Xiliu Lane in Xuzhou City is a large miscellaneous courtyard, where there are three religions and nine streams, fish and snakes, and all kinds of people. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info and the deeper you go, the more dilapidated the house becomes. There were even several families crammed into a small courtyard.

The east had just turned white, and the morning mist shrouded the earth, and the whole earth was hazy, like a light veil shrouded in silver-gray. Many people were still asleep, and there was a noise in the courtyard here.

Some of them took up their burdens and took the drums and left the house. Some husbands and wives pushed stoves and other objects tied to the cart in advance, locked the courtyard door, and slowly walked forward by the hazy light.

In a small dilapidated courtyard, the paint on the courtyard door has long been peeled off, the door knocker is also rusty, there are few roof tiles left, except for the window paper on the windows of the main house, there are a few broken places on the other doors and windows. There was a pile of debris in the corner of the yard. The whole courtyard is full of two words: dilapidated.

The door of the west wing was pushed open with a creak, and Kong Hai walked out, he was not tall, his thin shoulders were slightly hunched, and his cheeks were thin and haggard. He gently closed the door, drooped his shoulders, picked up the pole and the bucket, and walked slowly out of the courtyard door.

Not long after he went out, Kong Mei walked out, wearing a gray cloth gown, and the color of the fabric at the cuffs was different from the fabric of the gown, apparently it was attached later. The pants were patched with patches, and the trouser legs were a lot shorter. Feet on straw sandals. She went to the corner, scooped a basin of water from the tank, and according to the blurred shadow of the water, she neatly tied her hair in two buns and tied it with two strips of dusty cloth.

Then I took some firewood and went into the kitchen, brushed the pot, added water, and squatted on the ground to light the fire. After Kong Hai walked in with water, he saw Kong Mei squatting in front of the stove to burn the fire, and through the firelight, he could see the girl's sallow cheeks and yellow hair. He paused in his steps, pursed his lips, poured the water into the tank, and continued to go out to fetch water.

After the jar was full, Kong Mei's rice was ready. Kong Hai held the broken bowl, and drank the batter with a black pickle lump, snoring expressionlessly.

The first rays of morning light shone on the earth, and the red disc appeared in the east, and the sky gradually brightened.

Kong Hai returned to the house, changed into a long shirt, and walked out with a few books in his pocket. As soon as I arrived at the gate of the courtyard, there was a coughing sound in the main room, and the people in the house coughed very much, as if they wanted to cough out all the internal organs. Kong Hai's hand to open the door was just a pause, and he continued to open the door and walked out. As if he was used to it, the expression on his face was numb.

After a long cough, Kong Mu walked out. The clothes are full of patches, and you can't see the original appearance of the clothes anymore. When he was young, a layer of autumn frost fell on his black hair, and his silver hair was half-covered and half-hidden, and his face was wrinkled, like a twist and turn of the past. There is a trace of sorrow between the eyebrows and eyes.

She squatted next to the medicine jar, she lifted the lid, took a look at the medicine inside, closed the lid, and turned the fire below. took the batter from Kong Mei's hand and brought it to the house. After the mother of Confucius came out with the empty bowl, the mother and daughter squatted on the ground and drank the batter with pickles.

Kong Mei looked at the medicine jar not far away, and said with a sad face: "This medicine has passed seven times, and it has no effect at all." My dad was coughing worse and weaker. ”

Confucius didn't speak, lowered her eyelids to block the sorrow in her eyes, lowered her head and continued to drink the batter in the bowl.

It was already dawn, and the mother and daughter were sitting on the bamboo chair outside with their father in their arms. Father Kong's thin and thin body, his thin and haggard face was covered with fishnet lines, and his two deep-set eyes were dull.

"Bang!" a knock broke the silence of the courtyard. The three people in the courtyard looked at the dilapidated door in amazement, and they didn't know what to do for a while. "Bang!" The knock on the door sounded again, and the person outside the door shouted, "Is there anyone at home?"

"Yes, yes. Mother Kong responded twice in a panic, perhaps because she had not dealt with anyone for a long time, her voice was a little hurried, and her face was flushed.

"Oh, I'm at home! I'll come in!" I saw the person who walked in outside the door wearing a dark green peony embroidered gown, a horse-faced skirt of the same color, a hanging bun, and a bright red peony flower inserted in the sideburns. His face was rubbed with white powder, and his mouth was smeared with bright red lipstick. Shaking the fan, twisting his waist and walking in. smiled before speaking, took Confucius's hand, and said with a smile: "Oh, I have long wanted to come to the house to sit and chatter with my sister-in-law, today can be regarded as time." ”

Kong Mu stared at the visitor blankly, letting her hold her hand, not knowing how to react.

The person who came let go of Kong Mu's hand, blocked his mouth with a fan, and said with a smile: "Oops, I was abrupt." My sister-in-law may not remember it, but I live on Front Street, and people call me Sister-in-law Liu. I have nothing to do, I just like the beauty of adults, so that those lovers will eventually become married. As he spoke, he didn't need to be let by anyone, so he sat on the nearest stool, looked around, and praised in his mouth: "My sister-in-law is really diligent, and this yard is well organized by my sister-in-law." ”

In fact, from the time Liu's sister-in-law entered the door, Mother Confucius knew that this person was the well-known Liu matchmaker, but she didn't know why she came to the door for no reason, so she stopped there. After Sister-in-law Liu sat down, she also reacted, and after glancing at Father Kong, she first instructed Kong Mei to pour a glass of water for Sister-in-law Liu, and then frowned and asked, "I don't know what happened to Sister-in-law Liu today?"

Sister-in-law Liu said angrily: "Look at what my sister-in-law asked, I can't come to you to chat?" Seeing Kong Mei retreat with a red face, she smiled and cared about Father Kong's body, and said to Mother Kong with a smile: "The eldest brother and sister-in-law are blessed people, with such a pair of excellent children. Besides, I'm here today to bring a happy event!"

"Happy event, where did our family come from?" asked Kong Mu in a trembling voice, tears rolling in her eyes, and her face was indescribably sad. And Father Kong's eyes shrank, his fingers trembled slightly, he thought more than Mother Kong, naturally he thought of the purpose of Mrs. Liu's door, but he didn't know which family fell in love with Sister Mei, squinted his eyes and continued to listen.

"Oh, sister-in-law can't say that, this good day is coming soon. Mrs. Liu said angrily, with a smile on her face like a flower, "Let me tell you, someone has taken a fancy to your brother Hai, ask me to come over and talk about it." ”

"Sister-in-law Liu teased me, right? How can anyone take a fancy to our family?" Kong Mu's eyes suddenly turned red.