Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12092

Before they knew it, it was the seventh day after Luo Da'e's death.

Time really flies. It's already the seventh day after her death. According to the local custom of Mianniu Mountain, Luo Da'e will soon have the opportunity to go home for the seventh day after her death.

I'll take one last look at my family, and then I'll truly embark on that one-way journey, never to see them again in this lifetime.

The blacksmith Luo and his son Luo Fengtang had already discussed it the night before. They would hold the memorial service on the seventh day after the death of the deceased. Since the service would be held at the graves on the hill behind Zhoujia Village, as relatives, the two of them would just go and burn incense.

The women and children at home don't need to go anymore.

However, Yang Ruoqing still finished breakfast early in the morning and set off in their carriage. She was going to Qingshui Town today to buy some things at the Yihechun Medical Clinic.

Upon arriving in town, as they parted ways, Luo Fengtang asked Yang Ruoqing, "After you finish shopping, are you going to wait for me at Tianxiang Restaurant, or will you go back first?"

Because Yang Ruoqing brought Ping An along, Ping An helped carry things.

Yang Ruoqing thought for a moment, "You and your uncle should have lunch in Zhoujia Village before coming back, so I won't wait for you. I'll go home first after I finish shopping."

Luo Fengtang nodded: "That's fine then. Be careful on the road and don't get hurt."

Yang Ruoqing wanted to laugh, thinking to herself, "With your wife's fighting spirit, why would I worry about bumps and bruises?"

However, considering that the blacksmith Luo was in a low mood, Yang Ruoqing suppressed her laughter and nodded to Luo Fengtang: "I know, you too. Be careful going up and down the mountain, safety first."

……

The two parted ways temporarily. Yang Ruoqing took Ping An to Yihechun Medical Clinic first, where they purchased some medicinal herbs that they didn't currently have at home, according to the list.

After purchasing the medicinal herbs, Yang Ruoqing was seen off by the clinic owner. She placed the herbs on the carriage and asked Ping An to lead the carriage to the south gate of the town to wait for her. She wanted to go to Washi to see if there were any fruits or vegetables brought from outside for sale.

During the Lunar New Year, the children in my family ate very few fruits; they mostly ate sugarcane, oranges, apples, and the like.

Sugarcane is basically just sucrose, and Yang Ruoqing doesn't let them eat too much of it. Eating too much is not good for them and has even damaged their teeth, tongues, and the inner lining of their mouths.

Oranges don't keep well; if you buy too many, they'll rot before you can finish them. Apples, on the other hand, are good for storing.

So she came to Wattanaya City mainly to buy apples, because the fruit here is not cheap, especially in the cold weather, and the variety is limited.

After strolling around Washi, Yang Ruoqing found that this town was still a town after all. After walking around, the fruits were still sugarcane, Yan'er's oranges, and persimmon cakes.

The persimmon cakes were sprinkled with a layer of white icing sugar, which was both sweet and cooling. Oh well, I won't buy any here. I'll wait until I go to the county town and Jiuhua County.

"It smells so good, what's that smell?"

It was morning, and there were many people coming to Washi to buy groceries. As Yang Ruoqing walked through the bustling crowd, she heard the wife of a young couple next to her ask a question.

"It's barbecue. Xu's Roast Duck Shop over there sells barbecue."

As Yang Ruoqing listened to her husband's explanation to his wife, her nose also caught the unique aroma of barbecue in the air.

Tsk tsk, this is grilled chives!
The aroma of barbecue is simply irresistible. Even in the complex and smoky environment of Wat Si, the smell of barbecue remains so penetrating and unique, instantly catching the eye.

"It smells so good, I'm so hungry." The young wife swallowed hard, her face flushed, and she instinctively covered her stomach as she spoke.

The young husband immediately said, "What's so difficult about that? I'll take you to buy it."

"Isn't this a bad idea? We've already eaten breakfast, and if we go to buy more, I'm afraid Mom will scold me for being greedy..." The young wife pulled her husband back, a little hesitant.

The young husband, however, didn't care at all. "Don't worry, Mother won't scold us. We'll just say it's her eldest grandson who wants to eat it."

The young wife blushed even more, looked down at her slightly protruding belly, and nodded shyly: "That's a good idea. You're so clever. Let's go buy some barbecue!"

Yang Ruoqing watched the young couple walk away hand in hand, a smile flickering in her eyes.

Pregnant women are sometimes like this; when they crave something, they become instantly obsessed, and if they can't have it, they go crazy.

This might be related to hormonal changes during pregnancy. Yang Ruoqing went through the same thing, but because the Luo family was well-off, she never deprived herself of food. So even if she occasionally felt cravings, she wouldn't go crazy.

Because the ingredients are readily available, you can quickly satisfy your cravings whenever you want to eat.

However, at this moment, the smell of barbecue in the air became stronger and stronger, with the aroma of not only grilled chives but also grilled meat.

Seeing that adults and children around her were being drawn to Yang Huamei's roast duck shop by the aroma, Yang Ruoqing was also curious and followed behind, intending to go and see for herself.

Yang Huamei's roast duck shop is located at a corner in the innermost part of Washi, next to a back door leading to an alley behind Washi.

The number of customers here is actually so-so, because most people who come to Washi to buy and sell things are used to entering from the front gate. Moreover, every time there is a big market, the mountain people who come to sell mountain products and the villagers from nearby villages are also used to gathering at the front gate, because that side connects to the main street of the town and is also spacious.

So when Xu Yuanming and his team chose this location for their roast duck shop, many people were skeptical.

Some even said they were hiding away to do business.

However, good wine needs no bush, and their authentic roast duck has attracted a large number of new and old customers.

The overpowering aroma of barbecue has given their roast duck shop a significant boost, attracting many customers who will travel across the vast market town or even detour through the back door just to come and see for themselves.

At this moment, Xu's Roast Duck Shop was surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

The aroma of roast duck mingled with the smell of barbecue, creating a tantalizing ambiance. Yang Ruoqing couldn't squeeze in, and she was too lazy to bother, so she just stood on the outside and watched it all.

Xu Yuanming was busy serving customers who wanted to buy roast duck, chopping one duck after another, working up a great deal of energy.

In an open space in front of his shop, Yang Huamei set up a one-meter-long barbecue grill. The grill contained charcoal and an iron plate. Next to it was a folding square table with a clean, large iron plate containing various kinds of barbecue ingredients.

There are both meat and vegetarian options, and the small bottles and jars on the side contain the couple's homemade barbecue seasoning.

Yang Huamei was wearing a hat and a mask, holding a pair of iron clamps in each hand and a Z-shaped iron shovel with a wooden handle similar to those used by bricklayers, and was working on the iron plate...

At the same time, she also had to make time to greet potential customers who came to watch and ask questions...

Yang Ruoqing stood on the outside and watched for a while. She saw many adults and children who had already bought barbecue and were happily eating it as they passed by her.

"I think Auntie's barbecue stall opened around the time Auntie Da'e passed away. Yang Huazhong mentioned it briefly, but I didn't ask for details."

'Only seven or eight days have passed, and Auntie's technique looks very steady. Hehe, it seems that Auntie's talent lies in barbecue!' Yang Ruoqing watched for a while, about 10 minutes. In those 10 minutes, Yang Huamei had probably already made seven or eight deals.

The ingredients on the tray on the small table next to it were visibly reduced by more than half.

Yang Ruoqing was quite pleased, after all, she was the one who came up with the idea of ​​barbecue for them, and deep down she naturally hoped that the idea would work and bring business to the couple.

Seeing this, Yang Ruoqing knew she had it all figured out. If she had a beard, she probably would have stroked it and smiled.

……

Yang Ruoqing had originally thought she could chat with her aunt and uncle for a bit and ask how the barbecue business was going, but seeing the situation, she knew that they probably wouldn't have a moment's rest, let alone right now, until lunchtime.

Yang Ruoqing turned around and quietly left. She came out through the back door, circled around halfway, and cut into the main street in front.

Then, I spotted two familiar figures among a row of vendors moving around at the intersection ahead.

They set up a stall with a huge wooden bucket on it, and a sign next to it that read: "Sticky Rice Balls!"

Yang Ruoqing smiled and said, "If you put this sign up at the school gate, all the teachers and students coming and going will understand it at a glance."

The result is that no matter where you set up your stall, everyone who comes along will still ask, "What are you selling?"

What's in this wooden bucket?

There's nothing we can do. Most of the people who come here are illiterate. Even if you write the words in huge characters, they still won't recognize them!

However, these are not major issues. The fact that someone is asking shows curiosity, curiosity leads to interest, and interest makes someone a potential customer.

If you maintain a proper attitude and answer politely, you might just be able to attract business.

During Yang Ruoqing's observation, there must have been no fewer than ten people who inquired about it, but only three or four actually paid money to buy it.

The success rate of a sale here is not as high as that of Aunt Mei'er's place, probably because the sentiment behind the rice ball is not as good as that of the barbecue, which is a snack that has swept across the country in later generations.

As for glutinous rice balls, they are still just glutinous rice. Although they are filling, they lack originality.

If others are envious and want to imitate you, it's a piece of cake; all you need to do is know how to cook.

In contrast, Yang Huamei's teppanyaki stall has a higher barrier to entry than glutinous rice balls. First, there are the ingredients and seasonings. Second, setting up a teppanyaki stall requires certain costs, especially the charcoal fire, which is more difficult to control.

Therefore, in the long run, Yang Ruoqing still prefers Yang Huamei's barbecue stall.

Perhaps Yang Yongjin would advise Xiu Hong and the others behind the scenes, suggesting that they expand on the rice ball to include other snacks. In that case, if barbecue becomes monotonous, boiled dishes and spicy hot pot would also be extensions.

Old Ji, Hong Ji, and Da Mianjin can all be prepared in advance by Aunt Mei'er and the others, right?

……

In the evening, Luo Fengtang returned alone.

"Where's your uncle? Why didn't he come back with you?" Yang Ruoqing asked, puzzled when she saw the empty carriage behind Luo Fengtang.

Luo Fengtang looked exhausted and helpless. He said, "When my uncle arrived at the Zhou family, he lost control of his emotions. He not only cried bitterly at Aunt Da'e's grave, but also, when he arrived at Cousin Zhou Wang's house, he went to the room where Aunt Da'e used to live, and seeing the things there made him even more homesick."

"And then what? Are you going to stay there again?" Yang Ruoqing asked.

Luo Fengtang nodded. "I tried to persuade him. I even said that we would set off to play tomorrow, but my uncle said that he wanted to stay at the Zhou family and stay in the room where Aunt Da'e lived for a day or two. He asked me to come back and tell you."

Yang Ruoqing really couldn't laugh this time.

This old man is really...

If Luo Da'e were still alive, we wouldn't say a word about how long you, as her brother, wanted to stay there with her.

But now that the person has passed away, their son and daughter-in-law need to adjust their mindset, get out of the shadow, and start a new life.

Why do you insist on staying there, crying and wailing every day, constantly reminding people of the loss of their loved ones, and always reminding them of the sad thing that their son and daughter-in-law's family has lost a relative?
Does it make sense?

If such immersive grief and remembrance can bring the deceased back to life, then it is meaningful.

But it can't be brought back to life, so what are you doing?

"Could it be that Uncle has been too sad lately and has developed depression?" Yang Ruoqing was a little annoyed, but she didn't lose control, and the thought even flashed through her mind.

Luo Fengtang had heard of the term "depression" before, when Yang Ruoqing talked about things from later generations.

At that moment, Luo Fengtang's eyes were also gloomy, and his face was full of worry.

Yang Ruoqing asked, "When did you and your uncle agree on when to pick him up?"

Luo Fengtang said, "He wanted to go after noon tomorrow. He wanted to go the day after tomorrow, but I told him that the day after tomorrow wouldn't work. We'll go pick him up no later than noon tomorrow."

"What did Cousin Zhou Wang and Sister-in-law Xiao Huan say?"

This time, they didn't say anything.

“Hehe, my guess was right. The fact that they didn’t try to keep me means they want to move on. They should take care of their children and manage their chicken farm. If our uncle stays with them, he will become a burden,” Yang Ruoqing said.

Luo Fengtang nodded, "I think the same way as you, but my uncle is too stubborn. I can't persuade him. I can only hope that my cousin Zhou Wang and the others will be more understanding... Let's be patient for one more day!"

Luo Fengtang went back to the backyard to take a bath and change his clothes. Wang Cuilian heard that they had returned, as she had taken the children out to play earlier.

She rushed back in a flurry, only to hear from Yang Ruoqing about this whole affair. Wang Cuilian's face immediately fell, and she began to berate Luo the blacksmith.

"The old man is getting old and his mind is going muddle. How can he be so insensible!"

"What do you mean by 'seeing things and remembering people'? On the morning Da'e went to war, Zhou Wang took all the things she used in her room to the ancestral hall on a cart and burned them!"

"They've already finished the seven-day mourning ritual, but he insists on staying all night... Wait, could he be deliberately staying there tonight just to see if he can catch a glimpse of Da'e's spirit on the seventh day after her death? Good heavens!"

Wang Cuilian was terrified by her own guess. She covered her mouth with both hands, revealing only her horrified eyes through the edges of her fingers.

(End of this chapter)