In this life, autumn is the season that passes by the most quickly.
In autumn, we need to prepare for the winter. Every day is busy and the days go by in a blink of an eye. It seems that in the blink of an eye, it is winter with snowflakes. It seems that without noticing, it has already reached December. This year, the Chinese New Year is late, in mid-February, but it does not prevent everyone from preparing for the New Year at this time.
There's actually nothing wrong with doing it two months in advance.
Zhao Guihua takes care of all the affairs in this family, and the others are just little soldiers, doing whatever they are told.
It's Monday again, and everyone in the family is sleepy and not very motivated. It's true that they have a day off on Sunday, but there's still a lot of work to do. Zhao Guihua looked at everyone and said, "We still have a meat ticket, so we'll buy some meat for everyone today."
The young people in the family were immediately delighted, but Zhuang Zhiyuan said, "Mom, don't buy it. Let's save some to buy meat and make dumplings for the New Year."
We always have to eat good food during the Chinese New Year. This is what we eat on weekdays. What if we can't buy it during the Chinese New Year?
Zhao Guihua looked at the children who were looking at her eagerly and said, "I know what's going on. You guys go back to work."
Life this winter is not as good as last winter. After all, we had a lot of fish at home last winter, and we made some meat from selling the fish, so life was very comfortable. This year it's a little worse without that, but it's much better than previous years.
Their family is already very contented, other families don't eat as well as they do.
Hutou and Xiaoyanzi finished their breakfast and put on their schoolbags. As expected, as soon as they put on their schoolbags, they heard Li Junjun and Li Weiwei standing in the backyard calling people. The two children hurried out, and at this time Tonglai also came out.
Since there was only one person left to go to school, Tonglai was left alone. As children, there was no overnight hatred, so they gradually went to school and went home together, and their relationship was much more relaxed than before. As for Yinlai, he still hasn't been to school. It's not that Wang Xiangxiu is reluctant to spend money, but Yinlai is not in good condition. Although he seems to have recovered, he is still hurt inside. He is too weak, and it's so cold, Wang Xiangxiu doesn't dare to let him go to school, for fear that something will happen on the way.
This child is alone at home during the day, but fortunately, although he is alone at home, he doesn't cause any trouble. In the past, his brother took them everywhere, and they were not afraid of adults. Now Yinlai has been thoroughly educated by pigs. He is very timid. Yinlai save it himself. She doesn't necessarily want Yinlai to make a lot of money, but she is mainly afraid that Yinlai will always be depressed and get into trouble, so it can be regarded as finding something for him to do. Yinlai gradually adapted to it.
Although Wang Xiangxiu is no longer working outside to earn extra money, his family is now better off than before. Yinlai has his own pocket money now. He also heats up his own meals, which he couldn't do before.
Generally speaking, every household in this yard is striving for a better life.
Early in the morning, people who went to work or school in the yard had all left, leaving Zhao Guihua and her two children alone at home. She boiled some water and prepared to wash the things that had been changed at home. Usually no one would visit at this time, as everyone had work to do. Don't think that housewives just stay at home in the winter, as there are many household chores to do.
Xiao Tuan Tuan and Xiao Yuan Yuan were rolling around on the kang. Zhao Gui Hua was sitting in the house washing clothes and watching them. She warned the two active kids, “Don't come to the edge of the kang.”
Xiao Tuantuan bit his own little hand, tilted his head, and crawled forward twice tentatively.
Zhao Guihua glared, stretched out her iron palm, and said, "If you crawl towards the edge of the kang again, grandma will spank your little buttocks, do you understand? Spank your little buttocks!"
Little Tuantuan was mumbling something, but she seemed to understand a little bit. She turned around, twisted her little butt and crawled away. Little Yuanyuan was a little lazier than her brother. Although both children could crawl, she was not as lively as her brother. Instead, she could hold the caterpillar and play for a long time.
Zhao Guihua felt that taking care of children was a very tiring job. The older they got, the more tired they were. They would crawl around everywhere if you didn't pay attention. She washed a few pieces of clothes, wrung them dry and hung them outside the room, and had to come back quickly.
You really can't delay at all, otherwise these two kids will dare to cause trouble for you.
What Zhao Guihua fears most is children falling off the kang. It's okay if they are a little naughty, but they must not fall.
Zhao Guihua used a pillow to block the edge of the kang, but she didn't dare to say anything, so the child wouldn't run away. She didn't have much to clean up today, so she washed the dishes and clothes, and sat cross-legged on the kang. Little Yuanyuan saw her grandmother coming over, smiled sweetly at her grandmother, pointed her little finger at the bottle on the cabinet, and smacked her lips.
Zhao Guihua: “…”
She poked the little guy's cheeks. The baby was still chubby and soft. Zhao Guihua smiled and said, "Didn't your mother feed you before she went to work?"
Mingmei still takes an hour every morning and afternoon to feed her children. As a mother, she pays more than a father. However, because the two children are grown up, it is not enough for Mingmei to feed two children by herself.
In addition to milk powder, they also eat egg custard, rice noodles, etc., which is enough to eat. However, their family has already discussed that after the Chinese New Year, they will wean the child. Although some children can eat for a long time, Zhao Guihua thinks that one year is enough. Anyway, Mingmei can't keep up now, so why not let her stop. It's actually quite painful to go back and forth to feed the child twice a day. According to her, it should have been stopped when the weather got cold some time ago.
But Mingmei couldn't bear to leave, so she decided to hold on until the Chinese New Year, which was exactly one year.
Since Mingmei herself said so, Zhao Guihua, the mother-in-law, didn't care. But as someone who takes care of the baby, she could see that although Mingmei ate well and took a lot of supplements, she was just feeding one little one now, and two was really too much of a stretch.
It is said that sometimes when a poor family has twins, it is not really a big deal, and it is difficult to raise them. Their family is already well-off and can provide them with all kinds of complementary food, otherwise how could they raise the two little ones to be plump and white, like the fat babies in the New Year pictures.
Zhao Guihua didn't listen to the child's persuasion and didn't give her food. It was only a while later. She was definitely not hungry, but just greedy. This little Yuanyuan in their family was a greedy cat. When adults were eating, she would stare at their mouths closely and be anxious.
Little Yuanyuan didn't get what she wanted. She pouted and looked at her grandma, snorted, and hit her caterpillar unhappily.
Zhao Guihua laughed: "Oh, you have quite a bad temper."
Xiao Yuanyuan groaned again and tried hard to sit up. Xiao Tuantuan had been crawling around and suddenly crawled to her sister's side. With her sister's help, Xiao Yuanyuan actually sat up. The little girl leaned against the quilt, frowned her sparse and light eyebrows, and babbled at her grandmother, looking very dissatisfied.
Zhao Guihua: "This is even a demonstration."
She looked at the two chubby little guys and said, "If you're naughty, you'll get spanked."
She waved her hand at the two little brats, signaling to spank them. Little Yuanyuan immediately lay down, chewing her own little feet, pretending nothing had happened, as if the person who had been so fierce and wanted to drink milk just now was not her.
Xiaotuantuan at the side also quickly turned around and started crawling again.
Zhao Guihua laughed and muttered, "These two little things."
She can no longer remember what it was like to take care of Hu Tou and Xiao Yan Zi. After all, it was so long ago. There were decades of memories in between. But taking care of two babies made her feel that it was very time-consuming for her to have a baby, but it was also the cutest time.
Although they are very good at "binding people", they are also really fun.
She took out the needlework basket and began to sew shoe soles, a job she could do no matter how old she was. The cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles she made were the most comfortable to wear, and the old man in her family loved them the most.
Not to mention her old man, even her two sons who are young and playful don't like to wear the shoes she bought. In the previous life, when his family was well off, he could buy any leather shoes he wanted. Even those lambskin shoes were not as comfortable as hers.
Nowadays, there are many people who can make shoes, such as Wang Zizhen, who made shoes for herself before, and Zhao Guihua was very grateful. But to be honest, Wang Zizhen's craftsmanship is not as good as hers. Zhao Guihua plans to make a pair of cotton shoes this time.
She was a knowledgeable person. After seeing what her great-granddaughter was wearing, she thought it was good because it had a high waist and was warm for the ankles. She was planning to make one for her husband.
This old man will never enjoy happiness in his life.
Zhao Guihua was busy, and heard a voice coming from the door. He Lan: "Aunt Zhao, are you home?"
Actually, everyone lives in the courtyard, so of course you can see if someone is home or not, which is equivalent to a greeting, just like "Have you eaten?"
Just a casual greeting.
Zhao Guihua: "Come in."
He Lan came over holding Qingqing and said, "Aunt Zhao, can you help me look after Qingqing? I have to go to the hospital today. It's quite cold today, and it's a bit inconvenient to bring a child with me."
Zhao Guihua: "Put it here. I'll take care of it."
Nowadays, it is normal for neighbors to help each other. Why do some people prefer to find a family where all the elders are present even though they know that it is more uncomfortable to have a mother-in-law to support them? Isn't it just to get more help?
It is not easy for a young couple to live together, even if there is a housewife, to take care of the children.
Their compound has already been considered to be raising children very carefully. Zhao Guihua is reborn, her perspective and habits are different, and she takes care of the child with great care. The Zhou family has been married for more than ten years before having such a child, so they really look after the child as if it were their own eyeball; as for He Lan, Bai Fendou is a rough man, but He Lan is a rich lady after all, and her experience is relatively complicated, so they are afraid that the child will suffer any grievances.
They all raised their children very well, so naturally Aunt Wang's family followed suit.
Everyone does this, and if you don't, you'll seem like the weird one.
The babies in their compound are obviously raised to be fair and clean, unlike some families who just let their children crawl on the ground for convenience. They don't have that habit.
He Lan put Bai Qingqing on the kang, and the little girl immediately crawled towards Xiao Yuanyuan. She liked Xiao Yuanyuan's caterpillars. He Lan said, "Oh, Qingqing, you have one too. Look, you brought your own caterpillar."
Since Zhao Guihua was the first to make fancy caterpillars for the children, all the children in the hospital fell in love with them and would cry if they were not given them. As a result, all the children in the hospital now have hairy hands.
Bright red and green, flashy.
If adults saw this, it would be too ugly to bear. But, you know what, children just like it.
He Lan quickly gave her Xiao Qingqing's caterpillar. Although they were both caterpillars, there were still some differences. After all, they couldn't be exactly the same. They were all made of pieces of cloth. Xiao Qingqing looked at her own caterpillar, then at the round caterpillar, and held her own in her arms.
She babbled something to Xiao Yuanyuan, who also whimpered in response. Xiao Tuantuan came closer...
Okay, adults don’t understand at all.
Zhao Guihua smiled and said, "Let the children play together. You go and do your own thing. You can come back to pick her up when the time comes."
He Lan: "Thank you."
Zhao Guihua: "It's okay. It's not a big deal. It's nothing for neighbors to help each other. What happened to you?"
He Lan did not hide it from Zhao Guihua and said, "I was injured during childbirth and I didn't take good care of myself afterwards, so my health has never been very good. After I married Fendou, he asked me to go to the hospital for a good check-up, and they prescribed me some tonic medicine. I go for a check-up every month. It was okay to take her with me in the summer, but now it's cold and the ground is slippery after the snow, so I don't feel comfortable taking care of this little one."
She explained: "I wanted to go yesterday, as Sunday was just the right time for me to take care of the kids, but the doctor couldn't do that, as she didn't have Sundays on her schedule."
Zhao Guihua: "You really have to take good care of your body, otherwise you will suffer a lot when you are older. When Mingmei gave birth, I told her that it's okay to take a longer confinement period, and it's important to take good care of your body. It's the same for you. Don't be afraid to spend money. Your Bai Fendou is a worker, and we can live well as a family of three. Take medicine and take good care of yourself."
He Lan nodded: "I know."
He Lan went out with peace of mind as the three children played together.
She was wearing a scarf that covered her face tightly, and a bulky cotton jacket, which made her look particularly plain. At first glance, she was a housewife of ordinary means. This was He Lan's way of protecting herself. She didn't want to meet anyone she knew when she was a girl or someone she knew in Yangjia Village.
It's not that she's afraid of meeting people, but the backgrounds of her friends during her teenage years were not very good. Some of them had gone to the countryside, and some of them were completely different from before. They were all punished to sweep toilets and streets, and some were criticized...
And she was also afraid that the people she knew at that time would report her.
So He Lan is really scared. She would rather look unfashionable and no one would recognize her.
As for the people from Yangjia Village, she didn't want to meet them. She didn't want others to know about her current life, and she didn't want to meet the people from the Fan family again. As for Yang Lixin, she knew that Yang Lixin was not a talkative person.
Even if he is, he still has Aunt Wang above him, and Aunt Wang hates evil very much.
And in fact, Yang Lixin is not like that. He is not the kind of talkative person. He doesn't chat with people in the yard much on weekdays, and he doesn't meddle in other people's business. He Lan feels that she is really super lucky.
She came to the hospital, had a careful check-up, and found out that she was much stronger than before. She took a month's worth of Chinese medicine and came out with the medicine. Her face was covered tightly, and as she was walking out, she saw Guan Guiling from a distance.
Guan Guiling couldn't recognize He Lan like this, but He Lan recognized Guan Guiling at once.
Guan Guiling looked very bad. In fact, He Lan had only seen Guan Guiling once, when she came to the compound to look for Bai Fendou. The reason why she was so impressed with Guan Guiling was not because she almost married Bai Fendou, but because she looked so bad. She felt that Guan Guiling looked similar to her when she just came back from the countryside.
She had never seen anyone with such a bad look on this street.
So she had a deep impression of her, but this time, He Lan was even more surprised, because Guan Guiling looked even worse. Her face was sallow and she looked like she was seriously ill.
He Lan knew that this man should have rested for half a year, but he went back to work after only two and a half months.
She really didn't understand Guan Guiling. Was she really not afraid of death? She treated herself so badly.
Although she recognized Guan Guiling, she pretended not to know her and passed by her. Guan Guiling didn't pay any attention to the rustic daughter-in-law and walked into the clinic. He Lan looked back and didn't care any more.
They have nothing to do with each other at all.
He Lan went out and saw someone walking around the door selling eggs. He didn't approach because his family had just bought eggs before and they were more than enough for him to eat. However, when He Lan passed by, he pricked up his ears and vaguely heard "four points"...
Although someone was helping to look after the child, He Lan did not linger outside. After seeing the doctor, she went to buy some food and then hurried home. She returned home and put her things in the cupboard before coming to pick up her daughter.
At this time, there were already five little ones on the Zhuang family's kang.
Xiao Qijin is a few months younger than them and can't crawl yet. He followed the little brothers and sisters and babbled, and then he jumped in front of Xiao Qingqing. Xiao Qingqing was interacting with Xiao Qijin. When she saw her mother, she immediately threw the caterpillar away and ran towards her mother: "Baby wow wow wow!"
It's obvious that she wants to call mom mom mom.
He Lan quickly picked up the child and said, "How could you rush out?"
Xiao Qingqing showed her fine teeth and smiled.
He Lan poked her little cheek and said, "Go play with the other kids."
Even though Zhou Qun and Bai Fendou don't get along well now, Xiao Qijin and Xiao Qingqing are very good friends. They love playing together. He Lan sat down and said, "Today I saw someone selling eggs at the hospital entrance. They were four cents each. I took a look from a distance and they were not as big as the eggs we bought."
"Ah, four cents? The last time we bought it was three cents." Aunt Zhou was overjoyed. She loved this kind of bargain. Even if it was the same price, they were getting a great bargain.
After all, the eggs they bought were very large.
Zhao Guihua: "It's selling for 4 cents at the hospital entrance now?"
"That's right!"
He Lan said: "It's the end of the year now, and everything is going to increase in price."
Even though it is late December and there is still a long way to go before the Chinese New Year in mid-February, it is the season to prepare for the New Year. For example, the price of pork in the black market has increased. Eggs, pork, and frozen fish are all bound to increase in price at the end of the year.
That is rice, and the change is not big.
This is not a big change. Last year, due to the rain, there was a shortage of food, and the price of food on the black market went crazy. Well, the black market was taken down. You know, there has never been a precedent of taking down the black market before the New Year.
After all, who doesn't celebrate the New Year? The material quota is so limited. If you want to have a good New Year, you have to go to the black market. The leaders also want to celebrate the New Year, and the speculators and profiteers in the office also want to celebrate the New Year. Besides, those who can run the black market must have some connections, and generally speaking, it is not something that can be done casually.
But this situation has a prerequisite, that is food.
Grain is the foundation, and it must not be touched. Anyone who dares to use grain to make money will soon be doomed. As soon as the price of grain increased last year, something went wrong. So this year, even though the prices of New Year goods have increased, the price of grain remains the same.
Zhao Guihua: "So the eggs I bought last time were still suitable."
Last time, they just picked the big ones, the big eggs that are sold individually on the black market, and three or five cents is normal. Didn't you hear what He Lan said? The eggs they met today that are not as good as theirs are all four cents.
Aunt Zhou frowned and said, "I think I bought too little."
Aunt Wang also regretted and slapped her thigh: "I also bought too little, I bought the least! What a loss!"
When she bought them back, his chef Li complained to her why she bought so many chickens, saying that they had chickens at home. But when he saw the eldest and the youngest, he kept silent. She didn't care at the time, but now she thinks that the cunning old man must have known that this was not a loss.
Zhao Guihua: "No businessman would come here after doing business once. They will definitely come again. Luo Xiaohe even told me that if there is such a good thing next time, I will bring 300 of them."
Aunt Wang: “…”
She sighed: "He bought too much."
Zhao Guihua: "His family doesn't raise chickens. Besides, this one is big, so it's suitable. One is equivalent to one and a half. Do you think it's worth it?"
"That's right."
Aunt Zhou: "I don't know if it was the first time that guy sold goods, but he didn't even give us a cent. We got such a big bargain. But hey, no matter how many such merchants come, we won't suffer any loss."
She wishes there were more people doing this kind of business.
Zhao Guihua: "Is that easy to say?"
A few people were talking when they heard hurried footsteps. Yes, it was hurried footsteps again.
Wang Zizhen came over from the next yard, panting: "I guessed that you were all here. The egg seller from last time is here again."
Everyone's eyes lit up. Oh my, this person is really annoying. It's only been a few days and he's here again?
"Let's go and have a look."
Zhao Guihua looked at Aunt Wang, and Aunt Wang said decisively: "I'll ask Li Fang to come over to look after the child."
Li Fang, the versatile little nanny.
As soon as Li Fang arrived, everyone hurried out. Zhao Guihua said, "How come there is such a good thing?"
Everyone laughed. It was the same donkey cart man again. This time his donkey cart was parked in their alley. He was accompanied by an old lady in her fifties. The old lady had a kind face and looked like a simple and honest farmer.
This time there were six baskets of eggs and several baskets of fish on the cart, more than eggs. Wang Zizhen was very proud with her big belly. She said: "I saw their donkey cart as soon as I came out of the toilet. I know this uncle. He was the one who came to sell things last time. I knew he was here to sell things again, so I hurried to call you."
Zhao Guihua: "You are still quick, but you are not young anymore. It is snowing and the roads are slippery. You should take it easy."
Wang Zizhen: "I know."
At this time, Aunt Zhou had already started asking about the price. When they heard that it was the same price as last time, everyone was overjoyed. Zhao Guihua asked, "What about the fish? How much do you sell it for?"
The kind-looking old lady smiled and said, "We just caught these fish from the river, so they are fresh. They are two yuan each, you can pick whatever you want."
As soon as Zhao Guihua took a look at it, she knew two words: worth it! It was really worth it! Let's not talk about how much it costs in the grocery store, just pick this one up and it's worth it. This head is really big.
Zhao Guihua: "Can we buy more and get a lower price?"
The old lady smiled and said, "If you buy ten, I'll let you have one."
Zhao Guihua: "Then I will definitely want ten."
Now grocery stores also charge two yuan for one, but the size is not as big as this one. Zhao Guihua doesn't even need to choose. Just look at the fish on the top. This one is half the size of the one sold in grocery stores.
Several people were in a hurry. Since they were just randomly chosen, everyone would be a big one.
Zhao Guihua decisively picked eleven of them, each of which was equivalent to one and a half of the ones in the grocery store. Others did not suffer any loss either, as they all picked the big ones because they were the first to arrive. This was a good deal.
Zhao Guihua trotted home and quickly picked eggs again. Since Luo Xiaohe asked her for help, she would definitely help.
Several people were buying enthusiastically, and soon more people joined in.
After Zhao Guihua picked out the eggs, she heard the old lady in the car talking: "Everyone in our village calls me Aunt Shuihua. You can call me that if you like. This is my son Songshu."
Zhao Guihua was stunned for a moment, then continued quickly. After she finished choosing, she paid and saw Aunt Shuihua still chatting with someone. It was not good to gather together for such a thing. People had to leave quickly after buying. Their batch finished their shopping quickly and went home.
Wang Zizhen couldn't help but bought another fifty eggs and also bought ten fish.
The same thing happened to the others. Several people bought at least ten items each. After all, it was buy ten get one free. Several people happily entered the yard and saw Yinlai standing at the door. He looked at Aunt Wang and said, "Aunt Wang, I, I, I, I want to buy some too."
He seemed a little nervous, but still said, "My mom told me to buy some if I encounter something like this in the future."
This is true. The last time they bought suitable eggs, everyone in the yard knew about it. Wang Xiangxiu had to go to work, so she naturally couldn't have such a good thing, but Yinlai was at home every day, so she handed this matter over to her son.
Yinzi had not interacted much with the people in the yard since he was injured, so he was very nervous and stuttered when he spoke.
But he remembered his mother said that he could ask Aunt Wang, who was in charge of the courtyard, for help. That was why Yinlai kept encouraging himself and came out. Aunt Wang was also stunned for a moment, then said, "Okay, come and see, this fish is buy ten get one free, this egg is three cents, how many do you want to buy?"
Aunt Wang would definitely not argue with a child. Although their family was a little out of tune before, they have been doing well this year. Without Jinlai leading the way, Yinlai and Tonglai have become much more normal.
But Jinlai is a little too old, and it is not easy to correct his behavior. He stole things twice in a row and is still receiving education in a juvenile detention center.
Aunt Wang: "I suggest you buy ten, because you can get an extra one that's suitable."
Yinlai didn't dare to look up at anyone and said, "I'll listen to you."
"What about eggs? How many do you want?"
Yinlai knew that they had bought a lot, so he said, "Maybe fifty or fifty..."
"Okay, let's go. You come with me. Do you have enough money?"
"I have ten."
This is what his mother left behind.
Aunt Wang: "That's not enough. The fish is twenty. If you are sure you want to buy it, I will lend it to you, but you have to pay it back."
Yin Lai nodded quickly.
Zhao Guihua put her things down and said, "I'll go with you."
Aunt Wang and Zhao Guihua led Yinlai and went over again. The two old ladies had great killing power and quickly picked out ten big fish for Yinlai. Although the fish were suitable, most people were reluctant to buy them, so they did not sell quickly.
Apart from them, others would at most buy one or half a fish.
In fact, if Zhao Guihua hadn't bought ten pairs in an instant, Aunt Wang and Aunt Zhou would not have bought ten pairs at once. They were completely led by Zhao Guihua and always felt that this old lady would not suffer any loss.
There is nothing wrong in following and learning.
Aunt Shuihua looked at Yinlai with a smile on her face and said, "This boy looks really chubby, and his face is so white and clean that he looks like a healthy child..."
Before he could finish, he saw Yin Lai coughing so hard that it seemed like he was going to die in the next moment.
she:"……"
Aunt Wang sighed and said, "Yinlai, you should go home soon. If you feel uncomfortable with the big temperature difference, go home first."
“No, it’s okay…”
"Don't be so stubborn."
Zhao Guihua: "Okay, let's go together, haven't we chosen yet?"
After they finished their calculations, they quickly took Yinlai home.
The two of them sent Yinlai home. Yinlai wanted to take the money, but Aunt Wang said, "Don't give it to me. Wait until your mother comes back and give it to you together. The egg is three cents and the fish is two yuan. Remember to tell your mother."
Yin Lai nodded quickly.
"It's quite cold in your room." Aunt Wang said casually.
Yin Lai: "I, I didn't heat the kang, to save some money."
Zhao Guihua was silent for a moment, then looked at Yinlai, who was cowering in fear, and said, "If you're afraid of the cold, come to my house. Everyone is chatting at my house, and it's quite lively."
Yin Lai was stunned. He didn't expect Zhao Guihua to be so kind. He hesitated for a moment, looked at Zhao Guihua again, and nodded: "Okay."
After thinking for a while, he said, "Thank you, Grandma Zhao."
Zhao Guihua: "It's okay."
If Yinlai was still an ignorant child, Zhao Guihua would not have any kind intentions, but looking at his condition now, Zhao Guihua felt that it was nothing for her to have some kind intentions. Isn't that what human beings should be like?
Yinlai, carrying his sewing basket, joined the old ladies' team.
Li Fang raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Yinlai following her, but she didn't say anything. Fortunately, Zhao Guihua's room had a kang, so it was enough for everyone to gather here. Moreover, the more people there were, the warmer the room seemed.
Yinlai was sitting on a chair and put the basket on a small cabinet beside him. He called everyone one by one, his face flushed red.
Nothing has happened to others yet, but I am already feeling embarrassed.
Zhao Guihua thought to herself that this kid was a robber in his previous life, but he was just a cabbage in this life. It must be said that a person's childhood really has a great impact on his life. But after thinking about it, she felt that although Yinlai was a tiger, he was indeed the easiest to correct among the three brothers of the Su family.
In his previous life, Jinlai was in jail just like walking through the city gate, in and out, in and out, anyway, he was a thief, leaving his wife and children to be raised by Aunt Su and Wang Xiangxiu. When Tonglai was young, he accompanied a rich woman, and when he was older, he coaxed a love-brained young girl to support him, always relying on women to make money.
However, Yinlai went to jail for robbery and injury. After he was released, he reformed himself and became down-to-earth.
So Zhao Guihua believed that he had been thoroughly "educated" and reformed because he was stepped on by a pig.
Zhao Guihua looked at Yin Lai and didn't pay more attention to him. Instead, she said, "Do you think the two people who came to sell things today are weird?"
Aunt Zhou didn't take it seriously: "What's weird about that? I think it's quite normal. You bought someone's stuff at a cheap price, and you still say they are weird. Isn't that bad?"
Zhao Guihua rolled her eyes at her and said, "You can tell a person is stupid. Isn't she blamed?"
He Lan nodded: "Strange."
When Aunt Zhou saw that someone was agreeing with Zhao Guihua, she became dissatisfied and said, "Why are you still flattering Zhao Guihua? People say it's weird, and you also say it's weird. So, what's weird about it?"
He Lan was not flattering, she really thought so, she said seriously: "It's really strange, she introduced herself."
Not to mention speculation, even she didn't dare to introduce herself casually, for fear of being recognized.
"Why?"
Aunt Zhou was puzzled: "What's wrong with introducing yourself?"
Aunt Wang reacted at this time: "Yes, why did he introduce himself?! She is a speculator, she should be afraid of being known, why did she introduce herself?"
"That's right!" Zhao Guihua also felt that this place was strange.
At this time, Wang Zizhen also came to their house and said, "I feel strange too. I didn't react just now, but now that you mentioned it, I feel strange. The fish we bought is too cheap."
No one is as convincing as she is on this point.
She said, "You know that my husband and I often go fishing together. In fact, there are people on the river bank who secretly exchange fish. They say they exchange, but they actually sell. A fish this big would cost three yuan if it were exchanged on the river bank. He only sells it for two yuan. Doesn't he make money? It's impossible that all these fish were caught by his family? Even if they caught them themselves, it's unlikely that they could get two yuan. I don't believe it."
Compared with the fish in the grocery store, their fish is like father and son.
If you buy something this big directly on the riverbank, you might not even get three dollars for it.
You know, the food stores have fixed quantities, and the black market is usually more expensive than the food stores. The black market will charge an extra 50 cents for the same size fish as the food stores, not to mention this.
Speculation takes such a big risk, and selling at a low price, isn't that strange? Zhao Guihua: "Look, everyone thinks it's strange, right?"
Aunt Zhou: "What you said seems to make sense, but why is she selling it so cheaply? Is it from an illegal source?"
Zhao Guihua: "I don't know, maybe. I can't figure it out, but I just feel it's not right."
Anyway, she felt something was wrong, but Zhao Guihua really didn't understand why it was wrong. However, based on her vigilant radar, there was definitely something wrong.
"We have to be careful."
She added, "And they come here quite frequently. Generally speaking, shouldn't people who do this kind of speculation and profiteering be more careful and not come to the same place so often? It's only been a few days, and they've come here twice."
Aunt Wang: "Do you want to talk to the street?"
Zhao Guihua: "Let's wait and see. If we speak rashly, wouldn't it be wrong to accuse someone if nothing happens?"
"That's true."
"Let's wait and see if they come again."
"Okay, I think this is fine."
At this time, Aunt Zhou chuckled and said with great pride, "Looking at it this way, if he comes again, we still have to buy more, because the things they sell are more suitable than others. If there is a problem and he is caught, we won't be able to take advantage of him in the future, so we should take as much advantage as possible now."
"That's true."
Aunt Zhou: "No, I have to go out and buy some big fish, in case you don't come back in the future."
She rushed out again, and when she reached the door she remembered the child and turned around and said, "Please take care of Qi Jin for me."
Xiao Qijin ignored his milk and just babbled along with Xiao Qingqing.
I don’t know whether grandma has passed away or not!
Wang Zizhen: "Then I'll go take a look too."
Zhao Guihua smiled and said, "You two can both go fishing, why are you still going?"
Wang Zizhen nodded: "No loss."
She held her waist and went out. Yin Lai hesitated for a moment and asked, "Should I buy some more?"
Zhao Guihua: "Don't buy any more. We've bought quite a lot, and we've picked a lot. The remaining ones aren't that big. Besides, you don't have many family members, so you don't need to buy so much. They all have their own friends, and they don't eat all the food they buy themselves. I guess some of it is given away as gifts during the New Year. You're different, so you won't be able to use it."
Yin Lai nodded quickly.
Yinlai stayed at Zhao Guihua's house for a short day, and only went home in the evening when Tonglai got out of school.
When Wang Xiangxiu got home from get off work and saw the situation, she was completely shocked. She was different from kids like Yinlai. Yinlai was a kid and didn't understand these things because she didn't manage the household. But she was in charge of the family's food and drink, so of course she knew that this was a very suitable purchase.
Yin Lai: "Mom, I bought this today with Grandma Wang and Grandma Zhao. Do you think it's suitable?"
Wang Xiangxiu nodded quickly: "It's appropriate, of course it's appropriate. Twenty yuan for eleven big fish, there's nothing better than this. Eggs are also good."
Although these eleven big fish were a bit too much, the price was right, and they wouldn't go bad in the winter, so they could be stored and eaten slowly. Even the eggs made her gasp, saying, "This is a big deal."
No wonder they said it was suitable last time.
Wang Xiangxiu now realized that people who stayed at home all day might find some good things, but she couldn't do that at work. Fortunately, her son was capable. Wang Xiangxiu praised Yinlai in various ways, and Yinlai was so happy that he was snotty.
However, Yinlai also told his mother about Zhao Guihua and the others' speculation. Wang Xiangxiu: "Do they suspect that there is something wrong with those two people?"
Yin Lai nodded: "That's what Grandma Zhao and the others said."
Wang Xiangxiu thought for a moment and said, "Then mom will leave 30 yuan for the family. You can buy whatever they buy in the future. Don't be afraid to spend money. I guess this bargain won't last long."
Yin Lai: “Oh.”
Wang Xiangxiu took her small wallet and went to the backyard to pay back the money. Although she spent money, she felt comfortable and good.
They were all in a good mood because they bought cheap goods, but some people were not like that. They were the two people who came to sell things today. They were the one who called herself Aunt Water Flower and Squirrel.
They left quickly after selling their goods. They did not go far, but entered a large courtyard on the outskirts of the city.
It is said that the old ladies in this alley have sharp eyes and sharp vision. They really did not guess wrong at all. There was indeed something wrong with these two people. The two drove the donkey cart back to the courtyard and gathered with several other people.
This room seemed to be a family, including the old lady Aunt Shuihua, a middle-aged woman, a young wife, two men, and two half-grown boys. A total of seven people.
They are a family. Aunt Shuihua is the mother-in-law, the two men are her sons, the middle-aged woman is Aunt Shuihua's eldest daughter-in-law, and the two half-grown boys are her sons. They are a family of 4. The young wife is Aunt Shuihua's second daughter-in-law, who has not given birth to a child yet.
Of course, their family is not called Auntie Splash or Squirrel, but when they go out, these are their pseudonyms, and they use them even at home. This is for habit, to avoid accidentally letting the cat out of the bag when they go out.
As soon as the two came back, the eldest daughter-in-law came to greet them. She hurriedly went forward to greet her husband and mother-in-law to come in and said, "It's so cold, I warmed up some egg water for you."
Aunt Shuihua no longer had the kind face she had outside. Her simplicity and honesty were all fake. She was not like that at all. She made money by relying on her appearance. She acted like an old lady, sat in the main seat, lowered her head and drank a mouthful of egg water, saying, "It's freezing cold in this weather."
The eldest daughter-in-law asked, "Mom, are they all sold out?"
The old lady nodded: "Sold out."
The eldest daughter-in-law gasped in pain, and the younger daughter-in-law beside her exclaimed: "Won't we lose money if we sell all of this?"
They don't have these things themselves, they are all collected goods, and they sell them at such a low price, so the more they sell, the more they lose? After all, the prices of the collected goods are different, and some are more expensive.
Thinking of this, she said distressedly: "We should raise the price."
"Confused!"
The old lady slammed the rice bowl on the table, looked at the younger generations in the family, and said, "You really don't have a cent of my wisdom. You are stupid, really stupid. Don't you think about it? If we don't sell it at a lower price, can we win their favor?"
The daughter-in-law whispered, "So if we sell it cheaply, we can win their favor?"
Aunt Shuihua frowned and said, "Old Master's wife, tell me why I should sell it at a lower price."
The eldest son's wife said, "We sell things at a lower price, and everyone welcomes us. We go there more often, and we get to know these people, so they won't be on guard against us. If we go directly there, there are family members' quarters there, and everyone knows each other. Those old ladies with bound feet have sneaky eyes, and we will be noticed as soon as we go there, and we won't be able to do anything. But now we always go there to sell things, and we are familiar with them, so they won't be on guard against us. Next time we go there, we won't be noticed."
Aunt Shuihua: "That's right, the eldest daughter-in-law is smart."
Several people in the eldest wife's house were proud and pleased.
The young wife bit her lip, not understanding, and continued to ask: "If that's the case, we can make it cheaper, why is it this price now?"
Aunt Shuihua is happy to answer questions for her new daughter-in-law, which is also a way to cultivate her growth. She said earnestly: "If you sell too cheaply, people will suspect that there is something wrong with you. What if they report it and target us? No matter what we buy, we have to keep the same price as in the grocery store. This way, people will feel it is appropriate but not exaggerated. They can take advantage without feeling that something is wrong, and we can slowly blend in."
"Mom, I understand."
Aunt Shuihua continued, "Besides, we always sell a lot of babies. We push donkey carts over with big and small baskets. They are used to it and won't think it's wrong. When we steal the babies and put them all in baskets and take them away, they won't be able to react for a while. They will never think that we would hide all the babies in baskets."
The old lady was very proud. She said, "Don't think you are losing money now. These are all costs. We have costs so that we can protect ourselves better. When the time comes, we can kidnap a group of boys and sell them. How much money can we get back? Do you still care about the few dollars we lost today?"
Who could have imagined that this seemingly kind old lady was actually a beggar.
In fact, there are no kidnappers who look particularly ferocious. This will immediately make people alert. People who are kidnapped usually look harmless. Such people are easy to be targeted.
Like this person who goes by the alias Aunt Shuihua, she is like this. She looks like a very nice old lady, but in fact... only she herself knows how dirty her heart is.
"In our line of work, we work with our heads on the line, so we can't be careless at all. We've spent money now, but it's a guarantee for ourselves. Otherwise, how can you check out the place? Only in this way can it be the safest. It will also help with the follow-up, so we can't be careless. If you are careless, you might be beaten to death by those people if you are caught. Even if you are not beaten to death, it's not good to go to jail. Human traffickers and rapists are hated and bullied even if they are in jail. When your father went to jail, people heard that he was a kidnapper, so they beat him up every day. In the end, he couldn't stand it anymore and died. Damn it, they are all bad guys. Why do they think they are better than us?"
"that is!"
Aunt Splash: "So we are doing more small moves now, also for safety."
"Mom, we understand."
Aunt Shuihua: "If we have ten or so children in this batch, we will be rich."
"Mom, do you think Su Jinlai can be trusted? Is what he says correct?" This was asked by the second son in the family.
After being asked this question, the boy jumped out: "Second Uncle, why don't you believe in my ability? I have been in this business since I was a child. As for that idiot Su Jinlai, I asked him a lot of questions and he told me everything. He didn't know that we wanted to kidnap people. He treated me as a brother, why would he lie to me? I asked him clearly. He has a little brother at home. He is only seven or eight years old this year. He is just suitable to be sold. There are many babies in their yard. It happened that they were born at about the same time, but only two were boys, one from the Zhuang family and the other from the Zhou family. I remember them clearly. There is also a family called Chef Li. He has two boys in their teens. And, there is also the yard next door..."
He knew everything about the boys in that area.
He was in the juvenile detention center because of stealing food, and he happened to meet Su Jinlai. This kid was a big thief, and he was also in there for stealing property. They had been hanging out together for two months and were very familiar with each other. He was not like Su Jinlai, who had to stay in there for as long as he did. It must be said that there were more children in Su Jinlai's area, so wouldn't his family have more channels?
"I have found out the truth! Su Jinlai would not lie!"
"I didn't say he was lying, but aren't we just trying to be safe?"
Aunt Shuihua raised her hand to stop everyone from talking and said, "My eldest grandson is right. What Su Jin said about the situation in their area is indeed correct."
While they were selling things, they also asked a lot of questions without leaving any trace, and they basically matched.
Squirrel: "Mom. That's right, but this is a little too big for a boy in his teens. Do you think it's okay?"
Aunt Shuihua: "Why not? Sell the older ones to the villages in the mountains. They don't have to raise them like this, so they can have sons to support the family and do farm work. They won't mind the older children. Sell the younger ones to the better families in the city. They usually want their children to be immature and treat themselves as their real parents. I've thought of it all. But you have to remember, we don't want daughters. We can't sell little girls."
“We understand this.”
"If you want a woman to do this, she has to be an adult. Little girls can't do it."
Now my family can't even get enough to eat, so I don't want to raise a girl. But... "Mom, if there are good-looking girls or wives, should we take action?"
Aunt Shuihua smiled and said, "Of course!"
She said: "The bachelors in the mountains like it the most."
This is valuable.
She said, "If you want it, but let's kidnap the child first. The main thing is to get the child, so this one is easier to take away."
"We understand."
This family is used to doing this.
Aunt Shuihua smiled and said, "Let's go there a few more times before the New Year. After we get to know each other well, we can take action on New Year's Eve!"
"Ah...this day?"
Aunt Shuihua said seriously, "This is the best day. The streets are full of firecrackers during Chinese New Year. If the child struggles and shouts, the sound of the firecrackers will drown out the sound and no one else can hear him. Besides, during Chinese New Year, the children are playing in the streets and there are many people. We can choose smaller ones so that we can control them better."
"You are very smart!"
The human trafficker Aunt Shuihua laughed and looked very proud.
However, can she achieve her wish? It is hard to say!
(End of this chapter)
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