After the Guang family was sued, the villagers became friendly with Zhang Fangyuan again. They started to greet him every time they met him, and even praised him for catching the thief, but did not mention anything about what happened before.
Zhang Fangyuan was too lazy to pay attention to him. However, his uncle, after the lawsuit, actually asked his fourth uncle to bring a pork chop over for the first time, as a thank you for helping him recover the lost items.
He didn't hesitate and accepted it. He also told his fourth uncle that if he wanted to express gratitude in the future, he should let his eldest uncle do it himself, and that his fourth uncle should not act as a peacemaker and pamper his eldest uncle.
Two days later, he went to the city.
“The best, fresh winter bamboo shoots!”
"The shell is thin, the bamboo shoots are big, and they are sold at a good price!"
Zhang Fangyuan stood under a tea stall near the West Market with his hands folded, watching Xu He hawking his wares at the market. This guy rarely speaks a word in the village. He just keeps his head down and does his work. However, he is not at all shy when selling things and is quick in greeting people. Soon, women selling vegetables come over with baskets on their arms and twisting their waists to inquire about what he is doing.
"The shelled ones are five cents a pound."
The woman asked, "What about the shells?"
Xu He took the scale and whispered to the woman, "Shelled ones are expensive, Madam, you might as well buy them with the shells. If you find it troublesome to take them home to peel them, I'll give them to you and you can take them back. Wouldn't that save you trouble and money?"
"You are a very honest boy." The woman smiled and squatted down to pick up the bamboo shoots. The round bamboo shoots still had bright colors on their skins, and they didn't look like they had been dug for a long time. She picked up four bamboo shoots weighing about a pound each: "That's all."
Xu He quickly stepped on the scale and said, "Four catties, almost six ounces. I'll give you twenty-two cents to save you some money."
The woman was very satisfied and took out some money from her waist. Xu He quickly started to shell the bamboo shoots. Make a straight cut on the plump and round bamboo shoots, cut off the hard bamboo shoot heads by slicing them on both sides, and a fresh bamboo shoot fragrance will be emitted, and the winter bamboo shoots will come out intact.
It was very tender and yellow, and felt very brittle when the woman pinched it with her fingernails.
“The stewed chicken and pig’s trotter soup is fresh and crispy, just like eating spring vegetables.”
The woman smiled and gave the money: "This is the best thing for winter."
Seeing that the cut bamboo shoots were really fresh and tender, the people around picked up two. Winter bamboo shoots are much more expensive than ordinary vegetables. If you buy one or two, they look big, but in fact, there is not much left after removing the outer skin. However, they are not eaten as the main dish, but mainly used to cook meat. One or two are enough for a pot of delicious broth.
Xu He was busy collecting money, introducing the bamboo shoots, and peeling them in an orderly manner, but he hadn't sold them all for a while. The restaurant's cook came out to buy some, inquired about the price of winter bamboo shoots, and negotiated with Xu He. He bought all of them, without peeling the shells, at four cents a pound, for a total of thirty pounds.
These winter bamboo shoots look really good and are very popular. Xu He thought they would sell well, but he didn't expect them to be sold out so quickly. He packed up his things, looked up at Zhang Fangyuan who was standing guard in the distance, then looked around. Seeing no familiar faces, he walked forward.
"It sold for two hundred and twenty coins."
Zhang Fangyuan lowered his eyes and looked at people with a smile.
"Did you listen to me?"
"You usually don't talk much, is it because you said everything you wanted to say when you were hawking in the city?"
Xu He rolled his eyes at him and said, "Who would buy things if you are doing business with such a face?"
"You know you always put on a face in the village."
"Why do you talk so much?"
Zhang Fangyuan grinned with two rows of white teeth: "Okay, don't be angry, I won't say anything."
Xu He ignored him and counted out half of the money. He gave Zhang Fangyuan an extra 65 coins, leaving himself with 45 coins. "The account is settled."
Although he felt that Zhang Fangyuan should get the lion's share of the money earned this time, but after careful calculation, he found that apart from not digging the bamboo shoots, he also put in a lot of effort, provided the backpack and hoe, and processed the bamboo shoots himself. He was also selling them today, so he deserved the money.
Zhang Fangyuan accepted the money and said, "I still make money by selling winter bamboo shoots. I only get 25 cents for slaughtering a pig."
Xu He said: "Winter bamboo shoots only grow once, it's not something you can do forever."
"That's right." Zhang Fangyuan said, "Where are you going next?"
Hearing this, Xu He pursed his lips and turned his head away, as if he didn't want to tell him what he was going to do. He walked to the front carrying the empty backpack. Zhang Fangyuan followed him and asked, "Did you eat the bamboo shoots you brought home last time?"
"Um."
"How?"
"Stewed bacon."
Zhang Fangyuan thought about the taste and said, "What you make must be delicious."
Xu He paused when he heard this and looked at Zhang Fangyuan suspiciously: "How do you know?"
"I just know that your second sister can't cook. In fact, you usually cook. But your biased mother led everyone to guess that it was your sister who cooked."
Xu He did not feel relieved that others knew the truth, but was worried: "Don't spread nonsense everywhere."
Zhang Fangyuan looked at the person who warned him, his eyebrows slightly frowned, and he sighed slightly in his heart: "I'm not the gossipy woman in the village."
Xu He was relieved. He walked briskly to the front, turned his back to Zhang Fangyuan and waved, "I'm back."
Zhang Fangyuan did not chase after him this time. He smiled as he watched Xu He's figure disappear at the end of the street before turning around to do his own thing.
"Brother Zhang! I haven't seen you for a while. Where have you been making money recently?"
Zhang Fangyuan went to the meat market and went straight to find the person who was in charge of the stalls.
"Where can I go? Same as always."
Zhang Fangyuan didn't want to talk about his own affairs, and said directly: "I came to you this time to rent a stall."
The man was quite shocked when he heard this, and whispered, "Brother Zhang is not working with Young Master Qin anymore?"
Zhang Fangyuan shook his head. The Young Master Qin the man was talking about was called Qin Zhong, and he was his boss when he was hanging out in the city. He was good at fighting and quick at doing things. By chance, he became Qin Zhong's subordinate and soon attracted Qin Zhong's attention. Outsiders thought that Qin Zhong valued him very much and gave him to several of his brothers to take care of him, which was quite prestigious.
In the past, Zhang Fangyuan was also very ambitious. He thought that if he followed the right person, he would have a bright future. He worked very hard for Qin Zhong. However, he was later used as a pawn and ended up in prison.
"Do some serious business."
The man knew that Zhang Fangyuan was a fierce man, so he didn't dare to ask about his personal affairs. He just said, "I'll just take care of the stalls in the meat market. Brother Zhang, please pick the right ones to use."
Zhang Fangyuan said: "Just leave me a decent stall, and I will pay you according to the market price."
"Brother Zhang, you are being polite. How can you make money from running a stall? You are the one who is responsible for taking care of the meat market."
Zhang Fangyuan felt helpless when he heard this. He had made a name for himself in the past, but now when he looked for acquaintances, people would think he was bullying. He emphasized: "I am no longer with Qin Zhong. I am doing some decent small business to support my family."
The man's eyebrows moved, and he stopped while he was ahead: "Brother Zhang is far-sighted. It's better to do some solid business. I'm tired of fighting and killing. You can give me half of the market price. We are all acquaintances. It's also an opportunity for my brother to do a favor."
Zhang Fangyuan said nothing more and gave the man one hundred and twenty coins.
The meat market stall earned eighty cents a month, paid quarterly, and he paid half price as the man wished. Seeing this, the man took the money with a smile and said, "I wish Brother Zhang a prosperous business in advance."
Zhang Fangyuan patted the man on the shoulder and said, "I'll treat you to a drink next time."
"well."
Zhang Fangyuan and the man walked around the meat market, chose a stall, and then went back as he had nothing else to do.
Time passed quickly. During the New Year, firecrackers could be heard from time to time in the village. During the New Year, the children in the village used their saved money to buy firecrackers in the city for fun, and the festive atmosphere became stronger and stronger.
It snowed lightly during the Little New Year, and the villagers had already posted Chinese characters for "blessing" and couplets, and the gray earthen and thatched houses also had a festive red touch. Zhang Fangyuan was carrying some newly cut wood from the mountains, passing by the big village road. From a distance, he saw Xu Shaochun wearing a red jacket. She was like a bright flower blooming in Jijiu Village and in the hearts of the men in the village.
Many young men wanted to go up and talk to her, but Miss Xu's bright eyes were filled with the scholar Fei who had just returned from the city after a break from studying. The two of them seemed to have returned from the city together, talking and laughing. The scholar was elegant and the girl was pretty, they were a perfect match.
Zhang Fangyuan didn't join in the fun and went home in big strides. During the Chinese New Year, the villagers' homes are also bustling, but Zhang Fangyuan's home is deserted, no different from usual, and there is not much of a New Year atmosphere.
He sat with his legs crossed under the eaves, carving wood. He had been working overtime on carpentry these days. His homemade cart had taken shape. After smoothing it out and adding a little glaze, it would look no worse than the carts sold in the workshops in the city. After he installed the wheel, he tried pulling it in the yard and found it worked smoothly without any sticking.
Although making it yourself is time-consuming and laborious, it can save money on buying a cart. Zhang Fangyuan is very happy and shamelessly thinks that he is getting better and better at living.
"Why is a person still secretly happy?"
Zhang Fangyuan put down the cart and watched his fourth uncle come over with a basket.
"Your aunt cooked a pig's ear. Bring it over to drink with your wine."
"Okay." Zhang Fangyuan pulled the cart back into the house and wiped the table. Zhang Shicheng sat down first and took out a plate of pig ears from the basket. There were not many pieces of meat, but there were some peanuts.
"It's New Year's, and the house still needs someone to keep it tidy. The most important thing is that it's lively." Zhang Shicheng looked up at the house. Although there were signs of tidying up, it was definitely not as tidy as his own home with his wife.
At this point, he got to the point: "The Guang family's bad mouths ruined your reputation in the village. Now you've been sent to the government office. I heard that the Guang family has moved away again. Everyone knows that you were wrongly accused, and no one talks about the previous incident anymore."
Zhang Fangyuan threw two peanuts into his mouth: "Hmm."
The villagers all greeted him when they saw him, and a few days ago someone asked him to help slaughter animals. He knew that things were getting better.
"Your aunt's idea is to take advantage of the New Year when every household is celebrating and the matchmaker comes to propose marriage. Maybe it will work out."
Zhang Fangyuan frowned when he heard this.
Zhang Shicheng stared at his expression, and seeing him like this, he confirmed his thoughts. Before he could open his mouth, he said, "I've already told your aunt that there's no rush for this matter. You already have a plan."
Zhang Fangyuan couldn't help but resist the marriage proposal. He didn't know why. He was the one who proposed to find a marriage at first. But when his fourth uncle said he had a plan, he said rationally, "Plan? What plan do I have?"
Zhang Shicheng tilted his head, looking rather disappointed: "You were talking to the youngest of the Xu family with your mouth almost splitting to your ears. I felt embarrassed watching you. And you still say you have no plans?"
Zhang Fangyuan carefully thought about when his uncle found out about his relationship with Xu He. He couldn't figure it out, but since he was close to him, he didn't pursue the matter. He just asked in disbelief, "Is it really that obvious?"
"You should just leave a mirror on your belt. Next time, take a good look at your worthless appearance."
Zhang Fangyuan touched the tip of his nose, feeling a little lost for words.
"I think about it carefully. Although the youngest son of the Xu family is not as smart or good-looking as his sister, and his personality is also cold, he is down-to-earth and hardworking. I think he is capable of managing the family and living a good life."
"He is smart in some way, but not many guys are as clever as him!" Zhang Fangyuan just listened to his fourth uncle saying bad things about Xu He and immediately refuted him.
"Oh my." Zhang Shicheng frowned and said, "You're already protecting me so tightly before we even have a chance to get together. And you even say you have no intentions on me. Just listen to me first!"
Zhang Fangyuan took a sip of his wine and said, "Tell me, Uncle Si, you tell me."
"I think Mr. Xu is a very good person..."
"Of course!" He was the one who spoke for himself earlier.
"You little bastard, do you want me to tell you something?"
"Fourth uncle said, fourth uncle said!"
Zhang Shicheng glared at Zhang Fangyuan and said, "He has good character and grew up under my watch. In fact, it is because of Xu Shaochun that this boy is so outstanding. If he were in another family, he would be a very good boy. The most important thing is that you, a big fool who has been obsessed with iron since childhood, like him. If that's the case, then make preparations early."
"Xu Shaochun has been a 15-year-old girl for over a year. Even if the Xu family likes her very much, they won't keep her forever. When she gets married, she will definitely be next to Xu Laoyao. The age difference between them is not that big. It would be a shame if she was spotted by someone else."
Zhang Fangyuan was troubled by it. He remembered that Xu He had married and moved to another place. She ran away before the wedding and was caught. It was a big deal and he still had some vague impression of it.
"Mrs. Xu favors his second sister. If I ask a matchmaker to go to the Xu family to propose marriage, wouldn't that mean I'm going to bypass his sister? How happy will his biased parents be? It's not easy to reject my proposal."
Zhang Shicheng responded: "You have thought about the matter carefully. Your aunt has also said so. That's why I came to talk to you."
"You should not keep your love for He Ge'er to yourself. Learn from the young people in the village. Some of them respect Xu Shaochun and send him food today, jewelry tomorrow, and some even go to his house to help him with work. If you treat them well, they will understand your intentions. After a few interactions, they will have their own ideas. Wouldn't that be twice the result with half the effort?"
Zhang Fangyuan couldn't help laughing when looking at Zhang Shicheng.
He raised his head and was slapped on the forehead: "Just laughing, did you remember what I said?"
Zhang Fangyuan nodded repeatedly: "I've got it. After listening to Fourth Uncle's words, Tiehu's brain seems to have been enlightened."
"You stinky boy!"
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The author has something to say:
Zhang Fangyuan: Uncle Si has something on him.
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