It’s New Year’s Eve in a blink of an eye.
The goose-feather-like snow was flying in the air, the whole city of Peiping was covered with a layer of silver-white gauze, and the stove in the kitchen was burning brightly.
There were two wooden blocks placed in the room, with a wooden pad horizontally placed above the lower circle. Wang Zhong was holding a plane and was tinkering with some elm wood.
It's not that Wang Zhong wants to make big furniture again, but now there is only a low wall of more than one meter separating the inner room from the living room. There is nothing on it. Wang Zhong plans to add a book shelf to this wall. Add a wooden door to the cloth curtain of the courtyard door. Anyway, I have time now, so I will do it slowly.
Although he got a lot of good wood from the old man, Wang Zhong kept it in the space and did not take it out again.
After all, shelves and doors are different from desks and bookshelves. Desks, bookshelves, tables, chairs, benches, beds, and cabinets can be moved away at any time, but doors and shelves may not be damaged at all if they are removed in the future.
Wang Zhong also collected the shavings and waste wood left over from collecting the wood, packed them in sacks, and piled them under the exterior walls of the house. These were perfect for making fires.
Children were chasing and playing outside, and laughter filled their ears. Women gathered at the sink, washing clothes and vegetables, chatting about their families and their family affairs, with smiles on their faces.
It was almost noon, and the heavy snow stopped.
The third uncle across the door greeted his sons and brought a table out of the house. There were two wooden shelves on the left and right sides. On the table were the Four Treasures of the Study and a stack of cut red paper.
A simple couplet stall was opened.
A pair of couplets costs only a dime, which is not cheap at all. If it is usually no one would care about it, but during the Chinese New Year, everyone wants to be happy, so naturally there is no need to worry about buyers.
For those celebrating the New Year, people coming in and out, business will come to the door after a while.
"Old Yan, I'm writing couplets again!" The first person to come to the door was Yi Zhonghai, looking at the guys on the table with interest, his hands behind his back.
"His uncle, do you want one?" Yan Fugui said with a smile.
"Get a pair!" The first man said grandly. To say that the family with the best financial conditions in this courtyard should be the first man and Xu Damao's family. The reason why Xu Damao's family is in good condition is because of the help of his father-in-law. His father-in-law has a wife. His nickname is Lou Bancheng, which shows that his family is rich. Even the three melons and two dates that leak out from the cracks of his fingers are much better than those of ordinary people.
Xu Damao himself often went to the countryside to show movies to others. Whenever he came back, he would not bring many bags with him, but all of them were expensive things.
And the first uncle simply has a high salary. He is an eighth-level fitter. His monthly salary of 99 yuan, plus subsidies, can exceed 100 yuan, which is nearly half as much as Wang Zhong, a college student. He has no children, so he is the only one in the family. The life of a couple like a aunt is not too rich.
A pair of couplets is only a dime, let alone the Chinese New Year, even on ordinary days, the old man would not blink an eye.
After a while, most of the stack of red paper on Yan Fugui's table was gone.
Just then, Wang Zhong walked out of the house carrying an iron dustpan and iron tongs, holding a piece of completely whitened briquettes, and threw the burned briquettes into the iron trash can.
"Third uncle, where are you writing couplets?"
While Wang Zhong was planning to grab a piece of new media from the coal pile under the eaves, he greeted Yan Fugui across from him.
Yan Fugui said with a smile: "Xiao Wang, would you like the third uncle to write a couplet for you to bring good luck?"
The eyes under the lenses were shrewd.
Wang Zhong put down the iron tongs and dustpan in his hands, wiped his hands on both sides of his apron, and walked to the third uncle with a smile.
"Third uncle, can it be cheaper if I write it myself?"
Yan Fugui looked at Wang Zhong and asked, "What do you mean?"
Wang Zhong said: "I'll borrow your pen and ink and red paper and I'll write it myself without you having to do anything. How about five cents?"
"Hey!" The smile on Yan Fugui's face disappeared in an instant, and he raised his right hand and asked Wang Zhong: "Is my handwriting worth five cents when it is combined with yours?"
Wang Zhong smiled and said: "Third uncle, look at what you said, your handwriting is the embodiment of culture, how can it be measured by money!"
"I've just started working, haven't I? I've just renovated my house. I'm short on money, so I'll save whatever I can!" Wang Zhong said with a simple smile.
Yan Fugui looked Wang Zhong up and down, left and right, and then said, "Comrade Xiao Wang, what are you saying to fool others? You can also fool your third uncle?"
"Third uncle, where did you start talking about this?" Wang Zhong asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Yan Fugui said: "Isn't it true that these big fish and meat that you see in the sky are fake?"
Wang Zhong immediately slapped his thigh and said with an innocent look: "Third uncle, you have misunderstood me. I have no choice. Tell me, Brother Zhu and Yuyu came to help me without getting paid. I If I don’t prepare something delicious to entertain them, it won’t be mine, right?”
Yan Fugui was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Okay, okay, five points is all it takes. Let me tell you first, it's only one copy. If it's not written properly and needs to be replaced, it's still five points."
"Sure!" Wang Zhong immediately took out five cents from his pocket and stuffed it into Yan Fugui's hand.
A smile suddenly appeared on Yan Fugui's face. Although it was only five points, he still made a profit somewhat.
Wang Zhong walked straight to the table, laid out the red paper, picked up the brush leaning on the pen holder, dipped it in ink, and immediately started to write quickly.
As soon as Wang Zhong started writing, he was stunned by Yan Fugui next to him.
A layman was watching the excitement, but an expert was watching the secrets. Yan Fugui was somewhat of a calligraphy enthusiast and knew a little bit about it. As soon as Wang Zhong put pen to paper, he could see the secrets behind it.
When the first word was written, Yan Fugui was stunned.
The so-called Yan Jin Liu Gu is nothing more than that.
"Third uncle, you've made a fool of yourself!"
A couplet was completed in one go. After completing the horizontal batch, Wang Zhong put the pen back on the pen holder, said something to Yan Fugui, who was still stunned, and went straight home with his calligraphy treasure.
Only the third uncle, Yan Fugui, was left messy in the wind.
Not long after, Wang Zhong walked out of the house with a stool and a bowl of paste freshly boiled with flour. He stepped on the stool and brushed the paste on both sides of the door, pasting the couplets with dried ink on them. Go up.
First couplet: The spring breeze covers a thousand willows
Second line: A path of flowers blooms in warm rain and clear weather
Hengpi: Spring returns to the earth
The third uncle's Spring Festival couplet stall is facing Wang Zhong's house. The couplets on Wang Zhong's door are like a thorn in the third uncle's heart. He can see them clearly as soon as he raises his eyes.
Looking at Wang Zhong's handwriting and then his own, the third uncle snorted coldly. He didn't even clean up the four treasures of the study, and walked back to the house with a livid face and his hands behind his back.
It was the third aunt who sent brothers Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang to run out and pack things back.
By the afternoon, every household was busy, women were crowded around the pool, and the sound of knives and chopping boards clashing could be heard in the kitchens of every household.
Wang Zhong just put down his carpentry work and was about to make dinner when suddenly there was a knock on the door: "Brother Wang Zhong! It's me, Yu Yu!"
Wang Zhong opened the door in confusion, looked at He Yuyu outside the door, and asked, "Is something wrong with Yuyu?"
He Yuyu's pretty face was slightly red and said: "Our family will have the New Year's Eve dinner this year with the first uncle and Sister Qin's family. My brother cooks it himself. My brother asked me to ask you, do you want to eat with us? "
Wang Zhong did not refuse: "Okay, I'll be there in a moment!"
He Yuyu's face immediately showed a bright smile: "I'll call you later when the meal is ready!"
"Wait!" Wang Zhong called Yu Yu, turned around and went into the house. He came out with a three-layer steamer about forty centimeters wide and handed it to Yu Yu.
"Since we are all eating together, I can't do anything. Here are the steamed buns that have been made, and I haven't bothered to steam them yet. You can take them back and steam them, and we can eat them together in the evening."
"My brother has already made the steamed buns!" Yuyu said, "You'd better keep this for yourself!"
With that said, he was about to return the steamer to Wang Zhong.
But Wang Zhong didn't answer it, and instead said: "Yu Yu, listen to me, I have a good relationship with you and your brother. If it's just me, you and your brother who eat this meal today, I won't eat these steamed buns." Take it out, but there are still the first man and Sister Qin's family. If you are having New Year's Eve dinner together, everyone must have something, how can I be an exception?"
"If you don't take it, I won't be able to eat this meal today."
"Okay then!" What Wang Zhong said does make sense. The key point is that if he doesn't take it, what will happen if Wang Zhong really doesn't go? Yu Yu could only bite her lower lip and accept Wang Zhong's steamed buns.
"Brother Wang Zhong, I'll call you when the meal is ready!"
"Okay, it just so happens that I still have time to put up that shelf!"
The rain had come in the morning, and Wang Zhong was busy processing wood at that time.
"Then you get busy first, I'll go back first!"
Rainwater was just one step away from turning around. This girl was still young and everything she was thinking was written on her face. How could Wang Zhong not see it?
The main reason is that I am too good. Just like the female comrade at the beginning of Linglingqi said, I am like a firefly in the dark night, so bright and dazzling that it is inevitable to attract the attention of women.
When it comes to looks, this little girl Yu Yu can only be considered average. However, if he really wants to find a woman, Wang Zhong will pay more attention to personality, temperament and virtuousness than looks. It is best to have someone who is honest, diligent, and hard-working. He is so capable that he would blush even if he lied.
After all, what Wang Zhong wants to find is a woman who can run the family and make his life easier, not the kind of woman who has to be coaxed and supported like an ancestor.
Judging from the current situation, the rain is pretty good. It should be said that most women in this era are very good.
There was a ding-ding-dong-dong knocking sound in the room. After a while, Wang Zhong assembled the Bogu rack and fastened it tightly to the wall. Only the door between the living room and the bedroom was left unfinished.
The wooden boards had been prepared a long time ago, but they still needed further processing and assembly. Anyway, there were curtains blocking them, so Wang Zhong was not in a hurry and started to tidy up the house with a broom and an iron dustpan.
In the evening, before it got dark, a large group of people sat around the Eight Immortals table in He Yuzhu's house. Qin Huairu sat on the left with Banggan and Xiaodang on the right, with Sophora japonica in her arms. She was less than thirty years old and was in the middle of the night. It is the time when a woman is at her best, no wonder she was so fascinated by Silly Zhu in the end.
Mrs. Jia Zhang sits on the left side of Banggan, and the deaf old lady sits in the first place. On the left is the uncle, then the aunt, then to the left is Mr. Jia Zhang, to the right is He Yuzhu, then Wang Zhong, and then He Yuyu. , He Yuyu happened to be next to Xiaodang.
A total of ten people were sitting on the same table, which was quite lively.
Despite the fact that He Yuzhu usually looks like a fool, this kid is actually very arrogant in his heart. He doesn't know anything about worldly things. He looks at everyone without even moving their chopsticks.
Silly Zhu took the lead in picking up the chopsticks and said: "What are you waiting for? Use the chopsticks to eat!" Then he picked up a chicken leg and put it in the bowl of the deaf old lady next to him.
There was only a slit left in the deaf old lady's smiling eyes, and she looked at He Yuzhu with a doting look on her face: "My grandson still loves me."
The old lady usually stayed alone in the backyard, never leaving the door or taking a step forward. It was rare that the place was so lively, and the smile on her face never stopped.
"I specially reserved this chicken for you, just one!" There were many people here today, so there were only two chicken legs. He Yuzhu simply cut up the remaining one, leaving only one for the deaf old lady.
Just doing this thing is pretty good, otherwise it would be troublesome if a chicken leg had to be humbled.
"Eat quickly!" The deaf old lady squinted her eyes and grabbed the chicken leg and started to nibble on it.
The deaf old lady was old and had bad teeth. Silly Zhu deliberately accommodated her and stewed the chicken until it was very soft.
Everyone moved their chopsticks one after another. Jia Zhang, with his quick eyes and quick hands, picked up two pieces of chicken and two dumplings for his grandson Banggeng.
Qin Huairu had to take care of the Sophora japonica, and Yu Yu helped take care of Xiaodang.
It was the time for children over two years old to make a fuss, but little Huaihua sat on Qin Huairu's lap and didn't cry or make any fuss. She was very obedient and allowed Qin Huairu to feed her.
The first uncle started drinking with He Yuzhu and Wang Zhong.
The wine is the Red Star Erguotou brought by the first uncle, which is strong and generous.
On the morning of the first day of the new year, it was still dark and the sky was still dark. Wang Zhong had already woken up. The darkness could not block Wang Zhong's sight at all. He got up and turned on the bedside lamp, put on his clothes and put on his cloth shoes. After briefly brushing his teeth and washing his face, he looked Looking at the fire, he pushed open the door and ran out.
After a while, he ran out along the city gate, found a deserted place in the suburbs, and started boxing.
When Wang Zhong came back, every household in the courtyard had already started eating.
Wang Zhong then started to make breakfast slowly and leisurely. He made porridge with cornmeal and steamed buns stuffed with pork and green onions. They had been wrapped in advance last night, and they only had to be steamed over high heat for thirty minutes before they could be eaten.
There are still dumplings wrapped last night in the frame under the eaves outside. At this time of year in Beiping City, there is no need for a refrigerator. If you put the dumplings outside the house, after one night, they will be no different from the frozen ones in the refrigerator.
After breakfast, Wang Zhong picked up the bamboo basket, pickaxe and a thick-backed short knife nearly two feet long, tied everything to his bicycle, and was ready to go out.
"Brother Wang Zhong, let's go out!" As soon as everything was fixed on the bicycle, the sound of rain came from the hanging flower door.
Wang Zhong turned around and saw He Yuyu wearing a brand new red cotton-padded jacket, with two braids hanging in front of his shoulders, and a felt hat on his head. His little face was pale from the cold, and he looked a little cold. With a charming and charming charm: "It's rain. What are you doing so early in the morning?"
He Yuyu said: "Isn't it the first day of the Lunar New Year? I'm thinking of wishing you a happy New Year!"
"Brother Wang Zhong, Happy New Year!" He Yuyu said with a smile and bowed his hands to Wang Zhong to wish him a happy new year.
"Happy New Year!" Wang Zhong also replied with a smile.
He Yuyu looked at the equipment on Wang Zhong's car and asked curiously: "Brother Wang Zhong, what are you doing so early in the morning?"
Wang Zhong said: "I'll go cut some ice on the river outside the city and come back! I'll see if I can catch fish by the way."
"Ice cutting?" He Yuyu guessed a lot, but he didn't guess that Wang Zhong was going to cut ice: "What are you doing to cut ice?"
Wang Zhong said: "Save it for when the weather is hot and then use it."
"When the weather gets hotter, won't all the ice melt?" He Yuyu asked in confusion.
Wang Zhong said: "As long as it is stored well, it will be fine if it is kept for a summer. At most, it will lose a little bit."
"Can ice be preserved?" Obviously this was beyond the scope of He Yuyu's knowledge and belonged to her knowledge blind spot.
"Of course it can be saved!" Wang Zhong said.
He Yuyu blinked, not worrying about how Wang Zhong stored the ice, but simply recommended himself: "Brother Wang Zhong, I have nothing to do anyway, I will go with you and help you!"
Looking at the girl's fiery eyes, Wang Zhong said: "That's okay, but you need to change your shoes first, and remember to wear gloves!"
"Brother Wang, wait for me!" Yuyu didn't care about anything else and quickly turned around and ran back to his house.
Yuyu's house is in the east wing of Zhongyuan, next to Jia's house. Together with He Yuzhu's three-bay main house, Lao He's house has the most houses in the yard.
Within a moment, Rainwater ran out in a hurry, with an extra satchel on his shoulder.
Wang Zhong had already taken down the rattan frame that was originally tied to the back seat, carried it with a horizontal bar, and tied it to the frame of the bicycle.
"Brother Wang Zhong, let's go!" Seeing Wang Zhong deliberately empty the back seat of the bicycle, Yu Yu's face suddenly showed a bright smile.
Since we need to get ice, we naturally can’t go downstream.
An hour later, the two came to the upper reaches of the Wenyu River. Although it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, there were already many people fishing on the ice along the river. These days are no different than in later generations. Fishing is not only a pastime, but also fish to eat. The city within the city People go fishing almost all year round.
The two of them rode far away, and there were already no people around. They parked their bicycles on the bank, locked them in a tree, and walked to the middle of the river. Wang Zhong used a pickaxe to dig out two 30-centimeter round holes.
Wang Zhong first spread two handfuls of his own bait to make a nest, and then took out the two short poles he brought. After assembling them, he handed one of them to Yui Yu.
The rain had not caught any fish, so Wang Zhong could only teach him step by step: "These wheat grains and corns have been processed. Just hang them one grain at a time. Hang them up like this!"
With a serious look on his face, Yuyu imitated Wang Zhong's actions and hung up the bait.
I don’t know if it was a novice’s luck, but as soon as the rain dropped the rod, a fish immediately bit the hook.
"Don't worry, don't pull hard, otherwise it will break!" Wang Zhong hurriedly took the fishing rod from Yu Yu's hand and personally demonstrated how to slide the fish.
A few minutes later, a crucian carp of about three to four ounces was pulled up.
"Brother Wang Zhong is so awesome!" Peanut's fan girl immediately clapped her hands in response to the rain.
"It's a good start, not bad!" Wang Zhong smiled and returned the fishing rod to Yuyu. The smile on Yuyu's face was also bright, and his rosy face was very cute.
