Gospel of Lazy Cancer

When the sky was slightly bright, Yao Chen got up from the couch, groped in the dark for a while, and put on his clothes.Yao Xing, who was four years younger than him, was still snoring next to him. The child was drowsy, unaware of his cousin getting up, and still slept soundly.Yao Chen felt a burst of envy, rubbed his eyes and opened the curtain in the room.

The curtain was made from old straw mats, and there were a few traces of repairs, which forcibly divided the already small/cramped room into two halves.

The outside is for his cousin Yao Man. Yao Man and Yao Xing are both from the uncle's family. Because the Yao family has no spare rooms, they can only be shared by a few juniors, separated by a curtain, which counts as points. men and women.

Yao Man is only 15 years old now, and he is already half of the family's labor force.As the eldest daughter in this generation, she wakes up early and stays late every day, working hard, either repairing or helping the kitchen to clean, never idle for a moment.The family either treats their daughter harshly, or they are born in a farm family and have endless work every day. What do they eat if they don't do things?

Sure enough, with the faint light from the crack of the door, Yao Chen saw that Yao Man's bed was empty and the bed was folded neatly.

Yao Chen pushed open the door and let out a "squeak", which attracted the attention of the people working in the yard.

"Ah Chen, I brought you some water, come here to wash your face." Yao Man turned her head and greeted, the work in her hand didn't stop.

"Okay, sister."

Yao Chen responded, brushed his teeth with a willow branch dipped in water, and wiped his face.The cool well water gave him a jolt, and his mind suddenly cleared up a bit.He tidied up, walked to Yao Man's side, and said, "Sister, I'll chop firewood, you can go to the stove and do your work."

Yao Man also simply gave him the axe, wiped his hands, turned and went to the kitchen.

The kitchen was in full swing, Yao's grandma led the two daughters-in-law to make cakes, Yao Man and Yao Xing's mother Li was making noodles, and Yao Chen's mother Zhou was making stuffing.Next to it was a woven bamboo cage half a person's height, which was seven or eight percent full.The pancakes, the size of an adult's palm, were round and steaming hot. Because the white flour was mixed with other grains, the dough looked a bit gray, but Yao Man still couldn't help swallowing.

Seeing her daughter coming in, Mrs. Li had a greedy look on her face, fearing that her mother-in-law would be displeased with her, so she ordered: "Come and watch the fire."

"Hey." Yao Man agreed.

Watching the fire is not an easy job, it depends on the skill, if the fire is too high or too low, it will not work, you must use the least amount of firewood to control the fire just right.Fortunately, Yao Man was used to doing things since he was a child, so he could sit down and rest easily. If it was Yao Chen who came here, he would have to be in a hurry.

Thinking of Yao Chen helping to light the fire a few days ago, almost scorching his clothes, and being severely reprimanded by the always good-tempered Aunt Zhou, Yao Man burst into laughter.Since then, no one in the family has allowed him to approach the stove.

Yao Man felt that Aunt Zhou was not to blame, it was the only long gown at home that had not been repaired, it was made of high-quality cloth, it was soft to the touch, and it was dyed blue, so beautiful that Yao Man I am particularly envious, because she is still wearing the old clothes worn by her aunt, taupe, with patches on them.

As soon as the white and clean Yao Chen put on that green shirt, he had the air of a scholar. Yao Man couldn't tell what it was, but he just thought it looked good. When talking to him, she couldn't help restraining herself, not daring to speak too loudly, as if Like something.

But envy is envy, but Yao Man dare not ask her grandmother for it, how much does that suit cost!After all, Ah Chen is a scholar and has a bright future in the future, which is different from himself who was begging for food in the land.

After Yao Man sat down for a while, he listened to Yao's grandmother.

"...Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...how come there are only nineteen? There should be twenty in each."

The grandmother of the Yao family was in charge of steaming the cooking cakes, and put the steamed cooking cakes in a cage lined with clean gauze, so that they could be sold.Eighty of them have been installed before, and this last drawer is short.Unexpectedly, when she finished counting, one was missing.

The Yao family's grandmother was very puzzled: won't it be eaten by some greedy person?

Then she denied her guess, and she kept staring at it from the beginning to the end, no thief or mouse could escape her old cat's eyes.

The two daughter-in-laws, Li and Zhou, looked at each other, lowered their heads and worked hard without saying a word.

At this time, no one is a fool, whoever makes a noise is unlucky, I just hope that I don't exist.

Granny Yao's eyes swept away and landed on Mrs. Zhou.

"Second daughter-in-law, are you underwhelmed?"

The reason why Yao's grandma asked this is because white flour is more expensive than meat at this time, and the cakes are made of thinner skins and larger fillings, just to reduce the use of noodles, and the fillings are mainly made of sheep offal, which is much cheaper than noodles , although it has a smell of mutton, it can be made delicious with more thought and seasoning.If there is less stuffing, there will be more noodles, and the cost will be high.

Originally, the business of buying cooking cakes did not make much money, if the hands were wider, the family would lose.

She is in charge of the house and is in charge of the keys to the cupboard, and every time she takes noodles or meat, she must get her permission.She knows all about the rice, noodles and meat at home and eats dumplings blindly.Every time how much material is used, she has to calculate carefully, and she estimates it quite accurately. After making a biscuit once, the portion is just right every time, a hundred is a hundred, and there is no more biscuit.

There is one less for no reason, no wonder she asks more.

"I don't know, I just made it according to the usual amount."

Mrs. Zhou was also depressed. She was kind and docile, not good at words, and she was a little less shrewd and aggressive than Mrs. Li. At this time, she didn't know what to say to defend herself.

Coincidentally, Yao Chen walked in: "Grandma, I heard you repeat the number twelve just now."

"Really?" Hearing what the eldest grandson said, the Yao family's grandmother immediately believed it. The old lady was smart and wise, but she had a natural sense of awe for scholars, and the eldest grandson was always smart and honest, so she wouldn't lie to her.

"I'll count again."

Exactly twenty after counting.

"Ah, this is really..." Yao's grandma laughed.

Mrs. Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, silently put away the newly steamed pancakes, and helped her son carry them on his back.

Yao Chen shook the cage on his back and carefully checked the ropes tied to it.I'm afraid that if it gets loose, I will fall and eat.

When he was ready, he said, "Grandma, I'm leaving."

"Okay." Yao's grandmother felt that she had misunderstood Mrs. Zhou just now, and said again, "Second daughter-in-law, go and see her off." Normally, that would never happen, it's only a few steps away from the entrance of the village, so what should I get?After all, I have to cook for the whole family, of course not cooking cakes, but millet porridge.

Mrs. Zhou helped to support the cage, hoping to make her son feel more relaxed, talking while walking.

"This cake will not be sold until it is sold out. You can go to the school when you see that it is almost done. Don't miss the hour."

"Mom, I can save it. It's almost a month since I went to school in the city, don't worry, I know it well."

"Is the classmate okay? Will you look down on you because you sell cooking cakes?"

"Nothing bad." Everyone didn't have time to talk to me, and I didn't bother to talk to them.The farm boy will not attract too much attention, and no one will deliberately make things difficult, just study with peace of mind.Yao Chen didn't want to worry his mother, so he just said, "Everyone's mind is on studying, nothing else."

After thinking for a while, he said again: "This early in the morning, I am selling near the city gate again, who will see?"

"That's true." Zhou said with a reassuring smile.

Seeing no one around, Yao Chen secretly took a cooking cake and stuffed it for his mother.

Zhou's smile was bigger, and he took two bites, which was much better than the first time Yao Chen did this, he was stunned for a few breaths and couldn't react.

She chewed the fragrant mutton in her mouth, the hot soup flowed between her lips and teeth, the dough was soft, the mutton was full of meat flavor, without a trace of smell, and it had the fragrance of radish sprouts.The warmth spreading from her stomach made Zhou feel alive.

I still remember my son's reason at the time: "Grandma allowed me to take four as dry food. I can't eat that much, three is enough."

At this time, parents pay attention to selfless wealth. No matter how much work they do, how much money they earn, they must hand in what they get, and they will distribute what they eat and use.The food that is delicious and easy to use at home is given priority to the supply of strong laborers. Only when they are full can they work, followed by the elderly, then daughters-in-law, and finally children.

Because of Yao Chen's study and special status, he can eat cooking cakes, and his treatment is still higher than that of daughters-in-law, second only to strong laborers.In addition, he is sensible and considerate, and is deeply loved by the elders. Occasionally, if there is delicious food at home, he will secretly distribute it to his sister and younger brother, and the elders just turn a blind eye.

Daughters-in-law are not so lucky. They often work the most at home and are thankless. They are often scolded by their mother-in-law. If you are full, it is definitely not their turn to eat something delicious, and you will be disgusted if you eat an extra bite.

After Zhou ate the pancakes, he thought of something and became worried again.

"Hey, the bakery business looks good now. The village sees our family earning money, so they want to follow suit. I don't know if it will be successful in the future..."

"Mother, who did you listen to?" Yao Chen asked.

Most of the time, when Mrs. Zhou said something, he would just answer it, and didn't ask much.Hearing that her tone was different from complaining, I asked one more question.

"The village chief's wife's uncle's house," Zhou said angrily, "Yesterday when I was washing clothes, I asked me in a roundabout way where we got our sheep's offal. Huh! I dare not go to your grandma and aunt, I just come here. Ask me. Think I'm a good tempered!"

Yao Chen: You have a good temper... so you talked to me.

Yao Chen thought about it, what the hell uncle?The village is not big, and the village is full of relatives, so I didn't think about it for a long time.

"Mother, don't worry, our family has a recipe for making cakes, and other families can't make that taste."

"That's true." Zhou's mind was simple. Hearing what his son said, he put the matter aside, and then turned his head to read: "The village chief is a good person. He knew you were going to school in the city that day. A basket of red eggs was given away, and I usually help any family in need, but I don’t know how to choose a wife... His wife’s uncle’s family is really not a good match, and he takes advantage of everything... When I first got married... …last year…last month…”

Yao Chen: "..."

All the way to the entrance of the village, thinking that his son is obviously a scholar, and he has to carry these dozens of catties for several miles to sell in the city. Zhou's heart feels a little distressed. This child is smart and sensible. If he was born in a richer family , I don’t know how much blessing I can enjoy.

Even if there are two donkey carts for transportation!

"There is still an hour's journey to the city, and it is still dark, so be careful."

"Hey! Come back, mother!"

Seeing her son's back disappearing into the darkness, Mrs. Zhou hurriedly turned around and went back. Passing the well, she rinsed her mouth first, fearing that her mother-in-law would find out if she smelled the smell of mutton pancakes, and then hurried back.

Although she has a lot of work every day, she doesn't find it hard.

My son is sensible and motivated, and has a bright future, so all the hardships and tiredness are worth it.

Reading is really good, and scholars are also smart, otherwise how would my son know the recipe for mutton pancakes?

Mrs. Zhou didn't know anything, her son knew a lot of things, and he only told Fang Zi to himself secretly, just wanting to tell the family through his own mouth, so that the mother-in-law thought that he brought it from his mother's house, because her father used to be in the restaurant. I did it (actually, it was just running errands in the kitchen), and then I came home when I was old.

This made Zhou's mother-in-law pay more attention to her. In order to appease her natal family and save money, her mother-in-law even cut two catties of meat and sent it to her.But the Yao family was not at a loss. Old man Zhou knew a nearby butcher, and he got the Yao family to pick up the sheep on time, and only charged a little money, basically giving it away for nothing.

The family also values ​​this business, and plans to make more cakes for sale in the future.The mother-in-law has already let the word go. Although this recipe has been told to the family, they are strictly forbidden to leak it out, especially Li Shi, who has been warned by ear, for fear that she will tell her natal family that it will ruin her livelihood.

There should also be a consistent income from selling cooking cakes every year. It would be great to cover some tuition fees.

No matter what, you have to confess your son so that he can study for the rest of his life!Zhou made up his mind silently.

Yao Chen said that he does not want to study for the rest of his life!

Walking to school in the morning is the most painful part of his day.

The price of goods in the city is high and life is not easy. Most people live in villages outside the city. Villages, large and small, surround the city, and the villages range from dozens of households to hundreds of households.Yaojia Village is considered a medium-sized village, not too far from the city. It takes less than half an hour to drive, but walking is very painful. If you go fast, you can get there in an hour.

In fact, there are also teachers in the village, but they are mainly for the enlightenment of children. The whole village raises funds to provide for them. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to share it with each household a year. Some can even use food instead of tuition fees, so the cost of literacy is not very high.Even so, poorer families don’t easily send them to study, because they can’t hand in the bundle repair, and the half-grown children are half of the labor force for the family, so they are reluctant to let them go, or they may think that studying is useless.

Therefore, there are really not many people who study with Yao Chen, and sometimes the friends around him stop coming when he is reading.Including the children sent by the surrounding villages without teachers, there are only seven or eight students in total, and it has not broken through the double digits so far.

Yao Chen didn't understand why he got Mr. Kai Meng's favor, saying that he was a young man who was studying, the atmosphere for studying in the village was not strong, and classes were suspended during busy farming seasons, so he sent a letter of recommendation to Jinyang City for fear of delaying Yao Chen.What surprised Yao Chen even more was that the academy in the city agreed to transfer, so Yao Chen was in tragedy.

There are many things he doesn't understand, such as how he came up with the recipe for making mutton buns.Oh, it's not called buns here, it's called cooking cakes.All bread, no matter square or round, is called cooking cake.That's right, he remembered that there was a kind of square pancake called Mantou...

His mother, Mrs. Zhou, would sometimes say, "I really don't know how your brains grow." Yao Chen took it for granted, and he didn't know what happened to his own brain.Mr. Kai Meng probably knew that he could never forget something after reading it once. He also lamented that Yao Chen could never forget.

Yao Chen guessed that this might be the reason why he had to get up two hours early every day and walk for another hour.

I hate it!

There is still a half way to go.

Yao Chen took a breath, drank some water, and didn't dare to sit down, because he was afraid that if he sat down, he would instinctively lie down and not leave.

Although he has been relying on willpower to restrain himself and has never fallen down halfway, he just has this premonition.

His body seemed to be used to walking, his legs were moving mechanically, and the exercise barely refreshed the boy's mind. In fact, Yao Chen felt that his heart was exhausted, and he had the urge to lie down and become a salted fish anytime, anywhere.

...Why salted fish?

Another thing I can't figure out right now.

Thinking as he walked, Yao Chen kept diverting his attention, so he could bear it.

Someday, he will be able to see things that he has never seen before.At first, it was only in a dream, and it was still an intermittent picture.

He saw a middle-aged man in strange filial piety, with a fat body, standing beside a large table, cutting meat.

Tsk, the world is getting worse, and filial piety still dares to eat meat!The coffin boards of the ancestors can't hold down anymore!

... What a broken dream!

Later, he was also restless during the day, and he saw some complete clips.

It was still the fat middle-aged man, there were all kinds of food on the table, some of which Yao Chen recognized and some of which he didn’t, but he could probably guess it, and that man was also chopping vegetables while talking, talking about each ingredient. They are all introduced, including weight and practice.

In fact, what attracted Yao Chen was cooking utensils, all kinds of cooking utensils.There is a transparent jar, which can turn the meat into mud without using a kitchen knife for a long time; a stove that can produce fire without firewood, and it is said that there is a non-stick pan with diamonds on the bottom of the pan...

The man also said that diamonds are more expensive than gold!

are you kidding me? !Masonry? !

Give you a brick and exchange it for gold, okay? !

Yao Chen almost thought he was crazy, and was uneasy for a long time, but he didn't dare to tell his family.

Gradually, he remembered that he was a chef, and he was doing a live broadcast to teach people how to cook, and he gradually recognized those kitchen utensils.

Also, diamonds, not masonry.

Blue Star's talk about planting flowers is too non-standard!Bad review! !

All of the above, Yao Chen didn't feel any bad changes in his life, and he also learned how to make mutton buns, so he calmed down.

As for why he saw this, although the biggest mystery has not been solved, he feels it is very important, but there is no effective way, so he simply put it aside and is too lazy to care about it.

When the morning sun fell on the ancient city wall, Yao Chen also arrived at the gate of the city.He was a little later than usual today, and there were already people lining up outside, including vegetable farmers who went to the city to sell vegetables, merchants on their way, and porters looking for work.

As soon as the clapper sounded, the soldiers guarding the city opened the city gate and released people in order.Fortunately, there were not many people, so it was Yao Chen's turn after a while.

"Boy of the Yao family, you are here, hurry up and send the cooking cakes to our boss."

When a soldier saw Yao Chen, his eyes lit up and he greeted him enthusiastically.

Yao Chen knew that this enthusiasm was not directed at him, but a cake on his back.

The city gate guards are his big customers, and sometimes they will wrap them all up, which saves Yao Chen a lot of effort, so he also smiled back. "Here we go."

After entering the city, Yao Chen walked to a small stall familiarly. A group of soldiers who had just changed their defense at night were sitting there. , Some simply sat on the ground.The most eye-catching one is the big man with tattoos on his face, about forty years old, with dark skin, tangled muscles, and leather armor, piled up there like a hill.

Yao Chen was envious for a while.

It's nice to be able to sit...

"General Yan defended the city hard, how many do you want today?" Yao Chen asked as he put the cage on the table.

General is just a polite title, the other party's actual position is team leader.

The guards at the gate of the city are composed of five people.The team is the leader of almost fifty people, belonging to the lowest-ranking officer, far from the general by a hundred and eight thousand miles.Calling the general is just polite.

And I heard that Team Yan just retreated from the border. He has done real swords and guns, and has made military exploits. He is highly respected by the city defenders.

Team Yan said boldly: "How many are enough? Open your stomach and you can eat a basket of biscuits."

Yao Chen: Don't brag, a hundred of them won't kill you.

Yan Duzheng was not polite, and took it directly, two in each hand, and it was gone in the blink of an eye.

With some food in his stomach, he was in the mood to talk: "Hey, it's delicious! It's just that your cakes are so expensive, two yuan a piece, how can you afford a basket!"

"Two for four coins, three for five coins, if you buy three, you will earn one penny," Yao Chen said, "If you buy more, you will earn more!"

"Hahaha! As expected of a scholar!" That's cunning!

Team Yan was enjoying his meal, so he didn't let the little soldiers on the side watch. He raised his foot and kicked the man who was so hooked by the thought of mutton. "It's cheap for you, take two for each person." The soldiers cheered.

"Excellence..." Captain Yan was disdainful, and then turned to Yao Chen and said, "It will be credited to my account, and I will pay you the military salary."

"it is good."

This time, half of them were sold.Yao Chen was very satisfied.

Yan Dui happened to be making friends, he was loose on money, and had no other hobbies. Apart from his family, most of his salary was spent on food and drinks. Malicious, occasionally treats guests to dinner, and feeds those little brats who seem to never have enough to eat.

Most of those soldiers were born in poverty, so it was not a big problem to eat enough, but it was difficult to eat well.

And many of them are young and young, and those who come out to serve corvee according to the law are just when they can eat.

Yao Chen took out a pen and paper to calculate today's accounts, and talked with Team Yan in detail.

Hearing the latest figures, Yan Duizheng looked disgusted: "It's really a half-grown man who eats poor me. I'm usually such a waste, why do I eat so much?" I didn't suspect that there was a mistake in the accounts, it was clear.

Yao Chen: Please come back every few days. Didn’t you count 13 yourself?

Those little soldiers were obviously used to being dismissed, and were gnawing on the cakes for foolish joy.

This Yao family cake is really delicious, what the boss said is right, but it is too expensive, scholars are too cunning!

Yao Chen: ...

The liveliness here has attracted passers-by. As the skin of the pancake was bitten open, the rich aroma of meat gradually dissipated. After taking a deep breath, there was still a little smell of wheat and a vague fragrance inside, but I didn’t know it was shallots. Or something else, the smell is strong but not messy, and people can't help but stop.

"Hey! Give me one to try!"

"Six here, a total of ten coins, please keep them well."

There are also regular customers who know Yao Chen: "Boy from the Yao family, come two first. You say I come here often, can it be cheaper?" "The Yao family..."

"Brother Yao..."

You can call it anything.

The children who lived nearby also came over after smelling it, yelling "Brother Yao, Brother Yao".

Chirping, as if starting from the city gate, the whole city woke up.

Attracted by these, there is also a carriage.

The carriage looked ordinary at first glance, and it seemed no different from ordinary ones. The appearance was simple, but the inside was very spacious and luxurious, with fine furnishings.The thick leather is spread on the car, and there is no sound when you step on it, and even if the cup falls, it will not break.The cushion is made of brocade, with Sichuan embroidery on it, auspicious clouds and cranes, which imply auspiciousness, and the end is gorgeous and not vulgar, and it is unspeakably expensive.

"Brother Yao?"

As if he heard someone address Yao Chen, the young man in Chinese clothes in the car raised his eyebrows and let out a meaningful low laugh. He was not much older than Yao Chen, but his voice was deeper than ordinary boys, slightly hoarse and seductive.

The servant next to him echoed and joked: "It's also a small place, with simple folk customs. I don't know that besides sister Yao, there are brothers."

I didn't expect to encounter such interesting things as soon as I arrived in Jinyang, and the depression of the young man who was forced to leave Beijing was relieved a lot.

He was playing with the jade cup in his hand, rarely in the mood to joke, and said, "Go and ask him, 'Brother Yao, how much are you selling for?'"

"Here."