Hao Cheng hid the money and started to cook dinner for herself. She was so happy because she got a lot of money that she bought a small bucket of river shrimp and half a pound of pork ribs at the entrance of the village on the way back, preparing to treat herself to a big meal.
She took out the bean curd sheets that had been soaked before she left, cut them into small pieces of the same length, added a small spoonful of salt, and then put the bowl of bean curd sheets aside.
Water was boiling in the small stove. The ribs had been processed by the butcher, so she only needed to rinse them with clean water and put them directly into the pot.
Hao Cheng first rinsed the ribs in boiling water to remove the foam, then put the chopped ribs and radish pieces into the pot.
It takes a lot of time to stew the spare ribs, and her hands were not idle. She first cut off the claws, whiskers and legs of the river shrimps. After the river shrimps were cleaned, she cut the lotus root into thin slices of even thickness, added some minced meat from the spare ribs, and stir-fried them in the wok.
After frying the lotus root and some green vegetables, she filtered the salt water from the bean curd and mixed it into a cold dish. She lifted the lid of the pot to check the condition of the ribs and added a small half spoonful of salt. She cleaned the stove and thought it was about time so she started to make the last dish of fried river shrimp.
The advantage of ancient times was that the food was basically natural and pollution-free. The aroma of sautéed scallions and river shrimps wafted from the Hao family’s small kitchen all the way outside.
Jiang Mengzhen sniffed and felt hungry. He looked at the bright and warm house with the oil lamp lit. He suddenly had an idea and kicked a stone to the threshold of the Dong family opposite.
The stones made a loud noise, and a middle-aged man poked his head out. It was the husband of the lady of the Dong family.
He originally wanted to see which child was throwing stones, but he didn't see the child. When he stuck his head out, he was attracted by the man outside the fence of Hao Cheng's house. The young man was a stranger, standing there properly, and looked quite serious, but he looked weak and weak, and it was obvious that he couldn't do any farm work.
A new person always makes people curious, not to mention that men are naturally gossipy. The husband of the Dong family took two steps and ignored the matter of the stone. He leaned on the low wall and talked to the strange face: "You are a guest of her house, right? Why are you standing outside and not going in?"
He could smell the delicious food that Hao Cheng was cooking. Since Hao Cheng was about to start eating, there was no reason for the guests to take so long to come in.
Jiang Mengzhen raised his head and glanced at the husband of the Dong family, then lowered his head timidly and said in a low voice: "My family was in trouble, so I came to seek refuge with my aunt, but my aunt doesn't seem to be at home. I fell down the mountain yesterday and was injured. My cousin picked me up and saved me, but my aunt is not here, and she can't decide to let me stay."
The husband of the Dong family was a straightforward man with a warm heart. He was also a little impatient, so he said, "What do you mean your aunt is not here? Your aunt and her husband had a disaster some time ago. You can't wait any longer."
The small cloth bag in Jiang Mengzhen's hand fell to the ground. He looked shocked, and his voice was trembling: "What did you say?! What happened to my aunt and the others?"
Mr. Dong slapped his mouth with his hand, obviously disliking his quick mouth: "Look at my mouth, don't be too sad, it happened several months ago. There is only Hao Cheng left in the Hao family. Although this child is a scholar, it's pitiful for him to be alone."
Upon learning that his "aunt" and her husband were really gone, Jiang Mengzhen's expression became grief-stricken, his eyes immediately turned red, and even his voice was choked with sobs. He picked up the small cloth bag on the ground, turned around and walked out.
The Dong family's husband hurriedly called out to him, "It's almost night time. How can you, a young man with an injury, go out alone? The wild animals in the nearby mountains only come out at night. It's really unsafe."
Jiang Mengzhen stopped walking when the Dong family husband called out to her. She said timidly, "But my cousin is the only one left in my aunt's house. She is all alone. We are a single woman and a single man. It is inevitable that we will attract criticism."
The Dong family's husband slapped his thigh and said, "Silly child, why are you worried about this? You are cousins, and you came to their house for help when you were in trouble. Not to mention that your cousin saved you, so why can't you stay?"
He asked the young man, "Uncle, let me ask you something. How old are you now? Are you married?"
Jiang Mengzhen lied with his eyes open: "I'm 23 years old and have never been married."
That's great, maybe I can be a couple with Hao Cheng. Dong's husband paused and said, "You brothers and sisters live in two separate rooms, and you are not dishonest people, so what's there to say? We are in the countryside, not in those high-class mansions with strict family backgrounds, so why would we care so much? If you meet some gossipers, just ignore them."
The separation between men and women in Jin State was not as strict as Hao Cheng thought, and the common people were not like those in the wealthy families who were so particular about rules.
"But..." Jiang Mengzhen still hesitated. After a moment's hesitation, he turned around and wanted to leave. "I'd better go."
"Why are you leaving?" Dong's husband grabbed him and said, "Can you stay? I'll go in with you and ask!"
The Dong family's husband grabbed Jiang Mengzhen without saying anything and shouted at the top of his voice: "Hao Cheng, Hao Cheng!"
Hao Cheng poked his head out of the house: "Uncle Dong, I'm here, what happened?"
"Your cousin came to seek refuge with you, and you just left him out there like that!"
Hao Cheng put the river shrimps, whose skins had been fried dry and wrinkled, in a pot beside him, arranged them into the shape of a flower, and poured a circle of bright green chopped green onions on top. Then he said with a half-smile, "Cousin?"
"Yeah, isn't he your cousin?"
Hao Cheng told the doctor that she had saved her distant cousin. Jiang Mengzhen heard this when she first woke up. There were only a few doctors in the nearby town, so the news could spread easily. Jiang Mengzhen grasped this point and was sure that she would not expose it.
Hao Cheng was not that cruel after all. His eyes flickered as he responded, "It's my cousin."
"Dad, she'll starve to death if you don't cook." Aunt Dong spoke again in a loud voice.
"You boil some water first, I'll be right there!" It was a pity not to see the excitement. Mrs. Dong pushed open the gate of Hao Cheng's house and gave Jiang Mengzhen a push, "Take care of your family affairs. I have to go cook first."
The latter staggered into Hao Cheng's yard. Hao Cheng stood at the door looking at him, waiting for the Dong family's door to close, and then turned around and went into the room.
It gets dark early in autumn. At this point, it is dusk. The sky is dotted with stars, and a pale yellow crescent moon makes the surrounding stars look very dim.
White smoke was rising from the chimneys in the village. Hao Cheng didn't say anything. Jiang Mengzhen just stood in the yard, not moving at all.
Hao Cheng was sitting at the dining table eating. In front of him was a table full of delicious food. The rice was sweet and delicious, and the shrimp and pork rib soup were steaming, which made people's appetites growl at the sight of it.
She began to peel the shrimp, and when the meal was finished, she washed the dishes as usual.
Jiang Mengzhen in the yard was so hungry that his stomach was rumbling. He looked at the bright lights in the house and even imagined Hao Cheng eating.
Compared with those noble ladies, the way the scholar ate was not really elegant, but it looked like eating was a very happy thing, as if she was eating some delicacies, making the people watching couldn't help but eat a few more bites.
He waited for a long time. The tips of the grass leaves in the yard were covered with evening dew and the dim lights in the house dimmed, but the soft-hearted scholar still did not show up.
If that doesn't work, he will find another way out tomorrow. But Jiang Meng really believes in his own judgment and his eye for people, and he has never made a mistake in his decisions.
When he was hungry, thirsty, cold and extremely sleepy, Hao Cheng finally came out of the house holding an oil lamp.
She was originally preparing to go to bed, but the moonlight poured into the room. Looking at a human-shaped shadow in the silver-white, she tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep.
I got up and walked to the window. The young man, who looked weak but extremely stubborn, was leaning against the wall because he was very sleepy. He kept nodding his head, holding a small package, looking insecure and pitiful like a little lamb.
You are rich, but you insist on living in this shabby house. I don’t know what’s wrong with your brain.
She is a little clever, but she never shows off her wealth. So, to get this large sum of money, this man must be too sure that she is a good person and is determined to keep her. He is not afraid that she will be tempted by the money. He is too naive and easy to deceive.
Hao Cheng looked at the young man bathing in the moonlight. The other party curled up unconsciously because of the cool night breeze. He was all alone and looked so pitiful.
Whatever, if this man had a fever and fainted in her yard, she would still be responsible, so she would take him in for another night. Anyway, she was going to the town to find a new house tomorrow and would move in a few days.
As soon as she appeared in front of Jiang Mengzhen, the latter woke up. As soon as the word "benefactor" came out, Hao Cheng asked him: "What's your name?"
"Meng Zhen, Zi Shan Meng, to Qin Zhen." Jiang Meng really didn't want to speak.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-eight."
"But I just heard you say twenty-three."
"It's strange that you're still unmarried at the age of 28."
Nowadays, people are urged to get married at the age of 28, not to mention in ancient times. Even if an unmarried man at the age of 28 is not sick, he will inevitably be labeled as having a hidden disease or a major defect in the eyes of others. Hao Cheng understood: "Then why are you unmarried?"
"No, she's been dead for several years." Jiang Mengzhen said lightly. There are always many rumors about a widow, so he certainly wouldn't reveal the truth to a warm-hearted person. Even to Hao Cheng, who he could trust, he spoke half-truthfully.
He was more cautious than she thought, Hao Cheng seemed to be thinking about something. Not long after he asked, he entered the house. She left the door open but no one came in, so she stuck her head out and said unhappily: "Why don't you come in quickly."
It was within his expectations, but Jiang Mengzhen still looked very happy. Hao Cheng waited for a while, but he didn't move, so he looked impatient.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Mengzhen quickly said, "My benefactor, please don't close the door. My feet are numb."