Chapter 66 Father, can we go together?
The main purpose of Xu Yu's trip this time was to send Aunt Xu Er and others to the embroidery shop to find a way out. In addition, he took the venison he had hunted after ambushing in the mountains for three days to the market to sell, so as to exchange it for some silver money to supplement his life.
They came back earlier than Sang Zhixia expected. As soon as the wheels stopped in front of the door, Sang Zhixia heard the excited laughter.
Xu Wenxiu smiled so much that the fine lines at the corners of her eyes formed waves of joy. As soon as she entered the room, she joyfully took her hand and said, "It's done, it's done! This time, our plan has been accomplished!"
Aunt Xu couldn't help but smile: "It's true, thanks to my second sister-in-law who came along and showed off her skills, otherwise it wouldn't have been so smooth."
Although Aunt Xu's spirit and energy are not as strong as before, her skills are really good.
She can do Suzhou and Sichuan embroidery, and even the double-sided embroidery that is said to be priceless, with ease. When she showed off her skills with needle and thread in the embroidery shop, the owner of the shop was immediately stunned.
Such exquisite and rare embroidery techniques are rarely seen in Kyoto, where the powerful and wealthy gather, let alone in the northwest where all resources are far backward?
A craftsman doesn't just rely on his words; he can impress others by showing off his solid skills.
Uncle Xu originally wanted to go along to support the women in the family who were now on their own for the first time, but when he got there he found no opportunity to speak. Aunt Xu, relying on the skills she had learned from her parents at her parents' home, quickly reached an agreement with the owner of the embroidery shop.
Sang Zhixia helped Second Aunt Xu and helped her into the main room where the charcoal basin was burning. Then she said, "So it went smoothly?"
"More than just smooth sailing?"
Uncle Xu smiled and said, "Your Second Aunt's craftsmanship is excellent. The owner of the embroidery shop was afraid that she would be lost if the negotiation failed, so he took the initiative to raise the price. We just followed suit to take advantage of her and didn't say a word."
Aunt Xu took the hot water that Xu Minghui poured for her and smiled with her eyes slightly red.
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly, but it was a good conversation."
Although she was born into a wealthy family, in the eyes of ordinary people, girls from merchant families were three points inferior to others. When she was young, her parents spent a lot of money to find famous embroidery masters from all over the place to teach her personally so that she could find a good husband from a wealthy family when she grew up.
When she was learning these things, she just thought it was a preparation for marrying a good man from a wealthy family. Who would have thought that this would happen today?
Sang Zhixia heard the bitterness at the end of her words, paused, and smiled, "It seems that people still need to learn more skills to support themselves in life. No matter whether they are men or women, nothing is better than the real skills in their hands."
"Why don't you say Second Aunt is amazing? If it were me, I would definitely not be able to eat this bowl of cooking."
She spoke with a smile, as if an invisible hand was lightly sliding across Aunt Xu's heart. The invisible self-mockery disappeared in an instant, leaving behind an indescribable comfort and warmth.
Aunt Xu held the water bowl in both hands, her eyes reddened as she sneered, "Xia Xia is right. One has to rely on one's own abilities to survive in this world."
"If you have the ability, you can survive..."
Who says women can only rely on men to survive and live their lives?
You can’t rely on the man you marry, but you still have yourself, right?
She can earn the money that men cannot earn.
The change in mentality happened in just one word. Those who noticed it stopped talking and just talked about the good news of the day.
After they finished talking about the work that had been finalized for the embroidery shop, Xu Yu said, "We sold all the twenty pounds of venison we took out today to Fengchunlou. The price was quite good."
Hunting prey from the mountains costs nothing, only time.
If we are lucky enough to catch prey every now and then, this winter will not be too difficult.
Sang Zhixia laughed after hearing this.
"So today's luck is pretty good. I took some of the kids with me to make some fermented sorghum wine. The resulting wine is pretty good. It'll be perfect to go with the barbecue later, so we can have a good meal tonight."
Uncle Xu was surprised to hear that the wine was ready: "Is it ready? Where is it? Let me try it first."
Sang Zhixia took out a small bottle that was reserved for her, and as soon as she opened the lid, Uncle Xu laughed out loud.
"You don't even need to taste it, you can tell it tastes great just by smelling it."
He found a small bowl and handed it over excitedly: "Come on, come on, I'm really hungry and can't wait for the barbecue for dinner. Niece-in-law, please pour me a couple of mouthfuls to satisfy my craving."
Sang Zhixia held the bottle and covered the bottom of the bowl. Amidst the rich aroma of wine, she raised an eyebrow at Xu Yu, whose expression was slightly stiff. "Would you like to try it?"
"Just a small taste?"
The familiar conversation was met with Xu Yu's resolute opposition.
He said firmly, "No."
"I won't taste it."
This time he learned his lesson and was so determined that he didn't even bother to open his mouth.
Sang Zhixia swallowed back her laughter and began to prepare the barbecue for the evening amid Uncle Xu's satisfied sigh.
Although most of the venison he hunted was sold, Xu Yu still left enough for his family to eat, and the parts he kept were all the best.
In addition to the fresh venison, there were also two pheasants on the stove that Xu Yu brought back from the mountains yesterday.
After the heavy snow closed the mountain, the wild animals that usually hid deep in the forest came out to look for food. The traces left on the snow became Xu Yu's secret to never going empty-handed every day. Although the promised skins were not seen for the time being, pheasants were available every day.
The pheasant that has been plucked and cleaned does not need to be chopped up. Just marinate the whole chicken with various seasonings.
One is spicy with chili powder, and the other is coated with syrup, considering that little kids can't eat spicy food.
The extremely fresh venison does not need to be processed too much, just use a little wine and salt to remove the fishy smell.
In addition to these meaty dishes, Sang Zhixia also prepared some grilled vegetables.
Shiitake mushrooms soaked in hot water, peeled and sliced sweet potatoes and potatoes, and even some green peppers and eggplants fished out of the cellar.
A large wire rack was placed on the hot charcoal brazier in the main room, and the things to be grilled were moved in and neatly placed on the table.
Everything was ready. Sang Zhixia turned outside suspiciously and said, "It's getting late. Why haven't Grandpa and Grandma come back yet?"
Normally, I was just going to pay the money to the village chief to sign the land deed today, and I should have been back after being away for half a day.
She felt a little uneasy, so she turned to Xu Yu and said, "Why don't you and Minghui go out to greet them?"
The snow started to fall outside again. What if something happened on the road?
Xu Yu nodded and was about to go out, but Xu Minghui hesitated.
There is another person in the room who cannot be seen for the time being.
He didn't dare go out.
He was afraid that someone would come in and find out.
Xu Yu glanced at him with an ambiguous expression, picked up the umbrella he had been using to shield himself from the snow, and said calmly, "We don't have many umbrellas at home, so I can carry them myself. You stay home."
Xu Minghui smiled readily, "That's fine."
"When big brother comes back, this side should be almost done."
Xu Yu couldn't figure out for a moment whether he was saying that the barbecue was almost cooked or that the people in the house were almost done.
But what does this have to do with him?
He doesn't care whether these people live or die.
Xu Yu strode out with an umbrella, his expression unrecognizable.
Xu Minghui brought the minced meat porridge that Sang Zhixia had prepared for the patient into the house and gently placed the bowl on the table. "My eldest brother and Third Uncle are going to the county town today. I asked them to find a good job there. Father, would you like to hear about it?"
"One is working as an accountant in a restaurant, earning three taels of silver a month, but not including food and lodging. The other is not so respectable, working as an accountant in a gambling house."
Uncle Xu, who was unable to move due to being locked in the acupuncture tube, looked like an evil ghost. He stared at Xu Minghui, who was smiling. Besides anger, his eyes were filled with unspeakable fear.
Xu Minghui never attacked him directly, and there was no fault to be found in his words.
But in reality, he locked her in a room without any warmth, unable to move or make a sound. The biting cold was like a needle piercing into her bones. The irresistible coldness turned into invisible knives in the air, and every knife was as painful as cutting flesh.
Such torture is worse than death and is comparable to the most brutal torture in the world.
But he just couldn't struggle.
Seeing his ferocious expression, as if he was about to glare his eyes out, Xu Minghui uttered an ambiguous sound and continued to speak to himself, "The gambling house isn't exactly a peaceful place, but there are two things about it that really tempt me."
"First, the monthly salary is three coins, which covers food and accommodation without any additional costs. You and I can also send some extra money home every month. Second, they employ many thugs there. They are said to be ruthless and extremely difficult to deal with. They never show mercy to those who disobey, which is a strong deterrent."
"So, father, can I accompany you to the gambling house?"
"Let's go together."
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