In winter, it snowed again in Tong'an City last night, and it seemed to be a little colder.

Before the end of the day, Cheng Hongzhu groped her way to get up, and at night, the slightly damaged lattice of the west window of the wing room was blown by the cold wind, which made her wake up twice, and now her hands and feet are sore when she struggles, and her eyes can't be opened. She put on two jackets, and then put on the half-worn cotton jacket resting on the bedside, and the whole body was round.

This pale cyan padded jacket was made when her father Cheng Guitang was still there, and now the upper body is a little shorter. Hongzhu tugged at the hem of the padded jacket, frowned, and simply pulled a double-ring bun and embellished it with two small silver rings. She touched the silver ring, thinking that it had been two or three years since she wore it, and she was still living such a life, and she felt ashamed to think about it.

The Cheng family was originally a family in the mountains, and Grandpa Hongzhu became a merchant who sold mountain goods between the city and the mountains because of his poor family at that time. Hongzhu's grandfather also followed his father to sell goods at first, and he was busy getting up early and being greedy for darkness, but he was just getting by. He was born with a good appearance, a long body, honest and honest, and was favored by Hongzhu's grandmother Zhu when he walked the streets.

The Zhu family opened a grocery store in the south of the city, but they lived a comfortable life, and the only thing that didn't go well was that Master Zhu only gave birth to a daughter of the Zhu family. Seeing that the Zhu family liked it, Master Zhu was also willing. After several twists and turns, Grandpa Hongzhu became half a door-to-door son-in-law and stayed in the Zhu family's grocery store.

The reason why he is said to be half a son-in-law is because the Zhu family gave birth to three sons and one daughter, and only the youngest son, that is, Hongzhu's father Guitang, surnamed Cheng.

There is another reason for this, because Cheng Guitang was smart since he was a child, he passed the county examination and the government examination at the age of fourteen or fifteen, and became a student. As soon as the neighbors praised and praised, Grandpa Hongzhu drank the wine, and he inexplicably thought about it. Then the Cheng family's hometown rushed to the road for a few days, and the two families fought intermittently for a year or two before the Cheng family got Cheng Guitang, a descendant.

But because of this, the Zhu family held back his breath and actually had an illness, and most of the relationship between the two families was ruined.

Eight or nine years ago, Hongzhu's grandfather died, and Cheng Guitang was just a showman after taking the exam for half his life, and his temperament was roundabout. As soon as Grandpa Hongzhu's mourning period passed, Mrs. Zhu was no longer happy to see this little son, so she called Cheng Zhu and his relatives over with a cold face to come and divide the family. Cheng Guitang got some money and moved out of the Zhu family.

Although Cheng Guitang said that his career was not smooth, his knowledge was also solid, so he rented a small courtyard and accepted more than ten students to teach his knowledge, and his life was smooth and harmonious. It's a pity that three years ago, Cheng Guitang went out to visit friends, and suddenly news came in the middle of the night, saying that he was hit by a carriage. Zhu Guifang, the second uncle of Hongzhu, went to pick him up overnight, and when he saw that he had gone to half his life in the morning, he invited the doctor to say that he had no skills to go back, but he went in three or two days.

At that time, Hongzhu was only ten years old, and he had just recovered from a serious illness, and he had not yet understood how he became an ancient person for no reason. She has a younger brother Cheng Wenhan who has just passed his sixth birthday, and the Hongzhu Niang Li family is weak and careless, and the life of orphans and widows really can't go on. The Cheng family's hometown is far away, and it is in the ravine, a few years ago, because Cheng Guitang was unwilling, the phoenix became a pheasant again, and this exchange has long been less, even if he goes back, he has no place to live and land.

There is no way, although the surname is different, but it is also the brother-in-law, nephew and niece of the family, and Zhu Guida, the uncle of Hongzhu, also pays attention to the face, so he took the three back to the Zhu family in the south of the city.

The Zhu Cheng family had a quarrel so once, and now they are attached to the Zhu family to live, which is naturally very inconvenient.

Hongzhu was about to leave lightly, but the person in the bed was sleeping lightly, but he still woke up, and called her vaguely: "...... Red beads?"

Hongzhu responded, "Mother, you continue to sleep, it's still early." As he spoke, he pressed the quilt for her, so as not to get into the wind.

Li Shi on the bed said: "It will be Laba in two days, and today the family is busy, so you come back early." ”

"Yes. Hongzhu agreed, and said uneasily: "You wait for me to come back and then do the work, save yourself and be tired." ”

Li Shi did not answer this.

Hongzhu was silent, turned around and went to the yard to fetch well water.

The Zhu family has a small two-entry house in the south of the city, and the south house faces the street, and the row of houses has opened up the shop for two grocery stores. The business of the Great Zhou Dynasty was prosperous, and the small people in the market had some surplus wealth, and even the morning washing water was bought outside, so although the Zhu family's grocery store was not big, it was quite profitable on a daily basis.

In the small courtyard at the back, there are three small rooms in the north of the main house, and now the living hall house is made in the middle, and the one near the kitchen in the east is connected to the corner of the wall, and the Zhu family lives by himself. The main house on the west side is where Zhu Guida and Jiang live, as well as their youngest son Zhu Shuzhi.

The wings on the east and west sides, the smallest one on the east side is the kitchen, and the remaining two rooms were originally opened to the warehouses of the grocery store, but when the Hongzhu family came, they rebuilt the wall and separated the middle room for them to live in. Inside, Hongzhu and Li slept in a large bed, with a curtain in the middle, and a small bed on the other side, so that her younger brother Wenhan could sleep. The groceries were piled up in the southernmost room.

There are only two wings on the west side, which are larger than those on the east side. The first room lived Zhu Boxiu, Zhu Guida's eldest son. The second room lived Zhu Guida's two daughters.

Fortunately, Hongzhu's second uncle, Zhu Guifang, said at that time that he had found a way and took his wife and children to the south to do business, and the sister-in-law of the Zhu family was also married, otherwise in such a small place as the Zhu family, many people would not be able to put it aside.

Hongzhu got up so early, she didn't dare to go to the kitchen to make a fire and boil water, and she could wake up Mrs. Zhu when there was a movement, and she would make a fuss. Fortunately, the well water is not too cold in winter, otherwise she would not be able to stand it. After washing with the well water, she exhaled into her hand tremblingly, took out the grease and applied a thin layer to her face, and carefully stuffed it into her bosom, and then hurried out through the back door in the northwest corner.

The alley at the back door was quiet, with only a faint light in the east, but reflecting the thick snow on the ground, it was very bright. There were a few dog barks in the low courtyards on both sides, and there was a slight sound of people getting up and walking, and children could be heard crying.

The cold wind whistled, Hongzhu took a few breaths of cold air, and suddenly couldn't help it, so he trotted up.

After turning two alleys, I saw the pedestrians who got up early one after another, and the intersection of the main street not far away has begun to be lively, and several small stalls have opened banners, and they have set up tables and chairs at the entrance of the alley to do breakfast business.

As soon as Hongzhu walked over, someone next to the largest stall at the intersection greeted: "Hongzhu is here." ”

"Second uncle. Hongzhu called out with a smile, "It's cold today, and I almost can't get up." ”

The second aunt Zhong sat on a small stool, bending down to add fire to the small stove where the noodle soup was boiling, she had a kind round face, and even her body shape was round. At this time, she squeezed her eyes and said to Hongzhu: "That's not possible, if my stall is missing you, where will I be busy." ”

Hongzhu immediately smiled.

This second uncle Li and the Zhong family are not serious relatives of Hongzhu, her mother Li is from Xucheng in the south, and the family also has a little wealth, but Hongzhu's grandmother died early that year, and her grandfather married a stepfamily, and her mother's family is this Tong'an. This has a stepmother and a stepfather, and when the Li family grew to the age of fifteen or sixteen, he was told to Cheng Guitang by his stepwife's family. The Li family got married, and he was far away from his mother's family, so his natural feelings faded.

This second uncle Li is also from Xucheng, a few years ago, when Cheng Guitang was still there, the son of the second uncle Li was born smart and smart, and he went to Cheng's house to worship Cheng Guitang as a master and learn to do learning. Therefore, the two families became familiar with each other, so they casually continued to kiss, Second Uncle Li ranked second, and Hongzhu also shouted closer to the second uncle and second uncle.

Now the Hongzhu family lives with the uncle, and the house is there, but the two families have gone home early, and the Li family has to pay some money and silver every month to make food for the three people, and the silver accumulated in the early years is getting less and less, and life is very tight. Zhong's heart is soft-hearted, because she is busy with the stall this morning, so she asked Hongzhu to come over to help and give her some money and silver every month to supplement the family.

Don't say it, I can't tell who earned it, although the red bead person is small, but she has a job in her hand, even a bowl of fish fillet porridge She can make it sweeter than others, Uncle Li's stall has become the best stall on the streets of Nancheng in the past two years because of the red beads.

Zhong smiled from time to time and asked to rent a shop for Hongzhu to be the chef's restaurant. Hongzhu also smiled and agreed every time, but in fact, if it weren't for the fact that she didn't have the idler and the money, she wouldn't have opened this restaurant herself.