31-40

Chapter 31

Li Jiu was still thinking about Lin Zhen. He felt that he was obsessed with Lin Zhen. He thought about her in the morning, at noon, and at night. He thought about her when he opened his eyes and when he closed his eyes.

No matter what, he would never marry Lin Xiaoyao. The only person he wanted was Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao didn't know that they were being missed so much. They went back to the room and fell asleep.

The next day, after selling spicy hot pot, Lin Zhen took Lin Xiaoyao with him and pulled Lin Adie to sit down, as if he was ready to have a long talk.

Lin Adie looked at the two brothers at home and asked, "What's the matter? Is there anything you want to discuss with me?"

Lin Xiaoyao raised his hand first, but he was still a little uneasy. After all, it was really not good for a brother to talk about his relatives. If people outside knew about it, they would say that he was shameless and had no family education.

Moreover, Li Jiu from Aunt Li's family was a popular man in the village. Not only the girls in their village, but also the girls in the surrounding villages wanted to marry him.

If Aunt Li hadn't come to ask for it in person, Lin Adie would never have thought of marrying her.

Seeing him hesitating, Lin Adie could not help but urge him: "Don't you know that I am impatient? You are really driving me crazy. Tell me quickly."

"Dad, I just want to ask you if I can postpone my marriage for two years. I want to learn more skills and save some money." When asked, Lin Xiaoyao quickly explained everything and looked at Lin Adie anxiously.

Father Lin seemed to be still in shock, frowning and looking at him: "Say it again, what are you going to do?"

Perhaps because of the first time, Lin Xiaoyao was no longer panicked, and said: "I know that you are very satisfied with this marriage with the Li family, and think that it is a great honor for me to marry into their family, but father, I really don't want to get married like this, I still have a lot of things I want to do."

"You...you kid..." Father Lin just quietly told Lin Xiaoyao last night that he thought the Li family had good family conditions and Li Jiu's child looked good, so this marriage was the best choice for Lin Xiaoyao.

Who knew that Lin Xiaoyao would say these words today, which were just jumping on his head.

He didn't understand: "Li Jiu has his arms and legs intact, he doesn't gamble, and he doesn't flirt with the girls and boys in the village. It's hard to find a marriage partner for him even with a lantern. Why are you so stubborn and don't want to get married?"

Lin Xiaoyao: "I know Li Jiu is a good person, but getting married will definitely not be as free as I am now, and his family won't let me do whatever I want."

"Dad, you see, I follow my third brother to the town every morning and come back during the day. I definitely can't take care of the family. Li Jiu may not say anything at first, but it will take a year or two."

"Also," Lin Xiaoyao spoke calmer and calmer. He pulled aside the sideburns on his cheeks. "My pregnancy mole is so light, I may not be able to give birth to a child for the Li family for four to five years. Li Jiu is the only child of the Li family. How can Aunt Li tolerate it?" When Lin

's father heard what he said at first, he wanted to refute him, but as he listened, he felt that this one was right, and that one was right too, as if both were right.

He stared at Lin Xiaoyao: "Why didn't I know you were so good at talking before!"

Lin Xiaoyao glanced at Lin Zhen, "Father, you promised me, right?"

Lin's father knew that Lin Xiaoyao, who was always bad at talking, was influenced by Lin Zhen. He said to Lin Zhen: "I learned it all from you, one by one. You used to make me worry, and now Xiaoyao makes me worry. It's really a headache!"

Lin Zhen felt very pitiful after being affected: "That's because Xiaoyao hit the point, and you, father, are convinced."

Lin's father's head was buzzing, and he calmed down and said to Lin Xiaoyao: "What you said is reasonable, but Xiaoyao, you still have to think about it. If you miss Li Jiu, you may not have such a good marriage."

In fact, among the reasons given by Lin Xiaoyao, what made Lin's father retreat was that he said that his pregnancy mole was light and he might not be able to give birth to a child for Li Jiu for three to five years, and Li Jiu was the only son of the Li family.

Lin's father, Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao's grandmother, had a very light pregnancy mole, similar to them.

It was seven years after the marriage that Lin Adie was born, and another three years later, Lin Adie's younger brother was born.

Because he was three years older than his younger brother, Lin Adie had seen the life of Lin Apo, who was urged to

have children by his parents-in-law, and was called a chicken that couldn't lay eggs. Lin Apo was used like a cow or a horse. Even walking in the village would be talked about. People pointed at Lin Apo's spine and said that she was useless if she couldn't have children, and it would be better for her to jump into the river and die.

In Lin Adie's memory, his father rarely smiled. Most of the time, he had drooping eyebrows and shrugged shoulders. His thin body was like a tree bent by a stone, and he could never stand up again.

He was luckier. His pregnancy mole was more red than his father's. He married Lin's father for three years and had two sons in succession. Only then did he completely let go and stand firm.

But Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao's pregnancy moles were the same as their grandmother's. It was difficult to have children at a glance.

He was afraid. He was afraid that Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao would live like their grandmother.

Lin Xiaoyao said, "Our family's life is getting better and better now. Maybe we can find someone better than Li Jiu in the future."

"I'm not as open-minded as you." God knows how happy Lin's father was last night. He was happy that Lin Xiaoyao had found a good place to stay. Who would have thought that after being happy for a whole night and a whole day, he would no longer be destined to have the son-in-law he had chosen.

He rubbed his chest and looked at Lin Zhen, "What about you? What do you want to tell me?"

When Lin Zhen was about to speak, he raised his hand, "Let me take it easy first. I can't stand the stimulation when I'm old."

"..." Lin Zhen grabbed his hand, "Dad, I promise that what Xiaoyao said didn't bother you as much as you want. Didn't I teach Shuanzi to read yesterday? I thought about it, why not call Xiaoyao, Zhuzi, Huaixiang, Xingxiang, Chunxiang and others to learn together."

"Anyway, it's only for that little while at night. It won't interfere with the work during the day."

"?"

Lin's father felt that his brain was not enough and that a radical change was taking place in his family.

The youngest, Zhuzi, Huaixiang, Xingxiang, Chunxiang, and Shuanzi, a total of six people are studying. Who in this area can have so many people studying? No one! Not a single family!

His voice was a little different from his own: "Is this... is this okay? They are all old, what can they learn?"

Although Lin's father didn't like the scholar who only knew how to eat the flesh and blood of his parents, wife and children yesterday, he knew that studying was a very good thing. As long as the children don't grow up crooked, being able to read is what many people want.

Lin Zhen said: "As long as you want to learn, you don't have to be afraid of being a few years older. And I said it last night. We don't want to take the exam for a student or a scholar. We just need to recognize a few words and understand documents, so that we won't be sold by others and count money."

"Will that be too tiring for you? You have to sell spicy hot pot during the day and teach them to read at night."

"Not tiring. Teaching Shuanzi alone is teaching, and teaching several of them is also teaching."

As for whether the eldest and second brothers Lin will let them continue to go to the teacher to learn more in-depth knowledge in the future, Lin Zhen doesn't know yet, but with this beginning, it will definitely be better in the future.

Suddenly, just as the father and his two sons finished speaking, a woman with thin eyebrows, a thin mouth, and a difficult look stood outside the fence and called out, "Is the Lin family here?" When

Father Lin heard the voice, he knew it was Aunt Li who had just come to visit last night. If Lin Xiaoyao hadn't said those words just now, he would definitely be very happy, but now he just felt a headache.

He personally stood up, opened the fence door, and invited Aunt Li to come in, "I'm here, Aunt Li, come in and sit down."

Li Zhaodi came in with a smile, and saw Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao at the door at a glance, and greeted them warmly: "Brother Zhen and Xiaoyao are here, look at these two brothers, they really look better than each other."

"I am not blessed to have such a good brother, I can only envy."

Lin Adie felt relieved after hearing this. In his heart, his children are good in every way. He smiled and said repeatedly: "No, no, they are all children in the village, there is no one who is not sensible."

"By the way, Aunt Li," since Lin Xiaoyao told him, Lin Adie didn't want to delay other people's children, he said to Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao, "You two brothers go and see where your sister-in-law is. She has been cutting bamboo for so long, don't bump into anything." Lin Zhen

and Lin Xiaoyao knew that he was deliberately sending them away. After all, they were going to discuss Lin Xiaoyao's marriage, and it was not appropriate for them, the younger generation, to stay here.

So the two said hello and walked out shoulder to shoulder.

Li Zhaodi looked at the backs of Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Zhen with a smile on her face, then turned around and said to Lin's father: "Mr. Lin, what do you think of the matter I mentioned to you yesterday?"

"When my Xiaojiu heard that he was going to live with Xiaoyao, he was so happy that he couldn't speak. He urged me to come to you this morning to ask when they can settle down."

"..." When Lin's father heard that Li Jiu actually cared so much about Lin Xiaoyao, he felt even more sorry for this marriage. If he

had known earlier...

if he had known earlier, he shouldn't have agreed to Xiaoyao's return. At least let the two young people meet each other, maybe Xiaoyao would give up the idea.

It's too late to say this now.

He looked at Li Zhaodi embarrassedly and said: "I'm really sorry, Aunt Li. My Xiaoyao is still young. His father and I want to keep him by our side for two or three years. You see, let's forget about what we talked about yesterday." Li Zhaodi's

hands on her knees tightened suddenly, and there was a bit of impatience and anger in her eyes.

What kind of family is the Lin family? What kind of family is the Li family? The Lin family is still picky.

But when she thought about the spicy hot pot business and the compost recipe, she secretly suppressed her displeasure and continued to smile and said, "Oh, you, you didn't say that when I came yesterday. How come you changed your mind overnight? And my Xiao Jiu is still waiting for me to bring back good news. What should I do?"

Chapter 32

"I'm really sorry, Aunt Li. I was a little impatient last night and didn't explain clearly. I apologize to you here."

"What we originally agreed on is really not going to work."

Li Zhaodi: "Are you afraid that I, as a mother-in-law, can't stand Xiaoyao, or are you afraid that Xiaojiu doesn't like him?"

"Don't worry, if he comes in, he will do as I said before. He and Xiaojiu will live separately. The money they earn doesn't have to be given to me and his father. They can buy whatever they want to eat and wear whatever they want."

"I'm not saying that, Lin's family, you won't find such an open-minded mother-in-law as me in this ten miles and eight villages."

Father Lin knew that what Aunt Li said was true. Nowadays, which new daughter-in-law doesn't grit her teeth when she comes in? A whole family lives together, and the money she earns has to be handed over to the mother-in-law. What she eats and uses depends on her mother-in-law's mood.

For example, when he first came in, he was also tossed around by the old lady of the Lin family. It was because Father Lin had his own plans and gritted his teeth and didn't follow the old lady's temper that he was not tortured to death.

But his life really got better after the old lady and grandfather of the Lin family passed away one after another, and he separated from the eldest and third brothers of the Lin family. Because the brothers had some deep grudges when they lived together in the early years, they had not been in contact for so many years.

Father Lin said embarrassedly: "Aunt Li..."

"This marriage of yours is the best. I watched Xiao Jiu grow up. He is good and filial. If his father and I didn't want to keep Xiao Yao for two more years, even if you didn't come today, I would go to your house tomorrow to discuss this with you."

"Fortunately, this matter is between you and me, and it will not affect Xiao Jiu and Xiao Yao's future marriage."

At this point, Li Zhao realized that no matter what he said today, he would not achieve his goal, and his expression could not help but sink.

She looked at Lin's father, her tone was a little subtle: "I understand what you mean. Even if we can't be relatives, we are still from the same village. We will see each other every day. Don't let this hurt the relationship."

Lin's father breathed a sigh of relief. It was his family that was wrong in the first place. It was great that Aunt Li could forgive him.

He smiled: "Yes, it is more important to not hurt the relationship. By the way," Lin's father went into the house to get a bag of sugar cakes bought during the Chinese New Year, and asked Aunt Li to accept it no matter what. "This sugar cake is soft, and it's just right to eat a piece in the morning. I think you will like it too."

Anything with sugar is not cheap. Although Aunt Li's family conditions are better than most families in the village, they are reluctant to buy more.

She refused a few times and took it, then stood up and walked out: "Don't send it off. Our two families are not far away."

"And don't let those big mouths in the village see it, otherwise there will be something to say."

Generally, before families are planning to get married, they will contact each other secretly, for fear that if it doesn't work out in the end, their children will be criticized and it will be difficult to get married in the future.

When Lin's father heard what he said, he stopped and said, "Aunt Li is really thoughtful. Then you should walk slowly and be careful on the road."

"I know, I know. You can go in." Aunt Li turned around, and the smile on her face disappeared without a trace. She looked at the square-shaped sugar cake in her hand and rolled her eyes.

When she got home, Li Jiu saw her come in and greeted her lazily. He was even more disgusted when he saw what she was holding. He knew that his mother must have had a good chat with Lin Xiaoyao's father, otherwise she would not have brought gifts back.

He simply stood up and went back to his room, so as to turn a blind eye.

Li Zhaodi knew that he was angry, so she didn't force him to stay. She just put the cakes into the cupboard slowly and said, "I have almost talked to his father about you and Xiaoyao, but the specific time has not been decided yet. If you meet someone in the village, don't stand there like a wooden stick. Be a little sweeter and more capable."

"Mom!" Li Jiu was annoyed to death by being scolded. He had said that he didn't like Lin Xiaoyao, but the elders on both sides wanted to pair them up, which really disgusted him.

But he had been Li Zhaodi's sweetheart since he was a child, filial and obedient. Although he was so angry that his eyes turned red, he couldn't say anything because he was so angry that his chest hurt. He

just said loudly, "Anyway, I don't like Lin Xiaoyao, and I won't like her even if I marry her." Then he went back to his room to rest.

Li Zhaodi didn't care about what he said. On the way home, she thought about some things. She felt that Lin Xiaoyao must marry into the Li family so that she could get those valuable prescriptions.

But her son could not only marry Lin Xiaoyao, but also marry a woman who was good at giving birth.

Lin Xiaoyao's pregnancy mole was so light. As long as she was sure of this, the Lin family would have no reason to say anything even if she gave her son a concubine.

After Lin Xiaoyao came back, she learned that Lin's father had made it clear to Aunt Li. She was so happy that she held Lin's father's hand and said, "Thank you, father. I will go to the town tomorrow to buy you a few feet of new cloth to make clothes for you."

Lin's father can still recall the way Li Jiu's mother left, and he felt really sorry for her.

But seeing his brother's happy look, he felt that he was doing the right thing, and he was not so upset about Li Jiu, a good son-in-law who was not destined to be with him.

He used his finger to push open Lin Xiaoyao's forehead: "I'll see what kind of man you're going to find in the future, and whether he has to wear a flower for you to like him!"

"I'm not a girl, why should I wear a flower." Lin Xiaoyao smiled with narrowed eyes, "We'll talk about the future later."

-

After the New Year, the weather is still cold, and it will take a month and a half for it to slowly warm up, so the fire pit in the Lin family is still burning brightly.

When Lin really wants to teach Gu Shuanzi and others to read, he will simply move the class to the fire pit, which is warm and bright.

He took the only book and read the five-character characters he taught yesterday several times again, and said to Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Xiaoyao who were sitting by the fire pit: "Come on, follow me and read, the sky and the earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and desolate."

"Heaven, earth, dark, emperor. Universe, universe, vast, desolate."

Although he stumbled, the child's ability to imitate is very strong, at least the pitch is similar.

He was generous with his encouragement and said with a smile: "You all read well, much better than when I was... following you to learn. Let's start with the next sentence, the sun and

the moon wax and wane, the stars and the constellations are spread out." "Sun, moon, wax and wane. The stars

and the constellations are spread out." Home teaching was on the right track, and Lin Zhen's original plan to think about small cakes after the Chinese New Year was shelved.

His energy only allowed him to do so many things, and it was really too much to start another business.

And he must have a thorough plan for what he wants to do. Digging a hoe here and cutting a sickle there will not only make little money, but also tire himself out.

At least he has to wait until Gu Shuanzi enters school and these little soldiers finish reading the Thousand Character Classic.

It was this teaching aid that was really scarce and gave Lin Zhen a headache.

It was drizzling that day, so he didn't go to the town to do business. Lin Zhen turned his head and got up and walked to Gu Shuanzi's cabin.

As soon as he entered, he found Gu Shuanzi sitting upright on the bed, with the book shared by several children on his knees, reciting the Thousand Character Classic.

Seeing him come in, he closed the book and put it aside: "Uncle Lin."

That's right, after a friendly negotiation between Lin Zhen and Gu Shuanzi, Gu Shuanzi stopped calling Lin Zhen stepfather and changed to Uncle Lin.

Lin Zhen was also very satisfied. He really wasn't Gu Shuanzi's father. It would be a lie to say that it wasn't strange to have an extra son for no reason. It was much better to call him uncle, which was neither strange nor awkward.

But in the eyes of outsiders, they are 100% stepfather and stepson. When they call Gu Shuanzi, they call him Lin Zhen's kid. Sometimes when they walk together, they talk to Lin Zhen and say Lin Zhen, "Lin Zhen, your son is this and that.

" Lin Zhen pointed to the things piled up in the corner and said, "I'm here to find a wooden board to use as a blackboard. Are you reading a book?"

"Yeah, I just memorized a passage."

Gu Shuanzi didn't continue reading, but walked to Lin Zhen's side and said, "What kind are you looking for?"

Lin Zhen looked at Gu Shuanzi, who had grown some flesh beside him, and felt like the cabbage he had raised had finally sprouted. He smiled and said, "Look for the kind that is wider and has no wormholes." As

soon as he finished speaking, Gu Shuanzi took out two wooden boards from a pile of similar-looking wooden boards and said, "Can this be used?"

I don't know if it was a coincidence or if he was going to do something with the two thick wooden boards when they were cut, but they were cut into uniform thicknesses, without wormholes or cracks, which just met Lin Zhen's requirements.

Lin Zhen took the wooden board and looked at it. "You kid, are you bored? You sorted all these things out. How come they are so clear?"

He picked up the wooden board and said, "Just polish off the splinters on it."

Gu Shuanzi said, "I'm not bored. I just wanted to find out if there was anything suitable to put together a table."

Farmers are not so particular, and they can't be so particular. Until now, Gu Shuanzi's clothes are just put on the wooden rack next to the bed, and there is no need for a wardrobe.

As a result, Lin Zhen had never thought that since he was studying, he must buy a desk.

He simply carried two wooden boards and said to Gu Shuanzi, "Let's go to the carpenter in the village and ask him to plane off the splinters on the wooden boards. By the way, he will make you a desk and a wardrobe."

As he said that, he had already left the house and stood in the yard looking at Gu Shuanzi who had not come out yet, "Come out quickly, don't be too late, it's unfortunate, they are out working." It

was not very cold at this time of year. Lin Zhen in the yard was only wearing a white inner shirt and a gray top, and gray pants with wide trouser legs.

But he was slender, and the belt only tightened his waist a little bit, which made the curve of his waist particularly prominent and round.

Moreover, his white skin could not get tanned no matter how much he was exposed to the sun. After a winter, it was even whiter like slightly melted grease, which made people want to pinch it to see if it was really that white and soft.

Gu Shuanzi walked out and followed him. He wanted to reach out to take a piece of wood, but Lin Zhen dodged him. He walked forward and said, "I have worked on it for a long time. It is not heavy at all. It is troublesome for two people to carry it."

Chapter 33

The two walked to the carpenter's house in the village, one in front and one behind. Lin Zhen was carrying the wooden board in front, and Gu Shuanzi was walking behind with his short legs.

The aunt in the vegetable garden at the door saw Lin Zhen and his son coming out, straightened up and greeted them warmly: "Brother Zhen, where are you taking Shuanzi? It looks like it's going to rain heavily, be careful."

Lin Zhen replied: "I want to take these two wooden boards to ask Uncle Ma to level them. I will be back soon, so they won't get wet in the rain."

"Then you have to go quickly. When I came over there just now, I happened to meet Carpenter Ma's wife. She said she was going to the neighboring village to do something."

"Thank you, auntie," Lin Zhen quickened his pace and turned around to call Gu Shuanzi, "Come on, come on."

Carpenter Ma's family lived in the middle of the village. Because of this skill, they lived a more affluent life than most families in the village. Look, the house they lived in had three rooms, and the walls were not made of mud and straw, but of stone.

When Lin Zhen took Gu Shuanzi there, a woman was carrying chopped pig grass to feed a dozen chickens in the side room. When she saw him, she quickly put down the pig grass and wiped her hands on the hem of her clothes: "It's Brother Zhen, come in and sit down!"

The woman had a round face and her skin was considered fair in the village. She looked very amiable.

Lin Zhen put down the wooden board on his shoulder: "Hello, auntie, is Uncle Ma at home?"

"You came at the right time. If you were a little later, he would have gone out to look after the work." The woman opened the gate, took Lin Zhen into the house, and shouted loudly, "Master, Brother Lin is looking for you."

"Here I am." The curtain hanging in the left wing was lifted by a sturdy hand, and a middle-aged man with a rough appearance and a medium build came out.

Lin Zhen nodded slightly: "Uncle Ma."

"I would like to trouble you to help me polish these two pieces of wood as smooth as possible, and then customize a table and a chair to match the table, like this."

Lin Zhen gestured to Ma the carpenter. He described it in accordance with the desks used in modern schools, simple, with a desk, and the chair was made into a folding one considering that the cabin was very narrow.

Ma the carpenter learned his craft in the capital city, and the things he made were satisfactory to people around him. At first, when Lin Zhen said he wanted to make such a table, he thought it was too simple, but when Lin Zhen gestured to him a folding chair, his mind was a little confused, with a little confusion on his face: "Brother Zhen, how do you fold this chair you are talking about?"

Folding chairs and tables are very common in modern times, whether they are in business or in residents' homes. Lin Zhen doesn't know if there were such things in ancient times, maybe there were, but Ma the carpenter didn't learn it.

He explained the folding structure to Carpenter Ma, and drew it on the wall next to him with his fingers. Carpenter Ma had been doing this job for many years, and with Lin Zhen's drawing, he quickly understood the principle. His eyes were shining: "Brother Lin is really ingenious. Distributing chairs this way doesn't take up space and is convenient!"

Lin Zhen waved his hands repeatedly: "It's not my idea. I have seen it somewhere else and copied someone else's."

"Hehe." Carpenter Ma smiled and said nothing. Ever since the composting incident, he felt that Brother Zhen of the Lin family was an overly modest good man. Naturally, he felt that this chair must have been Lin Zhen's idea, but for fear of being burdened by the statement, he deliberately said it was someone else's idea.

He did not expose the truth, but said to Lin Zhen: "This table does not take much effort, it can be made in one day, but I need to think about the chair carefully, so it will take more time."

"It's okay, Uncle Ma, I will come to pick it up when you are done."

"In addition to polishing these two wooden boards, how much silver do you think it will cost, uncle?"

Ma the carpenter said: "One tael and two qian of silver for the table and chairs, I will provide the materials. As for polishing the two wooden boards, no silver is required, it is a handy job."

Lin Zhen could see that Ma the carpenter and his wife were the kind of people who were easy to get along with, so he did not hesitate after hearing what he said, and said: "Okay, just do as you said, one tael and two qian of silver."

As he said that, he took the silver from his purse.

Ma the carpenter hurriedly said: "We are from the same village, I am not afraid of you cheating me, I will pay you when the things are done and you come to pick them up, and I will change them if you are not satisfied with them."

After that, Ma the carpenter took the two wooden boards in his hand and took them into the house, and soon the sound of planing wood could be heard.

Aunt Ma smiled and said to Lin Zhen: "He is just like this. He has to do any work immediately, otherwise he will feel uncomfortable."

"Brother Zhen, you guys sit and play for a while, I'll pour you some water."

Lin Zhen looked at the dark sky outside and waved his hand quickly: "Don't bother, Auntie. It's going to rain heavily outside. I'm leaving now."

Aunt Ma looked at the sky and said, "It looks a bit scary. Then I won't keep you here, so that you won't get wet on the road."

"Well, Auntie, I'm leaving." The clouds in the sky were dark and low, like a thick quilt covering the whole village.

Lin Zhen took Gu Shuanzi and left Ma the carpenter's house quickly. Just as he and Gu Shuanzi ran to the junction of the upper and lower parts of the village, a boy suddenly called him: "Brother Zhen."

Lin Zhen stopped and looked at the boy .

He searched in his head and found out who this person was. Li Jiu, who was going to be a pair with Lin Xiaoyao before, was a little confused and didn't know why Li Jiu called him.

But it is impolite to ignore others, Lin Zhen asked: "What's the matter?"

He was a little out of breath from running, and his white face was flushed, just like a peach with a red tip, fresh and beautiful.

Li Jiu had never seen such a good-looking person, and he liked Lin Zhen so much that he wanted to make it happen with Lin Zhen and have many children.

He stuttered, and the blue veins on his neck bulged because of excitement: "I, I just want to talk to you."

"..." Sick in the brain.

Lin Zhen said: "It's okay, I'm leaving first."

He was a widow whose husband died, and Li Jiu, who was not married yet, talked to him inexplicably. I'm afraid that some rumors would spread in a few days.

Fortunately, the Lin family has now established a firm foothold with composting, and others will not spread too much because of this good thing, otherwise a bunch of words will be annoying to death.

As soon as Lin Zhen took a step, Li Jiu called him again and stuffed the thing in his hand in front of him like a bomb: "I bought this in town specially. I don't like Xiaoyao. I, I like-"

"Pah!" Gu Shuanzi, who rarely spoke next to Lin Zhen, suddenly reached out and opened his hand, "My aunt doesn't like you either."

The thing in Li Jiu's hand fell to the ground, and the thing wrapped in a handkerchief rolled out. It was a peach blossom silver hairpin, well-made, and it would cost at least three or five taels of silver.

Gu Shuanzi's eyes turned cold. He thought of the time when Gu Da died, when he went out to the toilet and saw Lin Zhen and a man discussing how to run away with Gu's family wealth.

He knew that Lin Zhen, his stepfather, was good-looking. After marrying Gu Da, every time he wandered around the village, he would attract many eyes, either open or hidden.

At that time, Lin Zhen seemed to enjoy these eyes very much, and he put on more makeup and wore bright clothes to go out for a walk.

He didn't tell Gu Da, but Gu Da knew it.

But Gu Da didn't care. There was no one in the village who was more promising than him. Lin Zhen would not abandon him and go with others.

After Gu Da's death, those eyes became more straightforward, so straightforward that they had never been concealed in front of Gu Shuanzi, which made Gu Shuanzi sick.

But suddenly Lin Zhen changed, becoming completely different from the past.

Gu Shuanzi looked at the silver peach blossom hairpin and moved his gaze to Lin Zhen.

He saw Lin Zhen sneer and raise the corners of his lips, with round eyes, and said to Li Jiu: "Why, do you think you are so popular that everyone wants to take a bite?"

"You still say you don't like Xiaoyao?"

"Xiaoyao has never mentioned you in front of me. Do you know why? Because I don't know anyone like you at all."

Lin Zhen was too lazy to argue with this person, so he called Gu Shuanzi and left.

Li Jiu, who was left there, felt his heart broken into eight pieces. He was stunned for a long time and picked up the silver peach blossom hairpin on the ground.

He didn't know why Lin Zhen was so angry, and what he said was sincere.

And he also said that Lin Xiaoyao never mentioned him in front of him, but his mother said that the Lin family had agreed to the marriage, so how could Lin Xiaoyao not mention him.

Yes, Lin Xiaoyao must have guessed that he liked Lin Zhen and didn't want them to be together.

Maybe he also said bad things about him in front of Lin Zhen so that Lin Zhen would have a bad impression of him.

Li Jiu's head was full of Lin Zhen's face and figure. His mind was like a demon. He was full of thoughts that he must not marry Lin Xiaoyao and must marry Lin Zhen.

Halfway through the run, it started to rain. Lin Zhen and Gu Shuanzi were still caught in the rain, and their clothes and hair were dripping with water.

Lin Adie and the others who had already returned saw that the two were soaking wet and quickly asked them to change clothes.

Lin Zhen's lips turned white from the cold, and he nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll change right away."

He suddenly turned around, squatted down, and whispered in Gu Shuanzi's ear: "Don't tell your family about what happened just now. It will be bad for your aunt Xiaoyao if it gets out."

A brother was told that he didn't like him in front of others. If it got out, people would only gossip about Lin Xiaoyao.

Labels such as dark skin and light pregnancy moles would definitely be mentioned over and over again, and the only one who felt the most uncomfortable was Lin Xiaoyao.

Lin Zhen was glad that Lin Xiaoyao had his own ideas. Lin Adie was not the kind of elder who didn't consider the child's ideas, and he didn't blindly arrange a marriage with the Li family.

Look at how Li Jiu behaved today. He is definitely not a good man.

Gu Shuanzi nodded: "I know."

Lin Zhen touched his head: "Go change your clothes quickly. I'll ask your grandma to make some ginger soup to drive away the cold. Don't catch a cold."

"Yeah." Until now, only Lin Zhen in the entire Lin family can touch these parts of his body. Even Lin Zhuzi, who plays well with him, sometimes accidentally touches him and he will overreact.

Gu Shuanzi felt the force on his head and turned to go to his cabin.

Chapter 34

After changing his clothes and drinking a big bowl of hot ginger soup, Lin Zhen felt that the coldness in his body had been removed and he felt warm all over.

He pondered over what Li Jiu said today, and asked Lin's father quietly with concern: "Dad, have you explained clearly to Aunt Li about the failure of Xiaoyao and Li Jiu?"

"I have explained it clearly. When I left, I packed a bag of sweet cakes for your Aunt Li. We are from the same village. We didn't become enemies because of the failed marriage."

But Li Jiu's firm look today still made Lin Zhen feel a little strange. He thought about it and said simply: "Although we can't have the intention to harm others, we must be on guard against others. Aunt Li never came to our door when our family had no income before. Now that our family is getting better, Aunt Li came to talk about marriage..."

Lin's father didn't believe that Li Zhaodi was that kind of person, and opened his mouth to speak.

Lin Zhen raised his hand to stop him: "Dad, listen to me, what kind of family is the Li family? More than 20 acres of land and an only child. Aunt Li has said before that she wants to find a good-looking, virtuous girl for Li Jiu."

"But our Xiaoyao is a boy, and a boy with a pregnancy mole almost the same as mine."

"Aunt Li has seen that I haven't given birth for more than a year after marrying the Qian family, and there has been no movement after marrying Gu Da. She must have a similar opinion of Xiaoyao, but why is she coming to propose marriage?"

At this point, what Lin Zhen wanted to express couldn't be more obvious.

Father Lin wanted to say that Li Zhaodi didn't seem like such a person, but thinking about it carefully, it was indeed what he said.

Everyone in the village knew that Li Zhaodi wanted to find a girl for Li Jiu, so why did she suddenly fall in love with Xiaoyao with a light pregnancy mole?

Lin Zhen saw his expression and knew that he took it to heart, so he said, "Dad, these ideas are all our own. If we tell others, others will think that we are narrow-minded and presumptuous. In the future, don't be so close to Aunt Li in front of outsiders. Just keep a little distance. Tell Xiaoyao to stay away from their family

as well." "...I know." Dad Lin knew what his family relied on to have the current life. First, the composting method brought by Lin Zhen has benefited the villagers in a solid way. Second, Lin Zhen sold spicy hot pot in the town, and they also made money.

Li Zhaodi's sudden marriage could only be for these reasons.

At night, Dad Lin tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, and woke up Lin's father.

Father Lin thought he was afraid of the sound of rain outside, so he reached out and hugged him: "Go to sleep, it's okay."

Father Lin leaned on Father Lin's shoulder and whispered to him what Lin Zhen said today. At the end, he said: "I told Li Zhaodi very clearly that day that we would not get married. There should be no problem now."

Father Lin woke up from his nap and frowned.

"Li Zhaodi is a cunning person. Back then, he and Li Jiu's father had the same surname, and both parents disagreed with the marriage. Later, no one knew what Li Zhaodi did, but his parents-in-law were furious and decided on the marriage."

"There are all kinds of rumors, and if it's not 70% or 80% true, it's at least 40% or 50% true."

Father Lin knew that Lin's father was soft-hearted and would not think too much about things. He said, "Zhen Ge'er was right to tell you today. In the future, when you meet his family, especially Li Zhaodi, stay away from them. Don't deal with them if you can. As for Xiaoyao, don't get along with Li Jiu."

Even Lin's father said so, and Lin's father's heart was pounding. He felt that he had done something bad, and he couldn't fall asleep even if he closed his eyes.

-

After a rain, crops were planted in the fields of every household, and all used compost.

The table and chairs that Lin Zhen ordered from Carpenter Ma were also ready. They were made of solid wood, not painted, and the wood was polished to a smooth and shiny finish. One could tell at a glance that Carpenter Ma had excellent craftsmanship.

Lin Zhen was very satisfied and immediately gave Carpenter Ma some silver.

Carpenter Ma pushed the silver back with an embarrassed look on his face, saying, "Brother Zhen, I won't charge you for this set of tables and chairs..."

"It's just that I want to make these folding chairs and sell them somewhere else. See how much extra money I need to give you."

Carpenter Ma felt that his request was a bit excessive. The idea was from Lin Zhen, and it was unreasonable for him to do it halfway.

So he was prepared for Lin Zhen to not agree, or to ask for a large sum of money.

Lin didn't expect that Ma the carpenter's brain was so useful. He saw the business opportunities in folding tables and chairs. He thought about it carefully and said, "Uncle Ma, you have also seen this chair. It is not only novel but also easy to use. I can make a small profit, not to mention a big profit."

"In this way, you can give me another three taels of silver, including the labor and material costs of making tables and chairs."

As long as you buy a folding chair, the craftsmen who have done woodworking will quickly understand the ins and outs of it, and it is very easy to imitate it.

There was no such thing as patents in ancient times. Once Ma the carpenter's folding chair was sold, there would probably be many identical folding products on the market, even with better workmanship and more expensive materials.

That's why he wanted this little money.

Anyway, no one in his family knows how to do woodworking, so this little money is like picking it up.

Carpenter Ma, who had thought he would have to spend a lot of money, couldn't believe that Lin Zhen only wanted three taels of silver. A funny expression appeared on his rough face: "Brother Zhen, you are serious!"

"Three taels means three taels," Lin Zhen said, "But Uncle Ma, you have made this chair before, so you should know that it is not difficult. As long as someone in the same business as you buys it and takes it apart, they will know how to make it. By then, there will definitely be a lot of imitations."

"If you are willing to spend the money, you may want to make a batch of goods first, so that you can get the upper hand when the time comes."

Carpenter Ma smiled heartily and gave Lin Zhen a thumbs up: "You are worthy of being the one who made money by doing business in town. You have a lot of ideas!"

"I'll do as you say and make a batch first."

Aunt Ma was right next to Carpenter Ma when he was talking to Lin Zhen. She was always smiling about what her husband was going to do.

As soon as she heard that the two had finished talking, she went back to the house and counted three taels of silver for Lin Zhen: "You don't know, he has been talking to me these days about what to do if you don't agree, and he has even thought about how to go to your house."

"Uncle Ma is good at this business. He will definitely think about it when he sees new things."

"That's right, I can't persuade him anyway, just let him do it." The more Aunt Ma looked at Lin Zhen, the more she liked him. She took a few freshly baked pancakes and stuffed them into the hands of Brother Lin and Brother Lin who were carrying tables and chairs with Lin Zhen.

Brother Lin and Brother Lin had both been poor before, and knew how important food was to the villagers, so they refused to take them.

But Lin Zhen couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Brother and Brother Lin, you take it. Auntie's hands are getting sore."

Brother Lin and Brother Lin took it in their hands and smelled it. They knew that eggs were added to the pancakes, and they used not black sorghum flour and buckwheat flour, but the best white flour. They

all sighed at the same time that it was good to have a skill, and they would never go hungry no matter what.

The table and chairs were carried back and placed in Gu Shuanzi's cabin. There was a box on the table, which could hold the pens, inkstones, and paper he bought for him. The chairs were foldable, so they could be put aside when not in use, taking up no space at all. They could be opened when needed.

Lin Zhen asked Gu Shuanzi, "How is it?"

Gu Shuanzi didn't say anything, but just nodded.

Lin Zhen was already used to his taciturn personality, and asked, "How are you doing with the words I wrote on the blackboard yesterday? Can you write them?"

The two wooden boards were brought back earlier than the tables and chairs. Lin Zhen used charcoal to write on them. The effect was not bad. At least the children didn't have to study empty books because they had few books. They all knew what word they were reading and what it looked like. The learning effect was rising.

But the one who learned the best was Gu Shuanzi, followed by Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Erge's brother, Huaixiang.

Lin Zhuzi, Chunxiang and Xingxiang all had a hard time learning, especially Lin Zhuzi. He felt like he was sitting on a nail when he sat on the stool. His eyes kept turning. No matter what he said, it didn't work.

Lin Zhen wanted to push hard at first, but after trying once, twice, three times, four times and five times, he realized that this might be the reason why some children are born to like learning this, while some children are more talented in other aspects. Lin Zhuzi

just doesn't like this thing. As for what he likes, it's still unknown.

Brother Lin and his wife didn't think it was bad that Lin Zhuzi didn't know anything about studying. Anyway, the children were of this age. In two years, they could get a similar marriage, start a family, and have a few big fat boys.

Compared with them, Gu Shuanzi's performance was amazing.

They were taught and learned together, but he seemed to be more intelligent than Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Huaixiang. He could learn no matter how he was taught.

Recently, Lin Zhen found that he was no longer satisfied with the same progress as everyone else. He would take the Thousand Character Classic to ask him how to read the back, and then write it on the blackboard with charcoal. So

far, he has learned half of the Thousand Character Classic, which is half more than the others.

Lin Zhen said, "It's only March now. At your current speed, you can go to the town to study with the teacher in May. It just so happens that the weather is good at that time, and you can go with us in the morning when we set up the stall."

Gu Shuanzi stood beside him, his long eyebrows slightly wrinkled into an imperceptible arc.

He actually wanted to tell Lin Zhen that he didn't like studying that much, and he didn't like going to study with any teacher.

He wanted to make money now.

But facing Lin Zhen, he couldn't say it.

He was not a person who didn't distinguish between good and bad. From the moment Lin Zhen carried him back to Liyu Village step by step on a snowy day, he knew that this stepfather was completely different from before.

Gu Shuanzi lowered his eyes and thought to himself, just like that, I will study for a few years according to Lin Zhen's wishes, and then make money to repay Lin Zhen.

The new desks and chairs exuded the smell of wood, which was very clear in the cabin.

Gu Shuanzi put the unused pens, inkstones, paper and inkstone into the desk box.

Chapter 35

During the meal, the family knew that the table and chairs that Lin Zhen had made for Gu Shuanzi were ready. Lin Zhuzi now had an inexplicable awe for Gu Shuanzi, who was good at studying. When he heard that the table and chairs were made specifically for him to study,

he was sweating all over his forehead. He didn't want any table and chairs, his own was good enough.

Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Huaihua knew that Lin Zhen had made them specifically for Gu Shuanzi, and they didn't think why he had something that I didn't.

The vegetable garden was bare at this time of year, with not many vegetables, but the wild vegetables in the forest were growing tender. Tonight, the Lin family cooked a large pot of wild vegetables, which tasted slightly bitter and went well with rice when dipped in dogwood. There was

also a pot of spicy hot pot with pork head, pork intestines, and pork belly.

After Lin Zhen's development, pork head became a meat dish that often appeared on the Lin family's dinner table. It was not only cheap, but also large in quantity, enough for the whole family. Moreover,

the family had some financial resources, and Lin's father and father would cut some pork belly back, and their stomachs were filled with fat and water.

After dinner, Chunxiang, Xingxiang, Huaixiang and Lin Xiaoyao collected and washed the dishes. The adults who had been busy all day sat under the eaves with stools and chatted about family matters.

Lin Zhen was afraid of the heat, so he moved the stool to the yard. He was calculating the money he had earned these days.

From the New Year to now, he had probably earned more than fifty taels. With the money given by Ma Mujiang today, he had sixty taels, which was still a little short of the money to buy a shop.

But he changed his mind. If he bought a shop, he would not have much money in his hand. If he encountered any problems, he was afraid that he would not be able to adapt.

It would be better to rent one directly and buy it when he had more money in his hand.

In this way, he must rent a place where people can live, preferably with a business in the front and one or two rooms in the back.

Moreover, Gu Shuanzi would also go to school in the town. In order to make it convenient for school, he must live with him, and Xiaoyao, his capable assistant, must also be brought with him...

Maybe he was a little tired recently, and Lin Zhen felt drowsy as he thought about it.

Suddenly, just when he was about to close his eyes and take a nap, a hand reached out to his ear.

He subconsciously grabbed it, and turned around to find that it was Gu Shuanzi, "What's wrong?"

Gu Shuanzi opened his hand and showed him the mosquito that had been crushed to death in his hand.

Lin Zhen was most afraid of these little bugs, and they were itchy and uncomfortable. He couldn't help scratching his ears: "There are such things in this weather, I remember there were none last year."

"The weather is going to be a little hotter this year." Gu Shuanzi threw the mosquito away.

Lin Zhen was very busy at this time last year, and he really didn't have such a meticulous mind. He stepped on the mosquito thrown by Gu Shuanzi until the mosquito merged into the soil and he felt relieved.

He thought of what he had just been thinking about, and thought he should give his family a heads-up in advance. He turned his chair around and said to Father Lin, Father Lin, and Brother Lin, Sister Lin, and Sister Lin under the eaves: "Father, Father, I was thinking about buying a shop in town when I saved enough money, but later I didn't have enough money, so I put it off."

"But I just thought about it, and I don't need to buy a shop so soon. It's the same if I rent a shop first. And there's a fixed place, so I can open earlier and close later, and I have more time to make money in a day."

The Lin family knew that Lin Zhen was going to buy a shop in town, so there was nothing to question.

And since Lin Zhen didn't mention it these days, they guessed it was because he didn't have enough money to buy a shop to buy medicine for Gu Shuanzi.

Father Lin, who was most concerned about him, asked, "Do you have enough money? If not, I have some here."

"Yes, yes, enough. It's enough to rent a shop." How could Lin Zhen really ask for the old man's money? Although the money earned by the eldest and second brothers Lin was not handed over, the Lin family did not split up, and he was afraid that there would be something to talk about in the future.

He said, "I have asked about this before. If you only rent and don't buy, the monthly rent is about two taels of silver, and it's in a good section like Zhazi Street. Other streets are cheaper."

After all, it's just a town, and the consumption level can't be compared with those places in the capital.

"I've thought about it. Shuanzi will go to town to study in two months. It will be convenient for him to go to school if he rents a shop." Lin Zhen looked at Lin Xiaoyao who was a little dazed. "When the time comes, let Xiaoyao go with me. He has been making spicy hot pot with me for more than a year. He knows the process well and won't make me too busy." "

In addition, my eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law will help me collect dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, radishes and cabbages here as before. After collecting, they will be cleaned and strung into strings, and my eldest and second brothers will send them to town. The wages will be the same as before."

Last year, the Lin family relied on sorghum and buckwheat to become a family that did not have to starve and had surplus food in the autumn harvest.

But the bulk of the money still went to him to collect goods and string them, and the eldest and second brothers Lin took turns to send him to town.

When she heard that he was going to rent a shop in town and only took Xiaoyao with him, Lin's eldest sister-in-law felt a pang in her heart, thinking that Lin's share of wages was gone.

It was not until Lin Zhen said that he would still collect goods and string them into strings and send them to town for him as before that she felt relieved.

As for Zhao Xiu, she didn't think about her anymore. She didn't have any thoughts about her at all. As long as she could have enough food to eat, nothing would leave any trace in her heart.

Lin Xiaoyao was so happy that she almost flew to the sky. She couldn't help but jump up from the stool and hugged Lin Zhen's arm tightly: "Brother, when are we going to town!"

"Let's wait until the end of this month. I still need to teach you the Thousand Character Classic, and the shop hasn't been finalized yet."

"Okay, okay." Lin Xiaoyao has long been Lin Zhen's most loyal follower. As long as Lin Zhen said something, he thought it was good.

Hearing that he had thought of everything, others naturally had no objection. Besides, Lin Zhen still had more than half a month before going to town, so there was still time to say anything.

It was late at night, and the old and young washed their faces and feet and went to bed.

Lin Zhen was standing under the eaves pouring water for washing feet, and suddenly Sister Lin came behind him and called him.

Lin Zhen knew that Sister-in-law Lin was a very successful person, but she had good intentions. He put the basin in the corner and asked Sister-in-law Lin, "Sister-

in-law, do you have anything to talk to me about?" Sister-in-law Lin glanced behind her and pulled Lin Zhen to the yard, "Brother Zhen, I know what I said was not nice, but..."

"Sister-in-law, just say whatever you want to say. We are all family, so let's not talk behind each other's backs." Sister

-in-law Lin looked at him, gritted her teeth and said, "It's like this. I thought Xiaoyao would go to the town with you, so can my Zhuzi go with you too?"

She was afraid that Lin Zhen would not agree, so she hurriedly said, "Zhuzi is still young and can't do anything. You don't have to pay him. Just let him learn some skills from you."

Sister-in-law Lin was still a little uneasy. From what Lin Zhen did and said after he came back, she knew that her sister-in-law was not a simple one, and her little tricks were not enough in front of him.

But she really wanted to find a way out for her children. What skills could they have in the village? They were busy all year round, but it was still just a few taels of silver. After paying the grain tax and deducting the food, there was not much left. In a bad year, life was even more difficult.

After Lin Zhen's influence for a year, Sister Lin understood that people cannot die in one place, and can only earn money by going out.

Lin Zhen didn't expect Sister Lin to come to talk about this. He asked Sister Lin: "Did you tell me this alone, or did you discuss it with your eldest brother?"

Sister Lin lowered her head: "Your eldest brother doesn't know. If he knew, he would definitely not allow it."

"He's afraid of bothering you."

"This is not a matter of whether it is troublesome or not, sister-in-law. When I was able to take the youngest to do business and run around the town, I didn't think children were troublesome."

"It's just that Zhuzi, the child, might not want to." Lin Zhen taught them to read, and spent more time with these children. Over time, he saw some things.

When Lin Zhuzi had no choice before, he followed what sister-in-law and brother Lin said and farmed honestly. He just wanted to have enough food and not go hungry.

But as the Lin family's life became better and they didn't have to struggle on the line of food and clothing every day, he had his own ideas.

When he went out this afternoon, he happened to see him squatting in the yard looking at Gu Shuanzi's folding chair in the cabin. The look in his eyes was different from usual.

Sister Lin thought that this was Lin Zhen's excuse, and said anxiously: "How can the child not be unwilling? He can eat spicy hot pot every day, and you can teach him how to do things. There is nothing better than this!"

"Sister-in-law," Lin Zhen asked her to calm down and not be so excited, "Who said that children don't have their own ideas? I think Shuanzi is very interested in woodworking. You can ask him. If he wants to learn, I have some friendship with Ma Carpenter in the village. Let him go there as an apprentice and learn some skills."

"If he is willing to go to the town with me to do business, then I will take him with me."

Lin Zhen said so much, Sister Lin didn't know what to say. She lowered her head and stroked the broken hair on her temples, "Okay, I'll go ask Shuanzi."

As soon as the two finished talking, they turned around and saw Brother Lin standing outside the door.

Brother Lin's face was very ugly, and there was some anger in his eyebrows.

Sister Lin knew her man's temper. He was easy to talk to on weekdays, but once he got angry, he would be terrible.

She was a little scared.

She also felt that she was wrong to come to Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen was very good to their family. If it weren't for Lin Zhen, the family would still be living a life of having no food to eat.

But...

Lin Zhen walked up, "Brother, I heard what sister-in-law said. I think there is nothing wrong. Don't look so stern. Don't be scary."

Brother Lin said in a muffled voice: "She is not satisfied."

"This is serious. It's not about being dissatisfied. If parents don't consider their children, who will they consider? I have said everything I should say to sister-in-law. You can go back and have a good chat. Tell me the result tomorrow." Brother Lin is not a violent person. He is also very reasonable. Lin Zhen let them do what they want.

Some things are better said by husband and wife. It will be counterproductive if others interfere.

Chapter 36

Sister-in-law Lin followed Brother Lin back to the house.

The Lin family had two rooms in total. In one room lived Lin's father, Lin's father, Lin Zhen and the youngest. In the other room lived Brother Lin and the second brother, who were already married. Each of them lived in one half. There was a wall made of mud and straw between the two houses.

Brother Lin's half was separated by a yellow linen cloth for Lin Zhuzi to live in.

So the place that really belonged to the couple was very narrow. There was a bed and a cabinet, and it was difficult to turn around.

Brother Lin took off his shoes and lay on the bed. With a very calm expression on his face, he said to Sister-in-law Lin, "Go to sleep."

What was he talking about? He was just afraid of disturbing Brother Lin's family, who were very far away from him, so he wanted her to speak clearly in her ear.

Sister-in-law Lin opened the quilt with a wooden look in her eyes and lay on the bed, feeling the body temperature of the person next to her.

Her real name was Su Xiaomei. She was a girl from a village far away from Liyu Village, even farther than Wayao Village.

Because the road was too far and too steep, even the grain collectors in the town were unwilling to go, just pretending that their village didn't exist.

But the absence of grain collectors didn't mean that their lives would be better. Their village was built in the deep mountains, with dense forests and hillsides everywhere. The reclaimed land couldn't grow much food, and every household could only hunt for a living.

But compared with the unfathomable dense forest, the people in the village were so small that almost every year someone would be eaten by wild beasts.

Since she was born, Sister Lin has been nagged by her mother to marry outside.

When Sister Lin was eighteen years old, someone came to the village that had not been visited for several years. Her mother excitedly told her that someone wanted to find a girl to marry in their village, and was asking the village chief's house which family had a suitable one.

This kind of thing happened once when Sister Lin was young. The person who came happened to be the sister of her neighbor next door. The sister was so happy that she almost jumped up, carrying a small bundle and left with the family. She never came back until she got married.

Her mother said that her sister was lucky and would not be trapped in the mountains anymore. She would definitely live a good life and might even be able to eat sorghum rice.

Facing her jubilant mother, Su Xiaomei, who was not yet Mrs. Lin, was not so happy.

Because their village was very secluded and remote, there were only a few villages in the same area that could communicate and marry each other, which took four to five days or seven to eight days to travel. She was already eighteen years old this year and had long passed the best age to get married. How could she be favored by those people?

Why was the neighbor's sister favored back then?

It was because the neighbor's sister was very beautiful and at the best age.

But Su Xiaomei's mother was unwilling to miss such a good opportunity and dragged Su Xiaomei to the village chief's house.

Before she got there, she saw several women and girls who had the same thoughts as her gathered outside the village chief's house, anxiously waiting for the outsiders in the village chief's house.

Soon, the door of the village chief's house opened, and the village chief with a walking stick led three people out.

The leader was a thin middle-aged man. As he walked, he said to the boys and boys behind him: "According to what we said, you can look for a girl or a boy in the village. If you like a girl or a boy, go and ask if they are interested. If both parties think it's good, give them two taels of silver and they will take the person away."

Lin's father and 23-year-old elder brother stood behind the matchmaker and nodded silently.

The Lin family was poor. There were only a few acres of paddy fields and land for four children and two adults. They would go hungry every spring.

As a result, elder brother Lin was 23 years old, and the people of similar age in the village had children, but he still had no marriage. Lin's father was so anxious that he took out all the money that the family had saved with great difficulty, and asked Lin's father to take elder brother Lin and second brother Lin to the town to work as hard labor for more than a year before he could get the money to find the matchmaker.

Then he was taken to this remote village by the matchmaker, which would never be discovered if no one led the way.

Father Lin and Big Brother Lin didn't know this at first. They thought the matchmaker would introduce a girl or boy to them, but they didn't know it would be a disguised way of buying people.

But...

when they came out of the village chief's house and saw those pairs of knowing eyes and the girl of the right age, they were speechless.

If they followed the normal process, the money in the family would be enough to marry a boy.

But here, they can marry a girl, who is healthy and of the right age.

The village chief was obviously familiar with such a scene. He looked at the women and girls gathered around the house and knocked on the ground with his walking stick: "Since most of the families with girls have arrived, I won't make another trip. This is the matchmaker from outside, bringing Uncle Lin and his son. They want to arrange a marriage with someone from our village. They are here, you can take a look at each other, and if you like someone, you can go home with them in a few days." Before

he finished speaking, the women crowded around swarmed up and pulled their daughters in front of Father Lin and Brother Lin: "Uncle, come and see my girl. She is fourteen this year, a good age to have children. I guarantee that you will have two children in three years if you marry her!"

"My girl is, she is fifteen years old and looks good. Her elder sister gave birth to twins after marrying into her husband's family. She can be like her sister!"

"Look at my girl!"

"Look at my family too!"

The matchmaker who brought Lin Adie and Big Brother Lin raised his eyebrows proudly: "I am famous in these villages. The girls from their families who marry the people I introduce will at least have enough to eat and will not starve. They are not like some heartless people who trick girls and boys into dirty places." He pulled

Lin Adie and pointed at the girl closest to Lin Adie: "Look at this girl, with a round face, strong hands and feet, she is a good worker!"

"Look at the one over there, wow, she is really pleasing to look at, and she smiles sweetly."

Lin Adie was simply dazzled. He didn't know how many people outside disliked his eldest son because of his old age and poor family, but here he became a hot commodity.

He thought this one was good, and that one was not bad either.

Lin Adie turned around and asked Big Brother Lin: "Look at the person who will spend the rest of your life with you."

The Lin family are all tall, standing out from the crowd, and can see the people around them clearly.

There was a little blush on his dark face, but it was hard to see because of his skin color, so he nodded slightly stiffly.

And Su Xiaomei in the crowd also saw the tall and strong Brother Lin. He looked different from the men in the village. He had a strong body, slender hands and feet, and his eyes looked bright and beautiful...

Thinking of the two of them getting together, the fear in Sister Lin's body eased a little. She slowly leaned to Brother Lin's neck and whispered, "You heard something just now, I want Brother Zhen to take Zhuzi to the town to learn some skills from him."

Sister Lin said slowly, "You have seen our Zhuzi. He is a good worker, but he can't sit still and he doesn't have much cleverness. If we don't find a way for him to make a living, his life will be difficult in the future."

"Brother Zhen is promising and kind. I can close my eyes until I die with him."

Sister Lin didn't know why Brother Lin chose her over other people who were younger and better looking than her, so she was holding her breath in her heart.

She worked harder than most men. She gave birth to four children for Brother Lin, and her hands and feet never rested for a moment, all to prove that she was no worse than those people. Brother Lin's original choice was not wrong.

Brother Lin listened to his wife's voice in the dark and said, "It is precisely because Zhen Ge'er is a good-natured person that we should not bully those who are familiar with him."

"We should not trouble others if we can, and we should not become a burden to him."

"Forget about Zhuzi, and don't mention it again."

Sister Lin was anxious: "Even if we can't ask Zhuzi to help Zhen Ge'er, he said that Zhuzi seems to be very interested in woodworking, and he can be sent to Ma Carpenter in the village to learn the craft."

As a parent, he naturally cares about his children. Brother Lin also hopes that Lin Zhuzi can have a way to make a living, and he doesn't have to be like him, who can only dig for food in the fields and live in poverty for most of his life. Sister

Lin's suggestion of going to Ma Carpenter to learn a craft moved him very much. Learning a craft is good, better than helping out at Malatang.

God can starve farmers to death, but it can't starve craftsmen.

Everyone in the village with eyes can see what kind of life Ma Carpenter lives, and there is nothing better than this.

Brother Lin was silent.

Sister Lin knew something from his silence. She said, "Boss, Zhen Ge'er never tells lies. He said he has a good relationship with Ma the carpenter and can let Zhuzi go there to learn the craft. That means he must be sure."

"Let's ask Zhuzi tomorrow and then ask Zhen Ge'er. We can have a definite answer whether it will work or not."

Sister Lin touched Brother Lin's arm and knew that he must be very uncomfortable now.

Although the couple spoke in a low voice, they were still heard by Brother Lin and Sister Lin, who were separated by a wall of mud and straw. Brother Lin and Sister Lin

also fell into the same silence.

Brother Lin and Sister Lin had three children. One of the two sons was one year younger than Lin Zhuzi, and the other was just able to walk. He was seven or eight months older than Tiedan, the youngest child in Sister Lin's family. The other was the boy Lin Huaixiang. Brother

Lin's temperament was as dull as Zhao Xiu's. The couple worked hard all day long. Fortunately, Father Lin was not partial, otherwise the couple would have a hard time.

But no matter how bored a person is, they will have their own plans when they think of their children. When they heard what Brother Lin and Sister Lin said, they immediately thought of their son Shitou, who is one year younger than Lin Zhuzi.

Shitou's health has not been as good as Zhuzi's since he was a child. He can't do farm work as well as Zhuzi, and usually does lighter work in the fields.

Before, the couple always worried about what would happen to Shitou in the future, fearing that he couldn't find a wife and couldn't work.

Now they have an idea.

They also want to send Shitou to Zhen Ge'er. If that doesn't work, they can also learn carpentry from Ma Carpenter like Lin Zhuzi.

The quiet room suddenly surged with breath, and Sister Lin Er quietly held Lin Er's hand.

Chapter 37

Father Lin found that the atmosphere at home was a little different when he woke up. It was so sticky that it seemed as if a hand was stirring inside, sticking everyone in.

He couldn't guess, but Father Lin had a rough guess.

But this was a matter between the children. They were all married, and it was not time for him to step in.

Lin Zhen waited for the eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law, as well as the second brother and second sister-in-law, who were both unexpected and expected. The expressions on the faces of the four were very similar. They stood in front of him awkwardly, not knowing whether to stand or sit.

He pointed to the chair next to him and blinked: "Sit down, everyone. You are all tall, and I look like a prisoner."

The four people noticed his joking tone and felt relieved. They looked at each other and found a seat to sit down.

The five of them sat in the open space on the left side of the yard. Next to them was a vegetable field. The cabbage planted a few days ago had sprouted small buds, which were green and looked a little cute.

Such small buds grow the fastest. In half a month, they will be as tall as a palm. It is most comfortable to eat hot pot.

However, the farmers in the village are reluctant to eat them like this. They are afraid of wasting the seedlings, so they have to wait until they grow mature before picking them.

Lin Zhen thought that when the time comes, he will talk to Lin Adi and he will definitely be able to pick a handful to eat. With the soup base of the spicy hot pot, he will definitely be able to eat two more bowls of rice.

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Xiu, the second sister-in-law of Lin, who was the least thoughtful, nervously grabbed her trouser legs and said in a hoarse voice: "Brother Zhen, I... I... I want to ask if you are still short of people. Can Shitou go to the town with you?"

After speaking, his face was already red, and the dark skin from years of hard work could not be concealed.

The second brother Lin sitting next to him was also like this, his mouth was pursed into a straight line, and his eyes looked straight at him.

In Lin Zhen's heart, he felt better about the second sister-in-law of Lin than the eldest sister-in-law of Lin. It's not that the eldest sister-in-law of Lin is not good, but everyone has their own preferences. He just likes the temperament of the second sister-in-law of Lin.

Honest, hardworking, and straightforward, he doesn't do anything tricky.

In comparison, Sister-in-law Lin has her own little thoughts, but these thoughts are based on the small family and are harmless.

Lin Zhen smiled and said to Sister-in-law Lin Er, "Actually, Sister-in-law asked me this last night, asking if Zhuzi could go to my place to help me."

"We are a family, and I won't say two things. Sister-in-law Lin Er, have you asked Shitou? Is he willing to go?"

"Yes!" Sister-in-law Lin Er nodded heavily, "I asked him early this morning, and he said yes."

"Then it's settled that Shitou will go to my place to help. Xiaoyao is an experienced worker and older than him. He is currently paid 15 cents a day, and Shitou is paid less, 8 cents a day. What do you think, Brother and Sister-in-law?"

Zhao Xiu and Lin Er didn't expect that the matter they had been struggling with for a whole night would be solved so easily. The two couldn't believe that everything in front of them was real, until Lin Zhen asked the second time, they reacted: "Thank you, brother Zhen!"

How could it be impossible?

Zhao Xiu's mind was like being pinched by a hand, with messy thoughts running around.

Shitou is nine years old this year, an awkward age. He can't do heavy work at home, and he can't find any work outside. Eight cents a day, two hundred and forty cents a month, is higher than the wages of many adults. Where else can be so generous except Lin Zhen's place.

After Lin Zhen dealt with Lin Ersao and others, he looked at Lin Dasao, who was obviously a little anxious.

He didn't talk to Lin Dasao, but looked at Lin Da Ge: "Brother, have you asked what Zhuzi meant?"

Lin Da Ge nodded: "I asked, he wants to go to Ma Mujiang to learn carpentry."

Lin Dasao was hesitant to speak.

When he originally planned to let Lin Zhuzi go to Lin Zhen to help, he thought it would be the same as going to the master in the town to learn skills, only to eat but not to get money.

But when he heard that Shitou from Lin Ersao's family was earning more than two hundred cents a month, he was a little shaken.

She felt that earning money was better than anything else, and she didn't know what it would be like to go to Ma Mujiang.

But she didn't dare interrupt when Brother Lin was talking, and could only stand by and worry.

Lin Zhen nodded: "As long as Zhuzi is willing to learn, it's better than anything else. I will take Zhuzi to Ma Carpenter later to make sure he learns the craft."

"But brother," Lin Zhen said ugly things in advance. He didn't like to hide things and cause trouble later. "Working under someone else's hands is not like working at home. Ma Carpenter is a strict person. Zhuzi must have a harder time with him."

Brother Lin: "How can you learn skills without suffering? If he doesn't want to learn, he can go home to avoid causing trouble outside."

Sister Lin next to him finally couldn't help it and said to Lin Zhen anxiously: "Third brother, I feel more at ease if Zhuzi goes to you, so he shouldn't go to Ma Carpenter." Brother

Lin and Lin Zhen looked at her while talking, and the atmosphere fell into a delicate situation in an instant.

The slow-witted Sister Lin and Lin Er seemed to realize that the current scene was a bit ugly, and the couple quietly moved the bench to the back.

Brother Lin pursed his lips: "I have already discussed this with Zhen Ge'er, and Zhuzi also agreed. If you haven't rested well, go back to the room and lie down for a while."

The string in Sister Lin's head seemed to finally break. She slightly widened her eyes and suddenly turned to Brother Lin: "I don't know if you really regard Zhuzi as your own son. Why do you want to send him to Ma Carpenter to suffer! What's wrong with going to town? There is food and drink every day, and eight cents. What's not to be satisfied with the work that is hard to find even with a lantern!"

Brother Lin has always been a calm and responsible image in front of his younger brothers. Because he has been unable to find a marriage at an old age, and even the younger brothers below have difficulty in getting married, so he always feels that he owes his younger brothers. No matter what he has to do over the years, he has done the most important and most.

Moreover, he is also very humble to Su Xiaomei, the hard-won daughter-in-law, and has never blushed with her.

His fingers were trembling a little, and he looked at Sister Lin: "You went to ask Zhuzi in person, he said he wanted to learn carpentry, and Carpenter Ma had some friendship with Zhenge'er, how could he be as harsh to him as the master outside."

"What are you dissatisfied with, saying these things in front of Zhenge'er."

"What does he know as a child? Isn't it better to make money? I don't know how many years he will have to learn from Carpenter Ma. He is ten years old, what can he learn? In two years, he will have to talk about marriage." Sister Lin felt wronged. She thought about Lin Zhuzi over and over again, but she didn't know what Lin Da, his biological father, was thinking. He didn't understand at all.

Her eyes were a little red: "By then, he won't make any money, and he won't learn any skills. He will be in a mess."

Lin Zhen wanted to say something, but suddenly saw that the focus of the topic, Lin Zhuzi, had walked under the eaves at some point, and his face, which was very similar to that of Brother Lin, was facing this side, with his lips tightly bitten.

He signaled Brother Lin with his eyes and silently said, "Go and bring Zhuzi over."

Brother Lin rarely saw Sister Lin cry, and his heart was in turmoil. When he saw Lin Zhen's lip language, he was stunned for a moment and called Lin Zhuzi over as he said. Sister Lin soon

realized that her son was in front of her, and hurriedly lowered her head to wipe her tears, looking up at her son, "Zhuzi, why are you here?" "

...Just now" Lin Zhuzi took a step forward, hesitated for a moment, and put his hand on Sister Lin's shoulder, "Mom, don't cry, I'm going to town with my uncle."

As soon as he said this, Sister Lin smiled and said to Lin Zhen and Brother Lin: "This time it was Zhuzi who said it himself, brother Zhen, there is no problem, right?"

Since Lin Zhuzi said so, Lin Zhen couldn't say anything else. He looked at Sister Lin, knowing that this sister-in-law not only firmly placed her own stubbornness on herself, but also on her children.

When the stones from Brother Lin's family went to the town, she must send Zhuzi there as well, and refused to fall behind.

As a result, she unconsciously put the mother's shelf on Lin Zhuzi's shoulders. As for whether this shelf was heavy or whether it would hurt people, she didn't realize it.

In fact, it's not just Lin Zhuzi and Sister Lin. From ancient times to the present, such things have never been cut off.

Before Lin Zhen could speak, Brother Lin got up and left. For the first time, his tall back was a little hunched.

Sister Lin was speechless, but she didn't think she was wrong. She found a better way for her son to live.

When the few people gathered together and talked, they did not stop or cover up. Lin's father and Lin's father soon knew what was going on.

Lin's father said nothing, and when Lin's father wanted to speak, he was stopped. For the first time in more than a year, the atmosphere in the Lin family was a little strange.

Only the little ones, such as Huaixiang, Chunxiang, and Xingxiang, were still running around in the yard as before, blowing the windmills that Lin Zhen made for them.

Taking advantage of the rain again today and the difficulty of setting up the stall, Lin Zhen put on a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat and prepared to go to the town to check out the shops on Zhazi Street.

As soon as he walked out of the door, he saw Gu Shuanzi in the cabin, looking at him with a pair of dark eyes.

Lin Zhen suddenly became excited and waved to him: "Do you want to go to the town together?"

If it were a few months ago, Lin Zhen would definitely not dare to have this idea, but after being nurtured by the ginseng slices, Gu Shuanzi's body has almost recovered, and the rest can only rely on time to slowly heal.

Gu Shuanzi nodded, closed the door of the cabin and ran over. Lin Zhen took the straw hat and raincoat hanging beside him and put them on. He stepped into the cold ground with his straw sandals: "It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Today's trip is almost ten miles, which is closer to your ten thousand miles."

The rain was not heavy, and the scattered raindrops fell on the straw hat, making a muffled sound beside his ears.

Gu Shuanzi also knew that the two families of Lin Dasao and Lin Ersao were looking for him, and he also knew that Lin Dasao and Lin Da Ge were unhappy because of something.

He looked at his stepfather wearing a straw raincoat and a straw hat in the rain, stepped into the rain quickly, and followed him.

Chapter 38

Because of the rain, most of the stall owners at the three-way intersection in the town were gone, and there were only two or three people buying things, which was very deserted.

Lin Zhen took Gu Shuanzi to Zhazi Street and knocked on a family's door with ease. Soon, an old man in his sixties came out of the door with an umbrella. When he saw Lin Zhen, he greeted him skillfully: "It's you, brother."

"Uncle Lu, I want to find a shop with a front for business and a back for living. Do you have a suitable one?"

Uncle Lu is a middleman who specializes in this business. People who have houses will explain their requirements for tenants and the situation of their houses to him, and when they find a suitable tenant, they will rent it out for a few taels of silver.

Uncle Lu had dealt with Lin Zhen before. He stood in the doorway and asked, "Didn't you always want to buy the shop next to Chen's Bakery? Why didn't you buy it?"

"That shop is very suitable for your current business and requirements, and the money you want is also suitable. If you miss this village, you will never see this shop

again." Lin Zhen has been doing the spicy hot pot business in Zhazi Street for a year and a half. Almost everyone on the street knows him. Uncle Lu didn't have a good impression of him at first. He thought that a young man who came out to show his face and looked like that would inevitably be suspected of having ulterior motives.

But as time passed, his impression of Lin Zhen changed.

Not to mention brothers, even ordinary men can't catch up with him. Not only is he good at making food, but he is also quick to speak and act. Now he is a regular customer of Lin Zhen's spicy hot pot and goes there every three to five days to satisfy his cravings.

Lin Zhen said, "I don't have much money, and I won't have much money after buying a shop, so I want to rent a shop first."

Anyone who does business can roughly estimate how much his spicy hot pot business can make in a month. From last year to now, it is more than enough to buy a shop.

But Uncle Lu is not so talkative, and he doesn't like to pry into other people's private affairs. He closed the door and said, "Okay, let's go and see it now. It's raining, so there are not many people on the road."

Zhazi Street is the most prosperous street in the town. Various shops are lined up on both sides of the three or four meter wide road. It can be said that although it is small, it has everything.

But the road is still a dirt road. It becomes wet when it rains, and it is full of mud and water when you step on it.

Uncle Lu took them to a shop in the middle of Zhazi Street and pointed at the shop, saying, "This shop is going to be rented out. It used to sell cloth, but it couldn't make it through due to poor management, so it vacated the shop and rented it out."

Uncle Lu had the key to the shop, and he opened the key while speaking, and took Lin Zhen and Gu Shuanzi in.

Lin Zhen took a look and took in the whole shop.

The shop was square in shape, with a door covered by a curtain on the right corner, leading to the back.

"This shop is spacious, and can accommodate seven or eight tables, which is enough for food business," Uncle Lu pointed at the door covered by the curtain, "and the door to the back is also well opened, so it won't disturb the customers when serving things."

Lin Zhen nodded and said to Uncle Lu, "Can we go to the back to take a look?"

Uncle Lu nodded, "Of course, you can follow me."

Uncle Lu walked in front, and Lin Zhen and Gu Shuanzi walked behind. After passing the door covered by the curtain, they arrived at the backyard.

The yard was not big, half a yard smaller than the Lin family's yard, and then there were three rooms in the shape of a Chinese character "品". There was also a tree in the yard that I didn't know what it was.

Lin Zhen was quite satisfied with the space and asked Uncle Lu: "How much is the monthly rent for this shop? How many months is the minimum rent?"

Uncle Lu would make money every time he made a deal. He liked straightforward tenants like Lin Zhen and said quickly: "Brother, you can see that the shop is spacious in front and not small in the back. It is also a good section on our street."

"The rent registered by the owner with me is three taels and seven cents of silver per month, with a minimum rent of six months. If

you rent it for less than six months, the rent will not be refunded." Lin Zhen has been doing business in modern times and knows that the owner's request is no problem. It is impossible for you to rent it for two months and then return the money. It is impossible for you to mess up a good shop.

However, his budget for renting a shop is only between one tael and eight cents and two taels and five cents. Although this shop is quite satisfactory, the price is high.

He said to Uncle Lu: "The price is a little bit high. Although it is spacious, my small business does not need such a wide space. It would be a waste if there is more."

"Uncle Lu, do you have any other shops to look at?"

"Yes." Uncle Lu closed the door of this shop without any annoyance, and took Lin Zhen and Gu Shuanzi to a place a little further ahead, standing in front of a shop that was a little smaller than the previous one: "This shop used to sell food, and the business was quite prosperous, but the couple's son went to the capital to make a living, and they were worried about the couple being alone here, so they took him there too."

"Originally, they wanted to sell it, but the couple wanted to leave a way out for their family, so they only rented it and entrusted me to take care of it."

This shop didn't look as new as the previous one, and the two doors leading in were also smaller.

But it wasn't too narrow inside, and it could probably fit four or five tables. The ground was still rammed flat and smooth mud. Looking at the backyard, there were also three rooms in a Chinese character "品", but due to the limited area, it was also smaller.

Lin Zhen's eyes swept around the backyard, and suddenly he was enlightened: "There's actually a well? Is it still producing water?"

The area was not dry, and rivers could be seen everywhere, but the town was densely populated, and it was impossible for every household to dig a well, so some families had to go to a slightly farther place to fetch water.

Lin Zhen was careless, and when he saw the well, he remembered that he was running a spicy hot pot business, and that he needed water a lot. If he fetched water every day, the manpower wasted would not be a small amount.

Moreover, he and Lin Xiaoyao, as well as Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi, and Lin Shitou, who came to the town, were not able to fetch water several times a day, so this well was too good to be true.

Uncle Lu saw Lin Zhen's expression and realized the importance of this well to Lin Zhen's business. He quickly said, "It can be sold, but the moss needs to be washed before it can be used."

"Washing is not a problem." Lin Zhen was really satisfied with this shop. He looked around and asked Uncle Lu, "How much does the owner of this shop want for rent?"

"Actually, it's about the same as the previous one, two taels and eight cents of silver."

Uncle Lu was afraid that Lin Zhen would not accept it, so he walked over and patted the well he liked, "Brother, you can see that this shop is good in every way, and there is also a well for convenient water use. You are in the food business, which can save you a lot of effort."

"Besides, two taels and eight cents of silver is really not expensive here. If the family who entrusted me with the job had not repeatedly warned me not to rent it to someone who did a sloppy job and to take good care of the house because they would come back to live there in the future, I would have rented it out long ago." Uncle

Lu was not lying. He and the family he used to do business with had been neighbors for decades. The shop was in a good location, had a well, and was of a suitable size. Several families came to see it.

But Uncle Lu saw that those people had bad character, so he didn't rent it to them.

He wanted to keep the place for his old friend and not let him come back to see the shabby and dirty house.

Two taels and eight cents was three cents more than Lin Zhen had budgeted, but he felt that this business was worth it to exchange three cents of silver a month for a convenient well.

Lin Zhen turned around and said to Uncle Lu, "Excuse me, uncle. I want this shop. When do you want to sign the contract?"

"You're a straightforward person," Uncle Lu smiled, "We can go now."

He found an old student to write two identical contracts, then signed his name and stamped it with a red handprint. Then he took it to the town government office to show it to the minor official in charge of this area. After stamping it with the government seal, the contract officially came into effect.

Lin Zhen rented the shop for half a year, and he had to pay 16 taels and 8 qian of silver in one lump sum, and then pay Lu Abo, the middleman, a commission of 2 taels of silver.

After everything was done, the spare key of the shop was in his hand.

Lu Abo left, and Lin Zhen stood in the empty shop and said to Gu Shuanzi, "When the weather is clear for a few days and the roads to the town are not crowded, we can move in."

"By the way, which room do you want to live in?"

There were five people in the town. Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao were brothers, so they could live together. It was also okay for Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou and Gu Shuanzi to live together.

But as Gu Shuanzi went to school, he would definitely have his own place to put the books, pens, tables and chairs he bought, so Lin Zhen thought about letting Gu Shuanzi have his own room, which could be regarded as starting to cultivate his ability to live alone.

After all, he couldn't be with him forever. If he could study, it would be fine, and he could stay in the school for a few more years. If he couldn't study, he might have to marry and have children at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and return to the blue brick and tile house of the Gu family in Datianzi Village.

Such a wide house, it's hard to call people.

Gu Shuanzi looked at the two side rooms next to the main house in the middle: "Either is fine."

"Then the one on the left," Lin Zhen gave him the final decision, "Move your desk and chair here, and make you a wardrobe. You should wear long gowns when you go to school, so make you two sets to change into."

"No, I have enough clothes." After Gu Shuanzi was taken back by Lin Zhen, he got several sets of clothes in a row. He really had no shortage of clothes.

Lin Zhen looked at him: "Sing the song that suits you. Nowadays, scholars wear long gowns. If you are unconventional, you may be criticized."

"Let them criticize what they want." Gu Shuanzi didn't care. Anyway, he didn't really like going to school to study. Maybe he could come back at the right time.

Suddenly, Lin Zhen gently pinched his cheek flesh. After several months of care, Gu Shuanzi finally had a little baby fat on his face that belonged to his age.

He bent down and looked into Gu Shuanzi's eyes: "Your tone is really old-fashioned, young man, you should be more energetic."

We can certainly ignore other people's criticisms, but sometimes it is not necessarily a bad thing to follow the crowd. If you don't like long robes, just wear them in school, and wear your short brown at home. "

The cheek flesh was pinched by the fingertips, which didn't hurt at all, but the air leaked out.

Gu Shuanzi said one word and stopped talking, and pulled Lin Zhen's hand down: "Got it."

Chapter 39

The matter of the shop was settled. Lin Zhen and Gu Shuanzi rushed back to Liyu Village as soon as possible before it got dark, and then told the family the news.

Since Sister Lin and Brother Lin were still awkward about that matter, their faces looked a little wrong when he said it, but they didn't dare to show it too obviously. After all, this was a happy event for Lin Zhen. How could they look so gloomy? Would they show it to Lin Zhen?

Lin Zhen took off his raincoat, which was almost wet inside, and hung it on the wooden nail on the wall, and sat next to Lin Adie.

It was still a little cold after a little rain at this time of year, and it happened to be time to light a fire to cook, so everyone gathered together.

He said, "I plan to move to the town after the rain stops for two days. I will have to trouble my elder brother and second brother at that time. There are a lot of things, and I can't move them alone."

If it were in the past, Sister Lin would have come up to talk, but now she didn't dare.

Lin Adie's eyes were sharp, and he looked at her from time to time these days.

Although she felt that she had done nothing wrong, she still felt uneasy in her heart. That was her husband's father, and no one would say anything even if he scolded her or hit her a few times.

But Father Lin just looked at her, and except for not talking to her, he was exactly the same as before, which made her feel uneasy for no reason.

"He must help you, and it's not all your things. There are also stone pillars. Don't worry so much. Their parents are idle." These words were a precise blow. Brother Lin and Sister Lin were so embarrassed that they hung their heads and dared not speak.

Only Lin Ersao's nerves were thicker than chopsticks. She nodded in agreement: "Dad is right. Brother Zhen, your second brother and I are very grateful that you can let Shitou go. How can we let you move his things? We will all go with you when the time comes, and see if there is anything we can do."

"Sure," Lin Zhen said to Lin Ersao with a smile, "then let's make a delicious meal tomorrow and have a good time as a family!"

"Uncle, what delicious food are you going to make!"

"Everything your uncle makes is delicious~"

Huaixiang, Xingxiang, Chunxiang and others hang around Lin Zhen every day. They have become much bolder and dare to come over to talk.

Lin Zhen picked up Huaixiang, the little brother of Lin Ersao's family: "Make whatever you want to eat. Let me see, how about making a candied haws?" Huaixiang

looks like Lin Ersao, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, and a straight nose. If you don't look at the pregnancy mole on the tip of the nose, you will never be able to tell the real gender.

He opened his eyes wide and looked at Lin Zhen: "Do you have candied haws?"

"Yes, and there are sweet potatoes with candied potatoes."

"There are really candied haws!" Chunxiang and Xingxiang were also stunned. They had never eaten candied haws, but they had seen the children in the village eat them. They were red, with sweet sugar on the outside and sour fruit on the inside. They looked delicious.

Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou and Gu Shuanzi also swallowed their saliva. No child could refuse candy.

"Of course, we will give you little soldiers a table and we adults a table. We will make some of your favorite food, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Uncle is the best!"

"Uncle is super good!"

"Uncle is the best uncle in the village!"

The children's faces were red, and they clapped their hands and circled around Lin Zhen. The childish words dispersed a lot of the strange atmosphere.

The next day, before Lin Zhen woke up, he felt that he was being watched. When he opened his eyes, he found three little kids beside his bed, Lin Huaixiang, Lin Chunxiang, Lin Xingxiang, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou. They were boys, so they couldn't come in, otherwise they might be the same as them.

Lin Zhen woke up instantly, rubbed his face, and went out with a basket: "We don't have sweet potatoes or hawthorns at home. I'll ask Aunt Ma if she has any, and buy some."

The children who had been thinking about candied haws all night heard that sweet potatoes and hawthorns were amazing, and they all came forward to surround him and wanted to go with him.

Lin Zhen never had any way to deal with such small creatures as children. He waved his hand and said: "Go, go, my basket won't be needed when the time comes, you can hold them all."

"Okay!"

As if he had received some supreme mission, Lin Shitou took the lead and rushed forward with Lin Huaixiang, Lin Chunxiang and others.

The leader of the children, Gu Shuanzi, didn't go, and Lin Zhuzi stood under the eaves, not knowing what he was thinking.

Lin Zhen sighed and put his arm around Lin Zhuzi's shoulders, "Let's go, you're strong, get me something later."

Lin Zhuzi's lips moved, and he nodded with a little grievance and discomfort on his face.

Today's rain was not as heavy as yesterday's, with only a little drizzle that could not be detected if you didn't feel it carefully. The sorghum seedlings in the fields by the road were green and as tall as a thumb. According to what Lin Zhen and Lin's father said, the villagers were already applying fertilizer for the second time, and they greeted the children of the Lin family enthusiastically.

Lin Zhen walked along the way and answered the villagers' greetings. He put his hand on Lin Zhuzi's shoulder: "You don't have to put all your parents' affairs on your heart. They are all for your own good, but they may have used the wrong method."

Lin Zhuzi seemed to have been waiting for him to speak, and his tightly closed lips opened with difficulty: "Uncle... don't blame my mother... she loves me and my father very much..."

Lin Zhuzi is ten years old this year, and he is already a little adult in the village. Brother Lin and Sister Lin don't avoid him when they talk and do things, just to teach him the rules and let him know things.

So he could see some things, such as the fact that the Lin family now relied a lot on his uncle Lin Zhen, and that his grandmother's attitude towards his mother changed because his mother insisted on sending him to his uncle's spicy hot pot shop.

But his immature brain didn't know what to do. He didn't want to make his mother sad, nor did he want his grandmother to have a grudge against his mother, and he didn't want his uncle and mother to become increasingly stiff.

He struggled with this and couldn't sleep for nights.

The hair on Lin Zhen's forehead was blown up by the wind, but the expression on his face did not change. He put his hand on Lin Zhuzi's shoulder and said, "If parents love their children, they will definitely plan for their children. Didn't I say just now that they all want you well, but they are using the wrong method."

"And for me, it doesn't matter if there is one more person in the shop. You still have to work for me to get the wages."

"It's just that Zhuzi," Lin Zhen looked down at the child who looked like Brother Lin, had the same temper, and took the responsibility on himself as soon as something went wrong. "You ignored yourself."

"Although parents love their children, it does not mean that the children are their parents' property and can be placed wherever they want."

"Your mother wants you well, so she wants to send you to me, but do you really like it?"

"I..." Lin Zhuzi's pupils were shaking. He didn't like it. He wanted to learn the craft from Carpenter Ma and become a carpenter who could make all kinds of things in the future.

Lin Zhen did not let him continue to embarrass him, and said: "Take your time, you are still young, you can fight for what you want, and there is still a long way to go."

Lin Zhen felt like a nanny for a day, first counseling the little brat Gu Shuanzi, then Lin Xiaoyao, and then Lin Zhuzi.

What a wonderful life!

He felt that he could apply for the job of a nanny, maybe it would make more money than selling spicy hot pot now.

In such a small village, the children all knew where Ma Mujiang's house was and had already run there first.

But Lin Shitou and the others were shy, hiding at the corner of the wall of Ma Mujiang's house, waiting for Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen led a group of little kids to stand outside the courtyard and called Auntie Ma. Soon, the courtyard gate opened. Auntie Ma was overjoyed to see him and so many children around him: "Come in quickly, are you having a children's party?"

Lin Zhen looked at the children who were so well-behaved in front of outsiders and touched his nose: "I can't help it, they are so cute."

"You, you," Auntie Ma liked Lin Zhen more and more as she got along with him. She turned around and put a plate of rare crisp candies on it and brought it to the children, "Grab some, your Grandpa Ma and I don't like to eat candies, and we haven't finished the things sent for New Year's greetings."

Lin Shitou and others looked at Lin Zhen with their hands firmly behind their backs. It was not

until Lin Zhen said that he wanted to take it, but he had to say thank you that he took the crisp candies from the plate one by one, and said thank you to Auntie Ma in a soft and obedient manner. Auntie

Ma's heart is sweeter than this crisp candy.

She had a difficult life and only had one daughter. She also married to the capital city and only came back once or twice a year. She rarely saw her two grandchildren, so she especially cherished children.

Seeing the Lin family's children were full of love, they even asked Lin Zhen why Gu Shuanzi didn't come.

Lin Zhen put the basket on the ground: "I'm collecting his things at home. By the way, Aunt Ma, I'm going to the town to do business, and I may be back less often."

"Are you all moving to the town?" Aunt Ma felt a little uncomfortable. She really liked Lin Zhen, the kind of love that made her happy when she saw him. She even thought about accepting Lin Zhen as her godson, but she hadn't figured out how to say it.

Lin Zhen said: "My father and others are not going, so it's just me, Shuanzi, Xiaoyao, Zhuzi and Shitou."

"Can I handle it, taking care of two or three children alone?"

"Xiaoyao is not young, he can do the work, he and I can take Zhuzi and Shitou to do the work, it's not a big problem."

"It's okay as long as you can succeed." Aunt Ma suppressed the idea of ​​taking Lin Zhen as her godson. She could see that Lin Zhen was a man who valued friendship and loyalty. If he became her godson, he would definitely miss her and Old Ma, and he would inevitably be worried.

It's better to leave it like this and not cause trouble to Lin Zhen.

She deliberately changed the subject and mentioned Lin Zhen's basket, "What are you looking for?"

"Well, I want to ask if there are sweet potatoes and hawthorns at my aunt's house, so that I can take some to make candied haws and candied sweet potatoes." As soon as Lin Zhen said that, he remembered it and said, "I'll send you some when I'm done, so that you can taste my craftsmanship."

Candy-made things are not cheap, and Aunt Ma waved her hands repeatedly: "No, Old Ma and I don't eat candy that much."

"It's not something that can fill you up, just taste it," Lin Zhen slapped the matter and settled it, "If you like it, I'll make some and send it to you later."

Aunt Ma smiled happily: "I haven't even told you if there are sweet potatoes and hawthorns, aren't you afraid of being at a disadvantage?"

"No, no, I won't lose anything with just this plate of crispy candy."

Chapter 40

Aunt Ma happily picked up a basket full of sweet potatoes and hawthorns from the cellar and handed them to Lin Zhen: "The sweet potatoes are okay, they haven't sprouted yet, but the hawthorns are very wilted. I don't know if they can be used."

Things stored in the cellar inevitably lose moisture. The skin of the originally red and plump hawthorns is wrinkled, and it is a circle smaller than when it was just picked.

But no matter how wilted it is, it is still hawthorn!

Lin Zhen, who hasn't eaten candied haws for a long time, drooled at the thought of the sourness of hawthorns. He waved his hand: "It will definitely work. Then Aunt Ma, I'll leave first. I'll ask Xiaoyao to bring it to you when it's done."

"Okay, I'll wait for your candied haws and sweet potatoes."

The most important thing about making candied haws is to boil the sugar. After Lin Zhen went back, he gave the hawthorns and sweet potatoes to Aunt Lin and Aunt Lin to take care of, and asked them to wash the hawthorns and dig out the cores inside. In order to ensure beauty, it is best not to crush the hawthorns, and keep them in their original shape. Peel

the sweet potatoes, cut them into smaller rolling knife pieces, drain the water and set aside.

The most important thing about these two snacks is the syrup. The Lin family now uses two kinds of sugar. One is the brown sugar that is rarely eaten, and the other is the icing sugar that Lin Zhen bought specially for seasoning. It is much lighter in color than brown sugar and has the shape of white sugar.

However, due to the current technical limitations, the color of the icing sugar is still a little red, and it is not as clear as white sugar. Instead, it is an irregular granule that is smaller than the tip of the little finger.

And even such inferior sugar is frighteningly expensive, about one tael of silver per pound.

To make syrup, only the sugar that Lin Zhen uses for seasoning can be used. He first puts cold oil in the pot, slides the sweet potato in and deep-fries it thoroughly, then takes it out, and then mixes the sugar and water in a ratio of two to one and pours it into the pot.

The sweet smell of sugar spreads in the room with the exploding bubbles. The adults who are no longer greedy for sugar can't stand it and their eyes fall into the pot from time to time.

When the syrup was almost done, Lin Zhen asked the eldest and second wives to bring the hawthorn balls and sweet potatoes that had been strung together. First, roll the hawthorn balls in the syrup, then pour the sweet potato pieces into the remaining syrup, stir and pour into the bowl.

Lin Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "The sweet potatoes should be eaten while hot, otherwise they will be hard to pick up if they are cold. The candied haws can wait a while, and the sugar on them will be crisper and more delicious after it cools down."

"By the way, Xiaoyao, bring two bamboo tubes and send some to Aunt Ma and Uncle Ma."

"Okay, Third Brother." When Lin Xiaoyao heard the words, his feet were like springs, and he quickly went to the place where things were piled up and took two clean bamboo tubes and handed them to Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen put four strings of candied haws in a bamboo tube, and half of the bamboo tube was filled with candied sweet potatoes. He said to Lin Xiaoyao, "Send it early and come back early. Be careful not to fall. The road is a bit slippery."

"Don't worry, Third Brother, I will definitely send it to Aunt Ma and Aunt Ma warm." Lin Xiaoyao borrowed the bamboo tube and walked out. His figure quickly disappeared outside the fence.

Lin Zhen looked at Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou and others who were already impatient to get close to the stove, and told them to wash their hands and get chopsticks: "Eat the candied sweet potatoes first, and see who can pull the longest string!"

The children who couldn't wait cheered and rushed to wash their hands and get chopsticks. They picked up the sweet potato pieces and pulled them up. The hot sugar threads made a subtle sound unique to food, and then pulled out long sugar threads.

One centimeter, two centimeters, three centimeters...

The smaller Lin Huaixiang stood on tiptoe, and the sugar threads under the sweet potato pieces were still connected, with no sign of breaking.

Seeing Lin Huaixiang's red face, Lin Zhen watched from the side: "Second sister-in-law, pick up Huaixiang quickly."

Second sister-in-law Lin quickly and honestly held Lin Huaixiang to her chest. She was a tall man in the family who was comparable to the eldest and second brothers Lin. The sugar thread under Lin Huaixiang's sweet potato finally broke.

"Hahahaha."

"Don't tease your second sister-in-law, you little brat."

There were laughter in the room. Lin Huaixiang was held high by his father. He, who had always been introverted, handed the sweet potato to his father's mouth: "It's sweet, dad, eat it."

Zhao Xiu's personality was straightforward and wooden. He loved his three children very much, but he rarely talked to them. He would only work hard, do his work well, and cook for them.

So whether it was Lin Shitou or Lin Huaixiang, they rarely showed their dependence on him. They seemed to have inherited his taciturnity and dullness.

Zhao Xiu looked at the piece of sweet potato that Lin Huaixiang brought to his mouth, and gently bit a small hole on it: "It's so sweet, Huaixiang, eat it."

"Hmm!" Lin Huaixiang felt that this piece of sweet potato was so fragrant, more fragrant than anything he had eaten before.

He loved his father, father, brother, younger brother, and uncle so much, and he hoped that every day would be like this.

All the children stood on the ground, and only Lin Huaixiang, who was held by Zhao Xiu, was the tallest.

Lin Shitou's mouth was slightly pursed, looking at his younger brother who was held high by his father. He also wanted to be like his younger brother, but he was the older brother, a big boy, and he couldn't do that.

Suddenly, the rough hands of the second brother Lin hugged him under his shoulders and also held him high.

Then came Tiedan, Zhuzi, Xingxiang and Chunxiang.

Regardless of the previous minor frictions, the Lin family made people feel extremely comfortable at this moment.

Lin Zhen couldn't stand it after eating two pieces, and he held the bamboo tube teacup beside him to clear the sweetness in his mouth. He looked at Gu Shuanzi who didn't ask to be held at all, and suddenly wanted to do something bad.

Ahem.

Putting down the bamboo teacup, Lin Zhen walked behind Gu Shuanzi and picked him up when he wasn't paying attention. He put one hand on his waist to prevent him from bending his waist when he wasn't paying attention, and put one hand under his buttocks to make it easier for him to exert force: "My dear son, how are you? Are you happy?!"

Gu Shuanzi, who was suddenly picked up, was stiff. The sweet potato pieces on the chopsticks slipped between the chopsticks and almost fell to the ground.

He faced Lin Zhen, and because of his posture, he looked down at his stepfather, and the veins on his forehead were faintly beating.

He was already eight years old, not four or five years old, and he was still hugged by his buttocks like this...

But looking at his stepfather's eyes that were narrowed with laughter, Gu Shuanzi pressed down the veins on his forehead one by one. He thought, fortunately he didn't have a wife now, if his wife knew that he was still being hugged by his stepfather at this age...

"Uncle Lin, I can hold it myself." Gu Shuanzi felt that his voice was very cold.

Lin Zhenbai's face showed a look of "Why is this happening?" He looked at the half-eaten piece of sweet potato in his hand and said, "But Huaixiang and the others can't reach it?"

Because I'm taller than them.

Gu Shuanzi looked at his stepfather and thought.

He looked at the expression on his stepfather's face, stretched out his chopsticks to pick up a piece of sweet potato, and with his stepfather's sweet expression (my little guy is so great), he successfully pulled the sugar thread under the sweet potato.

The author has something to say:

At that time.

Gu Shoufu had grown up very big. He liked to hold his Jiaojiao face to face, and then asked his Jiaojiao while doing XXXX: "Are you happy?"