In the blink of an eye, it was Chinese New Year's Eve, which was the first Spring Festival that Chen Xuejiao came to this world.

No matter how the time and years change, the New Year is the most lively, grandest and most festive festival in any era.

The snow fell fine and dense overnight, and the entire Maoshan Village was white. The cold days could not stop the festivities of the New Year, and the whole village began to crack when the rooster crowed.

Chen Qi'an got up early, and when the first firecracker in the village sounded, he lit his own firecracker. Chen Xuejiao was awakened, quickly put on a honey-colored waist-cinching jacket, and wore a thick sweater outside, wanting to rush into the yard. It was still early, and the rich black around was dissipated by the cold silver light of the snow, and when she stepped out of the door of the north wing, the sound of firecrackers had just fallen, and the snow was full of red confetti, exuding a strong smell of gunpowder.

"Why don't you wait for me when my brother sets off firecrackers?" Chen Xuejiao put on a rabbit ear hat and swept the balls hanging from both ears to her chest.

Yesterday I said that when she woke up and was setting off firecrackers, she would light the fire herself.

"I can't bear to wake you up, seeing that you're still sleeping." Chen Qi'an untied the rope hanging on the bamboo pole to tie the firecrackers, and raised a burst of snow beads, "Firecrackers will be set off tonight and tomorrow morning, and there will be a time for you to light the fire." ”

Chen Qiping heard the sound of firecrackers and also got up. He wore a bright red jacket embroidered with a carp jumping over the dragon gate, an orange-red tiger head hat, and a pair of tiger head cotton shoes.

Without saying hello to his brother and sister, Qi Ping rushed into a pile of confetti from the firecrackers, squatting down to pick up the dead firecrackers that were not there. He was dressed thickly, squatted in a hurry, and accidentally sat in the snow, which was more like a fat doll on the New Year's painting, making Xue Jiao laugh. Hurriedly reached out and pulled him out of the snow.

Immediately after that, there was another thunderclap, and Chen Zifu got up and set off a firecracker, and the big egg standing next to him looked up excitedly at the sparks.

Big Egg rarely wore a new blue cloth jacket. The fine stitches on the edge of the lock looked like they were sewn by Lee.

Chen Qiping cheered and picked up the unburning cannon with the big egg.

Chen Qi'an put the bamboo pole in the corner of the vegetable garden in the yard, returned to the house, held the book in his hand, and read the sound while holding his hands frozen in the yard.

Since the last time he met Chen Qilin in the courtyard and chatted with each other, he has studied harder and harder. Every day when the rooster crows, he gets up to read, and his voice carries the crispness of a young adult. Read the book beautifully. Standing outside the courtyard in plain clothes, holding a book in his hand, with sword eyebrows and starry eyes. The concentration is abnormal, and it has become a scenery in the early morning of Maoshan Village. There are often bold village girls who look at him a few times with dead eyes when they are checking firewood in the early morning. Occasionally, Chen Qi'an raised his head from the book and accidentally touched the eyes that looked at him, but he didn't care. was once seen by Chen Xuejiao and lamented that his brother was a young man who didn't understand the amorous feelings.

Chinese New Year's Eve is still studying, and my brother is inevitably working too hard.

"Brother. Let's rest these days of the New Year, and work hard is not at this time. Chen Xuejiao felt sorry for her brother.

"That being said, if you don't read a book, you will be rusty." Chen Qi'an didn't raise his head, his eyes were glued to the book.

Chen Xuejiao couldn't convince her brother, so she went to the North Wing, and Li happened to be dressing.

At this time, the sky was just turning white. By a faint white light. Li put on a bright red jacket and combed his hair, holding a boxwood comb in his hand and carefully combing his hair through. Lee's green silk is jet-black and slippery. In previous years, he was busy in the pot house all the year round, always wrapped in an earthy yellow veil, and even when it came to the New Year, the veil was not removed. After the separation, he often combed his hair in a bun and looked refreshed. Li smeared osmanthus oil, re-grated, put on an oily black bun, and took out a plain silver five-petal plum blossom from the dresser and inserted it on his head.

It's the Chinese New Year, and the Li family is also dressed up, and in previous years, nothing was inserted on the head.

Chen Xuejiao looked at it for a while and smiled: "Mother, why don't you wear that golden-winged forsythia hairpin?" ”

Li Shi didn't answer, but looked at Xue Jiao carefully, and found that her face was not washed, her hair was not combed, and she was wearing a honey-colored jacket, which was too plain, and frowned: "Why don't you wear that red jacket, under the New Year, you should wear red to celebrate." ”

"I just went out to watch my brother set off firecrackers, so I casually pulled my jacket and put it on, and turned around to change it." Chen Xuejiao walked over, picked up the hot water bottle, poured it into the porcelain basin, mixed half a scoop of cold water, and tested the water temperature with her hands, "Mother, the washing water has been prepared for you." ”

Li Shi washed his face, wiped his teeth with green salt, and pulled Chen Xuejiao to wash his face.

Li Shi sat down in front of the dresser again, thought about it, replaced the silver hairpin on his head with gold, and sighed: "Gu Gongzi is a nostalgic person, but he stayed in our house for one night and ate a few meals, and he sent fabrics and jewelry in the next year. ”

A few years ago, Gu Gongzi brought a New Year's gift from Jingshi, and everyone in the Chen family had it, and even Mrs. Chen, Old Man Chen, also got two pieces of cloth.

Each of the ladies of the Chen family has a hairpin, Zhao's, Zhang's, Cai's and others are all ordinary and common red gold plum hairpins, and Li's has a pair of shrimp bracelets in addition to the red gold plum hairpins. Chen Xuejiao's hairpin is different from other girls, the front end of the thin hairpin is inlaid with white snowflakes, round and transparent, delicate texture, like clotted fat, and the end is elegant and dusty.

"My mother is so beautiful when she dresses up!" Chen Xuejiao held up the bronze mirror on the table in front of Li, and opened a delicate rouge box, "It will look better if you rub rouge." ”

Li glanced at the mirror, since marrying into the Chen family, he has never painted red and powder, and glanced at Chen Xuejiao obliquely: "You will make fun of your mother." ”

Saying this, the corners of the eyebrows and eyes sparkled, and the joy that could not be concealed appeared in the corners of the eyes. Chen Xuejiao found more than once that the Li family was more beautiful than several aunts, with a goose egg face, big eyes, and long eyebrows into the sideburns.

Chen Xuejiao giggled and insisted on putting the rouge gouache in front of Li. Anyway, after the Chinese New Year, Li's face was slightly red, he put on rouge gouache, and looked in the mirror again.

The sky outside was already bright, and Chen Xiucai walked out of the inner study and saw his wife who had been with him for more than ten years. Dressed in bright red clothes, with a golden hairpin on his head, thin gold tassels hanging down and swaying on his eyebrows. The face is red and white is white. Chen Xiucai was slightly stunned, as if he had returned to the shy face of the newlywed who had just lifted his hijab.

Li saw Chen Xiucai's eyes flashing with sparks, and pulled the corners of his mouth unnaturally, and his face turned even redder.

Chen Xuejiao saw her father's and mother's flirtatious looks, and ran into the ear room with a cigarette. Li Shi reacted and shouted behind him: "Put on that big red cotton jacket." ”

I entered the inner transept. Xue Ru and Jing Hao were freshening up, and they were all wearing bright red cotton jackets. After the New Year, Xue Ru is fourteen years old, and Jing Hao is one year younger than her. In the eyes of outsiders at home, she is already a big girl. The two of them are usually not interested in rouge gouache, but now they are different, in order to celebrate the New Year, they lightly swept a layer of powder on their faces, wiped a thin layer of rouge, and their eyebrows do not have to be modified long and thick. In this way, both of them have grown. With a thin waist, bulging chests, and a natural shyness on her face, she already has the charm of a girl.

The hair is finely divided into four strands, twisted and twisted to twist the hairpan and coiled on both sides of the top of the head. Insert a shiny gilded hairpin. The golden flowers and leaves suddenly reflected the whole room with joy.

Jing is skillful, and she is going to dress her up according to the dragon girl in the painting. In her heart, Chen Xuejiao is still a little girl. Xue Ru put on a big red jacket for her, her hair was gathered into two snails, and she wore a lilac-like beaded flower on one side. The mutton fat hosta, Xue Jiao felt that it was too grand, and it was not inserted in her hair.

The three girls, all wearing bright red jackets and trousers, came out and lost the color of the snow.

Everyone in the upper room got up, and the first thing to do on Chinese New Year's Eve was to worship the ancestors.

On the black table of the eight immortals in the upper room, there are whole chickens, whole fish, whole ducks, osmanthus cakes, lucky orange cakes, rice candy, apples, oranges, pears, and a whole pig's head in the middle, and red paper strips are pasted on the left and right sides, and two pillars of incense are burned.

The names of the deceased ancestors are written on the tablet above, a team of men, a team of women, and the old man Chen and Mrs. Chen take the lead, kneeling and kowtowing together.

Suddenly, Chen Xuejiao's eyes fell on Chen Liu's tablet, knowing that it was the tablet of her grandmother in front of her.

After kowtowing three times in the past, the ancestor worship is completed.

Unexpectedly, this year, Old Man Chen suddenly spoke, asking all his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and grandchildren to kneel down and worship Liu's together, Mrs. Chen's angry face turned into a pig's liver color, and she didn't dare to make a mistake in front of the ancestral tablet, and her teeth were rattling.

Old Man Chen's tone was undoubted, and under the leadership of Chen Zichang, everyone kowtowed to Liu separately again.

Mrs. Chen saw her three sons kneeling down and kowtowing to Liu's tablet, and almost spit out Liu's tablet with a mouthful of thick phlegm. What does this kneeling symbolize, she has become the concubine behind the Liu family, and where is her face resting. Mrs. Chen almost fainted, and lived in the Chen family for most of her life, giving birth to children and taking care of housework, and a lot of grandchildren, but she couldn't compare to the one who died.

With a glance of his eyes, he saw several children in Dafang, together with Jing Hao, their eyes were exactly the same, watery and fresh, and they looked straight into people's hearts. The three children from the Liu family in front of him all have such eyes, and they have no resemblance to Old Man Chen's eyes, and they must have followed the dead ghost.

This year, let her son and daughter-in-law kowtow to the dead ghost, and next year it will be her turn to salute her. Mrs. Chen didn't feel cold, and after worshipping, she tore off the hairpin on her head and ran into the room with her hair scattered.

Zhao looked at Xue Yao and Chen Qilin, and the three of them were dissatisfied in their eyes. Why do you want to kowtow to the dead Liu, this time, it has established the status of the big house, where will they put this house in the future.

The upper room retreated, and Chen Xiucai took his wife and daughter to salute his mother's tablet again.

As early as a few days ago, Old Man Chen proposed two rooms to spend Chinese New Year's Eve together, a large family had a reunion dinner, but Chen Xiucai politely refused, seeing his father's disappointed eyes, Chen Xiucai took a step back and chose to reunite with the upper room on the first day of the new year.

At this time, everyone in the upper room breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately they had a reunion dinner at home today, otherwise they would have thought about Ansheng for a good year, not to mention that there was an accident to worship Liu's family today.

Exiting from the upper room, Chen Xueyao and Chen Xuemiao, brothers and sisters, stared at Xue Jiao, Xue Ru, and Xue Miao non-stop. Especially Xue Miao, who is not good at concealment, her eyes are presumptuous and hesitant, with surprise and disdain, the girl in the upper room who has always been trampled under her feet actually wore new clothes, dressed brightly and compared with her. It's just quiet, the appearance has always followed the aunt, and it looks good when she is young, but Xueru is different, she has always had her hair Sheila, her face is yellow, her eyes are dodgy, and she has changed into new clothes today, and she has changed into a person, and she is like a plum blossom standing in the snow.

Xue Yao and Xue Miao were dressed up a little brighter than usual. Xue Yao is still dressed up as a noble family in the city, and she is not too cold, wearing a white smoke cage plum blossom baishui skirt, covered with a moon satin embroidered magnolia butterfly coat, lined with a pale pink brocade jacket, the cuffs are embroidered with delicate gold-patterned butterflies, a few lace lace are hooked on the chest placket, the skirt is as thin as a mist cage silk yarn, and the waist is tied with a plum blossom belt, which is extravagant and looks slender, with a gold collar hanging in front of the neck, a pair of silver butterfly earrings hanging from the ears, and a pearl hairpin to hold the black hair, coiled into a delicate willow hairpin. Dai's eyebrows shrugged into her sideburns, her mouth was covered with red and bright rouge, and the whole person was a little charming.

Different from Xue Yao's elegance and charm, Xue Miao is dressed in a pale pink cotton coat, with white lace embroidered on the cuffs, two layers of milky white gauze collars stacked on the front of the neck, complex and delicate, and a pure white silk satin tied at the waist. He wears a Hetian jade bracelet on his wrist, white and transparent. There is a pair of amber earrings next to the ear, crystal clear. At first glance, it was Xue Yao's clothes, Xue Miao herself was black, wearing this dress, accompanied by a piece of red rouge on her cheeks, which was indescribably rustic.

Xue Miao thought she was very beautiful, and the jasper bracelet in her hand snorted towards Xue Jiao and Xue Ru, her eyes full of contempt.

Xue Wa covered her sleeves and smiled: "Sister Xue Miao's dress is really beautiful." ”

Xue Miao raised her head, her face full of triumph.

Xuewa then smiled and bent her beautiful eyes: "It's just that Sister Xue Miao has a dark complexion, and she looks a few years older when she wears it." ”

Xue Miaoxian was still proud, and when she heard this, her face was brushed down.

added another sentence: "Sister Xueru and her cousin have white skin, they look good in anything, this big red jacket, I see that people are dressed like a villager, and my sister has worn a city person." ”

Xuewa still resents Xue Miao, her clothes were repaired with colorful silk threads, and her eyes were red and driven out, and the rotten place was covered with plum blossoms, which looked better than before. She is wearing this re-repaired jacket today, demonstrating against Xue Miao.

The angry Xue Miao was about to go up to fight the snow baby, but was stopped by Xue Yao Shengsheng. Xue Yao was also angry in her heart, scolding Xue Wa in her heart, she didn't know what to do, she turned her elbow outward, and she was bent on outsiders, and she knelt down to the grandmother in the big house just now, and she didn't see her panic.

……

Mrs. Chen was aggrieved and panicked, full of bad taste, just now in front of the ancestral tablet was not good to have a seizure, but when she arrived at her own boundary in the upper room, she began to have a seizure, smashing plates and bowls.

After scolding Old Man Chen and scolding his sons, he kept saying: "To die, my elbow turned out, in vain I worked hard to give birth to a king and eight calves, the tablet is so easy to kneel, one by one to see the king of heaven Lao Tzu, got chondrosis"

There was a hint of choking in his voice: "...... You just divorced me, you old immortal, you hide the one in front of you in your heart, you just take a rope and strangle me. I've been boiling oil in Chen's house for so many years, and I can't catch up with a dead man."

is obviously scolding Old Man Chen.

Zhao stood beside him and whispered persuasion, and Mrs. Chen cried loudly, feeling that the second daughter-in-law was still intimate, and opened her mouth to scold the third and fourth children. (To be continued)