Chapter 4
Grandma Sun's trip to the neighboring village was quite fruitful. It wasn't the peak season for banquets, so they said that if she wanted to hold an event, she just needed to let them know two days in advance. They also said they could help her ask around to see if anyone had coffins. After all, they were in the business, so they naturally had their own connections.
When she got home, Chen Qing had already prepared the meal. They usually ate two meals a day, but recently, because they had to do farm work, they ate three meals a day so that they would have enough energy to work.
Chen Qing cooked rice porridge for lunch today. He didn't touch the pancakes he brought back in the morning. He steamed them afterward to make them softer, which would be easier for Grandma Sun's teeth. Some wild vegetables had sprouted in their vegetable garden. They were just starting to emerge and were very tender. Chen Qing picked them all. These kinds of wild vegetables are only eaten in this season. You can eat them two or three times a season. They're not anything special, and there's no need to think about selling them. It's enough for him to enjoy them.
The wild vegetables you pick only need to be washed clean, blanched briefly in boiling water, and then mixed with coarse salt and a pinch of fragrant vinegar for a delicious flavor.
When Aunt Sun saw the lunch Chen Qing had placed on the table, she knew he hadn't eaten any of the pancakes she'd asked him to bring. She sat down, drank some water, and told him a little about what had happened that day. Chen Qing nodded, then handed Aunt Sun the money from selling the handkerchiefs: "This is the money from selling the handkerchiefs. I think the shopkeeper is trying to lower the price."
Looking at the copper coins in his purse, he said, "Next time I'll go with you to negotiate the price. You can keep the coins and buy whatever you want." Peddlers would occasionally come to the village, selling necessities like needles and thread, as well as snacks that girls and husbands loved. Chen Qing never spent money on food; he always spent it wisely.
Chen Qing felt it necessary to tell Granny Sun, "I came back today by oxcart and gave her one coin."
Aunt Sun nodded: "I always tell you to take the bus back, but you listened to me today. But I remember the bus fare back was two coins, wasn't it?"
Chen Qing lowered his head: "I ran into a neighbor and got on the bus halfway there."
Grandma Sun was just chatting with him casually: "Let's eat."
After finishing his meal, Chen Qing wanted to wash the dishes, but Aunt Sun stopped him: "Go and rest for a while. Go fetch water later. I think the water tank is almost empty."
Chen Qing nodded: "Okay."
They get their water from a communal well. Their house is a bit far from the well, so they have to make two extra trips each time to fetch enough water. According to Aunt Sun, the large water vat in their house was brought back by Meng Tao's father-in-law when he was a child.
After a short lunch break, Chen Qing carried the water buckets from home out to the well. To get there, he had to pass through the village council hall, which the village chief had set up to ensure fairness in handling affairs. The council hall was noisy at the moment, as if someone was discussing something. Chen Qing didn't want to go into the crowd, so he quickly left.
Carrying the water he had prepared, Chen Qing walked briskly past the council hall. His small body could run very fast even while carrying water. Zhou Yuan, who was about to enter the council hall from the other side, saw him, but after watching him walk away, he looked away.
The main topic of discussion in the council today is who will cook for Zhou Yuan's family as they repair their house. The village chief originally wanted to take this good job for himself, but Zhou Yuan is a very particular person and said that it wouldn't be good to choose anyone. So, they decided to decide by drawing lots. The village chief was a little unhappy, but he didn't dare to vent his anger on Zhou Yuan. He had no choice but to invite everyone in the village to come and see who would be lucky enough to get this excellent job.
Soon the village chief explained why he had gathered everyone here. Hearing such good news, everyone was delighted and eagerly hoped that good fortune would come their way.
Zhou Yuan glanced around at the houses below and asked the village chief, "Are there still some households that haven't been notified?"
The village chief shook his head: "They're all here, nothing's missing."
Zhou Yuan recalled the people he had just seen: "Meng Tao's family didn't come."
The village chief paused for a moment, his expression changed, and then he said, "I went to call him earlier, but no one was home. I thought I shouldn't delay your business, so I didn't make him wait."
"Then please trouble the village chief to go and notify them again," Zhou Yuan said, holding the prepared divination box in his hand. It seemed that he wouldn't start the matter unless the village chief went to call someone.
The village chief gritted his teeth and sent a child to Chen Qing's house to fetch someone.
The village chief remembered that Zhou Yuan had spoken up for their family earlier that day, and his gaze darkened. Then he heard Zhou Yuan say, "Meng Tao and I were in the same battalion when we were in the army. On his deathbed, he asked me to take care of his mother."
"So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
When Chen Qinggang returned from fetching water, he saw a village child waiting at his door: "They're calling you to the council hall."
In the past, whenever there was something to discuss in the council hall, his mother would go, but now his mother was nowhere to be found. Chen Qing asked him if he could wait a while, and the child said, "The village chief wants you to go quickly, the whole village is waiting."
Chen Qing had no choice but to bite the bullet and go. When he entered the council hall, everyone's eyes were on him. Chen Qing felt like he was digging his toes into the ground, wishing he could disappear so that no one could see him.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin."
Chen Qing then realized what was going on today. Zhou Yuan wanted to choose a family in the village who could cook a meal for him. He said that no matter who he chose, it wouldn't be good, so they would just draw lots. Chen Qing originally wanted to say that his family would not participate, but then he thought that this was a good thing that could make money, and he and his mother should be able to handle it.
But then he thought about how he was going to work for Zhou Yuan's family, and he felt a little awkward. While he was hesitating, the drawing of lots had already begun.
There are a total of 96 households in the village. Except for a few households that do not participate, one household will be selected from a total of 85 households. Only one of the lots in the lottery box has a red tip.
People in front of him started drawing lots one after another, but Chen Qing only heard sighs. Until the lot-drawing tube was placed in front of Chen Qing, under everyone's gaze, Chen Qing stretched out his hand, randomly selected a lot, and when he took out the lot-drawing tube, Chen Qing saw that splash of red.
Chen Qing felt a chill run down his spine.
To ensure fairness, Zhou Yuan took out the remaining slips, and sure enough, none of them had any color on the tip.
All I can say is that Chen Qing is incredibly lucky.
At this moment, the people around were whispering among themselves, and Chen Qing, standing in the middle of the crowd, naturally heard what they were saying.
"Oh dear, why is this his house?"
"Isn't this bad luck? A widow and a widowed husband, don't you think it's ruining the feng shui of their home?"
"How tactless! Shouldn't you have taken the initiative to avoid suspicion in this kind of situation?"
As Chen Qing listened to their words, he kept his head down and muttered something. He finally mustered the courage to retort, but after only managing to say "you," a voice from outside attracted everyone's attention.
"Who are you calling unlucky!" Grandma Sun's loud voice rang out in the council hall. "You have bad luck yourself, yet you don't even wash your mouth before you go out, and you come here envious of other people's good luck? You know in your heart who's unlucky!"
Grandma Sun pulled Chen Qing behind her and said, "We didn't cheat. Chen Qing's good luck is due to his good deeds. Unlike some people, whose hearts and hands are not clean, it's no wonder they can't draw good lots!"
"you!"
Grandma Sun was not afraid to confront them. She looked at Zhou Yuan and asked, "Do you want to draw lots again?"
Zhou Yuan shook his head: "Of course not. I'll discuss some details with my aunt later."
Seeing that Zhou Yuan had said so, the village chief naturally couldn't say anything more. The people in the council hall gradually dispersed, and Chen Qing followed behind Granny Sun, listening to her scold him.
"They've insulted you right in the face, even if you're a clay figure, you should stand up for yourself!" Grandma Sun was absolutely furious.
Chen Qing said, "I was going to yell back, but since you're here, I didn't say it."
Grandma Sun could already guess how Chen Qing would retort, nothing more than asking him not to talk like that, such weak and useless words.
Grandma Sun said earnestly, "Those people's attitudes will only get worse in the future. If you don't stand up for yourself, what will you do if something happens to me?"
Chen Qing's breath hitched, and he panicked slightly: "Please don't say such things."
Grandma Sun sighed before getting down to business: "Since we've taken on that job, we have to do it well. You're undoubtedly good at your work, but your personality is too soft; anyone can give you a hard time."
Looking at him, Aunt Sun wondered what kind of determination Chen Qing had made to dare to sell himself to a slave trader.
They returned home and discussed what to do next. The difficulty now was that they wanted to plan a funeral for Meng Tao, but Zhou Yuan's family seemed to be in a hurry to build their house. Although they didn't say it, they were actually afraid of offending them.
After thinking for a moment, Aunt Sun said, "Let's ask him if he minds first."
Chen Qing nodded, watching as Aunt Sun went out to find Zhou Yuan. Aunt Sun didn't take him, and he didn't want to go either.
Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. The carpenter they contacted said that someone had returned the coffin because it was cracked. Coffins are not returnable once sold, but the family was a bunch of scoundrels, so the carpenter had to calculate the cost and refund them. Remembering that Chen Qing and his family were in a hurry to buy a coffin, they contacted them immediately.
The next morning, Chen Qing went to the carpenter with Aunt Sun and found that the coffin only had a few minor flaws. The carpenter's price was also not high, so Aunt Sun decided to buy it.
The incident happened suddenly, and Aunt Sun wanted to talk to Zhou Yuan the next day. The result was that Zhou Yuan didn't mind and even told Aunt Sun to let him know after setting a date. They came from the same battlefield and naturally hoped to see Meng Tao off on his final journey.
After telling Chen Qing the news, Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. They acted very quickly, setting a date almost that same day, and then went back to prepare for the procurement.
The news naturally spread throughout the village. The villagers outwardly expressed their condolences, but inwardly they thought that Meng Tao had money to burn, and that Meng Tao didn't even have a body, yet he went to great lengths to buy a coffin and hold a funeral. They thought he was just being nosy.
They ignored other people's opinions and just did what they were supposed to do.
The next morning, the two went to town to buy groceries. The funeral organizers said they could buy the groceries themselves, and the organizers would just provide the labor. So, Aunt Sun took Chen Qing to town.
Chen Qing mainly wanted to buy some pork. He also wanted to buy some bones, which his uncle used to make for him when he was little. His family was too poor, so his uncle would buy some bones to make soup for him, so that at least it would have some meat flavor.
Watching his mother haggle with the butcher, arguing over every single penny, Chen Qing felt a pang of envy. If he thought something was too expensive, he wouldn't buy it. But if he didn't want the item he had chosen, the shopkeeper would start nagging and complaining. At that moment, Chen Qing's ears would turn red, and he would quickly leave the spot.
Although it's upsetting to be talked about behind your back, spending more money would make him feel even worse. He can still tell the difference between what's important and what's not. Ah, if only he could be as capable as his mother.
After a back-and-forth exchange, Grandma Sun successfully got the butcher to give her four or five large bones that had already been cleaned.
On the way back, their baskets were full, all carried by Chen Qing. They were reluctant to ride in the oxcart, but they didn't expect to run into Zhou Yuan on the road again.
When Zhou Yuan asked again, Aunt Sun led Chen Qing onto her oxcart.
Chen Qing kept his head down and took out two coins from his pocket.
Now both Aunt Sun and Zhou Yuan were looking at him.
Chen Qing lowered his head even further.
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