Although the weather is extremely hot, Fortune Telling Street is much cooler than other places. There are two rows of acacia trees on both sides of the alley. In summer, the place is always filled with the fragrance of acacia flowers.
Xu Xiucai leaned back on his chair and stared at the top of the tree for a long time. He didn't know how long it took before he lowered his head.
He stared at the sky for so long that his eyes were blurred. He waited for a while before looking steadily at the girl opposite who was meditating with her eyes closed.
Gradually, his eyes became firm. Finally, he stood up, put his robe on his back, and said to Hongtao: "I don't want this table and chair anymore, I'll give it to you."
Hong Tao opened her eyes and stood up happily, "Thank you very much." Then she picked up two futons on the ground and sat on them.
Xu Xiucai couldn't help but smile, and stood for a moment before saying, "Your brother is very good at fortune-telling, and I guess your physiognomy is not bad either. Xu will keep today's advice in mind. If you can really get lucky in the future, I will thank you for your kindness."
Hong Tao waved his hand, "I will never thank you for your kindness. Don't forget that I am the Master of Hearts in the future."
Xu Xiucai bowed his hands and bowed. Then he put his things on his back and walked out step by step.
...
Honghua Street was as quiet as usual. Xu Xiucai walked inside, turned east and west, and finally came to a small courtyard. Smelling the beany smell wafting from the courtyard, he took a deep breath.
I stared at the door in confusion for a long time before taking a photo.
Soon, the door opened. A woman walked out with a quiet and peaceful face. Although she looked to be in her forties, she still had the beauty of her youth.
"Mother." Xu Xiucai called with a smile and walked into the courtyard.
The small courtyard upon entering was not big, but it was also exquisite. Soy milk was being ground on the stone mill in the courtyard. Xu Xiucai walked over, grabbed the handle of the mill and pushed it.
The woman laughed, walked over and pushed him away, "How can you do this?" Then she asked, "Why did you come back so early today?"
Xu Xiucai didn't insist, and sat on a bench next to him, "Mom, you came back early today, and all the tofu is sold out?"
"Well, business is good today. We sold out all the goods early in the morning. I just want to come back and make some more quickly. I'll sell them again before it gets dark." The woman said while pushing the grinder.
Xu Xiucai hummed, lowered his head, and looked at the constantly rotating stone mill. The more he looked at it, the more dazzled his eyes became. He quickly turned his head away and said, "The sun is so bright, let's take a rest, mother."
"I'm not tired. It's rare that business is good today." The woman smiled and said: "Since you won't set up a stall in the afternoon, why don't you go out for a walk? It's not good to stay at home all the time. Go meet your old friends.
How about we meet."
Xu Xiucai squeezed his hands, his throat was uncomfortable, and he swallowed hard to stop his voice from getting worse, "Well, Mom, have you had lunch?"
"I don't feel hungry. I want to make this pot of tofu quickly and eat it when it's done." The woman said, pushing the stone mill a little faster.
Xu Xiucai thought for a moment, "Then I'll make lunch. I haven't eaten yet."
When the woman heard this, she let go of the stone grinder in her hand, stood up and wiped her hands, "Why haven't you had lunch yet? Mom is going to do it, you wait."
Xu Xiucai paused and sneered: "What I did is really hard to swallow."
But the woman shook her head and said with a smile: "The man is far away in the kitchen. It's not your turn to do the things in the kitchen yet."
Xu Xiucai followed the woman's footsteps, entered the kitchen, and sat down in front of the stove to light the fire. The woman tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing that he really didn't listen, she could only give up with a smile.
However, after burning for a while, the fire failed, so the woman finally persuaded Xu Xiucai to leave and sit down to light the fire.
After setting up the firewood and the fire in the stove, the woman got up to wash the pot and add water to the rice. Finally, she asked Xu Xiucai: "What do you want to eat?"
"I want to eat roasted tofu." Xu Xiucai sat in front of the stove again, carefully throwing a small stick in from time to time.
The woman smiled and said, "The tofu made by my mother is delicious."
"Um."
The sound of cutting tofu came from the chopping board. It was soft and light, but not slow. Xu Xiucai pondered for a while before he said, "Mom, I plan to continue taking the merit examination."
The voice on the chopping board did not pause. The woman just said "Okay" in a normal manner and said, "You are the one."
Xu Xiucai paused for a while, "But..."
"It's nothing. My son is the smartest kid in the world. If you want to take the imperial examination, everyone will have to make way for you." The woman said very proudly.
When Xu Xiucai heard this, he also laughed, "How can he be so powerful? I am not the reincarnation of Wenquxing."
The woman retorted: "When you were just born, I unexpectedly met a fortune teller. He said that you were the reincarnation of Wenquxing and you would definitely become a very popular minister in this life."
Xu Xiucai paused for a while, then said, "Why haven't I heard my mother say this before?"
The woman smiled: "I told you when I was a child, but you must have forgotten it. Later, you didn't want to study, so my mother thought the man was a liar, so she didn't mention it again."
Xu Xiucai blew his nose and said, "Mom, don't worry, my son will definitely climb to a position below that person and above ten thousand people in his life. I want everyone to know that you are my mother, and I want everyone to know that you are my mother."
Call you Madam."
The knife in the woman's hand was still cutting, but she didn't answer immediately. After a moment, she heard a gratified voice, "Mother never forces this. I just hope you don't care about mother, don't care about you."
Dad, just go and do whatever you want, Mom will support you."
Xu Xiucai finally couldn't hold back the breath he was holding and burst into tears. He lowered his head and watched the tears hitting the stove ashes on the ground one by one, making small craters. After taking a few breaths, he finally
Staring at the ground resolutely, "I just want to be a supreme minister right now."
*
The training time passed quickly. Hong Tao meditated all afternoon. When she opened her eyes again, it was almost dark. She quickly grabbed the flag and walked back. After only two steps, she threw the flag in the corner: "Wait a minute."
No one read her face all day long, and she didn't want to wait in such a boring way anymore. She might as well find a way to enjoy the life of death.
When they got home, Wen Ya and Xu Lan had already returned, and dinner had been prepared. Hong Tao washed her hands and went straight to the table to eat, but when she saw Shi An, she pursed her lips.
"Did you deliberately ask me to read that scholar's face? Did you deliberately want me to give him some advice?"
Shi'an smiled and said, "If I accept his love, I will return the favor."
"You are grateful but you want me to repay you. You made a good calculation. I sat there feeding mosquitoes all day and didn't get a single customer." Hong Tao complained endlessly.
"If you set up a stall, business will naturally go up and down, but it will get better over time."
Hongtao took a mouthful of rice. The eldest sister had children from rich families to teach, and the second senior brother had officials waiting in line. Even the eldest brother had confused himself into a qualified farmer. Only she, as if erratic,
Uncertain duckweed.
"Sister, after dinner, I have something to discuss with you." Qingyu looked at Hongtao with a smile.