Chapter 29 Da Lian

But Zhao Liu and his partner never expected that their son-in-law, whom they had carefully chosen from thousands of people, would die of tuberculosis two years after their marriage. Perhaps the husband’s family was too heartbroken about their son’s early death, so they turned their anger on  Da Lian. They did not allow Da Lian to return home, forcing him to observe filial piety for his deceased husband.

 Of course, Uncle Zhao Liu couldn’t agree. He came to the door with his son and wanted to take back his poor geer. Even if they were going to raise him for life, they were not willing to let him stay in such a husband’s family and suffer. It Looked like the family was not going to give up until they forced Da Lian to death.

There was a big fight between the two families. Although Uncle Zhao wanted to take his geer home, he was helpless. He and his husband only had two children, one was a man and the other was Dalian, but the husband’s family had many people. Taking advantage of their large number, they drove Uncle Liu and his son out, refusing to let Da Lian come see them.

Da Lian’s name became widespread, and it also spread back to Pingshan Village. Zhao Liu and his son returned to Pingshan Village with injuries at that time and wanted to gather people from the Zhao family to start another fight and vow to bring their geer back. He thought that because they both had the same surname as Zhao, the clan members would help him.

 Unexpectedly, his husband’s family was somewhat related to Zhao’s maternal family. He didn’t know what that family said but they convinced his husband to persuade Zhao Liu into letting his geer stay in that family for the time being, after all his geer’s reputation had been ruined, and there was no way he could remarry anytime soon.

The third uncle of the Zhao family did not agree to come forward. He said that bringing his geer back like this would disgrace the Zhao family’s reputation. It would also ruin the marriage of the Zhao family’s unmarried geers. He also said that that family had a good reputation and would not mistreat Da Lian. Faced with such a person named Zhao, Uncle Zhao was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot and fell ill when he got home, his husband was also bedridden.

Uncle Zhao Liu was helpless and unable to save his geer, but he was unwilling to give up. He dragged the sick body and turned around to find Li Zheng, at that time still the village head. Although Li Zheng was not in a position to interfere with the Zhao family’s matters, he still promised to go to the village where the husband’s family was located to negotiate, hoping to inquire about Da Lian’s whereabouts amicably.

Uncle Zhao Liu was full of joy and spent a lot of money on this. Unexpectedly, just when he was full of hope, bad news suddenly came. Da Lian had jumped into the river and was already dead when he was found. Uncle Zhao Liu almost couldn’t breathe when he heard the news.

He came up, took Li Zheng with him, and went to his geer’s place. He would never believe that his geer would commit suicide by drowning himself in the river for no reason.

At first, the husband’s family was taciturn and refused to tell the truth, saying that Da Lian couldn’t let go of the man and committed suicide to accompany him. However, there is no impenetrable wall in this world. There are still some rumors about why Da Lian jumped into the river, it turned out that a man from the husband’s family sneaked into Dalian’s house and wanted to forcefully marry him.

 Of course, Dalian refused to agree and started shouting, which alarmed the husband’s family. Unexpectedly, when the man saw that the incident was leaked, he framed him and said that it was Dalian who deliberately seduced him, which made him unable to control himself for a while.

The husband’s family already hated Dalian and blamed their son’s death on Dalian. They called him all kinds of vicious words and even said that he would be punished by soaking him in the pig’s cage. In shame, anger, and despair, Dalian couldn’t think of anything and ran out of the house, and ended up committing suicide.

After the incident broke out, even the people in the village didn’t believe that Da Lian was that kind of person. On the contrary, the man usually had bad conduct, and rumors spread that the husband’s family were the ones who killed Da Lian because he had done something scandalous.

Talents will seek their death, and the husband’s family went after Zhao Liu’s family, saying that his geer had ruined their family’s reputation. The incident was so big that even some families in Pingshan Village who sympathized with Da Lian also went to make trouble in that village, almost causing a fight between the two villages and alerting the government.

In the end, with the intervention of Li Zheng on both sides, the man who tried to force Da Lian was expelled from the village. Uncle Zhao Liu was able to take back his geer’s body for burial, sending away his geer and his husband.

That’s how the hatred between him and the Zhao family came to be. Uncle Zhao Liu always believed that if the third uncle and the Zhao family had agreed to go to that husband’s family with him to bring back his geer, things would not have come to this point.

Da Lian would not have died at all, and her husband would not have been depressed and passed away due to excessive grief. Even though the third uncle also came forward later on, Uncle Liu could not forgive him in his heart.

After hearing what happened to Da Lian of Uncle Liu’s family, Tang Chunming finally understood why when Old Zhao forced him to observe filial piety for Zhao Dahu, but once Zhang Xiu mentioned Da Lian’s name the villagers were silenced and disagreed with Old Zhao.

Although so many years have passed since Da Lian’s incident, people in Pingshan Village rarely asked their ger to observe filial piety for their husbands, for fear that a tragedy like that of Da Lian would happen again.

Maybe Uncle Zhao Liu saw the shadow of Da Lian in himself, so he later became enthusiastic about him. Maybe he wanted to find some psychological comfort from it. In any case, this is a respectable elder who makes people sympathize with him. It’s completely different from the third uncle, an elder who seeks the so-called fame. Looking at the third uncle’s behavior now, it can be seen that he hadn’t learned a lesson from what happened back then.

Tang Chunming is a man who knows how to repay kindness. Regardless of the reason for Uncle Zhao’s kindness to him, he can’t be the only one benefiting, so he is willing to take care of Uncle Zhao a little.

The town was very lively on market day. Tang Chunming and the others came out of the village early in the morning. When they arrived at the town, there were already people coming and going at the market. Zhang Xiu and Tang Chunming found an open space to set up a stall.

The residents of the town also like to come and take a look at this market. The prices of the things brought by the surrounding villagers are cheaper than those in the shops. There are not many eggs in this season so Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo sold them for a penny, and the basket was quickly emptied.

Tang Chunming’s dishes are of course very attractive when presented. At this time, the cabbage and radishes stored all year round have long been wilted and tasteless, and people are tired of eating dried vegetables, and the fresh vegetables have not yet come to the market.

Seeing fresh vegetables at this time in the market, many people stopped to ask about the price per kilogram to buy for the family to taste. However, most people backed down after hearing the price.

 It was just vegetables, how could it be more expensive than meat? If you buy a pound of vegetables, you can eat a meal of meat. Ordinary people felt that Tang Chunming was selling too much. It was too expensive, but Tang Chunming did not consider selling at a reduced price for the time being.

However, some people from well-off families are so attracted by the vegetables that they can’t help but buy a pound or two to try it. If it tastes good, they will buy it again.

“Brother Ming,” Zhang Xiu couldn’t help but worry when he saw that only less than ten kilograms of vegetables had been sold, “Is it too expensive? There are not many rich families in this town.” Before he came here, he didn’t ask Tang Chunming what price he was going to sell them for, but he thought it would be a few cents more expensive than when it was put on the market in large quantities. Who would have thought that Brother Ming would offer such a price, it made him stunned, and also customers were put off.

“Let’s wait and see. I’ll sell here for a while and then I’ll go to those shops to have a look, there will always be someone adept.” Tang Chunming thought to himself that he only sold it for more than ten pennies per catty. To be honest, Compared with the price in the county last time, he lost a lot.

Although the vegetables grown in the backyard were not as good as those grown in the pure space, their quality was still higher than those grown in ordinary fields. He was not willing to sell them at a low price. Well, if it doesn’t work, will he go to the county town to probe?

“Brother Axiu, Brother Mo, what about the restaurants in this town? How is the business? By the way, the restaurant where Dahu used to send wild animals is called Jinji Restaurant. How about going there later on to inquire?” 

Brother Ming didn’t meddle with those things in the past. He strictly abides by the rule that a man should control his wife and his family, so Brother Ming(the original owner) has never been to that restaurant. But thinking about Zhao Dahu’s personality, it was difficult to talk to him at home, but people praised him outside. Presumably, the shopkeeper of the restaurant will not have a bad impression of him, so he may buy from him. Tang Chunming immediately decided to bring a basket of vegetables to ask.

“Yes, I also heard Dashan mentioning it. How about I accompany you and let Brother Mo stay here first?” Zhang Xiu suggested.

“I’m fine with it. You guys go ahead and find a good buyer early so you can  be rest assured.” Wang Mo had the same idea as Zhang Xiu, but if he could sell it at such a price, Brother Ming wouldn’t have to be apprehensive.

Ah-Lin had been sitting obediently by the side so as not to cause trouble for his mother. Seeing that his mother was about to leave, he earnestly looked at him. Tang Chunming pinched Ah-Lin’s fleshy cheeks and said with a smile: “A-Lin, will of course tag along, to clear the way for Mother.”

Zhang Xiu found it funny and gave Tang Chunming a gentle smack. Ah-Lin was overjoyed that he wanted to help his mother carry the basket. Zhang Xiu saw it and quickly snatched it. Such a small person almost covered himself with such a big basket. 

Wang Mo also gave his embroidery work to Zhang Xiu and asked him to send it to the embroidery workshop together. The two of them often did it to provide some supplement to the family. Of course, in the past, he had to add Brother Ming’s, but now Tang Chunming was very lazy, and he had a lot of things to do at home, so the two of them didn’t persuade him much, and of course, they didn’t contemplate much about it.

Tang Chunming grabbed Ah-Lin’s hand and squeezed into the crowd. Along the way, he bought a candied haw for Ah-Lin to eat. He and Zhang Xiu slowly walked to the restaurant where the two characters “Jinji” were hung on the door frame.

Zhang Xiu is a restless person. If it were only him, he would have hurriedly rushed to the restaurant to get the result early. No matter if it were positive or negative. But looking back, Ming Geer had a big belly and walked with his feet spread out like a duck, and kept pausing. He(ZX) couldn’t help but smile and slow down his pace to accompany him.

Tang Chunming glanced at him speechlessly, knowing that he looked ugly like this. He also despised himself, let alone others. If his belly were any bigger, he wouldn’t even want to leave the house.

Jinji Restaurant is certainly not as big as Tingjing Pavilion and Minglanju in the county in terms of scale and appearance, but compared with other buildings in the town, it is still very eye-catching.

 There are dozens of villages around Ping’an Town, there are not many things in the mountains, but there is no shortage of mountain products in Ping’an Town. There are also merchants coming from the north and south to collect goods and do business. Therefore, even if it is not a market day, and not many people are in town, the business of the restaurant will not be hindered.

It’s been a long time since he went to the county town, only when using money, would Tang Chunming think about his flattering kindness and the peculiar things he had done. He had long forgotten about shopkeeper Chen. He secretly thought that as long as he didn’t go to Tingjing Restaurant in the county town, he and shopkeeper Chen would never meet again, and such a big restaurant shopkeeper would not have enough time to come to a small town.

Of course, shopkeeper Chen will not come over. The business of Tingjing Pavilion cannot be separated from his rudder. But shopkeeper Chen’s absence does not mean that other people from Tingjing Pavilion will not appear in Ping’an Town. Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm. The boss behind Jinji Restaurant is the same person as the one from Tingjing Pavilion.

Of course, Tang Chunming wasn’t aware of Tingjing Pavilion’s owner’s name. Even if the owner of Jinji Restaurant was standing in front of him now, he would not connect him with Tingjing Pavilion.

The shopkeeper of Jinji Restaurant was named Qi. Tang Chunming had heard Zhao Dahu mention it before. When the shopkeeper Qi saw Tang Chunming, he was stunned for a moment. He also heard the news that Zhao Dahu died in the mountains. When he heard the news, he felt regretful. There is one less hunter to provide wild animals, but it is just a pity and nothing more.

There will be no shortage of hunters from all over the country. Without Zhao Dahu, there will naturally be other hunters to provide them with wild animals.

“Are you  Dahu’s family ger? Is this Dahu’s geer child?” Shopkeeper Qi had heard people say that Zhao Dahu married a good ger before, but now that he saw the real person standing in front of him, he couldn’t help feeling that Dahu was unfortunate. He was blessed with such a good ger but couldn’t hold on and left early.

“Yes, I have wanted to visit you for a long time, but I have never had time. In the past, you took care of Dahu, and our family could live well. My surname is Tang, and this is my little geer Ah-Lin. “Ah-Lin, his name is Uncle Qi.”

Tang Chunming shamelessly used Zhao Dahu’s banner to get close to others.

“Uncle Qi,” Ah-Lin called softly. He inherited Brother Ming’s appearance, and he has taken good care of himself recently. His hair is no longer dry and yellow. At first glance, he is a cute, beautiful, and an adorable little geer.

“Good boy.” Shopkeeper Qi asked an errand boy to bring some snacks. Ah-Lin glanced at his mother bashfully. Tang Chunming nodded to him. He accepted the shopkeeper’s kindness. This shows that the relationship between Zhao Dahu and him was still good in the past. It’s indeed the right approach.

Shopkeeper Qi was also curious about what Dahu’s ger was doing here and asked directly: “I don’t know what Tang Amo’s requirements are. I’ll do my best to help you if I can.” He didn’t say much, leaving some suspicion. But looking at the clear eyes of this ger, he is not the kind of person who is messing around, so he is a little curious about his purpose.

Tang Chunming was also a cheerful person. He took the basket from Zhang Xiu’s hand and handed it directly to shopkeeper Qi. He said, “I planted some vegetables in my spare time at home. If the shopkeeper Qi is interested in them. I’ll give this to you, let the chef cook the food and try it. If you think it’s good, we can talk about it. Of course, shopkeeper Qi doesn’t have to take care of us for Dahu’s sake. The price I charge for the vegetables is not low, so shopkeeper Qi should carefully think about it. Just come find me at the market when you have decided.”

What he said surprised shopkeeper Qi. Zhao Dahu had never brought his ger out before. He also asked curiously. Zhao Dahu said that his ger was a little introverted and didn’t like to meet strangers, but after meeting him, his previous perceptions were greatly overturned. Is this the meaning of being introverted and not liking to meet strangers? He is acting familiar with himself. What does it mean that he does not need to take care of them for the sake of Dahu’s face? And saying the price is not low?

Shopkeeper Qi almost laughed out loud. This ger is interesting, you can’t see him looking sad after Dahu left, and the little geer is also well taken care of.

Although Shopkeeper Qi didn’t know why Mr. Tang was so confident, he also said that this basket of vegetables was given to them, so there was no harm in accepting it. Of course, they had their supply channels as restaurant owners, so they didn’t just casually switch to other suppliers, otherwise, you wouldn’t have credibility as a businessman. As for whether to take the initiative after accepting it, it’s up to the restaurant. Otherwise, if you refuse now, it will make others disappointed. Why would Shopkeeper Qi bother to make things difficult for others?

He immediately responded with a smile: “Okay, then I would like to thank Tang Amo. There are not many fresh vegetables at this time. I will ask the chef to cook the dishes for a taste later.” Tang Chunming knew there was no guarantee and left Without further ado, after delivering the vegetables, Ah-Lin waved goodbye to Uncle Qi and left the Jinji Restaurant with Zhang Xiu.

“Brother Ming, didn’t you say you were going to sell it to them? Why did you give it away for free? Can you still do the business after this?” Zhang Xiu had been silent before. After all, he had never seen many big scenes, and he didn’t know Brother Ming’s plan, but he couldn’t help but ask as soon as they left the restaurant.

“Mom,” Ah-Lin said happily, holding the snacks, “I want to take them back to eat with Da Mao and Er Mao.”

“Our Ah-Lin is so good, come on, give me a hug.” Zhang Xiu happily hugged Ah-Lin.

Tang Chunming took the things from Zhang Xiu’s hand and explained as he walked: “You also know how the vegetables I grow taste after you ate them. I dare say that they are one of the best. As long as he eats them He will come to buy more unless he secretly disposes of those vegetables, is that possible?”

Zhang Xiu burst into laughter: “This is not the time when fresh vegetables are on the market. Who would throw them away? Well, I will wait with you for the shopkeeper to come.”

 Although Zhang Xiu knew that the vegetables were good, others didn’t. Of course, Tang Chunming knew what way to do business, he couldn’t wait long. One day was enough. If shopkeeper Qi didn’t show up, he could try it in other restaurants. It’s unreasonable if the vegetables can’t be sold, after all, they were so scrumptious, Look at how kind the shopkeeper Chen from Tingjing was.

Shopkeeper Chen, who was standing behind the counter in Tingjing Pavilion in Anping County, suddenly sneezed and quickly rubbed his nose with a handkerchief. Who was talking about him behind his back?

The two of them walked towards the market. At Jinji Restaurant, shopkeeper Qi, who was compared to shopkeeper Chen of Tingjing Pavilion, ordered that the basket handed by Tang Chunming be carried to the back kitchen to prepare some dishes. The boss happens to be here at this time, and he will let him try later. The boss came here to look for the supply of vegetables. To be honest, he couldn’t believe the boss’s description. Is there such a delicious dish that is unforgettable after eating it? The boss is talking about fairy dishes.

“Master.” Shopkeeper Qi, like Shopkeeper Chen, is an old man who has followed the young master. It was the labor force left to him by the young master’s mother. However, the young master’s property is very scattered and does not use a unified sign. Therefore, except for the one in Anping County, Outside Tingjing Pavilion, not many people would associate the shops scattered around Dingzhou Prefecture with their boss.

“Old Qi, sit down, what’s wrong? What happened just now?” It was the waiter in the store who called shopkeeper Qi down when Tang Chunming came. 

Shopkeeper Qi explained that it was for Zhao Dahu’s sake that he did not reject him straight away. Of course, he also decided to try it because the vegetables looked very good. If it was delicious, he might as well give him a face. Normally, he would not offend the old suppliers, Jinji Restaurant has been open in the town for a long time and has always had a good reputation.

“A ger? Delivering vegetables?” Although the young master leaned against the window and watched the flow of people on the street outside without any purpose, his mind was empty and he was lost in his thoughts. He had been running around during this period, but it was impossible to find the dark-skinned man described by Old Chen, let alone a dish with that taste. He seemed to appear and disappear out of thin air, which made him feel a little dismayed.

At this time, he heard Shopkeeper Qi mention that a ger came to deliver vegetables, which suddenly aroused a certain nerve in him. In the past, he would not have cared about this matter at all and left all the decisions to be handled by Shopkeeper Qi, since both Lao Chen and Lao Qi were very loyal to him and took good care of the shop. However, after the incident at Tingjing Pavilion before and the failure to get what he was looking for, the young master held the vow of “I would rather miss it than let go”. With such an attitude, Shopkeeper Qi ordered the people in the kitchen to start cooking the dishes quickly.

Shopkeeper Qi would not object to the young master’s instructions, so he hurriedly followed up and sat down with the young master to wait for the food to be served. The young master’s name was Teng Mingyu, and he was a member of the Teng clan in Anping County. However, since his mother died young, he grew up in an estranged family, and the relationship with the family is not deep.

Teng Yu waited for Shopkeeper Qi to sit down and asked him about the situation in detail. Upon hearing the description of the ger’s appearance, Teng Yu’s eyes flashed with disappointment. The difference was too big. Even though he knew that such a possibility was rare, he still held a little hope, the result was also expected. One has a dark complexion, one has skin as white as jade, one is in bloated clothes, and the other is several months pregnant. One has a greenhouse that no ordinary family can afford, and the other is from a poor farmer’s family who has just lost his husband. It’s all wrong, Teng Yu couldn’t find any similarities.

The food was served very quickly, and Teng Yu didn’t have to wait too long. Two pots of stir-fried vegetables without any other ingredients were brought out. Before they were put on the table, Teng Yu’s nose couldn’t help but twitch, as if he smelled something. There was a familiar smell, the color was also green, and the heartbeat that had just stopped began to beat loudly again. Before the shopkeeper Qi could say anything, he picked up the chopsticks, picked up the dish, and put it into his mouth without caring about being scalded.

“Master, be careful if it’s hot, and slow down.” Shopkeeper Qi grew up watching his young master grow up, and his relationship is very close, not like a normal master-servant relationship.

“Yes, that’s the taste. No, no, it’s still a bit off. Lao Qi, try it quickly. No, send someone to quickly find that ger. Although this dish is a bit off, you can’t disregard it.” Teng Yu shouted anxiously, without his usual calm image.