The day before the Winter Solstice Festival, Ye Wenxin's courtyard was very lively, a few colored glass lamps were hung under the corridor, and three pots and a half of people high were placed on the moon and moon red, although they were not famous, but they were full of branches.

There was a narcissus on the table in the house, and there was a plum in the bottle, Ye Wenxin wrinkled his nose and was unhappy: "Both are fragrant, and it is not beautiful to be in one place, I don't want this." ”

Qiong Ying persuaded her: "I know that the girl is exquisite, so I will put it on the table for one day, and I will replace it on the second day." This is still a rule made by the old lady of the Ye family when she was young, and from then on, these two kinds of flowers must be planted on the winter solstice.

"After planting the plum, I took out the red bean porcelain bottle, but unfortunately the water-rippled bean celadon flower bowl did not brought, otherwise it would be filled with this jade platform calendula. Yu Xu said this, Ye Wenxin glanced at her with a smile: "It's a pity that there are two good flowers, and they have to be fragrant in one place." ”

The daffodils bloom one by one, raised in the shallow basin of the eight immortal lotus patterns, the ground kang in the house burns continuously, the daffodils are called hot and open more and more, and the curtain is full of fragrance.

The plum blossom is also just right, the colder the place, the more energetic, placed by the window, lined with the frost flowers on the window, it looks more fragrant and lovely than inserted in a large bottle.

The Ye family's sisters and brothers are going to take the car to the Ye family's ancestral house to worship their ancestors today, Shi Gui doesn't have to follow, Ye Wenxin simply gave her three days off: "When we go to the old house, if you want to go home, you can go home, and the holiday will be yours." ”

Shi Gui said that he wanted to invite the original sisters to eat the pot, and Ye Wenxin also wanted to taste it when he heard it, and Yu Xu laughed: "What's so difficult about this, her godmother is in the kitchen, and it's very convenient to get things, let's also set up a table." ”

Qiong Ying frowned: "How can the girl stand the smell of the pot, the house is smoky, so Mama Feng must say when she sees it." ”

Yuxu pushed her: "It's just that you came to ruin the fun, opened two windows, set up a small pot, and ate it as soon as you rolled, and after eating, you withdrew, and then opened the window to breathe, Mama Feng is not clairvoyant and has a nose, where can you know?"

Ye Wenxin agreed, and Yu Fu took out two pieces of money: "You don't have to have too much meat, the river is frozen at this time, and the fish is fat, so I asked to make a few more fish, cut it, beat it into a puree, and eat it when it's blanched." ”

Shi Gui took the money, the money was enough to hold a small banquet, and he gave a lot, but Yu Fu glanced at her, which was specially prepared to make money for her, Shi Gui responded with a smile: "It turns out that too, after the winter solstice, the grandmother in the palace is coming, and if you don't relax, you won't be happy, but there will be no time to be relaxed." ”

As soon as Qiong Ying said this, she no longer persuaded her, but looked at this and that, sighed in her heart, listened to Shi Gui report a string of dish names, lifted the curtain and went out, and Liuchu Suchen avoided her, so she had to sigh with Zhi Tao: "It's really a few ignorant people, let's be in another family, the more peaceful the better, but they still have these ideas." ”

Zhi Tao naturally wanted to eat it, so he had to squeak and squeak in response, and turned around and told Sù Ruixiang: "Only she is a virtuous person, we are all greedy." ”

The day before the winter solstice, I made flour balls in the grate, sweet and salty, took a reunion and reunion, and went out to go out, took this as a snack, boiled a pot of salty pot sweet, salty and ordinary, sweet is to take lotus root powder as the base, and sprinkled osmanthus crushed on the top, Shi Gui tasted a few, and scooped a bowl of sweet.

Six out also told sù Shi Gui two in September, every season, Yangzhou City is full of the sound of rice, rice powder: "Caiyi Street Yuxian Street Erlang Temple in front of the burden to sell these flour balls, there are red and white, roses, sesame and cabbage, salted meat, everything is delicious." ”

Hearing this, September glared, and looked at Shi Gui again, she said that she would be able to follow her cousin to Yangzhou, and she would still be guarding the empty garden here at that time.

When they were about to go out, the group changed into thick clothes, and when they were about to go out, Chunyan came and brought a red envelope, saying that it was given to Ye Wenxin by the Ye family: "Mrs. said, I am one year older after eating the balls, and this bag was prepared by my uncle's wife, and then our wife will give it to the girl on the winter solstice." ”

Mama Feng was originally prepared, but after many years, the Ye family still remembered the old rules of the Ye family, Ye Wen's eyes were red, and he remembered his grandmother.

When Mrs. Ye was there, she was the one who gave the red envelope, and when Mrs. Ye passed away, the one who gave the red envelope became Shen's, Ye Wenxin also knew that Ye's was coaxing her, so that she could rest assured, when she went out, Shen was already half-dazed, and she didn't even wake up, where could she still order these things, her affairs were all done by Mama Feng.

With a red envelope in her hand, Song Yintang waited for the escort at the second door, and she lowered her eyes: "Thank you aunt for me, wait for me to come back, and then ask her to say goodbye." ”

Chunyan sent Ye Wenxin all the way to the second door, and when Ye Wenxin got into the car, she turned around and said a few words to Shi Gui, Shi Gui followed behind her, wanting to mention the matter of grapes, and only then did she say a word Aunt Qian, Chunyan's face changed, in front of her, she didn't hide it anymore, frowned, and her eyes were full of disgust.

Shi Gui quickly stopped talking, Chunyan was not interested in saying more, Shi Gui sent her to the yard, only then turned back, and went to the secluded fence, there must be a reason why the grapes are so afraid, and they have to find a time to ask her.

At this time, it was not dark, Shi Gui took a shortcut, walked on the Muxi incense path, but heard the "crackling" sound, and saw the smoke, just think that there was a fire somewhere, the mother-in-law and the little maid on the festival door were all stealing home, there were also those who ate and drank and those who wiped cards, in case of water, wouldn't it be bad to burn!

She looked down, sure enough, there was a faint fire in the bushes, the sky was not dark at this time, it was not conspicuous, and she went in, but someone was burning tin foil ingots, and as soon as the flames rolled, the ingots paper money was rolled up by the wind and flew over the courtyard wall.

This place is indeed a secluded place where few people come, and it is called a high grove to encircle, and the girl does not come here, so she looks for this place to burn paper, which is probably for the family.

I don't know who dares to burn paper money in this place, if people know, they can't be boarded, the shade of the trees inside, it can't be seen, Shi Gui thought of Qiu Niang in her heart, when everyone was celebrating the festival, she felt particularly uncomfortable.

But when I thought of the winter solstice in the old year, the family was sad, Qiu Niang couldn't support it, and on the day of the winter solstice, Qiu Niang asked Yu Pozi to force out and borrow a bowl of noodles and make noodle soup to eat.

This year, the family can have a good year, and when worshipping ancestors, there is always a bowl of tofu and roast meat, Shi Gui smiled bitterly, thinking about the way back to the village, taking a deep breath, and sighing again.

This sigh startled the people in the shade of the tree, Shi Gui was still a little girl, and said: "This sister, don't burn it again, bring someone here, and punish you carefully." ”

said that he turned around and was about to leave, but he saw the man turn out of the thick shade, where is the little girl, it is clearly Song Mian, Shi Gui looked at him, stunned, and then understood that the Song family did not lack Song Mian's food and clothing, he had a house to sleep, food and books to read, but he didn't mention this sacrifice, and no one knew.

On the winter solstice, every family burns paper money, buys two knives on two copper plates, wraps them in the wrapper of the book, takes them to a remote place and burns them, and then offers two cold dumplings, even if they have sacrificed to their families.

Song Mian carefully packed up his clothes, burned a stick of incense to his head, swore to his parents in his heart, he would always be able to provide them with hot dishes and hot meals in the coming year, and stood gloomily in place for a long time, thinking of sadness, he couldn't help but whimper, heard a sigh, moved his body, swept to the shade of the tree, and then listened to the voice of admonition, but he was familiar, it was Shi Gui, the little girl in the courtyard.

Only then did they turn out to meet, and the two met for a while, and when they had a little friendship, Song Mian's eyes were still red, but he smiled at her: "I am here to sacrifice my deceased father and mother, but I don't want to disturb you." ”

Shi Gui also laughed, the fire in it was not extinguished, Shi Gui nodded: "It's dark, if someone passes by and says it is necessary, why doesn't Young Master Tang burn it again at night." ”

The Song family has to worship their ancestors, and they don't know how many incense and candle ingots they have to burn in one night, and the winter solstice family sacrifice, and those surnamed Song have dark money to obtain, but he burns it alone, so that people know that it is necessary to gossip. ”

Song Mian shook his head and lifted the empty basket: "I knew I was going to meet you, so I left you a piece of cake." "He had a plate of snacks a day, and he burned paper for the sake of today, and he never touched a mouthful.

Shi Gui is afraid that he eats much better than him, Ye Wenxin has three or four kinds of dim sum, which are not repeated every day, and he has to be freshened from time to time, and when he is not hungry when he enters the yard, he still thanks him: "Young Master Xietang, I have two pieces of frosted persimmons here, give them to Young Master Tang." ”

There were two golden persimmon cakes wrapped in oil paper, Song Mian only took one, Shi Gui didn't push, his tongue licked the frosting, bit the sticky soft and smelled the sweet fragrance, Shi Gui took a bite: "The father and mother of the young master know that the young master is working so hard, and he will definitely be comforted." ”

Song Mian also took a bite, and asked for the first time, "Did you buy it from outside?" or was it born at home?"

"I bought it from outside, my hometown was hit by a disaster, the official didn't release food, and watched the locusts gnaw up a field, and I sold it as a girl when I had no way to live. Shi Gui took two bites of the persimmon, and if he didn't eat it sweeter, he couldn't swallow the bitterness.

How do you know that Song Mian listened to it, since she saw that she was smiling, and she was a girl with great ideas, how did she know that she had suffered so much by understating two or three sentences: "Then your father and mother are still there?"

Biting into the sweetest persimmon heart, Shi Gui laughed: "No, when I save money, I will redeem myself and go home." ”

Song Mian listened to her crisply, as if the depression in her heart was half out, and she looked at her and nodded: "Your parents must be waiting for you to come home." ”

After entering the old mansion, Shi Gui mentioned that he wanted to come back, except for two, no one said anything good, they all looked at Shi Gui and sighed, saying that she was stupid, how could the girl who was sold still be able to go home, and her father and mother did not suck blood, they were already all born.

These two people who said good things, one is Ye Wenxin, the other is Song Mian, Ye Wenxin is naïve and ignorant, but Song Mian sincerely wishes, Shi Gui's eyes bent and thanked him: "Then I will thank Young Master Tang for his auspicious words first." ”

Song Mian bit off the persimmon cake in one go, pinched the persimmon lid, and smiled: "Encourage with you." ”