Zhan Zhumen

Chapter 4 Small Broken Ship

Huo Xi and Yang Fu stood beside Yang Shi on one left and one on the right, and Yang Shi pulled the uncle and nephew to look up and down.Seeing that the two of them were intact, he breathed a sigh of relief.

There was a smile on his face just now, and he frowned again when he saw the big oil stain on Yang Fu's chest.

"Yang Fu!"

Yang Fu was shocked.

Smiling flatteringly at his sister, he took out the pig's trotter that made the dogs chase him all the way from his arms: "Sister, look, Xi'er and I bought you a pig's trotter, and Xi'er said I would give you a pig's trotter." Milk."

Just as Yang raised his hand, he paused.

"This pig's trotter is at least thirty or forty cash. How much did you earn today?"

Huo Xi took her hand and raised her head: "Mom, we only earned 26 Wen today, and this pig's trotter is more than that. If Dad catches a lot of fish and shrimp tomorrow, I'll send it to Butcher Gao. "

"Yes, yes, send more."

Yang took the pig's trotter from Yang Fu's hand, held it high and looked at it again and again, feeling comforted by the filial piety of the two children.

But when he saw that Yang Fu's chest had been stained with oil, he couldn't help but feel distressed: "Can this meat be put on the chest? It's stained so big, it can't be washed off! How can there be so many clothes for you to change and wash?" !” Shouted a few words at Yang Fu.

Yang Fu was used to being yelled at by his sister, so he tilted his head and didn't care.

Seeing Huo Xi smiling and looking at him, and unwilling to lose face as an elder, he stalked his neck and argued: "Sister, you don't know how badly we were chased by dogs all the way with this pig's trotters! I hate my parents for giving me two missing legs. If I hadn’t been smart enough to hide it in my arms, I wouldn’t even have a pig’s trotters, even skin!”

Yang slapped him hard, two extra legs?Or are people gone?

With a nervous face, he pulled Huo Xi up and down to check: "Did you get bitten?"

"No. Mom, you see we are all fine. My uncle and I ran really fast."

Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "Morrow is not allowed to go. You are not yet seven years old, and your uncle Dongyue is only ten years old. Parents are responsible for making money. Although our family is poor, we are diligent and thrifty. It will make you hungry."

Huo Xi was silent.

The only thing I have at home is this black-covered boat. I sell some fish and shrimp in the river. I get ten or twenty coppers a day. Although it didn't cost a lot of money, I dare not buy meat.Oil stars are rare in dishes.

Although I can save a few pennies a day, I always have to buy some household items at the end of each month, and I have to spend money to buy food, oil, rice and noodles.Although the clothes are patched and patched, some linen and coarse cloth are always purchased throughout the year.

In this way, every year bottomed out, and no money was saved.

Now that she and her younger brother are added to the family, the cost is even higher.I bought fine cotton cloth for my younger brother and pig's trotters for my mother, but my mother was not willing to spend money.

Huo Xi collected her thoughts, but didn't respond, she just smiled and looked at Yang Shi: "Mother, where's younger brother?"

Yang stretched her clothes: "Your brother is asleep in the cabin."

"Let me take a look." Huo Xi said and entered the cabin with a cat.

Yang Fu told Yang what happened that day at the stern of the boat, and Yang held the pig's trotter in his hand and looked at it again and again, feeling warm and comforted in his heart.

The two children were still young, and she said several times that they didn't need to worry about earning money, but the two children just didn't listen.

At this time, seeing that the two of them were intact, I was relieved.

In the cabin, Huo Nian was sleeping soundly, with two small fists clenched on both sides of his head, his face was flushed, and he was cute to look at.Huo Xi looked at it fondly, and then looked at his bulging belly, which was wrapped in blankets. As he breathed up and down, he couldn't help poking his belly with his hand.

After poking, he hurriedly retracted his fingers, looked carefully at his face, saw that he was not disturbed in the slightest, and was still sleeping soundly, so he smiled.

The small black-covered boat swayed gently with the waves, just like a baby's cradle, Huo Nian slept soundly in this sway.

Huo Xi stared straight at it, and couldn't help reaching out to touch his tender face, and scrape it with the pulp of his fingers.Leaning over, she brought her face closer and gently pressed against his little face.

I couldn't help but feel a surge in my heart, it's so good.

That's great, Nian'er, you're still alive.

Yang carried the pig's trotters into the cabin and saw Huo Xi squatting beside Huo Nian, staring at Huo Nian.Suddenly, there was a pang of distress in my heart, as if someone had stabbed me with a needle.

Gathering her expression, she whispered: "Xi'er, let your brother sleep, don't wake him up."

Huo Xi blinked, turned around, nodded to Yang with a smile, then looked at the pig's trotter in her hand, and hurriedly supported the bottom of the boat to get up: "Mother, let me wash the pig's trotter for you, and you can wash it later." After drinking the trotter soup, there will be no shortage of milk."

"Okay, mother will drink it in a while. Mother will take it to wash."

"I'll wash it." Yang Fu rushed over and took the pig's trotters.

"Okay, then you guys do the laundry, and mother will cook. It's getting late, and it's time for your father to come back."

Huo Xi and Yang Fu carried the pig's trotters to the stern of the boat. They plucked the hair from the pig's trotters and washed them with river water. Then they wanted to wash them again with drinking water, and Huo Erhuai went back.

"Brother-in-law, are you back?"

"father."

"Hey. I'm back." Huo Erhuai raised the corners of his mouth and responded with a smile to the two children.

Yang Fu stepped forward to take the fishing load from his shoulders, and Huo Xi also helped to support it.

"Come on daddy." Huo Erhuai stepped onto the boat while stabilizing the empty burden on his shoulders.

"Are you buying pig's trotters again?"

"Well, it's only 26 essays." Yang Fu hurriedly said.

"How did you earn 26 Wen today?"

Huo Erhuai was surprised at first, but couldn't help but feel distressed: "You are still young, the goods on the pier are very heavy, and dad will move the fish tomorrow after selling the fish. That job is not something you can do, if you are suppressed, you will not grow taller .”

After speaking, he looked at Huo Xi who was dressed like a boy, his face was full of distress.

Huo Xi stacked two empty fishing baskets together and fixed them at the stern of the boat, then pushed the pole along the side of the boat into the cabin, and then said: "Don't worry, dad, we don't carry heavy things, we only pick light ones. And they didn't work continuously. They all had a good rest."

Huo Erhuai stared at her, and after a while, the skin on the child's face became rough, and the clothes on this body were also changed from Yang Fu's clothes, with patches piled on top of each other.

Huo Erhuai was full of distress.

Just as he was about to speak, Yang Fu hurriedly said: "Yes, brother-in-law, don't worry, we know it well. Xi'er is smart, and knows which company and ship are easy to talk to. We have been going well today. "

Huo Xi also knew what Huo Erhuai wanted to say, so she leaned over to pick up today's interesting things and said, pushing him while talking: "Father, go in and have a rest, I will trouble you to rock the boat later, and it will take a lot of effort."

Huo Erhuai was pushed into the cabin by two children, seeing his son was sleeping soundly, he stopped talking.

Dinner was made at the bow, and the family finished today's dinner before night fell.The pig's trotter soup boiled in the casserole was delicious, but Huo Xi and Yang Fu couldn't resist, and followed Yang's to drink a few sips.

After eating, Huo Xi and Yang Fu sat at the stern of the boat, counting the stars, discussing the arrangements for tomorrow in a low voice. After being bitten by several large bags of mosquitoes, they went to sleep in the cabin.

The night was dark, and the sky was full of stars.

The small black boat was moored in a tributary of the Qinhuai River, the water surface was calm, and there was not much night wind.Only the stars and the moon are shining coldly, and there are occasional insects chirping.

After checking everywhere, Huo Erhuai lifted the windproof mast light at the bow of the ship into the cabin. Seeing that Huo Xi and Yang Fu had already slept soundly, he carefully pushed aside the straw curtains that separated him, and sat down in his and Yang Fu's seats. Where Shi sleeps.

Seeing that Yang Shi was breastfeeding her son, she also leaned over to have a look, and saw that Huo Nian was lying in Yang's arms, sucking the fragrance without opening his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, and couldn't help but smiled.

"This kid is quite edible." He raised his hand to touch his little face.

She was slapped away by Yang Shi, "Your hands are so thick, don't scratch Nian'er."

Huo Erhuai looked at his palm, it was quite thick, callused and cracked, like a piece of rough bark.Can't help but look embarrassed.

Another sigh.

I had saved some money, and planned to go back to the village to buy a homestead before winter this year, and build a grass shed so that I can live ashore.They have been floating in the water for ten years. Although there are many people like them who make their homes on boats, none of the children are kept. He and his mother wanted to go ashore.

but don't want to...

Seeing him staring blankly at his son, Yang didn't know what he was thinking.

Put the full Huo Nian on the boat deck, covered him with a quilt, patted him a few times, saw that he was asleep, pulled Huo Erhuai to lie down, and whispered: "Don't think so much, the days They were born by human beings. I don't know how lucky I was to pick them up. Xi'er is sensible and considerate, and Nian'er and Saburo look alike. I even thought about waiting for a few days to be free and go to the temple to thank the Bodhisattva. , bring them before me."

Huo Erhuai thought to himself, Nian'er looks like Saburo when he is fat and white.

But thinking of Nian'er just seen, it seems that his face has become smaller several times, and it has been blown dark by the river wind a lot.Anxiously want to prop up the body to see if it is thin.

Pulled back by Yang, she glared at him: "Sleep with you, don't make trouble with him."

Then whispered in Huo Erhuai's ear: "If we can get as much copper coins as today, it won't be long before we can go ashore and live."

Thinking of Saburo who died not long ago, my heart ached, and I made up my mind: "At that time, we will save more money. Before the snow falls in winter, we can just go to the outer city to rent a shack. We can't think too hard."

Huo Erhuai was like her, thinking of the children who couldn't be kept, his heart ached, and he replied in a buzzing voice: "Yes."

After a while, when Huo Erhuai thought Yang Shi was asleep, he heard her ask again: "Father, tell me, will Nian'er grow up healthy?"

Huo Erhuai felt pain in his heart when he thought of Saburo whom the husband and wife had sent away not long ago.

Pursing his lips, he comforted: "Yes. We will raise it carefully this time. I will catch more fish and exchange some coins for you to eat. Nian'er will grow up healthy."

"En." After being comforted, Yang chatted with him again, and the husband and wife fell asleep with their arms around the sleeping Huo Nian.

(End of this chapter)