On New Year's Eve, the weather was clear and after lunch, every household moved a bench to the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Just as Qiuhua was wondering why her brother hadn't come home yet, Erhua turned in from outside the courtyard gate.
"Qiuhua!"
"Brother!" Qiuhua stood up in surprise and turned around to shout into the house, "Dad, Mom, Brother is back!"
When the mother heard the shouting, she hurried out of the house. Erhua had been walking fast and was sweating all over. He took off his coat and hung it on his arm. This was not enough, so he fanned his face with his hands.
"Mom, I'm back. It's too hot and my mouth is dry. I need some water."
"Okay, I'll pour you some water, just wait a moment." Mom said as she was about to go back into the house.
"Mom, don't pour it out. I want to drink well water."
Erhua rushed to the well, put his mouth close to the bucket and drank it up.
"Oh my, it's cold! How can you drink cold water like this? You'll get sick!"
Mom hurried over and pulled Erhua's hand away. Erhua raised his head, wiped his mouth, smiled innocently and said, "It's not cold, not cold. Mom, you see I'm hot. Drinking well water will make me feel better."
Qiuhua brought out a bench from the house and took out a few oranges and pumpkin seeds that had just been fried in the morning.
"Brother, sit down and eat some pumpkin seeds."
Erhua loves pumpkin seeds. These are scooped out from pumpkins, washed, dried, and then fried in a pan for a while, until the shells are slightly browned. The seeds have a nice, charred flavor, and the kernels are even more fragrant once you crack the shells.
"Qiuhua is the best. She knows I like pumpkin seeds."
"I didn't cook this, my mom did."
"Mom is the best to me."
Mom smiled and rolled her eyes at him, then sat down beside him and said, "You're just a talker, nothing like me or your dad."
"My eldest brother is most like my father."
Listening to Qiuhua's words, Erhua curled his lips and said, "What's the use? He's too honest. He doesn't even dare to help you grab a piece of silk thread..." The rest of the words were too unpleasant, so Erhua didn't say anything.
Qiuhua knew that he was going to say that his eldest brother was a coward. Erhua and Dahua had never gotten along. In fact, Erhua had not been doing his job properly before, and he looked down on Dahua for going to work honestly in the team. However, his family and outsiders all praised Dahua for his diligence and said that he was a good person, so he took out his anger on Dahua.
At this time, Dahua and Xu Guoqing came in from outside. They were very happy to see Erhua, and he forgot what he had just said.
"You've come at the right time, come and bask in the sun." Erhua greeted them.
Xu Guoqing and Erhua were squeezed together. Seeing this, their mother made room for them and went in to bring a small stool to sit on.
"How's your experience with rosewood carving?"
Xu Guoqing grabbed a handful of pumpkin seeds, pinched one between his front teeth and bit it gently. He licked the kernel out with his tongue and spat the shell on the ground.
"It's okay. Master treats me well and teaches me carefully. It's my special skill. He doesn't let me do any work." He said this with a bit of boasting. Seeing Xu Guoqing didn't react, he added, "My senior sister, Master's daughter is so beautiful. I think Master has that intention."
"Oh my, where did this good fortune come from? How come Master Tang noticed you just by hanging around outside? Why doesn't he notice me?" There was a hint of sourness in Xu Guoqing's words. After all, his fame was much better than Erhua's.
"That's because Master has good vision!" Erhua's vanity was satisfied.
"You're such a lucky kid," Xu Guoqing said, his sour tone fading. "I don't know what I'm going to do in the future! I don't earn much working in the team all year round, so I just exchange it for some pork from your family."
"Production teams are not supposed to work well. Look at Wang Aizi and his family. They are so lazy, yet they are thriving there. We shouldn't have this. It would be much better if every household could get a piece of land and work on their own!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Dad came out and heard Erhua's rebellious words. He was somewhat rebellious.
Erhua didn't say anything, but his face was obviously not good. He was already this old, but his father always scolded him loudly, which was really embarrassing.
"Dad, today is New Year's Eve, I'm just talking and chatting."
Qiuhua came out to smooth things over. Liang Genfa stepped aside and said in a much more relaxed tone, "It's fine to chat, but don't gossip about the team's affairs. If you do, you'll be sent to live in a pigpen!"
"Uncle, there's no such thing these days. You just think we were just fooling around when we were young, and we'll forget about it after we hear it. Look how successful Erhua is now."
Xu Guoqing’s words were always effective, and the atmosphere of the chat was revived.
"Yes, I didn't expect that my junior apprentice would like Erhua, but I don't know if his team has any objections. The Tangli Village team is all about redwood, and it would be troublesome for him to recruit an apprentice from outside."
Erhua felt warm in his heart when he heard his father's words. He had never thought that his master would have such difficulties.
He has always been conceited and thought that he was smart and clever, so the master came to recruit him specially without thinking about anything else. After listening to his father's words, he felt that the master was very good to him.
"I think your master wants to recruit you as his son-in-law!"
Xu Guoqing's words exploded in the hearts of several people. Erhua seemed to have been hit by a wake-up call and suddenly woke up.
It turns out that the master is not attracted by my good qualities, but is looking for a husband for his lame daughter?
"How could he possibly be? He only has one daughter. Didn't Erhua say she's pretty? How could he be interested in Erhua with these conditions?"
Liang Genfa immediately denied Xu Guoqing's words. Erhua did not feel dissatisfied this time, but remained silent.
He never told his family that Tang Luozhen was a cripple.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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