Chapter Forty-Nine: The Covenant of Fireflies

Shen Laibao didn't expect that Father Shen was suspicious of himself at home, so he went to Taozhuang for a walk, the trees were even bare, and there was nothing to think about on the mountain. He went to the nearby river to take a look, and this year there was little rain, the riverbed was frozen, but not thick, and there were bare stones, so it was impossible to skate.

This year, the owner of the white village, who followed Shen Laibao to earn silver on the eighth day of the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the eighth day of the lunar month, said with a smile, "Do you have any new ideas?" ”

Shen Laibao said, "No, you can set off fireworks, but there are mountains behind here, and it is easy to catch fire, and the mountains are full of bamboo houses, it is easy to burn the houses, and there are people who set off fireworks, which is too dangerous." ”

The owner of Bai Zhuang rolled his eyes slightly, and said with a smile, "That's right, then you are planning to have a good New Year and not get involved?" ”

Shen Laibao nodded, "The successive marketing makes people tired, silent for three months, and wait for the peach blossoms to bloom next year, let's come again." ”

Wait for next year's peach blossoms, and there will be more gimmicks that can be used to make them. Shen Laibao's mind had already turned, and he connected the plans he wanted to make into dots and circles.

Back in the city, into the south wind alley, the courtyard of the Hua family is quiet, Shen Laibao still wonders why no one has cleaned it, and he doesn't know that the Hua brothers have returned. As soon as he entered the house, he was caught by Daddy Shen, who had been squatting for a long time, and asked, "Where did you go today?" ”

Shen Laibao saw Daddy Shen's eyes wide, looking like he was asking, and vaguely felt that something was wrong. Looking at the eyes of several people in his room standing behind him, he suddenly understood that he was afraid that Father Shen already knew about his visit to Taozhuang. He quickly thought of a countermeasure, and said calmly, "I'm going to Taozhuang to play with Uncle Bai." ”

I didn't expect him to be so frank Old Man Shen frowned, "What are you looking for your Uncle Bai?" ”

"I heard that there are peach trees blooming in Taozhuang now, and I thought it was strange, so I ran to see it. But it turned out to be a rumor, where there are flowers, only bare trees. ”

Shen Laibao said calmly and reasonably, and Master Shen's doubts still did not disappear, but he did not ask again. Thinking about it, there is nothing to do when my son goes to Taozhuang, and it is so far away, there should be no moths. He straightened his son's collar and said, "Silly son, plum blossoms should bloom on such a cold day, maybe someone misheard." By the way, your favorite big brother Hua and second brother Hua have just come back, so go over and meet them when you have time.

"They're back?" No wonder the courtyard was so quiet, it turned out that the two brothers had returned. I'm afraid that Liao Shi ordered his subordinates to stop, and he wanted to give the people who were tired of the boat and car to be quiet for the time being. He ran to the next door and knocked on the door, and the doorkeeper knew who he was looking for as soon as he saw him, and turned sideways to welcome him in.

Hua Xu Hua Lang was talking to her parents in the hall, and Hua Ling was sitting obediently on the chair between her brothers, so that even if she couldn't interject and didn't speak, she wouldn't be forgotten.

Hua Lang's eyes are sharp, and his mind is always wandering, and he quickly noticed that someone was coming in outside, and when he saw that it was Shen Laibao, he immediately got down from the chair, "Noble." ”

"Second Brother Hua."

The two little teenagers are just when they grow up, and after half a year, they feel that they are much taller than each other. This hug patted each other's shoulders, all of them were very hard, unwilling, unwilling.

Hua Pingsheng and Liao also asked about them, so they gave them the hall, and the two continued to go to the back to direct their subordinates to clean the mansion.

Hua Lang said, "I will also go to Moxiang Academy in the next year. ”

Shen Laibao smiled slightly, "I am in the middle class, why do you have to study in the small class when you come in, come, call the senior brother." ”

Hua Lang snorted, "Think beautifully." ”

Hua continued to think of the fireworks, and when the two of them were almost talking, they said, "Noble, do you want to go out in the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve?" ”

"It should be to stay at home for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner and not go out." Shen Laibao is still here for the first time, and he doesn't know what the Shen family's arrangements are, but Chinese New Year's Eve should stay at home to eat, not go out to relatives, at most go to the City God Temple to burn incense.

Hua continued, "Then if it's okay after eating, I'll look for you, and we'll go to the lighthouse to set off fireworks together." ”

At the mention of fireworks, Hua Ling's eyes brightened, but the thought of climbing the lighthouse made the light in his eyes extinguish again. Her concerns were seen by Shen Laibao, and before she could ask her, Hua Lang wailed, "Don't, brother...... The lighthouse is 26 stories high, do you want to take us to set off fireworks, or do you want to take us to the moon and fish? ”

Hua Xu looked at the two little lazy people in his younger brother and sister, especially the little sister was silent, he shook his head secretly, they are really good at everything, but they are too lazy, "You can not only set off fireworks there, but also watch others put them." The thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve must be full of people setting off fireworks, what if you get burned? ”

Shen Laibao secretly thought that Hua Xu was thoughtful, but he was still a teenager, but he was already very responsible and responsible, and he thought about others everywhere.

"And the fireworks set off there will look even better."

One more sentence, Hua Ling was already moved, and pulled the corner of the second brother's clothes next to him, "Second brother, why don't we go, my father also said that the lighthouse is beautiful, and he has to take his mother there every year." ”

Hua Lang saw his sister retreating, and hurriedly covered her mouth, "I can't go, I'll be exhausted!" ”

Hua Xu smiled, "Then don't go, I'll bring Bao and Lingling." ”

Hua Lang, who had been in and out with his brother all day, widened his eyes, knowing that they were on the same page, and if he didn't go, he would have to be left alone, and there was no way back at all, so he could only agree discouragedly, "Okay......" He flicked his sister's pigtails, "Lingling, you'll regret it, that tower is really, really high." ”

"Daddy carried me up once, although I fell asleep on his back, and in the end I didn't see anything." The long road can make her fall asleep, which shows how high the tower is. However, for the sake of good-looking fireworks, Hanazu decided to fight it again.

Shen Laibao agreed with them on this year-end event, and he was ready to go back, the Hua brothers had just returned home and had to rest. Hua Xu called him, "Qin Qin will also go that night." ”

Shen Laibao felt strange, he didn't know why the eldest brother of the Hua family would get in touch with Qin Qin, and didn't he just come back? He nodded in response, and when he came out, he saw an oiled paper bag on the table, which looked like a cake from a hundred cake shops. He lowered his eyebrows and thought slightly, but without thinking deeply, he went home.

By the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, just before the arrival of the new year, every household closed their doors and prepared the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

The Shen family's mansion is also lively, with new talismans pasted on every small door, red lanterns hung under each eaves, and even one hung at the door of the firewood house. The next three days will be lit up and hung for a long time, one is to deter the New Year beast, and the other is to imply auspiciousness. The warehouse is full of New Year's goods, as well as gifts for relatives and visitors. The kitchen also has rows of bacon, and the variety of ingredients is dazzling.

Shen Laibao has never had such a year, just looking at the people coming in and out, his mood unconsciously improved.

Only when Father Shen saw his son's appearance at this time did he suddenly remember his son's stupid appearance before, and couldn't help but sigh. When Mrs. Shen heard this, she asked, "What's wrong with the master?" ”

"I think of my stupid son from before...... In just a few months, I seem to have forgotten that my son was once stupid, like a dream. ”

Mrs. Shen also felt the same way, compared to the early spring, she still felt incredible knowing that her son was like a normal person. I thought that my life would be miserable for a lifetime, but I didn't expect God to treat her badly.

Master Shen stood at the door of the hall and looked at his son, and said with a smile, "It's just that you can't deceive people at this time, Noble likes the New Year the most, it seems that no matter when you are stupid or smart, you can't change your child's temperament." ”

Mrs. Shen Yingying said with a smile, "Give him more money this year, by the way, return the treasure chest to him in the future." The money he has accumulated from all over the years is not all from you, and you have to reprimand you for holding it like this, and your mother knows about it. ”

"I've given him the key, so he'll be able to move the boxes when he's free. But he hasn't come......," Master Shen groaned, feeling strange again. The son obviously has money to use, could it be that the mother stuffed money into her precious grandson again?

"Noble is not like before, always taking money to throw people away, so there is no shortage of money." Mrs. Shen knows about throwing money, wasn't she sent over twice by Master Hua and beaten by his father, but isn't everyone as good as Master Hua, maybe they don't know if they threw others. Only she knew about her brother's throwing, but she turned a blind eye.

Thinking of her brother, Mrs. Shen was not as troubled as before, just because her brother seemed to be a different person and entered the academy as a gentleman. At first, the Ge family didn't believe that he would be honest and willing to be a gentleman, who thought that the truth was completely opposite, Ge Mingxiu was conscientious and conscientious in the academy for a month, which was quite appreciated by the master of Changdong. I went home at the end of the year and said I would come back next year.

Who made him change like this, no one knows.

But that's okay, Mrs. Shen thought about it like this, looking at her son who was full of energy in the yard, then thinking of her brother who had always been worrying, and thinking of the changes in her husband in the past six months, she had unconsciously curled her lips slightly, and life could be regarded as smooth.

&&&&&

After the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, it was not dark yet, and the Shen family had already eaten early, and even the Hua family next door who was on time was earlier. Just because the elders know that they can finish the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner early so that the children can play. There are children in the alleys at home, or even on the streets, to have a New Year's flavor.

When Father Shen heard that his son was going to the lighthouse with the children next door to set off fireworks, he had already prepared two large boxes of cannonballs, with extremely new styles, and fireworks that could pop out of a small phoenix. Let the subordinates get into the car and carry them to the lighthouse first.

When Shen Laibao was about to go out, he saw several younger sisters sitting there, looking at him from time to time, as if he was looking forward to it and being afraid. He thought of the eyes of the two boxes of artillery that they had secretly looked at, so he went over and said, "Sisters, let's go and set off fireworks together." ”

Several aunts were suddenly frightened, and hurriedly said, "Absolutely not." ”

Master Shen also said, "The family is so big, just let them put it at home." ”

Shen Laibao said, "It's the New Year, and it's fireworks, it's okay to go together, and my father and mother will also take advantage of the excitement outside to go for a walk together." ”

Master Shen wanted to say something more, and glanced at his seven daughters looking at him with blank eyes, like a group of ducklings who wanted to go out to play in the water. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Okay, but don't go to the lighthouse, there are so many people, it's easy to have an accident if there are more people on the top of the tower, so let's play on the nearby street." ”

Several little girls who had been "imprisoned" for a long time suddenly looked at each other, and Shen Laibao felt that if they could come and go freely like themselves, they would definitely be seven optimistic and cheerful little flower bells, but now they have been forced to raise seven gloomy little mushrooms.

Outside, someone from the Hua family had already knocked on the door, Shen Laibao immediately went out, and as soon as he stepped out of the threshold, he saw a red group holding a firework in one hand and said, "Brother Laibao, this is what my father bought for me, saying that he can open a little phoenix." ”

Shen Laibao smiled, "I also have a lot of them, and I will release them together and give you a group of little phoenixes." ”

Hua Ling was even more happy, and the Shen family's father and mother also came out and gave the Hua family's children New Year's money. The red bag that Mrs. Shen gave to Hua Ling is particularly beautiful, and it has been carefully selected. Watching her talk happily next to her son, if it was still like this ten years later, it would be a beautiful couple.

Because the lighthouse is built in the center of the city, you have to take a detour to get to the cake shop. Hua Xu knew that his younger brother and sister were lazy people, so he went to pick her up himself, so he didn't go with them.

The flowers continued to the cake shop, and the street was full of children who had already finished eating and receiving the New Year's money, and the ground was also full of unsealed and broken red paper bags, which were trampled on, like a red flower on the ground, and the remaining snow on the ground were staggered, as if Lamei was carved on the stone road.

There was no sound in front of the cake shop, only a little light leaking from the crack in the door showed that there were people inside.

As soon as he stood at the door and was about to knock, he smelled the smell of wine wafting from inside, and the thick smell of wine was mixed with a loud undulating sound, like nagging, like cursing. The raised hand didn't come down for a while, and he didn't take a step back until he heard someone coming out from inside.

It was a woman who came out, and she was not dressed neatly for the New Year, like her clothes that had not been washed yesterday. As soon as Qin's mother saw a handsome young man standing here, she immediately asked, "What are you doing, do you want to ask for New Year's money, are you blind?" ”

The family affection, who had been silent inside, immediately ran out when he heard it, and when he saw that it was Hua Xu, he looked behind him again, but he didn't see the person he wanted to see. Hua Xu hurriedly said, "Hello auntie, I'm here to find Qin Qin to set off fireworks together, and my sister is also ......."

Before he finished speaking, Qin's mother pulled Qin Qin over and pushed her in front of him, almost knocking her down. Hua Xu stretched out her hand to stabilize Qin Qin, and felt surprised, how could she do this, wouldn't she be afraid of her daughter falling.

"Go, go, go and set off fireworks with this noble son." Qin's mother bent over and smiled, "Have fun, let's see if this son wants to be a maid, don't go to the academy next year, let your uncle give me the money, and you can also go and make money, lose money." ”

Qin Qin's face turned pale, looked at her directly, turned around and left. Hua Xu was even more stunned, so stunned that he forgot to move, and it wasn't until Qin Qin came over and pulled him that he came back to his senses.

"Is that really your mother?" Hua Xu was stunned, "How could she say that kind of thing?" ”

Qin Qin was not too excited except for his pale face, "There are more ugly things to say." She looked up slightly, "What about them?" ”

"I went to the lighthouse, I didn't stop by, and I had to climb the tower later, so I took a detour."

Qin Qin didn't speak again, but Hua Xu saw that her clothes were thin and a little shabby, and she thought of the clothes of the children who would go there...... He thought about it, and untied the cloak and put it around her, so that it would be warm and not let the unintentional people mock her dress.

The cloak was still warm, Qin Qin looked up at him and thanked him.

The two of them arrived at the lighthouse, and Shen Laibao and they were already there. Qin Qin saw him from a distance, and the little girl standing beside him was talking to him with something she didn't know, and the two laughed from time to time and talked happily.

She didn't understand why Shen Laibao was so good with a little girl, obviously there was a difference of four years, so it stands to reason that shouldn't she be closer to other people of the same age?

"Sister Qin is here."

Hua Ling beckoned to her from afar, Qin Qin also raised her hand, and saw that Shen Laibao was also waving to her, and seemed to be happy for her arrival, so she smiled back.

――It's normal to have playmates when you're a child, but maybe you'll be in the future.

She thought with a low brow, a smile on the tip of her brow.

&&&&&

It's really tiring to climb the lighthouse, but they are all children, and they finally go up after walking and stopping. As Hua Xu said, setting off fireworks on the top of the tower is really much more fun and beautiful than on the ground, and everyone has a lot of fun.

Shen Laibao, who had been climbing up and down the lighthouse for a night, was not too tired, and when he returned home, he thought he would go to bed after washing, but who wanted to just enter the house, he was bent down by the housekeeper and apologized, "Young master, I'm sorry." ”

Before he could react, he was caught and thrown into the hall. Father Shen's face was gloomy, and he had never looked at him with such stern eyes. It can be seen that Shen Laibao knows that the big thing is not good, but he doesn't know what the big thing is.

"Shen Laibao, have you eaten the bear's heart leopard gall!" Old Man Shen was angry and shouted loudly, "You hooked up with the owner of Bai Zhuang to do business, did you ask your son?" I said why are you not short of money, it turns out that you are going to partner with your father to do business with others. No wonder he is not good at business, he will come up with so many ghost ideas, what Qixi Peach Blossom Fairy, what Mid-Autumn Festival Chang'e, it turns out that it is all your ghost idea! ”

Shen Laibao didn't know why he suddenly knew that there were still people in the thirties of the Chinese New Year's Eve who couldn't make a small report?

Master Shen scolded and yelled for a long time before finally saying, "Taozhuang burned more than ten people tonight, you can see how to carry this disaster!" Shen Laibao, we are businessmen, we want money, but we can't ask for human lives, have you thought about the consequences? ”

Shen Laibao was puzzled, "Dad, what's going on?" ”

Master Shen pounded his heart, "What kind of fireworks show is there in Taozhuang tonight, that kind of place has mountains on all sides, is it a place where you can set fire?" The artillery set fire to the mountain, and burned the houses on the mountain, and there were two or three hundred people who went there, and the fire was all together, and there were scattered everywhere, but where was there time, there were children. ”

Hearing this, Shen Laibao suddenly understood-the owner of the white village planned a fireworks display privately, but the mountain caught fire and there was a crushing accident.

"The owner of the white village has come to the door and asked the Shen family to pay this money." Master Shen has tried his best to believe in his son in the past six months, but now, he feels sad, "He brought the notes you made during the Qixi Mid-Autumn Festival to prove that these are all your doings." Today's fireworks display ......"

"Daddy." Shen Laibao calmed down and said in a deep voice, "The child did cooperate with the owner of the Bai Village, but the matter of the fireworks display has nothing to do with me, just because I mentioned it that day, but it also shows that the fireworks are flammable, and I am afraid of danger, so I didn't take action." It's just that I didn't expect that the owner of the white village was greedy for profit and cared about the safety of others. He wanted to throw this pot to our Shen family, so he brought a note, but since the child is a cautious person, there will not only be a note on the eighth day of the Chinese Valentine's Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, but also a note for today's fireworks display. ”

Master Shen hurriedly took the note and took a look, and the date was really a handprint signed in advance before each festival. Thinking of the appearance of his friend Bai Zhuang who had been complaining just now, he felt sad when he realized that he had been deceived. Then he said, "Well, even if this matter has nothing to do with you, you have committed an unforgivable mistake." Noble, it's not that Dad won't let you do business, it's just that it's not time yet, you know? ”

Shen Laibao didn't understand it before, but now he feels that dealing with people like a child is really full of risks, "children understand ......"

"If you don't mention the fireworks display, the owner of the white village will not have a crooked mind. But you shouldn't even mention anything dangerous, otherwise it will only leave hidden dangers. You are not without responsibility for what happened today. "Master Shen is not happy that his son has a talent for business, but he is full of worries.

The son's temperament is not calm enough, he is afraid that he will suffer in the future, and he is also afraid that his son will suffer.

Shen Laibao also felt that he shouldn't have said that kind of thing to the owner of Bai Zhuang that day, he could resist the temptation, but he couldn't guarantee that others would do the same. If there is something dangerous, just hide it in your heart, and you can't say it lightly. Sometimes what you say casually may be used by someone with a heart, causing a butterfly effect.

Only then did he understand that Father Shen seemed confused, but there were just some things that he was too lazy to say as a father and felt that there was no need to say them explicitly, so he used a simple and crude method to prevent him from entering the business world, so he was so nervous to intercept his principal.

He is partly responsible for today's events.

Master Shen didn't know what to say about his son, but he saw him kneeling on the ground, his expression was stern, and he was telling him all over his body, willing to take responsibility, "Dad, I'll go to the ancestral hall to kneel for one night tonight." ”

He was stunned, and suddenly felt that his son had grown up again. If he had been a little patient and could have told him that his son was so sensible, he might not have listened," ...... Okay, there you go...... Wear thicker and don't freeze. ”

This is the first time he has asked his son to kneel in the ancestral hall, so worried and relieved.

Shen Laibao said again, "I want to go and see those injured people first, and then talk to the owner of Bai Zhuang to clarify this matter, so that he will not use other means to ruin the reputation of our Shen family." ”

"He didn't dare." When Master Shen thought of his friend who stabbed him, he felt bored, and his tone became cold, "If he dares to do that, he doesn't have to stay in Mingzhou, and I won't even let him stay in Dayang." ”

Shen Laibao felt that Father Shen was really a businessman, but he always got along at home, so he never felt like a shrewd businessman. Now it seems that there is still a trace of ruthlessness.

He came out of the house with a few nurses, and saw that Hua Ling was still building a snowman at the door, his clothes were stained with snow, and his little face was red from the cold. The appearance is innocent, like a corner of light in the dark night. He stepped forward quickly, took the scarf he specially asked his subordinates to weave, and tied it to her, "Xiaohua, it's cold, let's go in quickly." ”

"Brother Laibao, I'm not cold, my mother said that I have a fire on my body." Hanazu looked down, "Although I never knew where that fire was." ”

Shen Laibao, who was originally in a gloomy mood, immediately laughed, and saw Hua Ling frowning, "You are as bad as your brother, and he laughs at me like this." ”

Shen Laibao touched her head, "Okay, don't laugh at you, let's go in." ”

"I'll go in when the pile is ready, where are you going, Brother Laibao? It's cold, let's get inside. ”

Shen Laibao smiled dumbly, "I'll go to Taozhuang." ”

"Where to do what?"

"Get something done."

Hua Ling thought for a while, "It shouldn't be catching fireflies, it's so cold, there are no fireflies." ”

Shen Laibao was silent and said, "Xiaohua, next summer is coming, I'll take you to catch fireflies." ”

Hua Ling nodded happily, "Okay." ”

Shen Laibao, who was trusted to be the owner of Bai Zhuang, did not make an appointment with her casually, but really wanted to be with the simple-minded Hua Ling. There are so many people in the world, and there are a few credible ones. He believes in her, and he believes in her in the future, and he will never forget his original intention.

When he got into the carriage and left the South Wind Alley, Hanazu was still there building a snowman.

The snowman is crooked, and it looks very funny. He thought it would look good in the future.

-- But time has passed, and after five years, the snowmen are still not good-looking.