Li Xiuhong watched with admiration as the two brothers and sisters teased each other intimately. She used to hope that she could have a brother who could take care of her and love her, who could help her share the burden of the family and disperse the pressure on her heart.
She glanced at her brother who was sitting next to Gu Ming, smiling carefree, and hoped that he could be as responsible as Gu Ming in the future, and that she and her mother could also rely on him.
"Brother Gu, I've caused you trouble!" The village chief was relieved when he saw that his goal had been achieved. Speaking of other people in the village, he, the village chief, can be the leader of seven points, but when he arrived at Gu Xiao's place, his confidence weakened for some reason.
Gu Xiao said politely: "The folks in the village, what trouble is not troublesome. Xiao Ye has soaked a jar of medicinal wine, and I will invite Brother Li to taste it another day."
"The medicinal wine that our village's little genius doctor made with his own hands, you can't miss it. Someday we old guys have a good drink!" The news of Gu Ye's rescue of a pregnant woman who was bleeding heavily has already spread in the village. You must know that blood collapse was almost mortal in ancient times, which was equivalent to robbing life in the hands of the King of Hell. In private, the villagers called her a "little genius doctor" in awe.
Gu Ye said to Widow Li and his wife, "Sit and stay warm, and I'll go and collect Master's belongings. Brother, go to the firewood room to grab some firewood and burn the kang first."
Widow Li hurriedly got off the kang and stammered: "How dare you work Miss Ye'er, let me clean it up."
Aunt Yan grabbed Widow Li and said, "The old genius doctor has a bad temper and doesn't like others touching his things. Think about it too, they are doctors, and people who don't understand many things can't move around. , the house was stolen, and the pharmacy made a mess. I was in a hurry and couldn't help. It was all cleaned up by our girls little by little. "
Widow Li and Li Xiuhong, who was about to get up, heard the words and sat back again. Yes, if you mess up other people's medicinal materials or something, you will do bad things with good intentions.
Fortunately, there are not many things in Yaosheng's room. Gu Ye put Master's clothes and some ordinary medical books and medicine books in the cabinet, and put valuable things, such as precious pharmacopoeia, Master's pharmaceutical experience, and Master's handmade medicinal materials, into his own space. . He also helped to spread the futon on the kang.
Widow Li and his wife came in from outside. Gu Ye smiled and said, "Aunt Li, see what you still need, just tell me."
"I can't help but give us a place to live, I'm already very grateful. I'm afraid that your new quilt will get dirty, so you should put it away." Widow Li saw the new boxes and cabinets in the house, and the thick soft The quilt, a little helpless.
Gu Ye took the burden from her hand and put it into the box: "Isn't the quilt just for people to cover? You can wash it when it's dirty. Our quilt can be disassembled, so it's more convenient to take it apart and wash it."
Li Xiuhong watched in amazement as Gu Ye demonstrated how to remove the quilt cover. It was very convenient, but it cost money. However, when they came back from the border, the light cloth brought back several horses, all of which were given by the person who treated them. It's nice to be a doctor, not to mention being respected, but also receiving a lot of thanks.
Widow Li looked at the children around her, and no longer refused, she said thankfully, "I really caused you trouble. Miss Ye'er, don't worry, when we leave, we must wash the quilt."
"Sister Li, do you want to eat with us or cook it yourself?" Aunt Yan came in and asked when dinner was about to be made.
Widow Li hurriedly said: "We brought the food, we can make it ourselves, and we don't have to trouble the Yan family." Widow Li heard that the food of Uncle Gu's family is usually good. There is meat in the stew, and the New Year is definitely better. If they are a partner, I am afraid that the cost of food is not what they can afford.
Widow Li borrowed the kitchen of Gu's family to cook a pot of gooey and two whole grain steamed buns. After thinking about it, she cut two more thin slices from the palm-sized bacon, sandwiched it between steamed buns, and brought them into the house. Like most people in the village, the Li family eats two meals a day. Dinner was late today, and the whole family was starving.
Seeing the bacon in the steamed bun, Li Xiaohai cheered and was reluctant to bite down for a long time. You know, except for the New Year's Eve dinner, they hardly see meat and fish all year round.
Widow Li looked at her son's satisfied look, and a smile appeared on her miserable face. Li Xiuhong saw that her mother only lowered her head and drank, and knew that her mother only warmed steamed buns for herself and her younger brother, and she fed her hunger with porridge. She tore off half of her steamed bun, and tore off a piece of the bacon inside, and stuffed it into her mother's hands.
Li Xiaohai also followed his sister's example and shared his bacon and steamed buns with his mother. Widow Li's eyes are sore, her daughter and son are so sensible, but unfortunately she is a mother who is incompetent and can't let the children fill their stomachs
"It smells so good." Li Xiaohai sniffed gently like a puppy. Tonight, Gu Ye's house heated up sticky bean buns, and the leftover braised pork at noon, fried two vegetarian dishes, and stewed bone soup. The strong aroma of braised pork wafts from the kitchen.
Widow Li's eyes flashed with tears, she sighed, and said, "You have suffered with your mother. If your father is still here, you will all eat meat." Widow Li's man was also one of the best in the village at the beginning. One winter, he went into the mountains alone to fight and never came back.
Li Xiaohai wiped his mother's tears obediently and said, "The bacon made by my mother is more fragrant than big meat! When I grow up, I will learn to fight with Uncle Zhang, so that my mother can eat more meat every day!"
"Don't! Your father just went into the mountains to fight! There are many wild beasts in the mountains. Even if your mother will not eat meat all her life, she doesn't want you to risk the danger to enter the mountains." Widow Li's face became ugly, and she eagerly wanted to dismiss it. son's thoughts.
Li Xiuhong drank the gooey in small sips. She suddenly raised her head and whispered: "Mother, if only I knew the herbs, Wu Angelica's mother-in-law can get a hundred or ten copper plates every month when she digs herbs and sells them!"
Widow Li frowned: "Every time that woman goes up the mountain to dig for herbs, she carries her behind her back, for fear of being peeped. Think about it, too, they all say that the disciples of the church starved to death for the master, and those who know herbal medicine, who do not hide and cover ?"
Hearing this, Li Xiuhong swallowed the words in her mouth that she wanted to recognize the herbal medicine with Gu Yexue, then buried her head and continued drinking.
The next day, the snow was still falling. After breakfast, Widow Li said to her daughter, "It's snowing these days, and the Gu family doesn't have much dry wood, so let's not burn the kang during the day. Let's go and chat with your sister Ye'er."
They came to the west room where Gu Ye and Aunt Yan lived. Aunt Yan was cutting the medicine, and Gu Ye was grinding the medicine. When the two saw Widow Li and the others coming in, they stopped joking. Gu Ye smiled and greeted: "Aunt Li, Sister Xiuhong, sit on the kang quickly. Xiao Hai, there are hazelnuts and pine nuts on the kang table, take them yourself."
Li Xiuhong saw that she was grinding the medicine under her feet skillfully, and she did not delay in talking and grinding the medicine. She looked at it seriously for a while and said, "Is this crushing the medicine?"
Gu Ye explained for her: "This is called Yao Nian Zi, it uses the feet to push the copper drum back and forth in the grinding tank to grind and grind the medicinal materials, so that the medicinal materials can be shelled, decomposed and formed into powder, so as to further make pills, powders, ointments, pills, etc. medicine."
"Can I try it?" Li Xiuhong saw the doorway, looked up at her, and asked tentatively.
If someone is willing to help, why not? Gu Ye lifted his feet from the medicine roller, moved his buttocks, and let Li Xiuhong sit down in his place.
Li Xiuhong tried it out, but at the beginning, she couldn't master the strength and balance well, and the copper drum under her feet was always disobedient. Gu Ye pointed out a few words on the side, she quickly learned the essentials, and rolled the medicine in a proper manner.
Widow Li also picked up a cutting knife and cut the medicinal herbs like Aunt Yan. Although her knife skills were not as good as Aunt Yan, she cut carefully, and the medicine she cut was quite thin and even. Gu Ye praised: "Aunt Li's knife skills are really good. Why don't you come and help me when you are free? I'll give you ten wages a day."
"It's enough to trouble you by living in your house. Do a little favor and talk about wages." Widow Li blushed, shaking her hands non-stop, insisting that she would not ask for wages.
Gu Ye explained: "Aunt Li, I want to ask you and Sister Xiuhong to help me for a long time. You see, I only have two hands, cutting medicine, grinding medicine, washing medicine, etc., all pointing at me alone. , I can't make much medicine in a month. If you and Sister Xiuhong come to help, it will be different. I can make more medicine by saving the time of cutting and grinding the medicine."
Ten money a day, more than three hundred a month! Li Xiuhong looked at her mother eagerly, obviously moved. Her family has little land, and the food she grows is simply not enough to eat, and wild vegetables are mushy most of the year. Mother's health is not good, and she always suffers from several illnesses a year. The money from picking up mountain goods and digging wild vegetables to sell is not enough for her medicine. The younger brother is smart and eager to learn. Every time he sees other children going to study at Uncle Gu San's house, he will be envious.
If she and her mother could help in the Gu family, earning more than 600 yuan a month, not only could the family fill their stomachs, but they could also save some money to send her younger brother to study. Recognize some words, learn to calculate, and when you grow up, you can find a job in the town accountant, which is better than living in this poor valley all your life.
Widow Li was lost in thought. Concocted medicinal herbs are much more valuable than ordinary herbal medicines. Just look at Wu Angelica's couple, just collecting medicine, making medicine, and selling medicine. In just a few years, they have accumulated a hundred dozen families. She also heard about Gu Ye's medicine selling at a good price in the town. A few baskets of medicine made more than 60 taels of silver, which she didn't even dare to think about.
Miss Ye'er made sense, making a few more baskets of medicine every month, you can earn dozens of taels more. She also has wages, which is indeed a matter of benefit for both.
Thinking of this, and with Aunt Yan persuading her, Aunt Li no longer insisted, and promised to help every day except during the busy farming season. As for wages, the daily settlement is too troublesome, so we agreed to settle it every ten days.