in spring

Chapter 306 Go shopping

In the next few days, Uncle Jin Quangui and his wife never visited the house again.Although Lu's mother didn't say anything, she could see that she was a little worried. She wanted to ask her husband to go back to the back street to inquire, but she was too embarrassed, and she was even more afraid that she would quarrel with him.

Chunying noticed it, but she didn't want to take care of it. She just buried herself in tidying up the house and making new clothes. When she was tired, she went to the yard, trimmed the trunks and leaves, or turned over the muddy ground. I want to find a day when the weather is fine, go out for an outing outside the city, dig a few flowers and plants and plant them, embellishing the yard.

When she has free time, she will also go to her sister's house to tease her little nephew.Every day after school, the younger brother, Xiaohu, would go to his sister's house to do homework with the cook's wife Ye's son, and Chunying would sometimes give pointers.At this time, Qiuyu realized that this younger sister was too modest when she said that she "needed to learn a few words" in the past, and she couldn't help but marvel: "Miss Huo Jiabiao is so hardworking, even your later girls are patient in teaching, It's really rare!"

Chunying smiled and did not explain further, but said: "This is very easy, you can learn it if you are willing to learn. When my sister has nothing to do on weekdays, she took Xiaohu's tracing red book to recognize, and recognized four or five a day, and there were more than 1000 in a year. It’s enough to write down things and settle accounts on weekdays. In the future, when Brother Kang is studying, my sister can also teach a few words to know whether he has learned well or not.”

Qiuyu was a little moved, but she didn't dare to agree directly: "I will discuss it with your brother-in-law. It is not difficult to recognize four or five a day, but I am afraid that after a few days, I will forget. If you really want to learn, you can only learn slowly. Brother Kang should leave it to the teacher."

Chunying smiled and said: "Sister, you have to have some confidence in yourself. Don't you often say that brother-in-law is either doing errands outside during the day, or staying in the carriage shop in front, and you can't help him with the children at home. But If you learn how to write, you can help with the work on the front counter!"

Xiao'er laughed beside him and said, "Second girl, the matter on the counter is now under the control of Lao Ye. If grandma does it, what will Lao Ye do?"

"She's just making an analogy. Even if I learn to write, I still have to take Brother Kang with me. How can there be any reason to leave the housework and run to the front to greet the guests?!" Qiuyu glanced at her sister, and Chunying pursed her lips and smiled. After talking again, he lowered his head and teased his little nephew for a while before saying, "The weather is nice today, and the market is also lively, so I'll go shopping. Sister, what do you want to bring?"

Qiuyu thought for a while: "Yesterday I made a jacket for your brother-in-law. The blue cotton thread is gone. You can bring me some back and buy some high-quality rose nitrate. Brother Kang's cheeks were itchy this morning. , I'm afraid I have spring ringworm, I have to buy some nitrate just in case."

Chunying agreed, and was about to leave after getting off the kang, Xiaohu glanced over eagerly: "Second sister, do you want to go outside? Can you..."

Before he could finish, Chunying interrupted him: "If you finish your homework obediently, I will bring you a few pieces of rice cakes when I come back. If you don't finish well..." Xiaohu immediately turned his gaze to When answering the book, his eyes were wide open, and when he heard the sisters chuckle, he didn't move a bit, but his eyeballs rolled around.

Chunying went out with a smile, and Xiaohu was still shouting behind her: "I want more beans! No red dates!" She laughed more happily, walked out of the side door of Lu's house, and walked eastward along Xique Alley for two hours. Thirty steps away is the spacious Chongwenmen Street.

At this time, Chongwenmen Street was indeed much more lively than when she and Hu Fei came together to buy goods a few years ago. In addition to flower shops and flower farmers carrying various flowers for sale, there were also several taverns, restaurants, and fabric shops. , jewelry store, rouge shop, pharmacy, grocery store, grain store, oil mill, clothing estimate shop... you can find everything, and there are countless small vendors in the streets and alleys, carrying their own goods to sell.Chunying looked at it, and couldn't help but think of Hu Fei when he was a salesman. His fingers touched the silver bracelet on his wrist, and his heart felt weak.

Hu Fei should have been in India for a while, right?I don't know how long he will stay there?I hope he can come back soon... Although her wish has been fulfilled now, she still feels a little empty, with an urge to be lazy, and just wants to be idle every day.If Hu Fei is here, it should cheer her up, right?
I bought the thread and rose salt that my sister wanted, and Xiaohu’s glutinous rice cakes. I remember that the Ye family boy loves to eat yuqian cakes. Although it’s not the Buddha’s Day (the eighth day of April), there are already vendors on the street selling yuqian cakes. So I picked a clean one, bought two yuan, and bought a brass thimble for Mrs. Ye and Xiao'er, a new hat for my father, and her favorite snacks for my mother.In the end, Chunying was carrying things in both hands, and was about to go home, but stopped in front of a silk flower shop.

Her father had told her before that she was asked to go back to the East Mansion to say hello to her from time to time, and if possible, to find out if there was any plan to buy clothes in the mansion.Chunying thought that it was time for her to visit Shi'er. Now that she was a guest in Dongfu, the time should be considered appropriate, but since she wanted to go back, there was no reason for her to go empty-handed.

She went into the silk flower shop, picked out dozens of beautiful, unique and high-quality silk flowers, then ran to a nearby peddler, bought some inexpensive jewelry, and then walked around the rouge shop. I couldn't hold my hands anymore, and just set foot on the road home.

Today, she spent a total of more than two taels of silver, and she only hoped that she could help her father.

She rushed to make two more needles and threads, and at night, she went to her sister and asked where it was more convenient to hire a car nearby.She planned to go back to Dong Mansion early tomorrow morning to pay her respects.

Qiuyu said: "Since you want to go back to pay your respects, you can't deal with it casually. The large courtyard at the end of Ertiao Hutong on the opposite side is also our family's property. There is an old Tao who rented two houses. He is driving the car for others. His family's Although the car is not new, it is not bad. Besides, this person knows everything, and it is better to go out with you than to find someone outside, so I can rest assured."

Chunying agreed, and Qiuyu sent someone to invite the Tao coachman over. Hearing that the landlord's sister-in-law wanted to hire a car, the other party hurriedly said: "Grandma Lu, don't worry, I will clean up the car today, and tomorrow morning Come to the door and promise to take good care of the second girl."

Qiuyu laughed and said, "Because it's a one-day package, my sister may have to go to a few places and bring things with her. You don't need to follow up and follow up. Just take care of things and don't let others mess them up. There Although it is a place with rules, please pay more attention to the fact that the population is mixed. I will give you five hundred Wen a day, and I will give you a piece of good material to make clothes for your daughter, how about it?"

The coachman Tao responded repeatedly, and left happily. On the second day, he really drove up a half-worn carriage with a decent appearance. On a clean old felt.He himself was also wearing clean clothes, and his hair was carefully combed. He said with a smile, "I can't disgrace Grandma Lu and Miss Er."

Mother Lu was very happy when she heard this, and treated him to a bowl of hot noodle tea. When she learned that his family had a little daughter, she gave him some cakes to take home.Chunying carried the big and small bags to the car, Mother Lu helped her for a while, hesitated a bit, and said, "Chun'er, mother wants you to pick up a few things... Anyway, you always have to pass by Backstreet..."

Chunying paused, then lowered her head to tidy up her burden: "What is it?"

Lu's mother was overjoyed, and hurried into the room, after a while, she took out a small cloth bag, and said in a low voice: "Here is five taels of silver, and there are two pieces of jewelry that I seldom wear, you take them away." , look at the situation of your grandma and uncle, if it is really not good, then...give these to them. If they are doing well, forget it." I took a bag of flour from the kitchen, sent it to the car, and secretly looked at it. He glanced into the room: "Don't let your father know."

Chunying took the things silently, adjusted her clothes and hair, then went out to get in the car and left.

Tao Chefu is a talkative person, he may seldom pick up jobs in the inner city, and he is not familiar with the roads, so Chunying had to lift the curtain of the car several times to point out the direction, but after half an hour, they finally arrived at their destination.

Chunying didn't know how long she would stay in Dongfu, so she went to her uncle's house first.His family lived with two other families with children. Chunying saw that there was no sound in the house and the door was locked again, so she asked the neighbors.The woman said: "The old lady is inside, the lock is hung by Jin's family, lest someone come in and take away his family's things. Both husband and wife have gone to work, so they are not at home." The eyes kept looking The clothes on Chunying's body.

Chun Ying didn't care, but said in surprise, "Didn't it mean... his man lost his job? He's found it now?!" It's only been a few days?It's fast.

But the woman shook her head and said: "Where did you find an errand? It's just doing some odd jobs. If you want to find Jin Quangui, wait a little longer, he will be back after lunch." She carefully tested: "Miss, this clothes... ...Did you do it yourself? The needlework is really good...I don't know what kind of material it is? It doesn't look like silk..."

How could Chunying answer her patiently?I didn't want to wait so long, thinking that my grandma was at home, so I walked over and knocked on the door lightly, and soon I heard the old man's voice: "Who is it?! The door is locked, I can't open it! Quangui has gone far away, His daughter-in-law is working in the mansion, those who want debts should go to the mansion!"

Chunying squinted her eyes, the old man sounded full of energy, and spoke clearly, without the symptoms of "confused", how could he look like a sick person?She was wondering when the woman next door asked, "Nurse Jin, aren't you sick?"

"That's right, I'm sick! If those people dare to press for debts, I'll kill them head-on, and let people know that those people dare to bully even the people in the Hou Mansion. Let's see what they will do!"

The woman smiled at Chunying with some embarrassment, and retreated into her room.

Chunying smiled coldly, then went back to the car outside the door, asked the coachman Tao to help, brought the bag of flour over, put it outside the uncle's house, and said loudly: "Grandma, I am Chunying, since you drove I can't get the door, so I put the things by the door, and when my uncle and aunt come back, let them take them in. I'll go back to the mansion first to say hello." After saying that, without waiting for the other party's answer, he walked out of the courtyard door first.

Chunying returned to the car and told Tao the coachman to go to the front gate of Dongfu.Now that she is a guest, of course she cannot enter the mansion through the back door.It's just that she was in the car, and the more she thought about it, the more she got angry. She thought that grandma was really sick, but looking at today's situation, how tricky is it? !Why does grandma's words sound like a rascal?Is it possible that she will still cheat her own daughter's family with her son and daughter-in-law? !

Chunying gritted her teeth, her heart skipped a beat.No, mother must be made to recognize the facts, lest she can't help helping her natal family.Now the money she gave alone is enough to feed and clothe my uncle's family of five, more than enough. Could it be that the family property earned by myself and my father has to pay my uncle's debts and let him lose money? !
Chunying slammed the carriage board, making up her mind, but unexpectedly the carriage braked suddenly, almost causing her to roll out of the carriage, and hurriedly crawled back to her original position, just now she raised her voice and asked, "Uncle Tao, what's wrong?" What's going on?"

The voice of the coachman Tao came from some distance: "Almost hit someone - sister-in-law, are you okay? Did you fall?"

Chun Ying hurriedly lifted the curtain to see what was going on when she heard the words, but don't hurt anyone.But when she saw it, she was stunned.

Isn't that Widow Choi?But her current appearance is more than ten years older than the last time she met.His hair was messy and gray, and he was wearing an old jacket.Chunying even remembered that it was the old clothes worn by Widow Cui not long ago, when Cui Manru first came to work in the mansion.Because she was much thinner than that time, the whole dress seemed to be hanging on her body, and the wind would make her look looser.The beauty that was still there in the past is gone from her body.

What the hell happened to her?What is Cui Manru doing now that the most important mother is in such a state? !

(End of this chapter)