Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Adopting Godparents
After the oil was squeezed out, Miao Ying didn't hesitate any more. He put enough oil in when cooking, and tried stir-frying and pan-frying.
Grandma was used to being frugal, but seeing him use oil like this still made her feel a little distressed. Miao Ying waved at her, "Grandma, we've all been working hard lately. Let's replenish some oil."
When the two children came back in the evening, a table full of dishes was already set in the yard. Huo Xiaobao and Xiao Mutou each held one of Miao Ying's legs and competed to tell him about what happened in the school.
Miao Ying listened to them patiently. After a while, Fu Lingzhi came over and was amazed at the dishes on the table.
After listening to the two children talking, Miao Ying asked them to go play with steamed buns and cornbread nearby, while he showed Fu Lingzhi the results of his work after going up the mountain. He took Fu Lingzhi to Huo Xing's tool room, where there were several jars of rapeseed oil.
"This is the oil that's been squeezed out," Miao Ying said. "Try the dishes tonight; I guarantee they'll taste different."
Fu Lingzhi bent down to look at the jar. The oil inside was not as clear as lard, and it did not seem to coagulate or turn white, but when he got close, he could smell a strong aroma of oil.
"What are you going to do next?" Fu Lingzhi asked him.
Miao Ying was stunned for a moment and said, "I want your brother's token just to discuss this business with him."
Although Fu Lingzhi was previously raised in seclusion, Fu Lingyou has intentionally let him get in touch with business-related things since he became an adult, so he is not a guy who knows nothing.
"Xiao Ying." Fu Lingzhi's expression was serious. "You know that things like this concerning people's livelihood are beyond your control alone."
Miao Ying nodded: "I know, that's why I thought of asking your brother to cooperate."
The Fu family has a certain status in the county town, and they also have a grain business. There is nothing wrong with Miao Ying looking for the eldest brother.
"Xiao Ying, I consider you my friend, so when you talk to my brother, it's best to just give him the seeds and negotiate a fixed price."
Miao Ying looked at him and thought in his mind. Actually, he originally wanted to cooperate with Fu Lingyou and wanted to get his own share of the things they sold in the future. But looking at Fu Lingzhi's expression now, he felt that he seemed to be thinking too simply.
He walked out of the tool room with Fu Lingzhi in silence. Huo Xing also came back from outside. The sky gradually darkened and it was time for dinner.
Miao Ying put all those thoughts behind him and decided to discuss it with Huo Xing in the evening. Right now, the most important thing was to enjoy the food.
But as soon as he sat down, he saw two boiled eggs, still red, on his seat.
He looked at Huo Xing, who had a look of guilt in his eyes. Miao Ying was puzzled. After spending so much time together, he had finally figured out that although Huo Xing was taciturn, he was very thoughtful. He didn't know what Huo Xing was feeling guilty about at the moment.
After Grandmother and Li Hongying sat down, Li Hongying said, "I didn't remember your birthday before. It was only when your brother came that I remembered it."
"Ah? My birthday?" Miao Ying himself didn't expect it to be his birthday. He had never celebrated his birthday before. It was just that when he was young, every Chinese New Year, the headmistress would buy a small palm-sized cake for each child and celebrate their birthday at that time.
"We celebrate birthdays here by eating red eggs," Grandma said with a smile. "Eat the eggs and bad luck will go away."
Miao Ying's eyes felt sore, so he quickly peeled the egg and ate it whole. However, it was the most delicious egg he had ever eaten.
Everyone at the dinner table gave him gifts. Huo Xiaobao gave him a birthday message he had written himself. Xiao Mu made him a carved hairpin, polished to a smooth finish with delicate patterns. Grandmother and Li Hongying brought out new clothes they had made for him, and even Fu Lingzhi made him a purse.
Huo Xing was the only one left, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He had no time to prepare a gift for Miao Ying, so he felt a bit rushed and could only stammer, "I didn't have time to prepare..."
Miao Ying laughed: "You've been with me all these days, so you didn't have time to prepare. Besides, you helped me squeeze the oil, which is already the best gift."
Huo Xing was still in an awkward situation. He kept picking up food for Miao Ying during the meal, and the rice bowls piled up like a small mountain.
The stir-fried potato strips have a strong aroma from the wok. Even without any animal oil, they can still fill the lack of oil and water in the lungs. Not to mention the stir-fried meat dishes, which are even more oily.
During this period, because of farm work and Miao Ying's absence, the family had very simple meals. Children were the most impatient and both children had their mouths full of grease.
It was the first time that Fu Lingzhi ate dishes made with this oil. He didn’t expect them to taste so good, even better than lard.
At night, Miao Ying sat cross-legged on the bed, calculating the cost of their oil pressing trip. In fact, the total cost was not low. Just take the iron tools, the wooden press, and Huo Xing's labor costs. The hard work they put into growing rapeseed for a year was not low either. At least these thirty or forty kilograms of rapeseed oil cost them nearly ten or more taels of silver.
Seeing Huo Xing coming in with water for washing feet, Miao Ying sighed. Huo Xing squatted down to help him take off his shoes and soaked them in the hot water. Then he asked him, "Why are you sighing?"
Miao Ying sighed: "Thinking about business."
Huo Xing sat next to him. Needless to say, the two of them had a tacit understanding. Miao Ying naturally talked about what happened today: "I thought before that I could cooperate with him and get dividends, but Ling Zhi reminded me today that we have no power and influence. Even if we earn a lot of money, we won't have the life to spend it."
Huo Xing nodded: "So what do you want?"
Miao Ying looked at him and said, "I want to give him the seeds directly. We won't have to worry about the rest. I'll set up a small stall and then open an oil press. You'll be responsible for pressing the oil in the press, so you won't have to go out so much. This is a long-term business. If Huo Xiaobao can continue to study, we will have a family business to support him."
Huo Xing just turned his head to look at him with a deep gaze.
"I don't actually have such big ideals and ambitions. The life I have now is actually pretty good. We just set up a stall and make some money. We don't need to get involved in those big things. To put it bluntly, we are just ordinary people."
Huo Xing nodded and gently held his hand: "I will listen to you."
After reaching an agreement with Huo Xing on this matter, Miao Ying felt relieved. Now that he felt at ease, he began to feel restless again. He raised his foot and slowly lifted it from Huo Xing's leg to his waist.
"You're the only one who didn't give me a birthday present tonight." His feet were nimble and he untied Huo Xing's belt.
Huo Xing placed his hand lightly on his foot and stroked it gently. His Adam's apple rolled again: "Well, do you want anything?"
Miao Ying laughed: "What do you think I want?"
Huo Xing understood what was going on and could no longer endure it. He reached out and stripped Miao Ying of her clothes.
When he was distracted by love, Miao Ying suddenly remembered what Ye Feng had told him: if he didn't want a child for the time being, he had to be careful. He also recalled the chaotic four or five days, when he didn't take any measures.
He pulled Huo Xing's hair and raised his head slightly. Huo Xing looked at him and asked silently.
"Will I get pregnant?" Miao Ying was a little breathless.
Huo Xing paused and didn't speak for a long time.
Miao Ying was a little confused, so he just ignored it and leaned over to Huo Xing's ear and said something.
…
The farm work in the village is almost done now. Wheat is drying in the yard of every house. Taxes will be paid in a few days. It is the same now. The tax collector has come to the village to collect the tax. Everyone carries the grain they want to pay taxes for. The place where taxes are collected is basically the same, either in the village ancestral hall or the village chief's house.
On this day, the sound of gongs was heard at the entrance of the village, and everyone prepared the grain to pay taxes and went to line up at the village ancestral hall.
Miao Ying and his companions were preparing to pay some food and some additional money. When Huo Xing was carrying the food out, he happened to meet Ye Feng.
Qin Qiang was working outside, so Ye Feng became the one who carried grain for Ye Feng's family. Although he was stronger than the average guy, his physique was still not as good as a man's, so he had to carry grain for a while and then rest for a while.
Miao Ying and his friends happened to meet him on the road. Huo Xing helped him carry his things without saying a word and walked in front. Miao Ying and Ye Feng walked behind and talked.
Ye Feng also knew that he was going to press oil, but he hadn't heard Miao Ying talk about it recently, so he asked.
Miao Ying said softly, "I've already made it. I'll make some for you when I get back later."
"That's great." Ye Feng didn't refuse him and started talking about something else. "By the way, that relative who's staying at your house hasn't left yet?"
Miao Ying replied, "His family suffered a misfortune, and he came to me for refuge."
Seeing that he didn't care at all, Ye Feng felt a little worried for him: "You better be careful and don't cause any trouble. There are some rumors in the village now. It is said that your Huo Xing is going to take in a concubine."
"Ah?" Miao Ying quickly waved his hands, "No, that's not the case at all."
"You have to be careful too. There are so many people like that who come to seek refuge these days, and end up causing unrest in other people's homes. During the New Year, I thought he would only stay for a while, but I didn't expect him to stay for so long."
"Thank you, Brother Feng. I see. He has nowhere to go. He's not living in my house anymore. He moved to the yard we rented before."
As they were talking, they arrived at the village ancestral hall. They didn't come early, so there was already a long line. They were not in a hurry. They put their things down and waited in line, then stood under the shade of a tree to talk.
After waiting for a long time, Huo Xing and his group finally arrived. The tax collector looked at their household registration information, calculated the amount of tax they needed to pay, weighed the food they brought, and finally calculated how much compensation they had to pay.
After paying the grain and money, they waited until Ye Feng's house finished paying, and then went back together. When they arrived at their house, Miao Ying found a small bottle and filled it with oil for Ye Feng.
Ye Feng asked again how to make it, and Miao Ying said that it was no different from other animal oils, and it could be used after heating it.
After paying the tax, Miao Ying sat in the yard to catch his breath. Grandmother and Li Hongying had gone to level the fields. Fu Lingzhi didn't come today. When he came back yesterday, he said he wanted to tidy up his vegetable patch. Huo Xing poured him some water. Miao Ying remembered what Ye Feng had said today and said to Huo Xing, "Everyone in the village is saying that Huo Xing is going to marry a younger woman."
Huo Xing looked at him helplessly. He had already tried to avoid suspicion, but he still made groundless guesses.
Miao Ying smiled and stood up from the stool: "I'm going to talk to Lingzhi for a while, you go to the fields and help mother and the others work."
After saying that, he got up and went out. When he arrived at Fu Ling's house, he saw him planting vegetables in the field. Miao Ying went over to help him. The vegetables in his vegetable field were now green and full of vitality.
"Are you done?" Fu Lingzhi was wearing coarse linen clothes and wielding a hoe in his hand. No one would have thought that he was a rich boy just a few months ago.
"Yes, I've paid the tax and came to talk to you." Miao Ying helped him pick the weeds in the vegetable garden, and then picked some vegetable leaves to stir-fry in the evening.
They returned to the yard, Fu Lingzhi picked vegetables, and Miao Ying was doing nothing in the yard.
"I have an idea." Miao Ying said.
Fu Lingzhi raised his head: "What's wrong?"
Miao Ying told him what happened today: "Huo Xing's reputation is nothing. It's mainly you. You haven't gotten married yet, so it's not a big deal to keep having people spread such rumors."
Fu Lingzhi smiled and said, "I don't think it's a big deal. I don't plan to get married anyway."
"How about this? You recognize my mother as your godmother. Then Huo Xing will be your brother, and I will be your brother too."
Fu Lingzhi laughed: "Why don't you say it's sister-in-law?"
"Just hearing that word makes me tingle." Miao Ying shrugged. "What do you think? This way, no one will spread it around anymore."
Fu Lingzhi was silent for a moment and said, "Let me think about it."
Miao Ying didn't insist on him agreeing, after all, Fu Lingzhi still had a lot of past that he hadn't let go of.
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