In the evening, the family sat down to eat, only two bites, Lin Guizhi held the bowl with excitement on his face and said: "In the afternoon, I went to the third aunt's house, and met her sister-in-law's cousin and niece to visit her, saying that her cousin in the woodware factory in the town said that he wanted to find an apprentice, study for three years, including food and housing, no salary, I have told her, tomorrow I will take Aiguo to show her, if it can be done, Aiguo will go to the town to be an apprentice at the beginning of the year." In the future, there is a craft on this body, and I am not afraid of not being able to eat wherever I go. ”

Wang Li sighed in her heart, and sure enough, this was the case. Fortunately, I mentioned it today, and her mother should not have gone to the courtesy yet, and it won't make her mother feel distressed if she stops it.

glanced at the other people at the table, except for Wang Mei, who was still eating with vegetables, everyone else had already put down the bowl.

Wang Laozhuan said: "You make it clear, who is that cousin, do we know each other?" What are the rules for an apprenticeship? ”

Lin Guizhi couldn't see it with a smile and said: "Her cousin is Sun Dayong in the woodware factory in Qinghe Town next door, and said that the family is the Sun family's house, and this time recruiting an apprentice is also a big deal in the woodware factory, and there is a shortage of manpower, otherwise he will not recruit an apprentice." Is this rule, didn't you say it, including food and housing, the apprentice has no salary for three years, and the teacher is added for three years, and the annual thank-you ceremony is indispensable. This is a good opportunity, I see that when she said it, several families had that meaning, let's go to her early tomorrow, catch two of our old hens, and take twenty eggs. ”

After finishing speaking, he snorted to the east and said, "Isn't his father a carpenter?" He didn't teach this and that didn't accept all day long, and he wasn't the only one who knew how to work as a carpenter, and when we came back from patriotic learning, we couldn't be angry with him. ”

Wang Laozhuan touched his waist, but he didn't touch the hookah, so he knocked on the table with chopsticks, and didn't speak for a long time, obviously still hesitating. Wang Mei looked relaxed, and was putting down the bowl, but the bowl was empty, and it turned out that it had already been eaten; Wang Aiguo looked at his father and then at his mother, his face unconsciously struggled, and he looked at Wang Li again.

Wang Li looked at her mother with a happy face, and remembered that the three years when the younger brother was an apprentice in the previous life, he was just like the apprentice in the old society, and he couldn't do it. Sun Dayong is not a kind person, the younger brother gave him an apprentice, although he did learn carpenter work, but he not only served as an apprentice in Sun Dayong's house, but also made cattle and horses for his family, cooked and washed, and did all kinds of chores, and he couldn't eat. But in this way, not only did he apprentice for three years, but he also had to give heavy gifts to Sun Dayong every year.

In these years, although the apprenticeship is also a three-year apprentice without pay, but there is no old society like Sun Dayong, who took the apprentice as a cow and horse, although he also had to give gifts after leaving the school, but generally after leaving the school, he could also give another two years, and then he would just walk around as a relative.

What's more, if you do an apprenticeship for three years, you can't go to work on the team, and there is no point in the work; I also have to give Sun Dayong three festival gifts, and I have to buy all kinds of tools for patriotism, such an income gap inside and out, after a year, the family not only did not save money, but had to borrow money to live.

Wait until Wang Mei lives or dies for a penny, don't stick two quilts upside down to marry Zhao Bingcheng, and the family is even more difficult. Wang Mei couldn't get her share, but the two of them came home from time to time to eat and drink for nothing, and when they saw that there was delicious food in the kitchen, they took it away.

After three years of apprenticeship, the family is already in debt, and then three years of heavy gifts will be given, and then the patriotic should be ready to marry a daughter-in-law, and it is time for her to get married, so it is not surprising that she exchanged her for a high bride price of 1,000 yuan.

At that time, Wang Mei told her mother that the family was so poor, and she had to give three years of heavy gifts, repay debts, and save a bride price for the country, so it was better to set her bride price high and solve the family's problems at one time. So, her mother had to come to the man who proposed to get a bride price of 1,000 yuan, and declared that she had no dowry.

An ordinary farmer is already a wealthy family if he can save 100 yuan a year, and if he wants someone to marry a wife without a dowry with ten years of savings, who is willing to do it, and no one is a fool.

Originally, seven or eight suitors retracted most of them at once, and there were only three left. A widower, a second-rate son who steals chickens and dogs in the next room, and a third Chen Laosan.

How did she pick the third child at that time? Yes, among the three people, he is the youngest and the first to marry or a serious family. She really wants to exchange the bride price, so she has to find a serious person. A widower or something, her age is no worse than her father, how can she marry. Although the third child is seven years older than her, he is also the worst of the three, but he is also a first marriage.

The events of the previous life have passed, and it is useless to think about it, and now the important thing is how to dispel the idea of her mother. Waiting until tomorrow after the gift is given to interrupt will be a big problem.

So he asked: "Mom, you said that this Sun Dayong wanted to recruit apprentices because the woodware factory took over a big deal and lacked manpower, so is the little brother a temporary worker in the woodware factory or his Sun Dayong's apprentice?" ”

Lin Guizhi was stunned for a moment, and said hesitantly: "This eldest niece didn't say it, this is a three-year apprentice, it should be regarded as Sun Dayong's apprentice." ”

Wang Li frowned and said, "But didn't you say that the wood factory took over a big deal and recruited talents?" This recruits people to work, and if they can't be regular workers, they should be considered temporary workers, and temporary workers are also workers, and they should be paid. Did Sun Dayong privately take over the work of the carpentry factory to accept apprentices, or did the carpentry factory accept temporary workers and accept apprentices by the way? ”

Wang Laozhuan also came to his senses, and then asked: "Ali is right, if you count the temporary workers in the woodware factory, you have to have wages, is this salary considered Sun Dayong or patriotic?" ”

Wang Li took it and said: "If the big deal of the wood factory is completed, does Sun Dayong still want this apprentice?" Don't buy and sell it, there is no shortage of people in the carpentry factory, Sun Dayong came to say that patriotism is not suitable for carpenters or something, and then he doesn't want apprentices? ”

Lin Guizhi was dumbfounded: "That can't be, it's all from the villagers, how can they say it and it doesn't count?" ”

Wang Li wished that Sun Dayong didn't count, and hurriedly said: "But this doesn't sound right, if there is no shortage of people in the wood factory, Sun Dayong will not recruit apprentices, what does this mean?" It shows that Sun Dayong himself does not need an apprentice. Who can guarantee that he won't turn his face after the fact? When the time comes, half of the patriotic work will be returned, and it will not be laughed to death. ”

Wang Laoxuan hesitated when he heard it, he didn't like to send his son to the next town to learn carpenter, just such a lone seedling, although he knew that he would benefit from learning the craft for life, but his adult son was not at ease under his nose, and he was afraid that if he gave up this time, he would not have a chance next time, and he would listen to the words of the second daughter, and he couldn't make up his mind.

Wang Li glanced at the struggle on her father's face, and asked: "Mom, you said that Sun Dayong accepted apprentices, apprenticed for three years, graduated from the teacher for three years, and gave a thank you gift every year, but how did I hear that now that he is an apprentice, he is a teacher, and he generally gives a year and a half to mean it. And after leaving the teacher for another three years, it is the style of the old society! Then did Sun Dayong accept disciples according to the old society? ”

Lin Guizhi heard this and hurriedly nodded and said: "Her eldest niece said that Sun Dayong is very careful and strict in doing things, and his disciples are very strict, and they are all sent according to the old society, and the apprentices he teaches are also good." ”

Wang Li deliberately frightened and said: "However, the old-fashioned apprentice is almost a contract worker!" That patriotism can't go! ”

Wang Laozhuan and Lin Guizhi both said suspiciously: "What kind of contractor?" Why can't you go? ”

Wang Li looked at her little brother with pity and said, "Patriotic, you know the contract worker, you tell your parents, why can't you go."

Wang Aiguo said with a gloomy face: "The contract worker is to eat the food provided by the master's family to starve to death, and to make a horse for the master's family until he dies."

of workers. ”

When the family heard this, their mouths opened wide in surprise.

Wang Laozhuan slapped the table and said angrily: "Patriotism is not going anywhere!" Then he stood up and lifted his leg and left the table

I didn't eat it, I went back to the room, took the hookah, came out, pinched it in my hand, and went out.

Lin Guizhi also sat for a while before he woke up and said to Aiguo: "These mothers don't know, you know, my mother won't take this head, tomorrow my mother will go back to her eldest niece about this." "But I was thinking that I had to ask things clearly tomorrow, if it was really like what Ali Aiguo said, then I really couldn't go. On the other hand, I was glad to come back and said at the dinner table, if I just told the old bolt, neither of them knew, it was really the same as what the children said, and they were going to send patriotism, wouldn't that be a pit for their son?

Wang Aiguo nodded sullenly and said, "Well, I know Mom, you don't know, you just want me to have a craft to accompany me." ”

Wang Li shrank at this time and ate silently. What should have been said had been said, what could have been done had been done, and now all she had to do was be silent.