Chapter 19 Chapter Seventeen

Cuicui ran to the bamboo forest, but the old boatman hadn't disembarked for a long time. From the point of view of Nuosong Erlao, the future was obviously a bit unfavorable.Although the old boatman said in every sentence that "there is a limit to this matter", the timid explanation was extremely inappropriate, and the second elder misinterpreted the matter when he thought of his elder brother.He was a little resentful, a little annoyed.On the third day after returning home, someone from Zhongzhai came to check on the news, stayed at Shun Shun's house in Hejie, asked Shun Shun about the matter, wanted to know if the second elder still wanted to accept the new mill, Shun Shun asked the second elder himself How about an opinion.

The second elder said: "Father, you think this matter is for you. There are many mills and people in the family, and you can be happy, so you agree. If it is for me, I have to think about it carefully and talk about it in a few days. I don't know yet whether I should have a mill, or a ferry: perhaps I'll just get a ferry!" The spy remembered what he had said, and went back to Zhongzhai to report his orders. When he was in transition to Bixiyu, he arrived at the old boatman, remembering what the two elders said, he couldn't help but smile.The old boatman found out that he was from Zhongzhai, so he asked him what he was doing in Chadong.

The Zhongzhai man with a sense of proportion said: "I didn't do anything, I just sat at Shun Shun's house for a while." "If you don't have anything to do, go to the Three Treasures Hall, and you will definitely have something to say when you sit there!" "I said a few words." "What did you say?" The man stopped talking, but the old boatman asked, "I heard that you Zhongzhai people want to give a mill by the big river and your daughter to Shun Shun on Hejie. Is there anything wrong with that?" Have you raised your eyebrows?"

The Zhongzhai man smiled, "It's done. I asked Shun Shun, and Shun Shun was very willing to marry the Zhongzhai man, and I asked that young man..." "What do you mean, lad?" "He said: There is a mill in front of me, and there is a ferry. I wanted a ferry, so I decided to have a mill now. The ferry is movable, so it is better to be fixed than the mill. This kid can make plans." The man from Zhongzhai is a rice farm broker, and he speaks very carefully. He knows what "ferry" refers to, but he doesn't talk about it.He saw the old boatman's lips moving, wanting to speak, the people from Zhongzhai hurriedly said:

"Everything is fate, and no one can control it at all. Poor Shun Shun's family elder, with a handsome appearance, will drown in the water!" The old boatman was stabbed in the heart by this sentence, and swallowed what he wanted to ask.After the Zhongzhai people went ashore, the old boatman stood on the bow of the boat in a daze for a long time.I also practiced Luo Mo's expression when the two elders made the transition a few days ago, and felt very unhappy. Cui Cui had a great time playing under the pagoda. She walked to the high rock by the stream and asked her grandfather to sing. Seeing that her grandfather ignored her, she complained all the way and rushed down to the stream. When she reached the stream, she saw her grandfather was very depressed. She didn’t understand why. .When Cui Cui came, my grandfather looked at Cui Cui's happy black face and smiled crudely.Those who carried goods across the stream did not say anything, and pulled the boat across the stream silently, but sang loudly when they reached the center.After crossing the stream, my grandfather jumped onto the pier and approached Cui Cui, still smiling crudely, and stroked his forehead with his hand.

Tracy said: "Grandpa, what's wrong, you have a fever? You lie down in the shade and rest, and I'll take care of the boat!" "You take care of the boat, well, this boat is yours to take care of!" The old boatman seemed to have developed Sha really, and his heart felt stuffy. Although he still looked stiff in front of Cui Cui, after walking back to the house alone, he found some broken porcelain pieces, pricked his arms and legs a few times, released After spitting out some black blood, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Cui Cui guarded the boat by herself, but she felt strangely happy in her heart, thinking: "Grandpa doesn't sing for me, I can sing by myself!"

She sang many songs, and the old boatman lay on the bed with his eyes closed, listening to each sentence, feeling extremely confused.But he knows that this is not a serious illness that can knock him down, and he will still get up tomorrow.He wanted to go to the city tomorrow, to visit River Street, and thought of many other things. But on the second day, even though I woke up, my head was still heavy.Grandfather was really sick.Cuicui seemed to be more sensible, and made a can of Dafa medicine for her grandfather, forcing him to drink it, and picked garlic sprouts from the vegetable garden behind the house and soaked them in rice soup to make sour garlic sprouts.While taking care of the boat, he still finds time to rush home to see his grandfather, asking questions about this and that.Grandfather didn't say anything, he just suffered from a secret.After lying down for three days, the person recovered.Walking around in front of and behind the house, his bones were still hard, thinking about one thing in his heart, so he was going to go to the city and cross the river street.Cuicui couldn't see that her grandfather had to go to the city that day because of some important business, so she begged him not to go.

The old boatman rubbed his hands, wondering if he should tell the reason.Cuicui's dark melon-seeded face and pair of watery eyes made him breathe a sigh of relief. He said: "I have something urgent, I have to go today!" Cui Cui smiled wryly and said: "How important is it, isn't it..." The old boatman knew Cui Cui's temper, and he was a little unhappy when he heard Cui Cui's tone, so he stopped talking about leaving, put the bamboo tube and the flower bag that he was going to take away on the table, and said with a flattering smile: "No. Go, you’re worried that I’ll fall to my death, so I’m not going. I thought the weather wasn’t too hot in the morning, so I’ll come back after finishing my work in the city—or if I don’t go, I’ll go tomorrow!”

Cui Cui said softly and gently: "You can go tomorrow, your legs are still weak, lie down for a day and then get up." The old boatman seemed to be still unwilling to accept it, and walked out with both hands free, and a straw sandal hammer by the threshold almost tripped him.When she stabilized, Cuicui smiled bitterly and said, "Grandpa, look, you are still not convinced!" The old boatman picked up the mallet, threw it to the corner of the room, and said, "Grandpa is old! I will show you how to beat the leopard in a few days." !" In the afternoon, it rained for a while, but the old boatman discussed with Cui Cui and still entered the city.Cuicui couldn't accompany her grandfather to the city, so she asked the yellow dog to follow her.The old boatman was dragged by an acquaintance in the city to negotiate the price of salt and rice for a long time, and after passing through the garrison yamen to look at the newly bought mules and horses, he went to Shunshun's house in Hejie.When I got there, I saw that Shun Shun was playing cards with three people, and it was inconvenient to talk, so I stood behind me and looked at the cards for a while, and then Shun Shun invited him to drink, but declined on the pretext that he was too sick to drink.The cards did not end, and the old boatman left without thinking. Shunshun didn't seem to understand what he was waiting to say, but only paid attention to the cards in his hand.Later, another person saw the old boatman's look, and asked him if there was anything wrong.The old boatman Fang shyly rubbed his two big hands according to old Fangzi, and said he had nothing else to do, he just wanted to have a few words with the boatman.

The captain of the ship understood the reason for looking at the cards for a long time, and turned around and smiled at the old boatman. "Why didn't you say it earlier? If you didn't say it, I thought you were watching my cards to learn from cards!" "It's nothing, just a few words, I don't want to spoil the fun, I don't dare to say it." The captain threw the cards on the table, smiled and walked to the back room, followed by the old boatman. "What's the matter?" the captain asked, as if he had understood what he was going to say here, showing a little pity.

"I heard a person from Zhongzhai say that you are going to fight the in-laws with the head of the Zhongzhai regiment. Is it true?" Seeing the old boatman's eyes staring at his face, the captain of the boat said, "There is such a thing." Then he agreed, but the meaning was: "How about you?" The old boatman said, "Really?" The other said very naturally: "Really." But the meaning still contained "So what?" The old boatman pretended to be very calm and asked, "Where is the second elder?" The captain of the boat said: "It's been a long time since the two elders went down to Taoyuan by boat!" About the matter of the second elder going down to Taoyuan, he had quarreled with his father for a while before leaving.Although the captain of the ship is very generous, he doesn't want the girl who directly killed the first son to become the daughter-in-law of the second son. This is a very clear thing.According to the local customs, these things are considered children's affairs, and adults can't control them. The two elders really like Cui Cui, and Cui Cui loves the two elders, so he doesn't object to this kind of love-hate marriage.But for some reason, the old boatman's concern for this matter caused the two old father and son to misunderstand the old boatman.The captain of the boat thought of recent events in the family, and thought it was all related to this old and good boatman.Although I don't see all the shapes and colors, there is a knot in my heart. The boat boss refused to let the old boatman speak again, so he said in a rough tone: "Uncle, forget it, our mouths should only drink, don't just want to sing for our children! I understand what you mean, and you mean well. But I also ask you to understand what I mean, I thought we should only talk It's not suitable to think about the way of those young people." After the old boatman was knocked down by a muffled punch, he still wanted to say a few words, but the captain of the boat didn't let him have another chance to speak, and pulled him out to the card table. The old boatman had nothing to say. When he looked at the boat boss, although the boat boss was still laughing and talking about many jokes, his heart seemed very depressed, and he threw the cards on the table vigorously.The old boatman put on his bamboo hat without saying anything, and left by himself. The weather was still early, and the old boatman was very unhappy, so he went to the city to look for Yang Mabing.The horse soldier was drinking, although the old boatman was sick, he couldn't help but drink three or five cups.Back at Bixiyu, it was a little hotter, and I used the stream water to wipe my body.Feeling very tired, Cuicui wanted to guard the boat, and went home to sleep by herself. At dusk, the weather was very gloomy, and red dragonflies were flying everywhere on the stream.Clouds had risen in the sky, and the hot wind blew the two mangosteen bamboos very loudly. It seemed that there would be heavy rain in the evening.Cui Cui stayed on the ferry, looking at the dragonflies flying around on the stream, feeling very confused.Seeing the miserable look on his grandfather's face, he was worried, so he hurried back home.At first, I thought that my grandfather must have gone to bed early, but who knows that he is still sitting on the threshold playing straw sandals! "Grandpa, how many pairs of straw sandals do you want? Aren't there still fourteen pairs on the bed? Why don't you lie down?" The old boatman kept silent, but stood up and looked up at the sky, and said softly: "Cui Cui, there will be heavy rain and thunder tonight! Turn around and tie our boat down to the rock, it will rain heavily." Cui Cui said: "Grandpa, I'm so scared!" Cui Cui didn't seem to be afraid of the thunderstorm that was coming at night. The old boatman seemed to understand the meaning, so he said, "What are you afraid of? Anyone who wants to come will come, so don't be afraid!"