Chapter 197

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Chai Mi sometimes couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion: the purchasing power of two yuan in the nineties is truly fucking strong...

Chai Mi used two yuan to buy two bags of instant noodles, a dozen small bags of melon seeds, seven or eight bags of peanuts, two bottles of drinks, two bottles of almond dew, two Hami melons, and two or three catties of plums...

The plums were also freshly picked, exceptionally fresh...

Completely pollution-free, plums without pesticides or fertilizers, large and sweet.

Because if these plum trees aren't sprayed with pesticides, there would be many plums bitten by worms. Fortunately, they were all picked by Song Qiushui climbing the tree.

Song Qiushui's main stance is that Second Uncle's is mine... if Second Uncle's things aren't given to me, then Second Uncle won't be prepared to let me cry a few times when carrying his coffin after his hundred years...

Chai Mi and Song Qiushui carried the things and went to sit under the big willow tree in front of the small shop first. It was already past seven o'clock now, and from dark, it was estimated there was still an hour or two.

A few outsiders were busy carrying cabinets over there, seemingly the ones who sing shadow plays.

And Xiangli Chief Liu Changgui was organizing the village people to help set up the stage.

The shadow puppet troupe only brings the canopy, enclosure, poles, and staffs above the stage boards, never bringing the shadow screen. And that thing is too heavy, fundamentally impossible to move. A shadow puppet troupe generally has only five or six or seven or eight people, two ox carts go out the door. Mainly they also bring the shadow puppet boxes, inside the boxes are the shadow puppets, generally one play is one box, generally a shadow puppet troupe brings at least twenty boxes out the door, box sizes vary, but just these props are enough for two ox carts. Still have to seat people...

Simply cannot bring the shadow stage.

And shadow puppet troupes generally go wherever they go, sing wherever they go, eat wherever they go, stay wherever they go.

Food, clothing, housing, travel, all rely on the host family.

The host family is the master of the landlord's etiquette, whoever hires the opera singing is the host family.

So every place they arrive, the local populace organizes to build the stage. Arriving at Sanjiacun, it was Xiangli Chief Liu Changgui organizing the village people to set up the stage.

Sanjiacun's rain prayer is an old tradition. It belongs to a public welfare project, not necessarily every household spends money, but the village will have people collect money... generally called incense oil money.

As for why it's called incense oil money, Chai Mi also doesn't know.

Not only collect money, but also send people to village households when the time comes.

The opera troupe doesn't bring food rations.

Wherever they go, it all relies on the locality.

People eat, horses fed, all served by the local area. Small troupe seven or eight people, large troupe ten or so people, even more, some kind-hearted ones, proactively take them home, provide food and lodging.

No one takes them, the village chief assigns to others' homes, this household takes a few, that household takes a few.

Basically no one refuses anyway.

These are all public welfare matters, refusing would be too lacking in human relations.

As for setting up the stage, speaking of it it's also simple, just a very large piece of cloth, through this cloth to sing shadow plays, the whole wooden frame pulls the cloth up, using four rollers from the village threshing ground to press the four sides, it's stabilized.

Everyone who uses rollers knows them. It's what's used when farming, to press the roller, or when threshing to press grain. Similar to later generations' road roller... main feature is heavyweight.

Using rollers to press the bottom, this drama stage is very stable.

If the weather is cold, the backstage puts up a tent. If not cold, open air.

The front stage is just a piece of cloth.

The opera troupe can start singing.

Chai Mi and Song Qiushui also went to help set up the stage, in a short while, the drama stage was set up.

Only then did Chai Mi become free, sat down at a position near the middle, put down the small stool, and sat down.

After sitting down, she remembered she had also occupied a few seats... in the afternoon, Chai Xiu went to Chai Mi's maternal aunt's home, cousin and sister-in-law Zhang Hailan also said they were coming to watch the shadow play.

The vegetable garden is a bit far from here, so she sent a message asking Chai Mi to occupy seats.

Chai Mi put the things she brought to one side, which also counted as occupying seats.

Anyway, if Chai Mi didn't put things, the village people basically also had no one so shameless as to run over and sit next to Chai Mi and Song Qiushui, these two young unmarried women.

This era is different from later generations.

Although there's no talk of men and women not being intimate, but young unmarried women and young married women, ordinary people generally wouldn't deliberately approach. Otherwise gossip would come out, the impact on the person is especially bad.

Song Qiushui also sat down, took a sip of drink: "Comfortable. Tonight is a bit cooler than last night. Last night, it was too fucking hot, nearly died of heat. That thing, ran into a fire cage."

"If only it could rain a bit." Chai Mi said somewhat helplessly: "If it doesn't rain soon, the crops will be a total loss."

"Isn't this praying for rain? What's the rush. In a couple days it'll rain." Song Qiushui comforted Chai Mi.

Song Qiushui basically doesn't understand farm work at all, she usually doesn't go to the fields to work.

Song Qiushui's family work is basically all done by Meng Shi alone. And Song Qiushui's family originally only had two people's land... farmland only three or four mu, barely better than nothing.

Song Qiushui's family has a lot of mountain land, a large piece of apricot forest. A whole mountain is hers.

The problem is apricots, not worth money... also no one wants them.

Apricot kernels, in this era uses are few, just for play. And those apricots, especially hard to eat, basically no one wants.

But Chai Mi knows, in later generations wild mountain apricot kernels are still relatively valuable, can be used medicinally, can drive away fire. But in this era, haven't heard of anyone collecting.

So, the Song family's actual main income relies on Song Qiushui's old father Song Qingshan being the village accountant, earning some salary.

Song Qiushui's family conditions are relatively much better than Chai Mi's, one is fewer children.

Two is because Song Qiushui has a good uncle...

Song Qiushui's food and drink, basically all on credit...

Basically, as long as Second Uncle doesn't die, Song Qiushui won't starve to death.

As for whether the small shop will let Song Qiushui owe them a deadbeat tab, Song Qiushui isn't worried at all. After all, Second Uncle's family has quite a lot of land too, even without the small shop he can still farm... those two old guys don't have much expenses either.

Chai Mi anyway feels Song Qiushui's days pass comfortably... sometimes really wants to say: look at Song Qiushui's Second Uncle, now those are real brothers!!!

Then look at my family's...

"I wonder if the city buys apricot kernels — I recall someone buying that stuff. I'll go into the city in a few days to check; if there's a buyer for apricot kernels, your hundred or eighty mu of apricot forest would be quite a harvest."

"You want it... who the hell wants that stuff?!" Song Qiushui frowned. "It's not like home apricot or wild mountain apricot kernels can't be eaten."

If it's home apricot, especially Shuibai apricot kernels, they can be eaten directly. Those almonds taste slightly bitter, but can be eaten directly, able to clear heat and detoxify.

Wild mountain apricot kernels, however, cannot be eaten directly. They can kill people.

"Wild mountain apricot kernels can be used as medicine." Chai Mi explained.

But Song Qiushui wasn't interested at all: "If you're going to the city for fun I'll go, but as for the apricot kernel matter, I don't care. My family still has ten or so mu of apple orchard, and my dad doesn't care either. Anyway they're thrown away every year; pick a few count a few."

Chai Mi sighed.

Actually, Song Qiushui is an undisputed landlord.

A huge stretch of mountain, all belongs to her family.

Although Song Qiushui isn't interested in these things, and they're of no use in her hands, that much land being in her hands is the actual situation.

If this were in later times, Song Qiushui would properly be a big landlord. Could establish a cooperative...

But this era won't do.

Song Qiushui's family land is all mountain land, cannot be irrigated, can only plant some fruit trees. But the fruit tree varieties are terribly poor, and no one manages them, so they've been abandoned, growing freely.

If grafted with Red Fuji apples, it's guaranteed Song Qiushui would get rich. But Chai Mi knew Song Qiushui's getting rich only exists in dreams.

"Right." Song Qiushui suddenly lowered her head and whispered in Chai Mi's ear: "I heard your old aunt went to your place and even fought with you?"

"Who told you that?" Chai Mi frowned and asked.

"Ay, your old aunt that idiot, you say is she a stupid cunt? In the afternoon she ran to Liu Zhanggui to file a complaint, saying you beat her. Afterwards the village chief had no time to deal with her, she ran to my place to make trouble, wanting my dad to back her." Song Qiushui even laughed: "You say is Chai Chunfang missing a screw in her head? She doesn't know our relationship is ironclad? My dad would side with her? She's dreaming!!! My dad said: Comrade Chai Chunfang, you must speak with evidence. You say your niece Chai Mi beat you, but... one, you have no injury; two, you have no witnesses. No personal or physical evidence, you're just fabricating..."

Chai Mi immediately perked up happily, smiling: "Your dad's quite sensible..."

"That's a must!" Song Qiushui tilted her head back gazing at the sky, acting tsundere. "My dad can't do other things. Muddying the waters, he's more badass than the village chief. My dad said that, and Chai Chunfang was dumbfounded. She wouldn't accept it, just said she was beaten, if the village doesn't handle it she'll go to the township to file a complaint."

"Let her file, the township also needs evidence to speak." Chai Mi said dismissively.

Chai Mi did hit Chai Chunfang once, but didn't use lethal force, so basically Chai Chunfang had no injury.

No injury this kind of thing, Chai Mi can just not admit it.

No matter where Chai Chunfang goes to file a complaint, it's all meaningless.

"This old lady is disgusting, you stay away from her." Song Qiushui said somewhat cautiously: "She fucking goes to the township to file a complaint at the drop of a hat. Our old village chief was forced out by her complaints. This thing troubles the village chief..."

Chai Mi had an attitude of watching the excitement: "Then trouble the village chief, anyway it doesn't trouble me. Who let him be village chief..."

Actually, it's indeed so.

If Chai Chunfang goes to file a complaint, the township will ask the village what's going on.

The village chief has to give the township an explanation.

Generally saying it like that, it's also dropped.

But Song Qiushui deeply knows past matters, this Chai Chunfang is sick. Once doesn't work, then next time... next time doesn't work, then come a few more times.

Filing complaints definitely isn't illegal...

Problem comes like this, the village chief can't bear it. Every few days has to be summoned...

And Chai Chunfang excels at playing the weakling, and is terribly shady.

Chai Mi figures Liu Zhanggui has his hands full. But Chai Mi doesn't sympathize with Liu Zhanggui either, after all who let him be village chief, the village chief is to serve the common people... Liu Zhanggui if he has that idle time to wrangle with Chai Chunfang, then wrangle away, anyway no end to it.

"Hehe, Chai Mi ah. You really know how to talk sarcastic. What's this 'who let me be village chief'..." Liu Zhanggui didn't know when he sidled over, with Song Qingshan following beside him.

Chai Mi's old face reddened, badmouthing Liu Zhanggui behind his back was heard by him.

Song Qiushui saw her old dad also came, made a spot for him, let her old dad sit on the ground.

After all Song Qiushui simply didn't bring her old dad's little wooden stool.

Luckily Song Qingshan also doesn't fuss that much, directly sat on the ground. Although it's earth, but year-round people stay here, the soil's packed firm, not to the point of a ground of dust. Moreover it hasn't rained, not to the point of damp ground giving people rheumatism lumps.

Liu Zhanggui on his own first lit a cigarette, then passed one to Song Qingshan to light. Liu Zhanggui holding the cigarette in his mouth, blew a smoke ring, not caring at all about Chai Mi badmouthing him behind his back, but rather with a somewhat complaining tone sighed: "Chai Mi ah, your old residence's broken matters, are truly many. I don't even want to handle them. This afternoon was originally busy, barely managed to invite a shadow puppet troupe, where would I have time to deal with your old aunt ah. She danced around insisting you beat her, I didn't deal with her at all, I let her go find Old Song. She loves to make trouble then make trouble, not afraid of heatstroke, she'll go to the township every day to sue you. The township head's been busy lately, heard an out-of-town investment merchant came, Township Head Tian Wenhui was called away by the county's investment promotion, won't be back for ten days half a month."

Knowing the township head's busy, Liu Zhanggui then wasn't worried.

"The township head's not even in the township, where can your old aunt go sue? Besides, it's not any big deal, and you also can't beat your old aunt, your character's here, even if you beat her I'd say you didn't beat her, so rest assured..."

Chai Mi nodded.

Song Qiushui instead gasped: "Ay, village chief look at you, spouting pure fucking nonsense. How could our Chai Mi possibly beat people? That must be Chai Chunfang talking nonsense, she's deliberately framing a good person. Chai Mi this afternoon we two were together, I testify Chai Mi didn't see Chai Chunfang at all, everything is her babbling. I see Chai Chunfang ah, she's up to something, water in the brain, that's why she talks nonsense. Sun Yuguang that god acting all spooky, not today this Dashen possessing him, tomorrow that Half Immortal on him, maybe when the two of them invited immortals they didn't invite properly, invited the Dashen onto Chai Chunfang's body, or invited some evil thing to possess her, she needs to find someone to exorcise her..."

Song Qingshan brows tightly furrowed, poked Song Qiushui, low voice said: "You this child, how talking to the village chief still fucking fucking? You be more refined, like a young unmarried woman."

Liu Zhanggui instead didn't mind: "No matter no matter. Qiushui this child I watched grow up, straight temper..."

Liu Zhanggui saying this, Song Qingshan brows furrowed even tighter...

This Liu Zhanggui has no good intentions!

His son's grown, he this father looks at whose family's young woman all good!!!

Must let daughter stay away from Liu Zhanggui...

Several people chatting idly, Chai Mi divided the food to Liu Zhanggui and Song Qingshan.

"Come, eat melon seeds. Anyway still have to wait a bit for the opera to start, eat first."