The man called Erzhu smiled and said, "Yes, we're going to the city to buy some things to prepare for the New Year. I heard from my sister-in-law that you're planning to slaughter a pig this year. When are you going to do it? I'll come over and buy some pork then."
The man smiled and said, "It'll be in a day or two. I'll come looking for you then, and I'll need your help."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Gouwazi, who had already walked away, ran back to urge them on. This time, the couple said goodbye and continued walking towards the city.
The man called Erzhu is a villager from Huitouling Village. His surname is Zhou, and he is the second son in his family. After he got married, he was separated from his family by his parents. The couple built two houses at the back of the village, near the mountain, and their lives gradually settled down.
After getting married, life became very difficult due to building a house and the fact that Zhou Erzhu's wife gave birth to their son, Gouwazi, not long after. Zhou Erzhu was the second oldest in the family, with an older brother and two younger brothers. His two sisters were also married. It could be said that Zhou Erzhu was always the one who was not valued. The young couple were busy with the crops in the fields on weekdays. When they were not busy with farming, Zhou Erzhu would go to the city to find odd jobs to earn a few coins to supplement their family income.
This road construction project blasted a gap in the ridge behind the village. The construction site needed people to move the blasted stones and also to chisel them into bluestone slabs. Zhou Erzhu was a hard worker who had been working since the construction site started. Later, when he saw that there were still some odd jobs on the site, he asked the foreman if he could let the women in his family come and do them.
The foreman didn't dare to make the decision on his own. He asked Xu Di and Zheng Boyuan and, after receiving their approval, selected some women from those who had signed up. They used hammers to break up the bluestone that couldn't be paved. The work was tiring, but every day they could not only eat a big steamed bun and stewed vegetables for lunch on the construction site, but also receive a few copper coins. Zhou Erzhu's wife, Zhou Ersao, worked for more than two months and earned half a string of coins.
She couldn't compare to Zhou Erzhu, who earned ten or so copper coins a day, but she felt extremely satisfied to be able to work and earn money this way. After so many years, she realized that being able to earn money this way was such a proud thing. For the first time in her life, she wanted to enjoy the New Year to the fullest, buy more delicious food, buy two strings of firecrackers for the children, and let everyone, adults and children alike, have a happy New Year.
At the village entrance, she met people like her own family, both husband and wife working on the construction site. They were going to Luzhou City to buy New Year's goods. When they met, they exchanged greetings about the New Year's goods each family was preparing. The children gathered together, chattering about the things their parents had promised to buy. Zhou Ersao walked to the bend in the road, turned around and looked back at the gap on one side of the village. This was the place where the villagers earned their money all winter. She heard that if she went down the mountain from this road, the Miao River would be nearby. If she went down the Miao River, she would reach Miaozhou City. Further down, she would reach the Grand Canal. If she traveled upstream along the Grand Canal for a few days, she would reach the capital. Zhou Ersao felt a sense of longing. She wondered if she would ever be able to travel along this road to the capital and see it for herself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
