A flash of sarcasm flashed in Ke Chu's eyes, "If you don't go, I'm afraid I'll go crazy and kill the people in the county, which will drag you down."
Ke was furious, and Min quickly said, "It's okay, if you don't want to go, just stay at home and make grapefruit candies, and your father and I will sell them. We are all a family, so aren't we the same for everyone?"
"No." Ke Chu pulled Brother Mu to stand up, "Tomorrow I am going to take care of the grapefruit grove with Brother Mu."
Ke Tuo said anxiously, "That broken grapefruit forest is worthless, why are you taking care of it?"
"It's the only thing I can possibly get if I separate from you. If you give it up, I can't ignore it." After saying this, Ke Chu led Mu Ge'er back to the room.
As soon as the door was closed, Ke Da's roar suddenly sounded outside.
"Look at the good son you gave birth to! He has made up his mind not to make things easier for this family!"
"Master, don't be angry. He is just angry for a moment. When the anger subsides, he will definitely do business. After all, the money is there, how can they bear not to pick it up?"
Isn't it like picking up money to sell grapefruit candies in the county now? Min didn't believe that Ke Chu could refuse such a big temptation.
In the room, Brother Mu let out a long sigh, "Husband, now your reputation is completely ruined."
After such a big incident, what is the public opinion about my husband?
Ke Chu played with Brother Mu's soft and boneless hand and said, "I don't care about reputation. It's a pity..." The family was divided without any division.
No matter how clever he was, he couldn't imagine that things would go wrong at such a critical moment.
Brother Mu looked up at him, "After we get the iron pot tomorrow, do we still have to go to the county to do business?"
Tomorrow was the time he made an appointment with Blacksmith Li to pick up the iron pot.
Ke Chu shook his head, "During this period, the Min family will definitely keep a close eye on us and we will not be able to leave the village."
Even if Min didn't stare at them, the villagers would.
"Let's make enough jam and store it first."
Brother Mu sighed silently, "When can this family be divided?"
Ke Chu gently rubbed his little head and said, "It's almost time."
Seeing that Brother Mu was in a bad mood, he asked: "How much money have we saved now?"
Brother Mu's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, "Fifty one, two, thirty cents."
Ke Chu smiled and pinched his earlobe, "I know, my little money fan."
Brother Mu puffed up his face and muttered dissatisfied, "I'm not a money-lover."
…
The next day, when it was still dark, Brother Mu washed his face with cold water and woke up completely.
Ke Chu came out of the kitchen with two bowls of porridge and called for Brother Mu to come and eat.
The two of them had just finished eating when the door to the side room opened. When Min saw them, she didn't know what she thought of, but her eyes went blank.
"Get up so early."
Ke Chu didn't answer her, and took Brother Mu with a basket on his back and went out.
Min's face darkened slightly and he cursed in a low voice.
Ke Chu first took a detour to Li's house. After getting the pot, he carried the pot up the mountain before it was fully light.
When they came to the grapefruit forest, Ke Chu lit the fire and Brother Mu peeled the grapefruit. The two of them were busy all the time.
In one morning, they used up all the honey and made a whole pot of honey jam.
Afraid that the jam would spoil, Ke Chu made a large wooden barrel. Brother Mu put ice cubes in the barrel and then put jars of honey grapefruit jam packed in earthen jars into it.
He looked at the wooden barrel that was constantly blowing cold air, and said thoughtfully for a long time, "Husband, can you put a lid on the wooden barrel?"
Ke Chu said in surprise, "Of course."
Brother Mu can always think of things that others can't think of.
After putting a lid on the barrel, he made an identical large barrel, but this barrel was used to hold grapefruit candies.
They have used up the pulp of the grapefruit, so naturally the pulp cannot be wasted.
As the sun set, Brother Mu looked at the two large wooden barrels and said worriedly: "Husband, where should we hide them?"
"In the cave." Ke Chu, who has lived here for nearly twenty years, knows this mountain better than anyone else. He clearly knows the unknown caves in this mountain.
After hiding the two barrels, he took Brother Mu down the mountain slowly under the starry sky.
Mrs. Min had been waiting anxiously at home. Seeing that they finally came back, she breathed a sigh of relief, "Back? Why so late?"
She was really afraid that Ke Chu would elope with Brother Mu.
Today, she and the head of the family calculated it. Ke Chu had earned at least one tael of silver in the county in the past few days.
They are not separated now, so this taels of silver will naturally be given to her.
She asked Ke Chu for it, and Ke Chu said, "I used all the money to buy food."
Min didn't believe it, so Ke Chu said again: "Rather than let you take that money away, I would rather use it to fill our bellies."
Min fell down in anger.
Ke Chu ignored her.
After he and Brother Mu had dinner, they returned to the room. Ke Tuo grabbed Min and whispered, "Mom, did you see it? As long as Brother Mu is here, I won't turn towards you at all!"
Min said tangledly, "It's not like you didn't see Ke Chu go crazy last time. I'm afraid. What if he chops you down?"
"Don't be afraid. I took the money and went to the county to avoid the limelight. Does Ke Chu still dare to go to the county? That is the territory of the county magistrate." Ke Tuo's eyes flashed, "I have already contacted the buyer. Brother Mu is willing to pay ten taels of silver for a married man! There is no shop like this in this village for such a good thing!"
Min was persuaded and gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Tomorrow! At this time tomorrow, you ask him to arrest people."
She explained, "You tell the widower to be quick and ruthless! If brother Mu is disobedient, he will be beaten first, and he will be obedient after being beaten."
"Mom, you are so considerate." Ke Tuo's eyes were full of greed. He seemed to have seen the ten taels of silver waving to him, "When the raw rice is cooked, I don't believe that brother will still ask for Brother Mu." Such a shabby guy, but Auntie, you have to intercede for me when the time comes, I don’t want to hide outside for the rest of my life.”
Ten taels of silver was only enough for him to stay in the county for a month at most.
If Ke Chu still hasn't calmed down after a month, he is also afraid that Ke Chu will hack him to death when he comes back.
"Don't worry." Min said firmly, "I brought up Ke Chu. He is just suffering from hysteria because of Brother Mu. Once Brother Mu leaves, he will definitely listen to me like before."
Ke Tuo smiled reassuringly.
Early the next morning, Ke Chu and Brother Mu went out again with their backpacks on their backs.
They did not go directly to the pomelo grove, but took a detour to find Li Zheng.
Li Zheng was very surprised to see them. Ke Chu took out a bag of grapefruit candies and said straight to the point: "This is the grapefruit candies I planned to leave for Brother Mu to eat. I want to exchange them with you for a few earthen jars. Big Any small one is fine.”
Brother Mu explained: "My husband and I have been eating lunch on the mountain these past few days, and we don't have enough food to pack. We don't dare to take the earthen jars at home, so we can only come and exchange them with you."
An earthen pot is worth two or three pennies. Compared with sugar, sugar is obviously more valuable.
Li Zheng originally didn't want to take advantage, but thinking of his little grandson at home, he still said, "Wait a minute, I'll go in and look for him."
After a while, Li Zheng took out five earthen jars one after another, some big and some small.
“I can only spare these few at home.”
Brother Mu was overjoyed, "These are enough."
Ke Chu handed the grapefruit candy to Li Zheng, thanked him politely, and then pulled Brother Mu up the mountain.
In one day, they made two jars of white sugar grapefruit jam.
Ke Chu was about to hide the sugar grapefruit sauce when he heard Brother Mu's anxious voice not far away, "Someone is coming."
Brother Mu was watching the wind when he was fine. They were afraid that Min or the villagers would suddenly come up the mountain.
Ke Chu covered the earthen pot with dry firewood that he had prepared long ago. Brother Mu ran back and put the basket on his back, pretending to be about to go down the mountain.
Uncle Wu ran up panting, looking panicked, "Ke Chu, your mother fainted in the field, please go back and take a look!"
Ke Chu frowned, Brother Mu looked at a loss, and the two followed Uncle Wu down the mountain.
As soon as they got home, they heard Ke Tuo say in surprise, "Mom, are you awake?"
Uncle Wu breathed a sigh of relief, "Just wake up."
He looked at Ke Chu with complicated eyes, "Your mother is old after all."
People in the village were saying that just because Ke Chu didn't work, Min collapsed in the field from exhaustion.
Ke Chu didn't say anything. He sent Uncle Wu away before entering the room to see Min.
Mr. Min was lying on the bed with a haggard look. When he saw him, he smiled and said, "Ke Chu, are you back?"
Ke Chu looked at her expressionlessly, and she said to herself, "Mom is fine. She is just a little weak for a while. She will be fine tomorrow."
Her eyes were red, "Don't worry, Mom will never let you work in the fields anymore. It's my fault. It's because Mom asked too much of you before."
She grabbed Ke Chu's hand and said, "Mom, now that you have fainted, you realize how hard you worked in the past."
Ke Chu frowned.
If it were before, he might really be moved by Min's words.
But now he only felt uneasy.
He didn't believe that Min was really ill, but he couldn't figure out what Min wanted to do.
"Poof!" Min suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and the blood dyed Ke Chu's clothes red.
Ke Chu was startled, and Ke Tuo cried and shouted beside him, "Mother! Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Ke Da yelled at Ke Chu, "Why are you still standing there, go and call the doctor!"
When the panicked Brother Mu heard this, he hurriedly said: "I'll go! I'll call!"
Ke Tuo and Ke Da looked at each other, but neither of them stopped him.
They originally wanted to take this opportunity to send Ke Chu out and let the widower come to the house to take away Brother Mu.
But if Brother Mu disappears when he goes out to find the doctor, it will be none of their business.
Anyway, the widower was waiting outside, and he would act accordingly when he saw Brother Mu running out.
Brother Mu turned around and ran out. Inexplicably, Ke Chu felt panicked.
He was about to let go of Min, but Min grabbed his hand and said with tears: "Ke Chu, my mother may not be able to survive. Can you forgive me?"
Ke Chu was stunned.
Min and Ke Da had given birth to him and raised him even though they had countless bad things. He thought about becoming strangers to them, but he never thought about letting them die.
but……
He lowered his eyes and looked at the back of Min's skinny hands, and there was a chill in his words, "A dying person doesn't have such strength."
If they want to hurt Brother Mu, even if he is a person accused of being unfaithful and unfilial by thousands of people, he will not make it easy for them!
