farmhouse ditty

Chapter 205 is finally here
Seeing that it has entered August, the cold wind is blowing on this day, but in Shuangyang Town, everyone is in full swing, ignoring the turning cold weather, and still busy with work on the streets. with.

Originally, Xiuniang didn't think there was anything to be busy with, but this month, people from the palace were going to the town to buy some chairs and stools, and then there was the Mid-Autumn Festival in August. I have bought all the things I need, or if the time comes, the stalls on the street will not be allowed to set up, then it will be troublesome.

Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Xiuniang asked Wang Er to pull a carriage and take him and his wife to the street to buy vegetables. The price of vegetables has risen sharply in the past two days, Xiuniang thought about buying more. Who can bear the one price a day, and she doesn't buy one or two catties each time, anyway, it's enough for the big guys in the workshop to eat for five days.

When it was over and it was the tenth day of the lunar new year, if the people from the palace still didn't come, she would tell Chu Ge that they would be given five days off, and they would come back to work after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Xiu Niang and Wang Er left separately. She was responsible for buying meat and other things, and picked up Chu An and Xiao Xianger on the way. They came back yesterday and said that the master in the private school will also be busy these two days. During the holidays, every day passed, the master just taught them to recognize two characters, read an article, and then rested, and the get out of class was over early.

Originally, the two little ones didn't need her to pick them up, they had a good company, and the road was not lonely, but she saw that there were so many cars and horses on the street these two days, she was afraid that these two little ghosts would be scratched by them if they didn't pay attention. .

Xiuniang calculated the time, Xiao Xianger and the others were about to come out of the private school this time, so she had better go to the door and wait for them.

"Hey, sister, take a look at these, they were just pulled over from Xiayang Village today."

The butcher in the butcher shop put a few slices of pork belly on the chopping board and asked about Xiu Niang.

Xiu Niang looked at the sliced ​​meat on the board, nodded, and murmured, "Well, it's not bad, it's quite fat, and it can stir-fry a lot of oil."

The butcher smiled, "Hey, of course, sister, you must always buy meat from me."

Xiu Niang also smiled, and asked him to cut the meat on the chopping board into three or four pieces. His blade is very sharp, much better than the small kitchen knife in her stove.

The butcher responded, took a knife and scratched a few times on the large porcelain bowl on the side, and then cut into pieces. He was busy, and asked, "Sister, I'll send you the meat slices today." In the workshop?"

Xiuniang took out the silver, handed it to his aunt, and told him to cut it up and put it away. After a while, Wang Er and his wife drove over and brought them together. Anyway, she asked Mrs. Cao to bring two baskets of eggs. Come here.

The butcher's woman smiled and said, "Hey, sister, the meat in my shop may also increase tomorrow, why don't you buy more and take it home."

Xiu Niang put away the money bag and smiled at the woman, "Sister-in-law, if the meat in your shop can be stored for a few days without attracting flies, I will also add the extra ten or twenty catties to store it." .”

The woman heard that she had nothing to say, so she had to laugh and say a few words, and brought the remark to the past.

After Xiuniang explained her words, she went to the back alley to pick up Chu An and Xiao Xianger. Yesterday she made an agreement with these two little ones to wait for her at the entrance of the alley. She passed now. Hurry up and meet them.

Chu An and Xiao Xiang'er were carrying two bags, which were sewn by Xiu Niang, and there were some papers, pens and books inside. They sat side by side on the curb at the entrance of the alley, and when they saw Xiu Niang, they would smile went up to welcome.

Xiu Niang took them to the front street, and asked them about their homework along the way. Anyway, she didn't hear any books or scriptures, so she just wanted to know what they had learned.

Chu An and Xiao Xiang'er held the candied haws that Xiu Niang had just bought for them in their hands, and chattered about what happened in the private school, but they completely forgot that they were studying in the same room. You are still talking about fighting for me.

Xiu Niang looked at the two of them and smiled, and just wanted to make the two little devils quieter, but suddenly saw a lot of people running up ahead, some of them were carrying burdens, some were pulling a wheelbarrow, some were holding a bundle, There are all kinds of miscellaneous things in it.

She pulled Chu An and Xiao Xiang'er to the side of the road, and pushed them against the corner of the wall so that they would not be bumped into.

These people looked like vendors setting up stalls on the front street, and there was a woman in the back, Xiu Niang recognized her as a fruit seller, she saw this woman coming, so she called her.

The old woman looked at Xiuniang, and also said with a smile, put the two big baskets in her hand on the ground, and took a breath, "Oh girl, it's you... Come on, move me a place, But ran away to kill me."

Xiu Niang asked Chu An and Xiao Xiang'er to stand back, and asked, "Sister-in-law, it's only noon, why are you closing down the stalls?"

The old woman said, "Hey, don't mention it, the officials in our town sent some soldiers over, and those of us who set up stalls on the front street were all driven away. What are you talking about, what are you talking about? , I guess I will come to our town in the afternoon, and I need to make room for it... Oh, thank you, these two babies are very good."

Xiu Niang listened for a while, the people in the palace were finally coming, she thought about taking a step forward, but accidentally bumped into the aunt's basket, and a lot of fruits fell out, Xiao Xiang'er and Chu An watched Just pick it up and put it back in her basket.

The old woman squatted down to pile up the fruit, and she couldn't help nagging, "Hey, sister, tell me, isn't this just some people coming out of the palace to buy and sell things, why are you making such a big battle?" .”

Xiu Niang just smiled along with her, their Shuangyang Town is a small town compared to the big places outside, and when the people from the palace come, no matter what they do, they have to Go around.

The auntie was talking, when she suddenly saw a pole by the wall, maybe someone who set up a stall forgot to take it away, she grabbed it, went around the two baskets, took it up, and ran away, because there were officials behind. Chasing and catching up.

Xiu Niang watched and thought about it, then took Xiao Xiang'er and Chu An forward, but they had to go around half of the town before returning to the workshop.

Because the front street is in a mess and the road is not easy to walk, Xiu Niang took the two little ones to find a way, but along the way they saw those officials chasing peddlers on the side of the road, and those peddlers wanted to do more business. The two fell into a quarrel.

Originally, we all lived in the same town. Although they were officials and peddlers, they were no different from fellow villagers. Everyone was arguing and arguing, but nothing serious. For those who are on errands, let them do business for a while.

Xiu Niang and Xiao Xiang'er Chu An went in from the front of the shop, she went to the courtyard, Wang Er and his wife hadn't come back yet, presumably they were stuck in the road, she let Wen's dinner first, and ran away by herself Went to Chugo.

Chu Ge happened to be chatting with old man Li about something. Some of the boards were not polished well yesterday, and there were thorns on them. Although there was no major problem, they were afraid of getting caught on clothes. The two of them were talking about what to do.

Seeing them in the south room, Xiu Niang went over and said, "Chuge, do you know that in the afternoon..."

Chu Ge first said, "Xiu Niang is so noisy outside, is it because people from the palace are coming... Oh, I also said, I asked San'er to pull wood in the morning, and he hasn't come back by now, I guess It's stuck in the road."

Xiu Niang paused, "Chu Ge, you, how did you know that you went out?"

Chu Ge looked at her and said, "No, I have been staying in the shop today."

Old man Li took out a cigarette stick and stuffed some tobacco leaves into it, "Hey girl Xiu, don't stare so big at your eyes, we just found out that the shopkeeper Wang next door came over to talk to us."

Xiu Niang frowned, "The shopkeeper Wang next door? Is it the one that makes wooden buckets? Why did they come here and tell us about it?"

Chu Ge said, "We opened the door late this morning, and the officials from the town's government office came to our backstreet to talk about it. Every wooden workshop, at three o'clock in the morning, will go to the horse house with its own belongings. Go there, report your name, and wait to take it to the racecourse when it’s finished, let the people in the palace have a look, if it’s good, keep it, and if it’s bad, don’t.”

Xiu Niang thought about it, and said, "Oh, that's how it is... Hey, this is also good, so you don't have to rush to the racecourse."

Old man Li bit his cigarette holder and said, "Hey, what's the matter, I heard someone say that before, the people in the palace used to wander around the back streets by themselves, but now I heard Said it was a replacement, and the manager was too lazy to run away, so he changed the way and let us businessmen go to run errands."

Xiu Niang looked at Old Man Li as if unhappy, so she glanced at Chu Ge and asked with her eyes.

Chu Ge chattered, "Uncle Li was very angry when he heard what the shopkeeper Wang said earlier today, saying that we who do business have to guard the shop, so we have to go to the racecourse to spend that time when we have time." .”

Although Xiu Niang felt that what Old Man Li said was reasonable, she couldn't care about Old Man Li's complaints at the moment, and just asked, "Uncle Li, have you fixed that board yet?"

Old man Li took a puff of smoke and said, "Hey, girl, it's been a few days, you Uncle Li can't even fix a board, you already have it, and it's in my room."

Xiu Niang asked Old Man Li to take it out for her to see. Earlier, she told Old Man Li and Chu Ge what she thought. Both of them were dubious, but in the end, they agreed to use that board As a model, show it to the people in the palace, but it's just that old man Li finished it, and she finished it...

On the second day, Chu Ge, Xiu Niang, and the old man Li took their boards and headed to the racecourse. It was still not here, but there was already a long queue in front of the racecourse. Just follow and stand inside.

About half an hour later, the door of the horse house opened, and a man came out with a book, saying that anyone who wanted to go in would get his registration number or something.

After a few quarters of hours of this tedious work, the guy finally wrote down his name, and when he was about to shout for someone, a carriage came ahead and stopped at the intersection, and the driver shouted The people who lined up gave way, and when they were done, they greeted the doorman, and drove directly in the carriage.

When passing by Xiuniang and the others, Xiuniang saw that the man driving the carriage was really an old man, and the person sitting in the carriage must be Second Master Yang...

(End of this chapter)