Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 113
The earth gradually became silent, and the night sky became calm.Liu Zhixin took Liu Xiaonan to inspect the front and back yards with a flashlight, to prevent any sparks remaining from causing a fire.Then I went to the vegetable greenhouse to check the temperature and humidity.

Although covered with thick grass curtains, the temperature in the greenhouse dropped a few degrees compared to the daytime, but it was within the range suitable for growing vegetables.

The cut leeks have grown flat shoots; the cucumber seedlings in the nutrient bowl have grown four leaves, and in a few days the temperature will rise by a few degrees, and they will be transplanted to the celery after harvesting. in the open space.Everything is under control.

The actual space in the vegetable greenhouse is not spacious. Liu Zhixin said to his son: "Unfortunately, there is no suitable land. According to the requirements, the vegetable greenhouse must be more than 60 meters high. There is sufficient light, air circulation, humidity and temperature are easy to control, which is conducive to the growth of vegetables. , and there are many varieties of vegetables that can be planted. The shed is only 50 meters long, and the benefits are greatly reduced.”

The land of the family is scattered, and there is no land suitable for building a greenhouse. Liu Zhixin's plan to build a vegetable greenhouse was put on hold several times.Later, a family didn't want to plant a vegetable garden, so they approached Liu Zhixin and wanted to transfer it to him.

Liu Zhixin measured at one end, the vegetable gardens of the two families were adjacent to each other, and the vegetable garden of his younger brother Liu Zhitai was suitable for building a vegetable greenhouse, so he made a private agreement to buy the vegetable garden of that family with 1000 yuan. Long vegetable greenhouse.

Liu Xiaonan said: "Even if it is 50 meters, it is enough for you and my mother to keep busy. The benefits are also considerable, so don't expand the scale."

Liu Zhixin said: "People have to do something when they are alive, and they can't just sit and wait for death. I just got a taste of life."

Walking out of the vegetable shed, Liu Xiaonan lit the road with a flashlight, pondered over the words, and finally said, "Dad, I know what you want to prove, but I don't think it's necessary. You and my mother can live a relaxed life." Well, the rest of my life, isn't it good?"

Only when he was walking in the pitch-black wilderness did he have the courage to say these words to his father.

Liu Zhixin replied: "I don't want to prove anything. I have lived for more than 50 years and experienced so many things. What else can I not let go of? Is there anything I can't let go? This is what I did when I was an accountant in the production team. I dare not say it was a dream when I was young, but it can only be said to be a train of thought. Now I have the time, energy and freedom to follow that train of thought, which may open the minds of the whole village. Some people are physically lazy. , Some people have lazy brains, and some people have lazy limbs and brains. Laziness is a taboo for a person, and this is also an important reason why your third uncle pays attention to my vegetable greenhouse."

The cold wind was blowing, Liu Xiaonan was a little ashamed, his father's pattern was far more open than he imagined.

When she got home, Yue Xuelian hadn't slept yet, she had spread out the quilt and was sitting on the kang watching TV, still in an uncontrollable excitement.

This is the first time for her to celebrate the New Year in the countryside, at the house of her future mother-in-law, and in a sound family. The strong family atmosphere, rich and diverse folk customs, and bright fireworks all made her extremely happy.She thinks that walking into this home and becoming the future hostess of this home will be an important role on the stage of her life.

Liu Xiaonan turned off the TV casually, urging: "Hurry up and go to bed, tomorrow morning, to be precise, this morning, I have to get up early to celebrate the New Year."

Yue Xuelian said: "I thought that on New Year's Eve, I could play all night to my heart's content."

Liu Xiaonan took off her shoes and went to the kang: "The customs of each village are different. Some pay New Year's greetings on the [-]th night, and some pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the new year. The tradition in Liuzi Street is to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the new year. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, people have to get up early. , Greet each other for the new year. The reason why there is such a tradition, I think, is that the ancestors warned the future generations not to sleep late during the year, but to work hard to manage the house."

Yue Xuelian asked earnestly: "I, a de facto daughter-in-law-to-be who has never been married, should I greet my parents-in-law and mother-in-law on the first day of the new year?"

"The old rules have long been outdated." Liu Xiaonan took off her clothes and got under the covers: "There are not so many red tapes now, just ask me."

Yue Xuelian felt relieved, turned off the light, and crawled into Liu Xiaonan's arms like a loach.

Sleeping soundly, as if they had just fallen asleep, the two of them were suddenly awakened by the sound of firecrackers set off in the yard.Liu Xiaonan dazedly turned on the light and looked at his watch. It was not until five o'clock, and he had only slept for more than four hours.

Parents had already woken up early, and the sound of mother rattling the bellows to light the fire came from outside the door, while father urged them to get up with the sound of firecrackers.

Yue Xuelian put her arms around Liu Xiaonan's neck, closed her eyes and whispered, "It's too early, I don't want to get up."

Liu Xiaonan rubbed her eyes, helped Yue Xuelian up and said, "Sleep late on New Year's Day, and the two of us will become the laughing stock of the whole village."

Putting on new clothes from the inside out, folding the quilt, washing her face and brushing her teeth, Liu Xiaonan pulled Yue Xuelian to open the door and walked out of the house to say hello to her parents for the new year.Jiang Changling wrapped a big red envelope for Yue Xuelian, and Liu Zhixin asked Liu Xiaonan to kowtow to the ancestors' spirit tablets with incense and paper.

Candlelight flickers and incense burns, and the black smoke from burning paper money wafts along, entangled with the steam of cooking dumplings on the first day of the new year.

After eating dumplings, Liu Xiaonan and Yue Xuelian dressed up and walked out of the house, going door to door to pay New Year greetings to the elders in the village.

The sky has just brightened and the sun has not yet risen. The sound of firecrackers in the village is one after another. Every household opens their doors to welcome the first ray of sunshine in the new year.Young people and children came out of their homes one after another, and the village was filled with laughter and greetings.

Liu Xiaonan took Yue Xuelian to his uncle's house to pay New Year's greetings, and Liu Erya gave a red envelope alone.Because I listened to Liu Xiaonan's suggestion and gave money to open a small store and bought farm vehicles. The business is stable and prosperous, and the family's financial situation has greatly improved. A new house will be built this year. Of course, Liu Erya can't treat Liu Xiaonan badly. and her future niece and daughter-in-law.

Yue Xuelian said thank you politely, but Liu Xiaonan unceremoniously opened the red envelopes, counted them on purpose and said, "This is what makes you look like an aunt."

Liu Erya and Yue Xuelian scolded Liu Xiaonan: "Look at Xiaonan's eyes, if you don't, you won't recognize me as an aunt."

Yue Xuelian said: "Xiaonan still respects her aunt very much in her heart, especially the time when her aunt saved her uncle."

As an aunt, she had an extraordinary relationship with her uncle; as an older sister who had nothing to do with her, Liu Xiaonan could not understand some of her daily behaviors.The grievances and resentments here are deep, Yue Xuelian can only talk politely to Liu Erya.

Liu Erya was a little embarrassed: "The matter of Chen Zhima's rotten millet is over, let's not talk about the New Year's Eve."

Liu Xiaonan said: "Seeing the truth in adversity is not a matter of old sesame seed and rotten millet. Maybe one day, I will write down the story of my uncle and aunt."

Liu Erya said happily: "That's great, your uncle and I are also famous through your articles."

Liu Zhitai who was on the side said: "We are already notorious, what else do you want to be famous for? Only when we live well will we be real."

Liu Erya sighed: "If the child hadn't been killed back then, he would be in his early twenties now."

Liu Zhitai reproached and said, "In front of the children, why are you talking about that when you celebrate Chinese New Year?"

Yue Xuelian hurriedly apologized: "I'm sorry, I reminded my uncle and aunt of sad things."

Liu Erya shook Yue Xuelian's hand and said, "It has nothing to do with you, and I will always think about it when it's okay."

Liu Erya's girl slept in the inner room, just woke up, heard the conversation in the outer room, put on her clothes, came out and said: "Mom, uncle, treat me as that child."

Liu Zhitai said: "You are you, let's not talk about this, and wish your brother and sister-in-law New Year's greetings."

Liu Erya's girl warmly greeted her elder brother and sister-in-law.She has grown into a big girl, she is no longer afraid of Liu Xiaonan, but treats him as a confidant big brother.

When she was in high school, her academic performance was not very good, so she didn't know how to choose.Liu Xiaonan helped her analyze the pros and cons, and suggested that she go to a vocational high school. As soon as she graduated, she was recruited by a foreign-funded enterprise in Bincheng Development Zone and became an employee of a wholly-owned enterprise.

After joining the work, some of the questions that had troubled her gradually got answers.The brother, who is not related by blood, often visits her on Sundays, cares about her work and life, and takes her to buy clothes and eat delicious food.In front of her female companions, she proudly announced that she has a brother who is a writer.

When she handed over her salary to her mother, her stepfather made it clear that whatever she earned was her own, and the family didn't need a penny from her.

On the contrary, in the past, my own father never waited to see her, regardless of her life or death, but after he got a job, he reached out to her for money every three days.She finally saw clearly who was close and who was distant, who regarded her as a child, and who regarded her as a cash cow.

Although there is a layer of kinship between her and her adoptive father, the grace of nurturing is still vivid in my mind, becoming more and more clear and unforgettable.And the difficult and tortuous love story between mother and stepfather moistened and touched a girl's heart.

She is ashamed or not good at expressing it directly in words. When buying a piece of clothing for her mother, she must also buy one for her stepfather. She expresses her gratitude to her stepfather in this way.

Liu Xiaonan was very happy to see this younger sister's transformation. He joked: "When we fall in love in the future, I will be the first test here. If you fail the inspection by me and your sister-in-law, you don't have to bring the boy home."

Liu Erya's girl smiled: "That's too difficult. I'm still young, so I just want to work hard for the time being."

New Year's greetings came at home, Liu Xiaonan and Yue Xuelian got up to bid farewell and walked out of their uncle's house.Walking to the street, Yue Xuelian asked: "Are you just saying that casually, or are you really going to write down the story of your uncle and aunt?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "I just said it casually, and after I said it, I came to a real thought. I didn't want to write it before, because it involved too many people, and I didn't know how to express this bizarre story. A love story. Now the time is right, it's time to write."

Yue Xuelian said: "The emotional experience of your uncle and aunt is a special product of that special era. In some respects, it is even deformed. Today, it is unlikely that such a story will happen again. It is not universal, and it will be very difficult to write. If the angle is not well grasped, it may be difficult for people to accept."

Liu Xiaonan said: "I will not start writing in a hurry, it is necessary to change my thinking, and I will talk about it when the idea is mature."

The new year's sun slowly rises, and the village lights up and makes noise. People put on new clothes and leave the house one after another to greet each other with New Year's greetings.All the conflicts and unhappiness have become a thing of the past, at least I won’t think of mentioning them today, and what we present to each other is the smiling faces of blessings.

Liu Xiaonan and Yue Xuelian walked from the east to the west, and walked all over the village before finally coming to Guan Deyu's house to pay New Year's greetings.This is the case every year, because there must be a long conversation, and the content of the conversation involves all aspects.

Guan Deyu treated each other with tea, and asked immediately, "Xiaonan, walked around the village, did you find anything new?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "There hasn't been much change. People who celebrate the Chinese New Year shouldn't have said that, but it's true."

Guan Deyu was very optimistic: "Don't you think that more and more people are asking you to write Spring Festival couplets? Seeing so many people with your Spring Festival couplets on their doors, you have no idea?"

Liu Xiaonan was still puzzled: "Other than a little self-satisfied vanity, what does that explain?"

Guan Deyu pointed Liu Xiaonan, and said to Yue Xuelian: "Look, when a person's reputation grows, his nerves become numb."

Yue Xuelian said: "I am a little touched. Most of the doors of people in the city are pasted with printed Spring Festival couplets, which is a barrier between people. It is not only humane, but also shows that this village has a certain cultural heritage, and people have a simple yearning and desire for civilization."

Guan Deyu patted Liu Xiaonan on the shoulder: "After all, you are a university teacher, and you can get to the point in a sentence. You forgot that winter, why did you squat on the stone tablet to practice calligraphy? What you put out was not the fire on the haystack, It’s the evil thoughts in some people’s hearts.”

Yue Xuelian was surprised that Liu Xiaonan hadn't told her about that experience.Guan Deyu told her how the village was on fire, how the villagers were crazy and panicked, how Liu Zhixin came up with a clever trick, how Liu Xiaonan practiced calligraphy in the ice and snow, how the villagers remembered the ancestral precepts recorded on the stone tablet, and how happy he was Get carried away and set off a small whip to ignite the kang mat.

Yue Xuelian admired her quite a lot, and Liu Xiaonan said, "That was my father's idea, my third uncle raised me high."

Guan Deyu said: "The third uncle didn't lift you up. You are now a role model for the children in the village. Those parents who have children who go to school often talk about you, imitating your Uncle Xiaonan or Brother Xiaonan. , If you don’t study hard, can you become a writer and marry a university teacher? The method is a bit simple, but it is very practical, at least it shows that everyone realizes the importance of learning culture.”

Liu Xiaonan laughed and teased Yue Xuelian: "I didn't expect that, you became a golden signboard in Liuzi Street."

Guan Deyu changed the topic: "The change of rural people's inherent ideas is slow. You are right. The village has not changed much in the past few years. The villagers still farm according to the traditional method, and their income has not increased much. .Your father's vegetable greenhouse is a banner that can promote the change of villagers' thinking. Therefore, third uncle hopes that you can understand and support your father."

It turned out that Uncle San was waiting for him here.Of course Liu Xiaonan knew that his father and third uncle were working on a big event together, so there was no reason why he didn't understand or support it.

Coming out of Guan Deyu's house, the two of them walked home along the ridge of the vegetable field, and saw Liu Zhixin standing on the top of the vegetable greenhouse from a distance, bending over and pulling the hemp rope to roll up the straw curtains, letting the sun shine into the shed.

Yue Xuelian sighed: "He is really a diligent person with an admirable energy. No wonder my mother is still thinking about your father."

Liu Xiaonan glanced at Yue Xuelian without knowing why, and ran over quickly to take over the work from her father.

(End of this chapter)