In the afternoon, several boats that went to the city to purchase goods came back one after another.
All the families gathered around him, and Huo Xi and Yang also came forward with Huo Nian in their arms.
They began to distribute the supplies purchased by each family. It was still wet on the shore, so each family put the things they purchased on their own boats.
Yang asked Huo Xi to hold Huo Nian, and he also moved the things to his boat. When he saw Yang Fu carrying a basket of charcoal to his boat, he was stunned and said, "Why are you buying charcoal?"
Yang Fu glanced at Huo Xi and saw that Xi'er asked him to buy charcoal before leaving. He bought charcoal from his house. Others laughed and said, "Is there no firewood to collect on the shore?"
Huo Xi explained to Yang: "The firewood on the bank is still wet. I picked up a lot of it today and dried it. I can't burn it tonight. Even if I pour oil on it, it will still be smoke. Our bedding has been dried.
I haven’t done anything for half a day.”
Yang turned around and looked at Huo Nian's diaper hanging on a hemp rope on the bank. She was also worried that she would have to grill it over charcoal.
He didn't say much, he just quickly moved the things he bought to the boat and put them away.
"Dad, when will our boat be repaired?" Huo Xi asked.
Huo Erhuai straightened up and sighed: "We are still not in line. As soon as we arrived at the shipyard, there were crowds of people everywhere. It rained heavily last night and many ships were damaged. I guess we will have to wait a few days.
"
Huo Xi looked at the bare cabin of her cabin and was worried. How could she sleep here? Do they really want to use the boat as a seat and the sky as a quilt?
Yang Fu comforted her: "Don't worry, my brother-in-law and I bought another bundle of linoleum felt. We will surround it with linoleum felt for the next few days, and then we can work it out for a few days."
Huo Erhuai also nodded: "Don't worry, Xi'er. This linoleum is surrounded by two layers. If you burn a basin of charcoal in the cabin, it won't get cold."
Huo Xi followed his gaze and looked at the bundle of linoleum felt, relieved.
When they went to the city this time, Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu bought everything they needed for their homes. They bought two shrimp and crab pots each, and a new pair of fishing nets, but Huo Xi refused to buy them except rice and noodles.
Buying rice and noodles from rice and grain shops in the city is expensive, so they can save some money by collecting some from the villages along the river.
After dividing the things of each family, everyone discussed together that they should go to the village to buy some rice and noodles, and everyone agreed. In addition to the rice and noodles, they also needed to get some clean water for cooking from the village.
There were several families who had no money to save, so everyone pooled some money together and lent it to them, which received many thanks from several families.
This time Yang Fu was left behind, and Huo Xi went with Huo Erhuai to buy rice and noodles.
When each family saw it, they also asked the younger ones to follow them. When they went to the village to buy, some villagers would think that the fishermen were greedy for cheap and would say some slanderous words. But who can't live with money? Is it easy to save two copper coins?
Bringing small children along is to dispel others' wariness and to show weakness.
Several boats rowed towards Jiangning County. When they arrived at several riverside villages on the outer tributaries of the Qinhuai River in Jiangning County, they divided their troops into several groups and each chose a village to enter.
Huo Erhuai and Qian Sanduo's families were together. They rowed their boat into a village along the river.
As soon as I entered the village, I was driven away without even asking the name of the village.
"We are either bad guys, or it rained heavily last night. Everything on the boat was blown away by the wind and rain, and we have no food. We want to come to the village to buy some food." Huo Erhuai told the villagers about their situation with a smile on his face.
"It's not far from the capital, so why can't we buy food?"
"The capital is so expensive, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy it in our village?" Several villagers were angry, as if they were greedy for petty gains.
Huo Xi originally planned to take advantage of her child's advantage and go up to the city to buy a lot of fish.
Fishy smell."
Covering his nose and waving his hands, he looked disgusted.
Huo Xi stopped and looked at the villagers with a calm face, not intending to speak.
Why rush to lose your face and let others step on you?
Qian Xiaoxia was very angry. I didn't dislike you for smelling like mud, but you disliked me for smelling like fish! Just as he was about to rush up to say something, Qian Xiaoyu grabbed him tightly.
Huo Xi also shook his head at him.
It was originally a matter of mutual benefit. After they collected the grain, they would either sell it to a grain shop themselves, or a grain seller would come to the village to collect it, and they would be charged one or two levels by the middleman.
If you sell it directly to the fishermen, you can get one or two more cents per pound. It's a cheap thing for everyone.
But some people feel that they, the fishermen, are taking advantage. Since ancient times, people from different classes have looked down on each other, and looked down on people whose status is lower than themselves.
Huo Xi didn't want to say more, so she pulled Huo Erhuai and said, "Dad, let's look elsewhere."
Huo Erhuai didn't intend to force himself. He looked at each other and Qian Sanduo, turned around and left, rowing away.
Sitting on the boat, Qian Xiaoxia was still very angry: "It's not like we don't give money! It's like we are beggars begging with them! The grain shop sells rice for eight cents per catty. They sell it for only five or six cents, but we buy it for seven cents."
, they still made money! Why can’t it work? They still think we smell like fish!”
He raised his arms and sniffed left and right, "Where is the fishy smell! We swim in the river every day and take a bath more than once a day. Where is the fishy smell! I even said they smell like mud!" I was very angry.
.
"Then rich people are disliked by scholars for smelling like copper, and scholars are also disliked for smelling sour and scholarly. You see, they don't make money or study?" Huo Xi wanted to enlighten him, but obviously he couldn't listen.
Look at him like that, if he wasn't sitting on the boat, he would probably be stamping his feet.
Qian Sanduo sighed: "Who told us to live in poverty and be poorer than others? We always feel that we have taken advantage of them. We would rather sell at a low price than sell to us fishermen."
Huo Xi glanced at him but said nothing.
Qian Sanduo is a spirited person. Most of his family's food is purchased from the city, and he is not willing to sacrifice his face for a few cents. If you feel you have money, eat more. If you don't have money, be more frugal.
It can be seen that Huo Xi often went to the village to exchange food and saved money, so he followed suit or asked her to help bring some. Before Huo Xi came, Huo Erhuai and Yang also bought food from the city and brought fish and shrimps with them.
The vegetable seller in the city changed it.
The two families entered another village, and this time they bought some food, but not much. They didn't force it, so they left again. Seeing that they couldn't achieve their goal after two trips, they couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
"Huo Xi, how do you usually exchange food with others? I see you go very smoothly every time." Qian Xiaoxia looked at Huo Xi.
"It won't go well every time. If it doesn't go well, just try another one. What else can you do? There are always good-hearted people, just try a few more." Huo Xi replied to him.
The experience is not important, it's just a matter of trying to please someone. Just be thick-skinned and achieve the result. What can you do if you just listen to a few sarcastic words? You can save a few coins by listening to a few sarcastic words, so Huo Xi is happy to do it.
The family may not be able to save a few copper coins in a day. With copper coins, Huo Erhuai and Yang don't have to work so hard.
In that mansion earlier, I had no worries. There was never a shortage of money in the box, so how could I worry about a few copper coins? Huo Xi sighed, isn't it all about living?
When she has money, she eats one bowl and throws another away! The grain shop sells grains for eight cents per kilogram, which is not rare, but only dozens of cents of bijaponica rice! If one bag is not enough, buy it stone by stone!
So domineering!
They didn't buy much grain, and it wasn't enough to share. I don't know how other boatmen bought it. Huo Erhuai and Qian Sanduo rowed the boat into another village, planning to try again.