By Jia Xiuzhen

The autumn wind is getting tighter, Xu Mama is counting the warehouse in the yard, Yun Qiu is holding the account book and ticking off the count, and after counting a few charcoal, Yun Qiu can't help asking: "Mama, how much is the more than 20 catties of coal?" Is it too much? There are black and muddy piles everywhere, and it looks so dirty." Madam Xu also frowned, and said helplessly: "Grandma's idea, these are the best coals, but fortunately those peat slags are all It's made into a coal stove, otherwise the wind would have been enough."

Yunqiu glanced at the account book and said, "There are still tens of thousands of catties of charcoal. Grandma is planning to do a fire business?" Madam Xu smiled and said, "How much will it cost! Grandma is thinking about others now. It is because I am afraid that there will be mistakes in the winter preparations of the farmer's family this year, so that they can be moved evenly."

Yun Qiu sighed and said: "I can't manage this, grandma is really worried." Madam Xu said: "It doesn't take much to do left and right, but just tell Ji Liang." Patting the account book, he said with a sigh of relief: "Okay, it's all ready now, I'll go talk to grandma in two days, so she can feel at ease."

After talking about it, I remembered something, and said with a smile, "Grandma has grown up now, and we always give her things. Now, Baba sent someone to bring some baskets of charcoal, and he also designated them for some of us. It seems like we are short of firewood here." Yun Qiu said: "That charcoal is not ordinary, and it doesn't look like much, and it weighed more than 200 catties, it must be a rare thing." The two said as they walked, Madam Xu Said: "The charcoal is for us to light the charcoal pots, and the coal is used to burn the kang, so it can't be used in the house." Yunqiu asked: "The kang will be burned all day long? No work at night What are you burning for nothing?" Xu Mama said: "If it stops at night, it will cost more firewood to heat up again in the morning, or use some coal to keep warm." Yunqiu changed his mind a little, and said cheerfully: "The stoves at both ends are non-stop, so it's very cheap to use hot water in this cold weather." Madam Xu smiled and said, "It's a good thing to grab a big sesame seed!"

Ji Liang began to grow fresh mushrooms from Li Wan, and now he has caught up with the clouds. He married his family and became the most famous shopkeeper of the Four Seas Trading Company in a blink of an eye.Therefore, even though he didn't think about it carefully, he always felt a little awe of Li Wan's actions, so he had to think about him a few times.This time, seeing Li Wan spend a lot of money to buy charcoal coal, cotton quilts and quilts for the winter, thinking about the sudden cold wind in the past few days, he thought for a while and sent a few buyers to find some coal coal and charcoal sellers.

Unexpectedly, this exploration revealed some strange things.There is a lot of coal in Xishan, and there is an old saying in Chang'an City called "inexhaustible Xishan coal". Since the former dynasty, the population of this capital has increased day by day, and the surrounding forests have become unsustainable for charcoal supply.This black coal is also called coal, and the price is only [-] to [-]% of the price of good charcoal, so many people buy it to fill firewood.

This charcoal is easy to burn, but it can't bear the word "dirty". When it first burns, it smells bad and is harmful to people. It needs a well-ventilated place. Therefore, wealthy families still burn more good charcoal for heating, but ordinary people use more charcoal.Even for cooking and heating for a year, the entire capital can use up to tens of thousands of catties of coal.

The peak season for selling coal is mostly in late autumn and early winter. There is a saying that "although old quilts and old coats warm people, it is difficult to survive winter without fire in the house", so this time should also be the busiest time for kiln owners and brokers.But this year, when people asked about it, there was something different. Private coal mines were ordered to shut down in Hula Ladi, and those who had paperwork reported to the government were also waiting for patrol inspection one by one, and they were not allowed to produce coal.

After careful questioning, it was said that it was a safety plan for winter coal mining.It seems reasonable, but when I think about it carefully, I always feel that it is not right. At first, it was just a means for a few yamen to collect money in the coming year, and when they closed down one by one, and if there is no looseness, you know that the matter is not simple.Those looking for charcoal also talked back and forth. The forests in Yongning Road, Huailai Road, and Meiyu that produce good charcoal are forbidden to be felled except for the inner court's quota.

On the contrary, many charcoal kilns have been built around the mountain. It seems that someone wants to control the supply of charcoal to make a fortune.There was the matter of coal first, Ji Liang had other thoughts, and asked people to spend a lot of money to find out, but those firewood kilns were all empty, and no one was seen cutting firewood.He was not an ordinary businessman, and he had experience in the tea business in the south. After thinking about several things together, he couldn't sit still, and rushed out to visit the second master of Zhang's family.

Mammy Xu and Yunqiu finished ordering the warehouse and had to settle this month's bills. Yan Jun asked Nanny Xu to talk about chores for the new year. Nanny Xu felt a headache and asked Yunqiu, "Where's Mo Yu? Let her do it for me." It's okay." Just as she was asking, Mo Yuda came out of the kitchen yard angrily, and the two stopped her: "I was talking about you, and Mammy is going to talk to Zhuangtou again, and I want you to help me." Look at the account, what's going on here?"

Mo Yu sighed and said: "I've become the head of the gang! How can I look after the account!" Madam Xu said: "Then what the hell is Mrs. Du doing?"

Mo Yu said angrily: "In the past few months, there have been a lot of people eating, and even the kitchen on the other side has been used. The old man can make some boiled rough food. At any rate, he can handle it. Now that there are fewer people, she So I asked the head of the village to take a break from the other end, and only said that she would do it here. If she can do it, she can do it. She didn't take care of the details for a few days, so she dealt with it every day with boiled cabbage and steamed radish. Mrs. Chen couldn't see it and said something , just chopped the chopping board and stabbed the pot, and my mouth is still dirty! I am so angry, mother, let her go as I said, we still have two more years to live!"

Mo Yu has never liked to talk too much, but today he was really angry, especially when he remembered that Mrs. Du was yelling at the top of her voice: "A bunch of poor ghosts, they should be Amitabha Buddha if they eat dry food! If you don't give me a penny of copper, you will eat too much steamed radish." Shameless, how dare you dislike it?!" In fact, he was planning to waste a few days of food money, and couldn't help but spit: "Bah! I have suffered so much for such a few pennies, and now I have a little money in my hand. It's disgusting to think about it if you can take care of something!"

Xu Nanny said helplessly: "It's strange that Yan Jun's daughter-in-law was going to take care of the kitchen bills a few days ago. It turned out to be such an idea! This Peng Qiao is not like his mother at all, but this daughter looks like a girl. Cheng Shi." Yunqiu said: "This lady Du is not from us, but she came here because she saw that Peng Qiao could talk here. Because she is not from here, naturally she has no monthly money to take. I just said to point out a job for her to count as a living. It’s really good intentions to breed maggots, please let them stop quickly, Mammy.”

Mother Xu smiled wryly and said: "You guys are so easy to say, just put this wicked person on me. Although she doesn't look like her, she is Peng Qiao's real mother and Yan Jun's mother-in-law. This Yan Jun Guan Zhuangzi is a grandma. Promise, we don't want to offend people too much."

Yun Qiu said: "Mama's words are wrong. Grandma is inside, but she just saw a flower. How can she know how big the bugs are on the leaves of this flower? Zhuangtou is capable, and he can control Zhuangzi, so there is no reason to let him Everyone in the family comes to harm them. No matter how the head of the village is, there is still a grandma on top!" Mo Yu saw that Madam Xu was still hesitating, so she learned all that Mrs. Du said to Madam Xu, and said: "These What does it sound like to those who work? Besides, grandma’s original intention of doing this is to let people have a meal and live a life, and it is also to accumulate virtue for my brother. This is good, and it will be fulfilled They have already left their family, and they want to reach out everywhere. This Mrs. Du, who says she is in charge of the kitchen, doesn't do anything, just pretends to be a wife Bodhisattva, pointing at this and that, trying to make money by changing ways. To those help cooks The little brat is always 'little bastard, little bastard', and everyone says she can't do it. I don't know where the money came from. Let me tell you, it's unlucky for this village to meet such a mother-in-law and such a daughter-in-law! "

Mother Xu quickly waved her hands and said, "Okay, my auntie! Come on, I can hear you clearly, I'll go talk to Yan Jun and Peng Qiao about this, and I'll go back to grandma too. Grandma doesn't know us There are so many dirty things here, let her know about it." Yun Qiu said with a smile: "It's a feat to be able to make Mo Yu angry like this!"

Madam Xu said: "Don't talk about it, it's easy to get rid of people, it's hard to get a job, Mrs. Du is gone, who can be in charge of the kitchen?" Mo Yu hurriedly said: "She only gave a name, looking for a gap It's just a trouble, but please spare me to watch her all the time, so it's just right to go. Let Mrs. Chen take care of the kitchen first, and Yunqiu and I will go there sooner or later."

Yun Qiu said: "Mrs. Chen is not good at working and cooking. I'm afraid it will be worse in terms of management and scheduling after a long time." Mo Yu shook his head and said: "Nowadays, there are so many things in the village, and there are workshops open, and the nanny has to manage the two people in the south. Now that the chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle and sheep are all here, who knows what new things grandma will do when she is happy. I can't do it anymore, let Mrs. Chen take care of it first, and the bill will always come from you. In the next year, ask grandma to see if there are any available people."

Yun Qiu said: "Now that Ji Liang and Duan Gao are missing, it's really hard work." Madam Xu smiled and said: "Okay, okay, it's just been a few days, grandma said, come in The workshop was closed in the twelfth lunar month, everyone has worked hard, I will definitely tell grandma." Mo Yu laughed and said: "Mama said this again, we are not the ones who are passionate about seeing a few taels of silver, why is it? What about this?" Madam Xu smiled and said, "I know, I know, they are all rich men, and they don't come here for money."

A few people chatted and laughed, and Mother Xu went to find Yan Jun and Peng Qiao and told about Mrs. Du.When Yan Jun heard this, he immediately remembered that his mother-in-law had to take care of the kitchen bills a few days ago, and she used words to run him down for a long time, and she accepted her, but it was because of this.For a moment she blushed and felt ashamed, but Nanny Xu comforted him with words.

Peng Qiao knew that his own mother was a man, but his own mother had defected to him, and now she is doing it for her own sake, and it is embarrassing.Both of them tried to reassure Nanny Xu that they had nothing to say.They all said that it would be better for this old lady to take a break from her work. Both sons and sons-in-law are promising, so are you afraid that she won't be able to support her?Nanny Xu made peace with the two of them, and then went to the kitchen to talk about what to do.

Mrs. Chen was shocked when she heard that she was in charge of the kitchen, but only after she learned that Mo Yuyunqiu was in charge of the accounting arrangements did she dare to take up the job.When Mrs. Du heard that she was relieved of her errand, she immediately became angry, but Nanny Xu was so pretentious that she didn't dare to do anything wrong, she grabbed the clean apron and threw it aside, angrily went to find her son and son-in-law to file a complaint.Nanny Xu didn't bother to take care of her, she just arranged the staff in the kitchen carefully and told Mrs. Chen to take good care of her.

Mrs. Qiao returned home, talked to Sun Dabao about the changes in the kitchen, and said with a smile: "In the past few days, I have steamed radishes and eaten pickled vegetables, and the second sister-in-law of Dongtou said that even the milk is gone." Then she said, "By the way, I have already After paying the money, I have time to bring the coal back. Mrs. Qiu said that the car can be borrowed from the village, remember to feed the animals after moving."

But Sun Dabao said: "There is no place to put all these back. There are only three rooms in total. Why don't you discuss it with the steward, and we can pull it when we need it."Daniel asked from the side: "Mother, our family is not burning firewood and charcoal, why do you still buy this?" Mrs. Qiao smiled and said: "You know how to manage things! You are all busy this year, and the firewood you have is limited. I burned a kiln of charcoal, but there was not much in the end. I didn’t cook much at home on weekdays, and I didn’t even save a few pieces of residual charcoal from sparks. The coal on the village was the best black coal, and it was very hot when it burned. It’s hot and there’s no smoke, so I bought it to prepare a kang for winter.”

Daniel hesitated for a while, and asked: "Mother, do we, our family... still have money?" Mrs. Qiao asked him after hearing this: "What? You want money?" Daniel shook his head hurriedly: "No, no , It doesn't look like you bought a lot of things, and made new cotton clothes for us all... Your work is not easy..."

Qiao Niangzi patted his arm and said with a smile: "Mother knows what you are worried about. It's okay. Mother has plans and didn't spend more money! The things we buy in this village are more cost-effective than those bought in the last episode. Mother knows it well!" Daniel laughed when he heard this, and said: "Second brother, third brother and fourth brother can help mother with needlework, but my fingers are thick, so I can't do that, so I need to hold my clothes tight first. Do..." Sun Dabao knocked on him and said, "Are you cornering me to hurt me? The first job is mine, I don't know how to do needlework, you mean me!"

Daniu blushed anxiously, stuttered, and said tightly: "No, no, that, that..." Mrs. Qiao laughed, and Xiaoer smiled and said to Daniel: "Brother, Dad is teasing you! You Don't think about it, you and Dad have heavy work, and most of it is outside work, so you have to do it first? If it suddenly gets cold like last time, the little ones can warm up at home and wait. Wait, how many of us can’t make it, we still have to go to work. Even mine, don’t we all do it first. Besides, we have more people and faster hands, and the next workshop will take a day off, and our family will have everything.”

Da Niu Qiqi Ai Ai said: "Then, that bastard is still hurting you..." Xiaoer smiled and said: "He is just looking at you. The more you look at him, the more comfortable he will see us." Sun Dabao Ask: "What did Er Gouzi say?" Da Niu bowed his head and said nothing, while Xiao Er said: "You said we are women who do needlework."

Sun Dabao quickly looked at Mrs. Qiao, who smiled at him and said, "Your second figured it out, how can I still be angry? This tailor has too many men, what does needlework have to do with girls? Those who work hard, share the burden for parents, and make life better for the whole family are called men!" Xiao San and Xiao Si's eyes lit up when they heard this, and their small chests stood out, feeling that they were completely men.