Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 219

After having breakfast, Zhao Yongbo waited until after 10 a.m. before Zhao Da'e finally arrived.

Zhao Yongbo recounted his glorious achievement from the previous night and then asked, "Big sister, there are two jars in Grandma's room. One is a pickling jar for salted vegetables, and the other is a soy sauce jar for fermented soybean paste. This morning, I recited the words you taught me, and Grandma praised me. She said that as long as I can get into university, it doesn't matter if I break the jars."

Zhao Da'e scoffed: Look at Wang Guixiang and Zhao Tingxu, they're a typical example of double standards and male chauvinism!

If Zhao Da'e smashed the water vat in Wang Guixiang's house, Wang Guixiang would probably be chasing Zhao Da'e all over the street with a kitchen knife right now.

But not only did Zhao Yongbo get away with nothing after smashing things, people almost praised him for it!

what? !

But the meaning behind Zhao Yongbo's two sentences was quite clear: if you want money, continue smashing the jar.

Zhao Da'e scratched his head: "Little brother, if you smash the remaining two jars, your grandma probably won't treat you like she did this morning. She might tolerate smashing one jar, but if you smash both, Wang Guixiang will probably beat you up too. Let me think..."

Zhao Da'e knew that Wang Guixiang must have suspected that Zhao Yongbo's idea to smash the water vat was Zhao Da'e's fault, but since Zhao Yongbo was the one who smashed it, Wang Guixiang dared not speak out against him. She couldn't deliberately pick a fight with Zhao Da'e. Besides, Zhao Da'e had even made up a story about Sima Guang smashing the water vat to fool the uneducated Wang Guixiang, which was why she wasn't furious.

However, going to smash the jar again would be a bit too risky.

We need to come up with a good excuse.

With...

"Little brother, when the time comes, you tell them that breaking one jar only gets you one rank in the imperial examination. Breaking three jars will get you three rank in the imperial examination and make you the top scholar. Also, it seems your mother went to your third aunt's house again yesterday. Later, have your dad pick up your third aunt's husband and say they're going to have a drink. When they're drinking at noon, you go and break the jars, understand?"

Zhao Yongbo: "Big sister, trust me! I guarantee I'll complete the task... Those two tanks are a bit smaller, just give me five yuan each..."

Zhao Da'e laughed heartily, pulled out three ten-yuan bills from her pocket, and stuffed them into Zhao Yongbo's pocket: "Little brother, your older sister loves you the most. How could she possibly withhold your wages? If you smash something later, don't sell it to me. Just say that your father encouraged you to do it, and that your third aunt's husband agreed..."

"Don't worry, big sister! I never leave my name when I do good deeds!" Zhao Yongbo ran off.

Zhao Da'e chuckled and then prepared to leave.

Yesterday was a busy day. Later, because of the wolf incident, the brick-moving work was delayed. Zhao Da'e also had a disagreement with Wang Guixiang. He later had Zhao Yongbo smash the vat in Wang Guixiang's house. So, we'll have to talk about the brick-moving work in a few days.

Zhao Da'e went to the storeroom and found some frozen steamed buns. He then put them in a pot, heated them up, and also added some hot water.

Afterwards, Zhao Da'e took warm water and hot steamed buns and fed Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

Zhao Da'e stroked Xiao Bao. Perhaps Xiao Bao wasn't always tied up. Zhao Da'e laid corn stalks underneath him, then went back into the house to get a small, worn-out blanket, which he used to make sure the dog was warm enough to sleep in.

These two dogs are very loyal, much more so than people.

"Take good care of your home."

Zhao Da'e said something before leaving.

Turning to Zhao Da'e, Zhao Tieqing went to check on him. Zhao Tieqing was perfectly fine yesterday, so everyone's efforts were in vain. However, Zhao Tieqing said he thought he saw a wolf, but since he was a man, of the right age, and had a sickle, he wasn't afraid.

The existence of wolves in the mountains is now basically confirmed.

Zhao Da'e didn't take Zhou Chunwen out today, and he was too lazy to ask if his second uncle was home. He just went inside, since Zhao Tieqing's house didn't have a dog anyway.

Zhao Da'e opened the door, went inside, lifted the curtain, leaned against the door frame, and looked into the room.

Sun Xiaoxia was still sewing the quilt. Zhao Tieqing was at home, but Zhao Yongdong was not.

"Second Aunt, I'm here."

Sun Xiaoxia didn't stop her needlework. She looked up at Zhao Da'e and said, "Da'e, let me tell you. Your second uncle came back yesterday and said he saw that Laidai was dead. If you hadn't called so many people to look for him, he might have been carried out today."

Zhao Da'e chuckled.

Zhao Tieqing also said with a smile, "My eldest niece is worried about her second uncle. What a good niece."

Zhao Tieqing pointed to the kang (heated brick bed): "Don't mind, get on the kang, it's warm there."

Zhao Da'e took off his shoes and sat on the kang (heated brick bed): "It's not hot. You need to burn more firewood."

Sun Xiaoxia scoffed, "Your second uncle is incredibly lazy. I just said I was cold, but he didn't budge."

“He’s always up the mountain. Hehehe…” Zhao Da’e laughed: “Don’t go these next few days, or Laidai will bite you and we’ll all have to come looking for you.”

Faced with Zhao Da'e's joke, Zhao Tieqing smiled awkwardly: "Sigh... I don't want to go up the mountain either. It's the dead of winter, and there's nothing to burn. I was thinking of getting some firewood. There's only white grass on the front of the mountain, nothing else. There are some elm trees on the back of the mountain. Your sixth grandfather and I have two kang beds in this room. We need a lot of firewood."

Zhao Tieqing's words make sense.

This mountain belongs to the public, and it has apricot trees, apple trees, pine trees, and the like. But individuals aren't allowed to cut them down.

If the village catches you cutting down trees, they could fine you to death.

However, Zhao Da'e knew that while Zhao Tieqing was indeed gathering firewood, he was more interested in secretly catching rabbits, pheasants, and the like. Occasionally, he would even sneak in some unusual items.

Zhao Da'e saw through it but didn't say anything: "Second Uncle is hardworking, much better than my dad."

"Don't say that, your father is the hardworking one," Zhao Tieqing said. "I'll go add some firewood first."

Zhao Da'e called out to Zhao Tieqing, "Second Uncle, I was just saying that. I won't be staying for long."

However, Zhao Tieqing still went to add firewood.

In the rural areas of northern China, it is actually very cold inside the houses in winter. In those days, those who could afford to hire a matchmaker were either rich or noble.

In fact, not only in this era, but even in later generations, how many rural people can afford to burn coal?

Although life improved in later generations, people in rural areas still used wood for cooking. If wood was unavailable, they would use branches or straw.

Zhao Da'e knew that later on, even the straw couldn't be burned, so it was all sold. It seemed that people had returned to the days of collecting cow dung.

Zhao Tieqing's house had an outrageous amount of firewood. It was comparable to the house of Zhao Da'e's aunt.

Lots and lots of wood, and even some coal. Zhao Da'e didn't know where Zhao Tieqing's coal came from, but Zhao Da'e didn't even need to guess; it was nine-tenths stolen.

Zhao Tieqing and his wife are ridiculously stingy; they would never spend money to buy it.

Zhao Da'e sometimes knows that in places like Dongtaizi Village, it's hard to find a perfectly human person; many people have minor flaws. The main reason is poverty, and a secondary factor is the lack of surveillance in this era…

Zhao Tieqing added some firewood, then went inside, took out the teapot, and brewed a pot of tea.

“Hey, let me tell you, I recently got some really good tea. Jin Jun Mei tea, it’s so expensive. I don’t even drink it when other people come over. But since you’re here, I got you some.” Zhao Tieqing said, shaking the teapot as he spoke.

After a while, the tea must have turned a certain color. Zhao Tieqing washed a teacup for Zhao Da'e and then poured a bowl of tea for him.

Kashi County is rich in red sandy soil, which is what people outside often refer to as purple clay.

This craft has even made the area a renowned center for Zisha (purple clay) pottery in the south. However, it wasn't worth much locally. Even later, when industrial parks were built with the same quality, it remained relatively unknown.

This teacup is a Yixing clay teacup.

It looks like it's made in particularly good condition.

In fact, Kashi County has several specialties: purple clay pottery, aged vinegar, water, liquor, and gold mines.

These products later became famous overseas. Especially the aged vinegar, which was exported and was extremely expensive even locally.

However, Zhao Da'e has only explored the Kangxi Spring so far.

Although the Kangxi Spring is at Zhao Da'e's house, the well water in the village is actually quite good. Paired with a purple clay teacup and Jin Jun Mei tea, this tea is especially pleasant to drink.

Zhao Da'e took a bite and thought it tasted good.

"My second uncle really cares about me. Hehehe... I'll introduce someone to my older brother sometime."

Zhao Tieqing and Sun Xiaoxia laughed: "You..."

After a while, Sun Xiaoxia said, "Oh, right, goose. I have a fur here. I'll sew you a hat."

Zhao Da'e immediately perked up: "What kind of leather?"

Sun Xiaoxia said mysteriously, "It's a fox and a dog."

Zhao Da'e gasped: Holy crap! This thing is also found on the mountain?

Zhao Da'e really hadn't heard of any foxes in the mountains.

Sun Xiaoxia gave him a wink, and Zhao Tieqing went outside. A little while later, he came back with a red fox pelt. It looked fiery red and was particularly beautiful.

"You caught it yourself?"

Zhao Tieqing nodded: "It was caught in a rabbit trap."

"What about the meat?"

"have eaten."

Zhao Da'e was no longer calm: "Why do you eat all kinds of meat? Second Uncle, this thing is weird."

In the north, foxes are often also called fox spirits...

But Zhao Tieqing ate all the immortals, and even Zhao Da'e had to admire Zhao Tieqing for being a real man.

What a man!

Not afraid of death!

In the vicinity of Dongtaizi Village, most families worship fox spirits. For example, Zhao Da'e's third aunt, Zhang Cuilan, has more than ten spirits worshipped in her house, including fox spirits, willow spirits, snake spirits, turtle spirits, tiger spirits…

Zhang Cuilan offered that thing every day, praying to the immortal to not let her work and to let her reap without sowing.

Other families also worship fox spirits.

In addition to the Kitchen God and the God of Wealth, Zhao Da'e's barn also enshrines Guanyin.

Overall, there are still some folk traditions here in this era, and there are quite a few offerings.

Therefore, normally no one would touch a fox if they saw it.

Who knew Zhao Tieqing had eaten it.

Zhao Tieqing replied nonchalantly, "I don't believe in that stuff."

Zhao Da'e pursed his lips. It wasn't that Zhao Tieqing didn't believe in fox spirits, but compared to eating meat, he didn't care about spirits.

However, I must say, that bright red skin is truly beautiful.

Zhao Da'e took it and examined it carefully.

The pelt had been thoroughly cleaned. Zhao Da'e had never seen a fox pelt before; after all, this was a spirit's pelt...

Zhao Da'e can be quite superstitious at times, so it's unlikely he would actually kill any living creature. However, if he doesn't kill the creature himself, Zhao Da'e is more accepting of such actions.

And this leather is truly exceptionally beautiful. Zhao Da'e touched it; the leather was quite thick, and the ears were still intact, making it look particularly lovely. If it were sewn up properly, it would definitely look stunning as a hat.

Moreover, fox fur itself is excellent at keeping warm, so wearing it will definitely keep you warm.

Zhao Da'e handed the skin to Sun Xiaoxia, saying somewhat embarrassedly, "Second Aunt, I can't accept this without having done anything for it. This thing is too expensive."

“Where is the price? It didn’t cost a penny. Since we can’t sell them anyway, I’ll just make you a hat. And a scarf too.” Sun Xiaoxia started cutting with scissors.

In this day and age, although no one regulates the sale of leather goods, these items are indeed in high demand but short supply. The poor won't buy them, and the rich don't have any nearby…

So Sun Xiaoxia wasn't lying; she really couldn't sell them.

It's just a piece of leather; even if you sell it for ten or twenty yuan, nobody will want it. Selling it too cheaply isn't worth it.

Just then, Zhao Da'e arrived. Sun Xiaoxia also felt that Zhao Da'e had led people to find Zhao Tieqing yesterday, which resulted in Zhao Tiegang's leg injury. Her family was somewhat responsible, especially since the rabbit trap was set by Zhao Tieqing and his son.

Zhao Tiegang should be compensated at least.

Sun Xiaoxia figured that Zhao Da'e had gone to the clinic yesterday, and because of his good relationship with Chen Shuyi, Chen Shuyi hadn't asked for any money. Therefore, there was no issue of medical expenses. So Sun Xiaoxia attributed the credit to Zhao Da'e.

Of course, it's also because Zhao Da'e came today. Sun Xiaoxia happened to be making a quilt, so she might as well make a hat instead.

Sun Xiaoxia was very quick, making hats over there. Meanwhile, Zhao Tieqing and Zhao Da'e chatted idly.

"By the way, where's my older brother?" Zhao Da'e asked.

"It seems Yongdong went fishing," Zhao Tieqing said.

Zhao Da'e was taken aback: "Where are we going to catch fish? It's the middle of winter, are there any fish in our river bend?"

There is indeed a river below Dongtaizi Village, and the water is quite large, but there are basically no fish in it.

Not every river has fish.

The river next to Dongtaizi Village flows from Wohushan Mountain upstream. It is very close to the water source, and there are only very small fish; there are no large fish.

I heard there used to be big fish, but too many people tried to catch them, and they're all gone now.

This isn't a novel where you can just find a river and catch fish without them making a sound.

"They went to Tianmen Cave," Zhao Tieqing said.

Zhao Da'e looked completely bewildered: ???

"Second Uncle, didn't you say yesterday there was a Laidai (a type of wild vegetable) on the mountain? Why did we still go?"

Tianmen Cave is located in another township, about seven or eight miles from Dongtaizi Village. However, it's all mountain roads, and normally it would take more than ten miles to get there.

That area belongs to Shuiquan Town.

Zhao Da'e's village, Dongtaizi, is located upstream of Shuiquan Town. Downstream from Zhao Da'e's maternal grandmother's village is Tianmen Cave, which is very close.

However, that place is only one mountain away from the mountain above the scholar's staff.

In other words, that place is actually Jurenzhangzi Village, behind another mountain behind Dashan Mountain.

Zhou Chunhong was robbed by Laidai in the mountain between those two mountains.

Zhao Da'e couldn't understand why Zhao Yongdong was going to such places to party again.

Are you willing to risk your life just to catch a few fish to eat?

"Is my older brother just bored? Why is he catching fish in such a dangerous place? What if Laidai steals them? It's not worth it!"