Cao Nuo woke up in a daze the next day. He only felt that his hands and feet were numb, so he deliberately wanted to stretch, but only heard the sound of "dong", and he sat on his buttocks, and fell to the ground with people and stools , There was an ouch in pain, and when I opened my eyes, I realized that I was lying on the table and sleeping, with a blanket on my body.
In the past few days, he has been gloomy and often drunk. It is common for him to wake up and not know where he is. Straight to pieces.
Unexpectedly, I met a good man, so I didn't throw him out to sleep on the street.
Cao Nuo got up from the ground, folded the blanket and placed it between his elbows. Seeing that there was no one in the hall, he was about to take out some silver taels to show his kindness, when he heard some laughter from the backyard. There are men and women, there is the movement of stone pestles pounding things, and there is a strong smell of rice in the air. He drank a lot of wine last night, and now he smells this smell and feels hungry, and he can't help but tease him. He lifted the curtain and walked back to find out.
I saw that the kitchen was very lively, Qing Huan was holding a small stone mortar to grind peanuts, humming a melodious little song, a pot of white rice porridge was cooking on the stove, it must have been boiled for a long time In the morning, the japonica rice has already bloomed, exuding a fresh rice fragrance.
There are several layers of steaming drawers stacked on the other stove, and I don’t know what is steaming inside. Cao Nuo smelled it carefully, and he smelled a sesame aroma. Naturally, he thought that there was some kind of sesame snack in that drawer, so he couldn’t help stroking his empty space. stomach pouch.
Yu Jinnian added a handful of firewood to the chest, got up and opened the first layer of the steamer to check. Cao Nuo looked from afar and saw that there was a thin white cloth in the drawer, and there was a layer of black stuff on the cloth. The boy reached in without fear of being burned, wiped his finger on the black cloth, and hurriedly laughed. shrink out.
A boy in Tsing Yi next to him said something with a displeased expression, it seemed to be a reproach, but the young man went in from one ear to the other, and responded with a few hums. Cao Nuo was about to go forward when he saw the young man put his finger into the young man's mouth. The young man held his finger in his mouth with a chuckle, and he was not annoyed. After tasting the black paste, he nodded and moved closer to the young man, talking talk.
Cao Nuo was surprised for a moment, and was surprised by their intimacy, but fortunately, he has been well-informed in the past few years, and he quickly accepted it after being surprised. After all, it was a matter of two brothers. He bumped into it, but it was his uninvited fault.
When he entered the store yesterday, he was drunk, and he couldn't tell the difference between a person and a ghost in front of him. Looking at it now that he is sober, this little shopkeeper looks like a craftsman who puts a stove to eat. White and thin, his eyes curved like crescent moons when he smiled, he would believe any pampered young master.
Yu Jinnian secretly wiped Ji Damei's oil, then turned around and continued to work. He raised his feet to reach for a sealed porcelain jar on the top of the cabinet. Taking it off, Yu Jinnian was so angry that he puffed his cheeks like a frog, tiptoeing to compare himself with Ji Hong.
The jar is the ghee bought around the Mid-Yuan Festival, authentically made by the Fan, who opened a cheese shop in the south of the city, and the dairy products they make are quite different from the taste of the Central Plains. Some people are not used to it, but Yu Jinnian likes it very. It's just that after buying this ghee, Yu Jinnian got busy and forgot about it. Today, when he suddenly remembered it, he planned to use it to cook porridge.
The seal was removed, and there was a can full of milky white milk. According to the owner of the shop, it was made from goat milk. Although the taste is not as good as the ghee made from alpine yaks, it can also benefit the five internal organs and dispel wind and cold. It is good. As for food, people from the Central Plains also make ghee, but Yu Jinnian always feels that it is not as authentic as others.
Holding the can of "authentic" ghee, he turned around and saw Cao Nuo wandering in the yard, so he greeted him.
Cao Nuo hurried over and said embarrassedly: "I was bothering you last night, I didn't do anything...inappropriate?"
When he saw the strange expressions of the people in front of him, he thought he must have done something, and quickly apologized without thinking: "I'm really sorry! I'm a person who breaks up when I drink too much, what did I do?" I don't remember at all, if there is any loss in the store, just say it, and I will pay for it all!"
"There is no loss..." Yu Jinnian met Qing Huan's eyes as he said, but our eyes were sharpened, and we saw a drama of sadomasochism.
Cao Nuo said in embarrassment: "That's good, that's good... Then, then Cao will leave first..." He didn't look like he was going to leave immediately, he paused three times, and secretly glanced at the pot in the pot. Looking at the hot porridge, he was obviously hungry.
Yu Jinnian didn't understand what he was thinking, so he smiled and asked him to stay: "Let's go after eating the porridge. The fragrant crispy honey porridge nourishes the stomach and nourishes the body."
The store gave the steps, and Cao Nuo hurriedly walked down, nodded and said haha: "Then it's hard work for the shopkeeper."
Over there, Cao Nuo went back to the front hall to wait patiently for the porridge. Yu Jinnian opened the wooden lid of the pot, scooped out two tablespoons of ghee from the pot, added two cups of honey, stirred them evenly and boiled them together. During this time, he kneaded the leftover piece of dough from yesterday's noodle making with raw flour, cut it into large pieces, rolled it into thin sheets, and made steamed pancakes to eat. He also made another plate of hot and sour radish strips. Small dishes.
Cao Nuo has an extra mouth today, needless to say pickled melon sauce and ginger, and the shrimp paste from before is also eaten on pancakes.
Seeing Yu Jinnian went to check the sesame seeds on the drawer again, Ji Hong asked curiously, "What is the steamed sesame seeds for?"
"It's very useful!" Yu Jinnian took down the steamed sesame seeds and put them aside, and then ordered Qing Huan to take them out to dry when the sun rose, "Have you ever heard of the nine-steaming and nine-exposure method? This sesame has a slightly bitter taste when it is raw, even if it is fried, it will always have a bit of astringency. Easy to digest."
He couldn't explain it just by saying it, so he simply gave up explaining and said: "In short, it prolongs life, strengthens body and black hair, the benefits of which, you will know when it is done!"
Ji Hong didn't ask any more questions. In short, he couldn't suffer from the young man.
After Qing Huan finished grinding the ground peanuts, she filled a bowl of porridge with crispy honey and carefully fed it to Er Niang, and then went to the room to ask Sui Sui to come out for breakfast. face. After all, he himself is a businessman who relies on contacts from all over the world, so he doesn't feel uncomfortable, but he doesn't talk much. He slurps hot porridge into his mouth while burying his head in eating pancakes with side dishes. When others talk to him, he usually smiles silly.
Alcohol is a mad drug, but it's true. Just looking at Cao Nuo's current state, how could he have imagined that he would step on a stool and insult sages yesterday.
Yu Jinnian couldn't help but looked at Ji Hong on the other side, thinking again in his heart, but he wasn't entirely right, Ji Hong was different from others after drinking, he was a demure person who suddenly went crazy when he climbed high, but he just kept going It is really a wonderful sight to go from deep and unpredictable to childish and obedient.
If you have free time, you must feed him to drink and have fun again.
Ji Hong didn't know that he had become the "plaything" that Yu Jinnian wanted to win, so he thoughtfully put a steamed cake for him, and knowing that he likes shrimp paste, he put a thin layer of shrimp paste on the steamed cake before handing it to him. he.
After eating contentedly, he opened the business as usual. Since the winter solstice was approaching, this year was not too much. Yu Jinnian made a lot of money this year, so he thought that he should make some gadgets for Erniang and the others. Joyfully overwintering and celebrating the new year, thinking of the box of pearls that Yang's family sent earlier, he dragged Ji Hong to the jewelry shop.
It’s just that he, a poor commoner, doesn’t know how to make jewelry, let alone making jewelry. Cao Nuo listened to it and volunteered to lead them, saying that he knew a friend who made jewelry. Craftsmen, the craftsmanship is nothing to say, and the wages are cheap.
Yu Jinnian went back to the house and took two small silver ingots, wrapped a handful of pearls in a silk handkerchief, and followed Cao Nuo.
Cao Nuo deserves to be in the business field. The shop he introduced is really good, and the shopkeeper is also honest. He told Yu Jinnian how much money he made, how much jewelry, what kind of flowers to carve, and how much he charged. Be clear. Yu Jinnian and Ji Hong discussed it, and finally decided to give Qing Huan a pair of pearl earrings and a pair of pearl bracelets for Er Niang. Even the tassels were not dropped, and a small ginkgo leaf-shaped pendant was made with pearls embedded in it. , directly wear a red string.
It's been used to the best of its ability.
Now that Yu Jinnian's private treasury is rich, the money to make these small silver ornaments is no longer a problem. Nowadays, most women's necklaces are made of big beads, agate, glass, and emeralds, and there are huge pendants underneath. Young women may also wear necklaces and necklaces. The small bean-sized pendant... Except for the longevity lock of a child, no one has seen it worn like this.
However, teenagers often have weird ideas, which are different from ordinary people. Ji Hong is used to it, and the shopkeeper uses money to do things. No one has any objections. Only Cao Nuo said: "What's so strange about this, I will bring one."
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of red rope from his collar, and at the end of the rope was tied a fang that was either a wolf or a dog, and the two ends were carved with gold and silver, and embedded with small red and green agates. It has a ferocious appearance, and with such and such a decoration, it looks very elegant. It doesn't look like a rough man like Cao Nuo would buy it, but it looks like someone gave it to him.
The three of them paid the money and walked out of the silversmith's shop. It was already noon, and the inn where Cao Nuo stayed was nearby. Although he and Yu Jinnian had only spent one night together, he felt very friendly and comfortable. He already regarded the two brothers as friends, so he proposed Go to the teahouse next door to have some drinks and snacks before breaking up.
The hospitality was hard to come by, so Yu Jinnian and Ji Hong had no choice but to follow them in, sat down by the window, and casually ordered Pan Dang's purple jade grass cakes, accompanied by a pot of chrysanthemum soup.
Purple jade grass cake sounds refreshing, but it is actually a small glutinous rice cake made from purple sweet potato. Mix glutinous rice flour and corn flour with water to make a white paste, steam it and let it cool, then knead the purple sweet potato filling with your hands, in addition to red and green bean paste, fruit flavor, tea flavor, etc., all in the end Cool in the well and eat immediately.
Because the glutinous rice skin is crystal clear and transparent, it faintly reflects the color of the purple-red stuffing inside. At first glance, it is as warm and clear as jade, so it is called Ziyu Grass Cake.
While drinking tea, Cao Nuo was touched again, held a ball of purple jade grass cake and said: "I think back in Xingyi Mansion, when I read at night by the window and got cold, who would have thought that I couldn't afford to be sick, and I didn't know how to eat at that time , I felt that the end was approaching. Yuyao came to visit me with a box of grass cakes and gave me this bone tooth that can dispel evil spirits and protect my body. It is strange to say that since wearing this bone tooth, I have This body is really getting stronger day by day, and even the luck is very different from before."
He became sad again for a while: "But no matter how lucky I am, I am just a low-level businessman. How can I be worthy of the daughter of the servant. She is now a noble daughter of an official family. Maybe an official wife is the right family... Oh, medicine I wonder if he treats you well!"
Yu Jinnian tricked Cao Nuo into talking a lot yesterday while he was drunk, but most of them were his childhood sweethearts. He ate a whole ton of dog food, but he only knew one or two things about Yan Yuyao's condition—but One thing is known, this Yan Yuyao was in good health in the past, without any hidden disease, her eye disease really has no symptoms.
It's just that from what Cao Nuo said, he and Yan Yuyao should be childhood sweethearts and like-minded couple. Yan Yuyao and Yan Rong quarreled that day, and it was also seen that she was a little dissatisfied with this marriage. Moreover, Yu Jinnian was afraid that Cao Nuo's concern would cause chaos, so he didn't tell him about Yan Yuyao's illness.
Seeing that the pair of mandarin ducks were about to part, Yu Jinnian couldn't help but sighed sadly.
Ji Hong seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking, so he raised his hand and touched his back to comfort him.
The three of them were staring at each other speechlessly, a thin girl in a pink dress came in from the hall, her eyes were black and blue, listless, she held this small food box in her hand, and talked to the shopkeeper weakly: " Please trouble the shopkeeper, give me two plates of purple jade grass cakes, my girl is very sick and has a bad appetite, only your grass cakes can be eaten."
Cao Nuo heard the voice familiar, so he turned his head and saw the little girl's appearance clearly. He stood up abruptly and turned over the stool by his feet: "Fan Juan!"
Fenjuan took a look at the sound and said in surprise, "Gu..."
She almost called her son-in-law by the way, after all, the baby and the two families were very satisfied. Although the young lady didn't say anything, her face was shy. She and the young lady grew up together, and they were of one mind. Knowing what the lady was thinking, she jokingly called Cao Nuo "uncle" from time to time. Fenjuan came back to her senses and hurriedly changed her words: "Young Master Cao!"
"Why did you come back? When did you come back?" When Fen Juan saw Cao Nuo, it was as if she had seen an old fellow she hadn't seen for many years. No matter what day it is, she will, she will be sick!"
Cao Nuo was horrified: "What, Yao'er is sick! How did you get sick?"
Fenjuan wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and said in a low voice: "I don't know, I'm blind now, the doctor has no medicine to cure, and I don't know how many days I can live. The eldest son of the mansion still points at the young lady to marry, I didn't know what I said to the young lady outside the door yesterday, and the young lady washed her face with tears when she came back, and she couldn't eat anymore..." She choked twice, plopped down to Cao Nuo and knelt down, crying: "My lord, Fenjuan only recognizes me. You are an uncle. You are kind to Miss. Fanjuan knows it. I beg you to find a way to save my lady. She is sick and does not eat or drink. How many days can she last!"
Yu Jinnian was also taken aback when he heard that, why is this Yan Yuyao so stubborn, she was already as thin as a stick, and she would not eat for two days, before the strange disease took her life, she would be angry with herself Absolutely died.
Cao Nuo was also in a hurry, but he couldn't go into the mansion to visit Yan Yuyao. He beat his chest and pondered for a while, and suddenly thought of a plan. He hurriedly took off the bones and teeth on his neck, stuffed them into Fen Juan's hands, and said : "Give this to Yao Er, she will know when she sees it. Let her eat well and treat her illness well, no matter what..."
Unable to continue, Cao Nuo's eyes also condensed into mist, and he only held Fen Juan's hand and kept repeating "good job".
Fenjuan ran back to the Yan Mansion with his bones and teeth in his mouth, Cao Nuo was also taken aback, seeing that he didn't want to enjoy tea anymore, Yu Jinnian dragged his own son Ji to leave first, walked on the road, Ji Hong saw Dan Lang on the side of the road , then said: "Buy some fruit and go home."
"Well, you can see and buy it." Yu Jinnian replied casually, but he was still thinking about Yan Yuyao's illness.
Ji Hong let go of his hand for a while, and went to the side of the load to pick and buy. There were some fresh and juicy apples and oranges, and avocados from the south. He looked good, but he didn't know how to choose. , Let Dan Lang choose half a catty for each.
Yu Jinnian was still thinking hard on the spot, he seemed to have grasped something, but he didn't seem to grasp it. He was scratching his head when suddenly the door of a house next to him was kicked open from inside, and a man crawled out of it. Holding the bottom of her trousers with both hands, a woman with a big arm and a round waist came out from behind, holding a bucket of swill and shouting: "Don't think that you are a noble person after changing clothes. I don't care about people who look like dogs outside, but you have to talk to my old lady." I'm domineering?—you're a fart! Go away!"
- Crash!
The man hid quickly, and disappeared as soon as he slipped to the side, but Yu Jinnian stood there blankly, being poured with swill all over his face. Over there, Ji Hong paid for the fruit, and when he turned around, he saw the young man standing blankly among the filth on the ground, his heart was shocked, he couldn't take the fruit he bought, and immediately rushed over to protect him, his eyes widened. Suddenly cold: "What happened?"
"Hey, ouch, this is a misunderstanding!" The woman who splashed the slop was so frightened that she apologized again and again, "I am teaching my man a lesson, who would have thought that this little brother would just stick around here and never hide..."
Ji Hong didn't dislike the stench on his body, so he raised his hand and took off the two vegetable leaves hanging from Yu Jinnian's head, and then looked down at the young man in his arms. ahead.
"Jin Nian," he called, "Jin Nian?"
"..." Yu Jinnian whimpered twice, as if he wanted to say something, but after a while, he suddenly shouted happily, "Ah, that's how it is!"
The woman backed away in shock, Ji Hong was also stunned, and the two stared at the boy together.
After a long while, Yu Jinnian finally came to his senses, he finally returned to normal, he held his nose and screamed strangely: "My God, what kind of smell is this, it stinks to death! Ah Hong, are you leading me into the swill pool? "
Ji Hong paused, unable to laugh or cry for a moment, and said, "You still have the nerve to say it."