Chapter 74 Going to the market with my wife [5,000 words]
“Dong dong dong!!”
“Second father, get up and hunt rabbits!”
The next day Early in the morning, just after five o'clock, there was a knock on the door of Lin Heng's room.
My eldest nephew Lin Wei, who is usually late for school, got up earlier than his mother today.
"Honey, get up."
Xiulan saw that Lin Heng had not moved yet and shook him.
“Ah, where is my big herring of more than 100 kilograms?” Lin Heng vaguely saw a beautiful face.
Xiulan looked at him with confusion: "Lin Wei asked you to hunt rabbits. Where did the herring come from? You must be talking in your sleep."
Lin Heng finally woke up. , realized it was a dream, and sighed with great pity: "I just dreamed that I caught a big herring of more than 100 kilograms.
I even managed to catch a fish, I was really capable of anything in my dream. "
He felt that he was probably sick, and he actually dreamed about fishing.
"Second father, are you up? "Outside the door, Lin Wei spoke again.
"Come, come." "Lin Heng climbed up out of bed helplessly, thinking that his eldest nephew was too proactive.
After getting dressed, he yawned, took down the bow and arrow from the wall, opened the door and walked out.
"Second father, let's leave quickly."
Seeing Lin Heng coming out, Lin Wei quickly urged.
Lin Heng smiled and patted his nephew on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I'll wash my face and go to the toilet first. The rabbit may not be up so early."
"Okay. "Lin Wei was helpless, he was very excited.
After washing his face and peeing, Lin Heng untied the iron chain of Xiongba and said: "Let's go up the mountain. It's up to you today."
"Woof woof!!"
Hongba held his head high and rushed out. Every time he went out, he had to do a few laps before he felt comfortable.
Lin Wei walked in front and led the way. He excitedly talked about how he saw the rabbit yesterday.
When he got to the place, there was no rabbit in the place he mentioned.
Lin Wei explained anxiously: "Second dad, I'm not lying. I really saw it yesterday, right next to the thatch."
Lin Heng smiled and patted his shoulder: "It's normal, don't worry."
After that, it squatted down and touched Xiongba's head: "Fuck Xiongba, find out the rabbit hole. ”
Rabbit urine and feces have a very strong smell and are not difficult for dogs to find, as long as they have been around recently.
“Woooo~”
Xiongba sniffed on the ground, then burrowed into the thatch, all the way up.
Lin Heng and Lin Wei followed, and not long after, Xiongba stopped at a very hidden location in the grass.
“Woof woof!”
Xiong Ba looked up at Lin Heng, indicating that he was here.
"Second father, Xiongba is so awesome, you can find all these."
Lin Wei knelt down and touched Xiongba and said in shock.
Xiong Ba held his head high, as if to say that you know nothing about my strength.
"Don't be too happy, maybe the rabbit is not at home."
Lin Heng said and looked around for other exits. Rabbit holes usually have two or three exits.
After finding all three exits, Lin Heng turned to look at Lin Wei and Xiongba: "You take Xiongba to guard here, and I'll light a fire to smoke them out."
"Okay. "Extremely excited, he ran over and guarded the entrance of the cave, holding a slingshot in his hand.
Lin Heng found a few pine needles and some cypress leaves.
Light the fire, add some dry firewood and throw the cypress leaves on top. With crackling sounds, thick smoke rises.
“Ahem!”
Lin Heng turned his head to the side and fanned wildly with leaves. Within a few seconds, he saw smoke coming out of some other places.
This time Lin Heng searched carefully and found no exit.
Poor rabbit, there is no possibility of escape this time.
On the other side, not long after the thick smoke started to rise, a gray figure took the lead and rushed out of the cave entrance.
"Woof!!"
Before Lin Wei fired his slingshot, the rabbit ran out. With a bark, Xiongba accurately bit the gray rabbit.
“I caught it, I caught the second daddy, the big gray rabbit I saw yesterday.”
Lin Wei danced excitedly, hunting was so exciting.
“No problem, it’s not difficult.” Lin Heng smiled slightly, already expecting the result.
Lin Heng was just about to put out the fire when he suddenly heard his eldest nephew’s exclamation again.
“Oh my god, there are rabbits, little rabbits, one just ran out.”
“There are little rabbits!!”
Lin Heng didn't expect the unexpected surprise at all, so he hurried over.
"That one ran away. Xiongba bit the big rabbit and failed to catch up. I was careless." Lin Wei pointed at the hole and said.
"You go over and fan the smoke, and I'll catch it." Lin Heng handed the leaves to his nephew and said.
"Okay."
Lin Wei ran over to fan himself.
Lin Heng glanced at the female rabbit that was bitten to death by the bully, took out the snakeskin bag and pointed it at the hole, hoping to catch it alive.
Lin Wei fanned the smoke for a while, and there was movement in the hole again. With a whoosh, a rabbit got into the snakeskin bag.
Following this came a few more hula sounds, and four more little rabbits got in.
Lin Heng was afraid that they would get back into the hole again, so he quickly picked up his bag and grabbed what he had first.
When the smoke in the snakeskin bag dissipated, Lin Heng saw five little rabbits running around, all only the size of two fists, two white, one gray, and two black and white.
"Second father, have you caught it?"
Lin Wei asked excitedly when he heard the movement.
“I caught you, let’s put out the smoke.”
Lin Heng said with a smile.
Lin Wei picked up the stick and put out the fire a few times, and ran over impatiently: "How many have been caught."
"See for yourself." Lin Heng opened the bag.
"Five little rabbits, my God, we are rich." Lin Wei couldn't hide his excitement.
"Indeed, this little rabbit is an unexpected surprise. I'll take it home and raise it, and I'll give it to you."
Lin Heng said with a smile, following the novice will indeed bring unexpected gains. It was really good luck to meet a nest of rabbits.
Lin Wei shook his head and said: "I just want two. The rest are your second daddy. This time it all depends on you, otherwise I won't be able to catch one."
He is too particular about fairness and is already a qualified little hunter.
“It doesn’t matter, you can raise as many as you want.” Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Second father, show me the big rabbit." Lin Wei smiled and stretched out his hand.
Can Lin Heng not understand what he was thinking: "Give it to you, give it to you."
Lin Wei took the big rabbit and looked at it carefully. The rabbit's spine was bitten off by Xiongba. Although his body was still hot at this time, he was already dead.
Lin Wei looked at it with his ears raised, a smile on his face, and he jumped forward.
"Aunt Liu Lan, look at the rabbit we shot, it weighs four or five pounds."
"Uncle Yang, this is the rabbit that my second father and I shot together, and we also caught I got five little rabbits, and they are all alive.”
At a young age, Lin Wei understood that hunting is not about showing off, just like walking at night in brocade clothes, not sparing any adult he meets.
Lin Heng shook his head and walked behind. Without saying anything, everyone in the village knew that it was his contribution, and their eyes were full of envy and admiration.
Lin Wei deliberately went to the big ginkgo tree where the elderly in the village often gathered. Unfortunately, there were no people here in the morning, so he had no choice but to go home. After all, he still had to go to school.
“Dad, grandpa, we have found prey!!”
It can be said that Lin Wei’s loud voice came before anyone else, everyone was shocked and looked towards door.
"Dad, Mom, look."
Lin Wei showed it to them like a treasure.
"Your second father must have beaten him." Lin Yue used See Through.
“I also helped a lot.” Lin Wei was not convinced.
"He did help a lot. I was lucky today and caught five little rabbits.
Make a cage later and raise them. Let's share them. ”
Lin Heng showed the rabbit in the bag.
"This is good. We often have rabbits to eat at our house." Mother Lin's eyes lit up when she saw the little rabbit.
“Thanks to Lin Wei’s good luck as a newbie, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to catch these little rabbits.”
Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Lin Wei, you are useful this time and have made a contribution, but it is already half past seven, so hurry up and go to school." Liu Juan praised and urged.
"Okay." Lin Wei couldn't wait to go to school today and wanted to brag to his friends about the rabbit he caught.
"It's hard to raise this thing. You have to make a strong cage from iron pear tree or beef tendon tree, otherwise it will easily chew up the wood and run away."
Father Lin found one Lin Heng poured the rabbit into the deep-mouthed barrel.
Five little rabbits huddled together, shivering and terrified.
"Indeed, rabbit teeth are so chewy." Lin Heng was also a little worried because there was no iron cage at home.
"I can only make one out of bamboo first. I'll go to the market in a few days and see if there are any barbed wire sellers. Buy some and keep it."
Father Lin spread his hands and said.
"Brother, take two of the little rabbits and keep them, and give the rest to dad. I'm too lazy to raise them."
Lin Heng looked at the rabbits and said.
“You don’t want to raise her?” Mother Lin was confused.
"Why are you raising it? It's everywhere on the mountain. If I want to eat it, I'll hunt it." Lin Heng spread his hands and smiled.
Mother Lin: "..."
"If you have the ability and you are great, we will take care of you." Father Lin will not refuse anyone who comes.
"The sauerkraut soup is ready. After you eat it, go and repair the pig pens, chicken and duck pens."
Xiulan walked out of the house and said that she was cooking the morning meal.
After dinner, at eight o'clock the father and son went to the back mountain to build pig pens and chicken pens.
This thing is not difficult. It just requires clearing out a piece of flat land, nailing wooden stakes, surrounding a square railing, and setting up a shelf to build a shelter from the rain.
Finally, you can raise pigs by taking out two wooden pig troughs.
The same goes for chicken pens. They can be made of bamboo or wood. Unlike pig pens, the top must be sealed, otherwise the chickens will fly out.
It sounds simple, but the workload is not small. It took a whole day to barely finish it.
And the pig trough hasn't been dug out yet.
In the evening I ate the rabbit I caught in the morning. The rabbit meat tasted average when fried. Everyone in the Lin family who had been eating meat a lot this month was a little disgusted.
The next day is the 29th, the last market day in April.
When she woke up in the morning, Xiulan turned to look at Lin Heng: "Have you decided what to buy today?"
"You can buy it if you want me to go with you. "?" Lin Heng reached out and touched his wife's face softly.
Last night, Lin's father gave him and his eldest brother fifty yuan each and asked them to buy some furniture for their new home while going to the market today.
Because I moved to a new home on the second day of May, this was the last market day before moving.
"Hmm, I don't know what to buy." Xiulan nodded and said softly.
"Okay, I'll go with you." Lin Heng was originally going to clean up the small yard behind, but he couldn't bear to refuse his wife.
The two got up, changed into clean clothes, and tidied up.
"Brother, just pack up and leave."
Eldest brother Lin Yue and sister-in-law Liu Juan got up earlier.
"Okay." Lin Heng nodded.
"Then I'll go pull the cows." Lin Yue nodded, borrowing a wooden cart today and pulling it with the family's cows.
Because there will definitely be a lot of things to buy today, and it is impossible to carry them all by people, so we have to use ox carts.
The oxen were pulled to the road and the oxcart was assembled. The eldest brother Lin Yue drove the car, and Lin Heng Xiulan and sister-in-law Liu Juan all sat on the cart.
Lin Heng didn’t sell any of his suede, pig or badger skins or mushrooms. He planned to save more and go directly to the city.
The cow walked slowly and leisurely, and the copper bell around its neck made a crisp sound.
Lin Heng sat in the car, with the cool morning breeze blowing in his face, looking at the scenery outside the road, and listening to Xiulan and her sister-in-law discussing what to buy.
When you are tired from sitting, you lie down, rest your head on Xiulan’s legs and look at the sky. There is an indescribable sense of comfort in this slow life.
Setting off at half past five, the four of them arrived on the streets of Huangtan Town at seven o'clock.
Listening to the noisy sounds and looking at the dense crowd of people, Lin Heng had the illusion that he had returned to before his rebirth.
"Brother and sister-in-law, you go ahead and buy them. We'll look at the cows and cars."
Lin Heng said proactively.
Lin Yue didn't show any pretense, nodded and said: "Then take a look, Xiaojuan and I will be back soon."
The two said something and went out together.
Lin Heng tied the cow to a tree on the roadside and sat on the cart chatting with his wife.
He took a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down all the things he wanted to buy. Then he would just buy them one by one.
"How many bowls should we buy?" Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and asked.
"Ten bowls and plates are enough. More are useless. After the separation, there will only be three people in our family." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Then buy two more, and I'll give you two more." Xiulan blinked. She really wanted to give Lin Heng a son.
Lin Heng took his wife's hand and smiled and said, "Okay."
He was not in a hurry about this matter. He would wait until the preparation conditions were better, at least until next year.
With money, Xiulan’s risk of giving birth will be lower, so there is no need to worry.
The two were leaning shoulder to shoulder, chatting and running out of things to say. Xiulan looked at the people on the street, and Lin Heng looked at her, waiting boredly.
During this period, the eldest brother came back three times. The first time he brought back fifteen chickens, the second time he brought back a series of pots and pans, and the third time he brought back some sheets and quilt covers.
When the two brothers came back for the fourth time, it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. The two men were carrying snakeskin bags filled with things.
"Brother, you can go and buy it, now we will watch."
Eldest brother Lin Yue said with a smile.
"Okay." Lin Heng and Xiulan jumped out of the car, their buttocks hurting.
When moving to a new home, the first thing you need to buy is pots, pans, knives and shovels. Food for eating is the most important thing.
Secondly, you have to buy some basic daily necessities, buy two quilts, pillowcases and sheets.
It cost 12 yuan to sell all these. The pots and pans were not expensive. The main thing was quilts. A five-pound cotton quilt cost three yuan, and two sheets cost another yuan. money.
But the one I bought is of relatively good quality. After all, it is a new house.
After I finished buying these, I bought some red paper to write couplets on, and a portrait of the Stove Lord, which I planned to go back to offer as an offering.
After putting the things he bought in the car, Lin Heng said again: "Let's go to the river to see the chickens."
On the river beach under the bridge, there are people selling pigs, chickens, ducks, cows and sheep, all of them. They were bred by farmers themselves, and there were very few large-scale breeding farms at this time.
"How much does this chicken cost?" Xiulan walked up to an uncle selling chickens and asked.
“This is a black-bone chicken with black legs. These are half-month-old and cost two cents a piece. The one-month-old one next to me costs thirty cents a piece.”
Half. The one-month-old chickens are all down, the size of a fist, and the one-month-old down has turned into thick feathers.
"Buy one month old. Buy ten. The bigger ones are easier to raise. Can you give me a bamboo cage?" Lin Heng noticed that behind the uncle there was a simple bamboo cage for chickens.
"These are two cents each, or if you buy five more, they will be given to you." The uncle grinned.
"Forget it, let's go to other homes and ask." Lin Heng glanced at him and left with Xiulan.
"Don't leave, I'm just kidding, I gave it to you. I'm the best chicken here." The uncle quickly stopped Lin Heng and said with a smile.
"Let's wait until we see the others." Lin Heng ignored him and went to look at several other chicken sellers.
"It seems that the one from the uncle's house is better. Although it is a little more expensive, the black-bone chicken is delicious." Xiulan looked around and commented.
"Then go back." Lin Heng smiled slightly.
“I told you that this black-bone chicken is the only one for me, and the price is really reasonable.” The uncle smiled and brought the bamboo cage to the two of them.
“A one-month-old baby only costs 20 cents. It’s too expensive for you.” Lin Heng shook his head and said.
“You get what you pay for.” The uncle chuckled.
Lin Heng didn't care. The price was indeed about the same. He turned to look at Xiulan and said with a smile, "How many males and females do you want first?"
Xiulan looked at him in surprise: "Can you tell the male from the female in such a small chicken?"
The uncle selling the chicken didn't believe it either: "Young man, don't brag. You can't tell the male from the female in such a small chicken. You say you can." all I'm trying to trick you, don't lie to your wife."
Lin Heng smiled slightly and looked at the uncle: "If I tell you the truth, how about you give me an extra chicken?"< br>
The uncle took out a piece of paper, poured some welding smoke and rolled it slowly, and said proudly: "If you really convince me, I will give you one."
< br>
Xiulan also looked curious. Catching chickens in rural areas, especially those under two months old, almost depends on luck, and you can't tell the male from the female.
Lin Heng smiled: "You said that."
"I said it." The uncle was very proud.
Lin Heng grabbed a chicken cub from the bamboo cage, turned it over and looked at the chicken's butt, and said: "This is a female, Xiulan, you catch it, I'll catch another one." It’s only a male.”
After rummaging around for a while, Lin Heng quickly found a male and said with a smile, “This is a male.”
"Why do you say that?" The uncle selling chickens looked unbelieving. He took out a kerosene lighter and lit the welding smoke. The smell of smoke and kerosene filled the air.
He said to me that after selling chickens for so many years, he still doesn’t know whether the chickens can tell the difference between male and female?
It’s not that easy to just pick two chickens and try to trick them.
"It's okay, just listen and I'll tell you slowly." Lin Heng was not in a hurry.
Yesterday I dreamed that I caught a 150 kilogram big herring. I was so excited that I woke up from the dream. Damn it.
(End of this chapter)