After Feng sat down, he had a meal.
Lin Yuanfeng turned fifteen and Lin Yuansong turned fourteen. Therefore, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Liu were naturally interested in the topic of getting married. So, the three sisters-in-law, you leaned on me and I leaned on you, all nestled in the stove. On the side, they chatted and gossiped over the fire.
When Mrs. Wu came to the kitchen and was about to call her daughter-in-law to start dinner, she saw this scene: seven or eight steamed buns on the curtain, half-kneaded black dough on the cutting board, and the water in the pot was steaming. And her three good daughters-in-law were chatting happily with each other.
Wu made a "humph" sound, and the Zhou family and the other three people immediately dispersed. Then, those who lit the fire, those who cut the steamed buns, and those who kneaded the buns continued to make dinner.
Mrs. Wu looked around for a broom and was ready to give them a few strokes, especially Mrs. Feng. Ever since Mrs. Feng married into the family, she had misled all the family members.
Lin Yuanfeng had sharp eyes, picked up the bamboo broom and ran to the backyard, "Mistress, grandson, go sweep the backyard!"
Wu raised her head, it was already dark, what a mess in the backyard!
…
Because he was thinking about going to the town, Lin Sanzhu got dressed and got up as soon as the genius was bright.
Hearing the noise outside the house, Old Lintou thought it was his grandson again, and was wondering if there was still one day left in the Spring Festival holiday. Why did he get up so early?
Before Lao Lintou opened the window to take a look, he heard his third son's voice coming from outside the door, "Dad, my son wants to go to the town."
Wu quickly opened the door, "It's such a cold day, what are you doing in town?"
"Nothing to do, my son just wants to go shopping!" Lin Sanzhu said as he went to open the courtyard door.
What's there to do? I'm afraid my old problem has relapsed. Alas, I've only been better for a few days.
Mrs. Wu was a little upset, but thinking that her third son was still hungry, she hurriedly opened the kang cabinet, took out two copper plates, and quickly chased after him.
Old Lintou smoked dry cigarettes.
He had given birth to a baby, and he knew that the third child must be thinking about getting money for the wedding.
This is a lucky money grab, and I feel like happy money is being snatched away every day.
Old Lin shook his head, thinking that it would be a good idea to let the third child touch the ashes, so as not to think about pie-in-the-sky good things every day.
…
Chapter 14 It’s all here
There is an oxcart in the village that goes to the town, and it will wait under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village at Mao Shi. As long as you spend two cents, you can ride there and back.
The driver was also a member of the Lin clan. He was in his thirties and his name was Lin Dong. He was several rooms away from Lin Sanzhu and the others, so they were considered distant cousins.
For country people, the few living money they need to buy oil and salt depends on selling eggs and the produce of the fields. Therefore, except when it rains or snows, there are people going to the town basically every day in the village.
Lin Sanzhu went out early today. When he arrived at the entrance of the village, there were only four or five people sitting on the bullock cart.
Lin Dong is feeding water to the cow. Maybe it is because it is too cold. The cow has not had a good appetite these days, so he feeds it some salt water to increase its appetite.
Seeing Lin Sanzhu coming, Lin Dong greeted with a smile, "Brother Sanzhu is going to town?"
"Yeah, let's go to the town and have a look."
Lin Sanzhu touched the thick back of the cow as he spoke, with indescribable envy in his eyes. This is a treasure that can be used to work in the fields during the busy season, and earn money during the slack season.
If his family could have such a cow, no matter whether it would make money or not, at least the family would not have to work hard to dig out the more than ten acres of paddy fields.
Unfortunately, a buffalo cost at least ten taels of silver. Lin Sanzhu felt that it would be difficult for him to buy one in his life.
So there's no point in being envious. For now, it's up to me to solve the problem of the inkstone in advance.
With this in mind, Lin Sanzhu didn't waste any time. After waving goodbye to Lin Dong, he continued on his way.
On the bullock cart, Lin Quanhe and Mr. Zhang were sitting behind the windshield. In the cold weather, the couple covered their mouths and noses with thick cloth towels. It was because of this that when Lin Sanzhu passed by them just now, they didn't recognize them. Come out to the lobby brother and the lobby sister-in-law.
However, Lin Quanhe didn't want to say hello to Lin Sanzhu. Since he didn't recognize him, he might as well just pretend he didn't see him.
Originally, their eldest brother was not close to his second uncle's family, and he and his cousin had an even more normal relationship. Every time they met, apart from asking if you had eaten or where you were, there was nothing else to say. , so, what’s the point?
It can be said that since the separation of the family, Lin Dagui and Lin Jincai, except for some necessary interactions on the surface, have mostly lived their own lives at other times.
In addition, the gap between the two families has widened in recent years. Those who have money are worried that the other party will come to borrow money and food, while those who have no money do not want to be looked down upon by the eldest brother, so naturally they move around even less.
As for how small it is, in the words of the tribe, the relationship between the two families is not as close as the relationship with the neighbor next door.
"Ms. sir, what do you think he was doing in town so early?" Mrs. Zhang lowered her voice because she was worried that people in the car might hear her.
Lin Quanhe shook his head, how could he know what he was doing.
It should be said that his little cousin is notoriously lazy. He can't be seen going out until almost midnight every day. This is also the time when the persimmons are ripe. He only sees Dazhu and Erzhu carrying them to the town to sell them. s reason.
So what are you going to do when you get up so early?
Recalling what his youngest son said when he came back from ethnic studies the day before yesterday, Lin Quanhe muttered in his heart that Sanzhu didn't go to town to make money.
Otherwise, it makes no sense to explain why Gouzi suddenly had to buy books and pens and ink.
Mrs. Zhang on the side also thought of this possibility, and was about to tell her husband about her suspicions, when she heard Aunt Liu across from her laugh and say: "Your family, Mr. Lin, is quite frugal. You see, in the cold weather, he would rather bear the cold weather." I’m rushing along in the wind, but I can’t bear to spend a penny to ride in an ox cart.”
Mrs. Zhang smiled and did not answer, but rolled her eyes in her heart. What does your family Lin Laosan mean? Humph, what does it have to do with their family? Her family and her second uncle separated more than 20 years ago, right? .
Lin Quanhe, who was on the side, had changed his mind after hearing Aunt Liu's words. How could a person who was reluctant to pay even a penny for the fare be able to earn a living? He was afraid that he was overthinking.
Lin Sanzhu was unaware of the conversation on the oxcart. After getting on the official road, he walked quickly to the town.
By the time they arrived at Hengxi Town, after walking for more than an hour, Lin Sanzhu's stomach was already growling with hunger.
After touching the two coins in his pocket, Lin Sanzhu decided to buy some steamed buns to eat first. He had to eat enough so that he would have the energy to grab the wedding money later.
We went to the same store where we bought steamed buns last time. Lin Sanzhu took out a copper plate and bought two thick-faced steamed buns from the store. After eating one in a few big mouthfuls, he stuffed the other into his clothes.
He didn't know who was holding happy events today, so Lin Sanzhu was going to take a look around. Based on his previous experience, he could definitely go to a place with the sound of firecrackers.
With this in mind, Lin Sanzhu started from Changping Street and walked all the way east. When he reached a place with an alley, he would go in and walk for a while. There were small houses in the alley. Lin Sanzhu walked from one to another, trying to get through each one. On the courtyard gate, look for people with families and happy events.
I just walked through seven or eight alleys in a row. More than half an hour had passed, and I didn't see any lights or colorful lights.
Moreover, passers-by kept looking at him, probably thinking he was a thief.
Lin Sanzhu suddenly felt that his behavior was a bit ridiculous.
How stupid is he to be eagerly looking forward to the happy money thrown away by others.
He remembered a story his father told when he was a child. It said that a farmer was hoeing in the field. As a result, a rabbit that panicked hit his hoe and died. Now he got a fat rabbit for free. The farmer was happy. No. So, he went to the field early the next day, put the hoe in its original position, and prepared to let the hare bump into it again. As a result, one day passed, two days passed... A month passed, and the beauty of the rabbit was picked up in vain. The incident never happened again, but the rice in the fields failed to be harvested because of the farmers' neglect.
Therefore, at this moment, am I not the farmer who waits for good things every day because of an unexpected income?
The more Lin Sanzhu thought about it, the more he blushed. He quickly stopped moving forward, turned around and walked quickly to the entrance of the alley.
There is a steamed bun shop on the right turn at the entrance of the alley. The shopkeeper leaves the steamer lid open so that the aroma of the steamed buns can be blown everywhere by the wind.
The advantage of this is that it attracts many customers who come to buy buns.
and a few beggars begging for food.
The beggars held up the broken bowls in their hands, hoping that the shop owner would be kind and give them a bun, even a steamed bun.
But I knew it was impossible, no, after several attempts, everyone was defeated, and in the end they could only sit in the corner in a daze.
At this time, a sharp-eyed beggar recognized Lin Sanzhu and said to himself, isn't this man the same fellow who was given twelve buns at a time a few days ago, but he hasn't been seen for several days.
Thinking of this, he stepped forward with curiosity and asked, "Little brother, I haven't seen you for a few days. Which street did you buy it on recently?"
Lin Sanzhu was stunned. When did he become brothers with a beggar? What else do he want?
Soon, Lin Sanzhu remembered that the beggar in front of him was the one who lined up behind him to receive the steamed buns at the gate of He Mansion.
Thinking of what the other party had just asked, Lin Sanzhu suddenly realized that this person didn't think he was also a beggar.
Lin Sanzhu looked at the old cotton-padded jacket he was wearing. It was all covered with patches. No wonder people thought he was a colleague.
"My home is in a village not far from the town. I am not a beggar." Lin Sanzhu explained.
He's not a beggar. The old beggar scratched his white hair and said a little embarrassedly, "Little brother, I'm sorry, oh, no, no, no, not a little brother. You have to call me master."
Lin Sanzhu waved his hands and walked forward. He was just a poor man from the countryside, not a scumbag.
After taking only two steps, he turned back and said, "Brother, have you grabbed any wedding money recently?"
"Robbing wedding money? What kind of wedding money are you robbing?" The old beggar was confused.
Lin Sanzhu pointed in the direction of He Mansion.
The old beggar suddenly realized and couldn't help but laugh, "How can there be so much money grabbing? Old man, I have been begging in the town for more than a year, and I have only encountered the He family this time."
If he really had so much money to spend, what else would he need?
Not to mention going hungry every three days.
Thinking of this, the old beggar couldn't help but sigh, hey, let's count it out one day at a time, and one day he will be relieved when he closes his eyes.
After confirming that he was indeed thinking too beautifully, Lin Sanzhu was a little disappointed because his dog's new inkstone was gone.
After only taking a few steps, he turned around and ran back. The old beggar thought that something else happened, but he saw someone reaching out and taking out a steamed bun from his arms and putting it into his broken bowl.
…
Lin Sanzhu wanted to go to the bookstore, and he planned to ask about the price of the inkstone first, so that he would have a better idea.
After passing the Sanliting Archway, they heard the sound of firecrackers coming from the bridge. Lin Sanzhu was startled for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He said, as the New Year is approaching, there must be many happy events in the town, hahahaha, now you are a bitch. The inkstone has fallen into place.
Lin Sanzhu ran out of energy and heard the sound of firecrackers getting closer and closer to him. The strange thing was that he didn't see anyone running with him this time.
Before Lin Sanzhu could figure out what was going on, he saw many pieces of yellow paper falling from above his head, each one shaped like a copper coin.
…
Shopkeeper Gao was a little surprised when he heard Lin Sanzhu ask about the inkstone. After all, this thing is much more expensive than pen and ink.
But he didn't say much. After turning to the counter, he took out a few models with more affordable prices, and then pointed them out to Lin Sanzhu one by one, "Although these inkstones are slow to produce ink, the ink they can produce is fine and grain-free, which is better than It’s not bad to pick up the She Inkstone.”
Lin Sanzhu pointed to the most inconspicuous little inkstone, "Shopkeeper, how much money does this cost?"
Shopkeeper Gao looked at the one Lin Sanzhu was pointing at. It was a Sizhou stone inkstone, which was considered the most common among several types of inkstones. The cover of the inkstone was engraved with an egret spreading its wings and about to fly, which means to pass the exam along the way.
Shopkeeper Gao could more or less guess what Lin Sanzhu was thinking, but he was afraid of disappointing him, because this one was not cheap. He stretched out two fingers towards Lin Sanzhu and said, "This inkstone costs two hundred coins!"
"Two hundred coins!" Lin Sanzhu took a breath. Just a stone as big as a palm cost two hundred coins. It must be too expensive.
Not to mention that his trip today was in vain, and there was no money to grab. Even if there was any money, he wouldn't be able to grab the money for an inkstone.
