At the West Gate Wharf outside the city of Gusu, take a raft down the rippling Su River, with green mountains and beautiful waters on both sides, and the fields are bleak. About 100 miles of waterway, is Zhouzhuang Water Town.

Su Chen carried a bamboo raft and went down the river in the direction of Zhouzhuang Water Town.

On the bamboo raft, there were a few new pieces of cloth that he cut in the cloth shop in Gusu City, as well as cloth shoes.

Just after Laba, it will be the New Year, and you can buy a few new clothes for your parents and younger siblings. In addition, there are a few catties of white noodles and chopped pork filling, some oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds and other seasonings, which are used to wrap dumplings and cook rice balls during the Lantern Festival.

The raft went for a long time.

The morning fog is thick, the cold wind is whining, and the hazy outline of a water town in the distance can be faintly seen.

But I saw that in the depths of the river, a faint silver light was shining, like a smart silver thread, bright and moving.

If an ordinary fisherman passes through the river, he will obviously ignore the past. Even if someone finds out, they can only sigh and can't catch it.

Hey~!

Su Chen was surprised and raised his brows.

Reach out and tap lightly on the water.

"Poof~!"

The surface of the water shook slightly, causing a ripple, and a concussive force spread to the bottom of the river.

This half-pound silver-spine saury, which was swimming happily at the bottom of the river, was stunned and surfaced with its belly turned over.

Su Chen couldn't help but show a faint smile on his face, scooped up this silver spine saury, put a straw rope on the gills and tied the tail at the other, and carried this precious fish on the raft.

Not long after, I came to the river of Zhouzhuang Water Town.

...

Zhouzhuang is far away from the hustle and bustle of Gusu County and canal waterways, located in a remote and closed water town, the town is mostly fishermen, small bridges and flowing water, and it is very peaceful on weekdays.

In the early morning, smoke curls from the cooking.

Every household in Zhouzhuang is lighting a fire to cook, or preparing to work in the fields, or going to the lake to fish.

Next to an old crow tree, an old fishing boat is moored with a cable.

The Su family has been fishing for generations, and has no land or house on land, only a dilapidated old fishing boat to live on the river.

In an old crockpot on the stove at the bow of the fishing boat, Su Lao Niang was blowing firewood in front of the stove and making a fire, boiling a small pot of gruel. There is not much porridge, barely eat a few bites, and only then do you have the strength to go to the lake to fish.

Daddy Su's face was full of wrinkles, squatting on the side of the stove, holding a cold pipe and lighting cold smoke in the stove fire, smoking silently. The old cold tobacco leaves picked in the field are very dry.

"Daddy, will my brother come back this year?"

The second brother held a bowl, licked his chapped lips, and waited with the third sister to drink porridge.

He was young and ignorant, and only vaguely remembered that he had an older brother. Over the years, he has often heard his father and mother say that his brother has gone to the Gusu Medicine King Gang for many years.

Father Su and Mrs. Su were speechless.

Back then, because they discussed selling the baby to a big family in the city, it hurt the baby's heart.

Although the eldest baby has never complained.

But after all these years, he refused to return to his hometown to see each other again.

"Alas~, probably! After the second baby drinks the porridge, take the third baby to the river to play! ”

...

Su Chen walked in the river on a bamboo raft and saw the familiar old fishing boat.

There are also two seven or eight-year-old babies with familiar eyebrows and somewhat unfamiliar faces, playing on the riverbank near the old fishing boat.

Second brother, third sister?

Su Chen's heart couldn't help but tighten, he hesitated outside the old fishing boat, opened the rag curtain, and saw Father Su and Mrs. Su, who had not seen him for several years.

My father and mother still live in this old fishing boat with a bamboo hut and mud, and on the bed are a few broken cotton mats, which can withstand the biting cold wind.

Next to the bed was a pair of shoes with countless patches, stained with several layers of mud.

Father Su and Mrs. Su were roasting the fire by the stove, drinking porridge, and discussing where to go fishing for a while. Suddenly, I saw a young man in cloth open the rag curtain and stand outside the old fishing boat.

"Dad, mother, I'm back!"

Su Chen was carrying a few large bags and small bags, dressed in cloth, and stood at the door of the old fishing boat.

"Big~, big baby!"

Father Su was stunned, at a loss for a while, the old pipe was trembling, and he didn't know where to put it. Hurriedly moved an old stool out of the boat, patted off the dust, and let Su Chen sit.

"Dad, don't fish today."

Su Chen said with a smile: "I pulled a few pieces of cloth in the city, as well as a few catties of white noodles and pork filling, let's make a dumpling and eat it at night." And this fish, which I caught on the way back. Boil the soup for a while, and let the second brother and third sister also drink it together. ”

"It's good to come back, my mother will make you a dumpling! The child's father, what are you doing in a daze, why don't you go and shave the fish quickly. ”

Su Lao Niang's tears of joy flowed out, and she was busy boiling water and cooking rice, and boiling fish soup for Su Chen.

Daddy Su was stunned and didn't move, and silently looked at the fish, the silver spine saury, one of the three treasures of Taihu Lake! It weighs half a catty and is sold to the county inn, which is worth five or six hundred copper coins.

He had been fishing all his life, and he had never tasted what it was like. How can you eat such a valuable thing! What a loser!

He couldn't twist it, so he still went to plank the fish after all.

Su Chen took advantage of the fact that they were burning the fire, boiling fish soup, and quietly added a few good medicinal herbs that warmed and replenished the body.

Su Chen sat on the edge of the bed again.

Soon, the second brother and third sister came in.

In a flash, they had grown up to be eight or nine years old, hiding by the stove, looking at him with a cowering gaze, very different from him.

Su Lao Niang carefully blew the hot fish soup colder, and then served it to Su Chen. "Big baby, this is your favorite dumpling, it's rare to eat once a year! Eat it with fish soup, don't choke! ”

"Okay, you guys have a bowl too. The second brother and third sister came in and asked them to drink a few bowls as well. ”

Su Chen was sad and drank a small bowl of warm fish soup.

Su Chen asked quite casually: "Dad, mother." Over the years, I have been in the Medicine King Gang, and every four or five years, I have asked Uncle Zhang to send back a lot of silver taels home, and there are nearly 100 taels. What's the matter, Uncle Zhang doesn't have time to give it to you? ”

At first, only Butcher Zhang was allowed to carry half a tael. Later, he became a middle-level deacon of the Medicine King Gang Miscellaneous Service Hall, and it increased to one, two, two.

This world is not peaceful, the father and mother of the family are old, the younger brother and sister are still young, and there is no prime of life in the family to guard at home, so they can't keep the big money.

He was worried that he would be coveted, and he didn't dare to let Butcher Zhang bring a little more silver taels to his house, for fear of causing trouble.

The fishermen of Zhouzhuang have very little expenses, except for the large amount of taxes every month and the scale fee of the Giant Whale Gang, the cost of eating on weekdays is actually very small.

In the past few years, he has brought back nearly 100 taels of silver, which is not a small amount of money for the fishermen of Zhouzhuang.

Plus my father's income from fishing every year. It's enough to pay taxes, even get a new fishing boat, and build a new house on land. It's not as poor as it was back then.

"Your Uncle Zhang has carried it, and in the past few years, there has never been a shortage of one or two taels of silver per month!"

Father Su shook his head and sighed.

"Alas, there weren't many fish caught in the moon back then... The family is really difficult, and the giant whale gang can't pay the weighing fees, so they can't survive.

That night, Mr. Zhou of Zhuangzi was on crutches and holding a pot of wine, and asked me to eat water and wine. Tomorrow you can come to my house to get some silver, and bring some brown rice back by the way, so that the child can't go hungry."

Dad didn't want to borrow the money from his old man's family. But if you don't borrow, you can't pay taxes, and if you don't borrow, you will starve to death.

If you borrow it, you can survive this year, and you can hope for a good harvest next year. In this way, my father went to Mr. Zhou's house, borrowed a few taels of silver and a bag of rice bran, and ate it.

But the interest rate of this silver money is high, and it will be counted as profit every month, and it will be doubled in a few months. These years of profits are always endless.

Fortunately, you earned money in the county, and you asked Uncle Zhang to bring it back every once in a while, and the family barely managed to cope with it, but life has been tight. ”

Mrs. Su bent her waist, took out the ten taels of silver she had carefully hidden from under the stove, and patted the ashes and said.

"Over the years, my mother has finally saved a little money, and I don't dare to spend it. Your second brother is nine years old, and he is going to marry in a few years, and he can't marry a daughter-in-law without ten taels of silver. Your third sister is going to get married, and she has to prepare the dowry money, and she will marry and go to her mother-in-law's family to endure hardships.

This is a place where a lot of money is used, and I finally saved ten taels of silver, which can cope with these two major events. In a few years, life will be better.

In the past few years, those water bandits were very noisy and often robbed everywhere. We don't dare to spend some of our savings, for fear that we will show our wealth and be targeted and snatched away by those strongmen.

On weekdays, a few bowls of green vegetable porridge at home will just deal with the past, not all these years! ”

"That's right..."

Su Chen sighed silently, and then he understood, it turned out to be like this.

No wonder in the past five years, the family is still the same as when he left. However, now that he's back, none of these things are a big deal. As long as everything is safe at home, it's fine.

"The marriage of the second brother and third sister, I will think of it, so don't worry about it. The water bandits were also exterminated by the government. In the past few years, I have earned some money in the Yaowang Gang, and in the past two days, I have found a piece of land in Zhuangzi and built a new house! ”

They were talking.

"Aunt Su... I haven't gone to the lake to fish yet! ”

But I saw a village woman shouting, lifted the curtain, and entered the old cabin.

"Aunt Li!"

When Su Chen saw the village woman, he immediately recognized it.

He hurriedly got up, put the only stool he had, and made room for the village woman to sit, and said with a smile: "Sit inside, the space in this boat is too small, so I can only take a seat first." ”

The young man in front of the village woman was dressed in cloth, and he was quite a decent person from the county town, not like a person from Zhouzhuang Water Town, and said strangely: "Aunt Su, your family has come to a distant relative...?" ”

She looked at Su Chen with a little familiarity.

Suddenly remembered, he slapped his thigh in surprise, "This is not the Su family's eldest man, Aunt Li watched you grow up, look at this memory, I almost can't recognize it!" I often hear your father and mother say, are you studying art in the Medicine King Gang in Gusu City? ”

"Yes, I've learned a little bit of craftsmanship in the Medicine King Gang in the past few years. Aunt Li is looking for my mother, this is...? ”

Su Chen smiled and nodded.

"It's nothing, it's just that there are some old leaves of green vegetables growing in the field, and it's a pity to lose them. Passing by, I asked your mother if she was short of vegetables these days. ”

Aunt Li was overjoyed, "By the way, you are a member of the Medicine King Gang, so will you see a doctor?" Can you help your aunt look at this waist? I've been suffering from low back pain lately. ”

"Of course, a little bit of it."

Su Chen smiled, checked the pulse of Aunt Li's hand, and quickly said: "The waist is strained, and the qi and blood are blocked, so it's not a big problem." I'll help you write a prescription and go to the pharmacy in the county seat to pick up the medicine according to the prescription. There are some cheap medicinal herbs on it, and you can buy a pair with only a few dozen copper plates. Don't change the prescription, take a few pairs, and you'll be fine in January. ”

"Su family, thank you very much. How much copper is charged for this consultation? ”

"No, it's all from the villagers. Over the years, thanks to Aunt Li's frequent help, otherwise there would be no vegetables to eat at home. I have nothing to do these days, so I will help the villagers with free clinics. But you have to go to the county pharmacy to catch this medicinal herb yourself. ”

Su Chen said with a smile.

The townspeople of Zhouzhuang Water Township have no money to spare, and they are reluctant to go to the city to see if they are sick. When he returned home, he didn't have much to do, just stayed at home for a while, serving his parents.

He used to be a disciple of the Medicine King Gang, and he was also half a Langzhong. By the way, a bench was set up in front of the old fishing boat to help the nearby villagers see a doctor for free, which can be regarded as repaying the neighbors' kindness to the Su family.

"There are some green leaves in the field, and they are worthless in the field. The skill of seeing a doctor that you learned in the Medicine King Gang is old and valuable, and it is more profitable than fishing. Father Su, aunt of the Su family, with such a capable son as you, I have finally come out all these years! ”

Aunt Li said happily.

...

At noon, in front of the old fishing boat of the Su family, it was lively. Some neighbors heard that the Su family had come back from the Yaowang Gang in Gusu County, learned a medicinal craft, and helped the villagers with free clinics, so they rushed to see the doctor.

In just one or two hours, dozens of fishermen and village women gathered near the old fishing boat, and they were bustling.

But I saw that Su Lao Niang was anxious and invited a matchmaker in Zhouzhuang to come back, and Zhang Luo introduced a marriage to Su Chen.

There are also two girls behind him, one is a peasant girl, who is rough and has a big temperament. A girl is a little pretty, but she is a little widow, with a shy face.

Su Chen was stunned, he didn't expect this to happen, he couldn't cry or laugh, and said again and again: "Mother, don't worry about me, I have my own opinions." ”

The matchmaker persuaded: "Su family man, you are seventeen or eighteen years old, don't be too high-minded!" Look at those guys of the same age in Zhouzhuang, most of them got married at the age of fifteen or sixteen! You're so old, no one will want to marry you in another two years. ”

"That's right! Su Dalang, you have to get married quickly. If you don't get married at this age, you'll be old. There are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is great! ”

"Look at this girl, she has strong arms and strength, and she is a good hand at farm work! You have been in the county for a long time, if you look down on the rough people who farm, and this pretty widow, she is so tender. ”

"Su family man, you pick any one, just get married today, and enter the cave room tonight!"

The seven wives and eight aunts in the surrounding villages, and even those fishermen, also spoke out one after another.

"No, it's not, listen to me... I just went home to visit my parents and help my uncles and aunts... This marriage, I'm really not in a hurry! ”

Su Chen listened to the noise of the neighbors and hurriedly explained, but was suppressed by the gossip of dozens of neighbors, and he couldn't resist the enthusiasm of everyone at all.

This... He just came back from the county town to visit his relatives and settle down the affairs of his father, second brother and third sister at home, so that he could rest assured that he was looking for immortals.

Shouldn't this have settled him down! Search for "CM" or enter the URL:.