majestic tiger

Chapter 60 Confession
Yunxia shared the remaining two buns with Xiuzhu and Xiangmei.Everyone started to eat the steaming steamed buns while it was hot, but Yunxia was not in the mood to eat while holding it in her hand, she was only thinking about how it would be better to ask Zhiyuan later.

Zhiyuan's voracious eating made Xiuzhu afraid that he would choke, so he reminded him with all his heart: "Master Xiaobiao, eat slowly."

The little guy's mouth was bulging, and he couldn't answer for a while.After swallowing the bun in his mouth, he stared and said, "It's delicious... I won't choke on it." Xiaopang's face was full of satisfaction after enjoying the delicious food.

However, Yunxia analyzed from her little cousin's behavior that he seldom eats this bun, which is why he is so rare.She felt a little bit in her heart, could it be that her grandfather's family situation has become so bad?Could it be that every time the mother came back, they used the strength of the whole family to treat them with big fish and meat, and then when the mother left, they ate the bran and swallowed vegetables?
If this is the case, the mother will definitely feel distressed and blame herself when she finds out.Thinking of this, Yunxia let out a heavy breath.My grandfather and the others really kept everything secret. If I hadn't come out today to hear what the neighbors said, they would have kept it secret.

"Cousin, why don't you eat?" Zhiyuan noticed that the steamed stuffed bun in Yunxia's hand was intact, and began to urge her.For the little guy, he couldn't resist eating such delicious steamed stuffed buns, which he didn't understand.

Yunxia forced a smile, then handed him the bun and said, "Cousin doesn't want to eat anymore, let me eat it for you."

"No, I've already eaten it. This bun is delicious, everyone eats it, everyone enjoys it, cousin, eat it quickly, it won't be good if it's cold."

Yunxia couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so she took a bite, but she was in a bad mood, the bun was like chewing wax in her mouth.

She ate the buns in threes and fives, and then took Zhiyuan to a secluded corner, cleared her throat, and said seriously: "Brother Yuan, cousin knows everything, and your life at home is very rough recently. Well, isn't it? But my mother will help you."

Since you don't spit out, little guy, let's open the skylight and talk straight.

Sure enough, Zhiyuan had a strange expression on his face, and after a while, he crossed his hands and said, "I didn't tell you, cousin, how did you know?"

Yunxia said solemnly: "You don't care how my cousin knows, anyway, my cousin already knows that now your second and third brothers can't study because they have no money."

Zhiyuan nodded softly: "The three brothers all cried, they all wanted to study. But the grandfather and parents said that only one person can study in the family. Later, the three brothers all let me, I let In the end, it was your grandfather who decided to let the elder brother continue his studies."

Yunxia hugged Zhiyuan, and the little guy muttered again: "Zhiyuan also wanted to study, but he couldn't make it." This sentence almost made Yunxia burst into tears.

She patted her little cousin's head and said in her heart: "Don't worry, my aunt and cousin will let you brothers all read books."

Zhiyuan raised his head suddenly and asked, "Cousin, are you studying?"

"Yes!" Yunxia replied.

"Then my cousin is good at studying, and she reads the second brother, third brother and Zhiyuan together." After he finished speaking, he actually grinned.

"Okay, my cousin promises you. Then tell me, your second and third brothers have stopped studying, so what are you doing now?"

Zhiyuan quickly confessed: "The second brother went to help others as a part-time job, and the third brother went to work as an apprentice in a blacksmith's shop."

"Then why didn't you just say that?"

Zhiyuan's big eyes flashed, and he scratched his ears and cheeks in embarrassment.However, he quickly grabbed his cousin's sleeve and said flatteringly: "Cousin, Zhiyuan's mouth is closed, and you will testify for Zhiyuan in a while."

Yunxia smiled: "Okay, my cousin will definitely testify for you. However, these things are forbidden by your grandfather and parents, right?"

After getting the guarantee, the little guy laughed dimples, and immediately continued to tell the truth like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube: "Well, grandpa said that you can't embarrass your aunt, and you can't make your aunt unable to hold her head up in the husband's house. Also, my parents said The old lady of the General’s Mansion already looked down on us, if she asks my aunt to help us, maybe the old lady will arrange something.”

After all, Zhiyuan was young, although he repeated the words of the elders in the family, he still didn't understand some meanings.So I asked Yunxia: "Cousin, what is arrangement?"

"It means that the old woman will do some nasty things. By the way, Brother Yuan, where does second cousin do part-time work? Where does your third brother work as an apprentice in a blacksmith shop?"

"The second brother works as a part-time worker in the capital, and the third brother works as an apprentice in the blacksmith's shop in the town."

The second cousin is working part-time in the capital and has never contacted his aunt?That's right, his grandfather and uncle probably gave him an order not to disturb his aunt.

And the eldest cousin is in this town, so you can go and see him.So he lowered his head and said to Zhiyuan, "Brother Yuan, can you take your cousin to see your third brother?"

The little guy nodded and said, "Okay, but the third brother is very busy, cousin. We can't interrupt his work. Otherwise, his master will scold him."

"Okay, my cousin promises you that it won't affect him. Then you lead the way, let's go."

A group of people walked out of the side street and walked a long way. They were almost at the edge of the town before they saw the signboard of the blacksmith shop.

Zhiyuan stopped at a place some distance away from the shop, he turned his head and whispered to his cousin, "I'll go and see if the third brother's master is there first, the third brother's master is very fierce."

Yunxia, ​​who stopped in her tracks, nodded, and the little guy ran over, went to the shop to wait and see, and ran back again.

"Cousin, third brother's master is here." The little guy pouted, a little disappointed.

Yunxia told Xiuzhu and Xiangmei to wait there, she pulled Zhiyuan and said, "Go, take my cousin to meet your third brother's master."

When the two walked to the shop, they saw a sturdy young man wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tinkling.Standing next to him was a tall, middle-aged man. He clamped the iron block he had hammered with a big clamp, and put it into the vat beside him, and immediately made a tearing sound. Yunxia knew that it was quenching. .

In the middle of the shop is a huge stove.The fire in the stove was raging, and the red light illuminated the dark shop.There was a big bellows beside the fire, and a man was squatting behind and pulling the bellows hard.

"Brother Yuan, where's the third brother? Why didn't you see it?" The middle-aged man must be the master, the young man who forges iron is so strong, he is not the thin cousin they said.So Yunxia hurriedly asked Zhiyuan.

"The third brother is pulling the bellows." Zhiyuan pointed towards it, and Yunxia saw the thin figure clearly.At this time, he also saw Zhiyuan, stood up, and said, "Brother Yuan, are you here?" But Yunxia who was standing beside him, he didn't recognize at all, probably thought it was a girl from the town Bar.

"Xiaoyuantou, go and play, don't disturb us." The middle-aged man said to Zhiyuan.Then he yelled at Zhixuan in a vicious voice: "Damn you, hurry up and pull the bellows, you will be small if you don't watch the fire." Zhixuan listened.Busy and low down to pull the bellows.

"Third brother, do your work first." Zhiyuan glanced at the third brother's master, so he had to say this to the third brother.

Just now when Zhixuan stood up, Yunxia saw that he was indeed like a jointed bamboo, thin and tall, with a lot of ashes smeared on his face, mixed with sweat, his face was painted into a big face, only his eyes were still the same as when he was a child clear.Yunxia suddenly felt a sore nose, thinking that Zhixuan is only an 11-year-old boy, but it is really hard to do such heavy work every day and endure the censure of the master!
"Let's go, we are here, your third brother's master will be unhappy, and your third brother will suffer in the end." Yun Xia whispered to her cousin.

So the two walked back dully.Yunxia was not in the mood to continue shopping, and asked Zhiyuan to take them home.On the way, she learned some more information: the eldest uncle was away from home during this period, and went to do small business with others; while the younger uncle was helping the cook in the small tavern in the town, and he didn't go home until dark every day.

It was all because of the difficult livelihood at home that they all had to go out to work.This is too difficult for the two uncles and cousins ​​who used to be well-clothed and well-fed.But they would rather grit their teeth and swallow the bitter fruit into their own stomachs than cause trouble for their mother. Just rushing at this, Yunxia has confidence in her heart that they will definitely survive the difficulty.

(End of this chapter)