Rebirth Delay

In the town, every three and nine is a big market, and every five and ten is a small market.This day is September 9rd, the third day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, just in time for Daji.

At six o'clock in the morning, early hawkers in Anxi Town began to occupy their berths.

Shi Yan was busy wrapping potstickers the night before, and went to bed late. He sent Xu Ze to school in the morning, and by the time he rode a tricycle to the town, it was nearly nine o'clock.But the time delay is not in a hurry, he knows that he must not be able to catch up with the breakfast time, so he might as well be later.

When he arrived in town, Shi Yan didn't bother to squeeze other people's stalls, he just found a place behind their shoe stalls and started to light a fire.At this time, gas was rare, and charcoal stoves were used, burning briquettes.

Shi Yan lifted the charcoal stove to a leeward place, stuffed some small pieces of wood into the ventilation hole at the bottom, lit a ball of straw, stuffed it under the wood piece, blew on it, and the fire started.Three briquettes were piled up, and the fire rose up after a while, the vent was blocked, and it was carried back to the car.

Heat a pan and pour oil.

Hold the handle of the pot and lift it up, heat the oil over low heat, not too hot, then put the pot stickers in, and fry for 3 minutes after the oil is hot.Next, add a little flour-mixed water until half of the pot stickers are submerged, then open the vent and boil the water on high heat, then close the vent and turn to low heat, and cover with the lid.After waiting for 5 or 6 minutes, the water boiled dry.Uncover the lid, turn the iron pan continuously to fry the pot stickers until the bottom is golden brown, and when they are a little burnt, they can be taken out of the pan and eaten.

The time delay had already been tried the night before, so it wasn't too much of a hassle.The fillings in the pot stickers are all local ingredients from Sun Xiu’s family. One is stuffed with leek yolk and egg, and the other is stuffed with green vegetables and shiitake mushrooms. They are all very simple and simple.

Time Delay, a teenage boy, has attracted the attention of the people around him since he opened the stall, and it is even more curious to see him busy in an orderly manner.After Shi Yan took some action, the first pot stickers came out of the pot, and the crispy aroma attracted everyone's attention.

Shi Yan deliberately picked one up with chopsticks and stuffed it into his gaping mouth.This step was done very slowly, and Shi Yan even turned the pot stickers around very seriously, checking whether the color on the back was golden enough.After watching it for a long time, I seemed to be satisfied, so I swallowed it in one gulp.Immediately, as if being scalded, he inhaled and exhaled, but then he showed a look of great enjoyment, screaming and screaming slowly, as if he was eating some delicious food.

This pretense is still useful.

Soon, children who smelled the fragrance surrounded them, looking at the pot stickers eagerly.

The aunts who were dragged by the children and refused to let go had no choice but to stop. Looking at the bright and white skin in the pot, the bottom was fried golden and beautiful, emitting bursts of fragrance. Dumplings?"

Shi Yan shook his head and smiled, "No, it's called pot stickers."

"How did you sell it?" The aunt followed the child's wishes and asked.

"Selling by the catty, the plain one costs one tael for two yuan, and one tael is about five."

"It's so expensive?!" the aunt said in surprise.

Shi Yan smiled shyly and remained silent.

"What kind of pot stickers?" The aunt smiled suspiciously, "This is obviously fried dumplings."

"What's the difference? Tell us about it." While watching the bustling insole stall owner sitting in front of his stall, he yelled over here.

Shi Yan replied, "The pot stickers are raw, and the fried dumplings are cooked. So there is soup in the pot stickers, but not in the fried dumplings. One side of the pot stickers is burnt and the other is tender, so it can be dipped in chili sauce or garlic, but the fried dumplings are not good. It’s unpalatable. The fried dumplings are crispy, but the potstickers are tender and soft, which is more suitable for children.”

"Yo, you kid, you're still talking about something like that." The aunt looked around at the pot stickers, and didn't rush when she saw the time delay. She took out the pot stickers and fried them again, feeling itchy.He didn't say buy, but he didn't leave either. He took the two children and stared at it without blinking.

"Oh, you just ask, but don't buy. It's expensive, but children can lie to you. I think the leather lining is solid enough. If you think it's expensive, you can buy less and try it first," said the insole seller. The middle-aged uncle smiled innocently, "The child is almost drooling."

The aunt held the money in her hand tightly, and when she lowered her head, she saw two babies hugging one thigh, looking at her beggingly, and couldn't help laughing, "Forget it, I don't know what it feels like, that's all." If you want to eat it, it’s probably just a taste of something new.”

The aunt had already counted the money to buy it, but he still wanted to ask for a bargain. Shi Yan pursed his lips and smiled, and didn't refute anything. When the aunt counted the four yuan, he packed ten pot stickers and weighed them. It was a little taller, so I handed it over.

Each of the two boys squeezed one, stuffed it hastily into their mouths, and chewed heavily.

"Slow down, be careful of burning!" the aunt said anxiously, watching the two children finish eating one and pulling the bag, she couldn't help asking, "Is it delicious?"

The two children were sincere and nodded fiercely.

The aunt could not help pinching a potsticker with her hand, took a bite, um, the filling was firm enough, the skin was tender, fragrant and crispy, and it was really delicious. After eating one, she compared her thumbs for the time delay. Some embarrassed smile.

Latency doesn't matter.

In the snack stalls and snack shops of this year, they are willing to put vegetables, but they are reluctant to put meat and oil.And the dishes may not be very fresh.

It is natural that the first taste will be amazing when you suddenly eat such a generous dish.

But this amazement will not last long.

After the aunt left, Shi Yan filled a bowl with a few pot stickers and gave them to the uncle insole next door.The insole uncle was a little surprised that he still understood the rules, but he didn't say much. He nodded with a smile, and then greeted people while eating, so that passers-by couldn't help but glance into his bowl.

Then, more and more people bought pot stickers.It didn’t sell as well as expected. Most people think it’s too expensive, and they bought it to try something new, but few regretted it. Some children went around the market and came back to see the time-delayed stall. , but adults will not buy it anymore.

At around two o'clock in the afternoon, the collection was basically scattered.Shi Yan drove back slowly on his bike. He didn't prepare many pot stickers on the first day, and they didn't sell quickly. Before he left, there was a little left over, which was bought by the insole uncle.

The income is not too much, the vegetable money, the oil money, the condiment money, the briquette money are basically back, but there is still a long way to go.

The chain of the bike started rattling when I was riding, and the delay was a bit helpless.He bought this three-handed tricycle from Lao Deng. When he first saw it, the wheels were crooked, and it was better if Lao Deng helped him straighten it.With such a large movement of the chain, it is estimated that it should be oiled.

The road leading to the town is an asphalt road. There are not many cars on the road, and there are more Mazdas that carry passengers.There are also some large trucks for escorting criminals. Two armed policemen stand in the truck, with guns on their shoulders and cold faces, escorting a criminal with his hands handcuffed in the truck and wearing a black hood. It looks quite scary.

There is also a wedding car, with a big knot or flat basket tied on the front, and a big red happy letter on the window.This kind of car is most likely to be stopped by others, and sometimes it has to be stopped several times in the road.Of course, some bridegrooms are smart and always change cars along the way. In the end, no one knows where the groom is except the driver.

On both sides of the road are ditches and crop fields, and on the other side are villages. The scenery is very good during the transition season of summer and autumn.

To sum up, it is an extremely quiet and peaceful countryside.

When we arrived at the entrance of the village, we also caught up with Fengxiao Street.The bridge is very lively, there is not even a guardrail, and people are still quite crowded.Shi Yan still remembered a dream once, and dreamed that he was pushed off the bridge and smashed into the water without even splashing.

After returning to Sun Xiu's house, Shi Yan wasn't too tired.He stopped the car, washed his face, talked to Sun Xiu who was waiting in the yard, packed some sugar, and waited under the big sycamore tree at the gate of Sunjiacun Primary School.

The owner of the small shop in front of the primary school is a fat man, wearing a vest with large flowered pants, he came out to pour water, saw Shi Yan at first glance, moved out a stool, sat next to Shi Yan, and put on a gesture of chatting.

"Hey, this is to pick up younger brothers and sisters." The fat man stood on tiptoe, took off his shoes and knocked the sand outside.

"Yeah." Time delay nodded.

The man looks very rich, with a protruding beer belly in the shape of those corrupt officials in later generations, single eyelids and small eyes that look careless, big nose, thick lips, and two thick and long earlobes, like Maitreya Buddha .

"How old is it?" the man asked.

"Thirteen."

The man might as well chuckle, "I'm still a child."

The delay is silent.

The man spoke again, "I've thought about it. In my whole life, I can't be trapped by walking. Sooner or later I have to get out of here. Do you want to rent this small shop?"

He turned his head to look at Shi Yan with a scrutinizing expression.

"I thought about it before." Shi Yan said frankly.

"Well, your Uncle Tang told me about this, but he didn't say it's dead, but it depends on what you plan to do." The man took out a cigarette from the pocket of his big pants, flung out one and lit it. He put it in his mouth and stuffed the cigarette case back.

Shi Yan really didn't expect Tang Anmin to be the lobbyist.He originally guessed it was the younger brother or Sun Chen, and wanted to kill him (help), so he mentioned him to the man and asked him to find a way.

"Hahaha, Uncle Tang is right and you are wrong," the man took a deep puff of cigarette, exhaled a puff of perfect eye circles, and smiled triumphantly, "You have to remember it well."

"Wait for four or five years," the man sighed. "When my son is stable over there, I will rent this shop to you. I'll go over there to find a job. Hey, I don't know where the city is. What is life like?"

Time delay shook his head.

"What?" the fat man wondered.

"I can't wait for five years." Suddenly a bell rang in the school, and Shi Yan looked into the school. "Two years at most. I will definitely earn money and leave here."

The fat man wanted to ask again, but when he saw Shi Yan's focused searching eyes, he was a little shocked for a moment.Following Shi Yan's line of sight, he looked back, and then a beautiful child ran out bouncingly with a small schoolbag on his back.

"Brother - brother -" the child shouted loudly.

Suddenly the fat man understood why when Shi Yan was sitting under the tree, he would involuntarily walk towards him.Because on such a not-so-broad figure, it seems that he has a responsibility like himself, which makes a boy a man.

However, his expression was not anxious, but gentle, even with a hint of enjoyment, as if he was completely intoxicated in such waiting, such warm light of autumn evening.

The child threw himself into the boy's arms, like a stone smashing through a lake of bright stars.

"Brother," Xu Ze hugged Shi Yan's neck and panted heavily, laughing while panting, "I thought my brother wouldn't come to pick me up again."

Hot air gathered around the neck in puffs, Shi Yan pulled Xu Ze out, kissed on the cheek, and then smiled and said: "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Apart from making money, I only have you. No Come and wait for you, what am I doing at home?"

"Hey." Xu Ze snickered.

A group of children arrived late.Shi Yan handed the candy in his pocket to Xu Ze, watched Xu Ze divide the candy, and then bid farewell to his friends one by one.

When everyone left, Shi Yan stood up, took Xu Ze's hand and walked home.

"Brother." Xu Ze withdrew his hand, carried the schoolbag to the front, unzipped it, and groped carefully.

"What are you looking for, go home and look for it." Shi Yan glanced at it.

Xu Ze shook his head, pulled out a large white paper from inside, then raised his hands up, and brought it in front of Shi Yan.

Shi Yan took a closer look and saw colorful flowers painted on the paper, as well as many little butterflies and figurines with various hair and clothes.In the middle, there are three big characters written with a watercolor pen, "selling pot stickers".The rose-red characters are painted in gold, which is very eye-catching.

There is a small golden spot in each of Xu Ze's eyes, shining brightly.

"Xiao Ze, who taught you how to write?" Shi Yan suppressed his thoughts, after all, he actually didn't want Xu Ze to be obsessed with his earning money all the time.He hoped that he would be happy and play with the children, attend classes without any worries, do what a child of this age should do, and think about what a child of this age should think.

"During art class, I asked the teacher." Xu Ze raised his delicate face proudly, "The teacher said that I draw very well."

"Why did you draw this?" Shi Yan's face was calm.

"I asked my aunt, and she said that I am too young to help my brother, but I can do some things that I can do." Xu Ze's eyebrows curved, "This thing will make my brother happy. Then I thought , Draw this for my brother and stick it on the car, so I don’t have to shout.”

"Oh, by the way, Tongtong also helped. You see, he drew this little butterfly. And this little girl, haha, he actually drew six fingers for her. I said he made a mistake, and he I still don't admit it." Xu Ze explained to Shi Yan repeatedly, who drew this one, and who added a touch to that one.

Looking deeply at Xu Ze with a flushed face, Shi Yan fell into a kind of empty happiness for a moment.It's like the kind of dripping and carefree, continuous and continuous, like the stone blocking the cave was washed away, and then the sweet spring water rushed out all at once.