eurekapd Chapter 20 Spendthrift Parents, What a Blessing!
Chapter 20 Spendthrift Parents, What a Blessing!
To stop his parents from "spending money recklessly," Da Niu quickly stepped forward and covered his father's hand as he was about to take out money.
"Mom, buying fabric and making it yourself will save a lot of money. Grandma and Third Aunt are very skilled; the clothes they make will definitely be just as good as these ready-made ones."
Lin Xi was slightly taken aback, her hand stopping in mid-air.
Why didn't he think of that? He could have bought the fabric and confidently "used his skills"!
He truly deserves to be called his good eldest son.
He slowly withdrew his hand and nodded seriously: "Hmm, Da Niu is right, then let's go buy the fabric."
Gao Mengli nodded in agreement. It was indeed a good idea; it would be a waste not to take advantage of one's parents.
She boldly placed an order with the shop owner: "Boss, get ten feet of blue cotton cloth and 20 feet of gauze."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face lit up with a smile, and he quickly agreed: "Alright, young lady, please wait a moment, I'll measure the fabric for you right away."
After saying that, he quickly began to tear the cloth.
Cotton cloth cost 5 coins per foot, and gauze cloth cost 2 coins per foot, totaling 90 coins.
After Lin Xi readily paid the bill with copper coins, the group went to their usual spot to buy flour.
This time I bought 25 catties of wheat flour, which cost 300 coins. Then I bought 10 catties of black beans, which cost 3 coins per catty, and spent another 30 coins.
Da Niu was calculating how many copper coins he had earned that day, how much he had left after buying so many things.
He saw his parents standing in front of the pork stall, picking and choosing the cuts of pork.
I earned 472 coins today, but after spending all that, I only have 52 coins left.
Are his parents planning to use it all up completely?
"Father..." He tried to stop them, but his father pulled him aside as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Mom..." Da Niu hurriedly went to pull his mother, but she did the same thing as him. Da Niu deserves to have this.
He was pulled behind them again.
He just watched helplessly as his parents bought a pound of meat and paid 18 coins for it.
If it weren't for the money left for the oxcart, he had no doubt that his parents would have spent all their money on shopping, leaving not a single penny.
His parents, as expected, are still so "spendthrift"...
But the best age for "corporal punishment" has passed, and his grandparents no longer dare to beat them or teach them a lesson.
I wanted to cry but couldn't; the sorrow in my heart flowed like a river...
Da Niu had no choice but to follow his parents and hurry towards the city gate.
Zhao Chen, familiar with the route, boarded his Uncle Zhao's oxcart with ease. As soon as he saw them get on, he immediately perked up.
He raised the whip in his hand, and with a crisp "snap" in the air, he quickly drove the oxcart back to the village.
It's not even noon yet, and he's still able to make a round trip. He's really grateful to those two "plague gods" for making so much money these past two days.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but grin, revealing a set of big white teeth.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi were amazed by his big, white teeth.
In ancient times, there was no toothpaste or toothbrush; people just used willow twigs dipped in salt to brush their teeth. Surprisingly, the original inhabitants had quite white teeth...
Zhao Chen had no idea that the two of them were mentally dissing his white teeth; otherwise, he would have instantly turned into a quail, or cosplayed as a mummy in front of them, remaining completely still.
Zhao Chen was too busy being happy to notice, so he secretly glanced at the two of them and muttered to himself.
Although they usually bully the villagers, they are quite good at making money.
Could it be that when they fell into the water, the villagers who rescued them emptied all the water from their heads, leaving them with clear minds? That's not impossible.
Along the way, he listed various arguments, evidence, and reasoning. But when he reached the village entrance, he still hadn't figured it out.
Gao Mengli led the ox off the cart and took the things down. Lin Xi took out 5 coins from her pocket to pay the fare.
The whole family went together and came back together.
Jiang and Lin Yong kept looking around at the door. "Honey, do you think these two 'misfortunes' will sell Da Niu?"
This morning, I heard the neighbor's yard was quiet. The main reason was that Da Niu wasn't here today, which scared them half to death.
What if these two get sick and sell Da Niu?
Lin Yong frowned and waved his hands repeatedly: "No way, they wouldn't sell Da Niu no matter what."
Even tigers don't eat their cubs, but despite saying that, he was still quite worried.
But are they tigers? Of course not, they are just a general term, "beasts".
He didn't know if he was saying this to comfort his wife or to convince himself. It was hard to say, but he felt a sudden unease.
Just then, a familiar family of three appeared at the intersection.
Jiang quickly pushed Lin Yong back into the courtyard. Speak of the devil, and he appears. Bad things really shouldn't be mentioned, because they'll appear as soon as you do. She was nearly scared out of her wits.
The two quickly went into the yard and closed the gate, but couldn't resist secretly opening a crack in the door and peeking through it like a human pyramid.
These two "dishonored fools" don't seem to have reached the point of being utterly depraved; they were relieved to see Da Niu return.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi exchanged a glance; they had already noticed the two furtive figures.
But I was too lazy to care, so I pushed open the gate to my own yard and went inside.
The three chickens had been hungry all morning, and when they saw someone finally returning, they stretched their necks and crowed loudly.
Da Niu was heartbroken and quickly took out the grass he had cut the day before, chopped it up, and fed it to them, successfully silencing them with food.
They're still young; we can't let them annoy their parents. Otherwise, they'll end up on the dinner table crying, and then it'll be too late.
The family had only eaten one steamed bun all morning, and now they were starving.
Lin Xi quickly washed her hands and started cooking, taking out yesterday's rice to make some porridge for a meal.
After feeding the chickens, Da Niu quickly ran over and obediently squatted down next to the stove to tend the fire.
Gao Mengli then took out the things they had bought and put them away in the kitchen.
He took a basket and a sickle and went to the river to find spicy grass.
The children, who were happily playing by the river, looked up and saw Gao Mengli walking towards them with a sickle. The scene was no less terrifying than a modern person seeing the Grim Reaper.
They were so frightened that they scattered and ran away, losing several of their shoes in the process.
Those whose legs were weak and who couldn't run were all quickly dragged and pulled home by the older children.
Gao Mengli's lips twitched when she saw this scene. But when she remembered that she and Lin Xi could cure children's night crying in the village, she wasn't surprised.
She didn't take it to heart, looked around, and saw a few banana trees by the roadside. She cut off three leaves and placed them beside them.
Then he cut a basket of spicy grass, carried banana leaves, and went home.
Place banana leaves in the yard, then take out a basin of water, wash the smartweed clean, flatten the stems and cut them into tendrils, put them in a winnowing basket and dry them for a day.
Linxi porridge is ready, with shredded pork added, and its aroma fills the whole courtyard.
"Dinner's ready!" Lin Xi carried the meat porridge out and placed it on the table in the yard.
The pound of rice I bought yesterday is all used up today.
The family of three ate with great relish.
But this was a real hardship for the old house. Being so close, it was constantly being "poisoned" by the two people in the neighboring yard, and was being "tortured" terribly.
Lin Yong, who was originally planing a wooden board, quickly moved his tools and the board to the corner of the wall and took two deep breaths.
Those two spendthrifts next door, I wonder what delicious food they've made this time. It smells so good it brings tears to his eyes.
Sitting under the eaves, Jiang, who was making insoles, was also unsettled.
Her nose was like a puppy's; she kept sniffing towards the neighbor's.
While sniffing, they kept taking deep breaths, as if they wanted to inhale all the fragrance into their stomachs before they would stop.
He kept talking too: "Oh dear, these two wretches, they make it smell so good every day, how can anyone live like this..."
The three people next door had no idea about any of this and continued eating their meals without a care in the world.
After finishing their meal, Lin Xi scooped the remaining porridge from the pot into a large bowl and handed it to Da Niu.
Da Niu was flattered; his father was being too good to him. But he was also troubled because he really couldn't eat anymore!
But his joy lasted less than a second before he heard his father say, "Take it to the old house, return the gauze, and bring the cotton cloth with you."