After coming back, Ran Er remembered that she had said in the morning that she wanted to teach Qinglian to read and write, so she went to the house and took out a brush that was almost bald, poured a bowl of water, and let Qinglian carry it, and the two came to the grass pavilion. There is a small stone table in the center of the grass pavilion, the top is very smooth, but you can't afford to buy pen, ink and paper, and you can practice calligraphy on this stone table. began to dip a brush in the water in the bowl, and taught Qinglian to recognize words one by one. Let's start with the names of the two.

Qinglian studied very seriously, and after learning to write the names of the two, Ran'er taught Qinglian to recognize the sentences in "Hundred Family Names" and "Three Character Classics". There are no books, but Ran'er's mother has already asked Ran'er to memorize all the three hundred families.

"Qinglian learns two sentences each in the "Hundred Family Names" and "Three Character Classics" every day, a total of fourteen words, and by the end of the year, Qinglian will be able to read books alone."

"Well, Qinglian must study hard."

The next morning, Ran Er and Qinglian got up early, had a simple breakfast, put a coarse porcelain jar full of pickled bamboo shoots into a bamboo basket, and brought the copper coins left over after buying oil and salt from the egg seller, Ran Er carried the basket in one hand and Qinglian in the other, and walked to the market.

Yesterday the weather was fine, but in the morning it started to be cloudy again.

Meander westward along the narrow sandy road on the bank of the stream in front of the fence gate. About three miles away, after turning the foot of a mountain, we came to the edge of a small village.

"Sister Qinglian, this village is called Xia Village, there is a small shop in the village, and the oil and salt that the family usually eats are bought from here."

"Oh, Qinglian will buy it for my sister in the future."

"Okay, Qinglian is the most capable. After Xia Village, five miles to the south is Yangzhuang, and today is the day of Yangzhuang's market. ”

The sisters left home early, and when they came to the market, there were not many people. Ran Er knew that although many places were empty, they were not something she could occupy. I chose a slightly remote place, which I remember should be on the edge of the market, and I haven't seen anyone set up a stall here before. Then he put the coarse porcelain jar on the ground, used a dish he brought with him, took out a few pieces of pickled bamboo shoots, and put them on the blanket cover. The sisters crouched behind the blankets, waiting for the buyer.

After a while, people began to gather in the bazaar, and more and more people gathered. Some people also curiously asked the sisters what they were selling. After hearing that it was pickled bamboo shoots, he left with no interest. At about the end of the day, the morning was cloudy, and the sun cleared again, and the sun came out. It's warm to shine on people. Because no one cared, Ran'er felt bored, so she squatted on the ground and taught Qinglian to recite the "Three Character Sutra". The voice of the two little girls' endorsements was low and crisp, and after being heard by a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy in a long robe, he leaned in with some curiosity. Seeing someone coming, the sisters stopped, and when Ran'er was about to ask someone if they wanted to buy pickled bamboo shoots, Qinglian spoke first:

"Big brother wants to buy pickled bamboo shoots? It's delicious, big brother taste it first. ”

As he spoke, he picked up the plate containing pickled sour bamboo shoots and handed it to the young man, raising his little face, his eyes full of anticipation. The young man was attracted by the sound of the sisters reading, and he didn't want to buy anything, but when he saw the expectation in Qinglian's eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse for a while, so he reached out and pinched a piece of bamboo shoots, first looked at it in front of his eyes, and then took a bite gently.

"Is this pickled bamboo shoots? How is it pickled? ”

"It's pickled sour bamboo shoots, which are pickled with bamboo shoots, do you think it's delicious?"

Ran Er answered.

"It tastes good, sour and salty, and very appetizing."

"Big brother, do you want to buy some and go back to eat?"

Hearing the young man praise the delicious pickled bamboo shoots, the expectation on Qinglian's little face became more obvious.

"And how much do you want to sell it for?"

Ran Er and Qinglian were speechless, and couldn't help but look at each other. They thought of selling sour bamboo shoots for money yesterday, but they never thought about how to sell them, whether they sell them by catties or forums. As for how much it costs a catty, or a jar, I haven't thought about it at all.

"Hehe, haven't you thought about it? Didn't the adults in the family explain when they came? ”

"Yes, my mother said, a jar of sour bamboo shoots is sold ......"

Qinglian wanted to tell a lie, but when she talked about how much a jar was sold for, she couldn't say it. How does she know how much money is appropriate, she said okay, she will suffer, and she is afraid that she will scare people away if she says too much. I can't help but ask Ran'er with those eyes.

"Childe, we really haven't thought about how to sell it, why don't Childe give a price, okay?"

"Well, come with me, I have a little liquor store at home. Go to the shop and ask my father, I think it should be good to use this sour bamboo shoot as a side dish for customers. ”

Qinglian and Ran'er couldn't help but be overjoyed, and immediately Ran'er covered the jar, put it in a bamboo basket, carried it in one hand, and led Qinglian in the other, and followed the young man to the center of the market. When he walked to the door of a shop with a banner hanging in front of the door, he saw the words "Zhouji Wine Shop" on the lintel, the young man walked in directly, and then led Qinglian to the wine shop.

It was a very small shop, with only four or five tables, and there were four benches in the front and back of each table. Because it wasn't yet lunchtime, there were no diners inside. I saw an uncle in his thirties who was a little thin sitting on the counter, reading a book in his hand. When the young man led the two Ran'er sisters to approach, he raised his eyes from the book, looked at the three of them, and asked:

"Isn't Chunshui going to the bazaar? Why did you come back so soon? Who are they? ”

"Father, I went to the market for a while, and I happened to meet their sisters selling pickled bamboo shoots, and they tasted it, and it tasted good. It's appetizing, so let's try it. ”

Ran Er hurriedly put down the basket, took out a few pieces of sour bamboo shoots and put them on the plate, brought them to the counter, and said cautiously:

"Uncle Zhou, this is what we pickled with bamboo shoots, please try it."

"Can the bamboo shoots of moso bamboo be pickled delicious?"

Shopkeeper Zhou asked suspiciously, while pinching a piece of bamboo shoot with the tips of his fingers, like spring water, first looking at it in front of his eyes, then taking a bite and chewing it slowly. Nodding his head, he said:

"Can bitter and astringent bamboo shoots be pickled to make such delicious sour bamboo shoots? It's not simple. How much are you going to sell for a pound? ”

"Uncle Zhou, give me a price, we haven't thought about it yet."

"Let me give me a price?"

Shopkeeper Zhou couldn't help but smile when he heard Ran'er say this. I thought that the adults of the child's family were really good, and let the child sell things, and he didn't explain the price in advance. Secretly summed it up, the taste of this kind of sour bamboo shoots, when used as a side dish with wine, can be sold.

"How many pickled bamboo shoots do you have in your house?"

"You can pickle one hundred altars in the spring of a year."

Ran Er estimated it and sued the shopkeeper of Zhou.

"Well, let's leave this jar first and give you thirty cents? Tomorrow this time, send two more altars to hear from me. If it's easy to sell, I'll give you another ten pennies. ”

Forty yuan, the jar is ten yuan, a jar is about five or six catties of bamboo shoots, and the salt is very little, but each jar is only less than half a tael, and it doesn't cost a penny. Ran Er secretly calculated to herself, and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Shopkeeper Zhou. If you don't need the jar, you'd better give it back to us. ”

"Hehe, of course. I want these jars to be gone. ”

At that time, Shopkeeper Zhou took out a larger clean jar and poured Ran'er's pickled bamboo shoots into it. Counted out thirty coins and handed them to Ran'er, and advised:

"Take it carefully, don't fall off the road. Remember to come back on time tomorrow to listen to the letter. ”

The sisters thanked the shopkeeper Zhou, especially for Chunshui, and the sisters were very grateful. Before leaving, Chunshui sent them to the street outside the shop and asked:

"I originally came over after listening to your endorsement, who taught you?"

"It's a mother's education."

After Ran'er led Qinglian out of Zhouji Wine Store, she first came to a grocery store and bought two catties of salt. Two pieces of candy for a penny, bought six pieces, and handed them to Qinglian. Qinglian only took three pieces, and put the other three pieces back into Ran'er's hand.

"Sister, let's go eat zongzi, the zongzi here are delicious. When my mother was here, I brought my sister to eat every month. ”

"Okay, Qinglian hasn't eaten zongzi yet. It's just, are zongzi expensive? Sister better don't spend money indiscriminately. ”

"Two meat dumplings cost three cents, and one sweet rice dumplings cost one, just like the buns that day."

"Then try it one by one?"

Qinglian wanted to eat it in her heart, but she didn't want to spend more money, so she whispered.

"Hehe, Xiao Qinglian really knows how to live, and she is more frugal than her sister. In the future, our home, Qinglian will be good? ”

"It's not good, Qinglian doesn't understand anything."

Ran Er said jokingly, but Qinglian replied very seriously. Ran Er thought in her heart that she was afraid that she had picked up the treasure this time, but she didn't expect Qinglian to be so sensible at such a young age. When she came to the stall selling zongzi, Ran'er bought four meat zongzi and two sweet zongzi. Seeing that it was still early and it was not yet lunchtime, he put the zongzi in the basket and led Qinglian to a shop selling cloth. I don't want Qinglian to say that she won't go in anything, pull Ran'er, and don't let Ran'er in. Because yesterday Ran'er said that if she sold sour bamboo shoots to sell new clothes to Qinglian, Qinglian didn't want Ran'er to spend money on herself.

Seeing that Qinglian insisted, Ran Er had no choice but to give up. The two were worried about going home to pickle more sour bamboo shoots, and found a man selling jars in the market and asked about the price of jars. Because I don't know what the situation of the Zhou Ji wine shop will be selling sour bamboo shoots tomorrow, it was not decided at that time. So they went home.

After the two sisters returned to the small courtyard, it was already a good time. Hungry, he hurriedly ate the rice dumplings he bought at the market. Two meat dumplings and one sweet rice dumpling per person. This time, Qinglian saw it clearly, and it would not be like last time, she didn't know that the buns were meaty and vegetarian, and Mei'er gave herself all the meat buns.

After a full meal and a short rest, I went to dig bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove on the hill behind the house. The two sisters were small and frail, and they barely dug fifty or sixty pounds in one afternoon, and they were not in a hurry to peel the skin and wash it. Because there are not a few coarse porcelain jars at hand, I want to wait until tomorrow to listen to the news at Yangzhuang Zhouji Wine Shop, and then buy the jars and clean them up.

After dinner, by the light before dark, Mei'er taught Qinglian a few words of "Hundred Family Names" and "Three Character Classics", fed the four old hens, closed the door of the chicken coop, and then washed and slept.