perfumer

Chapter 1 Bai Family

In midsummer, when the dawn dawned, the sky was like an inseparable cloud of smoke, hazy. A family in the west of the village had already burned cooking smoke, and the choking smell of smoke gushed out from the kitchen. An old woman stood at the door of the kitchen, choking on the smoke. , coughed a few times, and then couldn't help cursing, "Lazy bone, getting up so late has delayed my Erlang's breakfast, I can't spare you."

Busy in front of the stove was a middle-aged woman, wearing patched clothes. Her face was sallow, her brows were tightly locked, deep wrinkles were carved between her brows, and her cheekbones were high. Go to the water, then go to the other side, pinch the dough with protruding fingers, the dough in the basin is unknown, it is the same color as the clothes on her body, dusty, as if mixed with dust, she explained a little aggrieved , "Mother, Saburo had a fever again last night." After a pause, he quickly glanced at the door, and unconsciously lowered his voice, "Mother, can you cook an egg for Saburo?"

Like a cat stepping on its tail, the old woman let out a yelp, pointed at the woman and cursed: "You still have the guts to say, that mourner star spent three dollars just to get the medicine, and he still wants to eat my medicine!" Eggs? Let me tell you, all the eggs at home are reserved for Erlang, and if Saburo wants to eat, you go down to him yourself."

The woman couldn't help shaking, her head was lowered very low, she was about to rest, and she stopped talking, but she was thinking of her son, gritted her teeth, blushed, and said in a crying voice, "Mother, Sanlang is also you Your grandson, you can't be partial, he just happens to be ill..."

Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by the sharp voice of the old woman. She spat, and glared viciously at the hunched woman in the kitchen with her cloudy eyes, "Bah, can you blame me for being biased? What is Sanlang? Can you compare with Erlang? Our Erlang is a scholar, and we will be the champion in the future, and your Sanlang is sick, and it’s still a problem if you don’t raise him well!"

The woman started to cry. Her surname was Cao. She married into the Bai family at the age of 15. For 20 years, she served her parents-in-law and took care of the housework. She made a sound, pursed her lips and tried her best to endure, tears dripped down her cheeks into the basin, and melted into the dough. She could hardly see, and her hands were still mechanically wrapping the dough.

Although she didn't cry out loud, the old woman still noticed it with her sharp eyes. When she saw the appearance of the eldest daughter-in-law's doormat, the fire in her heart burst out, "Crying and crying early in the morning, mourning star, a house of mourning door star."

Before the old woman finished cursing, another young woman hurried out from the west wing. The woman's face was a little flustered. When passing by the old woman, she yelled, "Grandma."

Grandma Bai pinched her, then pointed to the kitchen, "Why don't you hurry up and cook for your mother, the whole family is lazy, why did Da Lang marry such a lazy woman like you?"

The young woman walked into the kitchen with a few steps, washed her hands in a hurry, and wrapped up the dumplings. The middle-aged woman lowered her head and asked in a low voice, "Mother Man, how did the dog sleep last night?"

The woman who was called Man Niang nodded almost invisible, with a relieved expression on her face, and whispered, "The dog has slept well these few days."

She said it in a low voice, but it was too quiet in the morning, so she was still heard by Grandma Bai outside the door. For a moment, her face was drawn and she gritted her teeth: "That kid can't die, the whole family will be killed by him. He can't die either."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the kitchen stopped talking for a moment, Manniang's eyes were red, she shrunk her shoulders and lowered her head to concentrate on making the dumplings.

Lao Bai's family ushered in a new day amidst cursing.

The 11-year-old Bai Sanlang got up from the bed silently. The outside of the house was gray, like evening. His eyes did not have the agility that a child of this age should have. His dark eyeballs were calm and quiet. He was originally the son of a businessman. My father traveled all over the world to sell incense. When passing through Jiangxi, he met a bandit and was hacked to death. Originally, his surname was also Bai, with a single name of Xin, but now his name is Bai Sanjin, which is a bit subtle. The real Bai Sanjin on Saburo from a rural family may have already returned to the underworld.

The door of the back room was pushed open, and a dark-skinned girl walked out. She looked about thirteen or fourteen, her eyes were lifeless, like a dry well, and she looked older than a real boy like Bai Sanlang. The little girl who was [-] years old, the little girl was sleepy, and she arched her head and stuck it in her sister's arms. The older girl came over, first put the little girl on the bed, then touched Bai Sanlang's forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief. , "The fever is finally gone, third brother, you and fifth sister will sleep again, and I will help mother and sister-in-law."

The little girl rolled onto the bed and hugged Bai Xin. Bai Sanjin couldn't help touching her face, her brows and eyes softened a bit. This Bai Wuniang looked very much like his sister from the previous life.

Seeing this, the older girl went out of the house. She was the daughter of Bai's parents, the eldest among the girls, and she was called Aunt Bai. When she walked to the door, she happened to meet the man who came out of the next room. The man was only in his early 20s. He was seven feet long, with a simple and honest face, and he looked like a farm man. He was holding a little doll wrapped in cloth in his arms. When he saw his sister, he called out, "Sister, get up, come in and look at the dog." Come on, I'll help carry water."

Auntie Bai glanced in the direction of the kitchen. The yard is small, and the kitchen can be seen at a glance, but the inside is pitch black, with no lights on. She turned her gaze back to her nephew, and a white sheet was exposed under the worn cloth. She had a small face, her shallow eyebrows were slightly frowned, and her little hands and feet were moving restlessly, as if in a dream.

Aunt Bai took the dog skillfully, carried him back to the house gently, and Bai Dalang strode towards the yard. When the grandmother of the Bai family saw him, she habitually scolded him, but Bai Dalang showed a smile on his face. With a simple and honest smile, he carried the bucket and went out.

These are all the people in the big family of the Bai family. Father Bai passed away a year ago, which happened to be the day Gouzi was born, so Grandma Bai regarded Gouzi as the broomstick of the plague god. The big family members of the Bai family are all cowardly. A few days after Gouzi's birthday, the real Bai Sanlang slipped into the water, and Grandma Bai didn't want to see Da Fang even more.

Bai Xin listened to Grandma Bai's cursing voice outside the house, gritted her teeth, and said to Aunt Bai who had re-entered the room: "Eldest sister, you lie down for a while, I'll go out and help mother."

Aunt Bai hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "I'll go help mother, Third Brother, you look at Gouzi and Fifth Sister."

But Bai Xin jumped off the bed first, put his feet into the shoes on the ground, rubbed them a few times, and walked out of the room in three steps at a time.Aunt Bai didn't dare to really lie down, she sat on the bed with the dog in her arms, patted lightly with one hand, and stared at a certain place with dull eyes.

In the yard, Grandma Bai was groping her buttocks one by one in the chicken coop. The hens suddenly made clucking, clucking, dissatisfied sounds. After a slap, Grandma Bai also heard the movement behind her.

"Grandma!" Bai Xin yelled loudly, as loud as a rooster crowing. Even Grandma Bai was startled when she knew someone was coming behind her. The hens in the chicken pen seemed to be frightened too, and there was a more rapid clucking sound. .

Grandma Bai straightened her back and glared at Bai Xin fiercely, "Damn you, why are you shouting!"

He smiled and walked towards the kitchen, shouting as he walked, "Mother, sister-in-law, I'm here to help you!"

"You come back!" Grandma Bai grabbed Bai Xin's clothes, and said angrily, "Where is the aunt? Ask her to come out to help, you are a kid, why are you in the kitchen?"

Grandma Bai is very patriarchal. Because of her good looks, Bai Xin is the only person in the big house who does not offend Grandma Bai too much. Of course, it depends on who she is compared with.

Bai Xin would be like a deaf person who couldn't hear clearly, speaking loudly, turned around and leaned forward, and said loudly: "Elder sister is looking at the dog."

Grandma Bai's wrinkled face suddenly stretched, she muttered a few curses, then took advantage of the opportunity to pinch Bai Xin's arm, and scolded, "Why are you talking so loudly?" Grandma Bai's age It's getting bigger, and the ears are not working well. Bai Xin's volume is already shouting to others, but it is only a little louder to Grandma Bai.

Bai Xin felt a dull pain in his arm. Grandma Bai not only pinched, but also twirled the flesh in a circle. He quickly dodged back. Although he escaped from the clutches of the devil, the pain on his flesh slowly spread. The smile remained the same, and the voice was louder than before, "Grandma, since I fell into the water, I can't hear clearly."

The white mother Wu in the kitchen had a worried expression on her face when she heard the words, while her daughter-in-law, Man Niang, lowered her head lower because she thought about the day when her uncle's accident happened.

Grandma Bai got close to him, no matter how deaf she was, she was so shaken by him that she wanted to pinch her a few times, but Bai Xin had already avoided it. Grandma Bai said in a rough voice, "Hurry up and sweep the yard. , the whole family is not at ease."

Bai Xin picked up the big broom placed by the wall and started to sweep.

Grandma Bai walked into the house, and took advantage of the opportunity to look at the main room to the west, her eyebrows and eyes slightly stretched, and she muttered, "The five chickens have eggs today, and I will cook an egg for Erlang tonight." I don't think it's inappropriate to say this in front of Bai Sanlang.

Bai Xin has been numb for a long time, and he doesn't even feel wronged at all. He snorted coldly, as if a false fire was burning in his heart. He was either angry or hungry. He sniffed and smelled the heat coming from the kitchen, bringing The aroma of food.

He took the broom and danced to the door of the main room. While sweeping, he sang, "Kill the Chrysanthemum chrysanthemum and cut it, eat the lamb and the lotus leaf..."

After singing a few words, the door of the main room on the left was pushed open, and a middle-aged woman with a big arm and a round waist walked out. As she walked, she touched the hair on her temples, and when she saw Bai Sanlang, she snorted angrily , the tone was even more aggressive than Grandma Bai, "Sanlang, why are you yelling so early in the morning? I wonder if your second brother is still sleeping?"