……

After the dried peaches are harvested, it is time to plant corn.

Because the family's five acres of land had already been given out, and to help Lu Changgen and his wife plough the land, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu picked a day, picked some late-ripening peaches, and caught a few local chickens and ducks, and then set off for Jiang'an Town.

Since Mrs. Ji gave most of the Ji family's property to the prince, the Ji family has only visited Ji Yuexian once. I haven't seen him for a long time, and Lu Zheng'an has been thinking about Mrs. Ji in his heart. After discussing it with Song Huaishu, the family of three decided to go to Ji's house to have a look.

Afraid that the sun would be too strong on the road and expose his daughter, Lu Zhengan deliberately went to the town to change a carriage.

Lu Xingyi is almost a year old, and his small body can already stand very firmly grasping things. It's hard to go far, and the little girl is naturally very novel. Standing at the window of the car and looking at the scenery outside, my eyes are almost a little overwhelmed. When she entered Jiang'an Town, the bangs in front of the little girl's forehead were blown up by the wind.

Seeing that the Ji family was close in front of him, Song Huaishu took Lu Xingyi back into his arms, helped her straighten her hair, and then got out of the car with Lu Zhengan.

Menzi knew Lu Zheng'an, and when he saw him coming with his brother and his child, he immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Oh, the little one greets the two young masters and the little lady."

After that, Menzi beckoned people to deliver letters to the inner courtyard, and asked others to help Lu Zhengan unload the things on the carriage, while he took Lu Zhengan's family of three to the inner courtyard. By the time Menzi brought Lu Zheng'an's family of three to the inner courtyard, Mrs. Ji, who had already received the news, was already waiting at the door of the inner courtyard.

Looking at the muslin clothes on Mrs. Ji's body, as well as the strong sandalwood fragrance on her body, Lu Zheng'an felt a little uncomfortable.

"Old lady." Lu Zhengan hugged his daughter and Song Huaishu and gave a junior salute to the old lady.

When the old lady heard that Lu Zheng'an's family had come to the door, she was already happy, but she still cared about such false courtesies. After letting the two of them get up, they hurriedly stepped forward and took two steps to grab Lu Xingyi in Lu Zheng'an's arms, looking at the little girl who had grown up a lot, her eyes were full of joy.

"Alas, our Xingyi girl has grown up, so tell my great-grandmother to take a good look." Saying that, Mrs. Ji stepped forward and wanted to hug Lu Xingyi.

It's just that Lu Xingyi is a lot older than before, Mrs. Ji tried it, but she felt a little struggling, so she borrowed Lu Zhengan's hand to support it, and put the person down.

Gently pinching Lu Xingyi's chubby little hand, the old lady asked Lu Zhengan gently, "Why did you come here today?" Can you pick up and refresh your home? ”

"I've thought about it for a long time, but I'm afraid that the weather is so hot that it will be so hot that I can't come here until now."

Old Madam Ji nodded when she heard Lu Zhengan's words, "Well, it was really hot a while ago, and it was a little inconvenient to go out with a child. Are your father-in-law and mother-in-law still helping out at your house? ”

"Yes, there was a shortage of manpower at home to make dried peaches a while ago, so I asked my mother to come over and help watch Xingyi for a while. How is the old lady in health during this time? ”

"Okay, okay, your father-in-law and mother-in-law have also worried a lot about you, and you will have to be filial to the two of them in the future." Saying that, Mrs. Ji was afraid that the sun would hit Lu Xingyi, so she walked into the house with a few people, and continued: "By the way, your second uncle and second aunt will also come back from Shangjing in a few days. In another month, the girls will be one year old, and I will take them over to recognize the door when the time comes. ”

Upon hearing Mrs. Ji's words, although Lu Zheng'an was surprised, he didn't open his mouth to ask, and responded with a smile. "Okay, the family will be idle at that time, and the old lady and Mama Zhang will live in my house for a while, so I can take you around if it's okay."

Hearing this, Mrs. Ji was even more heartfelt, answered a few hellos in a row, and after bringing the people into the house, she hurriedly asked her servants to bring tea and snacks. At the same time, he instructed Mama Zhang on the side to go to the kitchen to add vegetables.

After gossiping with the old lady for a while, Lu Zhengan remembered the Ji family and others. After all, Ji Yunlei and Liu Manzhi are elders, so naturally they want to ask.

"Yuexian's family, that is, your cousin-in-law is not pregnant. A while ago, she said that she wanted to go back to her parents' house for a few days, so Yuexian took her back. Your uncle and aunt have not seen their in-laws since they came back, so they went with them this time. I guess I should be back in a few days. ”

As soon as he heard this, Song Huaishu on the side breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the Ji family and others were not as familiar as the old lady, so they were naturally a little restrained in their words and actions. Now that no one else is there, Song Huaishu doesn't have to worry too much about others, so he naturally relaxes a little.

Mama Zhang, who came in the door, couldn't help but smile when she saw Song Huaishu secretly breathing a sigh of relief. put the fruit on the table, took two yellow, orange and orange apricots and stuffed them into the hands of Song Huaishu and Lu Xingyi.

"Young Master Cousin, try it, the apricots that were just delivered this morning."

Song Huaishu pinched the apricots in his hand and thanked Mama Zhang. Looking at the old lady Ji who was talking to Lu Zhengan on the Luohan bed. Thinking of the strong sandalwood fragrance on the other party's body when I first met the old lady, I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Mama Zhang, old lady, she hasn't been more diligent in worshipping Buddha recently, and the fragrance on her body has become stronger and stronger."

Mama Zhang didn't expect Song Huaishu to ask like this, and she was stunned for a moment before she nodded. She looked up at the old lady and moved her mouth, but she didn't say anything.

Looking at Mama Zhang's expression, Song Huaishu couldn't help but be a little worried. Seeing Lu Xingyi gnawing on apricots and gnawing his face full of juice, he hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve pocket and wiped her face. Seeing that Mrs. Ji was reluctant to let go of Lu Xingyi's hand with a look of pity, Song Huaishu couldn't help but feel even more sour after glancing at Lu Zheng'an.

After having lunch with the old lady, several people gossiped for a while. It was not until the time was close to Shen that Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu offered their resignations.

When Mrs. Ji heard that Lu Zheng'an's family of three was leaving, she was extremely reluctant to send people to the gate, and after reaching out and hugging the well-behaved Lu Xingyi, she instructed: "You two are busy at home, so you have to take care of the Xingyi girl for me." ”

"Okay, when our Xingyi turns one year old, I will come to the door with Huaishu to invite the old lady."

"You guys are busy at home, what are you running back and forth, I'll take Mama Zhang with me when the day comes, you don't need to toss again." Mrs. Ji said, then took a small food box from Mama Zhang's hand and handed it to Song Huaishu.

"I just saw that the girl in Xingyi likes to eat rhubarb apricots, these are all newly delivered in the morning, you bring them back to her. When it's okay to get home, let her nibble and play. ”

Song Huaishu took the food box and thanked Mrs. Ji. "It's getting sunday at the door, so let's go in quickly. You must always take care of your body, and when Xingyi turns one year old, you have to watch her catch Zhou. ”

Saying goodbye to Mrs. Ji, Song Huaishu still couldn't help but open the curtain and glanced back.

Seeing that Old Madam Ji was still standing at the gate of the Ji family and looking at the direction of their departure, she couldn't help but redden.

Lu Zheng'an noticed that Song Huaishu's mood was a little wrong when he was eating for himself, and his eyes were even more red when he saw him at this time, so he hurriedly got up and moved to Song Huaishu's side, stretched out his hand to wrap his shoulder, and asked urgently, "What's wrong?" Why are the eyes red in the good end? ”

Seeing that Lu Zhengan was so worried, Song Huaishu hurriedly wiped away his tears and explained: "It's nothing, I just feel that the old lady's life is too difficult, and I really feel sorry for her old man." ”

After that, Song Huaishu turned his head to look at Lu Zheng'an on the side, "When we arrived in the morning, as soon as I got out of the car, I smelled a strong sandalwood fragrance on the old lady's body. When I asked Mama Zhang before, she still refused to say, but before eating at noon, I held Xingyi to wash my hands, and Mama Zhang told me about it. said that after the accident in the family, the old lady stayed in the Buddhist hall for more and more time, and it was useless for anyone in his family to persuade her. Hey, Zheng'an, you can come back in a few days and take the old lady to our house to live for a while. ”

The scent of sandalwood on the old lady's body, how could Lu Zhengan not notice it. However, the old lady is so because of the knot in her heart, after a long time, everything in the Ji family is back on track, and the old lady Ji herself is slowly relieved.

"Okay, I'll come back in a few days."

When Lu Zhengan arrived in Hualong Town, it was already two o'clock in the hour. Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu wanted to spend the night in the town and then go back. However, Lu Xingyi was unwilling, twisting twisted a flower in Song Huaishu's arms, and kept shouting 'chirp, chirp'.

There was no way to be entangled by her, and Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu had no choice but to compromise. Together with Song Xiren, he set up the mule cart, waved goodbye to the two elders of the Song family, and returned to Hualong Mountain.

……

Now that the maize in the village has basically been planted, the idle people have begun to prepare for stockpiling firewood and dried vegetables for the winter.

In previous years, when the wind and rain were good, the vegetables at home could not be eaten, so they would be dried and kept for stewing and soup in winter. However, this year, the weather was very dry, and in order to keep the grain in the field, every household wanted to live in the field every day, and where did they still have the heart to take care of the vegetable garden in that little land.

Now that the people were free, they began to look for some late-ripening beans and cucumbers and planted them. Lu Zheng'an wanted to sprinkle some greens, but he couldn't stand a few bean seedlings in the east and a few gourd seedlings in the west, and by the time he came to his senses, the entire yard was already full. If it weren't for Lu Zheng'an moving a few loofahs outside the wall, I'm afraid that even Song Huaishu's favorite peanuts would have nowhere to grow.

Feeling the care and enthusiasm of the villagers, Song Huaishu believed for the first time that exchanging hearts for hearts was not an empty phrase.

Since Lu Changgen and Lu Zhengan did business together, he went back to the orchard to wander around when the family had nothing to do, basically it was not Lu Zhengan's turn to worry, and he should take on all the work in the garden.

And Lu Yang knew that it was not easy for the two of them to carry a female doll, and he really liked Lu Xingyi, and whenever he made shoes and socks for his family, he would bring her a copy. In addition, Lu Xingyi is also a smelly and beautiful woman, and she is also very affectionate to this grandmother who often makes her new clothes and shoes, and every time she sees her, she has to raise her hand to kiss and hug her, which makes Lu Yang's hurt her even more.

Even if Lu Xingyi was about to turn one year old in just ten days, Lu Yang and Lu Changgen discussed it, and went to the town to make a set of clothes for Lu Xingyi, and bought a pair of small silver bracelets.

Lu Zhengan looked at the things sent by Lu Yang's family, and felt a little embarrassed. "Auntie, every family is having a hard time this year, why are you buying such valuable things for the girl?"

When Lu Yang hugged Lu Xingyi and heard this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Isn't this a birthday ceremony once in a lifetime, and besides, this thing is not too expensive, I am happy to give my granddaughter flowers." ”

After that, Lu Yang raised his chin at Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu at the basket he had brought back, and said, "Although it is a birthday gift for my granddaughter, I don't plan to leave at noon today. I bought two knives of meat in the back basket, and let's make dumplings when it's chopped into stuffing, right? ”

"Okay, it just so happens that there are still some leeks in the yard, wait for Huaishu to cut the dumplings and we will eat dumplings at noon."

Dumplings are not difficult to make, but they are a little slow to wrap. In addition, Lu Xingyi was a toddler, and he couldn't do without people. So Lu Changgen, who rarely entered the kitchen, was arrested, but Lu Changgen's dumpling making skills are not very good, but fortunately, the rolled dumpling skin is okay, but it can barely be used.

"Zheng'an, this year's year is not good, it is estimated that everyone's life is difficult, can we still sell so many dried peaches at last year's price?"

Lu Zhengan put the chopsticks with the dumpling filling back into the clay pot, looked up at Lu Changgen and comforted him with a smile: "Uncle Changgen, put your heart in your stomach, I promise that this year will not only sell at last year's price, but even earn more than last year." ”

Lu Changgen knew that Lu Zhengan was not a person with no purpose, and when he heard him say this, he probably already had an idea, and he couldn't help but feel a little curious. "Why, someone has already asked about the price? But the boss who came to that Linzhou before? ”

Hearing this, Lu Zhengan neither admitted nor denied it, and said with a smile: "Not necessarily, but even if we don't sell it to him, our business will be better than last year's when we go out to set up a stall." ”

Lu Yang didn't know how to do business, but he was very concerned about Lu Xingyi's first birthday banquet. "What are you and Huaishu going to do for Xingyi's first birthday banquet? There are a lot of people in the village who are inquiring. ”

"Let's do it, when the dried peaches were over before, the big guys who should have been invited to have a meal didn't finish it, so let's have fun with Xingyi's first birthday banquet."

"That's not a few days, it's time to get things ready at home."

Lu Zhengan nodded, "There is no shortage of things now, and the weather is still a little hot, and things are easy to break if they are purchased early." Two days before I started my errand, I asked Brother Tiezhu and them to help me run and settle on things. ”

Seeing that Lu Zheng'an already had a charter in his heart, Lu Changgen and Yang Shuyi didn't say anything more, nodded and continued to wrap dumplings.

Time passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day before Lu Xingyi's first birthday banquet, and Lu Zhengan went to the village to call Lu Tieniu and Lu Tiezhuan to help them buy some durable vegetables on the street, and then went to the street to order a white pig and a sheep with Zhang Butcher. By the time we run down a lap, it's already sunset.

When Lu Zhengan returned home, he saw a familiar carriage parked at the door. Lu Zhengan carefully distinguished, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but hook upward.

Chapter 112

Because of the weather this year, all walks of life have been affected. In particular, the dry goods business is definitely a hot commodity because of the supply problem.

Although there are not many ordinary township buyers, but in large towns such as Linzhou and Yuanyang, there is no shortage of rich people. Although the disaster weather such as floods in the south and drought in the north also had a certain impact on them, they returned to normal for a period of time.

Ma Yuntao is mainly engaged in dry goods business, and it is an extremely fatal thing to have no supply of goods in his hands. Therefore, for the sake of the thousands of dried peaches in Lu Zhengan's hands, no matter how harsh the conditions proposed by Lu Zhengan, as long as they are within Ma Yuntao's tolerance, most of them will not refuse.

Sure enough, after Lu Zhengan exchanged a few words with Ma Yuntao, Ma Yuntao couldn't wait to get to the point.

"Mr. Lu, the request you made earlier went back and thought about it carefully. I know that Lu Gongzi is really not easy this year, so your request, it is not impossible to agree, but this year's business is not easy to do, do you think it can be less than one percent, so that a certain can also make a hard money? ”

Hearing Ma Yuntao say this, Lu Zhengan didn't understand it. After slowly picking up the teacup and taking a sip of water, he raised his eyes to look at Ma Yuntao and said with a smile: "It's not a secret, my father-in-law is also in business." I could have given my father-in-law's dried peaches, or I could have sold them myself. But considering that Boss Ma took care of us like this last year, I would like to talk to Boss Ma. As for the price, it certainly couldn't be lower. ”

Seeing that Ma Yuntao still didn't give up, Lu Zhengan picked up the teacup again and took a sip.

Seeing this, Ma Yuntao couldn't continue to say anything, lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and slapped the table, and said: "Three achievements and three successes!" Then I will come to pick up the goods in a certain two days. ”

"Come back in five days, the little girl's first birthday banquet on these two days, the family will be busy, and after five days, I will prepare the dried peaches and wait for Boss Ma to come to pick up the goods."

After hearing that it was Lu Zhengan's daughter's first birthday banquet two days later, Boss Ma naturally couldn't pretend to be confused anymore when he knew it. He said to Lu Zhengan: "Then I will say congratulations to Lu Gongzi in advance, if Lu Gongzi does not dislike it, I will come to the door to ask for a cup of wine to eat two days later." ”

"Welcome."

After agreeing with Lu Zhengan, Ma Yuntao did not want to stay any longer, and after saying goodbye to Lu Zhengan, he rode down the mountain in a carriage.

As the carriage walked to the mountain road, Ma Yuntao lifted the curtain and looked at the small courtyard with white walls and gray tiles of the Lu family halfway up the mountainside, threw down the curtain angrily, and said angrily: "When the situation is good next year, this bastard surnamed Lu will beg me, and I will not cooperate with him again!" ”

The housekeeper on the side saw that his master was so angry that the tip of his nose was sweating, so he carefully fanned him with a folding fan and persuaded him softly: "Hey, my lord, you have a lot of money, why should you be like a mud leg in the countryside." ”

Although Ma Yuntao was angry at this time, he naturally couldn't help but be present when he thought that Lu Zheng'an's daughter was going to celebrate her first birthday. After thinking for a while, he instructed the housekeeper: "When you go back, you go to the town to buy some things for the children and send them to the Lu family in two days." ”

Hearing this, the butler immediately bowed down and responded.

The day before Lu Xingyi's first birthday banquet, Mrs. Ji took the Ji family to Lu Zheng'an's house, and Lu Zhengan finally met his second uncle Ji Yunchong, whom he had never met.

Although Ji Yunchong has reached the age of not being confused, he is very well maintained, and at first glance he still thinks that he is a young man who has not yet reached the age of establishment.

After seeing Lu Zheng'an, Ji Yunchong twisted his eyebrows and looked around Lu Zheng'an, and saw Lu Zheng'an dressed in coarse cloth clothes and black cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles on his feet, and couldn't help but say: "Tomorrow is also your daughter's big day, why are you so unsophisticated in dressing up?" ”

Ji Yunchong's voice fell, and Old Madam Ji's crutches immediately fell on his shoulder.

"Ouch, mother, what are you hitting me for?" Ji Yunchong stroked the throbbing pain of Old Madam Ji and couldn't help complaining.

Old Madam Ji snorted coldly and said angrily: "If you don't know how to speak, shut up, Zheng'an will wear whatever he wants, and it will not be your turn to dictate him." After that, Old Madam Ji glanced at Ji Yunchong, "Who is like you, you are already forty years old, dressed like a peacock all day long, what is the use of wasting money?" If you are really idle, just like Yueqiao, pick up the books and learn how to cultivate yourself. No matter how bad it is, you go out with this moon bridge more and see how you do business! ”

Ji Yunchong, who was reprimanded in public, felt that he had lost face, touched his nose and stepped aside with a sneering expression.

Seeing this, Ji Yueqiao hurriedly said to his father: "My cousin works in the fields every day, where is the need to wear brocade clothes. Even if the family wants to hold a banquet, most of them are villagers in the village, so there is no need to be too outstanding. ”

Although Ji Yunchong was continuously lectured by the old mother and son, he did not get angry, nodded to Lu Zheng'an with a smile, and said apologetically: "Don't mind Zheng'an, it's the second uncle who thinks less." ”

As soon as Lu Zhengan heard Ji Yunchong speak, he knew that he was a big man with no scheming. Moreover, it's just a suggestion, where would Lu Zhengan be angry. "It's okay, you're also kind to remind you."