Chapter 64 Chapter 64 The Virtuous Xu Yunfan
Qin Run had used a palm-leaf fan to fan Xu Yunfan the previous night. This was the kind used by every household in the village, while the scholars in the town would use a folding fan.
Qin Run was cutting sour beans when a cool breeze blew over. He subconsciously turned his head to look. When he saw the exquisite and beautiful fan in Xu Yunfan's hand, his eyes widened.
This fan, when unfolded, is like a flowing scroll. The fan handle is a mysterious purple, elegant and luxurious. A strand of black hair is wrapped around the fan handle, and black tassels hang down from the hair, which is very beautiful.
There are several lifelike bamboos on the fan, with lush branches and leaves, full of vitality, just like the real thing.
"Yunfan, is this a fan?" Qin Run was unsure, but seeing Xu Yunfan fanning himself with it, what else could it be but a fan? But if it was a fan, he had never seen anything like it before.
When Qin Run was looking for work in the town, he had seen some young men holding fans. Their fans either had words or paintings on them, or even tassels hanging on them, but those were all folding fans, different from Xu Yunfan's. In Qin Run's opinion, Xu Yunfan's fan, whether it was the paintings on the fan or the tassel pendants, was more beautiful than other fans.
Xu Yunfan said with a smile: "Well, I made it. It's called a waist fan. You can put it away like this when you don't need it."
As Xu Yunfan demonstrated, he said, "I know you might not need this thing, and it's not necessarily better than other fans. However, since this is the first fan I've ever made, I wanted to give it to you first. It's not expensive, and it's not particularly rare, so I hope you don't mind."
It was the first time Qin Run received a gift. He was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He wiped his hands on his clothes several times. When he felt his hands were clean enough, he took the waist fan from Xu Yunfan's hand, touched it cherishingly, and was reluctant to let go. He couldn't hide his joy. "Thank you, Yunfan, I like it very much. The waist fan you made is very beautiful. I really like it very much."
His language skills were too limited, so in order to express that he really liked it, he had to say "like" twice to prove that he really liked it.
Qin Run received the gift and was happy. Xu Yunfan, who gave the gift, was naturally happy. "I'm glad you like it."
Qin Run was reluctant to use the first gift Xu Yunfan gave him. He didn't even bother to cut the sour beans. He ran back to his room and put the waist fan, which he treasured very much, into a shabby cabinet, placing it in the same compartment with the silver Xu Yunfan had given him before.
When closing the cabinet, Qin Run touched it a few more times and looked at it a few more times, as if he was afraid of breaking it, and put it back carefully.
Qin Run returned to the kitchen to continue cooking, with the corners of his mouth raised never lowering.
Xu Yunfan felt funny and a little sad at the same time. He knew that Qin Run had put away the waist fan. He was really happy that the gift he gave was so cherished by the recipient.
"Yunfan, can I...can I kiss you?" Qin Run was very embarrassed. He had never been as brave as he was today. He was so happy that he made such a bold request.
"What's wrong with that?" Xu Yunfan placed one hand lightly on his upper lip, smiled softly, lowered his head slightly, and moved closer to Qin Run. His smiling face was like the brightest and most dazzling star in the night sky, so eye-catching that Qin Run's heart and eyes were full of this person.
The sound of his heart beating in his ears seemed to be amplified several times. Qin Run tried his best to control the throbbing caused by Xu Yunfan's sudden approach. He took a deep breath and kissed Xu Yunfan on the right cheek as if he were a treasure.
He thought that was the end of it.
Until Xu Yunfan turned his head and faced him with his left cheek, Qin Run was stunned and didn't understand what Xu Yunfan wanted to do.
The kiss on the left cheek was still lingering, and Xu Yunfan turned to look at Qin Run. "Run'er, you can't do this, you know? People should be fair and just. You kissed one side and not the other. Could it be that you have some objection to this half of my face? Run'er, you can't do this. Things like this should be treated equally. Hurry up."
Qin Run: “…”
I really believed your nonsense.
However, this person was Xu Yunfan, and for Qin Run, being able to give him one more kiss was a bonus.
So Qin Run met Xu Yunfan's request and kissed him again.
Facts have proved that Xu Yunfan knows how to push for more.
"My father always taught me that one should know how to reciprocate. I will never forget his teachings. Since you kissed me, it would be impolite if I didn't kiss you back." Xu Yunfan didn't care about Qin Run's blushing face and beating heart. He kissed Qin Run on both cheeks twice.
The temperature separated at the touch, but the remaining touch was scorching hot. Qin Run felt that his blood was boiling.
"Look, I'm a fair person. I don't neglect either side. You have to be like me in the future, okay?"
Qin Run: "...I understand."
Xu Yunfan is not good at cooking, but he can help watch the fire. The two of them were in the kitchen, and although no one said a word, the whole space seemed to be surrounded by an atmosphere called happiness.
"Brother Run, we are here!"
A childish voice broke the atmosphere. Erdan's anxious voice came. Xu Yunfan leaned over and looked. The four little guys ran to the kitchen door and stood in a row. Sandan leaned against Dadan's legs and smiled at Xu Yunfan with saliva dripping down his chin. "Xu Guo."
"You're here. Come into the main room and find a stool to sit on. Once you're here, just treat it like you're at home. There's no need to feel restrained." Xu Yunfan pointed to the main room and asked them to go in. It was very hot and stuffy in the kitchen with the fire burning, so the children were better off not coming in.
Dadan and the other little guys were smiling. After the sun went down in the evening, it was not as hot as at noon. The little guys couldn't sit still. When they heard Qin An's voice coming from the chicken coop, they ran over again.
Xu Yunfan touched his nose and said, "What's so good about a few little chicks? I really don't understand the world of children."
Qin Run smiled and said, "Children love these furry little animals. Oh, and Dadan and his friends are going to have dinner with us. Go tell Aunt Qin and the others."
Otherwise, if the little ones are not home at dinner time, they will probably be scolded when they get home.
"Then I'll go and tell them." Xu Yunfan stood up. It was still bright outside, so he had enough time to go back and forth.
Qin Run had lived with Xu Yunfan for a while, so how could he not know that Xu Yunfan was afraid of the dark? If there was not enough time, he would naturally not let Xu Yunfan go.
Qin Run still thought too highly of Xu Yunfan. This guy wasn't afraid of the dark at all, he was just afraid of ghosts.
At the same time, Qin Run also underestimated Xu Yunfan's communication skills.
On the way to Aunt Qin's house, Xu Yunfan met villagers returning from work. Even if he didn't know them, he could probably guess that since everyone in the village was from the Qin family, these people were naturally also from the Qin family. Regardless of whether he knew them or not, Xu Yunfan greeted them with a smile, "Uncle, you're back from work."
Seeing my aunt coming back from picking vegetables, I said, "Oh, aunt, how come your vegetables are so good?"
Seeing the old lady and grandpa sitting at the door, Xu Yunfan walked over and asked, "Grandma and Grandpa, have you eaten?"
"Haven't you eaten yet? Well, it's the busy farming season, so how can we eat dinner so quickly?"
"I'm going to Aunt Qin's house."
"Yes, yes, that's right. You should move around more. I'll be leaving first. I'll come chat with you another day when I'm free. Don't think I'm annoying then."
These older people all knew Xu Yunfan's background, but they rarely saw him go out for a walk. Now, when they finally met him, they asked him to hang out with them and get to know them more.
Xu Yunfan would smile three-quarters of the time when he saw someone, even before he spoke. His smile was so sweet, as if his mouth was filled with honey. Coupled with his face that appealed to both young and old, none of the Qin family members who were greeted by him were dissatisfied with him.
In just one evening, most people on the Qin side knew that the little boy from the Qin family who was picked up by Run Ge'er was very polite. His grandparents kept praising him for his politeness and being a good boy. He was simply their dream grandson.
Xu Yunfan arrived at Aunt Qin's house. Those who didn't go into the kitchen to cook were busy with other things. Grandma Qin was old and came back from the fields. Aunt Qin said she couldn't let her work anymore, but the old lady couldn't sit still. She simply sat under the eaves to help fold beans. Seeing Xu Yunfan coming, Grandma Qin quickly waved him in, "Xu boy, you're here, come and sit down."
"Grandma Qin." Xu Yunfan called out, and smiled after he approached: "I won't sit down. I have to go back for dinner later."
He watched Grandma Qin folding beans and said, "Grandma Qin, the three eggs will be at my house for dinner tonight, so you don't have to cook for them."
Xiao Qin's family has a well that was dug at great expense by Qin's father. Leftover food from dinner can be hung in the well because the temperature in the well is low and the leftover food is not easy to turn sour. Other families do not have this condition.
In such hot weather, no matter what dish it is, if it is left until tomorrow, the porridge will probably become sour and watery.
"They are eating at your house? That's not good." Grandma Qin made a gesture to get up and bring them back.
Xu Yunfan stood behind Grandma Qin, put his hands on Grandma Qin's shoulders, gently pushed her back, and took the opportunity to massage Grandma Qin as well. Xu Yunfan was a filial son. After his grandparents got old, he specially learned how to massage, so his technique was naturally not random.
Grandma Qin squinted her eyes in pleasure as he massaged her. Xu Yunfan said as he massaged her, "What's wrong with that? My An Ge'er is a quiet boy. He doesn't have any other friends in the village except those few. They often come to my house to play with An Ge'er. Once An Ge'er gets used to it, he won't be like this anymore. Also, An Ge'er picked up a child..."
It would be better for Xu Yunfan to tell the story of the little wild kid and let Grandma Qin and the others know about it from the three eggs.
Aunt Qin and the others naturally heard that Xu Yunfan had arrived, but they had work to do so they did not come over. Now when they heard what Xu Yunfan said, they all came over to ask what was going on.
You have to know that it was a child, not some random person.
Aunt Qin said worriedly, "What will happen to this child in the future?"
They had also heard about the child and felt sorry for him, but their own financial situation was difficult and they simply could not afford to bring home a child they didn't know.
Most of the people who live at the entrance of the village are from the Li family. When the little wild boy came to their place in the village earlier, Aunt Qin gave him some corn cakes to eat. But later, when he arrived at the entrance of the village, the other children thought he smelled bad and threw stones at him. The little wild boy was hit on the head and bled. After a few times, he was afraid of the pain and dared not come again.
Qin Er frowned, "Xu kid, what do you think about this?"
Xiao Qin's family conditions are not much better than theirs. Qin Run heard that Xu Yunfan went to the town to sell bread today. I don't know how it sold. He is the one who supports the Xiao Qin family now. Will Xu Yunfan be unhappy if An Ge'er brings a child home?
Uncle Qin said in a deep voice, "Why don't we take him to the town's yamen and ask the bailiffs? He's just a child, you can't just throw him up the mountain again, right?"
Although Qinghe Town is just a town, its scale is not much different from that of a county.
After all, Qingfeng Academy is established here, and it is also a stopover for various waterways. After the economy of Qinghe Town is boosted, the flow of people will naturally increase.
Therefore, in order to facilitate jurisdiction, the county magistrate specially set up a town hall in Qinghe Town and sent some yamen runners to take turns on duty to ensure that there would be no problems with public security in Qinghe Town.
Xu Yunfan continued massaging Grandma Qin, with a subtle curve at the corner of his mouth. "Just wait and see. If it doesn't work out, I'll keep it."
It's just raising one more child, he should be able to afford it. If the little guy is fatter, with those big eyes, small nose and small mouth, he will be so cute and soft. You can pinch him a few times when you have nothing to do, which will relieve your stress.
There are two little angels at home, and good luck comes everywhere.
Qin San: "What? You want to keep him? No, Xu boy, this is not a joke. He is a child. It's not as simple as raising a cat or a dog. It's not like you can just starve him. He knows how to find food on his own. He is still so young. You guys need to take care of him for at least a few years."
Qin's second wife and Qin's third husband didn't say anything. As a mother and a father, they put themselves in his shoes. Little Wild Boy was homeless, and Xu Yunfan was willing to adopt him. Naturally, they were happy for him. However, the Qin family's conditions were there. Qin An still needed Xu Yunfan's care for more than ten years. If they had another child, the pressure on Xu Yunfan and Qin Run would be too great.
The two of them are not married yet and don't have a child yet, but they are raising two children already. Anyone would be a little unhappy about this.
"I know." Xu Yunfan smiled indifferently. "Raising a child is not just about having one more mouth to feed. I know that. But I've been doing business recently. Even if the business doesn't take off, I have other ways to make money. I can still afford to raise a child."
"You're a good child." Grandma Qin patted the back of Xu Yunfan's hand on her shoulder. "It's okay if you make up your mind. I won't say much else, but there is one thing I want to say. If you raise this child and then lose him in the future, I would rather you not adopt him in the first place."
How could Xu Yunfan not know this? He just smiled and nodded as a response.
After leaving Aunt Qin's house, Xu Yunfan went to Aunt Qin's house, where he chatted for another quarter of an hour. Finally, he picked a handful of green onions in their yard and went back happily.
Dayanchao has a lot of seasonings, not too little, not too much, including soy sauce, vinegar, etc. Xu Yunfan bought some today and will make a dipping sauce when he goes back. The chicken will be more fragrant tonight.
When Qin Run went up the mountain to chop firewood before, he didn't want to go with others and always went to the deep mountains. Naturally, because few people set foot there, he picked up a lot of mushrooms.
The aroma of chicken stewed with mushrooms was so good that Xu Yunfan could smell it even when he was standing outside the yard.
How come Qin Run’s craftsmanship is so good?
Xu Yunfan thought happily that Qin Run was a good cook and he was a lover of food, so he and Qin Run were a perfect match made in heaven.
There are six children and a chicken has only two legs, which is not enough to share. In this case, no one needs to eat the chicken legs, and everyone can just eat the chicken meat.
Qin Run didn't leave a single leg behind. When the little guys smelled the fragrance, their saliva almost flowed out, but when they ate dinner, they didn't keep picking up meat to eat. Even the little wild boy was so timid that he didn't dare to eat a piece of meat. He held the bowl of chicken soup that Qin Run had served him and drank it slowly in small sips.
"Why don't you eat meat?" Xu Yunfan said deliberately, "Or do you think your brother Run's cooking is not tasty? You don't give him face by not eating a single piece of meat?"
Dadan was older after all, so he quickly explained, "No, Brother Xu, chicken is delicious."
They had never smelled such a fragrant smell, and it was made of meat, so they thought it must be delicious. If they ate one less piece of such delicious food, Brother Xu and Brother Run could eat one more piece, and it would be great if they could have a bowl of soup.
Too lazy to pick up chopsticks, Xu Yunfan picked up the wooden spoon used for the soup and scooped up two pieces of meat. He then placed the spoon on the edge of the basin to pour out the soup. He then placed the meat in Dadan's bowl and gave it to Erdan and the others in turn. "You look so skinny. Since you're here to eat, you should eat your fill."
Xu Yunfan gave each of the children two pieces of meat, and scooped out two more pieces and put them in Qin Run's bowl. "You should eat more too. You've worked hard cooking."
Qin Run felt so warm inside. Xu Yunfan was truly different from other men. He liked him very much. He picked up a piece of chicken wing for Xu Yunfan and said, "You can have some too. By the way, when you went to Aunt Qin's house, the blue bricks and clay pots you ordered were delivered. I put the blue bricks by the courtyard wall, and I washed the clay pots and put them in the woodshed."
Xu Yunfan responded and scooped out more meat for Qin Run and the other children. "Come on, everyone, try to finish this dish, including the soup and the meat, or you'll be sore tomorrow."
If we can’t finish it, there’s no place in the well to put it, and it would be a waste if we leave it until it becomes sour tomorrow.
With Xu Yunfan's order, and since the children rarely eat meat, they have to work hard and eat and drink as much as they can.
Sandan lived close to Xiaoshan's house. After dinner, they rested for quarter of an hour, and then Qin Er came to pick up the children.
The reason why Qin Er came so late was that he was worried that if he came too fast, it would be like going to someone's house at mealtime, and he would be suspected of eating for free, so he would rather come later.
Sandan followed Dadan and the others all day long. He didn't even finish his meal. He grabbed a piece of meat in his hand and started nodding in front of the dinner table. He couldn't open his eyes and his eyeballs were slightly rolling up.
Qin Run wanted to hold him over so that Dadan could eat well. Xu Yunfan sat next to Sandan and found that the little guy was very sleepy. He looked at him with amusement for a while before holding him on his lap and said, "I'll hold him, you eat well."
"Then I'll go lick your food for you."
"No, I'm full." Xu Yunfan had already finished three bowls of rice and drank a bowl of chicken soup before the meal. Qin Run was a good cook. He had eaten a lot of dishes and was already full. He would be bloated if he ate any more.
After dinner, Qin Run had even less time to hold Sandan. Xu Yunfan asked him to take out the pig's trotters and clean them. The butchers who sold meat were very rough in the process of slaughtering pigs and shaving the hair.
In ancient times, pig's trotters were cheaper than lean meat, so naturally, butchers would not go out of their way to clean them.
There are a few pig's trotters and a big piece of meat. The ones that need to be singed should be singed, and the ones that need to be washed should be washed. If I process them tonight, I can sleep a little longer tomorrow.
Qin Run was busy, so several little ones volunteered to help, and Sandan naturally had to be held by Xu Yunfan.
Xu Yunfan guessed that the Qin family would come to pick up the child soon, so he didn't carry Sandan into the room and put him on the bed, otherwise he would have to put on shoes later. Not to mention, Sandan's face and hands would be covered with oil after eating meat, and it would be impossible to wash them clean without wiping them with hot water. Xu Yunfan would rather hold him than smell the smell of meat all night.
"Xu boy." Qin Er saw Xu Yunfan holding Sandan and peeling corn kernels under the eaves in the light of the candle. He immediately felt that Xu Yunfan was so virtuous and capable that he did not forget to work even while holding a child. Where can you find such a man?
With Qin Er's free publicity, Aunt Qin and her family knew in one night that Xu Yunfan was a rare hardworking man.
Word spread quickly, and by the next day, everyone in the Qin family knew how virtuous Xu Yunfan was.
So one day when Xu Yunfan was confused by someone's praise, he suddenly thought, how come he didn't know that he was actually a rare good man?
Even though he was such a low-key person, they still discovered his strengths.
Why do the Qin family have such good vision?
It made him feel embarrassed.
…
The next day, when Xu Yunfan woke up, Qin Run was no longer beside him.
Outside the window, the sky was just getting light, and the crisp sound of birdsong heralded the arrival of a new day. In the morning in the countryside, the air was filled with so many negative oxygen ions that people could take a deep breath and feel refreshed.
After getting out of bed, Xu Yunfan took out the bucket of ice that he had used to cool down the room last night.
In August, even in the village, the temperature was still scorching hot. Ever since Xu Yunfan bought saltpeter, there would always be a bucket of ice in his room, Qin Run's room, and Qin An's room at night.
With the ice, Qin Run no longer had to act as Xu Yunfan's hand-cranked electric fan, and naturally he could sleep better.
Xu Yunfan thought he had gotten up early enough, but when he went to the kitchen, he saw that even the injured little boy was sitting on a small stool adding firewood. The big pot on the stove was gurgling, and the fragrance continued to emanate with the heat, which showed that Qin Run had gotten up early.
When the little wild boy saw Xu Yunfan appear at the door, he stood up quickly, holding a piece of firewood with his uninjured hand. He looked at Xu Yunfan nervously and moved his mouth.
Although the little wild boy still showed uneasiness in front of Xu Yunfan, he was much better than when he first met Xu Yunfan yesterday.
This is enough to prove that Xu Yunfan is quite good at coaxing children.
"Good morning." Xu Yunfan pretended not to notice the little wild boy's nervousness and went to fetch water to wash up. He turned around and asked the little wild boy, "Where are An Ge'er and your eldest brother?"
Last night, Qin An taught the little wild boy to call Qin Run "Big Brother" and Xu Yunfan "Brother-in-law" just like he did.
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