Chapter 61

After autumn comes, it’s time to make winter clothes. A Xu took the money Xu Yi gave him and went to a clothing store to buy kapok. Kapok was expensive and he couldn't buy more than a few kilograms for a penny.

Kapok trees, also known as "blade flowers", "kapok trees", etc., are planted in the suburbs of Yanting County. Although the planting area is not that large, most of the output is donated every year.

In "Song Hui Yao", it is recorded that "the states in Sichuan and Shaanxi were ordered to stop weaving all kinds of exquisite silk fabrics and pay tribute, and only weaved damask, Luo, Zhen, silk, Tao cloth, cotton, etc." [Note 1] What's in this. "Kapok" is kapok. You can imagine how expensive kapok was at that time.

Xu Yi originally planned to buy more hemp. Hemp is also the first choice for people to keep out the cold in winter. However, hemp is not as good as kapok. If it is too stuffed, it will become bulky and difficult to move. If it is too stuffed, it will not be able to withstand the severe cold.

Besides, he still had most of the money and money he had saved from selling agarwood last time.

No matter how much I save, I can't bear to suffer for myself and my two children.

Here, A Xu bought cotton and cotton cloth and took A Jin to knock on Mrs. He's house.

Mrs. He happened to be feeding chickens in the yard. When she saw them coming with a bunch of things, she immediately got up and opened the door.

"Why do you bring so many things? Is it the newly bought cotton?" Mrs. He thought about it and knew what was going on. She asked them, "Brother Yi asked you to come over and asked me to cut new clothes for you?"

Ah Jin nodded obediently and said, "I'm going to trouble Mrs. He. My husband said, make two clothes for me and my brother. When he comes back, I'll make one for him."

Mrs. He said, "Go inside and I'll show you. Look."

After she finished speaking, she took the cotton in A Jin's hand.

The cotton looked fluffy, but not heavy. After entering the house, Mrs. He opened the package and looked at the kapok wadding that was dough in clusters. There was no hard object when she pinched it. The quality seemed to be good.

She said with satisfaction: "This much kapok is enough to make several sets of clothes."

A Xu said: "Ms. He, please measure your sister's height first."

He told Mrs. He that the winter coat that Lang Jun asked for had a collar. The narrow-sleeved robe needs to have two layers of interlayers, one layer is used to stuff kapok, and an extra layer of cotton cloth is sewn inside to make it thicker.

As for wages, they must be paid according to the market price, and you cannot secretly give them discounts.

When Mrs. He heard this, she covered her mouth and smiled, Xu Yi was like this child, even though she was so familiar with him, she was still afraid of suffering a disadvantage.

"Just go back and tell your husband that I will get whatever wages are paid outside. Don't let him bother." Mrs. He said, calling Ajin forward.

She squeezed Ah Jin's arm and lamented that she had grown taller and fleshier again, so her clothes couldn't be made to fit her, they had to be made longer. Leave an extra two inches of fabric on the sleeves and bottom of the robe to sew. When the robe grows taller the next winter, you can remove the stitches and continue wearing it.

She measured the clothes for the two little brothers and sisters. Cutting and sewing clothes took time, so Mrs. He said that when she finished them in the next two days, she would take them to the Xu family.

A Xu and A Jin nodded. They did not forget Xu Yi's instructions. Before leaving the He family, they left eight dollars for Mrs. He, saying that this was to treat her to hot tea, not wages.

Mrs. He: "..."

...

Xu Yi took Xiao Huang up the mountain. Xiao Huang hadn't followed him up the mountain to play for a long time. Now he was coming. Xu Yi let go of the rope, and it ran happily into the forest like a wild horse. inside.

As Xiao Huang ran, he would come back to look for Xu Yi. One person and one dog, in the mountains where there was no one else, he would quickly find what he wanted.

——Cold-repelling medicinal materials.

Among them, there are wild ginger, asarum, Evodia and fennel that Xu Yi wants.

The fennel in it can not only be used as a medicine to dispel cold, it is also a spice. Xu Yi found it unexpectedly. Adhering to the principle of seeing everything he saw, Xu Yi dug it back wherever there was no reason not to accept it.

By then, once the autumnal equinox has passed, and after late autumn, the weather in the county will only get colder.

It is difficult for poor people to keep out the cold, and more and more people will suffer from the cold.

The prices of medicinal materials have been fluctuating in the past few days. If we don't prepare more medicinal materials, the prices will rise later, and poor people will be even more reluctant to see a doctor.

Thinking about it, Xu Yi kept moving his hands. He dug up two wild ginger plants that were growing together, broke off the stems, wiped off the soil on them, and threw them into the bamboo basket behind him.

Then, he continued to search for medicinal materials around him.

Xu Yi would never touch something that was not yet mature. If you see it, mark it nearby and come back to have a look next time. If it grows mature enough to be dug, dig it out. If it doesn't work, keep it.

Stopping and going, Xu Yi stayed on the mountain for two hours.

Feeling of hunger came from his abdomen. Xu Yi stopped, sat on a stone, took out the water he brought in the bamboo basket, washed his hands, opened the sesame cakes stuffed in his arms, and ate the cold biscuits with cold water.

In the past, he was determined not to seek death like this.

Now that the conditions are not good, we can only make do with it.

He broke off half of it and threw it to Xiao Huang. Xiao Huang had become very naughty these days. When he saw this half piece of cold cake, he screamed in grievance.

Xu Yi: "If you don't eat, there will be nothing else."

"Woooooo~" Xiao Huang called with his forelimbs on Xu Yi's knees, wagging his tail coquettishly.

It looked like he wanted to eat dried meat.

Xu Yi looked at the two black paw prints on his clothes and was silent for a long time.

"Axu Ajin washes clothes very hard every day, and you still come to make trouble." He pinched his eyebrows and complained helplessly, if only there was a washing machine now.

Xiao Huang wagged his tail and stuck out his tongue, his furry head tilted, as if I couldn't understand, and there was only dried meat in his mind.

Xu Yi came out today and didn't have time to bring dried meat, but he did have jelly beans. He broke one and fed it to Xiao Huang. After eating the candy, Xiao Huang stopped acting coquettishly.

Xu Yi clicked his tongue twice: "..." The jelly beans were more useful than his words.

After eating the cold cake, Xu Yi planned to continue exploring.

He didn't go far when he heard a "plop, plop, plop" sound.

There are ravines in the mountains, and there are small streams in the low places. Although the stream is not big, small animals will come to drink water from the stream.

This movement sounds like there is some small animal nearby.

Xu Yi signaled Xiao Huang to be quiet. Xiao Huang also heard the noise and became alert and quiet.

One after another, they approached the stream not far away. Through the grass, they saw two pheasants by the river.

The tail feathers of the pheasant are very beautiful, and the feathers on the body have bright and colorful patterns under the mottled sunlight. They were walking by the river without any distractions, pecking at food on the ground from time to time, occasionally stretching their wings, and the sound of "plop, plop, plop" could be heard.

Xiao Huang squatted down and fixed his eyes on the two pheasants.

Seeing this, Xu Yi patted it and gestured to it to tell it to lie down and not move.

He quietly put the bamboo basket on the ground and took out the bow and arrows inside. After removing the outer fabric, he drew the wooden bow in the direction of the pheasant.

If it were Xu Yi half a year ago, when he saw the pheasant, the first thing that came to his mind was that this thing is a second-level protected animal and cannot be touched.

Half a year later? Okay, eating some meat is better than eating no meat. The taste of wild pheasant is not bad, and the aroma when stewed is more fragrant than domestic chicken.

Last time, half of the one Zhang Tiegou gave him went into his stomach.

He half-closed his eyes, aimed at one of them, and shot the arrow in his hand.

"Whoosh -"

The wooden arrow passed through the grass, causing a breeze. At this time, the pheasant, which was slowly looking for food, sensed the danger and flapped its wings to escape.

Xu Yi is very familiar with his archery skills. He cannot catch the pheasant alone.

He immediately ordered Xiao Huang: "Go up."

When Xiao Huang heard what he said, he ran out with a bang, ran up to the frightened pheasant, and bit its wings fiercely.

"Gruck...plop..."

"Gruck..."

Taking advantage of the confusion, Xu Yi raised his bow again and shot two arrows in a row, one of which hit the target successfully.

Not long after the flapping pheasant was shot by Xu Yi, it twitched a few times and stopped moving.

Xiao Huang held the pheasant in his mouth and ran happily towards Xu Yi.

It put the prey on the ground and said happily to him: "Woof, woof, woof." Apparently, it was waiting for Xu Yi to praise it.

Xu Yi smiled and rubbed it, praised it for a few words, then stepped forward to pick up the pheasant, and shot it in the belly with a wooden arrow, which was a fatal blow.

He picked up the other wooden arrows, washed them by the stream, and put them into the quiver.

"Xiao Huang, go back."

He shouted to Xiao Huang, who was still looking for prey.

Carrying a bamboo basket and carrying pheasants, we went back down the mountain with a full load.

...

Xu Yi fell to the foot of the mountain and put the pheasant in the bamboo basket. On the way back, he chatted with Uncle Liu about his next plan.

Xu Yi asked Uncle Liu: "In a few days, when the weather gets colder, I won't go up the mountain. Uncle Liu, can your car be used for other purposes?"

Uncle Liu said, "Since I rented the car to Dr. Xu, I won't go up the mountain anymore." If you dare to take the decision privately and take the car to other places, at most it will be used by someone in the village, and it will not delay Doctor Xu's use of the car."

Xu Yi said that he didn't mind.

Although he didn't go up the mountain, he still used a car occasionally, but communication was inconvenient nowadays. Uncle Liu didn't live in the county, so he couldn't use a car at any time. Xu Yi was afraid that it would be too much trouble for Uncle Liu if he asked Uncle Liu to go to the city to find him every day.

When Uncle Liu heard that this was what he was worried about, he smiled and said he could solve it.

"Since Dr. Xu doesn't mind me taking the car and using it elsewhere, I would have taken the individual travelers into the city earlier, dropped them off, and then gone to look for you. This would not be considered a wasted trip."

Xu Yi nodded: " In that case, let's do it according to Uncle Liu's method. "

The ox cart can carry a few individual passengers and earn a lot of money in one trip. For Uncle Liu, there is only a hundred benefits and no harm." Even later, he could take another car of people out of the city and earn a few more bucks.

After entering the city, Uncle Liu told Xu Yi to buy some white meat and come back to boil lard.

"The news I just got is that the butcher who goes to the village to bring pigs to sell will raise the price of pork. Dr. Xu, you have to buy more as soon as possible. Don't spend more money to buy lard then."

Xu Yi heard that it made sense. This is the first year he has spent the winter in Yanting County, and many things are unclear.

With Uncle Liu's words, he had a vague feeling that not only lard, but also other daily necessities might also increase in price.

Xu Yi nodded in agreement and prepared to go back to the butcher with the money the next day to buy a plate of lard. A plate of white meat can make a pot of lard, which can be used for two months according to Xu Yi's daily consumption.

After getting off the bus, Xu Yi said goodbye to Uncle Liu and returned home to tell A Xu to boil a pot of water.

"I hunted a pheasant in the mountains." Xu Yi took out the pheasant and showed it to them with a smile.

The moment Asu Ajin saw the pheasant, he cried out happily, his eyes were bright, and he drooled while staring at the pheasant.

To say that they were poor children known to everyone in their village before, after coming to the Xu family, if those children in the village knew what kind of life they were living now, they would definitely be envious.

"Langjun, Langjun, I'll take care of it." A Xu happily ran to the kitchen to boil water.

Ah Jin went to prepare the condiments for the pheasant.

Ginger, onions, and garlic cannot be missing.

Ah Jin is now more and more skillful in handling these matters. She can hold a kitchen knife and chop garlic in a decent manner. After practicing boxing for three months, her arm strength has become much stronger. She is not tired at all while holding the kitchen knife while working.

She prepared all the condiments, and the water on the stove was boiling. A Xu poured the water into the basin and soaked the pheasant in the boiling water.

Xu Yi changed his clothes and came out, and saw A Xu and A Jin squatting by the basin and plucking chicken feathers.

He looked at them softly for a while, then turned to the bamboo basket and began to process the medicinal materials brought down from the mountain.

Dried ginger needs to be prepared. The preparation methods include directly slicing and drying it, pickling it with salt and then drying it in the sun. Among them, directly slicing and drying in the sun is the most common method, but to get the best effect, it needs to be steamed and dried repeatedly.

That is to say, three systems and nine systems. The nine-step process of dry ginger is the most troublesome and cumbersome, requiring nine steamings and nine dryings to complete.

Xu Yi was never afraid of trouble when it came to medicine, especially when he thought that dried ginger after the ninth system would be the most effective, he was looking forward to it.

He washed the wild ginger he dug up, wiped it dry with a cloth, and put it in a wooden basin.

He took the wooden basin into the kitchen, took out the medicine knife he had used last time, held the wild ginger in one hand and the handle of the knife in the other, and quickly cut the wild ginger into slices.

Steam the sliced ​​ginger in a steamer, then spread it on a dustpan to dry.

After the wild ginger is taken care of, he will deal with the asarum.

Asarum only needs the root, no need to chop it, just dry the whole root in the sun.

He only kept a small part of the fennel for fresh seasoning, and later added it to the stewed pheasant for seasoning. The rest are washed and hung on hemp ropes under the eaves to let them dry naturally.

Time flies.

Not long after, Xu Yi smelled the aroma of chicken, and the sky outside gradually dimmed. Ah Jin entered the room, lit the oil lamp, and added a spoonful of oil to the lamp plate.

"Is the pheasant ready?" Xu Yi sniffed and asked Ah Jin who came in to light the lamp.

Ah Jin replied with a sweet smile: "Lang Jun, you're almost ready."

After saying that, he ran over to help Xu Yi dry the medicinal materials.

She stood on tiptoes and spread the medicinal ingredients evenly on the dustpan. She was not tall enough, so she just spread the medicinal ingredients and waited for Xu Yi to put the dustpan on the shelf.

The two of them worked together and the remaining medicinal materials were processed in a short time.

Xu Yi twisted his neck and moved his hands and feet and said: "Today we go to the house to eat. Give this fennel to A Xu and ask him to add it to the jar to add flavor."

A Jin took the fennel in response and trotted outside to find A Xu.

At this time, the Chen family next door.

Chen Erwang smelled the aroma of meat, his face was gloomy, but his throat rolled unconsciously. He swallowed, turned around and saw Mrs. Chen making mixed porridge, and snorted in disgust.

Mrs. Chen pretended not to hear and continued busy with her work.

At this time, Chen Erwang couldn't sit still anymore and walked back and forth in the room.

He couldn't wait for Mrs. Chen to take the initiative to talk to him, so he couldn't help but speak first: "Aren't you usually good with that boy Xu? Why didn't you see that he gave the job of making clothes to you instead of to the He family?"

Mrs. Chen Without raising her head, Xu Yi asked Asu Ajin to take Kapok cloth to He's house today. She went to talk to Mrs. He and saw her busy cutting clothes, so she found out after asking.

But I don’t know where Chen Erwang knew it.

"My clothes-making skills are not as good as Mrs. He. Brother Yi is kind-hearted and not stupid. He knows who does this kind of work." Mrs. Chen said calmly, raising her eyes to look at him, "What's the idea in your mind? It's best Swallow it down honestly, don't hurt me too."

Chen Erwang retorted with a guilty conscience: "How dare I? He didn't give me medical treatment last time, and I suffered a lot."

Mrs. Chen stared at him. : "You still said you haven't? A few days ago, you went to see your aunt. What were you secretly talking about, thinking that I didn't know? Did you think of your aunt's sister?"

Chen Erwang bulged his eyes in fear: "!!!"

"You... how did you know?"

Mrs. Chen laughed angrily: "I don't go to the Three Treasures Hall for anything. My aunt used to be very picky and only ate from other people. Who can take it from her?" Bring something out. Why did I bring something as a guest yesterday? I secretly asked for news about Brother Yi. I thought about it and couldn’t think of any other place that would make her interested. "

Chen Erwang’s aunt doesn’t live there. In the city, but in a small village outside the city, no one mentioned a talent like Xu Yi to her, so how could she know?

In particular, this aunt has a very high vision and always wants to get her sister to marry high so that she can get a good match. Xu Yi's family is in South Street, but he is from the county town and has some skills. In the eyes of outsiders, his family also has a female servant, which sounds unusual.

No matter what Chen Erwang told her, with such conditions, it must have caught her eye.

What worries Madam Chen is that her aunt has no eyesight and can only see what she wants, but she doesn't know how to be ashamed, so she might bring the matchmaker over to ask for a hand in marriage!

Mrs. Chen said coldly: "No, you have to tell your aunt. It's true that I want to pick a good son-in-law, but I can't do this to Brother Yi. Otherwise, we will make up." "

What?" Chen Erwang Hearing this, he was so shocked that he froze and took a few seconds to recover. "You woman, how dare you reconcile with me?"

"Yes, in this world, can only men divorce their wives, not women? " Have you reconciled?" Madam Chen bit her lower lip, her hands hidden in her sleeves trembling slightly when she said this.

She looked at this man day and night, and the disgust in her heart became more and more intense day by day. If she got her wish, she was not afraid of being spurned and wanted to make peace with him, so what.

Chen Erwang cursed angrily: "You are just an ignorant village woman. If you hadn't married me, how could you come to live in the county and live a good life like a woman? Why, now that I don't have the accounting job, you despise me?" I tell you, no

way! You... you... you are a shrew, you dare to talk about divorce, you are so ignorant and stupid..."

Chen Erwang was so angry that he twisted his words and cursed whatever he thought of.

When he couldn't scold her enough, he kicked over the stool next to Madam Chen.

There was a muffled sound of "bang".

The atmosphere in the dim room became anxious and dangerous.

Chen Erwang looked at Mrs. Chen who was looking at him unyieldingly. Anger arose in his chest and he raised his hand to hit her.

How could Mrs. Chen stand and be beaten in vain by him? Seeing him raise his hand, she turned around and raised the kitchen knife towards him.

"You dare!"

"Chen Erwang, if you dare to hit me, tomorrow I will go to the Yamen to report to the official, saying that you bullied me. I am not afraid of you bullying me. Life is so tiring, so it is better to die early." "

When Chen Erwang saw her raising the knife, he was so frightened that his aura faltered and he did not dare to hit her.

"Put down the knife! That knife doesn't have eyes. What if it hurts someone?"

"..." Mrs. Chen looked at him speechlessly. It was really not the behavior of a man to be so timid.

Mrs. Chen felt that she was stupid for being angry with such a person. She had not known his virtue for so many years.

She put down the kitchen knife she was holding and said in a cold voice: "Tomorrow you go see your aunt and tell her not to disturb Brother Yi, otherwise, I will fight you tooth and nail."

Chen Erwang broke out in a cold sweat and said quickly: "Okay Okay, I'll listen to you, put the knife down quickly. "

...

In the Xu family next door, Xu Yi and the others heard a commotion. Ah Jin frowned and asked what was going on.

A Xu shook his head, chewed the chicken in his mouth, and said: "It seems that Madam Chen and Uncle Chen are quarreling again."

A Jin blinked: "Why does Madam Chen always quarrel with Uncle Chen? It was Uncle Chen who did it. I'm sorry. Is it about Madam Chen?"

Xu Yi: "..."

"Ahem, cough."

He immediately pretended to cough and reminded them, "This is Madam Chen's family matter. If you see Madam Chen, she didn't say anything about you. Don’t ask.”

A Xu said: "Mr. Lang, I know."

A Jin also said: "Don't say anything inappropriate, I won't talk nonsense."

After hearing their answers, Xu Yi nodded in agreement and asked them to have a good meal.

He had good ears, so Xu Yi still heard some of the quarrels next door without deliberately suppressing them.

Although not entirely true, it seems like... Mrs. Chen wants to reconcile with Chen Erwang?

Nowadays, women are harsh on women. Women have always been in a lower position in marriage. It is reasonable for men to take concubines, adoptive mothers and stay with their wives. As a head wife, you must not be jealous or jealous, otherwise you will be called a jealous wife. It is also difficult to reconcile. As long as the man disagrees, there is almost no chance of reconciliation, but he can seize on one mistake to divorce his wife.

Xu Yi was silent, and then sighed.

Women who are divorced or divorced often have a difficult life. Of course, there are ways to live a better life, but it’s just too difficult.

...

At dawn the next day, Xu Yi was about to go out. Next door to the Chen family, Chen Erwang also went out. When he saw Xu Yi, he looked shaky and left Shijing Lane with a dry smile without daring to say anything.

Xu Yi thought about his expression and wondered what bad things the other party had done, and then saw Mrs. Chen coming out.

Mrs. Chen didn't sleep well last night due to insomnia. When she saw Xu Yi, she paused in a daze.

"Ms. Chen?" Xu Yi called her.

Only then did Madam Chen come back to her senses, saluted apologetically, and said softly: "Brother Yi, you must have heard the quarrel last night."

Xu Yi blinked innocently: "..."

Madam Chen continued Said: "This matter is originally a family scandal and cannot be told to others, but it involves you, so I think it would be better to let you know."

This Chen Erwang is a coward and a coward, and it is inevitable that he can't say anything about his aunt's sharp mouth.

If I didn't persuade my aunt, she would inevitably have thoughts later, so why not tell Xu Yi so that he would have some peace of mind.

Xu Yi said: "Ms. Chen, it's okay to say it."

Mrs. Chen looked embarrassed, but she still told him in a low voice about Chen Erwang and his aunt.

Xu Yi: "?"

He seemed to understand instantly why Mrs. Chen still wanted to reconcile with Chen Erwang in such a living environment.

Could Chen Erwang be any stupider?

So that day, before Xu Yi went to the butcher to buy lard, he listened to a lot of gossip at the door of his house.

It was still gossip related to him. Only then did he realize that he was very popular in South Street.

Those who have sisters at home wonder if they can find a son-in-law like Xu Yi. If he hadn't known that Xu Yi was still in his filial piety period, the Xu family's courtyard gate might have been trampled to pieces by various matchmakers.

He took a deep breath: "Thank you, Madam Chen, for reminding me."

Madam Chen waved her hands and said with some emotion: "You and I are of a different generation. I thought that a young man like you who has studied in school would have nothing to talk about. Yes, who would have thought that you would sometimes comfort us, knowing the pain of us women?"

Xu Yi smiled implicitly and scratched his head in embarrassment. There was no other way. Learning Chinese medicine also requires learning from the heart.

For example, some emotional illnesses sometimes require medical treatment. This is an occupational disease.

Xu Yi said: "Ms. Chen, you need to be at ease. Long-term qi stagnation and pulse blockage will easily lead to blockage of qi and blood, leading to stasis and illness."