when Brother Ling is studying, so it’s not urgent, and when we get to know each other well, it will be easy to expand in the future.”

Really want to buy a shop, Lu Gu's eyebrows are curved, he is looking forward to it but also a little apprehensive, after all, it is a town, which is different from their countryside.

He added two sticks of firewood to the clay stove, sat back and asked, "Then shall we still sell meat?"

On New Year's Eve, when the two of them watched the New Year's Eve, they talked about it. There must be a clue in doing business.

Shen Xuanqing finished the remaining half bowl of rice soup, put down the bowl and said with a smile: "I only know how to hunt. , can only be a butcher selling meat."

"Our family has rabbits, chickens, ducks, and pigs and sheep. Isn't it just right to sell meat? Compared with hunting, I earn less. I go up the mountain for a few days in a month or two, and ask my elder brother to look after the shop, so I can hunt sheep. Deer hunting, earning this kind of money will not delay, even if you hunt for a year, you only get 81 taels, which is enough."

Their family is small and small. They used to be so poor that they couldn't get rid of the pot. They had to step on the plowing fields to be at ease. No one thought about being rich and wealthy. They earned a hundred and eighty taels a year.

"I make some handkerchiefs and tie a few knots. I don't earn much. I should have dozens of hundred copper coins a month. In the future, Lingjun can buy snacks and eat flowers." Speaking of the days to come, Lu Gu has always been Convinced by Shen Xuanqing, she couldn't help but put aside the anxiety and think about it, and said with a smile: "There are also eggs and duck eggs. Once the eggs are laid in spring, if you want to eat eggs when the soul is old, leave some for him, and the rest will be fine." It can sell for one or two hundred Wen."

"Well, that's it, you can earn some snacks for the two of you in your free time, and you can buy whatever you want." Shen Xuanqing listened carefully to him, and finally nodded solemnly. He also liked Lu Gu's words about their future life. Make people happy.

However, there are still things to be busy in the past two days. Before he finished his meal, Shen Yaoqing came to look for him. It took only two or three days to dig the grave. .