The five Li siblings, Li Jinzhu, Li Yuzhu, and Li Yinzhu, have gotten up earlier than chickens every day since they were born.
Although Li Xuedong is said to be pampered, this pampering does not include sleeping in. Besides, he has to go to school early.
As for Li Xiaonan, she used to get up earlier than chickens, but since the preserved egg store opened at home, the eldest sister and the second sister go out early and come back late every day, so she wakes up later every day.
Li Yinzhu got up, rubbed her eyes and entered the kitchen. She stared at the fire at the stove and was stunned for a moment before she realized what she was doing.
Their family now has a new sister Mei!
"The hot water is boiled, the tea is brewed, and the meal is almost ready. I'll pour you some tea." Sister Mei stood up from the stove in a hurry.
"I don't use hot water or drink tea, why don't you light a lamp?" Li Yinzhu realized what he was doing and stood at the door, a little at a loss.
Sister Mei has finished her work, what should she do?
"There is no need to light a lamp. There is a fire on the stove and you can see it." Sister Mei poured a bowl of warm water and gave it to Li Yinzhu with both hands. "You wipe your teeth first, and the meal will be ready in a while."
"Put it here first. Sister Mei, you don't have to worry about me." Li Yinzhu took a thin stick of firewood from the stove and lit the lamp.
"We didn't light lamps before. My eldest sister thought it was a waste of gas, so she started lighting lamps only after moving here. I didn't feel it if I didn't light lamps before. But since I started lighting lamps, I can't even see the lamps anymore." Li Yinzhu talked while lighting the lamp.<
/p>
The kitchen suddenly became bright, and a yellowish warm light spilled into the yard.
Li Jinzhu, Li Yuzhu and Li Xuedong also got up and took toothbrushes to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
Sister Mei mixed a plate of shredded lettuce, cut two of the salted eggs she cooked yesterday, picked up five hard-boiled eggs, opened the pot, and filled five bowls of thick vegetable porridge.
This is the meal Li Jinzhu ordered last night.
"The lettuce is a bit old." Sister Mei pointed to a slightly whitish ball of lettuce shreds and explained with caution.
Mr. Kuan told her that the eldest sister lived a frugal life, so she did not dare to cut off more of the old root, because the lettuce shreds on the old root were tough to eat.
"I was too young when I went home a year ago, and I will be old when I come back!" Li Yinzhu stretched out his head and looked at it, feeling very distressed.
"One less boiled egg." Li Yuzhu looked at the five boiled eggs and laughed with Sister Mei.
"I don't..."
"My grandma won't get up until dawn." Li Yinzhu took a boiled egg and put it in front of Sister Mei, "You can eat it. For the past two days, grandma thinks the boiled eggs are tasteless and wants to eat fried ones." p>
"I also think fried ones are delicious." Li Xuedong stretched out his head and said, facing Li Yinzhu's sideways glance, he quickly smiled and said: "It's not good to eat too much oil in the morning, this is the best."
Li Jinzhu had to go early to buy eggs, and Li Yuzhu had to walk for half an hour to get to the workshop outside the city. The two of them ate in a hurry and hurried out.
Today Li Xuedong will follow the lobby uncle Li Wenliang to the warehouse to pick up goods and gain experience, so he also has to be early.
After a while, Li Yinzhu and Sister Mei were the only ones at home.
Sister Mei took out Li Xiaonan's bowl of vegetable porridge and sat it in the hot water at the bottom of the pot to warm it. She also left a stick of firewood on the bottom of the stove. She left the kitchen and grabbed the broom from Li Yinzhu's hand to sweep the yard.
Li Yinzhu turned around and went to the backyard to tidy up the vegetable garden.
When it was getting dark, Li Xiaonan got up, ate her meal, looked at her third sister, and suggested going out for a walk.
Li Yinzhu was robbed of her housework by Sister Mei, and walked up and down the yard with her hands on her hips. Feeling uncomfortable, she immediately happily agreed and came out with Li Xiaonan.
Standing at the entrance of the alley, Li Yinzhu pointed to the left, then to the right, and asked: "Where to go shopping?"
"Here, let's go to the cloth shop and have a look."
Li Xiaonan has already asked the lobby uncle about how to get to the cloth shop.
The two of them walked and watched for nearly an hour before entering the cloth shop.
It’s not yet the first lunar month, and most of the shops in the cloth shop are still closed.
Li Yinzhu followed Li Xiaonan from house to house.
"What are you looking at?" Li Yinzhu followed for a while, but didn't see what Li Xiaonan was looking at.
"Sister Zhi bought a new six-heddle loom, and the cloth weaved is soft and beautiful." Li Xiaonan stretched her head and looked carefully at the pieces of fine cloth on the counter.
Two guys stood nearby chatting idlely.
With their rich experience, at a glance, you can tell that these two ladies have neither money nor leadership.
"You want to see the loom? The loom is over there." Li Yinzhu pulled Li Xiaonan to see the loom.
Behind a large number of large and small looms, flower heald boxes, and flower heald pieces, a woman of about thirty years old is weaving.
Li Yinzhu stepped forward to watch the woman weave.
The woman was using a large eight-heddle loom. Fei Leng stepped on the pedals and her hands and feet were very fast. She could also look at Li Yinzhu and say, "Are you looking at the loom or the heddles? Do you want to weave a dowry?"
Li Yinzhu stared straight at the woman's two feet that were stepping back and forth quickly. He was so focused that he didn't hear the woman's words.
"What kind of pattern did sister-in-law weave?" Li Xiaonan walked around Li Yinzhu and stretched her head to look at a piece of fine cloth in front of the scroll.
"This is a flower that brings prosperity." The woman responded with a smile.
"This cloth is so fine and beautiful. What is my sister-in-law weaving this cloth for?" Li Xiaonan stretched her head again to look at the flower heald boxes that kept going up and down.
"Give me a dowry for my daughter."
"How old are you, sister-in-law? Do you have children? If it weren't for my sister-in-law's hair being pulled up, I would have thought you were about the same age as my third sister." Li Xiaonan exclaimed.
The woman stopped the loom and laughed out loud, "Ni'er, you really know how to talk. I'm already over thirty. Is this your third sister? What are you looking for? A loom or a heddle? I'll do the math for you.
Cheaper."
"My third sister-in-law wants a loom as big as my sister-in-law's, but our house is too small and there is no place to put it." Li Xiaonan sighed, "My sister-in-law who is not married also has a loom like this, which is also used for weaving.
As for the dowry, sister-in-law, do you have to weave the dowry cloth yourself? Can’t you buy it?”
"Of course you can buy it, but it's too expensive and not cost-effective!" the woman said cheerfully, "and there are few patterns. Those who can afford this kind of fine cloth can also afford the loom heddles and pattern books, or weave them by themselves.
Or ask someone to weave it, which is cheap and good.
"Ni'er, you speak Mandarin very well, and you're not as hard-tongued as the people from the north. Where do you come from?"
"We just moved to Pingjiang from Kunshan County last year. My brother was admitted as a scholar and studied at Fu Xue. We live in Xueyuan Street." Li Xiaonan smiled sweetly.
"Oh! Then you are from a scholarly family! How much space does your house have? Can you fit this four-harness one? That one is for sale on consignment. It is a real good thing. The price is only 70%, and a three-harness flower box will be given as a gift.
." The woman stood up and took the two of them to see a four-heddle loom in the corner.
Li Yinzhu touched the smooth loom and couldn't put it down.
"This machine is so smooth and beautiful. Sister-in-law, how much does this machine cost?" Li Yinzhu summoned up the courage to ask.
"You can just give me nine thousand copper coins," the woman said with a smile.
Li Yinzhu was shocked.
"The three-harness flower box costs 2,000 copper coins alone. Let me give you a three-harness flower book. The thin one is very cost-effective." The woman tiptoed to take the flower book down and placed it on Li Yinzhu.
The front of my eyes swayed.
"It's too expensive, I can't afford it." Li Yinzhu stared at the loom and took a few steps back.
"Thank you, sister-in-law. Let's go back and discuss it with the eldest sister. The eldest sister has copper coins." Li Xiaonan waved to the woman and pulled Li Yinzhu out.
