When Xiang Jin returned home, her grandfather was sorting the dishes and preparing to cook lunch. After Xiang Jin put the books back in the house, she went over to help.
"Grandpa, what should we eat for lunch?"
Her grandfather said, "Just make some noodles, it's easy."
Xiang Jin nodded, no objection.
After lunch, Xiang Jin followed her grandfather down to the greenhouse to plow the ground, because after a box of vegetables was picked today, the vegetables in the field had to be replanted to plant new ones.
After plowing the ground, crumbling the soil, planting seeds, and finally watering, it was almost half past three in the afternoon.
Xiang Jin saw that it was still getting dark early, so he went back to his room and drew two drawings.
The next day, Xiang Jin took the two drawings to see Yan Chen. After seeing her two paintings, Yan Chen said, "Why did you also draw a picture of children's clothing?"
Xiang Jin said, "Well, after I finished the adult painting, I suddenly felt inspired again, and then I drew it. It's okay. I'll show it to them when the time comes. If they want it, just take it. If they don't want it, forget it."
"Okay, I have completed the manuscripts for four sets of costumes. Please take a look at them first," Yan Chen said and handed a stack of manuscripts to Xiang Jin.
"Oh," Xiang Jin reached out and took it, and then Yan Chen looked at the two drawings she brought.
After a while, Xiang Jin sorted out the drawings and put them back to their original positions. "It's very good, very beautiful. It's exactly the same as the result we discussed at the beginning."
Yan Chen smiled slightly, and then the two of them started discussing the two paintings she brought today.
There are relatively few artworks today, so the results will come out quickly.
Yan Chen drew a first draft and marked some important details on it. Then he said to Xiang Jin, "Then the rest is all up to you. I'll go back first."
"good!"
When Xiang Jin came out of Grandpa Zeng's house and passed by Lao Xiang's house, he saw that the doors of several rooms in their house were open.
Are you back from the city to celebrate the New Year?!
Then Xiang Jin shook his head, "Hey, it's none of my business! Xiang Jin keeps moving forward!"
The next day was when Xiang Jin and the others went back to school to get their final exam papers and transcripts. This time there was no exception. She and Yan Chen were tied for first place in the school again, with a gap between them and second place.
The total score difference is more than one hundred points.
In addition to receiving a certificate, a notebook with a leather cover, and a Yongsheng brand pen, the two of them also received a scholarship of 60 yuan.
This scholarship provided by the school is very interesting. In the middle school, the first place in the entire grade is worth 60 yuan, the second place is 40 yuan, and the third place is 30 yuan. Xiang Jin and the others
The sixty yuan I got was still envious to many people.
Zeng Qing kept saying along the way that she was so envious of them for having such good results and actually winning scholarships, which cost sixty yuan for the Sixth National University. Xiang Jin and Yan Chen were speechless, so Xiang Jin said, "
Aren’t you even thirsty?!”
"I'm not thirsty, why am I thirsty?!" Zeng Qing asked her in turn.
Xiang Jin said, "You've been reading this all the time. My ears are almost numb. Zeng Qing, can you stop? Stop reading this all the time. It's not a big deal.
Are you so embarrassed that you keep turning against me and Yan Chen?"
"Where is it? You are amazing, and you are number one in the school. Maybe that sixty yuan is not a big deal to you, but for people like us who only have a few yuan of pocket money a week,
That’s a lot of money, okay? Sixty, it’s all my pocket money for three months.
Alas, it took me three months to get sixty yuan of pocket money from my family. You just took a test and got sixty yuan easily. You are so capable and amazing!
"
Xiang Jin said, "What's so easy? It's not like you can get a bonus of 60 yuan every time you take an exam. This is only the 60 yuan you get during the final exam. We also worked hard for more than half a year.
How about the sixty yuan you got?"
Zeng Qing nodded vigorously, "I know, that's why I said you are awesome!"
Xiang Jin said "cut" and then said, "Stop talking, we're almost home. We don't want the people in Wan Tou to know about this!"
"Why? What an honor it is to win first place in the school. Why can't people in Wantou know about it?" Zeng Qing was very puzzled.
Xiang Jin asked, "Have you ever heard of the story about Shang Zhongyong?"
Zeng Qing shook his head and said to Xiang Jin, "Oh, yes, you are still in the sixth grade now, and you won't learn this until you are in the first grade of junior high school."
Zeng Qing was confused after hearing this, and just looked at her blankly.
Xiang Jin explained to her, "This is an article written by Wang Anshi. It tells the story of a child prodigy named Fang Zhongyong. He was talented since he was a child and had excellent academic performance. He was still four or five years old and did not know pen, ink and paper.
When using an inkstone, I can write four lines of poetry.
Later, his poems were circulated by many people, and gradually his reputation as a child prodigy spread far and wide. Many people were surprised and came to visit them with gifts, and some even begged him to leave poems and ink for them.
His father thought this was profitable, so he took him around to visit others every day, show off his intelligence to others, and did not let him study hard. Later, Fang Zhongyong gradually gave up his studies.
When he was twelve or thirteen years old, his poetry was no longer commensurate with his previous reputation. Then a few years later, when he was about twenty years old, his talent had completely disappeared.
He became an ordinary person."
Zeng Qing said, "Your story sounds strange, but what does this Fang Zhongyong have to do with you? You are not Fang Zhongyong!"
Xiang Jin said, "It's true that we are not Fang Zhongyong, but we still have some similarities with him, right? Because Fang Zhongyong is smart and has good academic performance, he is often praised by his neighbors and shown off to everyone at home.
Although the two of us are not geniuses, we don't want to be paid attention to and praised like that. As the saying goes, when the moon is full, it will be weak, and when the water is full, it will overflow. There are mountains outside the mountains and people outside the mountains. We can't guarantee that our achievements will be
You can always stay in first or second place, just in case you suddenly fail in the exam one day.
You see, the old Xiang Yan's grades have always been very good. Every time she takes the exam, she gets high scores. But what about the results when it comes to the critical moment? She just keeps repeating the exam.
After so many years of re-study and taking exams, hasn’t it happened that she has been in trouble for so many years? In which year did she succeed in entering a higher school?
In the past, I was praised as a flower by people in the Bay, but now I am treated as a joke by the people in the Bay, and they are always used to ridicule and ridicule me?
So Yan Chen and I don't want to be like her, where we were always praised and boasted from the beginning, but in the end we were stepped on."
Zeng Qing asked, "But you are not the same as her?"
Xiang Jin said, "That's not necessarily true. Good grades now don't mean they will be good in the future!"
Zeng Qing wanted to say something else, but Xiang Jin glared at her, "Anyway, you are not allowed to talk about this matter in Wantou, not even to your family members!"
Zeng Qing asked, "But what if they ask?"
Xiang Jin said, "Just say you don't know! You are in the elementary school, and we are not in the middle school, so it is normal that you don't know."
Zeng Qing said, "But we were all meeting together in the school playground? I obviously saw you go on stage to receive the award with my own eyes?"
Xiang Jin was speechless, "Zeng Qing, can you stop being so serious? If you dare to tell people in the bay, be careful that I break up with you!"
Seeing her serious and serious expression, Zeng Qing really knew this time that she probably didn't want people to know that they had high scores in the exam, so he hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, okay, okay, I don't want anyone to know."
That's it, you guys are right. When others get good grades, they want to shout about it on the radio and let the whole world know about it, but you insist on covering it up tightly. I really don't understand you!"
Xiang Jin said, "Studying is your own business, so just know if you get high or low in the college entrance examination. Why do you do other people's business?"
Is it possible for us to gain two ounces of flesh if we receive a compliment from others, or is it a golden sentence that can be turned into actual gold and silver immediately?"
"Xiang Jin, aren't you too realistic?"
Xiang Jin said, "Isn't reality bad? I just like living in reality! To me, those compliments and boasts are just some false and irrelevant words of praise and praise. I like reality.
Be more honest."
The corners of Yan Chen's lips curled up. The more practical things she likes are things that are tangible and valuable like money!
Zeng Qing frowned at Jin and said, "You are a weirdo!"
Xiang Jin just said "cut" and didn't bother to pay attention to her! She is called low-key, what does a little girl know about movies?!
A few people returned to the bay, and Zeng Qing parted ways with them not long after. Yan Chen said, "I have two more paintings and they are all finished."
Xiang Jin asked, "So fast?"
Yan Chen said, "As long as the draft is finalized, it will be faster to draw..."
As soon as the two of them finished chatting, two more people from Bayou came towards them. One of them asked them, "Boy Yan, Girl Jin, you went to school to get your transcripts and came back. What's wrong with you?"
How was the return exam? How many people were in the class?"
Yan Chen didn't say anything and said casually to Xiang Jin, "I don't know the ranking, but I got it by passing the exam."
"Did you pass the exam?" The man was surprised for a moment, and then said calmly, "That's pretty good."
Xiang Jin nodded slightly towards them, and then the two people left. Xiang Jin and Yan Chen immediately looked at each other and smiled, and continued to walk forward with them. Xiang Jin asked, "Were you still here just now?"
What do you have to say?”
"Oh, it's like this. Yesterday, my uncle Mingtao called me and asked me if there was anything else I needed to bring with me in the provincial capital. He would bring it over when he came over. I didn't have anything here, so I asked you.
Is there anything you want to buy but it's not convenient to buy it here? Can I ask him to bring it to you from the provincial capital?"
Xiang Jin shook his head, "No," what she wanted to buy most now was the land in the provincial capital, and nothing else interested her.
"good!"
As soon as Xiang Jin entered the yard, Xiang Lan jumped out of the house and chased her and asked, "Sister, how are you? How many points did you get in the exam?"
Seeing the smug look on her face, Xiang Jin glanced sideways at her and asked, "How many points did you get in the test this time?"
Xiang Lan hurriedly rushed into the room to show her the two test papers and a score. Xiang Jin saw that she had scored 89 points in the Chinese test and 96 points in the math test.
My comment is that I have made rapid progress this semester and hope to continue my efforts!
"How's it going, sister? Can I make you and mom look good this time?"
Seeing her expression of waiting to be praised, Xiang Jin asked, "What is the highest score in your class this time? And how many times have you ranked in your class?"
Xiang Lan stretched out two little fingers, and then three little fingers, and raised his eyebrows at Jin, "What do you mean? Is it the second place or the third place?"
The little girl explained, "No, no, I am the second in our class in mathematics and the third in our class in Chinese."
"Second and third?" Xiang Jin said "ha", "Look how proud you are, your little tail is raised to the sky?!"
The little girl still had a arrogant look on her face, "That's right, our teachers all said that I have made rapid progress this semester. Don't underestimate me as the second and third place. In mathematics, I only compete with the students in our class."
There is a difference of two points between the first place, Chinese language and our second place, one and a half points difference, and only three points difference from the first place.
Let me tell you that little fat boy Ai Can didn't get as high as me in the exam this time. He was just about to pass two subjects. I dumped him several times, and so did Xiang Yao. She didn't get it either.
I did well in the exam."
"How many exams did Xiang Yao take this time?"
The little girl was silent for a moment, "She scored 85 points in the math test and 80 points in the Chinese test this time, but honestly speaking, her study immersion has improved a lot this semester! Oh, sister, wait a minute, I
I also got a certificate, I’ll show it to you.” After saying that, the little girl quickly ran into the house again.
When she came out with the certificate, Xiang Jin saw that the certificate actually said that she had won the second place in the class's test score, "Does this mean she won the second place in the total score?"
The little girl nodded vigorously, "Yeah! Sister, you said last time that I would be rewarded as long as I passed the final exam this time. How about it? What reward will you give me?" After saying this, the little girl stretched out her hand towards her.
Take action.
Xiang Jin slapped her directly on the palm of her hand, "I said you were fat, but you still breathed! Let me ask you, did you get first place in the exam?"
The little girl immediately stopped, "Hey, sister, you only said that I would get a prize if I passed the test this time, but you didn't say that I would get a prize if I came first in the exam? You can't deny it like that?!
"
Xiang Jin wanted to say that there were standards here, but when she thought that if she set the standard too high, it might dampen her enthusiasm, she took out five yuan from her pocket and threw it to her, "Who?"
Did you say you denied it? Hey, I’ll reward you with five yuan!”
"Ah? It's only five yuan?!" The little girl was still a little unhappy.
Xiang Jin saw that she refused to accept the offer, so he said, "Why, you still don't like it? Well, just don't like it!" As she said that, she tried to take the money back.
The little girl became anxious all of a sudden, and hurriedly held her arm and snatched the money away, "Who said you dislike it? I don't dislike it, although it is a little different from the data I imagined.
, but after all, although mosquito legs are small, why are they still meat?!"
"Tsk," Xiang Jin resigned, "You mean imaginary data? What kind of data are you imagining?"
The little girl lowered her head and muttered, "I thought you had to give me a reward of ten yuan?! Who knew it was only half!"
Xiang Jin said, "Five yuan is not enough for you, but you have a big appetite?! Do you know that for many students who live on campus, their families only give them five yuan a week as pocket money?!
Now you have earned a week’s worth of pocket money, what else do you want?”
"No, sister, they only give you five yuan a week?" The little girl suddenly looked surprised and disbelieving.
Xiang Jin glanced at her angrily again, "What do you think? When we were at Lao Xiang's house, we rarely had two yuan of pocket money a year. Why, now our family is independent. You
You have saved more than a hundred yuan in your hand, why don't you take these five yuan into your eyes?"
The little girl hung her head guiltily and remained silent. Xiang Jin educated her and said, "I'm telling you, Xiang Lan, don't start to feel complacent or pretentious after you achieve a little bit of achievement that is no bigger than a particle of dust.
What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Yadu lowered her eyes and retorted softly, "I didn't!"
"Hmph, it's not like I don't know what kind of character you are. You're so complacent! Let me tell you, Xiang Lan, these five dollars are all the money I squeezed out of my own teeth for you. Don't you get any advantage?
Are you being nice?"
"No, sister, you are still squeezing it through your teeth? You are much richer than me!" The little girl didn't believe what she said.
Xiang Jin glared at her, "How can I have money? At the beginning of the previous summer, Yan Chen and I made some corn-husking objects in partnership and made some money, but I used all the money to build our house.
This house and shop of my family have been opened
Later, the school rewarded me with several hundred yuan, but didn’t I use it to buy you clothes, pants, shoes, socks, and sheets and quilts for your home? I’m not making the corn-shelling tools anymore, so
Where did the money come from?!"
The little girl said "Oh" in a weak voice, "Okay then!" Then she chased Xiang Jin and asked her what score she got in the test this time. Xiang Jin ignored her and told her not to pry into her affairs.
After saying that, he went back to the house directly.
The little girl thought to herself, "Did my sister fail the exam this time?!"
Xiang Jin had nothing to do in the next two days, so she started to study food. She had promised her second aunt before that she would help them think about the business. After thinking about it, she thought she would just teach them how to make some pastries.
, so that others can buy it back and give it as snacks to the children at home.
But this pastry, she had eaten a lot of all kinds of pastries in her previous life, but she had only made this cake once, and it was when she saw someone else making it in a rice cooker when she was browsing the web.
She tried making the cake, but it was not very successful that time, so she had to try it several times this time.
Because the level of science and technology in this era was not yet developed, no one in their place used that kind of rice cooker or egg beater, so it was really troublesome to make cakes. Xiang Jin spent two days without making it.
After making this cake, she simply gave up in the end, and then she suddenly thought of a snack called "paiguoer" that she had eaten when she was very young.
The food is made of flour. It is very simple to make. It is to fry the dough. Some will wrap a length of about two centimeters of ribs in the dough, and some will put a small piece inside.
Put the pork suet and pork fat together in the oil pan and fry them. Finally, the noodles with pork ribs will be coated with a layer of brown sugar juice and sesame seeds, and the noodles with pork suet will be coated with a layer of ground flour.
Finely crushed white sugar powder.
She used to like these two kinds of noodles when she was a child, and they sold them very well, especially during the New Year and festivals. Almost every household would weigh them to eat or entertain guests. Xiang Jin
She felt that the Chinese New Year was coming soon here, and there were a lot of people rushing to buy New Year goods recently, so she could ask her uncles to make some for sale.
Thinking of this, she immediately took action, and then started to make it seriously according to the memory of her childhood. It has to be said that Xiang Jin is quite talented in making food, except for the first few
In addition to not controlling the frying temperature of the dough, the next few batches were still quite decent. Then she boiled the brown sugar juice, ground the white sugar, and finally gave the finished products to her family.
When they ate it, they all said it was delicious.
Xiang Jin smiled and said, "Okay, then let's let uncle and the others try to make some and sell them."
Her mother, Yang Juyun, said, "Are you thinking of another idea for your uncles?"
"Well," Xiang Jin nodded, "won't it be the Chinese New Year soon? Many people will buy New Year's goods. Then uncle and the others can fry some and sell them as snacks for the New Year's goods. The business should still be
Not bad.”
In fact, she wanted to make some dumplings for them to try, but due to time constraints, today was inconvenient, and tomorrow she had to go to town with Yan Chen to deliver the batch of design drawings from Manager Huang and the others.
So I have to wait until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest to get it done. I haven’t done it yet, so I won’t mention it for now.
Then Xiang Jin asked her mother to bring some of the noodles to her uncles to try tomorrow. If they thought it was okay, they would come back with her mother after closing the stall tomorrow afternoon, and she would teach them how to make it.