Chapter 77 Let Me Tell You A Story
Xia Fengchun came out wearing a ragged cotton-padded jacket, cigarette light flickering in the night. He asked, "Who's it?"
Su Jiuyue was still shy to call herself the Wu Xiyuan's wife in the public, so she made a sigh for Wu Xiyuan to reply by poking him.
Sensing that, Wu Xiyuan yelled, "Uncle Fengchun. It's me, Xiyuan!"
Xia Fengchun came out and opened the door the moment he heard it. He rolled over these two people and asked, "What are you guys coming for at night?"
Shaking the empty wine pot in his hand, Wu Xiyuan explained, "My mom asked us to buy some wine."
Xia Fengchun was amazed and came to realize the gossip that Wu family was rich was true.
In an era when people were trying to make their ends meet, it was quite amazing thing that Wu family even had spare money for wine!
"Fine! Come in! Nobody ever comes here to buy wine except you Wu family. In former winter days, my home was still patronized by a few people for buying some wine to warm them up. But not even a jar of wine was unsealed in this year!"
Su Jiuyue also knew fewer people would buy wine in troubled times. Because of it, less wine would be brewed to avoid wasting grain.
Everyone was living a hard time. Knowing that, Su Jiuyue just listened quietly to Xia Fengchun's grumble.
However, Wu Xiyuan always made a different reaction. He asked, "Uncle Fengchun, will it be warm after drinking?"
He looked at Xia Fengchun with curious eyes. However, Xia Fengchun could barely see because of dim light at night.
Instead, Xia Fengchun was shocked by his words, shaking his cigarette pipe unconsciously. A feeling of sending a bad message to the young aroused in his heart. He worried if his mother would have a fight with him.
He tried not imagine any more at the thought of this.
"People do get warmer after drinking, but kids aren't allowed to drink it!" Xia Fengchun talked seriously.
Wu Xiyuan pursed his lips towards his nonsense-like words. He knew kids couldn't drink wine but he wasn't one of them.
His mother told him before that a male was an adult after getting married!
His mother did tell him!
Su Jiuyue cut in, "This year is really a hard time for us. Actually, we come here for wine to treat the guest. Don't worry. There have been several heavy snows this winter, and there will be a good harvest next year. Till then, we all have spare money for wine!"
Xia Fengchun laughed at her naÏve views, "Having said that, people in unknown number can't survive in this winter..."
Su Jiuyue stopped talking, thinking if she hadn't been sold to Wu family, her parents' home couldn't survive.
Although Xia Fengchun grumbled, he unsealed a jar of wine and filled their wine pot.
The wine cost more than other stuff since it was brewed from grain. Nonetheless, Xia Fengchun charged them only five pennies.
On the way back, Wu Xiyuan asked her curiously, "Honey, isn't it good to snow? It's fun to have snowball fights and make snowmen."
Tender age couldn't enlighten Su Jiuyue to be insightful, but she remembered the words her father told her.
"A snowy day means the shortage of firewood and food. People will freeze to death."
Wu Xiyuan always behaved kindly and at this time, he made a different reaction.
He said, "Honey, let me tell you a story."
Su Jiuyue nodded naturally, "Go ahead."
"Once upon a time, there was a bird which played around in warm days. But when winter came, it froze to death."