As soon as Zilu entered the door, he said to Ziqing, who opened the door: "This ghost day, it has not yet entered May, why is it so hot, and it has not rained for such a long time." ”

Ziqing was shocked when she heard it, but no, since the family started to build a house, it has always been sunny, but she didn't pay much attention to it, and the watermelon field was watered several times. Thinking about it like this, Ziqing hurriedly talked to Shen about it.

Shen thought that his family was going to hold a happy event this year, and the family should prepare more food first, in case it was like that year, the crops could not be rented at all, and the food was still rising wildly, but it would be troublesome. Fortunately, the wheat harvested two days ago was less than three stones left in his house, except for the stone given to the old man.

After dinner, Shen told Zeng Ruixiang about his worries, Zeng Ruixiang said: "If you buy grain, you should buy more and set aside a whole year. ”

Shen didn't understand what it meant to take precautions, Zeng Ruixiang explained it in detail for a long time, and at the same time secretly thought that in the future, he would have to take some time every day to teach his wife to read and write, and there should be new fun.

Early the next morning, April 30, just in time for the big market, Shen took Zilu to buy more than 200 catties of polished rice and thousands of catties of rice on the market, after all, it is more convenient to store rice.

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the Shen family bought thousands of catties of rice and more than 200 catties of fine rice, which is estimated to be almost enough. During the meal, Zeng Ruixiang told the old man his worries, the old man looked at the sky, and said: "I have planted crops all my life, and the real floods have only been seen twice, that is really no harvest, selling children and daughters, where the flood goes, the lower terrain of the village, can only see a little roof, our place, there is a lot of rain, floods are common." The drought is relatively rare, and the spring of previous years has not stopped, but this year it is much worse. It's better to prepare early, after all, you have a happy event to do this year. ”

Tian was anxious when he heard this. said, "What about Chunyu?" His family can eat it. Da Mao also has to do happy events. ”

Zeng Ruixiang and Shen didn't answer.

"You came here again, and I told you that children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, and you just can't let go of it, so you just go over and see her." After the old man finished speaking, he glared at Tian and left.

But two days later, Shen went to the street and met his former neighbor Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu pulled Shen and said: "Two days ago, I saw your mother-in-law's family and Weng, saying that she was going to see the eldest daughter, ouch, I pulled a cart full of things, wheat, rice and eggs, as well as a lot of vegetables, your brother-in-law met a good mother's family." Year after year, in addition to raising a son for him, he also has to send it home. You don't care about what you lose. ”

Shen listened. Qiang smiled and said, "What can I do?" It's a family and can't watch their children go hungry. ”

"That's too partial, to be honest, your mother-in-law is a little too much, and her daughter is not like her, just if the daughter-in-law doesn't hurt, then how many mothers-in-law who love the daughter-in-law? Who made our woman's life miserable, but didn't her son also come out of her belly? That year, I remember that your father-in-law came to deliver wheat, and your mother-in-law happened to kill a pig here, and I thought it was asking you to come over and eat pork, but it turned out. Your family Ziqing said that she didn't know anything about it. I also asked her father why her grandfather didn't give meat to eat. Tell me, what is this called? ”

Aunt Liu saw that Shen's face was not good-looking, so she realized that she had talked too much and hurriedly changed her words and asked, "Oh, by the way, why don't your eldest brother and sister-in-law come home, I haven't seen them for several years." I heard that she moved to the city, Ziping got married early, right? There is no wine, obviously afraid that our old neighbors will not be able to pay the courtesy? Aunt Liu was a little angry as she spoke.

"This is really out-of-the-box, you two are together, the dominoes have been wiped hundreds of times, how can you turn your face because of this? She is also really busy now, her son is still young, the acne was epidemic that year, Zihe is gone, since then she has taken her son more and more, and after two years, the child is older, and she is afraid that she will not come back? ”

"That's right, it's easy to look forward to the child, if you don't say it's gone, when your mother-in-law said it, I still didn't believe it. You are better now, your children are out of your mind, and you have money. I heard that in your big yard, all watermelons are grown? Now there are a lot of watermelons growing, but I haven't seen anyone as rich as yours, is it possible that your family has any tricks? Aunt Liu asked.

"Look at what you said, what are the tricks, I am in my own yard, take care of it carefully, and there are no thieves, but I don't charge a few taels of silver more than others." After Shen finished speaking, he hurriedly said, "I have other things to do and go first." ”

Shen returned home, put things away, and asked Ziqing: "That year, your grandfather and they killed pigs, you and your father went to deliver wheat, and your grandfather didn't leave you to eat, why didn't you say a word when you came back?" Is your dad won't let you say it? You two teamed up to hide from me? ”

"Mother, it's been a few years, who can remember? Besides, Daddy doesn't want you to know, and he doesn't want you to be idle, Mother, look how good Daddy is to you, don't let Daddy down. ”

Shen poked Ziqing's head and scolded: "It's your ghost." "I also threw the matter away. Because early the next morning, she and Zilu were going to the provincial capital, and Zilu originally said that he had made an appointment with his classmates this time, so he didn't need Shen to accompany him.

Shen said: "It doesn't matter if the appointment is made, we can share a house, last time your brother and they didn't rent a house together." I went to Changzhou this time, firstly, to buy some things for your eldest brother to marry, after all, the things in the provincial capital are newer than those in Anzhou City, and secondly, I can cook and laundry for you, how convenient. ”

After dinner that day, Shen told Ziqing some housework, and still took Ziyu away, but fortunately, He was there, and Shen was somewhat relieved.

As soon as Shen left, Zeng Ruiyu came over, saying that the courtyard wall and the house had been completed, and the workers were in a hurry to go home to save the rice seedlings, so they did not rest at noon for the past two days, and returned home at night when it was dark. "This is the account for buying stones, Kangping left me twenty taels of silver at that time, and it was not used up, and there were less than six taels of silver left."

After speaking, Zeng Ruiyu handed over a simple account book, saying that his son Ziwen helped make it. When Ziqing heard this, she hurriedly praised two sentences, took the account book and silver, and asked: "How many days have they been doing, there are ten people in total, I will close the account so that it can be settled for others." ”

"The construction period started on the sixth day of the fourth month, and the Dragon Boat Festival took a day off, during which they also took turns to go home and water, so each person did about 25 days. In addition, the accounts of the brick factory should also be settled, and I will accompany you. Kang Ping bet fifty taels of silver there at that time, but I'm afraid you will have to take some. ”

Ziqing listened, went back to the house and took two silver tickets of fifty taels, and took two silver ingots of five taels, thinking about it, and took a bunch of money, which Kang Ping prepared for her when he left, leaving a total of two hundred taels of silver, there are silver tickets, there are silver ingots, and there are five hanging coins, there are odds and wholes, which is convenient for Ziqinghua.

Ziqing changed into peasant clothes, Zeng Ruiyu accompanied Ziqing to the construction site first, some of the workers were counting tools, some were cleaning up the garbage, they saw Ziqing all around, Master Luo looked at everyone, and said with a smile: "It's still your family doing a good job, and you never owe wages." However, eldest niece, I have a cheeky mouth, you see that we have been working very late every day for the past two days, and it is very hard, can you increase your salary. There's no way, I'm afraid that this year's year will not be good, and our life will not be easy. ”

"Just now my third uncle told me, this time I have worked hard for everyone, each of you is paid one or two silver, in addition, I will add a string of money to each person, this silver and money I will give you now, however, there is no money in the town, please ask Master Luo to change it for me." Ziqing saw everyone's happy smiles, and she smiled too.

Because of the diligence of several cousins, they looked for stones everywhere, and the stones were used more, and the green bricks saved themselves, and they spent a total of 123,230 bricks. After settling the accounts from the brick factory and returning home, Ziqing gave Zeng Ruiyu ten taels of silver and said: "This is the money my niece gave to the five uncles for drinking, reasoning, I should personally make a table of wine and invite a few uncles, but now there are more things at home, several uncles are also busy, and my mother is not at home, and the next time Kangping comes back, I will ask him to invite the five uncles to have a good drink." ”

Zeng Ruiyu heard Ziqing say this, and she didn't pretentiously, so she took it happily and said, "We're all waiting for my niece's and son-in-law's wine." If there is anything, just talk, we will help you water the melon field in the evening, how much can be saved, don't be a pity. ”

Ziqing didn't refuse, these days, Zeng Ruixiang and her began to carry water to water the ground every morning and evening, although there is a bamboo pipe to pass through, but also need one person to draw water from the well, one person to receive water from the tank at the end of the bamboo pipe, after all, Ziqing is a girl under the age of thirteen, where is how much strength, Zeng Ruixiang is also a perennial non-worker, this time the two of them are tired. There is no waste of washing vegetables and washing rice water every day, and the melon field in the back mountain has also drilled a well in the past few years, in order to facilitate watering.

If Lin Kangping knew that Ziqing was so tired and busy at home, he was afraid that he would feel distressed again. Not to mention, since the marriage, the Shen family also accepted Lin Kangping, the two get along like family, Ziqing has a little attachment to him, and I don't know where he is now? What are you up to?

At more than four o'clock in the afternoon, the five cousins really came over, thanked Ziqing for the wine money first, and then began to work quickly, filled the pit with water, and poured the ground through one trip after another, saying that they could take care of it for a few more days, and a few people were still busy after it was dark, Zeng Ruixiang also joined them after returning from the school, and He saw it and quickly cooked the meal, fortunately, the things at home were relatively complete, plus there were two masters and apprentices of Master Xu, the number of dishes was not much, but the number was enough. A few people worked until almost ten o'clock, and then they finished pouring the ground, saying that they were just pouring water into the ground, that there was a moon, and that it was not dark, and that they had done it in one go, and that they still had a lot of work to do tomorrow.

Ziqing helped them warm up the meal, and when they saw that it was getting late, they hurried home after picking up a few bites. (To be continued)