Seed dealers in ancient times

After late autumn in October, there were more and more rainy days, and the ginkgo leaves beside the road in Jincheng were blown to the ground.

As night approached, the continuous rain was swift and fine, and the autumn wind blew into the neck with the drizzle. The cold bones were stiff, and there was a cold shiver.

The weather at noon was fine, and no one expected that the weather would change. The hawkers who went out to do business did not have rain gear. After the rain became heavier, they packed up early and left the city. There were only a few handfuls of oil paper left on the side street. The umbrella shakes.

The small merchant in charge of the shop put his hands in his sleeves, turned his head to see that the water in the eaves was straightened, and only heard the sound of the pattering rain falling on the bluestone slabs, and he knew that this was the end of today's business.

Looking back, he saw that the man had lit the lantern and was about to hang it on the eaves on the bench. He scolded: "I have no idea. It rains so much. How can there be any guests? Whoever hangs lanterns is just a waste of lamp oil." money."

The man scratched his head and took down the lantern again.

"Hang up the closing sign too!" Small businessmen sighed: "It's not yet the beginning of winter, and people who are cold in this cold weather will be able to pay back the chaff. I'm afraid that this year's charcoal will increase the price again. "

The buddy echoed: "This year's autumn harvest is not good, but the tax has been pulled up. I heard that many people from the city have gone to the village to go to the mountains to cut firewood and burn charcoal. They only hope to earn a few more copper coins so that they can pay the tax. "

The small merchant pulled his eyelids, although he did not agree, but he was also worried in his heart, the weather was not good, and the life of the common people was not easy.

The entire side street was filled with the sound of doors closing sparsely, and the chilly wind made people feel cold.

The small businessmen bowed their hands, thinking about the days to come are empty, and it is always inseparable is a word of worry, but right now their stomachs are empty, and they are actually a little hungry.

It's raining and cold today, and my mother-in-law has nothing to do. She should have prepared dinner early. I'm afraid I've already looked at the door several times. It would be great if there was a bowl of hot mutton soup on the table to drive away the cold. He thought about it with expectation, but he knew it in his heart. The mutton was so expensive that he could exchange it for a few buckets of rice.

He hesitated and was about to close the door and go home, when a plain oil-paper umbrella outside the shop slowly floated to the door, and when the umbrella was opened, it was a woman in gray.

The woman stood at the door of the shop and put away her umbrella, when a soft and somewhat tenacious voice sounded: "Shopkeeper Wang is about to close."

Wang Xing tilted his head and saw that it was his neighbor Zou Yun on the same street, so he didn't put down the door panel to greet him, nodded and said: "Yes. Aunt Zou is off work? How can you come here when it's raining?" Run here, if you want some rice, grain and noodles, I will take it with you when I go back."

The woman smiled politely, and her eyes fell on the rice jar: "It's not a problem, after all, I have to go this way when I get back from work."

Wang Xing's eyes were bright, and he called the waiter, "Measure some rice for Aunt Zou."

The clerk heard the sound and picked up the rice bucket: "Did you bring your own rice bag? How much rice do you want to measure?"

The woman quickly took out a small sack from her bosom and handed it to the man: "It's two liters."

"Okay!" The man quickly measured the rice, and he didn't think the women bought too little. These days, there are many people who can't afford rice. They are willing to sell even half a liter, let alone two liters.

Zou Yun stared at the two full liters of rice and put it into the rice bag. The empty bag suddenly swelled half, and his heart was heavy.With some relief in her heart, she carefully took out 36 Wen coins from the purse embroidered with plum blossoms and put them on the counter.

The clerk smiled and went to pick up the copper coins, squinted his eyes and counted, but raised his eyebrows: "Ma'am, four coins are missing."

Zou Yun was about to put away his purse, but his eyes widened when he heard the words: "36 essays, how can there be less."

There is only two liters of rice in her purse, and she put it in after counting twice before going to work today, and the belt is tied tightly, so it is impossible to leave a few coins out.

"It's not wrong, it's just that the price of rice has increased now, and it costs twenty cents a liter." The shopkeeper who closed the door on the side came over and explained.

Zou Yun was stunned. The last time I came to buy rice was half a month ago. At that time, the pure rice was only [-] cents a liter. Later, I heard from the neighbors that the price of rice had risen to [-] cents. I just paid a little wages yesterday. Today she So I came over to buy rice in a hurry, but I never thought that it would increase by two more in one night.

She looked at the shopkeeper in front of her, and wanted to speak, but Wang Xing said: "It's not just that our shop has gone up, Aunt Zou doesn't believe it, go out and look around, there is no rice shop in Jincheng that has a lower price than our shop It's gone."

Zou Yun was in trouble holding the purse, holding the rice in his hand and unwilling to put it down, and said in a low voice: "Shopkeeper Wang, I am in a hurry to go out today, and I don't have enough money with me. See if you can owe Si Wen on credit first. Go back and get the money and send it to your home."

Wang Xing saw that there were too many credits. Who would like to pay on credit in the rice and grain shops these days?

But Zou Yun is a neighbor after all, and the neighbors in the neighborhood should also save face. If he had agreed in the past, but now he doesn't know what's going on in Zou Yun's family. Back, although it is only a few pennies in a drizzle, no one is saving a copper coin at this time.

So he stuck his neck and refused to let go, and said with a smile: "It's so inconvenient to run around on a rainy day. Wouldn't it be convenient for Aunt Zou to bring Yisheng home first? When the rice is finished, I will give it to you personally." You send it to the door."

Zou Yun understood the meaning of the shopkeeper's words, so he refused to pay on credit.

Right now the family is full of expenses, and the pharmacy is owed five qian qian on credit, so there is no need to count carefully. Now that the price of rice has suddenly doubled, she really can't afford the extra money. She wanted to say a few more good words, but seemed to be caught The shopkeeper saw through it, and before she could speak, Wang Xing said again: "If it's inconvenient for Mrs. Zou, you might as well buy some miscellaneous rice. Currently, it only costs ten cents a liter."

Zou Yun glanced at the miscellaneous rice in the rice bucket. Most of them were broken corn mixed with a small amount of bran rice that hadn't been cleaned. Everyone in the poor knew what it tasted like when it was cooked.

In fact, it's nothing for Zou Yun to eat, as long as it can fill his stomach, it doesn't matter what kind of rice it is, but now his son is sick in bed, and the doctor said that if he eats well, he will support his body, otherwise it will be difficult, how dare she not listen? What about the doctor's words?

After several trips, Wang Xing never let go, so Zou Yun had no choice but to buy a liter and a half of rice, and was returned six coins in his purse.

Holding an oil-paper umbrella, Zou Yun walked step by step in the rain, his thin body almost fused with the dusty mist.

Wang Xing put his hands in the shop, looked at the figure who disappeared in the side street, and couldn't help sighing: "Aunt Zou is also a poor person, her husband left early, and it was hard for her to raise her son alone. Enjoy some blessings, who knows that something happened to my son again."

The shopkeeper said: "The shopkeeper still refuses to credit four Wen."

Wang Xing gave the guy a sideways look: "You can talk like that, why don't you lend some money to others?"

The man shrank his neck and muttered, "I can't get rid of the pot at home, so there is no money to borrow."

Zou Yun didn't hear the conversation between the two, but only knew that the rain was getting heavier, but after a few steps, her cloth shoes were mostly wet, and the rain hit the paper umbrella with a muffled tick-tock sound. As if to pierce the umbrella, her heart also seemed to be pierced.

Three days ago, my son went to Lin County to do business. On the way, he met bandits. Not only that, a load of goods was robbed. The three doctors went to see her, acupuncture was done, and the medicine was taken, but no one woke up. If something happened to her son, what's the point of her being a widow hanging her breath.

Zou Yun wept as he walked, the streets were scattered and no one paid attention, he walked through several streets, finally entered Qingwumin Lane, and stopped at the door of the sixth family.

Back home, a pair of shoes seemed to have been soaked in water, step by step on the dry floor, Zou Yun didn't care to change her shoes and socks, she went into the narrow kitchen, put the small bag in her arms The rice was put into the rice tank that bottomed out.

The late autumn wind creaked the kitchen wooden door, and some wind came in the room, and Zou Yun felt cold after a while. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms, and was about to change a pair of shoes.

"Cough cough..."

The sudden cough made Zou Yun subconsciously pause.

"Jiang Ting..." While muttering, she suddenly realized that she ran into the back room in three steps at a time.

A man with long hands and long feet was lying on the wooden bed in the simple furnished back room. His tall body made the wooden bed a bit cramped, as if he would fall to the ground if he turned over.

The man on the bed couldn't stop the dry itching in his throat, he coughed according to the inertia of his body, his mind was buzzing, as if he heard someone calling him by his ear, but he couldn't hear it clearly, he only felt the pain in the back of his head, and he moved all over his body. No, in a daze, a piece of blue cloth tent roof fell into his eyes, and he was thinking vaguely, who would use such an old tent roof these days.

"Stop, you're awake! Damn, you're awake!"

A sound that sounded like joy and crying suddenly sounded in his ears, Zheng Jiang was startled, and he became sober. He turned his head to see where the sound came from, but his brain felt a tearing pain.

Seeing his son who had finally opened his eyes in pain, Zou Yun became a little more rational, pulled out from the sobs, and hurriedly said: "Stop, wait, mother will find you a doctor right away!"

After saying that, Zou Yun forgot to grab the umbrella and ran out of the house again.

Zheng Jiang stopped to look at the back coming out of the closed door. He had a headache and pain all over his body. He remembered that before he lost consciousness, he was driving a car to go home. Suddenly, there was a heavy rain on the way, and the road out of the small village was steep. In the event of heavy rain, mountain rocks rolled down and landslides, the truck slipped, and it fell off the cliff, and it rolled a few times, and even the car fell to pieces.

He lowered his head and glanced at the intact body. Except for some scratches, his limbs were still sound.

What's the matter, he didn't die, but traveled through another world?