peaceful

4.

Xiao Ning gradually grew up, and she was also going crazy with the children of the same age in the same village, even crazier than Xiao An when she was a child.After Xiao An finished school, her aunt said, "An, look for your younger brother and go home for dinner!"

Xiaoan ran all over the village, and when he found it, he stood far away without shouting.When Xiao Ning found Ann, she knew she wanted to go home for dinner.

Xiao Ning said to Xiao An: "Someone in the west of the house is bullying me, you go and beat him for me!"

Ann went, struck hard, and knocked out a tooth.Then the adults of the family led the child and found the aunt's house angrily.

My aunt kept apologizing, saying, "When Ann comes back, I have to deal with him severely!"

When Xiao Ning heard this, she told Ann: "Mom said she would beat you when you came back." Xiao An hid secretly when she heard this, and dared not go home.

"Your brother, bastard, it's so dark, why haven't you come back yet!" Auntie asked Xiao Ning.

"He heard that you were going to beat him, so he hid."

"This plug!" My aunt went out angrily.Xiaoning Huluhulu also ran out.

"An--, An--" My aunt went all the way to the field north of my home.

In the silent night, my aunt held Xiao Ning's hand, and the mother and son walked on the uneven ground. "Oh, no, I'm so tired that my legs hurt, sit down and rest for a while!" My aunt sat down on the dirt, "Why is this plug so tiring! You said it was so late, and I don't know where it is hidden! "

After sitting for a while, he got up again and led Xiao Ning to continue searching.My aunt thought about how pitiful it was for the child to hide alone in the field at such a late hour.

"It was so dark, I couldn't find it no matter how I searched, and I didn't know where it was hidden; I was so tired that my legs hurt. I shouted, and Ning followed suit. I said, 'Anna, come out, my lord will not yell at you; my lord Don’t you just say this in front of others, and let them fully argue, is your lord really willing to offend you?” There used to be a big poplar tree in the north of my house. I walked under that tree and listened to it. 'Ah' I cried, and I squatted down under the tree for a while, and the pity disappeared, and I said, 'My child, why are you hiding here, isn't it cold?'”

Aunt said: "An has everything in his heart, but he has no mouth and is timid. He is afraid that adults will scold him. Whenever I scold him, he hangs his head and doesn't speak, and he doesn't say anything when he is wronged. Wronged child!" After that, my aunt never scolded Ann again.

5.

After An finished junior high school, he said he would go to Jinan to learn painting.Uncle said: "What else do you want to learn, how can you have money? Will you build a house and marry a wife in the future?!" The aunt said: "If the child wants to learn, let him learn!"

Ann went to school.During the Chinese New Year, we asked him to take out the paintings he drew. He was very nervous, for fear that we would damage the paintings for him. People who looked at the paintings said: "Grandma, Xiaoan is really good at painting. Take a look, draw." It must be as real as it is! Tsk tsk, look, how ingenious you are!" An hurriedly put away the painting, and then came into our room again, smiling.

It is said that an old man who bought and sold antiques once came to the village.When I was thirsty, I went to my aunt's house to ask for water. I accidentally saw An's painting, so I asked my aunt to ask for one.My aunt didn't dare to touch Ann's painting, so she refused.The old man said a lot of flattering words, "You are a child with a canopy, a beautiful heart, and a bright future. You must not delay! You will be capable in the future, and you will have great ability!"

Others said it was a pity that the child was dumb.The old man put on a look of surprise, "The more this is the case, the more he can become a big deal; look at the high officials in ancient times—either blind or deaf, or lame and hunchback; you see, the more fat and healthy they are, There is nothing wrong with it, they are all born to farm at home. Your family has such a sensible person in this generation!"

One year, An took a stack of her own paintings and went to Beijing to show them to an accomplished old painter. After reading them, the old painter wrote a few words to him.Aunt and uncle didn't recognize the twists and turns in the writing, so they greeted, and An Xiaoxiao put it away.

6.

On Ning's birthday, dumplings made at home.After dinner, both An and Ning went back to the west room to sleep on a kang.

An took out a painting and handed it to Ning.

Ning glanced at it, and it was Ning, who was very similar, with handsome eyebrows and a lively air.It read: Ning, happy birthday, An's most beloved younger brother.

Ning was a little surprised and moved. She didn't expect An to express herself so carefully, and she took her birthday too seriously.

Ning has grown up, and the matter of getting married and starting a family is also on the agenda.

I don't know what kind of mood Ann will feel when she sees Ning holding the bride's hand for the wedding ceremony.However, An did not have the chance to see this scene.

7.

Back then the most lively place in our village was the small bridge in the east of Jiadong. People flying kites, playing badminton, enjoying the shade, and chatting. All men, women and children of the village gathered there.

Later, it became the most desolate place in the whole village, until today.

The small river under the bridge used to be filled with water from the Yellow River every spring. The water is very clear and there are fish and shrimp swimming in the water.Outside the river is a field belonging to a neighboring village; inside the river is a small forest, and the willow trees on the riverside are several thick, probably hundreds of years old, and there are many of them.Every summer, we children go to that grove to catch young cicadas.Many can be caught in one tree.

There is a family in front of the grove, which is opposite to my aunt.

My aunt's family and the family on the opposite door had quarreled and fought several times, and they didn't speak to each other when they met.

Every year when the corn is harvested after autumn, the stalks are brought home by cart, let the cows chew them first, and then burn them as firewood.

Ann went home on vacation that year.

After lunch one day, Ning saw the corn stalks across the door slipping down along the courtyard wall. Suddenly, on a whim, taking advantage of An's unpreparedness, he took a match from the stove and lit it.

Ning ran back to the door, looked back, and saw that it was really burning, and he was afraid, so he ran back to the house and told his aunt: "Mom, I set fire to the corn stalks under the wall opposite the door!"

"Ouch, you bung! Go get some water!"

It just so happened that An just finished cooking the pot, and went out with a bucket of swill to drink the cattle. When he saw a fire under the wall opposite the door, he hurriedly took the swill and poured it on.As the fire had burned through the wall, the family on the other side happened to be busy fighting the fire.

Ann was charged with arson.

An naturally refused to admit it, and when she got home, she wondered who set the fire and blamed herself.He took out his pen and wrote down the names of young people of the same age in the village on a piece of paper, thinking about each of them, who he had fought with, who he had played with... Seeing that he was thinking wildly, but not telling him the truth, my aunt told him "Ann, don't make random guesses, it's bad for others if you guess wrong; if you can't, just admit it, it's not a big crime..." Ann waved her hand, still frowning and thinking hard.My aunt felt that the palms and backs of the hands were full of flesh, and she felt conflicted.

Seeing that An didn't admit it, he picked up a schoolbag, secretly found the neighbor behind his aunt, and negotiated to let her be a personal witness, and by the way, he falsely accused a woman named Gong Shi.There is also a young daughter who is not married.

People from the county came, went to the house opposite, and then went to the neighbor's house behind my aunt.Finally went to my aunt's house and took Ann away.I didn't expect this to be a long-term stay.

My aunt went to visit her every three days, and An suddenly lost a lot of weight, and was beaten all over her face and body.

"My child—" Auntie touched Ann's face, and tears fell.

"Ann, just admit it, or else they will still beat you and suffer this crime..."

An lay down in front of the barred window, weeping, and my aunt followed suit.