The cool moon hangs like an eyebrow in the willow bay,

Looking in the mirror of the mountain in the mountains.

Three days of peach blossom rain in Lanxi,

In the middle of the night, the carp came to the beach.

This is talking about the original Lanxi Village, when the year is good, every family grows rice and weaves silkworms, there are willow trees and peach blossoms, the fish in the river cannot be caught, and the rice flowers in the field are fragrant in September, but that is before the locust plague.

The beginning of the year is not a good year, the spring silkworm stiff failed to form a cocoon, the village can still hold on, looking at the harvest in the autumn, everyone tightened their belts for the New Year, how do you know that there is less rain in the summer, and the autumn is getting drier day by day.

The water in the Lanxi has long been dry, there is a water spring on the mountain, it bubbles all day long, the well is dried up and goes to the mountain, the water becomes a line from a strand, and from a line to a few drops that fall scattered, before dawn, there are people who go to the mountain to receive water, can receive a little, in addition to drinking, but also to water the ground.

The stars are not bright on a dry day, only one hangs on the edge of the sky, bright red eyes, the old people in the village say that this is Mars, it is because it came out, it has to be dry for a year.

It is not easy to leave this little grain in the field, but before the drought has passed, the locust plague has come again, and they fly over to cover the sky and the sun, and they gnaw on things when they see them, and the wheat in the field has already set ears, and they are called gnawing a fine light.

Not only food, willows, peach trees, and elm trees, they gnaw whatever they see, the bark is gnawed bald, there is no water in the shallow pond, and they fall densely, some of these locusts can fly, some of them can only jump, the people in the village have burned them, and they come up and press the fireball, and the locusts behind them step on the front, and the ditches drown layer by layer, and the living ones step on the dead, still gnawing on everything with their mouths open.

When there are locusts, you can't get out, a piece of earth can't stop it, and those caught at home are thrown into the fire, and some people eat locusts when they are hungry, and Shi Gui has also eaten them, and they throw them into the fire to avoid crackling, and they bite into the mouth with a mushy smell, and there is finally something to cushion their stomachs, but there are many of them, and the sun and moon are gone, where can they eat.

If there was a hole in the window, the worms would go straight into the copper, and it would be useless to light a fire, and they were afraid of burning the house, so they nailed the wooden lid for the pot in the house to the window.

can't light candles and oil lamps, adults go out to fight locusts and catch locusts, only Shi Gui and Xizi are at home, Xizi is only four years old, and his voice has been crying hoarse in the past two days, so he is next to Shi Gui, and the two sisters and brothers are shrinking in the corner.

Shi Gui swallowed his own saliva, took a cloth and gently dipped a little water on Xizi's lips, he quickly pursed his lips, his throat was smoking, but he didn't cry at all, his small fist was stuffed under Shi Gui's armpits, the original bright and round eyes stared blankly at the worn water lines on Shi Gui's clothes, half a finger in his mouth, Shi Gui stretched out his hand to comb his hair.

No one spoke in the house, and there was a piece of hay under the ground, and there was a black ox lying on the hay, and when the locusts came, they didn't bring it in, and the shed was only covered with a roof, and it was bitten by the locusts and screamed, and it was never the most docile, and at that moment it hit the pillar on its head, and it was Shi Gui who brought it in.

The more Shi Gui thought about it, the more panicked he became, hugged Xizi, put him on the small bench, got up and took out the broken urn under the bed, and poured some money out of it.

Shi Gui counted it again and again, one hundred and thirty-five dollars, the whole family added up, there was only this one hundred and thirty-five money, she was stunned at the broken urn, put all the money in it, walked to Xizi's side, stretched out her hand, and Xizi came over by herself.

The sound of locusts flapping their wings outside was overwhelming, as if it had rained heavily, and when they came, the villagers were indeed happy, and they thought it was going to rain, and some people climbed up to the roofs, holding buckets, and waiting for God's mercy.

But God didn't show mercy, it wasn't the rain that fell, it was these plague gods with wings, Shi Gui was half a laborer, and he usually went out to fight locusts, but the window of Xu's house in the east was not closed tightly, and the baby in the car gnawed his ears, and the family didn't dare to leave Xizi alone, so he asked Shi Gui to look at him, and as long as he caught it at home, he quickly stepped on it to death.

It doesn't rain in the sky, the soil in the river cracks, and at the end of autumn, everything that can be gnawed is gone, and the crops are not saved.

When the locusts were gone, the county magistrate sent a curator to cure the locusts, piled up straw, and burned it all to ashes, saying that there were insect eggs hidden in the leaves, and if these were not burned, they would have to be repeated in the next year.

It snowed this winter, and it was more than three feet thick, and the people of Lanxi Village thought that they could have a good year next year, but how could they survive this year's year.

Laba should have eaten porridge that day, but the family couldn't make up eight kinds of rice crackers, boiled yellow rice porridge, said that it was porridge, thinner than soup, Shi Gui Xizi a bowl per person, to Qiu Niang and Shi here, the soup is lighter, even the yellow is gone.

Seeing that Shi Gui's bowl was thicker, Yu Pozi scolded two or three times for losing money, stretched out her hand and was about to slap Qiu Niang, and asked Shi to stop her: "Osmanthus is still small, she can't stand it." ”

Shi Gui only couldn't hear it, fished out the porridge in his own bowl, and stirred it in the Xizi bowl, this year he lost weight, the original white and fat cheeks were sunken, the family's big black cow was sold, and he saved money to think of changing a little lamb cub in the spring, and he could also exchange money when he was fed.

When the locusts were beaten, the stone fell from the roof, injured the waist and legs, and couldn't see the doctor, so he put a plaster, and it was not good in winter, Shi Gui took a hot towel for him, and then brought the wooden basin to the door, and heard a long sigh inside, and Qiu Niang cried one after another.

In the spring of the second year, before the spring equinox, a green cloth cart came at the gate of the village, and everyone knew inside and out that this was Mrs. Chen. Call her a lady, in fact, she is a tooth woman, she came once in the summer, and once in winter, bought several girls and boys, and now spring is here again, once is pinching a little New Year, and once is pinching a little and waiting for sowing.

She is accustomed to walking in these villages, in addition to selling children and daughters, what other way to live, as soon as her car stopped, she went to find the white woman first, saying that she wanted to buy a few little girls.

Every family has no rice to cook, she brought a cart of rice seeds, which family has a girl, in addition to silver and rice seeds, Shi Gui sat at home all night, combed his hair at dawn, patted his clothes hard, wiped his hands and face, and went all the way to the Bai family at the head of the village.

Aunt Bai had a lot of people who dragged her son and brought her daughter, and she scolded everything she could, but she refused to recommend anyone who could still live at home.

The room was full of people, it turned out that the trustee interceded to bring something, there was nothing at this time, crying, the white woman lost a lot of water, but did not confiscate a few, either old, or refused to sell out, the white lady persuaded to go out, and sighed when she came back.

When everyone was gone, Shi Gui flashed in from outside the door, and Aunt Bai saw that it was her face that was relaxed: "It's osmanthus." As he spoke, he poured her a glass of water, looked at no one, and took a dime of candy out of the house.

This sugar was brought by Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Bai is related to Mrs. Chen, and she has bent seventeen or eighteen relatives, but she is still a relative, and she always has to bring her something to eat when she arrives in Lanxi Village.

Shi Gui didn't stretch out her hand, these years, it's not easy to eat a little bit at home, let alone a snack, she refuses to ask for it, Aunt Bai must give her food, knock off some bits and pieces, and dip the sweetness.

Aunt Bai likes her because she was picked up by Aunt Bai, when she picked her up, there was blood in her ears, the umbilical cord was not broken, and she didn't know where she gave birth to the child, so she threw it to the ground.

In August, when she picked up the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, she called her osmanthus when she came back, fed her porridge and soup to eat, and took her daughter's clothes when she was a child to wear.

The honest couple of stones, who had no children when they got married, let them know about the addition of a female doll to Aunt Bai's family, and bought half a catty of candy to come to the door, saying that they would raise her.

Aunt Bai has children and daughters in her own family, and she can't take care of one more, knowing that the husband and wife are sincere and capable, so she entrusted the girl to the baby, and the osmanthus is surnamed Shi, and it is eight years to raise it.

After raising her for more than three years, Qiu Niang became pregnant, and they all said that they had accumulated virtue, and the mother who sent her son opened her eyes, and if she really gave birth to a son, Shi Gui would see that the child would work when she was young, and she didn't let the stone couple worry about it, but she really raised her as a daughter.

These things are rarely mentioned, and the people in the village are kind, but Shi Gui knows it clearly, she still remembers that she slept in the ridge of the field, heard Aunt Bai speak, and her previous life was still turning in her mind, and she seemed to wake up from a dream, and she cried with her throat.

Aunt Bai looked at Shi Gui, she licked her lips and knelt down at Aunt Bai, just like a New Year's greeting, she had to come every New Year, the Shi family couple didn't tell her why, only said that Aunt Bai saved her life when she was a child, and told her to kowtow for a year.

She kowtowed to Aunt Bai again, straightened up and asked, "Auntie, how much am I worth?" Aunt Bai was speechless for a while, she was injured when the stone hit the locust, but she was not injured, and there was no shortage of many short-term workers in the city.

The broken urn at home saw the bottom, and I couldn't afford to hire a doctor, so I bought a plaster and pasted it first, where do I have to use this, I hurt a laborer, how can a woman support the family, Qiu Niang couldn't close her eyes sadly, but at this moment, Xizi was sick again.

Shi Gui thought about it for a long time, and there were also people in the village who came to buy a child daughter-in-law, but that day was by no means easy, so it was better to go out to work, beg Aunt Bai, sell herself, just like the daughter of the Liu family in the village, sell her to be a girl, and the family is rich, and then redeem her.

"Auntie, I thought about it, if I don't sign the death deed, I will sign the living deed, and I will sign it for ten years. "There are few traders in the village, but if there are any, you can inquire about it, there are three years of signing that is a short-term worker, and a sign of five years and ten years is a long-term worker, when a girl, if it is short, others don't want her, eight years and ten years, the money given is not more than the one that is sold, but with this money you can get through.

Aunt Bai's eyes were red, and she knew the family when she came to the door alone, and touched her head: "Osmanthus, I know that you are filial, but this outside is no better than the village, sell so much, and come back to a Liu family, life is not easy." ”

Shi Gui bit his lip: "I can save it." "No matter how bad it is, I have to get through it, I can't get through this hurdle in front of me, Qiu Niang can't support it anymore, and my family is down

She was also displaced.

Mrs. Chen happened to ask, and when she saw Shi Gui at a glance, she looked at her more, all the girls from Lanxi Village had snow-white skin, and there were several of them alone, the girl in front of her was small and thin, and her hair was yellow, but as long as she raised it, she was a beautiful embryo.

Aunt Bai hit her: "You are not allowed to bring this one to that place, you pick a generous and kind person, put her in it as a ring, sign for ten years, and she will come out." As soon as he said that, his eyes turned red.

Shi Gui kowtowed to Mrs. Chen, at this time it was not soft and when it was soft, she wanted to press her handprint, but Mrs. Chen refused: "Good girl, this business can't be done, how can you be a girl to sign a long contract, you are only a few years old, half of the children support you, it is easy to do work, but you have to be released, who is willing to do such a loss-making business." ”

Shi Gui was stunned, she knew that there were people in the village who worked long and short jobs, ten years and eight years were long-term workers, and March and May were short-term workers, but she didn't think that the girl's algorithm was different, she opened her mouth a few times and couldn't spit out a word, and gritted her heart and said: "Just sign the death deed." ”