Chapter 1: Plum blossom

The setting sun shattered the ground, and a dilapidated small courtyard at Mopan Hutong in the southwest corner of Beijing was also plated with a layer of golden warm light.
There are only five low and shabby thatched cottages in the courtyard, with a bleak atmosphere everywhere. Only the corner of the courtyard, a red plum, is extremely beautiful and full of vitality.
Today is the Lantern Festival, but there is no rice in the house!
Yong Ruo thought: If I can't get any money tonight, I will have to pick it out in an iron pot, copper pot, copper basin and this pair of carved wooden barrels tomorrow.
Yong Ruo couldn't bear these things, especially this pair of carved wooden casks, because the wooden casks were small, sturdy and thin, and it was not so difficult for her to carry water with it.
The water tank is empty. Yong Ruo picked out a small wooden bucket and went out to pick water. Although she is a daughter's family, she is 14 years old. When her father died, her mother was seriously ill, and her two younger brothers were nine and six years old, she had to carry the burden of life alone.
Before going out two steps, she heard a voice saying, "Sister Yong, let me help you pick the water!"
A five big, three thick, dark-skinned kid, ran a little shy from the side, trying to take the burden on Yong Ruo's shoulder.
"Stop!" Yong Ruo shouted, and flashed aside at the same time, avoiding!
The kid's hand was stiff there, and then he kept swinging. "I, I ... I have no other meaning! I just want to ... just want to help you!" The young man stammered.
"Thank you for your kindness! But, go ahead and do yourself a favor! I can do it myself." Yong Ruo politely refused. This black boy is called Jin Sanbao and lives next door to the west side of her house. If it was just ordinary village neighbours helping each other, she wouldn't refuse to be so far away! But this kid was obviously interesting to herself, she didn't want to give him any illusions, and didn't want to pretend to be silly and take advantage of him.
"Sister Yong's ... you ... why don't you even give me a chance to help you?" Jin Sanbao was disappointed.
"Because I don't want to owe you kindness!"
"But in this world, how can you old and weak women and children survive ?!" Jin Sanbao's face flushed.
Yong Ruo smiled confidently: "There is no way out of heaven. We will have a way out!" After speaking, he bypassed him and walked to the well.
The water well is public, not too close to the Yong family, not too far away, about one kilometer. At the water well, Yong Ruo picked up a bucket of water with a hoe, poured it into two small wooden buckets, and carried water home.
Although the carved wooden casks are small, they can be very heavy when filled with water. But Yongruo can carry it!
Jin Sanbao was still standing still, Yong Ruo passed by without squinting, without saying a word.
I ran back and forth three times, filled the water tank half full, and filled the two large buckets in the main room. When Yong Ruo put down his shoulder and bucket and was about to go to the main house, he saw that the courtyard door was pushed open, and the two-year-old brother Yong Buck returned.
"Sister, the medicine is back," Yong Buck said. "I still owe that medicine shop for five yuan."
Yong Ruo nodded, signalling that he knew. He said to him, "Let's go to dinner! Tonight's Lantern Festival, let's also celebrate the holiday. I cooked the rest of the rice." The brown rice with pickles is too bad to eat, it's inhumane! I have to work hard tonight and I am full!
"Sister, it's all boiled, what shall we eat tomorrow?" Yong buckwheat said with great consciousness.
"Relax! Sister, I will go out to sell flowers tonight, I will definitely make money back! If all goes well, we will not have to starve for several days!"
Yong Qiao was hesitant: "Sister, let me go out and sell flowers! I'm a man!"
Yong Ruoxi laughed: "You still have to eat a few more years, keep your hair together and say you are a man! Now, you are just a boy."
She touched Yongchao's messy head and said softly, "You are good at guarding your mother tonight, taking good care of your third brother, and waiting for me to return home! No matter how late, you are not allowed to look for me! Lest we look for it. Remember? "Speaking later, his tone became a bit harsh.
"Sister!" Yong Buck was not convinced.
"Obey! Don't bother me!" Yong Ruo sternly ordered.
Yong buckled his head and stopped talking.
The third brother Yongmiao, who heard the voice, ran out of the main room and said obediently, "Sister, second brother, my mother is still awake and not awake, nor thirsty to drink water."
"Good! Good!" Yong Ruo also touched Yong Miao's head and smiled at him. "Go, eat. I have cooked thick porridge for the festival tonight, so I can eat more!"
Yong Miao's heartfelt smile appeared. Their standard of living is quite low, and it is very rare to be able to eat enough food.
The three siblings went to the main room.
In the main room, a bed was placed under the north wall by Yong Ruo's mother Zhou; the other bed was placed horizontally under the east wall root by three of their sisters and brothers; The Zhang Fang table can be used for dinner; under the root of the south wall near the side of the yard, there is a small cottage made of stones, grass mud and bamboo tendons. There were two buckets of clear water by the fireplace, and a scoop in the bucket.
There is a chimney above this small fireplace in the cottage, and there is a simple stove made of stone and mud in the hearth, similar to a picnic stove. It can cook rice, boil water, decoction, and stir fry—of course, she has no vegetables to fry. Today, this fireplace has replaced the role of Yong's kitchen.
This layout can maximize the use of heat sources, so that it is not too cold in the main room, which is conducive to Zhou's nourishment, and it can also reduce the risk of the three sisters and their brothers being frozen. Their clothes and quilts are not thick . It is the change that Yongruo made after passing through.
Zhou is lethargic. While eating, Yong Ruo gave Zhou's decoction.
She ate quickly, and the water in the medicine jar had not boiled, and she had finished eating. But at this time, the night had come, and Yong Ruo ordered Yong Buck to be optimistic about the stove and medicine, pay attention to fire prevention, and she was going out to sell flowers.
Back in his room, Yong Ruo changed into clean, not shabby clothes, fastened a cricket to his body, re-made "makeup" with clay and pot ash, and filled a turban with a wrapper. , Wrap your head and half of your face.
Tie a wooden support around the waist, pick up the huge urn filled with folds of red plums, hang the two straps tied to the upper circle of the urn on the shoulders, and rest the leaning side on the wooden support. I started to stand up.
He also ordered Yong buckwheat and Yong Miao to make a smile, and Yong Ruo turned to go out, walked through the Mopan Hutong, and walked to the periphery of Taiye Lake.
In the Lantern Festival, the capital lights up for three days starting from the thirteenth day of the first month. Tonight is the normal day and the last day. The most beautiful and concentrated place of the lantern is the periphery of the Taiye pond. It was next to the imperial city, the residences of the kings, and the wealthy merchants.
Mopan Hutong is a slum area, which is remote and far from the southernmost point of Taiye Lake.
Yong Ruo walked for more than an hour and was so tired that he was breathless and had a sore back and neck pain before reaching his destination.
"Well, can't you let me overdraw my points again and give me a little extra credit?" She asked the system in her head.
I was the "sterilization medicine collection system" that she got when she passed through. She always spoke in her mind with a soft and cute girl voice, and also imagined that she had big wet eyes. Yong Ruo called her: "漉Alas. "
"No! Only when you are dying, can you overdraw the system credits. Your current credit balance is -500 points, so I can't give you extra physical strength." 漉 漉 said softly and softly, "Relentless words," You should get more sterilization medicines as soon as possible! As long as you eat more sterilization medicines or absorb the sterilization medicines of others, you can get system points. As long as you have points, you can let me control according to your heart Your body. Preventing disease, treating injuries, beauty, etc ... I can do it all! "
Yong Ruo smiled bitterly, thinking that his words were like lines from previous TV sales.
The previous owner of her body was ill. When she came through, the body was completely useless. She used her power to help her repair the body, and she overdrawn 500 system points.
After a short break, Yong Ruo renewed his energy and began to sell flowers in the crowd.
It is not so easy to sell the flowers in the lotus root. You have to observe the guest's clothes, guess his temper, and pick what the other person likes to hear.
"Ma'am, buy a plum blossom! This kind of plum blossoms that can be taken home and put in vases, 20 pieces each; this kind of plum blossoms that can be put on the cymbals, a piece of 10 cents ... Today's Lantern Festival, ma'am you So expensive and compelling, it must be a natural rich life, do you still care about these 10 or 20 wen small coins? "30 wen into the bag.
"Girl, buy a plum! You are so beautiful, do n’t you have a flower on top of it, isn't it missing the icing on the cake? This plum is so fragrant, bright and beautiful, just like a girl!" .
"My son, buy two flowers! You are so jealous and beautiful, this girl is so beautiful. If you buy a pair of plum blossoms and put them on the cymbals, wouldn't you add two more radiances? Lively and extraordinary, if there is another plum of incense accompanied, wouldn't it be elegant and popular, not interesting? "
"Old lady, your old man is really spirited! Just like these plum blossoms, after countless winds and frosts, he has become clearer and more beautiful. If a young woman is old, she can have 10% of your style There is no regret in this life! "The old lady smiled with eyebrows, and Yong Ruo put it into her bag with 50 words.
"Two gentlemen, let's buy a plum blossom! Look at the gentlemen's appearance, is it the master of the people who entered the Beijing for the exam? ... The little girl can be disrespectful! This new jinshi is about to spend the flowers as usual. This Lantern Festival, master Why don't we buy a plum blossom on the hat, which can be considered a good color? "20 articles into the bag.
...
Yong Ruo looked at the lamp with no intention, only shuttled through the crowd, his eyes rolled around, searching for potential customers who might buy flowers.
Although walking with sour legs and sour mouths, she was still very happy. As she expected, the business tonight was going very well. Within an hour, the last two plum blossoms were left in Baoli.
Four people came face to face, looking at the costume as one master and three servants. The three servants were all in their twenties, one of them was a scribe dressed up like a clerk of the Qing dynasty; the other two had bows and swords around their waists, like guards.
The master was a 17-year-old beautiful young boy, dressed exquisitely and luxuriously, wearing a white jade crown with excellent color on his head, and wearing a white jade white jade wiper on his forehead, and wearing a silver fur On the edge of the moon white brocade brocade cape, a set of azure brocade crickets and straight bodies can be seen faintly. In short: the words "guidance son" are written all over the body.
Your son has a small V-shaped face, a pair of long eyebrows flew into the grate, and a pair of eyes look like autumn. Although the bridge of the nose is very straight, it is very round; the lips are not thick or thin, and the color is very beautiful.
The corners of his lips hung slightly, as if smiling. But his feeling for Yong Ruo seemed to hide a pride of deep bone marrow, but this pride was slightly covered by his Sven appearance.
"Would you like to come forward?" Yong Ruo was tangled. If such a noble son pleases him, the reward will be unprecedented. But this kind of nobleman is most difficult to serve. If he accidentally annoys him, the trouble will be unprecedented!
Bet or not?