a certain Zheng Kexin

Xu Gao has a tradition of taking the final exam twice.

The teacher said that the questions in the entrance exam are too simple, not challenging, and not as difficult as the classroom quiz, so every time before the official final exam, Xu Gao's teaching and research team will produce a set of final papers of his own. Everyone was nervous and performed abnormally, so I will practice for everyone in advance.

This is bullshit.

Moreover, in order not to affect everyone's New Year's Eve mood, the school has always arranged this double-difficulty exam before the New Year's Day party. There will be cases of worrying about having a bad year with grades.

This is murder.

This year, according to the tradition, at the end of December, everyone had a busier week than usual. First, they survived two days of self-exams where they answered a paper and lost a handful of hair. I don't know what's wrong with the teacher who has always graded the papers quickly. The report card came slowly and was only sent to the students on Thursday afternoon.

When everyone reacts, December 22, the legendary end of the world, has already been called the past tense.

Qiao Yuan's little progress was seen with a magnifying glass in his father's eyes, so he was scolded by many parties. He quietly expressed his opinion: "The end of the world? Do you think the end of the world has passed? Are we Isn't it dead?"

Everyone was eating well and suddenly became "ghosts", without saying a word, they divided up Qiao Yuan's plate of sweet and sour pork ribs.

The last day of December this year was on a Monday, and the school decided to take everyone ahead of the New Year's Eve, and arranged the New Year's Day party on the Friday night of the first week.

The New Year's Eve party is a day when people don't scold people. Adhering to the four characters of the "traditional virtues" that debuted in the C position - "big Chinese New Year", the head teachers of all classes temporarily ignored the report cards that made people angry, and piled them up for a day without scanning them. People are in high spirits, thinking about new feuds and old grievances in the coming year.

The extremely depressive environment is even more exciting. Qiao Yuan couldn't sit still for a long time as if he was on drugs. Somehow, he persuaded Wen Yu to agree to make dumplings together. When the other classes went out to buy snacks, Qiao Yuan took a group of boys I took the class fee and ran to the nearby vegetable market.

Then as soon as he entered the shift, he threw down a bag of pork and a bundle of green onions, and a bunch of seasoning rolled out of the sack.

Ding Xin knew that the teacher couldn't have fun with the students, so he didn't want to care about it, but he still couldn't sit still after trying to cheer himself up for 10 minutes in the office.

Then I saw a row of pots and pans on the podium, with a brand new rolling pin and a large cutting board at the end.

Ding Xin almost fell over on the spot.

Then she held on to the door frame and barely stopped, pointed at Qiao Yuan in the crowd and asked, "You...you...you want it, why?"

Qiao Yuan has done too many things before playing first, so he is dead at this time, and he is not afraid of anything because of the Chinese New Year. He was very happy to hear her question and answered calmly: "It's Chinese New Year, make dumplings!"

Ding Xin was stunned for ten seconds before she recovered her breath. Before she could say something, she saw Qiao Yuan take out an induction cooker from nowhere, and a boy at the back door rushed to the classroom with a pot filled with water. , Shouting while running: "Quick—let———"

Then the boy saw Ding Xin, and slammed on the brakes on the spot. Half of the water in the pot was spilled, and almost splashed on Ding Xin, and the students nearby scattered away yelling.

Ding Xin stared at the frightened boy for a long time, thinking that it was a mistake not to pass out just now.

At this time, everyone was decorating the classroom. The boys were blowing balloons and the girls were sticking balloons. They were all busy. All the classes were making noise together. Everyone was talking. The whole corridor was very noisy. What stuffing?"

Ding Xin knew how Qiao Yuan's father got his temper. If Qiao Yuan were her son, she would use the rolling pin to whip him three times a day.

After that, Ding Xin didn't make it. It's okay for these brats to cook dumplings, and they don't eat quick-frozen ones, so they make a fuss about making dumplings themselves.Fuck yourself, they are all brought up by their parents, they know what to do, can they knead dough?Will you chop stuffing?Will it be seasoned?

You can eat everywhere with your mouth open, what can you expect from you.

Knowing how to make trouble without knowing anything, and then being touched by a knife when he turned around, the parents were injured at this point, and the parents must not be crazy.

Qiao Yuan was smart at this time: "It's okay, teacher! Cutting with a knife in your right hand is also cutting your left hand, and you can write with your right hand!"

Ding Xin expressionless: "You're so smart."

Qiao Yuan: "Thank you teacher."

In the end, Ding Xin moved a table for herself at the front door and started a temporary back kitchen. She never dared to let the students hold knives, so she had to cut the meat by herself, and take out the stuffing after mixing it. Dare to put green onion, ginger, garlic and fermented soybeans, for fear of being picky eaters.

Ding Xin was chopping and chopping on the cutting board, thinking that he was not the head teacher of the graduates, but a child caretaker in the kindergarten.

Fortunately, Wen Yu was quite reliable, so he quickly divided the class into two groups. Those who wanted to sing sat in the waiting room by the window, and those who had nothing to do sat by the wall. When the teacher adjusted the stuffing, Xu Niannian kneaded it. After the noodles, I help make dumplings.

Xu Niannian and the people around him couldn't help either, a group of girls didn't want to listen to the boys crying and howling, so they all came over to watch, praising and secretly playing with dough.

Zheng Kexin was good at this, so he also made trouble, not only grabbed it himself, but also stole two yuan and handed it to Ning Zhi and An Ji, Xu Niannian slapped the back of his hand mercilessly.

Busy to the middle of the party, the dumplings were finally made. As expected, each person had the same shape, and the dumplings were of different sizes and shapes on each table. Some were like wontons and some were like zygotes. It seems that there are all kinds of shapes, but it is not like dumplings.

Ding Xin let out a long sigh—tell me why you don't buy quick-frozen ones!

Xu Niannian didn't touch the pot with all hands and faces, and was worried about begging others, so she directed Zheng Kexin to serve dumplings. The brats stopped singing, and gathered around to stare at the pot, as if it was the first time in their life that they could boil water guy thing.

Qiao Yuan bluffed especially, sucking his nose and howling every 2 minutes: "It's ripe, I can smell it!"

Zheng Kexin ignored him. After the water boiled for a while, he added a spoonful of cold water into it according to Xu Niannian's instructions. A girl nearby asked, "Isn't the water boiling? Why add cold water?"

There are many small cooking skills in the kitchen. Like the so-called old sayings, most of them are handed down from generation to generation. There are reasons, but cooking is a skill, and no one will talk about the knowledge. .

Fortunately, when explaining to Zheng Kexin before, he "prepared the lesson", but now he is explaining the truth to another group of laymen, and it is not difficult to follow the scientific logic. Xu Niannian knocked on the pot and said slowly.

"Because the skin cooks faster than the stuffing, the water is always boiling and the skin is easy to break. Add some cold water to let the water reach the boiling point again. It will not break the skin and give the stuffing a cooking time."

The girl nodded: "I understand, physics!"

Ding Xin, who was finally able to rest for a while, leaned against the door, closed her eyes and rested her mind, listened to the movement with her ears upright, smiled wryly, and didn't know whether to praise everyone for applying what they learned, or for being stupid.

Then Zheng Kexin sprinkled a handful of salt into the pot according to Xu Niannian's instructions, and another girl asked again: "Why sprinkle salt, isn't it vinegar to eat dumplings?"

Before Xu Niannian could answer, Qiao Yuan spoke first: "Season it, do you have to add some sesame oil—but my dumpling soup doesn't have seasoning."

Zheng Kexin had heard Mr. Xu talk about the precautions for cooking dumplings before. At this time, he seemed to be a student who got the answer in advance. It felt very good to open it. He looked at Qiao Yuan with pride and asked: "Do you have to add some more? chopped green onion."

Qiao Yuan pondered for a while, and answered seriously: "That won't work, I bought green onions."

Ding Xin couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.

Xu Niannian was very patient in this matter, and told the girl the reason for adding salt in a soft voice.

The girl nodded: "I understand, chemistry!"

Ding Xin smiled helplessly and said, "Entering the Little Classroom of Knowledge".

After finally getting out of the pot, Zheng Kexin stretched out his hand towards Qiao Yuan: "Bowl."

Qiao Yuan stared at her blankly, then slapped his head: "I just said I forgot to buy something!"

All the people in the room suddenly roared, and the boys went to Le Qiaoyuan's neck one after another. The girls couldn't do their hands, so they collectively expressed their anger with their eyes.

Qiao Yuan stretched out his fingers to the ceiling in a desperate struggle: "I... I, I, I... I bought chopsticks!"

We ate the most special dumpling meal in our lifetime. The stuffing was made by the class teacher, the noodles were kneaded by classmates, the skins were not only round but also polygonal, the pot was hidden in the school bag in the morning, and several boys brought it in together. It's unheard of - chopsticks with water glasses.

Zheng Kexin still had coffee in her hot water cup, so she shared a tableware with Xu Niannian, and when she was making dumplings, she secretly put a few pieces of sugar into the dumplings - Su Yingyu would always do this when making dumplings during the New Year, saying that she was eating sugar It means happiness in the coming year, and eating coins means wealth and wealth. Zheng Kexin never believed in this before. If the wish is useful, God will be unemployed, but now he has learned this vulgar routine.

Although she told herself that cheating would not work, she comforted herself that she knew that the dumplings she made were leaked, so she scooped up two before everyone else, one for each of her and Xu Niannian.

Qiao Yuan specially reserved six dumplings made by Xu Niannian, and when everyone finished picking them up, he brought the six dumplings that were available to Ding Xin, together with the soup and the pot.

Others use "buckets", and this is the only "bowl" in the classroom.

Ding Xin had mixed feelings and couldn't laugh or cry. She gritted her teeth while struggling to scoop up dumplings in the pot while expressing her sincere thanks.

The girls listened to Xu Niannian's explanation of a little kitchen knowledge, and became interested in cooking for a short time. Groups of three or five discussed various knowledge points about cooking, such as why northerners eat dumplings on every festival, such as Why are there boiled dumplings but not steamed buns.

Qiao Yuan didn't know what was going on in his head. When he was shopping, he couldn't distinguish the seasonings for making dumplings. He also bought a bunch of hot pot dipping sauces. The boys "invincible" all took them apart. I think the dumplings dipped in chili noodles are also good.

Outside the corridor, the leader on duty has already blown his whistle to signal. Looking at the watch, there are still 10 minutes before the end. Qiao Yuan took advantage of the chaos and played Unforgettable Tonight before the end. The whole classroom immediately boiled, and everyone held their respective water glasses and sang together. , basically not on the tune at all, but the momentum is strong enough!Loud enough!Ding Xin yelled at the top of her voice, but she couldn't stop the loud voices of the young people.

The class next door reacted quickly when they heard the movement. Soon, the whole floor sang the same song in unison.

Zheng Kexin was terribly quarreled, she didn't drink but was a little bit hot, her face was blushing and she was leaning against the wall with her ears plugged, Xu Niannian ran over and patted her head: "Have a fever?"

Zheng Kexin was in a daze, and his whole body felt a kind of relaxed happiness.

She let go of her hand and hugged Xu Niannian vigorously, then separated the two of them with a smirk on her face, kissed Xu Niannian's forehead for a short moment, and then hugged her back with a smile.

Xu Niannian also laughed, and found that Zheng Kexin was much more lively than before. She became close to herself and treated herself as a friend, which was very good.

Qiao Yuan was still yelling: "Happy time is always so short."

The whole school was having a carnival, Ding Xin listened, and suddenly remembered that when he was in school, it was still in the [-]s, and everyone was so happy when Hong Kong returned to China, and for some reason, he threw the hot water bottle downstairs—— More noisy than them.

In the blink of an eye, it has been more than ten years, and this year has come to the last day.

Zheng Kexin's birthday is on January [-]nd, the day after New Year's Day. She doesn't like to celebrate her birthday at home. In previous years, she always listened to Ning Zhi and An Ji's arrangements. On Friday night, Ning Zhi came to her to discuss her birthday as usual. Things, but she refused.

Zheng Kexin saw that Ningzhi was about to blow up, so she added fuel to the fire: "Niannian said to take me to her grandma's house."

Then she ignored Ning Zhi's jump, and quickly dragged Xu Niannian away.

Before Xu Niannian had time to say goodbye to Ning Zhi, she ran to the school gate before taking a breath and asking, "What's wrong with Ning Zhi?"

Zheng Kexin: "I have eaten too many dumplings."

Xu Niannian: "Huh? Why are you staring at you after eating too many dumplings?"

Zheng Kexin laughed: "I've eaten too much vinegar too."

On Saturday, the two of them worked hard all day. According to the old habit, they piled up their homework in the upper left corner of the desk, wrote one by one, and then moved the finished ones to the upper right corner. At ten o'clock in the evening, the height of the right side finally exceeded On the left, Zheng Kexin checked the homework in a circle, and more than half of the three-day homework has been done.

Xu Gao's students all regard the papers produced by themselves as the final exam. As for the joint entrance exam in all districts next week, Xu Gao agrees that teachers and students don't pay much attention to it, so this New Year's Day holiday, everyone is still relaxed.

Xu Niannian proposed to go to her grandma’s house on Sunday to celebrate the New Year, and Zheng Kexin agreed immediately. She originally thought that she would pick the key points in her homework on Saturday, go out with Xu Niannian on Sunday, and go back to her home on Monday to have a look. After all, the New Year is a family reunion Days, if Xu Niannian is willing, he can also take her back to his home for a reunion dinner.

In the end, she called, but Su Yingyu said that Sheng Yunming's leg was not healed, she was in the hospital, and there was no one at home, so she advised her to study hard.

Senior high school students now judge the time by relying on the digital countdown on the wall. They often regard afternoon as morning and Thursday as Tuesday. Is it time to leave the hospital?

But she didn't think about it carefully, thinking that it might be too late, or it might be that Sheng Yunming had other illnesses.

Early on Sunday morning, Zheng Kexin followed Xu Niannian to the bus station.

Xu Niannian’s home is out of town, and she has to take the train to go home. Grandma’s house is closer, in the suburbs of Lincheng, but the bus line in Lincheng is not perfect. It takes more than an hour to go there by bus, and it takes 10 minutes to walk. Minutes to country road.

Because of the long distance and the unsafe roads in the village, my grandmother was afraid of delaying Xu Niannian's study and even more afraid of danger on the road, so she never let Xu Niannian run to find her alone.

"But it's okay this time." Xu Niannian said, "You go back with me, and it's a holiday again, so my grandma won't say anything."

The bus was full of people meeting relatives during the Chinese New Year, and everyone was carrying gift boxes. Zheng Kexin suddenly felt like seeing his parents, and suddenly felt that it was very inappropriate for him to visit empty-handed, so he pulled Xu Niannian's sleeves: "Do we have to Buy something, snacks and fruits, what your grandma likes to eat."

Xu Niannian looked at her wonderingly: "Why are you being polite when you come to my house?"

Although Xu Niannian said so, Zheng Kexin still took out a box of milk from the simple small shop while she was unprepared. The small shop had few items, so he could only reluctantly buy this, Zheng Kexin thought, I will make up for it later.

Xu Niannian can't do anything about her, she feels that their state is very similar to relatives and child mothers who are dragged by a red envelope during the Chinese New Year.

When he arrived at the door, Xu Niannian took out the key to open the door, turned to Zheng Kexin and said to Zheng Kexin, "By the way, my grandma's ears are not good, and she can't hear what people say clearly. You have to speak louder when you talk to her."

Zheng Kexin let out an "ah", before she could react, Xu Niannian had already opened the door.

The old man is cooking. The one-story house has a large courtyard. At first glance, the courtyard is the house. There are two persimmon trees planted in the corner, which are already bald this season.

The kitchen is just behind these two trees. The old man is used to eating firewood all his life, but he is not used to all kinds of new gadgets. There is still an old stove in the kitchen. When he stands at the door and sniffs his nose, he can smell the smell of the stove. .

This is like Zheng Kexin's childhood home.

"Grandma—grandma—"

Xu Niannian put her hands around her mouth in a trumpet shape, shouted twice towards the kitchen vigorously, and shouted a third time, Grandma Xu walked out of the kitchen with small steps, and saw Xu Niannian smiling.

Grandma Xu is not tall, she only reaches Xu Niannian's shoulders, she wears very simple clothes, both inside and outside of the jacket are plain, unlike other old people who like fancy patterns, her hair is neatly tied in a bun behind her head. A plain silver hairpin is inserted into the bun.

She is very similar to Xiao Xu's grandma, very similar to the old Su Yingyu, and somewhat similar to Sheng Yunming who is not yet crazy.

Maybe it's because these characters are covered with such an inexplicable but very similar tenderness from the old days.

The small courtyard and the old man in front of him gave people the feeling that everything could start all over again, that everything was a nightmare.

Zheng Kexin gasped a little, and felt an inexplicable urge to cry.

Xu Niannian leaned close to Grandma Xu's ear and said loudly to her, "This is sweet—I told you—"

Grandma Xu listened to it twice before she understood it. Once she understood it, she immediately started like a child who answered the question correctly: "I know I know."

After finishing speaking, she rubbed her hand on the apron, and came to grab Zheng Kexin's hand. Zheng Kexin still doesn't like any physical contact, especially after all kinds of hardships over the years, she has an instinctive resistance to the old man of this age.

Grandma Xu's hands are dry and rough like other old people's hands. No matter how much hand cream you apply, it will feel a little prickly to the touch. A thick layer of calluses has formed on the place where the work often rubs. Zheng Kexin let her hold it, and heard her ask : "It's nice, right? Nian Nian said you said birthday, didn't you?"

Zheng Kexin was stunned for a moment - she hadn't told Xu Niannian about her birthday.

"Yes... yes..." She nodded towards the old man, and when she looked up, she saw Xu Niannian holding out a big cake.

The sunny days in winter are the happiest end of the year.

"happy birthday."

She heard Xu Niannian say.

The author has something to say: The days of sunshine in winter are the happiest end of the year.