Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 154 The Return
After all, Mai Xiang still wore this pair of jade pendants around her neck, not because she had accepted the pair of jade pendants, but because they were worn on her body so that she could return them to Huai Ci at any time.

When Mai Xiang saw Huaici again, it happened to be the first day of March. There were many people who came to the Reclining Buddha Temple to offer incense on this day, so Mai Xiang's shop was also busy, and most of them were female relatives. Mai Xiang always greeted her in the front hall. sent to.

When Huai Ci, dressed in a blue cotton robe, entered the door, the surprise in Mai Xiang's eyes was obvious.

"How are you?" Mai Xiang didn't dare to call him brother because of the presence of Bafu and Li Shi. It was hard to explain.

"Okay." Seeing Mai Xiang busy in the hall, Huai Ci frowned slightly.

"I saw that you haven't come for so long, so I thought you weren't coming." Mai Xiang laughed.

Mai Xiang really thought that she was being fooled by Huaici again, thinking that Huaici gave her the pair of jade pendants because she wanted to pay her back.

"Some things are delayed, are those kite patterns hanging outside?"

"Does it look good?"

"Very chic."

After hearing this, Mai Xiang led Huai Ci into the warehouse, and explained its name, origin and meaning to Huai Ci one by one.

"When you sell it, you must make it clear to others that my kite is selling the meaning of a name."

"You are still so enthusiastic." Huai Ci blurted out suddenly.

What appeared in front of his eyes was the scene of asking Mai Xiang to teach him arithmetic and abacus last year. For more than half a month, Mai Xiang taught him one or two hours a day under the sun. Teach him, be very careful and patient, probably at that time, Huaici was unknowingly moved by this girl.

Because he read a kind of heartache from Mai Xiang's eyes. This is a look he has never seen since his mother left, but unexpectedly, he saw it in the eyes of a ten-year-old girl.

Hearing Huai Ci's words, Mai Xiang was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "When I was asking for a living at the Reclining Buddha Temple, I laughed with others every day. They will smile spontaneously, because it is their kindness that makes me and my family happy. As the saying goes, giving someone a rose has a lingering fragrance in your hands, so I have the ability to help you, so of course I have to be more enthusiastic.”

Seeing Huai Ci bowed her head, Mai Xiang said again: "Actually, I am not only here to help you, but also for the outlet of my family's kites. My relatives all point out that this kite can improve their lives. So, from In this sense, I also want to thank you.”

"I can't say no to you. But I want some of everything you have here, can I?" Huai Ci pointed to the wind chime hanging on the wall.

"Okay, these can be given to you on credit first. If you sell them, then come to settle the bill with me. If you can't sell them, send them back to me. My business here is not bad."

Mai Xiang was telling the truth. These ladies who came for an outing basically fell in love with these little things, and felt that hanging them in the house would add a lot of color, and the things were not expensive.

"I can see that." Huaici also laughed.

When Mai Xiang was counting things, Bafu came in and shouted: "Mai Xiang, there is a lady in Plum Blossom House who wants to buy a curtain, go and see, Mai Huang will not be here."

"Then check out what you want, and I'll come as soon as I go."

After Mai Xiang finished explaining the eight blessings, she hurried to the Plum Blossom House, lifted the curtain and took a look, who knew that the lady inside was actually Wan Zhigao's fiancée Kang Yi. Can run into.

"It's you? I heard people say that there is a restaurant here, and the things inside are quite unique. I didn't expect you to open it." Kang Yi's surprise was greater than that of Mai Xiang.

"I didn't expect to open a restaurant so soon, thank you for coming again."

Mai Xiang chatted with Kang Yi for a while, Kang Yi picked out a few things, dawdled for a while, when Mai Xiang came out, Huaici had already left.

"This is the account that he took away. He first gave us a deposit of 20 taels of silver and said that the rest of the silver will be used next time." Bafu threw an account book to Mai Xiang.

When Mai Xiang heard that he had left 20 taels of silver, she was quite puzzled. Since he had silver in his hand, why did he put himself in such a mess?There was not only no firewood in the house, but also no rice noodles. If Mai Xiang didn't go, it's really hard to say how long he can survive.

"Mai Xiang, let me ask you, what do you think?" Wu Fu patted Mai Xiang.

"Ah, what are you asking?"

"I asked who he is? Why do you two seem to be familiar with each other? He threw so much money at once?"

"Ah, I forgot a big thing." Mai Xiang grabbed the rope around her neck, and she actually forgot to return the jade pendant to him.

But having said that, in this public place, Mai Xiang really didn't have the courage to pull the jade pendant out of her neck and return it to him. Isn't this a private gift?
"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing. Uncle Ba, next time he comes to pick up the goods, if I'm not there, I'll give him [-]% off our selling price for everything." Mai Xiang confessed.

To Mai Xiang's surprise, Huaici's business was doing well. From that day on, he would come to Mai Xiang to pick up goods almost every ten or so days. Almost all the kites accumulated by the Ye family and the Zhao family For Huaici, not only that, but also those purses, wind chimes, and wall shoes are in short supply. The sales volume in the capital is much faster than that in the countryside.

One day, Sun's son Xisan, Mai Xiang and Zhao came home from their old house, and saw a carriage parked in front of Cao's house, and Mai Xiang ran over a few steps.

As soon as she entered the yard, Mai Xiang saw the back of a woman, not tall and very thin, her hair was just a simple bun with a wooden hairpin inserted into it, and she was wearing a long gray cotton dress with a jacket over it. A blue waistcoat with a very straight waist. When she heard the movement, she turned around slowly. Although there are obvious signs of aging on her face, Mai Xiang can still see that the other party must have been a beautiful woman when she was young. .

"Are you Miss Maixiang?" She spoke with a soft Jiangnan accent.

"Hello, aunt." For a moment, Mai Xiang didn't know how to address her, and suddenly thought that godfather's cousin was godaunt.

"On the way, my parents and cousin praised you a lot. When I saw you today, you are really smart."

"My aunt is the smart one." Mai Xiang thought of Shi Xiangyun's talent and talent, but she couldn't overlap with the woman in front of her.

After listening to Mai Xiang's words, the other party smiled, and when she smiled, there were fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and the ends of her nose, but Mai Xiang fell in love with her all of a sudden.Probably because of Shi Xiangyun's preconceptions, Mai Xiang always felt an indescribable pity when she saw her.

"Mai Xiang is here, come, come and see the gift Mr. gave you." Cao Xueqin came out of the room when she heard the movement, and was very happy to see Mai Xiang.

As soon as he entered the door, he first went to see Liu Huilan and Cao Ji. The mother and son looked very good, and the house was clean and orderly. must.

"Sir, did you bring me a gift? Let's see." Mai Xiang didn't show any pretense, and followed Cao Xueqin into the house.

Li Ding, his wife, and Liu Huilan were playing with some special products brought back from the south on the kang, when they saw Mai Xiang go in, they moved a one-foot-long wooden box from the side, and said with a smile: "These are all given to you by your husband himself. pick."

Mai Xiang took it and opened it to see that there were rain flower stones, folding fans, wood carvings, tooth carvings and so on.

"Thank you sir." Mai Xiang hugged the box, feeling homesick, her eyes were red,
"Silly girl, you're crying with just this little thing. Mister is much worse than you." Cao Xueqin put her big hand on Mai Xiang's head.

"What, Mai Xiang said that there are few of these things. She finally went to the south and didn't know how to bring some valuables for our daughter. Baba came all the way to bring some stones and wood back." Liu Huilan laughed.

"My daughter is not so vulgar."
"Godfather, I'm a vulgar person, what should I do?" Mai Xiang frowned deliberately and asked.

Cao Xueqin laughed loudly and said, "Then godfather has no choice but to let you go and become more vulgar together."

When Mai Xiang saw Cao Xueqin came back this trip, she felt a lot more relaxed. Even Li Ding and his wife relaxed their brows a lot. It must be that Cao Xueqin had already made a clear plan for Li Xiangyun. Thinking of this, Mai Xiang looked at Liu Huilan.

Liu Huilan's face will only be filled with joy, the joy of seeing her husband return safely, and she probably won't be able to take care of anything else for a while.

Thinking that Cao Xueqin and his party had just entered the house, they didn't have time to tidy up their things, and Mai Xiang didn't want to stay too long. After sitting for a while, she left with the box in her arms.

The arrival of Li Ding and his wife and Li Xiangyun made Mai Xiang feel embarrassed, because there are more people in the Cao family, so there will be more housework, and Granny Liu is too busy running around, so Mai Xiang moved to buy two. human thoughts.

Unexpectedly, when Mai Xiang was still struggling, Madam Guan came suddenly, and wanted to take Mai Xiang to the city, and asked her to take Maidi with her.

"Nurse Guan, why are you taking my brother there?" Mai Xiang didn't understand the other party's intention for a while.

"Son, this is also your blessing. We, Fujin, have always been thinking about you and your family. Just in the past few days, we are going to vaccinate Gege and Beizi, so Fujin has thought of you. You are in the countryside, so you definitely don't have this opportunity. Fujin also knows that you only have this one younger brother, and your mother can't bear children anymore, so I'm kind enough to let you take your younger brother with you." Guan Nanny explained with a smile.

"Vaccinate? What kind of pox?" Mai Xiang didn't understand.

"It is to prevent pox. Every year, many people die from this pox. The imperial doctor in the palace will vaccinate these children of the royal family and nobles every year."

"Is there such a thing?" Mai Xiang was really happy to hear the news. She never knew that the ancient people had already mastered the technology of vaccination. Fortunately, she has been worrying about this for so long.

No, since the Qing Dynasty already had vaccination technology, why did so many people still die?It's fine if the civilians die, but many members of the royal family also died of pox. It is said that Shunzhi is an example.

Mai Xiang was a little confused.

(End of this chapter)