Crossing the green wheat ears

It is said that New Year's Day is better than ordinary days, and the Spring Festival is coming in a blink of an eye.When the Spring Festival was approaching, Xiyuan stopped the literacy classes of several children, and each child was given homework according to the progress of their studies.

This year's Spring Festival, Xiyuan didn't stay lazy at home like last year, but went out to play with Xi Weiweicheng. He was afraid that if something unexpected happened, it would be too late. This was also the sequelae of Huzi's visit, Xiyuan thought to himself.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, are you out to play too?" A simple-minded boy greeted Xiyuan. Xiyuan knew that he was the eldest son of Zhang Laoliu's family in the east of the village, and his name was Xiaoshu.

"Xiaoshu, you also came to Xitou to play?" Xiyuan greeted Xiaoshu with a smile.Next to Xiaoshu is a shy boy named Wang Qiuyang. His father is Wang Laoji, and his family also lives in the east of the village.According to grandma, Qiuyang is not Wang Laoji's own son. The old couple couldn't have children by themselves, and then they didn't know where to have a child. Because it was brought by Qiuyang, they named it Qiuyang.

Wang Qiuyang is very good-looking, with two big black and furry eyes, and two small dimples at the corners of his mouth when he smiles.Grandma told Xiyuan that he used to be better with Xiaoshu and Qiuyang, and the three of them often played together.

Xiyuan judged that it should be the former Xiyuan. He had no special memories of these two children, so after he recovered from his illness, they asked him to play, but Xiyuan, who had an adult soul, refused. Let him run all over the mountains and fields with the little kid?That's a terrible thing, okay?

Wang Qiuyang is one year older than Xiyuan, and will be thirteen years old this year. Xiaoshu is two years younger than Xiyuan, and will be ten years old this year.

"Well, our end is boring. I heard that Xiaowei and Chengzi have bought new lanterns, so come and have a look." Xiaoshu said with a smile.

"Xiaoyuan, Xiaowei's rabbit's eyes can still move?" Qiuyang looked at Xiwei's rabbit lantern in surprise.

"Well, I don't know how to do it!" Xiyuan replied, and took out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket to distribute to Xiaoshu and Qiuyang.

"No, I have it." Qiuyang was shy and embarrassed to eat other people's food.Everyone in the village is poor and cherishes everything they eat, so I also teach my children to go to other people’s homes to play and don’t know how deep or shallow they are. It’s unwelcoming, so even children pay attention to this aspect .

"I'll try it. I heard that your melon seeds have five flavors." Xiaoshu was cheerful, grabbed a few melon seeds and put them in his mouth, "Really, Brother Xiaoyuan, what did you do?" Little Tree asked.

"Want to learn? I'll teach you someday." Xiyuan responded, a kid who wants to learn how to stir-fry melon seeds?Before the new year is over, everyone's melon seeds have to go into their stomachs. What to use for frying, let's wait for the next year.

"Okay, I'll play with you someday." Xiaoshu agreed.

"Hey, Xiaowei, slow down, don't cry if you fall!" Xiyuan was talking to Xiaoshu and Qiuyang, while staring at Xiwei and Weicheng.

The little ones were playing like crazy, they kept kicking and kicking with the lantern.Xiyuan was really afraid that the two of them would fall to the ground together.

"Brother, it's okay." Xi Wei shouted loudly, and then giggled again for some reason.

"Hey, it sounds like someone has set off a whip. Shouldn't it be time to go back and eat dumplings?" Xiyuan was tired of watching these two, and wished he could go back and eat dumplings so he could go to bed now.

"Well, it seems that brother Xiaoyuan and we have returned to the east." Xiao Shu greeted Xiyuan.

"Xiaoyuan, let's go." Qiuyang also told Xiyuan.

"Okay, come to my house to play when you have time." Xi Yuan waved his hands to the two of them while talking, then ran to catch Xi Wei and Wei Cheng, two little guys, and slipped the pillar over by the way.

"Go, go home and set off the whip."

"Ah, setting off the whip?" Xi Wei patted his head as soon as he mentioned setting off the whip.When shopping for new year's goods, Xi Mingwen bought a whip for his family during the New Year, but also remembered how Xiyuan led Xi Weiwei to set off the whip last year. In a moment of paternal love, he bought a hanging whip for each of the two little guys. Playing with the whip, Xi Wei released two when he came back, but the noise was not too loud, as grandpa said, it was like farting.

"Maybe it's damp, it will be fine after a while on the kang." Xiyuan answered casually.The speaker is unintentional, but the listener is intentional.Xi Wei remembered it, and after thinking about it for two days, the hottest place in the house was the kang head of the grandparents' house, so he lifted the mat on the kang head of the east house, and put the small whip under the mat.

The adults in the family don’t know. A few days before the new year, the family steamed, boiled and fried, and the fire on the kang was too much. The top of the kang was hot, and the family was sitting at the end of the kang for dinner after work. The head of the kang made a "crackling" sound, but this time it was very loud, not like farting.

Everyone in the family was taken aback, Xi Wei "..."!None of his little whips are left!

Xi Wei burst into tears, but in the end it was Wei Cheng who tore down half of his hanging whip and gave it to Xi Wei to coax the little guy.The adults in the family saw Xi Wei's angry and ridiculous appearance, and originally wanted to reprimand him, but they stopped talking now.

Back home, Xiyuan led his two younger brothers to light the whips. His family was not stingy this year, and a whole hundred rings of whips were set off during the New Year. The greedy pillars were not in a hurry to go back to their own house to set them off, but they were set by Grandpa Xi. I don't go back until I see people put it away.

After setting off the whip and eating the dumplings, the vigil began. Xiyuan's father and mother went to other people's houses for a stroll. The two young ones in the family were sleepy. Grandma had already covered them with quilts and put them on the kang to sleep.

Although New Year's Eve here is not an all-night watch, but I feel like wearing clothes when I sleep at midnight.Xiyuan didn't understand why there was such a custom, probably because he was afraid of something and ran away quickly?Nonsence!If the old Chinese New Year let grandma know that he is so cranky, she will definitely scold him.

Grandpa had eaten dumplings and went to talk to the old people in the village. There were only grandma, Xiyuan and two younger ones left at home. The two younger ones were not allowed to go out because it was getting late.

Xiyuan sits on the kang and plays cards with grandma. Grandma has a deck of cards. Xiyuan looks at the number of cards and the contents inside. It seems to be similar to mahjong in later generations. It seems that mahjong has a long history in China.I don’t know how many years old grandma has played with this card. She doesn’t usually play it, but she doesn’t like doing work before the fifth day of the Chinese New Year. She plays it when she is not busy.Grandma doesn't know how to play other games, but she knows how to play pair, that is, two of the same pair make a pair, and whoever runs out of cards first wins.

The old and the young are slowly touching the cards under the candlelight like beans. Occasionally there will be a few firecrackers in the village, and the new year will come in like this.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Xi Mingwu took the two younger children and his second aunt home to see the elderly.He didn't come back before this year, so he came back in the first month.The second aunt didn't come back last year, but she came this year too.

Xiyang is no longer afraid now, children are forgetful, and it has only been a few days, so they are not afraid of staying at grandma's house anymore.

The second aunt, mother, and grandma were busy cooking on the stove, while the grandfather, father, and second uncle were chatting in the east room.Xiyuan wanted to tell the second uncle what happened in the coming year while the second uncle was at home, and let the second uncle know what to do.

"Second Uncle, can you and Second Aunt move back next year?" Xi Yuan asked.

"I'm fine here. I told your second aunt a long time ago. I have to move back here if I have a living here. She can't have any other ideas. I'll say hello to Uncle Yangyang." Xi Mingwu is a steady person, everything will be planned in advance, the family can't just move, after all, the uncle saw that he had no other way of life except a few acres of land, so he took the initiative to let him go and do it with him Selling tofu, one has to know what is good and what is bad, and he can't put down his uncle's work as soon as he has a connection in his home, so he talked to his uncle in advance and asked for his opinion.

Xi Mingwu's eldest uncle is a enlightened person, and he is not unhappy. After all, like Xi Mingwu, it is not wrong to say that he is a married woman, but it is not good to make a living at his father-in-law's house, so out of consideration for his brother-in-law From the perspective, I think it is better to move back.He also half-jokingly said to Xi Mingwu that if Xi Mingwu went back to make money, he would be too.

Xi Mingwu also told his family members what his uncle said, and Xi Yuan felt that this could also be considered.If he wanted the second uncle to come back, he would have to find a way for the second uncle to get money, and it would be easier for the second uncle to have more helpers.

"But second uncle, next year, no, it should be this year. I'm not used to it just after the new year." Xiyuan cracked his mouth, "You may have to live in my old house when you come back this year, otherwise..."

Xiyuan was hesitant to say, if his family builds a new house this year, the second uncle should be able to live in it when he comes back. The key is the third uncle's side. If the second uncle lives in, it would be embarrassing not to let their family move in. !

"I know, you boy, children don't think too much about it!" Xi Mingwu pulled Xiyuan's head. He liked this nephew very much, and he didn't want to get involved with the elder brother's family. If you don't get angry, then there will be more things.As long as Xiaoyuan figured out a profitable job for him, he, Xi Mingwu, would be able to live his life with his own strength.

"The family has more than 20 taels of silver now, isn't it enough to build a brick house?" Grandpa was a little hesitant.

"Isn't there still Chinese cabbage in the cellar, and this year, we can sell some green vegetables like last spring." Xi Mingwen said.

"Well, there's Dong Sun's house, and our family's 30 taels of silver." Grandpa added up, and there are six to seventy taels in total, which is enough to buy a small courtyard in Wande Town, and it should be enough to build a tile-roofed house in the village. enough.

Xiyuan felt very helpless, this was not his original plan at all.

"Second Uncle, if you have nothing to do after the Chinese New Year this year, you have to come back and help my father and my father prepare the wood for the house." The land here is sparsely populated, because nature is powerful and human beings are small, unlike modern human beings. Disasters of nature.There are trees and fields, what is lacking is labor and money.

"This second uncle has already thought of it. It is not easy to start work in the first month. I will come back to help after the first month."

"That's great. Let's get the materials ready first. I guess we'll have to wait until after the wheat is harvested to actually start the construction." Xi Yuan said.

"Why, can't it be done before the beginning of spring planting?" The second uncle was also puzzled.

"Oh, wait, I'll bring you the blueprints I drew." Xiyuan had no choice but to take out the blueprints from grandma's cabinet.

"Xiaoyuan, the family doesn't have enough money to build this way." Grandpa said in surprise.

"That's right," Xi Mingwen continued, trying to say something before swallowing it.

"That's why I said we have to wait until Mai Qiu." Xi Yuan was really at a loss.

"However, there is not much income in the summer, wheat, and the wheat can only be sold for a few dollars after paying taxes." Grandpa still didn't believe it.

"Master, just wait, if it's not enough until Mai Qiu, then follow your instructions." Xi Yuan compromised.

Xi Mingwu didn't say anything, but took a deep look at this nephew, Xiao Yuan is not a simple child.

"What's the matter sitting here and discussing?" The old uncle pushed them away and walked in.He and his wife had made up their minds, and now it was time for the elder brother's house to make dinner, and the two came here with their children to seize the time.

"I didn't discuss anything, I'm just chatting away." Xi Mingwu said angrily.He just can't understand the behavior of the third child and his family. Even if he has something to do, he should ask his wife to come over and help his sister-in-law with her chores.

Xiyuan just heard the sound of the courtyard door and had already put the blueprints away, now seeing the old uncle enter the room, chatted a few words together and left the east room.

"My child, every time I see you talking and laughing, why do I leave as soon as I can't say a word." Xi Ming was completely dissatisfied.

"Then why don't you know in your heart?" Xi Mingwu stopped him.

What's going on?Of course Xi Mingquan knew what was going on, but he was just pretending to be confused.Hearing what the second brother said, he quickly changed the subject.

In the main room, the third aunt was sitting at the table drinking hot water and nibbling melon seeds with the two younger children.It's Chinese New Year, and every family will fry some melon seeds to treat guests. Xiyuan's family puts them on the table in the main room.

"Sister-in-law, don't you let it go?" Xi Mingwu's daughter-in-law couldn't see it anymore, and reminded Xi Yuan's mother.

"Let her drink it. If you have this one, you won't look for anything else, otherwise you'll be messing around." Xiyuan Niang said helplessly.

"It means that you and your eldest brother have a good temper. If this happens to my house, I will throw her out." The second daughter-in-law said.

"You think I'm waiting? Don't you look at the old man?"

"But it's true, if the family's troubles are too ugly, others will follow the joke." The second aunt shook her head.

The whole family finally had a reunion dinner. Because Ximingwu was at the dinner table, Ximing's family restrained a little, but it was delicious. Where should the chopsticks go? Ximingwu looked at the two old people, and then looked Looking at my daughter-in-law, the second daughter-in-law moved back to her mother's house after living in her husband's house for too long. At that time, Xi Mingquan was not yet married, so she was not very familiar with the current situation of the Xi family. I realized that he was close to his eldest brother and not very good with his brother. Today, seeing the behavior of the third child and his wife, I can understand why my husband is like this.

The next day, Xi Mingwu brought his wife back home. The eldest brother’s house had no place to live, so the east room had to sleep with women, and the west room had to sleep with men. He also hoped that the eldest brother’s house would build a new house soon, at least he would go home to have a place to stay.