Autumn, the twenty-eighth year of Yongchang.
Boyang County, Yuquan Town, Erqiao Village.
The autumn wind is bleak, the weather is cool, and the grass and trees are shaking and turning to frost.
In the frost season, everything is completed. The rice fields are already bearing fruit, and as far as the eye can see, there are continuous waves. The golden color dyes the chilling autumn wind with warm colors.
At the busy time of farming, the fields in Erqiao Village are crowded with people. They are the lazy people who are usually the most homeless, and the women who usually live in a wealthy family and have a poor family in the west. During this period of time, they don’t even bother to take a break, and they are all involved in the bustling autumn harvest. middle.
Young and healthy women are harvesting rice, and old women are eating pulp from pots. In the entire Erqiao Village, there are only children under the age of seven who have never gone to the fields.
Out of control, a group of urchins suddenly started to have fun.
The beginning of the village, the end of the village, the hills beside the river, have become their territory. Catching birds, catching fish, picking persimmons, fighting crickets... When I go out, I am still clean and tidy, but when I come home, I become a mud monkey, and I will inevitably have to eat fried bamboo shoots and meat with my parents.
But fried pork with bamboo shoots couldn't stop the naughty boys from having fun.
Xie Dayou from the east of the village has a family. Xie Dayou took his three sons and two daughters-in-law and went to work in the fields early in the morning. The old Mrs. Xu and her younger daughter-in-law Mrs. Zhang, who had been living together for a year and was not good at field work, were at home. Make a fire to cook, feed the chickens and ducks.
After loading the food, they went out with the baskets to deliver food to the people working in the fields. The two granddaughters of the eldest family each carried a pot full of water in each hand and followed behind them.
The old Xu family had just left, and two white and tender little hands poked out from the crack of the door. A pair of black and white eyes leaned on the crack of the door and looked out. They saw that the figure had disappeared, and the eyes were rolling. Can't help but blink.
——It’s time for free play!
Xie Shi struggled to open the courtyard door and ran out.
In the open space at the head of the village, a group of children had gathered. The youngest was three years old and the oldest was seven years old. They sat in a circle around a large flat bluestone. When they saw Xie Shi running over with his short legs, they all couldn't bear it. He kept jumping up and waving loudly.
"Thank you!"
"Come on, come on, I'm waiting for you."
Where has such a scene happened before? Since the four-year-old Xie Shi joined half a year ago, he can play better than everyone else at a young age. Not only does he have a bunch of stories in his head, he can even catch the best crickets, and he will come up with several wonderful tricks while playing. Idea... A group of urchins who are having fun all over the mountains and plains seem to have a backbone. Even where to play and what to play every day, they have a plan and a certain style.
"I'm coming!"
Xie Shi waved happily while kicking his short legs into hot wheels and running towards his friends.
A group of children swarmed up and surrounded the panting Xie Shi. They also deliberately gave up the large, clean and flat bluestone as Xie Shi's throne.
The two oldest children even lifted up the sleeves of their linen clothes and wiped them, and helped Xie Shi, who had short legs, sit on the stone.
Before he could sit down, his friends all started talking.
"What do you want to play? Tell stories or catch crickets?"
"I want to listen to the Monkey King! The Monkey King broke into the Dragon Palace and got a powerful golden hoop. What else?"
"I must have pulled the dragon's tendons to make a belt!"
"You're so stupid! That's Nezha!"
"The Monkey King can't talk, there's nothing more to come." Xie Shi, who was sitting on the big bluestone, shook his little head and spread his hands, "I haven't dreamed about it yet."
"Huh? No more?"
Hearing what he said, the group of children were disappointed.
The children who were in high spirits were all dejected. At a young age, they had already experienced the pain of being subjected to "eunuchs".
Disappointed for a moment, they cheered up again. Brother Shi knows a lot of stories. If there is no Monkey King, there are other stories!
Xie Shi did not disappoint his friends. Under their eager gazes, he waved his little hand:
"Let's tell a new story today."
He clapped his paws, shook his head and started talking. This time it is about a general who served his country loyally.
At the age of four, it was rare for him to be able to explain the general plot clearly, so the details were naturally lacking. When he encountered a plot that he didn't like or had forgotten, he would make it up casually in a flash of his mind, and the final story would appeal to children.
Just after listening to the story, a group of urchins were already humming and picking up branches to make swords, vying to pretend to be generals. In the end, Xie Shi, who had a basket of stories in hand, successfully won the "votes" of most of the naughty boys and was "elected" as the general. Then the general's subordinates and enemies also picked up candidates one by one.
A group of urchins divided into two groups fell into the drama in one second.
Xie Shi stepped on the big bluestone excitedly and raised the "long knife" in his hand, as if he was about to fight against thousands of troops.
"What a thief, give me a knife!"
What responded to him was a group of uneven children's voices.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!!"
A fierce battle unfolded, dust flew up, branches danced wildly, and the white porcelain dolls unknowingly turned into clay dolls.
…
The sun sets in the west. When everyone returned home after a busy day, they saw children who looked like they had rolled in the mud. The child in charge of washing clothes looked at the dusty clothes, frowned and grabbed the naughty child. ears.
Suddenly, there were screams and howls from every house.
"...Mom, I know I was wrong and I won't dare to do it again!"
At Xie Dayou's house in the east of the village, before Mrs. Yu, who had bristled eyebrows, could twist his ears, Xie Shi stretched out his hands to cover his ears, screamed and begged for mercy.
He quietly observed Yu's face, and when he saw the anger dissipating from her face, he came closer and stretched out his little paw: "Mom, please punish me, I shouldn't sneak out to play."
His open palms were stained with dust, and his fingers were very round. He stood there obediently, ready to be beaten and punished.
Mrs. Yu has been married for ten years and only got such a baby bump. How can she be willing to fight or scold her? Children his age should be playing with other children of the same age, so it is not good to be confined at home all the time. But Mrs. Yu was too nervous about the child she had been waiting for for ten years, and she was not allowed to go out alone on weekdays.
"You, you! You are always good at pretending to be clever." Seeing her son bowing his head to admit his mistake, Mrs. Yu quickly softened her heart. She stretched out her finger and gently poked her son's plump forehead, and said angrily, "Nihouer , hurry up and wash your hands."
The clay monkey then ran away with a smile, saying as he ran:
"I just know that my mother loves me the most."
Looking at the little figure running away, a smile appeared on Ms. Yu's face. In a blink of an eye, she found her sister-in-law Ms. Liu watching from the side. She laughed and scolded: "This child is getting more and more naughty."
Ms. Liu knew in her heart that her siblings were just talking, but in reality they were reluctant to lay a finger on her precious son. If anyone said something bad about her son, she would definitely not listen. Then he just smiled and persuaded: "Brother Shi is still young, so he should be naughty. Boys love to run and jump, so it would be better to be more lively. I think our brother Shi is smart and clever, and a hundred others are not as good as him."
Mrs. Yu couldn't suppress the smile on her face, but she said: "...Sister-in-law, please stop praising him. With such a pair of beautiful and well-behaved girls like Sister Mei and Sister Lan, who wouldn't be envious of this pair in my family?" Nihou'er, it would be nice if they were more sensible. Brother Song is also a filial man and will become a doctor in the future. Sister-in-law, your good fortune is yet to come."
Compared to the second-family couple who only had a son every ten years, the first-family couple has a son and two daughters. The eldest son Xie Song is already thirteen years old. He is currently working as an apprentice in a medical clinic in the town and will not be able to come back anytime soon. The 9-year-old Xie Mei and the 9-year-old Xie Lan are both beautiful and beautiful. One is generous and sensible, the other is gentle and well-behaved. How could Mr. Liu not love them? Yu's words undoubtedly impressed her heart.
The atmosphere between the sisters-in-law became more and more intimate. You would praise my son, and I would praise your children. Mrs. Zhang, the third-room daughter-in-law who had only been here for a year and had not yet given birth, could not say anything next to her. She felt inexplicably as if she was being harassed. Exclude.
The harmonious and happy atmosphere continued to the dinner table.
There was a table for men, and a table for women and children. Old Xu took charge of the table, first serving a large bowl of rice to the men who worked the hardest, then serving rice to the three daughters-in-law, and then Xie Mei, Xie Lan, and the youngest Xie Shi.
The same goes for dividing meat. Xie Dayou and his three sons got the most, followed by Mr. Xu and his three daughters-in-law, and finally the three children. Xie Shi was young and had a small appetite. He got the least slices of meat, but a small portion more egg custard than the others.
Although the Xie family raised chickens, they kept most of the eggs and sold them for money. Only pregnant women and young children had this sole share of custard. Although Xie Mei and Xie Lan were greedy, they were sensible enough not to compete with their little cousin.
The meal was not sumptuous, but the family enjoyed it very much. Everyone ate their own food without fighting over it. From time to time they chatted about the village's anecdotes with the meal, which immediately made the meal taste even more delicious.
Xie Dayou and Mrs. Xu saw that their sisters-in-law were affectionate and affectionate. They were not like other families who could tear their heads to bits just because they were as simple as needles and threads. They couldn't help but feel happy that their own eyesight was good and they did not marry some domestic troublemakers for their son. Didn't look at the old Zhang family, married a shrew, and the two sons were so quarrelsome that they never interacted with each other.
Looking over the three tall sons who were working hard, the two blooming granddaughters, and finally the little dumpling sitting crookedly, the old couple almost burst into laughter.
The fatigue from a day of farm work was gone in an instant. Even the stooped waist couldn't help but straighten up a bit.
Thinking back to the days when he fled famine and came to Erqiao Town to take root. Now, decades later, he has raised three sons, married wives and had children for them. Xie Dayou thinks that his life is very happy.
The eldest son Xie Mu was honest and good at farm work, and his daughter-in-law gave birth to her eldest grandson early. The second son, Xie Lin, has been married for many years without having a son and a half, which once worried the old couple. Fortunately, four years ago, the results finally came to light, which relieved their worries. Now that the youngest son Xie Sen is married, the family no longer has anything to worry about... No, there is another one.
Xie Dayou's eyes fell on the little dumpling who was doing the rice. He saw that he was holding a small bowl in one paw and a rice spoon in the other. A sister was talking happily.
It was clear that he only had two hands and one mouth. He was engrossed in eating and making gestures at the same time, but he didn't waste any time on either side.
Xie Shi talked about his dream last night and recalled intermittently: "There is no Monkey King, but there is a child who cried so much that I coaxed him all night..."
Strange to say, dreaming is not a common thing. Even if most people dream about something, it has no logic, and they can't remember it clearly when they wake up. But Xie Shi is unusual.
Since he became conscious, he has had all kinds of strange dreams, dreaming about many strange and bizarre things; he has also dreamed about all kinds of people, from octogenarians to young children. It's just that this time he dreamed of a child smaller than him, and he coaxed him all night.
Xie Shi didn't think there was anything wrong with a four-year-old child coaxing a child in his dream, and he was still describing what he saw in his dream to his two sisters with great energy. The two sisters couldn't bear to live up to their little cousin's painstaking description, and tried hard to construct in their minds what the little cousin said: "such a spacious and bright house", "such bright clothes and jewelry", "crying so miserably" What a miserable child,” and “What a delicious snack.”
However, they couldn't imagine without seeing it. In the end, the two sisters just swallowed lightly and asked enviously: "Is it really that delicious? Is it better than the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in the town?"
Xie Shi nodded repeatedly.
"White, crispy, sweet and delicious!"
Recalling the snacks the child had given him in his dream, the brown rice in Xie Shi's mouth became sweeter. His big, round eyes were shining, and through his eyes, it seemed that he could see the glorious world in his dreams that was different from reality.
There was silence at the dinner table for a moment.
The Xie family had to admit that the child they had been waiting for for ten years was indeed somewhat magical.
But how could such a chicken coop be worthy of a phoenix?
Yu's heart felt sour, both happy and sad.
"...My son has great fortune."
She just smiled, but a corner of her sleeve was caught.
I saw that the little dumpling next to me had finished cooking. He put down the bowl and spoon and jumped off the stool. He grabbed her sleeve with his left hand and said in a serious tone: "Mom gave birth to me. Isn't the fortune greater?"
Although Xie Shi is young, he is very sensitive to emotions. Sensing the depressed mood of my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, a question appeared on my forehead: Is it because I ate delicious snacks in my dream, but my parents and the others couldn't eat them?
...Well, eating alone is not good, not good.
"I can't change the snacks in my dream now." He frowned depressedly, but in the next moment he cheered up and spoke boldly, "Sooner or later, everyone will be able to eat it!"
[Beep——]
There seemed to be a distant and illusory voice ringing in my ears.
[Detected that host dream has been generated. ]
[Xue Hai Wuya system is officially launched. ]
