Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 11
Hearing Mrs. Zhao's call, Mai Xiang hurried into the house, and everyone in the Ye family was on the kang waiting for dinner.

"Mother, why have you been here for so long?" Mrs. Zhao asked hurriedly.

"She's a woman with a big belly. She asked me a few words. How long is it?" Mrs. Liu glanced at Mrs. Zhao unhappily.

"Mother, my sister-in-law is also in a hurry to go back to her mother's house. She has such a big belly, so it will be a bit tiring to walk back on her feet." Sun said with a smile from the side, taking it easy.

It's a pity that Mrs. Zhao didn't hear Mrs. Sun's irony, but instead laughed and said, "That's right, your natal family has a donkey cart to pick you up today, why don't you take me and a few children for a while?"

Sun's expression changed upon hearing this, "This?"

Sun's embarrassment is that her natal brother's donkey cart is used to solicit customers. If Zhao's family is allowed to get in the cart, how can she ask for money?
Mrs. Qian smiled at the side, and said silently in her heart, "Let you show that you have brothers from your natal family to pick you up, and let you show that your natal family has a donkey cart."

But the opening was changed to: "Third brothers and sisters, it's rare for my sister-in-law to talk back to you, not to mention my sister-in-law has such a big belly, and Mai Lu is so small. According to me, left and right are just a matter of convenience, so it's better to follow her." Bar?"

Naturally, Mrs. Qian knew what was going on. Unlike Mrs. Zhao, she was not as thoughtless as she had already inquired about the livelihood of each family.

Ye Dafu also knew this, the donkey cart of the Sun family was specially used to pull people into the town, so seeing Sun's embarrassment, he said: "My child, I will take you for a while."

Sanfu hurriedly said: "What did the elder brother say? We have something else to do."

Mrs. Zhao also understood now that she was rejected with an angry face.

"Let's eat." Liu called out at a critical moment.

Mai Xiang and the children were already hungry. Today's breakfast was not cornmeal paste, but cornmeal porridge. Each of them shared a small piece of donkey rolling, a small pancake, and a dish on the kang table, which was dried mung bean sprouts. Scrambled eggs with tofu, and a small dish of pork head in sauce.

This is the first serious meal after Mai Xiang arrived. I was just about to pick up this pancake and put it in my mouth, but suddenly I saw that everyone opened the pancake, put bean sprouts or something on the pancake, and put a piece of it Pork head meat, and then roll the cake, roll up one end, and eat with vegetables and cakes.

"The spring pancakes are baked well today, and the heat is just right." Mrs. Zhao said while stuffing them into her mouth. Such delicious food whetted her appetite, and she quickly forgot the unhappiness just now.

Mai Xiang took a closer look, this spring pancake was one piece for each person, and this pork head meat was also one piece for each person, she rolled up a full piece, handed it to Mai Lu, then took Mai Lu's pancake, and re-rolled a piece by herself.

Seeing this, Mai Huang handed the rolled one to Mai Qing, and made another piece himself. At this time, there was only one dish left on the table.

After dinner, it was Mai Xiang's turn to be on duty today. Mai Xiang and Mai Huang washed the dishes and cleaned up. At this time, the younger brother of the Sun's family also came into the yard, and came in to say hello to Ye Tiezhu and Liu.

Mai Xiang glanced at the other party, she was also wearing a brand-new blue cotton padded jacket, it seemed that the life of the Sun family was indeed easier.

Just as she was thinking about it, Mrs. Sun brought a brand new pink and purple bundle and led the five-year-old wheat seedlings, and came in to bid farewell to Mrs. Liu, while Sanfu shouted at the door.

Then Erfu was holding the little Maijin, and Qian Shi also carried a half-worn dark red checkered bag, leading the wheat grains and wheat seeds and preparing to go out.

It was Zhao's and Mai Xiang's turn, and Zhao also carried an old indigo bag, which didn't seem to have much in it. Ye Dafu still picked out half a basket of straw sandals with a basket, and then put the wheat green and wheat green in the basket. After entering the basket, Mai Xiang and Mai Huang helped Mrs. Zhao out.

Zhao's natal home was not far away, and it took more than half an hour to walk. Ye Dafu went all the way to the entrance of the village, said he would pick him up after breakfast the next day, and then hurried to the temple fair.

Entering from the entrance of the village, Mrs. Zhao met a few acquaintances, and they all greeted each other in a neutral manner. Mai Xiang guessed that Mrs. Zhao's popularity in her natal family was not very good.

The courtyard of the Zhao family is in the middle of the village. When you open the door to enter, the courtyard feels a bit messy, with several side rooms and side rooms built irregularly, which is a bit crowded.

"Lixia is here?" A rural old lady in her fifties and sixties came out. Her skin was dark and rough. She was wearing a half-worn indigo padded jacket with a patch. With less white hair, it is also a wooden hairpin, which is not as neat as Liu's.

"Grandma." Mai Huang called out first, and Mai Xiang quickly followed.

"Okay, are you alright too?"

"Okay, thank you grandma for thinking about me."

"Hey, this child is one year older. Hearing this voice, he is much more sensible than last year." A tall, thin woman in her thirties and 40s came out of the room, with prominent cheekbones, and she had a mean face. This is Mai Xiang's eldest aunt Fang.

"Second sister, brother-in-law didn't send you here?" A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl came over.

"Why didn't you deliver it? I left at the entrance of the village, saying that I was going to the Dragon King Temple Fair in Changning Town to see if I could sell a few pairs of straw sandals."

"Oh, so does this brother-in-law. He doesn't come in for a cup of hot water even when he's at the entrance of the village." Fang said in vain, and only said to give a cup of hot water.

"During the winter solstice, why don't you take the big girls to sit on the kang for a while." Grandma Yu said.

"Hey."

"Eldest sister and the autumnal equinox haven't arrived yet?" Mrs. Zhao asked.

"Dachun wants to hold a small one, and he can't walk fast. Your elder brother will pick it up. It's almost time for the autumnal equinox." The old lady Yu looked out after speaking.

Only then did Mai Xiang know that the Zhao family has four daughters, Spring, Beginning of Summer, Autumnal Equinox, and Winter Solstice, and each name has a season.

After a while, Qiufen's family of three came in, followed by Dachun with five children.

Mai Xiang sat on the kang, chatting and laughing with Mai Huang, while paying attention to the chatter of the adults. The Zhao family has four daughters and three sons. Mai Xiang's grandfather has passed away, and the family is now divided. The youngest daughter followed the eldest son Zhao Yuanjiang, and the two youngest sons shared some food for the old lady every year.

Mai Xiang's other two uncles also accompanied their daughter-in-law back to her natal home today, so no one was seen.As for the eldest aunt Fang, it seems that because her natal parents are gone, she will not come back.

However, I saw the four children of my uncle's family, two sons and two daughters. The eldest son is also as old as the winter solstice this year. He is sixteen. Fang has been complaining about it, and it is time to eat.

Mai Xiang sighed secretly, such a large family, none of them had a good life, they were all poor, especially the aunt, whose clothes were as shabby as Mai Xiang's mother, and several children were similar to Mai Xiang's family, with yellow and thin faces.

Mai Xiang saw a needlework basket on the top of the kang, and there was an embroidery frame inside. Mai Xiang took it over, it was a handkerchief, embroidered with a few plum blossoms.

"Auntie, how much money can I earn by embroidering a handkerchief like this?" Mai Huang asked first, saving Mai Xiang's trouble.

"A good embroiderer can earn five renminbi, and a bad one can only earn four renminbi." Dongzhi said.

The girls in Zhao's family didn't know how to embroider originally. After Dachun and Maixiang's mother, Lixia, got married, she didn't have any skills and didn't earn a living in winter. She went back to her mother's house to complain, and the old lady Yu thought of asking her youngest daughter to learn embroidery. The second daughter-in-law knew how to do it, so she followed her second sister-in-law and saved some money from her own house to prepare as a dowry.

Generally, a good skilled hand can embroider two pieces a day when they are free in winter, so it is no problem to save hundreds of dollars a winter with this craft.

"Big sister, let's learn from my little aunt when we go back." Mai Huang was touched. When he compared it just before leaving the house, he found that his family was in tatters. Didn't the third aunt Sun just rely on her ability to embroider some flowers? Do you wear new clothes?

Having a beautiful new dress is Mai Huang's biggest wish since he can remember, and this wish is even stronger than having a full meal.

During the winter solstice, seeing Mai Huang kept asking questions about embroidery, he took out an old yellow calendar from under his pillow, with a few patterns in it.

Only then did Mai Xiang know that embroidery needs to have a pattern first, trace the pattern according to the pattern, and then embroider one stitch at a time according to the drawn pattern. The winter solstice will also embroider a handkerchief. The pattern is very simple. Mai Xiang saw the pattern It's not difficult, the difficult thing is to sit down and embroider stitch by stitch.

In her previous life, Mai Xiang had always been a person who couldn't sit still. Apart from watching TV and playing computer games, she liked to go out for a walk. So, after sitting for a while, she said, "Auntie, Mai Huang, why don't we go to the temple fair?" Go around and see if you can see Dad?"

"Temple fair? All right." Mai Huang was also a person who couldn't stay idle.

"This?" Winter Solstice hesitated, she was sixteen this year, and reached the age of talking about her husband's family.

"Grandma, let's go to the temple fair with my aunt, okay?" Mai Huang called out first.

"Go, Winter Solstice, take a few coins and buy some snacks for your nieces and nieces." The old lady said.

She knew that it was impossible to ask her daughter-in-law to pay for it, but fortunately, she could save a lot of money during the winter solstice.

When the old man left and separated the family, the old lady made an agreement with her sons and daughters-in-law that the younger daughter would not need to be married as a dowry, but would rely on her own embroidery to save money. Otherwise, the money would have been missed by Fang.

"Understood." Dongzhi smiled and took ten Wen, and rushed out with a dozen children.

Children already like to be lively, and knowing that they have brought money for the winter solstice, why would they not want to go out?
Ps: Take a bubble, new book please collect please click please recommend please comment, thank you.

(End of this chapter)