Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 105
Every morning, Liu Xiaonan and Yue Xuelian would wake up together, put on their sportswear and sneakers, run out of the house, and run a lap along the river bank.When you are tired from running, wash your face in the cool river water, stand on the bank of the river arm in arm, breathe the fresh and moist fresh air, watch the floating mist on the river surface, the splashes of fish jumping, listen to the flowing water, the chirping of birds .

Yue Xuelian wanted to personally experience the scene described by Liu Xiaonan in the novel, and asked Liu Xiaonan to take her to fishhook in the river every night.After running, the two of them collected the hook together.

The old turtle was extinct, but the catfish and Ga Yazi never failed again and again. They put wicker sticks through the gills of the fish and strung them together for Yue Xuelian to carry.

In the morning after the rain, under the old willow tree, there will be clusters of "duck egg mushrooms", which are white like duck eggs and have just broken through the soil.Gently remove the floating soil with your hands, dig out the roots, and take it home to wash and stew the potatoes. The taste is very delicious.

After breakfast, the two of them started the day's creation.Sitting at one end of the desk, Yue Xuelian sorted out and revised the draft, marking the paragraphs that needed major revision and revision comments; Liu Xiaonan wrote down along her own train of thought, and the draft paper continued to thicken.

Tired of writing, I stood up and looked out the window.Rows of seedlings in pools are full of green under the sun, which can relieve eye fatigue and make people feel happy and comfortable.Dragonflies of various colors and sizes dance on the seedlings, dazzling people, showing the vitality and splendor of life.

Yue Xuelian asked Liu Xiaonan to demonstrate how to catch dragonflies.Liu Xiaonan said: "When I was young, I didn't have a semiconductor radio, let alone a TV, and I had nothing to play with, so I went to play some games with local materials. Fishing shrimps, water fights, dragonflies, spinning top skates and one-legged donkeys. Mud is water, and you have to be scolded or beaten when you go home. You didn’t see that children are watching TV at home now, who wants to play such childish games. If the two of us go fishing for dragonflies, we must not let What a joke? When you were young, didn’t you throw a handkerchief, kick a shuttlecock, jump a rubber band and play sheep bone crutches?”

Yue Xuelian made a pun: "My childhood life was not as colorful as yours. A dream and a novel were fulfilled."

Liu Xiaonan pretended not to understand, and boasted: "That's because I know how to experience life with my heart since I was a child."

Yue Xuelian scoffed at this.

Near noon, Yue Xuelian put down her pen and followed Jiang Changling to pick vegetables in the vegetable garden.Eat and pick now, pick as much as you eat.Stew kidney beans in an iron pot, put a few pickled girder bones or ribs, throw in a dozen small potatoes, and stick a circle of corn tortillas on the side of the pot.Simmer slowly, don't have a taste.

Yue Xuelian also learned a unique way of eating, "packaging".Use fresh cabbage hearts or lettuce leaves, spread out, put a piece of corn tortilla, a few sections of scallion and white coriander, spread egg sauce, roll them together, appetizing and delicious.

This is a way of eating created by rural women. When they are busy, they can eat while walking without delaying other work.

After lunch, take a short nap and continue writing.If women from the village came to visit, Yue Xuelian heard it and walked out of the house to talk to those women, showing the demeanor that a university teacher should have.She knew that rural women were very curious, and they all came here to see Liu Xiaonan's wife.

In the evening, the two came to the river to swim.The wound on Liu Xiaonan's waist gradually healed, and she was able to go into the water to teach Yue Xuelian how to swim.

Still using the old method, Liu Xiaonan wrapped her hands around Yue Xuelian's belly, let her float on the water, and instructed her to paddle with her hands and feet in a coordinated manner.Tired from swimming, Yue Xuelian sat on the warm sand by the river bank, while Liu Xiaonan dived to touch the crabs.

In recent years, the number of wild river crabs in the river has decreased significantly, and it only takes a lot of effort to find three or five.Liu Xiaonan dived again and again in places with strong currents, and if he put in more effort, there would always be something to gain.

Yue Xuelian carried the river crab tied with three-edged grass, connected the scene in front of her with the content described in the novel, somewhat jealous of Gu Yu.It is rare to experience a deep, pure friendship that develops into love in adolescence.

In "Longitudes and Latitudes", although Liu Xiaonan wrote about the different experiences and pursuits of several rural youths, she always focused on the emotional entanglement between the hero and heroine, and her deep affection made people admire and sigh.

No wonder the repeated hints failed to get a response; no wonder the jade pendant bought with a lot of money was not a token of love.How difficult is it for him to get out of that unforgettable relationship?

Thinking from another angle, she is also grateful to Gu Yu, who gave a rural boy a dream and made Liu Xiaonan what he is today.Without Gu Yu, perhaps there would be no meeting scene in the editorial office, no sack film theory, and no shocking declaration of love in "Love on the Lonely Island".

With so many students from her father, who can be her senior brother?

Think about Liu Xiaonan when he first debuted, standing in front of Teacher Zhao Guangzhi in fear, avoiding his gaze nervously.At that time, how could she have thought that at this time, he was catching river crabs for herself.

There was also a time when nothing was achieved, Liu Xiaonan performed diving for Yue Xuelian.Climb up a thick willow tree trunk that slopes into the river, stand at the highest point of the willow tree, and jump straight up and down with your legs together, splashing a lot of water, commonly known as popsicle jumping.

After jumping a few times, Liu Xiaonan dragged Yue Xuelian up to the willow tree, intending to take her into the water together.Yue Xuelian tremblingly climbed halfway and didn't dare to climb anymore. Liu Xiaonan asked her to close her eyes and pinched her nostrils with her hands.

She was about to give up, but Liu Xiaonan had already jumped down with her in his arms, before she could open her mouth to shout, both of them fell into the water with a plop.

The darkness submerged to the top of the head in an instant, and when Yue Xuelian was terrified, Liu Xiaonan had already lifted her head out of the water.She hugged his neck tightly, she didn't know whether it was out of fear or excitement, she fell on his wet head and shed tears.

Sometimes, at the riverside, I met the fourth brother who let the horse go, and without a word, Yue Xuelian watched the battle from the sidelines.The fourth brother tied the horse, and the two brothers grabbed each other's shoulders with their arms, lowered their bodies to set up the flower stand, kicked their legs hard on the ground, twisted together and shouted loudly, and the sand flew up for a while.

Liu Xiaonan tried all her strength but couldn't fall the fourth brother, but the fourth brother deliberately didn't want to fall him.Liu Xiaonan was very dissatisfied, so he threatened the fourth brother in a low voice: "The one standing over there is my wife, fourth brother, can you make me lose face?"

The fourth brother smiled stupidly: "She is your daughter-in-law, so I can't let you throw me down. I can't afford to lose that person."

Yue Xuelian heard shouting: "Fourth brother, don't let him. Otherwise, he doesn't know how much he weighs, and he will go out and cause trouble."

After hearing this, the fourth brother raised Liu Xiaonan high with both arms, and lifted his feet off the ground.Liu Xiaonan couldn't stop laughing, she couldn't use any strength in her hands and feet, so she could only submit obediently.The fourth brother winked at Liu Xiaonan triumphantly, and then gently put him down.

In the evening, there is a cool breeze, and the sound of frogs in the rice fields outside the window, one after another.In the harmonious and noisy symphony of nature, the two are immersed in the ocean of words and their own spiritual world.A few small flying insects drilled through the screen window, and under the light of the desk lamp, they danced soundlessly, and occasionally landed on the manuscript paper.

Yue Xuelian strictly abides by the fixed work and rest habits for many years. Every night, she puts down her pen after ten o'clock in the evening.Similarly, out of health and love, she would not allow Liu Xiaonan to stay up late writing.With passionate kisses and hugs, she pulled Liu Xiaonan out of the text.

After washing, one was lying on the bed in the inner room, and the other was lying on the kang in the outer room, falling asleep amidst the noisy sound of frogs.

On Sunday, the two returned to Zhoucheng together.First went to the vegetable market to buy some fish, meat and vegetables, and then carried a case of beer to a nearby small shop. The newlyweds walked excitedly on the narrow streets as if they were returning to their natal home.

Yue Zifan stood at the gate of the courtyard early, waiting for his daughter and son-in-law to return.Ever since he and Liu Zhixin agreed on his daughter's lifelong affairs, he no longer regarded Liu Xiaonan as his student, but as the man his daughter could rely on for life.

He watched Liu Xiaonan grow up step by step, just like watching his own son. His daughter's happiness and hope for the rest of her life were all pinned on him.

When his daughter and son-in-law stood in front of him, his eyes always stayed on his daughter.He was very pleased with every change in his daughter.

The vitality and joy of youth, like the long-lost spring breaking through the cold winter, gradually appeared on the daughter's body.The crisp and hearty laughter, like a happy bird, flew by his ears.He felt that his daughter was getting more and more beautiful.

Back at her father's house, Yue Xuelian didn't need anyone's help, she was busy cooking and cooking, and let Xiaonan chat with her father.Father has never looked forward to going home like this, and father is happy because of his own happiness.

Although it can't completely make up for the pain in the father's heart, it can make the father get a little happiness in his later years and feel the family atmosphere. Isn't it a kind of compensation for the happiness of the children?
After lunch, Yue Zifan, who was slightly drunk, needed to take a nap. Without question, he forcefully drove Liu Xiaonan to the back room, where there was a fan.Yue Xuelian's room in her father's house was still clean and tidy, but the room was too small, probably only three people could sleep in a narrow kang.

Liu Xiaonan stood on the edge of the kang with some embarrassment.Yue Xuelian, who was already lying down, was lying on the pillow, covering her mouth and laughing uncontrollably.

Liu Xiaonan lay down on one side with his head inward, and Yue Xuelian threw a foot on his chest, rubbing it back and forth, and he hugged that restless foot tightly.The table fan whirled and sent gusts of cool wind, but the hot sweat on his body kept gushing out.

Dozed in a daze, when Yue Zifan woke up and walked out of the house, Liu Xiaonan got up and scratched the soles of Yue Xuelian's feet with his hands.Unexpectedly, Yue Xuelian's feet didn't itch at all, she didn't laugh like ordinary people, but remained motionless as if enjoying herself.

Accompanying Yue Zifan after dinner, and catching the last bus, the two of them returned to Liuzi Street that night.

Unknowingly, more than a month has passed, and the seedlings in the rice fields have begun to head, standing upright like arrow clusters, and the white rice flowers are like a layer of fluff attached to the flat green rice grains.

The breeze blows, the waves of rice rise and fall, and the green waves ripple.At this time, we have entered a critical period of field management. Every link of fertilization, weeding and irrigation cannot be ignored. The autumn harvest is hidden in every hard work.

The first draft of the novel has been basically completed, and only needs to be further revised and perfected.In order to clear her mind and gain new inspiration, Liu Xiaonan took Yue Xuelian into the field to pull weeds and irrigate.

The morning sun was not too strong, and both of them were wearing straw hats. Yue Xuelian stood on the ridge with a shovel in hand to irrigate, and Liu Xiaonan rolled up his trouser legs, and went down to the field to pull out the barnyard grass mixed among the seedlings.

There are not many weeds in the rice field at home, how can Liu Zhixin tolerate the existence of weeds in the field cultivated by Liu Zhixin?It’s just that the water barnyardgrass is very similar to the seedlings, the only difference is that the leaves of the water barnyard grass are white, which is not easy to distinguish, and the vitality is very strong, no matter what, it is impossible to completely remove it.

Liu Xiaonan carefully looked for the ridge after ridge, and when he found it, he uprooted it.Yue Xuelian also wanted to go to the field, but he forbade it, because there were leeches in the paddy fields.

In the adjacent paddy field, Liu Qishun was also weeding. His wife and his one-year-old daughter were playing with grasshoppers on the ridge.

The daughter-in-law and parents-in-law couldn't get along, so Liu Yunqi and Ma Gesi had to separate from their son, move out of the new house, and find another spare house to live in.People in the village said that Mags had been hurt all his life, but in the end he still fell into the hands of his daughter-in-law.

In Liu Qishun's rice fields, there are many kinds of weeds, including barnyardgrass, three-edged grass, and reeds, as well as some unknown aquatic plants.

He was cursing and cursing while pulling, and when he got tired of pulling, he straightened up and talked to Liu Xiaonan: "Uncle, there are not many barnyard grasses in your rice field, so why bother? It's not normal to have a few grasses, and you can save a few catties of rice. What's more, you are famous now, if you go home and don't work, the uncle won't scold you like he used to."

I don't know when Liu Qishun stopped calling Liu Xiaonan by his first name, and changed his name to Uncle according to his seniority.

Facing her childhood friend, Liu Xiaonan said, "No matter how famous I am abroad, when I go back to Liuzi Street, I am a farmer just like you."

On the ridge of the field, Liu Qishun's daughter-in-law was also talking to Yue Xuelian: "I don't know if I should call you auntie. When I first got married in Liuzi Street, Uncle Xiaonan was just engaged to Guan Xiaoyun, and he said it would be too late."

Yue Xuelian said: "Everyone has countless choices in their life. You are choosing the world, and the world is also choosing you."

Seeing the ignorance on the other party's face, Yue Xuelian felt that she had played the piano again.

Light rain began to fall in the afternoon, falling in a straight line, beating the eaves and leaves of plants with a swish.The heat dissipates, the air is cool, and there are no outsiders to disturb it on rainy days. It is the best environment for writing.The two spread out the manuscript, decided to take advantage of the rainy weather, and finally completed the first draft of the first novel.

The light rain stopped from time to time, and it was still pattering after nightfall.A stack of thick manuscript paper was neatly placed on the table, and the first draft of the novel of 10,000+ words was finally completed. The two embraced to celebrate the birth of this painstaking work.

Yue Xuelian raised her face and said: "This novel is bound to be a success, and I am very happy and satisfied to be able to participate in it."

Liu Xiaonan said: "After writing this novel, I feel that my brain has been hollowed out, and I can no longer write anything. Teacher Lao Yue and my father-in-law are right. Slow down and experience life with your heart. I am properly prepared. Adjust your future study and life."

"What kind of life do you want to experience?"

"A life like a dream."

During the passionate kiss, Liu Xiaonan gently bit the fine hair on Yue Xuelian's lips.The slight pain made Yue Xuelian unable to break free, and she was unwilling to break free, so she asked in a low voice, "Ru Chi, where are we?"

"It's like a dream, we are on an isolated island. The vast sea, dense forests, warm sunshine, and flying birds, there is our happy home."

The light rain sometimes rushes and sometimes slows down, and the sound of frogs is ethereal and distant.

(End of this chapter)