Chapter 52
There is an extra small bed in Yu Ying and Fu Wei's room, which is really worrying.
The person who cares the most is Yu Ying's sister-in-law.
Why do couples still sleep in separate beds?
It would be fine if they had always slept in separate beds, but they clearly slept together before, so why do they have to sleep in separate beds after moving to a new house?
I was puzzled and couldn't sleep at night tossing and turning.
Fu Zhen asked despite his sleepiness: "What's wrong?"
Wen Xing was afraid of waking her son, so she lowered her voice and wondered, "I'm a little confused."
She turned over, almost nestled in her husband's arms, and whispered, "What's going on between my sister-in-law and my second brother?"
"Hmm?" Fu Zhen didn't quite understand what she was talking about.
She was puzzled and asked, "I'm really concerned about the bamboo bed my sister-in-law sent me this morning. Are they going to sleep in separate beds?"
Fu Zhen was silent for a moment, then reminded his wife, "When my sister-in-law married Erlang, Erlang's legs were broken."
Wen Xing didn't react for a moment, so Fu Zhen gave her another hint: "They're not really married yet."
Hearing her husband's words, Wen Xing immediately reacted.
My second brother has difficulty walking, so how could we have consummated the marriage if it weren’t for my wife’s initiative?
Wen Xing was stunned for a long moment before she came to her senses. She stammered, "Even if they're not really husband and wife yet, they've been sleeping in the same bed for so long. Why are they suddenly sleeping in separate beds? Don't they want to be husband and wife anymore?"
Fu Zhen didn't know how to answer his wife's question because he didn't know the reason.
At this moment, Fu An, who the couple thought was fast asleep, suddenly said, "My uncle wants to be married to my aunt."
Fu Zhen: ...
Wen Xing:......
The couple was silent for a moment. Wen Xing then moved out of her husband's arms, turned over to face her son, and asked, "How did you know?"
Fu An thought for a moment, then said, "My uncle said that when my aunt went to the quarry to pick up my parents, he called out my name while half asleep. He called out my name several times and even admitted that he missed me."
The couple both thought of their second brother's cold personality, and they couldn't imagine that their cold-hearted second brother would be thinking about someone day and night.
Both of them thought their son was exaggerating and didn't take it seriously.
Fu Wei, who was being talked about by the couple, was lying on the single bed, staring silently at the dark ceiling.
The small bed was also covered with a layer of soft straw, which was not uncomfortable, but perhaps I was not used to it, so I had no desire to sleep.
Turning my head to look at the big bed, I saw that the room was so dark that there was no light at all, only darkness.
Fu Wei raised his hand, pressed his forehead with his long fingers, and sighed silently.
Yu Ying and Fu Ning slept on the big bed. Because the space was large enough, they had a good night's sleep.
She got up in the morning, tied her hair into a simple bun, then woke up Xiao Fu Ning and asked her to ask her sister-in-law to comb her hair.
After spending these days together, Fu Ning gradually adapted to his mother and father, but he still liked to stick with Yu Ying.
Yu Ying then thought of ways to help Fu Ning and his sister-in-law get along and develop feelings for each other.
When Yu Ying got up, Fu Wei also got up and was adjusting his clothes.
Yu Ying smiled and asked him, "Did you sleep better last night?"
Fu Wei smiled faintly: "Not bad."
Seeing that he seemed to be in a bad mood, Yu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe you are a little too attached to your bed. It will be fine in a couple of days."
After a pause, she asked again, "By the way, I'm going to Yu County today. Do you want to buy anything?"
As for collecting herbs, although Yu Ying did not tell Uncle He and Aunt He about the effects of the herbs, she did tell them their names and characteristics.
After picking herbs for so many days, Uncle He, Aunt He and their elder brother have already become familiar with some of the herbs they often pick, and can pick them without her following them.
Fu Wei originally wanted to shake his head to indicate that he didn't need it, but suddenly he remembered something. After thinking for a while, he looked at her and said, "Can you buy me some pen, ink, and paper?"
Yu Ying nodded slightly and asked, "Just pen, ink, and paper, right?"
Fu Wei nodded and said "hmm" softly.
After Yu Ying responded to Fu Wei, she came out of the house and called her eldest brother into the house.
Every morning, Fu Wei would exercise for a while, with his elder brother supporting him.
Yu Ying went to Yun County today and brought Fu An with her.
It always makes me feel more at ease to have one more person go with me. Even though the person accompanying me is only an eight-year-old child, it is better than nothing.
Because he was going to Yun County, Fuan put on the new clothes that his mother had made for him.
Fu An particularly liked this new set of clothes. Yu Ying heard from her sister-in-law that Fu An would take out this set of clothes before going to bed and after waking up every day to look at it and touch it to feel at ease.
It's not just Fu'an that's like this, it's the same with Funing as well.
The two children had never worn new clothes since they were old enough to understand, so naturally they liked them.
The reason they didn't make new clothes for their children was firstly because they were short of money. Secondly, they were of low status and couldn't show off too much. They wouldn't even wear clothes without patches on them, so how could they dare let their children wear new clothes?
The people of the Fu family are not bad looking, you can tell by looking at Fu An and Fu Zhen, so when Fu An put on a lead-gray short shirt and his dry yellow hair was combed meticulously by his mother, he not only looked much more energetic, but his facial features also became more three-dimensional.
After wearing the new clothes, he became much more confident. Whether taking him to Wu's Restaurant or to the inn, he no longer hesitated.
The waiter, Ah Fu, was even more attentive than before when he saw Madam Yu. While serving tea, he said with a smile, "Madam Yu, since you have some connection with the government, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Yu Ying knew that Aunt Cuilan's affairs had reached the ears of the waiter. She said calmly, "I have nothing to do with the government office. Please don't make random guesses and cause displeasure to the noble."
Ah Fu said hurriedly, "I've heard about all the people coming and going in this inn."
He recounted what he had heard: "Mrs. Yu, the wife of the Fu family in Lingshui Village, had her reputation slandered by a gossipmonger. Even after realizing it was a misunderstanding, the gossipmonger remained unrepentant and falsely accused Mrs. Yu of poisoning her. Mrs. Yu then took her to the government office. Upon seeing the officials, the gossipmonger immediately cowered like a coward, begging for mercy."
After hearing what the waiter said, Yu Ying and Fu An looked at each other and thought to themselves, why did the waiter say it as if he had seen it with his own eyes?
Ah Fu looked at Madam Yu and said, "If Madam Yu has no connection to the government, why did the magistrate suddenly post a notice a few days ago saying that anyone with a gossipy past will be beaten with twenty sticks and fined three hundred coins."
Yu Ying was surprised when she heard this.
She didn't think about anything else at the time. First, she wanted to use the name of the government office to protect herself, and second, she wanted to vent her anger. She didn't think there would be such a follow-up.
Yu Ying didn't show any emotion on her face, only smiling faintly as she said, "At that time, I happened to be going to the quarry with the yamen runners to redeem my relatives, so I was able to have a few words with them. So, after being framed by that gossipy woman, I was so angry that I went to find the yamen runners, hoping for a lucky break."
Ah Fu smiled doubtfully and said, "How can I be so lucky?"
Yu Ying didn't bother to explain, but simply asked, "Have any drug dealers been staying at the inn recently?"
Speaking of this, Ah Fu glanced at the counter awkwardly, then whispered, "I think the shopkeeper seems to have noticed something. I'm afraid I won't be able to help Madam Yu find a drug dealer for a while."
When Yu Ying asked Xiao Er to be the middleman, she had already thought that it would not last long, but every deal she could get was a deal. So when Xiao Er said this now, although he felt disappointed, he was also mentally prepared.
A look of guilt gradually appeared on the waiter's face. "I'm so sorry, Madam Yu."
He actually wanted to continue doing it, but if he lost his job at the inn just to attract business for Madam Yu, then what business would he have?
If I lose both jobs, it would really be a waste of time.
She smiled and said, "The work at this inn is more important. Since the innkeeper has noticed something, I will not do it for the time being."
Upon hearing this, the waiter secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Although I can't help Madam Yu inside the inn, if we meet the drug dealer outside the inn, I will definitely help Madam Yu stay."
Yu Ying nodded slightly and thanked the waiter.
After two bowls of plain noodles, Yu Ying brought Fu An out of the inn.
Yu Ying thought that after more than a month, with such a large batch of goods to be delivered, other drug dealers would surely come to her after hearing the news, so she wouldn't have to worry too much about the channels. However, there was still an old problem that bothered her.
——Will several medical clinics cause trouble for her?
Although she took advantage of the incident of Huo Yacha coming to Lingshui Village to warn Aunt Cuilan to make others misunderstand that she had a backer in the yamen, she didn't know how long this trick could last.
But no matter what happens in the future, this deal must be done.
The He family needs money to redeem He Erlang, and she and the Fu family also need this money to live.
Fu An looked at his aunt's sad face and asked softly, "Aunt, are you sad because you lost your business?"
Yu Ying suddenly heard him ask this and put away her worries. She said to him, "I've known for a long time that this business won't last long, so I'm not worried about this."
Fu An sighed and said maturely, "If I were an adult, I could help my aunt with her worries."
Yu Ying chuckled, patted his head, and said, "You should grow up first."
Because of Fu An's words, Yu Ying's sorrow eased a little.
Although there is no business to do now and no money can be earned for the time being, Yu Ying still has to buy some things.
The first thing to buy is fresh sheep intestines for making sheep gut.
The restaurant has a sheep butcher and should have the sheep intestines she wants.
She entered the restaurant and asked the owner directly if he had any sheep intestines.
Seeing that she wasn't here to eat, the shopkeeper waved his hand and said perfunctorily, "No, no."
Yu Ying said hurriedly, "I need sheep intestines, but they're not sold anywhere else, so I came here. I'll pay for them."
Hearing the woman ask for money, the shopkeeper thought for a moment and then called the waiter over: "Does the kitchen have any more goat intestines?"
The waiter replied: "Yes."
The shopkeeper asked him to take it to the backyard, and then took Yu Ying to the backyard.
After a while, the waiter brought out a wooden basin. In the basin, there was a sheep liver in addition to the sheep intestines.
The shopkeeper said, "I'll give you all these for twenty cents."
Yu Ying looked at the shopkeeper, who raised his chin with a contemptuous attitude, which was completely different from the kind attitude of the restaurant's shopkeeper, Chen.
He definitely charged too much.
Yu Ying said, "I just need some goat intestines."
Although lamb liver is a good thing and has the effects of protecting the eyes, improving eyesight, nourishing the liver and nourishing blood, she doesn't want to be a sucker.
The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows and said, "Sheep intestines are fifteen cents."
Yu Ying: ...
The word "fool" is written on her face?
After a moment of silence, Yu Ying said calmly, "Shopkeeper, please don't treat me as an ignorant woman. I really want it, but if you don't want to sell it to me, then that's fine."
Yu Ying pulled Fu An and turned to leave.
The shopkeeper thought about it and decided that the other mutton offal could be cooked and sold, but no one else liked to order these two, and if they were left, the chef would take them away.
Seeing that she was about to leave, the shopkeeper called out to her, "Okay, okay, take the twelve coins."
Yu Ying still ignored the shopkeeper, who then lowered the price: "Ten cents, no less!"
Yu Ying paused.
This bargaining trick was learned from her grandmother. It may not work all the time, but it works six out of ten times.
She turned to look at the shopkeeper and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, shopkeeper."
Seeing that the woman agreed immediately, the shopkeeper thought that he must have asked for a low price and felt secretly regretful.
Since there was nothing to put the sheep intestines and liver in, Yu Ying went to buy a larger ceramic jar to put them in.
The clay pot at home is a bit small. If I boil water for bathing on a normal day, after adding water, there is only half a bucket of water. It will definitely not be enough when the weather gets cold.
This pottery jar is too big to fit in the pottery stove at home, so you can build a stove with stones to boil water.
After buying the mutton offal, Yu Ying went to buy a pork leg bone to make soup.
Finally, I went to buy the pens, ink and paper that Fu Wei needed.
I went to the shop and asked, and found out that in this era, if you don't have money, you really can't go to school.
A rough pen cost fifteen cents, a small piece of inkstone the size of a thumb cost twenty cents, and a piece of paper cost five cents.
When Yu Ying heard the price, she was breathless for a moment.
If this amount of pen, ink and paper were exchanged for food, it could buy about five kilograms of rice, enough for the whole family to eat for two days.
What exactly does Fu Wei want this ink and paper for?
Fu Wei is clear about the current situation. He cannot be used for literary display, but he is useful.
Yu Ying thought about it and decided to buy a set of pen and ink and three sheets of paper, spending fifty cents.
Fu An was also shocked when he heard the price.
He had never touched these pens, ink and paper in his life. He touched the pen and then the paper curiously.
I wondered if these things could make people money, otherwise why would they be so expensive?
After Yu Ying bought the pens, ink and paper that Fu Wei needed, she returned to Wu’s Restaurant.
At noon, Yu Ying met Huo Yachai who was having lunch in the restaurant.
Yu Ying walked over and thanked him for what happened last time: "I'm sorry to bother Huo Yachai with what happened last time."
Huo Yacha said indifferently: "No need to thank me, it's my duty."
Yu Ying pondered for a moment and asked, "I heard the government posted a notice saying that from now on, anyone with a gossipy mind who causes a murder will be beaten with twenty strokes of the cane and fined three hundred coins. I wonder what's going on here?"
Yamen Runner Huo put down his chopsticks and said, "After returning to the yamen from Lingshui Village, I told your Excellency the truth about how the gossipy woman from Lingshui Village had slandered Madam Yu and falsely accused her of poisoning her. Your Excellency was furious upon hearing this, and recalling the deaths caused by the gossipy woman in recent years, he ordered this notice to be posted."
After learning the reason, Yu Ying did not continue to disturb Huo Yachai from having lunch. She nodded slightly and turned to leave.
In the afternoon, we returned to Lingshui Village.
The sun was still a little scorching, so Yu Ying wore a straw hat woven by her sister-in-law to block the sun, and even Fu An wore a straw hat as well.
The ox cart slowly returned to Lingshui Village. After saying goodbye to Uncle Chen, the aunt and nephew walked back.
On the way, I met Aunt Cuilan, whom I hadn't seen for several days.
When Aunt Cuilan saw Yu Ying, her face changed and she immediately turned around and avoided her.
Fu An was in a very good mood when he saw Aunt Cuilan fleeing in panic: "She used to say behind my back that Grandma was blind and that her life was a waste of food. She also said that Ningning was a dumb burden. Now she deserves it."
Yu Ying glanced at Aunt Cuilan's back indifferently, withdrew her gaze without much concern, and continued to go home.
When he returned home, Fu An saw his father going to fetch water, so he quickly changed his clothes and followed him.
Yu Ying took out the pen, ink and paper that Fu Wei wanted from the backpack and brought them into the house.
Fu Wei took it and said, "Thank you."
Yu Ying asked him, "What do you want this ink and paper for?"
Fu Wei spread the paper on the table. There was no stone to weigh it down, so the paper curled up slightly.
After thinking for a while, Yu Ying walked to the end of the bed, took out two round and translucent pebbles from her small cloth bag, and pressed them on the paper.
Fu Wei looked at the pebbles in surprise, then looked up at her.
Yu Ying explained with a smile: "I picked it up because it was pretty. Don't women like these pretty things? I like them too."
Fu Wei didn't say anything, but took another look at the pebbles on the table.
I thought that since she liked these pebbles, she must also like jewelry and jade...
After thinking about it, he replied to her question: "I want to write a letter."
Yu Ying was surprised and asked, "You want to write a letter?"
Fu Wei nodded: "I'll have to trouble you to help mail it out when the time comes."
Yu Ying thought about it. After all, this was a private matter, so she didn't ask him who he was writing to.
But even without asking, Yu Ying roughly knew where it was sent.
She replied, "If you have finished writing, tell me."
Then she added, "I'll get you some water to grind it."
Yu Ying left the house and found a piece of broken pottery that had not been thrown away.
The fragments are rough and perfect for grinding.
Yu Ying filled a bamboo tube with some water and brought it in for Fu Wei.
"You write, I'm going out to work."
Fu Wei thanked her again and watched her leave.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and ground ink on the broken pieces of pottery.
He picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and held the tip of the pen above the paper. Hesitation appeared in his eyes, but when he saw the two pebbles on the table, his eyes gradually became firm, and he began to write.
*
When Yu Ying came out of the room, she saw her sister-in-law busy in the kitchen, so she went in.
When Wen Xing saw her brother's wife, she couldn't help but look at her a few more times because she remembered what she had said to her husband last night.
Yu Ying took out the goat intestines and liver. Noticing her sister-in-law's scrutiny, she looked over and asked, "What's wrong, sister-in-law?"
Wen Xing hurriedly said, "It's okay, it's okay."
After all, it's a matter between a married couple, and it would be too abrupt for her to ask about it suddenly.
Wen Xing used the excuse to change the subject. She looked at the pottery jar her sister-in-law had just bought, smelled the blood, and asked, "What's in this?"
Yu Ying said, "It's sheep intestines and sheep liver."
She reached out and took out the lamb liver and put it in the bowl. Because it had been soaked in water along the way, blood had come out. After washing it, she would soak it for another half an hour.
Hearing that it was sheep intestines and liver, Wen Xing was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise: "Isn't this just sewage?"
Thinking of the pig offal he had eaten, he frowned and said, "I've eaten pig offal before, and it wasn't tasty."
Yu Ying: "Pig offal has a strong smell and is difficult to clean. If you don't know how to cook it, it won't taste good."
And she really doesn't know how to do it.
"But sheep only eat grass, so the offal smell is not as strong and it is much easier to clean."
After explaining, Yu Ying asked her sister-in-law to make the bone soup first while she went to clean the sheep intestines.
Scrub the sheep intestines repeatedly, turn them over and wash them twice before applying salt on them. Then soak them in clean water and let them sit for a day or two until softened before starting the next step.
After Yu Ying finished all this, she picked a handful of newly grown green onions from the vegetable garden in the courtyard, washed them, and took them back to the kitchen.
Fill half a pot of water in a ceramic pot for cooking, cut the lamb liver into several pieces, add cold water to the pot, tie the green onions into a knot and throw them into the pot, then cut a few slices of ginger and throw them in, finally cover the pot and cook.
The water boiled. Yu Ying opened the lid, skimmed off the foam, and then put the lid back on. Then she moved the pottery jar off the stove, placed it on the bamboo table beside it, and slowly simmered the lamb liver with the hot water in the pot.
Simmer for a while, then take it out and let it sit. When it is almost time to eat, stir-fry it with ginger, scallion and soy sauce for a while.
Knowing that Fu Wei didn't eat offal, Yu Ying steamed two eggs for her and the two children. After steaming them, she added a few drops of lard and sprinkled a small bunch of chopped green onions. The aroma immediately spread throughout the small kitchen.
This caused little Fu Ning to stand at the door and look eagerly at someone coming in.
The evening meal is ready: stir-fried cabbage, bone and radish soup, stir-fried lamb liver, and steamed eggs.
Although the food on the table is not expensive, it still whets people's appetite and makes them feel satisfied.
After dinner, the eldest sister-in-law and eldest brother cleared the table. While it was still early, they helped their younger sister-in-law to pack the herbs and then started peeling the ramie.
Yu Ying asked curiously, "What are you doing, brother and sister-in-law?"
Wen Xing said, "Autumn is almost here. We need to make thick quilts and clothes quickly, otherwise it will be too late."
Yu Ying also knew something about plants, and after thinking about it, she guessed what her sister-in-law meant.
In this era, only the rich and powerful could afford cotton and silk. In winter, ordinary people could only make cotton clothes with kudzu and hemp.
Thinking of this, Yu Ying felt cold even though winter hadn't arrived yet.
Fortunately, Lingnan is warmer than the north and is almost warm all year round. Even if it is cold, it will not last long. Otherwise, how can we survive the harsh winter with clothes and quilts made of kudzu and hemp?
Yu Ying also went to help with the ramie.
*
Time passed slowly during these ordinary and relatively stable days.
As autumn deepened, the weather began to get colder, and it was almost time for Yu Ying to deliver the medicinal herbs.
Hundreds of kilograms of medicinal herbs filled the original small house.
Just wait another five days and it will be the delivery time specified in the contract.
The weather turned cooler, and Yu Ying took Fu Ning to soak her feet in the evening. While soaking her feet, she taught her to open her mouth and speak.
But Fu Ning could only open his mouth now, but no sound came out.
Yu Ying was not discouraged. She patted her little head and said gently, "Don't worry, take your time."
After soaking her feet, she coaxed Fu Ning to sleep and covered her with the quilt. When she was about to pour water, Fu Wei stood up with the help of the bed, took the crutches beside him, and said slowly, "Let me pour it."
Yu Ying didn't dare to ask him to pour water.
She sat up from the bed with gentle movements, then picked up the basin of water and said, "Your legs and feet haven't recovered yet, so don't lift anything heavy. Rest for a while."
As she spoke, she took the water and poured it out.
When she was standing at the door, a cold wind blew and Yu Ying shivered. Only then did she truly feel that it was getting cold.
Looking at the dark shadows of branches and leaves swaying left and right in the night, accompanied by the whistling cold wind, Yu Ying felt a little timid and hurried into the house.
It was extremely hot two days ago, but the weather changed after a light rain, which really caught us off guard.
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