Early in the morning, Qu Zaichen and Luo Yi went out in a carriage, and the carriage was slowly moving down the street, Qu Zaichen saw through the car window, unintentionally glimpsed the left rear of the street, and supported a twenty-six or seventeen-year-old man from Xi and Lan Chuzheng to the left and right, staggering forward. The man seemed to be very drunk, his body was swaying, Wenxiu's face was flushed, and his mouth was still muttering and chanting. The man suddenly staggered, fell to the left front, and Congxi was full of arms, Lan Chu hurriedly dragged the man away from Xi, Congxi and Lan Chu continued to stagger forward.

Qu Zaichen stared at the man and frowned, "Go and find out who he is?" ”

Luo Yi glanced at the man and said, "Yes." He then stood up and jumped out of the carriage.

Congxi and Lan Chu spent a lot of effort, asked Chen Xing's address all the way, dragged Chen Xing all the way, and finally came to the door of Chen Xing's house, Congxi raised his hand and knocked on the door a few times, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old delicate little girl opened the door, this little girl recognized from Xi, it was Chen Xing's sister Chen Ying, Chen Xing saw Congxi and Lan Chu supporting his brother with a red face, and was very surprised: "Sister Xi, why are you, I haven't seen you for a long time?" What's wrong with my brother, drunk again? ”

He gasped for breath; "Yingying, let's help your brother into the house first, although your brother looks thin, we feel very tired when we support him all the way."

Chen Ying nodded hurriedly and said, "Oh, okay, please come in, Sister Xi, I'll come." ”

Chen Ying said and walked to Congxi's side, took Chen Xing's arm from Xi's hand, wrapped it on his shoulder, and helped Chen Xing into the courtyard with his shoulder.

In the courtyard of the Chen family, a man in his fifties was sitting at a wooden table in the courtyard smoking dry cigarettes, his face was humble, it should be Chen Xing's father, and a middle-aged woman was sitting by the courtyard wall to do laundry, it should be Chen Xing's mother. When the two of them saw a few people, they hurriedly stood up, and Chen's mother immediately frowned and said: "Xing'er is drunk again, no wonder he didn't come back last night and night, and he can't be found everywhere, what do you say he is doing, he can clear his wrongs by getting himself drunk every day." ”

Father Chen approached Chen Xing and took Chen Xing from Lan Chu's hand: "Okay, don't nag, I'll help Xing'er into the room first, Xing'er was sent back by these two girls, right?" Why don't you hurry up and make tea and entertain the two girls. ”

Chen's father and Chen Ying helped Chen Xing into the bedroom, and the middle-aged woman hurriedly looked at Congxi and said, "Two girls, come and sit in the house, I'll make tea." ”

He was not polite, and sat down directly at the wooden table in the courtyard and said, "Just sit here, thank you Aunt Chen, I am indeed a little thirsty." ”

Mother Chen immediately said: "Okay, okay, wait a minute, two girls, I'll go make tea, soon." ”

Mother Chen said and walked quickly to the kitchen.

Lan Chu also sat down at the wooden table and said, "You don't know Chen Xing's parents? ”

Congxi nodded: "Well, Chen Xing used to sell calligraphy and paintings on the street, and the stall was next to Congran's painting stall. His sister Chen Ying went to the calligraphy and painting stall to find Chen Xing, we met a few times, but Chen Xing's parents never met. ”

Lan Chu: "Chen Xing is still selling calligraphy and paintings?" ”

Congxi shook his head: "No, I just said it, his calligraphy and painting business is not good, and he can't support himself." I heard that he later recruited a few children to teach and became a private school teacher, but it seems that he has not done it now. ”

"There is a Mr. Xu nearby, highly respected, and the children who are studying near the left have gone to Mr. Xu's private school, but he can't recruit a few children, and his restraint is not much better than selling calligraphy and paintings, so he didn't do it again." Father Chen came out of the house and answered.

Father Chen approached the table and saluted Congxi and Lan Chu, "Thank you two girls for sending Xing'er back, causing trouble to the two girls." ”

He hurriedly stood up and saluted: "Uncle Chen is polite, I am also friends with Chen Xing, I saw him drunk on the side of the road, and brought him back by the way." Uncle Chen, I remember that Chen Xing didn't drink alcohol before, is he drunk every day now? And Aunt Chen just said that Chen Xing was wronged, what's going on? ”

Father Chen sighed bitterly and said, "It's a long story, the girl will take a seat first." Father Chen looked at Chen Ying beside him and said, "Go and see, is your mother's tea cooked." ”

Chen Ying nodded and ran to the kitchen, where she sat down again.

Father Chen also sat down at the table, looked at Congxi and said, "Cong girl, right?" Yingying just said, when you and Brother Ling and Xing'er sold calligraphy and paintings together, Chang Kuanyan comforted Xing'er, unlike other people, who would only look at Xing'er's jokes and ridicule him, thank you for the girl. ”

Congxi said: "My name is Congxi, this is my sister, named Lan Chu." Uncle Chen doesn't have to be polite, I didn't help much, and I didn't untie the knot for Chen Xing, he is in a worse state now, right? ”

Before Chen's father could answer, Chen Ying walked over with a tray, a teapot and five cups on the tray. Chen's mother walked behind, holding a small bamboo basket in her hand, and the bamboo basket was full of fried horns. Chen Ying was happy, put the cups in front of several people one by one, and said while resuming tea: "Sister Xi, and this sister, there is no good tea at home, this is the flowers I picked outside to dry, don't dislike it, just quench your thirst." Also, when I used to deliver food to my brother, my sister Xi ate the fried corners made by her mother, and said that the fried corners made by her mother were delicious. It just so happened that my mother only made some yesterday, so I asked my mother to bring it over and give it to Sister Xi to taste, if Sister Xi likes it, you can bring more back, which is a thank you gift for Sister Xi for sending her brother back. ”

Mother Chen put the bamboo basket on the table and said, "How can you talk about this child, people may have saved your brother's life, and a few fried corners are worthless, how can they be used as a thank you gift." ”

Congxi said: "Aunt Chen is serious, I won't send Chen Xing back, he will go home when he wakes up, Sister Lan and I just worked together and took some effort, and Aunt Chen's fried horn was made, but it took a lot of exquisite effort." My brother and I used to toss around all morning, and we made a few strangely shaped and nondescript gnocchi, and if my aunt was willing to do so, I would really take some away in a while, or we would make a bargain. ”

Chen Muqian said with a smile: "What is there to be reluctant about a few fried corners, I will go to find oil paper for you to wrap, if the girl likes to eat, you can often come to the house to sit in the future, I often make it for you to eat." ”

Mother Chen didn't wait for an answer, and walked back to the kitchen with a smile.

He pinched a fried horn from his two fingers, put it in his mouth and chewed it lightly: "It's still as delicious as before, Sister Lan, can you taste it too?" ”

Lan Chu nodded, also lightly pinched a fried corner, tasted it slowly, and nodded for a moment: "It's delicious." ”

Congxi looked at Chen Ying and said, "Yingying, don't you want to eat some?" And Uncle Chen, you only look at us, are we quite embarrassed? ”

Chen Ying hurriedly said: "Sister Xi, we have eaten in the morning, and I am still holding on, Sister Xi has always dared to act, and when you are embarrassed?" ”

Father Chen immediately said: "Yingying, how can you speak, don't be presumptuous." ”

Chen Ying stuck out her tongue and didn't speak again, when Chen's mother came back with a dozen pieces of oiled paper and a few strands of hemp rope and sat down at the table.

Congxi smiled and said, "Aunt Chen, do you want me to take all these fried horns away, it seems that I am too greedy?" ”

Mother Chen hurriedly said: "The girl took more away, I am happy in my heart, it is rare that the girl is not like others, she only laughs at us, and she is a friend, and today I am tired of you to send Xing'er back, I am worried that I don't know how to thank the girl so much." ”

Congxi Zhengse said: "Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, does Chen Xing still care about other people's gossip now, what does he do now?" ”

Mother Chen picked up the fried corners with bamboo chopsticks, put them on the oiled paper, and sighed: "My long-cherished wish for many years has been lost, how can it be so easy to let go?" When Xing'er came back from the capital, our family became a joke in the eyes of others, and we didn't dare to go out on weekdays, and we didn't dare to look up and walk when we went out. Xing'er is even worse, he is depressed and miserable day by day, he doesn't like to talk more than before, and he also hears him for a long time, so he can't do well selling calligraphy and painting and teaching.

But we calculated that no matter what, he must have a living as a man. Let Xing'er learn to paint with his father, and let Xing'er join his father's craftsman team, just focus on the work, and don't have to deal with others more. Who knew that two months ago, there was a stucco craftsman in the craftsman team, who killed the young lady who was the main customer, and their reputation was greatly damaged, and they were forced to disband, and those experienced craftsmen joined other craftsmen one after another.

Moreover, Xing'er has not done any work since he was a child, and he has lost seven or eight pounds after more than two months of painting. We looked distressed, and we thought about asking him to change his job. Xing'er's father was familiar with the shopkeeper Liu who made and sold lanterns on the street, so he gave some money gifts to the shopkeeper Liu, and asked Xing'er to go to Liu's shopkeeper shop to learn to make lanterns. Moreover, some lanterns need to be filled in with calligraphy and paintings, and they are also good at it. We were very happy that Xing'er had finally found a suitable livelihood for us. ”

Congxi, calmly, while chewing on the fried corners, listened carefully to Chen's mother to tell Chen Xing's past.