North and South groceries

The world is difficult, and people age very quickly.

If you really want to talk about age, Wang Dang is only 31 years old this year. He married Ahe in Kaichun when he was 20 years old, and he had a son in Dongli, which is Wang Shao.

Na Tu Er got married a few years earlier than him, now his eldest son is fifteen years old, the second is a daughter who is fourteen this year, and there is a younger son who is the same age as Wang Shao, who is twelve years old.

When it comes to a young man who is about the same age as his second mother, the first thing Wang Dang thinks of is the eldest son of Xu Dalang, who is 15 years old this year, has a good appearance, and is quite responsible.

If you want to talk about the family, it is indeed a bit reluctant for the Tu family to marry the Xu family. The business of Xu's guest house is booming now, and it relies on the big tree of Luo Sanlang. It is definitely better to go beyond.

But marrying a wife and marrying a virtuous person means that the family is richer and thinner, so it doesn't matter that much. Wang Dang himself thinks so anyway. From his point of view, Tu Erniang is hardworking and gentle. It must be wrong to marry her home as a daughter-in-law No, I just don't know what the Xu family thinks.

After collecting enough mulberries, they went to a familiar house to find some red dates, and Wang Dang and his party returned to Lishi County.

On this day, Luo Yong and his disciples were sowing grass seeds on the ground. Seeing Wang Dang and others pushing a few wooden carts from a distance, they finished the work at hand in two or three, tidied up the farm tools, and followed Wang Dang they go together.

We haven't seen each other for a few days, and now everyone is very happy, chatting and laughing along the way.

I don't know if it's because the population is so rare in this era, so it's so precious or something, but it's always easy to build relationships between people.

People like Wang Dang and others have lived here for a period of time, and when they come back from outside recently, when they see Luo Yong and his disciples or the villagers of Xipo Village, it is as if they are seeing family members, and they look very kind. My heart is also very stable.

Luo Yong and the others were similar. One day, if they heard that Wang Dang and the others failed to come back on the expected date, they would inevitably feel a little worried, fearing that they would encounter bad guys and robbers.

In this era, there are wilderness everywhere, and there are not many people. If a few people walk outside, if they are killed by evil people, there is no place to look for them.

Talking and laughing all the way to Xu's guest house, just in time for the steamed stuffed buns to come out in the evening, twenty or thirty old men rushed into the shop, occupying half of the hall, and didn't order anything else , Each person first comes with a big bun with two pennies.

The Xu family’s oily buns cost three for one penny, and six for two pennies. The hot buns are served on a plate. These guys are also starving. It's so fragrant.

Luo Yong ordered a few more cold dishes and some hot dishes. His disciples also did a day's work for him today. At times like this, he treats anyone if he doesn't.

"If you don't dislike this dumpling soup, there will be more in the future." Aunt Luo and Lin Wulang each brought up a tray with bowls of snow-white dumpling soup on the plate.

The dumplings made by the couple are now well-known in this area. The more the dumplings are cooked, the soup will naturally be more. The couple are not willing to throw them away. The adults and children at home, when they are thirsty, go there to fill a bowl. It is more delicious than drinking water, and it also nourishes people.

"Where is there any dislike, this is the soup made from thin white noodles." Eating buns alone is a bit dry, and it is just right to have hot soup at this time, since they are all from poor families, who can dislike this.

Luo Yong was also with them, eating steamed stuffed buns with this dumpling soup, and later served some hot and cold dishes, making the atmosphere in the hall even more lively.

"This time at Mengmen Pass, we heard people say that someone has already made soap on the grassland in the north, and the price is the same as ours, five cents a piece."

"I heard that some merchants bargained with them, but those barbarians didn't know where they heard the news, saying that our soap sells for five cents a piece, and they also sell it for five cents a piece. Refuse to sell."

"How much do you sell this batch of soap to Dinghu this time?" Luo Yong asked them.

"One yuan for twelve coins." Wang Dang replied.

It is not a short distance from Mengmenguan to the prairie. Besides, those barbarians have just learned to make soap. Who knows the quality of the soap they make at this time. Where is the soap produced by the Luo family that is stable and reliable, even if the price is higher? , There are also merchants who are willing to buy.

Speaking of which, the soap business is really lucrative, and they can make as much profit as they usually do several times this time, but the oil is too difficult to buy.

"After you clear out the fields over there, how many days will you have to raise pigs?" Nayang Dalang asked the Xu family brothers and others.

"It should be necessary." Not only pigs, but also chickens and geese.

I didn't eat this meal for too long. I was tired all day. Now that my stomach is full, I naturally have to wash and go to rest.

Luo Yong went back to the Luo family's yard, checked the quantity of mulberries and red dates with Wang Dang and others, and asked them to help move the goods to the warehouse at the back, and then paid for the goods. That night, he I'm going to start making mulberry soap.

"Today I have done farm work in the fields all day, why do I have to make soap at night?" Seeing that Luo Yong took out some white powder and mixed lye in the yard, Erniang knew that he would make soap again tonight.

This caustic soda will emit a strange smell when it comes into contact with water. San Lang said that if you smell the smell, you will easily get sick. Usually, when you do this, you will do it in a ventilated place in the yard, and you will not let your children near it.

"Two batches of grass seeds were harvested in the past two days, and they were asked to join the team again, and the merchants behind were also a little bit guilty."

Luo used a custom-made ceramic rod to stir the lye in the jar, slowing down the speed of adding lye. Once the caustic soda reacts with water, the temperature can rise a lot at once, so every time this solution is prepared, it must be Take your time, don't rush.

"Otherwise, I'll do it." Er Niang said.

"You just go to sleep, I will sleep later tomorrow." Luo Yong said indifferently.It’s nothing to him to stay up all night, let alone stay up all night, not even in the middle of the night, the soap making equipment in his house is very useful, and he has accumulated a lot of experience now, the speed of soap making is already faster than It used to be much faster.

As a result, one night, as soon as Luo Yong started to move, Erniang and Peng Er came together. They each moved a small bench, sat at the door of the soap making room, and cleaned the soap mold with bamboo sticks.

When the previous soap was demolded, some of them did not come off well, and some soap crumbs got stuck in the mold. Occasionally, one or two cases like this did not matter, but too much would not work. The whole batch of soap I can't even read it, so the soap mold needs to be cleaned regularly.

After cleaning a batch of soap molds, the two of them unmoulded a batch of soap made two days ago, and then cleaned that batch of soap molds in the same way.

After finishing these things, Er Niang said that she was hungry again, so she cooked some Hoto with Peng Er to eat. Peng Er ate a few mouthfuls by himself, then replaced Luo Yongge, and told him to eat some Hoto first. .

Luo Yong sat at the door with a bowl of Hoto and ate mouthfuls. Inside, Peng Erzheng was pushing the mixer round and round, and Erniang was adding firewood under the stove.

In the pottery kettle, the large pot uses the soaked dried mulberry juice as the water phase to process the soap liquid. The purple red is pink and white. The color looks much brighter than the wormwood soap, and the smell is better. , should be loved by female users.

After the saponification reaction was completed, the three of them surrounded the pottery cauldron together, scooped up the soap liquid from the pot with a ladle, and poured it into the mold. It didn't take long for the big pot of soap liquid to be poured into the mold, neatly Placed on a shelf next to the wall.

With the help of the two of them, Luo Yong seemed extraordinarily relaxed that night.

Luo Yong was used to doing everything by himself in the past. After coming here, a large group of brothers and sisters suddenly appeared, and some things began to be very different.

For example, like tonight, I thought I was staying up all night alone, but Erniang and the others came to help.

To be honest, he doesn't hate working alone. He actually enjoys working alone at night. He originally thought he would be a little repulsed by the appearance of Erniang and the others, but it turned out to be the opposite. He quite enjoys the fact that someone cares about him. , and happy to make work easier.

This surprised him a bit. Luo Yong always believed that people would not change. Now it seems that he might be wrong.

Or, he is not so withdrawn in nature. The so-called withdrawn is just a shield to protect himself.

However, the truly strong don't need to hide behind a shield.

He also doesn't have to avoid unnecessary harm in a way that doesn't expect anyone.

Luo Yong was covered with a thin quilt and lay on the unburned kang. Outside the window was the square backyard of his house. The sky in the backyard was full of stars. The night wind brought the starlight to blow on his cheeks. cool.

This night, in this desolate and warm world, Luo Yong once again felt that he had grown up.

Growing up is a different process for everyone.

Just like the small trees he himself planted on the hillside outside, if they are well cared for, they will grow strong year after year.

Some small trees were very lucky. They were very healthy when they were shipped here, and they were planted on fertile land, so those small trees grew very smoothly.There are also some small trees that are unlucky and injured for various reasons, so growing up becomes a particularly difficult thing for them.

On that hillside, although some small trees seemed to have dried up, Luo Yong was not willing to dig up any of them.

He believes they are all trying to push their roots deeper into the soil.

The author has something to say:

Author: You grow up a bit slowly, you are over 30 now.

Luo Sanlang: You are only over 30!

Author: I am indeed in my 30s this year.

Luo Sanlang: I am sixteen this year.

Author: ...with such a thick skin, it must not be my own.