In the sound of firecrackers, the spring breeze sends warmth into Tusu.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's Chinese New Year's Eve.

The sound of firecrackers is everywhere in the small mountain village, and the sound of firecrackers echoes in the mountains and becomes louder. Lin Ping stood on the high place on the mountain and looked condescendingly at the villages in the mountains, the villages had a strong smell of youth, and from time to time there were flashes of firecracker explosions, if there were fleeting meteors in the night sky.

Lin Ping felt the smell of firecrackers wafting in the air, and actually felt a light fragrance. The hustle and bustle of firecrackers, the bright red Spring Festival couplets, and the smoke in the air, this is the taste of the New Year. With the development of society and the construction of urban civilization, more and more cities will no longer allow residents to set off fireworks, and even some places do not allow residents to post Spring Festival couplets, and the taste of the New Year will feel lighter.

New era, new Chinese New Year?

Lin Ping always felt that something was missing, the traditional way of expressing emotions in Chinese.

"Teacher Lin, what are you doing standing there?" Ma Zhongguo shouted, "Come down quickly, let go of the whip!"

Lin Ping happily replied: "Okay!"

"Come, you pick up the whip and hold it steady!" Ma Zhongguo handed the bamboo pole to Lin Ping, and jokingly told again, "Don't be scared by firecrackers and leave the stall!"

"No, no, how could it be. Lin Ping said with a smile.

"Then I'll order it!" Ma Zhongguo said and walked over to the firecracker, "Raise it high!"

"Bang!"

As the first firecrackers exploded, a series of crackling sounds followed.

After the firecrackers exploded and the smoke faded, Mr. Ma looked close to the place where the explosion occurred, and then said happily: "Good sign, good sign! All the firecrackers have exploded, and none of them have sounded!"

Lin Ping and Ma Zhongguo smiled and went back to the house to eat Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, which was the most sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve meal that Lin Ping had come to eat, and this Chinese New Year's Eve dinner allowed him to regain the long-lost taste of the year. In the past, there were big fish and meat every day, and there was no difference between eating and eating during the New Year, and I couldn't eat the taste of the New Year. In the past half a year, I have been eating coarse tea and light rice almost every day, and suddenly I want to cry when I have such a big fish and big meat in the New Year.

Happiness will be more obvious and satisfying in contrast.

After eating, Mr. Ma wrapped the ten yuan in red paper.

"Is this a red envelope?" Lin Ping asked with a smile.

"Yes, for the children, they will come tomorrow morning to ask for red envelopes!" Ma Zhongguo said with a smile, "This is already a custom." ”

"Then do I want to give it too?" asked Lin Ping.

"Of course, it's okay, I've already helped you pack yours!" Ma Zhongguo said with a smile, "I will divide half of you, and tomorrow the children will be blessed, and you can get two red envelopes." ”

The next morning, before dawn, some students came to school with flashlights.

Liu Weiguo, who was the first to come, was followed by Liu Dazhu and Liu Xiangqian, and as soon as the three of them entered the house, they knelt down and kowtowed, and then said: "Teacher Lin, Teacher Ma, Happy New Year!"

Then he stretched out his hand and asked for a red envelope.

Lin Ping was startled by the way the children in the mountains asked for red envelopes, it was really traditional, this way of kowtowing to red envelopes had been canceled in the nineties in most areas, and children in most areas only needed to say an auspicious word to the old people to ask for a red envelope.

After a while, all ten students from the Kushan Mountain Rural School, except for Liu Qingmei, came to the school to pay New Year's greetings to Lin Ping and Ma Zhongguo.

"Tell your parents, tonight's freshman dinner will come to school to eat, Teacher Ma and I will prepare the meal, and our group will celebrate the New Year together!" Lin Ping said to the children.

The children happily agreed, and everyone ate together in the school, what a lively thing it was.

"College student, you're really going to have nothing to do," Ma Zhongguo said jokingly, "Let's get ready." ”

"Haha, how energetic these children are, how happy it is to have a meal with them for the New Year!" Lin Ping said with a smile.

Ma Zhongguo smiled and nodded: "Yes, I think after you came, now this school really feels like a family." ”

At noon, Liu Qingmei still did not come to pay New Year's greetings to Lin Ping and Ma Zhongguo, Lin Ping asked worriedly: "Did Liu Qingmei come to pay you New Year's greetings before?

Ma Zhongguo, who was smoking a dry cigarette, spit out a cigarette and said, "Come." ”

"Then I'll go to her house. Lin Ping said and went to push the bicycle out.

"I'll go with you. Ma Zhongguo put away the dry tobacco gun and said.

"It's okay, I'll go by myself, I'll go and get back quickly. Lin Ping said.

Ma Zhongguo glanced at Lin Ping: "It's okay, if something is wrong, come back and tell me, don't be reckless." ”

"Good. ”

Lin Ping got on his bicycle and rushed to Liu Qingmei's house.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the doors of every household were open to facilitate the New Year's greetings for those who came to visit the New Year, but when Lin Ping came to Liu Qingmei's house, he found that the door of Liu Qingmei's house was closed.

Lin Ping got off the bicycle and walked to the door of Liu Qingmei's house and pushed the door, and found that the door was locked, why is the door locked for the New Year, Lin Ping, who had a glimmer of hope, patted the door vigorously and asked, "Is there anyone?" Liu Qingmei, Aunt Feng, are you at home?"

"Teacher, I'm here!"

Liu Qingmei's voice came from the door, and then Liu Qingmei handed out a key from the crack in the door below, "Teacher...... Here's the key. ”

Lin Ping took the key to open the door, Liu Qingmei stood at the door with tears on her face, and when she saw Lin Ping, she couldn't help but cry: "Teacher!"

"What's wrong?" Lin Ping asked with a frown.

Liu Qingmei threw herself into Lin Ping's arms and cried.

"Where's your mother?" Lin Ping asked as he looked into the room.

Liu Qingmei cried and choked up and told what happened.

It turned out that Liu Qingmei's father did not go home for the New Year this year, and this is also the first time that Liu Qingmei's father did not go home for the New Year. Liu Qingmei and her mother had been looking forward to Liu Qingmei's father coming home half a month ago, but Liu Qingmei's father did not return until last night's Chinese New Year's Eve.

On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, Liu Qingmei's mother Feng Chunxiu prepared a table of good wine and food, and the mother and daughter sat at the table without saying a word.

knew that her husband would not come back, but Liu Qingmei's mother still held an impossible illusion, and her eyes looked at the gate motionlessly.

"Mom, Abba he's not coming back......"

Liu Qingmei, who was hungry, choked up and said, she didn't dare to move her chopsticks to eat the food on the table without her mother's consent, but she was so hungry when she looked at the table of good dishes.

Liu Qingmei's mother glared at Liu Qingmei, Liu Qingmei lowered her head and didn't dare to say a word.

The food couldn't be colder anymore, and Liu Qingmei, who was hungry and sleepy, finally couldn't hold back and closed her eyes and fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes after falling asleep, she found that her mother was no longer there, and the door was locked from the outside.

Lin Ping sighed and touched Liu Qingmei's head and said, "It's okay, your mother will be fine, she may go to the city to find your father." ”

Liu Qingmei cried and nodded.

Lin Ping smiled and said, "Let's go back to the house first, you wash your face, don't cry, be stronger! ”

Liu Qingmei took Lin Ping to the house, and the center of the room was full of good dishes on the table, and it didn't move.

"Haven't you eaten yet?" Lin Ping asked.

Liu Qingmei said: "I have eaten. ”

"Then these meals ......," Lin Ping asked, pointing to the intact meals on the table.

"Grandma said that Abba was not allowed to use chopsticks until he came back, so I found some other food to eat. Liu Qingmei whispered.