Chapter 13
After the three of them went to the blacksmith shop, they watched Gu Nanfeng order so many iron tools. Brother Mei wanted to speak several times, but in the end he didn't speak. He just glared at his younger brother several times. Mei Qingshan, on the other hand, didn't say a word and only wanted to help. Negotiating the price with Gu Nanfeng.
After the three people left the blacksmith shop, they drank at a winery outside the city before going home.
When Gu Nanfeng bought so many things and went home, Aunt Mei didn't say anything. She just turned around and beat her two sons, who ran all over the yard. Mei Xiaomei watched the two brothers running around with their heads in their hands, screaming incessantly. He leaned against the door frame and laughed while eating his own sugar cookie.
It is now the end of July. Except for the fact that it is still very hot at noon, it is already very cool in the morning and evening.
Today, the three of them went out on the street and made a hundred coins and went home. Mei Aniang was very happy. For dinner, she cooked a large pot of porridge with tender lentils, potato cubes and white rice, and also fried a basket. Mahua, fried a large bowl of spicy green peppers, and made a very hearty dinner.
The family gathered around the yard to eat. The sun, which was about to set in the distance, was set off by the clouds on the horizon. It sprinkled golden yellow all over the village, illuminating the satisfied smiles on everyone's faces.
Everyone was very satisfied with today's dinner. The aroma of potatoes and lentils has been completely integrated into the rice through simmering. The excess water made the rice soft and plentiful. It was just a bowl of rice, with lentils and potatoes added. You can cook a large pot of thick porridge, enough for a family to eat.
Except for this delicious porridge, this fried twist is not something you can eat on ordinary days, it has to be eaten only on special occasions.
As soon as everyone came to the table, everyone took a handful of twists. This twists are made from rapeseed oil. Even if it is a little cold, it will not be greasy, and the surface will not become too soft. It is more delicious than lard fried ones. some.
Farmers don't pay attention to talking during eating or sleeping. On the contrary, they like to talk about many things while eating and sleeping.
While eating, Gu Nanfeng told his family that he wanted to buy a field. He knew that in about twenty days, the village would be busy again and the rice in the fields would be harvested. This time of year was also the best time to buy fields and land.
Besides, he was about to build a house. After the house was built, he had to work when he had his own place.
Gu Nanfeng was not familiar with the people in the village, so he would naturally need help from acquaintances if he wanted to buy a field. When he told the Mei family that he wanted to buy a field, the Mei family and his wife could not help but nodded, with some surprise on their faces. They probably He didn't expect that Gu Nanfeng still had money to buy the land.
"Nanfeng, don't worry about this. It seems that there were a few companies in the village selling their fields some time ago. I'll ask you again. Now that you have the fields in your hands, you can rest assured." He promised the person, Mei Aniang had already thought about the suitable position in her heart.
Gu Nanfeng is a little brother, and the fields are too far away from home. She thinks that if she can buy the fields near her home, or near their family's fields, it will be much more convenient.
"Auntie, I don't have much money. I can buy one acre of paddy field and two acres of dry land." After Gu Nanfeng told the number of fields he wanted to buy, he was immediately opposed by Father Mei.
Aunt Mei usually doesn't like to talk, and Aunt Mei basically makes the decisions in the family. But now he may really feel that this matter is inappropriate. He put down the chopsticks in his hand and only ate half of the twists. Didn't let go.
"Nanfeng, you don't know that dry land is easy to come by, but paddy fields are hard to come by. Although dry land is cheaper, it is not as cheap as cabbage, and one acre of land is not cheap. Although paddy fields are more expensive, they produce rice. , this is the most expensive grain, and also, the wheat in paddy fields is better than that in dry land, and you can harvest 20% more."
"That's right." Brother Mei nodded in agreement with his father while enjoying his meal.
In recent years, Mei's father has been in poor health, and the two Mei brothers have long become the main labor force in the family. Naturally, the two brothers are also very aware of things in the fields.
"I know what dad means." Mei Qingshan took his elder brother's words and continued: "Paddy fields are not suitable for cultivation. Even if they are cultivated, the harvest will not be good, and taxes will be paid after three years. But dry land is different. There is still a lot of dry land that can be cultivated in the village, and there are many things that can be grown on the dry land, and it has been included in the tax land for more than three years. If the land is not fertile, there is no need to pay taxes."
"That's right, isn't there a lot of wasteland next to Nanfeng's house? Isn't it just a vegetable plot? I can plant some sweet potatoes, beans, and corn by then. I looked at the land that can be cultivated there. It's at least an acre. Five points of land, and that’s the area except the vegetable plot.”
Now everyone has figured it out and understands why Father Mei is opposed to it.
"Nanfeng, if you have money, just buy two acres of paddy fields. In addition to your own rations, you can also sell part of the grain in the two acres of paddy fields. This will provide you with an extra income." Mei A's dad glanced at Mei A'niang at this point. Then he said: "If you don't have enough money to get some from the house, the old Baogu can be sold after paying the rent. I calculated that apart from the money left at home, I should still be able to sell it for nearly six taels of silver."
A dou of corn is worth thirty to thirty-five cents. This year is considered a good harvest year. In addition to the rent paid, you can still make some money.
Listening to this number, the Mei family all smiled. Baogu had six taels of silver. When the family harvested the millet, Baogu's income would be about twenty taels of silver.
Gu Nanfeng was used to farm work, but his life experience was definitely not as much as that of the Mei family and his two brothers. Since everyone asked him to buy more paddy fields, he would naturally obey.
"Uncle, aunt, that's enough. I still have money on me, so I can buy two acres of land." Although life would be tight if he bought the land, Gu Nanfeng didn't intend to sit back and just spend it.
When Gu Nanfeng came to Mei's house, Mei's mother wanted him to call daddy and mother-in-law. However, Gu Nanfeng was not an orphan after all, and he was not really kicked out of the house by his mother-in-law. He couldn't say it. The Mei family did not embarrass him and asked him to call him uncle and aunt.
But the current situation is different from that back then. Now the Mei family can be sure that Gu Nanfeng is really alone.
After the purchase of the land was settled, Aunt Mei wanted to discuss another matter.
"Nanfeng, I hear that you are an awkward aunt. Although you don't want to live with us, I still want to hear you call me Aniang. Can you be my godson? Do you agree with this?" Aunt Mei had already discussed it with her family. Now that Gu Nanfeng was going to build a house, he would have to live alone in the future. With the name of the godson of the Mei family, life would always be more convenient.
Mei Aniang had never thought that anyone would object, but she didn't expect that as soon as she finished speaking, someone would object, and this person was not Gu Nanfeng, but her second son.
"What are you talking about, you little brat?" Mei Aniang was stunned for a moment before reacting, and then she glared at her son to tell him to shut up.
Mei Qingshan met his mother's gaze, but after just a brief glance, he lowered his head, said "I don't agree anyway" and left.
Adopting a godson is a happy event, but if there are people in the family, it's a different story.
Gu Nanfeng originally thought that Mei Qingshan was still blaming him, but after getting along with him recently, not only did he not feel Mei Qingshan's resentment, but he felt that his second brother was treating him better than before.
Knowing in his heart that Mei Qingshan definitely didn't want him to be the godson of the Mei family because he disliked him, Gu Nanfeng thought of something else.
Accepting a godson is not that simple. It also depends on the horoscopes of both parties. Gu Nanfeng thought that maybe he and the Mei family's horoscopes were not compatible and they could not get married, so the second brother objected.
After figuring out the matter, Gu Nanfeng was not sad, but comforted Mei A Niang.
"It's the same whether we have the mother-son title or not. It won't delay us anything." Gu Nanfeng already regards Mei A'niang as his mother in his heart. His own mother is not as good as Mei A'niang. Whether there is a mother-son name or not It doesn't matter if the points are divided, he will live a better life in the future, and he will definitely be filial to Aunt Mei and Aunt Mei.
Because of Mei Qingshan's decisive attitude, the matter of taking in his son was naturally not successful, but the matter was quickly revealed. Now, building a house for Gu Nanfeng was the big deal.
The next day, the construction of Gu Nanfeng's house was about to begin. The foundation must be laid at the beginning of the construction. This work was tiring, so Gu Nanfeng picked up easy jobs and went to the mountains to cut grass and chop bamboo nearby. , and also helped Mei Aniang cook for others.
Gu Nanfeng had bought rice and noodles before, and now that the meals for building a house were cooked by Mei's house, they were provided by him, so he felt much more at ease.
However, after all, he only bought some rice and noodles, and everything else depended on the Mei family. He was still a little embarrassed, so he tried his best to help lighten the burden on his family.
When he went up the mountain to cut grass every day, he would bring a basket up the mountain, and while cutting the grass, he would also pick up a basket of small mushrooms.
At this time of year, there are no big fungi in the fields or on the mountains. Instead, there is a kind of small fungus called dew fungus all over the mountains and plains. The leaves of this fungus do not require any luck. As long as you are patient, you can always get something.
Although the dew fungus is small, it tastes good. Gu Nanfeng picks up a basket every day, which can add a delicious dish to the table. Moreover, Mei Aniang is a good cook and can always use the same ingredients in different ways. Make different dishes with different flavors to make people look forward to it every day.
After starting to build a house, although it was tiring day by day, the rewards were obvious. After the foundation was laid, we started to build the walls. When the walls were built, we built the roof, and then we had a simple home.
Eighty or nine days later, the house was erected. After the house was erected, there was one last tiring task, which was to dig a manhole. In the last two days, the Mei family brothers dug the hole, and the Mei family uncle helped dig the hole. A two-pit earthen stove was built.
The houses in Meijia Village all face east to west or north to south. Gu Nanfeng's place is spacious and he can build a front yard and a backyard, so he doesn't have to worry about lighting problems, so when he built the house, he chose Sitting facing east and west, he would be able to see Mei's yard just by standing on the edge of the front yard.
No matter how simple the new house was, it was still a good idea to move into a new house. When the house was about to be completed, Gu Nanfeng made an agreement with the Mei family that they would have a meal at his house when he settled in.
The Mei family all hoped that Gu Nanfeng could live a good life, so the move to a new house naturally gave him good wishes, so they simply agreed.
After the house was built, Gu Nanfeng moved there and lived alone. During the move, Aniang Mei had been helping others pack things. She knew what was needed for daily life. She even prepared chopsticks and bowls for them. On.
"It's time to tie up the broom at home. Let your elder brother come back tomorrow to cut some palm leaves, tie up the broom and give you one." After all, we have lived with Gu Nanfeng for more than half a year, and Aunt Mei knows that Gu Nanfeng loves to be clean. In addition to sweeping, she also brought loofah pulp to others, which was convenient for cleaning pots and pans.
Not everything in the house was backed up, so Aunt Mei brought a small table and two stools so that she could sit down when eating and have a place to put the food.
In the afternoon, after everyone in the Mei family went back, Gu Nanfeng moved a small stool out and sat next to the pile of firewood in front of his small hut. In such a simple house, he felt relieved and satisfied. He finally had own home.
