Farmer's Favorite

The next day.

After a heavy rain, it seems that all the dirt in the world has been washed away.

The sky is blue today, the wind is blowing and the leaves are ringing in the farmland, and the birds are singing like songs.

For the farmers, there is nothing to be curious about.

But for those who come to Xishan Village for the first time, they feel that everything is very strange.

Chang Zi'an was not content with waiting, and when Shi Yu knocked on the door, he looked around with great interest, just a wild flower or a weed, to him, he was very fascinated.

This made Xiao Yi, who came to work in the kitchen, a little confused, stepped forward and asked, "Brother, did you lose something? Do you want me to look for it for you?"

Chang Zian waved his hand quickly, pointing to the gate of the house, "No, I'm looking for someone."

Xiao Yi nodded his head knowingly, and he said bluntly: "Brother Zhuang's family is too big, and he shouted at the door, but it's almost time for them to come out. If you don't mind, you can come to the kitchen. Waiting, there are tables, chairs and tea inside."

Knocking on the door of the dealer's house, almost no one can knock on it. It has long been a common practice in this village.

At first, I still hoped that after hearing the sound, Charcoal Gao, who was sleeping by the door, would bark a few times and call the person who opened the door, but I don't know if it was because he was still young, even if he heard the knock on the door Charcoal Gao didn't even raise his head, he was either playing on his own, or falling asleep.

Shi Yu, who was standing by the door, also heard this, so he could only continue to wait.

In the end, before Zhuang Xinyan opened the door, a familiar person arrived.

Yuan Yi came to the door again, first because of salted eggs, and then to say goodbye.

It is naturally impossible for a thousand salted eggs to be wasted in this small place. The young master is now going south, in a town three days away, and he intends to personally escort the thousand salted eggs and bring the secret recipe of moon cakes to meet the young master , when the time comes, you will definitely be able to get a lot of rewards.

Early in the morning, I was in a good mood.

But as soon as he entered Xishan Village, the curvature of the corner of his mouth was already downward.

The bridge from Xishan Village to the village was too small for a horse-drawn carriage to enter, so he had to get out of the carriage and walk in.

It doesn't matter on weekdays, but it rained heavily last night, and the ground was covered with mud. It's only a long journey, not to mention a pair of shoes, but the whole hem of the clothes was covered with mud, making him look a little embarrassed.

He thought, if he really wanted to communicate with Zhuang Xinyan often, there should be a regulation for this bridge, otherwise it would be too laborious to transport salted eggs or other things.

However, before Yuan Yi could think of a solution, his face was full of joy, and his feet moved a little faster. He hurriedly stepped forward, cupped his fists and said, "Master Shi, I didn't expect us to meet again."

Shi Yu turned around, feeling somewhat impressed by this person, "Master Yuan, right?"

"That's right, the shopkeeper of Bafang Pavilion, I didn't expect the owner of the pavilion to remember the villain." Yuan Yi smiled, he really didn't expect to meet a noble person when he came here, he looked at the gate of the house , happy but also a little surprised, he said: "Master Shi is also here to find little brother Zhuang?"

Shi Yu raised his eyebrows and nodded.

He doesn't have much impression of shopkeeper Yuan, but he knows a lot about Bafang Pavilion.

He is so delicate that Zhuang Xinyan can actually have something to do with Bafang Pavilion.

Bafang Pavilion's reputation in Shangjing is greater than Shi Yuan's. Although it is not an imperial merchant, it should not be underestimated. To be honest, in the eyes of powerful families, Bafang Pavilion's reputation is better than Shi Yuan's.

However, in the eyes of businessmen, the opposite is true, and Shi Yuan has become the object of their courtesies.

Because, Shi Yuan is an opera troupe hand-picked by the nobles in the harem.

Based on this point, it is not surprising that Shopkeeper Yuan of Bafang Pavilion is so flattering.

Yuan Yi clapped his hands violently, and said: "That's such a coincidence, I just came back from Xingcheng with Zhuang Xiaodi yesterday, and I'm afraid the owner of the pavilion will not be able to find him one day earlier."

Shi Yu looked directly at him, he thought that the friendship between this person and Zhuang Xinyan was quite deep.

At this time, the tightly closed door was finally opened, and an elderly woman looked at the people outside and asked, "You are here to find Zhuang Xinyan, right? Come in and sit down."

The person who came was Lin Mashi.

It just so happened that she got up early, and felt that she had nothing to do, so she was cleaning the courtyard. She took the broom and swept it to the inner door, only to hear the sound of knocking on the door outside.

Otherwise, I really don't know how long they have to wait.

If Yuan Yi knew, he would have waited all morning. It would be a great thing for him to have a good relationship with the owner of the museum.

However, I didn't feel sorry.

Sitting in the main room, several people in the room were chatting, and after waiting for a while, Zhuang Xinyan, the owner of the house, slowly appeared.

Facing the two people who came to the door, Zhuang Xinyan didn't feel happy at all.

It was so noisy last night that I fell asleep almost at dawn. Ben was holding Lin Qi in the warm bedding when he was suddenly woken up. It is conceivable that Zhuang Xinyan is already very good to be able to come out at this time. , As for a good face, don't even think about it.

Shi Yu didn't care, after all, Zhuang Xinyan didn't give him a good look from the very beginning.

Yuan Yi was a little apprehensive, fearing that little brother Zhuang would offend the owner of the almshouse if he did something wrong, but how could he know that the owner of the almshouse would not say anything, and even took the initiative to talk to him, which made him turn to little brother Zhuang It was a little surprising again.

"I have already sent someone to take the repertoire to Beijing. The two copies per year you mentioned earlier can be denied on a fixed date. How will they be delivered?" After a few short conversations, Shi Yu asked .

Zhuang Xinyan replied: "In the early spring and early autumn, you can let someone come and get it."

Although it was good to go to Beijing, he didn't intend to travel so far to deliver the music to Shiyuan himself, but he just stayed there and had nothing to do, so he could take Lin Qi out for a walk.

Shi Yu frowned a little.

At that time, it will not only be enough to get the repertoire, but also to sign another contract.

In other words, the person in power in the family has to visit this place twice a year, otherwise the signed treaty will not be valid at all.

So, he asked: "Do you have any plans to move to Beijing? If you want, I can take care of everything for you, just use people to go there."

Zhuang Xinyan shook his head without thinking, "Xishan Village is very good, at least I don't plan to leave in recent years."

This is true, he really didn't think about going to Shangjing.

Shi Yu didn't try to persuade him anymore, but it was a bit regretful.

Yuan Yi watched from the side, although he was puzzled, he didn't interrupt.

It was only after the two of them had finished talking that he opened his mouth and said, "Little brother Zhuang, I'm going out for a trip today, you... really can't you give me some more?"

Zhuang Xinyan smiled without saying a word.

Yuan Yi was just here to try his luck. Although he didn't get all the salted eggs in his hand, it would be nice to be able to make friends with the curator. In the end, he got up and prepared to leave: "Then when the oven is released next time, you have to save more for me." Some. I should go out for about half a month, if there is anything I need help with, just go to the Bafang Pavilion, brother Zhuang, and I will explain it to my subordinates."

Zhuang Xinyan said: "Then I would like to thank Shopkeeper Yuan."

"Why did we talk about this before?" Yuan Yi waved his hand, and said to the person opposite: "Master Shi, then I will leave first. If there is a chance, I will definitely come to visit you in person."

"It's easy to say." Shi Yu replied, to put it bluntly, he only agreed to give Zhuang Xinyan face.

Yuan Yi suppressed the joy in his heart, and turned to leave, but before he stepped out of the door, he turned around and said: "Little brother Zhuang, the small bridge in your village is really inconvenient, I will be the master, wait until I go back." Then let someone come to expand the bridge outside your village, what do you think?"

If someone is willing to pay the money, Zhuang Xinyan is naturally willing to agree, "Treasurer Yuan is righteous, then I will thank you on behalf of the people in the village."

Yuan Yi nodded with a smile and left.

Zhuang Xinyan had a slight smile on his face.

In his plan, the small bridge at the entrance of the village was to be built after all.

After all, when the salted and preserved eggs are really sold, they will be calculated in units of hundreds and thousands, so it is naturally impossible for people to carry them out of the village.

Now that someone is taking on this burden, and there is no need for him to come forward, it is not a good thing.

After the person left, Shi Yu became a little curious, and asked, "What kind of business do you guys do? The people in Bafang Pavilion are not ordinary people who can be pleasing to the eye."

It's just that Chang Zian, who hadn't spoken until he got a reply, couldn't hold back, "You guys are so boring, what about Lin Qi? He even promised me to go hunting in the mountains."

"I can't do it today. It rained heavily yesterday and the mountain road is difficult to walk. It will take a few more days." Zhuang Xinyan immediately refused, even if the mountain road was easy to walk, Lin Qi couldn't walk at this time.

Chang Zian is not a messy person, although he has some regrets, he can only accept it, and he continued to ask: "What about Lin Qi, he is a local, he should know what interesting places are here, let him take me there Let's go."

Zhuang Xinyan didn't respond, but looked at Shi Yu and smiled without saying a word.

Shi Yu immediately came to his senses, took Chang Zian's hand and walked out the door, talking while walking: "Didn't you say you wanted to go fishing a few days ago, it just so happens that you're fine now, so I'll take you there."

Uninterested visitors leave.

Zhuang Xinyan couldn't return to the warm bedding either.

He had to prepare grass for the black donkey, and he had to release the charcoal cakes from the guest room to serve it to drink and eat.

While working, Grandma Ma was no longer in the house, even the wing room was neatly tidied up, presumably she had already left.

Zhuang Xinyan didn't look for it right away, but planned to wait for Lin Qi to get up, and then discuss what was on his mind.

……

Then two groups of people left Zhuang Xinyan's house. Although no one around the house could see him, if he wanted to leave the village, he had to pass other people's houses, so he was naturally seen by many people.

Yuan Yi and the others were no strangers. After all, Zhuang Xinyan had been there on the day of his great joy.

But now there are two more people with extraordinary identities, and they are all amazed.

Mrs. Zhou kowtowed the melon seeds and said to the people around her: "Look, Zhuang Xinyan will definitely have a bright future in the future. Just one flower cake has made our village earn a lot of money. Now there is another so-and-so Salted eggs, I’m sure I can earn a lot.”

"Isn't it? Even if you don't say it, we think so too."

It was Lin Shuangyong's daughter-in-law He Shi who replied, she even leaned forward slightly and said, "Sister Zhou, Zhuang Xinyan hired someone, you have to think about me, among other things, I am very agile."

"I'm not in charge of this matter. It's just an introduction to Zhuang Xinyan. It's up to him to decide who to keep." Mrs. Zhou didn't say anything to death, so as to avoid any accidents, It was her fault.

The other two people beside him were envious. Anyone who could earn ten cents a day would be willing, but it was a pity that they had to take care of the young children, so they couldn't get away. One of them said: "Your family, Shuangyong, sells flowers. Cake can earn so much money every day, why don't you come out and do something, and wait to enjoy the blessings."

"Where do you think there is too much money?" The smile on He's face was even worse. Now among the best flower cake sellers in the village is her family's Lin Shuangyong. She is not modest, after all, whose family is in Zhuang Xinyan Then how many flower cakes were taken out, you can notice it with a little attention.

She went on to say: "After all, it's the fear of having no money. I always feel uneasy when I don't have much money on me. I still remember that when there was a natural disaster that year, the whole family tightened their belts and almost starved to death." , Fortunately, I survived, otherwise the family might lose one or two people."

It is embarrassing to say, but people are also afraid after hearing it.

The so-called few people naturally did not starve to death, but had no choice but to sell their own children cheaply to serve as slaves.

Fortunately, although their Xishan Village was poor, they managed to get through that year, and there was not a single person missing in the village.

It's just that I didn't expect that when life got a little better, someone had the idea of ​​buying children.

A younger daughter-in-law looked around and said in a low voice, "I heard that Shuang'er from the Linde family is coming back."

"You mean Lin Xiaoshuang?"

The other three were all shocked. Lin De didn't know what route he had taken back then, but he actually spent 20 taels of silver to send his twin sons to a member of the staff. Lin Xiaoshuang was born with excellent looks, and she was definitely the only one in their village.

"Yes, I heard that the member who followed died, and the mistress didn't like Lin Xiaoshuang, so she wanted to drive him back."

Zhou frowned, she waved her hand, and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about it, if you really want to talk about it, it's Lin Xiaoshuang's fate to entrust such a father."

Mrs. He also said: "Isn't that right? Actually speaking, Lin Qi was lucky. Look at him now, he lives in such a good house, and his husband is so capable. How long has it been since we got married? Let's go I walked around the city, and I heard that I bought a lot of things."

"Lin Qi is lucky, and he deserves it. He is good, and he is good to his third brother." After saying this, a smile appeared on Zhou's face, and she continued: "As soon as Lin Qi came back from Xingcheng, he brought Lin Dong a basket full of things. There are several kinds of good materials, and there are also useful food. It opened my eyes, especially the pair of tiger heads. Shoes, I like them very much.”

As soon as he said this, the others were full of admiration.

It is said that Lin Qi is lucky, but Zhou's family is not lucky either.

Back then when Zhuang Xinyan and Lin Qi made a marriage contract, before everyone could react, Lin Dong was preempted by that kid Lin Baocheng, and he and Zhuang Xinyan became in-laws.

Lin Dong's benefits are not from his husband's family.

The four continued talking and laughing, but they didn't notice that a woman next to her was leaving angrily.

This person is Mrs. Lin Li.

She returned home angrily, and found out the things that Lin Qi sent yesterday, and there were quite a lot of things in them, but it was because there were so many things that she was angry.

Thinking that Lin Qi also gave gifts to other families, it was equivalent to cutting her flesh with a knife.

The things in this basket cost half a tael of silver at least.

"You know how to get angry all day long. Who has offended you, old woman?" Old man Lin felt a little bored with his hands behind his back. There is no place for peace when he is outside at home.

"It's not your good pair. You spend money like running water, and you don't know how to help your mother's family. Instead, you send it to an outsider's home for nothing. I don't know what he thinks." Lin Li roared, because she was too excited to speak. The corners of the mouth were cracked all over the place, and the appearance was very ugly.

Old man Lin's face suddenly fell, and he asked: "What are you talking about, hurry up and make it clear."

Maybe it was because Lin Qi was not there, but Lin Li didn't have any scruples any more, she quickly told what she just heard, and she said tightly: "Look at how good the materials are." , I am not willing to use it, but he just sends it out."

Old man Lin's complexion also changed, he was panting deeply, but he didn't say anything.

Zhuang Xinyan has money, which is recognized in the village.

And he dotes on Lin Qi, anyone with eyes can see that before Lin Qi married, he received the money for selling flower cakes, and now that he is married, there is no in-laws in the house, so he must be in charge of the money at home .

But as long as he has the intention of helping his natal family, he can leak some benefits to his natal family.

The more the old man thought about it, the angrier he became.

Especially during this time, the eldest brother and mother often taught him about Lin Qi, making him unable to hold his head up there.

He said angrily: "They are all good twins born to you, with elbows turned outwards, he doesn't even know that his surname is Lin!"

How could Lin Li bear this anger, and immediately replied: "You are still his father, you can't control the child yourself, why do you have the face to push it on me?"

"Fart, I still can't control him as Lin Qi?" Saying this, the old man Lin rushed out of the room and headed towards the dealer's house.