Chapter 161 Gossips All Over the Village
At the same time.
Wang Taohua's family in Jiangjia Village was so busy that smoke was coming out.
After they cut bamboo from the foot of the mountain.
The whole family closed the door and busied themselves making bamboo sticks.
The head of the family, Jiang Shengzi, is in charge of the cutting, while the eldest son, Jiang Zuo, is in charge of chopping the long bamboo into equal sections to avoid the sticks being cut into different lengths, which would then have to be adjusted in size, making the process too troublesome.
The second son, Jiang You, took his two nephews to polish the burrs on the bamboo sticks.
Li Maoya was not idle either.
She returned holding the bamboo sticks.
Tie every twenty bamboo sticks together with a piece of straw in the middle and then stack them in a bamboo basket to make it easier to count.
Wang Taohua was cleaning the yard.
Sweep the bamboo shavings on the ground aside to avoid getting your feet pricked by them when walking back and forth.
Most farmers wear straw sandals.
Can't compare to thick-soled cloth shoes.
If one is not careful, the bamboo thorn will get stuck into the seam of the straw sandals.
The injury will be a minor issue, but if it gets red and swollen, I'm afraid I won't be able to save my foot.
Anyone who can afford cloth shoes is considered well off in the village.
Even the Jiang family.
Before opening the shop.
Only Jiang Fubao and grandma had cloth shoes to wear.
Others went to the fields to do farm work, all wearing straw sandals.
After all, cloth shoes are not wear-resistant.
They only wear it when it's cold.
Only one pair per person.
Hiding in the house like a treasure.
After making money.
Zhang Jinlan made three or four pairs of cloth shoes for each person in the family.
In the yard.
Wang Taohua's family were all busy with their work and no one was chatting.
Only Xu Zhaoer sat aside, watching quietly.
She stroked her belly from time to time, and her smile was like the warm breeze in spring.
It makes people feel comfortable just by looking at it.
"Zhao'er, did the child kick you? Why don't you go inside and lie down? I'm afraid your back won't be able to bear sitting all the time. Come, let me help you in."
Wang Taohua saw her daughter-in-law touching her belly and thought she was tired.
He put down the broom in his hand and helped his daughter-in-law into the house.
Xu Zhaoer did not refuse her mother-in-law's kindness, ever since her daughter died.
She was so sad that she wanted to drown herself in the river and go to the underworld to accompany her daughter.
If she hadn't been pregnant, she would have cried herself blind.
Naturally, we should be more careful when treating the second child.
I was afraid that the baby in my belly would be like my daughter and not be well taken care of in the womb.
Never live to grow up.
The same scene as in Wang Taohua's home was also played out in Ma Chunxia's home.
One of the two companies makes bamboo sticks and the other makes bamboo tubes.
They were all busy in the yard.
Life was hard. It never rained and the crops in the fields grew very slowly. Normally, the brown rice would have grown to waist height by this time of year, or had begun to produce ears of rice. However, the brown rice in the fields had only grown to calf height, and occasionally a few roots were dried up by the sun.
The desperate scene made Jiangjia Village and even the entire Lianshan Town feel uneasy.
So when there was an opportunity to make money, both families worked hard.
As a result, when everyone in the village was watering and weeding in the fields, only Jiang Fubao's, Ma Chunxia's and Wang Taohua's fields were empty.
Five women gathered around the wooden bridge.
From time to time, he scanned Jiang Fubao's fields.
"What do you think the three families have been doing? The Zhang family is understandable. I see them going to town on a bullock cart every day. Jiang Shoujia and his eldest grandson come to water the river early in the morning, and sometimes I can see them in the evening.
But Chunxia's family was nowhere to be seen. I just passed by and saw that her door was tightly shut. I don't know what she was doing inside. And Wang Taohua's family went to the foot of the mountain early in the morning to cut a lot of bamboo. If you didn't know, you would think she was going to take a bamboo raft. The water in the river is almost dry. Can it float?"
A woman who often appeared under the big tree at the entrance of the village asked curiously.
She was only half joking.
Made everyone laugh.
"Haha, Sister Xing, you are so mean. You haven't been under the tree these past two days, so you probably don't know that Ma Chunxia has always been good friends with Zhang. Now that Zhang's family has opened a shop in town, they immediately gave her family a job to make money.
Ma Chunxia stayed at home every day making bamboo tubes. I didn’t know what she was doing. Anyway, Zhang bought a lot of them. I went to Ma Chunxia’s house after dinner that day to find out how much money she made. Who knew that she kicked me out directly? I was really angry. "
Another woman with a sackcloth scarf on her head replied.
As she spoke, she fanned herself with her hands, and her face, which was already sunburned, turned even redder from the heat.
Looks like a monkey's butt.
Some throwbacks.
"Bamboo is worthless. It's everywhere at the foot of the mountain. You can earn a few coins from it at most. It's copper coins, so it's silver. You all know Zhang Jinlan. Do you expect to make money from her? Maybe in your next life!"
She is like a pixiu, who only takes in but never gives out. If she is asked to pay money, she will probably fight with Ma Chunxia! If her stomach can be full, I am afraid she will not even want to poop. Eating those delicious foods all day long must make her feel bad! Hahaha!"
The third person finished speaking.
Several women burst into laughter.
Five people huddled beside the wooden bridge.
The chatter grew louder.
Chen Qiuju, who was drawing water from the river, heard it clearly.
Since the family split up, her eldest son moved away with his family.
There is no one to do the housework.
Washing clothes and cooking were left to the young daughter-in-law and granddaughter, but the work in the fields was not enough for the old man alone. There was no other way, so the old couple brought the young daughter-in-law and granddaughters to help with the work.
A few days later.
Chen Qiuju has aged several years.
The grooves on her face became deeper and deeper.
Looks even more mean.
The five of them were having a great time chatting.
I didn't notice her.
We chatted until the sun set.
The villagers who were working in the fields returned home one after another.
The five people also dispersed.
Each of them walked towards their home.
At that time, in the town of Chang'an, a hundred miles away.
A cloud of white smoke floated above the Fang family's mansion, and was blown gently by the evening breeze along with its fragrance, spreading throughout the entire alley.
Without exception, passers-by flared their nostrils and sniffed carefully.
"It smells so good. Who's cooking?"
"Oh, it smells like mutton, no, why does it smell like spices? Who is so extravagant that they use spices to cook? How rich must they be?"
"You have a really sharp nose. I only smelled the aroma of meat. I won't say anything more. I'm going home to eat. My wife cooks delicious food. When I left home this morning, she said she wanted to make stir-fried pork with chili peppers tonight. I have to hurry back."
"Look, newlyweds are different, so loving, wow."
"......"
A pair of good friends separated at the alley, one went east and the other went west.
Whenever someone passes by this alley.
They will stay for a while for the fragrance.
The Fang family’s backyard separated by a wall.
The maids and servants gathered together.
Some added fruit charcoal, some skewered meat, and some used a brush to apply oil.
Everyone has their own division of labor.
Different from the laughter and joy of the Jiang family.
None of the maids or servants dared to make a sound.