"It's a lot, and the city government only gives 100 yuan for condolences, and some don't give any money, just a bag of noodles and a small barrel of oil. It's a long-term thing. Xiaohong came out of the house with her hands behind her back: "It's nothing, we don't need it, everyone can clean it up with one hand." ”

Xiaowei's mother stood there and looked at the house of Liuliu and said, "It's changing fast." It's only been a few days, and the house of Liu'er's family and our family were built with their front and back feet, and Xiaohong's family borrowed a thousand yuan. For a moment, I don't want it. ”

Xiaowei said: "People have to move forward, look forward, don't be sad here, it's not that you can't slip away, this is not a better life." ”

Xiaowei's mother sniffed and scolded with a smile: "You still stabbed words with me, and you don't learn as much as me." ”

This is Xiaowei's hard injury, and there is no scolding.

Xiaohong said: "Xiaowei went to school in the new year. Auntie, don't talk about Xiaowei about going to school in the future, hit people more, just know it in your heart. ”

Xiao Wei showed an angry expression on his face, Xiao Wei's mother ignored it, and waved her hand: "Hurry up and do something." ”

Xiaohong giggled and pulled Xiaowei out of the courtyard of Liuliu's house, went to call Xiu'er, and took Zhang Bing into the village along the road covered with thick ice and snow.

The village is concentrated by the river. Originally, the village was so big, and then the red brick houses began to be built, and the families of the subdivided households came out to find a place, so the houses were built on the side of the river, and the village became a lot bigger.

At that time, I felt that the village was so prosperous, it was getting bigger and bigger, and the captain walked with the wind.

It's only been a few years, with the economic recovery, people have begun to move out again, the outside world is bigger, there are more opportunities to make money, and young people are not willing to dig the soil, this is the wound of the progress of the times.

After Xiaowei's family moved away, several more families went to the town or county.

Xiao Wei's house was still being bought at that time, but now everyone is watching, and there are many empty houses in the village.

It was getting dark, the wind was starting to pick up, and the surrounding mountains were like giant beasts crouching in the darkness, staring at the village. The white snow reflects the earth like the street lamps, and people light the electric lights, and the turbid yellow lights are scattered on the dark ground, bringing a touch of warmth to this harsh winter.

Zhang Bing waved his hands and walked backwards on the snow with his face to Xiaowei to avoid the oncoming cold wind. "Second brother, who lives in our house now?"

Xiaowei said: "No one lives, it's empty." ”

Zhang Bing said: "It was better to sell it at the beginning, what a waste it would be if it was empty." No one has been living in it for a long time, can't it collapse?"

Xiu'er said: "Who buys it? Your family, uncle's family, Liuliu's family, Gazi's family, Kexin's family, and my family, the village is half empty." Now that people's hearts are alive and they are running out, who will buy a house in the village?"

Xiaohong said: "When this old stubble is gone, I guess the village will be gone, right?

Xiu'er said: "Yes, but I also came back from farming, and I usually go to the county and city to carry labor and earn money." But I feel that I will not come back slowly, and it is better to work outside for a month than to plant land for a year. ”

Xiaowei gave Zhang Bingzheng a hat and said, "Then I won't farm in the future, where will the grain come from?"

Xiu'er said: "Mechanization, we are not a grain-producing area, planting that little bit of land is to eat at home, how much grain can be produced?

Zhang Bing said: "Didn't you pay all the money, isn't that the money? ”

Xiaowei said: "Indeed, there are too many miscellaneous friends now, and there is nothing left in my hands." ”

A few people talked and went to the homes of the elderly in the village, which can be regarded as an early year, and the family left some money.

Those who have lived have left 200, those who have difficulties in life have 300, and there are three families who have no strong labor, and Xiaowei has left 500, which is almost the annual income of ordinary people.

The moon is already hanging high in a circle, the wind is not so strong, the whole world in the eyes is covered with a layer of cyan light, as if everything can be seen, look carefully but can't see clearly, occasionally someone's big dog trotted all the way in front of him, and the eyes of the green light patrolled over several people.

The air was cold and filled with the smell of burning straw, so quiet that you could hear the wind on the mountain, and the creaking sound of your feet on the snow had been heard far away, and most of the houses had turned off the lights. There is a charge for electricity, so you can save a little.

Walking back to the courtyard of the fourth uncle's house, opening the big iron gate that is rarely seen in the countryside at this time, there was a hoarse sound, and the geese in the yard moaned a few times and then stopped moving. The fourth uncle's half-Dazi black dog ran over, wagged his tail and sniffed on several people, and rubbed it on Xiu'er's legs.

As soon as the door opened, the fourth aunt came out and turned on the eaves lamp above the door, and the courtyard immediately lit up.

"Why are you coming back now? How many of you are not hungry?"

The courtyard is ready to kill pigs, the locust wood case, the big iron pot is also on the pot table in the corner of the courtyard, the chimney pipe is also covered, and the chopping wood, straw and so on are all ready.

Xiaohong said, "What are you going to eat?" ”

The fourth aunt said, "Hurry up and go into the house and drink some hot water to warm up." Dine. ”

The four of them hissed and ran into the house, Xiaohong and Xiu'er took off their shoes and put their feet in the mattress, Xiaowei and Zhang Bing went to the edge of the stove pit to bake the fire, filled the firewood, and waited for the water in the pot to boil. The meals are in the pot, and the water is hot when it is boiled.

Zhang Bing stretched out his hand to bake the fire, looked left and right, and said, "How many potatoes can you burn?"

Xiaowei lifted the lid of the pot and looked at it and said, "Stewed bean pork ribs, as well as dried eggplant stewed potatoes, scrambled eggs, where did you get this and the intestines that are filled, not enough for you to eat?"

Zhang Bing said: "It's been a long time since I've eaten the smell of roasted potatoes." ”

Xiaowei said: "Then you can burn two, I see there is still chili sauce." Just burn it in the stove pit?"

Zhang Bing said: "Yes, there is a brazier, I'll take a look." "Get up and go into the house.

After a while, the fourth uncle came out and said with a smile: "This is not, which potatoes are burned in the middle of the night, it is good to eat for one more day." As he spoke, he went up and cleaned up the brazier.

Xiaowei said, "No need to get it. I thought that the brazier in your house was not born, so he let him tinker with it in the stove pit. ”

The fourth uncle said: "You can pull it down, it doesn't take much effort to make a brazier, and the stove pit is smashed and people can't sleep at night?"

Xiaowei stood up with a smile and helped the fourth uncle make the brazier, cleared some of the charcoal under the stove with a small shovel and put it into the brazier, and then continued to chop wood.

In fact, most people don't toss the stove pit at night, so they leave a little bottom fire to save firewood.

Such a toss requires at least one more meal of firewood.

Firewood can only go up the mountain in winter, and there is not much firewood for a meal, and the labor of two people for half a day is gone. The peasants really live hard.

Xiaowei asked: "Fourth uncle, why don't you get a coal stove? It doesn't take much effort to pull some coal from the county." You have to go up the mountain to fetch firewood, you guys?"