The custom of Yuanshan Village, on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, the villagers have to go to each house. If any of the clans worships the ancestors and ancestors, everyone will have to kowtow.

Fang Xin would rather read at home than go out. Fang's mother pushed him out again and again. Fang Xinning said: "I don't understand these rules, so I won't go." Fang's mother said: "It's rude not to laugh at people." Besides, it's not good for you to just stay at home like this. ”

After graduating from primary school, he went to the town to study in junior high school, and later went to the county to study in high school, and went to the provincial capital to study in college. Maybe it's because the teacher is used to life within the school walls, and he doesn't like to travel from east to west. Helplessly, Fang's mother just pushed him, so he had to go out of the house and go to the pond of his second brother Fang Xincai to take a turn.

On the street, a few children who were tired of watching TV played together, singing the soon-to-be-lost nursery rhyme: "Children of all sizes come out to play, and beef buns are hungry for children." If you don't give me food, I won't play with you, I'll go to Beijing to find a big official. The senior official wears glasses and shoots your brother-in-law......"

While walking, he called Principal Cheng to pay New Year's greetings. Principal Cheng was not at home, and he heard from his wife that he had gone back to his hometown. Principal Cheng's hometown is less than 20 miles away from their home, and although they do not belong to the same township, the customs are almost the same. In this area, no matter how well you mix outside, in the days of the Spring Festival, you have to come back and kowtow to the tablets of your elders and ancestors, otherwise you will be laughed at by the village and scolded for forgetting your ancestors. If a person is far away and cannot come back, of course, it is a different matter, but the county seat is not among the "other places".

Fang Xinning sent New Year's messages to Ji Meiting, Pan Niangang, and Ji Hongfei.

Shao Yunzhe called, first said some New Year's greetings, and then asked about the transfer of students.

Fang Xinning said: "The junior high school student will take the high school entrance examination in a few months, and it will not be good for him to transfer to another school. ”

Shao Yunzhe was obviously a little anxious, and said: "I don't consult you now whether it is appropriate to transfer to another school, I only ask you if you can handle the transfer." "There is a rule in the school that each class cannot exceed the limit." Fang Xinning said. "Don't tell me any limit, I don't believe it's that hard to do something big." His voice was suddenly loud and unacceptable.

Fang Xinning was so noisy that he hurriedly took the phone away from his ear, and when he went to listen to it again, there was only the "beep" sound after hanging up.

Hey, he's not afraid of offending us at all. Fang Xinning was a little self-deprecating.

After a while, Shao Yunzhe called back and asked, "What is Teacher Ji from your school doing now?" Fang Xinning said: "How do I know? You can go over and see if their family is at Tailing Middle School. Shao Yunzhe said: "Forget it, you arrive at school one day early, and it is convenient for me to talk to you." Fang Xinning smiled—what do you want me to say? You can't remember me when you don't need me.

There are quite a few children playing in the pond, some skating, some smoking spinning tops, and a few children "fanning fish". The children's laughter was endless. In fact, the children who are most looking forward to the Spring Festival are children like them, who can throw down their schoolbags and play what they want without worrying about adults scolding. Of course, there is no need to think about any such and such cumbersome and redundant things.

At this moment, a man came running from afar, shouting and chasing after the children who were digging through the ice to catch fish. I saw that these children were also nimble, slipped on the ice, jumped ashore, and disappeared into the alley in a blink of an eye. The other children also went ashore and dispersed.

Panting came the second brother Fang Xincai. "It's you, big brother." He gasped. Fang Xinning asked: "Don't you catch fish here?" Fang Xincai said: "If you want them to catch it, it won't take a few days, and my pond will be empty." Fang Xinning said: "Then what about Weishenme still teaching my students to 'fan fish'?" Fang Xincai said, "They are guests." These children in our village, don't look at their age, their ability to catch fish is not small, let them go to catch them, and it's strange if you don't even lose my family. Fang Xinning asked with concern: "You can make a lot of money in a year, right?" Fang Xincai said: "It's okay, or there's nothing to do." Brother, is your school really an aristocratic school? Fang Xinning said: "Yes, it's called Taiyun School." Fang Xincai said: "You have to spend a lot of money a year, right?" When Anting grows up, I will definitely let him go to school with you. ”

Fang Xinning said her mother's envy of Xincai. Xincai said: "I only started to worry when I became a father, and I had to think about saving money for him every day, how easy it was when I didn't have him." He asked Fang Xinning to find him a place to work in the county, saying that it was best to go to Boss Zhang's restaurant. Fang Xinning explained that she could not ask her parents to do things. Fang Xincai still begged, saying that he was not afraid of hardship, as long as he could make money. Fang Xinning looked at his eagerness, so he had to agree first.

Fang Xinning said goodbye to Fang Xincai, and walked back, and just arrived at the corner of the street, he happened to meet Wang Jingzhi. She also seemed to be taken aback by his sudden appearance, and said, "Brother Xinning...... I went to your house just now...... Did you go to the door? ”

"Oh, I walked around the pond." Fang Xinning replied.

"Brother Xinning, in the city, which one do you eat more pancakes, steamed buns, and rice?" She asked again.

"Of course, there are more steamed buns."

"Oh, Brother Xinning, are you going to sit at my house?"

"Wait until you have time...... I...... Go home first. ”

Fang Xinning knew that the second aunt helped her to propose her marriage, so she felt a little embarrassed to face it, and returned home as if she was running away.

Xincai's daughter-in-law was holding the child and talking to Fang's mother. The stove is thriving, and it is Fang's mother who is afraid of freezing the little guy.

Seeing Fang Xinning coming back, Xincai's daughter-in-law pulled away the small quilt layer by layer, revealing a red and tender little face. This is Anting.

"Let the uncle see, touch the uncle's joy, grow up, let's go to work in the county." Xincai's daughter-in-law said.

An Ting stared at Fang Xinning with a pair of small round and bright eyes. This little person, he shouldn't have any thoughts, why are his eyes so deep when he looks at people? Looking at Fang Xinning, his heart was empty.

For several days in a row, Fang Xinning hid in the back room alone to read, and even finished preparing for the new semester. Someone came to pay New Year's greetings to Fang's mother, but he didn't come out. In the off-season, the people in the village have a saying, a croaking, unconsciously it is a small half a day.

When he was a child, Fang Xinning also looked forward to the New Year every day, hoping that he could eat what he couldn't usually eat and play what he wasn't usually allowed to play. But as he grew older, he became more and more annoyed with the New Year, the endless entertainment, and the unstoppable flow of time.