Plum Blossoms

The setting sun sank on the ground, and a dilapidated small courtyard at Mopan Hutong in the southwest corner of Beijing was plated with a layer of warm golden light.

There were only five shabby thatched cottages in the courtyard, with a bleak atmosphere everywhere. Only in the corner of the yard, a red plum blossom tree was extremely beautiful and full of vitality.

That day was the Lantern Festival, but there was no rice in the house!

Yong Ruo thought, ‘If I can’t get any money tonight, I would have to sell out the iron pot, copper pot, copper basin, and this pair of carved wooden barrels tomorrow.’

Yong Ruo couldn’t bear to sell these things, especially this pair of carved wooden barrels because they were small, sturdy, and thin, and it was not difficult to carry water within it.

The water tank was empty. Yong Ruo picked out a small wooden bucket and went out to fetch water. Although she was the head of the family, she was just 14 years old. When her father died, her mother was seriously ill, and her two younger brothers were just nine and six years old respectively. Hence she had to carry the burden of life alone.

While stepping out, she heard a voice, “Sister Yong, let me help you!”

A dark-skinned muscular teenager ran a little shy from the side, trying to take the burden off Yong Ruo’s shoulders.

“Stop!” Yong Ruo shouted, and flashed aside the barrel at the same time!

The boy’s hand went stiff in the air, and then he kept swinging. “I, I … I have no other meaning! I just wanted to … just wanted to help!” The young man stammered.

“Thank you for your kindness! But, go ahead and do yourself a favor! I can do it myself,” Yong Ruo politely refused. This black boy was Jin Sanbao. He lived next door to the west side of her house. If it were just ordinary village neighbors helping each other, she wouldn’t refuse so fiercely, but this kid was interested in her. She didn’t want to give him any false hope. She didn’t want to pretend to be silly and ambiguous to take advantage of him.

“Sister Yong’s… you … why don’t you ever give me a chance to help?” Jin Sanbao was disappointed.

“Because I don’t want to owe you anything!”

“But in this world, how can a weak woman alongside two children survive?!” Jin Sanbao’s face flushed.

Yong Ruo smiled confidently, “We will find a way out!” After speaking, she bypassed him and walked to the well.

It was a public well, not too close to the Yong family, and not too far, about one kilometer away. At the well, Yong Ruo picked up a bucket of water with a hoe, poured it into two small wooden buckets, and carried the water back home.

Although the carved wooden casks were small, they would get heavy when filled with water. But Yong Ruo could carry them!

Jin Sanbao was still standing at the same place; Yong Ruo passed by without squinting, without saying a word.

She ran back and forth three times, filled the water tank half full, and filled the two large buckets in the main room. When Yong Ruo dropped down the buckets from her shoulders and was about to go to the main house, she saw the courtyard door pushed open by her nine-year-old brother Yong Qiao.

“Sister, the medicine is here,” Yong Qiao said. “I still owe five yuan to that medical shop.”

Yong Ruo nodded, signaling that she knew. She said to him, “Let’s go have dinner! Tonight is the Lantern Festival. Let’s celebrate the holiday. I cooked all the rice in the house.” The brown rice with pickles was indigestible. It was inhumane! She should work harder, so they eat well in the future!

“Sister, if it’s all cooked, what will we eat tomorrow?” Yong Qiao’s voice was filled with concern.

“Relax! Sister will go out to sell flowers tonight. I will bring some money back! If all goes well, we won’t starve for several days!”

Yong Qiao was hesitant, “Sister, let me go out and sell flowers! I’m a man!”

Yong Ruo laughed, “You still have to eat for a few more years, grow some hair and then you can say you are a man! Now, you are just a boy.”

She touched Yong Qiao’s messy head and said softly, “You look out after our mother tonight. Take good care of your brother, and wait for me to return home! No matter how late I get, you are not allowed to look for me! Got it.” As she spoke, her tone became a bit harsh.

“Sister!” Yong Qiao was not convinced.

“Obey! Don’t bother me!” Yong Ruo sternly ordered.

Yong Qiao bowed his head and stopped talking.

Their third brother Yong Miao, who heard the voices, ran out of the main room and said obediently, “Sister, second brother, my mother is still sleeping. She is not thirsty.”

“Good! Good!” Yong Ruo also touched Yong Miao’s head and smiled at him. “Go, eat. I have cooked thick porridge for the festival tonight, so eat a lot!”

Yong Miao’s genuine smile appeared. Their standard of living was quite low, and it was very rare for them to be able to eat enough food.

The three siblings went to the main room.

In the main room, a bed was placed at the north wall for Yong Ruo’s mother, Zhou Shi; the other bed of the siblings was placed horizontally at the east wall. At the south wall near the side of the yard, there was a small cottage made of stones, grass, mud, and bamboo. There were two buckets of clear water by the fireplace, and a scoop in the bucket.

There was a chimney above this small fireplace and a simple stove made of stone and mud in the hearth. It could cook rice, boil water, decoction, and stir fry—of course, she had no vegetables to fry. The fireplace in the main hall has replaced the Yong’s kitchen.

This layout could maximize the use of heat sources so that it won’t be too cold in the main room, which was conducive to Zhou’s nourishment, and it can also reduce the risk of being cold. Their clothes and quilts were not thick. This change was made by Yong Ruo after she transmigrated

Zhou was lethargic. While eating, Yong Ruo gave Zhou’s medical decoction.

She ate quickly. The water in the medicine pot on the stove must be boiled. At night, Yong Ruo ordered Yong Qiao to be careful of the stove and pay attention to fire prevention as she was going out to sell flowers.

Back in the room, Yong Ruo changed into clean, not shabby clothes, applied her “makeup” with clay and ash, and wrapped a turban around her head and half her face.

Tying a bamboo basket’s ribbon around her waist, she picked up the huge thing filled with folds of red plums blossoms. Two straps were tied to her shoulders as the basket leaned on her back. She stood up with the support of the wooden stand.

She ordered Yong Qiao and Yong Miao to smile, and then turned to go out, walked through the Mopan Hutong to the periphery of Taiye Lake.

In the Lantern Festival, the capital lit up for three days, starting from the thirteenth day of the first month. That night was the last day. The most beautiful and concentrated place of the lantern was the periphery of the Taiye pond. It was next to the imperial city, the residences of the kings, and the wealthy merchants.

Mopan Hutong was a slum area, which was remote and far from the southernmost point of Taiye Lake.

Yong Ruo walked for more than an hour and was so tired that she was breathless. She had a sore back and neck pain before reaching her destination.

“Well, can’t you let me draw my points again in advance and give me a little extra credit?” She asked the system in her head.

It was the “sterity drugs system” that she got when she passed through. It always spoke in her mind with a soft and cute girly voice. So she imagined that the system had big wet eyes. Yong Ruo called her, “Lulu. “

“No! Only when you are dying, you can draw the system credits in advance. Your current credit balance is -500 points, so I can’t give you extra physical strength.” Lulu said softly, “You should get more Sterility drugs as soon as possible! As long as you eat more Sterility drugs or absorb the Sterility drugs of others, you can get system points. As long as you have points. You could do a lot of things. Preventing disease, treating injuries, beauty, etc … you can do it all! “

Yong Ruo smiled bitterly. These words were like lines from a previous TV advertisement.

The previous owner of her body was ill. When she came through, the body was completely useless. She used her power to help her repair the body, and she has overdrawn 500 system points.

After a short break, Yong Ruo renewed her energy and began to sell flowers in the crowd.

It wasn’t easy to sell flowers in the lotus root. You have to observe the guest’s clothes, guess their temper, and pick the lines that a person would like to hear.

“Ma’am, buy a plum blossom! This kind of plum blossoms can be taken home and kept in vases, 20 pieces each; this kind of plum blossoms that can be put on the temples, a piece for 10 cents … Today’s Lantern Festival, ma’am, you must be a natural rich woman. Do you still care about these 10 or 20 small coins? “

“Girl, buy a plum! You are so beautiful, only a flower on top of the hair! This plum is so fragrant, bright, and beautiful, just like you!”.

“My Young master, buy two flowers! You are so handsome. The girl beside you is so beautiful. If you buy a pair of plum blossoms and offer it to the temple, wouldn’t you two get blessings? Lively and extraordinary, if there is another plum of incense accompanied, wouldn’t it be elegant and impressive? “

“Old lady, your old man is high spirited! Just like these plum blossoms. After countless winds and frosts, they become brighter and beautiful. If a young woman is old and she could have 10% of your style, there would be no regret in this life! “The old lady smiled, and Yong Ruo put plums into her bag for 50 cents.

“Gentlemen, buy a plum blossom! By looking at the gentlemen’s appearance, are you a scholar who entered Beijing for the exam? … This little girl shouldn’t be disrespectful! This is the Lantern Festival, Young master, why don’t you buy a plum blossom and put it on your hat, which can be considered a stroke of good luck? “20 cents into the bag.

…

Yong Ruo looked at the lanterns with no intention, only shuttled through the crowd. Her eyes rolled around, searching for potential customers who might buy flowers.

Although walking with sour legs, she was still thrilled. As she expected, the business tonight was going very well. Within an hour, the last two plum blossoms were left in the basket.

Four people came face to face, one was a Young master with three servants. The three servants were all in their twenties; one of them was dressed up like a clerk of the Qing dynasty; the other two had bows and swords around their waists, like guards.

The Young Master was a 17-year-old handsome young boy, dressed exquisitely and luxuriously, wearing a white jade crown on his head, and a silver fur coat on his body. Wearing a silver-moon-breasted white cape, and azure jacket, a healthy body, could be faintly discerned. In short: the words “nobleman” are written all over his body.

The boy had a small V-shaped face, a pair of long slanting eyebrows, and a dazzling pair of eyes. Although the bridge of his nose was very straight, his lips were not thick or thin, and the color was very beautiful.

The corners of his lips hung slightly as if smiling. But his feeling for Yong Ruo seemed to hide a pride deep in the bone marrow, but his well-bred appearance somewhat covered this pride.

“Sir?” Yong Ruo was tangled. If she pleased the Young noble master, the reward would be unprecedented. But this kind of nobleman was the most difficult to serve. If she accidentally annoyed him, the trouble will be unparalleled!

Should she take the risk or not?