On the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, it drizzled in the early morning, which was the day when Shiqiao Township rushed to the scene.

Yang Zegui got up at four o'clock in the morning to cook the pigweed, and sorted out the back baskets and baskets that he had made up in the past few days. Yang's mother woke up early to wake up Shufang, and specially washed her hair with soap, her hair was slightly dry, and the naughty second sister combed the eldest sister's braids, and deliberately left a handful of "sister's head" on her forehead, and Shufen, who loved beauty, gave her eldest sister a rubber band wrapped into flowers with a cloth head, and Yang's mother gave Shufang the big flower cloth clothes that had been sewn long ago, and the shy Shufang knew that today he was going to the "commune" to meet a young man in Xiejiaba.

"Eldest sister, I heard that the men of the Xie family are all down-to-earth and diligent!" Shufen made a joke about her eldest sister.

"Don't make trouble Shufen! Fushun, today your eldest sister is going to see the household, you are watching the little sister at home, remember to cook and eat, the pig is in the cauldron inside, and the pig is fed at once! Mow more grass in the morning, and your dad will go to the field too! Shufang's mother hurriedly "arranged the work", "Shufei, you have to listen to your brother at home, Yiha'er's brother will send you to study, and you will come back with the other babies at noon." ”

Of course, Fu Shun was not happy in his heart, the whole family went to the scene, but he had to work at home, and he had to bring a little sister. Since he arrived at Yang's house, he has hardly been to Shiqiao, he doesn't want to join in the fun, he wants to go to the street to see if he can happen to meet the eldest brother and the rich family, or those acquaintances in the mud ditch. But he also understands in his heart that he will definitely not be able to go today, the eldest sister is on a blind date, and it is natural for his mother and Shufen to accompany him, but the lame Yang Laohan almost does not go to the scene, how can he remember to go to the street today, the road is far away and it is not easy to walk, and he is still holding a cane, so that the Xie family is not afraid of jokes when they see it, maybe they will mess up the family affairs at that time.

Shufen also thought in her heart that her father would not go to the street. It's not a shame for anyone, although my father is lame, he is still Shufen's idol, such a powerful man, supporting this family with one leg, under the tung oil lamp at night, my father watched himself finish every homework from primary school to middle school, from literacy to abacus, from sentence formation to composition, only the father with a high level of education taught himself pinyin and even English, just for the two girls to be able to read well. The eldest girl's brain is not as good as that of her two younger sisters, and she is just in time for a bad time, so she goes home to cut the grass and feed the cattle to do housework after a few days; The third girl is still young, wearing the patched clothes worn by her two older sisters, and she is still studying exceptionally well. The second woman knew that her father would never go to the scene if it was no big deal, and the blind date for the eldest sister was a big deal, but this was not a big deal for the man who was already a father in Ishibashi. Daddy must be for her!

"Spring River Plumbing Duck Prophet". On March 3, the Shiqiao River began to rise in spring, the clear river water rippled with green aquatic plants, groups of small fish shuttled between them, a few hemp ducks roamed freely, and the buffalo by the river were also yearning for the river to be warmer. On this day, the "commune" was particularly lively, and the villagers who came and went on the three stone bridges connecting the thirteen villages walked into the market with their own agricultural and sideline products on their backs. Ishibashi Township is probably the smallest bazaar in northeastern Sichuan. The highest place is the station of the township government, and the walls of the seven earthen houses are also impressively written with the words "Down with **"; The center of the bazaar is the theater of Shiqiao, from the speech of the puppet government chief to the slogan full of "fight local tyrants and divide the land", from the Sichuan opera of the scumbag to the model drama of one board and one eye, from the announcement of the liberation of Shiqiao to the vigorous fight, the theater has witnessed the history of Shiqiao for nearly 100 years; Along the east side of the theater is a long stone staircase, which has been polished to a very smooth stone step by generations of Shiqiao people; The west side of the theater building to the West Slate Bridge is the main trading place of the market, and there are many large and small shops and department stores, where you can buy almost all the necessities of the family; To the south on the east side of the theater is the Shiqiao Grain Station, the Food Station, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and the Blacksmith Shop; On the west side of the theater to the north of the north stone bridge is the group of fish bags - the location of the primary and secondary school in Shiqiao Township, there is the highest building in Shiqiao Township - the top of the high three-story building made of blue bricks and the township government to maintain the level, overlooking the entire Shiqiao Township, looking at the Shiqiao River to the east.

The "merchants" who rushed to the market set up "goods" along the east and west streets, and people who had long exchanged "labor points" for the necessities of life seemed to be more enthusiastic about this kind of free trade. Firewood and charcoal had to be carried to the market early, except for a few restaurants on the street where they supplied firewood, the trees in several villages were not growing well enough, and they all needed to buy firewood; Next to the Wang brothers' stalls are all buying raw poultry, eggs, duck eggs and goose eggs; Further west, they sell piglets and calves...... East Street is full of handmade goods, and there are small furniture such as chairs, stools, and tables; There are those who sell iron pots, antimony pots, steamers, cutting boards and other kitchen utensils; There are bamboo products such as back baskets, dustpans, baskets, and baskets...... On the West Street, there is no bullying on the scales, and on the East Street, there is fine craftsmanship. Everything is clearly marked with a price that everyone knows, but everything has to be "argued for" loudly.

Yang Abacus is a fine person, and the work of the craftsman is better than that of the abacus - everyone in the thirteen villages of ten miles knows it. The basket and basket are the indispensable means of transportation for the peasants in northeast Sichuan, and the pigweed, mowing, and carrying the red weed are inseparable from the basket, and the rice, wheat, and soybeans are inseparable from the basket. Not everyone can carry a basket for a year or two without breaking it, and not everyone can pick one or two hundred catties of basket without deformation - except for Yang Zegui.

Mother Yang took Shufang and Shufen to set up a posture at the easternmost end of East Street early - thirteen back baskets, eleven pairs of baskets, and more than 20 baskets. Shufen put down her line and took three steps and two steps to go to the fish bag. Shufang stood shyly on the side of the street next to her mother, he was looking forward to the man of the Xie family, hoping that Xie Guoqiang would not arrive on the street so early - it should not be so early - the sun in the east had just come out, after all, the little girl had only heard that there was such a young man, and she had not seen it yet! Yang Laosi rushed to the stone bridge with the crutches beaten by Wizard Yang on his front heels, and the lame man did not stop in front of his "stall" - he was going to find Shufen's homeroom teacher, Teacher Tian.

Teacher Tian is wearing thick "wine bottle bottom" glasses to correct homework.

"Accountant Yang! Sit down, which wind has blown you here? "Tian Wentao is a Chinese teacher in middle school, and Yang Zegui is an old acquaintance, Xiao Tian, who was still exercising in the vast world of Yangjiawan three years ago, has also received Lao Yang's re-education, and now he is finally out of the blue!" Come and see, I'm correcting your second child's essay! Oh, it's really well written, you can be regarded as a good godson, and every time this Shufen's composition is a model text......"

Yang Zegui didn't listen to it in his heart, the second girl wrote a good hand, and the language was trained by Lao Yang. "Teacher Tian, thank you for your care of Yang Shufen all the time, you teach well, you have helped Shufen pay for the tuition for almost two months, I sent it to you, thank you!"

"Where, Accountant Yang, a few years ago you taught me to plan the plate, and I also learned some words from you, to be honest, our level can't catch up with you, a high student!" Xiao Tian said modestly as he took the five yuan and four cents handed over by Lao Yang.

"Xiao Tian, since you think I'm still half of your teacher, I'm going to say anything straight!" The straight old Yang startled Xiao Tian.

Xiao Tian helped his glasses: "Accountant Yang, is there anything I haven't taken care of Yang Shufen?" ”

"No, no, Mr. Tian, where are you?" Lao Yang made himself nervous, "You have always taken care of her, but my second child is not blessed, I'm afraid I can't accept Teacher Tian's teaching!" ”

"Why? Is it because our education is bad? Yang Shufen wants to transfer schools? Where to go? Sanchahe Middle School? That's not good, it's too far, the quality of teaching is better, but your family also needs her to run home every day, it's more than ten kilometers away, and it's not safe for her to be a girl! "Teacher Tian has too much content flashing in his mind, and he still cares a lot about this little girl who studies well.

Teacher Tian handed Lao Yang a cigarette and quickly lit it.

"Hey......" Lao Yang sighed, "Teacher Tian, you don't teach, Yang Shufen goes home every day to talk to you, saying that you have a good character and good morality." It's just that you also know that my family has been dragged down by my legs! ”

Lao Yang took out a handful of leaf cigarettes and wrapped them in sections. "Teacher Tian, every year you help pay for tuition, and the tuition is getting more expensive year by year, I want to ...... I don't think she's going to study......"

Yang Zegui stuffed the wrapped cigarette roll into the cigarette stick, and Mr. Tian lit a match for Lao Yang. "Old accountant, if you say this, you will see the outside, didn't you give the money I gave Yang Shufen a long time ago! Besides, it's a pity that you don't want her to study! ”

"Hey, every family has a scripture that is difficult to read, and it is enough for the girl to be able to read and count!" Lao Yang didn't say what he said in his heart, if it weren't for this short leg, he would have sent it to junior high school, high school and college!

"But......" Teacher Tian was just about to speak, Shufen came in with tears in her eyes, threw a thick stack of homework books on the table, and rushed out - Yang Shufen, as a member of the study committee, came over to hand in the homework of the whole class, and heard the conversation between her father and the teacher outside the door!

Yang lame picked up his crutches and glanced at him awkwardly, and Teacher Tian also followed.

Shufen was in no mood to see her eldest sister on a blind date, squatting alone at the head of the stone bridge outside the fish bag and looking at the flowing river, tears fell drop by drop, rippling on the surface of the river, and the hemp duck thought it was the food that fell from the bank, and swam over with each other.

She doesn't blame her father, she is even blaming herself for the impulse just now, this great man has given her too much love, and at the age of 13, she has read more books than her sister and received less scolding than her sister. She didn't hate anyone, she just wanted to cry, and then go home, like many girls of the same age, mow the grass and beat pigweed, do laundry and housework, and then find a family and marry herself.

"Shufen, you listen to the old man......" Accountant Yang limped out of the school, "People don't necessarily have to study to be successful, you are a reasonable person, if you want to blame the old man for not getting ...... interest"

"Dad, it's okay, I don't want to read for a long time, it's not interesting to read," the second girl swallowed her tears into her stomach and looked at her thin father, "I'll go to Mr. Tian as soon as I can, I'm only halfway through this semester, I shouted to him to refund the tuition, at least refund us two yuan!" ”

Lao Yang moved his crutches, "Nonsense, this semester is over, don't you go to trouble Teacher Tian." Hurry back to school, it's all time in class! ”

"Oh," Xiao Shufen's tears finally didn't stop, "Then I'll go first, Dad!" She ran into the school gate crying, this time to thank her father for not immediately dropping her out of school.

Gradually, the light rain stopped.

"I will eat steamed rice at school after school at noon, don't go to the street to find your sister and them, lest the Xie family say that we are greedy and cheap!" Lao Yang watched the second child enter the school gate and wiped the corners of his eyes with a hand full of dry smoke. Then, with his wooden cane, he limped home.

Because, the market is too noisy, and there are two children waiting for the adults to come home!