Zhang Weng quickly calmed down, wiped the tears on his face with his patched sleeves, and squeezed out a kind smile.
Ye Qing bent down slightly, opened his arms, and picked up the jumping little girl with a smile.
"What a good thing. Bring it to Zhang Weng to see."
Ye Qian, who has a round face and a fair face, is cute and cute. She is wearing a clean red cotton coat. With her fleshy hands, she holds a three-color rain flower stone the size of half a palm. She leans forward and hands it to Zhang Weng like a treasure. With a swing of her wrist,
A string of copper bells made a pleasant sound.
"Zhang Weng, look at this stone. It's yellow on the ground, blue in the middle, and white on top. Does it look like a stone between heaven and earth?"
Zhang Weng, who had a sick face, smiled kindly, and rubbed Ye Qian's head lovingly: "It looks so similar. Qianqian is so amazing, she can find such a beautiful stone."
After receiving the compliment, her round eyes formed a beautiful bridge. Ye Qian quickly got off Ye Qing and said proudly:
"Brother, I will get at least fifty cents from selling this Yuhua Stone to Qi Fang."
As soon as he heard it and sold it to Qi Fang, the gloom that had been suppressed in Ye Qing's heart emerged.
Qi Fang, the son of Qi Yuanwai, is five years younger than the twelve-year-old Ye Qian.
The child is a good child, sensible, precocious and lovable.
But, his father...
Ye Qing endured the discomfort in his heart, but still smiled warmly, and pinched Ye Qian's round cheeks affectionately.
"Qianqian is so amazing. She can easily earn fifty cents. My brother has to sell nearly twenty bowls of noodles."
"With this money, Zhang Weng's illness will definitely be cured."
"Okay, let's eat quickly."
Hearing this, Ye Qian smiled innocently and brightly, and skipped to the table.
"When Zhang Weng is well, I will take Zhang Weng to pick up stones together."
...
After returning to the clean and tidy home, Ye Qian sensiblely helped Ye Qing pick and wash vegetables.
Ye Qing on the side quickly washed the dishes, and after finishing, he came to Ye Qian's side to work together.
The two figures, one big and one small, depending on each other, look extremely warm.
"Brother, I saw fifteen taels of silver on the table. Are you a gunman again?"
"Well, don't tell anyone."
"I know, I know, I have never told anyone that my brother is really amazing. Fifteen taels should be able to buy some good medicine to make Zhang Weng's health better, right?"
The sensible Ye Qian, after helping to wash the last vegetables, asked the questions in her heart, with hope in her round eyes.
The big hands filled with water fell on the thick black hair and rubbed it lovingly, causing Ye Qian to pout her mouth unhappily.
"Brother, I hate it. I got my hair wet."
After playing a prank and avoiding the topic, Ye Qing raised the corner of his mouth and said, "I did it on purpose."
Ye Qian immediately dipped her fingers in water and swung it at Ye Qing. She pretended to be ferocious but actually shouted cutely: "I want you to bully me! Watch your move!"
Ha ha ha ha!
The playful laughter of the brother and sister filled the small courtyard.
After the fun, Ye Qian looked at Ye Qing who was taking off his shirt and walking towards the house to catch up on some sleep. He hesitated for a moment and then said:
"Brother, I keep bumping into Qi Yuanwai these days, and he looks at me a little weird, which makes me feel a little scared."
Squeak~
Ye Qing, who was holding the cotton-padded clothes tightly in his hands, turned his back to his sister, and had a gloomy look on his face. He endured his anger, kept walking, and said in his usual tone:
"You can play with Qi Fang less, and you can avoid Qi Fang."
After a pause, Ye Qing finally couldn't help but worry, put down his clothes, turned around and regained his gentle expression and said to Ye Qian:
"Amei, from now on I won't go to Pinglefang to set up a night stall. You will go to school as usual from tomorrow, and you will set up a stall with me after school."
Knowing that her brother wanted to protect herself, Ye Qian nodded sensibly and said seriously:
"Brother, don't worry, I will help you well."
Saying that, Ye Qian stepped forward, took Ye Qing's rough hand, and said distressedly:
"Brother, I am already twelve years old. I can go to Liji Cloth Village to work to support my family."
"It's okay. It's better to study first. When you are fourteen, you can go to work in Buzhuang. Go and read a book. I'm too sleepy to stand it anymore, so I'm going to bed first."
After Ye Qing prevaricated, he smiled again, pinched his chubby face, and then lay down to sleep.
The steady snoring sounded almost instantly, and tears of distress flowed out of Ye Qian's smart eyes.
She looked at her white, tender hands without any calluses and pursed her lips.
After waiting for a while, hearing the snoring getting louder, Ye Qian came to the dandan noodle stall, took out the flour and started kneading the noodles.
She has watched this happen countless times and done it secretly countless times.
After three hours of sleep, Ye Qing opened his eyes after noon, stretched out comfortably, and quickly got up and walked to the yard without any delay.
Listening to the chirping voice of Ye Qian next door, like a lark, and the hearty laughter of Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Weng from time to time.
A warm smile appeared on Ye Qing's lips. He washed his face, put on a black cotton coat that had been washed to gray, and went out.
After all the busy work of purchasing flour, seasonings, and making charcoal, the sky was already getting a little dark.
He cooked a meal for his sister and Zhang Weng and his wife, and they ate it together while talking and laughing. Fire clouds appeared in the west of the sky.
The sky was orange, and everyone's face was covered with a layer of warmth.
"Brother, why did you go out so early today? Rest for a while!"
When Ye Qian saw Ye Qing preparing to go out, she couldn't help but ask with concern.
Ye Qing smiled, lowered his body, picked up the noodle stall, and explained:
"I promised Grandma Li last night to help her make umbrella ribs. If I go out now, I can help her work for an hour. Remember to help Zhang Weng cook the medicine. I'm leaving first."
"Okay, then slow down and save some energy."
Ye Qian stepped forward, helped Ye Qing straighten his somewhat messy clothes, and then got out of the way.
Ye Qing smiled slightly and walked out, going straight to Grandma Li's house and helping her make umbrella ribs for a while.
The brisk figure walked towards Pinglefang, and the busy night just started.
It was still a fixed place. After setting up the stall, Ye Qing looked at the dough in the pot and smiled softly.
Then a lot of regular customers flocked in, and Ye Qing was busy until the second watch, and then he had some leisure time.
When he was not busy, he would sit on a chair and listen to the vendors around him talking about family affairs, anecdotes about rich families, and trivial matters in the world.
There was always a slight smile on his handsome and soft face, enjoying the smell of fireworks.
After the fourth watch, the hustle and bustle of Pinglefang ceased, and most of the brothels and Chu houses closed their doors.
Ye Qing packed up the stall and went to Pinglefang to help in the winery that supplied wine to various brothels, restaurants and restaurants. He carried the wine for two hours and earned forty coins.
When chen o'clock started, I returned to the stall and ended this busy night.
Ever since he chose to send Ye Qian to school at the age of fourteen, he has never stopped in spite of the wind and rain for the past five years.
And five years of hard work will end today.
Ye Qing told the several stall owners who got along well with him that he would no longer run a night stall, and amidst everyone's words of regret or reluctance, he returned to Qifengfang carrying the dandelion noodle stall.
As soon as he walked to the narrow alley not far from his home, Ye Qing saw the familiar red cotton-padded clothes, and his physical and mental fatigue immediately subsided a lot at this moment.
A brisk tone came from his mouth.
"Amei, didn't I tell you to go to private school earlier? Why, do you want to wait for your brother to make hot soup noodles for you before going to school?"
When the red-padded man heard the familiar voice, he quickly raised his head. The pear-shaped face made Ye Qing's heart tremble.
