Daming Grocer

Going forward, the cargo bearers by the pier kept shuttling, and laughed twice for a while: "I like this bustling and lively scene, Huaniang, let's make a home here, and I will support you."

Hua Niang didn't doubt the feasibility of what she said, but she always believed that the trustworthy people she knew had the ability to convince people no matter where they were.This feeling of being able to rely on, she has found in this thin and weak child next to her in this life.

So what if they were ragged and hungry, God let them arrive in Shu safely.This is God's will for them to live well, as long as there are people, there is always a way to live.

Twelve times

There are many wars in Yunnan and Sichuan, and there are many vacant houses in the suburban villages. Qijian and Huaniang found a woman surnamed Sun in front of her house. They heard that her man was drafted and left home when she was pregnant. He never came back after he left. Now the child is four years old, and he doesn't know whether the man is dead or alive.My parents-in-law passed away due to illness the year before last, and now the courtyard is empty.

The woman didn't point out that there would be someone to rent in this village, but now she heard the two people at the door and sighed: "They are all poor people. It seems that you are not a vicious person. You can live here, and you can live here." Give me the company of orphans and widowed mothers. As for the rent, you can pay if you have the money.”

The shelter is finally stable, and the basic daily necessities are still available in the house.Qijian and Huaniang got a meal from Aunt Sun, during which Qijian inquired whether the dock workers were easy to get a job now, and Huaniang asked what Aunt Sun did for a living.A single woman with a child alone can't carry it on her shoulders, she must have a job to survive.

Aunt Sun is also an enthusiastic person. In the years of war and chaos, no one felt bitter. She didn't ask Qijian and Huaniang whether they came to Sichuan because of fleeing famine or other reasons, but just answered their questions one by one.Nowadays, merchants from all over the world gather by the river in Fucheng, and there are jobs as long as they go.She lives by the handicraft of Shu brocade embroidery handed down by her natal family. It takes a long time for one person to complete a piece of Shu brocade embroidery. She and several women in the village work together to weave brocade at Mrs. Luo's house, and the proceeds from selling the brocade are paid as labor. Day counting.

Both Qijian and Huaniang heard this method for the first time, and found it novel. After careful questioning, they realized that this method is very feasible, because it is fair.Women and Taoists, there is nothing wrong with anyone. If you don't work for a day, you will be paid one day less than others. It is indeed fair.There are also novices among them, which is another algorithm.

Hua Niang immediately begged Aunt Sun to take her with her tomorrow, and Aunt Sun only thought about it and agreed: "It must be difficult for you young couple to come here for the first time, if you really want to learn, come with me tomorrow, but let me explain first, The things an apprentice can do are limited, and the wages he can get are also limited. If you..." "That's good, that's good." Hua Niang clenched Qi Jian's hand, and suddenly blushed. The painting she had previously comforted Qi Jian The day seems to be coming true.Now this person obviously chose to continue to live in men's clothing, then...

It was night, and Qijian borrowed some firewood from Aunt Sun’s house, and after Huaniang had finished taking a bath, she boiled water to wash herself. Her exhaustion was relieved in the bathtub, and she finally had time to sort out the journey along the way. thing.Scene after scene, it really seems like a world away.Now she is in Sichuan, where is her father, where is her mother, she doesn't know this life, but can she meet again...

The heat curled up, and the smoke made me almost sleepy. I felt something cold on my shoulders, and suddenly woke up. Looking back, Hua Niang was standing behind her in a middle coat and a coat, smiling softly.

"Seeing that you are very tired, let me give you a pinch. Keep your word, you are a woman after all, and pushing and pulling on the pier is hard work, you still..." She just said this, and Qijian took her hand casually and let her Stop talking, paused for a while and sighed: "It is a place where businesses gather, I must have my own intentions to go there. Shen Shouxin, he will not be a docker all his life, otherwise, how can he support you?" " She spoke casually and put her hands casually, but Hua Niang was frozen and could not move for a long time.

It was just dawn, Qi Jian had finished washing and washing, and the two of them had just found a place to stay, and they had no money to buy food, rice, oil and salt. Fortunately, Aunt Sun gave away two extra steamed buns from dinner yesterday.Hua Niang watched her swallowing hard with the cold water, her heart ached badly, but although her eyes were red, she never let the tears fall.

"I'll try to bring some rice and vegetables back tonight. You and Mrs. Sun and the others are apprentices, so don't be too tired." Qijian said and left. Huaniang watched her back disappear into the early morning mist, and finally shed tears. Still couldn't hold back and fell down.Another kind of difficulty in the world, now I have a deep understanding, but I feel very at ease in my heart.

Although they were emaciated, several of the workers on the dock had flesh on their bodies, and they were all very thin.As Aunt Sun said, it is very easy to get jobs. The dock workers here are controlled by people under the Water Transport Envoy. If you want to get jobs, you have to listen to their arrangements. You have to move whatever they ask you to do. from deducting commissions.Although it is unfair, but what can be done, now penniless.

For the whole morning, Qijian felt that her whole body was numb after carrying and pulling. When she heard the leader calling for dinner, she looked at the crowd running towards the food shed in a daze, and some of them didn't react.The people passing by saw her stupid look, and pushed her: "What are you doing! You idiot! If you don't go, you will be robbed!"

Those in charge of the meal distribute porridge and rice, and they eat vegetable leaves every day. People who have needed strength for many years can't bear this, so they only eat these for newcomers. Those who have been cooking for a while go to the food stalls on the pier. eat.Although the food is not very good, it is all stewed with offal, but it is rich in oil and water.

Qijian took a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns and walked aside, looked at the passing merchant ships, and at the food stalls above, thinking a bit.Opportunity requires an opportunity, otherwise, you will not be able to turn around.

It was already dark when Hua Niang returned home, and it was impossible to light up the oil lamp at home, so she called Shou Xin a few times, fearing that she would fall asleep on the bed from exhaustion, but she didn't hear the echo.Just as I was in a hurry, I heard the courtyard door being creaked open again, and a man walked in with a bunch of things on his back.

The fire was lit in the stove, and Hua Niang was cooking while holding back her sobs.Qijian's hands and feet were injured, the wounds were scratched by weeds and branches when she couldn't see the road clearly when she was going to collect firewood. Although they were not serious, they were enough to make her feel distressed.

Seeing her staring at him, Qijian let out a hey: "Are you worried about coming back late? It's my fault that I didn't explain it to you in the morning. This dish is sold out and not sold. I think it's okay, let's make do with it. It will be fine in a few days." Hua Niang just hummed, then lowered her head and concentrated on cooking.There are many spices in Sichuan and Sichuan, such as prickly ash, which can be grown by every household and stored. Aunt Sun gave some.Hua Niang added these prickly ash to the discarded internal organs brought back by Qijian to remove the fishy smell, and gradually she could smell a very fragrant smell.

I enjoy eating a full meal more than anything else. Today I bought rice with wages and added lamp oil, and there is nothing left.Although it was expensive to boil water to take a bath, Qijian knew very well that she didn't like a sticky girl. She would boil the water and wait for her to soak in it, and then brought something over. Before Qijian could ask, she said: " Aunt Sun’s family has stored soap locusts, and I added some dried mint that Aunt Luo gave to me to make soap locusts, you can use them, it should be refreshing.”

Qijian took the soap locust block and smelled it again and again. It smelled very good. After rubbing some on the back of his hand and rubbing it with water, it was really different.When I was at the Cao family, I also saw the saponins they used. It was expensive, but the ones I saw back then were not as good as the ones made by Huaniang herself. This feeling is completely different.Maybe they used acacia instead of soap locust, sure enough, it is better to use this as a base?

Seeing her fascinated by holding a piece of saponin, Hua Niang stretched out her hand to pinch her nose in a funny way, but suddenly her hand was held.That feeling made her blush again, but the man was still holding a piece of soap root in a daze.After a long time, Qijian stood up abruptly from the water: "You mean that the soap pods are stored by Aunt Sun's family? That means there is a good harvest here?"

After a long time of not replying, Qijian noticed that he was standing naked in the water, his face was burning, and he quickly sat back down.

The night was hazy, Hua Niang couldn't sleep, the scene just now was churning in her mind.In fact, Qijian is still a child, her letter date has not yet come, and her body is still childlike because of the tossing all the way, but for some reason, it is that body that makes her brain twitch, and her whole body burns badly.

After taking a bath in hot water, Qijian felt sore all over her body and couldn't fall asleep. Hearing the sound of tossing and turning around her, she asked doubtfully, "Is Hua Niang so tired that she can't sleep because of her soreness?" Feeling ashamed, he swallowed and said: "I'll press you, and you lie down." After speaking, she leaned forward, but she met a pair of clear eyes.

For a moment, thousands of words were turned into nothingness, and I felt my mouth was dry, and I unconsciously moved to those lips, as if there was a sweet spring there.

The lips and teeth are lingering, and the kiss is deep without knowing what to say.

When Hua Niang heard the slightly heavy breathing, her whole body trembled, her hands and feet tensed up, as if she had never been sucked, as if she would be melted into water in the next second.The fingers were a little afraid but wanted to grab the person on the body very much, probing back and forth, and finally clung to the shoulder.

Before going to sleep, I heard the man say: This feels so reassuring.For some reason, I want to cry inexplicably.When the person fell asleep, he stroked her back with his hand, and felt that this feeling was really reassuring.

As if she had gained some strength, Qi Jian was full of energy all morning, and she just sat there with a dumb smile during the break, which caused the workers to come and tease her about what good things she got last night, and asked her to blush.

A few people were resting there, when they suddenly heard a noise, looking for the sound, there was a circle of people in front, it seemed that something happened.Looking over, it turned out that a porter accidentally overturned two loads of tea leaves, and now the oiled paper fell to the ground.