Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 4 Repaying Money and Sweeping Snow

Early in the morning.

Xu Qing habitually wakes up early.

Turning around, he saw the three little ones on the side, each curled up in their own beds and sleeping soundly.

I put on my clothes, got off the kang gently, squatted in front of the stove, looked at it, and found that the three briquettes I put in last night were almost burnt out, and then quickly threw two more into it.

Let the stove burn again.

Getting up early has made him a habit. Xu Qing had nothing to do and checked the homework the three little ones had written last night.

The handwriting of the three of them is different. The second brother Xu Aiguo's handwriting is larger, but very standard; the third brother Xu Fengming is worse, he always likes to connect the strokes, but has a charm of running script; as for the younger sister Xu Xiaoya, the handwriting is the most delicate and the workmanship is good Neat and neat, and looks the most pleasing to the eye.

After checking that the three little ones' homework was correct, Xu Qing turned around and tucked the three little ones in.

Then he opened the door and prepared to smoke a cigarette.

At this time, three inches of snow had fallen in the courtyard outside the house, and it seemed that it really had been snowing for another whole night.

The rim of the broken water urn was covered with thick snow.

Fortunately, it finally stopped.

After taking a puff of cigarette, Xu Qing turned his head to look at the briquettes piled up at the door of the house, and suddenly found that there were not many of them, and his heart sank.

But this is also impossible.

It is cold in winter, and besides cooking, we also need to burn kang for heating. Naturally, more briquettes are used than in summer, and they are used quickly.

It's just that I live in the city, unlike the countryside, where there is no firewood, so I can go to the fields to pick up some dead branches to burn.

But in the city, there is no such thing, so you can only go to the coal station to buy it with money and briquettes.

Two hundred catties of briquettes cost two yuan and thirty cents, which is much more expensive than buying coal ash, but it is convenient. The coal station will send someone to deliver it, so you can save it by yourself. Throw in the stove and burn.

It's just that Xu Qing rarely buys ready-made briquettes. He always buys coal ash directly and rubs it himself.

Although Mrs. Jia Zhang of the Central Court usually makes briquettes for everyone in the courtyard, Xu Qing cannot afford to hire him.

Jiazhang looked at her kindly and kindly, but she was so bitter and mean that she was dying. Her heart was still dark and greedy. Others only paid a penny for two briquettes, but she paid a penny for one briquette.

It doesn't sound expensive at first glance, but the problem is that two hundred briquettes cost two yuan.

Xu Qing's monthly salary is only 27 yuan, and this alone costs two yuan.

Moreover, Jiazhang asked for cash after rubbing the briquettes.

Xu Qing couldn't afford to hire someone, so he had to do it himself. It was usually fine, and the weather was warm, so it wasn't a big deal.

But now that it's cold today, rubbing briquettes has become a headache for Xu Qing.

It would be cheaper to hire someone from another hospital.

The problem is, if the sarcastic and narrow-minded Jia Zhang sees it, he will definitely scold him in the courtyard.

Just last month, Yan Bugui, the third master of the front courtyard, bought a batch of coal ash and invited people from the courtyard next door to shake the coal balls.

As a result, when Jia Zhang learned about it, she ran to the front yard and ran away without even finishing the popular job.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui had no choice but to ask Jia Zhang to shake the briquettes for their family.

Now Xu Qing doesn't have much money in his hands, and he has no plans to hire someone at all, and it's been snowing for the past two days, and it's freezing cold, so he can't rub the coal ash when he comes back.

I can only wait until the next day, when the weather is warmer, and then consider this matter.

Tightening the padded jacket on his body, Xu Qing went to the public toilet to urinate, then walked back into the house through the snow, and hurriedly lit a fire to cook.

It was past eight o'clock in the morning.

Xu Qing made breakfast.

I steamed a pot of hot steamed buns, stir-fried a plate of pickled vegetables, and boiled an egg for each of the three little ones.

In the front room at this time.

Xu Aiguo is spot-checking his younger sister Xu Xiaoya's recitation of ancient poems.

Xu Xiaoya wore braids and put her small hands behind her back, reciting softly:

"Thousands of mountains and birds fly away,"

"Ten thousand human traces will be wiped out."

"Lonely boat. Lonely boat"

Xu Qing poked his head out of the kitchen and saw the little girl working on her boat as if she was stuck. She frowned slightly and wanted to remind her, but she still held back.

Xu Fengming next to Kang Yan gave Xu Xiaoya a faint look.

"Lonely Boat"

"I told you not to remind me, Third Brother, you are really annoying!"

Xu Xiaoya scolded Xu Fengming angrily, then opened her mouth and hurriedly recited:
"Lonely boat and hat man,"

"Fishing alone in the cold river. Cold river"

Xu Qing walked into the front room from the kitchen with a warm steamed bun, placed it on the cabinet nearby, and pointed out the window.

Xu Xiaoya smiled and said:

"Fishing snow in the cold river alone."

I finally finished memorizing an ancient poem.

The little girl ran up to Xu Qing happily and showed off:
"Brother, am I good?"

"Awesome!" Xu Qing praised and asked her to wash her hands quickly so that she could eat well later.

At this moment, Qin Huairu from the middle courtyard was at the door, opened the door and walked in.

Seeing Xu Qing and the three little ones in the room, he reached out and pinched Xu Xiaoya's pink face gently, and said to Xu Qing:

"This is a dollar I lent you last time."

Qin Huairu reached out and took out a red one-yuan note from the pocket of the padded jacket, and stuffed it into Xu Qing's hand.

Turning his head to see the steamed buns on the cabinet, he couldn't help being surprised and said:
"Xu Qing, are these steamed buns?"

Before Xu Qing could speak, the little girl grinned and said arrogantly:

"Sister Qin, isn't my elder brother amazing?"

"Excellent!" Qin Huairu said with a smile.

Then he told Xu Qing that the first, second, and third uncles organized everyone in the courtyard to clear the snow today. Remember to go after dinner later.

Xu Qing nodded.

After sending Qin Huairu away, he went into the kitchen to clean up the dishes, and ate with the three little ones on the kang in the front room.

After dinner, Xu Qing asked his second brother Xu Aiguo to study hard in the room with Xu Fengming and Xu Xiaoya.

He took a shovel by himself, put on white gloves with white thread, and went out.

In the courtyard, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong have been busy for a long time.

I saw only Xu Qing coming out.

Xu Damao frowned, stopped the shovel in his hand, and sucked the flue:

"Xu Qing, won't your second child come out to sweep the snow?"

Xu Qing said while shoveling the snow:

"He won't come out. It's useless to come out. I asked him to tutor Feng Ming and Xiaoya in their studies."

Xu Damao snorted.He threw the cigarette butt into the snowdrift and continued shoveling the snow with his shovel.

Liu Haizhong remained silent. There were two other boys in his room, and they were only three years younger than Xu Qing.

But they didn't come out to sweep the snow.

Naturally, there is no need to speak.

However, Xu Damao didn't dare to challenge Liu Haizhong, since he was the second uncle of the compound anyway.

It's too late for Xu Damao to flatter him, so how dare he contradict him.

ten minutes.

The snow in the backyard was piled up into a ball.

Xu Qing took a rest with his shovel on, then walked into the middle courtyard.

At this time, the snow in the middle courtyard was gathered by Shazhu, He Yushui, Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi and Da Ma, and piled it up in the corner.

When Yi Zhonghai saw three people coming to clear the snow from the backyard.

Immediately, his nose twitched, he snorted coldly, and kept looking at Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong knew he was in the wrong, lowered his head and walked quickly towards the front yard.

Yi Zhonghai turned to the aunt and said, "Go back to the house!"

Jia Zhang looked at it, turned the broom in his hand, and passed towards the stick that had sneaked into the yard to play in the snow regardless of his leg injury.

"I let you play in the snow, your butt is itchy again, right? Do you want your legs?"

After chasing and threatening, Jia Zhang got into the house with his kung fu and stick.

Silly Zhu tilted his head and winked at He Yuyu, telling him to go back.

Seeing this posture, Xu Damao rolled his eyes at Shazhu.

Silly Zhu glared back, put the shovel on his shoulder, and walked towards the front yard with a cigarette in his mouth.

Xu Qing kept silent. He was used to the intrigue in the courtyard. He walked through the middle courtyard with a shovel and entered the front courtyard.

In the front yard, the snow has been swept away.

The third uncle, Yan Bugui, was standing alone at the main entrance of the compound, waiting for everyone.

Obviously, he is the only one in Yan Bugui's family.

However, everyone understood it tacitly, each holding a shovel in their hands without saying a word, and immersed themselves in shoveling the snow in the alley.

At 11:30, the snow in the alley was shoveled clean thanks to the coordinated efforts of everyone.

After some hard work, Xu Qing's body has already warmed up.

He took off his gloves, put them into his pocket of his cotton trousers, patted the remaining snow off the shovel, then turned around and headed back to the compound with everyone else.

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(End of this chapter)