When the sky was bright, Fourth Uncle Du took the third son into the city and spent three copper plates.

"It's too dark, it's too dark, when will the burden be taxed, it's too dark, it's too dark", the third son was half a position behind, listening to the fourth uncle's nagging, while looking around curiously.

"Fourth uncle, this is Fucheng?" He looked at the rows of two-story small corridors along the street, "It's really pompous, it's really magnificent." ”

"Hey, what is this, when you go to see the south of the city, where are the dignitaries and nobles of our Jingning Mansion, all of them are high-rise buildings, then you will be blinded, and the east of the city is full of restaurants and tea shops, which is nothing."

The sky was still a little dark, there was no one on the street, only the sound of the flat shoulder swinging up and down, and after walking for a while, the fourth uncle bent his knees and put down the burden, rubbed his aching shoulders and said, "San'er, you pick and choose, there are not a few steps left, the fourth uncle's waist, eh." Xiao San untied the futon behind his back, handed it to the fourth uncle, bent down and picked up the flat burden.

"The kid has a lot of strength, he didn't shout tired after more than a hundred miles, and he didn't trample the grain in vain."

"Hehe, fourth uncle, let's do this, if I don't have the strength, my father won't discount my legs." The fourth uncle is a capable person in the eyes of the little three, since he can remember, he will bring flower cloth, pastries, bacon sausages to the house during the New Year's holidays, and his four-year-old cousin has never been hungry, and the three blue brick houses at home are also the brightest in the village.

"When I see the shopkeeper later, kneel down and kowtow to the shopkeeper to say goodbye, and the shopkeeper will answer whatever he asks, and his mouth will be sweeter, and he will not be able to look at the shopkeeper's eyes, don't be like your cousin, three sticks can't hit a fart"

"Fourth Uncle Haole, just look at it",

The third son took a few steps with his burden, stopped, and asked with a somewhat apprehensive face, "Four, fourth uncle, don't we still have eighty catties of yellow grain?" What if the shopkeeper accepts Huanggu and doesn't accept me? That's a month's worth of food for the family."

After hearing this, Uncle Du slapped the back of the little third son's head, and the little third son stumbled a few steps, and scolded with some hatred of iron and steel, "You know a fart, He Da shopkeeper is a person who does big things, and everyone has a few houses in Jingning Mansion, will they look up to your eighty catties of Huanggu?" It's just your father, my second brother, licking my face and getting me drunk and begging me, let me promise to take you out to see and see, so that I can show this old face to see the shopkeeper, otherwise I won't worry about it."

The fourth uncle said hatefully: "Don't say such things in the future." ”

"Four, fourth uncle, don't be angry, I'm not worried."

"Worried, worried about something, I think you are reluctant! San'er, let's ask for someone to have a begging look, don't be reluctant, don't take some meeting gifts, are you embarrassed to ask for someone, relax, isn't there still a fourth uncle and me?"

Fourth Uncle Du looked at the third son, patted the third son's shoulder and said, "Let's go."

After a bag of cigarettes, Uncle Du and his third son came to the door of a two-entry house, and there were two stone gate piers and a bolted horse stake at the door. The fourth uncle looked at the sky that was not yet fully bright, and estimated that the shopkeeper would go out for a while, so he beckoned the third son to sit on the opposite wall, took out the dry tobacco and smoked it. While pumping, he glanced at the opposite door with his residual light.

Squeak, squeak, with the sound of the wooden door opening, Du Si skillfully knocked on the mille-feuille shoes with a dry tobacco stick, stood up, spat to the side, and ran to the gate in three steps and two steps, only to see a middle-aged woman wearing a floral cloth shirt and a bun on her head walking out of the door with a broom. Du Si hurriedly went over and said, "Sister-in-law Wanfu, Du Si has asked you to say goodbye."

The middle-aged woman said, "Yo, who should I be, squatting under the wall early in the morning, it turned out to be Du Si, you are looking for Lao He early in the morning!" ”

Du Si responded with a smile, "Didn't you just go back to the countryside, I prepared some food in the countryside, all of which I planted myself, and I was thinking about giving the shopkeeper a little bit over." ”

The middle-aged woman looked at the burden under the root of the wall, the little third son wearing a short hexagram next to the burden, Du Si hurriedly said, "San'er, come here", and the little third son trotted to Du Si's side.

"Calling Auntie"

"Auntie".

"This is my nephew in the countryside, take him to Fucheng to see and learn", Du Si said with a smile, the middle-aged woman nodded, glanced at the little third son, the little third son lowered his head unnaturally, and then said to Du Si, "I'll go to see if Lao He is up, you guys come in." ”

The middle-aged woman put down the broom and walked inside, Du Si and Xiao Sanzi ran to the opposite wall and carried the burden and walked inside. Across the gate only to see a shadow wall with the word Fu written, the little third son is still the first time to see this kind of thing, only feel novel, turn the shadow wall, see the wall behind the three large water tanks, there are a few jujube trees planted in the courtyard, pomegranate trees, there are two square fish tanks in the east of the yard, the lotus flowers in the fish tank are in full bloom, there are all kinds of flowers that the little three sons can't name, they have all been competing to open, the little three sons followed behind Du Si, looking at everything that the eyes can see.

The middle-aged woman led Du Si and the two to the hall, "You sit down first, I'll call Lao He."

"Lao He, Lao He, Du Si has come to see you, Lao He", shouted and walked towards the inner house.

"Lao He, didn't you get up, Du Si is waiting in the hall."

Looking for the voice, I saw that the curtain of the inner house was raised, and out of it came a middle-aged rich man wearing soap-colored clothes, a slightly chubby face, and a not too tall figure.

"What are you shouting, early in the morning, mourning?"

"Hey, what you said, Du Si is here, he came back from the countryside, he came to see you, he was waiting in the hall, and he brought a half-sized child."

"Oh, Du Si is back, then I have to go and see." With that, he walked towards the hall.

Du Si and Xiao Sanzi walked into the hall, a case placed in the center came into view, there was a large calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall, there were three pairs of porcelain vases on the case, there was a three-foot square table of eight immortals under the case, there was a Taishi chair on both sides of the table, there were six Taishi chairs on the east and west sides by the wall, four coffee tables, two flower tables were erected in the corner of the house, the caryophyllum was placed on it, it was full of vitality, and the walls on both sides were hung with Tang and Song Dynasty calligraphy and paintings, showing the style of a large household.

The third son was cramped and uneasy since he entered the house, and he didn't sit or stand, and the fourth uncle sat on the chair, glared at him with his eyes and said, "San'er, sit." ”

The little third son cowered and said, "Uncle, we are covered in dirt, don't dirty other people's chairs." ”

"What's the matter, tell you to sit down, look at your little bit of interest"

"Eh", the third son walked to the entrance of the hall, patted the dust on his body, turned around, sat down and said, "Haven't we seen it before, the first time I saw a big family's house, it's really handsome." ”

"That's where you go, Uncle Changtian took you to see the real nobleman's house, and that opened your eyes."

"Eh" the little third son laughed stupidly.

"The fourth child is here, the fourth child, hahaha", the third son only heard a loud laughter into the house, and followed into a rich middle-aged man who was not too tall. Du Si hurriedly got up and said, "Eh, shopkeeper."

Yes, Du Si has given you a salute, you are auspicious. As he spoke, he bowed down and beat a thousand.

"Hahaha, auspicious, auspicious," the shopkeeper replied. As he spoke, he saw the tall and thin man beside Du Si, with dark skin, and his rated hair, I was afraid that he hadn't shaved for a long time.

"This is my nephew in the countryside", said and kicked lightly on the ass of the little third son, "and don't kowtow to the shopkeeper yet".

The little third son immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the shopkeeper and said, "The little third son has seen the shopkeeper, I wish the shopkeeper good luck and good luck."

"Get up, what kind of kowtow early in the morning, let others see what it looks like, doesn't this cost my life?" , the shopkeeper said angrily to Du Si

"He is a junior, he doesn't have to kowtow when he sees you, it is his blessing to kowtow to you, how many people can't kowtow if they want to."

"Alright, alright, young man, get up, sit, sit," the shopkeeper sat down at the main seat and beckoned the two to sit down.

"Du Si, how about returning to your hometown this time?"

"Back to the shopkeeper, this time the countryside may not be happy, first drought, finally look forward to rain, and then it rained heavily for more than ten days, the river embankment has collapsed, this is drought and waterlogging, the harvest is not much hope, this year I don't know how many people starved to death."

"Hmm", the shopkeeper nodded, "This rain almost flooded Jingning City, I'm afraid it's even more difficult in the countryside, and I'm afraid this year's business will be difficult!" But no matter how much it floods, it won't be able to starve your Du Si family."

"It's not the shopkeeper's love, this time I went back to my hometown and picked up some home-grown yellow valley, as well as some mountain goods, for you and your sister-in-law to try."

The shopkeeper stood up and feigned anger, "What are you doing, the countryside has suffered a disaster, and you are not rich, take it back, take it back."

"Shopkeeper, although I Du Laosi is not a figure who can be on the table, but I still understand this truth, I eat under you, thanks to your care over the years, not only give me food, but also let my family not be hungry, have money to spend, if I take it back, am I still human? San'er, what are you doing, don't hurry up and pick it up to the kitchen. ”

"Eh, fourth uncle, where is the kitchen?"

Du Laosi looked back at Shopkeeper He, and Shopkeeper He smiled and said, "Eh, Fourth, you, you, you, you have this mouth, it's really a shame to let you take care of a warehouse." Then he shouted to the outside world, "Xiulian, Xiulian".

As soon as the words fell, the middle-aged woman walked outside the hall, "What's the matter, Lao He?" ”

"Take this little brother, put the burden in the kitchen, and besides, if you don't boil the water, hurry up and serve two teas."

The third son carried the burden and went out with the middle-aged woman, only to know that the aunt's name was Xiulian, but in the eyes of the third son, she was not beautiful at all.

"Fourth, you just said that this guy is your nephew?"

"Yes, it's my nephew, my second brother's son, isn't this a disaster in the countryside, take him to the city to beg for food, he has two eight or nine-year-old brothers below, if he doesn't come out, he will starve to death."

"Hmm," the shopkeeper nodded lightly and asked, "How old are you?" ”。

"Sixteen in winter".

"Half the size, eat the dead man. It's not easy to raise a child at this age," said the shopkeeper.

"Who says it's not," Du Si rubbed his hands and asked with a smile, "Shopkeeper, do you think we still need manpower in Yu Hutchison?" Can you give this kid a job and earn a living money? You can rest assured, this child can endure hardships the most, from the countryside to more than 200 miles in Fucheng, he picked more than 100 miles alone, he is a good guy, don't look at his age, he has the strength to do it."

"Hmm~~~~" The shopkeeper nodded slowly and did not speak.

As soon as the words fell, the little third son walked into the hall, Du Si saw that the shopkeeper had no words, and said to the little third son, "San'er, go to the bar, which water tank in the yard is moved, and show the shopkeeper your strength."

After hearing this, the third son turned around and was about to go to the courtyard. "Come back!" The shopkeeper shouted, "Du Laosi, what are you doing in front of you, street juggling?" ”

"Hey, hey, hey," Du Si smiled wryly, "Doesn't this let the shopkeeper see the child's ability?" ”

"Young man, come here~~~~ and sit, uncle asks you, how old are you this year?"

The third son sat on the chair, a little nervous, more unnatural, and a little ashamed, growing so big, the first time he entered such a big house, sat on such a good chair, and was questioned by a big man for the first time, when he was young, he used to think that the fourth uncle and the chief were the biggest figures, and even the county tax collectors had to give the fourth uncle face, he felt that he should go and wash the dirt on his body before coming in.

"San'er, the shopkeeper is asking you."

The third son came back to his senses and said, "If you go back to the shopkeeper, you will be ten or sixteen soon."

"How many people are in the family?"

"If you go back to the shopkeeper, there are my father, my mother, a married sister, and two younger brothers."

"Oh~~~, you are the eldest brother like a father, do you have a big name?"

"If you go back to the shopkeeper, yes, your name is Du Yuzhang."

"Oh," the shopkeeper sighed in amazement, "a good name, a good name, a gentleman is like jade, and half a gui is a chapter, which is much better than your fourth uncle's name, but your father gave it to you?" ”。

The shopkeeper was very puzzled, he knew that Du Si's family had not produced any scholars for several generations, Du Si didn't know what to read, let alone his relatives in the countryside, and the name was also very arbitrary, such as Du Si's generation, Du Si's father hoped that his son could be rich and auspicious, so he took Du Fu, Du Gui, Du Ji, Du Detail, Du Si was the fourth in line, and it was called Du Xiang. If it is a daughter, it is simpler, I hope that my daughter is beautiful, and she will marry a good family in the future, what is the most beautiful in the countryside, and the flowers are the most beautiful, and the daughters are called Du Ju, Du He, Du Hua, and so on.

The shopkeeper heard Du Xiang's name for the first time, and he didn't like it very much, because this name was pronounced a little faster, it was ominous, but fortunately, it was always Du Laosi Du Laosi, and no one remembered his real name. He was very strange, how could a village family that couldn't read and write take a name like Yuzhang.

"If you go back to the shopkeeper, the name was given by Mr. Town."

"This gentleman expects a lot from you, you can read"

"After a year of studying in the private school of the town gentleman, I know some", the shopkeeper stood up and said to himself as he walked, "Okay, good, you can read and write, and this will be easy to do"