Qin Xiaoman didn't wait for Qin Xiong's ox cart after selling everything, bought some things in the county town, and spent two cents on the ox cart to go home.
He didn't bring many things back, and he could walk, but Du Heng had his feet wrapped and needed someone to take care of him, so he couldn't get up easily.
It was not noon when he was rushing home, and Qin Xiaoman was about to shout outside the yard, but he heard voices coming from the house first.
"This last stroke has to be stretched out, otherwise it will be top-heavy and untenable."
"It doesn't seem too difficult to write."
Qin Xiaoman pushed the door open, and the people in the yard were startled, and rushed behind Du Heng.
"Come back so early?" Du Heng looked at Qin Xiaoman, a little surprised.
The last time he spent most of the day selling vegetables, he thought Qin Xiaoman would not come home until late at night.
"Yes. How did you come out of the yard?"
Qin Xiaoman was filled with the joy of earning money, and when he saw his yard, he wanted to call Du Heng, but seeing that there were outsiders at home, and he couldn't let others know about it, so he suppressed his joy and didn't shout.
Du Heng said: "The pillar helped me move it out. He has nothing to do in the yard. I used a wooden stick to teach him to write two characters on the ground."
Qin Xiaoman saw that there was a layer of mud spread on the bluestone slab, and there was a row of Wang characters crookedly on it, and the pillar was surnamed Wang.
Seeing Qin Xiaoman coming back, Wang Zhuzi came out from the other side of Du Heng's body: "Then, then I'll go back first."
"etc."
Qin Xiaoman went into the room and put down the basket, found an oiled paper bag from inside, opened it, took out a steamed bun that was still warm, and handed it to the skinny boy.
Zhuzi thought that Qin Xiaoman would scold him, but he didn't expect to stop him and give him something to eat. He wiped his hands back and forth on his lap, and then carefully took the bun that Qin Xiaoman handed over.
The soft buns with white flour have a scent, Zhuzi's poor family can't find these food, holding them in his hands is like holding some kind of treasure.
Swallowing, she looked at Qin Xiaoman timidly, and said politely, "Thank you Brother Xiaoman."
"Go, it's time for your mother to find her later."
"Eh."
The child happily ran out with the buns in his hands, only to remember when he was outside the yard, and turned around to wave to Du Heng: "I'm going back first!"
Du Heng nodded.
Qin Xiaoman came out of the house, and stuffed the oiled paper bag into Du Heng's hand: "You are quite capable, and you can even win over the children from the chrysanthemum garden to serve you."
Du Heng took out the steamed stuffed bun: "This kid is eager to learn, and he said to see if I can write like a scholar, let me teach him to write his name."
"Cabbage stuffed with lean meat?" Du Heng held up some steamed buns in his hand. Although there are many vegetables and little meat, he might be willing to spend three Wen for a meat bun. Thinking about it: "Our business is good today?"
Qin Xiaoman pulled up a stool and sat down beside Du Heng, and also took out the buns to eat, the smile that was hidden earlier could not be restrained: "It's good!"
Speaking of this, he stuffed the buns into his mouth, and then took out the heavy money bag and showed it to Du Heng: "It was sold for twenty-one yuan a catty, and it was sold for a total of two hundred and ten yuan. The capital has earned a full one hundred and thirty Wen."
Qin Xiaoman figured that if the peppers were grown by himself, the 30 Wen could not be counted. He was so happy: "You really know how to mess with food, no wonder the family used to do business!"
Seeing that Qin Xiaoman was happy, Du Heng raised the corners of his mouth: "Why did it sell out so quickly, and the price is not bad."
"I didn't sell it outside, I went straight to snack shops and restaurants, and bought it as soon as they bought it." Qin Xiaoman's desire to make money was stimulated: "Let's do more. If we can earn more money , It’s better to buy more things at home during the Chinese New Year.”
Du Heng said: "But there are no chili peppers at home."
"I'll go to another house to have a look, as long as I open my mouth and say I'm happy to buy folks."
Du Heng knew that there were still some to buy, but it would be boring to keep making the same ones all the time. He said, "I saw pickled sauerkraut and cowpea at home. In addition to oily and spicy sauce, you can also make some oily pickles."
Qin Xiaoman was 10,000 satisfied: "Okay, listen to you."
After three or five days, Qin Xiaoman chopped up all the firewood in the yard and tidied it up.
The two made another ten catties of hot sauce and pickles.
Originally, we could have done more, but the people in the restaurant said that they would only accept it if it sold well. They were afraid that things would fall into their hands, so they both conservatively did less.
This time Du Heng made pickles with fried bacon in it, which was very fragrant.
Qin Xiaoman really felt that Du Heng did a good job, so he kept a small jar of pickles at home for the Chinese New Year, instead of selling them in the county.
Except for the ones he kept for himself, he packed the chili sauce and pickles separately and put them under the table in the main room, waiting for the day to go to the county before sending them to the restaurant.
Luoxia County rushes to the county town on February 48th. On the first night of the twelfth lunar month, Qin Xiaoman went to bed early as usual. The next day he had to go to the city to sell pickles, so he had to go back early.
While sleeping in a daze, a gust of cold wind used to enter the room, and he was also shivering on the bed.
He rubbed his eyes and got up, only to realize that the windows were not even closed.
It was dark outside, and it was estimated to be midnight, and it was the coldest month, and the weather was obviously getting colder.
I don't know if it will snow this year, but he wants to have snow. Although it is severe cold, the auspicious snow heralds a good year, and the next year's crops will grow beautifully after heavy snowfall.
He rubbed his stiff hands blown by the wind, and was about to return to the bed when he heard a rustling sound.
Qin Xiaoman became vigilant subconsciously, listening to the sound that did not seem to be the subtle sound of a mouse, coming from the main room. He immediately picked up a wrist-thick stick behind the door, opened the door of the inner room, and walked out lightly.
In the dimness, Qin Xiaoman didn't see anything, and he didn't know what to do in his heart, he only felt that his body was tense.
"Little Man?"
Du Heng held an oil lamp, opened the door and stood by the door frame, a warm yellow lamp was enough to dispel the darkness of the room.
After the twelfth lunar month, it became colder. Du Heng was already sleeping lightly, but he heard the sound of mice scurrying around on the beams in the house for a while, and then he heard cats meowing, which made him unable to sleep.
It wasn't until a cat shadow flashed by that he struggled to get up from the bed. He wanted to drive the wild cat out, but he saw Qin Xiaoman who was holding a stick tightly: "What's wrong?"
"I...I heard a noise, and I'm afraid a thief may have come in."
When Qin Xiaoman saw Du Heng, he didn't know whether he was holding the oil lamp to light it up or what. He didn't even know that he was relieved, and his tense nerves were relaxed in an instant.
Although he didn't do anything, he seemed to have done a lot of hard work, and his hands and feet were a little weak.
"The door is well fastened. When a night cat slipped in and barked behind my house earlier, I'm afraid it made a sound following the mouse's desire to catch it."
Du Heng comforted: "I was thinking about how to get the cat out first, so I let it get up, but I didn't expect to wake you up."
"That's good." Qin Xiaoman murmured after hearing this: "It's okay for a kitten and a mouse."
Du Heng saw that Qin Xiaoman's expression was not right, and there was still a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He said softly: "Go back to the house and sleep, don't you have to go to the city tomorrow. I'll be on guard, it's okay."
Qin Xiaoman looked up at Du Heng, walked over to support him: "Okay, I'll take you into the room first, then go back to sleep."
Du Heng followed Qin Xiaoman back to the house, and couldn't help but glance at the person who was supporting him. He noticed that Qin Xiaoman's hands were shaking again.
Qin Xiaoman tucked the quilt up for Du Heng, his movements were very light and slow, and his mind was a little erratic, Du Heng didn't urge him. After a while, Qin Xiaoman felt that he had dawdled for too long, and said, "Then I'm going back to the room."
Du Heng suddenly grabbed his wrist: "If you are afraid, I will accompany you."
Qin Xiaoman was obviously stunned, he wavered for a moment, but immediately said: "What am I afraid of, what else is there to be afraid of at home. I used to live alone for so long, and now there are two living people! It's nothing So scary..."
As he spoke, Qin Xiaoman didn't even know that his tone gradually weakened.
But he really couldn't say that he was afraid of having someone to accompany him. He was afraid that people would know his weakness and break free from Du Heng's hand and run back to the house.
How could the elder not understand the mind of the younger, Du Heng let him argue, seeing the person who was about to go out, he hurriedly said: "It is inconvenient for me to get up at night, if you are here, I will ask you to help."
Qin Xiaoman looked at Du Heng, rubbed his arms, and pursed his lips: "That's right, then, then I'll sleep here tonight."
Du Heng coughed dryly: "Don't you have a couch in your room, I sleep on the couch."
Qin Xiaoman didn't argue with Du Heng this time.
Du Heng moved the nest, and saw Qin Xiaoman tirelessly moved all the quilts and mattresses and spread them on the couch. They were very warm. Although they were a little smaller than the bed, they were still adequate.
Now that the two of them were in the same room, Qin Xiaoman no longer felt frightened, curled up under the blanket, and heard Du Heng's breathing, his anxious heart gradually calmed down.
He thought in his heart that he had poured a lot of water for him before going to bed a few days ago, and he thought that when he got up at night, he needed someone to watch him in the same room, but no one knew that he would not.
But the next is a crooked hit.
"When Zhuzi and Er Niu went to play in the yard, they told me about the previous incident."
Qin Xiaoman moved under the quilt when he heard the sound, no matter how stupid he was, he knew that Du Heng came down the steps for him, and he felt that Du Heng really treated him like a child.
But there seems to be nothing wrong.
Hearing his words, Qin Xiaoman responded, "Yes."
At the end of autumn and the beginning of winter this year, a man with dirty hands and feet sneaked into the house, opened his granary and almost carried away a large sack of rice.
He still remembers that in the dark night, the man sneaked from one house to another, and he was so powerful that he opened the lock with an iron needle, and the door latch could be loosened gently.
If he hadn't drank a bowl of water to wake up at night, he really didn't dare to think what would happen to the man when he found out that he was the only one in the room.
Although nothing was lost in the end, this matter still left a root cause in his heart.
For a long time, when I closed my eyes at night, I always saw the pockmarked face with triangular eyes and hooked nose.
Later, thinking that it would not work like this, he went to find Zhao Qi and asked when the two of them would get married when they were old enough. If he hadn't asked, he would not have known that the Zhao family had long thought of repentance.
"I remember that my second uncle told me that I think you will be much safer if you have been there. Why don't you want to go?"
When Du Heng first learned that Duqin Xiaoman lived alone, he sighed. Living with a little brother is not a good choice after all.
Qin Xiaoman turned over when he heard the words, and faced the direction where Du Heng was sleeping: "Second uncle treated me well since he was a child. It is a good arrangement after my father's death to live with my second uncle. But you have seen my second aunt Yes, I have been at loggerheads with him for as long as I can remember, first because of my visit to my second uncle's house, the house was noisy every day, and there was no peace for a moment."
"What my second aunt means is that I can't live there for nothing. The family's unworthy land is said to belong to the other side, and the pension paid by the county government is used as child support, and it is said that it is kept as a dowry for me. .Is it possible that I don't know her virtues?"
Although the second uncle will support him in the past, but the man is running outside after all, and the family is still run by his aunt. When the time comes, he will definitely work for their family for nothing, and the pension will still be occupied by his aunt. He must find someone to marry at will, and his aunt will take the gift money to his cousin to marry a wife if he doesn't guarantee the gift money.
Naturally, this was the worst idea, his second uncle would not completely let his second aunt decide, but no matter what, as long as he passed, quarrels at home would be inevitable.
"Second Uncle treats me well, so why should I go there and make Second Uncle's family feel uneasy, it's hard for everyone."
Du Heng frowned, originally he thought it would be a bit capricious for Brother to just find a man to come back to be her husband, but after understanding all kinds of things, he found that he had already made many plans, so this is actually a good way.
"It's okay, it's all over, and life will get better little by little."
Qin Xiaoman was lying on the bed, and when he heard Du Heng's gentle voice, he hugged the quilt and raised the corners of his mouth.
He thought so too.