My Girlfriend Catherine (novel) Zhang Baotong 2016.3.21

9. New Year's greetings to grandma

I spent a year looking forward to the New Year, but the year passed in a flash.

As soon as the New Year's Day passed, Catherine and I were only at home on the second day of junior high school. Because our return car is a high-speed train at 8:23 a.m. on the third day of the Lunar New Year. When my parents saw that we were leaving home and returning to Xi'an, they seemed a little panicked, as if we were going to take their happiness and hope with us.

After dinner on the morning of the second year of junior high school, my mother asked us to go to the small shop in the village to buy some burning paper, incense and dead tickets, and to go to the grave of our grandparents to burn paper and send money. Catherine and I went to the small shop in the village. When Catherine saw that I only bought one and ten yuan tickets, she asked, "Why don't you buy millions and billions, and give money to your grandparents, why don't you give more?" ”

I said, "Mom said, I don't want to buy too big, too big to spread, not good to spend, said that grandparents usually spend money carefully, don't make them hold big tickets, can't scatter, can't spend." ”

After the things were bought, my mother had a plastic bag, my father had a machete, and I took the things and led Catherine to the hill behind the village.

The graveyard of my grandparents is halfway up the back hill. Beneath the grassy slope was a barren meadow, with weeds growing half a man's height and thorny thorns in between. The grassy slopes are topped by dense pine forests. Between the grassy slopes and the pine forest, there is a cemetery where some of the dead of the village are buried.

The graves of the grandparents are connected together, overgrown with weeds, and a few small hard trees. Dad used a machete to cut down the thorns, wild trees, and weeds from the grave and fix the top of the grave. At this time, my mother had already set up a plate in front of the monument, put fruits, peanuts and sweets, and then lit incense and planted it in front of the grave.

First, my father kowtowed, and he kowtowed and said, "May our family's life be better day by day." ”

Then my mom kowtowed. I remember when I was a kid my mom would kowtow every time she said, "Bless my cub to study hard and go to college in the future." But when I got into college, my mom kowtowed again and said, "Bless my cub for a good girl." Sure enough, all of her wishes came true, so I wondered what my mother would make today. I saw my mother kneeling in front of the grave, bowing three times, and muttering, "Bless my family Bin Bin and my daughter-in-law to love each other and be happy for a hundred years." ”

When Catherine and I had kowtowed and made a vow, we gathered around and began to burn the yellow paper and the tickets. After burning the paper and the ticket, the firecrackers were set off. Then, we walked back.

Because it is the second day of the Lunar New Year, we are going to my grandmother's house to pay New Year's greetings. So, we bought the gifts and hit the road. Grandma's house is on the other side of the river. Although it is not very far, because to cross the river, you have to walk a lot more.

Many years ago, we crossed the river by walking on the small stone bridge upstream, because the river was wide and the bottom was not deep. However, when a highway bridge was built downstream, people did not take the small stone bridge very much, because the small stone bridge was only half a meter wide, and it was more dangerous to walk on it.

However, as soon as I told Catherine this, she did not want me to take her across the river on the little stone bridge. But my mother disagreed, afraid of danger. So, Catherine took her mother's hand and pleaded, "Mom, let's go, with Xu Bin here, I won't be in danger." ”

My mother couldn't save face, so she said to me, "You have to be careful not to let Catherine have an accident." ”

I said, "Mom, don't worry, she just fell into the water, and the water is not deep, and I can just save her." ”

But my mother said with a straight face, "You just don't study well, and you always take her to dangerous places." ”

Catherine said, "Mom, I'm going, don't blame him." ”

Because the road bridge and the small stone bridge are in two different directions, my parents have to go north and we have to go south. Without our parents, we are much freer, we hold hands, like two cheerful birds flying by the river. After walking for about five or six miles, I came to the small stone bridge.

The small stone bridge is not very crowded, and it looks like it has been abandoned and dilapidated. Therefore, I was still a little hesitant to walk in front of the small stone bridge, because I hadn't walked on the bridge for many years, and I didn't know if I could still cross the bridge.

At this time, a middle-aged man walked over the embankment. I asked, "Uncle, can you still pass on this bridge?"

The middle-aged man said, "Yes, we will all walk on this bridge when we cross the river." ”

So, I took Catherine's hand and walked very slowly towards the bridge. However, when I walked to the middle of the bridge, I felt that the wind on the river was strong, and the waves on the river were surging violently. Catherine felt a little frightened and did not dare to leave. However, I have already walked to the middle of the bridge, and there is no point in going back.

Actually, I know that she is timid, and I want her to exercise. I squatted on the bridge with her and said to her, "Don't be afraid, baby, you have to keep your eyes on the bridge and don't look into the water." Then I said to her, "When I was ten years old, I fell into the water from here when I crossed the bridge. ”

"And how did you get out?" she asked.

I said, "The water was not deep until it reached my chest, so I crossed the river by probing the water." However, my clothes were soaked all over my body, and I felt so cold. ”

When Catherine heard this, she grew bold, and she said, "Let's go." And, as he walked, he let go of my hand and walked boldly ahead.

Walking to the bridge and crossing the river, I hugged her and said in admiration, "Ah, baby, you are amazing." ”

Catherine said happily, "In the future, I will not be afraid to walk on such a bridge again." ”

After crossing the bridge, it didn't take long to arrive at my grandmother's house.

When my grandmother saw that I had brought her such a beautiful girl, she happily praised me for my talent. My grandmother had four children and more than a dozen grandchildren, but when I was young, my grandmother liked me the most, saying that I was handsome and smart. Later, when I was admitted to university, my grandmother said that I was the most promising. Because among my grandmother, there is such a college student as me.

Grandma took Catherine's hand as soon as we entered, led her into the house, and led her back to the drawing-room, peeled apples and oranges for her, and asked her how old she was and where her parents were. Even my parents came into the house with gifts, and she didn't even look up.

Mother put down the gift in her hand, and took my grandmother into the back room, and told her that Catherine was going to marry me, and that she would not ask for a penny for our family. When my grandmother heard this, she was even more grateful and fond of Catherine, and she pointed to the portrait of her grandfather and said to me and Catherine, if my grandfather could see that I had married such a beautiful girl, and did not ask our family for a house or a car, I don't know how happy he would be.

After a while, my aunt and my uncle also came, and there were more than 20 people in the family, young and old. Everyone talked affectionately around Catherine, and gave Catherine New Year's money. Catherine didn't want it, but her grandmother insisted that she take it. Moreover, Grandma took out a thousand yuan in front of everyone and gave it to Catherine. Catherine saw that everyone else was giving money to her grandmother, but her grandmother wanted to give her money, so she resolutely refused. But grandma insisted on being in her hands.

Grandma has no money, and lives entirely on the money given by her children. And the New Year's money for those grandchildren who are still in school is only 50 yuan per person. Therefore, we all feel that this gift is too heavy.

But grandma said to everyone, "Only Xu Bin is the most promising in our family, and the Catherine he is looking for is so beautiful, but she is about to get married to my family Xu Bin, but she doesn't want a penny from our family." You have so many children, who can find such a beautiful girl in the future, and don't ask our family for a penny, even if I give you 10,000 yuan, I will be happy. ”

Grandma's words made everyone feel uncomfortable, and it also made us feel uncomfortable. But everyone thinks that grandma's words are motivating and educating children, so they don't take it to heart.

At noon, the meal was set up on a large table. When they sat down, it stands to reason that their grandmother should sit on the upper seat, the two uncles sit next to them, and the children sit on the side. However, my grandmother let me sit on either side of Catherine or Catherine. Therefore, when everyone toasted, they all toasted grandma, and began to take turns to toast us. Because we became the protagonist of this family, we drank a lot of wine.

After eating, when I left, my aunt's house usually left the earliest, because her house was the farthest, but today our family did not leave, and other people did not dare to leave, because everyone was very eye-catching, for fear that it would make grandma unhappy. So, we saw that other people's houses refused to go first, so we had no choice but to go first, because my mother said that Catherine and I would leave early tomorrow morning and that we had to rush back to make some preparations. So, my grandmother asked the whole family to go out together to send our family to the riverside.