The Sweet Little Fulang

The fireweed in the forest and wild fields only grows more than three inches, and it is still a month or two before it grows tall and knotted. , leaves and bamboo leaves can also be burned.

It was a warm and sunny day, and a lot of thin spring bamboo shoots that were slightly thicker than fingers appeared in the bamboo forest. Lu Gu found more than one place, and with a crisp sound, they broke them down one by one and put them neatly in the bamboo basket.

He was searching alone in the dense and deep bamboo forest, and from time to time he could hear dogs barking in the distance. It was Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yuping who were driving the rabbits with the dog, so he was not so afraid. In the long run, you can hear it just by shouting aloud.

After the thin spring bamboo shoots filled the bamboo basket, he stood up and rested for a while, then carried the heavy bamboo basket on his back and walked to the other side of the bamboo forest to find Shen Yan and the others.

Different bamboos have different spring bamboo shoots. There are also bamboo shoots buried in the ground, which have to be dug out. Shen Yan and Shen Yu did not want to pick up the old bamboo shells, so they dug up the bamboo shoots with hoes.

"Mother, Mamma." Lu Gu walked over and saw Wei Lanxiang and Zhou Xiangjun who were picking up old bamboo shells.

Seeing the bamboo baskets full behind him, Wei Lanxiang smiled and said, "There are so many, when I go back, my mother will cook the meat with bamboo shoots for you."

The spring bamboo shoots are tender and tender, especially the ones that were just broken off today. They are fresh enough. The braised pork is a must. Lu Gu nodded hurriedly: "Okay."

Now that he met him, he didn't leave. He put down the bamboo basket and helped pick up the old bamboo shells together. This thing has burrs that stick to the hands. It's okay to only pick up the ones on the ground. Some of the bamboo shells haven't fallen off yet. Or people who are not used to this kind of work naturally feel uncomfortable.

The old bamboo husks stick to the hands, but it burns very well after drying, and it is easy to ignite, so many people pick it up.

Coming to the bamboo forest alone would feel a little eerie and quiet, but fortunately there were many of them, Lu Gu picked up the old bamboo shells for a while and could vaguely hear Shen Yan digging bamboo shoots.

Wei Lanxiang pressed down the bamboo shells in the two large bamboo baskets, and when she saw it was real, she shouted, "The millet is enough, you don't need to pick it up any more."

Hearing this, Lu Gu stopped picking it up. He had four or five in his hand, so he came over and stuffed it into a bamboo basket if he was reluctant to throw it.

"I'm fine, go find Shen Yu and the two of them." Zhou Xiangjun also pressed the bamboo shell very firmly. They both brought big bamboo baskets today, otherwise they would have to come and pick them up after going back to burn them for a few days.

Digging bamboo shoots can be slower, digging soil and digging holes is a hard work, Shen Yan and Shen Yu are definitely not as fast as Lu Gu breaking bamboo shoots.

Before Shen Xuanqing came over, the five of them took turns digging the soil. The spring bamboo shoots in the ground had bright yellow tips, which were much easier to find than winter bamboo shoots. Regardless of the small tips, the spring bamboo shoots exposed by cutting through the soil were thicker than the wrist. of even two or three pounds.

Seasonal, spring bamboo shoots are very tender no matter how big they are. It is best to cut off the roots with a **** after digging up, otherwise it will be easy to break if you break them off.

He came up with only two hoes. When it was the other people's turn to dig, Lu Gu rested by the side. He looked outside the bamboo forest, but he never saw Shen Xuanqing, and he heard the echoing dog barking after a while. Looking around again, when the rabbits are hit, Shen Xuanqing will naturally come to look for them.

"Mother, I'm going to pluck wild onions." He saw wild onions growing out of the grass outside the bamboo forest, and he passed by.

The root of the wild onion that was pulled out was soiled, and it fell rustling after shaking it vigorously.

People who are alive in their eyes can't be idle. After Lu Gupu finished this small piece, he looked back and saw that the four of them were digging bamboo shoots. Why don't he find more wild onions, and they can fry them with bacon or eggs when they get home. You can also take it to town for sale.

The onion at home was just planted a few days ago, even if it was planted a few days earlier, it has not grown up yet, and the wild onion on the mountain is left unattended. As long as it is warm, the seeds hidden in the wild fields on the hillside can germinate and grow. , it can be faster.

He searched nearby. The spring grass was lush, and the snakes in the mountains were no longer hibernating. Fortunately, the grass was not so high before summer.

The wild onions were pulled more and more, and finally got a lot of them. Lu Gu found thin grass stems like long ropes, and twisted three of them together to make a rope. Put them together on the ground.

This happened to be the way down the mountain, so he didn't carry the wild onion back to the bamboo forest. The bamboo basket on his back was full, and he would wait to see if Shen Yan or Shen Xuanqing could put the bamboo basket down.

"Wang!"

Hearing the familiar barking of the dog, Lu Gu turned his head to look at it, and it was indeed a puppy. He called out a good boy, and the puppy ran faster.

The puppy who came running whimpered in his throat and kept rubbing against his legs.

Now the puppy is almost the same as the big dog. According to what Shen Xuanqing said before, when he grows up, he should be called Dajiao, but Lu Gu always forgets and still calls it Dajiao.

Touching the dog's head and pinching his ears, Lu Gu's face kept smiling, and after hearing another barking, he looked up, and Shen Xuanqing brought Da Hui and them over.

"Brother Gu Zi." Shen Yuping held a dead rabbit in his hand. He was over the addiction of driving rabbits today. His big eyes were brighter. He was smaller than Lu Gu, and because of Shen Xuanqing, he naturally had to shout. elder brother.

Shen Yuping was eager to show off to his family, and after shouting to show his courtesy, he raised the rabbit in his hand and said loudly: "Amu, brother Yu, see what I hit."

Da Hui and the two small dogs ran over and circled Lu Gu as well, but he looked up at Shen Xuanqing and ignored them.

"My basket is full, I broke some thin bamboo shoots, and my mother said to go home and cook the meat to eat." The smile in his eyes seemed to be shining, and he was in a hurry to tell Shen Xuanqing what he had done. But because of his temperament, he was obviously restrained in his words.

"So many." Shen Xuanqing also smiled, seeing the wild onions on the ground and said, "My basket is not full, just put it in."

"Yeah." Lu Gu pushed aside the good boys and the big dogs who had squeezed in to rub against his legs, and put wild onions in the bamboo basket that Shen Xuanqing had unloaded.

"Quails?" he said when he saw the contents in the basket.

Shen Xuanqing pushed the quail and the two rabbits aside and said, "Well, when I asked Yuping to bring the dog to chase the rabbits, I saw this thing rush past and hit two with a slingshot. Catch the ones that survive, or else catch the mothers and raise them, and they will be able to eat quail eggs in the future."

At the end, he added, "Sister-in-law has not had a bad appetite recently, but let's see if she eats quail meat."

"Yes." Lu Gu nodded. Ji Qiuyue has had a poor appetite these days, and sometimes she vomits even after she can't eat a few mouthfuls. Today, she went up to the mountain to dig up bamboo shoots to give her something fresh and refreshing. All the onions were stuffed in, he frowned and said, "It's too heavy."

"It's okay." Shen Xuanqing didn't take this weight seriously.

Without waiting for Lu Gu to enter the bamboo forest to carry the bamboo basket, Shen Yuping, who was carrying Shen Yu's basket, brought it out for him. It was getting late, and it was time to go back for lunch. The group set foot on the circuit.

—

For lunch, there are both fried bamboo shoots and bamboo shoots braised pork. It depends on which dish Ji Qiuyue can eat. Others don't choose.

The two kinds of bamboo shoots were cut when the meat was braised, and the taste was slightly different, but generally the same.

After dinner, Shen Yan washed the dishes, and Lu Gu took out some thin spring bamboo shoots, and two large spring bamboo shoots, both of which were preserved as soaked bamboo shoots.

All the rest are sold in the town. The bamboo shoots will become old and tough after a long time, and the taste will be much worse. They should be sold while they are fresh. It is so close to the mountain. If you want to eat fresh bamboo shoots, you can go up the mountain and dig it.

I also kept some wild onions at home. I found a place in the vegetable garden to bury the roots with soil so that they would not wilt easily.

After he finished packing, Shen Xuanqing took a pole and picked up two bamboo baskets, and Lu Gu also carried a bamboo basket, which contained the two rabbits that were beaten today.

People come and go in Fenggu Town, and it's already noon now, so the two of them didn't go to the market, but went to the streets to sell their goods.

Now is the time to eat spring bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots sell well. A pound is basically four cents. Shen Xuanqing sells more things than Lu Gu. When anyone asks the price, he always says six cents, and backs off with a few words. to five or four texts.

A two-and-a-half-pound big bamboo shoot costs ten cents, which is a lot for the country people. Shen Yan has contributed to digging the big bamboo shoots, so she has to give her some copper coins. Remembering that, he didn't dig a few big bamboo shoots, and the money from the sale should be given to Shen Yan and Wei Lanxiang.

Wild onions are found in the wild outside Fenggu Town, and they are not as good as spring bamboo shoots, only two cents a pound.

Lu Gu worked diligently, a bundle of wild onions weighed seven or eight catties, and the largest bundle was around ten catties. After the rabbits and bamboo shoots were all sold, the wild onions were only sold for fourteen cents.

It was almost an hour after noon, but after walking for so long, they couldn't help feeling hot and tired, so the two found a shady place to stop and rest.

Shen Xuanqing took out a handkerchief from his arms to wipe the sweat on his forehead. Now that his husband has prepared a lot of embroidered handkerchiefs for him, he has become more particular and no longer arbitrarily wipes sweat with his cuffs.

After wiping, he glanced at the wild onions in the basket, and said, "There are still ten kilograms. If you sell them cheaply, you won't have to pick them back."

The bamboo basket was empty and naturally relaxed. The way home from the town was not far but not close, so Lu Gu nodded, seeing Shen Xuanqing taking a breather and a pedestrian passing by them, he shouted: "Wild Cong , a penny a pound, it's cheap."

Seeing that he was selling seriously, Shen Xuanqing smiled beside him.

Because they didn't want to pick them back home, Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing even sold and gave away the last few pounds. So many wild onions were sold for only 20 copper plates. If Wei Lanxiang saw it, they would have to scold them both. loser.

When the bamboo basket was empty, even the steps became brisk.

When passing the Zhifen shop, Shen Xuanqing slowed down, he turned his head to look at Lu Gu, his fair cheeks were stained with warmth and a little red, today Lu Gu was accidentally scratched by a bamboo branch when he was breaking bamboo shells in the bamboo forest. Bleeding but with a reddish scar.

Compared with the few rich couples he had seen in town, Lu Gu was exposed to the sun all day long, and his flesh was naturally not as tender. Shen Xuanqing looked at it and felt that the skin on Lu Gu's face seemed to be stronger than when he first got married. A little rough.

The unmarried Shuang'er also had to help the family, but they didn't go out of the village very much. Lu Gu followed him up and down the mountain and often came to the town. The journey was more stormy than before marriage.

"What's wrong?" Lu Gu asked suspiciously when he saw that he was not leaving.

Next to it is selling fat powder, and there is a different aroma in the nostrils.

Shen Xuanqing said with a smile, "The badger oil is no longer available. I'll buy you a box of balm for your face."

The fat powder Lu Gu was so old that he only smeared it when he was married. He didn't know how to apply it himself. The old woman in the village gave him the smear. Most of the people in the countryside used it at the cheapest price.

Fortunately, this is the case, otherwise, not to mention Lu Gu, those who are a little closer to him will have to be rushed by the strong but not very pleasant aroma.

Most of the people who buy the powder are from people in the town. Lu Gu has never been in this kind of shop, and he can't help but look uneasy, but Shen Xuanqing turned to the powder shop, so he had to keep up.

Shen Xuanqing put down the pole on his shoulders, put the bamboo basket outside the door, grabbed Lu Gu's wrist and went in.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw the shopkeeper standing behind the counter and dozing off with his head resting on his head, and he couldn't see where the guy was. Shen Xuanqing said, "Boss, get two boxes of your face-wiping balm."

The shopkeeper was awakened, and glanced at the two countrymen in front of him, who were neatly dressed and had no patches on their clothes, especially the husband who had a silver bracelet in his hand, so he knew what he knew, so he replied in a row, "Wait a minute, Hold on."

He found four boxes of balsam on the wooden shelf at the back, turned around and put them on the counter, and said with a smile, "Look at this guest officer, we have a lot of stuff here, these boxes are all good, wipe them off. On the face, it can moisturize the skin and make it more delicate, the fragrance stays for a long time, and the fragrance is not thick, it is the first-class product."

"This box is Lan Yu Qingxiang, this box is peach blossom balsam, this is peony fragrance, and this one is Hongmei Tianxiang." The shopkeeper opened the boxes one by one so that people could see the balsam inside.

As soon as the box was opened, a light floral fragrance emerged, smelling better than the lip balm that Lu Gu had used before, and he was a little surprised when he looked at the balsam.

The shopkeeper was most proud of these things in his shop. Seeing the surprise of the customers, the smile on his face became wider. Seeing that they were hesitating about which one to look at, he took out a few small porcelain vases from under the counter and said, "Customer. If you don't know which one to choose, reach out and I'll paint some."

As he spoke, he used a small wooden stick to pick out some balsam from the bottle and smeared it on the back of Lu Gu's outstretched hand.

"This is the fragrance of peach blossoms." No other customers came in at this time, and the shopkeeper was very patient.

"I smell it." Shen Xuanqing was a little curious, so he grabbed Lu Gu's hand and lowered his head to sniff it. The aroma of peach blossoms is a little sweeter, but it smells good.

In front of outsiders, Lu Gu's ears were slightly red, but Shen Xuanqing and the shopkeeper looked the same, so he could only let Shen Xuanqing sniff it.

After smelling it, the shopkeeper applied the other three kinds of balsam to Lu Gu's hands one after another. After swiping the balsam lightly on the back of his hand, he could really see that the skin was much lustrous and smooth, and the unapplied areas looked dry.

The four kinds of balsams are all good, but Lu Gu hesitated and couldn't choose which two to choose. In the end, Shen Xuanqing said that he wanted peach blossom and plum blossom.

The peach blossom balsam is really good, and the plum blossoms are very quiet and elegant. I don't deliberately smell the incense box and Lu Gu's hand. Standing here, I inadvertently smell a fragrance, which is really a dark fragrance.

"The guest has good eyesight, these peach and plum blossoms are the best sellers." The shopkeeper closed the lid of the incense box and handed over the two boxes that Shen Xuanqing wanted.

The price of the two boxes of facial cream hasn't been announced yet, and he said, "Guest officer, I still have hand balm here. I can apply some after washing my hands every day. It will moisturise and make the skin more delicate. Do you two want to see it? Look?"

Shen Xuanqing just noticed that Lu Gu's hands were dry, so he nodded and said, "Take it and see."

"Well, wait a moment." The shopkeeper smiled even more.

"Do you want to buy hand ointment too?" Lu Gu asked in a low voice. He has to do a lot of work every day, whether it is pulling weeds and digging wild vegetables or chopping wood to collect rabbit dung, it is easy to get hands dirty. Washing over and over, is it not a waste of good things, let alone cooking and washing dishes.

Shen Xuanqing knew what he meant, pondered and said, "The shopkeeper, just take the cheap hand ointment, and take two more boxes."

"It's not a pity to wash the cheap ones." He turned his head and said to Lu Gu.

The shopkeeper took two boxes of cheap hand ointment, came over and smiled: "This is not bad, a box only costs fifty cents, but it is good for opponents to use."

A small box is only fifty cents, which Lu Gu didn't even dare to think about before, it was almost a sky-high price.

Shen Xuanqing opened the box to take a look and said, "Okay, that's all, how much is the face fat?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "It's not expensive, three coins per box."

The face cream cost 300 wen, much more expensive than the hand cream. Lu Gu blinked and felt that it was too expensive, but before he could speak, Shen Xuanqing took out his purse from his arms.

"A total of seven coins." Shen Xuanqing counted the pieces of silver and handed them over.

The shopkeeper took the money and smiled: "Okay, thank you very much."

He said smoothly: "The two of you will come here often. I still have rouge gouache here, and there is also some mouth fat."

Having said this, he paused, looked at Lu Gu and said with a smile: "If you don't dislike it, the color of your mouth is a choice. It's better for the two of you to keep it for a while and let your wife try to wipe it for this husband. You can also try rouge."

Seeing that Shen Xuanqing was obviously moved, the shopkeeper didn't wait for the two of them to answer, and shouted to the back: "Lilac, come out and wipe the mouth grease for the guests."

"Come here." A woman with a beautiful face walked out from the inside. The rouge and gouache on her face was just right, making people feel beautiful and comfortable at first sight.

After she helped Lu Gu to apply the mouth lip balm, she looked at it and smiled: "This color is really appropriate, if there is more rouge, it will be even better."

Lu Gu's lips were originally pale, but after rubbing on the reddish lip balm, they suddenly looked fuller, but it made the whole face brighter without being ostentatious. Point of handsome.

Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, he was a little helpless, and when he looked up, he saw Shen Xuanqing's stunned gaze, and he became even more embarrassed. He didn't need to wipe rouge before his cheeks flushed.

"This lip balm can also moisten the dryness. It is best to use some when the lips are dry and chapped." The shopkeeper did not forget his line.

"Hmm." Shen Xuanqing regained his senses, and was rarely embarrassed in front of outsiders, and asked with a sullen head, "Forget the rouge, how much is this mouthful?"

When he and Lu Gu went out of the Zhifen shop, the shopkeeper even gave them away. This business is not small.

There were facial cream and hand balm in the bamboo basket, and he even bought a box of mouth cream. Lu Gu could smell the aroma of mouth fat on his lips. His face was still warm, embarrassed and shy. How could a countryman be so particular about it? , Besides, he hasn't applied mouth grease himself, and he won't use it if he buys it. It's such a thing, and if he doesn't look good, it's a joke.

He had never touched such a thing as rouge gouache before. The first time he bought it, he felt a little worried.

As soon as Shen Xuanqing stopped, he also stopped in his footsteps, and just as he was about to ask something, his lips were rubbed twice by the extended thumb.

Realizing that his hands were a little dirty, which contrasted sharply with Lu Gu's fair cheeks, Shen Xuanqing froze.

Coming to sell bamboo shoots and wild green onions, weighing them in two will definitely get his hands dirty, but the handkerchief in his arms has wiped the sweat. Since the mouth grease has been wiped up, it is better to wipe it all off and go back and let Lu Gu wash it again.

His lips were rubbed a little hard, and Lu Gu raised his brows unconsciously. He didn't hide back out of trust, but looked up at Shen Xuanqing in confusion.

Someone from the town came here. After wiping, Shen Xuanqing felt a little annoyed when he saw that Lu Gu's lips were reddened by him, which was not much different from mouth fat.

"What's wrong?" Lu Gu asked anxiously.

Shen Xuanqing carried the diabolo basket and walked forward. After walking a few steps, he said with a sullen head, "Don't wipe it in the future."

This made Lu Gu even more at a loss. He thought that something was wrong with him. After thinking about it, it should be because he didn't look good when he put on lip balm, so he blushed in embarrassment and agreed, "Yeah."

The two walked forward in silence. After a while, Shen Xuanqing turned to see him with an embarrassed face. Later, he realized that he didn't make it clear, but he didn't know what to say at all.

The reason why he ruthlessly wiped off the red fat on Lu Gu's mouth was because of his jealousy.

The good mouth cream sold in the town costs 160 yuan per box, which is completely different from the one that the country old woman used to use for Lu Gu. After applying it, it is really beautiful and delicate. Many people paid attention to the way out of the town. When he arrived at Lu Gu, he could not wait to stare back one by one.

Fortunately, those people are not as tall as him, and they dare not make mistakes at will.

As soon as he came out, he saw fewer people, and the redness on Lu Gu's lips made him feel bad the more he looked at it, and he felt good after wiping it off.

"Don't think too much, it's because I didn't think about it all the time. It's expensive, and few people in the village use it. The face cream and hand balm have no color, so they won't be eye-catching. The lipstick is so red that people in the village may see red eyes. It’s not worth it to be chewed on your tongue behind your back, and you will find an opportunity to use mouth grease in the future.

Shen Xuanqing made an excuse, and the more he said, the more serious his face became, even if Lu Gu didn't believe it.

That's right, it's not a New Year, but it's not a festival. It's really eye-catching that the clothes are different from others. Lu Gu is convinced, and nodded in agreement: "Well, I know, and I won't buy it if I don't need it in the future, or it will be useless. spend money."

With that said, not only Lu Gu, but also Shen Xuanqing regained a good mood.

On the way home, I met two acquaintances from neighboring villages, and the four of them walked back together.

Lu Gu and Lin He's wife walked in front. Shen Xuanqing was tall. While gossiping with Lin He, he caught a glimpse of the boxes of balsam in Lu Gu's bamboo basket, and suddenly remembered that he had bought another type of balm in the balsam shop before. , the person who sold it to him at that time was a shop assistant, and the bottle of cream worth eight cents had not been used for some time.