The cold is pressing, and everything is withering. It was almost noon, and there was a warm sun hanging in the distant sky.

It was noon, and Liushutun was as usual, and the smoke of cooking rose from every house.

While Zhao Muchun was wandering out and hadn't returned home, the mother and daughter of the Zhao family were cooking on the fire in the kitchen and gossiping.

"Mother, why didn't you say Xie Ping'an came over with a matchmaker?" Second Sister Zhao sat in front of the stove, handing firewood to the stove, while frowning the willow eyebrows, "Didn't he beat his father and mother, and was stopped by his father and mother?" ”

"Don't say that he has to beg his father, even if he finds a matchmaker, it takes a day's work, it's only been a while, what are you anxious about?" Wang stirred the sorghum rice in the pot twice to prevent it from sticking to the pot, and glanced at his daughter, "Yesterday, I saw you walking far away, and he was still standing on the ridge to watch." With your looks and means, isn't it easy to take down that stupid boy? ”

"Mother, look at what you said!" After all, Second Sister Zhao is an unmarried daughter, and she was so teased by her mother, and she was so angry. Poked the firewood in the stove with the burning stick, and her face was a little worried: "He is so coaxing, his father and mother are not easy to fool!" ”

"Don't worry, you don't understand your father's heart for your children! If Xie Ping'an told his father and mother that you would not marry, it was his father and mother who were worried, and I am afraid that no matter how much money it costs, I will marry you into the door! Wang Shi took a knife to cut a cabbage on the cutting board, comforted Second Sister Zhao, and called her again:

"Xianglan'er, go to the cupboard and get two eggs, and then cut a corner of the bacon that your sister brought back last time. Your brother has been studying in the school for the past few days, and he has to make up for it! Your father is a good mouthful, you have to give him some evenness, or your brother won't be able to eat a few bites......"

"Yes, yes, the whole family has the credit of the ancestors, and what good things should be left to him!" Second Sister Zhao rolled her eyes with a pair of apricot eyes, dropped the burning stick, and got up angrily to get eggs and bacon in the cupboard.

"Ouch, you're still competing with your brother for favor! How big a person is, don't be ashamed! Wang Shi said to her with a smile, "When you marry into the Xie family, how many chickens, ducks, and fish do you want?" I can't say we have to rely on you to have two mouthfuls of food! ”

"My father is so lazy to cook, no amount can fill his stomach......" Second Sister Zhao muttered.

While he was talking, he saw a dirty child of five or six years old, licking a piece of sesame starch candy, running in and shouting: "Aunt Wang, someone in the village is looking for you!" ”

Wang Shi stirred the pot unhurriedly and asked him, "Shi Dan'er, who is looking for me?" Why don't you come home, what are you doing in the village? ”

"I don't know, it's a big brother, he said that he was from Gangshang Village, give me a piece of sesame candy, and let me call you to go. You can give me another mile when you go back! Shi Dan'er smiled and said, "Auntie, come with me quickly, or what if he doesn't give me candy?" ”

When Wang and Second Sister Zhao heard the word "Gangshang Village", they were overjoyed.

Second Sister Zhao hurriedly asked him, "Where is that person?" Why did you come here? ”

"I was playing on the crooked neck tree at the head of the village, and I saw him come over in a hurry, shouting for me to go down, give me sugar, and let me come and call people!" Shi Dan'er licked the caramel in her hand and asked with a smile: "Sister Xianglan, who is that?" ”

Wang quickly extinguished the fire in the stove, and he couldn't care about the rice in the pot, so he called Second Sister Zhao and said: "He came here, there must be something wrong, let's go and take a look, don't let people see it!" ”

He looked back at Shi Dan again, and said with a smile: "Shi Dan'er, that person is my nephew, I think there is something urgent to find me, you go and get the sugar first, and I will go later." ”

When the stone egg heard that he received the candy, he hurriedly ran away.

Wang Shi hurriedly fetched a basin of water for Second Sister Zhao, asked her to wash up, re-balance the noodles, and then straighten the clouds and change into bright clothes.

Hurriedly dressed up, he hurriedly closed the door, did not lock the door, and hurried towards the head of the village.

When I arrived at the place, I saw Shi Dan asking for candy around Xie Ping'an, and Xie Ping'an was tiptoeing towards the village. Seeing Wang and Second Sister Zhao coming, Ping'an's eyes lit up, so he gave Shi Dan'er candy and sent him away.

Seeing that Xie Ping'an was in front, Second Sister Zhao slowed down, walked slowly and steadily, and swayed her thin waist like a willow in the wind.

"Peace? Why are you here? Let people see it! When she came to her, Second Sister Zhao glanced at Xie Ping'an, said coquettishly, and made a fuss for a while: "What's wrong with you?" Why are you wrapped in strips of cloth? “

Ping An was originally anxious and restless, but when he saw Second Sister Zhao's pretty face, he forgot about the anxiety for a while, and only looked at Second Sister Zhao, her eyes straight.

"Auntie, second sister, I begged my father and mother last night to marry the second sister and kowtow to them...... Who knows which one lacks morality, taking advantage of the fact that the vegetable shed is unguarded, secretly cut all the vegetables in the vegetable shed, and also picked up my vegetable shed......"

Before Ping'an finished speaking, she saw Second Sister Zhao holding her cherry mouth and looked at Ping'an in surprise, "Oops! What can I do? Did you catch someone? ”

"No, my father and mother originally agreed to find a matchmaker to come to the family to propose, but who knew that this happened, so it was delayed......" Xie Ping'an hurriedly explained: "I'm afraid that you will be in a hurry, so hurry up and tell you, don't worry, when my family is in trouble, I will send the matchmaker to the family to propose!" Ping'an saw that Second Sister Zhao's face was pale, and she looked worried, how could she not feel distressed, and hurriedly comforted.

"Who's in a hurry? I'm not in a hurry! Second Sister Zhao glanced at Xie Ping'an with disgust, twisted her body diagonally, and lowered her head to play with her skirt.

Xie Ping'an was stunned by Second Sister Zhao's glance, and because Wang was beside him, he didn't dare to look at Second Sister Zhao again.

"Auntie, you know my heart!" Xie Ping'an turned his head to Wang Shi, who was looking at them with a smile and said:

"I really want to marry my second sister, marry her, I will be good to her for the rest of my life! It's the bride price...... It's a little more, and my family has been robbed again, and I have lost more than 100 or 200 miles! There are dozens of short-term workers employed in our village, and they have not yet been paid, and they are a little short-handed in money! Auntie, can you go back and discuss with the uncle, and the bride price will be lowered again. After marrying the second sister, the money will slowly come back in the future, our relatives say, I Xie Ping'an is not a person who forgets his roots, and he will never forget his life! ”

Wang Shi thought about it for a while, and said with a smile: "Peace, don't worry! Your aunt knows it, otherwise how can you rest assured that Xianglaner will meet you? When I go back, I will persuade Xianglan'er and her father to surrender the bride price, the most important thing is to be good to my family Xianglan! ”

"Auntie, don't worry! If I don't treat her well after marrying my second sister, I will thunder and thunder! Xie Ping'an was overjoyed when he heard Wang's words, and hurriedly swore an oath to the sky.

Second Sister Zhao threw him two winks and made half of his body numb.

Seeing that Ping An was confused by Second Sister Zhao, Wang took the opportunity to ask: "Ping'an, aunt ask, don't be too careful!" Your Daddy...... How much bride price can I pay? When I persuaded Xianglan'er and his father, he had a good idea! ”

Ping'an lowered his head slightly, and said a little shyly: "My mother said...... Fifty taels is the most...... When my sister-in-law got married, it only took seven or eight miles! ”

As soon as Second Sister Zhao heard this, Qiong snorted coldly in her nose, turned around, and said angrily: "What kind of person is she, what kind of person am I?" How can you compare a chicken to a phoenix, am I only worth seven or eight taels in your eyes? ”

Ping An heard this, where can he not panic? Hurriedly said: "How could I ever think like this? You are not as good as gold and silver in my heart! If it weren't for the disaster in my family, I would never have wronged you like this......"

Wang Shi saw that Ping An was in a hurry, so he made a peacemaker and said: "Xianglan'er, don't deliberately tease Ping An, Ping An's heart is really good for my mother!" After that, he comforted Xie Ping'an and said: "Ping'an, it's not that the eldest mother thinks that the bride price is small, it's really that Xianglan'er and his father don't let go, our mother and son are small and weak-mouthed, and they can't afford to be a family member if they say 10,000 or 1,000 words." Why don't you go back and discuss with your father and mother again, and add a few dozen taels? ”

Ping An remembered his father's disappointed look at him last night, and his face was red in embarrassment, and he hung his head and couldn't speak.

When Second Sister Zhao saw Ping An like this, she couldn't look down on it even more, turned her face to look at the crooked neck tree, and didn't speak.

The Wang family already knew the bottom line of the Xie family.

Thinking that the girl was only twelve or thirteen years old and began to look for her mother-in-law's house, after looking for so many years, the rich looked down on their poor family, and they were only willing to buy a house girl, and they disliked being a big foot and couldn't get on the table; The small family can't afford to pay a lot of bride price, and the life has been delayed until now eighteen, and she is already called an old girl, and if she doesn't marry, she will rot in her hands.

So Wang put a kind and peaceful look on his face, and said to Ping'an with a smile: "Ping'an, don't worry. When I go home, I will persuade Xianglan'er and his father, why do you want to have a lover and eventually become a family! The bride price is less, and the most important thing is that you have to be good to us pandan......"