Linxia

Chapter 92, Changes (Two in One)

"It's not your day off today. It's only noon now. Why are you back? Did something happen?" Fang's mother took the goose and continued to nag, "I know you care about us, but don't spend money all the time."

"It's okay. I took a day off. I was planning to start a feces business with my friend. We'll start today. It looks like it's going to be quite profitable. Every month..."

He didn’t say it before, but now that it’s considered a success, Fang Lin said it.

"The monthly net profit is fifty taels, and with a 40% stake, that's... twenty taels? Oh my god!" Fang's mother was horrified. "You can make so much money from a small feces business? Linzi, is this okay? Don't let anyone fool you."

"How much?" Father Fang was also shocked.

I was a small manager at the dock, with a leisurely and easy life, earning three taels of silver a month, and a day off from time to time. Even this felt like a burden, but my son could share twenty taels of silver in the profit every month without saying anything? How lucky that was! Especially when he said it so lightly, without any preparation, it was too scary.

Tian Xuan also paused while doing needlework, her little mouth slightly opened, and her usually lively face now had a dull expression, as if she was thinking, how much money is twenty taels!

"Dad, Mom, it's twenty taels. You didn't count wrong. I know my limits and won't be cheated. Didn't I say before that our family will get better and better?"

Fang Lin paused to give his father, mother, and Tian Xuan time to digest what he had said, and then said, "Mother, Sister Xuan, from now on, sewing can be just a pastime. If you feel tired, we won't do it anymore."

"Well, I'm not going to do it anymore. It's time to take a break. I was thinking about saving money for you, but now you're so capable, why should I try so hard?" Fang's mother said, her tone showing relief, joy, and disappointment.

"Then let's go to the theater this afternoon?"

"Okay, it's time to celebrate." This time, Fang's mother did not feel reluctant. She agreed immediately and waved her hand proudly.

Fang Lin was infected by this emotion and felt happy.

In fact, he didn't take the manure business seriously, which brought him a profit of twenty taels of silver every month. He just saw it as a means to accumulate his first pot of gold. Compared with the twenty taels of silver per month itself, he was happier because his family no longer had to hesitate or scrimp for small amounts of money.

"This goose is not easy to clean. It seems that it is too late to eat it at noon. Should we eat it in the evening?"

"Okay, I'll clean it up." Father Fang said as he took it.

Fang Lin wanted to help, but Fang's father said he could do it himself and told him to go and have a rest. Seeing that there was nothing he could do to help, Fang Lin strolled out.

At this time, the doors of the house were closed, as people were working outside and had not returned yet. The school was over, and Mr. Ou came under the osmanthus tree with his hands behind his back.

When I was about to go there, I saw the Xin family. Old Xin and Xin You had not gone to work today. They came out of the house, along with a matchmaker and a skinny woman with yellow skin. They all had smiles on their faces.

"Is it a deal then?" the matchmaker asked with a smile.

"Well, we've agreed. Please pay more attention to it!" Mr. Xin was smiling, and his already crooked mouth looked even more crooked.

Xin You followed behind, looking very happy, jumping and skipping as he walked.

After the matchmaker led the people away, Fang Lin asked, "Xin You, is it settled? Are you going to get a wife?"

Xin You nodded hurriedly, saying, "Yes, yes."

He looked like he was afraid that people wouldn't believe him.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Fang Lin said.

Beyond Master Ou's house was the Lu family. At this time, Lu Dalang asked jokingly in a hoarse voice: "Xin You, do you know what a bridal chamber is?"

Xin You was stumped by the question, so he scratched his head and chuckled.

"Let my wife talk to him tomorrow." Master Ou leaned back in the rattan chair, smiling at Xin You as if he was looking at his own child, and said with emotion: "I have watched you since you were little, and now you are going to get married."

"He has been without a mother since he was a child, and I...if Madam Ou can...that would be great!"

Old Man Xin spoke incoherently with joy, thanked Master Ou gratefully, and talked about the situation of the family across the street: "The girl is called Sha Xiaoyun, she is a good person, not stupid or foolish, but she has a small problem of dizziness. But the matchmaker said that some women are like this, they are not in good health before marriage, but once they get married and have children, they will get better, their complexion will improve, and they will get fatter. I hope Xiaoyun is one of these women."

While talking.

Granny Qiu pushed Granny Qiu out to bask in the sun. When she heard that the Xin family was about to get married, she congratulated them.

"Mr. Qiu, you look well. Are you feeling better?" Fang Lin greeted and asked.

"It's much better now, thanks to my wife who takes good care of me. Now I eat and sleep, and sleep and eat, except that I can't move my lower body, I don't have any other worries!" said Mr. Qiu with a smile.

"That's good. Don't work hard from dawn to dusk like before," said Mr. Ou.

"No more! No more!" Grandma Qiu seemed to have let it go. "In the past, we worked hard and saved a lot, but it was all for the sake of face and courtesy. Others always said that we were a good couple, but it was just for appearances."

"After what happened to my old partner, I've come to terms with it. Everyone is going to die. Once we die and are buried in the ground, who will remember us after a few years, except our children?"

"That's right! As long as you don't do anything wrong, you can live any way you want. As a human being, you can live a lifetime of comfort or discomfort." Master Ou said.

"Isn't it? It's just that I realized it too late. At my age, I don't have many years left to live."

"I am a burden to my wife."

"What are you talking about? I couldn't persuade you before, and now I want you to take care of me..."

……

As the old couple talked, Granny Qiu pushed Old Man Qiu slowly forward. Under the mottled sunlight, the breeze blew up their silver hair.

"After this experience, the couple has finally learned the ropes of life," said Master Ou.

"Yes!"

Fang Lin looked at the backs of the old couple, feeling a faint sense of emotion in his heart. He retracted his gaze, sat down beside them, and chatted casually with Master Ou.

Not long after, the grandmother of the Man family came back. Her previously sarcastic half-round face was wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, and she looked bitter no matter how you looked at her. She greeted Master Ou, and when she saw Fang Lin, she forced a smile and said, "Linzi!"

After faking her death that day, she would greet the other party’s family whenever she met them on the road, and was also polite to the other party’s mother, no longer the same as before - this is not surprising, because if she was still mean as before for saving her life, I’m afraid... even the neighbors would point fingers at her!

Fang Lin could sense that Grandma Man was not acting, but was sincere. It seemed that she was giving a subconscious reminder that day to influence the other party.

After a while, Man Laoguan and his son also came back. Man Laoguan greeted them, and Man Gensheng just nodded, lowered his head quickly and hurried back.

Fang Lin took a look and found that Man Gensheng used to be plump and fair, and looked quite delicate. But now that he had worked in the factory, he had lost a lot of weight, and his skin became rougher and darker. He looked depressed, and seemed to be like a rat crossing the street, afraid to see people.

"If this person is like this in the future, and behaves honestly, then I don't have to do anything else." He thought to himself.

The Man family bullied him three times, and Fang Lin retaliated once, so it was considered even. In fact, if Man Gensheng had exercised self-control and not gone to Changlefang, and if Grandma Man had changed early and treated Chuntao better, he might not have continued to bully them.

"Recently, Man Gensheng has been in the factory and has finally become something." Master Ou nodded slightly and sighed, "If he had been like this, how could he have suffered all those misfortunes and been separated from his wife and children? But then again, if he hadn't experienced all that, this kid wouldn't have changed and become what he is today."

"Who says it's not?"

Fang Lin said, thinking to himself: "Everyone is like this. How can you mature without going through the hardships of life? When you mature, you are just covered in scars, which is actually a blessing. If the best people to you are separated, lost, and gone, that is truly tragic!"

……

At noon, the family had a simple meal and went out to watch a play. On the way to the teahouse, they saw a bullock cart passing by in the distance, and a kitten fell from it.

There was no response after shouting. By the time the family came over, the ox cart had already gone away. Tian Xuan looked at the little cat and was hesitant to say anything. She wanted to save it but was afraid that it would eat the food at home.

"Sister Xuan has a kind heart, but for my sake, she and Sister Guihua went against their will to influence Chuntao..." Fang Lin felt a little sad and was about to agree and persuade Fang's father and mother.

Seeing Tian Xuan's expression, Fang's mother spoke first: "Take it home and raise it. When this little thing grows up, it can help us catch mice."

There are still a lot of rats in this era, and they are very annoying.

"That's great." Fang Lin thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the theater and hide it on the side of the road. Mark it and take it back when we come back."

"No, he is so young and the weather is so cold, he will freeze to death?" said Fang's father.

"Yes, if it doesn't freeze to death, it might get lost and carried away by something." Fang's mother looked at the kitten and said, "It's pitiful. Let's go back!"

So the family decided not to go to the theater. Tian Xuan held the watch in her hands and returned home happily.

"The purpose of going to the theatre is to have fun, isn't it? Now that I haven't gone, I am still happy. It is like having seen a theatre."

On the way, they met someone selling loaches, and Fang's mother bought some, saying, "It's a good deal, a good deal. The money spent on buying loaches is much less than the money spent on watching a play. I still made a profit today."

After returning home, Fang's mother and Tian Xuan found some scraps of cloth to make a nest for the kitten, spread it next to the brazier, and let the kitten sleep on it. Its little body curled up, motionless.

With Fang's mother's permission, Tian Xuan caught two slightly larger loaches, cooked them until they were soft and the soup was thick. She put it in a small bowl with a notch and placed it next to the kitten.

It ate with relish, licking its lips with its little red tongue over and over again.

Tian Xuan was very happy: "If it can eat, we can raise it. When it grows up, it will help us catch mice. Give it a name. It looks so well behaved, so let's call it Guaiguai. I hope it can grow up well in our family, catch mice well, and not steal food."

"It's great that I saved its life and caught mice at the same time."

Fang's mother was also happy: "When I was a child, I saw other people raising cats and I wanted to raise one too, but how could I raise one when my family didn't have enough to eat? Now it's good, we still have enough to eat."

Fang Lin felt his family's joy, squatted down, and because he loved the dog, he began to like it a little. He touched its head and called "good boy". It meowed in a soft and tender voice, glanced at Fang Lin, and went back to eat.

From that day on, the Fang family had its fifth member: Guaiguai.

After a while, because she saw Sister Guihua and Su Xiaoqing on the way back, she called out to them. At this time, they came together to talk to Fang's mother and Tian Xuan and do needlework.

Chen Ye also came. He was very happy to see Guaiguai. He squatted there, looking at the kitten, as if he couldn't see enough of it.

Fang Lin saw Sister Guihua, thought for a moment, and told her about his encounter with Song Kai in the morning: "I came back this morning and met Song Kai on the way..."

When she heard that 'Bai Bao took Song Kai to gamble, Song Kai's family was ruined, so he killed Bai Bao', Sister Guihua paused and then acted as if nothing had happened.

"Linzi, you are such a fool. Why didn't you tell me about this when you came back?" Fang's mother stood up suddenly, as if she wanted to pull her son over to check him.

Tian Xuan also looked concerned.

Fang's father, who was filling in the basket not far away, also stopped what he was doing.

"Dad, Mom, Sister Xuan, I'm fine. Song Kai came to me just to ask me to help pass on a message." Fang Lin said lightly.

But he actually knew that if he had not handled the situation properly in the morning, there would probably have been a fight and bloodshed, but the danger was so great that he didn't need to tell anyone about it and make his family worry.

"Song Kai killed someone, the government will arrest him. If he is sentenced to death, a message will be sent to Xiaohe Village to ask his family to come and collect the body." Su Xiaoqing said, reminding: "Sister Guihua, the relatives of the old Chen family in the neighboring village may also come with us this time..."

She was smart. After hearing this, she was able to see the big picture and figure out the reminder that Fang Lin wanted to convey.

"I will definitely come."

Sister Guihua thought to herself that based on her understanding of the personalities of Old Chen's relatives, they would definitely follow her this time. She could even guess almost exactly what method they were going to use.

"Sister Guihua, if you need my help, just let me know..." Fang Lin revealed the relationship between Mr. Dong and Mr. Xu.

Different from Fu Hong who opens his mouth to borrow money, Sister Guihua is of great help value. She is not only focused on the present. Whether she becomes a small capitalist, a big capitalist, or goes overseas in the future, such independent and intelligent people are scarce resources.

"Thank you, Linzi." Sister Guihua nodded and was not polite.

If she were alone, using only the power she could use, she would have the confidence to send the people from Old Chen's family away. But if she had Fang Lin's resources, to be honest, she had never fought such a rich battle... Then she would be absolutely sure to hurt the people from Old Chen's family once and for all, so that they would not dare to come again.

As for the favors owed, we can just pay them back slowly!
In the afternoon, Fang's mother and Tian Xuan began to stew the goose, adding radish, bean curd, and other seasonings such as pepper, star anise, cinnamon, etc. into the pot.

Just stew it like this until dusk, when the breeze blows, the aroma fills the alley and goes straight into people's noses, making everyone passing by swallow their saliva.

Fang's mother held on to Guihua and Su Xiaoqing and refused to let them leave: "Guihua, Xiaoqing, you should stay for dinner tonight. Invite Geng Shi to come as well. Let's celebrate for Linzi."

Sister Guihua and Su Xiaoqing couldn't refuse and had to agree.

Fang Lin also went to buy some wine. During the meal, he, Fang's father, and Geng Shi, the men, sat at one table, while Fang's mother, Tian Xuan, Sister Guihua, Su Xiaoqing, Chen Ye, the women and children sat at another table. Guaiguai also got some of the stewed goose soup.

Geng Shi toasted Fang's father first, then said to Fang Lin: "Linzi, you're in the bookstore and I'm in the grain store. We've been busy, and we haven't seen each other for a while. We feel unfamiliar with each other."

"Yes, a little bit, but unlike others, our friendship warmed up immediately after we met, didn't it?" Fang Lin said, and said to Geng Shi: "Brother Geng, I may do some business in the future. If there is a chance, come over and we can do it together."

"Okay, when the time comes, Linzi, just give me a call." Geng Shi didn't ask about the treatment and agreed immediately.

Over there, Fang's mother greeted them, "We are all acquaintances from Xiaohe Village. Eat and don't be polite to me."

As she spoke, she picked up a goose leg for the little girl.

"Thank you, auntie." Chen Ye was very polite. He stood up and picked up the bowl to receive the soup, fearing that a drop of soup would spill. It was obvious that he had been taught well by Sister Guihua.

"Meow!"

The kitten meowed obediently, looked at the bustling people, shook its little head, turned its head to focus on the small bowl in front of it, licked the soup with its little tongue, and its little tail wagged comfortably from time to time.

The house is filled with fragrance and smoke, and the lively time passes by.

……

With the feces business, Fang Lin paid more attention to literacy and studying classics when copying books, and cared less about making money from copying books. As a result, he went back to Xixiang Hutong more frequently at night.

That night, Fang Lin came back and heard his mother sighing, "I heard that Song Kai was arrested and sentenced to beheading. I think they will send a message to Xiaohe Village and ask the Song family to come and collect the body..."

"I also sent a letter back two days ago, telling about the recent situation at home, that my father has become a small manager at the dock, etc. It should arrive at about the same time as the letter from the government office."

Fang Lin thought, looking towards the direction of Xiaohe Village: "This time, Xiaohe Village, which has been peaceful day after day, may have a big wave again."

……

(End of this chapter)