Monk Zhang Er was puzzled by the attitude of the two Xu brothers towards the man from the blacksmith shop.
I feel a little confused because I can't figure it out.
Because during those days when I went out to work, I only taught these two brothers that there are no people in this world who are nice to you for no reason. There are not many female generals like that, and those who do will only be met by their nieces. The two brothers do not That kind of good luck.
For example, Xu Laosan could get an extra bag of pears by carrying wood. That was because his boss was afraid that he would turn around and vomit blood and die.
Like Xu Laosi digging into the sewers, if the person who supervises their work every time gives him two more dry rations, it can only mean that he will be assigned to do the dirtiest, most tiring and most dangerous work.
So I always feel that there is either a reason, or the initiative to lower prices is a trap.
Xu Youcang and Xu Youyin planned to find someone to inquire.
The two came to the grain store.
On this trip, Mrs. Xu also brought a lot of money to the two brothers alone, so that they would go out in vain, let alone spend half a tael of silver to hire an ox cart to run empty. Pull back.
Xu Youyin asked the waiter at the grain store: "Brother, I want to ask you something. Do you know Wu's blacksmith's house in Zhenxi?"
"Why are you asking, and where are you from?"
"Where can we be from? It's from Erdaohe Village below our town."
Xu Youyin approached the waiter again and said:
"To tell you the truth, little brother, we just ordered something at Wu's blacksmith shop. I wanted to negotiate with him on the price. To be honest, I negotiated the price very hard, and he agreed after that.
You say how scary this is, and you don’t even hesitate. How can anyone buy and sell like this?
He also took the initiative to reassure us that he would hurry up.
I'm a little confused. Could it be that the price of iron has dropped?
What's even more scary is that my niece's name was mentioned, and the two of us wanted to find out.
Could it be that the group of people recently arrested are somehow related to his family? "
What the Xu brothers were most worried about was that Blacksmith Wu would want to ask Xu Tianxin to do something for him and ask for help, such as releasing him.
That's not okay. If you let one bad guy go, there may be a hundred more low-level people outside who suffer.
Xu Youyin didn't expect that he wanted to be at fault at all, it happened to be two extremes.
Moreover, the waiter at the grain store immediately changed his attitude. His eyes lit up and he asked more enthusiastically than before: "Erdaohe, your surname is Xu?"
"ah."
"Hey? I heard that your family entertained a high official, a female general, a few days ago. How did you entertain them, and how did you get to know them..."
The two Xu brothers finally figured it out. From what the soldiers and generals ate and where they lived, to whether they showed off their martial arts skills, to when they asked about horse dung, their faces were full of curiosity, and they yelled at the other waiters in the grain store. He came over and gathered around the two brothers to gossip and ask them if they were going to kneel down to welcome him.
The Xu brothers never expected that people in the town would be so trustworthy and the news would spread very quickly.
When they came out of the village, they finally realized that the weather outside had changed.
Xu Youyin smiled modestly and told what he had to answer. For example, the female general is very approachable. The soldiers can eat whatever our families eat, and there is no need for the villagers to kneel down to greet her. Regarding the matter of clearing the names of the left-wing generals and his group, he must not be vague.
As for the reward for not giving him food, how could his niece, a country girl, become a fifth-grade general? He didn't look for a squire or a place to settle, but only looked for his niece. With all these questions, Xu Youyin just smiled vaguely and modestly. It was really... No comment.
The waiter was probably a human spirit, so he didn't bother asking any more questions. He just tapped Xu Youcang's chest gently with his fist, which made his fist hurt a little. I glanced at Xu Youcang's hard-working position and murmured in his mind: What's the point of practicing?
Then he said politely, "It is said in the town that good times are ahead for your Xu family. From now on, at least the squires from well-off families will not dare to look down upon your family."
That’s why everyone is curious and asks more questions, don’t be surprised.
Then, the waiter told Blacksmith Wu why he was like this:
"Everyone in the town knows about his family's affairs. His little daughter is very handsome... After marrying out of town, his little daughter's in-laws also
When he heard about being haunted, he scolded her for being unclean, saying that her body had been touched and that his little daughter couldn't hold her head up in her husband's house.
And because his little daughter was in a hurry to get married, you don’t understand the mouths of some black matchmakers. A thousand-mile marriage depends on a thread, and it all depends on what the matchmaker makes up for you. I don't know why I believed the matchmaker, but the young son-in-law who married far away was a hitter.
Last year, Lao Wu's little girl passed by the door of our shop. Although she was wearing thick clothes, she couldn't cover the bruises on her face and her forehead was broken. We guessed that she must have been beaten badly and ran back to her parents' house.
In addition, in order to protect his sister, his eldest son suffered a broken leg and was treated for half a year. Although he no longer walks with a limp, he heard that he couldn't bear it. A good blacksmith shop and famous for its good craftsmanship were passed down to the third generation, but his eldest son I can't take that puddle anymore. "
Another waiter told:
"So don't worry, Blacksmith Wu must have heard that your niece knew the senior official, and that's why he asked the senior official to be arrested by those evil officials. He sold it to your family cheaply just to vent his anger.
His family has owned an iron shop for three generations.
As for the so-called cheapness, hahaha, let me tell you the truth, maybe I earned you too much last time, and this time I earn less or pay for it evenly to express my gratitude. If it were me, I would do the same. "
Well, I made too much last time.
But Xu Youcang and Xu Youyin were happy because they were proud of their niece.
It turns out that this is what the old people in the village often say: blessings are in places you can’t see.
I didn't expect that my niece and General Lu Yan's "not saying anything" could have such an effect.
Well, their whole village now has a unified voice, and our Tian Xin really didn’t say anything. Can we still call it a lawsuit if we just say a few words?
The Xu brothers thought to themselves:
I don't know if there are many people like Wu Tiejiang who think Tian Xin well, nor can I guess how many people at the bottom of the class have been oppressed by those who do all kinds of evil.
If it's more, we don't actually expect everyone to be as grateful as Blacksmith Wu. I just hope that those people can say some good things about Xu Tianxin after beating their hearts and letting out the bad breath. This will also accumulate blessings for their children.
Xu Youyin bit Xu Youcang's ear and said: "Third brother, I suddenly no longer fear that those caught fish will retaliate against our family." If there is revenge, there will be people who will suddenly appear from places you can't see to protect and thank our family. , a double-edged sword.
Xu Youcang smiled disdainfully: "I have never been afraid. Our village is now the most united, and everyone works in our house. Mom and Tian Xin are still too busy to leave the village easily. Even if Tian Xin leaves the village, don't forget Our niece has that thing, and when she sprinkles the powder on it, she becomes blind. She takes it with her whenever she goes out, and she doesn't even know why she is blind."
Xu Youcang still doesn't understand what it is. All she knew was that when her niece made it, he accidentally knocked it over and the powder flew up, blinding him for more than an hour. I quickly washed my eyes and was beaten with a broom by my mother, crying, and shed a lot of tears. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to raise one’s eyes at the bad guy.
"Fourth, let's get down to business."
Tsk, who is the third brother ordering? Xu Youyin was completely relieved and happily asked about the price of food.
Ever since the waiter knew that these were Erdaohe and the Xu brothers, he knew everything.
Not only did he explain in detail, but the price of rice is still 22 cents per catty, fine noodles are 18 cents, rhubarb rice is 30 cents, and glutinous rice is 25 cents per catty. Since the price of grain is no longer controlled by the county government, but by the capital. The government has regulated the situation, and food prices have been very stable.
And he was kind enough to inform me that the price of coarse grains has been reduced. It is said that a batch of coarse grains will arrive next month, and the price will be reduced by about two cents. Isn't this a change of scenery for their town? The higher-ups want more people at the bottom to have enough to eat and live well this winter.
"But brothers, guess what the price increase is? If your family has the strength, please stock up more."
"What?"
"What I heard about are: ginseng, deer antlers and deer penis, Cordyceps militaris (Northern Cordyceps sinensis), wild hazel mushrooms and various medicinal materials, as well as precious woods. I heard that some precious woods are about to be marked, and they will not be allowed to be cut down after a certain age. , and you can’t even pay for it. That was the complaint from Chen Ji’s wife who makes makeup boxes, and I only found out about it. If you are a wealthy family, please stock up on some. The price will never be the same in the future."
Xu Youyin laughed and said: "Brother, you really praise us. What you said has nothing to do with my family and I can't afford to hoard it. That's all right. Let's go back to the town to pick up food. Let's go. Thank you, little one. Dude."
But after leaving the house, Xu Youyin hurried to Zhenxi Livestock Shop to ask Liu Laozhu's brother for help in writing a letter.
Xu Youyin wanted to write a letter to her family telling her to quickly save some old dowry wood for Tian Xin. Even if you don't want to harm the people on your own mountain, you still have to go to the big mountain next to the town to buy and cut down a few big trees. You can't buy them at a low price and it won't be easy to buy them in the future. Please don't pay back Uncle Li Zheng's money and buy the trees first.
However, the two brothers scratched their heads together and only managed to write fifteen characters. These fifteen characters still need to go to the porcelain kiln to have their fingerprints pressed and used carefully.
I had no other options, so I just started dictating.
Look, Uncle Li Zheng's younger brother's eyes lit up. Seeing this, he also wanted to go back to the village to cut down a few big trees and save them.
The Xu brothers wanted to find a bicycle to take the letter back, but they were stopped by Liu Laozhu's younger brother. He smiled and pointed to the barking dog in the backyard: "I happened to be going to your village to deliver a dog to my second brother's house. It's rare. It is said to be of good appearance and can pull a sled. It is a breed that cannot be kept indoors otherwise it will tear the house apart."
Liu Laosan thought to himself: He couldn't use Erdaohe's shop to sell mules and cattle in vain, so he thought about sending ten fierce dogs to guard the house and the courtyard. Just treat it like paying rent.
Even Liu Laosan's daughter-in-law agreed with this matter, because Zhenting had changed people, and she was replaced by Zhao Dashan, who also had a good relationship with his second brother. Her man would not be embarrassed by others when he went through the sales procedures in the future.
Not to mention that everyone in the town knew that the Xu family of Erdaohe had a lot of valuable friends. Those who were close to them did not mention what kind of glory they would get in the future. They only said that for now, no one would dare to drag him to the market entrance to be whipped. Punish it.
Liu Laosan originally wanted to catch the Xu brothers and stay home for dinner, but the brothers had something to do and left in a hurry.
They were full of money and tried not to travel to other towns at night.
So Zhao Dashan's wife caught Xu Youcang and Xu Youyin at the entrance to the town.
Zhao Dashan's wife put on a new set of clothes, a pink satin jacket on the top and a blue fine cloth skirt on the bottom. She was out of breath running around. There were twenty newly baked pot helmets in one hand and she was carrying two in the other. A water bladder filled with hot water.
When the guard at the town tower saw Zhao Dashan's wife, he cupped his fists and said, "Madam."
"Ahem." Zhao Dashan's wife licked her hair with her hands slightly uncomfortably: "Well, you are busy, I will leave after saying a few words to my brother."
Xu Youcang and Xu Youyin couldn't help but be happy to see Aunt Zhao like this, and they cooperated very much by dragging the cart to an inconspicuous place, so as not to make the people who walked back and forth through the city gate couldn't help but glance at Aunt Zhao after calling her madam.
Xu Youyin first greeted her with a smile: "Sister-in-law has changed. She is richer than before. I dare not recognize her."
Zhao Dashan’s wife scolded:
"Whatever happens, I'm going to force you to deliver pancakes. This guy will give me a good run.
If my natal nephew hadn't said that you passed by the store, and seemed to have gone to your brother Li Zheng's livestock store, I wouldn't have known you were here.
When I got there, Liu Laosan said that you were leaving and had to go to the porcelain kiln in Ximen Town to do some work. I quickly grabbed a handful of pancakes and poured hot water in a hurry. Take it quickly. "
As for Xu Youyin's allusion that she had changed her clothes, to be honest, Zhao Dashan's wife was a little embarrassed. Because the material of this dress was originally made for Tian Xin.
But all the materials for the clothes were taken home, but Zhao Dashan said that the two families had made a verbal agreement before and almost made an engagement. If you send clothes to your daughter's house again, you are afraid of being criticized.
There is a custom here. A poor family will give a piece of cloth, a hair tie or a scarf to wrap around the waist. If the family is a little richer, they will give a piece of material as a gift, or if the husband's family is very satisfied, they will make a set of clothes by themselves. .
So Zhao Dashan misconstrued that the nose is not the nose and the eyes are not the eyes. She said: "Stop using those crooked thoughts. It's too late for you to regret it now. You are not allowed to give away clothes."
This made her angry. Zhao Dashan's wife swore that even if she still had the little idea of getting married, she never thought of tying up Xu Tianxin with clothes.
She didn't think much about it.
I went to Erdaohe that day and listened to the women in the village talking about how high-ranking female generals were thinking about Tian Xin.
As for the clothes, she then thought of borrowing flowers to offer to the Buddha. Thinking that if the female general comes again next time, I will ask Tian Xin: Who made it for you if it looks so good on you? I am Aunt Zhao. Listen, how wonderful it is.
But I didn't say anything. After being aroused by the child's father's words, the idea was stillborn.
Then when she got angry, she made clothes for herself.
Thanks to the original thought of not being stingy and pulling more cloth to make a jacket, the cloth was enough for her. Thanks to her small size, she can still withstand the tender pink and aqua blue colors. Well, this was said by her eldest sister, who said she had a tender face.
In short, what she and her father finally agreed upon was that they would not give out clothes, nor would they give gifts when opening a shop.
After all, it seems like something happened when he just took office, which is not worthy of Tian Xin's words to the general in praising his child's father for "abiding by the law and staying upright." It would be better to wait until the Chinese New Year and not give Tian Xin a gift from the younger generation, which would make her look like she couldn't wipe her face cleanly. Instead, she would simply give Aunt Xu a pair of silver earrings.
The idea of tremella earrings came from Zhao Dashan.
The child's father said: "My aunt is so young and she still wears firewood sticks to plug her ears and eyes. It makes her feel uncomfortable."
Zhao Dashan's wife was obedient and immediately gritted her teeth and agreed. The silver earrings can be tolerated.
But her eldest sister also advised her to see how much money the shop would make then. If she made more money, she would buy silver earrings and earrings. Isn't it better to honor Xu's elders than to honor your mother-in-law who only makes trouble and show off? Look at your mother-in-law. As soon as her son became the mayor, he already looked down on you. How could he look like an elder?
Zhao Dashan's wife thought to herself: She really needs an elder who is upright and can suppress Zhao Dashan's suspension of training. In this way, even if the relationship between the couple is not good, she cannot be replaced casually and her status will be very stable. Just silver earrings.
And now, how could Zhao Dashan's wife miss the Xu brothers passing by the town?
All the necessary food and hot water will be delivered.
He also waved and said, "I'll be home when I come back. Do you hear me? Have a safe journey."
