Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 177

Ye Tiezhu and Mrs. Liu moved in three days later. They lived in the upper room in the front yard, and Mai Xiang's family lived in the backyard, so there was no inconvenience.

As for Wu Fu, Mai Xiang asked him what he meant. He wanted to buy land and build a house after saving enough money, because Wu Fu was not the only one in the Ye family who was anxious to build a house and move out, and he didn't want to cause trouble for Mai Xiang.

After the autumn harvest, the winter leisure has basically begun. The Ye family and the Zhao family are not idle. The men are busy making toothbrush handles, and the women are busy doing needlework. They are all working hard and want to live in the next year. Big new house.

As for Mai Xiang, during this period of time, she has been busy drawing pictures, drawing cups of various shapes and patterns, as well as some porcelain ornaments. Yongen and Hongrong have found someone to build a porcelain factory, and the address is at outside the city.

When the first snow fell in winter, Mai Xiang closed the shop and basically stayed at home, sitting on the kang all day long, practicing calligraphy and doing needlework. Of course, she also taught Mai Huang some literacy and arithmetic, and the days were happy. It's the twelfth lunar month in a flash.

Today, Mai Xiang was taking care of the family's winter clothes for the New Year. This year, several sheep at home were sold. Because there was no shortage of money, Mai Xiang kept the sheepskin and wanted to make a sheepskin for Ye Dafu and Zhao. There are a few wheat yellow coats left over. Mai Xiang plans to make a rabbit fur coat for each of them. As for herself, she plans to use the duck down and goose down to make a coat for her and Huai Ci. The duck down collected last year With too little goose down, Mai Xiang remained untouched.

"Big girl, just now your grandma's family sent someone to deliver a letter. Your old aunt gave birth to a daughter and is moving her house. It just so happens that your aunt also found a family for your big cousin. According to the sky, I want to go back to my mother's house for a few days, which jacket do you think I should wear?" Mrs. Zhao said as she came in holding Mai Di's hand.

Ever since Mrs. Zhao had a big fight with Mrs. Wan because of Mai Xiang, Mai Xiang has become much closer to Mrs. Zhao. At least, Mrs. Zhao still knows how to protect her daughter at a critical moment, so she is not so stupid There is no cure.

Before Mai Xiang had time to answer, Mrs. Zhao saw a pile of sheepskins on the kang, quickly reached out to touch them, and said with a smile: "Big girl, I didn't expect your father's craftsmanship to be pretty good, the leather is soft and warm to the touch. "

"Do you like it? If you like it, I will make you a coat?" Mai Xiang originally planned to give it to her.

"Really? Darling, can you really make me a big sheepskin coat? Then I want that kind of silk to make noodles too." Mrs. Zhao envied that the wife of the eldest family had a big sheepskin coat with sapphire blue silk for the noodles. .

"Okay, I'm going to ask my wife to cut it for me and teach me how to sew." Mai Xiang arranged the things and was about to get off the kang.

"Big girl, what I told you, I want to stay at your grandma's house for a few days." Mrs. Zhao held Mai Xiang back.

"Mother, if you want to go, you can go by yourself. The carriage at home is ready-made. Let Mai Huang bring you a few strings of money, but don't bring Maidi."

Mai Xiang is worried about handing over the Mai field to Zhao, after all, this is Ye Dafu's only son, and Mai Xiang wants to teach him personally.

"Big girl, you should go and tell Erya, that girl is even more stingy than you, every time I ask her for a few dollars, it's like cutting her flesh." Mrs. Zhao muttered a few words.

Because Mai Xiang has to manage the shop, do handicrafts, draw pictures, and practice calligraphy, so she handed over the household accounts to Ye Dafu,
Who knew that Ye Dafu didn't want to care about them, he was too busy with the animals all day long, especially the rabbits at home, their reproductive capacity was too fast, and they had already reached a certain scale of breeding, as well as those golden pheasants and goats, just these few things Ye Dafu's income is almost enough for the family's expenses, so Ye Dafu is more motivated, because he can support his family again.

So Ye Dafu handed over the accounts to Mai Huang again. Mai Huang learned some common words and arithmetic from Mai Xiang this year, and Mai Xiang taught her how to keep accounts. Now Mai Huang is doing well. , just one thing, spending money is too careful.

It's not the fault of Mai Huang at all, she followed Mai Xiang to sell straw sandals and grass penny by penny, so she knows how hard this money is.

"Mom, you're talking bad about me behind my back again. I'm not doing this for your own good. I do this every time. How much will I give you? If you go to grandma's house, there will be nothing left." Mai Huang took Mai Qing and the others together. When he came in, he happened to hear Mrs. Zhao's words, and retorted with his lips pouted.

"That's only a few dollars. We don't lack this now. It's hard for your grandma to borrow some of our light. She is not someone else."

Mai Xiang smiled and said, "Then prepare grandma's annual gift and let mother deliver it in person."

"Sister, what shall we give?" Mai Huang hadn't given the New Year's gift yet, so he didn't know how to measure it.

"Give a piece of cotton cloth, take two ducks, two rabbits, and give me a penny. From now on, grandma's house will go like this." Mai Xiang thought for a while and said.

As soon as Mai Xiang finished speaking, Mrs. Liu brought Jiufeng over.

"Nurse, what's the matter?" Seeing that Mrs. Zhao was a little calm, Mai Xiang hurriedly asked, worried that Mrs. Liu would be sorry.

"Mai Xiang, do you want to send a New Year's gift to Grandpa Wan? After all, this time it was decided, and the Wan family also showed their sincerity later. What your grandfather and I mean, don't make the two families too stiff, why? Say, your grandfather and your grandfather Wan have also been brothers for these years, and we have also received a lot of kindness from the Wan family." Liu said.

"Mom, if you want to give a New Year's gift, it should be given by the man's family to the woman's family. How can the woman give a New Year's gift to the man's family?" Mai Xiang hurriedly refused.

Although in the end Wanjia still gave Huaici 2000 taels of silver to buy a home, and also gave Mai Xiang 1000 taels of gift money, but this money was not what Wanjia wanted to pay at all, Wanjia did it for the sake of Yongen and Uradomin. The money was paid out, so Mai Xiang didn't accept Wan Jia's affection at all.

"That's right, mother, look at that sister-in-law, her eyeballs are always up, why don't you take a good look at us? We are going to give her a New Year's gift, maybe how will we be buried? No Go. I'm still waiting for my son-in-law to give us a New Year's gift. If the gift is too light, I'll close the door for him." After finishing speaking, Mrs. Zhao curled her lips, and suddenly smiled, probably thinking of Mrs. Wan's embarrassment that day .

"Mai Xiang, you, Madam Wan, are not bad. What your grandfather means is that it's almost Chinese New Year, and he wants to visit the Wan family. How can I say that he has also been favored by the Wan family?" Liu always told Zhao It doesn't make sense, I discuss everything with Mai Xiang.

"Grandpa and grandma can go if they want. It doesn't matter to us how to move around. If grandma feels embarrassed to go empty-handed, she can just take a few chickens and ducks from home. Our country people only have these." Mai Xiang heard According to Liu's meaning, she was reluctant to give up things.

"That's okay. I'll accompany your grandfather on this trip. I haven't seen them since I made the decision that time." Liu thought for a while and said.

"Mai Xiang, what are these sheepskins and rabbit skins for?" Jiufeng and Mai Huang were fiddling with these things on the kang, and asked casually.

"Don't you want that white rabbit fur? This time I'll make a leather jacket for you, as well as grandpa and grandma's." Mai Xiang still remembered why Ye Dafu limped his leg.

"Big girl, why don't you do it to the end, and give me a piece of pink silk to make noodles. I think pink silk looks best with this white rabbit fur." ​​Jiufeng said.

After hearing this, Mai Xiang glanced at Mrs. Liu, who quickly patted Jiufeng a few times, and said, "Children, what kind of silk can you wear? A new jacket will be fine. Don't be dissatisfied."

"Mother, even Mai Xiang and the others are wearing silk, why can't I wear it?" Jiufeng looked at the satin padded jacket on Mai Xiang, and her eyes were already greedy.

These days after moving here, Jiufeng's mentality has also undergone some subtle changes. The food and housing are the same as Mai Xiang's, but there is still a gap between Jiufeng and Mai Xiang in terms of clothing.

In fact, this is also caused by Jiufeng's vanity, because when Mai Xiang and the others are doing things at home, they also wear ordinary home clothes, but everyone has a few good clothes for going out, especially Mai Xiang, most of the clothes are Amu. Xin and Uladomin sent it, and Jiufeng was naturally a little greedy after seeing it too much.

"Grandma, the clothes on my body are all old clothes given by others. If I can't wear them, I will give them to Maihuang, and then I will give them to Maiqing. The clothes we usually make by ourselves are mostly cotton." Mai Xiang smiled lightly.

"That's right, old lady, we only make silk clothes during the Chinese New Year, and we only need one or two taels of silver for a suit of clothes. How many rabbits does my father have to sell to earn back?" Mai Huang said.

Mai Huang was on the sidelines and wanted to speak a long time ago. She is in front of the house now, and all the money for firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea is passed from her. Naturally, she has an account and knows that it is not easy to earn money.

"Don't coax me into thinking that I don't know that your silks are all sent by others?" Jiufeng still didn't give up.

"Our mammy also has a lot of silk from Wan's family. My old aunt just wants to talk to mammy, why do you keep staring at us?" Mai Qing became impatient and spoke up.

"Can it be the same? The Wan family gave Da Ya 1000 taels of silver as a bride price, and my elder brother just bought more than 100 acres of land. You are still short of this? What's more, your family still has these industries that make money. We have What?"

When Jiufeng thinks of those things from the Wan family, his heart feels like a cat scratching. With these things, Mai Xiang will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life.

Mai Xiang didn't expect Jiufeng to have such a mentality of comparison. She has been here for more than a year, and she always feels that although Jiufeng is pampered, her heart is not bad.Mai Xiang still remembers that when she first came here, she secretly stuffed herself with snacks. After Ye Dafu's accident, she also expressed her self-blame, and even said that she would rely on embroidered handkerchiefs to earn money for Ye Dafu's family. Xiang wants to teach Mai Xiang how to do needlework, but now Jiufeng is getting more and more vain.

Mai Xiang sighed, and just about to speak, she saw Liu hurriedly reached out to pull Jiufeng, cursing: "Okay, shut up."

"Mother, who made your old man angry again?"

After Liu's voice fell silent, Ye Dafu came in with Huaici.

(End of this chapter)