Before the winter, the conscripts in the county were distributed, and those who had money took the money to pay for it, and those who did not have it worked hard. A few of the slightly wealthier families in the village paid for it, and the rest of the families went to the prime of men.

About half a month later, before the end of the conscription, four men in the village carried a stretcher to send Liu Ergou back.

The four men carried Liu Ergou into the yard, and Pear Blossom greeted him in a panic and asked, "Uncle Da Kui, what's wrong with my father?" ”

Liu Dakui looked helpless: "Your father is seriously ill, and the county lord specially allows him to go home to recuperate." ”

This time the conscription was the same as last year's digging of rivers, and the vicinity of Fenghuang Town was mostly plains, unlike the southern land of fish and rice, which was full of water, and the larger rivers were dug by hand.

If there is too much rain in summer, the artificial river channel can alleviate a bit or two.

The government that digs the river is not careful, everyone lives in a temporary simple shed, eats the coarse grain brought by their own family, and the vegetables are not even thought about, the weather is very cold, and one of the people who serve in labor in Wangjia Village has died, and they are carried back today.

Liu Dakui was both sympathetic and helpless, and said to Lihua: "Your father is very sick, you should have found a way to send your father to the town to invite a Lang Zhong to take a look, we don't have time to stay, we have to rush back to work immediately." ”

After Liu Dakui and the others left, many women came to the door of Lihua's house, and everyone saw that Liu Ergou was so seriously ill, and they couldn't help but worry about the men who served in the family.

"The two dogs are all carried back, it must be very serious, I heard that one has died in Wangjia Village."

"Poor yo, Ergouzi is tired and sick, and I don't know how my man is doing now?"

"The poorest family in the village also has to rest for many days a year, and I haven't seen this second dog rest."

"I heard that I used to carry sacks in the town, and I did heavy work all year round, who could afford it."

"My family is also in the service, and I didn't bring much dry food with me when I left, which is really worrying."

Rika looked at her father lying on the bed and was a little anxious, although the money her father earned, although it was not enough for the medicine money of her mother and younger brother Xiao Mouse all year round, but he fell, and the family collapsed.

Xiao Qi carried a small pot of steaming egg gnocchi into Lihua's house: "Sister Lihua, this is what my mother asked me to send here, you can eat something while it's hot." ”

The little mouse ran over to pick up the pot, but Xiao Qi didn't give it to him: "This is too hot, you can't take it." ”

Rika had tears on her face: "Now that my father is so sick, how can I be in the mood to eat, I have to borrow money to send my father to the doctor." ”

Xiao Qi saw that Pear Blossom didn't come to pick up the pot, so he put the small pot on the wooden table in the hall: "Sister Pear Blossom, let's eat something first, your mother and the little mouse are not in good health, so it's not okay not to eat." ”

Lihua feels that it is most promising to borrow money from the flower family in the village, the Hua family likes Xiao Qi very much, and if she takes Xiao Qi to the Hua family, the probability of borrowing money will be very high.

So Pear Blossom said, "Xiao Qi, you go to Hua's house with me first." ”

After speaking, Pear Blossom wiped her tears and pulled Xiao Qi to run to Hua's house, Old Man Hua went to the patriarch's house, Granny Hua was sitting at the gate of the courtyard to wash gluten, Aunt Zhang's neighbors were there, and everyone was talking about Liu Ergou.

Pear Blossom walked in front of Granny Hua and knelt down directly, Granny Hua's hands were flour, and she hurriedly called Xiao Qi and a few women on the side to pull Pear Blossom up: "Good boy, if you have something to say, the ground is full of small stones, and it will hurt." ”

"Granny Hua, I think, I want to borrow a tael of silver, my father is very sick, I'm afraid ......" Pear Blossom is actually a little weak-hearted, one or two silver is too much, I'm afraid everyone in the village knows that their family can't afford it, and I don't know if Granny Hua will borrow it, but there is Xiao Qi here, and there is still hope.

Granny Hua got up and washed her hands and walked into the yard, shouting to Pear Blossom as she walked: "Pear Blossom, you come with me." ”

Granny Hua took two taels of silver from the house and handed it to Pear Blossom: "Good boy, you take this money first, and then come back if it is not enough." ”

Pear Blossom's tears fell, and she kowtowed three times to Granny Hua: "Mother-in-law, if you can't pay this money in the future, I will come to your house to be a maid." ”

Granny Hua helped up the pear blossom: "Mother-in-law's family is not in a hurry to use the money, it will grow for a lifetime, and it will be paid back slowly, and it will be ignored if you can't afford it." ”

Pear Blossom choked up and couldn't speak, holding two taels of silver in her hand like a dream, she knew in her heart that no matter where she went, she couldn't borrow silver, but the Hua family, borrowing one or two actually gave her two taels, and the beautiful clothes on her body were given to her by Hua Xi'er, and she wrote down the kindness of the Hua family, and she will definitely repay it in the future.

Rika took the silver and left, and Granny Hua continued to wash the gluten at the door, the dough was already kneaded by her, and the neighbors were still sitting at the door, chatting at this time.

Granny Hua put the dough in the water and kneaded it repeatedly, and changed several pots of water in the middle, Aunt Zhang and several women enthusiastically stepped forward to help carry the water and change the water, Xiao Qi also wanted to help on the side, but she couldn't grab the barrel at all.

Every time the Hua family makes gluten, the neighbors are very happy, and there is fine white flour in the water that has washed the gluten, which is a rare thing for the people in the village, and no one in Liujia Village will buy such a precious thing except the Hua family.

After washing the gluten, the neighbors can share a small pot of water from each family, and bring it home to boil the noodle soup, or put some wild vegetables in the noodle soup, which is enough for the whole family to eat.

Xiao Qi thinks that Granny Hua makes gluten, not purely for eating, maybe more fun comes from the hands-on process, because Granny Hua has two mothers-in-law who do chores, and there is no need to do it herself.

Granny Hua is not a stingy person, although there is not much gluten washed out, she will still give some taste to each of the villagers present, of course, the little seven families get the most.

Over there, Liu Dahe drove the carriage and sent Liu Ergou to the town hospital with Liu Ergou's cousin, and Pear Blossom stayed at home to take care of her mother and younger brother Little Mouse.

Xiao Qi took the gluten home, and Niu made gluten soup that night.

Tear the gluten into small pieces and put it in the soup, it looks like frangipani, but the gluten is stronger, and with the unique aroma of wheat, it is more delicious than eggs.

Xiao Qi brought a small pot to Pear Blossom, Pear Blossom divided the gluten soup into three bowls, and the three of them drank some each.

The little mouse licked the bowl to the bottom and said to Lihua: "Sister, this soup is so delicious, if only you could drink it every day in the future." ”

Pear Blossom burst into tears when she heard this, and scratched the little mouse's nose with her hand and said, "Sister must work hard to make money, so that our little mouse can drink the tendon soup every day." ”

Xiao Qi: "Sister Lihua, since the gluten soup is so delicious, it is better to sell it in the town, maybe you can make money." ”

Pear Blossom frowned: "My family can't afford such a precious thing as flour, how can I learn it?" And even if you learn it, how many people will buy such an expensive thing? ”

Xiao Qi: "Don't pressure yourself with many skills, next time Granny Hua makes gluten again, I'll call you, you can learn it by helping a few more times." ”

Rika nodded: "Okay." ”