Ran Erniang's tomb is on the edge of the paddy field, it is a small mound of grave, there is no monument in front of the tomb, only a stone case, for the sacrifice to be placed. There are two cypress trees behind the grave, which were transplanted by Ran'er last spring, only the thickness of Qinglian's wrist, and the height is about the same as Ran'er. Because Ran often came to clean up as a child, there was not a single weed on my mother's grave.

Ran Er still remembers what her mother told her before she died.

"Ran'er, after my mother died, I went to the village to invite Grandpa Li, and I said that it was my mother's intention, and buried my mother in a high place by the paddy field. The mother wants to watch Ran'er grow up, don't spend money to erect a monument. Qingming, July 15, October 1, during the New Year, Ran'er don't buy paper money, incense and candles, just kowtow in front of her mother's grave, and let her mother see Ran'er. The people here are simple and simple, but before they are minors, they should not leave this place lightly. ”

The next day, Ran Er led Qinglian to the shop in Xia Village, bought incense, paper money, and a box of peach cakes, and when she returned home, she boiled six eggs, a clay pot filled with boiling water, and two bowls. They were all packed into bamboo baskets, Ran Er carried the basket, held Qinglian's little hand, and Rhubarb also wagged his tail and followed behind, and came to his mother's grave together. First, put the peach crisp and eggs on the stone table, then poured two bowls of water, and also placed the stone case. Light up three sticks of incense and insert them in the soil behind the stone case. After that, he took a few handfuls of new soil in his hands and sprinkled them on his mother's grave. La Qinglian sat on the ground in front of the stone case, and said softly to the grave:

"Mother, in a month it will be Ran'er's ninth birthday, and Ran'er misses her mother so much. Today, Ran'er brought a new daughter to her mother, her name is Qinglian, she was picked up when Ran'er went to sell eggs on the shore of Xiling Lake, Qinglian also has no father or mother, and is alone. In the future, Ran'er will take good care of Qinglian, and our sisters will depend on each other for their lives, and we will grow up safely and not let my mother worry. ”

Speaking of this, Ran Er couldn't cry anymore, and Qinglian was also sobbing beside her. After a pause, Ran Er continued;

"Mother, I remember that every year on the day of Qingming Festival, my mother will boil eggs for Ran'er to eat, and today Ran'er also boiled eggs for my mother, so let my mother eat a few more. Ran'er didn't forget Jì Niang's instructions, and Ran'er said that she wouldn't let Ran'er buy sacrifices, and Ran'er didn't listen to her mother this year. A few days ago, Tianer used the method taught by his mother to pickle a lot of sour bamboo shoots, and took them to Yangzhuang Market, where he was favored by Zhou Ji Wine Shop, and gave forty yuan for a jar to buy all the pickled bamboo shoots. Now Ran'er can afford to buy a sacrifice for her mother. ”

"Qinglian come here, kowtow to my mother, and let my mother meet Qinglian."

Qinglian moved forward obediently, knelt down with Ran'er, and kowtowed to the grave. Qinglian also learned from Ran'er's appearance, and said to the grave:

"Mother, my sister promised me that I could also call you mother. My sister is very good to me, she loves Qinglian very much, and Qinglian will love her sister when she grows up in the future. Mother rest assured, Qinglian will listen to her sister and not cause trouble to her sister. ”

After the two kowtowed, they sat on the ground again, and Qinglian asked Ran'er:

"Can my sister tell Qinglian her mother's story?"

"Hmm. Niang is very good-looking, she is the best-looking woman Ran'er has ever seen, but her mother's body is slightly weaker. My mother likes to wear moon-white dresses, and her whole body is always clean and refreshing. My mother doesn't like to talk, and her face is always pale. It is very gentle to both Ran and others. I've never seen my mother lose her temper, but my sister is naughty, and my mother is also reasonable with a pleasant face. ”

As she spoke, Ran looked at the grave with her eyes, as if she wanted to penetrate the soil on the grave and see inside.

"My mother is not only beautiful, but also very smart. Can write a good hand, and can also embroider. The mother's embroidery was brought to the market, and the rich families scrambled to buy it. It's just that my mother doesn't always embroider, whenever she is short of money, she only embroiders one or two pieces and uses them to exchange for money. Otherwise, when my mother is sick, I won't have the money to ask a doctor to buy medicine. ”

Ran Er said this, and paused again. remembered that her mother did not use the ten taels of silver to see a doctor, but secretly left it for herself, Ran'er has always been very puzzled. At that time, before her mother died, when she told Sù Ran'er that she still had ten taels of silver, Ran'er once asked her mother:

"Mother, since you still have money, why don't you take it out to see a doctor?"

"Don't blame my mother, my mother's illness is clear to me, and the ten taels of silver will not help at all. My mother is also reluctant, how can she give up for ten taels of silver? ”

"Sister, what kind of illness does my mother have?"

Ran Er shook her head and said:

"My sister doesn't know, I don't know if my mother knows it, anyway, no one has ever sued my sister. Lang Zhong from the village also came, but he couldn't tell what kind of illness his mother had. My mother's body has always been very thin, and in the last few years, she has become more and more thin, and she eats very little. My mother always said that she couldn't eat and had no appetite. ”

Ran Er told Qinglian about her mother's affairs, and at the same time did not forget to observe the incense behind the stone case. Seeing that the three incense sticks were about to burn out, he said to Qinglian:

"My sister will kowtow to my mother with my sister again, and burn paper money for my mother, let's go back."

After kowtowing and lighting the paper money, I saw the paper ashes flying in the air one after another, hovering for a while before floating around. Qinglian looked up and asked Ran'er:

"Sister, look, isn't my mother happy now?"

Ran Er saw the flying paper ashes, and she was also puzzled. I had never seen such a scene before, and there was no wind at the moment, and the slender branches of the two small cypress trees behind the grave did not even move. Even the dead grass on the ridges in the distance did not move. Since there is no wind, how does the paper ash fly? Not only did he fly into the air, but he even hovered in the air for a while as if someone was controlling him, and Ran Er had to wonder about it.

"Maybe, my mother was happy to see Qinglian cute and well-behaved."

"Sister, really?"

"My sister guessed it was true, otherwise, how could those paper ashes fly for no reason? And it stayed in the air for a while before it dispersed? ”

"Mother likes Qinglian, and Qinglian also has a mother's pain."

Qinglian said happily when she heard this. On the way back, I kept bouncing and jumping. After arriving home, Ran'er pulled Qinglian to the east room and gently lifted the mat on the kang to reveal a flat thin plank. Qinglian took the plank away to reveal a square hole, not deep. There were several things in the pit, a long scarlet wooden box, locked by a small and delicate copper lock. Ran Er picked it up, wiped off the dust on it with her sleeve, and said to Qinglian:

"What my mother left behind is the life experience of my sister and father. My mother won't let me open it now, and I can't open it until my sister is fifteen years old to see what is inside. ”

Putting the box aside, he picked up a blue cloth bag, and when he untied it, there were ten taels of silver and more than 300 scattered copper coins.

"The money my mother left us."

In the end, it was still a blue cloth baggage, and after Ran'er untied it, there was a brush inside, an inkstone, and two inks.

"Does my sister see that? When my mother was there, I occasionally used it to write, and my sister also used it twice. After my mother left, my sister hid. After my sister finished reading the Analects, my sister took it out and gave it to her sister, okay? ”

"Okay, Qinglian listens to my sister."

Qinglian stretched out her hand, carefully touched the small Yantai in her hand, and said obediently.

"Sister Qinglian, these are our family's treasures and secrets, don't tell anyone in the future, remember?"

"Remember, sister, don't worry, Qinglian promises not to say it to anyone."

The two were looking at the things left by their mother in the east room, when they suddenly heard the rhubarb in the yard barking, and at the same time heard someone shouting Ran'er's name.

"Is Ran'er at home?"

The two of them hurriedly put their things away as they had done before, covered the mats, and then came out of the house. I saw the spring water standing outside the fence door, and the rhubarb standing in the fence door, shouting in front of the spring water.

"Rhubarb is back."

Ran'er shouted, Rhubarb wagged his tail and came to Ran'er's sisters, and Chunshui pushed open the fence door and walked in with a bag in his hand.

"Ran'er, Qinglian, this is the waste paper I used, and a few pieces of used ink, take it to you for practice. "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names", "Thousand Character Text", and a set of four books and five classics, my brother can't use them, so I'll give them to you. ”

"Brother Chunshui's used waste paper is left, and the books are gone, and Brother Chunshui is still useful if he keeps it."

"I've said it's useless, so don't excuse me. Qinglian came over and took it. ”

Qinglian stood on Ran'er's left hand, listening to Chunshui call her, she didn't move, just looked at Ran'er with her eyes. Ran'er knew that Qinglian wanted it very much in her heart, so she smiled at Qinglian and said:

"Since Brother Chunshui said it's useless, my sister will take it."

Qinglian took two steps forward, took the burden from Chunshui's hand, and hugged it tightly in her arms. It seems that he is afraid that the spring water will regret it, or he is afraid that he will be snatched away by someone.

"Brother Chunshui, let's go to the house and drink a bowl of water."

"No, it's time for lunch. I came mainly because my father asked me to ask, when will your remaining pickled bamboo shoots be good, and the ones you pulled last time are almost sold out. ”

"Brother Chunshui is here in three days, there are twenty altars to be good."

"Well, three days ago, I'll come early in the morning. I'm leaving, and when I have time, come to the shop to play with me. Mother said she wanted to meet you sisters. ”

Ran'er hurriedly asked Qinglian to go to the house, poured the contents of the burden on the table first, and then handed the burden to Chunshui. After sending the spring water away, the sisters came to the house to see the things sent by the spring water. I found that not only was it not waste paper, but a brand-new Tianzi paper, and there was an inkstone that had obviously been used for many years, and the ink was not as small as Chunshui said, and it could still be held in the hand to grind the ink. One of the three hundred thousand, one set of four books and five classics, but they were really used, and the corners of some of the books were rolled up. The sisters regarded it as if it were a treasure, straightened out the edges of the rolled paper one by one, and then looked for something to hold it down. In this way, it will be flat after a few days. Two used brushes, and even a paperweight made of stone, and a wooden pen holder. Ran'er couldn't help but be grateful for the spring water from the bottom of her heart. Qinglian's little face was a little red with excitement, and she said to Ran'er:

"Sister, Brother Chunshui is so good."