A ragged cub at the beginning

July held the bamboo tube and drank the sweet soup happily.

It was lunchtime, so there were hardly any people around. Tang Xu held his chin up and stared at Qiyue in a daze.

There was a small argument coming from the porcelain stall. Tang Xu looked over and saw the man arguing with a woman. The woman seemed reluctant. After a long while, the two came over together. "Miss, please draw a picture of me and my wife."

Tang Xu, who was doing the business, stood up happily and said, "Okay! Fifteen cents per person. We are all neighbors. How about charging you twenty-five cents today?"

When the woman heard this, she refused in panic: "No, no, I'll just draw you alone? It'll be ten cents more for one more person."

"That's enough. How can a couple only draw one person?" The man looked a little impatient and directly gave the copper coins to Tang Xu. Seeing that there were not enough benches, he moved another one from his stall, and the couple sat side by side. The woman was probably not used to it, and her expression was awkward and cramped.

"Ma'am, relax. Your husband loves you so much. This portrait can be preserved for a long time once it is painted." Tang Xu comforted her with a few words.

"Look, how beautiful. Let's keep it for when we are old." Jiang Quan took the portrait, but it didn't look like his wife. It's not like his wife. But his wife was smiling in the portrait, but he hadn't seen her smile for a long time. "You look so beautiful when you smile."

Mrs. Jiang blushed, but was also very happy. Because she had been married for many years and had no news of pregnancy, her mother-in-law was very dissatisfied with her. She had not been happy for a long time, but this girl drew her smiling face. "Thank you, girl."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're all satisfied." Tang Xu said with a smile. Today's lunch was worth it.

"Satisfied, satisfied, the painting is really good." Jiang Quan pulled his wife back, and the stall owner on the other side came over curiously to take a look. "This is only fifteen cents?"

"Fifteen cents per person, thirty cents for two people." Jiang Quan looked at the portrait with a smile on his face.

"The two of us..." Jiang Quan's wife was about to speak when Jiang Quan bumped her arm. She glanced at her husband and said nothing more.

"It's so cheap. I think the calligraphy and paintings of that scholar are very valuable." Someone said.

"Not only is it cheap, but the people are also well drawn. They really look like them."

Because they were unfamiliar with the place, many people were curious about Tang Xu's stall, but because she was a girl, they didn't go near it.

At this moment, someone became the first person to come forward, and many people came over, crowding around Jiang Quan to watch. Jiang Quan was very precious, and could only be looked at, not touched.

Many stalls were empty at once, but Jiang Quan's stall was crowded with people. Many people were tempted when they heard the price. It was only fifteen cents. If the painting was well preserved, it could be enjoyed for many years. It was a good deal.

They looked around and several people walked to Tang Xu's stall.

"Girl, please draw one for me too."

"Girl, will you come tomorrow? I want to draw a picture for my parents."

"Girl, I draw too."

"Is it really only fifteen cents?"

Tang Xu answered the questions one by one. Finally, three people lined up and waited for their portraits.

Tang Xu didn't show it on her face, but she was very happy in her heart. Not only did she get her booth fee back, she also had a surplus. She looked back at Qiyue, who was playing with the bamboo tube.

She tore off a piece of paper and gave him a pen. "July, can you draw with this?"

Qiyue had nothing to do, so he nodded happily. He didn't have a table, so he could only draw on his legs.

After settling July, Tang Xu started to work.

After the three paintings were finished, a circle of passers-by gathered around the stall. It turned out that they were the stall owner who had just received the paintings. She felt that she had paintings and was somewhat educated, so she showed them off everywhere and attracted many customers to her.

From ancient times to the present, people like to watch the excitement. The more people here, the more people will come. Many people don’t think the painting is so good, but think it is strange for a girl to paint for a man on the street.

Some old-fashioned people pointed at Tang Xu and shouted that he was immoral.

Tang Xu ignored it and explained it seriously to those who really wanted to have their portrait drawn.

By the time he closed the stall at dusk, Tang Xu's hands were so weak that he could barely lift three stools. But as he touched the purse on his chest, his smile never dropped.

When she passed by the carpenter's shop, she went in again. "Boss, I need to make something else."

"Still need to do it? What to do?" The boss was a little surprised. Didn't he just come here in the morning? However, he was naturally more than happy to have business coming to his door.

"Make a car." Tang Xu picked up a piece of paper and drew a picture of a car. It should be rectangular and half a person's height. There should be a drawer on the top to store paper, pens, cups and other sundries, and a cabinet on the bottom to hold an easel, a stool, and an umbrella. There should be wheels at the bottom and brakes to keep it fixed so it can't be pushed when it stops. "Can you do it?"

The boss nodded and said, "With such clear drawings, it is of course possible, but this car will take at least three days."

"Okay, how much?" Tang Xu asked.

The boss calculated the size and materials and said, "It's just a cabinet with wheels. I'll charge you 500 coins, and a deposit of 50 coins."

"Okay." Tang Xu paid readily.

Arriving at Zhou's Cloth Shop, she limped in. Wang Xiaofang saw her and hurried over to greet her, "Where are you coming from?"

"I'm setting up a stall." Tang Xu replied with a smile, and poked Qiyue again, "Hello, Grandma Wang."

July called out in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Hello, Grandma Wang."

"Hey, hey, you're good too, so nice." Wang Xiaofang responded with a smile, grabbing a handful of melon seeds from the counter, "Come, grandma will treat you to some melon seeds."

July looked up at Tang Xu, and seeing her nod, she stretched out her little hand to take it and thanked him softly.

"You are so lovely. Your clothes will be ready tomorrow. Grandma will send them to you then." Wang Xiaofang looked at him with a smile, and then asked Tang Xu: "Are you here for something else?"

"There is something I want you to help me sew a few cloth bags, this size will do." Tang Xu compared the size, "I need two straps, so that it can be carried on the back, for our July-month-old child. And make me one that can be carried diagonally, and wrap it here," she compared her waist and told the size again.

Wang Xiaofang nodded. "Okay, this is easy. Are you in a hurry? If you are, I can make it for you tomorrow morning."

It would be best if it could be done faster, Tang Xu thanked him happily. Cloth bags are easy to sew and do not require very good materials. Aunt Wang only charged twenty cents for the cloth.

After returning home, Dong Wanwan invited her to dinner again, saying that her man had returned and they wanted to celebrate.

If it were any other time, it would have been fine, but there was a man she didn't know and Tang Xu didn't want to be embarrassed so she didn't agree and took July home.

For dinner, I made a pot of clear soup noodles with pork lard and fried eggs. It was simple and delicious.

After eating, I remembered that I didn’t take the medicine at noon in July, but then I thought that these are for conditioning the body. As long as I change the medicine on the toes every day, the impact should not be big.

After dinner, Fang Zijun came over and happily shared with July the new spinning top his father brought back.

Just as the class was about to start, Du Jiarui was led over by an old lady. It turned out that Fang Zijun had told him the time to study, and the old lady was worried about her grandson coming out at this time, so she followed him.

Madam Du was an old lady who looked a little serious. She had a different temperament from ordinary people and gave people the impression of a pampered young lady. But she spoke in a very kind and gentle voice, which made people feel very comfortable.

When the children were in class, she sat aside and watched with a smile. When Tang Xu asked the children to rest and play, she nodded at Tang Xu and said that this was the way it should be. It is best for children to learn in moderation.

When Tang Xu returned the paper and pen before leaving, the old lady said she wanted to give him some tuition. Tang Xu was unwilling to do so, as he was just teaching casually and charging money was too formal, and the teaching hours were too short.

The old lady smiled and pushed the paper and pen back, saying, "It is righteous for Miss Tang not to covet money, but we cannot let Miss Tang's righteousness fall to the ground."

Tang Xu couldn't find any words to refute and could only accept it.

The next day, Tang Xu did not go to set up the stall. She carried a backpack and went shopping with July.

You need to bring water when setting up a stall. There are no kettles or thermos cups here, so I bought two small jars and cooked some mung bean soup and white fungus soup with me. It can clear heat and quench thirst. I chose ceramic jars, which are cheap, only five cents each, and I don’t mind if they are broken. The cups don’t need to be too good, I bought two bamboo cups, so they won’t fall.

I also need an umbrella that is tall and big enough to be placed on the car or on the ground to provide shade. I have to go to the carpenter's shop and ask them to make a heavy wooden block to hold the umbrella.

I also need to buy some snacks and dried fruits so that I can fill my stomach when July gets hungry.

After all the shopping, it didn't seem like she was setting up a stall to make money, but more like an autumn picnic. But it was true, she was going to make money, and July was going on a picnic.

She smiled and purred July's short hair. July was chewing a small piece of snack. His little head was rubbed and the snack went into his nose. He was not angry. He used his little hands to put the snack into his mouth. He thought his mother wanted to eat his snack too, so he held it up to feed her.

Tang Xu had a bad intention and ate all the snacks in one gulp, "Mmm, it's really delicious."

July was stunned, looked at his empty fingers, and had a confused look on his face, showing no reaction.

Tang Xu thought he was going to cry, and was about to comfort him again. But Qiyue raised her little face and said with a smile: "Qiyue also thinks it's delicious." After saying that, he licked his fingers that were stained with snack residue and continued to walk forward without caring.

What a sweetheart! My son is so cute! Tang Xu rushed to the front, held his face and kissed him, then swiftly took out a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

Qiyue was kissed in a daze, and before she could feel shy, she smiled as she had something delicious in her mouth.

The two of them found a restaurant for lunch at noon. The taste was not amazing, just average. However, the pickled pork with preserved vegetables was very good. July ate so much that she didn't want to put down the bowl. Her belly was round and bulging, like a small watermelon.

But she didn't know if it was Tang Xu's illusion, as if someone was always looking at her. The gaze was following her like a shadow, but she suddenly turned back several times and didn't notice anything unusual.

Could it be a killer from the Tang Clan?

She cautiously took Qiyue home, and just as they got home, someone knocked on the door. She quickly pushed Qiyue back to the room and opened the door herself.

"Xiao Xu, I called you several times just now." Wang Xiaofang was carrying a big bag and was slightly panting as if she had just exercised.

Tang Xu quickly apologized, "Ah? I didn't hear you, sorry." She felt like someone was following her, so she hurried back and didn't hear anyone calling her at all.

"I have sewn the bag you want for you." Wang Xiaofang opened the bag she was carrying, and inside were four bags, one large and three small. Tang Xu took a look and found that the size was about what she expected, and it fit well after she put it on her back.

She called July to test it, and everything was fine. "Very good, thank you for your hard work, Auntie. Oh, by the way, I have something else to trouble you with."

"Anything else?" Wang Xiaofang raised her eyebrows in surprise, and then said cheerfully, "Okay, okay, tell me, and I promise to do it well for you."

"Auntie, please come in first. I have to draw it for you." Tang Xu let the person in, took a paper and pen, drew a few strokes, and then mixed the colors and colored it.

Wang Xiaofang frowned as she looked at it. She had never seen anything like it before. "What, what is this?"

As Tang Xu was coloring, he explained, "It's a doll, stuffed with cotton so the child can hold it while sleeping at night."

"Well... young people are ingenious, but isn't July a boy? He also plays with this?" Wang Xiaofang praised, but she was still surprised! Dolls are usually played by little girls. And this kind of doll was the first time she saw one. It looked like a monkey, but it was wearing clothes, which was really weird.

"Okay! Can this be done?" The puppet didn't need to be too complicated, and Tang Xu finished drawing it in a short while, and handed it to Aunt Wang to show her.

Aunt Wang looked at it carefully and nodded, "It can be done. Just use some scraps of cloth and some money for the cotton. Just give me ten cents."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Tang Xu gave the money and said, "If you have a lot of scraps of cloth in your shop, you can sew some dolls and put them on the counter. Maybe someone will want them."

Wang Xiaofang smiled and nodded, but she didn't care in her heart. As a mother, there is no one who doesn't know how to sew. If the child wants it, she can sew one at home. Who would buy this?

Tang Xu saw what she meant and didn't try to persuade her. But she had always been grateful to Aunt Wang, and now thinking of this, she said, "I'll draw a few for you. If you're interested, try sewing a few."

Wang Xiaofang couldn't refuse after hearing that, not to mention that the man was really kind. Free things didn't cost money, and there were plenty of scraps of cloth to make clothes. She could just sew a doll by herself in the shop, so she nodded and agreed, "That's really troublesome, I'll give it a try. If I make some money, I'll give you some."

“No need.” Tang Xu picked up the pen and drew a few classic doll images that are popular in modern times, each of which was very cute.

Wang Xiaofang watched her sketch out cute little animals with just a few strokes, and praised her sincerely, "You are such a good painter."

Tang Xu smiled but said nothing. Qiyue was absorbed in watching from the side. Her little finger was stroking in the air, as if she was learning from him.

After Aunt Wang left, Tang Xu felt a little tired, so he boiled July's medicine and gave it to him to drink, then held him in his arms and took a nap.

She seemed to hear a strange sound in her dream, like something heavy falling to the ground. What fell? July! She woke up suddenly and touched July. The little guy was still lying in bed.