Sister Lu Lan was sitting on a small wooden bench fiddling with the backgammon repeater that her brother bought, and the sound coming from it attracted the attention of Xiao Hei, a Chinese pastoral dog, who kept leaning over with her nose and sniffing it, and then flicked her tail and jumped away with a 'Wang' bark.

"Blackie, come here. Lu Tao looked at his sister while stretching out his right hand, holding the tail of the little black dog, teasing.

The mother was leaning against the door frame, with a smile on her face, looking at the two Lu Tao brothers and sisters.

"Tao'er, when will school start?"

"It should have been more than twenty days. Lu Tao pulled Xiao Hei over, and directly held the little black dog's mouth with his right hand, so that it couldn't open it, while replying.

Father Lu Dayou had a pipe made of bamboo in his mouth, and he smoked a few puffs of dry tobacco.

"I'll go first. ”

For example, in the early autumn rice harvest, each family worked collectively for two days, and after finishing one family, they changed to another.

The pigsty in Lu Zhicai's house has not been repaired yet, and Lu Dayou still has to go today, so after talking to a few people, he went out with iron and other tools.

walked to the back of the house, and shouted to Lu Tao again: "It's almost the New Year, tomorrow to catch the market, you mother and three sons will do some New Year's goods together, and kill the New Year's pig the day after tomorrow." “

In the winter in the mountains, the work in the fields does not begin until spring, and it is relatively idle at this time.

"Okay, let's go together tomorrow. Lu Tao said in his mouth, let go of Xiao Hei, who was pinched and screamed a little, and stood up from the stool.

"Brother. The thin Lu Lan fiddled with the repeater for a while, then stood up, leaning on Lu Tao's waist with her whole body, and looking at her brother who was studying in college with admiration.

Lu Tao touched her hair.

"This repeater is used to teach you English, will you get it?"

"Hmph, what's so hard about that. Lu Lan raised her head and made a grimace: "No one in the class has a repeater, and the teacher still uses a tape recorder to play tapes in class, and he always can't hear clearly." “

Lu Tao smiled and said to his mother, "Mom, you haven't bought clothes for the New Year, have you?"

"What to buy, what to spend on, last year's clothes all look new. Looking at the brother and sister, my mother's face was filled with joy.

"How can I do it, for the New Year's holiday, I have to buy a new dress, and I will buy one for my dad tomorrow, I have been wearing that tunic for two or three years, and I am reluctant to change it. Lu Tao said in an unquestionable tone.

"When you graduate from college, get a good job, and then buy it when you have money. Now is the time to spend money, and your sister's tuition has also increased, so you have to save a little. “

"It's okay, I can earn some money now as a part-time job at school, it's too bad to dress for the New Year, relatives and friends will laugh at it. Lu Tao said.

"That's right, Mom, buy a new dress. Lu Lan also ran to her mother's side, held her hand and said, "I didn't see my aunt, they wear new clothes every year when they come back from working on the coast during the Spring Festival, and some look down on us, when I saw them playing poker with my father last year, I said that a few relatives are the poorest in our family, and even playing poker is a dime." “

"What are you doing with them, they are all poor people, and now a few of them have made money in the coastal factories and made a fortune, and when you two come out of school, they will definitely be better than them. ”

The topic is a little sad and helpless, but Lu Tao now has money in his pocket, and there are many ways to make money, so naturally he doesn't have such thoughts.

Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi, he already has a plan for what his life will look like.

"Hehe, they. Lu Tao had a smile on the corner of his mouth.

This is also a helpless thing, there are situations of disliking the poor and loving the rich everywhere, not just his family. Especially there are many sisters of the older generation, which family has a better development and a little money, so naturally some people look down on poor relatives, and they get together during the New Year's holidays, and the most talked about is money.

The more backward the area, the more I look down on readers, I always feel that the annual expenses of tens of thousands of dollars are not good to do, I have to study, in the end I am not working in a factory like myself, I really think that I will fly on the branches and become a phoenix when I go to college?

Because Lu Tao's home is some distance from the town, and there is no road in the village, they all rely on walking.

The smoke of the cooking in the village had just risen, and it was early, so Lu Tao dragged his mother and sister towards the town market.

The countryside in the mountains is not as good as the city, and there is time to catch the market. Generally, several adjacent towns have fixed days, such as Lu Tao's town, that is, every 3rd, 6th, 9th to catch the market, if the town is 2, 4, 6, the time of the market is only half a day, so you have to go early, otherwise the market will be over, and it will be troublesome to buy things.

For breakfast, I ate sweet potato porridge and kimchi, and after an hour's walk on the mountain road, I was already hungry, and when I arrived in the town, there were already people on both sides of the street who had begun to set up stalls.

If you really want to count it as a market, there is only one main street and two bluestone paved roads that resemble alleys.

"It's still a little early, and everyone hasn't put it out yet, mom and sister, I'm feeling hungry after walking for a while. Lu Tao looked at the street and said.

His mother looked at him, "Then take your sister over there and buy some steamed buns." “

Lu Tao knows that his mother is very reluctant now, and he can't wait to turn a penny into two flowers, if he doesn't open his mouth, he will definitely be reluctant to buy something to eat, but for himself and his sister, it is love from the bottom of his heart.

"Yes. Lu Tao nodded and took his sister to the steamed bun shop in the alley.

"Boss, here are three big buns, minced meat. Lu Tao said while taking out the money.

The steaming buns, three dollars a dollar, are about the size of a small bowl, and they exude a meaty aroma.

"Mom, let's eat a bun first, I'm definitely hungry after walking for so long. Lu Tao took one out of the film plastic bag and handed it directly to his mother.

"You eat, you eat, Mom is not hungry. ”

"Mom, if you buy three, you can eat one. Sister Lu Lan was eating steamed buns and persuaded at the same time.

I couldn't resist the persuasion of my children, so I took a bun and put it in my mouth to eat.

Lu Tao watched his mother eat steamed buns, and felt that he had never been satisfied.

The buns are large, fragrant, and sweet.

The sun gradually rose, gilding the entire town with a layer of gold. On the main street, stalls are gradually opened. Selling all kinds of vegetables, apples and pears, kelp and all kinds of dry goods from the city, vermicelli, sugar, noodles, cigarettes, clothes, hats, shoes and socks, firecrackers, candles, yellow paper, etc., rows of dazzling goods are spread out in a long snake, and the villagers of the neighboring villages carry bamboo baskets and bags, and gather in the market of this town, which is not lively.

"Boss, how do you sell this?"

"Here's this. ”

"Here's the money. ”

The noisy streets are full of people, and they are not inferior to the situation at the train station.

Lu Tao, his mother and sister walked over one by one, or took a casual look

Or if you find something you can use, you can buy some of them.

In addition to the villagers, there were also people who had been working outside for a year, and it was obvious from the crowd. Most of the local villagers wear tunics, whether new or old, or some tattered clothes. As for those who came back from outside, most of them looked a little fashionable, such as those with hats, thick clothes with unknown hair on the collar, and some with scarves, which were distinct.

"Yo, isn't this a college student of the Lu family, when did you come back?" The voice came from the side and back, the voice was too noisy, and Lu Tao, who was carrying a big silver carp in his hand, didn't hear it.

"Brother, someone called you. The younger sister pulled the corner of her brother's clothes and reminded.