only said that on this day, the lights in the west chamber were lit all night, Xiao Yezi urged her mother several times, Gu Sanniang always shouldn't, and finally Xiao Yezi stayed up late with her angrily, but she couldn't sit still, and when she woke up, she found that she had taken off her clothes and was lying in the quilt peacefully.

At the moment, the room was a little dark, with only ashes left in the underground brazier, and the candles on the windowsill shimmered. As for Gu Sanniang, thinking that she was tired of doing work, she unconsciously climbed on the embroidery machine and fell asleep, Xiao Yezi looked at her mother's thin back, her eyes were inexplicably hot, she only hated that she was not a brother, but as long as she was a brother, she would not let her mother carry it alone.

I don't know when, a few dog barks sounded from a distance, Xiao Yezi silently wiped away her tears, she first put on her clothes and got out of bed, then blew out the candle, and gently shouted Gu Sanniang: "Mother, wake up, the ground is wet and cold, you go back to the kang and lie down." ”

Gu Sanniang was awakened by Xiao Yezi's voice, and when she saw that the window was shining, she said with great annoyance: "Oh, why did I fall asleep, I just embroidered a few stitches." ”

Saying that, she pinched the embroidery needle again and began to work, but this time she was physically and mentally exhausted, and she walked the wrong needle a few times in a row, Xiao Yezi saw that her mother's eyes were swollen, and she was distressed and annoyed, so she said: "Mother, don't do it, take a break quickly, if you don't raise your spirit, where can you do this work?" ”

Gu Sanniang originally wanted to hold on for a while, but she couldn't stand the dizziness in front of her, she pinned the needle and thread to the silk cloth, rubbed her dry eyes and said: "I'm getting more and more useless, it's not like I haven't stayed up late in the past, where is it as easy to get sleepy as now." ”

"If you do it like this, even if you are an iron man, you can't stand it." Xiao Yezi said to her mother, helped roll up the embroidered silk cloth, and then said: "Mother, you go to rest first, I'll go cook rice, and when the rice is ready, I'll call my mother to get up and eat." ”

Gu Sanniang rubbed her stiff neck, and said to Xiao Yezi: "I'm going to squint for a while, you must remember to wake me up earlier, don't delay my work." ”

"I can save it." Xiao Yezi said to her mother, and watched her mother lie down with her own eyes, so she opened the curtain and went out.

In the early morning of winter, Xiao Yezi just opened the door of the West Chamber, a cold air came to her face, the water tank in the kitchen was empty, usually her mother always picked up the water in advance every day, today her mother rested, Xiao Yezi will not wake her up, but the family is still waiting to cook, she thought for a while, lifted the bucket and walked out.

Before she could walk out of the yard, the door of the main house was opened, and Aunt Qin saw that Xiao Yezi was going out, and asked aloud: "Xiao Yezi, where are you going?" ”

Xiao Yezi first said hello to Aunt Qin, and then said, "Grandma Qin, the water tank at home is out of water, so I'll go and bring two buckets of water back to cook." ”

"Don't, you little man, you haven't been high yet, if you don't pay attention and fall into the well, it's not a naughty child." Aunt Qin walked up to Xiao Yezi, she saw that she was going to fetch water today, so she glanced at the West Chamber, and asked, "Presumably your mother must have stayed up for half a night last night?" ”

Xiao Yezi frowned, and said, "Where is the half-night, she hasn't slept all night." ”

Aunt Qin's face was shocked, she shook her head and said, "It's just to catch up with the work, and there is no reason to corrupt the body like this!" ”

Xiao Yezi bowed her head and was silent, Aunt Qin sighed a few times, she snatched the bucket in Xiao Yezi's hand, and said, "You go and sweep the yard, and when your Aunt Xiaoyue gets up, I will ask her to carry a few buckets of water for your family." ”

"Thank you, Grandma Qin." A bucket of water is heavier than Xiao Yezi, and when she brings the water back, the sun is about to rise, and it would be good to have Aunt Xiaoyue's help, but she owes her family a favor, so she has to keep it and pay it back later.

Aunt Qin muttered a few words in her mouth, and she said: "I told your mother not to pick it up a long time ago, she didn't want to listen, and now she has forced herself to this step, I hate the old lady Song who did bad things, and she should be called to suffer this hardship." ”

"Grandma Qin, it's not that you don't know my mother, and you can't help but say two good words from others." Yesterday, when the housekeeper of the embroidery village brought someone to deliver the embroidery machine, Xiao Yezi saw it in her eyes, and her mother would rather suffer herself than embarrass others.

"Because of this, others have taken advantage of her temperament, and if you want me to say, your mother should ignore them!" Aunt Qin said a few words angrily, and then said to Xiao Yezi: "You also persuade your mother at home, how much can you catch, can the money be more important than your life?" ”

When the old man spoke, the door of the east chamber was opened, and Shen Zhuo walked out of it, he had heard a few words of what Aunt Qin and Xiao Yezi said just now, he and the door to door of the Gu family, last night he finished the book to the third watch, until the light in the west chamber was still on before going to bed, according to Gu Sanniang's stubborn temper, and other idlers were afraid that they could not persuade her, and he guessed that she was not for money, she had worked in the embroidery village for many years, in the final analysis, I am afraid it was for her own reputation.

Seeing Shen Zhuo, Aunt Qin greeted him, opened her mouth and said to him: "Listen, Xiao Yezi said that her mother has been working all night, how can she just stay up like this?" ”

Shen Zhuo turned his head to look at Aunt Qin, and he said: "In this courtyard, Gu Niangzi can still listen to a few words about the eldest mother, if the eldest lady is free, she still has to persuade her." ”

Aunt Qin nodded, even if Shen Zhuo didn't say it, she also planned to talk to Gu Sanniang, when she thought about it, Aunt Qin remembered that she wanted Zhu Xiaoyue to carry water for Xiao Yezi and their family, she glanced at her daughter-in-law's room a few times, and saw that the doors and windows were still tightly closed, so she muttered unhappily: "This lazy woman, the sky is bright, and she is still sleepy with the man in her arms." ”

Between people's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Shen Zhuo and Xiao Yezi are not easy to answer, Shen Zhuo glanced at Xiao Yezi, and said: "I was about to carry water, and I will carry two buckets for you in the house by the way, it is not early, you go to cook earlier, just when your mother gets up and finishes eating, you can continue to do work." ”

Shen Zhuo is a weak scholar, when he carries water for his own house on weekdays, there is always only half a load of water left, and Aunt Qin said when she saw this: "Don't be busy, wait for my daughter-in-law to get up and do it, but it's just a matter of raising your hand." ”

Shen Zhuo smiled and didn't speak, just carried the bucket out of the yard.

It didn't take long for Shen Zhuo to come in with a load of water, Xiao Yezi was sweeping the yard, she saw Shen Zhuo walking towards her house, hurriedly dropped the broom in her hand, and quickly ran forward to push open the door of the house, and Shen Zhuo carried the water straight into the kitchen, and poured the water into the water tank.

Seeing that there was water at the bottom of the tank, Xiao Yezi breathed a sigh of relief, and while scooping water into the pot, she said to Shen Zhuo: "Uncle Shen, thank you very much, otherwise this breakfast would be late." ”

Shen Zhuo smiled, and he said, "I help your family carry water, don't let your mother know."

Xiao Yezi nodded vigorously, her mother and Uncle Shen didn't speak, if she knew that Uncle Shen helped her family carry water, she would probably scold her.

Shen Zhuo took a breath of relief, and said to Xiao Yezi: "Your mother is a strong character, if this work is not completed, she will not give up, and you are a junior, I guess I can't persuade her." ”

"How's that to be?" Xiao Yezi said worriedly.

Shen Zhuo thought for a while, and said: "Now only the daily diet is more refined, so that it can supplement her body." ”

After speaking, Shen Zhuo remembered that the mother and daughter were from a poor family, and even Youxing was rare to eat a few times a month, so he opened his mouth and said: "I'll go back and copy a few medicinal meals for you, the things in it are cheap and nourishing, and then you can change the tricks to make it for your mother to eat, and after this period of time, I will persuade your mother to take good care of it." ”

Xiao Yezi asked, "What if my mother asks?" ”

Shen Zhuo said: "Don't worry, just say that you asked others for advice." ”

The two said a few words, Shen Zhuo went out with the bucket again, and Xiao Yezi wanted to go to the well to wash the vegetables, so he followed him out of the kitchen.

When passing through the side room, Shen Zhuo glanced at the door curtain that had been lowered, the room was quiet, he seemed to think of the figure under the lamp last night, this resolute little woman, very different from the woman he had seen in the past, he could always see in her what surprised him.

"Uncle Shen?" Xiao Yezi behind him called out to him softly, Shen Zhuo moved his gaze back, and walked out of the West Chamber with a bucket.

At this time, almost all the women in charge of the neighboring houses had already gotten up, and several women gathered by the well at the entrance of the alley were washing rice and vegetables.

Shen Zhuo treats people gently, and is not like those literati and scholars who are full of sour and rotten, the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law in the alley are very happy to talk to him, in the blink of an eye, he has received a number of green vegetables and radishes, although they are just some worthless melons and vegetables, Shen Zhuo still solemnly thanked everyone, and when he saw some women waiting for the well water to wash vegetables, he poured half a bucket of water for others.

When someone saw Xiao Yezi who came to wash vegetables, he remembered what happened yesterday, and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Xiao Yezi, I heard that your mother made a broken embroidery piece and is in a hurry to work at home?" ”

"It's not Sanniang who did it, it seems to have been cut by one of the embroiderers in their embroidery room."

For a while, several women talked nonsense, Xiao Yezi just lowered his head to wash the vegetables, in fact, these women didn't have any bad intentions, but there was a new thing around them, so they took it out and said it, Shen Zhuo listened to their words in his ear, and never said a word.

"Washed up, wash it and go back quickly, you're still waiting to cook in the house." Shen Zhuo glanced at Xiao Yezi's face tense, and opened his mouth to say a word to her.

"Hmm." Xiao Yezi hurriedly washed the vegetables, and then followed Shen Zhuo to the house with a basket.

After a few back and forth, Shen Zhuo finally filled the water tank of Xiao Yezi's house, at this time he was already tired and sweating profusely, and it was only then that he carried water for his own house.