With Qian's help, the two parties signed a contract, and there was an episode before paying the rent. Although Shen Luzhu knew about her situation, Lin Qiuyi did not tell the truth to them, and she did not know whether she had any Money, fearing that she was too embarrassed to continue living in her home, forced herself to say that she wanted to rent a yard to live in. He also specifically asked her if she had money to pay the rent. If not, he could help her advance the rent.
Lin Qiuyi was very moved by this, and apologized hesitantly. She thought about revealing part of her true life experience to Shen Luzhu, so that she would not have to worry about paying the rent. Then Lin Qiuyi moved into the backyard of the family east of the Chu family's old house as a distant relative of Yuan Shuang.
At this time, the young couple was also busy again, preparing for the peak business season that would come before the Spring Festival. Just when the whole family was devoting themselves to the production of paper money, I don’t know when it started, but suddenly spread the news in Kaoshan Village. Rumors about the couple's paper money shop.
First, someone suddenly mentioned the story of the young couple being arrested by the government, and began to question whether buying their paper money would be disrespectful to their ancestors. A middle-aged woman wearing a gray coat saw under the big banyan tree at the head of the village. Several aunts and ladies were chatting there while basking in the sun, and they quickly walked over.
As soon as I sat down, I heard a few people chatting about buying New Year's goods. I quickly interjected: "When it comes to buying New Year's goods, I was worried. I was really confused for a while."
An aunt next to her thought it was because the middle-aged woman didn't have enough money at home, so she asked a little strangely: "Her aunt, I remember that your family's harvest was still successful this year? Why are you worried about the new year's goods?" Already!"
Seeing someone talking to her, the middle-aged woman was happy and hurriedly explained: "Sister-in-law, you misunderstood, it's not about the money. Isn't it the paper money for the sacrifice that I have to prepare in a few days? This is what I'm worried about." thing!"
The man was even more surprised when he heard this: "What's there to worry about? The Chu family's shop is already open. Just go and buy it one day!"
"Hey, sister-in-law, let me tell you the truth, I'm worried that the paper money sold by the Chu family couple can't be used! Didn't you think they were arrested for the paper money? If they use their paper money to worship their ancestors, this What should I do if my ancestors are blamed? Don't ask for blessings when the time comes, but it will bring about something bad. Oh, I'd better buy it from another store. It's just too far to go to the town. What if there is another store in the village that sells paper money? That’s fine, sister-in-law, don’t you think so?”
The aunt who had spoken to her before looked at her inexplicably: "I remember that about the Chu family couple, it was a misunderstanding. Didn't I later arrest the Hu family from Wufang Village? , how long has this been going on, why don’t you know?”
Another aunt interjected: "How could you not know? Everyone in the nearby villages doesn't know about it! Besides, how long has it been? Who hasn't bought it in such a long time?" If there is really anything wrong with the paper money that the young couple sold, it would have spread in the village a long time ago. Isn't it a little too late for you to worry about it now?"
As soon as these words came out, the previous aunt also remembered something: "Yeah, if she didn't tell me, I would have forgotten it. During the Winter Clothes Festival, I also saw you going to their house to buy paper money. It happened after worshiping ancestors. What's going on?"
The middle-aged woman originally thought she was just here to spread gossip, but she didn't expect that the money was not that easy to earn. Fortunately, she collected the coins first and didn't promise that there would be something wrong on the other end. Anyway, she said what she said, so she no longer pressed for the result, just said a few perfunctory words, and then passed the topic.
"No, no, I just had nothing to do in the past two days and just thought about it. Why do my sisters-in-law take it seriously?"
In those days, several people mentioned this topic before and after, but the results were similar. No one else believed it or was interested in this topic. Because of this, those few people had a hard time. Not to mention the relatives and friends of the Chu family who were busy recently, only a few people in the village had heard of it.
This time, because they wanted to raise money to send Chu Ren to another private school, Wang and Li got together again to discuss strategies. Unexpectedly, they spent a lot of copper coins but had no effect at all. They asked how much they had received. After seeing the situation at that time, I could only go home and start thinking about new tricks. I secretly argued in my heart that this time
The young couple's shop must be disrupted. Otherwise, how can they get so much money in less than two months before the private school starts next year.
So when the first plan failed, another one was devised. One day in the middle of the twelfth lunar month, a new rumor suddenly spread in the village. Some people said that after using the couple's copper coins to burn paper tombs for sacrifice, they actually dreamed of being loudly reprimanded by their ancestors in the middle of the night, saying, It's because the children and grandchildren are unfilial, they actually use the paper money sold by people who have been in prison and burn it for themselves!
The man went around the village vividly telling others about his nightmare, and then people came out one after another to say that the same thing had happened. For a while, some people did become half-believed and half-suspicious. This was the first time the fat aunt heard this rumor from others. At that time, I still scoffed and didn't take it seriously, but after hearing someone discussing this matter for several days in a row, I felt that something was wrong, so I put down my work and hurried to the Chu family's old house!
It was already the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and more and more people came to the shop to buy paper money. The fat aunt looked around and waited until everyone in the room was almost gone before she stepped forward and leaned on the counter and whispered to the young couple. He said, "I don't know if your family has heard about it in the past few days. Recently, several families in the village said that after buying your paper money to go to the grave for sacrifices, they dreamed that their ancestors taught them a lesson at night! What they said is true. That’s right, you should blame your ancestors when you meet everyone, and you shouldn’t buy paper money sold by people who have been in jail!”
Shen Luzhu was sitting on the hot bed in the shop at this time, eating the egg custard that Chu Xiuxiu had just brought to her. After hearing this, she and Chu Yi looked at each other, and quickly put the bowl in their hands on the counter aside and said hello He asked the fat aunt to go behind the counter and talk: "Aunt, when did you first hear them saying this? Are those families the closest ones?"
The fat aunt sat next to Shen Luzhu and communicated with her in a low voice: "My wife of the Chu family, you eat first, and you listen to what I tell you while you eat. In fact, I heard about this once a few days ago. I just didn’t pay much attention to it at the time, thinking that maybe it was the talkative woman from some house who was talking nonsense. But I didn’t expect that in the past two days, several houses suddenly came out and said this, and I felt that something was not right. How could it be such a coincidence? How long has it been since this happened? No one's ancestors have been unhappy for such a long time, but now suddenly everyone is unhappy? I'm wondering if someone is targeting you two. !Have you had any trouble with that other party recently?"
There was no need for the fat aunt to explain, and the young couple naturally knew that she was talking about Uncle Chu's family. Chu Yi looked at his wife and asked with his eyes, could it be the last time he pretended to be a ghost to scare the Wang family, but it has already passed. After a long time, Wang started to fight back at this time. Was it too slow to react?
Shen Luzhu's first reaction to this matter was that the Wang family did it, but since the last incident with Xie's family, Uncle Chu's shop has been closed for a long time. I didn't sell any more burning paper or wasting money. I thought Wang had learned a lesson now, but she never thought that it hadn't even been two months and yet trouble started happening again.
What the young couple didn't know was that Mrs. Wang was really frightened last time, but the real reason that stopped her from selling paper money was not that she had learned a lesson but that Uncle Chu's family had too many troubles these days. In addition, Mrs. Wang has been ill, no one went to town to buy goods, and no one was in the mood to cut paper and make copper coins and burn paper, so it was shelved.
Chu Yi thought for a moment and asked, "Auntie, does he know that my uncle's coffin shop started selling paper money again?"
The fat aunt slapped her thigh when she heard this: "It's strange, that's what's strange. I also thought it was the devil over there, and I even went to take a look, but they only had coffins in the shop over there, and I didn't see them selling paper money. ah!"
Shen Luzhu was puzzled: "This is strange. If my uncle's shop doesn't sell paper money, then who is deliberately spreading rumors to cause trouble? How could it not really be some ancestors' collective dream?"
Chu Yi also said: "If only one family said this, it might be true. But suddenly so many people say it, then it must be false!"
The fat aunt was also very puzzled: "Chu Yi is right, it's not like those households have never bought your paper money before, and they have never had any problems! But I also asked specifically, except for your uncle's house By the way, no one in the nearby villages wants to open a new shop to sell paper money!"
No one in the nearby villages wanted to open a paper money shop, so the only
The coffin shop that competes with them stopped selling paper money two months ago. This thing is getting more and more outrageous, but Shen Luzhu still feels that it is probably related to the Wang family. Although I still can't explain clearly why something happened over there but he didn't start up his family's business.
"It doesn't matter. If someone does it deliberately, the fox's tail will eventually show up. Does Fat Aunt know how the people in the village will react to this?"
"No one in the village believed everything they said. Most of them were skeptical. After all, they have been buying your paper money and nothing has ever happened to them. Besides, some people probably thought of the same thing as me. I guessed it. Maybe something happened over there, and many people know that you two are at odds with each other. Didn’t Mrs. Wang steal your paper money before?"
The fat aunt's words provided Shen Luzhu with a new idea. Could it be that the eldest uncle was smarter this time and was afraid that everyone would guess in advance that she was causing trouble, so she deliberately didn't sell the paper money to block everyone in the village. The mouth of Youyou?
After thinking about it, Shen Luzhu shook his head again and again in his heart, feeling a little unable to convince himself: "Then we can only wait and see what happens, wait and see!"
Chu Yi nodded: "A Zhu is right. Now I will go out to explain, but I will end up in trouble."
Upon seeing this, the fat aunt hurriedly comforted her and said, "You two don't have to worry too much. I think the business of your shop is pretty good and it hasn't been affected at all. I'll go out and ask around later to see what the prices are." I personally said it was a nightmare."
"Then there's Fatty Auntie!"
"Why am I having an affair with my aunt? I wish you could be better, so that my niece and nephew-in-law can live a better life!"
"Auntie, if that's the case, they are our cousins and younger siblings. They should support each other."
The fat aunt waved her hands and said as she came out from behind the counter: "Okay, I'll tell you as soon as I have news, I'm leaving first!"
