in spring

Chapter 96 It's time to find a way to make money

When Mustache calmed down, more than half an hour had passed.Chunying followed Mrs. Cheng into Cheng's yard, and roughly cleaned the front and back of the house. Seeing Mrs. Cheng locked herself in the room and didn't know what to count, she quietly went out with a broom, pretending to clean the front door Taking advantage of people's unpreparedness, he quickly got into the door of the opposite yard.

She didn't see clearly when she entered the door for the first time just now, but now she realizes that the courtyard is very old. Compared with Cheng's courtyard, it is obviously more than twice as small. Except for the main house and the west wing, there are no buildings in the courtyard. There was only a wooden shed used as a kitchen, a medicine jar was placed beside the stove in the shed, and a few sticks of firewood were randomly stuffed into the stove hole.The courtyard was in a mess, with wooden bricks of different sizes and a few bamboo poles scattered on the ground. The corners of the courtyard were overgrown with weeds, the water tank was half full, and a broken barrel lay lying beside it.There was thick moss growing on the steps, and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. Chunying guessed that Moustache probably moved in not long ago, so he didn't have time to clean it up at all.

Mo Han came out of the house holding a water basin with a gap in his hand, and even lowered his head and wiped his tears with his sleeve. When he raised his eyes and saw Chun Ying, he asked listlessly, "Are you here again? Are you not Qing Guo?" Are you from the Hou Mansion? When did you change your master?"

"I'm just going to help someone else's house for the time being." Chun Ying didn't want to talk too much, so she answered casually, and then looked into the room, "Mr. Hu, is your mood calmer?"

Mo Han shook his head, his eyes were red again: "Our second young master is so pitiful. First, the master is gone, and the aunt is seriously ill, but the wife and the eldest young master..." He paused, as if considering that Chunying was an outsider, He didn't say any more: "Go back, you are not needed here."

Chun Ying has already guessed the reason: "Your wife and young master drove Mr. Hu and his mother out? I remember that your master died not long ago, right?"

"It's only been March [-]th..." Mo Han pursed his lips, and a look of grief and anger flashed in his eyes, "My aunt has been sick all the time, and she wanted to ask the doctor to take medicine, but the young master refused to give me a penny..." He flattened his mouth , Then squatted down and cried bitterly.

Chunying was slightly taken aback, and sighed secretly, but heard Mrs. Cheng's voice behind her: "Isn't this too much? The Hu family has a lot of money, and they don't give any money to the youngest son?!" She was busy Turning around and lowering her head, she called, "Ma'am." Madam Cheng waved her hand impatiently, and then asked Mo Han, "Didn't the government have a decree that no matter whether it is a descendant or concubine, a share of the family property can be shared? Your Hu family is an imperial businessman." , there is no reason to violate the laws of the country, right? Your family doesn't care about it?"

Mo Han cried louder, and it took a while before he raised his head and choked up, and said, "Eldest young master...it is unfilial to say that the second young master and auntie didn't take good care of the master, which made the master's illness worsen and passed away... He specially invited the elder The aunt came back to make the decision... and asked the elders of the clan to witness that they drove the second young master and my aunt out of the house... The second young master begged repeatedly, but the eldest young master refused to let go, and even asked the nearby inns not to take the second young master and his aunt in The jewelry on my body was pawned, and I came here again... I just rented this small courtyard, but I can't hold it anymore..." He burst into tears, "I have invited several doctors, but they all said that it is impossible to save, now I still don't know what to do with my aunt's coffin money, the second young master really suffers..."

Chunying felt sad when she heard that, and looked into the room again, only to see Xiao Huzi sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, holding the dead mother's hand tightly with his right hand, his eyes were straight, and he seemed to be lifeless.She bit her lip, wanting to comfort him, but didn't know what to say.

Mrs. Cheng twitched her face when she heard Mo Han's words, looked around, and said with a dry smile: "There will always be a way, please mourn, and quickly find a way to bury my aunt, it won't be released in hot weather." Said Then she called Chunying in a low voice: "Don't get in the way here, why don't you go back with me soon?!" Then she turned around and left the door quickly.

Chunying looked at Mustache and Mo Han, hesitated for a moment, said hastily, "Take care..." and then left, but when she returned to Cheng's small courtyard, she heard the faint cry from the opposite door. Then feel heavy.

It seems that Aunt Ma's jokes in her leisure time have come true. The Ershao Hu who was loved by his father was really kicked out of the house after his father died. Absolutely.Hu Ershao lost his father and mother and was penniless, what will happen in the future?

Mrs. Cheng was fiddling with the vases in her living room, and when she turned her head and saw Chunying in a daze, she patted her on the forehead: "What are you doing standing there?! Go to the tea shop at the entrance of the alley and buy some mustard pieces for me." I want this year's new tea, don't let the buddy coax you with the old one!" She took out a piece of broken silver from her sleeve, thought about it, and then hesitated to take out another piece, saying: "Take it, if there is any left Yes, buy another pack of Furen, and I need some dried bamboo shoots."

Chunying took the silver in doubt, and couldn't help but ask: "Ma'am, didn't you say that tea is a precious thing? You never drink it, why do you want to buy it again? And what is Furen? Use it for cooking at night?"

Aunt Cheng poked her on the forehead fiercely, and cursed: "You are so stupid! I thought you were smarter, but I didn't expect you to be so stupid! I don't know what Furen is, and you don't know how to ask the clerk at the tea shop. ? Of course the dried bamboo shoots are used to make tea!" After finishing speaking, he licked his hair and said with a bit of shame: "Although I don't eat bubble tea, our head loves it very much. Looking at the days, he is similar It’s time to come back. It’s only ten and a half months at most. I bought it earlier, and he will have something to eat when he comes back. The can of my brother’s house is Yuqian Longjing. It is said that it was given by a merchant in the old year. Come to eat at home..."

Seeing her unprecedented shyness, Chunying shuddered secretly, couldn't answer, and hurried out, went to the tea shop at the alley and asked, the five renminbi was barely enough to buy two or two pieces of mustard. There are more than ten grains of Furen, but they are olive kernels from Fujian, and they are also used to make tea nowadays.Chunying watched the guy weigh it, strictly inspected it, and talked about it, so she bought a small handful of dried bamboo shoots.

Looking at the three small paper bags in her hand, she couldn't imagine, how can dried bamboo shoots be used to make tea?She thought she already knew this era well, but she didn't expect that there were many strange things.

When they returned to the alley, it was almost noon, and Chunying was thinking whether to persuade Mrs. Cheng to go back to Shopkeeper Shi for lunch, or to settle it at her own home, when she heard a commotion ahead, as if several men were there shouting. Drink, mixed with Mo Han's cries.She hastened her pace and rushed over, just in time to meet several men escorting Mo Han out, who was still struggling and kept turning around and calling "Second Young Master".An old man with a white belt around his waist followed behind with a stern face, and kept scolding him for being "unseemly". He turned his head and looked in the direction of the courtyard door, but with a mocking smile: "Your master is The old lady, the master, the wife and the young master, the unfilial descendants who have been expelled from the house, are not worthy to be your master!"

Mustache stood by the door, looking at him quietly, his eyes were as black as two deep pools, which made people shudder.The old man seemed a little uncomfortable, and he stiffened his neck and said: "Second master, it's not that this old slave doesn't give you face, it's because your actions are not what a son of man should do, and this old slave just doesn't like it. You have It is the kindness of the master to have food, clothing and a place to live, don't you know what is good or bad!" After finishing speaking, he looked behind him: "Du Juan is just a girl, and she made a big mistake again. Take a mat and send it outside the city to be burned..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mustache suddenly rushed up and grabbed his skirt, and said in a hoarse voice, "Say it again?!" There was a hint of madness in his eyes, like a tight steel wire, one more The strength is about to break.

The old man swallowed his saliva, shrunk his head, and didn't dare to say anything more. After a while, the mustache let go of his hand a little. The old man hurriedly took advantage of the situation to get away, and waved his hands to signal his subordinates to take Mo Han away quickly. Seeing that Mo Han was yelling loudly , Simply order someone to tie him up and leave.

Mustache didn't say anything, just stood in the middle of the alley, watching them go away.Chunying stood on the side, wanted to speak several times, but couldn't speak.The door of the Cheng family's courtyard was quietly opened a crack, Aunt Cheng showed half of her face, winked at her, and then quickly retracted her head.Chunying hesitated and walked over to the door, almost missing the door that was closed immediately.

In addition to Mrs. Cheng, there were two more strange women in the courtyard, but Mrs. Cheng did not introduce their identities, but complained: "You ran to the sky to buy it? Why did it take so long?! It was really scary just now. Oh, the people from the Hu family are really arrogant, at least they are the flesh and blood of Mr. Hu, and the old man did such a thing before his bones were cold, and their family will suffer retribution sooner or later!" After saying that, he grabbed the tea bag and opened it to read Look, as he entered the door, he was still thinking: "Why are there so few?! You are not convinced if you are stupid. Last time I bought a big bag of tea, and it only cost two yuan. This mustard is so expensive. Where to go?! There are also these dried bamboo shoots, which are cheap at first glance, how can they be eaten?! This Furen is not fragrant enough..." He complained to the two women: "This is a friend entrusted to our family. My little girl, stupid, messed up everything..."

Mrs. Cheng kept talking there, but Chunying didn't listen to her ears. She saluted the two women and looked outside through the crack of the door. She couldn't bear to see Mr. Hu still standing there motionless. , then turned around and said to Mrs. Cheng: "Mother, how about... let's help that young master Hu? He doesn't even have money for the coffin, so he can't just watch his mother stink there..."

Aunt Cheng stopped immediately, her eyes widened in surprise: "What nonsense?! I don't have money to buy a coffin, so I just wrap it with a mat. He has money to rent a house, but doesn't he have money to buy a thin coffin?! Why should I get involved in such an unlucky thing?! Shut up!"

Chunying took two steps forward: "God has the virtue of good life, how much can a thin coffin cost? At worst, let Hu Ershao write an IOU. Judging from what he just said, he definitely doesn't want to treat his mother's queen casually." As for the matter, if he left it alone, he might let his mother stay in the house, and now the weather is so hot, the body will be destroyed soon. They are right across the door, and the old lady will not feel good if she smells it, right?" After a pause, he added another sentence: "If Uncle Cheng comes back and smells..."

Before Mrs. Cheng could open her mouth, one of the women said, "That's true. Our head of the family is coming back. If we smoke him, it will be terrible!" The other woman also said, "A coffin is nothing more than One or two taels of silver, that's enough for us to scrape together. Look at that poor young man, he has moved here for two days, he is extremely polite in his words and deeds, and he is filial to his mother. If he is said to be an unfilial son, I don't believe it. "

Mrs. Cheng opened her mouth, but immediately changed her words: "That's right, since we all join in, why don't we find a few more neighbors, maybe everyone wants to help him?" After speaking, she discussed with the two women , went out and went to the homes of the residents in the alley to lobby separately. After a while, a dozen or so families in the alley had decided to pool two coins each. Send incense sticks and paper money to Hu Ershao's small courtyard, and say to him: "This is a kindness from the neighbors. You should take care of the deceased mother's funeral." Two older women kindly took care of his mother Dress and comb your hair.

Mustache looked at all this in a daze, his original cold expression suddenly collapsed, and he burst into tears.

Chunying felt sore in her heart, and suddenly remembered that there were still some scraps of silver in her bag, which was originally given to her by her father for pocket money.She hasn't had any income in the past few months, but she doesn't have much to spend.After all, the mustache helped her, did she also help?

It's just that her money is too little, even if she helps, it won't help much.Maybe, she should think of a way to make money, not only for the mustache, but also for herself?

(End of this chapter)