When the pears are green

Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye looked at each other in surprise, their eyes reddened at the same time, and they nodded to the teacher.

The Master understood something in an instant, and he asked softly, "How long ago was it?"

Jiang Qingzhou replied softly: "My father died five years ago, and my mother died three years ago."

"So that's how it is. The last time I saw them was when Jiang Qian enrolled in school. Jiang Qian's father was sick at that time, and they were the ones who sent Jiang Qian to school. I didn't expect that would be the last time we met. If I had known that would be the last time we met, I should have invited them to dinner and talked more." The teacher recalled and blamed himself.

The teacher was silent for a while, then he continued, "You can come after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. We will have a month off during the summer and autumn harvests. The tuition is 1,500 coins, which can be paid in one lump sum or in three installments. The library provides books, but not pens and ink. The library does not provide food, so you need to go home to eat."

"Master, we understand. I have a younger brother, and I want him to come with me..." Before Song Li finished asking the Master, the Master interrupted, "Then let's come together after the full moon of the first lunar month."

Song Li thanked the Master, and the three of them said goodbye to the Master and left.

The Master watched the three men leave. He thought of the scene when he first met Jiang Wan and Jiang Rong. He remembered that he was a student named Li Rong at that time.

Rongxing Bookstore was called Xinxing Bookstore at that time and was founded by Li Rong’s father Li Xin.

Li Rong had just returned to the study after taking the college entrance examination. The school was just about to adjourn. Li Rong saw a boy running towards him, shouting, "Arong, Arong, Arong..."

Just as Li Rong was wondering, the boy smiled and rushed to a little girl beside Li Rong and called out, "Arong, why are you here?"

Li Rong then realized that the boy was not calling him, but a girl with the same name as him.

Later, Li Xin told Li Rong that it was Jiang Wan and his child bride Jiang Rong.

After a period of getting along, the nine-year-old Jiang Wan became the little tail of the nineteen-year-old Li Rong. But later Li Rong passed the examination for a scholar and went to the county school. He and Jiang Wan no longer met often, and their relationship gradually became estranged.

Jiang Wan had invited Li Rong to attend his wedding with Jiang Rong, but Li Rong remembered the wrong date and missed the wedding. Neither of them asked, and neither of them explained, and eventually they lost contact.

Li Rong missed Jiang Wan and Jiang Rong's wedding and also missed their funeral.

A sigh lingered for a long time.

The boy shook Li Rong's arm and asked, "Grandpa, what's wrong with you? Someone came to register for the school, shouldn't you be happy?"

The master touched the boy's head and said, "Niannian, Grandpa also hopes that they have never come. Sometimes when we turn around, we are separated for life!"

After the teacher finished speaking, he took the boy’s hand and walked towards the lecture hall.

After Song Li and the other two returned home, they started letting Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye continue their studies.

In the morning, we learn multiplication tables or ancient poems, and sometimes folk stories.

In the afternoon, they practiced throwing sandbags or had Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye practice with wooden sticks.

A few days passed in a flash.

On the morning of the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, before the sun rose, Jiang Qingzhou quietly got up and went to the kitchen.

Jiang Qingzhou kneaded the dough and prepared to make a bowl of longevity noodles for Song Li. He saw on the marriage certificate that Song Li's birthday was the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Jiang Qingzhou once tried to ask Song Li some real information about her, but Song Li just told him to just think of herself as Song Li, and that everything was in the past and that what should be forgotten should be forgotten. Therefore, Jiang Qingzhou regarded the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month as Song Li's birthday.

After waking up, Song Li touched the cold quilt next to her and muttered: "Why did you get up so early?" Then she quickly got dressed and got up.

When Song Li finished running and returned to the kitchen to wash up, Jiang Qingzhou was kneading noodles clumsily. He had heard the old people in the village say that longevity noodles cannot be broken, they must be one long strand. He had never done it before, and he tried many times before he finally found the trick.

While pouring hot water, Song Li asked curiously, "Qingzhou, do you want to eat noodles in the morning?"

Jiang Qingzhou just smiled and nodded to Song Li, then continued to knead the noodles with his head down.

After washing up, Song Li wanted to light a fire for Jiang Qingzhou, but Jiang Qingye got there first.

Jiang Qingye pointed to a stool next to the stove and said to Song Li with a smile: "Sister-in-law, you take a rest first. My brother and I will cook today."

Song Li looked at the two brothers in confusion. She walked to Jiang Qingzhou and carefully looked at the long noodle that Jiang Qingzhou was kneading. She suddenly understood and asked quietly: "Qingzhou, is today Qingye's birthday?"

Jiang Qingzhou tapped Song Li's forehead with his finger and said to her with a smile: "Xiao Li, it's your birthday."

Song Li was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said to Jiang Qingzhou: "It turns out to be my birthday, thank you."

Song Li turned around again and said to Jiang Qingye who was making a fire: "Thank you, Qingye too."

Jiang Qingzhou kneaded the noodles and put them into the pot with the hot water boiled by Jiang Qingye.

Jiang Qingzhou scooped out four eggs from another boiling pot. He took out one of them, rinsed it with cold water, wiped it dry with a cloth, and put it on Song Li to roll it.

Jiang Qingzhou took the egg and rolled it from Song Li's waist to her back, then from her ribs to her abdomen, and then to her waist. As he rolled the egg, he kept saying, "Rolling back and forth, bad luck will go away; rolling back and forth, good luck will come."

Song Li looked at Jiang Qingzhou's movements with a smile, as if she was looking at a priceless treasure in the world. As the saying goes: It is easy to find a priceless treasure, but it is hard to find a lover.

After Jiang Qingzhou rolled the egg, he took out a wooden hairpin from his sleeve and put it in Song Li's hair. He smiled and said to Song Li, "The stall owner said it was made of pear wood. I thought it was a perfect gift for Xiao Li, so I bought it. I'm giving it to Xiao Li as a birthday gift today. I promise Xiao Li a gift every year. May Xiao Li be happy every year."

Song Li touched the wooden hairpin on her head and said with a smile, "Thank you. I am so happy."

Jiang Qingye served the cooked noodles. He brought the noodles to the table and said to Song Li with a smile, "Sister-in-law, happy birthday!"

"Thank you Qingye." Song Li responded with a smile.

Song Li walked to the table and saw a bowl of longevity noodles. The bowl was covered with thin noodles, a few cabbage leaves floated on the noodles, and there were two poached eggs in it.

Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye both looked at Song Li with a smile. Song Li picked up the chopsticks, took a bite, and said with a smile, "It's delicious."

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and touched Song Li's head, then watched her finish the whole bowl of noodles.

Jiang Qingye looked at Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li who were showing affection in front of him. He hurriedly swallowed the egg in his mouth, then took the bowl back to his room to eat.

Seeing this, Song Li blushed and said to Jiang Qingzhou, "You scared Qingye away."

Jiang Qingzhou said softly: "I didn't, maybe he felt that the room was too hot!"

Outside the warm kitchen, another gust of north wind blew.

It’s the twelfth lunar month, and it’s going to snow soon.