Old things in the south

Chapter 28
After reading Mr. Zhu Jiefan's "Sunning Warm", and talking about "Sunning the Old Man" and "Squeezing Old Rice" in northern dialect, it brought me back to my childhood in the north in winter.

In the north in winter, it is not necessarily cold enough to make people want to cook in the house.The sky is fine, the morning sun shines on the wall first, and then shines on the earth. I can't help but want to leave the stove and accept the warmth given by nature!

Usually there are a few small benches in the corner, sitting with younger brothers and sisters, wearing cotton gowns covered with blue cloth coats, and fur nests with leather heads, and Song's mother is coaxing them to play.Her hands were not idle, either twisting the hemp rope and shoe soles (recalling her gesture of making two strokes in her hair before the awl was about to sink into the soles), or sewing the uppers of camel saddles.Somehow, in the north, women have endless needlework, regardless of winter or summer.

After leaving Beiping, no matter where I go, I can’t distinguish things, because I’m used to the ancient and square city of Beiping, its direction is correct, and the old man (that is, the sun) shines squarely from the west wall of every house in the morning. Around the window, there is a circle of window panes, pasted with Dongchang paper, so that the sun's light and warmth can penetrate into the room.At the square table full of windows facing the sun, I watched my mother comb her hair in the mirror, and use a small brush to lick the glue from the shavings to her smooth hair.The daffodils on the small table were also illuminated by the sun.It will be opened in the year after year.In the rectangular narcissus pots, the colorful and crystal-clear colored stones of the Yuhuatai come out from the water.Or, the father who likes to play with plants, in winter, he uses a clean shallow magnetic basin, spreads a layer of cotton and water, sprinkles some wheat grains, and watches it gradually germinate and grow under the sun every day, giving birth to emerald green and beautiful flowers. It is also fun to play in the winter house.

The majority of children's lives are of course at school.Elementary school students seldom cook by the stove (female middle school students love to do so), and they always run outside the classroom or on the playground for 10 minutes after class.The boys flocked to squeeze the old rice by the wall where the sun shines. They crowded around and shouted loudly:

Squeeze!Squeeze!

Squeeze old rice!

Squeeze out shit to feed you!

Girls don't want to yell casually at such thick and dirty words.

It was not until the class bell rang that everyone retreated from the wall. They were already warmed up, and not only did they not feel any chill at all, they took off their woolen hats, and there might still be white steam rising from their bald heads!
(End of this chapter)