Meeting Lao Zheng on the Road
In the upper courtyard, Liu Rong saw the storm end abruptly and was greatly disappointed with Qin Wenzhen.
"What the hell is this? She even raised her hands but didn't dare to move. If I didn't beat her till her teeth are all on the ground, it would be strange. What a bunch of wimps, they can't even handle a woman, huh~~"
Chen Xiulian found it hard to agree with what he said. If he said that Wen Zheng was just good at doing things, Li Lanhua would be furious if he continued to do so. No, she had to find time to talk to him.
Old Qin’s house. Hearing the quarrel next door turn into crying and shouting, and then the crying and shouting gradually become inaudible, the family couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The family tiptoed to the main room and then dared to speak loudly:
"What is Wen Zheng doing? Let others say whatever they want. It's not like he can lose two pieces of meat, but he's quarreling with his wife over this..." Hu Yufeng looked down upon Qin Wen Zheng's face-saving style.
"My brother...Mom, you know, because of what happened before, he is most afraid of people accusing him of stealing or something..." Qin Wenli lowered his voice and said with a complicated expression.
"Alas..." Hu Yufeng sighed and said bitterly, "It's all because of your aunt, this disaster, who has ruined Wen Zheng's life..."
It was hard for everyone not to agree for a moment. Indeed, if it weren't for the bad thing done by his aunt, Qin Wenzhen wouldn't have to bear such a reputation.
"Why don't I go over and take a look? Actually, this matter has something to do with me as well. Alas..." Yang Xiu was a little annoyed. If she had known Qin Wenzhen's reaction, she should not have persuaded Li Lanhua.
"Don't go. Our two families are separated by a wall. If you go over now, won't it be obvious that you will eavesdrop on the whole thing? How can my sister-in-law save face..." Qin Wenli persuaded his wife.
Hu Yufeng also agreed: "It's inevitable for a couple to not quarrel, so just don't get involved. I see that you just like to take the blame on yourself. Was it you who suggested that Ren Lanhua go out to make money?"
Yang Xiu shook his head.
"That's it. What does it have to do with you? You may not understand Wen Zheng, but how can I not know him since I grew up watching him? After that incident, he became arrogant and self-abased, thinking about how to stand out all day long. If Lanhua wants to stand out, she will have to go through this sooner or later..."
Okay, I was just being too picky! ! !
*
The next day, just after the Qin family had dinner, Li Lanhua and Qin Fang came over carrying baskets.
"Grandma, Second Aunt, Xiu'er..." Li Lanhua greeted them one by one, feeling a little embarrassed.
Yang Xiu warmly invited them to sit down first, and then asked what utensils they brought.
Li Lanhua was too embarrassed to talk about business, so she opened the basket and showed it to Yang Xiu: "About 100 zongzi, is that too much?"
"Not much, it's about the same for the first time. Sister-in-law, don't you bring plates and chopsticks?"
Li Lanhua said a little awkwardly: "I think people will definitely eat what they buy at home. Do you think we should take these with us?"
Seeing that she was uneasy, Yang Xiu smiled and said, "Bringing bowls and chopsticks doesn't mean you have to eat at the stall. When the time comes, you can open two or three and put them on a plate for people to try. If they taste good, they will definitely sell quickly..."
Li Lanhua's eyes lit up when she heard that. She said, "I'll get it right away," and hurried back.
When he came back, he not only brought bowls and chopsticks, but also a small table: "Since I want to taste the food, I definitely can't put it on the ground, so I brought a table..."
Yang Xiu smiled and praised her for her thoughtfulness. Li Lanhua checked it again and finally felt more confident.
Suddenly, Yang Xiu asked, "Sister-in-law, have you decided on the price?"
Li Lanhua was stunned: Yes, I was so focused on selling it that I forgot what the price was.
Yang Xiu was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry. The two of them called Qin Wenli and finally decided on 20 cents each.
*
Considering that this was Li Lanhua's first time, they set out half an hour earlier than usual so that they could reserve a spot.
First, they unloaded the fried dough twist stall and had the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law tidy it up. Then Qin Wenli took Li Lanhua and her daughter to find a place.
After settling everything, Qin Wenli came over and said something, then went to set up his own tofu stall.
People were coming and going at the market. Hu Yufeng was frying dough twists with great ease and greeting familiar faces passing by from time to time.
When she had some free time from business, she gave Yang Xiu a few words and went to see Li Lanhua and her daughter.
The location Qin Wenli found for them was not too remote, and there were food stalls all around, each of which had customers. Hu Yufeng stood aside and watched Qin Fang smilingly handing chopsticks to a woman. The woman took a bite and seemed very satisfied. After a while, she took a few and left...
Seeing her coming, Qin Fang suddenly became more lively and called out with a smile, "Second Grandma..."
"How are the sales?"
"It's very good. Thanks to Xiu'er for teaching me to let others taste it first. Look, most of them have been bought after they have tried it." Li Lanhua also smiled.
Hu Yufeng was infected by the mother and daughter, and a smile appeared on her face.
*
At around 3:00 p.m., Li Lanhua looked at the few remaining rice dumplings and said to Qin Fang, "Fangfang, take these to your uncle's and aunt's house. Let's close the stall."
Qin Fang nodded, then showed a bit of hesitation: "Mom, I saw that... Third Aunt at that time, she must have seen me, so should I send it to my grandmother and Third Uncle?"
Li Lanhua smiled at her daughter's tangled expression and whispered, "Don't worry, I left it in the kitchen this morning. I think Zhuzi and your father have already delivered it."
Qin Fang looked relieved and asked in surprise, "Mom, my dad is willing to talk to you?"
Dad got angry yesterday afternoon and stayed in the room alone. He didn't even talk to them during breakfast this morning. She thought the stalemate would continue for a few days.
"No, when I left, I told Zhuzi to ask your dad to send him off..."
Qin Fang said "Oh" and sighed.
"Okay, why should a kid worry so much? Hurry up and pack up and let's go help your Third Aunt."
Speaking of Yang Xiu, Qin Fang perked up and quickly organized the things. She also reminded her mother, "Mom, we can open a stall thanks to my third aunt. My third uncle is also busy looking for a stall. Can we give them some rice dumplings as well?"
After saying that, he felt something was wrong and quickly said, "My Third Aunt's family doesn't lack zongzi, should we buy them something?"
Li Lanhua had this idea in mind, and seeing her daughter's serious expression, she nodded her head with a smile and said, "I see, then let's go see what's on sale..."
*
At the fried dough twist stall, Hu Yufeng was packing for a big customer.
If "Auntie Gu" is the "lucky star" of the Qin family, then Liu Yuzhu is definitely the "promotion ambassador" of the Qin family.
Not to mention that the first appearance of Lao Qin's Mahua at the banquet was an opportunity given by his family. Since then, the Qin family has gradually opened up new sales channels for fried dough twists. Up to now, they have undertaken no less than 20 "accompanying banquets", expanding the Qin family's path to wealth.
As far as the fried dough twist business at the market is concerned, his family is definitely one of the biggest players. Liu Yuzhu was a livestock dealer who traveled far and wide and made many friends. He not only bought livestock for himself, but also promoted them everywhere. He introduced dozens of businesses to him, and all of them were big customers. Hu Yufeng was so happy to see Liu Yuzhu that she treated him more warmly than her own nephew.
This batch today was introduced by Liu Yuzhu. Hu Yufeng packed it up, and then packed a few more and forced them to the man:
"Take these to fill your stomach on the way... Don't refuse yet. Yuzhu is my nephew, you are all good brothers, and I am taking advantage of you and calling you my nephew. I feel embarrassed to take money from you, so don't refuse a small token of my appreciation!!!"
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, the big customer readily accepted it and said with a hearty laugh, "Thank you, auntie."
Hu Yufeng waved her hands repeatedly and said goodbye with a smile.
There were only seven or eight left, and Hu Yufeng was struggling over whether to sell them or not. Yang Xiu pulled her sleeve and pointed to the front and said excitedly: "Mom, it's that uncle..."
Which uncle?
She looked in the direction of Yang Xiu's finger and was also a little excited: Old Zheng who sells brooms!
Hu Yufeng put down what she was holding and hurried out, grabbed Lao Zheng's arm and called him "Brother", while greeting him and leading him to the stall.
Old Zheng's mind, which was originally distracted, was disturbed by the repeated calls of "brother" and became a little dazed.
Seeing that it was Hu Yufeng, whom he had met once before, he forced a smile and said, "Big sister, it's you..."
When Yang Xiu saw him coming, he greeted him warmly, pouring water and handing him some fried dough twists.
The old man was so frightened that he put his hands behind his back, and then he asked in confusion: "Big sister, what do you want me to do?"
Hu Yufeng looked at his worried face and forced smile, and asked with concern: "It's nothing, I haven't seen you for half a year, how is my sister-in-law's illness?"
When the old man mentioned this, tears seemed to flash in his cloudy eyes. He turned his head and whispered, "It's still the same. I just came up here to buy some medicine..."
"Have you bought the medicine?" If not, Hu Yufeng planned to lend him some money.
Old Zheng nodded and raised his hand slightly. Only then did Hu Yufeng notice that he was holding several large paper bags.
After asking a few more questions, Hu Yufeng took the bag of fried dough twists handed to her by Yang Xiu, stuffed it into Lao Zheng's pocket and said, "Take these fried dough twists back and let my sister-in-law have a taste..."
The old man quickly refused, but Hu Yufeng stuffed it into his hand without further ado: "Take it. The patient has no taste in his mouth, so you can take it back and let him have a different taste."
A few tears rolled down Lao Zheng's face, which was as dry and wrinkled as tree bark. He quickly raised his sleeve to wipe them away, his lips trembling a few times and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Hu Yufeng patted his arm. She felt very uncomfortable, but she forced a smile and advised: "Relax, many diseases are caused by mood. Now that society is better, maybe one day it can be cured..."
Old Zheng nodded with sobs, and his hunched body slowly blended into the crowd.
*
Yang Xiu wiped his eyes and said embarrassedly: "Hey, I don't know what's going on. I can't control myself when I see people crying..."
"You are so soft-hearted that you can't bear to see others suffer..."
Hu Yufeng looked at her gently, then turned to look at the old man who had disappeared, feeling mixed emotions.
Calculating the time, Lao Zheng’s wife was only around for the past six months or so. What should Lao Zheng do after she’s gone?
She actually had an immature idea in her mind, but the gap between reality and ideal was too big. Without money, all the ideas would become empty talk. She suddenly felt a sense of urgency: all her misfortunes were caused by lack of money, so she had to make more money! ! !
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