Life fell into a predicament, and Xu Yi had no choice but to try to change. Relying on his extraordinary intelligence, he seized the opportunity to coax the vanity-loving deputy manager, and got a job as a lottery. He only worked half a day a day, but he could get ten lottery sticks. Not only did the bald foreman dare not come to snatch them, but he sent three or five lottery sticks every day as a gesture of favor.
In this way, he can get sixty or seventy copper coins a day, and finally he can eat delicious big buns for two meals in the morning and evening, but he still can't control his fullness.
On the third day after the lottery was issued, Lao Jia, who was doing the work, tied the knot and rented a wing room of Lao Jia’s brother-in-law in a courtyard in Dishuijing Hutong, two miles away from the wharf, at the floor price. bed.
Facts have proved that the brain is a good thing, wherever there is a brain, you can get along.
Half a month later, after adapting to the life of ordinary people at the bottom, Xu Yi climbed into a relatively comfortable zone without much effort.
He seized the opportunity and used his mathematical and statistical skills to win the appreciation of the shipowner and get a job as a planner. He finally broke away from the category of manual laborers, and his monthly salary reached two taels of silver.
These silvers are enough to maintain a family's low-level livelihood. However, Xu Yi couldn't eat all the red oil meat buns by himself, so he could only buy thirty or fifty of them occasionally to satisfy his hunger.
Of course, the change of identity brings about a change of social status. He is transparent, fair, and literate. Even the famous Mr. Jiang in the east of the city once asserted that Xu Yi must be a famous scholar, but Is exile here, fell into trouble.
There were so many believers in such an unfounded assertion that even the owner of the ship was alarmed, and asked Xu Yi if he was interested in taking a job in his dental firm, but Xu Yi declined.
As a result, this rumor has been deepened.
Even the owner of the ship warned the chief executive and others to treat Mr. Xu with courtesy, and said, "The poor are happy with the Tao, this is not someone who is inferior to others."
Changes in social status are directly reflected in life.
For the Zhang family's wedding celebration and the Li family's funeral, Mr. Xu must be invited. It is really Mr. Xu's handwriting that adds chapters and sentences, which can really add color to the lintel.
After arriving, if a family with a little bit of dignity is organizing a celebration, if Mr. Xu is not invited, it will be embarrassing.
For this reason, many people even changed the date of the celebration specially for the convenience of Mr. Xu's time.
Gradually, Mr. Xu's life became easier.
And Xu Yi also completely fell in love with the days of idle clouds and wild cranes, busy with life.
The uneasiness in his mind finally gradually disappeared, but Xu Yi knew that the feeling of breaking through the road and harmonious mind had not really come.
As the days went by, Xu Yi's reputation gradually increased, and the fame of calligraphy and poetry gradually spread to the literati circle.
As a middleman, Mrs. Jiang invited many times, but was declined by Xu Yi. He had no intention of continuing to climb up to obtain a higher social status. He sank down below, savoring the joys and sorrows of the working people and the common people in the market. stronger than anything.
Every night after work, if I have free time, I set up a table and a stool at the entrance of the alley, put a plate of fennel beans, a pot of old wine, and drink slowly.
He heard Zhang's parents, Li's family short, children's fights, running wild, and fireworks in the world, all of a sudden filled his heart.
I practice Taoism not to avoid the world of mortals, but because I am greedy for the world of mortals, I seek eternal life.
With a click, Xu Yi felt something split in his heart, but it was not clear.
He didn't force it, picked up the wine gourd, and walked towards Buanda Lane.
Bunk alley, bunt alley, as the name suggests, all the people living in the alley are Liba who wear bunt.
The entrance of the alley is next to the moat, and there is an open land. To the west of the open land, there is a century-old locust tree with luxuriant branches and leaves, which shades the sun and is about to enter midsummer.
Even when the setting sun recedes, the heat wave that has been transpiring for a whole day is still scorching, but the shade under the big locust tree is obviously much lower than the temperature outside.
There is also a gentle evening breeze, occasionally vibrating the dense branches, and the rustling of leaves, which makes people feel a chill from the bottom of their hearts and feel refreshed.
When Xu Yi arrived, under the big locust tree, there were already three layers inside and three layers outside, most of them were shirtless Liba Han, some were eating and drinking with bowls, chewing big pancakes, and even children, After jumping to the high place behind, there were also women who were not convenient to pile up, and stood nearby, forming a small group.
It was so crowded and lively, of course, not because of the coolness of the place, but because a Mr. Jiang set up a stall there and collected stories with money. There are three big pieces of a story, and no one can deceive anyone.
Mr. Jiang is a novelist who has published many books. He collects stories just to sort out materials, and he is very famous here.
The common people at the bottom don't have much entertainment at all, and Mr. Jiang's stories spread out one by one, which is naturally a great place to have fun.
Xu Yi saw Mr. Jiang's white cloth cover leaning against the old locust tree from a distance, with the four big characters "I heard it like this" written on it, and when he tasted it carefully, he felt a sense of Zen.
"Mr. Xu is here, Mr. Xu is here."
Someone yelled, and the crowd automatically moved out of the way, and everyone enthusiastically welcomed Xu Yi in.
Unlike other scholars who look down on Liba who uses his strength, Mr. Xu is willing to huddle with everyone, and everyone feels honored.
Xu Yi clasped his fists in salute, entered the circle, held down the two old men who wanted to make way for him, and cupped his hands at the majestic Mr. Jiang, said "excuse me", and stood next to the big tree.
He has come here to listen to stories, not eight times out of ten. Everyone knows his nature, so they don't persuade him any more.
It so happened that a young man finished his story, took the reward and left, and took three or five children to buy snacks.
The boy just left on the futon in the middle, and a middle-aged man with handsome eyebrows sat on it. His posture was obviously practiced. When he spoke, his voice was fluttering, and someone immediately recognized him as Mr. Cui, the female singer of the Pear Blossom Troupe. .
As soon as Mr. Cui opened his mouth, he was stopped by Mr. Jiang, "My man, what I accept here are unwritten stories, books of philosophers, words of a hundred schools of thought, even unofficial official histories, novels and dramas, all of which are not accepted. You sing I've heard of this Ganye Temple, sorry sorry."
However, Mr. Cui seemed to have a strong desire to confide, so he refused to go down. He reluctantly told a story about his life in a sad and tactful way, vented his anger, and was invited down by everyone.
After Mr. Cui went down, a middle-aged man with gray hair came up. He told the story of a hunter hunting from his grandfather. For the three prizes that Mr. Cui rewarded, the man thanked him a thousand times.