After eating, the little grandmother and the old man talked for a long time before returning home, after all, everyone was busy with work, and there were not many opportunities to get together to talk.

The night of the Chinese New Year's Eve was not so quiet, and the sky was not starry, it was dark. But on the night of the thirtieth day, the fireworks were bright, and the firecrackers rang out through the valley.

Zhang Laohan's family did not buy fireworks, fireworks were a luxury for them, and they were out of reach for Xiao Mu.

Xiao Mu carried a small stool to the door and sat down, supporting his chin with both hands.

There was a deafening sound between the valleys, lit with fiery red fires, and then dispersed, and colorful fireworks bloomed unbridled in the night sky, and then crackled and crackled.

Zhang Laohan also walked out with a cigarette stick, squatted down next to Xiao Mu and said, "Xiao Mu, is it good-looking?"

Xiao Mu jumped up, jumped in front of Zhang Laohan and patted his hand wrapped in gauze and said, "It's good-looking, it's so good-looking." ”

Zhang Laohan looked at such a lively Xiao Mu a little lost, and a little distressed Xiao Mu, more than other people's children, he didn't, other people's parents can give Xiao Mu, but he can't give it, and he smokes vigorously.

And Xiao Mu didn't think so, but was very optimistic, although he also wanted it, but he knew what his family's situation was, and it was the same as watching others put it himself, and he didn't have to do it himself, wouldn't it be good?

Zhang Laohan and Xiao Mu stayed until midnight, when it was the most lively time, everyone concentrated the fireworks and firecrackers there, and the bright fireworks illuminated the land of China, which was very magnificent.

"By the way, Xiao Mu, where are you going to play tomorrow and with whom?" asked Zhang Laohan.

Xiao Mu thought about it and said, "I should go back to Guo Yang to play, I don't know where to go, let's talk about it then!"

"What about you?" Xiao Mu asked rhetorically.

Zhang Laohan looked at the fireworks in the distance, took down the pipe in his mouth and said: "I, my words are to go to herd cattle, the New Year is your children's business, I am old." ”

At that time, Xiao Mu didn't think so, but now, he often tells me that since he confessed to things, he hasn't remembered that Zhang Laohan has lived a full year, and Zhang Laohan has to go to herd cattle every New Year, so he feels very guilty.

"Oh, okay, aren't you going to play during the New Year?"

Zhang Laohan smiled and said to Xiao Mu: "Don't go, just have fun." ”

The sound of firecrackers gradually weakened, and the cheering people should have rested! Xiao Mu and Zhang Laohan also returned to the house.

Early the next morning, Zhang Laohan and Lao Fu got up early to prepare breakfast, that is, tangyuan.

Xiao Mu, who had just gotten up, couldn't wait to run to the kitchen, and a large pot of water was boiling in the pot.

Xiao Mu asked, "Grandma, what are you doing with this water, are you cooking noodles?"

"Han Bao, this is to cook rice balls for you to eat, go wash up. ”

Xiao Mu suddenly smiled, and without saying a word, he turned around and washed.

When Xiao Mu returned to the kitchen again, the old man was already preparing noodles.

In the flat Lu basin, I put some glutinous rice noodles, grabbed a few handfuls of chestnut noodles, and combined the glutinous rice noodles with chestnut noodles.

I brought a kettle from the fire pit and put some warm water into the noodles, and the flour began to grow sticky under the brewing of the warm water.

The old man began to knead the flour, occasionally adding some warm water, and after a while, the flour was completely stuck together.

Historically, the custom of eating glutinous rice balls in Nancheng is incompatible with other places, and other places are stuffed, but in this small mountain village in Nancheng, no family eats glutinous rice balls with filling, and I don't know whether it is because of poverty, or because of trouble, or because of tradition.

The old man took a ball of batter, put it on his fingers, pinched a small ball, and kept going back and forth in the palm of his hand.

The speed is very fast, and every few seconds you can make a rice ball, which is as round as a glass bead, and throws it into the pot, splashing water, and the sound of falling water is very crisp.

Looking at the skilled old man, Xiao Mu felt that it was very funny, and he wanted to try it himself.

He smiled and said to the old man, "Grandma, can I do it?" I also want to try, but it can't work. ”

Xiao Mu learned from the old man's method, and also took the dough casually, pinched a small piece and began to plate it.

It seems to be a simple action, but it is not so simple to get started, and Xiao Mupan, who has not mastered the strength, has not made a single soup ball for a few minutes.

The dots of dough that had stuck to my hand had begun to crack, but the dough in the center of my fingers had dripped through the gaps between my fingers and fell onto the soot-covered floor.

"Hey, what are you doing? You don't know how to knead the dough when you see the dough dripping, it's a waste, will you!"

Xiao Mu reacted at this time, but the dripping one was dripping, and it was impossible to pick it up, so he could only try not to let the remaining dough drip off.

"Grandma, why can you be so round, but I can't. ”

The old man laughed at the novel: "You can't work too hard, you are obviously too hard, you are flat, if you are seen by outsiders, it will not be a joke." ”

I remixed the dough in my hand and carefully and gently coiled it.

It's good now, it's much better than just now, not to mention how rounded, at least it's formed.

Excitedly, he picked up the only one and took out the rice balls and said to the old man: "Grandma and grandma, look, I have come out, I will, yes!"

The old man looked at Xiao Mu who was very excited and said: "Come on, look at you, it's only been a long time since you plated, I'm embarrassed, hurry up, otherwise everything in the pot will be cooked, and you haven't finished your small dough." ”

The dough in the old man's hand is finished one after another, and it seems that there are more and more dough in his hand.

So Xiao Mu divided the dough in his hand into two parts, gave one to the old man and said, "Grandma, my dough will be more and more, help me take inventory." ”

The old man said impatiently: "That's good, then you don't have to work, you can feed the whole family if you have more and more work in your hands!"

Xiao Mu smiled and didn't speak.

The water in the dough evaporated quickly, and the sparse dough grains that stuck to the edge of the basin began to fall.

Xiao Mu slapped the dough stuck to his hand into the basin, took the dough that Xiao Mu had not finished discarding, and asked Xiao Mu to pat the dough grains stuck to his fingers into the basin.

Drove the dough in the basin together and said, "Come to Xiaomu, add a little water, otherwise this dough will be no sticky." ”

The old man kneaded the dough again before he began to coil the rice balls, and after the dough was finished, he did not even let go of the dough residue stuck to the basin and the edge of the basin.

Pour in warm water, clean the dough residue, and pour it into the pot, "Xiao Mu, learn to be a little, we can't waste it, no matter where you go in the future, you must do things cleanly, don't drag mud and water, just like this dough residue." ”

Xiao Mu took the Lu pen in your old master's hand and put it back in place.