Goldfield
Chapter 103: Loss of Integrity

Madam Zhang stared intently at Madam Li's direction, who lowered her head to avoid her eyes, and asked, “Why didn't you speak more clearly at first? Did you do it intentionally? ”

Xiaocao was so angry that he became comforted by them and said, “Grandmother, when you are in the food industry, you should see something through the eyes of others! When you cook for yourself, don't you wash the ingredients first? This is very important when boiling the head of a pig. Do you really still need someone else to tell you? Look at this large intestine. The dirt in it had not even been thoroughly cleaned. How can anyone eat this ?! ”

Port laborers, who had bought a boiled colon, saw Xiaocao remove a blob of black substance from one part of the colon. She instantly felt her stomach was nauseous and happy because she had not started eating.

Xiaocao continued, “Grandmother, based on the color of the boiled food, there is not enough flavor in it. So, the large intestine and head of the pig look very pale. Also, when boiling food, you should boil it first with a large fire, and then with a small fire after half an hour. Each time it needs to be cooked for a total of one and a half hours, so that the meat and bones are easily separated by hand. It is important to have a good understanding of fire. If the fire is too large and too long cooked, then the head of the pig will become overcooked, and the result will be reduced. If the fire is too small and the cooking time is too short, then the color, aroma, and taste of the product will be ugly. It is very clear that you do not understand fire well for the food you cook .. ”

These were all things that Xiaocao had said to them before. However, the lazy woman, Madam Li, impatiently waited beside the stove. He had put out the fire and went gossiping before the boiled food was ready. As for the spice, Madam Zhang's eyes glanced around and looked somewhat guilty. In order to save money, he had cut down half the seasoning needed.

“Oh. You tricked us into saying that it was an authentic one-coin copper meat dish! ” He snorted and continued, “I'll take it like throwing two copper coins into the sea, but don't expect us to buy food one of your copper coins again!” Old Hao angrily threw the food package boiled from his hands beside Madam Zhang's feet, and then left angrily.

Xiaocao hurriedly stopped him and said, “Uncle Hao, I will apologize for my grandmother. Please take two servings of pickled fish as compensation! Xiaolian, give Uncle Hao two servings of pickled fish. ”

Old Hao rubbed both of his hands in embarrassment. He took two copper coins from his pocket and said, “He is him and you are you! Take it when I buy these two pickled fish.. ”.

Xiaocao pushed back his hand that was holding the money and said, “When the elders did something wrong, the younger generation should also shoulder some responsibility. Although we have separated from the main family, there is no harm in using some copper coins to show devotion to an older person. Those who have bought boiled food from my grandmother can come to get pickled fish in the appropriate amount from me. The money you gave my grandmother would be our way of showing her respect. ”

As soon as Madam Zhang heard that she did not need to return the money she received, her anxious heart finally relaxed. Seeing everyone praising Xiaocao for being filial and doing honest business, he sneered with disdain. As he counted the ten or so coins in his hand, he inwardly hated Old Hao for not coming later. If it wasn't for him, he could have benefited. When he thought about how he had not regained half of the money used to buy the herbs, he felt a piercing pain as if a part of his heart had been dug up by someone.

When Xiaolian came with a basket to give pickles of fish to everyone, the crowd was shocked to find out that the two little girls looked exactly the same. Xiaocao smiled and said, “Everything, this is my twin brother Xiaolian. Yesterday, as well as every afternoon before, he was the one who came to sell the boiled food. ”

Old Hao was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed, “I know something is wrong! I wonder why Xiaocao doesn't talk much in the afternoon. So it turns out it was someone else! It is ridiculous that we did not notice that it was a different person in the morning and evening for several days. Very interesting and funny! ”

The pair of identical-looking sisters attracted more people's attention, and thus, Xiaocao's business became more popular than ever. Brother Liu, who also came to buy two servings of pickled fish, glanced at the two sisters with his cold gaze. When she left, she had a rare smile on her face —— She had guessed correctly …

The gazes of Madam Zhang and her daughter-in-law were filled with envy as they looked at the endless crowd around Xiaocao. But, no matter how much they advertised, news of raw and inferior boiled food had already spread among the dock workers. Their voices were already raucous from all the cries, but they still did not sell any more food. Hence, they could only leave in disgrace.

Later, when their boiled food was finally edible, there was still no one willing to support their business. That's how business works. Once a business loses its integrity, it will be difficult to redeem itself.

After several times, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law not only did not earn money, but also lost their capital. The process of boiling a pig's head and pig's innards is very tiring. None of the in-laws and son-in-laws were hard workers, so they gradually lost interest in making money from selling boiled food.

March should be a good season for warm weather and blooming flowers. However, at the beginning of March this year, there is a cold current, which perfectly matches the saying: ‘There is cold in the air early spring.’

Fortunately, Madam Liu and Xiaolian had taken the time to create a new bed for the entire family. They had removed the old blanket, pulled out a cotton swab, and patted a cotton swab. After that, they put the old cotton in a new blanket and use it as a cotton mattress instead of rice straw on the kang bed. As for the new bed, they had sewed four sets of soft and smooth new cotton blankets.

When Xiaocao was covered with a warm and soft blanket, he sighed happily and rolled around on the bed, reluctant to get up. Madam Liu and Xiaolian were comforted by her actions.

When the cold wave came, Yu Hai immediately drove the donkey cart into the city to give his two sons a set of cotton-coated clothes. Even though the clothes are made of cheap rough fabrics, the cotton inside is still new and has better heat retention than their old jackets.

Xiaolian asked, “Dad, what is ‘snow peach blossom’?”

Lady Liu patiently explained the change of the term sun to her, and then read the farmer's proverb: In March, on the third day of March, apricots and peach blossoms will bloom all over the mountains. When peaches bloom and apricots wither, plums and prunes will grow. As the peach blooms and the apricot flowers wither, the persimmon will grow and the apricot will fall. If there is spring snow in March, there will be no high yield of fruit.

In the end, he concluded, “If it snows tonight, I am worried that the villagers who planted the fruit this year will be dizzy ..”

Xiaolian looked out the window into the vegetable garden and said anxiously, “Then... will our family vegetables be affected? I think we can harvest it in a few days. If stuck, all our previous efforts will be in vain. ”.

Yu Hai looked at Xiaocao and could not help but ask, “Cao’er, can that straw withstand this blizzard?”

Xiaocao looked at the little golden kitten who was napping on the bed and asked in his mind, [Little Ketan Dumpling, will the vegetables we planted be alright? Didn't you say that if we water them with your bath water, they can withstand dryness, cold, and pests?]

Every night, it would absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth and recover its strength. Yes, in addition to soaking in the water, he could also absorb the essence of the sun and moon and turn them into his own spiritual power. The little golden kitten wriggled, yawned, rubbed his little eyes with his paws, then said, [Don't worry! As long as it does not last more than three days, it is okay. I am tired, so quickly help this holy stone sleep.].

Going to bed? My ass! Wouldn't it just take off the colorful stone and put it in a jar of water? Xiaocao reluctantly carried the jar where the small sacred stone was usually placed and placed the colorful stone inside. After which, he repeated what Little Divine Stone said to his family. Xiaolian asked curiously, “Adik, where did you find that useless stone? You always soak it in water like it's some kind of treasure. What use is this stone? ”

[Who is a useless stone? You are a useless stone! Your whole family is a useless stone!] The Little Divine Stone angrily pointed its fangs at Xiaolian as he mimicked the beloved words of the Spirit Goddess, saying it in exactly the same way. After scolding him, it was so pleased with itself that it even showed a satisfied expression.

“Xiaocao, what's with your Little Glutinous Dumpling? Quick grab! ” Xiaolian watched the lazy sleeping kitten suddenly jump over his head and scratch his hair with his little claws. It doesn't hurt much, but it looks kind of silly.

The Yu family still liked the beautiful little golden kitten that had suddenly appeared in their house. But, this little kitten was extremely arrogant and aloof. Usually ignoring everyone except Xiaocao.

Xiaocao grabbed the grumpy little kitten and calmed it down by stroking it in the palm of his hand. He smiled and said, “I found it by chance in the river. Xiaolian, don't you think the rainbow colors look really pretty? I found that the color becomes brighter if it is kept in the spring every day. In addition, I noticed that our family life had gotten better after I picked up this little stone. Maybe, it's a lucky stone! ”

Seeing her daughter treating the stone as if it was a precious treasure, Madam Liu felt a little sad in her heart. She secretly decides to buy some accessories for her daughter after they earn money from selling vegetables. Her daughters are already at an age that they like to look neat. Time must have passed quickly…

That afternoon, smoke re-emerged from the kang chimney in Dongshan Village, which had been stopped for some time. The Xiaocao family had a new mattress and blanket, so they did not need to warm the mattress.

The next day, the village was covered in silvery-white clothes, as if everything was dressed in silver. Even the mountains were covered in snow and looked as if they were returning to the ice and snow-capped winters. The pool behind the house was like a green jade encrusted with white marble, brilliant and clear.

Above the rows of old pine trees were snowballs of various sizes. In the bamboo forest, the tall bamboo tree was bent by the heavy snowfall. The rows and rows of bamboo trees were covered layer upon layer of silver robes.

The sun rose from the eastern side of the mountain range and shone brightly in all directions. The mountain village became very enchanting. The snow gathered on the distant mountain peak was like a reddish cloud in the sky. Under the sunlight, a golden light appeared on the treetops. The sparrows in the forest jumped up and down and shook the branches. The snow gathered on the branches scattered to the ground like powder. When reflected by the sunlight, it looked like a layer of silver fog.

Xiaocao had always been seriously ill whenever it had snowed in the past. He also fell seriously ill before the New Year (It was fake.). His family is worried about his health. They asked him to stay at home and had Yu Hai drive a donkey carriage and take Xiaolian to the dock to sell the boiled food.

After all, it was spring in March. After the sun rises, the snow begins to melt in the sun. The sound of falling snow could be heard and a huge pile of snow fell from the bamboo tree. The bamboo tree straightened its waist and shook its head as if saying: ‘You want to destroy me? Don't even think about it! ‘ In the distance came the moaning of old cows, quack ducks, and laughter of people …