Chapter 23: The Bitter Fruit of One's Own Brewing
Silence, long silence.
This silence lasted for more than ten minutes, until a shrill wail pierced the sky: "Oh my God, why won't you leave us poor people a way out?"
"I'll go out and take a look!" Chu Ci pushed open the door and saw a thick layer of hail covering the yard.
The old man and his family squatted at the door with dejected expressions. When they saw Chu Ci coming out, they managed to stand up and greet him. "My lord, what do you want?"
"Outside..." Seeing this scene, Chu Ci was actually a little embarrassed to speak. The words on his lips turned around and became: "Most of your villages in the south are near water. Do you make pickled fish in your spare time? Or dried fish?"
"Yes, yes. Zhuer, go and get the dried fish from the backyard." Although the old man didn't understand Chu Ci's intention, he subconsciously regarded her as a life-saving straw and hurriedly instructed his grandson.
"Grandpa, can you bring them all over?" The family was poor, barely able to eat any decent meat year-round. Any larger fish had to be sold for money. Dried fish was a rare meat treat in their household. A child's world was simple, and he wanted to eat meat. Naturally, he was reluctant to part with it.
Qian Chuanzi and the others happened to be attracted by Chu Ci's behavior and opened the door. The old man was afraid that this would make Chu Ci unhappy. "Stop talking nonsense, bring it all over!"
"Oh!" The grandson was very unhappy after being scolded by his grandfather, but he didn't dare to refute. He trotted away with his head hung.
Soon, two baskets of different dried fish were brought in. "Don't laugh at me, but for easier storage, we usually dry the fish raw. But the kids were greedy, and my wife was kind enough to cook them."
The old man pointed to one of the baskets and introduced it to Chu Ci.
Chu Ci didn't refuse and took a bite. It was delicious and crispy. The more he chewed, the more fragrant it became. It was indeed suitable for children. He immediately called out to his friends, "Big sister, Qianxue, Qianyan, you come and try it too."
The three of them subconsciously looked at Mr. Fan, who nodded slightly. Then they smiled and walked over. They had thought Chu Ci was exaggerating, but it turned out they were being narrow-minded.
"Grandpa, your family's craftsmanship is unparalleled." Qianxue praised without hesitation.
Qianyan nodded, following Qianxue's lead, and said, "Well, it's perfect for entertaining on the road. Sister-in-law, how about buying some? I wonder if the old lady would be willing to part with it?"
"I'm willing to give it to you. Just give me fifty cents for this basket. No, thirty cents will be enough. Thirty cents is enough." The old man was so excited that he could hardly control himself.
Chu Ci frowned slightly, "It's just that the number is a bit small."
"Little? This..." The old man hesitated for a moment, "Other families would make some, but I wonder if it would suit your taste?"
This is a problem, Chu Ci wants to help, but he won't really take advantage of it. Fortunately, Zhu'er is a cheerful child.
"I know that the dried fish from Grandma Wang's house is the most delicious. The dried fish made by Xiao Miao'er, Xiao Niu, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Xiao Tiao's mother are also very delicious. But Xiao Xiao Tiao's grandmother is very mean and stingy. Xiao Xiao Tiao's mother can only make dried fish secretly every time."
"Then we'll take from these families. We'll take as many as we can. Fifty cents per pound, including raw and dried fish, but the one they have must be no worse than what you just took out." Chu Ci made the final decision.
"Hey, hey! I'll go tell everyone right away." They want raw, cooked, and dried fish! The expectation became reality, and it far exceeded expectations.
The old man was overjoyed and secretly calculated in his mind: With this money, not only would his family have enough to replant the seeds, but they would also have some left over. He could buy some good tiles, making the house warmer in the winter.
The village, shrouded in gloom one moment, suddenly regained its vitality the next. Although some families not named expressed some dissatisfaction, the elders of the village united to suppress it.
Chu Ci was very satisfied with this.
Fan Jingrui has always been proud.
Even in exile, he was proud of his profound knowledge and upright family tradition. He firmly believed that even in exile, he could use his talents and knowledge to serve his country and his people. Therefore, he always felt that everything Chu Ci did was justified.
However, it was only at this moment that he realized that words speak louder than actions. The old man was worried about the livelihood of the villagers, while Chu Ci took practical measures to ensure their survival.
I have always been narrow-minded. After thinking it through, Fan Jingrui no longer rejected Chu Ci and walked quickly to Chu Ci's side. "You are helping them!"
Wow, isn't this the type who only comes to visit for no reason?
Chu Ci turned sideways and looked at the old man in the room. The old man smiled and nodded. Chu Ci was more certain: "Is it Grandpa? He asked you to come over."
You have to bear the consequences of your own actions. Fan Jingrui gave a bitter smile: "Couldn't it be because of my own fault?"
Chu Ci took two steps back after hearing this, "What do you want to say?"
Even Qianxue and Qianyan were wary of him, "Brother, don't forget your identity. We can't do more now."
Fan Jingrui was really sad now. "Qianxue, Qianyan, in your hearts, am I such a person who can't tell the difference between the important and the unimportant?"
The two shook their heads, more confused than ever. "Brother, is the damage caused by the hail really that great?"
"It's very big. Daddy said that the wheat in the field was broken in half. This season's wheat is considered to be wasted. Our village was already poor, and this has made it even more difficult." Little Zhuer talked about this topic, but he didn't have any childish liveliness.
Upon hearing this, Qianxue and Qianyan looked at each other and felt lucky again that they had met such a good sister-in-law.
He was the eldest brother, a little ungrateful. So they turned around and rolled their eyes at Fan Jingrui. But it was him who was in the wrong, so what else could Fan Jingrui do? He could only accept it!
"I will change, I will definitely change! I swear, I will treat your sister-in-law well in the future."
Chu Ci was speechless. She really wasn't as great as they thought. But she didn't want to waste the free labor. "Well, I'll leave the fishing to my husband. Is that okay, husband?"
"Okay." Fan Jingrui agreed very readily.
Although the two were just doing their business, the elders of the Fan family all smiled like aunties.
The younger aunt even walked over to Chu Ci's mother-in-law and gently touched her eldest sister-in-law's arm, "Sister-in-law, has Brother Rui finally come to his senses?"
Madam Fan shook her head in amusement. "I don't know whether Rui'er has finally come to his senses. But my father-in-law and mother-in-law are absolutely delighted with this grandson's wife."
"As long as the parents-in-law are satisfied, you will be dissatisfied?" The younger aunt did not like to hear this, and she laughed and retorted to her elder sister-in-law.
Mrs. Fan was indeed dissatisfied with Chu Ci before, and her house was ransacked on the wedding day. Isn't this a definite disaster?
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