Chu Ping watched for a while in front of the shop door. When the middle-aged man walked away, he quietly followed him.
"This person should be a colleague!"
"Well, I guess I heard about it somewhere and came here specially."
About half the time it took to burn the incense, Chu Ping, who had followed him out, returned to the shop. As soon as he entered the room, before he could sit down, he explained everything he saw after going out.
"That man obviously came in a bullock cart, but he parked the cart far away. If I hadn't followed him, I wouldn't have seen him. He was obviously hiding on purpose. The cart driver must be part of the same group. Yes. And asked him why he had so many plastic surgery procedures? Sure enough, it’s not a good thing!”
Chu Ping's words confirmed the couple's suspicion just now. Chu Yi nodded: "They are probably colleagues who came to inquire about the news."
After hearing this, Chu Ping scratched his face and regretted a little: "Shouldn't I sell it to him then? My brain! I just thought about killing him, what should I do now?"
Shen Luzhu thought it was not a big deal: "It's okay, even if we don't sell to him today, maybe someone else will come tomorrow? Or just ask someone in the village to buy it. We can't just be on guard against him in the future. We don’t have any goods to sell, so we can’t give up eating because of choking!”
"Will that have any impact on the shop?"
Seeing that his cousin still blamed himself, Chu Yi poured a bowl of herbal tea and handed it over: "It's just for a look, it doesn't matter."
"That's right, as the saying goes, peers are enemies! Our shop is getting more and more popular, so it will naturally attract the attention of our colleagues. It's normal for people to want to come and have a look. Although the person just now was a bit wretched, he didn't ask There is no use in going, cousin, you don’t have to take it to heart.”
The ox cart pulled the middle-aged man just now, and the pile of paper money that was half a person high, and drove slowly towards the Wufang Village next door.
The driver was Hu Shun, who lives in Wufang Village: "Cousin, didn't you just go and have a look, ask about his house, and buy something interesting? Why did you buy so much at once?"
The middle-aged man, Hu Shun's cousin Huang Liang, spat and cursed: "Damn it, you found out and you dared to kill me! Is his family's business really as good as my aunt said?"
"Of course, cousin, you haven't seen it. When my mother-in-law and I came to buy paper money on the Ghost Festival, my dear, there was a queue in front of the shop! And the paper money in his house is indeed the same as the ones next to it. It’s different, just burn paper with copper coins, even dead people like it, and it burns more vigorously than ordinary people!”
"That's nonsense. I told it deliberately to deceive you villagers!" Huang Liang rolled his eyes with disdain. After all, he is a country bumpkin who has never seen the world. Some people believe this kind of nonsense!
When Huang Liang was young, he worked as a peddler, carrying a pole through the streets and earning his first pot of gold. Later, he felt that the salesman had no future, so he went to the grocery store where he often purchased goods and started working as a waiter in the store.
Later, he married the slightly disabled daughter of the shop owner and became his son-in-law! As soon as his old father-in-law was buried, he took over the shop. It has only been more than a year, and now he is a rich man who has his parents raising him by his side and married two concubines!
This year, we are taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing my parents back and gathering with relatives in the village, which can be regarded as a return to hometown.
While chatting, I heard my aunt talking about the paper money shop in Kaoshan Village, saying that the business was very prosperous. I was thinking about what big money-making business could be done in this rural place. I had nothing to do, so I asked my cousin to drive and take me there. have a look.
Seeing that his cousin didn't believe it, Hu Shun continued: "I also heard that his family has opened a workshop. It is said that the female workers in the workshop can earn more than one tael of silver a month! Cousin, tell me, does his family have a workshop? Did you break it?"
"real?"
"Of course it's true. Everyone in every village knows about this. Many people are looking forward to hiring more workers from his family!"
Huang Liang would not believe that the Chu family's paper money shop was indeed something good, but that it could make so much money in this village with its new style.
Huang Liang was half lying on the bullock cart, his head resting on the pile of paper money, and he kicked Hu Shun's butt: "How did you open the shop? Start from scratch. Tell me."
Hu Shun didn't know what his cousin wanted to do, so he just let him know, so he told everything he knew: "... His shop is very good. I bought it before. You have to go to the town to burn paper, but now you don’t have to worry about it, and you can sell it at the same price as the town.”
"What are you talking about? Is this the only one selling paper money near this village?" Huang Liang suddenly straightened up as he listened.
"It's not just around here. Among the seven or eight villages in front of us, this one is the only one!"
"That's what I said, no wonder!" Huang Liang said, lying back again. It's also his fault. He hasn't been back for many years. Even if he came back before, it was just to see his parents. He didn't care about the people in this village. Nothing.
There are so many villages and so many families, but his family only has a shop that sells paper money, plus some deceptive claims that his family makes money. No matter who runs it, it will be difficult not to make money!
"Shun'er! Do you want to make money?"
"Think about it, cousin, of course I want to make money!"
"Then follow your cousin and I will work hard. I will let you make more money than the one just now!"
After a long rest, the shops were closed in the afternoon, and the young couple planned to take Chu Li and Xiuxiu after school to go to town. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I plan to go to the market and buy some moon cakes to eat. Tomorrow night, I will invite everyone to go to my yard to enjoy the moon and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
There are two places that I must visit every time I go to town, one is a bank and the other is a cloth shop or clothing store.
Seeing that Chu Li had come to the shop to buy clothes again, he stretched out his hand and tugged on his sister-in-law's sleeve: "Sister-in-law, I still have clothes to wear. You don't need to buy them for me, just buy them for your cousin."
Chu Xiuxiu also shook her head: "My cousin, I have some too, so there's no need to buy any more."
"You two have grown a lot, and your clothes are too short. Why don't you buy them?" Shen Luzhu also knew that his younger siblings were sensible, and he was afraid that she would spend money, so they discussed: "Sister-in-law, instead of buying ready-made clothes this time, buy some fabrics." Go back and run your own head office?"
Chu Li was ten years old and Xiu Xiu was thirteen. It was the time when they were growing taller. The family conditions had become better in the past year or so. Shen Luzhu was not stingy and always used different things to replenish their bodies. He has grown a lot!
Most of the previous clothes were no longer wearable. When he was busy, Shen Luzhu would buy them ready-made clothes. Now that he was free, he planned to buy some good fabrics for them.
Chu Li still shook his head: "Sister-in-law, I'm growing taller, but even if I try to look back, I'm still shorter. I'd better not do it. Anyway, it's hot now, so wearing shorter clothes will still keep you cooler."
"That can't be done. If others see it, they should think that my sister-in-law is no longer good at needlework! Besides, my third uncle, your brother and I are also going to do some work. There are also these clothes that are too small. My sister-in-law bought some fabric and had them altered. If you change it, maybe you can wear it for another year!"
The ready-made clothes that had become too small before were still used, and Shen Luzhu had no intention of throwing them away. Although life was more affluent now, it was not to the point of extravagance and waste. There were no younger children at home, so I decided to buy some fabrics of the same material and color, modify them, and make them wearable again.
Chu Yi looked at the familiar scene in front of him and felt very warm. It happened every time we came to town together, and he never said much. His wife was kind and gentle, and his younger brothers and sisters were obedient and sensible. At this moment, he was happier than anyone else. !
After buying fabric, they went to the bookstore again. Chu Li had already started to learn to write, so he needed to prepare more pens and ink for him. Also, Xiu Xiu, Shen Luzhu planned to buy some literacy books while he was not busy. , teach her to read some words by herself. Even if she doesn’t do anything in the future, it’s good to read when she’s bored.
At the last stop of the trip, a few people went to the market in the town. They bought a lot of mooncakes with various fillings, fruit candies, roasted goose and chicken, dried fruits and roasted seeds and nuts, and finally bought a few cups. With the beautifully shaped lanterns, he returned home in an ox cart.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival, several elders of the Chu family seem to be a little uninterested. The reason is that Chu Ren is still in Fucheng and has been away from home for more than a month. I don't know if everything is okay there.
Mrs. Li, the lobby sister-in-law, brought her son to the old house this time. In the afternoon, several people were preparing dinner in the kitchen. As soon as Mrs. Wang took out the fish kept in the water tank under the window, Mrs. Li took out the fish container. The wooden basin took it.
"Mommy, this fish is hard to deal with, so I'll do it!"
Ms. Wang was not polite: "Okay, then you should clean up better."
Shen Luzhu, who was chopping vegetables on the side, looked at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and always felt that something was strange. It was also the same when he was about to light a fire for the stove. Usually the hall sister-in-law had no time to hide, but this time she actually took the initiative to move a small stool and sit on it. Light a fire in front of the stove.
Shen Luzhu tilted his head and looked at the sun outside the house. Did the sun rise in the west today?
"Why are you being lazy? Why don't you hurry up and finish chopping? I'm waiting for your dish to come out of the pot. It's so hard to chop!"
Glancing at the eldest uncle who was holding an old man's face, Shen Luzhu thought to himself, it seems that the aunt is still using the original formula!
After having a Mid-Autumn Festival dinner that was neither salty nor bland, Uncle Chu's family took advantage of the light to return to their house.
The young couple set up a table in the yard, Chu Li and Xiu Xiu, and hung the lanterns all over the yard. The weather was very good tonight, with a full moon in the sky, bright stars, and a gentle breeze from time to time.
After the food and drinks were put on the table one by one, Zhao Cheng, Chu Ping, and the four Shen brothers also arrived one after another.
Everyone sat around a table, chatting, admiring the moon and lanterns. Uncle Chu sat among them, looking at everyone with a smile, feeling that his life was getting more and more enjoyable since his nephew got married.
Life is like this, one day at a time, the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, and most of the year has passed. Chu Xiuxiu's literacy plan has also been put on Shen Luzhu's agenda.
Shen Luzhu did not use books like the Three Character Classic or the Thousand Character Classic to teach Chu Xiuxiu how to read like in the school. Instead, he bought a few books such as fables or travel notes, thinking that this would be more interesting and Xiu Xiu should Could be more interested.
That morning, Chu Yi was making coffins in the yard, and Chu Li also went to school. There were only Xiuxiu and Shen Luzhu in the shop. They were studying hard when Chu Ping hurried into the house.
"Sister-in-law, someone in Wufang Village next door is going to open a paper money shop!"
Shen Luzhu was stunned when he heard this: "Sit down and talk slowly, when did it happen and how did my cousin know about it?"
Chu Xiuxiu gave Chu Ping a bowl of herbal tea. Chu Ping drank it in one breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves. He ran all the way back from the big willow tree at the head of the village: "I have nothing to do and am wandering in the village. In the village I bumped into Feng Zizi, and he told me. He said that there was a family named Hu in Wufang Village. Recently, he found a lot of idle people and gave them money to help spread the word in nearby villages. , his family is going to open a paper money shop, and it will open on the 28th. They said they will blow up firecrackers then, and they also invited a lion dance team and prepared a lot of melon seeds and candies, and invited the villagers to join in the fun!"
"Twenty-eight, isn't that the day after tomorrow!"
"Yes, sister-in-law, I should have known a while ago that I should go out and hang out if I had nothing to do. I have been saying this for several days, and we only found out today! What should we do now?"
Since he was led by his cousin to work, although he still can't change his lazy temperament, he doesn't go out much anymore, and he didn't know it until so late!
"I knew it earlier, isn't that the case? We can't stop people from getting out of their way! No one has stipulated that we are only allowed to sell paper money around here, and we can do whatever we want. I haven't seen a lion dance yet. Tell your cousin and we can join in the fun!"
