Wang family small peasant girl

Chapter 45

After the Lantern Festival, the New Year’s Eve has officially passed. Farmers put away their winter leisure time and plan to cultivate the fields for this year. The plan for the year lies in spring, and the busy life of farmers starts from the spring plowing day. Start booting.

The custom here is to set the spring plowing day on the third day after the Lantern Festival, unlike what Zhang Yun knows, the spring plowing day is set on the beginning of spring. For farmers, the spring plowing day is a very important day of the year, representing It is the beginning of a year of farming, so after the Lantern Festival, every household is busy preparing for the spring plowing day.

Before the spring plowing day, the Zhou family sent Zhang Zhang to Xiahuai Village to inform their grandmothers that the pigsty at home had been set up, and if the piglets were caught, they would not have to be raised at the grandmothers It's been a while, just send it home.

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, early in the morning of the spring plowing day, Zhang’s family got up. Just as Zhang Yun got up from the kang, she heard a faint knocking sound coming from outside. Push the door out of the house.

When I got to the yard, I saw that the family members had already got up. Zhang Yun was standing in the yard, and the knocking sound became louder. It could be heard that it came from not far away. Look at the sky, it was blue and gray, not yet fully Liang, I didn't expect someone to climb up so early, and they had already started beating pots and lids to make them lazy.

It is a custom in the countryside here to beat the laziness, which means to send away the laziness of the New Year and welcome the arrival of the spring plowing and opening of the fields. Therefore, every household will beat the pot and cover the ground to have a lot of fun when they get up early in the morning, and the Zhang family is no exception. Hearing the sound of beating coming from the village, Mrs. Zhou hurried out of the house, ran into the kitchen, took the rolling pin in one hand, and the pot cover in the other, and ran to the yard to beat hard.

Zhang Yun, Zhang Zhang, and Zhang Xing then ran into the kitchen, picked up anything that could be knocked, and beat together. They were a few little ones, laughing and joking while beating. This early in the morning of the spring plowing day, I felt very happy.

It doesn't take long to knock to get lazy. After beating for a while, Mrs. Zhou smiled and said: "Okay, okay, what are you doing to get lazy? It's just a joke. Don't give things to me. It's broken, put it back quickly." With this shout, the three brothers and sisters in the courtyard stopped their playfulness and put all the things in their hands back.Zhang Yun stayed in the kitchen to help the Zhou family, while Zhang Zhang and Zhang Xing went out to help grandpa and father tidy up the farm tools.

In the early morning of spring plowing day, every household wants to eat Yangchunba. This is a custom that has been passed down for many years. The Zhou family has already soaked the glutinous rice yesterday. After putting down the pot lid and rolling pin, they will hold the wooden basin for soaking the glutinous rice. , walked to the stone mill, ready to be ground into wet powder, Zhang Yun saw it, and wanted to help.

"Yun'er, I'll just come over here. You'd better turn on the stove quickly. When the fire is hot, put the pickled potherb mustard in the pan and fry. I've already cut some bacon strips from your Uncle Mao during the Chinese New Year. Come out, and fry with potherb mustard." Seeing that Zhang Yun was going to the stone mill to help, Mrs. Zhou waved her hand to tell her not to go there, and told her to do other things.

Zhang Yun responded, and pushed aside the wooden boards on the stove door, picked up the ashes covering the charcoal in the stove with a branch, and after a while, lit a spark, the temperature in the stove rose, Zhang Yun hurriedly took some dried The thatch was stuffed in, and the thatch ignited immediately, and the flames and thick smoke came out, and the firewood was picked up and thrown in, and the fire quickly burned.

After the fire was hot, Zhang Yun scooped water from the bucket to wash off the ashes on his hands, poured the oil into the pot and heated it up, went to the cupboard to get the jar containing mustard mustard, grabbed the mustard mustard from the jar, squeezed the water, I put it in a bowl, and after grabbing half a large bowl, I put the jar back.

At this time, there was some crackling in the pot, and the oil was hot. Zhang Yun quickly put the potherb mustard, and the bacon slices that Zhou's had cut last night into the pot. After frying for a while, until the fragrance came out from the pot, the potherb mustard was fried from green to tea brown, and Zhang Yun took a bowl to serve it.

"Mother, I'm done frying." Zhang Yun ran to the kitchen door and yelled out, Zhou's responded, saying: "I'm almost done, I'll come in to Baoyang Chunba later."

Zhang Yun saw that Mrs. Zhou was not well yet, so he started other preparations in the kitchen. When he turned around and walked back, he saw the grapefruit leaves piled up in the corner, filled a basin of clear water, squatted down to the corner with his hands in his hands, and Put the pomelo leaves in the water and wash them. After washing, shake the water dry and pile them on the water tank board. After pouring out the water in the wooden basin, put the clean grapefruit leaves in the wooden basin for later use. Then take out the steamer and scrub them clean. Put it on the hob.

As soon as it was ready here, Mrs. Zhou came in with a wooden basin, which was piled with sticky glutinous rice flour. Mrs. Zhou kneaded the glutinous rice flour with a small amount of water, kneaded out pieces of dough, and fried it. Wrap the fillings of potherb mustard and bacon, and press them lightly with your hands to form glutinous rice cakes. These glutinous rice and fillings made more than 30 glutinous rice cakes, all of which were steamed in a steamer with grapefruit leaves on it. A whole pot of polenta.

For breakfast today, the whole family ate the soft, glutinous and spicy Yangchun cake, and served the hot corn paste. Although it was not expensive to eat, their stomachs swelled and they were very full.

As soon as the spring plowing day comes, the farmers have to start working in the fields, so after breakfast, the grandparents of the Zhang family get busy, checking all the farm tools, what needs to be repaired, what needs to be fixed, what needs to be replaced , After tidying up all the farm tools, Zhang Liangen and Zhang Youqing took the charter and Zhang Xing out of the fenced yard and went to the Zhang family's field.

Mrs. Zhou quickly cleaned up the pots and bowls, and after Zhang Yun had fed the chicken, the two of them followed out the door and hurried to the field, planning to join the grandparents and grandchildren when the business in their field was over. , and went to the threshing field together. Every year on the spring plowing day, the wheat threshing field would carry out spring plowing, and all the men and women in the village would flock there, but it was very lively.

When Zhang Yun and Zhou rushed to the field, they saw Zhang Youqing squatting on the ridge of the field, peeling bamboo in his hands, and there were already several sharpened bamboos beside him. Then he was talking with other children of the same age, and Zhang Xing didn't know where to go.

"Father, he's still cutting bamboo. Hurry up. The spring plowing at the wheat field doesn't wait for anyone." Seeing Mrs. Zhou, she called out from afar, and other villagers who were busy in the nearby fields saw When they arrived at Zhou's, they all turned their heads to say hello.

Mrs. Zhou smiled and exchanged a few greetings one by one, and walked to Zhang Youqing's side. Zhang Youqing also finished cutting the bamboo, stood up, and said, "Father, the bamboo is ready."

When Zhang Liangen saw that the bamboo was finished, he reached out and tapped a few times on the ridge of the field, knocking out the shredded tobacco in the tobacco pot, then thrust the tobacco rod back into his waist, picked up the hoe beside him, and stood up Come, call Zhang Zhang, and call Zhang Xing loudly.

Hearing the shout, Zhang Xing popped his head out of nowhere, and ran over excitedly to his own field. Several people got down together, bent down and lifted the dry straw covered in the field. In one place, they were piled on the ridge of the field, and Zhou and Zhang Yun also went down to the field to help.

After all the straw was removed, Zhang Liangen picked up his hoe and dug down in the empty space where there were no wheat seedlings. Zhang Youqing inserted the sharpened bamboos into the ground one by one, and Zhang Zhang took a few seeds from his pocket. Come out, dig up some soil with your hands, sow the seeds into the soil, and then move the soil to cover the seeds tightly.

Zhang Yun stood on the ridge and watched, then glanced around, saw that the farmers in other fields were doing the same thing, so he thought carefully, dug out these fragments from his memory, and then remembered, this It is also what every household has to do in spring plowing. Hoeing the ground means plowing, inserting bamboo means inserting the field, and planting means wishing a good harvest, all of which are farmers' wishes for this year.

After Zhang Liangen dug a few hoes, he put away the hoe and carried it on his shoulders to the field ridge. Zhang Youqing, Zhang Cheng, and Zhang Xing also went up the field ridge. Zhou smiled and waved: "Let's go to the spring plowing, Chi There is no place to stand." As he spoke, he led Zhang Yun to walk, and Zhang's grandparents followed.

The threshing field is on the northeast side of the ancestral hall, just next to the ancestral hall. Zhang's family walked straight towards the ancestral hall, seeing the gray tiles and white walls of the ancestral hall in sight, and walking a short distance to the threshing floor On the spot, they saw a large group of people walking around the ancestral hall and walking towards them.

The Zhang family was a little surprised, so they quickened their pace, walked forward, bumped into the group of people, and then saw that the leader was Li Normal Xiangyang.

Chang Xiangyang saw Zhang's family coming in a hurry, and was about to speak when Zheng Changli, the son of a dog who always had a loud voice, yelled, "Uncle Lian Gen, Brother Youqing, don't go to the wheat field, let's go to the town together."

"Going to the town?" Zhang Youqing was taken aback when he heard that, and looked at Chang Xiangyang. Chang Xiangyang smiled and waved to Zhang's family, and said, "Yeah, don't go there, go back out of the village, we are all ready Go to the town." After speaking, he walked up, and since Li Zheng said so, Zhang's family stopped, turned their heads and walked back and forth, while listening to Chang Xiangyang continuing: "This year our county has taken office in a new county. Ling, you all know this."

"I know." When the Zhou family went to sell cotton in the town, they found out about it. Later, Zhou Min brought Zhang Yun back and mentioned it to the Zhou family, so Zhang's family also knew about it.

"When the new county magistrate was sympathetic to the people's sentiments, he also attached great importance to farming. He issued a letter saying that he would travel to various towns and preside over the spring plowing in person. A few days ago, the supervisor of the government had already set up a long thatched shed next to the earth temple in the town. How can we miss such excitement." Chang Xiangyang told the whole story with a smile, and Zhang's family finally understood, and immediately followed happily The big troops went out of the village together.

On the way to the outside of the village, a large group of people met many villagers who came to make spring plowing. They called them one after another and followed them together. The team became more and more spectacular. Almost the whole village, They all followed the long queue and strode towards Changyuan Town.

Because none of them carried any burdens, they brought almost nothing except hoes, and there was no burden at all. In addition, there were too many people, so they didn't go to Bailidu to take a boat, and all walked on foot. Everyone talked and laughed along the way. I didn't think it was too slow. During the period, there were still many little children running around on the road and getting out of the team. Their own parents raised their voices one after another, blaming the children loudly for a while, and the children laughed excitedly. The sound, one after another, seems to be noisy and noisy, it makes people happy to watch.

(End of this chapter)