There is a white bone spirit in the village

Chapter 33

The shopkeeper picked up the burden, and the usual way to attract the big girls and the little wives was to shout or shake with a rattle.Lin Jiao reckoned that Li Guo'er should also come, but there was no sound outside.Those who want to steam buns at night, the noodles have been reconciled, and they wait for Li Guoer to bring the steamer. If he doesn't come, they have to go to Widow Shi's house to borrow it.After washing my hands, I wanted to go out and take a look.As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the main house, I saw Yang Jingxuan standing at the door outside his yard, holding a string of objects hung up by ropes, including a steamer waiting to be used.

Lin Jiao looked behind him, but she didn't see Li Guo'er, she was a little strange, she looked at Yang Jingxuan and asked, "Uncle Jingxuan, what are you..."

Yang Jingxuan arrived just now, hesitating whether to leave his things quietly at the gate of the courtyard or to tell her, before he could make up his mind, he happened to come out when he saw her.I couldn't hide, so I had to raise the things in my hands and explained: "I just met that shopkeeper surnamed Li at the entrance of the village, and he brought you what you asked for."

Lin Jiao took it over, looked at him and asked, "Why doesn't he come by himself?"

Yang Jingxuan avoided her gaze, and said vaguely: "He... said he was in a hurry and couldn't enter the village, so he asked me to bring the things for you."

Lin Jiao groaned, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you. You paid for the money, right? You wait, I'll go into the house and bring it back to you."

"No hurry," Yang Jingxuan called her, hesitated for a moment, and finally handed over the velvet flower that had been hidden behind his back just now, and two words popped out of his mouth: "Your."

Lin Jiao was surprised to see that he still had a head flower in his hand, she didn't take it immediately, she glanced at him first.Seeing that his expression was stiff, after a little thought, he understood: he should have seen this head flower at the seller's bearer, so he bought it for himself as a gift.It's just embarrassing, that's why it's so strange.

Unexpectedly, such an old-fashioned big man like him would give himself a hair flower without avoiding suspicion.In other words, he is trying to please himself now?

Lin Jiao felt very happy at once, and hurriedly picked it up.Although she was not used to having a flower on her head, she immediately put it on her temples, then turned her face and smiled at him, and asked what she thought she should ask at this time: "Does it look good?"

Her reaction fell into Yang Jingxuan's eyes, but made him even more depressed.Just now the salesman surnamed Li said that she wanted to buy the flowers and asked him to take them with him, but he knew it was just an excuse. She was so happy when she received the flowers, and immediately put them on her head without avoiding suspicion.

Yang Jingxuan muffledly replied "It looks good".

He felt that he should actually make this matter clear, and at the same time, he should also express his support for her and that Li Guoer, just like what he promised the night before, so that she could feel relieved earlier.But now he just doesn't want to talk.As if pretending not to know, this matter can be dragged on forever.

Lin Jiao saw that he only said something perfunctory, and his tone sounded extremely forced, as if he had something on his mind.I thought that if he could send me flowers, it would be the sun coming out from the west, so don't think that he can coax me with his sweet mouth.I had no choice but to put away my frightened heart, and changed my words: "Do you have something to do?"

Yang Jingxuan calmed down, and said: "There is nothing else. I just came here to tell you that I have something to do next, and I may not be in the village anymore. If you need my help in the future, you can go directly to the city. Just go to the Yamen to find it."

Lin Jiao immediately sensitively grasped the hidden meaning behind his words, it should be something happened in the government.After thinking about it for a while, he said: "I see. Speaking of which, there are really many places where I need your help, Uncle Jingxuan!" Seeing him stop and turn around, he looked back and said with a smile: "It's like this .Didn’t I have to send Nengwu to the county to see his eyes every three days? It takes a long time to go back and forth every time. It’s not a matter of two times to cure Nengwu’s eyes, so I want to move to the county. By the way Let’s do some small business. The place is already promising, there is a small foot shop in the south of the city, and I’m about to sell it. If we really do it in the future, I need Uncle Jingxuan to take care of it.”

Yang Jingxuan's surprise could no longer be described in general terms.Never dreamed that she, a woman, would decide such a big thing quietly, and she looked confident, as if she had been planning for a long time.Suppressing the hurt feeling of being neglected in my heart, I asked hesitantly: "You... a woman's family, can you move to the county to stand up?"

Lin Jiao said with a smile: "How can there be a person in the world who is born to do it? Everything is forced out. Nengwu wants to cure his eyes, and he will marry a wife in the future. He spends money everywhere. If he sticks to a few acres of land like this, when will he be able to do it?" Early? When I really move there, things will be picked up one by one. Besides, don’t you still have you? If I have difficulties, Uncle Jingxuan, you will definitely help me, right? ?”

Yang Jingxuan saw that she probably wouldn't change her mind, thought for a while, and said, "Does it cost a lot of money to enter the city disk store? My salary for the past few years has been placed with my sister. I don't know how much, but There are about a few hundred taels, if you don’t think it’s too little, I’ll lend it to you.”

Although this man was a wealthy landlord in his ancestors, he fell into ruin when he came into his father's hands.The ones that were placed with his sister are probably all his belongings, but now he is willing to borrow them all, without blinking his eyes, saying that he is not touched at all, that is not true.

"Uncle Jingxuan, I accept your wish, but that is your future wife, Ben'er, how can I have the nerve to extend my hand? If I lose money, how can I pay it back?" Lin Jiao joked half-truthfully. , lowered his voice again, and said with a smile, "To tell you the truth, there was more than twenty taels of silver in the earthen pot I dug out last time. I was afraid that others would be jealous, so I said less. Yes. Now I’m just telling you, don’t tell me.”

Yang Jingxuan listened to her making fun of himself.No one had ever dared to joke with him like that.Prejudged to the point of her playful expression when she laughed at herself and said, "What do you give me?", the apex of her heart trembled flickeringly along with her words, and her eyes involuntarily fell to the flower she had just planted on her temples, and she couldn't say anything in her heart. what does it feel like.He also heard that there were more than twenty taels in the earthen pot, and she asked to keep it a secret for her, as if she treated him as one of her own. Although it was unbelievable, she believed it immediately.It wasn't until some time later, when she finally realized that she had been so daring to hide what she did from herself, that she recalled the current scene and scene, and then it was like waking up from a dream, and she deeply reflected on why she, who was originally cautious, was so confused at the beginning, she said Believe in anything, it's like being led by the nose by her.Of course, this is all for later, so let's not talk about it for the time being.

Lin Jiao watched Yang Jingxuan, who was full of worries, leave. A few days later, Na Yalang from the county rushed to Taohua Village and said that the seller had let go, so he settled the deal at 80 taels. .

After Lin Jiao made a counter-offer, she originally thought that if the seller refused to accept it, she could add another five to ten taels. Unexpectedly, the seller was in a hurry to sell, so she accepted the 80 taels she offered. When they got down, they made an appointment with Yalang to trade the next day.When they entered the city the next day, Yaren acted as the intermediary to issue the deed. After careful reading, they found that there were no omissions, so both parties could sign the deed and press their fingers.Lin Jiao took the key, and the seller followed her to the silver house to collect 80 taels, and Yaren got one tael from both buyers and sellers as an intermediary income, and the transaction was completed.

Chunjiao, the daughter-in-law of Lao Yang's family at the entrance of the village, is going to move to the county with her brother-in-law. It is said that she has set up a small foot shop, and will rely on this to make a living in the future.The news spread like wildfire after Lin Jiao went to see Widow Shi and asked her if she would like to plant her family's three acres of land, and became a hot topic among the villagers for a while.Hu Lanhua, Mrs. Li and others were jealous, shook their heads and sighed, saying that she went to the city to show her face, and the people she dealt with every day were men from the caravan mule team, and sooner or later she would definitely cause scandal.Although Widow Stone was also a little worried, she saw that Lin Jiao's first thought was to let her plant the field. With all her strength, no matter how much three acres of land she planted, she would not be able to get down, and the harvest in one year has increased a lot. Of course she was happy, seeing those women slandering her behind her back, she supported Lin Jiao.But no matter whether they are skeptics or supporters, everyone believes that Chunjiao’s money from under the main room must be more than what she said before. You have blinded people!" He said as if he saw it with his own eyes.

Lin Jiao ignored these arguments.Just busy getting ready to move.The foot shop happened to be not far from Yang's home. Lin Jiao knew that she had lived here for many years, and she must be better at calling craftsmen than herself, so she came to ask for advice.Yang was very surprised to hear that she had bought a foot shop to open.She is a warm-hearted person, not to mention that she had a little friendship with Lin Jiao before, so she naturally spared no effort to help, and called a carpenter and mason she knew, and Lin Jiao saved a lot of effort in redecorating the foot shop.Yang Jingxuan also came several times in the middle.Those craftsmen knew that the shopkeeper and he were relatives from the same village, so naturally they didn't dare to play tricks and be lazy.Although Lin Jiao hired them for the same wages as others, the included meal at noon was enough to fill them up. Not only did they keep them full, but they also had white noodles, steamed buns and meat dishes every three or two days, unlike some employers who only served black beans every day. The noodles with pea buns and pickles made my mouth fade away, so I worked extra hard.In less than a month, the foot store was almost completely remodeled, with a new look inside and out.

On the last day, Lin Jiao entertained the craftsmen with wine and food, paid the wages, and dismissed the workers. She went from the rent to the back of the house, and then back to the front of the house, looking up at the newly painted foot shop. Signboard, I am very satisfied.

In the renovated shop, there are fifteen rooms of different sizes separated by cedar boards on the upper floor, and the lower floor is full of shops, the walls are pink and white, and all the bedding materials are blue-gray coarse cloth that is resistant to dirt, but they are clean. net.In the front yard, there is a stove room on the left, a pergola on the right, a few tables and chairs for the guests who are staying for dinner, and a big tea mug next to it. Tea is provided for free all day-it can’t be compared with those big inns, but Compared with the same small shops on the street outside that have the same smell after entering the year, it stands out from the crowd.

Because the source of customers is merchants, Lin Jiao does not use all kinds of tricks to attract customers. Everything is clean and durable, so although the whole foot shop has been tidied up and has a new look, but with the addition of craftsmen Their wages are actually less than 20 taels, which can be regarded as high quality and low price.Moreover, two rooms were left in the backyard for Lin Jiao and Neng Wu to live in, and a wall was built to separate them from the front room. Once the door was closed, it became an independent small courtyard, which was considered quiet.

Mrs. Yang checked the almanac and said that the day after tomorrow would be an auspicious day, and when the day came, she told the store to open, and she sent a long hanging firecracker, which crackled and kept the whole street alarmed.

Lin Jiao bought some things and went to Yang's house, thanked her for her enthusiastic help these days and went back to Taohua Village.

It's already August, and Widow Shi just came back from the academy and sent her son Shi Qingshan to the state capital for the autumn exam.And this trip, listening to the private opinion of the dean's wife, after the autumn test, no matter whether she is successful or not, she wants to formally marry the widow stone, so happy that the widow stone can't wait to worship the sky and the earth, only to see her son Lazily as if he couldn't get up, afraid of falling into the eyes of the dean's wife, he secretly beat him once, and after sending his son away, he went back full of hope, secretly preparing all kinds of gifts for engagement, and only waited until the time came. good news.With joy in my heart, it is hardest not to be known by others. It is not easy to talk too much in advance, but Lin Jiao can do it.That night, I touched it deliberately, and said the matter beamingly. Lin Jiao complimented her sincerely, and also said that she and Neng Wu would move into the county in about two days. Widow Shi hurriedly said that she would definitely help move , I didn't reply until very late.

The next day was fine, after Lin Jiao prepared Nengwu's medicine early in the morning, Chao Nengwu inquired carefully about the direction to Yanlaipi, gave an order, took a dry food basket and went out.

She wanted to visit Yanlaipi before leaving.

In fact, since the flood, she has always wanted to go to see it.I don't have any special plans, I just feel that my job in the previous life is somehow related to this, and I was lucky enough to escape the disaster last time. If I don't look at it, I always feel a lump in my heart.It's just that I haven't been free before, so I dragged it down.Now I finally have a day free, if I don’t go to see it, I will move into the county tomorrow, and it is even more impossible to go to see it on purpose in the future, so I passed it.

Yanlaipi is very famous in the local area. Decades ago, it was a treasure land of irrigation water for more than a dozen nearby townships and counties, so anyone who is a little older knows it.Lin Jiao didn't make much effort, and found this place before noon. It is said that it is just across the hill ahead.

Probably because it has been abandoned for many years, the road when approaching was almost buried by weeds, Lin Jiao spent some effort, and finally climbed up the low mountain ridge, stood on the mountain ridge and looked down, although there had been I was mentally prepared, but I was still surprised when I saw it with my own eyes.

In front of her was an earth pit so big that she could only see the blurred line of the opposite side dam. According to her estimation, if the water was stored normally, the capacity would be about 500 million cubic meters. From her point of view, it was just a small reservoir. But here, it is estimated that it was a big project back then.The bottom of the pit is rocky and overgrown with weeds. The traces of the embankment built along the mountain are still there, but there are already many cracks, and some gaps are so wide that a child can even get in.And just to the right of the stone beam she stood on was a completely collapsed remnant dam body over [-] meters long, and the nearby dry downstream was full of dry ponds of different sizes left after being washed by the flood. trace.

Almost two months ago, it was from this collapsed gap that the water accumulated here due to the heavy rain rushed out, submerging a whole village and farmland including Taohua Village.

Lin Jiao imagined the scene when the flood burst and rushed straight down, and she couldn't help but still feel a little terrified.I couldn't help but walked towards the wide gaps at the bottom of the dam in the distance, wanting to take a closer look.

The bottom of the dam is uneven, and some places have accumulated residual water, which is muddy, and the rocks on the side are dry and can be used for footholds.When Lin Jiao stepped on the chaotic rocks and felt carefully, she realized that there was already a person standing with his hands behind his back on the edge of the gap, looking at the silhouette, motionless as if he was in deep thought.When I got closer, I could see that it was an old man in his 60s and [-]s, with a short gray beard, a straw hat on his head, a bunt ephedra dress, and a pair of straw sandals on his feet. He looked nothing like ordinary old men in the nearby villages. The difference, I thought it was just for nothing to come here to see things and think about the past, I didn't care, put my basket on the stone, and leaned towards the gaps.

(End of this chapter)