North and South groceries

At the end of November, more and more people came to Xipo Village to buy tofu, some from nearby villages, some from Lishi County, and even a few from further afield.

Xipo Village is not very far from Lishi County. People who travel faster can set off at three or four o'clock in the morning and arrive at noon. In order to go early and return early, the villagers usually leave at night, and a group of people form a pair It's not dangerous, but it's very cold.

After the tofu became popular in Lishi County, other places that had business relations with Lishi County soon got the news. At first, some wealthy businessmen came to buy it with ox carts and horse-drawn carts. There are also groups of porters carrying beans on their backs in exchange for tofu.

It has snowed heavily these days, and the weather is getting colder and colder. Luo Sanlang often treats people to drink a bowl of tofu nao with hot and spicy sauce when he meets those who come from afar.

The thick ginger juice boiled early in the morning was packed in a jar and placed on the stove for cooking soy milk. These stoves have been burning from morning to night. Although there is only a little bit of brown sugar, it can still taste sweet.

Another carriage came outside the door. Those who can afford a carriage these days are the nobles. Luo Sanlang went out to welcome them, led them into the courtyard, and served several bowls of hot ginger bean curd nao.

"Sanlang, last time you mentioned the cold and frozen tofu. I made it when I went back home. Weng Po loved it very much. This time, please tell me about other ways to eat tofu." The person who spoke was a boy of sixteen or seventeen Lang, with red lips, white teeth, and romantic eyes, looks like a child raised by a good family.

The boy was wearing fur on his head and a leather jacket on his body. He was sitting in the small courtyard of this simple farmhouse, holding a rough pottery bowl and drinking tofu nao. Not far away was a group of poorly dressed villagers. I don't care.

This person's name is Ma Feiyang, and he is a well-known son and son in Lishi County. The Ma family is one of the best in the county. There are only a few officials in their ancestors. Although their branch is not as well-developed as their relatives in Chang'an Well, speaking of it, that is also someone in the court, and it is not at the same level as those small households with no foundation.

Just such a young man who was born in a local wealthy family, it took a lot of effort in the family to get him to study in the county school. Speaking of which, Luo Sanlang and him are still classmates, but Luo Sanlang just entered school not long ago , This girl was kicked out by the county school.

It has to be said that the teachers at this time were still quite stubborn, and the local politics were relatively clear. According to the regulations of the dynasty, local officials were responsible for the quality of students in the county schools.

If you want to keep the quality and quantity, you can't be led by the nose by the local gentry and local tyrants. In this regard, their Lishi County School is still doing very well. Otherwise, poor students like Luo Sanlang would not have had the opportunity in the first place. Entered the county to study.

This Ma Feiyang ranks ninth among his uncles and brothers. He is known as Ma Jiu. This guy has been wandering around Lishi County since he was a child. He has made some reputation, but it's not a good one.

When Ma Feiyang was expelled from the county school, Luo Sanlang had heard a lot of his glorious deeds. Later, Luo Sanlang lay half dead on the bed for more than half a year, and he was no longer in the county school. It's really a special affinity for fellow sufferers to reunite after a long absence.

"It's cold weather, it's not good to eat cold salad all the time. Let me tell you about fish head tofu soup." Last time, it was because the fresh tofu at home was really not enough, and Ma Jiu was in a hurry to ask for more Luo Yong had no choice but to make some frozen tofu for it. The kid said he had never seen frozen tofu and could not eat it, so Luo Yong told him how to eat it.

"Very good, how do you make this fish head tofu soup?" Ma Jiu drank the ginger bean curd soup in two gulps, and passed the rough clay bowl in his hand to the side, and the servant beside him reached out to take the bowl. Together with the bowl in my hand, I put it in the basin beside me.

"This soup is easy to make..." As long as you have a few taels of oil for frying fish at home and a pot that won't crack, it will be easy to make this soup. Unfortunately, Luo's family doesn't have any now, so He can only talk about it to others, and he can't eat at all.

"Sanlang, order tofu." In front of the stove over there, Yao Maoyun saw that the heat was almost ready, so he called Luo Yong to order tofu, Erniang and the others were not in the yard at the moment.

"Come on." The tofu in the pot couldn't be delayed. Luo Yong ran over to order some tofu, and Ma Jiu followed him. The two of them stood by the stove and continued chatting. Ask Luo Yong to give him another bowl.

The relationship between these two people is so good, Yao Maoyun and the others watched from the sidelines, thinking how good Luo Sanlang was with Ma Jiulang when he was studying in the county.

In fact, Luo Yong also knew in his heart that this kid wanted to dig treasures from himself, but it just so happened that Luo Yong also wanted to make friends with him, so the two hit it off and hit it off very well.

At this time, Erniang and the others were grinding soybean milk in the grass pavilion beside the ancient well in the village.

At noon yesterday, a middle-aged man came from the city to buy tofu at Luo's house. He looked at Erniang Luo with a frivolous look in his eyes. Then early this morning, Luo Yong arranged for them to come here to grind soybean milk. The next group of men.

It just so happens that the tofu produced in the past few days is not enough to sell, especially because there is only one stone mill. The process of grinding soy milk is too slow, and the soy milk produced is always not enough.

Qiao Junlin was also arranged to come here, mainly because their family is relatively well-known in Lishi County.

Although there are not many people in the county who don't know about the Qiao family's affairs, if someone sees the Qiao family's eldest son helping others in the countryside and spreading the word, Qiao Junlin and his father will definitely lose face. When it comes to investigating, the old lady of the Lin family is a bit difficult to deal with. If the old woman is unhappy, Aunt Luo must not be happy either.

The weather is cold, and the grass pavilion is surrounded by wind. Fortunately, the Luo family has recently earned some money and bought some warm clothes. At this time, Luo Erniang and Luo Siniang are wearing rabbit fur jackets, not the snow-white ones. The white rabbit skin is a very common gray rabbit skin, but it really made the girls in the village envious.

The village has been very lively recently, no matter how cold the weather is, it can't stop the villagers from becoming more and more active. Those whose family members are learning to make tofu at Luo's house are naturally full of expectations. As for other families, they are either waiting and watching. Here is the talk, thinking about how to learn the craft of making tofu, and some people have already gone out to sell tofu with baskets on their backs.

These people talked lively around the grass pavilion, and in front of Erniang and the others, they even praised Luo Sanlang like there is nothing in the world.

If it was normal, Qiao Junlin would definitely curl his lips to express his disapproval, but today for some reason, he was a little absent-minded, pushing the millstone round and round, lowering his head and not knowing what he was thinking, Erniang asked Is he tired? Should he be pushed by another person? He still looked at Erniang blankly, as if he didn't know how long he had just pushed.

That evening after work, everyone went home. Qiao Dalang was still dawdling in the yard, arranging the tofu baskets for a while, and sweeping the stove for a while.

Erniang poked her head out to have a look, entered the room and said softly to Luo Yong: "Qiao Dalang is not in a good mood today, do you think he is tired?" Erniang was a little worried, after all, he was a young man from the city Jun, if someone is exhausted, their family can't afford it.

"It's okay, I think he's fine, maybe there's something on his mind." Luo Yong was pouring rice wine into a jar by the wall at this time.

The temperature in this room is neither high nor low, just to cultivate mold. A few days ago, he made some tofu and put them in this room to mold. Wine, right now, just use this turbid wine as a marinade and pour it into the jar. If there is no accident, they will have fermented bean curd in a short time.

Outside the yard, Qiao Junlin dawdled until it was dark before leaving. Before leaving, he glanced into the house. Seeing that Luo Yong and the others were busy with his own business, he didn't make a sound, and gently closed the courtyard door and went out.

In the room, Luo Yong sealed the fermented bean curd jar by the wall, and sealed the wine jar in his hand, then got up and said, "I'll take him there."

"Come back early for dinner." Luo Erniang didn't think there was anything wrong. Although she was a helper, her status was there, and it was good to send him off. Sending him back to the Lin family would give them peace of mind.

At this end, Qiao Junlin left the Luo's courtyard, and he did not return to the Lin's house right away. He turned a corner under his feet, and went straight out of the village entrance. After leaving the village entrance, he walked east for a while, and then turned onto an uphill path next to him. , walked along this path for about a quarter of an hour, and arrived at a dilapidated small courtyard.

Luo Yong knows this yard. Luo Sanlang's old mother grew up here since she was a child. Later, she married Luo's father and gave birth to several children. Luo Sanlang used to play here when he was a child. Later, his hunting grandfather disappeared. It is also wasted.

Seeing that Qiao Junlin patted the courtyard door that was about to fall down, and shouted "Ah Zhi", Luo thought to himself, is this kid here to steal a little girl?In the end, it was a handsome young man in his early twenties who came out of the house.

But as soon as this person spoke, Luo Yong knew that this was a woman in men's clothes.

"Why are you still here so late?"

"I'll see you again."

"I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning, Mr. Xiao Lang must take care of himself."

"It's all my fault."

"What does this have to do with you? It's because I can't see the situation clearly, and it ends up being hard for me to protect myself."

"Azhi, you better not go, the road is too dangerous."

"..."

"Why don't I go with you."

"What nonsense are you talking about? If you stay here, you will have no worries about food and clothing. Why go with me to those precarious days."

Qiao Junlin clenched his fists tightly, his eyes were red, and his eye sockets were already moist, but he tried his best not to let the tears fall.

A Zhi was bought from a toothmaid when her mother first married into Qiao's house. Qiao Junlin was always by her side from birth to growing up, just like her own elder sister. Her mother passed away all these years ago , A Zhi protects him everywhere.

When the poisonous woman first married into Qiao's family, she was still able to put on a show. After giving birth to several children for Qiao's family over the years, she consciously gained a firm foothold, and gradually became vicious.

Now it's not a big deal to get him to this rural place, but she still wants to give Azhi to a little old man at her mother's side. Went to reminisce about old times with his underground wife, and continued.

Azhi told him that his family had relatives in the south and planned to join them. Qiao Junlin only felt that this matter was very unreliable. Back then, her own parents sold her. Reliable?

Even if it was reliable, she went out alone, without acquaintances, and without much money, how could she get to the south in this cold weather...

"After I'm gone, don't think too much about it. Don't run into her face to face. It would be good if you can live here for a few years. When you grow up..." Azhi only told him to be a little girl in the future. how to behave.

The two talked a few more words, and Ah Zhi urged him to leave quickly, the place was remote, and he was afraid that the road would be dangerous after dark.

Qiao Junlin didn't want to leave, but she was worried that A Zhi's whereabouts would be exposed. If she was caught and sent to that stinky old man, with her temperament, she might either throw herself into a well or hang herself.

Blame him for being useless!

Qiao Dalang left the yard wiping away his tears. If he could study hard, and if he could get more attention from his father than the son born to that poisonous woman, they would not have ended up in such a situation...

When he was sad and remorseful, he tripped over something under his feet and almost tripped him. He looked down and saw that it was a basket with white flowers in it.

Qiao Junlin sniffed, picked up the carrying basket, turned to Azhi and said, "I didn't expect that boy from the Luo family to have a conscience, Azhi, you can take these tofu with you and eat on the road."

Ah Zhi took over the carrying basket, looked down at the tofu in the basket, remained silent for a long time, and then said: "Then Luo Sanlang sent these tofu here, maybe he asked me to take them for food on the road."

"What?" Qiao Junlin looked at A Zhi with tears and snot all over his face.

"..." Ah Zhi just smiled at him.

What kind of relatives in the south, these words are just to deceive her family's young gentleman, leaving here, she doesn't know where she should go at all, but she just wants to die somewhere else.

However, as long as there is a way to survive, who is really willing to die.