Pan Jinlian's petty bourgeoisie life

, Qianzhang louver and dried tofu are all ready, winter melon, winter bamboo shoots, cabbage, leek, lotus root, etc. should also be prepared, as well as freshly sliced ​​thin lamb slices. If you don’t have time to cook on the first day of the new year, you can eat hot pot. "

Pan Jinlian counted what to buy with her fingers. Since it was Chinese New Year, there must be excitement.Chai Wu remembered all of them in his heart, thought for a while, and then replied:

"Food is the next best thing. It's just that the wife's gift must be properly prepared, and the two young wives and the girl at home also need to take care of it. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you at home."

"Anyway, if we send them off, we may not be able to look at us in the right eyes, so why spend such a waste of money."

Although Pan Jinlian felt that she shouldn't be as knowledgeable as a group of housewives, recalling their methods of making things difficult for her, she also felt aggrieved.Just wanting to think about it, but also carefully calculated in my heart, I smiled and said:

"It is said that the lady believes in Buddhism. I think there were [-] newly arrived giant clam and agate beads in a shop when we came. Why don't you buy this for her. As for the two young wives and the girl who lives in the house One person, one piece, neither good nor bad, neither expensive nor cheap, and no distinction between closeness and closeness, so it’s all right if they can’t find fault.”

"That's exactly what I thought, so we went down here, first cut the material to make new clothes, and then went to the market to buy things at the corner, and when we came back, we passed by the jewelry shop to prepare the gifts."

Chai Wu asked the owner of the stall to buy two bowls of freshly made tea soup. The thick tea soup was served, and sesame salt, walnut kernels, and green and red silk were sprinkled on the wrists. Pan Jinlian had never eaten this kind of thing, which was very interesting. I tasted it and thought it was delicious, so I ate up the whole bowl.Chai Wu didn't eat much, but just watched her eating deliciously, poured his own bowl into Pan Jinlian's bowl, and said with a smile:

"I knew that you women like to eat sweet things. The tea soup here is famous for its deliciousness, so I wanted to bring you here a long time ago, but I didn't expect it to be delayed until now."

"It's really delicious. If no one is looking at me, I can eat another bowl, but it's fine in front of you. If you have nightmares in the future and dream that this woman is too good to eat, I can't bear it. Okay. , you will account, we have to go to the tailor shop to cut new clothes for you. It's almost noon."

Hearing that Chai Wu brought her here on purpose, Pan Jinlian didn't feel a little sweet and sour in her heart, her face was also slightly red, and she joked.Chai Wu gave the money with a smile, helped her up, and the two walked slowly along the street to a small tailor shop. Pan Jinlian picked azure and sapphire cotton yarn materials for Chai Wu. White and clean, wearing blue is more suitable for the appearance of a scholar who is gentle and polite.The tailor over there had already measured the size, and Pan Jinlian ordered them to embroider it with dark green bamboo and rolled it with black edges, so it looked better.They also picked up a piece of black-gray brocade material and asked them to make a single long gown according to the latest pattern. It will be worn in the spring of the new year, and it will not be dirty when walking around. The black beads were pressed on the collar, and it didn't look depressing, but it seemed somewhat solemn.

Chai Wu walked out of the inner room while packing his belt and clothes, and said to Pan Jinlian with a smile:

"Why don't you help me, you can choose a few. I saw that the dress with the big moon-white hibiscus flower pattern on it looks very good. I will make it look good for you."

Pan Jinlian looked along what he pointed, and it turned out that this tailor shop also sold some ready-made clothes, which were hung on the wall for display.It was a moon-white brocade skirt embroidered with large hibiscus flowers, peach red ruffles, a five-color silk ribbon, and a circle of butterfly flowers. It was pretty, but the price was not cheap.Thinking that I still have a box of clothes piled up there, it seems that I don’t need this new one, so I shirked:

"Just leave it to you this year. I haven't worn the new clothes in that closet yet. Why bother wasting money? The material will be worn out next year. Why don't you just think about it and make it again in a few days."

The tailor just saw Pan Jinlian's face, and he couldn't help being stunned. Chai Wu immediately lowered his face, blocked it, and said with a sneer:

"I'm afraid the shopkeeper is tired and stunned, but if you do business like this, we won't take care of it. Presumably the business here is so good, it's not bad for us to send money here."

As he said that, he actually wanted to drag Pan Jinlian out. The tailor smiled and apologized, thinking that he might lose his reputation if he lost his temper for a while. After all, there are also some female customers here who come to make clothes, so he hurriedly lowered the price.Pan Jinlian looked at the sky, and at this time, if she changed to another family, she might delay the matter, so she quietly pulled it away, and finally settled the matter.

The two walked out of the shop, but Chai Wu had a gloomy expression on his face. After walking for a while, he said:

"Jinlian, it's better for you to come out less in the future, I think I don't like you being seen outside."

Pan Jinlian couldn't help but burst out laughing, he was eating endless vinegar, but he patted him on the back and coaxed him with a smile:

"I see, if you don't come out for nothing in the future, wouldn't it be okay?"

"Just ask Yinger that girl to come out if you have something to do. In a few days, I'll be looking for a boy in his teens who just happens to help you with some physical work. It won't save that girl Yinger from feeling lonely without a companion. Okay. Half of the side room where things are stored at home is empty, as long as the middle is blocked, people can live in it.”

Chai Wu thought for a while as he walked, and then he said what had been buried in his heart for the past few days.He always felt that it was not good to have an extra little girl in the yard, and he needed another boy to reconcile the yin and yang, not to mention that if he went out, he would need a boy to support his family at home. Don't worry, only those in their teens are just right.Thinking about it, I couldn't help but clenched my fist on the other hand:

"That's right, that's how it should be. I'll go to Yazi to find one after the new year. Of course, it would be better if you added a kid to me earlier. After the new year, I should think about it."

Seeing him so serious, Pan Jinlian blushed, spat and said:

"It's not too embarrassing to talk about these things on the street. It's all for the future. We should buy things first and go back."

In addition, it is good for a person to have a helper, but people's hearts are separated, so it is better not to say whether this person is good or bad.As for the addition of a boy, it's not up to her to decide. This person is like a wolf every day, so why should she take the initiative?Rolling her eyes, she grabbed Chai Wu's cuff and turned around, facing the huge market, which was full of everything.

According to the pre-arrangement, I bought crab shell roe, flower cakes, bergamot cakes and reunion cakes. There were so many people in the market selling Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures of door gods with blessing characters, and both of them bought some to suit the occasion.There were also people pushing small carts selling fish, shrimp and sea crabs. Chai Wu picked some things wrapped in paper and tied cattail grass and tied them with ropes, and when he came out, his hands were full again.

When he came back to the bridge, he saw that the young man who had just delivered the things had come back from a stroll, so Chai Wu asked him to run over to deliver the two people's things, and he himself took Pan Jinlian to the gold and silver shop, and sent the hopeful clam I bought Buddhist beads and packed them in an incense pine box. I also bought four hairpins of plum orchid, peony, and lily with the same price. When Chai Wu met the money, I decided to choose another emerald bracelet inlaid with pearls for Pan Jinlian. , secretly hid in the sleeve, and then turned around to accompany her out.

It was already past lunch time when we returned to Chai's house. Ying'er was standing at the entrance of the yard looking around. Seeing the two of them coming back, she hurried forward and said:

"It's not good, Ma'am let the lady go, the lady who just arrived asked me to deal with it, said lady, you went to the kitchen to get something, what should I do?"

31 gift giving

Pan Jinlian and Chai Wu glanced at each other, and couldn't figure out what the Mrs. Chai was picky about. Could it be that the soup was not freshly made?Pan Jinlian took off the cloak, put the things on the table, thought for a while, then picked up the pine box given to Mrs. Chai, put it in her sleeve and left.When they arrived at the flower hall, Mrs. Chai Li and her two daughters-in-law were chatting there with their hand stoves wrapped around them. Mrs. Chai Wang said something funny, so the two recruited them covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and kept laughing.

The girl at the door saw Pan Jinlian approaching, quickly raised the curtain and led her into the house, and stopped outside. Inside, there were several gorgeously dressed girls holding handkerchiefs, laughing at the stove while eating snacks, watching When Pan Jinlian entered the room, only one stood up and said with a smile;

"Just talking, here it is, I'll let you know."

As he spoke, he slowly entered the back room, and opened the curtain for a while to let Pan Jinlian enter the room.Inside this room is a small warm kang, with a pair of tables and chairs next to it, several large porcelain vases with red flowers wrapped around branches, filled with seasonal flowers, and under the kang is a big brass hollow tripod, Burning incense, it is even more warm and harmonious, with a peaceful atmosphere.

Mrs. Chai and Li were sitting in the middle, leaning on a squirrel-hair cushion and eating sunflower seeds. Mrs. Chai Wang and Mrs. Chai Lin were sitting side by side on the edge of the kang, laughing and joking around. Seeing Pan Jinlian was a joy. Chai Lin first said:

"It turned out to be from Chai Wu's family. We were just saying that your bird's nest was really interesting, but now my mother's illness is much better, but it's too greasy after eating too much. I was thinking of asking what else do you have?" Let us worry about the secret formula."

Pan Jinlian smiled slightly, only stood in the middle, and replied with a smile:

"Young Madam, you are joking. I am only from a small family. All these things are left by my ancestors. Compared with Madam and the two young Madams, they are just inconspicuous things. Where can I keep them privately? But If my wife gets tired of eating this thing, I have an idea, that is to change the soup without changing the medicine. I used to make the soup with scallops.