Chapter 319: A pair of "friends regardless of age"
Sun Shan never thought that he could earn 10 taels by playing the erhu well, and he couldn't help laughing.
Today is August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the school is closed.
Hong Chengcai sent his servant to guard Sunshan early in the morning.
When he saw Sun Shan, he said happily, "Mr. Sun, I'm here. My young master sent me to pick you up."
Sun Shan smiled, waved his hand, and followed the servant slowly back to the Hong family.
Passing by the street, I bought some apples and a bag of five-nut mooncakes.
The servant said anxiously, "Mr. Sun, the young master has told us not to buy anything. Don't be so polite. You are still studying and have no money. You have to save money."
Sun Shan was amused. Hong Chengcai's servant was too straightforward. He then shook his head and said, "I'm not buying it for your young master. I'm buying it for your master and his wife."
The honest servant scratched his head, not knowing what to say for a moment.
He had no choice but to snatch Sun Shan’s gift and carry it back by himself.
The two of them soon arrived at the Hong family's home. Hong Chengcai rushed over with his beer belly and said with a smile, "Ashan, you're here."
As he looked at the gifts, he saw a small basket of apples and said in surprise, "Ashan, what a generous gift! The apples are so precious."
Sun Shan smiled and said, "Last time I heard that my aunt liked to eat it. I just passed by the street and saw some for sale, so I bought some."
Apples were indeed very expensive. Sun Shan bought 20 apples and spent a total of 200 coins.
A pound of pork costs 10 cents, and one apple is equal to a pound of pork. If Sun Boming and Su were here, they would definitely be heartbroken.
When Mrs. Hong heard what Sun Shan said, she was so happy that her teeth were not visible. She said happily: "Shanzi still cares about me. I can't say that I like to eat apples more than once, but the result is, hey..."
Mrs. Hong glanced at Hong Dalang, then at Hong Chengcai and her second son, and her meaning was self-evident.
Hong Dalang's figure became more and more bloated, and his belly became more and more prominent, as if he had gained weight again. He rolled his eyes and said, "Wife, don't blame me. All the money I earn is with you. What can't I buy if I want? Even if I remember it and want to buy you apples, I need money."
Mrs. Hong was furious and started arguing with Hong Dalang regardless of the presence of Sun Shan.
Sun Shan tried to stop the fight at first, but now he's used to it.
Faced with such a situation, the only thing I could do was hide in a corner with Hong Chengcai and his younger brother, cover my ears, and wait quietly for the couple to finish their quarrel.
Hong Chengcai said helplessly: "Ashan, my father and mother really don't treat you as an outsider. They actually quarreled in front of you. I tell you the truth, my father and mother love you more than my grandfather and grandmother. They don't dare to quarrel in front of my grandfather and grandmother."
Sun Shan felt that it was true that Hong Dalang and his wife did not treat him as an outsider, but it was definitely false that they were closer to him than Hong Xiucai and his wife.
How could the son and daughter-in-law dare to fight in front of their parents, especially in front of Mr. Hong.
Mr. Hong had a cold and serious face. If Sun Shan had not been facing him day and night, he would have been a little afraid of him.
Hong Dalang and his wife had been away from home for many years. They must have been afraid and terrified when facing the stern Hong Xiucai, so they dared not quarrel.
Sun Shan looked at Hong Chengcai sympathetically and said, "Brother Chengcai, I'm sorry for you. Your uncle and aunt are quarreling so much. I feel sorry for you."
Hong Chengcai sighed and said, "Every family has its own problems, alas."
That look was very much like the cabbages in the field. Hong Chengcai's aggrieved eyes seemed to be singing: Cabbages, the field is yellow...
Hong Chengcai's younger brother pouted and said very dissatisfiedly: "Dad and Mom can quarrel if they want, just quarrel behind closed doors. It's broad daylight, quarreling with the door open, people will laugh at you."
Then, as if he had thought of something, he said to Sun Shan, "Ashan, we must be careful when choosing a wife. We must find someone who is gentle, virtuous, beautiful, and considerate. We cannot find someone like my mother, who is too cruel."
Sun Shan was embarrassed and secretly looked at Hong Dalang and Mrs. Hong. Fortunately, they were still arguing and hadn't looked over here, otherwise, the second brother Hong would have been in trouble.
Speaking of a wife, Hong Chengcai said proudly: "Second brother, you are right. You must not find someone like A Niang. If you want to find one, find someone like your eldest sister-in-law, who is both smart and gentle and considerate."
He raised his eyes, looked at Sun Shan and said, "Ashan, when you marry a wife in the future, you must be careful not to let a sparrow peck her eyes out."
Hong Chengcai's wife is a native of Zhangzhou Prefecture. She was in the kitchen preparing today's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, so she missed the exciting scene of her parents-in-law quarreling.
In Sun Shan's impression, Hong Chengcai's wife was indeed quiet and gentle, with a virtuous appearance, and much more handsome than Hong Chengcai.
Only when Hong Erlang and his wife came back from outside did Hong Dalang and his wife stop arguing.
Sun Shan was really impressed by the couple. They could quarrel for so long. What was even more impressive was that they were talking and laughing less than half an hour after the quarrel, as if they were not the ones quarreling just now.
From lunch to dinner, Sun Shan’s favorite dish was the Perilla Snails, a must-have dish for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Sun Shan picked up the snail meat with a toothpick and ate it with great joy.
I love eating perilla stone snails, a must-have for moon-watching during the Mid-Autumn Festival
I recall that I missed the Mid-Autumn Festival last year because I fell ill during the college entrance examination. Later, Sun Boming made up for it, and we all watched the moon and ate mooncakes together in the small courtyard.
Time flies, and a year has passed so quickly. Sun Shan felt a little sad.
The next day was still a holiday, and Hong Chengcai and Hong Erdi took Sun Shan for a stroll.
Hong Chengcai also bought a lot of mooncakes, including lotus seed paste, red bean paste, five-nut paste, and coconut paste. He bought a pack of each type of filling.
Sun Shan asked in confusion: "Brother Chengcai, why are you buying mooncakes?"
If you wanted to give a gift, you would have given it a long time ago. Who would give a gift on August 16th?
The second brother Hong whispered, "Ashan, my eldest brother is buying mooncakes to eat at home. He likes eating mooncakes the most. Mooncakes before August 15th are very expensive. It's not worth buying them to eat at home. After August 15th, it's different. The price of mooncakes has increased significantly. It's very cheap. It's the best time to buy mooncakes to eat at home."
Hong Chengcai said proudly: "Yes, the mooncakes before August 15th are exactly the same as those after August 15th. I won't spend several times the price to buy them before August 15th."
Then he said in a tone like an elder: "Second brother, Ashan, we are not a wealthy family. We should save as much as possible, understand?"
Hong Chengcai picked out a few more packets, saying he would take them to the provincial school for Sun Shan to eat.
Especially at night, if you feel hungry, just eat one. It guarantees you will be full all night and sleep well.
Sun Shan never thought that the Hong family was so thrifty. No wonder they were able to build a career in Zhangzhou Prefecture and live in a three-story house.
After the rest, Mrs. Hong packed a lot of things for Sun Shan to take back, and also told him to come to the Hong family to play during the holidays, as she was always free.
Sun Shan was deeply moved.
Hong Chengcai carried large and small bags, urged the mothers-in-law and mothers-in-law to bid farewell to Sun Shan and Mrs. Hong reluctantly.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes in my heart. What a pair of "friends regardless of age". It was unbearable to look at them.