Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Curse.
The news that Ji Xu had been selling meat steamed buns in Shengchangli for three consecutive days spread throughout Benguli.
Because of Bao Yu's contribution, she couldn't help but proudly share it in the fields.
"If you ask me, this girl has good vision. She knew to ask me about the inside story first. I was born and raised in Shengchang Village. Who else in Bengu Village knows that place better than me? It's all thanks to me!"
"Those tyrannical merchants in Shengchang didn't chase her away?"
"Ms. Xu is really lucky! Those barbarians in Shengchang are so rich that buying steamed buns is a piece of cake for them. Yet they asked her to eat that hard bone."
"Why was I kicked out when I went to sell vegetables last time..."
When Feng Fuzhen heard these words, she was so angry that she left and went home. She complained to Aunt Xu, "It's all my fault. Why did you tell Aunt Xu about this? She's not a member of our family. Why should I help her?"
Mrs. Xu was puzzled. During the busy farming season, her granddaughter had insisted that Xu Nu come to the kitchen at home, but now she was tired of her. She didn't know why.
She said, "We're from the same hometown, so if we can help others, we should. It's good for our family's reputation."
Seeing that her mother wasn't on her side, Feng Fuzhen blushed with anxiety. She said, "I'll tell you quietly. Three years ago, my uncle suddenly decided to give up his studies and go to the county to find some work to earn money. He actually wanted to go with Xu Nu. I'm afraid you don't know, do you?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Xu couldn't help but frown.
Her little boy had a bad temper since he was young and was always accompanied by books. He rarely spoke to her. But somehow, the girl got along very well with him and they got along very well.
She did not pay much attention to Feng Yun, and was only focused on his studies. Later, the great scholar in the Classics School heard that he was quite talented in elementary school and was willing to accept him as a disciple to teach him the classics. She was so happy that Feng Yun gave up and went to the county to find a job.
"They agreed to go there on a certain day, but Xu left a day early. As luck would have it, she was abducted by the thieves."
"How do you know this?" asked Aunt Xu.
"I was still young at the time and often followed them around, so they didn't guard against me when they spoke."
"Where is Xingba? Where did he go again?" Feng Fuzhen turned around and came back to ask.
Mrs. Xu still had that frown on her face, looking thoughtful. After a while, she said, "Oh, he went to play with Wang Li."
At this time, Wang Li went to the second house of Ji's family as usual to help collect firewood in exchange for steamed buns to eat. Feng Xingba came to find him, and when he heard about steamed buns, he also went to join him like a sticky dough.
However, Ji Feng does not need to go to Feng's house to herd pigs recently. She is at home. She and her younger sister have just had steamed buns for breakfast. She still doesn't understand why her elder sister left so many. There are still seven left after breakfast. It would be great if she could take some more to Shengchangli to sell for money.
As soon as I came out of the kitchen, Wang Li, Cui Guangyao, Chen Gou'er, Chen Sui'er and Feng Xingba all came.
Ji Zhu then told her about their recent efforts to collect firewood in exchange for steamed buns.
When Ji Feng heard this, she poked her finger at her head and said, "You were still young at that time. You didn't know that Wang Mazi had stolen cucumbers from our family. You invited his family here. Isn't that inviting thieves?"
Ji Zhu lowered her head and dared not say a word.
Wang Li's cheeks burned with shame, and he rushed out, "I'm not a thief! I've never stolen anything from your house. It was Ji Huhai who stole your steamed buns to eat!"
Ji Feng then asked her sister in detail, and only then did she know that Ji Huhai had sneaked into the kitchen to steal food that day. She got angry and cursed him through the courtyard wall:
"You greedy little devil! If I catch you, I'll tie you up with whips! I don't know who taught you that!"
Ji Huhai, who was standing at the foot of the wall next door and wanted to join in collecting firewood, became even more timid after hearing this. He was afraid of Ji Feng next door, even more than he was afraid of his own sister, so he immediately ran into the main room.
The short one bumped into Jin, who came out after hearing the scolding.
She hugged Ji Huhai, stood in the yard, and said in a loud voice:
"Who are you talking about? Who are you talking about? Who taught this beast to be so rude to his aunt?"
Ji Feng replied, "I'll tell anyone who steals my steamed buns to eat. If you don't teach your own children well, you'll raise a little thief! I'll be laughing if he gets caught by a thief!"
Jin then came to her senses and realized that it was Ji Huhai who had stolen the steamed buns from her house. No wonder a lot of firewood under the window was stepped on that day.
She thought there was a thief in the house, and after checking inside and outside, nothing was missing. It turned out that this little rascal had gone to the second room. She was so angry that she grabbed Ji Huhai and spanked him.
“Who told you to steal from her house?
What's there to steal? You greedy devil!"
Ji Huhai was beaten so hard that he screamed and twisted his body. He finally broke free and dodged behind Ji Fu who had just left the house.
Ji Fu protected him and said, "Why are you hitting him? What child doesn't steal things?
If her family locked the kitchen, could Tiger Boy have stolen it? Just say a few nice words to her, why resort to violence? If you break something, your ancestors will blame you. "
Jin gritted her teeth in anger because she had lost face in front of the second wife. Especially when she heard in the fields that Ji Xu was selling steamed cakes in Shengchang again, her heart was like boiling oil on fire.
That’s Shengchangli, much richer than Benguli. The steamed buns there must be selling very well and it would be easy to make money.
But the kid was still begging for mercy and wanted to eat the steamed buns from the second room. How could she not get angry? He pounced on her and was about to hit her. Ji Huhai dodged, Ji Fu tried to stop him, and Ji Yuan tried to persuade him. The situation was in chaos.
Ji Zhi, who was lighting a fire and preparing breakfast, came out. She was still wearing patched clothes from the previous year, but her mind was full of the two sisters Ji Feng and Ji Zhu.
Even they were wearing new clothes. I heard that they used half a piece of cloth from Chen's house to make new clothes from head to toe. Ji Feng had been wearing them for the past two days, and she would pat them at the door when she saw a little dust.
She saw it all and asked Jin to make her new clothes, but Jin said that her old clothes were not worn out yet and refused.
She felt sad and bitter in her heart, and came up with an idea. She said to Jin:
"Mom, I'm going to Shengchangli to do business. I'll sell our pickled vegetables and use the money to bring honor to you."
Jin kissed her and said, "My dear A Jiao, you are much better than your useless brother. I will clean it up for you.
My jar of pickled vegetables is sour and tasty enough, won’t it make those people in Shengchang so greedy that they will run after you?
It’s all right to think of her as a girl, so why can’t you…”
She had already seen the money going into her own pocket in large amounts.
Ji Feng and his friends from next door had already gone to Niupi Mountain to collect firewood. Wang Li followed them. Ji Feng didn't chase him away, but just gave him a cold look.
Wang Li worked even harder to collect firewood, and he collected a large bundle, more than anyone else. When distributing the steamed buns, although there were exactly seven, Ji Feng was reluctant to give them one by one, so he broke off half for each of them and said,
"These are stuffed with meat, and they're so delicious. My sister sells them for two cents each in Shengchang, and everyone's fighting over them. I can only bear to give you half."
She thought that the remaining three could be kept for dinner, which would also save some food.
"Meat filling? That's great, great. I love the meat cooked by your sister." Feng Xingba's eyes lit up.
Chen Gou'er and his sister were also swallowing their saliva. They had only eaten white jade meat before, and had never tasted this kind of meat, which could only be eaten during the New Year. When they heard about it now, how could they not be greedy?
As for Wang Li, he deliberately looked away. When it was his turn, Ji Feng broke it open and handed him the small piece. "Here."
But when she caught a glimpse of the large bundle of firewood behind him, she thought, "One thing is one thing," and gritted her teeth, handed him the larger piece, and took the smaller one for herself.
Wang Li was a little stunned. He took it for a long while, put it in his mouth, and saved half to take back to his sister Wang Mian. Chen Gou'er and Chen Sui'er did the same. They ate it frugally and were reluctant to eat it all. They wanted to bring it to their grandmother to taste the meat filling.
"I'll give this piece to Grandfather to try."
Feng Xingba finished the meal in no time, savoring the lingering fragrance in his mouth, and said:
"I'll come again tomorrow!"
"Sister!"
It happened that Ji Xu had also returned. Her sisters called out to her, came forward to greet her, vying to take the things in her hands, and stuck to her in front of their friends.
Ji Feng took the heavy willow basket.
He still bought meat and fifty duck eggs. Ji Xu now makes preserved eggs every day for future business.
Although steamed cakes are sold in large quantities now, they still cost more than half a bushel of flour and four or five catties of meat every day. After deducting these costs and the money spent on buying duck eggs every day, only about one hundred coins can be saved.
But it is still far from enough to build a house. If they continue to save like this, by the time they have enough money, it will be winter. Their broken thatched house is leaking everywhere and there is no place for people to live.
So she made a jar of preserved eggs every day, which she would open after some time, and perhaps it would add a steady income.
Ji Zhu took a brand new wooden barrel and said curiously, "It's a wooden barrel! It even smells like wood."
"That's great. This wooden barrel won't leak when used. Sister, how about using the old one for watering the vegetables? Look, it's made of such thick wood." Ji Feng was also happy to see it. She also picked it up, shook it, and carefully put it in the kitchen.
They added a cauldron and a steamer to their kitchen, and even got new water jars and buckets, not to mention the clay basins, sauce jars, and clay pots for lard. These objects neatly placed on the stove filled up the originally dilapidated home bit by bit, and it made them feel at ease just by looking at them.
"Sister Xu!"
"Have you added anything new to your family?"
The others shouted, gathered around to take a look, and then continued playing in the open space in front of the house.
Seeing that the house was so lively, with firewood piled in front of the door and everyone holding steamed buns in their hands, I knew that these young men and women were helping to collect firewood again.
Ji Xu smiled and agreed. He went into the kitchen and saw that there were still three steamed buns left in the pot. He said to Ji Feng, "Take these three out and share them."
Ji Feng turned her over and whispered, "I've already given them half, and we'll keep the rest for ourselves."
Ji Xu thought for a moment, then bent down and asked, "Sister Feng, do you think this thing is precious and you want us to keep it for ourselves?"
Ji Feng nodded, "That's right! These steamed buns with meat filling are so delicious and nutritious."
Ji Xu understood and stopped forcing her to leave. He patted her head and said, "Then it's up to you, Sister Feng."
The children have their own way of getting along with each other, so she doesn't interfere too much. Besides, Ji Feng is reluctant to share now. After all, her family is poor and she has never had a good life. When she becomes rich in the future, she will have more things in her hands and will naturally be willing to share them.
The next morning, while on his way to sell steamed buns, Ji Xu discovered that there was a tail following him.
As they were leaving Benguli, Ji Zhifang came running up to her and said, "Cousin, I'm going to Shengchangli to sell things too. Could you take me with you?"
Yesterday, Jin took her to Feng's house with half a bowl of pickled vegetables. She wanted to sell them well and asked Bao Yu to give her some advice. However, Bao Yu thought it was shabby and didn't say a word. Jin was so angry that he scolded her a few times and dragged her away.
It was she who coaxed Jin to calm down, saying that she was used to selling things in the country market and could do it without Bao Yu's guidance. She was able to come out today and follow Ji Xu from a distance.
She waited until they were far away before coming over to talk to her. If Jin saw her begging Ji Xu, she would point her finger and scold her for being shameless. But Ji Zhi didn't care about that. She just wanted to sell things and make money.
Ji Xu said truthfully, "I just stepped into Shengchangli, and I haven't even found my feet yet, so I can't take you with me."
Ji Zhi smiled bitterly and said, "Just let me follow you."
In such a big Shengchang, Ji Zhi could go wherever he wanted, and walk along the same path she had walked along. It was not something she could stop him from doing. Ji Xuyin nodded and said:
"Okay, but let me be frank. If you're chased away by vendors selling the same things as you, I alone won't be able to stop them. If you think the situation isn't right, run away."
The two men entered Shengchangli one after the other, with Ji Xu selling steamed cakes in the front.
Ji Zhi changed his words and also learned to hawk.
"Here are the pickles—the sour pickles, they're delicious—"
Not long after they walked, before the shop opened, Ji Zhi saw a group of men coming towards her in a hurry. She thought they were coming to drive her away, and her whole body tensed up.
He hesitated whether to run or not, but when he saw that the three people were blocking Ji Xu, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
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