It’s hard to tell that Xu Youde, who is usually taciturn, was a craftsman before.

However, in such a poor and remote place, there should be something special about being able to send your eldest son to study and become a scholar, a city citizen, and the head of the family.

Otherwise, the life of the Xu family can be considered relatively good in Xujiacun, with enough food to eat?

"That's great. Then I can boil some more loquat paste. If I can't sell it, I won't worry about it spoiling."

Xu Zhang is also a pragmatic person, "No matter what, I will call your father and your second brother back from the fields right now to dig a cellar."

…

In the evening, Xu Jiaojiao cooked another pot of loquat paste.

Xu Laosi and the others brought back two full baskets of loquat fruits. Yuanshi made dinner, while Luoshi Sanya and the others were still peeling the pulp.

After having eaten loquat paste, Luo Shi didn't like loquat fruit at all. Without Xu Zhang's supervision, she would not eat it even if she was allowed to eat it secretly.

I glanced straight into the kitchen, and when I had time, I went over to see how the loquat juice in the pot was boiling.

Xu Youde had the idea of ​​digging a cellar in his early years. In the past, Mrs. Xu Zhang would not allow her to dig, but now Mrs. Xu lets her dig. People have tempers, and they will dig it if they are told!

Besides, I still have to do farm work, so I’m not happy about it.

As a result, Mrs. Xu Zhang scooped out a spoonful of loquat paste and gave it to Xu Youde to eat.

Xu Youde has been a smoker for many years. He has always had lung problems and often coughs. After taking a spoonful of loquat ointment, he felt his lungs cool and felt a different kind of relaxation and comfort.

Then, without saying a word, he took his second son to dig a cellar.

…

Xu Jiaojiao only boiled two pots of loquat paste. First, she boiled too much and was afraid she wouldn't be able to sell it. After all, the price was very high.

Second, all the sugar I bought has been used up.

After that, she made loquat dew.

Loquat dew is simpler. It doesn’t need to be simmered for so long. It’s so rich. Just remove all the white suspended impurities. When it’s in a clear clear soup state, turn off the heat and stop simmering it.

Then, put it in a bucket and place it in a cold well.

The whole family stayed busy working until late.

They usually don’t eat dinner, and they go to the kang to rest as soon as it gets dark. Today they had dinner, peeling the pulp of the fruit, digging the cellar, and boiling the loquat dew. The whole old Xu family was

Burning the midnight oil and fighting in full swing.

After the last bucket of loquat dew was taken out of the pot, loaded into buckets, and iced in the well, under the command of Mrs. Xu Zhang, everyone stopped working and rested.

Before taking a break, Xu Jiaojiao took out a small half bucket of loquat dew and gave everyone a large bowl of iced thirst-quenching loquat dew. Everyone found it delicious.

The busyness and fatigue of the day disappeared in this bowl of iced loquat dew.

Mrs. Xu Zhang was so distressed that she called her a prodigal, but she couldn't resist her old daughter's kindness, so she could only curse and expose it.

On the second day.

As soon as it dawned, Mrs. Xu Zhang urged everyone to get up.

I asked Xu Laoer to go to Li Zheng's house early to borrow an old ox cart. There were a lot of things today, so I was hoping to carry them, but I might not be able to carry them.

Two large baskets of wild loquat fruits, which looked very good in appearance, were placed in front of the ox cart.

There are dozens of tubes of loquat paste packed in baskets in the middle, which is the most expensive item in the whole car.

There were several large wooden barrels of loquat dew at the back of the oxcart. They had just been fished out of the well, giving off a refreshing chill.

Once loaded up like this, there won't be much room left on the oxcart.

It was the first time that Xu Jiaojiao went back to the market to do such a big business. Xu Zhang was worried and would definitely follow her, so she got on the bullock cart and occupied a seat. The remaining seat was naturally Xu Jiaojiao's.

Xu Laosi insisted on helping the old girl sell things. He was an adult, so he was asked to drive the bullock cart.

The rest took Erlang, Erya, and Sanya, three older ones, and followed the sports car behind the ox cart.

Although the few children were eager to go to the morning market, they didn't take them with them. Mrs. Xu Zhang let them have breakfast and went to the mountains to continue picking fruits.

It saves all the good fruits being picked by others.

…

With the help of bullock carts, it was already the morning market without even needing it for half an hour.

They were early, and some fruit sellers from the same village were earlier than them, and they had already laid out a row of fruits.

They brought much more fruit than Xu Jiaojiao and the others.

Mrs. Xu Zhang glanced over and she had an idea of ​​which house it was.

Xu Chengju's family, Xu Xuehua's family, several other members of the family, and several from neighboring villages are all fellow villagers who are familiar with each other.

They occupied the same spot where Xu Jiaojiao had set up her stall yesterday.

Xu Jiaojiao did not join them, but stopped the oxcart, brought down a bucket of loquat dew, several tubes of loquat paste, and half a basket of fruits, and then asked Xu Zhang and Erlang Sanya to sell them here.

Then, most of the remaining things were not moved down, and Xu Laosi was asked to drive the carriage away.

Their goal today is not the morning market in a small town, the place they want to go today is the county town.

The flow of people in the town is too low to consume something as expensive as loquat paste.

The sales of fruits that cost five cents per pound are not large, not to mention there are so many people competing today?

Last night when they were discussing borrowing a bullock cart, Xu Jiaojiao made an agreement with Mrs. Xu Zhang.

Xu Zhang was put in charge of sales in the town, and Xu Jiaojiao took the ox cart to the county town to try her luck.

It is too far to go to the county seat. Just counting the coming and going, we will waste most of the time on the road. If we go there by ox cart, it will take about two hours.

Mrs. Xu Zhang was worried, so Mr. Xu promised with confidence that he would take the old girl there unharmed and bring the old girl back unharmed.

If a hair is missing, he is the only one to ask.

It's really bad, nothing can be sold. Boss Xu is still living in the county town. It's not a problem to go to enjoy the autumn breeze at noon, have a meal and then go home.

In this way, the bullock cart was lightened, and Erya could get on the cart without having to run behind.

Set off all the way towards the county seat.

When Xu Jiaojiao's butt was swollen, she finally reached the county town.

This county is called Shazhou County. There is a big river passing through Shazhou County. The transportation of boats and ships is quite developed. The geographical location is obviously very good, but the place is very poor and floods often occur. If a disaster comes and the floods come, the county seat will be destroyed.

It was flooded and the people in the county were miserable, so it never developed into a large capital city.

However, when the country is peaceful and the people are peaceful, the county town is still densely populated and lively.

Entering the county town, Xu Laosi often came here, and he was familiar with the roads. He drove an ox cart and found the market.

It was almost noon, and I would certainly not be able to catch up with the early market, but the flow of people was still much greater than in the town.

Xu Jiaojiao parked the oxcart under the shade of a tree, and used the coarse cloth she had prepared in advance to pull a shed over her head to block the sun.

Start placing things one by one again.

There are not many things, only two baskets of visible fruits.
Chapter completed!