"Oh, no money?"
The old man looked at Zhang Mingtu, who was smiling. A large pot of mutton soup was emitting steam, and next to it were steamed white flour buns that had already been prepared.
Zhang Mingtu casually handed him the mutton soup and steamed buns, then turned around and distributed them to other people passing by the restaurant.
Seeing this, the old man picked up the mutton soup with his slightly stiff hands and took a small sip.
The mutton offal soup is delicious, and the white flour buns are fluffy and tasty, becoming sweeter the more you chew them.
Seeing more and more people passing by, the old man hurriedly pushed his wheelbarrow to the side alley. The cart blocking the door was already affecting the restaurant's image.
I drank the mutton soup quickly, and my whole body warmed up, even my hands and feet were warm, and a little sweat seeped out.
He has been selling charcoal in Jianyi for many years, and this is the best bowl of mutton soup he has ever tasted.
The old man hesitated for a moment when he saw the four steamed buns Zhang Mingtu gave him. Unable to bear the hunger anymore, he took out one and ate it. He carefully wrapped the remaining three in cloth and put them in his arms.
He returned the bowl to the store owner, thanked him carefully, and took a basket of charcoal from the car. Regardless of Zhang Mingtu's refusal, he took it directly to the kitchen.
After doing all this, the old man pushed the cart to the store with a happy look on his face.
After a good meal, I felt warm even though I was wearing thin clothes in the snow.
Zhang Mingtu looked at the old man's back as he walked away and sighed in his heart.
The old man is poor but he has not lost his ambition and is still able to maintain his dignity.
Unfortunately, there is not much Zhang Mingtu can do.
I told Zhang Jishi and Wang Yulan about distributing mutton soup and white flour buns.
Zhang Jishi agreed. He had traveled all over the country and had seen some large restaurants use such activities to attract popularity when they opened.
It is easy for a newly opened restaurant to accumulate word of mouth. It may be a loss in the short term, but it is very good in the long term.
Wang Yulan felt a little distressed and couldn't help muttering, but when she saw the passers-by who were coming to Jianyi City to attend the market in thin clothes, although she was muttering, she steamed two more baskets of steamed buns.
She has suffered a lot, and now she seems to have enough money in the future. If she can do some good deeds within her ability, she will not refuse.
It's just that I've been used to frugal living for many years, and I still can't bear to see so much money being spent. I can't help but complain about it with heartache.
Zhang Mingtu was in charge of the distribution and spotted another familiar figure on the way. It was the old man whose son died because his son reported problems with the dam.
However, the old man at this time was not as discouraged as when Zhang Mingtu saw him. His face was full of smiles and his eyes were full of longing for the future.
He carried two large baskets of fish and hurried to the market.
"Come here, uncle, the restaurant has just opened. We are offering free mutton soup and four steamed buns."
The old man took it in a hurry. The mutton soup that had been stored in advance was no longer as warm as before. The old man drank the whole bowl in one gulp and wiped the corner of his mouth quickly.
It was clearly mutton soup, but he tasted like strong liquor.
"Slow down, don't be impatient. You can have another bowl if you want to drink, but the mutton offal is gone, so you can only drink the soup."
"No, no, thank you so much. I'm in a hurry to sell the fish. If I'm any later, the fish might not be fresh. My two sons worked so hard to catch the fish, and I can't let an old man like me ruin it."
The old man waved his hand quickly and gave Zhang Mingtu a big carp weighing seven or eight kilograms.
Without any explanation, it was sent directly to the kitchen.
These simple and unpretentious working people sometimes display admirable qualities.
Zhang Mingtu was familiar with Jianyi and knew that there were many kinds of fish in the Ganjiang River.
Although big carp like this one weighing seven or eight kilograms is very big, it is difficult to handle and has a very fishy smell. It can't be sold at a high price at the market, so many people are unwilling to buy it.
Don’t be fooled by the size of the fish. In terms of value, it may not be as valuable as a bowl of full mutton soup and four steamed buns.
However, this is not a value exchange. It always makes people feel good when the kindness they show is rewarded by others.
After an hour of hard work, a large pot of mutton soup was distributed, as well as several large steamed buns.
During the break, Zhang Mingtu sat in the restaurant, watching the people coming and going in front of the door.
Everyone worked very hard, but after receiving the mutton soup and steamed buns, everyone had a smile on their face.
The bustling crowd continued without stopping until it gradually thinned out near noon.
The sounds of various vendors were endless, selling fish and shrimp, charcoal, wood, and even game they had hunted in the mountains...
All kinds of people walk around, not interfering with each other but also influencing each other. The store tax collectors are arrogant and collect taxes from the east store to the west store.
He came with nothing in his hands, but left with a pile of fish, rabbits, firewood, charcoal and all kinds of things behind him.
Zhang Mingtu just watched and felt a sense of rebirth in a trance.
If the charcoal seller had not intervened, he would have died of hypothermia due to hunger and trying to save money this morning.
The old fishmonger's eyes will probably become hollow in a few months, and he will tell everyone that his two sons were beaten to death for reporting the impending collapse of the dam.
About half a year later, the tax collector wanted to take away the donkey cart of the old man who sold firewood, and was only willing to give him two pieces of cloth.
The usually docile firewood seller, under duress, pulled out some firewood and wrestled with the tax collector, accidentally beating him to death...
And now these people appear vividly in front of Zhang Mingtu, and their predetermined fate has changed.
"Boy, boy!"
The voice of the charcoal seller woke Zhang Mingtu from his thoughts. The old man was smiling and carrying a small basket of charcoal.
"This is what's left over from today's sale. Dragging it back is too tiring, and my body can't handle it. Your restaurant owner is a very honest person, so I thought I'd give you this half basket of charcoal. Don't be disgusted..."
The old man had gray hair on his temples and looked quite thin, but he was quite strong. He carried half a basket of charcoal to the kitchen with ease.
Zhang Mingtu was busy cutting a small piece of marinated wild boar meat for the old man.
As a result, this time, the old man refused to accept it.
"I can't do this, I can't do this. I can drink the free mutton soup, but I can't drink the free braised pork. I can't repay it. I can't accept this favor..."
The old man's attitude was quite firm, and he kept repeating the same thing over and over again. It was obvious that he had not read much.
But his behavior made Zhang Mingtu feel good about it. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Well, let's do this. We'll use your charcoal fire today. It's very quick to start a fire and it burns for a long time.
"If you have any extra charcoal in the future, you can send it to the restaurant. This half pound of braised wild boar meat will serve as a deposit between us..."
Speaking of charcoal, the old man became interested.
"My charcoal is famous in Ximen Market. You don't need a deposit. You're honest. If you want, I'll send it to you in a few days. It's snowing now, so charcoal is hard to come by."
As the old man spoke, he turned around and left in a hurry without waiting for Zhang Mingtu to say anything else.
Zhang Mingtu stared at it intently, and the strange feeling in his heart became stronger and stronger.
In the future that I saw earlier, the charcoal seller had frozen to death in the market this morning.
And now, he walked back home in a hurry with brisk steps.
The clouds and mists that gathered and dispersed in my mind had changed.
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