Hasegawa Hayato moved his shoulders slightly, feeling that he had just eased up a lot, and he didn't need to be supported by Gao Shisheng.

He took half a cloth bag of cereals from Aoki Dashan's hand, put it on his shoulder, and pretended to have just come back from a busy day, before he raised his hand and knocked on the door, and after a while, he heard someone say to the door:

"Who?" It was a woman's voice.

Hasegawa Hayato shouted through the door, "It's me!" I helped a little more in the monastery today, but I came back late. He whispered to Gao Shisheng and the two of them: "My father is short-tempered, please don't mention my crime in person for a while, otherwise there will be another stick at night." ”

"It's going to make you get by!" Gao Shisheng learned the tone of Aoki Dashan when he beat people, but seeing that Fu Thief was still expressionless, he neither spoke nor agreed, and suddenly lost the mood to laugh.

With a "squeak", the wooden door opened, and a young woman came out.

Gao Shisheng watched and saw that she was twenty-seven or eighteen years old, her face was haggard, she was very low, her figure was slightly thin, she was wearing a coarse linen skirt around her waist, and her sideburns were slightly pale because of her long-term housework.

"Yataro, why did you come back, just now my father asked you if you came back... Who are these two? ”

"This is the new head of our village, Gao Zhuangtou, I happened to meet him on the road today, so I invited him to come to the house as a guest."

"Have the parents rested?"

"I've finished my meal and rested in the house. Yajiro is waiting for you to come back and have dinner together. The woman's hands were wet, and she rubbed her skirt twice, helping Hasegawa Hayato carry the grains into the courtyard.

"Where's the food?" If the family hadn't run out of food, he wouldn't have gone to Zenko-in for help.

"Xiao Pingci saw that you haven't come back because you've been old, and I'm afraid that the cooking will be interrupted at home, so I sent some prepared meals first."

"That Xiao Pingci is also a military servant in the village." Aoki Daizen, who had been silent all the way, was behind him, and when he spoke, he couldn't help but startle Gao Shisheng.

"So, Fu Thief also knows these people?"

Aoki Daizen was silent, and after saying that, he refused to say a word, which was really a headache. His time in Pingshan Villa was not short, and Gao Shisheng wanted to ask him for advice on many questions, but as soon as he saw that expressionless face, he wanted to stop talking.

Hasegawa excused himself that the two were visiting, but his wife believed it and owed it, saying: "Zhuangtou is visiting, there is no good hospitality at home, coarse tea and ugly rice, please don't dislike it!" ”

"Where, where, it's the two of me who took the liberty of disturbing me." Gao Shisheng was about to know the specific situation in Hasegawa's house, glanced at Aoki Daizen beside him, and saw that he had no objection, so he agreed.

The yard is not large, with three low wooden houses, and a vegetable patch in the middle, planted with winter flowers.

The door of the hall on the left side was open, and I heard some movement inside.

The woman said solemnly: "My parents have rested early, and when there are guests at home, I will first go back to the house and tell them, please get up and meet them, Zhuangtou, and beg for forgiveness." ”

"Good, good. The tired sister-in-law announced it. ”

Hasegawa has always been rude in words and deeds, but he is very respectful to his wife, and he is an Angzang man who is afraid of guilt, and he can't help but be amazed by the high master.

Hasegawa's wife is gentle and courteous, not like a barbaric person, but relies on being a good housekeeper and serving her parents to be filial to her husband.

The woman bowed again and asked him to wait a moment, and after a while she went into the house, and then came out again and invited him to dine with Aoki.

Gao Shisheng took off his shoes and entered the house. It's getting cold outside, and I don't want the house to be shady.

The room was dimly lit, and there was no candle lit, so he closed his eyes slightly, and he got used to the gloomy environment, so he could see clearly.

The room was cramped, the floor was unmated, and it felt a little damp and cold to step on, and there was only a simple low desk in the room. There was a mud tire kettle on the table, without a lid, and half a pot of cold water was stored in it, and there was a stack of pottery bowls on the side, and several of the bowls had broken edges.

Other than that, there is nothing else, it is really worthy of being a family with four walls.

A pair of Weng concubines sat on the side of the desk, and the grandson kneeling next to them should be Yajiro in the mouth of Hasegawa and his wife.

Gao Shisheng hurriedly waved his hand, stepped forward and saluted: "Take the liberty to visit, why should the two old men be polite." "When the child was five or six years old, he was a little afraid of life, so he hid behind his grandfather and grandmother and peeked in.

"Where, where, the two sent someone to my house, and this unfilial son caused trouble again." The old man picked up the kettle and poured a bowl of water for each of them, and asked: "The family is poor, so I can only use water instead of tea to thank Zhuangtou for his kindness, and as for the rebel, I will discipline him well tonight!" ”

The old man spoke loudly and clearly. After hearing this, Gao Shisheng glanced at Hasegawa Hayato and saw that he was also full of surprise, not knowing where he showed his feet.

Since Gao Shisheng promised to intercede for him, he would not sit idly by, and said with a smile: "Since I, the head of the village, have forgiven him, tonight's fight, according to my opinion, the boss might as well save it first, and it's not too late to do it in his leisure later." ”

In addition to complimenting Shangguan, adults are also often used to call themselves or their friends' parents, Hasegawa Hayato's father Xunzi does not need other methods, a stick is enough:

"It's okay, it's not too late to fight after breakfast tomorrow." The old man spoke and answered, full of energy. He used to beat his son and never overnight, but since Gao Shisheng, the head of the village, came forward to intercede, it was okay to stay until tomorrow.

After hearing this, Gao Shisheng couldn't help but smile, and spread his hands at Hasegawa Hayato, saying that he couldn't help, sat down cross-legged and asked with a smile: "How did the boss know that Yataro had caused a big disaster?" ”

"How do I know what trouble he's causing out there? In the past, the thief sent someone to the door, but it was nothing more than this set of words, just interceding for him! ”

Gao Shisheng smiled secretly in his heart: "I really don't know, how many troubles this Hasegawa Hayato has caused, let his father apologize first when he sees someone sent to the house, no wonder I see that Hasegawa and Aoki have a relationship, but they are not familiar with each other, but this friendship is not good." ”

He didn't come to "rejuvenate the teacher to ask for guilt", nor did he take the opportunity to be relieved: "It's just a little trivial matter, and there is nothing to worry about, I just took office as the head of the village, and it stands to reason that I should also come to the villages to inquire about the people's feelings." ”

This is true, it is the duty of the Zhuang to inquire about the people's situation and rescue the orphans and widows, but few Zhuang heads really do it themselves.

Hasegawa's mother seemed to be dumb and couldn't speak, so she sat with her grandson in her arms and listened. I was also relieved to hear that my son was fine.

After all, the two old men were old, and it was late, so they didn't bother after a few words of greeting, and when they were about to say goodbye, Hasegawa's wife warmed up the meal and brought it up with a wooden plate.

The meals were very simple. A bowl of bean soup for one person, two mixed vegetable dumplings, a plate of natto, a plate of winter vegetables mixed with miso bean paste, and three boiled eggs, which were served in wooden bowls and wooden plates, placed on a low bamboo table, and removed the kettle and tea bowl.

The meals are far from hearty, but they are heaven-better than what they eat at home.

The two old men had already eaten before, and Hasegawa's father said a few polite words, and then his daughter-in-law took his wife and went back to the side room to rest together.

Hasegawa Hayato was busy all day, and he was beaten again, and he was already hungry in his stomach, so he was not polite to them, so he ate the rice balls in three bites, pickles, and eggs, and took the bowl, and ate the bean soup cleanly, especially if it was not enough, he picked up the bowl of his son Yajiro and drank it to the bottom, wiped his mouth, and looked at the bean soup of Aoki Daizen.

Aoki Daizen didn't pay attention to him, he took a sip of the bean soup by himself, his temperament was cold and slow, and he ate even more slowly, it is not an exaggeration to say that he chewed and swallowed slowly, Hasegawa Hayato grinded his teeth, and reached out to grab his son's rice balls.

Gao Shisheng couldn't look at it, shook his head, peeled off his egg, handed it to Yajiro, touched his head, and said with a smile: "Eat it!" Then he turned his head and said, "How can there be a man like you who is a father like you, who only cares about feeding himself, but makes his son hungry?" ”

Hasegawa Hayato patted his belly and retorted, "Zhuangtou, what you said is unreasonable! Obviously, how can there be a reason for Lao Tzu to be hungry and his son to be full... If I don't eat enough, how can I have the strength to work, and what will I do if I don't work for the old snacks of the whole family? ”

Gao Shisheng didn't bother to pay attention to his complaints, so he gave half a bowl of bean soup to Jiro and said: "Let's ignore him, you can grow up quickly when you are full, and when you grow up in the future, you will definitely starve him twice!" ”

When Hasegawa Hayato heard this, he couldn't help but shut up.

Mixed vegetable dumplings are made of corn, buckwheat and a variety of grains ground and mixed with water mixed with wild vegetables to knead and steam, it is a very common kind of staple food, now what you eat is sent by the military service called Xiao Pingci, it is good to eat when it is just steamed, and now it should be eaten overnight, it is cold and hard, and there is a sour taste of vegetables.

The soup is pure bean soup and does not have any ingredients, so it is not delicious. Mixed vegetable dumplings and bean soup have no taste, all rely on natto and pickles, Gao Shisheng's family is wealthy, picky about food, and he doesn't eat natto, and he stays away from that taste, but he still loves to eat winter cold vegetables.

Natto and hollyhock vegetables are the most common side dishes at present, from the ministers and officials to the subordinates and Han's family, and the food must be without these two flavors.

Especially winter sunflower vegetables, also known as sunflower vegetables, winter cold vegetables, and bracken vegetables. During the White River Dynasty, Fujiwara Yoricho of the Evil Left Mansion was particularly fond of eating winter flowers, because of the taste and beauty of the sweet had left a reputation for "the top grade, the master of a hundred dishes, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Mutsu Species, and the two levels were discussed together." ”

said that he went to his subordinate Ping Zhongzheng's house for a banquet, and there was no winter sunflower dish he liked to eat on the table, and he blamed Ping Zhongzheng for poor hospitality. It is cultivated in rural places such as Kyushu, Shikoku, and Mutsu, but how can there be no in Kanto and Kansai? There are both Kanto and Kansai, but why not in Kyoto?

Since Gao Shisheng couldn't eat the mixed vegetable dumplings, he simply gave them to Hasegawa and his son one by one, and only drank half a bowl of bean soup with pickles.

By the time Aoki finished eating, Hasegawa's wife had completely removed the leftovers when she entered the house, and it was already completely dark.

Before Gao Shisheng left, he took out the usual copper coin that the master of Zenko Academy had bribed from his arms and put it on the table, Hasegawa Hayato frowned and asked, "What does Zhuang Tou mean by this?" ”

"Without him, I am willing to use this money to settle the Jun family for a while!"

Note 1: The theory of winter sunflower comes from Wu Qijun's "Plant Name and Truth Diagram Examination, Vegetable One, Winter Horseravel", not what Fujiwara Yoricho said. However, hollyhock and natto belonged to the indispensable dishes on the table of the common people in the Han Dynasty.