41-50

Chapter 41

There are many people and children in the family, so Lin Zhen specially made a big pot of food. When Lin Xiaoyao came back, everyone was eating happily. Lin Zhen, who had already put Gu Shuanzi down, waved to him: "Come here and eat while it's hot. Aunt Ma and Uncle Ma are eating too, right?"

The house was full of sweet smells, and every sip was full of happiness.

After a year of good life, Lin Xiaoyao was still craving for the luxurious sweet taste. He took a bite of the candied sweet potato and said, "Uncle Ma just came back from outside when I went there. They said it was delicious and asked me to say thank you."

The taste created by the combination of oil and sugar is irreplaceable. Lin Xiaoyao's eyes almost narrowed and he couldn't wait to take a second bite: "It's delicious, sweet and fragrant!"

"Eat as much as you want. You take the sweet potatoes and candied haws outside and play with Shuanzi and Zhuzi and the others. My eldest and second sisters-in-law and I will cook for tonight."

"Okay." Lin Xiaoyao picked up the basin of candied sweet potatoes and called Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and the others. The group of kids had been completely conquered by the candied sweet potatoes. The thought of the sour and sweet candied haws made them drool.

Lin Zhen still had an apron tied around his waist. He scooped water into the pot to wash off the syrup that stuck to the pot, and said to Lin Dasao and Lin Ersao: "We discussed the dishes to be made last night. Dasao, go get the smoked pork trotters that were smoked during the Chinese New Year, wash them, chop them into small pieces, and cook them in the stove next to it. Ersao, go to the field and pull up two cabbage seedlings."

"Okay, I'll go get the pork trotters right away." Lin Dasao was still counting on Lin Zhen to take care of her children, so when she heard that Lin Zhen wanted pork trotters, she went to get them without saying a word.

Lin Ersao did the same, carrying a bamboo basket and going to the vegetable field to pick vegetables.

Dusk fell quietly, and white smoke rose from the roofs of every household, which was blown away in the air by the wind.

After working for two hours and making nine dishes and a soup, Lin Zhen, Lin Dasao, Lin Ersao, and Lin Adie did not feel tired, but rather very satisfied.

Lin Zhen followed what he said yesterday and divided the meal into two tables, one for adults and one for children. The dishes on the children's table were slightly different, with two of them being replaced with sweet sweet and sour spareribs and brown sugar rice cakes.

Except for Tiedan, the youngest child in Lin's eldest brother's family who had just learned to walk, and the youngest child in Lin's second brother's family who could not hold a bowl steadily, all the other children went to that table.

They had never been so free before, and they cried and shouted to get more rice and chopsticks by themselves, so happy that the roof was about to be lifted off.

Lin's father and father at the adults' table had always hoped to see their children and grandchildren doing well. Looking at their table, the smiles on their faces were obvious.

Lin Zhen, who had just gotten up and went into the house, came out with a small jar and put it on the table: "Rice wine, which was just produced by the winery a few days ago. The shopkeeper said that it is in its mellow season, and women and boys can also drink a few sips." Wine

is brewed with grain, and it is an expensive item no matter where it is. Lin's father and Lin's eldest brother and Lin's second brother had only drunk it at some banquets, and their eyes were wide open when they saw the wine.

Lin Zhen smiled and poured half a cup of small bamboo cups, which were only as thick as wrists, for everyone at the table. He looked around and said, "It has been a year and a half since I came back, and I haven't really sat down to have a good meal with my father, my elder brother, my second brother, my elder sister-in-law, and my second sister-in-law. Today, we must eat and drink happily."

Father Lin looked at him, and his heart was full of emotion.

Since childhood, Lin Zhen was the one he loved the most, but he was ignorant and took the initiative to get together with the young master of the Qian family, making them unable to raise their heads in the village.

Before he could blame his son, he heard that Lin Zhen was divorced by the Qian family, and not long after, he entered the Gu family and became Gu Da's second wife.

He couldn't sleep all day and all night, for he was worried that his son would not live well. When he heard that Gu Da had died, he was afraid that he could not stand the evil relatives of the Gu family, so he borrowed money to buy incense, candles, and paper money, and rushed to the Gu family to burn incense for Gu Da, just to let others know that his son also had a mother's family and could not be bullied for no reason.

Father Lin could not fail to notice that, because he was taking care of Lin Zhen, Sister-in-law Lin had some complaints.

But what could he do? That was a piece of flesh that fell from his body, and he could not really ignore it.

Fortunately, this child came back from his wrong path, and after returning, he changed thoroughly and lived a more and more prosperous life.

Brother Lin was somewhat ashamed to face Lin Zhen. It was obvious that his third brother had found a way for his Zhuzi, and Zhuzi had agreed, but his wife was obsessed with the wages and insisted on sending Zhuzi away.

Although Lin Zhen never said anything, Brother Lin could not get over this hurdle in his heart.

Brother Lin and Sister-in-law Lin did not think too much. The couple just thought that today's meal was really good, and Lin Zhen, who brought all this, was even better. Looking at Lin Zhen, their eyes were full of stars.

A table, a few thoughts, Lin Zhen raised the bamboo cup: "Come, let's drink together!"

This was his first meal in this world, and he could not wait.

Back then, he was a famous drunkard. He would not miss any party organized by his friends. He drank beer, liquor, and foreign liquor in a round-robin manner, but he never got drunk!

His words interrupted the different thoughts on the table, and he raised his glass to meet him.

——The

alcohol content of alcohol without distillation process is limited, just a little higher than beer, so it is naturally not drunk.

But Lin Zhen's current body is not the same as his previous body, and he slept in a daze until ten o'clock the next morning before waking up. He looked at the simple thatched roof above his head and the table next to his face, and his feet in the quilt could not help shaking.

Suddenly, the thin straw and mud wall were knocked, and Lin Huaixiang called him through the wall: "Uncle, are you awake?" "

Awake, what's wrong?"

"Uncle asked me to come and tell you that everything is almost packed. You can leave when you wake up."

Lin Zhen slapped his head and remembered that he had told his family before drinking last night that if the weather was good today, he would go to town. The shop has been rented, and he will open it even if he doesn't live there.

He got up from the bed, put on his clothes, pants and shoes quickly, and grabbed a handful of hair as he walked: "Go tell your uncle that I'm up and will be here soon."

"Okay." Lin Huaixiang ran away and talked to Lin Xiaoyao in the yard.

When Lin Zhen walked out of the house, he saw the bright sunshine shining from the blue sky, illuminating the whole house. The tiny dust particles floating in the light and shadow seemed to be stained with light. It was

a very good day, and even the water in the jar by the wall was slightly warmed by the sun.

He was too lazy to boil water, so he filled a large bamboo cup he used, poured a little green salt on his toothbrush, and walked to the entrance of the vegetable field on the right side of the yard: "Dad Xiaoyao, why didn't you call me?"

Before he came, no one in the family had the habit of brushing their teeth and rinsing their mouths, and they didn't pay much attention to it.

After he popularized it again and again, they realized how important brushing teeth is. Now the Lin family has a large bamboo cup and a pig bristle toothbrush.

Seeing him brushing his teeth, Lin's father said, "Anyway, we are going to go with you to sort out the store today. We can get things done faster with more people, so we don't need this little time."

"By the way, I steamed two buns for you on the stove, one with meat and one with vegetables, and two boiled eggs."

"Thank you, father." Green salt is not as good as toothpaste for brushing teeth, and the taste is a bit strange. If you brush for a long time, you will feel sick.

Lin Zhen rinsed the slightly bitter taste in his mouth and said to Lin's father, "I'll take the buns and eggs and go, and eat while walking."

The cart, the pottery pot, the stove, and the prepared dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, cabbage and other vegetables that were enough to sell for five days, as well as the clothes and shoes of Lin Zhen, Lin Xiaoyao, Lin Zhuzi, Gu Shuanzi and others.

After Lin Zhen got out the steamed buns, he saw that his father and elder brother were going to carry the buns to the town on a shoulder pole. His first thought was to borrow a bullock cart from somewhere.

However, Liyu Village was too poor. Up to now, only Li Jiu had a mule. But considering that Li Jiu and Lin Xiaoyao had not succeeded, it was impossible to borrow one. It

would be difficult to send the gods away when the time came. That would be troublesome.

He finished the steamed buns and eggs in a few bites, and carried a backpack: "Let's go."

At the same time, he thought to himself that when the business in the town stabilized, he still had to find a way for elder brother Lin and second brother Lin to make more money, renovate the house, and buy a cow or a donkey.

Father Lin and father Lin were old, and they didn't have to work so hard with livestock.

Except for Mrs. Lin who stayed at home to look after the children, everyone else followed. There were about ten people carrying baskets and shoulder poles, and pushing carts that everyone in the village knew had made money. As soon as they left the house, someone asked, "Uncle Lin, what is your family doing?"

Father Lin carried the lightest clothes, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were much lighter: "Zhen Ge'er is going to the town to do business, and we are going to deliver things to him."

"Zhen Ge'er has gone to the town before, but it was never such a big deal?"

"Our village is too far from the town, and most of the time is wasted on the road. Zhen Ge'er thought about renting a shop in the town for convenience."

"I rented a house in the town!" The person asking the question widened his eyes. They only went to the town once or twice a year, or simply didn't go, and only wandered around the fields.

Those who can live in the town are considered to have a family background, not lacking food or clothing, and can even have two meals a day. The people who eat rice are different from them.

I knew that Lin Zhen had made a lot of money, but I didn't know that he could live in the town.

"Uncle Lin, you gave birth to a capable boy, that's it!" The man who asked the question gave a thumbs up, and looked at Lin Zhen as if he was looking at a gold ingot.

His mind worked quickly, and he asked Lin Zhen loudly: "Brother Zhen, are you short of people to work?"

"It's a small business, just enough to feed a few mouths, how dare I hire people to work," Lin Zhen smiled and changed the subject, "It rained well a few days ago, I see your seedlings are green, you will definitely be able to harvest a few more loads this year."

The man who asked the question smiled and said: "Thanks to your composting method, my land has not been good in previous years, but this year it is comparable to medium-sized fields!"

Chapter 42

Everyone in the village lived close to each other. After just a few words, several neighbors heard that Lin Zhen was going to the town to do business. Uncle Ji, who happened to be carrying a bucket to the well to fetch water, heard it, squeezed out of the crowd, and asked anxiously: "Brother Zhen, are you also buying dried bamboo shoots?!"

A few days ago, in order to earn more income, Uncle Ji took his wife and children to dig bamboo shoots every day. They finally dried them and were planning to send them to Lin's house in two days.

Who knew that Lin Zhen was actually going to the town!

Seeing that Uncle Ji was so anxious that his head was flaming, Lin Zhen said to him and other villagers who had the same idea: "I will still do the malatang business. Dried bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms and dried black fungus are indispensable. If you want to sell them, send them to my house as before. My eldest and second sisters-in-law will collect them and send them to me."

"What about the price? Is it the same as before?" Someone in the crowd asked.

Lin Zhen nodded: "As long as the goods are good, the price will not change."

After hearing the accurate words, Uncle Ji and everyone felt relieved. Uncle Ji was really happy for Lin Zhen. At first, he looked down on Lin Zhen, who had a bad reputation, and felt that Lin Zhen was not a good man and married one after another.

But now he doesn't think so. Instead, he thinks that the Qian family must be bad. They divorced Lin Zhen, who is such a good man. They don't know what kind of official lady they are looking for, and they don't even consider whether their family has such a fate.

He said to Lin Zhen: "Then I will send it to your house tomorrow, Brother Zhen, uncle first wishes you to make a lot of money."

"Brother Zhen, don't forget us when you become rich in the future."

"Go to hell, who are you, Brother Zhen, why should I remember you."

"I, I am from the same village as Brother Zhen, isn't it okay!"

The neighbors around Lin Zhen's house are all good. Everyone happily congratulated Lin Zhen on opening a shop in the town.

Lin Zhen said a few words to them and turned to walk towards the entrance of the village.

Lin Zhen had walked the road from Liyu Village to the town for a year and a half. He was so familiar with where there were stones and pits, but he had never felt as relaxed as he did now.

After about three hours, when the sun was at its hottest, the family arrived in the town.

Lin Zhen's face was red from the heat. He took the key to open the door of the shop and called Lin's father and others: "Father, put the things in the backyard first. Xiaoyao, come with me to the shop next door to buy a bucket of water."

Father Lin was thirsty and said, "Isn't there water in the yard behind you? Just draw it and drink it."

"That well has not been used for a long time and has not been washed. What if you get a stomachache after drinking it?"

"Father, I'll be back soon." Lin Zhen took Xiaoyao to the shop next door. It happened that there were no customers in the shop at this time. Only the shopkeeper was leaning lazily on the counter, playing with the abacus beads.

Lin Zhen bowed to the shopkeeper and said, "Hello, shopkeeper. I'm Lin Zhen who just moved next door. The well in the yard hasn't been cleaned for a long time, so I'd like to buy a bucket of water from you. May I know if it's convenient?"

This shop sells rice, flour, grain and oil. As soon as you walk in, you can smell the unique fragrance of shelled grains. The shopkeeper looked at Lin Zhen and remembered who he was: "So you are Boss Lin who sells Malatang. I didn't expect that we will be neighbors in the future." "

What's the value of a few sips of water? Boss Lin, just go and drink it."

"There are seven or eight people waiting at home. I'm afraid they may need to borrow your bucket." Lin Zhen had a good memory and naturally saw that he had bought Malatang from his stall. He was a quiet and nice person, otherwise he would not have come here to buy water.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "What's the big deal?" He shouted loudly, and the waiter who was busy in the backyard came out. He pointed at Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao and said, "Take Boss Lin to the backyard to fetch water, and bring it to Boss Lin by the way."

"Hey." The waiter agreed crisply and turned to take Lin Zhen and the others to the backyard.

Lin Zhen hurriedly said, "You can't trouble the shopkeeper so much. My brother and I will carry it ourselves."

"We are so close, maybe we will bother the shopkeeper in the future."

The shopkeeper did not insist and said to the waiter, "Listen to Boss Lin."

The waiter, who made a living by money, naturally believed what the shopkeeper said. He lifted the curtain and said, "Boss Lin, I'll go fetch water. You wait here."

Lin Zhen took a look. The backyard here had the same layout as the shop he rented, with three rooms, an open space in the middle, and a well in the corner.

But because they were doing rice, flour, grain and oil business, there was a stone mill in the yard, a mule tied to the mill, and unmilled wheat on the mill.

There is wheat here, but it is a fine grain. There are few families in Liyu Village who eat it. Most of them eat sorghum and buckwheat.

Seeing wheat, Lin Zhen wanted to make a series of pasta. He planned to come here to buy some in a few days.

The waiter quickly came out with a bucket of water and put it in front of Lin Zhen: "Boss Lin, let me carry it out for you. It's heavy."

Lin Zhen waved his hand: "It's okay, my brother and I will carry it together."

After that, Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao each carried one side and went back with the full bucket.

Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao put the bucket on the ground in the house and said: "Father, Daddy, Big Brother, Second Brother, and Sister-in-law, come and drink water."

There were clean and spare bamboo tubes on the cart, so there was no need to go to the trouble of looking for bowls and cups. Big Brother Lin and Second Brother first poured a full bamboo tube for Lin Afu and Lin Adie, and then poured for Gu Shuanzi, Lin Shitou, and Lin Zhuzi, and Sister-in-law Lin did it herself.

After drinking the ice-cold well water, even strong adults like Big Brother Lin and Second Brother Lin felt like they were alive again.

They looked at the empty shop with tiles on the roof and brick walls. They were very fond of it and felt uneasy. They still couldn't believe that Lin Zhenzhen would do business here in the future.

After drinking the water, Father Lin, who was usually quiet, said, "Xiao Zhen, you can see where to put these things. Your Big Brother and Second Brother and I will help you clean the well first."

Cleaning the well is a hard job. You have to put branches into the well from the mouth, scrape off the moss growing on the wall of the well, and then pump out the water stored in it, and wait for it to be filled with clean water again.

Lin Zhen swallowed the last mouthful of water, wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Okay, then I'll trouble you, Father and Big Brother and Second Brother. I'll put the things I brought into the house with my second sister-in-law Xiaoyao, and then sweep the house."

"Okay." Father Lin rolled up his sleeves and took Big Brother Lin and Second Brother Lin to the well in the backyard.

Lin Zhen turned around and said to Lin Ersao, Lin Xiaoyao, Lin Adie, Gu Shuanzi and Lin Zhuzi, "Xiaoyao and I will live together. Our clothes will be placed in the main house. Zhuzi and Shitou will live in the right wing, and Shuanzi will live in the left wing. Just put the things in the three rooms separately." "There

are also dried bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms and the like that will be used in a few days. Take them to the place where sundries are placed in the corner of the yard."

Everyone was not lazy. They got to work immediately after hearing the words. After putting the things away, they used the water that Lin's father and others had prepared to pour to clean the doors and windows, and then went to clean the yard and the shop in front.

"Second sister-in-law," Lin Zhen, who was carrying a bucket of water and a handkerchief on his wrist, said to Lin Ersao, who could reach the highest point of the window without using anything, "Put the handkerchief on your head. There is a lot of dust on it. It will get dirty if it falls on your hair." Lin Ersao's

strong nerves did not expect this. Hearing this, she smiled innocently, took the handkerchief from his wrist, and put it on her head honestly.

He has a heroic appearance, and his silly smile makes him look... really handsome and cute...

Father Lin, who was about the same height as Lin Zhen and couldn't reach the top, wiped the lower half of the window while saying to Lin Zhen with sparkling eyes: "It's a really nice house. I just saw it. The tiles are still new and there are no gaps. There's no need to pick new ones."

"And this window is well made. It can be pushed open when it's hot and closed when it's cold."

Unlike the one in the Lin family, it just had a blank space dug out on the wall and didn't have paper pasted on it. It just didn't need anything to block it when it was hot, but when it was cold, there were tall sorghum stalks piled up outside, and it was dark and nothing could be seen.

"It's just that the rent is too expensive, more than two taels of silver a month." Two taels of silver. In previous years, the Lin family couldn't earn that much money throughout the year, but now they can only rent a house in the town for a month.

Lin Zhen wrung out a handkerchief and helped Lin's father to clean the windows. He said, "Although it's a bit expensive, I can get up early in the morning to open the door for business and work until dark. In the end, I can earn more than before."

Lin's father put the dirty handkerchief into the bucket and rubbed it: "Dad knows that you are ambitious and you are the most capable one in the family."

"It's just that Dad feels empty inside. In the past, you went back every day, and I would wait at the door at the time. I could always see you coming back. But now I can't see it anymore."

The house, which had not been lived in for a long time, was very dirty. It was covered with dust and the handkerchief turned black after a few wipes.

Lin Zhen also put the handkerchief in the water to wash it, and looked at Lin's father and said, "I will go back when I have time, father, you don't have to worry too much."

"You are my child, how can I say I don't worry about you?" Lin's father twisted the handkerchief and said, "But I am happy that you have made progress."

"By the way, do you remember what I told you before?"

"What is it?"

"Your child," Lin's father whispered, "It's the young man who wanted to marry you. The day before yesterday, he asked his relatives to question him again. He said he still likes you very much and asked if you should meet him first. Anyway, you are all married people, so you don't have to marry blindly like those who are getting married for the first time."

"..."

Lin Zhen almost fell over.

My God, why is that buddy still thinking about it? Does he really want to be Gu Shuanzi's stepfather?

He hurriedly said to Lin's father, "Dad, do you think I have that idea now?"

Lin's father looked at Lin Zhen, who had a ruddy face and a face that said he only wanted money, and understood in his heart.

He said, "I'm just telling you this. Whether it succeeds or not is up to you. As long as you are comfortable, it's fine."

"Hehe, thank you, father." Lin Zhen found that since Xiaoyao said in front of Lin's father that he didn't want to marry Li Jiu and wanted to do something first, Lin's father didn't keep such a close eye on the brothers in the family. He

no longer urged Huaixiang to learn needlework, and didn't say anything about Huaixiang learning the Thousand Character Classic with him.

Lin's father didn't understand what was going on. He just saw that Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao were smiling more and more, and some of his deep-rooted ideas changed.

Chapter 43

The family worked for more than three hours to tidy up the entire shop and the backyard.

The clean doors and windows revealed the original wood color, which looked very comfortable, but the room was a little empty. Besides the empty bed, there was only a table and a cabinet. The small kitchen for cooking didn't even have a bowl or a pair of chopsticks.

Lin Zhen thought of these when he came to see the shop. Daily necessities such as bedding, bowls and chopsticks can be bought at home, and there is no need to waste time if you have money in hand. It's

just that the tables, chairs and benches placed in the store need to be customized according to his own ideas.

And before that, he went to Ma the carpenter's house after inspecting the shop and gave Ma the drawings. He will open the shop after Ma delivers the tables, chairs and benches in two days.

He said to Lin's father and father, "Father, let's take a break and go have a meal. You've been busy all afternoon."

There are places to eat in the town, cheap restaurants and more expensive hotels. However, there are only two restaurants, one at the entrance of Zhazi Street, doing mid- to low-end business, and the other is not far away opposite the shop rented by Lin Zhen, doing high-end business, and both businesses are pretty good.

Father Lin rolled up his sleeves and said, "Take a rest. Your father, I, your eldest brother, second brother and his wife are leaving soon, so we won't have dinner."

How could Lin Zhen let them be so busy that they don't have a hot meal, so he quickly said, "It's already this late, it's just right for you to have a meal and go back tomorrow. Your sister-in-law is in the house, and the younger ones will be fine."

Father Lin still insisted on his own idea, "There are so many of us, it's okay to get home a little later. You just rented a shop, and you have to buy more things. You still have a lot of money to spend, so don't spend it on these unnecessary things."

As he spoke, Father Lin, with the sweat on his face dried, stood up, "Okay, the room has been cleaned up, and you and Xiaoyao can take the three younger ones to tidy up the rest."

"His father, it's time to go."

"Hey, head of the family," Father Lin stood up and patted Lin Zhen on the shoulder, "Dad doesn't know how to do business, and can't help you. If you encounter any difficulties, don't keep it to yourself. Even if Dad doesn't understand, I can listen to you, okay?"

"Father... Dad..." Lin Zhen wanted to say that he had plenty of money, so how could he be poor just by renting a shop, but Lin's father had already walked to the door connecting the backyard and the front shop, and looked like he would never let him spend the money for this meal, letting Lin Zhen know his determination.

He nodded and could only say to Lin's father: "Okay, I know, Dad, don't worry, I won't only report good news but not bad news. If there is anything, I will discuss it with you."

"I'll take you out." Lin Zhen took Lin Xiaoyao, Gu Shuanzi, Lin Shitou and Lin Zhuzi with him to take Lin's father and Lin's father out of the shop, and only looked away when they could no longer see their backs.

Although Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou, who were standing with Lin Zhen, had been holding back, their eyes were a little red.

The two children had never left home since they were young, and it only took a few hours or half a day to go out to play. They didn't feel it when they were working just now, but now they suddenly realized that this was not Liyu Village. It would take many days for them to go home and see their parents. Don't mention how uncomfortable they felt.

Only Gu Shuanzi's eyes remained unchanged.

Lin Zhen looked at the four of them and changed the subject: "Go wash your face and wipe off the sweat. Come with me to buy bedding. By the way, I'll buy two pieces of cloth and make two sets of clothes for you."

"Make new clothes?" Lin Shitou, who probably inherited the toughness of his second brother and his wife, has recovered now and is looking at Lin Zhen with a pair of slightly red eyes.

Lin Zhen nodded: "From now on, our shop will be called Zhenyouwei Malatang. The clothes will be neat and tidy so that customers will feel comfortable looking at them."

"Thank you, uncle!" The clothes Lin Shitou was wearing were his best clothes. Last year during the Spring Festival, his wife gritted her teeth and finally made a set. However, Lin Shitou grew up quickly, and the shoulders and trouser legs were a little short, so it was a little tight to wear.

If it were at home, this set of clothes would have been worn by Huaixiang in a few months. They were brothers and still young, so it was hard to tell whether he was a boy or a boy.

Although Lin Zhuzi was only one year older than Lin Shitou, he was more delicate and had some ideas of his own in his mind.

He was not as happy as Lin Shitou, but he also liked his aunt Lin Zhen. The two brothers ran to the backyard to fetch water to wash their faces and wipe their sweat.

Gu Shuanzi was silent, and went with Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao.

After washing their faces and wiping their sweat, they took out the things in their rooms and put them away. Lin Zhen took inventory of the things he needed, made a plan in his mind, and took a few people to the street.

It was not early at this time, and the sun had already set, and the sunset next to it was stained with a little bright color.

In the past, Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao would have pushed the cart with Brother Lin or Brother Lin, and were on their way home quickly, but now they were walking slowly on the street, looking at the shops on both sides.

Some waiters of the shopkeepers in Zhazi Street had patronized his business and knew the time when he set up and closed his stall. Seeing him walking on the street with a few children at this time, they couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Brother Lin, are you not busy today? It will be dark soon, and I am afraid it will be inconvenient to go home!"

Lin Zhen smiled and replied to the person standing at the door of the shop: "I rented a shop over there. From now on, it will open at 15:00 in the morning and close at night. I would like to invite you, an old customer

, to patronize it when the time comes." "Congratulations on renting a shop!" The person who spoke was in the porcelain business. As long as it was ceramic products, they would sell them.

Lin Zhen originally planned to buy some bowls and plates. Now that he had a shop, it was different from before. In addition to the bamboo tubes for takeout, he had to use bowls and chopsticks for eating in the shop.

He said to the owner of the porcelain shop, "Thank you for the favor, my shop is still short of a lot of dishes, I'll come later."

"Okay, then I'll wait for Brother Lin."

The town is still lively now, and there are many people on the street. Those who have business are busy doing business, and those who don't have business are either scolding the waiter in their own shop, or dozing off lazily, or having a headache because of the accounts.

The voices of Lin Zhen and the owner of the porcelain shop did not stir up much waves.

And a young woman who was trying on rouge with her back to the street couldn't help but frown when she heard the word Brother Lin. She turned her head back for some reason and saw Lin Zhen, who was also very eye-catching in the crowd. She

was really good-looking, with long eyebrows, slightly round eyes, a beautiful and upturned nose, and slightly plump lips.

The first impression she gave her was that of a fairy, a fairy that seduced men's souls.

She couldn't help but think of some of the things she had heard, so she casually asked the proprietress of the rouge shop, "Whose family is that guy from? I don't think I've seen him before?"

The proprietress of the rouge shop was the one who showed Lin Zhen the way to the money house before. She knew the identity of the woman in front of her. She was the wife that Young Master Qian married two years ago. It was said that her family was in the city, and her father was a minor official in the government office.

Her last husband died of illness, and somehow she fell in love with Young Master Qian who was studying in the city, and married into the Qian family.

But because Young Master Qian wanted to take the imperial examination, he studied in the city and lived there.

It seems that this time she came back to town because Old Madam Qian was not in good health and missed Young Master Qian, so she followed him.

The boss lady knew more about this business than the average person. She had eaten spicy hot pot at Lin Zhen's stall over the past year and had a good impression of Lin Zhen. She really didn't want Lin Zhen, the cousin of the Qian family, to face off against the official lady from the capital, so she said, "Madam, I know almost all the families in our town, but I've never heard of this guy in any family. I guess he's from the countryside."

"From the countryside..." Cai Jinzhu said in an ambiguous tone, pointing to the seven or eight boxes of rouge she had just tried, "I want all of them."

A box of rouge can be used for a year or so, and seven or eight boxes may take forever.

The proprietress of the rouge shop sighed in her heart that she was indeed a daughter of an official family from the capital city, and she had a lot of money in her purse. Without saying a word, she packed the rouge pointed by Cai Jinzhu in a small and exquisite box, and then packed it in a large box and handed it to the maid next to Cai Jinzhu: "Madam, take care."

Cai Jinzhu didn't even look at her, and shook her handkerchief and left.

When standing on the steps, Cai Jinzhu couldn't help but look at Lin Zhen, who had walked forward for a while and could only see her back, and thought of some news she had inquired about.

Her husband had married a boy before, also named Lin, who was said to be very good-looking. If it weren't for the mother-in-law who kept putting maids in her husband's house and divorced him on the grounds that the boy had no children for a year, maybe the two of them would still be in love now.

Cai Jinzhu's father was a low-ranking official in the government office of the prefectural city who was in charge of the land. Although it sounds bad, it was different from ordinary people's families.

If it weren't for the fact that Qian He was a scholar and studied in the best school in the prefectural city, his father would not have agreed to marry a local rich man like the Qian family.

And she was also greedy for Qian He's good looks. Seeing that he was different from her previous dead husband and did not flirt with other women, she developed feelings for Master Qian.

But after getting married, she accidentally learned about the existence of Qian He's previous brother from his sleep talk, and then she knew that Qian He was still obsessed with the previous brother, which made her very angry.

Lin Zhen didn't know that he had registered with Master Qian's wife, so he told Lin Xiaoyao, Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou: "Xiaoyao, you walk behind the three of them, in case they get lost and don't know how to walk, and get separated from me."

"This is not like the village, it will be troublesome if we get separated."

"Okay." Lin Xiaoyao had heard of several cases of children being taken away by beggars in the one and a half years since he came to the town. Although Lin Zhuzi and the other three looked older, Xin'er was still a child, so it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou seldom came to the town since they were young, and they could be counted on one hand. Moreover, they mostly walked around the fork in the road and had never been to Zhazi Street. At this time, they saw the shops on Zhazi Street, which sold all kinds of novel things, and their eyes were overwhelmed.

Chapter 44

Lin Zhen led them straight to a shop near Zhazi Street. The cabinets inside were filled with cloth of various materials and colors.

However, most of them were linen and cotton, and the colors were relatively dull, with few bright ones. As soon as

Lin Zhen and a few children walked in, the proprietress, who was wearing a cross-collared top and an apricot pleated skirt, came up to them and said, "What kind of material do you want to buy, brother? I have a lot of things here and they are cheap. Just take a look."

He reached out and touched the cotton cloth. The cloth was very soft and breathable. He asked the proprietress, "How much is the cotton cloth?"

The proprietress smiled exaggeratedly and patted the material in Lin Zhen's hand, "You really have a good eye. My cloth is imported from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It is all top-quality cotton cloth. Look at this weave. It is tight, dense and smooth. It is very comfortable to wear."

"For the kind you have, it costs 28 wen a foot."

A foot of cloth is not much. For Gu Shuanzi and others who are tall, it takes five or six feet to make a set of clothes, which is 170 wen in total.

This cotton cloth is undyed and the cheapest kind. If it is red, blue or other pretty colors, you may not be able to buy it even if you add a dozen coins.

Lin Zhen took his hand back from the cloth and said, "This price is a bit high. Boss, give me a realistic price. If it is suitable, I will buy a few more pieces."

"Oh, this price is already very realistic. It can't be any cheaper." The proprietress covered her chest and looked like she would faint if

she was offered a penny cheaper. Without saying a word, Lin Zhen turned around and left with Gu Shuanzi, Lin Xiaoyao and the others.

The proprietress didn't expect that the customer would just leave as soon as he said he would. She immediately walked out from behind the counter and grabbed Lin Zhen's sleeve: "Brother, you are so impatient. Business should be negotiated bit by bit. So, if you really want two sets of clothes for each of you, then I can save two cents per foot, twenty-six cents."

She frowned and raised her hand: "The price can only be reduced to this level. If it is cheaper, I won't even have half a cent to pay for my hard work."

Lin Zhen estimated it in his mind and was quite satisfied with the price. He went back to the counter where the cloth was placed, pointing to the cotton cloth that was said to be white but slightly yellowish, and said: "Two pieces of this cloth, and two pieces of light green cotton cloth and two pieces of gray cotton cloth."

The proprietress's eyes lit up. She didn't expect Lin Zhen to be a big customer. Two pieces of white cotton cloth were one tael and eight cents, which was seventy-two cents, plus four pieces of colored cotton cloth...

Not bad!

The smile on her face was brighter than when they first came in. She said to Lin Zhen while counting on an abacus: "Two rolls of white cotton cloth cost a total of one tael, eight cents and seventy-two wen. Even if it's one tael, eight cents and seventy wen, the other two wen can be waived."

"And the price of two rolls of cyan and two rolls of gray cotton cloth in our store is also very suitable, forty-one wen per foot."

Seeing Lin Zhen looking at her, she hurriedly said: "Brother, I believe you also know that dyeing is a delicate job. It depends on both the craftsmanship and the weather. If you are not careful, the cloth will be damaged. Since you just bought two rolls of cloth in our shop, I will also give you two wen per foot for these four rolls. I really can't give you more."

Lin Zhen was satisfied, "Let's do as you said and calculate it together."

"Okay, brother is a straightforward person." Business people like such straightforward customers. The boss lady was in a good mood and quickly calculated all the accounts. "Including the previous ones, the total is three taels, six coins and seventy-eight coins."

Lin Zhen counted it himself and it was the same. He nodded and reached for his purse. Suddenly he remembered something. He and Xiaoyao were not very good at sewing, especially himself. He couldn't even hold a needle. Could he buy cloth and go back and expect a snail girl to make it for him.

He touched his nose and asked the boss lady: "Boss lady, can your shop make ready-made clothes for customers?"

The boss lady was also a little dumbfounded. In their town, almost everyone bought cloth and went back to make clothes by themselves. Who doesn't have a daughter and a boy at home? Why waste money?

So her shop was full of cloth, not a single ready-made garment.

Suddenly, the proprietress remembered something, her tone became a little heavier, and she said to Lin Zhen: "If you don't have time to make clothes, I can introduce you to someone. The craftsmanship is impeccable, and the person is clean. I guarantee that you will be satisfied with the clothes."

Lin Zhen just wanted someone to make clothes for him, and said: "Boss, you tell me, I will find someone."

"I'll take you there. After all, you won't starve to death these days with your business." The proprietress was free and easy. She let Lin Zhen and the others hold their own cloth and called to the backyard, "Ru'er, I'm going out for a while, you come to look after the shop."

"Okay, mother, you go, I'll be there soon." The voice came from the backyard, and the proprietress walked ahead with peace of mind, taking Lin Zhen and the others to find the clothes maker.

Zhazi Street is a straight street from beginning to end, with shops on both sides of the street, and it is very lively.

The proprietress walked into an alley only two people wide, and said as she walked: "The person we are looking for is a widow living alone. Her husband died early, and when he died, he didn't even know that she had his own blood in her belly."

"She gave birth to the child alone, and has not remarried for all these years. She usually takes some laundry and mending work, barely raising the child and serving her mother-in-law."

The alley was so narrow that the newly bought cloth could only be held vertically. The road underfoot had been trampled for many years, and it was bumpy and difficult to walk.

After turning another corner, the proprietress at the front finally stopped and said, "We're here, brother, wait a minute, I'll knock on the door."

"Okay." Lin Zhen glanced around and saw that the narrow alleys connected these crowded and low houses together, like a broken mirror. There was no way to know where the next corner was or where the next fork led to.

Compared with the bright and beautiful shops in front, it was simply a world of difference.

The landlady knocked on the rickety door: "Mrs. Chen, is Mrs. Chen here?"

"Yes, who is it?" A voice rang out from the low house. With a creak, the door was opened by a young man wearing washed-out clothes with a patch on his shoulder.

The young man was not too old, only about twelve or thirteen years old, but he was very thin, as if he could be blown down by a gust of wind.

The landlady's eyes lit up: "Didn't Zhong go to school today?"

The young man bowed to the landlady and Lin Zhen outside the door in a very elegant manner, and said calmly: "The teacher had something urgent to do today, so he let us go early. Please come in."

From the time he opened the door until now, Lin Zhen saw the strongest bookish air in this young man since he came to this world.

A widow supporting a scholar, Lin Zhen, who had bought pens, ink, paper and inkstone, knew the difficulty and severity of it. And judging from the landlady's appearance, the young man must have read well, which made her look at him differently.

The proprietress walked in, glanced at the narrow yard that could only accommodate four or five people, and saw Madam Chen wiping her hands on her apron, and hurriedly said, "Madam Chen, I'm here to introduce business to you." She turned

around and looked at Lin Zhen, and said to Madam Chen, "They are customers who just came to me to buy cloth. They want to make two sets of clothes each, and I thought of you all of a sudden."

Lin Zhen looked at this Madam Chen and found that she looked about 70% similar to his son. Her face was bitter, and her hands were peeling from years of washing clothes. Lin Zhen

nodded to Madam Chen, "Hello, Madam Chen, my last name is Lin, you can call me Brother Lin. The proprietress said that you are good at making clothes, so I would like to ask you to make two sets of clothes for me and these children. I don't know how you charge."

In Chen Niangzi's eyes, Lin Zhen, who was speaking, was really not worthy of her yard. She said in a low voice, "It's really the boss lady who is flattering me. The price of making clothes here has always been the same, seven cents for children and ten cents for adults."

When Lin Zhen heard this price, he thought it was really affordable. There were no sewing machines now, and everything was done by hand, which was time-consuming, labor-intensive and eye-straining.

He thought it was good, and said, "Then I'll trouble Aunt Chen. Here are the fabrics. The white cotton fabrics are made into linings, and the blue and gray fabrics are made into tops and pants."

"Only this child," Lin Zhen pointed to Gu Shuanzi and showed it to Chen Niangzi, "He has two sets of clothes to make a blue robe and a gray robe."

There were a total of six pieces of cloth, which was more than enough for one person to make two sets of clothes. Gu Shuanzi had almost finished reading the Thousand Character Classic, and was about to go to school, so he made two robes in preparation.

When Chen Niangzi heard that she wanted to make a long gown, she knew that this child was also a scholar like her own Yan'er, and she whispered repeatedly: "No problem, Lin Ge'er, wait here for a moment, I'll get a ruler to measure your size."

Although Ge'er can marry and have children, they also have the ability to make women pregnant, but the ability to conceive is very low, so Chen Niangzi, a widow, still subconsciously avoids it.

Her Yan'er is a scholar, and she will take the imperial examination in the future, and she can't leave a bad reputation because of her.

As soon as she entered, there were only the boss's wife Zhong Yan and Lin Zhen and a few others in the extremely narrow yard, almost squeezing the yard to pieces.

The boss's wife smiled and said to Lin Zhen: "Zhong boy is very good at studying. I heard that he will go to the prefectural city to take the imperial examination next year. If he passes, he will be the only juren master in our town." Lin Zhen

was shocked and couldn't help looking at Zhong Yan who was standing quietly beside him. He didn't expect that this young man was so amazing. He passed the Tongsheng and Xiucai exams at such a young age, and he will take the juren exam next year.

It's not an exaggeration to say that he is a genius.

"Then Madam Chen finally got her wish." Lin Zhen couldn't help but sigh.

The proprietress smiled and said, "That's right. When Zhong passed the exam to become a scholar, he was only nine years old. Many families in the town wanted him to be their son-in-law, but he was too young at that time." "If he

had passed the exam to become a juren, who knows what would happen in the future."

At this point, Lin Zhen couldn't help but be curious: "Then no one would... send him money..."

To be honest, the situation of Madam Chen's family was really bad. Even Zhong Yan didn't have a good piece of clothing.

And if Lin Zhen remembered correctly, the most knowledgeable gentleman in the town was just a scholar like him. If he wanted to take the exam to become a juren, it would be a wise choice for him to go to school in the capital.

Chapter 45

The proprietress said: "Of course someone sent it. The Bai family in the east of the town, the Long family in the west of the town, and several families in our Zhazi Street all sent it, but they were all sent back by Zhong Xiaozi one by one."

"I can't remember what he said, anyway, he didn't want it. On weekdays, he helped Chen Niang to wash clothes, copied books in the bookstore, and wrote letters to the people around him after coming back from school."

The proprietress put herself in Zhong Yan's shoes and thought that if he was in Zhong Yan's position, he would definitely not refuse those money and goods. So she felt that Zhong Yan would have a great future. On weekdays, when there were customers who wanted to make clothes or wash clothes, she would introduce them to Chen Niang, hoping that Zhong Yan would remember this and have more options in the future.

The proprietress was close to Lin Zhen and spoke in a low voice, so no one except Lin Zhen could hear it.

Lin Zhen couldn't help but look at Zhong Yan, and then at Gu Shuanzi. He felt that although his adopted son could not catch up with a genius like Zhong Yan, it would be good if he could have the character of Zhong Yan after studying for a few years.

Madam Chen, who had gone to get a tape measure, came out soon. Lin Zhen asked Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou to go over and measure their sizes.

Of the three children, Gu Shuanzi and Lin Zhuzi were about the same height, especially Gu Shuanzi, who had long arms and legs and looked a little taller than the sturdy Lin Zhuzi.

Lin Shitou was half a head shorter than the two, but with his father's genes, he would be a tall man in the future.

Then came Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Zhen, the two brothers, who were about the same height, both about 1.68 to 1.7 meters.

After measuring the sizes, Madam Chen took the tape measure and said to Lin Zhen, "It will take about half a month to make all the clothes. If you are in a hurry, I will make one set for each of you first, and you can take the remaining set when it is finished."

"No problem," Lin Zhen counted out eighty-two coins from his purse and handed them to Madam Chen, "This is the wages for making clothes. Aunt Chen, count it."

Madam Chen waved her hand, "The clothes haven't been made yet. I will give it to you when you get the clothes."

"It's all the same," Lin Zhen stuffed the money into Madam Chen's hand, "After all, I know where your aunt lives

, so I'm not afraid that she will run away. My house is next to Ma Ji's grain and oil shop on Zhazi Street, a newly opened food shop. You can just send it there after you finish cooking." After stuffing the money, Lin Zhen called Gu Shuanzi and the others to leave quickly. The proprietress said to Madam Chen from behind, "This boy is straightforward, you keep the money."

The proprietress secretly glanced at Zhong Yan who was carrying the cloth in next to her, and whispered, "Your boy Zhong will be thirteen after the Chinese New Year. Has he found a marriage?"

The proprietress had asked this question many times before. Madam Chen smiled lightly and said, "The shopkeeper's wife has seen his temper. He has his own plans in his heart. Although I am his mother, I can't influence him."

"It depends on him himself."

The proprietress choked. If she could have a say with Zhong Yan, she would have gone to Zhong Yan and said it long ago.

She smiled awkwardly and said, "Yes, yes, it depends on whether the young generation likes it or not."

"I'll ask my children to look after my shop. I'll go back first. I'll introduce you to other jobs next time." "

Thank you, shopkeeper. Goodbye, shopkeeper." Chen Niangzi breathed a sigh of relief. After the boss's wife left, she picked up the remaining cloth and went into the house.

Chen's house only had one room, and there was a very small kitchen that could only accommodate one person, so Chen Niangzi lived with her mother-in-law, and Zhong Yan lived alone in half.

The weather was bad two days ago, and her mother-in-law accidentally caught a cold. Chen Niangzi was so anxious that her eyebrows were about to burn. If she bought medicine for her mother-in-law, she would have to use the money she had saved for Zhong Yan to go to the capital to take the imperial examination. If she didn't buy medicine, her mother-in-law's illness could not be delayed.

Fortunately, Lin Zhen gave the wages in advance.

Lin Zhen, who came out of Chen Niangzi's house, took Lin Xiaoyao and the others to buy bedding, bowls and plates, rice, flour, grain, oil, seasonings, and a bunch of miscellaneous things that needed to be used.

After running several times, they finally moved all the things back, and it was getting dark.

Everyone was tired after working all day, and Lin Zhen didn't want to work anymore. He went to a small restaurant with them and ordered three dishes and a soup. After eating, he took them home to sleep.

The next day, Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao got up before dawn.

While Lin Xiaoyao added a handful of firewood to the stove to make a fire, he asked Lin Zhen: "Third brother, are we going to set up a stall or take a break today?"

The custom-made tables, chairs and benches have not arrived yet, and the shop in front is still empty. It is impossible to do business in the shop. If you want to sell spicy hot pot, you can only set up a stall with a cart as before.

The firewood used now is bought in bundles and cut into sections of the same length.

Lin Xiaoyao is more anxious than Lin Zhen. He calculated the expenses of the five people here last night and almost couldn't fall asleep.

Lin Zhen went to the place where the sundries were piled up, picked up a basket of charcoal and asked Lin Xiaoyao to put it in the stove hole to burn it. He said: "If you want to set up a stall, you have to set it up for four or five days in a row to promote our shop on Zhazi Street to previous customers."

"Also, I thought about it. It's a bit too monotonous to only sell spicy hot pot after the shop is opened. This thing can't be eaten as a meal. When the weather gets hot, fewer people eat it than in hot days. Let's see what to sell to add to it."

There are off-seasons and peak seasons for doing business. After all, spicy hot pot is something that is eaten right after it comes out of the pot. The taste is a bit worse when it gets cold, so more people eat it when the weather is cold.

When it gets hot, it's really too hot to eat.

Lin Xiaoyao has been doing business with him for more than a year. This situation also occurred last year. When the weather was too hot, the two of them sometimes didn't come to the town.

But now that the shop has been rented, there are several mouths waiting to eat when the door is not open. It costs money to burn fire and eat, which is not like when they were in the village.

He thought for a moment and said to Lin Zhen: "Why don't we sell cold noodles and cold food in our shop? As long as the taste is good, it should be able to attract some customers."

Lin Zhen said: "It's not the time when the weather really gets hot yet, so we can discuss this slowly."

"Let's set up a stall these few days." They

were lighting a fire in the kitchen. Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou woke up, washed their faces and went to the yard to help, taking out the things to be used for the stall and preparing them, especially the bamboo tubes, skewers, and pottery jars that customers can see to hold food. All of them had to be carefully checked and those that needed to be cleaned were cleaned.

Lin Zhen quickly made a big pot of chopped green onion and egg fried rice with the rice that he had stewed before going to bed last night. He stood in front of the door and looked at the few people who were putting the cleaned bamboo tubes into a deep and large basket: "Come in and eat, and set up the stall after dinner."

Although Lin Xiaoyao, who worked with Gu Shuanzi, Lin Shitou and Lin Zhuzi, was their elder and older than them, he did not let them sit idle just because they were children.

He understood that Shuanzi was fine, as he was the stepson of the third brother, but Zhuzi and Shitou were working in the shop, and the third brother had to pay them more than 200 coins a month. They couldn't think that they were here to take advantage.

This would not only be bad for them, but also make it difficult for the third brother.

Just like when he and the third brother went to set up a stall, the third brother never stopped him because of their brotherly relationship, and treated him as a hired hand. Only after the work was over did he ask him if he was tired or if he could bear it.

"Okay, we'll come after we put the bamboo tubes away," Lin Xiaoyao said to Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou who were putting the bamboo tubes into the basket, "Hurry up, we'll go eat after we put them away. I smelled it, and it seemed to smell like scrambled eggs."

Gulp.

Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou swallowed their saliva. Scrambled eggs were not common in the Lin family, and they were waste eggs and waste oil. They were greedy, so they immediately squatted down and scooped the cleaned bamboo tubes into the basket.

Soon, they filled two large bamboo baskets, poured some water and went to eat.

Lin Zhen looked at Lin Shitou and Lin Zhuzi who rushed in first, and pointed at the egg fried rice that was already on the table: "One bowl for each of you. If it's not enough, go to the pot to scoop more. Both of you are here to help for the first time, so you must watch and listen diligently. If you don't understand something, you must ask, okay?"

"Yes, I know, aunt." Lin Zhuzi nodded, and took Lin Shitou to pick up the egg fried rice. After taking a bite, he simply used a shovel, burying his head in the bowl and couldn't even lift it up.

Lin Xiaoyao and Gu Shuanzi, who were one step behind, also picked up their own rice. The salty and fragrant rice was mixed with chopped green onions and tender fried egg cubes. It was so fragrant that people just wanted to scoop it into their mouths.

It is said that the little brats eat their parents out of money. This statement is really true. Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou all added a full second bowl, Lin Xiaoyao added half a bowl, and Lin Zhen was full after eating one bowl.

Originally, when Lin Zhen fried the rice, he felt that it was a little too much, but who knew that there was not a grain of rice in the pot at the end. Looking at the posture, it could be stuffed in a little more.

He looked at the few people and said, "Let's go, it's almost time to set up the stall."

At this time, a line of white appeared in the sky. It won't be long before the sun breaks out from the white line and shines on the whole town.

Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao each hold one side of the cart, Lin Shitou and Lin Zhuzi carry the bucket of skewers, and Gu Shuanzi also carries things in his backpack.

A few people came out of the shop and found that almost all the shops on both sides of Zhazi Street were open, and yawning waiters and shopkeepers were shuttling in the shops.

When they arrived at the place where they usually set up their stall, Lin Zhen saw the loyal fan of Malatang. The shopkeeper who was the first to buy his Malatang was removing the door panel. He greeted him first: "Good morning, shopkeeper. Would you like to bring some noodles with soup today?"

The shopkeeper was surprised to see that it was Lin Zhen, and he brought three children who were taller than ordinary children but had childish faces and could be seen at a glance that they were not very old. "Why are you here so early today? When did you set out?"

"Thank you for your love of Malatang these days. I have rented a place next to Ma Ji Grain and Oil Shop. I won't set up a stall in two days, but only sell in the shop."

"Oh, brother has actually rented a shop. Congratulations," the shopkeeper said as he put the removed door inside, "We are old acquaintances. I don't know your last name yet. My last name is Cen. You can just call me Shopkeeper Cen."

Chapter 46

"Hello, Shopkeeper Cen. My last name is Lin. You can just call me Brother Lin."

Shopkeeper Cen didn't plan to eat spicy hot pot in the morning. After all, he was old and wanted to eat something light. But Lin Zhen's generous appearance made him feel comfortable. He walked down and said, "Have a few hot pot dishes for me. I don't want more soup."

"Okay, Shopkeeper Cen, wait a moment. It will be ready soon." The charcoal fire in the clay stove was burning at home. If the air vent below had not been blocked, the soup base would have been boiling.

Lin Zhen picked ten strings of dried bamboo shoots, ten strings of mushrooms, ten strings of black fungus, ten strings of radish, ten strings of pork, ten strings of chicken and ten strings of pig ears, and put them into the soup base to boil. After it was cooked, he took the bamboo tube handed over by Lin Xiaoyao, filled it and gave it to him: "Shopkeeper Cen, take it, be careful not to burn your hands."

Shopkeeper Cen bought the same things every time he came. Lin Zhen and him had a tacit understanding. He would give one person a price and take it without counting.

After Boss Cen left, Lin Zhen said to Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou who were standing beside him and looked a little reserved: "You all saw it just now, right? It seems that there is not much to do at our stall. When customers come, count out the skewers they want, give them to me to cook, and then put them in bamboo tubes and hand them to the customers."

"Zhuzi and Shitou, you two take turns counting the skewers and handing them to me and the bamboo tubes today. Remember, selling food requires cleanliness, don't let dirt fall on the skewers and bamboo tubes." "

Shuanzi." In fact, Lin Zhen asked Gu Shuanzi this morning, asking him to read books and memorize them in the shop. Anyway, he would go to the school in a few days to try it out and see if the teacher would accept him. He didn't have to come to set up the stall, but he still came.

Lin Zhen said to Gu Shuanzi: "Do you remember the arithmetic I taught you? You will be responsible for collecting money today."

Gu Shuanzi nodded: "Yes."

Just as Lin Zhen finished speaking, a customer came to the door. This customer was a resident of the town. He was well-off. Every time he came, he only ate meat, and he had to put it in two large bamboo tubes to finish it.

While greeting the regular customer, Lin Zhen took the opportunity to say that he had rented a shop and would not set up a stall in a few days. He would sell spicy hot pot in the shop. He asked Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou, who had just received the task, to pass the things. Both of them were still a little nervous. They were obviously not very good at holding things. Especially Zhuzi, his face was red. The soup in the pot was boiling for a long time but he still couldn't count the skewers.

Lin Zhen had taught them simple counting many times at home before. Lin Zhuzi learned it carelessly at that time. Although he didn't learn it as well as Gu Shuanzi, he could read and write it. Lin

Zhen was not in a hurry. He smiled and said to the regular customer: "I'm sorry, uncle, I'm busy at home, so I can only bring my children to help. I'll get you two more skewers of pork."

The regular customer also had children at home, who were about the same age as Lin Zhuzi and the others. He smiled and said: "It's not easy to make a living. I'm not in a hurry."

When the two talked for a while, Lin Zhuzi finally handed the fresh skewers to Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen cooked it according to the time, took the two large bamboo tubes handed over by Lin Shitou, and gave them to the regular customer.

After the customer turned away, Lin Zhuzi lowered his head and nervously picked at the hem of his clothes.

Lin Zhen didn't say anything to him, just let him continue to work.

The sun rose higher and higher above his head. As it approached noon, the business of the Malatang stall was getting better and better. The overbearing aroma seemed to float from one end of Zhazi Street to the other. Several people were busy all the time. It was not until after four o'clock in the afternoon that the flow of customers in front of the stall became sparse.

Lin Zhen glanced at the skewers that were already sold out, and said in a hoarse voice: "That's all for today, let's close the stall and go back to prepare for tomorrow's skewers."

The most common thing he said today was that the stall had moved. In the future, if you want to eat Malatang, go to the one next to Ma Ji Grain and Oil Shop, called Zhen Youwei Malatang.

After a day, his throat couldn't hold up, like a broken gong.

Seeing that he was very tired, Lin Xiaoyao said, "Third brother, stand aside and stretch your arms and legs, I will help them clean up."

"You are also tired all day, come together, clean up early and go home early." It was impossible for Lin Zhen to stand there and watch the children do things. He bent down to plug the air vent of the clay stove with a plug and added two bowls of water to the almost dry pottery pot.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyao said nothing more. He took Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou and Gu Shuanzi with backpacks on their backs and set off on the road back to the shop.

Zhazi Street is just a street. The place where they set up the stall is not far from the rented shop. It only takes a few minutes to walk there.

Several people took the cart and things in, and the first thing they did was to sit on the stool to rest.

But one person did not sit down.

Lin Zhen looked at Lin Zhuzi who was standing there straight, drank a sip of water first, and waved to him: "Zhuzi, come here."

Lin Zhuzi's shoulders stiffened for a moment, and he walked to him: "Auntie, today I..."

Lin Zhen did not speak, just looked at him, looking at him and letting him continue.

Lin Zhuzi held it in for a long time, and finally said, "I didn't do anything good today, and delayed Gu's business."

"Then Zhuzi, can you tell me why I didn't do it well? Was it because I couldn't count, or was it because I was too nervous and didn't know what to do?" Lin Zhen's voice is usually very recognizable, with a lingering ending that makes people unforgettable.

But now his voice is hoarse, and it's nothing like his usual voice.

Gu Shuanzi, who was sitting next to Lin Shitou, looked at him, frowned slightly, but didn't say anything.

Lin Zhuzi lowered his head and pinched the hem of his clothes: "I, I'm a little scared. I saw a lot of strangers and I was panicked..."

"Gu, I should be fine tomorrow, and I will definitely not delay your business anymore."

As he spoke, Lin Zhuzi's face turned red, just like when he was at the stall.

He knew in his heart that he came to Gu's place to help, but in fact he was making money, but he took the money but didn't do anything well, which made him very uncomfortable.

Lin Zhen sat on the stool, looking up at him, and sighed in his heart.

He didn't blame Lin Zhuzi. He had noticed it when he was at home. Although Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou both looked like carefree boys, they were completely different inside.

Lin Shitou inherited his father's and grandfather's personality. He was straightforward and carefree. He didn't care about anything. He only cared about what he saw.

Lin Zhuzi's personality was completely opposite to what he showed. He was born with a sensitive heart that was rare in the Lin family. He was very slow to get along with people. He had to confirm the person and the thing and his temperament little by little before he would show a relatively enthusiastic side.

It was not so obvious in the village. It was just because he was familiar with the people and things in the village, so everyone thought he was the same as Lin Shitou.

It was not until he came to the town that he realized the difference inside. He couldn't adapt to facing so many different people, and couldn't adapt to suddenly having to face and talk to people he didn't know.

So Lin Zhen felt that it was best for him to learn the craft from Ma Mujiang. At least he could immerse himself in the things he liked and do what he liked.

But now, people have come to the shop, and his mother doesn't want him to learn the craft from Ma the Carpenter. Whatever he says is a bit of an afterthought.

Lin Zhen naturally won't blame him anymore, which makes him feel worse. He just smiled and said, "It's okay, take your time. When I first came to the town to do business, I couldn't open my mouth either. I'll get better with practice."

Lin Xiaoyao, who had seen his first time doing business, knew that he was lying. His third brother might be able to do it, and he was very good at it the first time.

After a tiring day, everyone was hungry. After talking to Lin Zhuzi, Lin Zhen looked at the vegetables he bought yesterday in the kitchen. He didn't know if it was because of the strong smell of spicy hot pot or what, but he didn't have much appetite.

Suddenly, he remembered the cold noodles Lin Xiaoyao mentioned this morning, turned around and said to Lin Xiaoyao: "I'll go to the grain and oil shop next door to buy some flour and make noodles."

"Will I go with you?"

"No need," Lin Zhen reached out and touched his neck, which was still very uncomfortable. "I'll go to the clinic first to get some throat-soothing herbs to drink in water, and then buy some noodles."

It was not yet midsummer, and the sun was not so strong at four or five in the afternoon, but Lin Zhen still felt a little dizzy after being outside in the sun all day, so he simply grabbed a straw hat and covered his head with it, and went straight to the clinic.

The apprentice in the clinic didn't recognize him at first when he heard his voice, until he took off the straw hat on his head. His eyes sparkled, and he asked anxiously: "Brother Lin, what's wrong with your throat? Did you catch a cold?"

"No, I talked too much today." Lin Zhen was born with fair skin, and his skin was only slightly red after so much sun exposure, as if he was drunk. He asked the apprentice, "Can you get some herbs to boil some water to drink?"

The apprentice had a crush on him. If he didn't come, he would always miss him. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing him. "Yes, I'll get you a dose of medicine. Boil it in water and drink it in three or four days, and you'll be fine."

"But you have to talk less these few days."

Lin Zhen touched his nose and talked less. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow would probably be the same as today. He would have to tell the guests about his move...

Anyway, it's better to drink it than not. At worst, he could finish this dose and come back to buy another.

The medicine for curing the throat was not expensive, and it only cost more than twenty coins. Lin Zhen was about to leave with the medicine in his apprentice's eyes, when he suddenly saw a familiar person.

He subconsciously looked at the person. The person noticed his gaze, was stunned for a moment, then glared at him fiercely, and hurriedly pulled the doctor who had treated Gu Shuanzi away.

Lin Zhen, who was stared at for no reason, asked the apprentice: "Who was that person just now?"

The apprentice glanced and said: "It was the old woman next to the old lady of the Qian Mansion in the town. Recently, the old lady Qian has not been in good health, and she has called the doctor from time to time."

The apprentice also saw that the old woman glared at Lin Zhen just now, and asked curiously: "Does Brother Lin know that person just now?"

"..." Unexpectedly, it was someone next to the old lady Qian. You know, the original body was divorced by the old lady Qian, and the resentment towards the old lady Qian was not deep.

He didn't want to have anything to do with the Qian family, so he shook his head and said: "I don't know her. She may be born like that. She is not happy with everyone."

After that, Lin Zhen took the medicine and left.

Chapter 47

After leaving the clinic, he went to Ma Ji Grain and Oil Shop to buy a few pounds of wheat flour, and then went home.

As soon as Lin Zhen entered the backyard, he saw Gu Shuanzi writing something on the ground with his fingers dipped in water. He quietly walked over to take a look and found that it was the Thousand Character Classic.

Although he couldn't see any strokes, it was barely neat, which was very good for Gu Shuanzi who had just been exposed to books for a few months.

He said, "Why don't you write on paper?"

Gu Shuanzi looked up at him and said, "You can just write on the ground." The pen, ink, paper and inkstone are very expensive. Gu Shuanzi has been at the stall all day today and has seen Lin Zhen's voice go from being full of energy at the beginning to being hoarse. He knows that making money is not easy. He is penniless now. He eats Lin Zhen's food, drinks Lin Zhen's drinks, and uses Lin Zhen's things. He can't lie on Lin Zhen with a clear conscience and ask for this and that.

Lin Zhen didn't know what was going on in the kid's mind, so he said, "Writing on the ground with water is different from writing on paper, but you can get familiar with the structure of the characters first, and the teacher will teach you when you go to the school."

"Come in for noodles after practicing for a while, I bought some flour." After a while, the sun finally softened, Lin Zhen took off his straw hat and put it aside, and went into the kitchen with flour.

Lin Xiaoyao had already heated up the stove, and the pot was boiling water. When he saw him come in, he took the flour in his hand and said, "Brother, how is it? What did the doctor at the clinic say? Is your throat serious?"

"It's okay, just take a dose of medicine." Oh my god, when Lin Zhen went there just now, he didn't feel that speaking was so difficult, but now he can only make a little sound.

He looked at Lin Xiaoyao's obvious disbelief, spread his hands, and handed him the medicine bag in his hand: "I'll knead the dough, you go get a clay stove for boiling soup base, add some firewood, and boil the medicine for me."

Seeing how anxious he was talking, Lin Xiaoyao got up without saying a word to get the clay stove from the cart.

Lin Zhenze poured the flour into a basin, added a little hot water and began to knead the dough.

He is from the south and his staple food is rice, but because he loves to eat, he thinks about everything. He first kneaded the dough until it was smooth and shiny, and then covered it with a cloth to ferment. It

was the first time to make noodles, and there was no leftover dough from the past, so the fermentation was slower, but this time was just right, so he could free his hands to make toppings for the cold noodles. There

were still a lot of vegetables at home, as well as soaked mushrooms, black fungus, and dried bamboo shoots. It was just that due to the season, there were not many radishes, and now all the radishes were collected before the New Year and stored in the cellar.

But radish is different from mushrooms, black fungus, and dried bamboo shoots. If stored for a long time, it will lose moisture and become like cotton inside, which is completely unusable.

So Lin Zhen thought that when the radishes are harvested this year, he would pickle some sour radishes and keep them for making spicy hot pot. It should have a different taste, and it is quite good with a sour and refreshing taste.

However, these are things to do at the end of the year, so it is still early.

I caught a lot of mushrooms, black fungus, and dried bamboo shoots. I cut the mushrooms into cubes, and cut the black fungus and dried bamboo shoots into shreds. I added a little sesame oil and stir-fried them until they were fragrant. I put them in a bowl for later use.

Then I heated sesame oil in another pot, added seasonings and a little water to the finer dogwood powder I made, and poured the heated sesame oil directly into it.

"Crack--" The aroma of the boiling sesame oil instantly stimulated the spicy smell of dogwood. The room was filled with this choking smell that made people want to smell it more.

Lin Xiaoyao, who was boiling medicine for him outside, now also likes to eat delicious food. When he smelled the delicious food, he ran in: "It smells so good."

"Boil some dogwood oil and mix it with noodles later." Lin Zhen loves spicy food, and this is also indispensable for making cold noodles. He looked at the fan in Lin Xiaoyao's hand fanning the fire, thought for a while and asked, "Where is Zhuzi, didn't I see him when I came in just now?"

When he came in just now, Gu Shuanzi was writing on the ground, and Lin Shitou was jumping around in the yard very energetically, but Lin Zhuzi was missing.

Lin Xiaoyao paused with the fan in his hand: "Just now he asked me if I needed help, I said no, and went back to the house, and hasn't come out since."

These nephews were also raised by Lin Xiaoyao, and he liked them in his heart. Lin Zhuzi's appearance today made him feel a little uncomfortable.

But he didn't know what to do.

Lin Zhen took the blanched dogwood aside and said, "That kid is very thoughtful. If he asks you for help in the future, you should find something for him to do."

"Okay." Lin Zhen is the backbone of Lin Xiaoyao. After he said that, Lin Xiaoyao finally felt relieved.

The medicine outside had just been boiled. There was a lot of water, so he didn't need to look after it frequently. Lin Xiaoyao walked to the chopping board and poked the dough covered with a cloth: "Brother, let me cut the noodles for you."

Lin Zhen waved his hand: "No, I'll make ramen."

"Ramen?" Lin Xiaoyao looked curious.

Lin Zhen looked at him: "Do we eat noodles here by cutting them?"

"Yes, everyone eats cut noodles. How can we eat noodles without cutting them? They are so big."

No, no, no, brother, you can still pull them.

Lin Zhen remembered in his mind that he had been here for so long, and the Lin family occasionally made sorghum noodles, but they were all cut with a kitchen knife, and there was no pulled noodles.

He didn't care about it before, and just took it for granted from his own perspective that the Lin family was afraid of trouble, but he didn't know that it was not the case at all.

Lin Zhen suddenly felt that the cold noodle business was still viable. As long as he made something different, he could quickly expand the audience for cold noodles by leveraging the customers of the spicy hot pot.

He walked over to remove the cloth covering the dough, sprinkled some flour on the board to prevent the noodles from sticking together, and then stretched the dough under Lin Xiaoyao's acrobatic gaze, from the thickness of a wrist to the thickness of a thumb, then thinner and thinner, until it was only as thick as a grass stem.

Lin Zhen sprinkled some flour on the noodles, and with a flick of his wrist, he put the noodles, each of which was clearly separated, on the board: "This is ramen, because the thickness is about the same, there won't be some raw and some cooked when cooking, and it will be more likely to have the flavor of the seasoning."

Lin Xiaoyao's eyes widened as he watched, even if he was just looking at it, he felt that this noodle would definitely be delicious: "Third brother, let's sell this noodle, I'm sure a lot of people will like it."

"I was thinking the same thing just now, let's just make it for you to taste today," Lin Zhen said to him, "Go call the children in, this noodle is easy to cook, you can eat it when you come." "

Okay." Lin Xiaoyao walked out quickly with a fan.

Lin Zhen watched the water boil by the stove, put the noodles in, waited for the noodles to roll in the boiling water for a while, and when they were done, scooped them out and put them in cold water, then poured them into a drain pan, adding a little sesame oil to prevent them from sticking.

Soon, Lin Xiaoyao came with Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou. They all had a little spicy hot pot at the stall for lunch. They were a little hungry, and their mouths began to drool when they smelled it.

Lin Zhen first picked up a bowl of noodles for Lin Xiaoyao, and pointed to the mushrooms, black fungus, dried bamboo shoots, and chopped green onions in the pot over there: "There are things over there, put them in yourself, put some dogwood oil in the bowl if you like it, but don't use it if you're afraid of spicy food."

"Okay, brother." Lin Xiaoyao happily took the bowl and went to the table to take a look. He saw that the black fungus, mushrooms and dried bamboo shoots in the pot were fried very plain. He tasted one and found that there were very few seasonings and the taste was very light. He could taste the original flavor of these three mountain products when chewing.

He scooped a spoonful, then added green onions, vinegar, and soy sauce.

The weather has been hot recently, so he didn't add dogwood oil. The thin beige noodles fell apart with a little mixing, and each one was covered with juice.

"Slurp..." I sucked a piece of noodles into my mouth with chopsticks. It was completely different from the noodles I had before, very flavorful and fragrant.

"Hmm, so delicious!" Lin Xiaoyao was the first to eat it. The expression on his face was beyond words. If he hadn't been holding the bowl and Lin Zhen was giving noodles to the little ones, he would have wanted to jump up and hug Lin Zhen.

Lin Shitou, who was already holding the noodles, was infected by him. He smacked his lips and looked at the things on the table. Lin Xiaoyao quickly taught him how to put them in, and then asked him if he wanted dogwood oil.

He had just eaten spicy hot pot at noon today, and he was still craving for the spicy taste of dogwood. Lin Shitou nodded vigorously: "Yes."

Then Lin Xiaoyao added a spoonful of dogwood oil to him. After mixing it

, his noodles had more red color than Lin Xiaoyao's. His ears turned red after taking a bite. He ate like a little calf, grunting as he ate. Lin Zhen, who picked up the noodles for them, waited until they were all mixed before getting his own. He had more dogwood oil than anyone else, and the noodles were all dyed red.

Lin Xiaoyao, who was about to eat his second bowl, looked at his noodles and felt a pain in his mouth.

Lin Xiaoyao suddenly remembered, "Brother, can your throat handle such spicy noodles?"

"..." Lin Zhen looked at him with a pair of slightly round eyes, forgetting the word "less" in the last words of the apprentice in the clinic today, "Eat less spicy food." "Yes, it's OK."

He carried a small stool and sat next to the clay stove where the medicine was being boiled. He ate with great enjoyment while looking at the bubbling medicine pot. Mm, it's delicious.

After eating the cold noodles, Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao led Gu Shuanzi and others to cut the soaked dried bamboo shoots, black fungus and mushrooms into pieces of similar size, and then strung them into strings.

Then they bought the pork and chicken that were still fresh and hung in the well yesterday, cut them into thin slices and marinated them for two hours according to Lin Zhen's secret recipe. While the meat was marinating, they burned off the pig ears that the pork shop had specially left over, washed them and cooked them until the meat was almost rotten, then took them out and soaked them in the basin of the spicy hot pot soup base.

Finally, the processed pork and chicken were strung into skewers, and tender cabbage leaves and melon slices were strung into skewers.

It was already late when they were done, and almost everyone nearby had gone to bed.

Lin Zhen rubbed his waist and quickly said to Gu Shuanzi and the others, "Hurry up and wash your feet and go to bed. You have to get up early tomorrow, so don't hurt your energy."

The skewers were originally planned to be done by Lin Dasao and Lin Ersao, but Liyu Village was too far from the town, so it would be better to buy fresh pork and chicken in the town, so Lin Zhen did it himself.

When Gu Shuanzi and the others heard what he said, they went to pour water to wash their feet. Lin Zhen drank a bowl of medicine before going to bed, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Chapter 48

"Cuckoo, cluck, cluck—"

Someone's chickens were crowing loudly. Lin Zhen and his friends got up as soon as it was a little light, just like yesterday, to set up their stall.

He touched his neck and felt that the medicine in the clinic was really effective. His throat was not so hot when he woke up, and he spoke more clearly than last night.

He felt light all over, hummed a few tunes, poured the medicine out of the jar and put it in a small teapot, and placed it on the horizontal board under the cart, ready to drink it as his drink today.

Suddenly, just as they pushed the cart to the previous stall and hadn't opened yet, Lin Zhen saw a familiar person at the end of Zhazi Street. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Ma Mujiang.

He hurried over and looked at Ma Mujiang and the tables, chairs and benches on the mule cart he was driving with a smile on his face: "Uncle Ma, why are you here so early!"

Ma Mujiang knew all of Aunt Ma's thoughts. He also liked Lin Zhen, but sometimes the fate between people only goes so far and cannot be forced.

He smiled and said, "It was ready last night. Your aunt thought you were busy opening a business, so she asked me to deliver it early this morning."

Lin Zhen knew how far the distance between Liyu Village and the town was. If they arrived now, it meant that Uncle Ma had left home after three in the morning.

Nowadays, there are street lights and surveillance cameras everywhere, and the public security is reassuring. When

Lin Zhen thought of Uncle Ma driving a mule cart alone, he was scared. He straightened his face and said, "Uncle, it won't be a problem if these tables, chairs and benches are delivered later. The road is so dark. If you accidentally get into trouble, how can I feel at ease?"

Uncle Ma often went to other villages to do carpentry work and was used to walking at night, but he knew that Lin Zhen was worried about him, so he nodded and said, "Okay, pay attention next time. It's okay. I'm a big man, strong and healthy. Most people don't dare to get close to me." Well

, when Lin Zhen heard this, he meant that it would be like this in the future, so he didn't say anything.

Anyway, Uncle Ma was afraid of Aunt Ma, so he would tell Aunt Ma when he returned to the village.

The tables, chairs and benches were all brought in, so they had to be put in place. Lin Zhen went to the stall and said hello to Lin Xiaoyao, asking him to take Gu Shuanzi and the others to work first. It was okay to be slow,

so as not to make any mistakes. Lin Xiaoyao was already an old hand, and he knew the procedures well. He nodded and asked Lin Zhen to go: "Don't worry, brother, nothing will go wrong." Lin

Zhen knew best how capable Lin Xiaoyao was, as he was the one he had taught. He patted Lin Xiaoyao on the shoulder and turned to go to Uncle Ma.

Suddenly, Lin Xiaoyao behind him called him: "Brother, you left something behind."

"?" Lin Zhen touched the purse on his waist, and it was there.

Lin Xiaoyao handed him his small teapot.

Lin Zhen took his small teapot and smiled knowingly: "I actually forgot it. You guys go ahead and get busy."

Uncle Ma sat on the horizontal board of the mule cart and waited for Lin Zhen to sit on the other side. He looked at the small teapot in Lin Zhen's hand: "Does your neck feel uncomfortable? The sound sounds a bit like you have caught a cold."

Lin Zhen shook his head: "I was hurt by shouting too hard yesterday. I will be fine after taking throat moistening medicine for a few days."

"You," Uncle Ma smiled and shook his head, "your aunt said before that she didn't know how you can be so hardworking. You seem to never get tired every day."

"You are really different from before, like a different person." Uncle Ma is from Liyu Village. When Lin Zhen and Young Master Qian had an accident, everyone in the village knew about it.

Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma are not the kind of people who like to gossip about others. They never agree when they hear people talking about it outside. It's just that Aunt Ma just gave birth to a child. It's a pity that the child in the village married into the man's family in this way. She lamented to Uncle Ma that the child's future life will be difficult.

At that time, Uncle Ma didn't have much impression of Lin Zhen. He only remembered that this boy from the Lin family was very good-looking, but he didn't know the rest.

He never thought that he would get along so well with Lin Zhen now.

If he had a boy, he would definitely let Lin Zhen be his daughter-in-law.

Unfortunately, he had no children in this life. He and his wife only had one daughter, who married to a distant city. It was not easy for her to come back twice a year.

Calculating the time, the day when his daughter would bring her grandson back was approaching.

Lin Zhen felt that it was very easy to get along with Carpenter Ma. He drank some medicine from the teapot and said to Carpenter Ma: "I also lived to that time. Suddenly I woke up and felt that I shouldn't live like before. I should toss and turn."

"Your idea is good," Carpenter Ma nodded, "You are still young, you can toss and turn as much as you can."

"Uncle Ma, why don't you say that a boy shouldn't be tossed around." Lin Zhen has heard this kind of words more than once, even in Liyu Village, he can hear it.

Boys and girls are the same. If you have a man at home, you shouldn't show up in public.

It's okay for farmers like them, but boys in town not only have to learn needlework, but also wear skirts and put on rouge. Except for the flat chest, you can't tell that they are men.

Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao's business in town was not smooth sailing. The eyes of the people around them were the first obstacle. It was just that Lin Zhen didn't think of himself as a boy at all. Lin Xiaoyao was infected by him and didn't think anything of it.

In fact, there were still some rumors.

Uncle Ma sighed heavily: "It's best for this person to be alive, and it's better to live better and better. It's stupid to follow some rules and starve people to death."

"You are really open-minded." Lin Zhen said.

"I think you are not bad." Uncle Ma laughed heartily.

The old and the young looked at each other and suddenly laughed.

Soon, the mule cart arrived outside the shop rented by Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen jumped off the mule cart with a small teapot and took down the two door panels of the shop and put them aside.

He asked Uncle Ma, "Uncle, what does this mule eat? I'll go get some fodder for it. You'll have to hurry back later, and you might not have enough energy to kick its back."

Uncle Ma untied the ropes that bound the tables, chairs, and benches, and replied, "I've brought some hay, and you can just get some water for it in a bucket."

"This is the Li family's mule. The Li family's wife is a little narrow-minded. If she's not fed well, she'll be sick for ten days or half a month."

Lin Zhen didn't expect that he had to try his best to avoid the Li family, and the Li family's mule came to his house first.

He looked at the mule flapping its ears and said, "Then I'll go get a bucket of water."

The water in the well was icy cold in summer and not prickly in winter. Lin Zhen carried a full bucket of water and put it under the mule's mouth, and touched his ears that were always moving and very conspicuous.

The fur was very smooth and felt good to the touch.

He thought that when he had more money in his hands, he would buy one, which would be convenient for him to go anywhere, and he wouldn't have to carry things on his back.

Together with Uncle Ma, he took down the tables, chairs and benches on the mule cart and placed them in the shop. These tables and chairs were made according to his drawings. They were simple long tables, one section longer than ordinary tables, and the benches were round benches that could be overlapped, similar to modern ones.

In addition, there was a square wooden box for chopsticks made by Uncle Ma. It was simply hollowed out with leaves, and one was placed on each table.

There was also a small rack for seasonings. The irregular shape looked good.

Carpenter Ma looked at the tables and chairs that Lin Zhen had placed in the shop, "I thought they were a bit strange when you took the drawings, but now they look good." It

was very simple and had a strong sense of lines, which made people feel relaxed.

Lin Zhen was also very satisfied: "Once you bring the finished tables and chairs, we can open the shop in two days. It's really troublesome for you to make them in such a short time."

"You paid, I did the work, there's no need to be so polite." Lin Zhen was anxious. If it were according to Ma Carpenter's previous temper, he would probably ask him to do it for someone else.

He had no shortage of money to spend, and he preferred to do a slow and fine job. But Lin Zhen suited his temper, so he took the job and finally finished it after a few days of hard work.

Ma Carpenter drank the tea that Lin Zhen poured for him and said, "I will leave after the things are delivered. Your aunt is alone at home, I am not very worried, so I will go to the town to buy some things to take back."

Lin Zhen: "Uncle, please sit for a while, you came from so far."

"No, you are busy with business over there, hurry up and get busy." Ma Carpenter left as soon as he said he would, and got on the mule cart after leaving the shop.

The mule had just drunk half a bucket of water and ate the hay it caught cleanly. It made a sound from its nose and turned in the direction.

Carpenter Ma said to Lin Zhen, who was standing in front of the shop, "Do you want me to take you there?"

"No, Uncle Ma, take your time. I'll take the bucket in and lock the door."

The stall was not far from the shop, and it only took a few minutes to walk. Carpenter Ma didn't hesitate and drove the mule cart away.

The news that the shop was rented out had already been known by people around. Just now, Lin Zhen was arranging the tables and chairs and came up to ask. Now that he had arranged them, three or five of them surrounded him and asked, "What kind of business are you in, brother? Why do your family trust you to come out alone?"

Lin Zhen looked at the man who was talking. He was the owner of the shop opposite him. The sign was a teahouse. He was dressed elegantly, wearing a long black robe, and his hair was pinned with a jade hairpin with a not very good head.

But Lin Zhen inexplicably didn't like him, and said politely, "I sell some ordinary food. My home is not far away. I come to see me from time to time. There's nothing to worry about."

"Oh." The man's pair of fine-lined eyes secretly lingered on Lin Zhen's beautiful face, and quietly slid towards Lin Zhen's slender white neck and thin waist.

A fat woman standing next to him waved her handkerchief and said, "I think you are in the food business too. Hey, young man, my shop is just across from yours. I sell jewelry. If you make some money, you can come and have a look at my shop. I guarantee they are all good things you have never seen."

The fat woman's tone was condescending. Lin Zhen nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, thank you, auntie. I will definitely go and have a look when I have the chance in the future."

"You guys chat first. I'll close the shop and take a look at my stall."

One of them ran a teahouse and the other ran a jewelry store. Neither of them had anything to do with the food they sold, and they were also a bit annoying. Lin Zhen silently put the two of them on the list of people to be beaten.

Chapter 49

When Lin Zhen went there, there were not many customers at the stall. This was normal, after all, it was morning now, the price of malatang was not low, and it was not a staple food. People would rather eat something refreshing in the morning that could be used as a meal.

Lin Xiaoyao had just seen Ma Mujiang inviting the mule cart over, and was not surprised to see him coming. After giving the malatang in his hand to the customer, he said, "Brother, why don't you take a rest at home?"

"It's just that my throat is uncomfortable. I still feel uncomfortable when I rest. How is it? Did you have anything wrong just now?"

Lin Xiaoyao shook his head, "No," he deliberately said to Lin Zhen, "Our Zhuzi is doing well today, and he works very efficiently."

"Really? It seems that it was just not cooked yesterday. Just make more," Lin Zhen rubbed Lin Zhuzi's head. He looked at the skewers in the bucket, "Sell these today and go back. Go back and clean up the shop. It will open in two days. By the way, think about what new food to make."

Lin Xiaoyao immediately said, "Yesterday's cold noodles!"

Gu Shuanzi, Lin Zhuzi, and Lin Shitou's eyes lit up instantly.

Lin Zhen laughed dumbly: "You can't just sell cold noodles and spicy hot pot. Since you have a shop, you might as well sell a few more items."

There was no need to sell the skewers on the spot. The skewers in the bucket were sold out after 2 pm. Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao packed up the stall and went back to the shop.

The children blinked when they saw the shop with brand new tables, chairs and benches.

Lin Xiaoyao's eyes showed love, and he touched the smooth surface of the table carefully: "It's great, this table is great, third brother, Ma Carpenter's craftsmanship is beyond reproach."

Lin Zhuzi, who was standing with Lin Shitou and Gu Shuanzi, heard the three words "Ma Carpenter" and his eyes changed when he looked at the table. His hands on both sides of his legs also moved.

He really liked woodworking. He felt very novel when he saw those wooden boards and strips put together into various things. He wanted to touch and see.

But...

it wasn't open yet, so only two of the four doors of the shop were opened, just enough for the cart to come in, so that Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Shitou didn't notice Lin Zhuzi's abnormality, and even Lin Zhen didn't notice it because he was taking something in front.

Only Gu Shuanzi noticed it.

He looked at Lin Zhuzi quietly, and then looked away after a while.

After putting the things away, Lin Zhen asked them to pull two stools to the yard and form a small circle. He said, "You all saw it just now. Our shop will open soon. I plan not to go out to set up the stall tomorrow. I will organize the things in the shop."

"And the things we want to sell in our shop, now there are only spicy hot pot and cold noodles, we have to think about other things."

In fact, this matter can be completely decided by Lin Zhen. Lin Xiaoyao's suggestion is

just a reference, and he will make the final decision alone. But Lin Zhen thought that it's okay to think alone anyway, and it's also good to chat and talk with the children more, brainstorming, maybe you can find good ideas that you didn't expect.

Lin Xiaoyao, whose brain has become flexible, immediately said, "Brother, didn't many customers take our soup to mix noodles before? Just like Shopkeeper Cen, they never get tired of eating it. Then we can also sell spicy hot soup mixed noodles."

"This is good." Anyway, they are also going to sell cold noodles, but they just don't have to add sesame oil to the noodles and let them cool down, so it doesn't interfere.

Lin Shitou is a thick-skinned man. He really likes talking to Aunt Zhen. As soon as Lin Xiaoyao finished speaking, he raised his hand and said, "Selling candied haws and sweet potatoes!"

Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao couldn't help laughing. The child was still thinking about the candied haws and sweet potatoes he made that day. He thought of this when he talked about food.

Lin Zhen shook his head and said to Lin Shitou, "This won't work. If Shitou wants to eat it, we can go back one day and make it and eat it with grandma, grandpa, father and father." "

Oh." Lin Shitou scratched his head. He smiled innocently. He didn't feel discouraged that his words were not adopted. Instead, he curled up his legs, put his elbows on his knees, and held his face with his hands, turning around with Lin Zhen like a sunflower.

Lin Zhuzi was a little lost since he entered the backyard. He was not very energetic. Lin Zhen didn't force him to speak, but asked his adopted son, "Where is Shuanzi?"

Gu Shuanzi looked at him and said, "You can sell water in the shop."

"Huh?" Lin Zhen felt a little curious. Selling water?

Gu Shuanzi said: "Malatang and cold noodles are both relatively dry foods. If you eat a little more, you will definitely want to drink water, so we can prepare some sweet soup in our shop."

He paused and added: "People who come to eat Malatang don't mind the two dollars, and they won't think a bowl of sweet soup is expensive."

Lin Zhen didn't understand what he said before, but he couldn't help laughing after Gu Shuanzi finished speaking. Lin Xiaoyao thought of selling Malatang soup noodles based on the most direct feedback from customers who walked around in front of the Malatang shop every day.

Lin Shitou was just greedy, so he thought of candied haws and candied sweet potatoes.

But Gu Shuanzi is different. I don't know if he did it intentionally or unintentionally, but he pointed out the foundation of Lin Zhen's Malatang, which is the audience of Malatang.

The price of a string of Malatang is not low, and if you want to eat it to your heart's content, you need at least dozens of coins.

And these dozens of coins are not something that the general public in the town can afford. It is a pastime for people with spare money.

Would these people who eat spicy hot pot care about how much a bowl of sweet soup costs? No, so this idea of ​​making sweet soup, not just sweet soup, but also other drinks is very good.

Lin Zhen even extracted other ideas from Gu Shuanzi's idea. He could come up with some sales methods that specifically target the wallets of the rich people in the town.

For example, seeing that the hot weather is coming, he can make some ice-related ice drinks, and leave some small games on the boxes of ice drinks that can only be decoded by his own store. In order to unlock these small games, you must continuously collect more small boxes with clues.

Wow, the more Lin Zhen thought about it, the more he thought this was a good idea.

He couldn't help but move the stool forward a little, moved to Gu Shuanzi, and suddenly hugged Gu Shuanzi, who was sitting on the stool, to his knees, and rubbed Gu Shuanzi's hair like a kitten: "Shuanzi, you really make me reluctant to leave you more and more. I don't want you to get married and live in Datianzi Village in the future."

Gu Shuanzi was suddenly hugged to his knees, and the hair on his body was about to explode.

He was only eight years old. No matter how tall he was compared to his peers, he could not be as tall as Lin Zhen was now. So when he was held on Lin Zhen's knees, his head could only reach Lin Zhen's chin.

He raised his head and wanted to tell Lin Zhen not to hold him anymore because he had grown up, but then he saw Lin Zhen's chin, which was like warm jade.

Lin Zhen's chin was not pointed, but a little round, so he looked a little childish, and his smile was particularly bright.

Just like now, Lin Zhen lowered his head and looked at him. In his glass-like pupils, there were two of him, small and completely covered.

The curved eyebrows and eyes were brighter and more dazzling than the spring light he had seen in the past eight years.

Chapter 50

When Lin Zhen found that Gu Shuanzi was looking at him, he lowered his head a little more, and then he was surprised to find that his adopted son actually had a teardrop mole.

The position of the teardrop mole was very clever, just a little bit below the end of the eye. It couldn't be seen before because Gu Shuanzi had dark skin, but now that he is a little whiter, it can be seen.

There is a saying in Lin Zhen's hometown that people with teardrop moles are born romantic.

Lin Zhen didn't believe these fictitious things before, but now that he is here, he has to believe it.

He reached out and touched Gu Shuanzi's mole: "I don't know what Shuanzi's future wife will look like. You can't even say two words a day now, aren't you afraid that your wife will be suffocated to death?"

He worked and set up a stall every day, and although his fingers were white, they were not delicate, and they were a little rough when rubbing against the skin.

Gu Shuanzi felt his hand on the corner of his eye, and suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand: "Uncle Lin, have you thought about what kind of sweet soup to make?"

Lin Zhen's thoughts suddenly turned from Gu Shuanzi's fictitious wife to the business of the shop: "The way I make sweet soup may be different from what you are used to, but I must have sour plum soup. Not to mention the cheap ingredients, it is refreshing to drink when the weather is hot."

"The other thing I want to make is milk tea." Yes, Lin Zhen wanted to make milk tea. Since milk tea can occupy modern people's cities, it means that the taste is in line with the masses. He doesn't need to bother looking for ancient recipes and so-called innovations. He can just make a few types of milk tea.

Milk tea is divided into several categories. The first is Taiwanese milk tea, which has a light taste and a strong milk flavor. The most famous one is pearl milk tea. The second is fruit milk tea, which tastes relatively refreshing compared to Taiwanese milk tea. It sells better because of the addition of various fruits. This can also be made, but only seasonal fruits can be made, and it cannot be sold in winter. The third is milk tea with milk cap. Although it tastes fragrant and sweet, Lin Zhen does not plan to make it at present. The process of making milk cap is more complicated than the above two. There are only so many people in his shop, and it is obviously too busy to make such a complicated one. The fourth is Hong Kong-style milk tea, which has a stronger tea flavor, a little bitter, and a mellow and rich taste. Compared with Taiwanese milk tea and fruit milk tea, it may be more popular with local men.

However, the most basic thing about making milk tea is the source of milk and the ice needed for storage.

Only after these two things are solved can it be made, otherwise it can only be thought about.

Lin Xiaoyao and Gu Shuanzi know sour plum soup. There is a snack shop at the fork in the town, which sells sour plum soup, but none of them have ever drunk it.

It's not worth spending that money when you can just drink water at home.

But they had never heard of milk tea. Lin Xiaoyao always believed in Lin Zhen unconditionally, and asked with eyes wide open: "Third brother, let's sell milk tea and sour plum soup. Many people will definitely like it then."

Lin Zhen also felt that selling milk tea would definitely not be a loss, especially after everyone had eaten the spicy and salty malatang, but he slapped his forehead and said to Lin Xiaoyao: "There are too many things to prepare. I'm afraid it will take us five or six days to open."

"So many days?" Lin Shitou, the sunflower that followed him, counted on his fingers, "Then Xiaozhen will not be able to make money these days."

Lin Zhen nodded: "Yes, we have made malatang, and you guys can make it, but milk tea is not easy to make. You have to buy milk and tea, and you have to try the taste first, and how to package it for customers." There is

also the problem of ice. Lin Zhen knew that saltpeter could be used to make ice, but in his era, saltpeter ice making was discovered in the late Tang Dynasty and was developed by the Song Dynasty.

But there were even people of the same gender as Ge'er here, so it was definitely not a dynasty he was familiar with. Whether the function of saltpeter had been discovered was a problem, and whether there was saltpeter for sale in the town was also a problem.

If the method of making ice with saltpeter had not been discovered by the people here, it would be too conspicuous for him to use it to make milk tea. He still had to go out and take a look to understand the inside story.

As soon as he said it, Lin Zhen said to Lin Xiaoyao: "Xiaoyao, you take them to the shop to clean all the newly brought tables, chairs and benches, and then check if there are any deficiencies in the ingredients for the spicy hot pot. You will have a rough idea in your mind. In two days, wait for the eldest and second brothers to deliver the food and arrange the next delivery time with them. I will go out for a walk and buy some ingredients for making milk tea."

The milk tea business was definitely to be done, but he had to figure out the problems involved, so Lin Zhen carried a smaller backpack, fearing that he would not be able to carry the food when he bought it.

After instructing Lin Xiaoyao and the others, Lin Zhen walked out of the shop with the silver in his pocket. As soon as he stepped out, the owner of the teahouse opposite greeted him: "Brother, you are going out. The sun is strong. Why don't you hold an umbrella? It's not good to get sunburned."

"..." Lin Zhen's forehead was printed with a few big words, buddy, are you okay?

There were not many girls holding umbrellas on the street. He was not a rich man in the town. He was carrying an umbrella and a backpack. Did he think it was not eye-catching enough?

And the teahouse owner was too concerned about him, a stranger.

Lin Zhen smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for reminding me, but I am used to setting up a stall to get sunburned. This little sun is nothing."

After that, Lin Zhen walked forward slowly, looking at the shops on both sides. There were shops selling rice, flour, grain and oil, seasonings, candies and cakes, wine, cloth... If

he wanted to inquire about the news of milk, the most likely place to inquire was the shop selling candies and cakes.

Lin Zhen stopped in front of the Luling Cake Shop and walked in. Instantly, a sweet smell rushed into his nose. It was so strong that it was even a little suffocating.

He looked at the white sugar cake that was half a finger wide and closest to him, and asked the boss: "Boss, how much is this?"

The shopkeeper of the Luling Cake Shop had already recognized him as the guy who sold spicy hot pot, and smiled at the counter and said: "Brother, you are worthy of being a food maker. As soon as you came, you took a fancy to the best-selling one in our shop. This is made of rice flour and sugar. One yuan and four cents."

"Your price is really expensive." Lin Zhen smiled.

The shopkeeper slowly waved the fan in his hand: "It's rice and sugar. If it's cheap, I will lose a lot of money. How about it, brother, give me some."

Lin Zhen thought about the few at home and said, "Give me ten yuan."

"Okay." The shopkeeper took a piece of oil paper, used a bamboo clip to clip ten rice sugar cakes, wrapped them up, put them on the counter, and pushed them towards Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen paid forty cents, looked around the shop, and asked the shopkeeper in confusion: "Shopkeeper, do you have any cakes made with milk? My kid at home is young and wants to have a taste of milk."

"Mixed with milk?" The shopkeeper looked surprised: "Cows are so precious. When they give birth to calves, they are treated like ancestors. Why would they use their milk to make things?"

"Besides, there are not many families with cows in our town. If we use them to make food, we have to go to so many families. It's tiring."

Lin Zhen frowned, "Do you have goat milk?"

His milk tea business will not die just like that, right?

Seeing that he was so persistent, the shopkeeper said: "There is no one raising sheep in our town, but there are people raising sheep in Wayao Village, 30 miles away from the town. I heard that those sheep are a small group of wild sheep domesticated by his grandfather. There are more than 30 sheep now."

"He should have sheep for sale there."

Wow, even the sheep are inherited from his ancestors. And isn't Wayao Village the village where the young woman who sold bamboo shoots to him lives?

Lin Zhen put the wrapped sugar cake into the backpack, bought five pounds of icing sugar, and walked out of Luling Cake Shop.

Although there was no milk, at least there was goat milk. Lin Zhen felt a little relieved. While walking slowly, he thought about the saltpeter. He felt that in the town, only the clinic could help him solve the problem.

He was carrying sugar cakes and sugar icing, and just as he walked to the door of the clinic, the apprentice who was greeting the patients who came to see him suddenly saw his eyes light up: "Brother Lin is here?"

Then he was a little anxious: "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Is your throat serious?"

Lin Zhen said: "My throat is much better now, and the medicine you prescribed is very suitable for the symptoms

." He pondered for a moment and asked the apprentice: "Brother, I want to ask if there is any cheaper prescription for cold and heat vomiting and diarrhea. Someone in my village asked me to ask about it. If it is not expensive, I will prescribe some medicine." Lin Zhen racked his brains and finally found out the symptoms that saltpeter used as medicine in ancient times, and he also specifically asked for cheap.

The price of saltpeter should not be expensive, at least cheaper than herbal medicine.

The apprentice believed what he said and said without hesitation: "To treat cold and fever, vomiting and diarrhea, there are several in our pharmacy. However, if you don't have much money, you can first use a few coins of Glauber's salt to boil water and drink it, which should help."

When Lin Zhen heard him say the word Glauber's salt, his eyes lit up. That's right, this is the saltpeter that can be used to make ice.

He said, "Then please pack some Glauber's salt for me."

"Brother Lin, just wait," the apprentice liked him and wished he would talk to him more. Without waiting for Lin Zhen to answer, he said, "Although Glauber's salt is a medicine, you should not take too much. Brother Lin should remind those who take it not to put too much. One to three coins at a time is enough. If there is no improvement after taking it, you still have to go to the clinic to see a doctor."

Lin Zhen took the opportunity to talk to him, "This is the first time I know about the medicine Glauber's salt. This medicine is so cheap. Can it only treat cold and heat vomiting and diarrhea?"

The apprentice said, "Not only that, in addition to cold and heat vomiting and diarrhea, it is also useful for summer heat injury, lumps, scrofula in the neck, and abdominal pain caused by blood stasis. However, how to take a medicine and when to take it depends on personal constitution."

"A small ingredient like Glauber's salt can actually have such a great effect," Lin Zhen looked at the apprentice and said with a smile, "Why don't you get me one or two sacks of it, I'll keep them for future use." The apprentice

was amused by him: "The dosage of this Glauber's salt is small, only one or two cents at a time. You can buy a sack and use it for decades without using it up."

"It's cheap, I won't feel bad about leaving it there. If you have it in your clinic, just bring it to me."

The apprentice saw that he didn't seem to be lying, and laughed repeatedly: "We only have a few pounds in our clinic. It's because our doctors are good at medicine and we have many patients, so we buy so much." "

Other small clinics don't even use half a pound a year. The people selling Glauber's salt at the fork in the road say that our clinic has taken care of most of the patients in the town."