Xu Changshou stayed at Xu Gensheng's house when he returned to the village this time.
Xu Changming, Xu Changshou, and the recently deceased Xu Changqi were brothers.
Xu Changqi's children are Xu Gensheng's father, his only son, and two daughters who don't come back often.
Xu Gensheng's generation had three brothers, but the eldest brother died young, leaving behind two brothers.
Xu Gensheng and Pi Shi have not had any children yet. Apart from their parents, the only family members are their second brother, Li Ersao, who used to work as a stove worker at the pharmacy, and their two nephews.
Xu Gensheng's parents and second brother were all honest and hardworking people; otherwise, they wouldn't have been fooled by Xu Changshou's few words and said they would stay for forty-nine days before leaving.
Although Gensheng's family has now built a new house with several large rooms, it is still crowded when Xu Changshou's family moves in.
Over here, Xu Gensheng was talking to Pi about buying herbs in the mountains when Xu Changshou strolled over and said, "Gensheng, you've made something of yourself now, you have a voice in the village. Find a job for your Uncle Yaozu too, don't let him be idle."
After living away from home for two years, Xu Changshou's temper has become much more restrained.
Other villages cannot compare to Xujia Village. Outsiders like Tian Gui can become core members of Village Chief Jiang, while Xu Changshou, as an outsider, has to keep a low profile.
Now, when I return to Xujia Village, I see all new houses, and every family can afford to eat meat and oil. There are also mosquito coil workshops where you can earn money by playing in the mud without having to go to town or the city to find work.
The more Xu Changshou looked, the more excited he became, and he resolved to return to Xu Family Village.
I'm a native of this place, and they took in all the refugees, so why can't I come back?
However, all the hardships he had endured over the years had not been in vain. He was much more obedient when he returned, first apologizing to Xiaomanye and then saying a few face-saving words to Jiangzhi.
They were just there to attend a funeral, so no one complained.
Having only stayed for a few days, Xu Changshou noticed that the village frequently arranged for people to work and earn money, so he wanted Xu Yaozu to work as well.
Speaking of which, Xu Changshou was just over fifty years old, and Xu Yaozu was only in his twenties, which was the prime of his life.
There was also Yaozu's wife holding a three-month-old baby, plus their almost seven-year-old son.
The family just sat there day after day waiting to be fed, and they themselves started to get restless.
Hearing that his third grandfather wanted to do some work, Xu Gensheng remained calm and said, "The herbs collected in the mountains need to be carried out by people. Uncle, would you like to do it? Thirty coins a day!"
We collected a lot of medicinal herbs from the mountains this time, but it's difficult to move them out.
The mountain road is winding, with uphill climbs, river crossings, and tunnels; getting in and out depends entirely on strength and two legs.
Yaozu's uncle could earn money by carrying loads, one trip a day, carrying 150 jin (75 kg) each time, and he would get cash for each load.
Don't underestimate the small amount of money (thirty coins); all the villagers in the mountain village want to do this job.
As long as the price is high enough, people are willing to dry the food and send it to Xujia Village.
Upon hearing that it was thirty coins, Xu Changshou wanted to curse, but he held back: "Gensheng, it's too hard to work so hard for only thirty coins. I heard from your father that you specialize in collecting herbs, so you must need someone to help you with the weighing and such, so you don't get cheated on the weight."
When traveling, especially with money on you, you'll feel safer with family around, especially since mountain people are often unruly and don't follow the rules.
He was right; it's difficult to get things done in the mountains without knowing anyone there.
Especially for outsiders who bring money in, one day they might fall asleep and never wake up.
This is different from the cotton-fluffing and bartering practice of Wang Xiaoju and her husband.
Therefore, Jiang Zhi instructed Xu Gensheng and his group to only set up shop in a fixed village, and the herbs sold in other villages could only be delivered to that village.
Because that village was the hometown of the patrol battalion soldiers, and they even brought Xu Genbao into the village to fluff cotton.
With this connection, Xu Gensheng and his group are relatively safe.
Hearing that his family was mentioned as a source of reassurance, Xu Gensheng grinned and said, "Your family went through my wife's pillow yesterday. What are you reassured about? You're reassured that Uncle Yaozu is going to trick me!"
Xu Changshou has only been gone for two years, but it feels like he's been gone for twenty. He's forgotten that his grandson is sharp-tongued and talkative.
At this point, a single sentence nearly choked him: "That's just a child, he's only naive. He rummaged through things, he didn't take anything! Why are you arguing with a kid!"
Pi objected from the side: "What do you mean Xiao Bao flipped it? Auntie was right there."
The mother and daughter, one watching and the other working, started rummaging through things in their bedroom. If they hadn't kept their money box safe, it would definitely have been stolen.
Xu Changshou immediately became embarrassed and angry: "Look at what you're saying! Those are your aunt and uncle, your elders. They're not short of meat if they come in and sit down."
Pierce is no longer just a big mouth; he's received several awards.
Upon hearing that he had been caught stealing from the house and had a reason, he immediately turned hostile: "Third Grandfather, it's one thing for your whole family to eat and drink for free in my house, but you also have illicit affairs. Believe me or not, I'll go and ask Aunt Jiang to settle this with me."
Xu Changshou was so angry that he kept snorting. He pointed at Pi Shi and said, "Gensheng, this is your good wife. She can slander the elders in the family at will. If you don't make her kneel down and apologize to me today, I will go and reason with your parents."
Pi was about to jump again when Xu Gensheng pushed her out the door: "This is none of your business. Genqing isn't home. Go visit his house and see if there's anything Genqing's wife needs to do, and lend a hand!"
As Pi left, he turned his head and continued saying, "Don't cause them any trouble. They're all shady characters. Don't keep thieves around."
When Gengsheng went out, he always carried at least three to five taels of silver with him, and he always kept track of the accounts he brought back. If the accounts didn't match, he would have to pay out of his own pocket.
Xu Yaozu and his wife, who came from the main house outside the door, heard this but remained silent.
Xiao Bao's mother, holding her child, forced a smile and said aggrievedly, "Gen Sheng's wife, I went to your room yesterday to talk to you, but you weren't there, so I just sat by your bed for a bit and didn't take anything! It's just that Xiao Bao mischievously flipped through your pillow."
Although she was Pi's aunt, they were only a few years apart in age.
Pi was a talkative person. She was hardworking and couldn't stand her sister-in-law being lazy. She often gossiped about her in the village, so the two of them were never really close.
Mr. Pi didn't waste any words with her: "I'm very busy, don't come in!"
After saying that, she walked away without turning her head. She was getting annoyed by this family and wanted to talk to Wang Xiaoju to cheer herself up!
After Pi left, Xu Yaozu glared at his woman: "You're useless. You're obsessed with everything and can't even keep an eye on a child."
Now look what's happened! Those two, Gensheng and Pi, keep talking about stealing, but they don't even do any work. I've never seen anything as bad as you."
Feeling aggrieved, Xiao Bao's mother saw several bright pieces of fabric in Pi's room and couldn't resist picking them up to examine them.
While she was demonstrating on herself, she didn't notice her son, Xiaobao, climbing onto the bed and rummaging through the blankets and pillows, and unfortunately, Pi happened to be there.
Having gained nothing but earned a reputation as a thief, Xu Yaozu's words only fueled his anger, prompting him to retort, "If you're so capable, then live that kind of life yourself and buy me some cloth to make a garment."
I've had enough of living in a shack for the past two years. I can only drink thin porridge every day, which is not even as thick as the pig feed cooked by Gensheng's family.
Looking at her patched-up clothes, and thinking about the fabrics and soap that Pi had given her, which she had heard were all bought for her by Gensheng, she immediately decided to stay in Xujia Village and not leave.
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