The original plan of the five bricklayers was to complete the work in four and a half days. However, due to the help of Yue Fu's family, and the sisters of the Yue family were never idle, this small project was completed in three days.

The Yue's family's original row of crumbling rows of dead branches and straw fences were replaced by thick and high brick walls on three sides, and the gate outside the courtyard was made of one-inch thick wooden planks, which were very strong. The earthen walls and roof of the house have also been repaired, so that no matter how heavy the rain is, it will not leak again. The doors and windows of the main house have also been replaced, and the broken door of the cherry and cotton peach that has sealed the cracks with mud can finally be retired and laid off.

The original small pond in the courtyard was not moved, and a new pigsty and poultry house were built at the east end, and a row of fist-high brick foundations were built under the base of the south wall. This is a bamboo cage used to raise rabbits, and the dozen or so little hares that the family is reluctant to sell are kept here.

On the day of completion, the Yue family feasted on the neighbors in the courtyard to eat the finished wine.

Yue Fu shuttled back and forth, helping several sisters socialize, and Zhao Lan helped Mi Tao and star fruit cook in the kitchen.

Ding Juhua led the family to pick a table and sit there, eating and drinking, someone asked her why she didn't go to help her niece cook, she said: "When I built the yard, I came to help every day, and when I went home, I had to be busy with the family, and my feet didn't touch the ground every day." Now that the yard is finally completed, can I still rest? ”

Most of those neighbors understood what the situation was, and when they heard Ding Juhua say this, they smiled silently one by one.

The two brothers Wenhe and Wenhai were very happy to eat at the table. In half a month, Wenhe will go to the woman's house to ask for an appointment, and after asking for a deadline and setting a date, he can welcome him in person and officially marry his daughter-in-law as an adult.

All the neighbors were good with Yue Gui before, and they also had a good relationship with the five sisters, and they all praised the good construction of this yard, and praised the star fruit for its ability, and the father and mother were gone, not only supported this home, but also renovated it, which was much stronger than Yue Gui.

There is also a funny Miao Sheng, saying that he can find a good daughter-in-law this time, so capable.

Miao Chengye went back after the year, and now that he is not at the table, everyone has nowhere to ridicule, so they can only make their own jokes. Miao Sheng smiled silently, his expression and movements were full of satisfaction.

The noodles were eaten until it was almost untimely, and then gradually dispersed.

The third aunt and the fourth aunt all left early, only the eldest aunt Zhao Lan helped the sisters clean up the tabletop dishes and chopsticks, and Wenhe Wenhai helped return all the borrowed tables and stools to others.

Wenhe Wenhai had just left with a table and stool on his shoulder, and there was a knock on the door again

Mi Tao was unhappy: "What did you forget again?" Brother Wen Hai is really unreliable, this time there is Brother Wen He, why do you still have to drop things? So saying, he stepped forward and opened the door.

Star fruit and cotton peach are washing dishes, cherries are cleaning the yard, and walnuts are carefully adding grass to the hares at home.

Hearing Mi Tao say this, star fruit smiled: "Your temperament is really getting more and more unbearable, just open the door, and you have to worry a few words." ”

As soon as the words fell, Mi Tao opened the door, but it was not the two Wenhe and Wenhai brothers standing outside the door.

"Are you ......" Mi Tao looked the person in front of him up and down, one tall and one short, wearing green coarse cloth clothes, standing in front of the shorter one, his face seemed to be a little familiar.

It wasn't Wenhe Wenhai who knocked on the door, and the other sisters in the courtyard also stopped what they were doing and looked up.

Cherry looked at the two of them, the short one in front of them, thin and small, with a sharp and thin face, and the mung bean's small eyes were shiny, looking like a lewd man. The one in the back is taller, a head taller than the one in front, standing behind him is tall and down, his skin is much whiter, and his appearance can be regarded as Zhou Zhengmei's face, although he also has small eyes, it is obscene when placed on the person in front, and on the person in the back, he has the temperament of a Korean one-eyed beautiful man.

"Uncle Lu." Star fruit was the first to recognize the two of them, and hurriedly got up and wiped her hands on her apron, and stepped forward: "Come into the courtyard." ”

Uncle Lu? Which one is Uncle Lu? The man was so angry that Cherry was sure she had never seen it, and she had never heard her sisters mention it. She looked at the two of them curiously, could this be a distant relative of the Yue family? But if you talk about relatives, according to customs, they should also go to the uncle's house first, why did they go to their own house first?

As soon as the star fruit shouted 'Uncle Lu', the rice peach and the cotton peach also reacted at the same time, and hurriedly followed the shout, and the cherry also shouted 'Uncle Lu', obediently following behind the cotton peach, so as not to expose the filling.

"Hehe, Yang'er, it's pretty good, isn't it?" The first one smiled, looked around, walked into the courtyard, pointed to the person behind him, and said to the sisters: "You can't call me Uncle Lu anymore, this is also Uncle Lu, my own brother, Lu Ershi." If you call me Uncle Dashi, just call him Uncle Ershi. ”

"Uncle Ershi." The sisters hurriedly shouted politely.

Lu Ershi was expressionless, standing behind his brother Lu Dashi as if he hadn't heard.

Lu Dashi walked along the west wall of the entrance to the courtyard, and nodded with a smile as he walked: "Okay, okay, good, good." As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the star fruit: "Yang'er, this yard is really good." ”

"Uncle Dashi, come into the house and sit down." Star fruit glanced at Mi Tao, and Mi Tao hurriedly went in to clean up the table and boil water.

"Nope." Lu Dashi waved his hand, the smile on his face was closed, and he pulled out a note from his arms: "Yang'er, you also know that before your father died, he partnered with me to buy a boat and go to the sea to fish. Now, the boat capsized and the people are gone, but your father borrowed my money, and I have to ask you, right? As he spoke, he shook his finger on the newly built courtyard wall: "Look at this new courtyard, I think you have a lot of money in your hands." No, give me back the money first. As he spoke, the note was handed over, and it was an IOU.

Cherry's eyes widened, it turned out that this person was the one who partnered with Yue Gui to buy a boat and go to the sea to fish? Looking up and down again, seeing that this person was obscene and slippery, the mung bean's small eyes were clear, and now he came to the door to ask a few poor orphans for money, and Cherry felt more and more that Yue Gui's death was not accidental.

"Money? What's the money? Star fruit was slightly stunned and surprised: "My father...... Borrowed money from you? ”

"What is that?" Lu Dashi sneered and looked at the star fruit with contempt: "Where do you think your father got the money to buy a boat with me?" The money he borrowed from me was written in black and white, and there was his handprint on it. Now that the people are gone, the boat has capsized, and I have lost money in it. But you can't afford to pay back the money your dad owes me, right? ”

"Eight taels!!" Carambola didn't know any other words, but she still knew Chinese characters with a capital letter, she opened her mouth wide and gasped.

"It's not eight taels." Lu Dashi stretched out a finger and shook it from side to side: "Your father promised me a profit of one percent, and it has been exactly a year now, plus the profit, it should be eight taels and eight dollars." ”

The carambola's body swayed, and it was a little unsteady on its feet. Cherry hurriedly held on.

"I'll see." Mian Tao took the note very calmly, looked at it carefully for a while, and her face turned a little pale: "The name is our father's word, and this fingerprint should also be his." ”

"Hey, I said you baby, can I still deceive you little babies? This note is indeed your father's name, and the handprint is also his, so don't be verbose about anything else, hurry up and pay back the money. I'm still on the matter. Lu Dashi waved his hand impatiently, turned around and exchanged glances with Lu Ershi.

"Show me this." Cherry felt that something was wrong. From the mouths of her sisters, uncles and neighbors, she could tell that Yue Gui was a steady person, even if he borrowed money from outside, it was impossible for him to borrow so much, and he promised such a high profit. If he really borrowed so much, then he might as well use this money to directly treat Yue Gui's daughter-in-law, eight taels of silver, what disease can't be cured, or do you have to go to the sea to take that risk? Cherry took the note from Mian Tao's hand, and was about to see it clearly, but was pulled back by Lu Dashi.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of rhubarb fangs: "Even if you've seen this and it's fine, then I'll take it." This one, but it's just such a part, if it is broken, I will eat the yellow lotus dumbly, and I have no place to go. ”

"Uncle Dashi, may the capsized boat be found again?" Mian Tao thought of this and asked.

Dashi laughed: "No one can get it back, where can I get it on the boat?" That boat also has half of my blood in it, can I get it back, can I still not fish it? As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and spread it out: "Pay it back quickly." If you can't do it today, starting tomorrow, you will have to calculate the profit again. This time, it's not counted according to eight taels, but by eight taels and eight dollars. ”

After losing eight taels of silver, can you still smile like this happily? Cherry didn't believe it. But the eldest sister and the third sister said that there was no problem. She clenched her hands slightly, wondering quickly what could have gone wrong.

Lu Dashi spread his hands straight, and the star fruit could only stare dryly. There are still a dozen taels of silver left in the house, if it is given to Yue Gui all at once, what will happen to the sisters? She looked helplessly at the cotton peach.

Mian Tao took a long breath, thought for a moment, and stepped forward and said: "Uncle Dashi, my father and you are also friends after all, and our sisters are now without a father or mother, and life is difficult." Can you just give us half a day? It's noon tomorrow. Tomorrow before noon, if we have all the money, then we will pay you back immediately, if not, it is not too late to count the next year's profit after noon. ”

Lu Dashi stared at Mian Tao's eyes and glared hard, as if to verify whether she was lying, and stared for a moment before nodding and saying, "Okay." Why not? I can't help it, if I had the money, I wouldn't have come to ask you for money. I am a soft-hearted man with a good heart. If I were ruthless, as soon as your father died, I would have come to the door to ask for debts. ”