The green pickup truck made a "boom" sound, and a puff of black smoke poured out from the rear of the truck. Then the tires rotated, leading a carload of tourists who had not returned home for a long time back to their hometown.
The four people on the bullock cart watched the vehicle go away. The people on the cart also smiled and waved. Chu Ye's last gaze rested on Mu Jiajun. He was dressed in black and looked back at this moment, his eyes still full of smiles. meaning.
Her heart was pounding, and she quickly lowered her head. Her fingers turned white as she held the scarf. When she could no longer hear the roar of cars, the bullock cart she was riding in began to wander toward the town.
There were more pedestrians coming and going in the town than usual. There were many stalls on both sides of the road, and there were also people selling things on bicycles with bamboo baskets tied behind them. There were constant shouts along the way, and many of the crowded people were adults with children. Come and buy new year goods.
People had busy and joyful smiles on their faces, and the entrances of supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores were crowded with people. Chu Ye and the four of them looked at each other and hurriedly squeezed into the crowd.
What a joke, if you don't squeeze in quickly, the goods will be sold out later, and you will have to go home empty-handed.
After a while, the four people squeezed out from the crowd dripping with sweat, and the food stamps in their hands were replaced with the required ingredients. Chu's father still carried two kilograms of pork in his hand, and happily said that he would eat meat dumplings at home during the New Year.
Chu Guangyao exhaled with joy. Chu Ye's eyes glanced at Brother Jianwen's hand. It was similar to his ingredients, but there was an extra pack of dried fish, which must have been bought for Sister Nianci.
After loading all the things into the car, the four of them rushed to the Grain Bureau. Jianwen and Guangyao sat in the car obediently guarding the things. Father Chu and Chu Ye went in with the documents and household registration in their hands.
Not long after, the two of them came out. Today's trip was not in vain, as they had completed all the procedures required to change their household registration.
Originally, Chu's father still had a grudge in his heart because of the change of household registration. Although he knew that there were mostly benefits to this matter, Chu Ye would also be able to get more benefits from finding a partner to marry in the future, and his in-laws would also think highly of him, but there were still some problems. So awkward.
However, this mood disappeared under the praise of the staff inside. The person who issued the grain and oil certificate to them knew that Chu Ye had transferred his household registration after passing the school, and he immediately kept saying good things, and even praised Chu's father for teaching his daughter well. It is a life of happiness.
So when the two of them came out of the door, Chu's father couldn't hide the smile on his face. He went to the supply and marketing cooperative generously, took the cloth ticket and pulled out a piece of blue plaid cloth. After coming out, he handed it to Chu Ye and said he would wait until he came back. When she got home, she asked Chu's mother to use the cloth to cut her a new coat.
Chu Ye naturally smiled and took it.
In the days before New Year's Eve, another heavy snow fell from the sky. Children played in the snow and enjoyed the happy winter vacation, while adults were busy preparing food for the New Year and clothes for their families.
Chu's mother spent two or three nights cutting out the blue plaid according to Chu Ye's cotton-padded jacket and sewing on the seams. She also took out the cotton from the previous clothes, mixed it with this year's new cotton, and put it into the clothes. Stuff it, sew the opening, and it becomes a new piece of clothing.
There was some cloth left that was not used up. Chu's mother thought about it and got busy again, planning to make another pair of cotton pants for Chu Guangyao to wear.
As for this cotton-padded jacket, Chu Ye couldn't bear to wear it. She folded it carefully and put it in the wooden box at the end of the bed, planning to keep it until the first day of the new year.
In the past few days, the stoves of every household in the village have been busy steaming steamed buns, deep-fried fried cakes, and meat stuffing dough. Some of them don’t have enough tools at home, and the neighbors help each other, which is a lot of fun. Lively scenery.
After lunch today, Chu’s mother cooked a small bowl of paste. Chu’s father took out a few couplets, called Chu Guangyao again, and pasted festive red colors on the entrance to the yard, as well as the door frames of the main hall and side rooms of the house. .
Chu's mother cleared the dining table and started busy making noodles again. At the same time, she asked Chu Ye to wash the radish, cut it into cubes, and blanch it. After that, she took out the water and chopped it into pieces. After this step was completed, she started chopping onions and ginger. And she herself was not idle either. After making the noodles, she put them aside and started chopping the meat stuffing in full swing.
After all the preparations were completed, the two of them started making dumplings again. Chu Ye picked up a palm-sized piece of white dough, dug out another spoonful of the prepared filling, and then pressed lightly with his fingers on both sides, and a bulging dumpling was ready. .
"Hey, your skills are getting better than last year. This dumpling looks good." Chu's mother relaxed her hands, and a round dumpling appeared in her palm. She placed the dumplings next to Chu Ye's, two The dumplings look quite similar, white and plump like a gold ingot.
"The dumplings you made during the Chinese New Year last year were not so pretty. The fillings were exposed when they were cooked. However, they were made well this year." Mother Chu praised them.
After Chu Ye listened, she remained silent. Her hands kept moving, but her thoughts drifted to the past.
Children from rural areas learn to do farm work and help at home from an early age, not to mention that girls also need to be able to do housework, sewing, cooking and cooking are all basic skills.
Besides, Chu Ye has three older sisters, and now she is a girl. She is no longer a rare treasure in the family, so she has learned these housework since she was a child. Although the sisters could share the housework together before they got married, Chu's mother treated their teachings equally. After all, in Chu's mother's view, all girls in the family would be married in the future, and they had to know all these things. They couldn't learn it after they were married. , this will be laughed at by your in-laws.
But there is one thing that Chu Ye can't do well, and that is making dumplings. She obviously gets started every New Year, but the dumplings she makes are always unsatisfactory. The stuffing is revealed.
It was clearly taught by Chu's mother, but she always had no knack in this area. It wasn't until she got married in her previous life and faced her difficult father-in-law and mother-in-law that she worked hard to please them. Craftsmanship Today.
However, she lowered her head and saw three rows of dumplings. She thought to herself that there was no need to wrong herself for others. It was a pity that she was too stupid to see through it in her previous life and ended up being bullied. This kind of thing would never happen again in this life. It won't happen either.
Thinking like this, a burst of firecrackers burst from someone's house not far away. They have a custom here. On New Year's Eve, when someone is preparing to have dinner, they put off a firecracker. This is equivalent to telling the Stove Lord that my meal is ready. Come to me. Eating at home also means seeking good luck.
Chu Ye speeded up his hands. Chu's mother was already adding firewood and boiling water. After a while, seeing that the dumplings were almost done and the water was boiling, Chu's mother quickly put the dumplings into the pot.
The white and fat dumplings sank one after another when they were put into the water. Mother Chu took a spoon and stirred the bottom of the pot from front to back, and then picked up the lid of the pot on the side to cover it.
Chu Ye went to the yard to wash his hands. There were sounds one after another outside. People lit firecrackers in their own yards. Then the family laughed and covered their ears and hid aside. After a burst of crackling sounds, they went back to the house with laughter. , greeting the last meal of the year. At this time, firecrackers were also hung in the yard of Aunt Wang's house next door. Brother Jianwen approached with a box of matches. Chu Ye and Sister Nianci looked at each other across the courtyard wall. The other raised his hands to cover his ears, and turned his head to look this way with a smile on his face. Smiling, with a hint of the love of a new mother in her expression, Chu Ye smiled along with her unconsciously, and then the sound of firecrackers rang out next door.
At home, Chu's mother shouted in the main hall that the dumplings were cooked, and called them to come and eat.
Chu's father also hung up firecrackers in the yard at this time. Chu Guangyao took over the job of setting off the firecrackers, lit the match and approached cautiously, then ran back quickly, and then there was a deafening sound behind him. Then the three of them returned to the house, using a A delicious meat dumpling to soothe the hard work of the past year.
After dinner, Chu Guangyao shouted and ran out the door, saying that he wanted to pick up cannon barrels with his friends. Generally, after every family sets off firecrackers, there are always some unlit firecrackers. Some children wait for others to finish setting off firecrackers, pick them up, collect them and light them again, or fold the barrels in the middle and pour out the contents. The powder is ignited, and then you will see a white light flashing like fireworks. These are also a play item for the children in the village.
Before Chu Guangyao went out, he was afraid that Chu Ye would be bored at home, so he asked her to play together, but Chu Ye refused.
The New Year's Eve passed quietly as everyone stayed up for the New Year. Early the next morning, thin snowflakes fell from the sky, and there was also a layer of silver frost on the ground, which was exactly what the saying "Auspicious snow heralds a good harvest".
Chu Ye put on her new cotton-padded jacket, and then put on the red scarf given by Mu Jiajun after hesitation. She and Chu Guangyao paid New Year's greetings to her parents. As elders, her parents also smiled and gave out the New Year's money.
There is a day off on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and on the second day of the Lunar New Year, according to their custom, it is the day when the married daughter returns to her parents' home to visit relatives. Sure enough, after the family had dinner, the three sisters came to visit one after another.
The eldest sister Chu Xiang and the second sister Chu Lan came back with their husbands. The eldest sister did not bring her children home, and the second sister brought her eldest son Wang Qingqing back to visit.
The third sister, Chu Hua, was happy with her daughter who had learned to walk. The third brother-in-law did not come back this time, saying that the factory where his father worked was short of guards during the Chinese New Year. The original workers wanted to reunite with their families during the New Year. The third brother-in-law was originally supposed to be there during the Chinese New Year. He was going to take over his father's job later, so he took the job in advance to leave a good impression in front of the boss.
She was a little smug when she said this, and her two sisters and brother-in-law were a little silent after hearing this. Chu Ye didn't care about this, but her eyes keenly noticed that Chu Hua looked bad, so she asked her if anything bad had happened recently. thing.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes gathered again, and the joy in Chu Hua's eyes faded. She put her hand on her belly and denied, "It's a good thing. I have something in my stomach again. It's just the Chinese New Year. There are a lot of things at home, and I can't cope with it." I’m so tired.”
After hearing this, Chu Ye turned his head and became amused without commenting. The last time I met Gao Xing was half a year ago. At that time, she was still speechless, but now she can clearly call out "aunt". Coupled with her pink and white face, she looks very cute.
Here, Chu Hua saw that no one answered her, so she turned around and asked Chu Ye how her life was at school. Chu Ye didn't even raise her head and replied, "It's pretty good."
"I have not been able to study since I was a child. Unlike you, I have good academic performance. Now I have passed the normal college entrance examination, and I will have my own job after graduation." There was an unnoticeable envy in Chu Hua's tone, which made Chu Ye's heart It was a bit unpleasant. She looked up in surprise. Chu Hua was still trying to persuade her to get married last time they met.
"Little sister, studying is important, but you should pay more attention to this important event in your life. Maybe my brother-in-law will keep an eye on you in the village. If you have similar conditions, I will arrange for you to meet." The eldest brother-in-law answered at this time, and he heard Chu Ye rolled her eyes secretly, but thinking that it was Chinese New Year now and her sisters and brothers-in-law would leave soon, she didn't fight back after all.
To be honest, there is a big age difference between her and the eldest and second sister, and she is similar in age to the third sister, so she has been closer to the third sister since she was a child. When she was just in elementary school, her two older sisters got married, and they only came back two or three times a year, not to mention a deep relationship.
"How good of an introduction can you give her? When she finishes her studies and graduates, she will be holding an iron rice bowl provided by the country. What kind of job are she looking for?" Although Chu Ye was silent, Chu Hua was not happy.
Although she felt that women had to get married, and no matter how much they studied, they had to return to the family and have children, but it didn't mean that her sister could be matched casually like this.
What does it mean to "meet someone in the village who has similar conditions?" Her sister is a person who passed the teacher's college through her own efforts and has a bright future. What kind of man can't be worthy of her? How can you arrange it so casually as the eldest brother-in-law said?
"Third sister! Why are you talking to your brother-in-law?" The eldest sister was unhappy and warned.
Chu Hua rolled her eyes, and Chu's mother quickly came out to smooth things over. The scene fell into silence for a moment. Chu Hua didn't want to stay with them. She picked up Gao Xing and pulled Chu Ye, and at the same time said to Chu Guangyao, "Let's go to your place." Look around the house and take out your toys for your niece to play with.”
After saying that, he walked towards the side room.
When they got to the side room, Chu Guangyao obediently took out the toys, put Gaixing on the bed, pulled off the quilt and wrapped it around her, and the two started playing around.
Listening to the happy laughter, Chu Hua's original irritability dissipated, and Chu Ye said at this time, "Third sister, it's a good thing that you are pregnant, but why do I see you in a bad mood?"
Hearing this, Chu Hua looked back deeply. The girl in front of her was wearing a red scarf, which made her skin fairer. She had a black ponytail hanging down to her waist, and her eyes were like black grapes. In the film, the ignorance and agility of childhood are no longer visible, but she is calm and seems to have seen through everything.
She thought of the scene just now. No one noticed that she was in poor condition, but Chu Ye noticed it and asked her with concern, which made her feel warm in her heart.
Chu Hua gradually realized that in the two years since she was married, Chu Ye had grown up rapidly in places that she could not see. The girl who used to be a follower and sweetly called her sister had quietly grown into a woman with her own independent opinions. Tree.
She knew that she could confide some unspeakable pain to him, so she said, "Your brother-in-law will go to work in the town after the Chinese New Year, and then my parents-in-law and I will be the only ones at home. They keep staring at my belly, expecting This time I gave birth to a boy.”
"But I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll give birth to a girl again and I won't be able to explain it to my family."
(End of chapter)