Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 100 Dilemma
"Second Master, what's the matter?" Liu Huilan rushed to the door with the child in her arms. She had never seen Cao Xueqin so happy since the accident happened in Cao's house.

"There are two good things. First, I sold two of my paintings. This is 20 taels of silver. Is it enough for us to build a house?" Cao Xueqin took out a silver ticket from his sleeve pocket after speaking, feeling proud beyond words.

These days, he watched Mai Xiang and Liu Huilan working day and night, both of them were working hard to build a house, Cao Xueqin felt pain in his eyes.This incident touched him a lot, so he let go of his so-called self-esteem and arrogance, and put his paintings on consignment. Unexpectedly, he actually sold two paintings.

This is the first time since he can remember that he earns money in a real sense. Although he is in the banner soldier and has a fixed amount of money and food every month, his cousin Fupeng got him this kind of work, so it is not his own ability.

Seeing that Cao Xueqin's face was covered with sweat, Liu Huilan hurriedly took off a handkerchief to wipe him off. Mai Xiang looked at Cao Xueqin and looked at Liu Huilan eagerly, as if waiting for Liu Huilan to praise him and affirm him, so she snorted. A laugh startled the two of them, and they all turned to Mai Xiang. Only then did Cao Xueqin see Mai Xiang standing aside, and made a serious face on purpose.

"Master, you are too inconsiderate. Mr. is clearly waiting for you to praise him, but you just keep silent."

"Bold, you still dare to make fun of your husband?" Cao Xueqin's stern face loosened, and she couldn't help laughing. She patted Mai Xiang on the head and said with a smile, "You are such a little ghost."

"By the way, is there any other good news?" Liu Huilan asked.

"Sister Yun seems to have news, but the other party has been unwilling to admit her identity. She must have suffered a lot. My uncle and aunt said that they want to go back to the south to confirm it in person, and pick her up by the way. Another point is that they also I want to go back to the south to take another look, I’m afraid I won’t have the chance in the future.”

"Then uncle and aunt didn't come with you this time?"

"I'm here, I said I'm going to see my uncle, I sent them up, I want to stay on the mountain overnight, and I'll go down tomorrow." After Cao Xueqin finished speaking, she glanced at Liu Huilan, hesitating to speak.

Mai Xiang guessed that Cao Xueqin must have something embarrassing to say, so she said: "Mr. has a happy event today, and it's time to celebrate it. There are some dim sum and braised meat. It's just for Mr. to serve wine, so Mai Xiang won't bother you. "

"Just you ghost, I've already smelled the fragrance." Cao Xueqin nodded appreciatively.

After Mai Xiang left, Cao Xueqin took the child over, took Liu Huilan's hand and sat on the kang, teased the child for a while, but still didn't speak, Liu Huilan took the child and gave him a look, and said, "What do you want to say?" Can't you tell me?"

"It's like this. Uncle and aunt originally planned to leave immediately. I persuaded them. The weather is hot at this time and it is not a good season to go out. The two of them are not young. What if they get caught on the road?" There is no one to take care of the heat, so I want them to leave next month before it is too late, and they just live here for a while, and when they are free, they can go to the mountains to visit my uncle and talk to him."

"That's not what you want to say, is it?" Liu Huilan is not stupid, if it is this, can Cao Xueqin be so hesitant?
"Hui Lan, I really can't hide anything from you. After all these years, you are still the person who understands me the most and also the person who loves me the most. I want to accompany my cousin on this trip, but I can't worry about you. Tell me, are you going to visit the south with me, or?" Cao Xueqin couldn't say the rest, how could he leave Liu Huilan and her son behind, and go on a long trip by himself?
After hearing this, Liu Huilan lowered her head. She knew that what Cao Xueqin really couldn't let go of was not his cousins ​​and aunts, but Sister Yun. He wanted to pick his Sister Yun back in person.

"Hui Lan, don't cry. Just say what you think, okay? I'll listen to you." Seeing Liu Huilan cry, Cao Xueqin also panicked.

"Second Master, our son is still so young, it's not suitable for a long trip. Also, if there are more of our mothers, the cost of going out will be a lot more. Your 20 taels of silver are not enough for you to travel far away alone. What about the expenses of my uncle and aunt?"

Liu Huilan cleverly didn't mention anything else, but just mentioned a very practical problem.

This cost issue happens to be the most realistic, most urgent, and most urgent. Without money, what do you use to go out?
Cao Xueqin is also caught in a dilemma. If he goes out this time, he will take all the savings of the family with him. Will his house be built?What will happen to this family's life in the future?But if he doesn't go, how can he rest assured that the two old people have traveled such a long way? Also, can his sister Yun be found and brought back?

"Forget it, anyway, I can't leave for a while, let's not talk about this issue, let's warm up some wine, I happen to be hungry too." Cao Xueqin didn't want to talk anymore.

Besides, when Mai Xiang left the yard, she was also thinking about what embarrassment Cao Xueqin would have to say. Could it be that she really wants to take the cousin of the Li family in?Does he want to marry the younger one, or the older one?

"Big ya, what are you thinking, I called you several times but didn't hear?" Mai Xiang had just entered the yard when she happened to meet Sanfu packing up the donkey cart in the yard.

"Third uncle, why haven't you gone out today?" Mai Xiang asked casually.

"Oh, you don't know, your fifth uncle is about to make a decision, so your mother is discussing with the matchmaker in the house, and I'm not waiting to send them out?"

"Really? Uncle Wu is going to make a decision? Is the date of marriage fixed?"

"It seems that your mother meant that years ago, the woman's family refused to take the opportunity to ask for more gifts. Hey, big girl, what is your basket, so fragrant?" Sanfu smelled the smell of sauced meat and poked his head come over.

This time, Tong's family gave a piece of sauced elbow and a piece of sauced donkey meat. Because Mai Xiang gave half of the things to Cao Xueqin just now, the paper bag was not tied properly, and it just came loose, and the smell became even more tangy.

"Hey, it's sauced meat, darling, your family is really rich now, just finished eating stewed meat and eating sauced meat again." San Fu started to take it while talking.

Seeing his dirty hands, Mai Xiang took a step back and said, "Third Uncle, your hands are too dirty, wash them first, and I'll share some with your family later."

Yesterday's stewed meat and Maixiang were only delivered to the upper room. Later, it was said that the wheat seeds smelled the fragrance and they all crowded in front of the old lady's kang to drool. The Liu family had to call again, probably only one person. I can eat a piece, so Mai Xiang saw that there was a lot of sauced meat this time, so she just shared a little bit with the family. Who made everyone live in the same yard?What's more, the water that Mai Xiang's family eats has been selected for the second and third blessings.

"We are still generous." San Fu boasted, and went to work again.

Mai Xiang returned to her room, only to find that there was a pack of new snacks and a dozen purses on the kang table.

"Auntie is here?" Mai Xiang guessed that the winter solstice had such a heart.

"Well, your old aunt is here. I haven't seen you come back after waiting for a while, so she went home. She came to make amends for your grandma. She said that she didn't expect your grandma to beat Siya. Your grandma will return it when she goes back. She was in tears, she said it was all caused by poverty, she would have no face to see Siya again."

Seeing Mai Xiang coming in, Mrs. Zhao hurriedly explained that she really didn't want to eat corn paste. After two meals, it was really hard to swallow, because there were delicious rice and stew next to it, so she could eat it. strange.

"Mother, don't talk about it all day long. The eldest sister said that this name is not good. Don't call us ya in the future. Dad has already changed it." Mai Huang said.

The girls in the village were either called Da Ya Er Ya or Da Niu Er Niu. After Mai Huang learned how to read characters with Mai Xiang, he knew how rustic the name was, and he didn't like to hear it anymore.

Mrs. Zhao glared at Mai Huang, and just about to speak, Mai Qing pulled Mai Xiang's clothes aside and said, "Elder sister, my aunt also asked me to pass a message to you, saying that she has the money to buy clothes, so she doesn't want our family's clothes." .”
"Got it, let's see what delicious food my sister brought you today?" Mai Xiang asked.

"Elder sister, I have heard you tell third uncle a long time ago that it is sauced meat. Elder sister, what is sauced meat?" Mai Huang also moved his head closer.

"Fatty, meaty, fragrant." Mai Lu also crawled over from the kang.

Mai Xiang looked around, only to realize that she didn't see Ye Dafu, so she asked.

"Father has gone to the elder's house." Mai Huang said.

"Going to Li Chang's house?" Mai Xiang frowned after hearing this, and Mai Xiang looked at Mrs. Zhao.

The land is also sold out, what else can Ye Dafu ask the village chief for?How strange is this?

"It's the district chief who came to look for your father. It seems to be something to build a house." Zhao replied.

"What about building a house?"

After hearing this, Mai Xiang put down the basket, took a box of snacks brought back from the capital yesterday, just went out, walked to the gate of the yard, and saw Ye Dafu came back, it was brought back by the village chief himself.

"Father, grow up here." Mai Xiang greeted her.

"Li Da Da, this is the dim sum that I brought from the capital yesterday. I just wanted to send it to Da Da, but it happened that Da Da came here, saving me a lot of running." Mai Xiang knew that she would have a lot of things to ask when building a house and opening a store in the future. When it comes to the long head, it is better to lay the foundation first.

The chief took the snack box, smiling all over his eyes, and said, "It's different when you look at this box. It's what the nobles in the capital eat. With the help of Miss Mai Xiang, we can also taste it."

"Look at what the elder said, aren't you the nobleman of our Huangye Village?" Mai Xiang flattered the other party again.

"Girl, don't embarrass me. What am I? I don't even want to pick up shoes for others."

"The village grows up, how can this be poor? It depends on who sees it. In our village, aren't you the most expensive?"

"Brother Dafu, your daughter is really amazing, amazing, I can't say enough about her." The chief looked at Mai Xiang and admired, secretly regretting that if this is a boy, he will definitely have a future.

Ye Dafu smiled, stretched out his big hand, and carefully helped Mai Xiang to fix the messy hair on her head,

(End of this chapter)