"The four sides are well repaired and in good shape. Look at these boilers and stoves, they are all new."
Liu Xianglan looked around the tea shed three times, then looked at Xu He again and again. Until Zhang Shiyue came over and greeted: "Madam Xu is here, please sit down."
"Okay." Liu Xianglan then withdrew her gaze and drank tea in the tea shed very unceremoniously. She then grabbed Xu He and asked him all kinds of questions, such as how much it cost to repair the tea shed and whether the business was good.
Xu He shook his head, still unaware of his mother's character: "Why is mom asking about these things? Do you want to give me some subsidies?"
"Life is difficult at home, how can we get money to help? You have a meat stall and a tea stall, don't you have plenty of money?"
"Mom, business is not that easy."
"Come on, you're complaining to me now. I don't care about your loan."
Liu Xianglan crossed her legs, acting like a host. She was about to say something when she suddenly saw a tall and strong figure coming back from the door. She subconsciously straightened her legs.
"Hey, my mother-in-law is here."
Zhang Fangyuan saw people as soon as he entered the room, put down the bucket and went to drink water.
Liu Xianglan rubbed her thighs and said, "Ah, He Ge'er's father is concerned about the difficulty of your business running a tea shed, so he asked you to send some vegetables from the field over. If you want to eat them in the future, you can pick them at home. It's better to save some money."
Zhang Fangyuan sighed: "That's quite strange."
Liu Xianglan added: "Let's ask He Ge'er to go home for dinner tomorrow. We are from the same village and he hasn't been home for a while."
"That would be great."
Liu Xianglan felt like she was sitting on pins and needles when talking to Zhang Fangyuan, as if she was sitting on the bench with a fever. After saying a few words, she ran out of words to say. Seeing that Xu He had harvested good meat, she wanted to ask him to come home tomorrow and bring some home, but when she saw Zhang Fangyuan sitting in the room with his legs spread out like a judge, she was so upset that she couldn't say anything.
I can't help but miss the time when the two families first got engaged. At that time, my son Zhang Fangyuan was so kind-looking and sweet-spoken. He would come to the house every few days and bring some meat. Now that the person is in her hands, her true nature has been exposed, and she can't be provoked. The two daughters have married, and each of them has their own problems, which really makes her parents feel suffocated.
"Okay, He Ge'er, come earlier tomorrow." Liu Xianglan stood up and said, "I'm back."
Zhang Shiyue poked his head out from the kitchen and said, "Madam Xu, come back for dinner, let's go together."
"No, my wife at home still needs me to go back and cook."
Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He didn't keep her and let her come and go.
"Why did you promise her that I would go back? Not to mention that I'm busy here, if she asked me to go back for dinner, it must be nothing good."
Zhang Fangyuan said, "What are you afraid of? I will go back with you."
Xu He thought for a moment and said, "Forget it. I'll go by myself. If you go too, both business at home will be delayed. It's not worth it."
"So you can handle it?"
"Don't worry, it's okay."
Zhang Fangyuan responded, "Okay, if there is anything, put it aside for now and I will deal with it when I come back."
The next day, it was almost noon when Xu He returned to Xu's house from the tea stall. Although there were more customers in the tea shed at noon than at other times, he took care of everything before leaving, leaving the rest to Zhang Shiyue. Xiao'e and Xiaomao, who were playing here, could lend a hand and had no problem sweeping the floor, lighting the fire, and serving the dishes.
Xu He went back with peace of mind.
When he arrived at Xu's yard, he could see smoke coming out of the kitchen from a distance. It seemed that the meal was already being cooked. It was rare that his family didn't wait for him to come home to cook. When he entered the yard, the sun was scorching and he was sweating under his straw hat. He took off his hat and hung it on the wall nail on the eaves. He heard some noise in the house.
"My aunt is here, and my second sister is back too."
Liu Xiangmei, who was fanning herself in the hall, was stunned when she saw Xu He coming back. She almost didn't recognize him at first glance. It turned out that she was talking to Xu Shaochun. When she saw Xu He, she immediately left Xu Shaochun, pulled Xu He to sit next to her, and fanned him repeatedly: "You must be hot, why didn't Zhang Fangyuan tell you to send you back in a carriage? Look at you sweating in the middle of the day."
As she spoke, Liu Xiangmei took out a handkerchief and wiped Xu He's face.
Xu He subconsciously stepped back. He had never experienced such warm concern in this family or among the relatives and friends in this family. It was completely sudden.
Liu Xiangmei was not surprised. After living in the city for so many years, changing facial expressions had become commonplace for her and she did not feel embarrassed at all.
He glanced at Xu Shaochun beside him, then at Xu He, then took his hand and patted him gently: "You have grown well, you look so smart, your age is the best time to grow, look, you are a little taller, so outstanding."
Xu He laughed dryly: "Aunt, that's not true."
"I'm not saying this to fool you. Look at our brother. He's tall and has gained weight. When he walks out, people will take a few more glances at his appearance."
Xu He thought that it was better in the past. His aunt seldom spoke to him. She would go and talk to Xu Shaochun when she was called. But now she was really abnormal. She didn't even talk to her second sister, but kept praising him.
"Your butcher didn't come today?"
"I'm going to set up a stall in the city."
"Yes, he is busy with business." Liu Xiangmei smiled and said, "Your butcher is always good at doing things and treating people well. Every time I go to buy meat, he recognizes me and calls me auntie all the time. He always gives me good prices."
Xu He laughed. He hadn't heard Zhang Fangyuan say this to him. He just said, "Of course."
"My family is doing well now, and both sides are doing business. It's no wonder that my aunt is so happy and worried about me. Every household in the village says that Zhang Fangyuan is capable."
Liu Xiangmei held Xu He and talked nonstop, as if she had endless things to say, and ignored Xu Shaochun. Several times Xu Shaochun tried to interrupt and say a few words, but Liu Xiangmei always turned the topic back to Xu He, which made her so angry that she started speaking sourly.
"Look, your second sister is still unhappy. It's not easy for the family to be reunited after their children get married, so why is she so petty?"
Xu He took the opportunity to take a closer look at his second sister and was a little surprised. The glamorous look she had when she was a girl at home had disappeared. Today, she was wearing plain clothes without any head ornaments. You know, she dressed up like a young lady at home before, but she was even more undignified when she went out. She had to fumigate her clothes with flower petals and wear hairpins and rings.
His eyes were lifeless and his eyelids were slightly bulging, as if he had not slept well for many days. The pair of delicate hands that she used to have at home are now covered with yellow calluses from the cuts, and the skin that she used to be so proud of, as white as green onions, is now emitting a yellowish color.
Maybe he got a little tanned from working in the fields in the summer, or maybe he didn't sleep well at night.
In short, the whole person looks gray and lacks energy.
Xu He had occasionally heard that his second sister's life in the Fei family was not very comfortable. Now he saw that it was indeed not as good as when she was being pampered at home. But it is normal. The one who marries into the husband's family is the mother-in-law, not the biological mother. Naturally, she will not be spoiled or coaxed. If she does not do things well or thinks things through clearly, she will be scolded and trained. There are even more vicious mothers-in-law in the village who will resort to violence.
With Liu Xianglan around, the Fei family probably wouldn't dare to take action. Besides, they are all scholars, and if the news got out, their reputation would be damaged, which would not be good. Although he did not suffer beatings, he still did not have a comfortable life.
Xu He couldn't help but sigh, who knew it would turn out like this, but now it seems that he had lived a good life. He had always been interested in Zhang Fangyuan, and there were no parents-in-law or father-in-law there, and Zhang Fangyuan spoiled him a lot.
"My aunt sees that He Ge'er is doing well and treats him warmly. Shaochun is down and out, so naturally he is laughed at by the villagers and criticized by the family. It's fine that outsiders make fun of me and use me as a topic of conversation after dinner, but I never thought that my aunt would be like this. The family should have treated He Ge'er as a treasure, so what else do they need me for?"
As he spoke, Xu Shaochun wiped his eyes, suddenly stood up, and ran back into the house to cry.
"Oh, what about this kid!" Liu Xiangmei stood up and pretended to chase after him, but she didn't really catch up. Seeing that he ran back to the house, she simply sat back down and said to Xu He, "Your second sister is married, why is her temper worse than when she was at home? No wonder the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not good. Your mother is the same. She even went to the Fei family to make a scene. Even if she won, the girl will still live in someone else's house and will have a lot of trouble."
"I felt that the Fei family's marriage was not a good one at first, but your mother refused to listen. She thought that scholars were good and had a bright future. But she remembered to share this bright future with you, didn't she? It would be great if you could do some down-to-earth business, so that you wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing. Once you have solved this problem, you can think about studying. Otherwise, how could ordinary people afford it?"
"Look at your second sister. She used to be such a good girl, but now she has become like this."
Liu Xiangmei kept shaking her head.
Xu He didn't know what to say, so he drank his tea silently and said, "I'll go to the kitchen and take a look."
"Your aunt is a person who doesn't take things lightly. She knows that you've finally come back, but she still has to make you cry." Liu Xianglan listened to Xu Shaochun crying in the house, and she threw away the spatula and was about to go back home. Xu He didn't want to chat with his aunt in the hall, so he thought it would be better to just cook.
Unexpectedly, Liu Xianglan saw that he was not going to go into the house again, and said, "I called you back today, firstly, for a family gathering, and secondly, I have something to discuss with you."
Xu He glanced at Liu Xianglan and finally got to the point.
He didn't respond, so Liu Xianglan continued to talk to herself, "You've seen how your sister is doing. The Fei family is in a mess. Fei Lian passed the imperial examination and the family should have been living a comfortable life with money coming in every month. But Fei Lian has to continue wasting time in the academy. It would have been fine if he didn't find a job to support his family, but he has to use the money given by the court to pay for his studies, and his life is still so hard."
"Your second sister doesn't get along with her mother-in-law. How can she live if she is under their watch every day?"
"We are all family. Now that both of you are doing business, let your second sister go to your tea shed to help out."
After hearing this, Xu He suddenly laughed and said how kind she was to call him back for dinner: "Mom, don't you know how big my tea shed is? Can it accommodate so many people to help? My second aunt has already helped."
"I'm not saying anything bad about you, but why did you take in that widow and her burden? I don't know how you would agree to it if there are two more people to feed." Liu Xianglan said unhappily, "Otherwise, the tea shed would be empty, and it would be more suitable for your second sister to go there. You don't know how to think about business at all."
"Go back and talk to the widow and ask her to go home. Your second sister will help out in the teahouse from now on."
Xu He said bluntly: "How can Second Sister do those jobs? If it weren't for mother's pampering at home, she would obviously not be good at anything. She had to go out and say that she was good at everything to save face. Half of her life now is due to you. If you want me to ask Second Aunt to go back home to take care of it, I can replace Second Sister. I can make sure she helps out in the tea shed and has food to eat, but I won't pay her. After all, Second Aunt doesn't get paid for her help. I'm not stupid enough to let someone who doesn't get paid go. Find someone who wants to be paid."
"How can we do this without paying? It would be like working for nothing!" Liu Xianglan became anxious when she heard this.
"Why do you work for nothing? Didn't you promise to give me food?"
"How can her mother-in-law agree to let her go just for the food?"
Xu He said, "Then this is her business. What can I do? The tea stand doesn't make any money, and the family has a lot of expenses, but there is no money to subsidize the second sister. If mother has money, why not ask the second sister to come home and help you break corn? You give her money and come back to take good care of her. I think the Fei family has money to take, so there is nothing to say."
"What nonsense are you talking about! Be decent!"
Xu He said calmly, "Mom, weren't you the first to talk nonsense?"
"Now that you have a good life, you won't give your family a chance to survive, right?"
"You have to earn your living by yourself, not by others." Xu He said, "Isn't Second Sister doing well now? She has learned everything and is good at many farm chores. She is just not used to this now, but it will be fine once she gets used to it. She was born in a farming family, but her parents insisted on raising her like a daughter. It would have been fine if they just raised her, but they married her off to a farming family, asking for trouble. It would have been better if you had married Second Sister to a wealthy family in the city."
Liu Xianglan was so angry that her teeth ached. She thought that the butcher had not come today so she could talk to Xu He. As the months passed, the bad boy's words became more and more unpleasant.
The couple are really a pair of birds of a feather. The way they speak is equally irritating.
Liu Xianglan wanted to yell again, but Liu Xiangmei came in at this time: "What are you arguing about? We are a family, take a break. What Renhe brother said is right. I told you earlier that there is a good wealthy family in the city, with plenty of money, and I wanted you to marry Shaochun to them. But you complained that it was not good to be a stepmother, and the man was too old. There is no such thing as a perfect marriage in the world!"
"He'er, go inside and have a rest. You have to go back to the tea shed to work in the afternoon. I'll help your mother light the fire."
Xu He pulled himself back to the central hall.
Seeing the man leave, Liu Xiangmei whispered again, "I said Zhang Fangyuan was good before, but you still looked down on me. Let's see what happens now."
"What's the point of saying this now?"
Liu Xiangmei retorted, "You are useless, so you keep yelling at He Ge'er, asking him to give you whatever you want. Do you think he is still the same as when he was the little boy at home? You think he is still a soft persimmon that you can squeeze whenever you want. I wonder why you don't use your brain and think carefully at your age."
"Shaochun's mother-in-law is very fierce and powerful. Fei Lian listens to his mother in everything and can't stand up for anything. Don't expect him to support Shaochun. Even if the Fei family has a great future, it is estimated that it will not be in your family. Shaochun should be thankful that his life is better. He will have to rely on He Ge'er in the future."
"I think Zhang Fangyuan is capable, and He Ge'er can also handle things. The couple is fine, without parents-in-law above them. They will be more prosperous in the future. Any money that comes out of their fingers will be enough for you and Lao Xu to live a good life." Liu Xiangmei was very disappointed: "You are so vicious, and you still treat people as slaves? I would have flown away a long time ago, and I would be surprised if I would listen to you. If I go home and complain to Zhang Fangyuan, he might come to my house again soon, and there will be chaos. The village will be a laughing stock again."
Liu Xianglan's face turned blue and red. She was already upset because she had made the wrong bet, and now she had to please Xu He, who was used to being ordered around. She felt even worse.
But she also felt that what her sister said was true. She didn't take the last conversation to heart, and now she was in big trouble. She sighed deeply, and the glorious days of the past were really gone forever.
"Please don't mention the matter of letting Shaochun go to the tea stall again. He just opened the shop, and you, as a mother, rushed to ask for benefits without helping at all. You are not only a biological mother, but also a foster mother. Who would be happy with your behavior?"
Liu Xianglan said, "I am also worried about Shaochun. He has a hard life in the Fei family every day, doing so much work but not getting any good results."
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. You can't protect her for her whole life. She has to make her own living." Liu Xiangmei said, "If you really want to do good for her, then live an honest life and don't think about fighting with that woman from the Fei family. Let Shaochun talk to Fei Lian and ask him to find a job. It's important. He's already in his twenties, not a rich young man. It doesn't make sense to let his family keep him."
"If you don't make money, you will never be strong enough in your life."
Liu Xianglan was annoyed, and after a while she said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Xu He heard the conversation between the two people in the room clearly from outside. He didn't say anything. No matter what Liu Xianglan thought, he didn't ask her family to please him. As long as she didn't do anything weird, everything would be fine. But his aunt, who had been working in the city for many years, was worthy of her reputation. Although she was more materialistic than many people, she was still a person who knew what was going on.
Zhang Fangyuan finished his work very early today. He was lucky because after he set up his stall, an old buyer who always came to his stall to buy mountain products came. He had an important event to attend at home, so he bought all the meat on the stall and took it back. It was the first time he met such a buyer. He was extremely lucky. After some help in delivering the meat to the owner's house, he bought a piece of ice on the roadside and went straight back to the tea stall without even having lunch in the city.
I was thinking about telling Xu He about my good luck today, but I didn't see him coming back. Then I remembered that he went home today.
He had been informed in advance, so he was not afraid of the Xu family making things difficult for him. The tea stall happened to be busy at noon, so he helped Zhang Shiyue greet the guests.
When I had free time, I would scoop a cup of tea and go to the mat outside to drink the tea and peel melon seeds. If I saw someone passing by, I would greet them.
"Ayuan, He Ge'er bought some watermelons yesterday and put them in the well to cool. It's going to be hot at noon, and you might get someone to buy them if you open the door."
"Okay." Zhang Fangyuan responded and went to fish watermelons from the well behind the tea shed. When the tea shed was being built earlier, he took into consideration that it might be inconvenient to get water at this end, so he asked the two brothers of the Chen family for two more days' wages and dug a well together. Now it is very convenient to use.
The plump watermelon was scooped out and it was cool, just like it was taken out of an ice cellar. He tapped it lightly, with a very skilled sound, and he was able to smash the melon open with only half the force of a fist. However, since he was going to sell it, it would not look good if he smashed it open.
He took it to the small wooden bridge outside the tea shed and used a kitchen knife to cut the whole watermelon into twelve even pieces. He then cut it in the middle to make twenty-four pieces. He took one for himself and ran to the side to eat it. "Second aunt, it's done. Come out and have some."
"I have been cooling off here all day without feeling hot or thirsty."
Zhang Fangyuan was about to say something else when he suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance. Then a short man carrying a load on his shoulders ran in and asked, "Brother, how much are these watermelons?"
"Three cents a piece."
The man put down his burden, took out three cents and ordered a piece of watermelon. It was cooled with water from the watermelon well, and was cool, sweet and juicy, very effective in relieving heat and thirst. The man finished the melon in one breath, feeling a little unsatisfied, but did not ask for more. Instead, he started chatting with Zhang Fangyuan, who was drinking tea at the table next to him.
"Brother is a butcher?"
Zhang Fangyuan glanced at the man and said, "You have quite a keen eye."
"There used to be a butcher opposite my house. I would watch him cut meat when I had nothing to do. It's obvious that big brother's knife skills are not something that ordinary people can use. Besides..." The man sniffed and said, "You smell like an animal."
Zhang Fangyuan couldn't help but frown when he heard that. Xu He liked to be clean and didn't like the smell on his body. He thought of boiling some water and took a shower in the toilet behind the tea shed. It would be cool and remove the smell. There's nothing you can do about the hot summer weather. People like them who do this kind of business are certainly not as respectable as those young masters who drive BMWs.
Before he could say anything else, the man immediately said, "I have something good that can remove odors very well."
Without waiting for Zhang Fangyuan to decide whether to look or not, the man opened one of the poles he was carrying and quickly took out a small porcelain bottle from it. Before Zhang Fangyuan could get close to him, the man opened the lid and a very strong fragrance immediately spread out.
"This bottle of perfume is hard to come by. If you sprinkle it on your clothes, it will still smell good for ten days or half a month. It's perfect for you, big brother."
Zhang Fangyuan held the small porcelain bottle and sniffed it carefully, not daring to get too close as the smell would be too greasy. However, from a distance, even if it was sealed in the bottle, there was still a faint fragrance.
His eyebrows moved slightly. If he remembered correctly, this fragrant dew was called "Rose Water".
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