The sisters and brothers were laughing happily, and they heard someone talking outside the courtyard, so Pucao got up and came out to take a look. It turned out that the little carpenter's apprentice was standing outside the courtyard gate with a somewhat cramped expression, as if he had something to say, but it was difficult to speak. Pu Cao hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Brother Li, is there something wrong?" ”

The little apprentice lowered his head, his ears slowly turned red, and he whispered for a long time, "Sister-in-law Zhang, I... I want to take an hour's off and go home... Come home and see my grandma. ”

Pu Cao was just about to answer, but suddenly smelled a smell of meat buns, and then looked at the bulging coat on the little carpenter's shoulders, and guessed that their father and son must be reluctant to eat the meat buns, and wanted to send them home to honor the old man.

So he hurriedly said, "It's right to visit the old man, Brother Li should go back, if there is something at home, you can come back early tomorrow morning." ”

The junior apprentice was overjoyed, waved his hand and said, "It won't take that long, I can rush back in an hour, and I can't delay the work." After speaking, without waiting for Pucao to speak again, he ran away.

Pu Cao laughed and praised it, "It's a filial piety." ”

Next door, Aunt Chen walked over with a wicker basket on her shoulder, and said with a smile when she heard this, "Pucao, who is this complimenting?" ”

Pu Cao hurriedly opened the door and let go, "Auntie, what are you busy with, come in and sit for a while?" ”

Aunt Chen shook her head, pointed to the green and verdant snow in the basket and smiled, "Don't sit, there is still work." My family has planted a lot of ferns in the snow this year, and I am busy picking them back in the pickling jar, and if I start late, I will be old, and I will eat like a bud grain pole, and I will spoil good things. ”

"Auntie's craftsmanship in pickling snow is famous in ten miles and eight villages, if Auntie wants to find a successor, I can be the first." Pu Cao smiled and praised Aunt Chen a few words, coaxing the old lady to smile, and said straightly, "Okay, good, you want to learn from Aunt Chen." ”

The old lady smiled, remembered something, and said, "My eldest daughter-in-law's family runs a flour mill, and there happens to be a car in the village tomorrow, and I plan to let her go back for a walk, and by the way, put two baskets of potatoes in exchange for some vermicelli and come back to add vegetables, can you change it?" ”

In the previous life, transportation was developed, and the grass was used to eating all kinds of vegetables in winter, but now the cabbage and potatoes have long been tired. At this time, I suddenly heard the word vermicelli, and I couldn't wait to knock my stone head. I ate it in Dr. Liu's hospital a few days ago, how could I forget about such a good food in a blink of an eye, pork vermicelli stewed with sauerkraut, glass meat slices, chicken stewed mushroom vermicelli, all of which are mouth-watering dishes.

"Auntie, I don't have many potatoes at home, I can't change it, let my sister-in-law help me buy a few catties back, just add two dishes if I have something to entertain at home in a few days."

"Okay, it's just a matter of getting started." Most farmers exchange potatoes for vermicelli, and the surplus is sent to the city to be sold. Pucao is bought directly with cash, the flour mill is both labor-saving and cost-effective, and Aunt Chen is naturally happy to be able to pull a pen business for her in-laws, and she should come down in one bite.

It's a pity that she only knows the price in previous years, but it is not clear whether it will rise or fall this year. Pu Cao turned around and went back to the house, counted 100 copper coins, put on hemp rope, took it out and handed it to Aunt Chen, and made an appointment to buy five catties of thin vermicelli and five catties of wide flour.

The two gossiped a few more words, and they dispersed when they had work to do at home.

In the evening, Chunni and his wife returned from the city with the sunset on the horizon and the chirping of homing birds. There were two broken sacks in the back half of the ox cart, and the faint smell was pungent, needless to say, this was the result of the collection of the little medicine boy of Angelica.

Pu Cao hurriedly asked Dong Si to help unload the bag to the corner of the courtyard, Dong Si asked curiously, and she only vaguely said that it was useful. Dong Si is a discerning person, so he won't ask deeply.

Chunni ran over after settling down Liu Housheng, and said with a smile, "Doctor Liu said that my family has a good leg and will have no major problems walking in the future." ”

"That's great." Pu Cao was also happy for her, "It seems that the bone broth also helps, didn't you buy more and come back, you will have to boil it every day in the future." ”

Chunni nodded, "I bought a dozen of them, and I grabbed the medicine, and I spent a total of three taels of silver last time, if you hadn't advanced the money, I am afraid that the leg of my family would be finished." After speaking, she remembered the resentment of the day and her eyes turned red again, "Pu Cao, I will definitely pay you back this silver in the future." ”

Pu Cao didn't like her being so polite, so she hurriedly stopped the conversation, "The iron tube and green bricks, have you decided?" ”

"Of course," Xu is the first time to come forward to do things independently, Chunni was very excited, her face swept away the previous gloom and became radiant, and she smiled and said in detail, "There is a blacksmith workshop in the back street of Dr. Liu's medicine hall, and Angelica took me over." The boss was very kind, said that the tin tube is not much material is laborious, and finally asked for six taels of silver, I think it is not expensive to give two taels of deposit.

When the boss heard that I was going to buy green bricks, he gave me all the more than 400 pieces left over from the wall of his family's previous seminary, and asked for 100 yuan.

I bought the bud grain wine at the grocery store last time, that is, the mountain fungus is less and more expensive this year, I only bought half a catty, and I bought eight pieces of thick cotton paper for pasting the window..."

After she finished speaking without pausing for a while, her face was already flushed, which made Pucao laugh, and quipped, "Our Chunni is a big steward, and we will make some good dishes to treat you in a while." ”

Chunni reached out to beat her and said angrily, "The boss lady has spoken, how dare I slack off as an errand runner." ”

The two laughed a few words, then discussed the chores at home, Pu Cao took the wine jar and put it in the corner of the house, and said, "I dried the cabbage today, and you should quickly pick it up." Tomorrow I will find someone to build the greenhouse, and the day after tomorrow I will help me sew quilts and cotton clothes, and then we will accumulate sauerkraut. It had been frosty for both days, and it would be too late if some snow didn't fall sooner. ”

Chunni listened, and really got anxious, "Then I'll also make cabbage, and I'll go to find Fifth Uncle Kong and Uncle Li Jiu at night, plus Dong Si and my third uncle, and the manpower is enough." ”

"Don't forget to send a letter to your mother's family and help me get two carts of bean roots."

"I've already sent a letter back," Chunni said angrily, rummaging through a few sticks of hay in her fungus pocket, "What you want is so strange, it's not uncommon for anyone to have horse manure and burn seedlings, it's good for you, Baba is coming back from the city, and our heads hurt all the way." ”

Pu Cao smiled mysteriously, shook his head and pretended to be an old pedant, and said, "The secret of heaven must not be revealed. ”

Chunni patted her hand and tied the bag with dust, and said with a smile, "If you don't leak it, I won't listen to it, just toss it, anyway, the two of us are tied to the same boat, and whether we eat meat or chaff will follow you." ”

The two were about to discuss the dishes to entertain the helpers tomorrow, when they saw Uncle Li walking into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

After the redemption of the Zhang family's yard, although the large and small utensils were emptied by Zhang Er's family, some of the wood saved by the old lady of the Zhang family was hidden in the corner of the back garden and escaped a "robbery".

The grass turned over and picked up, and the few pieces of ash, which the old lady originally planned to make a coffin when she was old, were just suitable for making two tables and a few chairs, and the remaining ordinary poplar and elm were directly broken and nailed into wooden boxes and wooden shelves.

It's a pity that she is not a professional carpenter, and she originally estimated that it was enough, but she didn't expect that she was still missing a small half at the end.

Chunni was worried, and she wanted to help, but she was powerless. After their husband and wife separated, they were poor and white, and even the dustpan and broom were purchased with cattail, not to mention wood.

Pu Cao frowned and thought in her heart, the twenty taels of deposit originally withdrawn from Fang Jie, after purchasing the items at home, and advanced the consultation fee for Liu Housheng, there were less than thirteen taels left.

Today's ordered iron cylinders and green bricks used more than six taels, as well as the wages of Uncle Li's father and son of more than 500 wen and more than one tael of firewood have not been paid, so after calculating like this, in the end, she only has four or five taels of silver left in her hand.

If you divide two or two to buy wood, it will be too tight, after all, a family of four live, no one can guarantee a headache and brain fever, always have to guard against an emergency flower...

She thought about it like this, and her eyes wandered around the yard, hoping to find some wood somewhere, and this look really made her think of a way.

In the large courtyard of Zhang's house, she and her two children lived in the main room, and Zhang Guier lived in the south house of the east wing, leaving the east wing, the north house and the west wing of the three rooms empty and uninhabited. In this way, those idle doors and windows can be removed.

Chunni watched her staring at the carved doors and windows, guessed some signs in her heart, and asked in surprise, "You don't want to tear down these doors and windows, do you?" ”

Pu Cao slapped her face and smiled, "You guessed right, aren't these doors and windows ready-made frames?" Saving wood and effort couldn't be better. ”

Chunni grinned distressedly, "You ruined mother-in-law, good doors and windows, do you really want to go to the adobe house?" If Zhang Fu is alive, he will have to beat you again! ”

Pu Cao rolled her eyes, and said without caring at all, "If he can jump out of the grave, I'll let him fight." ”

"Phew, phew!" Chunni was in awe of the ghosts and gods, for fear that the dead ghost who had been buried for 100 days would really come back, so she quickly spit on the grass and said a few words before stopping.

Anyway, the Zhang family is now Pu Cao's final say, and she has made up her mind, and no one else can oppose it, so the matter is decided.

Uncle Li is a kind man, and without wood, their father and son will naturally shorten their working hours, and their wages will also shrink. But he didn't complain, but reached out to help and began to unload the doors and windows of the west wing, which made Pucao very grateful.

They were so busy, it happened that Zhang Gui'er went back to the house to drink water, and when she saw this scene, she immediately ran over with her eyes and asked, "Who asked you to touch my doors and windows?" ”

Uncle Li stopped sneeringly, feeling that it was not good to mix in the affairs of the patron's family, so he stood aside and did not speak.

Pu Cao was helping to unload the folding pages in the house, but when he heard the movement, he opened the door and came out, saying, "What are you yelling about, the family has no money to buy wood, so first remove these idle doors and windows for a winter, and then install them back in the spring next year." ”

Zhang Gui's face turned red with anger, and he pointed to Pu Cao's nose and scolded, "This is the house that my brother repaired, why do you say that it will be demolished!" ”