April 21, 1974 was an ordinary day.

There was a shower last night, and this morning's air is like a stream of fresh water waking up from a deep dream, completely visible and tangible, fresh and pleasant. At about seven o'clock, the rising sun painted the doors and windows with gold, and the two swallows that had come out early to feed had already pecked insects to feed the newborn chicks.

There is a little boy in a set of sky blue sportswear, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, fair skin, and a pair of delicate gold-wire glasses on the high bridge of his nose.

After cleaning the courtyard of his house, the little boy was putting the broom back to the base of the wall of the three old houses, and the sound of the swallow made him unconsciously look up at the bird's nest at the hanging tower. The swallow's nest is like a half-gourd cut vertically, the sac is large and the mouth is small, firmly glued to the bottom of the hanging tower, it is a pair of loving swallow couples with small mouths again and again to bring black mud to pile up, although the appearance is not as delicate as the beehive, but it can also be called a rough work of art.

The hatchlings had just hatched two days before, and they were not yet able to climb to the mouth of the nest for people to see, but they could tell that they were two of them by listening to the murmuring of the birds. Viewers don't need to climb a ladder to imagine that they are like two obedient children, honestly staying in the hotbed of their parents with fine grass and feathers, imagining the blue sky, white clouds and sunshine outside the nest. At this time, the swallow mother flew to the front of the nest with a small insect in her mouth, and her wings suddenly retracted, quickly and accurately drilled into the nest, and then the two swallow babies "babbled" and argued, probably in a fair taste of the food, the mother worked hard to find the food; Father Yan stood on the nearby pole with his head held high, and waited proudly with a fresh insect in his mouth, showing the humility and generosity of the head of the family.

The pair of Yanni, who have been with each other every day, are new to settle in this year, and they get along very well with the old residents in the middle of the hanging tower, they often fly to each other's nests to communicate freely, and often fly into the sky together to enjoy the fun of flying when the rain is clear or in the evening. This is their first parents, this happiness that cannot be described in words, I wonder if it is the same as human beings?

The little boy was fascinated by his thoughts, and his uncle and uncle walked towards the courtyard together. There were still a few steps away, so the uncle smiled and greeted first: "Good nephew, look at the swallow feeding the boys, so interested!" Without waiting for the little boy to reply, the second uncle opened his mouth again: "Hailiu, is Uncle Yu back?" Are the candles, bottles of wine, and 17 strings of firecrackers ready? The little boy was confused, but he still told the two elders truthfully that his father had not returned and that he did not know what he needed to prepare. The uncle immediately smiled and said dissatisfiedly, "Haven't come back yet?" What a name! The second uncle immediately chimed in and shouted, "What's the matter? Gu Yu will not go to the grave again, I am afraid that the whole village will laugh at us, and we lack reverence for the ancestors! ”

A child is a child after all, and speaking is straighter than drawing a line with a ruler "Will it be so serious?" Didn't you say that it is the same to go to the grave on any day of this month of Qingming? "Of course, no matter how upright the person is, he will not forget to invite the elders into the house to rest, and comfort them, maybe when the father will return. The eldest uncle said that there was something at home, and he would come to ask for peace later, but the second uncle said wildly: "No need." Anyway, my uncle and I are full old farmers, so I don't feel embarrassed and embarrassed, my uncle is a knowledgeable and educated family, and face is the most important! ”

Coincidentally, when the eldest and second uncles were unscrupulous and vomited, the boy's father, Ge Daren, came back panting with a large bag and a small bag, because of the song Hailiu, I, was leaning sideways, and the eldest and second uncles were facing away from the door, and no one was found. As the saying goes, "hearing is false, seeing is believing", my father saw and heard both at this time, although he didn't want to believe that the scene in front of him was undeniably true, but he was still angry enough. However, he stood in the courtyard for a long time without feeling good before he coldly threw out his words: "You two are really comfortable, admire, admire!" ”

The eldest and second uncle hurriedly turned around and were stunned. As soon as I heard my father's tone, it was difficult for me to come forward to greet me or withdraw from it, and I felt that it was in the way of standing in the same place. The father first asked, "What's wrong with being an old farmer?" Then he began to count: "You can earn centimeters in the production team, and you can dig out supplies on your own land, even if you don't get rich, you can be regarded as a propertied class, how can you be like my father-in-law, 'stinky \ Lao Jiu', except for a son who has a few pieces of broken tiles that were picked up when the family was split ten years ago, what else?!" ”

The face of the eldest and second uncle became very unnatural, and the father continued without turning a blind eye: "Do you really not know, or do you not know? Siyuan Middle School has only been in operation for more than a month, and for this project to benefit thousands of local families in this township, I signed a 'military order' in the county, and I must ensure that the first batch of new students will be officially accepted on September 1 this year. ”

The eldest uncle and the second uncle seemed to realize something, and they both showed shocked expressions.

"I have to admit it," my father took a deep breath, the light from his eyes seemed to penetrate the thick lenses at once, and his voice increased: "I really don't have the ability of Monkey King to conjure up three heads and six arms, and I can grasp both public and private affairs at the same time." It is true that understanding requires enlightenment, but it cannot always be the case every year, and the brothers do not buy back the heart of filial piety, but would rather wait for a long time. If you are really afraid of being ridiculed, dig a pit in the back garden ditch and hide first, the public family has walked 20 miles since 5 o'clock in the morning, and so far they haven't even touched their lips! ”

Uncle stuck out his tongue at me, and then smiled with a smile on his face and comforted the public family who had contributed and spent money: "Uncle Mi has worked hard, and I have offended us very much, we are useless and useless." My second brother and I immediately took the things over and processed them, and my brother rested first, and then we came to invite you to the mountains to be fresh and fresh. The second uncle understood very well, and immediately walked respectfully to his father, took five or six heavy bags of large and small bags into his hand, and turned around and greeted cordially: "Hailiu, my tea over there is ready, you go over and pour a cup to quench Daddy's thirst." The father did not speak, but walked into the house with his hands behind his back and weary.

After entering the house, my father first went to the kitchen to wash his face with the hot water boiling on the fire, lit a cigarette, and then went into the study, sat down at the mahogany desk, which is said to have been used for generations, and checked my homework for half a month. I stood respectfully on my father's right side to avoid inhaling the choking smell of tobacco that I did not dare to anger or speak, while the fawn was pounding in my chest, fearing that something would go wrong and be reprimanded.

My father looked at them page by page, and I waited for a minute and a second, and after waiting for a long time, I peeked at the changes in my father's expression from time to time, but it was difficult to notice on his serious face. This moment is the most test of patience and toughness, if you have not been honed on the battlefield for a long time, you will be dizzy because time seems to freeze, and you will collapse because of the constant sweat of the two small palms of the clenched hands. Three quarters of an hour and a class were enough for me to climb from the hundred-year-old house that had gone through the wind and rain to the top of the hill diagonally opposite the door, pluck two tender fragrant hemp with spinning tops and run back to the big dragon claw tree in the courtyard to sip a cup of melon seeds. ”

There were no mistakes in the operation, and I was happier than enjoying a large crucian carp weighing half a catty. Eating fish is stuck in the throat by fish bones, and a small cup of sour vinegar can soften it, and my father's slash-like precepts, although the scale is only slightly higher than the lower octave, it is deeply rooted in the bottom of the mind, and it is difficult for people to clear it for a lifetime.

My father's requirements for me to speak, do and write my homework were almost demanding—they had to be coherent, accurate, and brain-clear; Do things with confidence, with plenty of time to think, with the fastest speed, the most urgent and urgent things should be given priority; Homework must be completed on time, must be written in a standardized format, mistakes must be corrected, and so on. But fortunately, although my father's requirements were strict and detailed, they could be remembered by him as soon as he said them: before going to school, we must check and confirm that the stationery and books are ready, otherwise it is like a woodcutter who goes up the mountain to fetch firewood without sharpening his sickle, and after working hard for a long time, he will gain little; Practice calligraphy, don't turn the page to write before the handwriting is dry, otherwise it will be like smearing the ashes on the white face, and even you will feel ugly; The value of a book is not only whether it has been read, but when you read it again, it is still intact.