There are flowers and wine, hoeing and farming

Chapter 9

"Brother, brother, wait for me." The small clear and clear child's voice rang out on the country road, and the adults who were busy in the fields on both sides couldn't help but look back. Whose child has such a look? good voice.

Cheng Zhiyuan didn't stop, and hurriedly looked back: "I told you not to follow, but you insisted. Look, if you walk so slowly, the fish will be dead after a while, and you won't be able to drink fresh fish soup at night. If there is no fresh fish, I will say it is all your fault."

Cheng Qiaoqiao helplessly looked at the little brother who was walking faster and faster, and supported her little belly that was running out of breath: "Brother, you go back first, I will walk back slowly, and you tell mother, I will be home soon."

"Are you okay by yourself?" Cheng Zhiyuan asked hesitantly.

"It's all right, let's go." Cheng Qiaoqiao just waved his hand and finished speaking, when Cheng Zhiyuan suddenly disappeared.

Cheng Qiaoqiao didn't try to catch up with the little brother any more. Anyway, walking along this path is home, and she didn't worry about getting lost, so she just walked slowly.

The ground is still a little wet. It rained a few days ago, and it has been gloomy these days. Today, the muddy ground is a little dry. If you don’t step on it, it will sink and get a foot of mud, so today is a big day. Early Cheng Qiaoqiao followed the little brother to catch fish.

After catching it for a long time and seeing it to her heart's content, Cheng Qiaoqiao wanted to go home. These days, my father went out to work again, and my mother took care of the house alone, which was very tiring. Although she couldn't help with a lot of work due to age restrictions , I still try to help as much as I can.

After walking along the trail for a long time before arriving home, the little brother rushed out before entering the door, holding the empty fish cage, lest the little sister would stick to him again and yelled: "I'm leaving!! "Run to the river.

Cheng Qiaoqiao closed the courtyard door and came to the entrance of the main room. Sure enough, she saw that her mother was wiping the doors, windows and furniture of the house with a rag.

"Mother~~" Qiaoqiao walked over, raised her head and smiled at Ning Shi, and shouted coquettishly.

"The little girl is back? Your second brother has gone again, why don't you follow?" Ning continued to be busy with her hands and feet.

"I've been watching it for a long time, and I don't want to watch it, mother, I'm going to feed the chicks."

"Go, be careful, don't get your clothes dirty."

"know."

Cheng Qiaoqiao went to the simple shed at home, opened the chicken coop without bending down, and barked a few times like a mother, and the chickens jumped out of it, grabbed the scraps from the pottery bowl beside them, Pieces and pieces were scattered on the ground, and the chick immediately walked over and started chattering.

Squatting on the ground, Qiaoqiao touched one of the chickens, and muttered: "Chicken, chick, lay eggs quickly."

"Why did you lay eggs?" Ning wiped the doors and windows, came out and washed the rag with water and asked her little daughter.

"I laid eggs for my mother to eat." Cheng Qiaoqiao said fawningly.

"You're the only one with a sweet mouth!" Ning smiled, with an unconcealable happiness on her face.

Ning looked at her daughter who was squatting on the ground, and the more she looked at her, the more proud she became. Although her own child always looks better than other children, but the truth is that she is better than other people's children. He is very sensible, making quilts, feeding chickens, washing vegetables, etc. Although these small tasks are inconspicuous, this child has done them all for him, saving him a lot of effort, and he is very smart. She can memorize the characters taught her to recognize very quickly, almost to the point of never forgetting them. Sometimes it almost makes Ning feel that if her father is still alive, he will definitely put all his heart into raising this child.

After wiping her hands, Ning also squatted down to accompany her daughter: "Qiaoqiao, what do you want to eat today's fish? Mother cooks for you."

Cheng Qiaoqiao blinked her eyes, tilted her head and thought for a while: "Mother cooks anything delicious, but today Qiaoqiao wants to eat the one with chili sauce."

"Well, is it the kind your mother made when your uncle came?"

"Yes, that's the one, delicious."

"Okay, when I'm cooking, can Qiaoqiao help me? Cook with mother."

"Well, hey, mother, look, this little hen is about to lay eggs."

A little hen flapped its wings a few times, squatted on the straw nest specially built by Ning, got up after a while, clucking, as if showing off.

Ning hurried over to pick up the freshly laid egg, holding it still warm in her hand, she supported her daughter's little head: "Close your eyes."

When Cheng Qiaoqiao closed her eyes, she felt that Ning was holding an egg and began to roll it on her eyelids. Both left and right eyes rolled dozens of times. It felt different from the hard-boiled eggs. With the original body temperature, not hot, very comfortable.

"Okay, open your eyes."

Cheng Qiaoqiao opened her eyes and blinked a few times, saw another egg in the grass nest, ran over to hold it in her hand: "Mom, close your eyes too, I'll make it for you."

Her hands are still too small and fleshy, she needs to grab the egg with both hands, roll it over Ning's eyes a few times and then let go, looking at Ning's eyes are still the same as those of people in their 20s, Black and white are clear, there are no such problems as bloodshot eye bags and dark circles, she knows the purpose of her mother every time she does this.

With Cheng Qiaoqiao's help, Ning quickly finished other tasks, and the two started to make fish in the kitchen.

She was still too young, only four and a half years old, Ning only asked her to start, and now she was carrying the firewood that Cheng Daman chopped before leaving and put it outside the stove.

Ning took off the scales of the fish neatly, took out all the dirty things from the internal organs of the fish, and threw them into a plate. When the pile was full, Cheng Qiaoqiao picked it up carefully on tiptoe, ran upside down to the garbage disposal place and dumped it , and then ran back and stood aside, waiting for the next time she needed help.

"Qiaoqiao, give it to me..." As soon as Ning opened her mouth, she found that her daughter spread out her small hand, and there were a few fragrant leaves in her palm, which were used to cook fish soup.

After cooking the fish soup and pouring it into a big bowl, Ning started to make the spicy fish that Cheng Qiaoqiao had just promised to make.

She found that not only those daughters who are used to making fish soup can directly take out the seasoning she will use next, even this fish, it was only cooked once last time, and she actually remembered it?

"Qiaoqiao?"

"kindness?"

"How do you know what I'm going to use?"

"I was also here to help you cook for uncle last time, and I wrote it all down. This will save my mother a lot of trouble, and she won't be so tired."

Ning's heart felt hot, her eyes felt a little blurry because of the heat.

In this small and crude kitchen, the two figures cooperated very tacitly, and the cooking time was saved a lot without knowing it. Ning sat on the small square and waited for the stewed fish. She grabbed her daughter Hand: "Qiaoqiao doesn't feel tired just doing work with mother like this if she doesn't go to play? Do you want to play like other people's children? It's fine for mother to be busy alone."

Shaking her head, Cheng Qiaoqiao said, "I won't go. I like to cook, do needlework and learn to read with my mother."

Looking at her daughter's big eyes, Ning took her into her arms: "My good girl is so sensible, it really makes me happy and worried."

"Mom, why are you worried?"

"Hey..." Ning Shi sighed and didn't speak, Cheng Qiaoqiao didn't continue to ask, stretched out her arm, patted Ning Shi's back, humming in the same tone as coaxing a child: "Oh, oh, Big doll..."

"You little girl."

Cheng Daman went out to do some work, and there were only four of their mothers in the family. Cheng Zhigao also took on some light work, helping a nearby family who was planning to get married to make a few sets of furniture. Although he was only 13 years old, he was tall and strong, and Having helped Cheng Daman over the past few years, he has become more proficient in many tasks, so he is more at ease teaching him the tasks.

Because it was so close, Cheng Zhigao simply went home for dinner at noon.

Cheng Zhiyuan caught another cage of fish, and temporarily hung it with a rope and put it in the river, thinking that he would sell it to the villagers for some money later. Anyway, he would leave enough for the family to eat for two days.

After Cheng Zhigao came back from the outside, he was so tired that he collapsed into the house and didn't want to move. Not long after, his younger brother came back, dropped his things and sat down at the dining table to wait for the meal.

Cheng Qiaoqiao carried a basket of freshly baked pancakes, held them up high, and stepped over the threshold.

"Go, pick it up for Qiaoqiao." Cheng Zhigao winked at his brother when he saw his little sister struggling with the bamboo basket.

Cheng Zhiyuan pretended not to hear.

"It's about you." Cheng Zhigao raised his hand and slapped his younger brother lightly on the back of the head.

"Brother, we will work together at noon today. I will catch fish, my mother will cook, and my sister will serve the dishes."

"You brat, stay lazy and see if you can talk about a daughter-in-law in the future." Cheng Zhigao glared at him.

Cheng Zhiyuan muttered in a low voice, walked over helplessly, and helped his sister take it: "Okay, you sit here, I will see you working later, and my brother will feel bad again. Every time I am unlucky, I am scolded by him." .”

"It's okay, brother, I can move it, you can pick it up for me from the house."

Cheng Qiaoqiao ran out after finishing speaking.

There are not many dishes, just the same, but the portions are very large, and they are all full of big plates.

Ning first served the eldest son with fish soup, then passed a big cake, then gave it to the second son, and finally cut a small piece of cake for the daughter.

"Eat more, don't leave any leftovers. Xiaoyuan caught a lot of fish today, and there are still a few left."

"Mom, you eat too."

Cheng Zhigao was very tired from working all morning, he ate a lot, put down his chopsticks, leaned back, and let out a long breath.

"It's delicious, mother, I'll cook fish like this in the future."

Ning took a piece of boneless fish meat from the belly of the fish and gave it to her daughter: "If you really do it, you will get tired of eating it after a few times. It's better to eat it differently."

"hey-hey."

Cheng Qiaoqiao ate the fish carefully, and felt a pain in her cheeks. She swallowed the fish and moved a few times, but found it still hurt. She raised her hand and rubbed it. Ning asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay." Cheng Qiaoqiao thought, probably because he chewed too hard just now. "

Ning looked at her eldest son, and asked about his situation these few days, and the two began to talk.

Cheng Qiaoqiao lowered her head, feeling that something was wrong and her head began to heat up. She put down her chopsticks and wanted to tell Ning Shi.Cheng Zhigao happened to look up and saw her, stood up in shock and hurried to her side: "What's wrong?"

Ning also quickly turned around to look.

Cheng Qiaoqiao's cheeks were red and slightly swollen.

"Big head plague?" Ning frowned, took out a clean handkerchief from the house to protect her head, and said to her eldest son, "Hold your sister, let's go to Uncle Li's house at the east end of the village, let us Did he see it?"

Being hugged by her elder brother and walking outside, Cheng Qiaoqiao felt her cheeks a little bit more sore, and her head also felt a slight pain. She stretched out her arms to wrap her arms around her brother's neck: "Brother, what is big head plague?"

She spoke unclearly at first, but Cheng Zhiyuan heard it, thought for a while and replied: "It's toad plague."

Cheng Qiaoqiao was silent, she didn't understand even more.

Uncle Li happened to have just finished his meal. He is not a doctor. He just worked as a drug boy in the medical center for a while when he was young, and he was barely better than ordinary people. Looking at Qiaoqiao's pitiful appearance , he nodded, and said with certainty: "It's definitely a big head plague."

After hearing this, Ning felt relieved. Originally, she could recognize the disease almost every child would get it when they were young, so she thanked Uncle Li and walked back.

"Zhigao, you can go to your job, as long as I stay with your brother." Ning stretched out her hand to take her daughter, but Cheng Zhigao dodged away.

"It's okay, mother, there's no rule on how many hours a day to do the work over there. Anyway, I can finish it three days before their wedding. I know how many herbs to pick. You go with my brother. I will watch my sister at home." That's enough, don't be afraid to delay this for a while."

"Alright, alright."

Cheng Qiaoqiao's cheeks were so painful that she couldn't speak. When she got home, she was put down by her elder brother, and she jumped to the only small bronze mirror in the house: "Ah..."

Cheng Qiaoqiao finally knew what disease she was suffering from, and she also finally knew why her brother called the disease big head plague and toad plague.

This is the so-called gills in the previous life. Almost every child will get it. The cheeks on both sides are red and swollen. Looking from a distance, it really looks like the head is getting bigger.

"It's okay, mother is going to pick herbs, and I'll be back soon, does it hurt?" Cheng Zhigao looked at his sister's swollen face like a steamed bun, and quickly picked her up and put her on the bed, lest she cry.

"Mother..." Qiaoqiao couldn't continue after saying a word, the feeling of puffy cheeks was really uncomfortable.

She simply lay down.

Ning came back soon, holding a large pile of freshly picked dandelions, rinsed them in a wooden bucket, put them into the stone mortar at home, and pounded them vigorously.After smashing into a pulp, I cracked two more eggs, filtered the egg whites and put them into a bowl.

"Come on, Qiaoqiao, mother will cover you up, good boy, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt at all." Ning coaxed her daughter softly.

Cheng Qiaoqiao nodded, sat up and leaned over, her little face turned to one side let Mother cover first.

Both sides were painted quickly, it was sticky and thick, and it was not easy to fall off. Ning also cut a simple support with scissors and cloth strips, carefully protected it outside the ointment, and climbed up to the top of the head to tie it. .

"It's all right now, don't be afraid. Does it hurt, Qiaoqiao."

Cheng Qiaoqiao blinked her eyes, touched her mother's face with her small hand, and shook her head vigorously.

(End of this chapter)