The next morning, Ran'er and Qinglian found a thick peach tree trunk for Yao Wenlin, as well as borrowed saws, chisels and other tools from the carpenters in the village. was moved to the grass house by Yao Wenlin, and told the sisters not to disturb if they had nothing to do, so they plunged into it, and closed the doors and windows, only to hear the sound of clanging, which kept coming out. Ran Er and Qinglian thought that Yao Wenlin was in poor health now that he would not do boring things. just delivered food and water on time, and no longer asked Yao Wenlin what he was going to do.

Before dinner, Yao Wenlin, who had been busy in the house all day, came out tired, holding a wooden figure carved from the peach wood in his hand, but it could be roughly seen that it was a woman, and the carver was not very skillful. Yao Wenlin handed the peach wood villain to Ran'er and said:

"The best thing about the Yin Cultivation Cave is that after a person dies, the spirit does not disperse immediately. If you pay tribute at four o'clock, you can raise the soul of the deceased, and over time it will be as graceful as when you were born. It's just that the soul of the deceased must be relied on. ”

Hearing this, Ran'er's heart couldn't help but beat wildly, and she asked in disbelief:

"What Uncle Yao said is true?"

"The acupoint of cultivating yin is very rare, but it has been passed down from generation to generation, and there are not many that have been confirmed. Can Ran'er and Lian'er know the story of the twenty-four filial pieties? ”

Ran Er and Qinglian nodded and said:

"I saw it in the book, saying that Ding Lan, a native of Hanoi in the Eastern Han Dynasty, died when his parents died when he was a child. After growing up and becoming married, he thought that he had never served his parents with his own hands, and regretted it, so he carved wood into wood according to the image of his parents in his memory, served three meals a day, and discussed everything, as if his parents were still alive. For a long time, Mu Sheng was bloodied and tears fell in his eyes. ”

"Exactly. If Ran'er and Lian'er can also treat this wooden person as they did when they were born to their mother, they will have a good effect after a long time. ”

Ran'er and Qinglian had already decided in their hearts that their mother had been guarding their side all along, due to the flying and circling of paper ashes and dreaming on snowy nights. When I heard Yao Wenlin say it today, I was even more convinced, and I couldn't help but be excited, so I wanted to kneel down and give Yao Wenlin a big salute. Yao Wenlin hurriedly stopped:

"Sister Ran'er, Sister Lian'er, you are Wenlin's life-saving benefactor, Wenlin can't do anything but raise his hands, how can you receive such a big gift?"

Seeing Yao Wenlin say this, the sisters stopped insisting. Then, Ran Er asked:

"Uncle Yao, how should the wooden statue of my mother be placed?"

"It is best to place it in Ran'erniang's original residence, remember to place incense burners and other sacrificial utensils in front of the wooden statue, and pay tribute on time. This matter must not be spread lightly, and do not let the living disturb it. ”

Qinglian didn't seem to understand why she had to keep it secret, and couldn't help but look at Yao Wenlin in puzzlement.

"That's right, the Yin Cultivation Cave is very rare, and the purpose of letting you keep it a secret is not to be afraid that others will know about your mother's wooden statue, but to worry that the matter of the Yin Cultivation Cave will spread. Once this matter spreads, it will inevitably attract the covetousness of high-ranking officials and nobles. ”

Needless to say, this is enough for Qinglian and Ran'er to understand the severity of things.

In the evening, Ran'er and Qinglian made a sumptuous dinner to thank Yao Wenlin. took Yao Wenlin to the village and said goodbye to Li Cheng, Li Langzhong, Grandpa Li and others. The next day, Ran'er and Qinglian kept sending Yao Wenlin to the shore of Xiling Lake, and watched Yao Wenlin rent a carriage before saying goodbye to each other. Before the sisters went home, they didn't forget to buy some offerings at the grocery store.

After sending Yao Wenlin away, Ran'er and Qinglian specially found a carpenter, made a shrine for the wooden statue of the mother, and placed it together on the table next to the kang between the grass landlords, and made a new paper incense burner, which was filled with wheat grains and placed in front of the wooden statue of the mother. Light three incense sticks, set up the sacrifices bought, and from then on, Ran'er and Qinglian followed Ding Lan's example, three meals a day, four o'clock and eight festivals, and always spoke to the wooden statue of the mother.

The days went on like this, in the expectation of Ran'er and Qinglian's wooden statue of their mother, day by day. Harvesting winter wheat, planting rice, picking grass and mushrooms after ambush, the days in the countryside are almost the same year after year.

On the first day of October, when they went to the grave of their mother, Ran'er and Qinglian put the carp raised in the pond as a sacrifice on the stone table in front of their mother's grave for the first time.

After more than half a year of feeding, the carp in the pond is about one and a half pounds large, and the silver carp is about the same. The ducks had already begun to lay eggs, and those duck eggs, Ran Er and Qinglian did not sell them directly at the market, but listened to Grandpa Li's construction, pickled them, and after the pickling was done, they were sent to various grocery stores, and each duck egg could be sold for five cents, which was twice the price of each fresh duck egg. The free-range chicks in the bamboo forest almost begin to lay eggs with the ducks. Due to the large quantity, the Zhou family wine shop can no longer underwrite. Ran Er and Qinglian went to Xiling Lake again, and contacted a few restaurants and wine shops.

Because it is estimated that this year's fish should have six or seven hundred catties to be marketed, and the output of lotus root should be higher than last year's, Ran'er and Qinglian will inquire about sales when they are fine. The fish in the pond is okay, send some to the liquor store, and then sell some at the market. The amount of lotus root is relatively large, and last year it could barely be sold by relying on Yangzhuang Ji, but this year I am afraid it will be difficult.

Just after going to the grave for his mother, Yao Wenlin, who had not heard from him for several months, suddenly visited.

Throughout the day, Ran'er and Qinglian were excited about the paper ashes of this year's paper money flying longer and looking better. After dinner, the two sisters leaned on the quilt on the kang and were talking. I heard the powerful barking of Rhubarb and Black. Hurriedly opened the door and came to the courtyard, it was already dark, but I vaguely saw a carriage outside the fence gate.

"Is it Sister Ran'er and Sister Lian'er?"

Just as Er and Qinglian wanted to ask, they heard a voice that seemed familiar.

"It's us, may I ask who you are?"

"Hehe, I'm Yao Wenlin."

"It's Uncle Yao, please come in."

The two sisters opened the courtyard gate and asked Yao Wenlin to drive the carriage directly to the courtyard, and after unloading the horses, the three came to the house.

"Uncle Yao came here all night, but what's the urgency?"

"This time I came to visit Ran'er and Lian'er, and I should have stayed overnight on the shore of Xiling Lake, and I came early tomorrow morning, but I felt that the time was not too late, so I rushed over overnight. ，”

"Uncle's body is all right?"

"Thanks to Ran'er and Lian'er, I have been raising them for a few months when I go home, and now I am all right."

"Uncle's father has been found, and ......"

Because Yao Wenlin has always insisted on calling Ran'er and Qinglian's sister, the Ran'er sisters didn't know how to call Yao Wenlin's family, and Ran'er originally wanted to ask about Yao Wenlin's mother's situation.

"My father arrived home two days earlier than Wenlin, and my mother passed away in May."

Yao Wenlin's voice was a little choked when he talked about his mother's death. Ran'er and Qinglian didn't know how to comfort him. Just picked up the poured tea and handed it to Yao Wenlin's hand.

"Originally, this time my father also had to come with me to see the long-lost Yin Acupoint, but the weather was cold, and my father was hit by the death of his mother, and his body was no longer as good as before, so he could only wait for the spring next year to come again."

Ran Er and Qinglian thought from their hearts, they still hoped that Yao Wenlin's father, Yao Shuangcheng, could come once. I heard Yao Wenlin himself say that he only dabbled in it slightly, but Yao Shuangcheng is a person who studied under Cao Mao, and he must have more ways to nourish his mother's soul.

"yes, I'm old and it's cold. When the weather warms up after spring, it's the same to come out for a walk. ”

"Uncle Yao hasn't eaten yet, has he? Look at us just talking. ”

Ran'er and Qinglian hurriedly prepared dinner for Yao Wenlin, and by the time Yao Wenlin finished eating, it was already early. cleaned up the west room and Qinglian's room and gave it to Yao Wenlin to live in.

At night, Yao Wenlin didn't explain his intentions, and Ran'er and Qinglian didn't want to ask. When he got up in the morning, after breakfast, Yao Wenlin took out fifty taels of silver and put it on the table, and said to Ran'er and Qinglian:

"Sister Ran'er, Sister Lian'er, these fifty taels of silver are not to repay your original medicine fees, consultation fees and travel expenses. This is a deposit for ordering lotus root with my two younger sisters. ”

The Ran'er sisters, who had been worried about the sale of lotus roots, were naturally happy when they heard Yao Wenlin say this. It's just that I don't want Yao Wenlin to be difficult. So he asked:

"Uncle doesn't have to worry about our lotus root, we can sell it ourselves."

"Listen to me."

Yao Wenlin took a sip of tea and continued:

"The last time my father went out and met a big customer, he paid a lot of money, and when he returned home, his mother's death made my father not want to wander around anymore, so he used the money to open a grocery store in the capital and handed it over to Wenlin. Last time, I knew that Ran Er and Lian'er planted a lot of lotus roots, lotus roots, this thing, is nothing to you, if it is shipped to our north to sell, not only will there be a market, but the price will be much higher. ”

"That's right."

Listening to Yao Wenlin's explanation, the sisters were relieved.

Yao Wenlin stayed at Ran'er's house for three days, and after discussing all the relevant matters related to the purchase of lotus roots, he said goodbye and left.

With Yao Wenlin relieving Ran'er and Qinglian of the urgent need to sell lotus roots, the sisters had nothing to worry about. It seems that by the end of November, the temperature this year is a little low, Ran'er and Qinglian plan to ask someone to help dig the lotus root, don't be cold by the pond water, it will not be good to fall into the root of the disease.

The two sisters found Grandpa Li and explained their intentions.

"It's simple, now is the time to spare, as long as the salary is reasonable, people are easy to find."

"Grandpa, how much is a good day?"

"Don't count it by the day, just by the pound. Ask three to five people to pay according to the catty of the lotus root they dig. Dig more, dig less, get less. This will also prevent the invited people from not being able to do their work. ”

Ran Er and Qinglian calculated, and a pound of lotus root sold to Yao Wenlin was four yuan, so they simply took out one penny per catty for work.

"A penny is too much, and two catties of lotus root are not too little. A strong laborer, how can he dig three or four hundred catties in a day, and if it is calculated as four hundred catties, it is two hundred yuan. ”

The matter was settled in this way, Grandpa Li helped find someone, and the time was set to start digging on the ninth day of the lunar month.