Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 539 Chapter 538 Jinx

Zhang Ye sent Tang Zhitong and Wang Jingying away, closed the door and made the bed for Gao Dashan. In order to return the quilt to the Wang family, Gao Dashan put on his own coat again.

It was a bit cold in the high mountains, but seeing Zhang Ye busying around, my heart felt warm.

Zhang Ye made the bed and urged Gao Dashan, "Brother Dashan, change your clothes quickly and get into bed to warm up."

"Hey!" Gao Dashan agreed readily, took off his shoes, and was about to go in.

"Hey~ your pants are wet. If you stay in bed like this, the quilt will get wet too. How can you keep warm if it's wet?" While Zhang Ye was finding the pot and heating brown sugar ginger soup for Gao Dashan, he stole a glance at Gao Dashan and immediately found something wrong.

Gao Dashan's face turned red. There was a woman in the room and he was too embarrassed to take off his pants!
"I'll go out first. Call me when you're done changing." Seeing Gao Dashan's blushing face, Zhang Ye also realized something was wrong. With a red face, he put the pot on the stove and went out.

Seeing Zhang Ye go out, Gao Dashan quickly took off his pants. He had to do it because his trouser legs and crotch were all wet and uncomfortable to wear.

After getting into bed, Gao Dashan called out to Zhang Ye: "Ye Zi, it's ok."

"Oh." Zhang Ye came into the room after hearing the noise. Although he was still a little embarrassed, now was not the time to be embarrassed.

Zhang Ye separated Gao Dashan's pants into cotton pants, outer pants and underwear. He put the pants and underwear into the washbasin, and propped up the cotton pants with the wooden stick at the door, leaning against the radiator.

Then he silently went over to pour out the boiled ginger soup, put a rag at the bottom of the bowl with his left hand, held a small spoon in his right hand, sat on the head of the bed, and prepared to feed Gao Dashan.

"I'll do it myself. You heat up the dumplings and have lunch first." Gao Dashan was embarrassed to let Zhang Ye feed him. He felt that he was not seriously ill and could not enjoy such treatment.

"Okay, I'll just have a piece of steamed bread." When Zhang Ye went out just now, he looked at Gao Dashan's catch for the morning, which was only two small fish.

"Why are you eating steamed bread? Eat the dumplings first. I'll be angry if you don't eat them." Gao Dashan pretended to be angry.

"Yes." Zhang Ye smiled at Gao Dashan, but the smile seemed a little forced.

Gao Dashan was used to being single and lived a very poor life. He didn't even have a decent steamer at home.

A double-handled iron pan for cooking can be used for cooking as well as steaming and steaming steamed corn bread.

When steaming or steaming steamed corn bread, put water under the iron pot, put a grate made of sorghum stalks in the middle, and cover the pot.

Zhang Ye steamed the dumplings and took the basin to wash Gao Dashan's pants and underwear.

Gao Dashan wanted to stop him, but he didn't have the courage to do so.

After washing, Zhang Ye wrung out the clothes, spread them out and stretched them a few times, and when they looked smooth, he hung them on the wire above the chimney.

Nowadays, many families tie two iron wires on the chimney in order to make washed towels and other things dry as quickly as possible. The iron wires are propped up, and as long as the objects are not too heavy, they can be hung on them.

It can dry items quickly, but be careful not to burn them when the fire is too strong.

Zhang Ye wiped his hands, took the steamed dumplings out of the pot, and gave the extra portion to Gao Dashan: "Brother Dashan, you eat too."

"Well, you can eat too." Gao Dashan was wearing a cotton-padded jacket, half leaning against the head of the bed, holding the plate in one hand and chopsticks in the other. He took a bite. Although it was a little hot, it couldn't cover up the aroma of the dumplings: "Hey, you know what, this tastes good!"

"There is meat." Zhang Ye took a bite, took two breaths of cool air, and began to chew impatiently.

"Come, I'll give you some more. I can't finish it all." Gao Dashan glanced at his own plate, then at Zhang Ye's, picked up the dumplings, and stretched out his arm to make way.

"No, these are enough for me." Zhang Ye shook his head in front of the plate, refusing to accept the food from Gao Dashan. In his hometown, not to mention meat, even cornmeal steamed bread was hard to find. He had only been here for two or three days, and he was already enjoying the good life with Brother Dashan.

"Why are you so disobedient, kid? Eat more. Look how thin you have become." Gao Dashan stretched out his arm and insisted on giving it to him.

"Then one." Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Zhang Ye took the plate and took it, then quickly pulled it back, as if he was afraid that Gao Dashan would give him too much.

"Then I'll leave the leftovers on the plate later, don't be disgusted." Seeing that he couldn't get in, Gao Dashan didn't force it. He wasn't wearing pants, so he couldn't lift the quilt and go down to give it to Zhang Ye, right?
After dinner, Zhang Ye poured a glass of water for Gao Dashan.

After Gao Dashan finished drinking, he said he felt a little sleepy and dozed off under the quilt.

Zhang Ye sat in front of the stove in a daze.

In the end, Zhang Ye didn't eat what Gao Dashan had left. It wasn't because he disliked it, but because he wanted to save the good stuff for Gao Dashan to eat in the evening.

Zhang Ye really likes the love Gao Dashan shows for her, but the more he likes him, the more he has to consider him.

There was one thing Zhang Ye didn't tell Gao Dashan: he had a bad reputation in his hometown.

It's not a problem of her work style, but some people say that she brings misfortune to her relatives.

Not long after Zhang Ye was born, his father died. At that time, someone privately said that Zhang Ye was an unlucky child. When Zhang's mother heard about it, she stood at the door and cursed that person for a long time before the matter was over.

At least the Zhang family had a male heir, Zhang Shu, so the clan did not allow the widowed mother to remarry.

Zhang's mother had a hard life. She raised two children, endured most of her life, and arranged a marriage for her son. She never expected that this would be the last time her son would be with her.

In places like rural areas, spitting can drown people, and even the families of martyrs are no exception. This time, the ominous news that had previously subsided has come out again, and sayings like "jinx, disaster star" have spread like wildfire.

Zhang's mother was very angry. Not only did she try to persuade Zhang Ye to be at ease, she also went to the village office to ask someone to take charge of the matter. Although the rumors were suppressed once again, there were always people gossiping behind her back. Fortunately, Zhang Shu's widow did not take it to heart.

After Zhang's mother passed away, the situation of Zhang Ye and his sister-in-law became difficult. All kinds of gossips came out to make trouble, but after all, they had the name of martyr Zhang Shu in front of them, and they managed to live a peaceful life for two years.

Zhang Ye herself did not quite believe this statement, and even her sister-in-law advised: Go to Sijiu City, where the old man is in charge, no one dares to make trouble, and all the bad luck can be washed away.

But today, Zhang Ye hesitated. Less than three days after she arrived in Sijiu City, Gao Dashan had an accident...

After distributing candy to the children outside, Tang Zhitong did not leave. Instead, he chatted with them and pieced together the entire process from Wang Jingmin falling into the water to Gao Dashan rescuing him.

A single child may lie, but a group of children will not lie collectively.

The whole process was thrilling. He fell into the water because of the ice holes on the ground and also because of the fishing rod. He was rescued because Gao Dashan was nearby and also because of the fishing rod.

He turned around and threw the fishing rod to him! He didn't even watch where he was walking!
After asking questions, Tang Zhitong returned upstairs and put down the quilt and Wang Jingmin's clothes and shoes. The clothes had been soaked through by the water of Tongzi River and were heavy.

As we all know, cotton is basically useless after being soaked in water, but it is not unusable. First, rinse off the dirt on the surface with water, then hang it up to control the water and let it dry naturally. Finally, use a stick to knock it and try to break up the clumps of cotton inside. Maybe it can still be used.

After all this trouble, it was almost one o'clock and the family had not yet had lunch.

After sending two boxes of dumplings to Gao Dashan, there was only one lunch box left at home, or to be precise, half a lunch box. In a short while, Wang Jingmin had finished half a box.

The remaining food was obviously not enough, so Tang Zhitong found the steamer and heated up a few steamed buns.

Wang Jingying patted the quilt a few times, carefully found the place where it was stained with water, turned it over upwards, hung it on the back of a chair, and warmed it next to the radiator.

Tang Zhitong then roughly brushed Wang Jingmin's cotton coat and took it to the balcony to hang it up: "Yingying, find two basins to catch the water, so that it won't drip all over the floor."

Next is the cotton shoes, which are treated in the same way.

"Eanzi, thank you for your hard work. Let's eat first." Ye Zhijuan took care of her son while he drank ginger soup and ate dumplings. After coaxing him to sleep, she walked out of the room.

"Okay, Mom. I'll heat up the steamed buns, and I see there are pickles, so let's just make do with it for today." Tang Zhitong didn't have time to cook, and he wasn't in the mood to do so.

After having a quick lunch, Ye Zhijuan went into the room to continue looking after Wang Jingmin, while Wang Jingying cleaned the table. Tang Zhitong sat on the sofa and took a look at the cotton-padded jacket that his mother-in-law had packed for his brother-in-law. It should be from last year and was a bit small.

"Mom, Jingmin doesn't have a fever, right?" Tang Zhitong stood up, walked to the bedroom door, and asked quietly.

"No, I'm fine." Ye Zhijuan glanced at her son, turned back and nodded with a smile, completely different from the anxious person she was at noon.

"Okay, then I'll go back first." Tang Zhitong thought that it would be difficult to hide Wang Jingmin's affairs from classmate Xiao Wang. Today is Sunday, so he has to let her come.

"Well, drive slowly on the way." Ye Zhijuan stood up and walked two steps forward.

On Donghua Market Street, at the Tang family's house, the family had finished eating. Looking at the raw dumplings left for Tang Zhitong on the lid, Zhang Guifang muttered, "Why hasn't he come back yet? Is he stuck for something?"

"Mom, let me go over and take a look." Student Wang was also worried and felt like something was going to happen today.

"It's so cold, let's wait a little longer. Nothing will happen to a grown man." Zhang Guifang took the boiling pot off the stove, intending to wait for her son to come back before squatting down to cook dumplings.

Not long after the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished talking, Tang Zhitong entered the house.

In fact, this matter could be notified by phone, but Tang Zhitong did not intend to do so.

The two families were not far from each other. If they made a phone call, even if Tang Zhitong said that everything was fine, there was no guarantee that the person who passed the message would tell Xiao Wang. Tang Zhitong didn't want to make Xiao Wang anxious.

After entering the door, Xiao Wang took Tang Zhitong's bag. Zhang Guifang complained, "Why are you back so late? Are you hungry? I'll make you some dumplings."

"Mom, don't do it yet. I ate two bites over there. There are still some left. I'll eat two to satisfy my craving." Tang Zhitong had been craving for lotus root and meat dumplings for a long time. He took off his gloves and didn't even wash his hands. He just picked up some and put them into his mouth. The cold dumplings had a unique flavor. It would be even better if there was a little sweet vinegar.

"Brother, I've peeled the garlic for you." Fengzhi ran over at the right time to take credit, holding a few garlic cloves in her hand.

"Well, you did a good job. Keep it and I'll eat it tonight." Tang Zhitong chewed the dumplings, swallowed them, praised them, and then said to Xiao Wang: "I want to tell you something, don't be anxious."

"What's the matter?" Student Wang had a bad feeling.

"Jingmin fell into the water, but he's okay. He has been rescued. He was frozen by the river water, but his life is not in danger and he doesn't have a fever. He is lying at home now." Tang Zhitong looked calm. Only by being calm could he give classmate Xiao Wang the impression that his condition was not serious.

"Then I'll go take a look." After hearing this, Xiao Wang turned around and wanted to go out without hesitation.

"Go back and put on your scarf and gloves. I'll talk to mom and go with you later." Tang Zhitong instructed Xiao Wang and turned to Zhang Guifang and said, "Mom, does Fengzhi have any extra cotton-padded clothes? Jingmin's spare one is a little small. I think they are about the same size, so they can wear it for two days as an emergency measure."

Having many people in the family is not without its advantages. Take cotton-padded clothes for example. Fengzhen is getting taller every year, and her cotton-padded jacket and trousers can no longer fit in the house, so they will make them smaller for Fengzhi. Together with the cotton-padded clothes that Fengzhi had already made, there will be one more set of clothes.

"I won't! He won't play with me." Fengzhi was the first to express her objection after hearing this.

"Hey, you little heartless girl. Did your sister-in-law knit a sweater for you for free? The cloth coupons used to knit the sweater belong to Jingmin's family. Besides, he is your sister-in-law's younger brother. You have to give face to the Buddha instead of the monk, don't you think?" Tang Zhitong grabbed his sister's head and rubbed it. It is very normal for children of this age to have the concept of private property, and children should not be criticized for this.

"Well... okay then." Although Feng Zhi was still a little reluctant, she was reasonable and did not make unreasonable demands.

"We still have some cotton at home. You can give Jingmin some of Fengzhi's clothes first, and I'll gather some cloth to make another set for Jingmin." Zhang Guifang was sensible and made the decision immediately.

"That's fine." Tang Zhitong didn't stop him. It was still a long way from the end of winter. If Wang Jingmin had a suitable thick cotton-padded coat, Ye Zhijuan probably wouldn't have found the previous coat.

While Zhang Guifang was looking for clothes, Tang Zhitong stuffed two more dumplings into his mouth, then took the clothes and went out with Xiao Wang.

Tang Zhitong didn't let Xiao Wang ride the bike by herself, for fear that she would become distracted by her concern and ride too fast.

"What's going on?" Xiao Wang, who was sitting at the back of the bicycle, asked hurriedly.

"Jingmin went to Tongzi River to fish, but didn't catch any fish. After playing for a long time, he accidentally fell into the hole in someone's ice fishing net when he came back. I don't know which wicked guy made such a big hole in the ice." Tang Zhitong was so angry that his teeth were itching. Fortunately, his brother-in-law was fine. If anything had happened, he would have been in trouble because he made the fishing rod himself.

"Who rescued Jingmin?" Xiao Wang was grateful. He only had this one brother, so he had to thank him.

"Uncle Gao. It's all thanks to Uncle Gao this time. I saw that a large part of Uncle Gao's pants were wet. Uncle Gao wrapped all his cotton-padded jacket and overcoat on Jingmin, and braved the cold wind to bring Jingmin back." The grass-green pants had a very obvious color difference before and after they were wet. It was hard for Tang Zhitong not to notice it.

"Then I'll thank Uncle Gao later. Is Jingmin okay?" Xiao Wang kept this in mind and asked about his brother's condition.

"It's no big deal. As long as he doesn't have a fever this afternoon, this matter will be over. You don't know, after this kid went home, he was afraid of being beaten, so he pretended to be unconscious in front of our mother..." In order to reassure Xiao Wang, Tang Zhitong told him about his brother-in-law's "suicidal" behavior, including how he used dumplings to lure him into revealing his true identity.

"This brat! He really deserves to be punished! I'll beat him up later, don't stop me." After hearing this, Xiao Wang felt relieved. If he had the energy to pretend to be unconscious, what could be the big deal? But he was still very angry.

"Look at what you said, when did I ever stop you? But if you want to fight, I guess mom won't be happy. Looking at mom's expression, I think she wants to wait until Jingmin is full of energy before dealing with him." Tang Zhitong reminded him that in the final analysis, Ye Zhijuan has the final say on how to educate Jingmin.

"Hey~ Stop, stop." When the bicycle drove into Chongwenmen Street, Xiao Wang saw Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye was still dressed the same way, with a bag slung over his arm, his eyes dull and a little red and swollen, as he walked slowly along the street from north to south.

(End of this chapter)