Before leaving the city, he saw a seller of cooking cakes and bought a few. The family members are used to Xiaocao having an extra meal at noon, and it's already this hour, and they may not be able to catch up with the meal when they get home, the daughter must be starving.
Sitting on the donkey cart, Xiaocao leaned against the cotton bales on his back, with his legs slumped outside the donkey cart, eating delicious cooking cakes, looking very at ease.
"Brother Haihai, Xiaocao!! I have a space for you, come quickly!" Outside the city gate, on Lao Zhangtou's ox cart, Fang was already waiting there. It seems that her business is going well today, the bamboo basket in her hand is empty, and all the chickens and eggs have been sold.
The old Zhangtou looked at the donkey cart driven by Yu Hai in surprise, knocked the pipe in his hand on the shaft of the cart, and said, "Da Hai! Where did this donkey cart come from? You didn't buy it, did you?? Didn't uncle say that?" You, buy a donkey and choose a fatter and healthier one... Can you feed it?"
Yu Hai smiled and said, "Uncle Zhang, this donkey looks skinny, but it's in good spirits. I've also studied veterinary medicine for a few days before, and there's nothing wrong with the donkey. It should be fine after a few days of conditioning. If the donkey doesn't Thin, how can it be so cheap?"
Old Zhangtou asked how much the donkey cart was, but Xiaocao lied to him that it was only one tael of silver. The old man nodded and said: "One tael of silver is not expensive, and a donkey cart is about the same money. Even if the donkey can't support it, it won't lose much...Brother Haihai, you buy this donkey cart..."
When Lao Zhangtou didn't send firewood, he would go to the town to attract people. When he was good, he could still earn twenty or thirty copper coins a day. Seeing Yu Hai's donkey cart, the first thing he thought of was: Is Yu Hai planning to compete with him for business? After all, the speed of a donkey cart is much faster than that of an ox cart.
Xiaocao hurriedly smiled and said, "Grandpa Zhang, isn't our stone studying in the town? It's more convenient for us to visit him with a donkey cart. Besides, we grow some vegetables in front of and behind the house, and we will sell vegetables in the town later." It is also convenient to have a car.”
Seeing that she didn't mean to use the donkey cart to pull people, Lao Zhangtou felt relieved.
On the way back, Yu Hai was afraid that the donkey would be exhausted, so he refused to get on the donkey cart. Xiaocao couldn't hold him back, so he let him ride in Lao Zhangtou's bullock cart. The donkey was also obedient, and followed the bullock cart step by step, except that the grass in the middle gave it a drink of Lingshi water, and Yu Hai didn't collapse from exhaustion that Yu Hai was worried about along the way.
Xiaocao's home is at the foot of the West Mountain. Returning from the town, he has to cross half of the village. Before their father and daughter arrived home, news of Yu Hai's family buying a donkey cart had already spread in the village.
Mrs. Li stepped on her little feet, ran home quickly, staggering, and told her mother-in-law Mrs. Zhang, embellishing the news she had heard. Last time, she didn't get a good deal at Xiaocao's house, but this time she behaved well and instigated her mother-in-law to teach the second wife a lesson. He also said that the father-in-law didn't subsidize them, so long after the family separated, they could buy a donkey cart! !
When Mrs. Zhang heard this, her sparse eyebrows frowned immediately: "You bought a donkey cart? Are you sure?"
Mrs. Li nodded her head heavily, and said, "Of course I'm sure. The whole village has spread the word, so we keep it from our family! Mom, think about it, just a donkey costs five or six taels of silver. The second brother just left the family. , and my legs are not good, where did I get the money to buy a donkey cart? Could it be that my father-in-law secretly... "
Mrs. Li's words stopped here and did not continue. Mrs. Zhang knew what she meant very well, and said doubtfully: "I am in charge of the family's money! If the old man has ten or eight copper coins in his hand, I believe it. It is impossible to say that he has a few taels of silver to supplement the second child!"
Seeing that Mrs. Li didn't fan her mother-in-law's anger, she became anxious: "Mother, if the father-in-law didn't subsidize them in private, the second child would not be able to afford food, so how could he afford a donkey cart? There are few fish caught these days. What about before? When the second brother's legs were healthy, all the money from hunting and selling was handed over to father first. If he didn't hand it all over to mother, there might be a few taels left over..."
"Wow!!" When Mrs. Zhang thought that the old man had given money to the second child's family without telling her, she burst into anger. She threw the needle and thread in her hand into the basket and shouted:
"When I said we were going to separate the family, why did the second child agree so smoothly! It turned out that he got enough money from the old man! No, let them spit out whatever they say!!"
Mrs Zhang walked angrily on the road leading to Xiaocao's house, Mrs Li followed with a smug smile, twisting her fat waist. Liu Shi, the eldest daughter-in-law of old Yutou's elder brother Yu Lichun, saw the expressions of the couple and the direction they were going, and it was obvious that they went to Yu Hai's house to find fault. Shouting inwardly that it was not good, he hurried to find the old Yu who was playing chess with others in the village.
When Zhang's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arrived at Xiaocao's house, the whole family was busy cleaning up the pig's head and pig's offal. As soon as Mrs. Liu raised her head and saw Mrs. Zhang approaching menacingly, her heart tightened, she hurriedly got up and said: "Mother, why are you here at this time?"
Seeing the stinking pig intestines in the tub, Mrs. Li thought that she didn't take advantage of it last time, but was covered in stench instead. She went back and washed her clothes several times, but she always felt that smell, which couldn't be washed off. Seeing that Xiaocao was holding a pig intestine in her hand, she looked at her with a half-smile, and hurriedly retreated behind Mrs. Zhang, holding her nose and saying, "Mother, why can't you come at this time? Could it be that you are here?" The second family, do you still have to pick a time?"
Mrs. Zhang snorted heavily through her nose, and said, "I heard that the second son's family has made a fortune and bought a donkey cart. As a mother, can't I come to congratulate you?"
Suddenly, her face changed abruptly, and she said: "Second daughter-in-law, tell me the truth! How much money did you coax from the old man? How did your family agree so smoothly when I said to divide the family! So you kept this hand !! Let me tell you, if you don’t hand over the money you got from the old man today, I will never end with you!!”
When Mrs. Liu heard this, she became anxious, and hurriedly said: "Mother, where do you have any money? I borrowed some money from my mother's family for the two taels of silver I got when we separated, and I spent it on this house. Do you have any money on hand?" , How much silver is there, others don't know, how can you not know?"
"I still don't know!! If the old man didn't give you money in private, you can earn money to buy donkey carts in such a short period of time because of your lame, sick, and young ones?"
Mrs. Zhang heard that a donkey cart cost five or six taels of silver. Now the old man and the boss catch fish every day, and the money they sell is only enough for the family's expenses. How long will the five or six taels of silver be kept! Thinking of this, her heart felt as if someone had dug a big hole in her heart, bleeding profusely.
Mrs. Liu has a gentle temper, so she couldn't say anything more than Mrs. Zhang. She was so anxious that tears almost came out, and she argued in a low voice: "Mother, the money to buy the donkey is the money that Xiaocao went to the wharf to sell braised pig heads and pig offal. If you don't believe me, you Go to the pier and ask, many people know about our penny meat dishes.”
Xiaocao patted his forehead, and sighed in his heart: My mother! Are you too honest? In a few words, we have explained our family background...
"Meat and vegetables for a penny? Second brother and sister, who are you coaxing? A catty of pork costs twenty cents, and a penny can buy a few slices of meat, which is not enough to fit between the teeth! I usually look at you as an honest man, but even your mother can't help it." Lie!" Li Shi said sarcastic remarks at the side, with an expression of watching the show.
"Sister-in-law, I didn't lie to my mother! These pig heads are put into the water and stewed with seasoning. They taste good. They can earn dozens of cash every day... If it weren't for pointing at this, our whole family would have been unable to open the pot..." Liu also said I kept an eye out and didn't account for all the income of two or three hundred wen a day.
However, dozens of pens a day is enough to make Zhang's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law jealous! Mrs. Zhang looked at the wooden basin and they felt that they were pickled on weekdays, so they threw away the pigs fed to the dogs and put them into the water. They took a step forward, but the smell came back again, so they curled their lips and said:
"Someone will buy this stinky and dirty thing? You are stupid to think of me as an old woman, and you are easy to cheat, right? Even if you can earn dozens of cash a day without eating or drinking, it is impossible for you to spend more than ten days. Earn back the money for an ox cart!"
Yu Hai, who was helping the little gray donkey to build a shed in the backyard, heard the movement and hurried over, and said to Mrs. Zhang in a low voice: "Mother, the donkey we bought is dying of illness, and they want to throw it away. Just pay The money for the car is less than one or two taels of silver. If you don’t believe me, go to the backyard and have a look... "
In the backyard, Xiao Hui, who had drunk Lingshi water, was lying comfortably on the ground basking in the sun. From Mrs. Zhang's point of view, she only saw a donkey that was so thin that its bones were choked up, with little flesh on it, lying on the ground weakly, and couldn't even stand up. In my heart, I believed Yu Hai's words to three percent.
However, her trip this time was not in vain. She rolled her eyes and said, "Second brother, your family is capable. You earn dozens of cash a day, and you don't know how to help the family. Your parents will hardly be able to eat. Even if you throw money at a sick donkey that is dying, you won’t be afraid that people will say that you are unfilial!”
Xiaocao was very happy, and said quickly: "Grandma, don't forget, we have already separated! When we separated, we only gave us three acres of sandy land, two taels of silver and a yard that was so dilapidated that we could not live in it. When we got home, the contract clearly stated that we only need to give you five hundred catties of grain every year, or one tael or five silver. Grandma, the sweet potatoes in the field have not been planted yet, how do you want us to help? you?"
Mrs. Zhang was greedy for the three hundred taels of silver that Yu Hai exchanged with his life, but he didn't feel ashamed at all, and said confidently: "Can't your family make money by selling pigs into the water? You teach us the recipe for making pigs' heads into the water, don't hide it." Tuck it in, although we are separated, we are still a family. It is better to take advantage of us than to be imitated by others... "
Xiaocao felt very speechless, this is going to cut off their family's livelihood! She was very fortunate that the weather was relatively cold today, and the vegetable fields in the courtyard and backyard had been covered with grass thatch early, otherwise the vegetables in the field would be seen by Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li, and they might have to scrape off a layer. There is no doubt that there is nothing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cannot do.
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"The Farm is Like Brocade" has 100 chapters, spread the flowers! !
Continue to fight the night lights!