On the tenth day of the lunar month, many people came to the Sun Family Buzhuang, all coming to see Aunt Sun and his wife off. Chu Yi stood next to his wife carrying two large bags that Shen Luzhu had prepared early. , and after she and Aunt Sun hugged each other, she handed the things to the old couple one by one.
"Uncle and aunt, Azhu has prepared some food for you on the road. They are all in these two packages. Please keep them."
Uncle Sun looked at the big package in his hand and said with some embarrassment: "What a waste of effort. Your aunt and my daughter have already prepared a lot of dry food. We, the old couple, can eat as much as we want along the way."
"Be more prepared so that you are prepared for any emergencies. A-Zhu's craftsmanship is always good, so just accept it."
Shen Luzhu also said: "I know that uncle and aunt must have prepared a lot of food, so instead of making pancakes and the like, I made some dry noodles and dried meat, spicy and five-flavored, which are better than meat." The dry ones are softer and easier to eat. I also boiled some hot pot ingredients with lard and packaged them in oil paper. One piece at a time is just right. Don’t you love the hot pot I made? I also put some small bites in the package. Put the pot inside, pour water and put some hot pot ingredients on it. Once it's boiled, noodles or anything else will be delicious. The dried meat can also be used to cook hot pot if your mouth gets tired of eating it empty."
Aunt Sun was very moved when she heard this: "It's really costing you money. Lu Zhu, you are so thoughtful. I didn't expect to be able to eat hot pot on this road."
Uncle Sun also said: "Originally, I was worried that I would not be able to bear the food I had to eat every day on this journey. But with the hot pot you have prepared, I will not be able to make those who are traveling with me even crying."
Shen Luzhu smiled and said: "I have prepared a lot. When the time comes, I can bring the people from the caravan to eat together. It will be more lively when there are more people."
"Okay, okay, thank you very much."
Jiang Juan also hugged a package and came forward: "Uncle and aunt, I have also prepared some food for you. If not enough, it is just some preserved fruits, dried fruits and roasted seeds and nuts. You two can eat it to relieve your boredom when you are bored on the road. There are some freshly ground food in it." The mung bean powder, the weather is hot now, you can drink it on the way to relieve the heat."
"Now that you're serious, Juan'er, you should be back home today, why are you here all the time?"
"It's okay, aunt. I'll send you and uncle off. It's too late for us to rush back later. I've already told my brother at home about what happened today. My parents won't be anxious."
Since Uncle Chu moved to this county, he and Uncle Sun have become chess friends. Now that his old friend is leaving, he is naturally very reluctant to leave. His nephew and his wife have prepared a lot of food for him. After thinking about it, he decided to give Chu San Yi took out a chess set that Nanmu made for himself.
"Old Sun, don't you always like this set of chess? I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to have the opportunity to play chess together in the future, so I will give you this set."
Uncle Sun really liked this chess set, and had even offered to buy it before. Now that Uncle Chu was reluctant to part with it, he took it immediately and said, "I won't be polite to you, Old Chu, hahaha."
After the Sun family moved out, the young couple began to tidy up the house and shop next door. The Sun family originally sold fabrics and ready-made clothes. The furnishings and layout of the shop generally met the Chu family's requirements for building a shroud shop in the future. Just renovate some old cabinets and change the color.
The inner courtyard was originally just the residence of the Sun family, but now it wants to be converted into an embroidery room for the embroiderers to make shrouds here, so the changes are a bit bigger.
The first is the layout of the house. In the row of rooms in the main house facing the courtyard gate, all the furniture in the house was first cleared out, and then the partitions were opened up to turn it into a large room, and the surrounding walls were changed into fire walls. In this way, in winter It can also ensure the temperature inside the house, so that the embroiderers will not be unable to do needlework due to cold hands.
Then put the tables and chairs used by embroiderers to make clothes in the house. From one side to the other, draw lines, cut and sew according to measurements.
Then there are the wing rooms on the east and west sides. One side was converted into a washing room, where the finished shrouds were passed through water to clean the dust on the cloth. The other side was converted into a canteen where the embroiderers had lunch. Add a few rows of racks for drying clothes in the yard.
Shen Luzhu left behind the clerks at the Sun family cloth shop. Whether they were selling goods, entering the dyeing shop, or the embroiderers before the Sun family, he was very familiar with them. While the inner courtyard was being renovated, Shen Luzhu took him with him. Written by Chu Xiuxiu,
There are also Jiang Juan and Lin Qiuyi, who are very busy choosing fabrics and recruiting embroiderers with this guy every day.
That's not all. The couple even made a special trip to the paper-making workshop. They took the workshop manager in charge of craftsmanship and several old masters to discuss it in the room for a long time. They didn't even have lunch, and it wasn't full until mid-afternoon. Leaving the paper-making workshop with a smile on her face.
Shen Luzhu was too engrossed in the discussion just now. As soon as Shen Luzhu walked out of the workshop, he felt unbearably hungry. The young couple quickly found a small restaurant on the street to worship their five internal organs temple.
By the time the young couple returned to the east courtyard of Changqing Street, Zheng Zheng had already rested for a long time and was sitting on Uncle Chu's knees in the west courtyard of their house, watching in rapt attention the two brothers Xue Changshan and Xue Changlin handling the newly made coffin.
The two brothers of the Xue family have been learning to make coffins from Chu Yi for almost a year. Now they can help Chu Yi with many things, especially the eldest Xue Changshan. Perhaps because he is a few years older, he is very strict in his carpentry work. , quite a bit like an old master.
Seeing the young couple coming back, Third Uncle Chu expressed some concern at first, and then Shen Luzhu asked if Chu Xiuxiu had sent Chu Li a meal at noon: "I'm not at home today, but Xiuxiu was still busy at noon. Did she give lunch to Ah Li?" Send it over with Mr. Liang?"
"Don't worry, cousin. You've been busy. I deliberately started preparing a little early at noon. After I finished cooking, I sent it to my cousin and Mr. Liang. However, when they arrived at the inn, they were not in the room. Boss Deng's The young master said that he went out early in the morning with his drawing board. He said that he asked Mr. Liang and he said that he was taking his cousin out to collect scenery and would return to the inn for lunch at noon, so I entrusted him with the food box."
"The young master of Boss Deng's family, did he ask Mr. Liang this specifically?"
Shen Luzhu thought of the handsome young man and felt a little strange. Why did he seem to pay great attention to Chu Li and Mr. Liang? He also seemed to be very respectful and polite to his family. Occasionally, she went to deliver lunch, and every time she could do it. When I see him come out excitedly, and then when he sees me, he immediately behaves himself, greets me respectfully, or offers to help deliver food, or leads the way, and is very enthusiastic.
Chu Xiuxiu nodded and said, "Well, that's what he told me when I went there. Otherwise, if I go to the inn to have a look later, it would be bad if my cousin and Mr. Liang didn't get lunch."
Shen Luzhu heard the sound and looked at Chu Xiuxiu. A thought flashed through his mind, but it was fleeting and confusing. He waved his hand to dismiss Chu Xiuxiu's thought: "It doesn't matter, the inn is open for business, so how could it be possible? Because he deceived us over this little thing, it looks like Ah Li will be back soon at this moment, so I’ll ask him later.”
The two aunts and sisters were talking, and Chu Li on the other side had already opened the wooden door between the east and west courtyards and walked in: "I asked why there is no one in the east courtyard. It turns out that they are all here. Brother and sister-in-law are here today." He came back earlier."
Chu Yi smiled and took the drawing board from his brother's hand. He naturally heard the conversation between his wife and his cousin just now. Knowing that his wife wanted to ask, he took the lead and said, "I heard that A Li went out with Mr. Liang to collect news today. What did you draw and how did it feel?"
Chu Li blinked and said with some confusion: "Brother, how do you know this? Master did take me out for a walk today. He said that I can use lines and colors pretty well now, so I can't stay in the house all the time. , I have to go out and see more, so today I will take me to draw people passing by on the street."
As he spoke, Chu Li took out the half-drawn drawing paper and showed it to his family.
Shen Luzhu knew that Chu Li was very talented, and now that he saw him painting after Liang Huairen, he was even more grateful. Thanks to him, he had persuaded Mr. Liang to accept Chu Li as his disciple, otherwise it would have been really difficult for him to become a disciple in a short period of time. Only then can Chu Li make such great progress.
"It was the youngest son of the inn owner Deng who told your cousin. Is that person very familiar with you and Mr. Liang?"
Chu Li nodded and said, "Brother Deng is a very nice person. He often chats with Master and me to relieve our boredom. He always cares about us and often sends some cakes and tea to Master's room."
Shen Luzhu nodded thoughtfully: "Since he is a nice person, then Ah Li will get along well with him in the future."
"I understand... Sister-in-law, when I was learning painting from my master today, there was something I didn't quite understand. Can Sister-in-law teach me?"
Shen Luzhu was a little puzzled.
Chu Li studied painting with Liang Huairen. Why didn't he ask his master if he didn't understand something? Could it be that Liang Huairen was too serious and Chu Li didn't dare to ask more questions?
"Of course."
After saying that, Shen Luzhu took the drawing board from Chu Yi's hand and said, "Then you watch him for a while while Ah Li and I go to his study."
Uncle and sister-in-law entered Chu Li's study one after another. Shen Luzhu asked hurriedly: "Why don't you ask Mr. Liang if you don't understand something? But he is too strict. Do you want my sister-in-law and brother to do it?" Go talk to him?"
Although it is said that a strict teacher produces a good apprentice, and the first thing to learn is to be able to endure hardships, but after all, Chu Li is a child he has seen growing up since he was a child, and Chu Li has always been very sensible. Shen Luzhu does not believe that he will be naughty in front of Liang Huairen, so If the other party's attitude is really too harsh, Shen Luzhu thinks it is necessary to negotiate.
Unexpectedly, Chu Li shook his head and said, "Sister-in-law, although the master is strict with me, he is still very kind to me. Sister-in-law, don't worry. I called you here because I have something to tell you."
This reaction was somewhat beyond Shen Luzhu's expectations: "What happened, and you have to tell it behind the back of your family?"
Chu Li said with some distress: "My sister-in-law is the elder brother of the Deng family..."
"Boss Deng's youngest son? Didn't Ali just say that he was nice to you? What happened to him?"
"Brother Deng is really nice to me, but he always wants to ask about my cousin in a roundabout way. I feel... I feel like he has bad intentions."
When Shen Luzhu heard what Chu Xiuxiu said, he suddenly had an idea. Inexplicably, he felt that the strange behavior of the youngest son of the Deng family might be related to his cousin. He didn't expect that this was true. Chu Li, a good boy, To say that he had bad intentions, he must have asked a lot of things.
"Did you ask Xiuxiu if she was married?"
Chu Li nodded hurriedly: "It seems that I can't say this in front of my cousin, so I lied to my sister-in-law and said there was something I couldn't do."
