One afternoon after You'er moved to the new hospital, Zhen'er's parents came to Liuwan with baskets to see their daughter (the persimmon Bay area alleged that grandpa and grandmother were different from other places, calling grandpa uncle and grandmother uncle. However, when you call your grandfather or grandmother in person, you call your grandfather or grandmother the same way.) The old people are all dressed in Chinese-style homespun cloth clothes, with trouser cuffs tied up. The old man was in a white shirt and black pants. The old woman is naturally "little feet", with a light gray top, black pants, and her hair curled behind her head, and she is carried in a black gauze pocket. After dinner, the family sat in the courtyard and chatted:

"It's a bright month. Jen'er said with a smile. "Ah, my heart is bright, and I look good last month. Zhen'er's mother replied with a smile. "Hehe, hey, it's been a few years, and I haven't had the time to sit in the courtyard. "Oh, it's like a dream. You'er sighed. "Looks like the octagonal hat is standing on its feet. Daddy Jen'er answered. Seeing the adults sitting in the courtyard, Gen'er brought two bowls of boiling water and handed them to his grandfather and grandmother.

"Ye Zi, you see how good your brother is, and he knows how to pour a drink for him and your grandfather. Zhen'er's mother said. "Grandma, I've just eaten, and I'm still thirsty. Ye Zi said to his grandmother with a smile. "It's not that I'm thirsty, it's just politeness. "Hey, hey. "Ah, it's good now, and the roots are also bitter. Zhen'er's mother touched the root and said. "It's time for Gen'er to go to school, it's not okay if the kid's family doesn't have a culture. Look, just follow the work and let the baby go to school. Zhen'er's father said. "Hear me, father, let Gen'er go to school. Zhen'er said to You'er. "Hmm. "You're answering. Hearing this, Gen'er was happy. "I have to go to school too. Ye Zi said when he saw this. "Okay, when you get to the age of eight, I'll let you go to school too. In this way, the family chatted in the courtyard for a while and then went back to sleep.

A few days later, Jane returned to her parents' home. After eating, I sat on the kang and chatted with my parents. "Dad, you know a lot of people outside, let's find something for him!" "This army is in chaos, the overall situation is uncertain, why are you looking for trouble?" Besides, he is going out, how can you plant this land?" "Just those few acres of land, just one will plant." When he's busy, he just comes back and helps. Zhen'er's father didn't answer again, filled a pot of cigarettes, and smoked it.

"The woman is right, what does it have to do with us ordinary people? Open your mouth to eat, you have to get by. Zhen'er's mother said helpfully. "That's it, Dad, you just bother to find something for him. Otherwise, this nest doesn't bother with it, but how can it be over. Jen'er said as she tugged at her father's arm. Zhen'er's father glanced at his daughter with a smile and didn't say anything more. Half a day later, after eating early, Zhen'er picked up her burden and went back to Liuwan.

A month later, Zhen'er's father asked someone to come to the market to bring a message saying that he would let You'er go to the West Village. I was going to my mother-in-law's house, and I shaved my head, wore washed Chinese clothes, white shirts, gray jackets, black pants, and black cloth shoes, and walked more than ten miles to get there. There is a son and father-in-law, and he is a middle peasant element. The courtyard is not big, five north buildings, three west buildings, and the slight door is a brick frame with two wooden doors, and a herringbone slope roof is erected on the top.

"Coming?" said Zhen'er's father, who inserted the cigarette pot into the small cigarette pouch, and greeted his son-in-law while pinching and touching the dry tobacco. "Hmm. You'er hurriedly drew a match for the old man to light the cigarette. "Oh, take a sip. Zhen'er's mother took a bowl of boiling water and handed it to her son-in-law: "Do you want to eat? "I've eaten it. "Oh, there's a smoking pot here. "Oh, you can be nonsense, how can a junior eat cigarettes in front of the elders?!" "Haha, the new society, it's still so well-behaved." "No matter how new a society is, there must be a respectful elder." "Hehe, don't eat. You'er replied with a smile.

"Zhen'er said, let me find you something. "Well, it's so urgent in the house, you can't go out. A few babies are slowly getting older, and there is more land to spend money. "The old master is now the chief of the finance bureau in the county. After telling others, let's go to the cafeteria to learn how to cook. Otherwise, what else can you do?" "Well, too. ”

"When you get to someone's place, you have to work hard, be diligent with your hands and feet, and lose face. "Hmm. "There is another one, you can't be annoying, you take other people's things into the house." But the ugly words are to the end first, and we can't do sneaky things. "That's for sure. Hehe, we're not the same person. "You went out, but you still have to take care of it in this house, and Guang Zhen'er can't do it alone." Zhen'er's mother admonished on the side. "That's for sure, you can rest assured. ”

You'er came back from the house of his mother-in-law in the West Village and told Zhen'er about it, and the family was happy. The couple drove the work in the field, packed up their clothes, and You'er put the quilt on their backs, walked more than 30 miles all the way, and went to the county to be a master for others (the persimmon Bay area called the canteen cook as the master). He is kind, his hands and feet are also diligent, and he always greets people first when he sees them. But this enthusiasm and loyalty, whether it can be exchanged for a place to stand is unknown.

The days go by quickly. By this time, Gen'er had been studying in the village's high school for a year and had learned a lot of words. But after You'er left, the family lacked labor and labor, and there was a lot of work in the field, and Zhen'er alone was really too busy. That night, after dinner, Zhen'er said to her son, "Gen'er, are you studying? You see so much work in the field, and you can't resist it alone." "Oh. Then you say that you read it?" "Ah, just recognize the last word. In this way, the mother and son said a few words, and Gen'er went to the door.

Although Gen'er was a little reluctant, he thought that he was the eldest son in the family, and he should also share his parents' worries, just like following his father to the village to sell vegetables a few years ago, it is the duty of a child. So, I agreed to my mother. The next day, Gen'er told the old gentleman, dropped out of school, went home, and went to work in the fields with his mother. The Wu family is very smart, diligent, and hardworking, but they are honest and honest in dealing with others.

Before I knew it, another two years had passed, slogans such as celebrating the founding of the republic had been posted on the earthen walls of the village, the land reform work was basically over, every household had a field, and most of the farmers had a better life than before. The society took up a new position, and the country changed hands. New sky, new land, new atmosphere. Gambling was not allowed in the village, and women were encouraged to participate in labor half the day, which became a scenery in the old village, and the family atmosphere was also enlivened.

Soon, a mutual aid group was set up in the village, and several families voluntarily grouped together to help each other and exchange jobs. In this regard, the bankers can also accept it. Isn't it? Each family has a different amount of labor, and even in the past, when it was time to be busy with farming, they had to take care of each other. But as the days went by, some contradictions gradually appeared, and the gossip about not doing anything in attendance, doing more in this house and less in that family, etc., was put aside for the time being.

The words are divided into two ends. However, it was said that after the land reform, several members of Yunsheng's family lived in the cowyard. The house is small, there are many children, and it is conceivable that it is crowded, and as the children grow older, the expenses are also larger, and life is tight. It's easy to go from bitter to sweet, but it's not so pleasant to go from rich to poor, not only the children have a process of adaptation, but even Yunsheng and his wife have gone through some mental struggles to face the reality in helplessness. Life is to live, life is to live, Yunsheng has to think about the days to come.

On this day, Yun Sheng returned home, had dinner, and talked to his wife about his thoughts. "the baby, I want to teach Liwa to go out. "Kliwa is only twelve, too small. "Alas, it's not big or small, it's not too small. Boys don't eat for ten years. There is no way to do this situation in the house. "Ah, people often say, half-grown boy, eat old man. One by one, they are all big, and the situation is tense. "Thinking about it, I want to send Liwa out to study. First, learn a trade, and you won't have to worry about it in the future, and second, you can earn two dollars to come back and help the house. "But at this point, where do people want him, what can he do?"

"I used to know the shopkeeper of the Quwo Furnace Courtyard, and he was not crooked, so he told others that he would let Liwa be an apprentice. "Furnace?" "Hmm. "Oh, that furnace yard can be miserable, can the baby stand up to it?" "Heartache?" "Don't you dare to feel heartache?" "It's nothing to be bitter at the kid's house." You don't listen to people, that's not bitter when you're young. "It's that kind of statement, but it really falls on my head, and I can't bear it. "That won't work. Besides, he wasn't the only apprentice. "I'm afraid he's the youngest. "Ah, the shopkeeper is too small, and he said to others that he agreed. Yun Sheng's wife couldn't help but shed tears and didn't say anything more.

This furnace is made of casting, cast copper, cast iron, etc. It is conceivable that smelting, turning sand, polishing or something, all kinds of work will not be easy, and the sand turning alone will be tiring enough for the babies. Although the shopkeeper agreed in advance, when Yunsheng took Liwa to go, the shopkeeper saw that Liwa was thin and small, and people were still reluctant to accept it. Yun Sheng said something good again, and gave some gifts. In the end, the shopkeeper said to Yunsheng, the baby is yours, you don't feel distressed, what else do you say. In this way, the furnace courtyard reluctantly accepted Liwa. Working in the furnace yard is indeed very difficult for a twelve or thirteen-year-old child. But Liwa is honest and never cheats. On this point, the shopkeeper is also quite in tune.

The furnace yard is a private workshop, and the employment of people and things is carefully considered and calculated. It is said that this furnace courtyard has lost a fire, although the fire is not big, but the account book of the account room was burned, thanks to the good brain of the account man, the accounts are remembered clearly in people's hearts, so as to avoid losses and win a better reputation. Of course, this bookkeeper has also earned a reputation for having a good memory.

Children are always children, bitter and bitter, occasionally back home, Liwa also told his younger brothers and sisters about the furnace courtyard. It is said that there was a time when the kitchen ate steamed buns, and there were many people in the furnace courtyard, so you had to make a few pots of steamed buns to eat. The room steamed a pot, the big guy just you and him eat a pot, the room steamed several pots of buns in a row, the big guy felt that he was not full, gossiping, so that the master of the room could not help. Let the shopkeeper know about this, the shopkeeper calculated, let the room prepare a few buns per person, and each steamed pot was not sent first, covered up, until all the buns were steamed before they were sent to the big guys to eat, and the big guys were full, and there were two pots of steamed buns less than before. Because of this, Liwa developed a habit, that is, when eating, he waited for everyone to arrive and the food was served before eating. Of course, this is idle talk.

A few years later, a cooperative was established in the village, and a vigorous mobilization was begun, and the fields and livestock of each household were returned to the cooperative, and the villagers were assigned to work and work collectively. It was also at this juncture that the city began to vigorously transform the private sector and engage in public-private partnerships, turning the factory into a factory and implementing a new management method. It's just that as the terms proprietor, shopkeeper, and partner enter history, the fate of some people will also change. As for Liwa, the Liu family in Liuwan who went to the furnace courtyard as an apprentice, and the Wu family, who went to the county canteen to be a master, can gain a foothold in the city, this is not known for the time being.