Chapter 20 Relatives
Chapter 20 Relatives
Push open the door and enter the courtyard.
There was no one in the yard. The sound of nephew Zhou Chong reading aloud could be vaguely heard from the main room. Little Zhou Bin was not seen playing in the yard either. He was probably in the house with his brother.
There was smoke rising from the kitchen on the left and there was some movement inside. If I guessed correctly, my sister Zhu Xiuer was busy in the kitchen.
The day was gradually getting dark, and a distinguished guest had come to the post station today. There were not many people in the post station. Apart from the postmaster Zhou Anmin, there were only three postmen in the entire post station.
One of them was Old Tang whom I met just now, another was Old Tang’s son Xiao Tang, and the last one was Zhou Anmin’s cousin, an honest man.
The post station is considered a government institution. Although the postmaster has no rank and is just a low-ranking official, he is still a civil servant. As for the postmen, they can barely be considered as public servants. Therefore, it is very good to find a job in the post station. Although the income is not much, at least it is guaranteed to have an income regardless of drought or flood, which is much better than Zhu Shenzui, a member of the royal family whose salary is discounted and owed.
There weren't many people at the post station, only four in total including Zhou Anmin and three postmen.
It was fine on weekdays, but once there were more guests staying at the post station, they would be busy enough. So in order to save costs, the meals and laundry at the post station were usually done by sister Zhu Xiuer, and sometimes Zhu Xiuer had to help with other things.
Speaking of this, Zhu Xiu'er didn't care at all. She was just a clan daughter in name only. Now she was married and had children, and there was no difference between her and ordinary women.
Besides, doing these things in the post station is not in vain. Not to mention that Zhu Xiuer can take the title of a cook, Zhou Anmin should of course apply for more subsidies. Secondly, cooking for the post station also solves the problem of daily food and drink at home. Sometimes there are generous guests who have higher requirements for food. When cooking, some food can be left over, which can also improve the family's food. If the other party is happy to give a reward, it will be an extra income.
I walked towards the kitchen, peeked inside, and sure enough, my sister Zhu Xiuer was busy at the stove.
There were two stoves, one was stewing in a clay pot, and judging by the aroma, it should be chicken soup. On the other stove, Zhu Xiuer was frying vegetables skillfully. The pot was full of oil, and the aroma with a hint of sour vinegar wafted out. If Zhu Shenzhu guessed correctly, the pot was filled with mutton with vinegar.
"Please bring the stew over first. The chicken soup needs to be stewed for a while, and the mutton needs to be cooked for some time. I'll cook a fish later, and it will be almost done in a pot. By the way, when you bring it over, ask the guests if they need anything else. If they need more, just let them know..."
Zhu Xiuer rolled up her sleeves and worked hard, and spoke without raising her head.
Zhu Shencui looked towards the wooden table beside him, where a bowl of freshly cooked stew was placed. Then he looked at his sister. Zhu Shencui hadn't seen her for more than two months.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up! Don't make people wait anxiously." Feeling that Zhu Shenzhui was standing at the door without moving, Zhu Xiu'er frowned slightly. Her hands kept moving, and the spatula was stirring in the pot. She couldn't help but urge him.
"Sister...it's me..."
Zhu Xiuer was stunned for a moment and turned her head suddenly. When she saw Zhu Shenzhui standing at the door and looking at her with a smile, an expression of surprise instantly appeared on her face.
"Little brother! Why...why are you here? When did you arrive? Have you seen your brother-in-law? Why didn't you greet me when you came in? I thought it was your brother-in-law who came back."
Throwing down the spatula, Zhu Xiuer walked a few steps to Zhu Shenzhui, took Zhu Shenzhui's hand and looked her younger brother up and down.
Ever since her father and eldest brother passed away, apart from her husband and children, this only younger brother and niece are the closest people to her.
Let’s not talk about Zhang and Qiao’er for now. Zhang, my brother’s wife, can be considered an outsider. Although Qiao’er is my eldest brother’s flesh and blood, unfortunately she is a girl.
Therefore, Zhu Shenzhui can be said to be the last man in this lineage of their family. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui has been particularly close to his elder sister Zhu Xiuer since childhood and was raised by Zhu Xiuer. Zhu Xiuer is particularly fond of this younger brother.
"Let me take a good look at you. You've grown taller since I last saw you in two months, but why do you look a little thinner? And a little darker, but you look more like a man." Zhu Xiu'er's eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhu Shenzhui.
"Sister, am I fine? Besides, isn't it normal to grow taller and thinner?" Zhu Shenzhu felt warm in his heart as he looked at his elder sister. The elder sister was not too old this year, only 26 years old. At this age, in later generations, she would still be a "little fairy" who would pout and make hand gestures in front of the camera of a mobile phone.
But after giving birth to two children and taking care of the household, the eldest sister now has wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and her hands are very rough because she often helps with washing and scrubbing.
"That's fine... That's fine..." Raising her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, Zhu Xiu'er couldn't help but said happily: "I've been looking forward to your coming these days. I was talking about you with your brother-in-law yesterday. Now that you are here, please stay for a few more days. By the way, we have distinguished guests today, so I have prepared some delicious dishes. Let's have a good drink with your brother-in-law in the evening." "Okay!" Zhu Shenzhui smiled and nodded vigorously.
After Zhu Xiuer finished speaking, she suddenly remembered that she was still cooking on the stove, so she exclaimed and turned back to the stove. Fortunately, the fire was not very strong, and the soup in the pot had not yet dried up. Zhu Xiuer stir-fried it a few times with a spatula, and then started to serve the food.
Zhu Shenzhui was not idle either. He rolled up his sleeves and went forward to help. While the two were busy, his brother-in-law Zhou Anmin arrived.
Zhou Anmin came in from outside in a hurry. When he saw Zhu Shenzhui, he said happily: "It turns out that my little brother is here. Old Tang just told me about it."
"Brother-in-law!" Zhu Shenzhui put the dishes in the bowls on the table and greeted Zhou Anmin with a smile.
"Okay, I'm glad you're here. Let's have a couple of drinks today. Xiu'er, remember to prepare two more dishes later. I haven't seen you for a while."
"Do I need you to tell me? I already knew it." Zhu Xiuer said this with a smile. At the same time, she put the remaining mutton in the pot into another bowl, and then put this bowl of vegetable in a steamer on the left side of the stove. There was already a bowl of vegetable in the steamer, which seemed to be a stew. As for where it came from, everyone knew it.
After saying a few words, Zhou Anmin was busy bringing the prepared dishes over as people in the South Courtyard were still waiting.
He specially greeted Zhu Shenzhui, who smiled and said it was okay and that it was more important to do business first. They were all family and there was no need to be so polite. He quickly helped Zhou Anmin put the prepared dishes into the lunch boxes.
Zhou Anmin carried the food box and delivered it first. Zhu Shenzhui continued to stay in the kitchen to chat with his sister and help with the cooking.
After asking about the family situation and talking about other things, the brother and sister chatted and laughed while working, and for a moment they felt like they had returned to the time before Zhu Xiu'er got married. At that time, the eldest sister was also like this, often busy in the kitchen. Zhu Shenzhu was still young at the time, and Zhu Xiu'er always took him with her, chatting with him while working, for fear that he would be bored. The past was vaguely in front of them, but time had passed in a flash, and many years had passed.
Zhou Anmin went and came back several times, and after taking all the food away, he considered the matter of the South Courtyard to be settled.
After finishing, the three of them happily carried the food in the jar back to the main room. When they got back to the room, the two nephews, who had been looking forward to the meal for a long time, were already a little impatient. But when they saw their uncle Zhu Shenzhu appear, the two little ones instantly widened their eyes with joy, jumped off the kang, and ran towards Zhu Shenzhu in a hurry.
"Good boy! You've gained a lot of weight!" He reached out and picked up the eldest brother Zhou Chong who threw himself into his arms. This boy was a little taller and stronger than the last time he saw him.
Seeing his brother being picked up by his uncle, the second child Zhou Bin, who ran slower, suddenly became anxious and jumped to be picked up by his uncle. Zhu Shenzhui happily squatted down, stretched out his hands and picked up the little guy, holding one in each hand, holding him firmly.
"Uncle, uncle! Why did you come just now? I missed you so much!" The eldest brother Zhou Chong said affectionately while hugging Zhu Shenzhui's neck.
"I miss my uncle too... I miss my uncle too!" The second child Zhou Bin was unwilling to be left behind and waved his little hands and shouted anxiously.
Looking at the cute appearance of his two nephews, Zhu Shenzhui laughed out loud, and Zhou Anmin and his wife were also very happy. These two boys have always been closest to Zhu Shenzhui. Sometimes Zhou Anmin was even a little jealous, thinking that he, as a father, was not as good as his brother-in-law in the children's hearts.
He smiled and carried the children into the pit, then put the two children down. Then Zhu Shenzhui reached into his arms and took out two things and handed them to them.
These two things were small gifts Zhu Shenzui brought for his two nephews. The one for the eldest nephew Zhou Chong was a nine-linked ring, and the one for the second nephew Zhou Bin was a rattle.
These two toys are the favorites of children, especially the Nine-Linked Rings, which is a rare item. This is a kind of educational toy for children to play with. It was very popular during the Ming Dynasty. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Nine-Linked Rings crossed the ocean to the West and was highly praised by Western scholars, also known as the "Chinese Ring".
The Nine-Rings Linked Chain that Zhu Shenzhui brought was made by Zhao Dabang. It was made of exquisite materials and had fine workmanship, and was much more sophisticated than those on the market.
Even the rattle was made by a carpenter from Wangjia Village. The drumhead was covered with sheepskin that had been nitrated with the finest quality and had exquisite patterns painted on it. The drum body was made of the finest wood and was painted red. When you shook it in your hand, the two drumsticks hit the drumhead, making a clear and loud sound.
(End of this chapter)