We will be departing in the afternoon, Boss are your things packed?”Elder Zhu interrupted his eldest uncle Zhu Shouren’s confident expression, knocked on his tobacco pot and looked at him and asked.
“Father, almost all packed.”Eldest uncle returned.
“Are the food, clothes, utensils, ink, paper and inkstones all ready?”Elder Zhu uneasily asked again.
“Pen, ink, paper and ink, I’ll buy them when I get to Yingtian, it’s a hassle to carry them on the road.”Uncle thought about it and replied.
Pen, ink, paper and inkstones can cost how many things, Zhu Pingan listened to the words of the eldest uncle some speechless, these things add up to a total of not much place, and no business is not treacherous, in the examination period to buy pen, ink, paper and inkstones, pen, ink, paper and inkstones, if the price of pen, ink, paper and inkstones than the usual price is several times higher to. Look at uncle this situation, about so many times in front of the examination are to the Yingtian and then buy the ink, paper and inkstone, if it is to buy a better inkstone, each time at least have to spend nearly one or two more silver.
“Why to Yingtian and then purchase, is not costly well, the family’s pen, ink, paper and inkstones are brought.”Elder Zhu immediately shook his head and urged his eldest uncle, Zhu Shouren, to bring the family’s brushes, ink, paper and inkstones with him.
Hearing Master Zhu say this, Old Lady Zhu on the side suddenly interjected, “Right, the swine’s daughter-in-law just brought some food, there are pastries, bird’s nests and whatnot, Boss, you should take some more to eat on the way.”
“Bird’s nest?”Eldest Uncle was a bit surprised, then narrowed his eyes slightly and commented, “Bird’s nest is a good thing.”
“Mother, bird’s nest replenishes qi and blood, it’s more useful for us women, especially those who are pregnant. I’ve long heard that rich people in the county eat bird’s nest to replenish their bodies, but this is the first time I’ve seen it, and I don’t know what it tastes like.”Aunt Xiao Si lengthened her voice, and said that she even made an effort to hold up her big belly, reaching out to caress her belly as if she was touching a baby, and staring at the box of bird’s nest with a pair of fine eyes without blinking.
“To replenish your blood and qi? That’s just right, your big brother had a hard time travelling, it’s just right to replenish his body.”Grandmother said as she copied the bird’s nest box in her big hand, and without saying a word, shoved it to her eldest uncle Zhu Shouren who was at the side.
“Mother ~~” Aunt Xiao Si touched her stomach and looked at Old Madam Zhu with an aggrieved face.
“Alright, I’ll leave two for you too.”Old Mrs Zhu saw Aunt Xiao Si’s stomach and thought of her unborn eldest grandson, then hesitated for a moment and took back the box in her eldest uncle’s hand.
Eldest uncle Zhu Shouren had a look of reluctance, this bird’s nest was a good thing, if she took it to please those beauty queens on the banks of the Qinhuai River, she would be able to get a kiss without fail.
One, two, three, four! There are only four of them!
Old Madam Zhu opened the box and counted, now there are only four bird’s nests in the well-packed box, she was a bit disappointed, the box looks big outside, but there are only four inside, what’s the point of wrapping up so much cloth, if it’s given to the oldest family for two, then the oldest one will be left with only two.
This swine daughter-in-law is so stingy, just send four bird’s nest, this bird’s nest is enough for who eat, so big a little, not enough to stuff teeth, this is also to take out.
Old lady Zhu closed the box and looked at Li Shu, there are some dissatisfaction in her words, “Swine’s family, there are still bird’s nests in the house, take ten pounds and eight pounds of bird’s nests for your eldest uncle to eat on the road.”
Ten catties and eight catties?
Li Shu turned Zhen at the word, the tassel hanging on the hairpin swayed as she seemed not to see the old lady’s dissatisfied expression, a pair of big watery eyes looked at Zhu old lady with a smile or not, “Grandmother, there is ah, but ……”
Before Li Shu’s words were finished, the little girl behind Li Shu was not happy, with a face of ridicule, looking at Old Madame Zhu like a bumpkin, and said with righteous indignation:
“Old madam, this bird’s nest isn’t a big cabbage, ten catties or eight catties? Not to mention the top quality bird’s nest that my young lady has brought with her, even an ordinary penny bird’s nest would cost one or two silver pieces, ten catties and eight catties would cost at least a few hundred silver pieces.”
The little girl’s voice was full of dissatisfaction, the words were all mocking the old lady’s lion’s mouth, ten catties and eight catties of bird’s nests can be opened, really the people in the countryside have no insight.
“So expensive? Every penny costs one or two silver?”Old Mrs Zhu’s mouth opened wide at the words.
“It’s not so bad, this is still an ordinary bird’s nest, the bird’s nest that our young lady brought with her is a top quality bird’s nest that was shipped over from the South Seas.”The little girl’s head was held high, her face overflowing with pride.
Old Madam Zhu now felt that the bird’s nest in her hand was very heavy, she didn’t realise that the bird’s nest was so expensive, such a small amount would cost several taels of silver, her gaze towards Li Shu was very different from just now.
“Besides, old madam, this bird’s nest is a tonic, but ten or eight pounds of it will make up for a person’s size, it’s not a joke.”The little maid went on to add.
Hearing the words of the little maid, grandmother Zhu old lady smashed her tongue, and no longer wanted ten or eight pounds of bird’s nest. After thinking about it, she opened the bird’s nest box, took one from it and left it behind, and gave the other three to her eldest uncle, Zhu Shouren, so that he could make up for his body when he arrived in Yingtian.
Auntie Xiao Si saw this and her mouth pouted.
Zhu old lady will bird’s nest and some cakes, tonic packed a number of, all to the eldest aunt, let the eldest aunt to the eldest uncle Zhu Shouren good, and take away when you go.
Eldest uncle Zhu Shouren swept a glance at Zhu Pingan and Li Shu, then coughed and looked at Elder Zhu and opened his mouth, “Father, everything is ready for the examination in Yingtian, but only a little shyness in the bag.”
“Big brother, why are you still shy, the family has more than ten taels of silver all tight on you.”Aunt Xiao Si looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
“Why isn’t it enough?”Elder Zhu also looked at his eldest uncle, Zhu Shouren, but he knew that all the money in the family had been given to the eldest.
“Father, I went to Yingtian, I have to invite people to eat Liu Ta-Jen, the relationship between the son’s future, and my fellow disciples as well as his mentor is also not less, this human interaction is silver ah father. Father, you give those coins tight to my own still can, if these favours can not be enough, difficult ah difficult.”Eldest uncle Zhu Shouren shook his head, then sighed hard.
“But the family has no money left.”Elder Zhu frowned, then sucked two puffs of his tobacco pouch with vigour and clouded up.
“Father, how about this, my son first asks the swine to borrow some plate.”Eldest uncle Zhu Shouren looked as if he had thought long and hard about considering for the family, then immediately after, he turned his head towards Zhu Pingan and spoke words that had been planned for a long time:
“Swine child ah, family not to say two families, uncle went to Yingtian examination everything is ready, but only some of the money to pay for the elasticity, do not let your grandfather worry, swine child first temporarily borrowed uncle 10 taels of silver, and when uncle came back to the exams will pay you back.”
Don’t let your grandfather worry? It sounds like I am unfilial! Such a hat down, again in front of grandfather, this is not borrowing money, is clearly forcing money. This kind of borrowing, the eldest uncle is playing the perfect.
However, if you are a good borrowing money is just, this kind of forced money is to let Zhu Pingan disgusted very much.
And, think of the last time the uncle of the examination to seek flowers and willow do, and then think of yesterday’s intention of the uncle to embezzle their own property, Zhu Pingan is a little bit of the idea of borrowing money is not, did not pursue the uncle would be good.
Listening to Auntie Xiao Si’s words, the family has already given the eldest uncle more than ten taels of silver. It is enough to go to Yingtian to catch the examination!
“Ahem, if it was a few days ago, nephew would have lent it to eldest uncle without eldest uncle saying so. But some days ago, nephew was shipwrecked in the sea, elder uncle also knows about it, right? My nephew was fortunate enough to have recovered his life, but all of his belongings were lost in the sea, leaving him penniless.”
Zhu Pingan shook his head with some embarrassment, hooked up the corner of his lips, said this suddenly remembered something, and immediately felt out a handful of about ten copper coins from his pocket, enthusiastically stuffed it into his uncle’s hand, and very generously said.
“Oh, I remembered, this morning my mother gave me ten Wen to let me go to the soy sauce, soy sauce is a small matter, the elder uncle’s examination is a big matter, this money will be first with the elder uncle to respond to the emergency it
