The sky was blazing, there was no wind, and there were heat waves in the air.
Yue Zhongyao was sweating all over his forehead. He was wearing a short jacket, with his sleeves rolled up high. He couldn't bear to put on the cotton shoes on his feet, so he put on a pair of straw sandals he knitted himself. Walking on the familiar streets of Qingchuan City, his clothes were soaked with sweat.
He knew every corner of the streets and alleys in Qingchuan City very well. He could walk back and forth several times with his eyes closed. Who lived in which street and which door, which alley was alive and which was sealed.
clear.
When he first joined the county government, he was just a street patrolman.
The long-standing policeman, who was so slick and pretentious, frightened the vendors in the streets to the point where they didn't even dare to raise their heads, and it was very common for them to obey the orders.
Walking from one end of the street to the other, the withered wallet always bulges up. If you change a street and change the wallet, it will bulge again at the end.
He followed the veteran policeman, trembling with fear for more than half a year, and now his face stopped blushing and his heart stopped beating, and he could calmly put the tributes handed to him into his arms, and he could still joke with others as if no one else was around.
He did not refuse the filial piety offered to him by others, but he did not take the initiative to reach out or verbally hint to ask for it. He also never felt sorry for others.
There are always a few taels of silver every month.
He was reluctant to part with flowers, so he kept them happily.
And in those four years, he went from being so frightened that he couldn't close his eyes to being able to fall asleep standing in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. He also followed others into the city to take money and things. Which soldier enters the city without plundering it?
Ichiban?
Your life will be gone in the blink of an eye, and no one will criticize you for picking up a few coins in an empty house in an empty city. From top to bottom, it's all the same.
He also once picked up a very beautiful crested hairpin from a wealthy family.
The golden hairpin was of great weight. It was inlaid with pearls and jewels, which was dazzling. The phoenix also held a bead as big as a longan eye in its mouth. He put it into his arms very carefully, tore off the inner clothes and wrapped it in several layers.
He kept it close to his body. He thought that when the war was over, he would take it home to Jinniang. Jinniang would look good wearing it.
In the end, the hairpin deformed under his pressure, and he still kept it close to his body. But later, he lost it somewhere.
When he came back, except for his life and a few severance coins, he brought nothing back...
Yue Zhongyao unknowingly walked to the door of a gold shop in Qingchuan City. There were two young men at the door warmly greeting passers-by: "Please come in. The jewelry in our shop is the most fashionable."
, these are all fashionable designs sent from Beijing, come in and take a look..."
The two boys turned their heads and saw Yue Zhongyao, and felt happy. They also saw his big feet holding a pair of straw sandals, and swallowed the words down their throats.
The two of them stopped looking at Yue Zhongyao and turned around to greet other guests.
There are far fewer people attending weddings in this hot summer. How can a gold shop do business without a young man going to the door to organize the business?
Yue Zhongyao looked up at the big plaque and hesitated whether to go in or not.
A middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper sent a wealthy lady out of the house. He smiled broadly, nodded and bowed, and put the woman into the carriage before turning around.
I don’t know what good business has been done.
The man who looked like a shopkeeper saw Yue Zhongyao lingering at the door. His eyes widened: "Yue Baotou?"
Yue Zhongyao turned around and looked.
"Shopkeeper Wang." He cupped his hands.
Shopkeeper Wang looked Yue Zhongyao up and down, and said with a smile: "I heard that Yue Baotou resigned from his job and returned to his hometown. I still don't believe it. Is this true?"
Yue Zhongyao smiled and nodded.
Shopkeeper Wang stretched out his hand to hug his shoulders: "Let's go, Yue Baotou is already at the door, how can we not go in?" As he said this, he pushed Yue Zhongyao in.
Yue Zhongyao couldn't resist, so he had to follow him into the store.
Shopkeeper Wang took Yue Zhongyao into an elegant room and ordered someone to serve tea. Then he and Yue Zhongyao sat across from each other and started talking.
"How come Yue Baotou resigned from his job so well?"
Yue Zhongyao took a sip of herbal tea and then said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Wang, just call me by my name. It is no longer appropriate to call me Yue Baotou now."
Shopkeeper Wang has a very good impression of Yue Zhongyao. Compared with the past, when he had to take care of a bunch of people in the county government office from time to time, and also had to deal with those government officials who eat people without spitting out their bones to prevent them from coming to raid the house from time to time, this boss Yue is already extremely honest and fair.
character.
"Okay, then I'll lick my face and call you Yue Xiandi."
Yue Zhongyao also hurriedly stood up and cupped his hands and said he didn't dare.
Shopkeeper Wang pushed him on the chair and said: "I am a few years older than you, so I called you Yue Xiandi. But is there something difficult in Yue Xiandi's family that makes me resign?"
Yue Zhongyao shook his head: "That's not true. Even though I had been conscripted for four years and left a whole house full of young and old, I still couldn't fulfill my responsibilities as a son, a husband and a father. So I thought of going home to watch over them and live a quiet life."
After hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang glanced at him and nodded to express his understanding.
The two sat down and chatted for a while. Shopkeeper Wang heard that Yue Zhongyao wanted to buy some jewelry for his wife, so he asked the boy to send him some new jewelry for him to choose from.
After a while, a clever boy came in holding a large tray with a dozen pieces of finely crafted jewelry placed on the silk cloth.
After the boy put the tray down on the table, Yue Zhongyao leaned forward and looked up.
The silk cloth is covered with gold ornaments, including hairpins, hairpins, bracelets, bracelets, bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, all covered with gold.
Shopkeeper Wang was very discerning and sent gold ornaments that looked fine but not expensive. Although they were all gold ornaments, they were mostly hollow and not heavy in weight. They looked respectable but they didn’t cost much.
money.
Yue Zhongyao glanced at Shopkeeper Wang gratefully.
Today he sent his mother Wu and two brothers and their wives to the street to buy things.
Tomorrow Xiaoman's husband's family will come to deliver betrothal gifts and invite guests. Even if they don't invite guests, only the family members and neighbors must be invited. There will always be two or three tables of people.
You need to prepare things for treating guests, prepare gifts in return, and buy a lot of things.
Originally, it would have been enough for his mother to bring her two brothers and wives to handle this matter, but her mother only wanted to save two money, saying that Yue Zhongyao was familiar with Qingchuan City, and if others recognized him, they would give him some face, and they would not be cruel.
They asked for a price, so they dragged him along with them.
At this moment, his mother was taking Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Yu to his eldest sister's house for lunch. He came out after finishing his meal, saying he wanted to take a walk.
Thinking that it was a rare trip to the city, I would always bring something back to Jin Niang and Wan'er.
Yue Zhongyao looked at the gold ornaments arranged on the silk cloth in the tray. He held them in his hands and looked at them carefully. He felt that everything was suitable. They looked fashionable and the workmanship was good.
He was short of money, so he only brought out five taels out of ten taels of silver.
I don’t know what I can buy with five taels of silver.
Yue Zhongyao came out with a little embarrassment on his face.
The shopkeeper Wang was a shrewd man, and he had developed a pair of piercing eyes. He glanced at Yue Zhongyao, and casually took a pair of earrings from the tray and handed them to Yue Zhongyao to look at.
"Brother Yue Xian, what do you think of these pair of earrings? They are small and delicate, and not heavy. They will not feel heavy when worn on the ears, and they are not unobtrusive. Even if they are hidden in the hair, their brilliance will not be lost. Gold is not heavy, so these
I only count eight pieces of silver for a pair of earrings, Yue Xiandi."
Yue Zhongyao took it and put it in the palm of his hand to look at it carefully.
It's so light that you don't feel any weight at all. The workmanship is exquisite.
Yue Zhongyao thought of his wife's pink earlobes, which were soft and slippery. He couldn't wear too heavy a pendant and hurt his wife's earlobes.
I was somewhat satisfied with this pair of ears.
Shopkeeper Wang saw that Yue Zhongyao was moved, and pointed out a gold ring with orchids carved on it to Yue Zhongyao. After talking about the workmanship, he said it only cost one or two or three yuan.
Yue Zhongyao thought about his wife's slender hands and saw that she had not worn anything on them, so he also took them off.
I looked at a few more hairpins, and the cheapest ones cost three taels of silver.
He also wanted to keep some money to pull a few feet of fine yarn for his wife to make summer clothes. He also wanted to buy a few bags of snacks for Wan'er, and the money was not enough.
He doesn't like hairpins wrapped in gold and silver.
Yue Zhongyao held the purse at his waist, which contained five taels of scattered silver.
For the first time, he felt that money was not enough.
Shopkeeper Wang watched as Yue Zhongyao picked up the hairpin with lotus branches and looked at it carefully, picked it up and put it down, put it down and picked it up again, looking at it repeatedly in his hand without being able to decide.
Shopkeeper Wang is a very clever person. When he saw it, he said readily: "Brother Yue Xian, if you like this hairpin, just take it. Just give me five taels of silver including the ring and earrings."
Yue Zhongyao was overjoyed when he heard this.
He pinched the purse at his waist and his face darkened again.
Looking at Shopkeeper Wang, he said sarcastically: "To be honest with Shopkeeper Wang, I only have five taels of silver on me. I also plan to pull some pieces of fine material to make summer clothes for my wife and daughter. I also need to buy some snacks for my daughter.
.”
He looked back and forth in the tray, picked up the golden hairpin with lotus branches wrapped around it, and said, "I only want this hairpin."
As he spoke, he glanced at the pair of earrings and rings he had just chosen.
Shopkeeper Wang looked at him steadily and sighed.
That's it for the so-called tough man's tenderness.
Shopkeeper Wang moved in the direction of Yue Zhongyao and said, "Brother Yue Xian, don't you have any plans? I heard that the yamen who come to patrol the streets every day also mentioned Brother Xian. He said that Yue Zhongyao was capable, good at archery, and strong.
, there are also fists and kicks, and there is no regret in the words. Brother Xian returned home like this, will he be aggrieved? Brother Yue Xian should have been blessed. "
Yue Zhongyao lowered his head and stroked his fingers back and forth on the tea cup.
What man doesn’t have the idea of making great achievements in his heart?
But there are always various choices in life. He does not regret his choice.
He raised his head and said: "There is no grievance. I left them mother and daughter at home for four years. They didn't know whether I was alive or dead, and they suffered a lot of grievances. From now on... I will guard them at home from now on. Give them a
A peaceful day.”
Shopkeeper Wang couldn't help but sigh again after hearing this.
Suddenly he remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly leaned over and asked, "Brother Yue Xian, do you want to do something to do? Can I make some small money without affecting your ability to take care of the family?" (To be continued. If you like this work,
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