ebookland Chapter 128 The situation a year ago
Chapter 128 The situation a year ago
Datou still remembered the previous fines and rewards, so he asked Li Laosan and others to pay the fines, and gave rewards to Laizi, Jiaqueer and himself. He recorded the rest in the account as public funds.
After the meal, Li Erlang went to give Cai Junyi two taels of silver, saying it was the share of the inscription. After Cai Junyi received it, he thanked him sincerely, and he was not a pedantic and aloof nerd.
Li Laosan liked this cousin more and more. He was talented but did not look down on others. He was straightforward and not procrastinating. He took the initiative to help with housework and earn money. He was neither pedantic nor aloof.
Is someone worth making friends with.
Li Yuer gave Guo Qingran one or two taels of silver. Guo Qingran happily accepted it and said, "We women also have talents and abilities that are not inferior to men. Look, we can also earn money ourselves."
But Li Yuer could see that she was worried. She had been away from home for some time, and her parents and family must be very worried.
Guo Qingran's father, Guo Zi'an, was a professor at the government-run academy in Xinpu Town. His mother was his father's childhood sweetheart, Huai Su. The whole family was indifferent to fame and fortune, and lived a quiet life of contentment until Wu Yanei showed up and broke this beautiful life.
Li Yuer took her hand and said, "Sister Qingran, are you missing home?"
Guo Qingran nodded, with a hint of sadness in his eyes, like the clouds covering the moon, beautiful but sad.
"Wu Gougou thought you were dead, but he certainly won't come to your house for a while. But he might send someone to monitor your parents. Why don't I take advantage of the New Year and pretend to be visiting relatives and go to your house to check on the situation and let them know that you are okay."
Guo Qingran was delighted at the moment, but then frowned again, "No, this, this is too dangerous. If we are discovered, it will implicate you."
"No, Sister Qingran, don't worry. I actually have other plans. I want my brother and the others to go to school. If we are caught, we can say that we came to pay our respects to the master and ask for his education."
At this time, there should be quite a few people coming to give gifts to their teachers, all waiting for school to start after the New Year.
Guo Qingran thought about it and felt that Li Yuer's method was good, so he agreed and reminded her to protect herself if she encountered danger.
"Sister Qingran, do you have any keepsakes? The kind that your parents will know is yours once they see it, but outsiders can't tell who it belongs to."
Guo Qingran understood what Li Yuer meant after a little thought. They came to her house rashly and were afraid that her parents would not believe them, so she wanted a token as evidence.
Guo Qingran thought about it, picked up the scissors in the sewing basket, and cut off the front end of his little nail, which had a crescent-shaped white spot on it.
"A few days before I left home, my mother asked me why I had a white spot under my nail. This secret is only known to my mother and me."
Li Yuer put the nail into his pocket. It was so small that it would be difficult to find it even if there was a body search. Even if it was found, most people would just think it was his own nail and would not pay any attention to it.
White spots on nails are mostly caused by calcium deficiency. Guo Qingran probably doesn’t like eating eggs and fish.
Li Yuer asked with concern: "Sister Qingran, are there any white spots on your nails recently?"
Guo Qingran was stunned for a moment, raised his hands and looked at them, and said, "It seems to be gone."
Li Yuer nodded. It was probably because they had been eating seafood at home recently and were not calcium deficient. She had just started to be calcium deficient, so she recovered quickly.
That night, Li Laosan and Li Erlang returned to Rabbit Island. They left a few dishes from Nongchaolou for the Cai family and took the rest back to Rabbit Island.
The Li family was naturally happy. All the oil lamps in Nongchao Tower were sold out, so they were happy too. They were also very satisfied with the dishes sent by Manager Qian.
Old man Li almost cried while eating, not only because he could eat dishes that only nobles could eat, but also because of Li Laosan.
He, the youngest child, is the most rebellious. He won't listen to others and won't obey even if he is beaten. He has been worried about this for many years. Now that the third child can focus on doing business with Yu Baoer and no longer go out to fool around in town, he feels much more at ease.
He even dreamed occasionally that his family had built a house and his children and grandchildren had all started families. Especially the third son, he got married and his wife gave birth to a big fat boy. He always woke up from his dreams with joy.
The Li family has basically bought everything for the New Year. It was the old man Li and his wife who took their eldest son and grandson to buy them.
In the early morning, soft sunlight shone from the coastline, penetrating the thick clouds and straw mats, and casting mottled light on the deck, fragmented and warm.
Old Mrs. Cai pulled aside the door curtain, looked at the morning glow, and thought to herself that this year was the most prosperous year for her since she married into the Li family.
In addition to incense, candles, and paper money, the items for ancestor worship include three kinds of animals. Although they are not the three big animals, but the three small animals, they are still the largest in the village.
The three major animals are cattle, sheep and pigs, and the three minor animals are pigs, fish and chickens. Among them, the pig's head is the most expensive, followed by the rooster.
She and the old man have no abilities in this life, but fortunately their children are filial and capable, so when they are old, they and the old man can still enjoy a good life.
Old Mrs. Cai touched the gold bracelet on her hand, her eyes and heart filled with unshakable satisfaction.
"Oh oh oh~"
The big rooster bought for sacrifice was locked in a cage, still crowing dutifully.
Li Erlang was dragged out of the warm new quilt by Li Laosan.
"The rooster has crowed twice. Hurry up! Otherwise, don't blame us for abandoning you."
Upon hearing this, Li Erlang could only climb up reluctantly.
When they came out of the island, Li Yuer was still sleeping in.
So, the two of them started teasing Li Yuer to get her out of bed.
When everyone had packed up and arrived in town, Li Yuer was still dozing off in the cart.
They all dressed up in disguise today, wearing masks on their mouths and noses that Li Yuer had made overnight, and their clothes were also new clothes from yesterday.
In order to better hide their identities, they acted separately.
"I'll go with Yu Baoer, you guys can do whatever you want." Li Erlang took the lead in deciding on Li Yuer.
Li Laosan didn't bother to argue with him and led his brothers away.
The New Year is coming soon. I have earned some money and need to buy some New Year gifts for my family.
Li Erlang bought a brand new copper pipe for Old Man Li, and Li Yuer bought some good tobacco, but she didn't buy any particularly good quality tobacco.
On the one hand, it was because it was so good that Grandpa could smoke it at once, so he would definitely not want to use it and put it in the bottom of the box. On the other hand, she did not approve of smoking, and buying some to smoke during the New Year was a nice touch, but smoking too much would harm the body.
Li Erlang bought a red headband with gold thread for Old Lady Cai, and Li Yuer bought a maroon hat trimmed with sable fur.
Li Erlan also bought navy blue headbands with silver thread for A Niang and his aunt, and Li Yuer also bought two pairs of royal blue hats inlaid with raccoon fur.
Li Erlang bought himself a belt without accessories, and Li Yuer bought him a pair of fine cloth cloud pattern boots.
Li Erlang bought Li Meir a scarf inlaid with rabbit fur, and Li Yuer bought Li Meir a pair of embroidered shoes inlaid with rabbit fur.
At Li Yuer's request, Li Erlang bought her a roast chicken and a box of osmanthus cake.
In short, everyone has gifts within their means.
Li Yuer was eating the sweet-scented osmanthus cakes, which were glutinous and sweet. She felt very happy. It was a great day to work hard to earn money and spend it freely.