Chapter 1078: Tangled

"Stop talking!" Li Xiangqian raised his head and glared at him, his tone a little harsh. But as soon as he said that, he felt that he shouldn't be angry at Liu Ergou, so he took a deep breath and lowered his voice and said, "I'm sorry, I'm upset."

Liu Ergou waved his hands and said with a half-smile: "Who doesn't get annoyed sometimes? But brother, I advise you not to waste your energy. This hammer is not something we can repair. Just go and ask the foreman for a new one. It's better to be scolded than to ruin the job."

Li Xiangqian was silent for a moment, but finally put the hammer down. He knew Liu Ergou was right, but he couldn't swallow this anger. He walked up to the foreman and said carefully, "Foreman, I'm afraid this hammer can't be repaired. Can you give me a new one?"

After hearing this, the foreman looked up at him, his dissatisfaction obvious on his face: "Li Xiangqian, what's wrong with you recently? How many times has this happened? It's like the tools are not compatible with you, they are either broken or lost, what can I say to you?"

"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time." Li Xiangqian lowered his head, with a hint of pleading in his tone.

The foreman snorted coldly, threw the cigarette on the ground, stamped it out, and then said impatiently: "This is the last time. If you break it again, you will have to pay for a new one yourself!"

Li Xiangqian nodded quickly, but he felt mixed emotions. He held the new hammer in his hand and vowed to himself: "I can't make any mistakes this time, or I will be too embarrassed to continue working."

Li Xiangqian stood at the street corner, his hands in his trouser pockets, watching the bustling crowd passing by. His face was full of confusion, as if he had just woken up from a dream and suddenly forgot what he should do. He rubbed his temples and muttered in a low voice: "What are you here to buy?"

When he went out in the morning, Liu Cui'e gave him some instructions. He nodded repeatedly and agreed verbally, but now it was like a fog in his mind, and he couldn't remember what she said. He tried hard to recall, trying to catch some clues from the vague fragments, but every time it was like grabbing water, the harder he tried, the more difficult it was.

"Buying rice? No, there's enough rice at home. Buying vegetables? It doesn't seem to be the right choice..." He stood there in a daze, and suddenly felt that his brain didn't seem to be working properly recently. Maybe it was because he was too tired, or maybe it was because his life was too stressful. He sighed in his heart and muttered to himself: "Is it true that I've been worrying so much that my brain is not working well?"

At this time, the hawker's shouting attracted his attention. The hawker was selling fresh eggs, and the basket was full. There were traces of dirt on the eggshells. Li Xiangqian looked at the eggs and thought: "Did Cui'e ask me to buy eggs? The child has not eaten much recently. Could it be that you want to give her some supplements?"

As he was thinking, he subconsciously touched his pocket to make sure he had money, and then walked straight to the stall. Seeing that he was a little hesitant, the vendor smiled and said, "Brother, these eggs are very fresh. They were just harvested this morning. Buy some and take them home."

"How much is one pound?" Li Xiangqian asked, but his eyes were fixed on the eggs in the basket.

"3.5 cents a pound, not expensive, the price has just gone up a little." The vendor said in a flattering tone.

Li Xiangqian frowned. Thirty-five cents was not cheap to him. He looked up at the vendor and asked tentatively, "Can you sell it for less? Thirty-five cents a pound?"

The vendor shook his head, and the smile on his face faded a little: "Brother, this is almost breaking even, it won't work if it's any less."

Li Xiangqian hesitated for a moment, then took out a crumpled bill and twisted it in his hand: "Okay, weigh two kilograms for me."

The vendor immediately laughed, weighed two kilograms of eggs, put them in a paper bag and handed them to him. Li Xiangqian took the bag and felt it was a bit heavy, but he still felt uneasy. He walked forward with the bag, but after a few steps, he stopped and asked himself: "Did Cui'e ask me to buy eggs? If not, how can I explain it when I get home?"

He wanted to go back and ask about the situation at home, but when he thought about the money he had just spent, he gave up the idea. "Forget it, eggs will be useful in some days, and I can save them if I can't eat them." He found an excuse for himself and continued walking forward.

Along the way, his steps seemed a little slow. He felt like there was a weight on his heart. It was not a big deal, but he always felt that it was hanging in his heart. He looked at the vendors on the roadside, some selling vegetables, some selling meat, and a little girl sitting on the ground selling hand-woven small ornaments. The little girl's face was dirty, but her eyes were very bright. She looked up at Li Xiangqian and asked in a soft voice: "Uncle, do you want to buy one? Three cents each, very beautiful."

Li Xiangqian stopped and looked down at the handmade trinkets, all of which were small animals made of straw, lifelike. His eyes fell on a straw chicken, and his daughter's giggling suddenly flashed through his mind. Although life was hard, his daughter always smiled happily when she saw something new.

"I think she will like this thing when I buy it back, right?" he thought to himself, took out a few coins from his pocket, picked out the straw chicken and handed it to the little girl.

"Thank you, uncle!" The little girl's smile was as bright as the sun, and Li Xiangqian's heart also warmed a little. He put the chicken into the bag and continued to walk home.

Halfway through the journey, his pace slowed down again. At this moment, he finally vaguely remembered what Liu Cui'e said in the morning: "Go forward, remember to buy some meat, don't forget." He paused, his head buzzing, and he cursed himself in his heart: "Why am I so stupid! I didn't buy meat, but bought eggs and small things."

Standing there, he was in a dilemma. Should he go back to buy more meat? But he had already spent most of the money. If he bought more meat, he would have to save up the food money for next month to make up for the gap. But if he went back empty-handed, Liu Cui'e's eyes made him extremely scared. His palms began to sweat as he clenched the bag tightly, and it seemed as if two voices were fighting in his heart.

"Forget it, I'll just go back and get scolded. I can't keep owing others money to buy things." He sighed in his heart and walked towards home.

When Li Xiangqian returned to the doorstep, he saw Liu Cui'e squatting in the yard washing clothes, and his daughter playing in the mud beside him. Seeing him coming back, Liu Cui'e looked up at him and asked, "Where are the things you bought?"

Li Xiangqian forced a smile and handed over the bag: "I bought two kilograms of eggs and a small toy for the child to play with."

Liu Cui'e took the bag and looked at it, then frowned: "Did you forget what I asked you to buy?"

Li Xiangqian scratched the back of his head and whispered, "I forgot...but the eggs can still be used, so it's not a waste after all."