Chapter 54 Chapter 54 A new member in the family
The moon on the 21st is incomplete, and the falling moonlight seems to be covered with shadows, just like the mood of the people on the road at this time.
Miao Ying walked in front holding a lantern, Huo Xing carried Yao the carpenter on his back, and the little toad beside him pulled Yao the carpenter's hanging hand, holding it tightly, without any fear at all.
Arriving at their house, which had not been lived in for over a month and was already covered in dust, Huo Xing placed Carpenter Yao on his former bed. Little Carpenter Yao stood blankly by the bed, tears in his eyes that fell like beads.
Huo Xing remembered that there was a coffin in their workshop, which should have been prepared by Carpenter Yao for himself.
Miao Ying accompanied Xiao Mu and asked him if he had any relatives at home. Xiao Mu shook his head and said that their relatives had not been in contact with them for a long time.
Miao Ying sighed, walked outside, and discussed with Huo Xing what to do next.
"It's a bit difficult to hold a grand funeral, and our family doesn't have that much money." Miao Ying scratched his hair helplessly.
"Hire a funeral director to bury Master," Huo Xing said. "We won't have a banquet. The connections in this village are thin, so I don't think many people will come."
Miao Ying nodded: "Okay."
Li Hongying also came at noon. She brought some paper money and gold ingots and other things. Carpenter Yao's funeral was kept simple, but these things were also indispensable.
The weather was getting hot. Li Hongying looked at the almanac and found that tomorrow was the day for the funeral. They kept the lights on in the house all night, and Xiao Mu stayed with them in the main room all night.
The people Huo Xing hired to handle the funeral arrived early the next morning. There were simple rules for doing things simply. Carpenter Yao must have known that he was dying a long time ago, and many things had been prepared. He must have been holding on for the sake of little Mu Tou. Now that little Mu Tou had found a place to go, he couldn't hold on any longer. He was afraid of bringing bad luck to the Huo family's new house, so he chose to die in the small house outside.
Li Hongying changed Xiaomutou into mourning clothes, and Xiaomutou walked at the front of the team holding the soul-guiding banner. Carpenter Yao had no other relatives, so his apprentice Huo Xing walked behind Xiaomutou holding his tablet. Miao Ying and Li Hongying were on his left and right, carrying his coffin. Apart from them, there was no one else.
His grave site was chosen a long time ago and told to Xiaomu. Xiaomu acted like an adult and pointed out the place where his grandfather wanted to be buried.
Watching the coffin fall to the ground and slowly disappear in the flying dust, the little carpenter knelt on the ground, his cries echoing throughout the forest.
Huo Xing and Xiao Mu were kneeling in front of the grave, with piles of gold and paper money in their hands, which were folded by Miao Ying and Li Hongying.
Miao Ying felt extremely sad when she heard Xiao Mu's crying, and she raised her hand to wipe away the tears from her face.
After the funeral, they will take Xiao Mutou back home. This is their promise to Carpenter Yao, to raise Xiao Mutou and find a suitable marriage for him.
Xiao Mu and Huo Xing were packing up Carpenter Yao's belongings. There were no big things left. The big things they had seen before had all been handed over to the owner. Now there were only some small things left in the house, the most of which were dishes and chopsticks, which had also been packed up.
"Little Mu, it's time for us to go." Miao Ying stood at the door, waiting for Little Mu to lock the door.
Xiao Mu had a large bag on his back, which contained all the things he had packed from home. He didn't have many clothes, and all he took with him were the little gadgets that Carpenter Yao had made for him.
Miao Ying walked up to him, took his bag and carried it on his back, then said, "If you want to come back in the future, just tell me and I'll take you back."
Little Mutou lowered his head and hummed. Two more tears fell to the ground. Miao Ying held his hand again: "Don't be afraid."
Xiao Mu nodded, held Miao Ying's hand, and felt hope again.
Before going home, they had to go to the yamen first. Yao the carpenter's household registration had to be cancelled, and Xiao Mu's name had to be registered in the yamen.
Things went very smoothly. After a while, Huo Xing came out of the yamen. Miao Ying was waiting outside with Xiao Mutou. He was relieved when he saw him come out. Normally, in Xiao Mutou's case, he would be sent to Ci'an Hall if there were no adults at home. But because of Huo Xing and others, Xiao Mutou's household registration was retained in his and Yao the Carpenter's home, but after being registered with the yamen, he moved in with them.
From today on, Xiao Mu has become a member of their family.
Because they are still in the mourning period, their family has not eaten meat recently, so Miao Ying just bought some snacks as a gift for Xiao Mu to join the family.
After sending Carpenter Yao away, their home was quiet for a while. They spoke in lower voices on weekdays, for fear of reminding little Mu Tou of sad things.
The rapeseed now needs to be transplanted. Li Hongying often does this and is more skilled than Miao Ying. When she was transplanting seedlings in the field, she met people from the village, who also asked her curiously what she was.
Li Hongying didn't know what to say, so she mumbled and passed it off. When she went home and told Miao Ying about it, Miao Ying was also stunned. The rapeseed seedlings were still small and could not be seen now, but during the Chinese New Year period, the rapeseed flowers would bloom, and it would be difficult to cover up the golden color.
"If someone asks you, just say that I like flowers and Huo Xingzhong is here to cheer me up," Miao Ying said.
Li Hongying patted him, feeling somewhat amused and helpless: "How can you say that?"
This is not Nankouba Village anymore. In her original village, Miao Ying could have lived without a good reputation, but in this new place, she didn't want anyone to misinterpret Miao Ying. After all, Miao Ying is really a good person now, and she doesn't want those bad words to fall on Miao Ying.
"It's okay, it's just a topic of conversation." Miao Ying didn't care. He stroked a dog with one hand, feeling very comfortable.
Mantou and Wotou have grown from small dogs to medium-sized dogs. Their fur is shiny and smooth. It feels hard and prickly to the touch, but it is still very nice to touch.
The master was very considerate. He built new doghouses for the two dogs, all made of wood. He carefully named each dog and padded it with Huo Xing's old clothes. When the weather gets colder, he can let them sleep in the workshop.
Huo Xing went to the mountains to hunt. The family was not well off now, with one more person added to the family. The grandmother was old, and the two children were in the period of growth. They were in mourning and could not eat meat, so everyone in the family had lost weight.
Miao Ying hasn't gained weight since he was injured last year. He has been tired recently and his chin has become a little sharper.
Huo Xing came back at night. Everyone in the family had already gone to bed, but Miao Ying was still awake. He leaned on the bed and listened to the noise outside. He got up from the bed as soon as Huo Xing entered the door.
There was dinner left for him in the pot. Miao Ying lit the lamp and walked out of the room. A breeze blew over, and he raised one hand to protect it. Seeing Huo Xing, he smiled at him and then looked at the prey he brought back.
Pheasants, rabbits.
In the past, they would definitely keep some food at home for eating, but now they are in mourning and short of money, so they sell it all. This is how Huo Xing supported his family in the past.
Huo Xing ate a steamed bun with big mouthfuls. The two of them sat facing each other under the dim light. Huo Xing finished a steamed bun, drank a mouthful of kimchi soup, and said, "I want to go out again."
It wasn't surprising that he wanted to go out and earn money to support his family. After all, it was the Lunar New Year, and this year's expenses might be even greater than in previous years. But Miao Ying still remembered the last time he went out and came back injured, so he hesitated again.
"I have to make you new clothes for the New Year this year. I didn't make any last year." Huo Xing said, "And Xiaobao, I still want him to go to school in the county town after the New Year."
Master Song also told Huo Xing about Huo Xiaobao's studies, saying that Xiaobao was a good student and could be sent to a better school.
He also said that his disability had no impact on his studies for the first ten years, and hoped that when Huo Xiaobao reached the age to take the exam, such an unwritten rule would be broken.
Miao Ying thought for a moment and said, "We should explain it clearly to Xiaobao. After all, studying is for the purpose of understanding the truth, and it doesn't necessarily mean he has to take the imperial examination. The greater his expectations, the greater his disappointment will be if he fails. He's still young, so it's hard for him to reason with him. When he's older, we should have a good talk with him."
Huo Xing nodded. He was not good at speaking, so he could only let Miao Ying talk to him.
"It won't be that dangerous, will it? How about we find a job somewhere closer?" Miao Ying said worriedly, "Why don't I go with you? Two people working together will always earn more than one."
Huo Xing immediately shook his head: "It's all physical work, and it's not convenient to bring you along."
Miao Ying frowned: "Why do you still look down on me? Besides, how is it inconvenient to take me with you?"
"Outside, we all sleep in large bunk beds, with more than 10 or 20 people sharing one bed. The smell is not good either. If we go out together, it will cost a fortune to find accommodation."
Miao Ying's shoulders slumped again, and he said that it would be better if he were the same person as before. After Huo Xing finished his meal, the two returned to the room. Miao Ying looked a little listless, climbed onto the bed and faced the wall, leaving only the back of his head to Huo Xing, and did not move.
Huo Xing sighed and got on the bed.
They have no intention of doing anything else, and they have never done anything else since they started to build the house. When they were building the house, it was because they were too tired, and now it is because they are in the mourning period.
Although their family had no relationship with Carpenter Yao, Huo Xing was his apprentice after all, and was also his half-son, so it was only right for him to observe mourning for him.
The next day, Huo Xing took his prey to the county town, one to sell the prey, and the other to ask about Huo Xiaobao's schooling.
Miao Ying did not go with them, but made candy in the yard with her grandmother.
Xiao Mu followed Miao Ying and tried to imitate him in pulling the grown malt off the cloth. However, because he was small and not strong enough, he fell to the ground with a plop. He seemed to be always a little anxious, thinking that if he did more work, he would not be kicked out.
Miao Ying quickly helped him up and patted his butt. He knew that he couldn't change Xiao Mu's mind for the time being, so he could only make him live more comfortably somewhere else.
Grandma laughed and said, "Why aren't you with Ah Xing today?"
Miao Ying felt a little awkward because he didn't like what Huo Xing said last night, so he didn't want to be with him today.
Grandma smiled and shook her head, saying that children like this. Sometimes they are very nice, and sometimes they are so noisy that they don’t want to talk.
Miao Ying paused, then smiled again: "It's okay, I'm just lazy and don't want to move."
The grandmother did not ask any further questions and continued to chat and laugh with them as they prepared to make candy. Little Muto kept staring at them. This was the first time he saw candy being made. He didn't know why wheat would turn into candy after a series of actions.
Huo Xing went to the county town, found the place where he used to sell game and sold it, then went to Yunshan Academy in the county town to ask about what he needed to prepare for school next year.
The academy has special reception staff, and all the rules and regulations are regulated.
The tuition fee is three taels of silver per quarter. If you are a new student, you need a letter of introduction written by a scholar and you must take the unified entrance examination of the academy. Only after passing it can you enter the academy. Moreover, you cannot stay in the academy forever after entering. There are examinations every quarter, and the two bottom students will be asked to leave.
And I spend the whole season in school and can only go home during a few holidays.
Huo Xing was walking on the road, wondering if Huo Xiaobao was still too young. He would only be five years old next year. Could he survive in such a boarding school?
He felt it was still a little difficult, and Miao Ying and his mother might still be worried.
Yunshan Academy is not in the city center, but on a beautiful mountain outside the county town. After Huo Xing came down the mountain and was about to go home, he met a group of people on the way.
Huo Xing was quite familiar with such people. He had met them before when he was in the provincial capital. They were people who handled some matters for some wealthy families. The few people he met were carrying this roll of tattered mats.
This originally had nothing to do with Huo Xing, but when he passed by, he saw the hand of the person wrapped in the mat, and there was a black scar on the wrist.
It’s Huo San.
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