For a while, Ye Zi heard that the flower firewood skin could be sold for money, so she went to the field to pull the flower firewood and peel the flower firewood as soon as she was free. Firewood, as the locals call it, is actually the straw of cotton.

On this day, it was a Sunday, and the children hadn't gotten up yet, so Ye Zi drank a bowl of "cooked noodles and steamed buns", and went to the field alone.

Cooked noodles are a kind of local pasta snacks suitable for late autumn and winter, the method is also very simple, that is, first get some lard or mutton fat and put it in an iron pot to melt, and then put the flour, or wheat flour or sorghum flour can be poured into the iron pot together with the fried and mashed sesame seeds, add a little salt, stir-fry, fry until the flour becomes darker, it is cooked, and then put it in a jar. When it's time to eat, scoop a few spoonfuls of cooked noodles into a large bowl, flush them with boiling water, and stir them with chopsticks in one direction to make them evenly thick like porridge, and you can eat. It is convenient, trouble-free, warm, moisturizing, and fragrant. Of course, when eating, you can also brew it a little thinner, cut some steamed buns, and soak them in it to eat. It's just important to keep in mind that eating too much cooked noodles is easy to get angry.

Not long after Ye Zi went out, the dog baby and Xing'er got up and were making "cooked noodles and steamed buns" to eat, planning to go to the field to work with their mother after eating. Coincidentally, at this time, Qingping's daughter-in-law of the Xing family rode a bicycle to Yunling to look for leaves. The dog baby asked the aunt of the Xing family if she wanted to eat cooked noodles, but the aunt of the Xing family did not eat it, so she poured a bowl of boiling water for the aunt of the Xing family to drink. After the dog baby and Xing'er had breakfast, the three of them walked together and talked to the field. Along the way, the dog baby introduced the name of this piece of land to the aunt of the Xing family from time to time, talking about the distribution of their plots and the medicinal materials planted by his mother.

When I got to the field, I didn't need to talk about the leaves, and the dog baby led the apricot to work. The two siblings like to be together. To say that this apricot is indeed smarter than the dog baby, but she listens to the dog baby very much. First, it's because the dog baby grew up playing with the apricots, and the second is because the dog baby will have some gadgets from time to time or something, which is really a little attractive to the apricots. For example, when he was in elementary school, he was inspired by the slides of movies in the village, so he came up with the idea of tearing off the paper in the plastic notebook given to him by his uncle, drawing some favorite patterns on it, carving it out with a knife, and then pasting it on a small piece of glass to dry. In the evening, I put a flashlight on the small piece of glass and put it on the wall, and then say a few words of commentary, as if I was putting a slideshow. The dog baby often leads a group of classmates to burrow in the dark room and play until late before the song ends. In this regard, Apricot admires it very much.

Then again, after the daughter-in-law of the Xing family arrived in the field, she first praised Ye Zi's diligence, and then as if something was wrong, she made a look, and then pulled Ye Zi aside and said.

The daughter-in-law of the Xing family said, "Hey, it looks like you look much better." ”

"Didn't I listen to you and take care of my body. ”

"That's right. ”

"Now, it's much easier to grow medicinal herbs, and the children are older. Hey, you also grow medicinal herbs, people are easy, and the income is higher. ”

"Okay, you can teach me then. ”

"No problem, in a word. Hey, what's going on with your kids?"

"My family can't study. I plan to let him learn a craft after graduating from junior high school. ”

"Oh, it's good to learn a craft. What are you going to study?"

"It's still in Zhang Luo, it's undecided. Today's children are much better than we were back then, either going to university or learning a trade. ”

"yes, we didn't have a choice at that time. My family's study is okay, as long as I can be admitted, I will provide for it, no matter how hard and tired we are, we are happy, isn't it. It depends on whether there is the dragon vein on our ancestral grave. ”

The daughter-in-law of the Xing family glanced at the dog baby and Xing'er not far away, and quietly said to Ye Zi: "Hey, two years ago, didn't you want to be Gua'er's godmother, but the wife of the Wu family was unwilling at that time." Now, though, I see an opportunity. ”

"Really? ”

"The old man of the martial arts family passed away last year, and now the old wife of the martial arts family is also sick. ”

"Oh, blame the poor. ”

"If you still want to be a godmother for Gua'er, I'll help you talk about it, nine times out of ten. ”

"That's a good idea. ”

Ye Zi didn't think about it, so he asked the daughter-in-law of the Xing family to find the old woman of the martial family again, and said that she still wanted to be a godmother for Gua'er. Ye Zi also specially asked the daughter-in-law of the Xing family to tell the old woman of the martial family: She is not for anything else, but only to be able to take a passport to protect the child, and the child belongs to her martial family.

Speaking of this martial arts couple, Ye Zi has long known it. It is said that the two members of the martial family came from Henan all the way to beg for food in their early years. The wife of the martial family also gave birth to a child, but she died on the way to beg for food, and the wife of the martial family has never conceived a child since then. When the two members of the martial arts family first arrived in Qingping, they lived in other people's cowyards, farming and doing housework for others. Later, after liberation, the two families were able to share a courtyard and two tiled houses. The two members of the martial family are good-hearted, kind-hearted, and popular in Qingping. When Ye Zi married in the Qing Dynasty, every time he came back from outside the village, he had to pass by the west of the village, and every time he met the wife of the martial family, Ye Zi would chat a few words. After more than eight months, they are also familiar with each other. The two members of the martial family have no children or daughters, and Ye Zi is also very sympathetic.

More than ten years ago, that is, on the day Ye Zi gave birth to a child in the Zhang family, the old man of the martial arts family went to the county seat to do errands. On the way back, the old man met a fellow villager in Henan who had been good for many years, and the fellow insisted on pulling the old man of the martial arts family to his house to drink two glasses of wine. After eating, the fellow said that it was too late, and asked the old man of the martial arts family to go back early in the morning. But the old man of the martial arts family was afraid that his wife would worry, so he refused to stay overnight. So, after the old man of the martial family had eaten, he took advantage of the moonlight and continued to rush home on a bicycle.

Just when he was about to reach the edge of Qingping Village, the old man of the martial arts family faintly heard the cry of a baby not far away, he hurriedly got out of the car, looked around, didn't see anyone, and then looked for the sound and walked over, through the moonlight, it turned out to be a wrapped baby, and then looked around, or no one. The old man of the samurai family quickly picked up the baby and pushed the bicycle all the way home. The wife of the martial arts family, who had been waiting for the old man to come back at home, saw that the old man came back with a package, so she hurriedly greeted him. I saw that the old man was mysterious, his eyes were shining, and he smiled and whispered that it was a child, so that the old woman could be lighter.

As soon as she heard that it was a child, the wife of the martial artist was very happy, so she quickly boiled the millet soup, and then gently scooped a little rice juice from the rice soup, blew it to cool, and picked up the child and fed it. The next day, the old man of the martial family hurriedly bought a goat that was sucking, and fed the child with goat's milk. In this way, the samurai family adopted the child. At that time, it was summer, so I named the child Gua'er, which was delicious and sweet, which was exactly what the two of them wanted. That year, the samurai couple were in their early fifties. The two are very rare children, and they do their best to take care of Gua'er growing up day by day.

This melon, a dragon, does look a little like a leaf, very beautiful, and the heart is also smart, just learn from a young age. The samurai family is frugal and has been supporting their children from elementary school to junior high school. A few years ago, the old man of the martial arts family was sick and was supposed to have surgery, but in order to save money, the old man only took some medicine and kept holding on. However, this melon is also very filial, saying that she is no longer studying and wants to treat her father, but the old man of the martial arts family does not agree. As a result, the old man of the martial arts family was gone before he was seventy years old.

This summer, Guaer was admitted to the county middle school. I never thought that now this old woman of the martial arts family is sick, and she is worried about what to do. It was at this time that the daughter-in-law of the Xing family came to the old woman of the Wu family again, saying that Ye Zi still wanted to be a godmother for Gua'er. The old woman of the martial family thought about it and agreed, but she thought about telling Gua'er about it.

Gua'er studied in the county, and only went home once a week. Although Gua'er grew up in the doting of the old couple of the martial arts, this girl is very sensible, and she likes to follow her parents to do this and do that since she was a child. When I grew up, I knew that it was not easy for my parents to raise her when they got older, and as soon as the children came home from school, they would help their parents collect firewood, cut grass, cook, feed pigs, clean and so on. The more Gua'er is like this, the more the old couple of the martial arts family love and care for Gua'er without regrets.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and Gua'er, as usual, returned to her home in Qingping. After dinner, cleaning up the table, washing pots and spoons, and feeding the pigs, Gua'er went to the kang and talked to her mother:

"Mom, do you feel like the medicine?"

"I feel that I am not short of breath, and I have more energy. ”

"Then let the doctor call the pulse, let's eat a few more pairs. ”

"Medicine is not steamed rice, it is medicine that is poisonous. When I get better, I won't eat. Besides, the medicine is quite expensive. ”

"No matter how expensive it is, you have to eat it. I mean, if you want to cure it, we'll cure it completely. ”

"Medium, I eat. ”

"Hey, Mom, when I was feeding the pigs just now, I saw that our pigs were about to give birth. ”

"Oh, it's probably going to be a few days. ”

"Mom, I heard my classmates say that growing medicinal herbs is both trouble-free and profitable, so let's plant some medicinal herbs too. ”

"I have this plan too. Oh, by the way, kid, you'll be back next Saturday. ”

"Coming back for sure. What's the matter?"

"Next Sunday, I'm afraid it's October 20, let's go to town for a meeting. ”

"Hmm. It's time to grab the medicine, too. ”

"I'll discuss something with you today, kid. Your father is gone, and I'm old, so let's find you a godmother, and I'll have a good care for you in the future. ”

"No, I have a mother, I don't want to be a godmother. Gua Er shook the arm of the old woman of the martial family and pressed her face against the shoulder of the old woman of the Wu family.

"Silly girl, I mean, there will be someone who will come to see me often in the future. ”

"If that's the case, that's fine, I'll listen to my mother. "Gu'er snuggled up to the old woman of the martial family like a lamb.

……

Actually, the wife of the martial arts family also knows the leaves. Back then, the old man of the martial family picked up a daughter in the middle of the night, and the old woman of the martial family was happy in her heart. She loves children, and she can't forget the pain of losing her son on the way to escape. For more than ten years, the day and night with Guaer have filled her mother's feelings that have been missing for many years. But the death of the old man dealt a great blow to the old woman of the martial family. At this moment, Gua'er is in high school, and she is lonely and sick, which adds to the burden. Since the last time I saw Ye Zi at the temple fair, and Ye Zi later spread that she wanted to be a godmother for Gua'er, although she didn't agree at that time, but with a woman's intuition, the old woman of the martial family felt more and more that this Gua'er seemed to be the child born by Ye Zi back then. Right now, when she needed help the most, Ye Zi said that she still wanted to be Gua'er's godmother, and the old woman of the martial arts family naturally understood Ye Zi's hard work, and she liked Ye Zi's kindness and kindness in her heart.

After telling Gua'er, the wife of the Wu family asked the daughter-in-law of the Xing family to make an appointment with Yezi, and on the twentieth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, they met at the gate of the supply and marketing cooperative in Qingxi Town. Immediately, the daughter-in-law of the Xing family asked someone to send a message to Ye Zi.

In late autumn, the autumn is high and cool, and it is even a little cold when walking on the road. All the crops in the fields have been harvested, but the persimmon trees are particularly conspicuous. The persimmon tree itself cannot reproduce, it is grafted on the "soft jujube tree" by the embedded grafting method, and the survival rate is very low, and the tree does not grow fast, but once grafted to survive, the persimmon tree can flourish for 100 years. Even though the persimmon tree is old, the bark is still very clean, like a mosaic. Some people call this area "Persimmon Bay", which is indeed very apt. There are not only many persimmon trees here that can be found all over the fields, but also have a thick body, a large canopy, and lush branches. In other words, there were so many persimmon trees in this area many years ago. With so many persimmon trees of such age, you can imagine the hard work of the ancestors. The persimmon leaves, some of which resemble the shape of a heart, are thick and have a waxy layer on the surface of the leaves. Like other deciduous trees, persimmon trees also produce leaves in spring and lose their leaves in winter. But the persimmon leaves of the spring, summer and autumn are green and oily, and in the late autumn season, when the cold wind blows, the persimmon leaves of the tree are gradually red, and they are red under the sun, becoming a beautiful scenery on the yellow earth. Pick a thick oily red heart-like persimmon leaf, put it on the yellow earth is particularly conspicuous, pick it up and face the sun is very beautiful, it seems that she contains an untamed childlike heart, but also pregnant with a bright future.

On the twentieth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, it was a sunny day, although it was a little cold, but the market in Qingxi was very lively. The streets are full of stalls of all kinds, including those selling clothes, daily necessities, furniture, and agricultural tools, poultry stalls, livestock markets, souvenir stalls, and medicinal herb markets, and those selling vegetables, fruits, and meat, as well as those selling snacks and snacks, and those selling jugglers and homemade toys. The sound of selling, bargaining, laughter, poultry, and livestock converges, and the flow of goods, animal flow, and people are bustling.

After the mother and daughter of the Wu family arrived in Qingxi, they first went to the town hospital to see the doctor, went to the pharmacy to get the medicine, and then came to the door of the supply and marketing cooperatives to meet with Ye Zi and the daughter-in-law of the Xing family. When the mother and daughter of the Wu family came, Ye Zi and the daughter-in-law of the Xing family were already waiting there, so after everyone exchanged a few words, Ye Zi took everyone to eat a bowl of haggis together.

This haggis is a snack in the north. Unlike in the south, after the northerners slaughtered the sheep, they shaved the mutton off the bones, and the mutton was sold as mutton, and the bones and internal organs of the sheep were sold as haggis. First, put the lamb bones in a large pot, add condiments and boil them into mutton soup, and then put some condiments on the sheep offal, cook them, and chop them into pieces. When it's time to eat, scoop up half a bowl of mutton soup, put some chopped haggis, sprinkle some coriander and chili oil or something, and it tastes fragrant, spicy and hot. Mutton is warm, and in the cold winter, rubbing your hands, stomping your feet, eating haggis, and steaming hot in your mouth, it has a different flavor.

"Broke the bank. The martial wife's wife said while eating.

"It should be, it should be. ”

The daughter-in-law of the Xing family said: "Gua'er, this is the Ye Zi godmother that your mother found for you." ”

"Yes, call godmother. The old woman of the martial family took over the conversation and said to Gua'er.

Gu'er lowered her head, blushing, and didn't squeak.

Ye Zi hurriedly smiled and said, "Don't shout, don't shout." ”

Gu'er raised her head embarrassedly, blushed, and looked at the leaves.

Ye Zi continued: "Child, I don't mean anything else to be your godmother, I just want to help your mother." From now on, I'll go to see your mom often. If there is anything, you can also write to me. ”

Gua Er looked at Ye Zi embarrassedly, but still didn't answer. In fact, Gua Er never took the initiative to see the leaves, nor did she write any letters to the leaves. Of course, that's all for later.

A few people chatted while eating, their mouths steaming hot, and rubbing their cold hands from time to time.

Ye Zi said to the old woman of the martial family: "Sister, it's cold, you have to keep warm." Let's go, I'll get you some clothes. ”

"No, no. The old woman of the martial family said half-pushing.

Ye Zi also beckoned to the daughter-in-law of the Xing family and Gua'er: "Come on, come on, staff officer." ”

The wife of the martial artist still shirked left and right, but she couldn't resist the leaves, and she pulled and pulled, and arrived in front of the stall selling clothes. Ye Zi first bought a thicker dress for the old woman of the martial family, and then she wanted to buy it for Gua'er, but Gu'er just refused to ask for it.

"Godmother gave it to you, you can wear it. The old woman of the martial arts family spoke.

"Yes, yes, yes. The daughter-in-law of the Xing family hurriedly pulled the melon and tried it.

The first time I bought a dress for Gua'er, Ye Zi mentioned how happy she was. She finally got her wish and became Gua'er's godmother, but she was really a loving mother!

Then, the old woman of the martial family said, "Yezi, are you growing medicinal herbs?"

"That's right. ”

"When the spring comes, help me plant some too. ”

"Okay, no problem. ”

"When the time comes, let's plant together, and I plan to plant medicinal herbs too. It's trouble-free. The daughter-in-law of the Xing family interjected.

"Okay, I'll teach you. ”

……

The Wu family has 25 acres of responsibility field, and the leaves are planted with 20 acres of medicinal herbs, leaving only five acres of land to grow wheat, cotton or beans, which is much easier all of a sudden. But she was idle, and she planted vegetables in the yard, raised chickens, and raised pigs. As soon as he has time, the leaves will go to the ditch to dig up wild medicinal herbs and sell them in the market. A person who is busy in and out of the world is very happy, but also fulfilling.

At this moment, rushing to the market is two things for Ye Zi, one is to sell eggs or medicinal herbs, and the other is to take the opportunity of the meeting to bring some delicious food to Qingping to see the old woman of the martial arts, and also buy some daily necessities, clothes and so on for Gua'er by the way. Although it is true that there are more expenses and more suffering, Ye Zi's heart is very open and comfortable.

(Grass in the summer of Xinmao, changed in the spring of Renchen)