When she picked up a pile of heavy potatoes and turned to leave, the butcher on the opposite side suddenly called out to her: "Madame-"

The hostess turned her head, looked at him, her expression was soft and smiling, and she said naturally: "John, it seems that I will not be able to buy your meat until next time." ”

John the butcher shook his head, picked up a bone that had been shaved off most of the flesh, threaded it neatly with a rope, and handed it to the lady, who was surprised to refuse: "No, I can't, John—"

But the butcher insisted on sending the bones forward again: "Just think of it as an addition to your next meat purchase!" ”

The hostess had no choice but to take the bone, "All right! John, then I'll buy more next time. ”

The butcher shrugged: "Of course! I'm not happy to buy less! ”

The two men laughed at the same time, and after saying goodbye to John the butcher, the hostess walked home with bones, potatoes, and a bag of paint.

When they got home, the children rushed up to her, chattering to her about their little discoveries: "Mom, Mom, I played a game of thief hunting with Hans, and I said that I would be a thief first, but he would still be an officer after he lost!" ”

"Nope! He cheats! Mom, the officer was originally mine! ”

"Mom! I picked up a little sparrow, and it broke its leg, so pitiful! Shall we eat it?! ”

"Mom, I've learned some new tricks with Rose next door, can you buy me some rags?"

The hostess stood still, put the things in her hand on the table, and answered the children's questions one by one: "Okay, now I declare that both of you are officers!" Why don't you go and walk around the market, maybe a kind vendor will give you a rotten apple to eat! ”

The boys looked at each other, cheered, and rushed out screaming.

The hostess lowered her head, looked at the little daughter who sucked her fingers into her mouth again, and looked at her third daughter with sparrow eyes, and said gently: "This sparrow is so small, if we eat it, its mother should be so sad, just like you, although they are all naughty, but if you lose one, how sad your mother should be!" ”

"Why don't you go and build him a nest and help him take care of his legs?"

Looking at her daughter, who still refused to move, the hostess sighed and changed her words: "Okay, okay, you take care of it, and when it flies, you will bring its parents to see us, and when the time comes, we will have a pot of sparrows to eat." ”

The third daughter cheered and rushed out with the little sparrow in her hand, and the little daughter sucked her fingers vigorously and stumbled after her.

Finally, it was the eldest daughter who was quite sensible, and the hostess touched her face: "Eliza, I remember that I have a worn dress, and when I find out, you can change it to the way you like." ”

After dealing with the children's trivial matters, the hostess exhaled a long breath, the children are like this, it is easy to be irritable when they hug up, and they have the patience to solve them one by one, in fact, it is easy to deal with them.

Next, it's the object of trouble.

The hostess did not go upstairs immediately, she poured herself a glass of water, sat on a chair, drank half a glass of water quietly, and when her mood was completely calm, she picked up the paint and went upstairs.

She knocked on the door twice, and without waiting for a response, she pushed it open and saw her husband, the painter Vermeer, tearing a ball of paint-stained paper off the drawing board, clumping it up and throwing it into the trash.

She felt a little distressed about the paint, and the corners of her eyes twitched, and Vermeer had already opened her mouth to ask, "What are you doing here?" How many times have you said that while I'm creating, don't bother me! ”

The hostess seemed to be deaf, and handed over the paint in her hand without changing her face: "This is the paint you want." ”

The painter's face looked better, he stretched out his hand to take the paint, habitually opened it for inspection, and the hostess observed his expression, and said cautiously: "The merchant said that the price of paint will rise, and I have bought some other colors." ”

With a snap, the paint in the painter's hand fell heavily on the painting table, and he glared at his wife fiercely: "How many times have you said it!" Don't meddle in my business! What do you buy so much! ”

He casually threw out several paints: "These are not my usual paints at all!" ”

The hostess was silent for a moment, stretched out her hand, picked up the paint that had fallen to the ground, and said calmly, "I'll go and return these paints." ”

The painter stopped her: "What do you get back if you buy it?" Do you have to tell people that we are so poor, so poor that a painter can't even afford paint?! ”

The hostess was silent again, and after a while, she raised her head and looked at the painter: "Then what do you say?" ”

The painter glared at her, tempered even more, pointed to the door, and ordered: "Get out!" ”

The hostess bent her knees slightly, and after bowing, she turned and withdrew, and closed the door at the door considerately.

When the door closed, the light disappeared from the corridor, in the darkness, the smile on the hostess's face, as if also taken away by the sun, she looked back deeply at the closed door, sighed lightly, and slowly went downstairs.

When the bones were boiled, the rotten parts of the potatoes were peeled off, and the smell of the room filled the house with the cheers of the children who had returned home, the smile on the mistress returned, and began to tell the children to set the plates and spoons in place, and to tell the eldest daughter, Eliza, to go upstairs and invite the man down.

The eldest daughter, Eliza, pushed it to her younger brother: "Hans, you run fast, you go!" ”

Hans pushed to the other brother: "No! Let Ness go! I didn't even catch him as an officer! ”

Ness leaned on her sister: "You should let Wei Ya go, doesn't she still want to catch a nest of sparrows?" How can you run slowly? ”

Wei Ya was not happy, and directly pushed her little sister's back: "Sissi, you go!" ”

Sissi sucked her fingers and walked upstairs obediently, and just as she reached the stairs, their father, the man, suddenly appeared in front of everyone, and his gloomy face swept over the children's faces one by one, and shouted: "Since you don't want to go to me, then you don't eat today!" Your meals are all drawn by me with hard work! ”

With that, he pulled out his chair, sat down, and ordered, "Eliza, cook!" ”

Eliza stepped forward silently, picked up the plate in front of her father, gave him a plate full of potatoes, and fished out the bones and put them on his plate.

So, under the watchful eye of a row of children, the man began to eat.

The mistress of the kitchen, noticing this, quickly took the bread out of the basket, cut it the size of a palm, beckoned to the youngest daughter, waited for her to come in, handed her the basket with the bread, and pointed to the painter.

(End of chapter)