In the Zhou family, the half-broken window frame was "creaked" by the cold wind. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

On the earthen kang, the gray-haired old man Zhou, wearing a torn jacket that exposed old cotton, shrunk in a pile of withered grass and shivered. The only good quilt in the house was also taken by Zhou Tianhe, and now there is still a hard old quilt like iron on Mrs. Zhou's body.

Mrs. Zhou was withered and emaciated, so she lay straight and straight in the quilt with her eyes closed. If it weren't for the slight undulation of the face, I would have thought that it was a dried corpse lying there.

His son died, and he didn't know when he would be able to endure such a hard life, and Zhou Laohan was crying silently.

The door was pushed open, and Zhou Ping'er, who was wearing a simple braid, with a white velvet flower inserted in her sideburns, and her cheeks were red from the cold, hurriedly walked in.

"On such a cold day, how can you put out the charcoal fire? When you turn around and get sick with frost, you have to spend money to see the doctor!" Zhou Ping'er complained as she picked up the cold charcoal basin on the side of the kang.

"Don't worry!Ping'er, have you asked, when will your brother come back?" Old man Zhou crawled out of the haystack and pulled Zhou Ping'er to ask eagerly.

Zhou Ping'er paused and said in a low voice: "I have asked, the people in the yamen said that the case has not been closed, the murderer has not been found, and the eldest brother cannot be allowed to come back for the time being." ”

"How can this be done, how can this be done, I can't go into the earth for peace, won't my heaven become a lonely ghost and a wild ghost......" Mrs. Zhou opened her eyes suddenly. She patted the kang under her, cracked her mouth with few teeth left, and cried bitterly.

"What about coming back?" Although Zhou Ping'er was wearing white velvet flowers, she didn't have any sadness, she sneered: "Our family doesn't even have the money to buy a thin-skinned coffin, what can we do to bury him?"

Even if you die, Tian'er is your big brother. How can you say such unconscionable words!" Mrs. Zhou kept cursing while crying, and her voice was sharp and piercing the eardrums. No matter how disobedient or unfilial the son is, as soon as the person dies, it will disappear immediately, and the mother is only willing to remember the good memories of the past.

Zhou Ping'er was stunned, and several green tendons burst out from the back of her hand that grabbed the charcoal basin. She could only grit her teeth and endure Mrs. Zhou's endless swearing. Her eyes stared at the edge of the kang in a daze, where there were a few traces of blackened old blood. She had wiped the blood countless times, but unfortunately it had soaked deep into the cracks of the bricks, like a spilled poisonous juice, and it couldn't be wiped off.

"Old woman, just say a few words!" Old Man Zhou stomped his feet again and again, but the corners of his wrinkled eyes were red, which showed the helplessness and sadness in his heart.

"You, you damn girl, are you going to the other side to offer your hospitality again?" Mrs. Zhou suddenly stood up from the bed, she was already withered like a ghost, and her unkempt hair was like a ghost crawling out of hell. A fierce light shone from her cloudy eyes, and the corners of her shriveled mouth were foaming at the mouth from the long expletive.

Zhou Ping'er bit her lip and didn't make a sound. Mrs. Zhou grabbed Zhou Ping'er's wrist, and her thick nails almost pinched into her flesh and bones.

Mrs. Zhou asked viciously: "I want you to tell the official that the person surnamed Zhou on the other side killed your eldest brother, did you say it?"

Zhou Ping'er said helplessly: "Mother, there is no evidence, why do you say that someone killed the eldest brother!"

"Little slut, you dare to talk to outsiders. Mrs. Zhou pushed her away, got up from the kang tremblingly, and said hatefully: "If you don't say it, I'll go to the county master to avenge myself!"

"Mother......" Zhou Ping'er shouted helplessly, and Zhou Laohan also stomped his feet in a hurry.

When Huo Lianjue, Hua Lianyue and the others came in, they happened to see Mrs. Zhou on the kang, twisted like a wild dog, rolling around and grabbing Zhou Ping'er's hair and scolding sharply. Zhou Ping'er's eyes were in tears, silently enduring her tearing and swearing.

Zhou Laohan was already in a hurry, and he couldn't help but be stunned when he saw Huo Lianjue and his party coming in. Immediately, he saw Ye Zhutou, who came in last, and immediately said loudly as if he had seen a savior: "Old woman, don't embarrass Ping'er, the official in the yamen is here." ”

"Official, official!" Mrs. Zhou's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, she pushed Zhou Ping'er away, and shouted bitterly: "Official, you want to avenge my heaven! The murderer is in the opposite room, and they can't escape." Officials, go and arrest them, go and arrest them......"

"Don't talk nonsense, it's a lawsuit to bite indiscriminately. Zhou Laohan was so anxious to cover Mrs. Zhou's mouth, but she was bitten hard in the palm of her hand, and he suddenly shivered in pain.

Hua Lianyue saw that although Mrs. Zhou was extremely excited, her eyes were dilated and her words were confused, and she couldn't help frowning secretly. It seems that the old lady can't stand the stimulation of the white-haired man sending the black-haired man, and she is in a hurry, and she has been confused. If you let it develop, I'm afraid you'll lose your mind and go crazy.

She glanced at Dashuang, who stepped forward and pressed the side of Mrs. Zhou's neck with her thumb, and the originally manic Mrs. Zhou immediately fell softly.

"What are you doing here?" Zhou Laohan couldn't help but be shocked when he saw this. Zhou Ping'er hurriedly pounced, put her index finger under Mrs. Zhou's nose to test it, and only breathed a sigh of relief after feeling the warm breathing.

Hua Lianyue explained lightly: "The old man is too sad, it's better to take a good rest." When you wake up from a good night's sleep, you might be able to recover a little more mentally. ”

Zhou Laohan glanced at Hua Lianyue with suspicious eyes, and saw that his old woman seemed to be just sleeping soundly, and there was nothing else unusual. He smashed his shriveled mouth, but never spoke again.

Zhou Ping'er hurriedly covered the futon for Mrs. Zhou, and raised her eyes timidly to look at these unfamiliar faces in the room. Then he uneasily pulled his messy braids and hid behind Zhou Laohan.

Zhou Laohan hurriedly pushed her and said, "Dead Nizi, what are you doing stupidly? Don't you go and boil some hot water, and get some charcoal fire to warm up." ”

"Hey!" Zhou Ping'er whispered like a mosquito, picked up the already cold charcoal basin and walked out quickly.

Huo Lianjue glanced at Hua Lianyue lightly, and Hua Lianyue bowed slightly. When she saw that Zhou Laohan didn't pay attention, she also quietly retreated.

Hua Liyue soon found Zhou Ping'er in the back of the house, who was filling the fire pit with firewood. The fire pit was full of burnt white charcoal ash, and a few red sparks could be faintly seen hidden in the charcoal ash. Just fill it with dry wood and blow it hard, and the fire will burn again.

There was also a tripod on the fire pit, on which was hooked a blackened copper kettle. Hua Lianyue casually grabbed a half-cut pu fan from the side and fanned it hard against the only remaining spark in the fire pit. After a while, the orange flame rose into the air and began to lick the bottom of the pitch-black pot.

Zhou Ping'er, who had been silent, finally raised her eyes and glanced at her quickly, then lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you!"

Hua Lianyue hurriedly said: "It's just a trivial matter, no thanks!"

"I'm not talking about this!" Zhou Ping'er said lightly: "If you hadn't given me the silver that day, my father would have died a long time ago." I've always been grateful and wanted to say thank you to you, but I didn't expect to have this opportunity today. ”

Hua Lianyue was stunned for a moment, scratched her head, and wondered: "Is there anything else?"