from widow to dame

Chapter 12

The clothes that Su Huiniang made for Wang Qilang were made of the half bolt of green cloth that she bought when she went to the market last time.It's just that the child hasn't been seen for more than a month, so he didn't send it out.

"It's a bit flimsy!" Su Huiniang sighed, "I'm afraid it's cold to wear it now."

Wang Qilang twisted his body uncomfortably, looking at his new clothes that seemed to be emitting a fragrance, he asked softly, "For me?"

Su Huiniang rolled his eyes at him, then took out cloth shoes of the same color from the package, and put them on his cracked little feet.

"It's not for nothing. I want to ask you to do something for me."

Wang Qilang touched his new clothes up and down, and asked with bright eyes: "What's the matter?"

Su Huiniang confessed everything she had been thinking about for many days: "I did some embroidery work, and I want you to go to the town to help me sell it."

Mrs. Pi and the others watched closely, Su Huiniang couldn't go out easily, and the only person she could trust to, after thinking about it, was the elusive Wang Qilang. Although this child was young, he was very alert, and he seemed to be someone he could trust.

Wang Qilang glanced at her, finally nodded, and said: "Okay!"

Su Huiniang then took out the five handkerchiefs she embroidered. Although she has changed from Lin Yuyan to Su Huiniang, her previous embroidery skills are still good, and it is now more than 60 years ago. She is confident that these embroidery jobs will definitely be sold. go.Five handkerchiefs, three of which are pale pink and two of which are light yellow, embroidered with "Mandarin ducks playing in the water", "Success twice", "Fish playing with lotus leaves", "Winning willows in the wind" and "Double carp leaping over the gate" Su Huiniang Su embroidery techniques are used, the needle angles are flat and delicate, like a thread, embroidered in one go, no matter the flowers, plants or animals are vivid, as if they want to jump out of the veil.This is also thanks to the care of the portable space, where the flow of time is slow, which allows Su Huiniang to embroider in a short time.

In this year, one tael of silver is equal to one hundred copper coins.And the cost of a handkerchief is [-] taels, so as long as these five handkerchiefs can be sold for three taels of silver, Su Huiniang will be satisfied.After handing over the price to Wang Qilang, Su Huiniang ordered, "If the store lowers the price, you can just give in."

Wang Qilang showed disdain when he heard the words, and said with a snort: "Such a beautiful handkerchief, they won't accept it if they are blind."

This is a compliment!Su Huiniang shook her head helplessly, and said instead: "If you sell the money, then buy something back..." Su Huiniang talked about the things she wanted to buy one by one, and after a while, she took out five copper coins and stuffed them in the child's hand: " This is your fare. Every morning at the gate of the village there is an ox cart to the town. If you give the driver two copper coins, he will take you to the town. Also, you can buy some food by yourself at noon thing……"

Wang Qilang took the copper coins, raised his head suddenly, and looked at Su Huiniang with burning eyes: "Aren't you afraid that I will run away with the money?"

Su Huiniang was taken aback, and said firmly, "You won't!"

For some reason, Wang Qilang just felt hot in his heart. He was raised by nature. He was abandoned by others since birth. He has never been treated gently by others, let alone trusted by others, but this person...

As if feeling something, Su Huiniang raised her hand and patted his little head lightly, it's just a child!

At dawn the next day, Su Huiniang opened her eyes and walked around the room next to her.Sure enough, Wang Qilang was no longer there, she washed her face and closed the door, and then walked towards the main house.After walking for more than a quarter of an hour, I arrived at the place, and started to clean the yard as usual, chop up marsh vines and feed the pigs. After finishing these, I went to the back garden to dig a cabbage and started to make breakfast.In other words, it was Tian who did the cooking a few days ago, but the food she cooked was really unpalatable. Under the dissatisfaction of everyone, it became her job again in the end.But it's not completely useless, now that the work of weeding and watering the vegetable plots in the backyard has all been handed over to Tian, ​​so Su Huiniang has taken advantage of it.

Knead cornmeal and water vigorously to make a dough, then flatten and cut the noodles, use cabbage leaves as a choke pot, add water and boil until it boils, then put the rolled noodles in and wait for them to be cooked before removing them.Su Huiniang is setting the dishes here, and the members of the Wang family began to arrive one after another. Mrs. Pi is sitting on the bench with Bao'er in her arms and is lovingly lounging. Wang Dalang ate in silence, and Su Huiniang filled a bowl and was about to eat it, but Pi said, "Go and deliver bowls to Wuniang and Liulang..."

The corner of Su Huiniang's mouth twitched, knowing that what she said was 100% for herself.

After serving two bowls of noodles, Su Huiniang went to Wang Wuniang's first. The girl got up, but she didn't know what was wrong.I leaned against the window and sighed, frowning for a while, laughing stupidly for a while, and I don't know what kind of bewilderment it is.Su Huiniang just said: "Wu Niang has eaten." She put the bowl on the edge of the kang and walked away.Then, she went to Wang Liulang's room again, and as soon as she opened the door, the loud snoring sounded in her ears. Su Huiniang turned around and went back without stopping for a moment. When Mrs. Pi asked, she just said, Liulang still sleeping.After sending them off like this, when he sat at the table again, there was not a single noodle left in the pot, and even the bowl that Su Huiniang just gave him was swallowed in Tian's mouth.

Su Huiniang took a deep breath, and after everyone had finished eating, she began to clean up the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing that there was no one in the kitchen, she ate the bowl reserved for Wang Liulang without hesitation, and ate it very cleanly. Not a single leaf was left.

After Wang Liulang woke up, he yelled and cursed, but unfortunately, Su Huiniang had already gone to wash clothes by the stream with the tub, so she couldn't hear the scolding.After a day's work, Su Huiniang walked back holding the stars, she was thinking about Wang Qilang, and wondered if the child was sold?When they got home, Wang Qilang hadn't come back yet. Su Huiniang forced herself to light a candle and waited quietly. It wasn't until the middle of the night that there was a knock on the door.

"Why did you come back at this time?" Seeing the many things hanging on the little guy, Su Huiniang quickly helped to unload them.She lowered her head and glanced, only to find that he was still wearing the old pair of straw sandals, and at this time, half of the soles of the shoes had been worn away, and those feet were so black that no one could see him at all. skin tone.

"You came back?" Su Huiniang turned pale with shock.

From the village to the town, even if it is an ox cart, it takes a long time to get there. Can such a small child move his legs?
"It's okay!" Wang Qilang wiped the sweat on his face, carefully took out a small cloth from his arms, and opened it.In an instant, the light of Yinzi lit up in the dark room.

"One handkerchief was sold for two taels of silver, and five pieces totaled ten taels. It cost fifty copper coins to buy half a bag of rice, twenty copper coins for oil, salt, seasoning, etc., forty copper coins for a large copper lock, and a kitchen knife. Dishes..." Wang Qilang recited all the things he bought, and finally said: "There are seven taels of silver and 47 copper coins left, and the five you gave me yesterday, the total is..."

"Okay!" Su Huiniang interrupted him, looked at him and asked, "Where are the shoes I made for you? Why don't you wear them?"

Wang Qilang raised his eyebrows, and took out the pair of blue cloth shoes that Su Huiniang gave him yesterday from his bosom.

Some braggingly said: "It's not broken!"

Seeing him like this, Su Huiniang was really angry and sad.

Suppressing all kinds of feelings, she said softly: "Shoes are for wearing, otherwise what's the use of making them?"

Probably because he knew that he could sell things smoothly only if he dressed decently, so Wang Qilang put on the new clothes today.

"It should be broken!" Wang Qilang pouted and said childishly.

"It's broken, I'm making it for you."

"Really?" Wang Qilang's eyes lit up, and he looked at her burningly.

"It's more real than pearls!" Su Huiniang touched his little head: "It's really hard for you today, I'll get you something to eat, you can lie down on the kang and rest for a while." But after a while, wait for her to enter the room again At that time, Wang Qilang had already curled up and fell into a deep sleep.He sleeps in a strange posture, sitting instead of lying down, leaning against the corner of the wall like that, with his head buried in his knees, it looks pitiful.

Su Huiniang carried the child to the edge of the kang eaves, she might be too tired, the child who usually wakes up when the wind blows and grass, sleeps very deeply at this time.Su Huiniang entered the space, took out a bucket of hot spring water, and wiped the child's body carefully. Looking at the swollen calves and feet that looked like mallets, she sighed silently, and didn't sleep the whole night. Then rub it for him carefully.At dawn, she disposed of the dead chicken that Wang Qilang brought over, steamed it in a pot, cut some meat along the breast of the chicken, cooked white rice porridge, and when the rice became sticky, put The sliced ​​chicken was scattered in, and half a teaspoon of salt was added.

Just after finishing these, when I turned around, I saw Wang Qilang leaning against the door, looking at her eagerly.

"Are you awake? Go wash your face, let's eat." Su Huiniang said with a smile.

The child looked starving. Most of the porridge she cooked went into his stomach.

After the two finished eating, Su Huiniang cleaned the dishes and looked at the sky, knowing that she was about to go to work in the main house.

"this is for you!"

Wang Qilang looked at the key in his hand and blinked his eyes.

"This will be your home from now on." Su Huiniang squatted down slightly, looked him in the eyes and said, "My name is Su Huiniang, and I'm your fourth sister-in-law according to relationship, but neither of us likes the Wang family, so we don't like it." That's the line, if you want, you might as well call me Sister Hui and I'll call you Xiao Qi?"

Wang Qilang stared at her blankly, and after a while, he lowered his head and called out in a mosquito-like voice: "Sister Hui."

Su Huiniang raised her head and touched his little head, and called out lovingly: "Xiaoqi."

(End of this chapter)