Xiaoyao Nongjiazi

"Third Brother, Fourth Sister and I took this blanket together." Zhong Xiao is five years old this year, with withered hair and wide-open eyes filled with words asking for praise, surrounded by two boys, Zhong Qinghan and Zhong Qingcheng, with the same looking at him.

Zhong Qingran was really bored, but he became interested in teasing the children. He raised his hand and patted the little girl's sparsely haired head, not missing her two younger brothers: "Where is Qing girl?"

"Fourth sister is by the river. Grandpa took people fishing today, and all the brothers and sisters went to help. I will definitely take care of third brother." Zhong Xiao promised, patting his small chest.

The younger brother Zhong Qinghan was not left behind, and declared loudly, even Zhong Qingcheng, who was only three years old, echoed inarticulately.

"Can you catch fish?"

The three children fell into a state of thinking together, and this time Zhong Qinghan took the lead: "Third brother, yes, yes, it would be great if grandpa caught more fish. I haven't seen meat since the last time I ate meat." .”

"Well, fish, eat fish." Zhong Qingcheng's saliva dripped out as he spoke.

Zhong Xiao also looked eager.

After hearing this, Zhong Qingran's face was not very good.These days, he can eat some meat for every meal, whether it's fish, meat, or eggs, he didn't expect the situation at home to be so bad.It can't be seen from his room furnishings and basic necessities of life. Although the faces of the brothers and sisters who are in constant contact with him are a bit gloomy, they are not too much. He didn't think about it.

"What a gluttonous girl, I want to eat fish so much, I'll take you to catch it when my third brother's leg is healed."

Who would have thought that the three little guys looked disgusted, but Zhong Xiao solved the confusion for him.

"Third brother, every time you take us out, you always take care of yourself and have fun. How can you find time to catch fish?"

Zhong Qingran has a thick skin, and he is not annoyed if he is looked down upon by children.The original owner was only 12 years old, and his character grew slowly in the Zhou Dynasty, and it is almost the same in modern times.What's more, he himself has a big heart. If the environment hadn't changed suddenly, he wouldn't have been so observant.In the past, he acted completely based on his heart, and he always followed his instinct when looking at people. Who made him have this ability since he was a child, and he hasn't misjudged him until now.

"Third brother promises that next time he will accompany you to catch fish."

"Third brother, you have promised many times, and every time it is different, you can have fun by yourself."

"Hehe, next time for sure, next time for sure."

This Zhong Qingran tried his best to make amends to his younger siblings, while that old Mr. Zhong was bringing his three sons and eldest grandson to cooperate with his second brother and third brother's family to catch fish.

The Zhong family only has a small fishing boat, and it was agreed when the family was divided that it would be owned by the third master, which was regarded as compensation for the lack of land.The other two use it up to three times a month, and have to borrow it for the rest of the time.This time the three families acted together and rented one at another cost.The fishing boat is not big, and the harvest is very small if only one boat pulls the net, and the chance of catching fish is much higher if two boats pull the net together.

Hewan Village is located at the bend of Qinghe River, tens of kilometers to the southeast and flows into Shuojiang River, hence the name of the village.Fishing is a major source of income for the villagers. Because it accounts for a large proportion of income, the river sections are divided by villages, and no one dares to cross the border.

Experience and luck are very important in fishing. Sometimes after a busy day, it is not uncommon to only catch some small fish and shrimps. 360 lines, the number one in every line, this is really not a joke.

Mr. Zhong and his three brothers have the same fishing ability in Hewan Village. Sometimes they are busy for half a day, but very rarely they can return with a full reward.Mr. Zhong San doesn't rely on this for food, he only pulls a few nets during the off-season, and usually rents out small fishing boats.

Today may be a good day, I played two nets, but I never failed.

The fishing boat is very small, and with one person to pole, two to pull the net, and two to press the boat, all five hands are used.Pulling the net is really a technical job, and it is easy to capsize the boat if you are not careful.After discussing with Mr. Zhong and his three brothers, they decided to go back to the small pier to unload the catch after casting another net, so as not to waste all their work.

"Grandpa, this way." Mr. Zhong's second grandson, Zhong Qing'an, waved his hand from a distance, and the younger siblings also tiptoed to look around.

When the two small fishing boats docked, the waiting children of the three families stepped forward to help.

They were not the only ones on the pier, there were also many wives and children from individual families. Seeing that several buckets were full, they all stepped forward to watch.

"Uncle Xin, today's harvest is really good, why are there dozens of catties?"

"I'm afraid it won't weigh forty or fifty catties. If you keep doing this, you'll make a lot of money today."

"The Zhong family is lucky this time. It would be great if my family had such a good harvest." Many people thought this way.

Hewan Village belongs to Pingyang County. Shuojiang River passes through this area. The local residents are not short of fish to eat, so the price of fish is lower than other places. Yu can get nearly four hundred cash, which is not a small amount of income. You must know that the annual harvest of one mu of land may not be one tael of silver, no wonder others are so envious.

The Zhong family does not make a living by fishing, so there is no fixed time for the boat to go out. It is almost noon now, and it is too late to go to the city to sell.The three half-year-old children divided the fish, and each carried their own share and went home quickly.

"Grandma, grandpa has caught a fish. Should I raise the fish in a tank first, or sell it on the street?" Zhong Qing'an spread the word before he arrived.

"Is there a lot? Let me see." Tong stepped forward quickly, and seeing that the two buckets were almost full, she couldn't help but smile on her face, even smoothing out the creases, "I'm afraid it won't weigh more than twenty catties. , why haven't your grandfather returned?"

"Grandma, grandpa said, I'm lucky today, I want to take this opportunity to get more money, and let me bring a meal at noon."

"Sure, I'll send it to the third family in a while." Mrs. Tong directed the second grandson to pour the fish into the big water tank, "I won't sell this fish for now. It won't be a good price for the fish at noon."

Zhong Qingran leaned on his crutches and took a few glances. Most of them were crucian carp, carp and catfish. He couldn't recognize the others.Judging by how happy they are, these twenty catties of fish should be quite valuable.

"Grandma, how much does this fish sell for a catty?"

"When you get to the county seat, you should be able to sell it for about eight yuan."

Zhong Qingran didn't know the price of the meat here, so it was hard to compare.But it’s only 160 Wen in total, so how much more can it go?

"Qing Ran, your legs are just getting off the ground, so don't keep standing, you don't have to worry about this matter, I will cook a small fish for you in a while."

Zhong Qingran didn't refuse, the original owner has been living such a life, it's not good to change hastily, besides, he didn't think about changing, he is now a sick person and just needs some good food to support him.He is not a bad person, but he is not a rotten good person. If he can test people's hearts with a little food, that's not bad. As long as he does not disappoint the people who treat him well, others have nothing to say.

There are gains and losses, and Zhong Qingran really can't find such an example if he wants to balance gains and losses.

No adult man was at home at noon, and it was too strenuous to eat fish, so Mrs. Tong just boiled fish soup for Zhong Qingran, and the palm-sized crucian carp belonged to the third grandson. Cook it, so that the children at home can moisten their mouths.

Zhong Qingran ate in his own room as usual, thinking about how to get some money in his mind.After much deliberation, I couldn't come up with a solution.He doesn't know how to farm, and he has never tried fishing. His best illustrations are probably not appreciated by many people in the Zhou Dynasty. Looking at it this way, he really has no place to use his skills.

Until the meal was over, Zhong Qingran didn't think of a way to make money, so he simply put it aside for the time being.

He has also done some work these days, breaking out a lot of news from his own siblings and the two children of the fourth uncle's family.

It is true that he is the most favored in this family, but it is not him who spends the most money, but the uncle Zhong Zhengxin who he has never met so far.Everyone knows that scholars spend money, and it is even more difficult for farmers to cultivate a scholar.

Zhong Zhengxin is [-] this year, and it is said that next year he is very hopeful to be admitted as a scholar. Now he is studying in the county with all his strength, and he will not go home easily for any serious matter. Nearly half of the family's money is spent on him.

Zhong Qingran naturally went to school, but he didn't go to school after three years. His grades were not top-notch, so the ethnology teacher didn't want to keep him.The grandparents couldn't hold back their precious grandson, seeing that he really didn't want to be interested, so they didn't insist, and the matter of going to school was put aside.

This is also one of the reasons why other people look at him angrily. Whoever makes those who want to learn have no chance, and those who have the opportunity don't want to go, is just arousing envy.

Hewan Village has a large population, which is comparable to a small town. The Yan clan has a long line of branches, and there are only two masters in the clan. Once there are too many Meng children, they cannot take care of them, so not all the children of the Zhong family can enter.

Mr. Zhong, as the head of the fifth household, has two places for two years of free education, one for his youngest son, and one for his eldest grandson, Zhong Qingyang.The youngest son got better grades than the eldest grandson, and the family couldn't afford the two students. Zhong Qingyang gave up school after two years of study and started farming.The original owner was completely an exception, if it wasn't his grandparents who doted on him, how could he have the chance to go to school?But he didn't cherish such an opportunity.

Zhong Qingran didn't feel that it was a pity. Everyone has his own ambitions, and it is not only by studying that one can get ahead.He himself graduated from the Second Academy of Fine Arts, and finally took the path of illustrator, and his life is quite good.However, when he came to the Great Zhou Dynasty, he had to think about it carefully. He didn't want to be rich and powerful, but at least he had to live without worrying about food and drink.At present, it seems that this goal is a bit far away, no, it is very far away, whether there is a chance to achieve it, he really can't guarantee it.

Time passed quickly as Zhong Qingran was thinking about it.

As dusk approached, Mr. Zhong led his children and grandchildren into the house with cheerful steps, and the children circled around the adults' feet.

"Old man, why are you so lucky today?" Tong looked down at the catch in the bucket, smiling so hard that he couldn't see his teeth.

Zhong Qingran was afraid of being pushed and shoved, so he stood far away to join in the fun, and happened to be seen by Mr. Zhong, and said casually: "Blessed is our third grandson, you see, just removed the board today, and the fish are all coming to join in the fun."

It was an unintentional remark, but he himself believed what he said, and the faces of the listeners were all different, and the original joy of several people lost a little bit.

Zhong Qingran shook his head helplessly. Freezing three feet does not happen in a day, and he is not in the mood to be the thawing person, as long as he can maintain peace on the surface.

"Okay, the fish are all kept in the tank. Boss and second child, you two will go to the county market by boat tomorrow to sell fish. By the way, bring some rice for Xiao Wu. Go to bed early tonight."

"Yes, Dad."