The fish was also slaughtered, because Mrs. Li set the miscellaneous fish, which was cheaper, and it should be put in garlic sprouts together with tofu, and boiled in a big pot.

The women who came to help, while busy working, sighed in their hearts at the Mei family's generosity, this day's food is a lot of money.

After An Huahao came back, he told Mei Zhongzhong and Mrs. Li that his new house would also be built with the Mei family, and he had already told Master Jiang that the cost of the drawings of his house would be given separately, and the other expenses for building the house would be calculated together with the Mei family, and he would take out one hundred taels first, and if it was not enough to build it at that time, he would make up for it.

Mei Zhongzhong and Mrs. Li naturally have no opinion, and the Mei family has no opinion, how big a house can An Huahao build, it is still the Mei family who takes advantage.

The yard was in full swing, and the fragrance was so fragrant that the children in the neighborhood couldn't sit still, lying on the courtyard wall of the Mei family together, looking at the meat in the yard and drooling.

Tianlong and Tianhu are half adults, and they have to deliver tea and work on the construction site.

Tianbao and Xiaoque are still young, so they do some errands, choose vegetables, and carry firewood.

An Huahao saw that the construction site was properly arranged, stole a vacancy, returned to Mei's house, and reported to Mei Xiaotong the news of buying stones, tiles and other materials.

The two of them were in Mei Changgui's house, the door and window were open, and one of them took a booklet and remembered it while talking.

The woman who was helping in the yard saw it, squeezed her eyebrows and smiled, and if she was bold, she came to Zhou's side and whispered: "Your sister-in-law and this brother-in-law really look the same as in the New Year's painting, they are really handsome!" What do the people in the city say? What does it look like? ”

Zhou pursed his lips, lowered his head and stuffed firewood into the stove, only snorting.

"I said, your sister-in-law and the boy from the An family have always gotten along like this?" Someone is curious.

Zhou raised his head and wanted to say something, but Wen stared at her all the time, and when he saw that she was about to speak, he coughed and shouted to the mother-in-law who was asking: "Sister-in-law, come and see, is this meat enough?" ”

The mother-in-law was not stupid, and when she saw that Wen was stopping, she smiled, walked over to take a look, and said that enough was enough, so she changed her tone and said some gossip about other people's families.

In the house, An Huahao was talking about the materials: "The stone is in the next village against the mountain, about two or three miles away from the new house, and the price is fair, so I have to drag it back by myself." There are other ones, the price is cheaper, but it's too far, and I have to drag it back, I totaled it, or the cost-effective one in the next village, so I decided on that one. With a deposit of ten taels of silver, they promised that there would be a sufficient supply of stones when our family asked for them. ”

Mei Xiaotong nodded: "What about the wood and tiles?" ”

"The tiles are a kiln factory more than ten miles away, and the kind of green tiles that their family specializes in burning roofs have only two kilns, which are not big, if we rush to catch up, they can supply us." There is also a kiln factory, just outside the town, where their house burns

Planting red tiles, the color is bright, and the price is also a penny expensive, but it's a pity that that the house is now booked, and I can't spare my hands to burn our house. I decided on the one with the green tiles. Speaking of this, look at Mei Xiaotong.

Most of the people in the vicinity, as handled by Master Jiang, love to buy red tiles, they think they are good-looking, auspicious, at a glance, the roof is red and gorgeous, how conspicuous!

An Huahao was also worried that Mei Xiaotong also liked red, but he set a cyan color, which was a little cautious.

Mei Xiaotong smiled: "The green tiles are very good, the red ones look too ostentatious." ”

An Huahao put his mind at ease and continued: "As for the wood, let's rely on the big black mountain, there is no wood, I heard my uncle say that the family has already prepared the wood that the fourth brother will use to marry you." Some time ago, when I said that I wanted to start a house, my uncle also searched for the beams of the house on the mountain, but our family had a lot of them, so I didn't get together for a while. The wood from the shop outside is not to mention whether it is good or bad, but it is mainly troublesome to transport it in. I thought, why don't we pay for it from the people in the village, and the price is cheap, so that they can get a little benefit, and there are fewer people to talk to. ”

Hearing the meaning of this, as soon as An Huahao came back, someone told him about the rumors in the village in the past few days.

But this is also a good idea, now Lingshan Village who does not hoard wood, temporarily unused can be sold to the Mei family, this is a business without capital, and when it is sold, it can be cut again in the spring of next year.

Mei Xiaotong thought about it, found Mei Changqing, and handed over the job to him.

When Mei Changqing heard this, he patted his chest and promised that he would definitely pick good wood for the family and buy it back.

After taking a break, Mei Changqing asked Master Jiang how much wood he wanted at home, got the letter, and went to the place where he stored the wood to take a look, and he had a count in his heart.

When I returned to the village, I went to the construction site, and when I told someone, it was boiling.

Who doesn't have a few pieces of wood in their house? On weekdays, it's also for nothing, and it can't be used for a while, if this is sold to the Mei family, isn't it a lot of money for nothing?

Many men shouted at that time that they had their own and could sell them cheaper.

The temperament was so anxious that he shouted the price on the spot, and the people next to him were also anxious when they heard it, and they all lowered the price, anyway, this wood only took a lot of effort, and the strength of the Zhuang family was the least valuable.

I'm afraid that the Mei family will want other people's and don't want their own, and they will be chaotic for a while.

Mei Changqing really wants to use his mind on the right path, and there is really a way, he is not in a hurry and waits for everyone to shout about it, and then he has a number of the market and everyone's psychological price.

He also wrote down the name of the person who had wood at home and said that he wanted to sell it, and then he said that the wood needed to be made of beams at home, and the requirements were high, and he said the standard that Master Jiang said, how thick and long it should be; For the beams, it is best to use pine and fir, and other woods are not.

There is such wood at home, and Ming'er will carry it to the door of Mei's house early in the morning, and calculate the money according to the root, and the custody will not lose everyone.

When the big guy heard this, he had a number in his heart, and thought that he would go back at night to take stock of his wood and see if it met the standards

As for the price, since the Mei family said that they would not lose everyone, not many people were worried.

Early the next morning, there was a long queue outside Mei's house, Mei Changqing was dragged out of the quilt directly, and the cold wind blew, and the whole person was awake.

As soon as I heard that the wood sellers had arrived at the door, I had to get dressed and come out, and I was surrounded by people.

Master Jiang and the others got up early, and when they saw this situation, they also gathered around to watch the excitement.

There are Master Jiang and his brothers to check, and the wood picked out is straight, about the same length and thickness, fir and pine wood.

Mei Changqing did not lose his word, and the price given was taken as a middle price, which was within the acceptable range of everyone.

The money was settled on the spot, and the men who sold the money threw the money to the mother-in-law who came with them, and then threw their hands into the courtyard of Mei's house for breakfast.

Yesterday's Mei family's food stunned the people who came to help.

The steamed bun with wheat and sorghum is the size of an adult man's fist, and the tube is full. The dish is a big fat stewed radish, the oily and shiny meat slices, cut thickly, fry the oil in the pot, the meat slices are curled into a scoop shape around them, become translucent, and put them into the bean paste made at home, which is salty and fragrant.

When you take a bite, it is soft and smooth, and the radish also absorbs enough meat oil and broth, and the frosted radish tastes sweet and sweet, and it is a perfect match with meat.

The men help other people's families on weekdays, that is, radish and cabbage, put a few slices of meat in it, and it tastes very good.

Where is the Mei family so generous? At first, the men were still a little reserved, but when the meat slices were in their stomachs, they couldn't control it, and they opened their bellies one by one and ate round.

Especially in the back, there is a miscellaneous fish stewed tofu, the fish is not big, the size of a palm, after braising it with soybean sauce, put the tofu under water to cook, this weather, hot, after drinking a bowl I can't wait to swallow my tongue.

The two large baskets of steamed buns were transported to the ground, and they were almost not enough.

After eating, everyone was embarrassed to rest, the Mei family was kind and generous, and the people who came to help were not stingy, and at the end of the day, there was no laziness, and they all felt that they had to be worthy of the meat and fish soup tofu that ate their stomachs.

In the gap between breakfast, Master Jiang secretly found An Huahao and Mei Xiaotong, the two of them sat in the corner, one of them was holding a bowl of porridge, Mei Xiaotong and Mrs. Li specially steamed a bowl of tender egg custard and a plate of pickles for her, and said something while eating.

Seeing Master Jiang coming, the two hurriedly stood up: "Master Jiang, but what do you have to say?" ”

Master Jiang whispered: "I see that there are two good pieces of wood in the wood they sent today, it is a pity to make the beams of the house, if you have spare money, you might as well buy it, make a cabinet or something, and it is also decent." ”

He has dealt with the Mei family for the past few days, and it can be seen that in fact, the Mei family is in charge of the Mei family's daughter, and the home born after the settlement is also the daughter of the Mei family, and he also knows that they are not bad for money, so he came to remind him.

An Huahao raised his eyebrows: "What good wood?" ”

Master Jiang's voice was lowered: "I look like one is wenge wood, and the other seems to be sour branch wood, these two pieces of furniture, can be much more decent than fir cypress and camphor wood, and there are many officials and nobles in the city who make wedding furniture for their daughters, and I heard that they are looking for these kinds of wood." ”

"Wenge wood is slightly worse, but sorrel wood is a good thing, if you need it, you can stock up on a few when you can see it."

When An Huahao heard this, his eyes lit up: "I'll take a look." ”

Pulling Master Jiang and walking out the door.

Now the situation of the Mei family, if Xiaotong wants to buy such good wood and furniture, I am afraid that the Mei family has opinions in their hearts.

But if he bought it and gave it to Xiaotong, no one would gossip.

After a while, An Huahao walked in with bright eyes, followed by two men, both carrying a piece of wood on their shoulders.

The wood looked like nothing else, and was covered with grown ash and was very inconspicuous.

The two of them put the wood in the corner of the yard, and then went to breakfast with a smile on their faces.

When Mrs. Li saw it, she hurriedly squeezed through the crowd of people eating and asked, "How much wood can't be put outside, so you have to carry it to the yard?" ”

Mei Xiaotong smiled at Mrs. Li: "This is what Brother Song bought, and it will be easy to make furniture in the future, it is good wood, and I am afraid that it will be carried away by someone outside." ”

When Mrs. Li heard this, she muttered: "You still know wood? You can't be deceived, right? I looked at it carefully, but I didn't see any reason.

However, this also reminded Mrs. Li: "Speaking of furniture, when the new house is up, you have to give Xiaotong a new set of furniture in your room, just like the girl in the city." ”

Mei Xiaotong didn't have any requirements for this, but reminded Mrs. Li: "Mother, the furniture in my house can be put away temporarily, but the fourth brother wants to get married, so he has to give him a set in the house first, otherwise if he gets married, the empty house will not look good." ”

Mrs. Li frowned, and it took a long time before she said, "That's it!" Let your father knock out the furniture in the old fourth room at home these days, anyway, he is old, and he can't help much in the new house, and I'm afraid that something will happen to him. Your father hasn't officially played furniture for many years, maybe his hands are raw, let him take the old fourth room to practice first, and then give you a neat set of neat ones. ”

As he spoke, he went to find Mei Zhongzhong.

Mei Zhongzhong finished eating, was holding a cigarette pouch and pot, chatting with people, listening to people praise Mei's family, and praised his son and daughter for their ability.

Before he heard enough, he was pulled aside by Mrs. Li: "Old man, I was just reminded by my daughter, this new house is being built, but the furniture hasn't had time yet?" Forget about anything else, the fourth child wants to get married, and the house will not look good when the house is empty. I pondered, it's a waste of money to find someone else, and the craftsmanship is not as good as yours. Why don't you just type out the furniture of the fourth child at home? Lest your in-laws look like it? ”

Mei Zhongzhong heard this,

It's really exciting.

And the old woman is reasonable, so she thought about it and agreed.

Mrs. Li breathed a sigh of relief, and ordered the heavenly leopard and a few of them to give Mei Zhongzhong a hand, now that the weather is sunny, the yard can't be spread, but the place outside the yard is very big, and they can also be a companion with Mei Changqing, so that they can supervise each other.

The arrangements were made, breakfast was eaten, all the people who came to help went to work, and the women in the yard began to get busy.

Tianbao and Xiaoque were older, so they swept the floor and collected the dishes and chopsticks. When I moved to the stove house, there was a special person to wash the dishes and chopsticks.

A long case was set up in the courtyard, and the dough was kneaded again, and the hundreds of steamed buns were not enough to eat, so they had to continue to prepare.

Mei Zhongzhong also took out the carpenter's tools that he hadn't used for a long time, oiled them, repaired them, and picked up wood in the wood pile, and thought about what to do in the old fourth house.

Mei Zhongzhong is not watching from the new house, Mei Xiaoque is not enough alone, An Huahao naturally wants to go on top, Mei Xiaotong wanted to help, but was firmly rejected by Mrs. Li and An Huahao, and asked her to settle wages and keep accounts at home every day. Then when there are not enough food at home, go for an errand or something.

But Mei Xiaotong can't be really idle, she has a lot of strength, and she takes over things like kneading noodles, and the steamed buns she kneades are extraordinarily strong and have a good taste.

The mothers-in-law who came to help in the past few days had little contact with Mei Xiaotong before, and Mei Xiaotong had a bad reputation in the past, so they thought she was not easy to get along with.

After these two days, I found out that this Mei family girl is actually very talkative, diligent, and does not take a shelf, and her mouth is sweet.

Except for the strength, there is nothing else wrong.

What's more, this strength is also beneficial, if you change them, there is such a girl, it will hurt too much.

No, someone joked with Mei Xiaotong: "Xiaotong, you knead this side really well, better than those men." When the Chinese New Year comes, your aunt's family makes steamed buns, and you help your aunt's family knead the dough? Auntie makes you something to eat! ”

Mei Xiaotong also agreed: "No problem!" When the time comes, just scream. ”

The others also saw the situation and said: "Xiaotong, you can't be partial, help your aunt's family, and you can't help your sister-in-law." ”

"No, Xiaotong, you have to go to my house too! I'll also make good food for you, my best thing is fried hemp leaves, and I don't make it well in the whole village, do you think it's okay? ”

……

Mrs. Li wants to say, you all want to be beautiful, and your own daughters are reluctant to call you to knead your dough?

But seeing the girl smiling, it was not strange at all, but she was still a little happy, and she had to endure it.

Forget it, as long as the girl is happy, you can be a mother or anything! It's just that when the time comes, she has to follow, lest her daughters have a thin face, and when she goes to those mothers-in-law's houses, she kneads her dough, and she has to be called to do something else.

Moreover, their own boudoir

It's hard for a woman to make a move, and she doesn't do day work, and the girl does things in front, so she has to get some delicious food from her mother-in-law's house back.

Mei Xiaotong has long realized that because of her business, everyone is busy flying, and she has little time to contact the people in the village.

Besides, Mrs. Li is too strong, Zhou's reputation is no longer good in the village, Wen's is cowardly and rarely goes out of the yard, not to mention herself, where do you have the heart to gossip with a group of aunts and sisters-in-law every day?

Therefore, my own family is very weak in public opinion.

Anyway, there has been nothing going on recently, and she also wants to take the opportunity to deal with these women in the village and change their impression of the Mei family.

In the past few days, she has been deliberately kind and easy to speak, no, it will work.

Just when a group of people were talking and laughing, Mei Zhongzhong's voice suddenly sounded at the gate of the courtyard: "Old woman, there is a guest at home, and my in-laws are here!" ”

Mrs. Li was suddenly a little confused? In-laws? Where did you come from?

The Lin family, the old family's mother, dare not come now, the parents of the second family have run away with the second family, and the third family's has not been in contact for many years, could it be the fourth family?

Is someone from the Liu family coming?

Mrs. Li and Mei Xiaotong glanced at each other, and they both thought it was the Liu family.

What is the Liu family doing at this time?

The fox walked to the door suspiciously, and Mrs. Li still smiled, she was still satisfied with the Liu family, so she naturally couldn't show her face.

Before I reached the door, I heard a somewhat harsh voice: "Oh, sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for a few months, but I miss you!" ”

Mrs. Li's legs trembled, and she almost didn't fall, but fortunately, Mei Xiaotong's eyes were quick and she pulled Mrs. Li back.

Before she could ask if there was anything wrong, Mrs. Li crossed her waist and gritted her teeth at the door: "What kind of shameless in-laws are you?" The old lady is not as cheeky and black-hearted as you! I still want to die of my mother, I think you want my mother to die, right? ”

So gunpowder-smelling?

(End of chapter)