Since Xu Huaigu and the two of them really didn't have much money, when they saw the price of two taels of silver per night in the inn, they turned around and left in embarrassment. You know, after Xu Huaigu pawned the dagger, he exchanged it for six or seven taels of silver. He didn't know how the next money would come from. Of course, they couldn't use the money randomly.
The two of them walked all the way and searched for a long time in Xingqing City, but couldn't find a place with a suitable price. Fortunately, as dusk approached, I finally found a small, dilapidated courtyard in a remote corner in the south.
There are about three or four small houses in the small yard, surrounded by each other to form a small residence. These small houses look very old. The sparse tiles are covered with thick moss, the corners are full of knee-high weeds, and the courtyard walls have fallen to the ground in many places, with several pieces of different sizes. The bricks were scattered on the ground, turned into a pile of loess by the wind and sun.
Xu Huaigu originally thought that such a dilapidated house should be unoccupied. However, a wisp of almost transparent smoke drifting from the chimney of a house hinted that there were still people living here.
Xu Huaigu was ready to try his luck. People who live in such a place must be short of money. If Xu Huaigu wants to rent a house here, it should be cheaper. The main reason is that this place is remote enough, and Xu Huaigu wanted to stay as low-key as possible when he came to Xingqing this time.
Xu Huaigu stepped forward and knocked lightly on the small rusty bronze door knocker. The bronze door knocker made several dull noises on the door, as dead and lifeless as the surrounding environment.
After a long time, a few hurried footsteps came from the house, and they were obviously a little happy: "Is it Cui'er? You haven't been here for so long, and you finally came to see your mother-in-law?"
The door opened with a creak, and inside stood a white-haired old woman with a severe stoop, looking at the two people in front of her with a pair of gray eyes.
When the old woman saw that they were two strange men and women, not the Cui'er she mentioned, her eyes suddenly dropped, but she was also wary.
She looked at Xu Huaigu and the two of them doubtfully with cloudy eyes. She touched the door frame with her hand and quietly used some strength to lean on the door frame, ready to close the door at any time.
Seeing the old woman's appearance, Xu Huaigu hurriedly explained: "Old woman, we came to Xingqing from other places, and we have no ill intentions. We originally lived in Huanghu City, but unfortunately my father passed away, and we, brother and sister, had no place to rely on for our lives. I can come to Xingqing to live with my relatives. But I haven’t found my relatives yet, but I don’t have money to stay in an inn, so I was wondering if I could stay here for a few nights?”
After hearing his explanation, the old woman's expression softened a bit, but she still held the doors on both sides with her hands, not intending to let Xu Huaigu and the others in.
She shook her head and said, "No, I won't leave anyone here to stay. You'd better go back quickly."
Xu Huaigu persuaded again: "Old lady, we really have no choice but to come to your place. Don't worry, we are only staying for a few nights and will not cause you any trouble. Moreover, we are also willing to pay or help you do something else." work.”
The old woman shook her head stubbornly and waved her hand to start driving people away. She frowned and said, "No, no, I never take people in, so you'd better leave!"
Xu Huaigu was embarrassed by the old woman's firm attitude, but he didn't want to leave, so he stood at the door and stood in a stalemate with the old woman.
At this moment, a clear child's voice suddenly came from outside: "Grandma Qin, I'm here to see you!"
Xu Huaigu turned around and saw a young girl of eight or nine years old jumping out of a dilapidated alley and heading straight for the small courtyard.
When the old woman called Granny Qin saw the little girl coming, she immediately changed her smile and became happy. Her cloudy eyes revealed joy, and she said, "Tui'er, you're here, I miss you so much."
The girl named Cui'er approached.
She is very tall, about eight or nine years old, but about the same height as Yu Qin, who is twelve years old. Her refreshing ponytail is tied behind her shoulders, making her look lively and generous.
She ran closer and looked at Xu Huaigu and Yu Qin who were standing at the door with some curiosity. Then she walked into the courtyard door very naturally and asked the old woman: "Mother-in-law, who are these two people? How come I’ve never seen them?”
Grandma Qin patiently said to her: "He just knocked on the door and wanted to stay at my place."
When Xu Huaigu saw how much Granny Qin doted on the little girl, she had an idea in mind.
He smiled at the little girl and said gently: "We, brother and sister, just came to Xingqing. We wanted to stay in Xingqing, but staying in an inn was too expensive, so we thought about whether we could live here, but the old lady seemed like Not very happy."
The little girl's thoughts were simple and she said directly: "Grandma, please let them live here. You live here alone anyway, and there are several empty houses. Wouldn't it be more interesting if there are several people living together?"
The old woman glanced at Xu Huaigu with an unhappy expression. Yu Qin also felt that what Xu Huaigu did was a little bad, so she also pushed him with her elbow.
Xu Huaigu was shameless and took it all.
But this trick is quite useful. After hearing the little girl's request, the old woman finally relaxed and said, "Oh...it's not that I don't want to stay with you, it's just that I can't say it...but since you want to live with me so much, then just stay here. But I have to remind you in advance that my house is not a nice place, it has many rules, and you have to be careful at night."
Yu Qin heard these gloomy words and felt a little afraid, but Xu Huaigu was not afraid at all and agreed wholeheartedly.
After Xu Huaigu entered the small courtyard, he walked around the small house.
There are a total of four cabins in the small house, one of which is the old woman's house, and the other two are also guest rooms, but they have been abandoned for a long time. The last room was a kitchen for cooking. The thin smoke that Xu Huaigu saw at that time was coming from the broken chimney here.
The old woman was preparing dinner at this time, so she just called Yu Qin and Xu Huaigu to eat together.
At dinner, the little girl was obviously particularly interested in Xu Huaigu and Yu Qin, and kept asking them questions.
"Sister, you are so beautiful. Can you tell me your name?"
This was meant for Yu Qin. The little girl is generous and generous. Yu Qin was very shy when she first arrived in Xingqing. She was obviously a little frightened by the enthusiasm of this little girl.
Xu Huaigu introduced Yu Qin, and also talked about their own situation, but their rhetoric was still the same as what they said to the officers and soldiers at the head of the city. After all, Xu Huaigu didn't dare to trust these people casually. All his previous experiences told him that he must act with caution.
Neither the little girl nor Granny Qin had any doubts. However, when it was mentioned that their father was seriously ill and died, Granny Qin seemed to be very excited, with tears filling her eyes, which was much more realistic than Xu Huaigu's performance. This made Xu Huaigu couldn't help but want to know the story of this old woman who was over 60 years old.
The little girl's reaction was a little confused. She didn't seem to understand why the old woman was so moved.
Although there were simple dishes on the dinner table, the group of people ate happily. After the atmosphere calmed down, the little girl also began to introduce herself: "My name is Pingcui, and I live in an alley not far from here. I often visit the old lady's house to play. Grandma Qin is too lonely here." ”
Granny Qin's eyes were gentle and she said to her: "I stay here voluntarily, how can I feel lonely? Besides, I am never alone, and there are people with me."
Ping Cui smiled and said, "Grandma Qin, you said this again. Where is there anyone here? I have never seen anyone come to your place."
Grandma Qin also laughed, shook her head gently and said, "That's why you said that because you have never lived here."
The atmosphere of the meal was quickly aroused by Pingcui's innocence and liveliness. Xu Huaigu also explained their predicament clearly to Granny Qin. Granny Qin also expressed her understanding and stopped pursuing Xu Huaigu's previous use of Pingcui. It's over.
Xu Huaigu also learned about Pingcui's family background. Pingcui's mother is an ordinary woman in Xingqing City, who usually does some housework and needlework to support the family, while her father is a scholar from a remote town in the south.
A scholar like this is a rare scholar in every township and town, and his status is not bad. However, in the prosperous city of Xingqing, there are not many Gongshi and Jinshi, and a young scholar cannot really make a big splash.
Her father was quite lucky among the scholars and now taught calligraphy in a wealthy family. However, in the expensive city of Xingqing, he could only pay for ordinary expenses, so the family was not wealthy.
After dinner, it was getting late, so Pingcui hurried home. And it seems that his father doesn't like Pingcui coming to Granny Qin's house, so there are not many opportunities for Pingcui to come and she won't stay too long, but every time she comes, Granny Qin will be very happy.
After Pingcui left, Granny Qin returned to her previous lost look and told Xu Huaigu, "Since you insist on living here, I have to set a few rules. First, be quiet and don't make loud noises." I can't stand the noise anymore. Secondly, you must go to bed early at night and remember not to light candles, do you understand?"
Xu Huaigu understood the first rule, but the second one was really a bit confusing. But since he was living under someone else's roof, and seeing that Granny Qin didn't look like she wanted to explain, he agreed with suspicion.
In this way, Xu Huaigu and Yu Qin settled down in a dilapidated house in Xingqing City.
The days are still long and there are still many stories.
