Chapter 4 Chapter Four

The front of the shop is thirty-six feet wide, and on the south side of the second floor there are two large tatami rooms with ten seats for guests.The wall adjacent to the samurai mansion has no windows, but the windows on the south side overlook the river to the south.Putting his hand on the railing, Taiichiro looked around, and saw the river surface like a mirror, two or three wild ducks paddling leisurely on the water surface, cormorants dived into the water and came up to eat the bait. The owner of the samurai mansion is named Mizusuke Nagasaka, who is the head of the Xiaopuying group. It is said that he is nearly forty years old.The layout of the mansion is not bad, but since the previous generation joined the Xiaopuzheng group, the job has not been settled, and the economy cannot be said to be well off.The old landlord was so outspoken.Food shops are different from teahouses, geishas are rarely invited to accompany them for entertainment, but there are also songs, dances and music to some extent. Since it is a business, the coming and going of customers is of course lively.The old landlord said: As long as you remember to give gifts in the middle and end of the year, it will be fine to say hello to Mr. Nagasaka.

"Maybe the other party can't ask for it." The old landlord said this in a loud voice typical of people who are hard of hearing, and Taiichiro was frightened when he heard it.He quietly looked sideways from the window on the south side of the second floor. Across the barren forest, Master Nagasaka's mansion was silent and there was no movement.When he saw the messy tiles on the roof of the mansion that needed to be repaired, Taiichiro thought to himself that the old man must be right. If a food shop is opened here, the small shops in the west adjacent to each other will also benefit to some extent. Therefore, everyone is smiling and amiable watching Taiichiro and Shichibei who follow the old landlord and look around the shop, coming in and out. That made Taichiro feel relieved.Although some of them whispered to each other from time to time, and some frowned and shook their heads, but such a trivial matter can't be helped.

After Taiichiro and Shichihei visited the shop, they were not in a hurry to reply, and Taiichiro brought Tae Hui to see the shop the next day.Duohui looked inside and out with her swaying eyes, and finally turned her back to Xiaona Muchuan, stood upright with her hands on her hips, looked up at the shop and said: "This shop is like a ship, floating alone like wild ducks and cormorants. on the river." This sentence made Taiichiro decide to rent the shop.Yeah, like a boat.Isn't it very appropriate?It is the boat that will carry our family forward in the future.Isn't it good that the name of the shop is Boat House?

Yes, a houseboat.This name seems to have been chosen a long time ago, isn't it very appropriate? — the houseboat. Ah Ling turned over in the quilt.Yes, this is the houseboat, our new home, and our new shop. Grandpa Shichibei and Aunt Ah Xian are not here.Father and mother have been busy with the business of the shop every day since they moved, starting work before dawn, and discussing with each other by the lights late at night, and have been busy preparing for the opening of the shop. I ended up falling ill. Today is the fifth day, and the high fever still persists.Ah Ling could only drink water, she lost a lot of weight and fell asleep all day long.Grandma came to take care of the patients with a mournful face, but now is a critical moment for the shop, and she can't be by her side all day.Aunt Ah Xian also came to see her sick frequently, and Grandpa Qibingwei came with the doctor once a day. Whenever the doctor frowned and shook his head, Grandpa shook his head too, drooping his disheveled eyebrows.

——It turns out that I am really dying. Doctor Ding always avoids Ah Ling to discuss her condition. He said: "Before the fever goes down, it depends on whether the child's body can survive. If he loses, he will die, and if he wins, he will live. After all, even I can't tell what the disease is. Although it is very pitiful, but at present I can only let her sleep warmer, let her drink more water, and then observe..." Grandma has always been by Ah Ling's side, but today Grandma is not feeling well.Grandma was very worried about herself, but her body couldn't hold on.

Sorry. A-Ling was very sad, and when she was crying drowsily, someone suddenly reached out and grabbed the handkerchief that had slipped from A-Ling's forehead to wipe A-Ling's tears. Ah Ling wanted to open her eyes.Are you here?Grandpa?Aunt Axian?Dad is very busy and won't come here until evening.Could it be that the doctor is here? I don't know whose hand is stroking Ah Ling's forehead.The opponent's hand was very cold, icy cold, very comfortable. ——Is it Grandmother?Mom is feeling better, have you gotten up to see me? Ah Ling tried hard to open her eyes.She turned her eyes desperately, her cheeks twitched, and she let her heavy body lie on her back like rolling a log, trying to see the face of the person beside her.

The cold hand left his forehead.Ah Ling managed to open her eyes as if chasing the opponent's hand. A black shadow enveloped the head of Ah Ling who was lying on her back.It doesn't seem like an adult.It was a figure about the same age as Ah Ling. --who is it? The man's image was to answer Ah Ling's inner question, he bent down, and poked his face in front of Ah Ling.Ah Ling finally saw the other party. It was a little girl, and the other party was younger than Ah Ling, and that child——was making funny faces. The continuous high fever made Ah Ling's eyes always foggy. She raised her heavy eyelids and blinked, thinking she was wrong.

But no matter how wide his eyes were, the child poking out his face above Ah Ling's head was making a grimace no matter how he looked at it. —Is it a dream?Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming.How could it be possible that someone deliberately made faces beside Ah Ling's pillow on the sick bed?There was no girl of that age in the family.Grandpa Shichihei also said that Ah Ling would lose her playmate after moving to the stern. That face was very strange.The other party only showed the whites of his eyes because of making a grimace, so he couldn't see his face clearly, but it was indeed not Ah Gong who grew up with him.Even if Ah Gong made a funny face, Ah Ling would recognize it, and the friendship between the two of them was very good.By the way, Ah Gong doesn't know what to do now, have you started to learn needlework?

But who is this child?She was not the girl brought by a woman with a bad face who stayed in Takadaya for only half a month three months ago.The kid was thinner and had bad eyesight.Although Ah Ling tried hard to make friends with that child, but the child had a bad temper.She wanted the cute paper dog that A Ling had kept, but A Ling refused, but she even chased A Ling around the house wielding a fire chopstick with a red top, so Grandpa Qibingwei drove them away, mother and daughter.Ah Ling was really taken aback that time, it was the first time she encountered someone threatening her with fire chopsticks, and it was also the first time she saw Grandpa Qibingwei angrily scolding the child with a fierce expression.

"I'm sorry, but you can't stay here any longer." Grandpa Shichihei reprimanded loudly and explained to the mother and daughter. "I'm glad you heard the news and came to seek refuge, but this place is different from the past. There are many families, including women's families and children. We can't take in children who will casually hurt other children." So, the mother and daughter left holding a cloth bag as they had when they came. At that time, the mother stared at Ah Ling with hatred eyes. When the mother noticed it, she hurriedly drove Ah Ling into the house.

——If you stare at people with that kind of eyes, it will be bad if you are cursed. Yes, Grandma was really scared at the time.So after I got sick, my mother kept crying and said that it was the woman who was kicked out who made trouble against Ah Ling for revenge, and was scolded by her father in the end. Ah Ling thought about these things drowsily, and when she came to her senses, the grimacing girl disappeared.Ah Ling could only vaguely see the wood grain on the ceiling.Ah, I am indeed dreaming, but who is that child? When Ah Ling opened her eyes again, the doctor was already sitting beside the pillow, touching Ah Ling's chest with a hand that smelled of medicine.The doctor looks the same age as Grandpa Qibingwei, with a wrinkled face, but why are his hands so thin and tender? "Come on, take a deep breath." Hearing what the doctor said, Ah Ling took a deep breath.There was a grunting sound deep in the chest.A-Ling felt that there was a smaller A-Ling in her body, running desperately like a white mouse spinning a waterwheel, trying to keep A-Ling alive.The snoring sound was that little Ah Ling's breathing. The doctor explained a lot about the decoction and Mrs. Tang to the grandmother beside her, and then he patted Ah Ling's head before leaving.Grandpa Qibingwei didn't seem to be here today, Ah Ling was a little disappointed. Grandma changed her clothes, and Ah Ling felt much refreshed.Grandma's expression was very bad, she must have suppressed her discomfort and got up to take care of Ah Ling. When Grandma supported Ah Ling to get up to drink the soup, Aunt Ateng actually walked into the tatami room, which startled Ah Ling.The aunt hugged Mrs. Tang with both hands to prevent Mrs. Tang from getting cold. "Hello, Ah Ling. Are you feeling better?" Aunt A-Teng replaced Mrs. Tang at A-Ling's feet, and asked A-Ling with a smile. Before A-Ling could speak, she answered by herself: "You'll get better soon. The doctor said the same." This is the habit of Aunt Ateng, who always asks and answers by herself every time.But Ah Ling likes Aunt Ateng very much, so she doesn't care at all. "Sister, I think Ah Ling's fever has subsided a bit, what do you think?" Mother asked. Aunt A Teng stroked A Ling's forehead with her rough palm and said: "Ah, really, it doesn't seem so hot anymore." "That's right, it's not that I'm overthinking." Aunt obviously felt relieved. Before my mother married my father, she was very close to Aunt Ateng.Aunt Ateng is about ten years older than my mother. I heard that my mother was taken care of by her aunt when she first entered Takadaya to work.Aunt Ateng taught my mother many things starting from the basics, so my mother still calls my aunt "Sister" until now. When deciding to rent a houseboat, my mother asked Grandpa Shichihei to lend her Aunt Ateng, saying that she would not have the confidence to run the shop without her sister.But no matter how you ask, Grandpa Qibingwei just doesn't agree.Grandma begged so desperately, why didn't Grandpa Qibingwei refuse to agree?Ah Ling felt strange and a little angry. Before moving to the houseboat, Ah Ling overheard Grandpa Qibingwei say this to Abba—— "You should know why I didn't agree to Duohui, right?" "Yes, I know." "If Ateng is by your side, Duohui must rely on Ateng for everything, so that Ateng will become like the proprietress, and Duohui will be the mistress instead. Ateng has a straightforward personality, so it's not unreasonable, but if Ateng keeps following Dou By Hui's side, Duo Hui will never be able to become the sole proprietress, right?" "I also think it's not good for her." "Actually, if you want to run a houseboat, it's best to hire new helpers as much as possible, but the shop has just started, and there are probably many places that are inconvenient. The next female manager sent Alu, who is younger than Duohui, and is honest. I won't be against Duo Hui, I can be your right and left hand..." That's why Ari came here from Takadaya. She should be busy arranging things and washing dishes in the shop now.But why is Aunt Ateng here?What a surprise for Ah Ling. Aunt Ateng is always full of energy. She wakes up early in the morning and eats a lot. She is a strong man.When living in Takadaya, Grandpa Shichibei always smiled and said every time he was drunk: "She competes with wrestlers, and she wins wrestlers twice out of three times." Aunt A Teng often jokes that she is a foodie, and she often gives A Ling snacks. Every time, her mother always tells her that "you can only eat one glutinous rice snack", but Aunt A Teng will secretly stuff another one for A Ling after a while. The two laughed and secretly ate in the kitchen.When a sugar seller came to sell, she would also say to Ah Ling: "Quick, Ah Ling go buy it." Every time she went to the night market, she would definitely buy something for Ah Ling.Last summer, Ah Ling cried for a water gun in the shape of a frog, but was severely scolded by her father. After crying and falling asleep, there was a frog water gun next to her pillow. Ah Ling was startled, it turned out to be Ah Teng My aunt bought it. "I wanted to play with it myself." When Aunt went to thank her, Aunt A Teng said, "Although I am quite old, I sometimes want to play with this kind of toy, but after I bought it, I was still too embarrassed to play with it, so I gave it to A Ling. " Throughout the summer, Ah Ling happily played with the frog water gun, and Aunt A Teng sometimes played with her.They watered potted plants with water guns, sprayed water on Grandpa Qibingwei, chased and played in the yard... Now Auntie and Auntie A-Teng were talking quietly, and they seemed to be sitting next to A-Ling's quilt.Ah Ling wanted to speak but couldn't speak. She hadn't eaten for several days and didn't have the strength to speak. "Huh? What?" Aunt quietly approached her face, and Aunt Ateng's big face also approached her. "A-Ling, did you say something?" Ah Ling wanted to ask Aunt Ateng if she would stay here forever, but the mothers didn't seem to understand. "Did you talk in your sleep?" "Are you dreaming?" Ah Ling thought she had her eyes open, but her eyelids were closed, so the two thought that Ah Ling was sleeping. Aunt, aunt, I just had a strange dream, a strange girl made faces at me.Ah Ling wanted to continue, but the voice still couldn't come out.Gradually, even Ah Ling didn't know whether she said it out loud or just thinking about it in her head. The mother asked the aunt in a crying voice: "Sister... is the child okay?" "No, you are so weak, how can you do it if you don't pull yourself together?" "I know...I know...but I'm really useless as a mother. It seems to be troubled by someone. Why is it always like this, children one after another..." "A-Ling won't die." Aunt A-Teng said angrily, "This child is blessed and blessed by the gods. Didn't the big boss say that?" "But……" "It's okay, she will definitely get better. You can lie down inside first, you look like a sick person." "But the guy from the thrift store is coming soon, that's the one... Is that guy called Mr. Renji?" "I'll call you when he comes. Before he comes, you go to lie down. I just came here to help you." Aunt opened the paper door and went out. Aunt A Teng used her thick hands to help A Ling twist the wet towel on her forehead again.Ah Ling felt a burst of coolness, very comfortable.It turned out that Aunt Ateng came to help because she heard that her mother was not feeling well, so she could feel at ease.By the way, just before I found out about the grimacing kid, someone touched my forehead with a cold hand and wiped my tears. That must be Aunt Ateng. It must be.Ah, great. After thinking about it, Ah Ling fell asleep.

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