Make a long-term worker as an old attack

Half a month later, on the third day of March, Xue Gan looked at the almanac early and knew that this day was suitable for traveling.After Xu Caixing was buried in the ground, Xue Zhaoqing seemed to have put it down, reading and writing in the house every day, just like the cool and cold look he had when he first came back.It's just that I don't like going to the fields anymore, I would rather stay in the house for a day with a book in my arms.

The more he behaved like this, the more determined Xue Qian was to ask him to continue teaching. After sending a letter to Mr. Zhou Dashan, the owner of Qingyuan Academy in Xi'an Prefecture, Xue Gan arranged for Xue Zhong to hitch a carriage immediately after receiving the reply. Send Xue Zhaoqing back.

Before the gate of Xue's mansion, Xue Qian, Xue Fu, Xue Tian's family, Xue Zhaowen and his wife Liu Cui'er saw Xue Zhaoqing off.

During the more than half a year since Xue Zhaoqing came back, too many things happened, the relationship between the two fathers and sons was not the same as before, on the contrary, some rifts arose, and they couldn't say a few words to see him off, so Xue Zhaoqing got into the carriage.It's just that before he left, he took a deep look at his father, hoping that during the time he was away, the old father could keep his body safe and not worry too much.

Xue Gan couldn't bear it, and wanted to say something, but held back, looked at the carriage that was gradually going away, and told Xue Fu on the side: "Tell the accountant that in the future, I will send a set of bills to the young master every month. Don't let him wrong you outside."

"My lord, Qingyuan Academy gives the young master a set amount of money every month, why are you?"

"After all, he is young, and he often interacts with his classmates, so we can't wrong him in front of others."

"Yes, the old slave remembered."

"Hmm..." The carriage was about to leave the gate of the county seat, and gradually disappeared from sight. Xue Qiang looked in the direction of the gate of the county seat for a while, then turned his head, and entered the gate of Xue Mansion.

Xue Tian didn't follow immediately, but stood on the spot. Seeing that his mother would not leave, Xue Zhaowen asked strangely, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"

"After all, it is the father and son who have broken bones and tendons. After being driven back like this, the master did not forget to give him another piece of money."

"Is it all gone after all, mother, haven't we already got what we want?"

"It's far away, son." A sneer twitched from the corner of Xue Tian's mouth, calculation and viciousness were all written on that charming and bright face: "As long as Xue Zhaoqing is here, you and I will be at the back in the master's heart. We must find a way to completely cut off his way back to Xue's house!"

"But he has already gone to Xi'an Mansion, and we are far away in Sanyuan County, so how do we start?"

"Wait, son, there will definitely be a chance..."

After all, Xue Tian turned around and walked into Xue's mansion, still in that humble and gentle manner, not even a little bit of the ruthlessness and snakes and scorpions just now.

Two days later, the carriage entered the gate of Xi'an Mansion. After Xue Zhong helped his young master settle in Qingyuan Academy, he was about to go back. Before leaving, Xue Zhaoqing held him back and forcefully stuffed two ingots of silver into his hand.

"Master, what are you doing?"

"Uncle Zhong, please do me a favor."

"Master, you can tell me anything. Why give me the money back?" He pushed the money back as he spoke.

"You take it first, listen to me, I... Actually, I miss Niu Geng very much, but I only know that his hometown is in Chengcheng, and I don't know whether he will go there to settle down. Can you please help me when? Take a trip, if he is there, give him a piece of silver and tell him, I am now teaching in Xi’an Mansion, let him come to me, if he is not there, you can keep the two pieces of silver for yourself , when I gave you the old wine money."

"Isn't it difficult, young master, I leave one ingot of silver as enough, and you take the rest, don't spoil the old slave." After finishing speaking, he forcefully put the silver back into Xue Zhaoqing's hand , Say nothing and don’t want to take any more.

Knowing Xue Zhong's honest nature, Xue Zhaoqing didn't insist anymore, took back the money, and sent Xue Zhong back.Seeing Xue Zhong driving the carriage farther and farther, Xue Zhaoqing took a deep breath, Brother Niu Geng, I am waiting for the day when you become famous, come and pick me up!

Let's talk about the Niu Geng and his wife, since they came out of Sanyuan County, they walked all the way to the northwest official road with four feet and two pairs of shoes.Along the way, he was reluctant to stay in a post station or eat in a restaurant. He only saved two steamed buns as dry food when he passed by some rural villages. At night, he found a ruined temple or even a cave to rest. She could bear it, but his mother was getting old, her complexion was sallow and sallow after two days, she was extremely haggard, and her little feet were covered with blood blisters, she couldn't even stand on the ground.

Niu Geng was helpless, so he found a family in a village, borrowed a dilapidated house for his wife to live in, and gave the family some money for tea every day, and he himself found a rich family in the village to work for him for nothing for a month. To live, I changed to a broken wheelbarrow that I hadn’t used for a long time, so that I could push my old lady and come all the way to my hometown Chengcheng.

In fact, neither of the two mothers is familiar with Chengcheng. When Niu Geng was a child, he only came back a few times during the Chinese New Year. His mother came from Shanxi to flee famine, and she is not a native of Chengcheng.Only the short-lived father was born in Chengcheng. When he grew up, because the family couldn't support him, he went to Sanyuan County to work as a long-term worker for Xue's family.

Relying on some memories from the past and various inquiries in the village, Niu Geng finally found a dilapidated house next to a dilapidated Earth Temple in the west of the city. past place.

A village woman came out from the main room in the next yard. Niu Geng saw it and hurried up to inquire.

"Auntie, ask me, this is originally a family surnamed Niu?"

The village woman was holding a basket in her hand, and there were some radishes and cabbage in the basket. Her face was gray, her gray hair was messy, and her lips were white.She looked Niu Geng up and down, then turned to look at Niu Geng Niang sitting in the car, and then nodded suspiciously.

"Yes, the surname is indeed Niu, who are you?"

"My name is Niu Geng, this is my mother, my father's name is Niu Wu, and my nickname is Gou Wa."

When the village woman heard this, her face was filled with surprise. She took a closer look at Niu Geng's appearance again, and then shouted to the back room: "I'm in charge, come and see, come!"

"What is it?" A hoarse male voice came from the room. Niu Geng first saw a cigarette pipe protruding from the curtain, and then lifted the curtain with a callused hand. The man who came out was in his 50s. Smoking a pipe, looking at Niu Geng and Niu Geng with a pair of cloudy eyes along the finger of his mother-in-law.

"It's Niu Wu's baby." The village woman tugged at the corner of the man's clothes.

The man looked at the two women, and the two women also looked at him. After a while, Niu Geng Niang seemed to recognize something, and shouted: "But my man's cousin, named Niu Zhuang?"

"Isn't that right! Old sister-in-law, thank you for recognizing me!" The man seemed to have finally recognized her, clapped his hands, and said, "Why did you two come back from Sanyuan County?"

"It's a long story. What's wrong with this house? How did it break down like this?"

"Hey, you two haven't come back these years, and this house has never been lived in. It's exposed to the wind and sun, so it's like this. Come, come, don't stand up, go and sit at home."

Niu Geng helped his mother to the uncle's yard. After exchanging pleasantries, Niu Geng said: "Uncle, I just came back with my mother. I'm not afraid of your old jokes. I don't have much money left. I’m not familiar with the city, so I still want to ask you all the time, is there any other company that wants a long-term job?”

After hearing this, Niu Zhuang took two puffs of his cigarette, but didn't answer.

"I'm full of strength, and I'm very capable. If the owner wants me, I'll definitely work hard for him."

"Nephew, don't worry. You work in the rich man's house all year round. There may be some things you don't know. These days are hard. Land tax and poll tax are more than one. I can’t afford long-term employment, and there are a lot of resigned people, but few really recruit people.”

"Ah?..." Niu Geng was stunned when he heard this, and panicked at a loss.

"However, don't worry, you have this physique." Niu Zhuang said while tapping the strong muscles on Niu Geng's arm with a cigarette stick, and continued: "There are jobs everywhere, if you can't do long-term jobs, you can do something Anything else."

"Okay, okay, Uncle, I can still read and write, but I can't write very well." Niu Geng rubbed his forehead.

"Can you write? That's good. I'll ask you about it tomorrow."

"Thank you, Uncle, thank you so much for being old."

"It's all my family, that's all right, don't be polite."

They stayed for lunch, and Niu Geng put his mother in his cousin's house for the time being. He borrowed some tools and repaired the dilapidated house. Both the house and the kitchen are in good condition, the only trouble is that there are a lot of big cracks in the doors and windows, it is best to replace them directly.

But Niu Geng gave up on the idea of ​​piling up the money in his hand. He just used the paper to paste it on, bought some rice noodles with the little money, and filled his stomach first.

At night, Niu Gengniang was reluctant to light the lamp, and fell asleep on the kang before it was too dark. Niu Geng couldn't sleep, and stood beside the dry well in the courtyard, looking at the bright full moon in the sky.

That moon white and deserted, just like his Qing'er's complexion, when not smiling, people feel cold and unapproachable.But once Qing'er smiled at him, the sense of desolation disappeared, and she was a little weird, wrapping around him, wrapping her arms around his neck to tease him.Niu Geng likes the way Qing'er looks at him with a pair of phoenix eyes the most, she is so beautiful and charming, it often makes his heart beat endlessly.And the coquettish look when he gave him rock candy...

Thinking about it, Niu Geng took out a small bag from the innermost side of his clothes. There were only two rock candies left in the bag. Niu Geng picked up one and licked it lightly. The familiar sweetness flowed down the tip of his tongue. on his heart.Niu Geng was reluctant to eat any more, so he put the rock sugar back, and put it back into his clothes properly.Looking at the moon as white as silver frost, Niu Geng sighed deeply.

I don't know if Qing'er saw the words he carved on the banyan tree in the cemetery, and I don't know if Qing'er still thinks of him and reads him like him.

A gust of cool wind blew, and Niu Geng could not help shivering. The paper doors and windows did not block the wind, and Niu Geng could clearly hear his mother coughing several times in the room.After this journey, his mother's body was broken. After calculating the remaining money, Niu Geng decided to grit his teeth and ask his old lady for a doctor. Now, this old lady is the only one left by his side.