In the middle of spring, the fragrance has arrived, the willows spit green, the warm spring breeze blows the endless farmland, the spring rain sometimes floats to the earth like the willow silk on the face to moisten the field, at noon, occasionally one or two cicadas can be heard. Moistened by the spring rains, the seedlings in the fields have grown more than a foot tall. This is certainly a good time for those who go out to enjoy spring. This is the most difficult time for the croppers who are digging in the soil, and there is a word called green and yellow at this time. Xiao Zheng sometimes came back from the field, and he would also see a few peasant women digging wild vegetables in the field, and the village would often see one or two peasant women taking advantage of the evening night to walk with a bowl to borrow some corn from a neighborly family.

Du Zhaoyuan's family has the financial support of Xiao's mother and son, although there are two more people in the family, they are not rich in food and clothing, but they are also food and clothing. The countrymen were already a little snobbish, and they didn't have to worry about eating and drinking at Du Zhaoyuan's house, and there were two or three more people who came to borrow rice than other families. Although Du Shi is sour, she still knows that she has made some face in the village, and when she saw someone coming to the door with a bowl to borrow rice, her voice raised a few points between words, and the bowl used to hold rice shook and shook in her hand, and she couldn't wait to shake a few more grains of rice out and fall back into her own tank.

The peasant woman who borrowed rice had to smile on her face in order to survive with a stutter, but she scolded Du Shi to death in her heart.

Xiao Zheng's mother and son came to their parents' house for more than a month, and after eating in the afternoon, Du Shi said to Xiao's mother: "Sister, thanks to the hairpin you sold some copper money for rice last time, the children did not starve during this time, our family wants to thank you a lot, but you also saw that Zheng'er and the dog are eating strong meals, especially Zheng'er's body is just right, and he needs to eat something good, but you see that your brother can't do anything but farm work, and this family depends on me alone inside and out." Thanks to your mother and son, let our family have a full meal, if you don't come, our family will be hungry. Our family of six will eat two crockpots of rice for a while, and the three children will eat again, and the amount of food will rise again, you see if the girl can use your money, let's get through this spring first."

Xiao's mother replied: "If your sister-in-law has something, you can just speak, and our own family will not speak two words." As he spoke, he got up and went back to his room, and after a while, he took a silver bracelet as thick as a little finger and handed it to Du Shi and said, "If my sister-in-law uses this bracelet as money to buy rice, it should be enough for our family to spend this spring comfortably." After Du Shi saw this silver bracelet, the greed in his eyes flashed, and he hurriedly took it and gestured on his wrist, but it was not suitable, so he put it down again, and Xiu'er, who was sitting next to Xiao's mother, didn't care so much, and after snatching it from Du Shi's hand, he put it directly on his wrist and didn't take it off. Seeing that he was rich, Du complimented Xiao's mother and said: "My sister lives in a big family, this has been doing things for a long time, it is much better than your stupid brother, this silver bracelet is worth a lot of money, and this is enough for our family to eat and drink, then I will thank my sister." Saying that, he turned his head, regardless of Xiu'er's resistance, took the silver bracelet off Xiu'er's wrist and handed it to Du Zhaoyuan and said: "Child, father, tomorrow morning, you go to the town to take this bracelet as a pawn, buy more rice and noodles, and I will cook a few more delicious meals for Zheng'er and the dog." And Xiu'er touched the empty wrist after losing the silver bracelet, and Xiao Zheng's eyes became more and more complicated.

In the following days, Xiao Zheng and Du Zhaoyuan, father and son, were doing farm work in the field, and Xiu'er sometimes brought one or two taels to Xiao Zheng from home, but he ignored his brother, and sometimes brought a jar of soup to the field when the weather was hot. When the three teenagers went back together, Xiu'er picked a few wild flowers from the field and knitted a garland to wear, and ran over to ask Xiao Zheng if he was good-looking, and after Xiao Zheng said that he was good-looking, he walked away with a slight red face.

The seedlings in the crop field have grown more than two feet tall and began to tassel slowly, one day just to the time of the lamp, Xiao Shi was making summer clothes for Xiao Zheng in his room, Du Shi pushed the door and walked in, she sat next to Xiao's mother, and said with a smile: "Sister, sister-in-law has something to ask you." Xiao's mother and son looked at each other for a while and did not speak, Du Shi deliberately pretended not to see it and continued: "Sister, I will discuss something with you again, you see these three children, the youngest Xiu'er is also fourteen years old, and the dog is also sixteen years old, and these children will avoid their parents when they are older." But sister, you see, our house is already a little dilapidated, your eldest brother is a wreck, he has worked hard for half a lifetime without a penny in his hand, I think so, you see if my sister can borrow some money to build a house for your brother, one to let our family live a little better, and the other is that the dog is also older, and it is time to marry a daughter-in-law in two years, if Zheng'er is willing in the future, you let him build a house here, and then it will be better for our two families to live together. First of all, let's say that this money will be borrowed from our family, and build a house next to our house first, sister, you are a big family for a long time, I don't think there will be a shortage of this money, and our house will not be built too well, as long as you can live in peace and stability, you can marry a daughter-in-law for the dog." After finishing speaking, he blinked and waited for Xiao's mother to reply.

Mother Xiao lowered her head and was stunned for a moment, and said hesitantly: "Sister-in-law, what you said is indeed true, but my sister also came out after suffering, and building a house is also a big deal in our place, if it is just a lack of money to build a house, let my sister think of a way." After Du Shi heard Xiao's mother's words, Le's eyes narrowed into a slit. got up and pretended to give Xiao's mother a gesture and said: "Then thank you so much, sister, in the future, the dog will marry a daughter-in-law, and I will let the two of them honor your aunt, you bought a lot of rice for that bracelet last time, and our family did not starve this spring, thanks to your hairpin!" The two sisters-in-law said a few more gossips, and Du Shi turned around and went out.

The next morning, Xiao's mother took out a golden hairpin and handed it to Du Shi and said: "Sister-in-law, if there is a shortage of money to build a house, let my brother take this golden hairpin to the town, buy more bricks and tiles to come back, and my sister has no requirements, after the house is built, my sister-in-law will leave two side rooms for my sister." After Du Shi saw this golden hairpin. It took a lot of effort to take his eyes off the hairpin, and he shamelessly bit it twice with his teeth in front of Xiao's mother. Du Shi said happily and pretending to complain: "Look at what the sister said, we can't even live in the new house without the sister's money, and you and Zheng'er will move first after the house is built." In the morning, Du Chaoyuan went out with the golden hairpin, and when he came back in the afternoon, he was followed by seven or eight frame cars, each car was full of bricks and tiles, and it could be seen that Du Zhao was also very excited about building a new house.

Building a house for a small family is a big deal in itself, especially in this small village, the neighbors see the old Du family building a house and come over to help, because it is not a farm job, your family helps move bricks, and my family helps carry wood, this is not how good Lao Du's popularity is, but according to the customs of the township to help build a house is to take care of the rice, especially when the green and yellow are not connected! The people in the village saw that the old Du family suddenly became more arrogant, so they spoke a little more respectful to the Du family. Du Shi himself is a snobbish person, and when he saw that the people in the village respected him a little more, he became more and more public, and when he met familiar people when he walked in the village, he did not speak first, and he spoke a little louder to people. There are also a few small peasant women, who have nothing to do, gather at the construction site of the Du family's new house, while sewing and mending clothes, while talking about some gossip, and the words are indispensable to praise Du's family, Du's more and more arrogant, and the workers who work are even more picky, either because the bricklayer is slow to build bricks or the carpenter is not right. The workers who work do not bother to bother with a woman in order to have enough food and a few wages. There are some people in the village who know that Du Shi has become wider and stained with his sister's light, and they don't know the details and deliberately go to get close to Xiao's mother and son, and Xiao's mother is only polite and perfunctory after responding, seeing that Xiao's mother and son are so low-key Du Shi is more and more arrogant, and often sees Du Shi shouting in front of the construction site with his waist crossed.

Before the grain was harvested, in the envy of the neighbors and a little jealousy, the Du family's new house was finally built.