On the third day of the New Year's Day, it was the twenty-fifth day of the twenty-first lunar month of Dading, the day of the year to sweep the dust and paste the windows, San Lang and Shiro first removed all the window paper from the house, and then smeared the paste and pasted the new window paper.

Da Lang and Erlang replaced the ceiling in Situ Yan's house with a newly woven straw mat, and then cleaned the house inside and out, and even the clean room, kitchen, and livestock shed were not left behind. He also mended the thatch on the roof.

These heavy physical work, where were the four brothers willing to let Situ Yan interfere, and directly drove her to the backyard to be with the snow wolf.

After entering the wax moon, the animals in the mountains seem to be collectively hiding and hibernating, the snow wolf will come back hungry every once in a while, and today there is nothing to hunt, Situ Yan took out a chicken that had been stored before, ate nearly three catties of meat, and fed some cakes made of bud flour, which fed the snow wolf.

Situ Yan accompanied the well-fed snow wolf to play in the backyard, and when she heard Da Lang calling her, she hurriedly ran back to the front yard, and as soon as she entered the hall, she saw the dog squatting by the wall with a bitter face.

"Brother Dog, what's wrong? Get up and sit on the kang head. ”

When the dog heard Situ Yan's voice, he became even more excited, covering his face with his hands and crying. Situ Yan, who was crying, didn't know how to comfort her for a while, so she pulled Li Dalang to the side, "Big brother, what's wrong with Brother Dog?" ”

"The fourth grandfather 'turned over', the dog is so sad."

"Ah, when did this happen?"

I didn't have time to ask. The dog hadn't spoken much since he entered the door. ”

After understanding the situation, Situ Yan also knew how to persuade, "Brother Gouzi, don't be sad, the fourth grandfather will be sad when he sees it in the sky, not to mention that there must be a lot of things at home, you will become an adult after the New Year, there must be something busy at home at the moment, you are sad here, who can help your aunt at home, this family will all point to you in the future." ”

Situ Yan's words made the dog think of his mother who had fainted from crying, and hurriedly got up and ran home. Situ Yan left a few Dalang at home, and she went to Li Si's house to help.

"Girl, how can this keep you busy, go home quickly, my aunt is okay here." The fourth aunt was lying on the kang with a cloth towel around her head, and she could see that she was overly sad and fainted before waking up.

"My aunt is sick, and she is polite to me, I can't do the physical work of building a spiritual shed, but it's still no problem to run errands and make some food. Auntie rest first, if I can't do it, come and call aunt again. Situ Yan spoke a few words with the fourth aunt, relieved, and then went to the yard to help.

When Li Zhaocai died, Situ Yan did not go to Li Daniu's house to help, because the deceased had nothing to do with her, but Li Si's family was close to her after all, so she has been busy since she built the spirit shed. It's also time for the four grandfathers to die, this Li Si's family has just earned some money, and Li Si is a filial piety, so he doesn't want to make his father's funeral too shabby.

When Situ Yan went, Li Si's family had already changed into filial piety clothes, and Li Si was using a bucket to draw water, and took a few copper coins and put them in the bucket, commonly known as "buying water". The water bought back is bathed for the "passerby", commonly known as "wiping three times", and then the person is "put into the coffin".

The dog also came back from "mourning" at this time, helped Li Si and his second uncle build a mourning hall, and lit an oil lamp on the offering table, commonly known as "lighting the brain".

Situ Yan saw that she was not needed here, so she went into the stove room to cook for Li Si's family, but she was worried about the lid of the grain tank, although the Li Si family made some money, but they still saved a lot in food, and there was only more than a pound of black noodles in the grain tank. "It's really a coincidence, and it's hard for a daughter-in-law to cook without rice." Situ Yan laughed at herself, thought about it, and planned to go home to get some ingredients.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he saw Li Si's younger siblings walk in, "What are you doing at my house?" You shameless person who comes to steal things while other people are doing funerals. His eldest brother, come and see the family, the little five of the Da Lang family came to my house to steal things. ”

Her shout made Situ Yan speechless for a while, and she had to explain to this kind of person, and when she called Li Si and Li Si's younger brother, Li Si was so angry that she scolded people, "Brother and sister, what are you shouting about, don't look at what time this is, don't say that Xiao Wu is here to help, that is, to eat, I also provide it." If you don't work, you will roll me back to the house, and you will not be embarrassed here. ”

"Why should you let me provide for her? She counted which onion and which garlic. ”

"Say less!" Li Si's second brother also served in the army, and of course he knew about Situ Yan. And these days, his sister-in-law is busy all day long and has money to give his father medicine, he has long been suspicious in his heart, and now listening to the meaning of his eldest brother's words, their family can eat now must be related to the little five sons of the Dalang family. How could he still let his daughter-in-law mess around.

"Why don't you let me say it, she dares to do it, I dare to say it. I still don't believe there is a place in this village to justify it. ”

"Enough, you can get out of this house if you don't like to stay." Li Si was already sad and uncomfortable, how could he stand this anger. What's more, this younger brother and sister is still the great benefactor of his family, and now that his father is gone, he can have a thin coffin and make a white mat, all because of Situ Yan, how can he be fooled by his unobtrusive younger brother and sister.

"Hey, Daddy, you see, your eldest son is about to kick us out of the house with your front foot. Daddy, you can look carefully in the sky, you have to call the shots for us! ”

"Enough!" Situ Yan really couldn't stand it anymore, and shouted out directly, "Which eye did you see that I stole something, I didn't take it, I didn't mention it, I didn't even have a basket on my body, what are you shouting about." ”

Situ Yan didn't give this person a chance to grab the white, and then said, "I came because the fourth aunt fainted from being too sad, and there was no one at home who was even cooking on the fire, so I came to help." If you can shout so much, you can do it, and I still have to suffer from that tiredness. ”

"Fourth uncle, I'll go and put incense on the fourth grandfather, I'll go back, if there's anything at home, you can greet me again."

"Xiao Wu, I have wronged you, and it is I, the uncle, who can't stand you."

"What did Uncle say, 'The one who passes is the greatest', everything is for the sake of the fourth grandfather, and I won't remember it. You just have to be busy, you don't have to say hello. Situ Yan walked out of the stove room in a few steps, and didn't even glance at Li Si's younger siblings.

I went straight home with incense. Seeing Situ Yan away, Li Si called his younger brother and sister into his room and helped his daughter-in-law sit up.

"Second brother, what has the eldest brother been doing to you, you know it in your heart, now that your father is gone, your sister-in-law is sick on the kang, and someone from the family is helping to work, and you let your daughter-in-law run away angrily. I kept the ugly words in my head, and when my father's business was done, we split up. Dad has taken medicine for all these years, and he hasn't used any of your money, and his family hasn't saved anything except this house. I will give you the west chamber, and then I will circle a courtyard for you, and you will live by yourself in the future. ”

"Why let us live in the west wing, why don't you take out the main house and the east wing?" Li Si's younger siblings were willing to do so, so they shouted first with their necks crossed their waists.

"If you want to live in the main house, the second child will do the aftermath of the father's death, and you will also pay for the banquet guests. Our family moved to the West Chamber. Li Si had long wanted to separate from this second brother, if it weren't for his father, he wouldn't have endured it until now, now that his father is gone, he has nothing to worry about.

"You bully people, I will find the village to go with courtesy." Li Si's younger siblings pulled their husbands and were about to go to Muramasa.

"If you want to go, hurry up and see if Muramasa will speak for you." The fourth aunt also understood at this time, and angrily pointed at her younger siblings and yelled.

"Mother, don't be angry." The dog looked at her girlish face and turned red, glared at his second aunt, and helped his mother to help Shunqi.

"Enough, you are a mother-in-law, what are you talking about, just listen to the eldest brother, but eldest brother, my father also contributed to this matter, and I have to take it out and divide the funeral given by others." Hearing his own brother say this, Li Si was completely chilled.

"Okay, just according to what you say, you take care of your daughter-in-law, if you make a fuss in front of your father, don't blame me for turning my face with you." Li Si let go and kicked the person out of the house.

"Is it the one who is in charge of the house that has made Xiao Wu feel wronged? Hurry up and see, we can't do that ungrateful thing. ”

"You have a good rest, you don't have to worry about these things, that girl understands in her heart, and she doesn't feel at ease at all." The two were talking, when they heard Li Dalang's voice ringing outside the door, Li Si hurriedly got up and welcomed the person into the house, "Dalang, why are you here?" ”

"When Xiao Wu went home, he said that his aunt was sick, and he was afraid that his uncle and aunt would be too sad, so he didn't care about his own body, so he asked me to bring some cakes and pickles."

"Da Lang, I can't help you, I just let Xiao Wu be wronged. Na Cheng thought that this little five still thought that we didn't eat. I don't have a taste in my heart. ”

"Fourth uncle, don't say that, Xiao Wu said it, she didn't feel at ease." In fact, when the little sister went home, she told the four brothers what happened here, and she was so angry that Erlang was about to beat people with a stick at that time, but the little sister persuaded her to go back. He is also angry in his heart at this time, but this anger is not directed at the fourth uncle.

"Da Lang, you go back and tell Xiao Wu, my aunt has it in mind." The fourth aunt wiped her tears while pulling Da Lang's arm.

"Auntie, don't hurt yourself by crying, I'll go back first. There's something going on at home. Li Si sent Li Dalang out of the yard, and then returned to the house.

"Daughter-in-law, eat quickly, the cakes made by Xiao Wu are delicious. The dog came over, ate some too, and after eating, he went to "keep filial piety" for your father. The three of them had dinner, and the people from the village who came to "hang the sacrifice" came one after another. Li Si's family all knelt in front of the mourning hall and had always come to pay tribute to the person "Xie Xiao", Li Si's family of three was full, but his second brother and younger siblings were still hungry, and after kneeling for a while, his younger siblings couldn't stand it anymore and found an excuse to go back to their house. Because of this, it made many people in the village laugh at it later.

Because it was just in time for the New Year, it only stopped for three days, and the funeral was held on the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month. Situ Yan went over early in the morning that day and helped the fourth aunt make a "funeral dinner". It's just a stewed dish, and the people who come have a cake, which can be regarded as shabby enough in this village.

The day after the funeral, the Li Si family split up, and Situ Yan listened to the dog that day, but she was relieved, these four uncles and four aunts were able to survive.