The kang in the east room was warm, and on the small kang table were three or two snacks, a plate of melon seeds, and a pot of hawthorn, red dates, and brown sugar water. Miao, Lian Er, and Gui Xiang had just gone to the market in Miaoqian Village, and were happily fiddling with two newly bought pieces of woolen blue cloth: "Don't look at the color. There are two places where it's dyed badly. It can't compare with the ones in the county. But how can you tell when it's made into clothes? Why do you have to be so particular about what you wear at home!"
She had seen this cloth in the county before, and thought it would look good on Shen Qing! Today, she happened to find a piece of it. It was grayer than the ones sold in the county, and there were two straight black pleats on the edge, but it felt like the most solid material.
This Miaoqian Village was not originally a village, but a temple on the outskirts of Anping County. It was not close to any village in front and no shop behind. No one knew which deity was enshrined there. It seemed that the temple was not very efficacious. On weekdays, there were not many worshippers. There were only six or seven monks who made a living by guarding a few acres of land.
If someone in the surrounding area has a child but doesn't want to raise him - although this is extremely rare, the world is always full of ups and downs. Some families only have one or two children in their lifetime, and they want to have a child like the old Shen family. But there are also people who are very easy to conceive, and they can give birth to seven or eight children at a time. If such a family really can't afford to raise a child, they will only keep three or four children at home, and no matter what gender the children are, they will all be given away or abandoned. And those children who can't find anyone to adopt will be sent to this small temple.
Ten years ago, a child abandoned by someone grew up to be a capable person. Seeing that life in the temple was too hard and the monks' robes were patched again and again, he came up with a plan to hold temple fairs and markets in the open space in front of the temple every New Year. He was really capable. Although it was difficult at the beginning and he had to beg for help to find some small vendors, he gradually succeeded. Not only did the temple life become much better, but the temple fairs and markets actually became a tradition in the surrounding area year after year, and the incense in the temple became more prosperous.
Home-roasted dried goods from nearby villages, woven curtains and backpacks, cheap cloth scraps bought from other places, freshly made food... can all be brought to the market to sell!
Gradually, some people built houses nearby and lived there, most of them were vendors who often participated in temple fairs. With so many people living together, it looked like a village, so everyone called it Temple Front Village.
After hearing what Miao said, Aunt Lian Er and Aunt Guixiang also agreed. They all bought some, although it was not as expensive as woolen blue cloth: Aunt Guixiang bought a piece of white cotton cloth with half yellowing, which was enough to make an inner garment. It was invisible when worn inside, so who would know if it was yellow?
Second Aunt Lian bought a piece of red floral print. It was a very fine piece of cloth, dyed beautifully, but there was a small hole the size of a burnt rice grain on the side, probably from sparks from an exploding lamp. But she had good craftsmanship and could embroider a simple small flower, so she could just patch it up when the time came.
The key point is that this cloth is only half the regular price, isn't this a great bargain? Although this year's harvest is not much better than previous years, it is not bad either, and because of the wild boar meat that Shen Qing sent, they have saved a lot of money! If they save money, won't they have more money on hand?
Second Aunt Lian whispered, "When I left today, my mother-in-law gave me a hundred coins. She gave it to me secretly without my sister-in-law's knowledge. She said that it was because of me that the family had enough money to buy meat, and she wanted me to buy some food for the children. This is all thanks to Qing'er!"
"What do you mean by TOEFL or not? He is so young." Miao said, turning to talk about the excitement at the big market: "Don't think that the things are not as exquisite and precious as those in the county, but they are really affordable! The taste is also good." Miao bought a lot of fried melon seeds from other people today. It must be a good craftsmanship to dare to sell them, and the taste is delicious!
Miao Xing and Miao Wang also brought the frozen tofu they had saved up over the past few days to sell, and they made a lot of money! Shen Qing was wrong after all. In the afternoon, many people from the surrounding villages got the news and came to buy tofu in batches. Not only was the reserved old tofu sold out, but the half-frozen tofu in the yard was also divided up - since they were here, they couldn't make a wasted trip, so they just bought some and continued to freeze them!
Even Old Lady Shen had heard that there was a family selling tofu in Shiqu Village. She prepared herself mentally for half a day and planned to go buy some. But halfway there she heard that it was Miao Xing's family that was selling it. She was even ridiculed by her companions, so she went back in shame and vented her anger at home.
The next day, the Miao family soaked five more pounds of beans, but they sold them all. They underestimated the purchasing power of the nearby villagers: buying tofu at this time of year is not only for their own consumption, but also for making New Year gifts. Some frugal families crushed the tofu and mixed it with meat stuffing to make dumplings. The crushed tofu tasted like meat and tasted almost like meat! Doesn't this save money on meat? Tofu is cheaper than meat!
In addition, people from other villages came to buy, so the price was higher than that of Shiqu Village residents. This was almost a customary rule. If I didn't provide some convenience to my own villagers and still wanted to do business in the village, many people would be unhappy. In the end, I could only earn 60 or 70 coins a day, not counting the beans and grains I bought in exchange.
In the past few days, I have made even more money at the big market in Miaoqian Village. First, there are many people, who doesn't want tofu? They are also afraid that it will be difficult to buy after the market ends, so they are hoarding a lot. Second, at the market, they are not allowed to exchange food, they have to pay cash. In addition, the village has not stopped selling, so in just a few days, they have made a little more than one tael of silver.
The Miao family was so excited! Although making tofu every day was tiring, they had earned so much in less than half a month. Today, Miao and her sisters in the village went to the market and ran into each other. Miao Xing insisted on giving her the money in cash. Miao refused twice but couldn't. After thinking about it, she accepted it: she didn't need this little money now, but she could give dividends in front of the villagers and let them know that she had money. Then she could buy some things openly, right?
This was only seen once. It was inevitable that others would have to guess, and those who didn't see it privately, I wonder how much the Miao family gave to Qing Ge'er and his mother! In less than half a year, this mother and son went from being sympathized by everyone to living a life that everyone envied!
Aunt Guixiang also said: "Qing'er is really smart. If you keep the money there, it will be spent. It's better to invest it in his uncle's tofu shop, which can make money for a long time." Her tone was full of envy. What a good boy, but it's a pity that my family doesn't have this blessing. Aunt Guixiang sighed and became happy again: Recently, because she often went to Shiqu Village to buy tofu, she gradually became familiar with some people. She has already taken a fancy to a girl from Shiqu Village, who is also strong and opinionated, and is a close relative of Miao.
She tried to find out a few times, and it turned out that the girl's parents were quite interested. After the New Year, she planned to send a matchmaker to ask about it. The marriage of the last child in the family was finally finalized.
But Second Aunt Lian held her chin in her hand, lost in thought: "You know, such a business that can make money for a long time, it would be great if my family could do it too." If she had money, she would ask her parents-in-law to separate the family, and they would take care of the elderly in their own family. She didn't want a penny from the first wife, she just wanted a quiet life!
"You're so beautiful, I want you too!" Aunt Guixiang said with a smile, knowing that she was dreaming. "Are you still quarreling with your sister-in-law every day?"
"Who quarreled with her?" Second Aunt Lian said unhappily, "There are no big conflicts, but a lot of small things. She deliberately disgusts me every day! That day I came to Chunlei's house to wash my hair, and wore a scarf that Chunlei used to wrap her hair. When I got home, she was very jealous. The next day, my scarf disappeared. Later I found it in the pigpen. It disgusted me!" Just quarrel with her for such a thing. There is no evidence that she lost it. But Second Aunt Lian knew in her heart that who else could it be but Wang? She always uses such disgusting means to harm others and not benefit herself! But when it comes to the pigpen, Second Aunt Lian added, "Oh, by the way, our pigs will be slaughtered in two days, everyone come to my house to eat the pig-killing dishes! My mother-in-law specifically asked me to invite you to the table."
Miao and Aunt Guixiang naturally agreed. After comforting Aunt Lian, the topic shifted from the pig-killing dish to why to wash hair. Miao simply took out the bottle of hair oil and the comb, and the three sisters spread their hair and helped each other to take care of it.
Shen Qing was in the kitchen, with Lian Ou helping her fry meatballs. They were sweet potato meatballs, fragrant and sweet. Lian Rong was playing with a shuttlecock nearby, stealing one from time to time. Lian Ou slapped her hands: "You just got the shuttlecock and now you're getting meatballs from the basin? Don't you see how dirty your paws are!"
Lianou stuck out her tongue. It was too cold. She didn't want to wash her hands. The water was icy cold. After washing, the wind blew and her hands felt like they were being pricked by needles. She put her pair of small black paws behind her back and raised her face to Lianou: "Brother, feed me one!"
Lian Ou shook his head helplessly, picked up a meatball with the other end of the chopsticks, blew on it twice, and then put it into Lian Rong's mouth: "Is it hot?"
Actually, there was still a little bit. Lian Rong's tongue quickly turned in her mouth a few times, and she swallowed the meatball without chewing it a few times, and she still said stubbornly: "It's okay."
Shen Qing patted her head helplessly: "I don't know what it will taste like if you swallow it whole. There is hot water on the stove, add some to wash your hands, then go find my mother and ask her to put some balm on your hands. Your hands won't be frozen after you put the balm on them."
"Really?" Lian Rong's eyes widened. She had seen some girls in the village put balm on their faces, but she had never seen anyone willing to put it on their hands.
"Really? It's time for dinner. If your paws aren't clean, you won't be allowed to sit at the table." Shen Qing threatened her.
Lian Rong heard this and hurried to pour hot water on the stove. Aunt Chunlei's family always had delicious food, and she would be at a loss if she didn't have any. She hurriedly washed her hands carefully under Shen Qing's supervision and jumped into the house to find Miao. Then the women in the house started discussing what to use to wipe their hair and what to use to wipe their faces.
Shen Qing turned around and saw Lian Ou looking at the direction where Lian Rong ran away with a look of longing on his face, and hesitantly said: "Well...how about you go too?"
Lian Ou quickly retracted his gaze, lowered his eyes and shook his head: "I don't need it."
Unlike Shen Qing, the boy that the village boys were most dissatisfied with, Lian Ou was the boy that best met the aesthetic standards of that era: he had a beautiful and slender appearance, and looked like a woman from a distance. His manners were also very quiet and gentle, and he spoke in a soft and gentle voice - in general, he was a boy who was very close to the appearance of a woman.
Because of this difference in personality, although Miao and Second Aunt Lian had a very good relationship, Shen Qing and Lian Ou did not play together much since childhood. They were not even as close as Shen Qing and Lian Rong - Lian Rong was a noisy little girl, sometimes disrespectful, which was quite pleasing to Shen Qing. But when it came to Lian Ou, Shen Qing didn't know what was wrong. It wasn't that he hated her, but he didn't dare to speak loudly.
If Shen Qing had read more books, he would have known that this mentality is called "fear of offending the ladies."
Today, Miao and her friends went to the market and came back still very excited. Shen Qing volunteered to take on the job of frying meatballs, but although he knew some cooking skills, his level was really average. Miao was a little worried, so she asked Lian Ou to come over to help.
It was said to be helping, but in the end it gradually turned into Shen Qing helping Lian Ou. Shen Qing touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed, but he really didn't want Lian Ou to leave at this time - there were still several pots of stuffing that hadn't been fried!
Today, Miao prepared several kinds of fillings for frying meatballs at home. To prevent the flavors from mixing, the first thing to fry was the sweet sweet potato meatballs. Then there were vegetarian meatballs made of radish, egg and vermicelli, and vegetarian meatballs made of shredded potatoes and radish. These are delicious in vegetarian stews. There are also vegetarian meatballs made of pure wild vegetables, which are fried until crispy and eaten with garlic sauce. Then there are meatballs: radish meat, wild vegetable meat, and pure meat. These are delicious in bowls or stews.
The meatballs fried by Shen Qing were of different shapes, but the meatballs fried by Lian lotus root seemed to have an invisible mold. They all looked exactly the same and were round.
Shen Qing looked at it and felt a little frustrated: "I didn't think I was that bad, but compared to you, my difference is too obvious."
Lian Ou looked at the meatballs that indeed looked very different, and smiled: "What's the difference? It's just a meatball. It will go into the mouth sooner or later. The filling is the same. What does it matter what shape it is on the outside? Can there be any difference in quality after it enters the stomach?" He glanced at Shen Qing and whispered: "Compared with you, I feel inferior."
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