Song Baolian's home is in a secluded alley in the south of the city.
Two rooms and a small courtyard are all the family has. Even the stoves and pots can only be squeezed into the courtyard under a shed.
But even in such a house, you don't own it. You have to pay rent to the landlord every month.
So she is most afraid of rain and wind.
The singers in the city each have their own territory, and the Song family's territory is the Pipa Pavilion. Pipa Pavilion is said to be a good place. There are many literati and elegant people here, and they are all willing to listen to the music and reward it, so they can live a comfortable life.
But the Pipa Pavilion is just a pavilion, unlike a serious restaurant with shelter on all sides, so we have to watch the weather while eating. The wind is half as strong as the rain and there is no rain at all. In winter, it becomes even more depressed. Whenever there is no business, the family just eats. I can count the grains of rice and survive the day.
Today, Song Baolian was stunned by a scary big black man's finger. After all, the big man looked too scary. When he jumped over, it was like a black bear charging at him. They said she was stunned, but in fact, she was mostly fainted by fright.
But soon she was no longer afraid, because the short official actually gave her mother a full twenty taels of silver!
With these twenty taels of silver, even if there is no business all winter, their family will never go hungry. Not only will they not go hungry, they will even buy new clothes, buy some chicken, duck, and fish, and live a decent New Year. .
Thinking about it, she even thought that it would be great if she could get twenty taels from being poked every day.
As for the general, if there is anything good for him, he would put some incense ash on the broken skin, and Song Baolian would jump up and help her mother to burn firewood and cook as if nothing happened, but her mother couldn't help but keep mumbling, fearing that her husband was outside. I was bullied.
It was completely dark when they arrived. The mother and daughter had finished their meal and were lighting oil lamps to do some needlework. With a creak, the courtyard door was pushed open and Mr. Song came into the house. He sat down with the big horse's golden knife on the pony and let out a long sigh. Take a breath.
Pauline and her mother suddenly became nervous, and her mother worriedly said, "Her father, are you being embarrassed?"
Mr. Song suddenly burst into laughter and said triumphantly: "It's too late for people to compliment me, so how can I be in trouble? Haha, old woman, you and I will be able to live in peace for the rest of our lives."
Her mother immediately raised her voice: "Did you promise Pauline to be a child?"
Pauline suddenly became nervous, her eyes widened like a frightened little rabbit, and she looked at her father.
Song Lao'er looked proud and boasted: "How can my daughter be willing to be younger than others? Humph, if she is not the wife of the matchmaker, how can she be worthy of my daughter's beauty?"
Her mother was filled with disbelief when she heard this, and said in surprise: "Is she actually the real wife? Oh, it's rare. That high-ranking official must be around thirty, right? Why haven't you gotten married yet? Is it because he is short? But look at him Even if you are bold and generous, even if you are a little lower, you still won't be unable to win over your wife. Could it be that the wife in front of you is dead?"
Old Man Song stretched out his hand and shook it in front of the mother-in-law's eyes: "Wake up, why are you so crazy? Although the official is shorter, he is a very extravagant person. Do you think he likes your daughter?"
She snorted twice and turned to ask her daughter: "Pauline, among the three guests, the black man who poked your head, what do you think of him?"
When Song Baolian heard this, her beauty suddenly turned pale. She stood up in shock and said, "That, that guy is the black bear that became a spirit in the mountains. Dad, I don't want to marry him!"
Her mother also said angrily: "Old immortal, I think you are the one who is crazy. How can our daughter, with her character, marry that monster?"
Old Man Song snorted a sound of disdain from his nostrils, curled his lips and said: "They are all people with long hair and short knowledge. They marry a man and marry a man. They have to dress and eat. I was good-looking when I was young. You married me because of my skin. Isn’t it a life of suffering? A man is ugly or handsome, tall or short, these are all secondary. The first two are the most important. One is to have the ability to support his wife and children, and the other is to be willing to love his wife. "
The mother-in-law didn't believe it: "That black monster almost killed my daughter with one finger. He doesn't even understand how to care for her. How do you expect him to love others?"
Old Man Song said: "You know nothing! It's because he doesn't know how to show love to others, so he won't fall in love with someone else, and he will betray my daughter in the future. Although I have been down and out for the rest of my life, I still know the difference between right and wrong with these tricks. I will leave my words here today: If that man marries my daughter, he will hold her in his hands for fear of falling, hold her on his tongue for fear of melting, and don’t know how to cherish her."
The mother-in-law and daughter looked at each other. They had always been impressed by Mr. Song's ability to recognize people. Seeing that Mr. Song was willing to speak such flattering words, they couldn't help but believe in him.
The mother-in-law thought for a while and then said: "You have been lucky enough to marry my daughter for ten lifetimes, so you should cherish her. But I think this person is naive. How can he support my family's wealth?"
Old Man Song said: "Although that man is a bit stupid, the best part is the word "silly"! There are countless founding generals of this dynasty, why did Taizu only love Iron Whip King Hu Yanzan? Why did Emperor Taizong of the previous dynasty only love Cheng? Biting gold? The reason is that these two generals both have the same character as "simple"! If they are not honest, how can they be loved by others? "
Seeing that his mother-in-law and daughter were confused, Old Man Song felt helpless and explained: "That short official made a promise to me personally. He will take the black man back to Yanggu County, Shandong Province, and first protect him as a county official. In Dutou, we will buy two houses facing each other. One is for the black man to live with his mother and daughter-in-law, and the other is for the black man’s father-in-law to take care of him in his old age. I am afraid that the salary in Dutou will not be enough to cover the expenses, so I have to give away a few good businesses. The store will help him supplement his family's income, and if he wants to farm, he will also be given hundreds of acres of fertile land outside the city. Doesn't this kind of family property count as wealth?"
"Forget it, think it over, think it over!" The mother-in-law smiled brightly, but she was worried: "But even if you really have such a big fortune, would you still be willing to give it to others?"
After hearing this, Old Man Song sneered again and again and said arrogantly: "You are a female generation, how do you know the mind of a man and a hero? From our perspective, this kind of wealth is already amazing, how could we know that it is not a drop in the bucket in other people's hands? Besides, , I see that the official is very fond of the black man, and is about to accept him as his confidant. This black man is really a fool with a fool's fortune. In my opinion, he is also a ruthless character who will shine on his fate! Don't you see? That finger of his is so powerful, he may become a person like Cheng Yaojin or Hu Yanzan in the future. If you and I follow my daughter, we will enjoy endless blessings."
After hearing this, the mother-in-law was no longer doubtful. She smiled so hard that she couldn't see her teeth. She hugged her daughter and said, "If this is really the case, my daughter will be able to benefit from her for the rest of her life. As a mother, I will be willing to live ten years shorter."
Unexpectedly, Song Baolian broke away from her arms and said, "After talking for a long time, do you still want me to marry that black bear? I won't marry him, and I won't marry him even if I die!"
After that, he rushed out of the house, went to his own room and locked the door. After a while, the sound of wailing could be heard.
The mother-in-law said with a sad face: "My daughter thinks he is ugly, what should I do?"
But Old Man Song didn't care at all: "My parents' fate was the matchmaker's words. I worked hard to choose a good son-in-law for her. She is a little girl who knows nothing. Don't pay attention to it. Let her cry. When she is tired of crying, It’s not too late to be reasonable again, sleep, sleep.”
The old man had been in trouble for a long time. When he saw a turn of events, he became very excited. He excitedly blew out the lamp and took his mother-in-law to sleep.
But it was said that Song Baolian, after a sad night, fell asleep very sleepily, and was chased by a black bear in her dream. No matter how far she ran, she could not escape. In the end, the black bear knocked her down and bit her in the chest. She woke up with a scream and it was already daylight. Dabai walked out of the room and saw that his parents were not there.
After washing herself at home, she remembered that yesterday her father was going to marry her to a black bear. She couldn't help but feel bitter and thought: "My parents just want him to be rich. I should sing more diligently and earn more money every day. Maybe they will change their ways." Got your mind."
I made up my mind, put on beautiful makeup, and went out with my pipa on my back. I wanted to go to the Pipa Pavilion to sell songs and earn money. Unexpectedly, as soon as I walked out of the alley where I lived, I saw seven or eight dressed-up men, surrounded by a young man with a pale face. , looking at himself with a playful smile.
