When the rooster cries and the dog barks, it should be the fifth watch. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Unconsciously, Xia Yuanding's parents had woken up. After washing up in the morning, the first thing Xia Shouzhi had to do was to go out to fetch water, and he went out with two wooden barrels and a flat pole. The same is true for every household, and you can see water stains left by the water spilled on the ground along the way, and neighbors also greet each other.

After a long time, Xia Yingxue woke up first, and when she finished dressing, she began to wake up her sleeping brother.

"Yuan Ding, the sun is out, why don't you get up yet!"

Xia Yuanding opened his sleepy eyes and saw a familiar and unfamiliar face, with long hair and a shawl, and a delicate face.

Xia Yuanding got up and put his clothes on his body casually, looking a little stupid.

Xia Yingxue couldn't help but sneer, so she stepped forward to help him put on his clothes, and then Xia Yuanding was like a puppet, even asking others to help him with his hair bun.

"That's it!" Not long after, Xia Yingxue announced that it was done.

The door of the main house has been opened, crossing the high threshold, the fresh air enters the nose, looking at Cuiping Mountain in the distance, although it is not too high, but verdant and green, the pines and cypresses of the mountain stand proudly. The rising sun is hazy, and the light has not yet dispersed.

Several of the chickens have been released and foraged for food on their own in the yard.

After washing his face with cold water, Xia Yuanding was refreshed and began to observe the simple villagers passing by outside the fence wall. Although life is hard, they have a smile on their faces.

For breakfast, there were only pickled vegetables left, plus an egg boiled for him, and the family ate a simple breakfast quietly.

Xia Yuanding knows that nutritious products like eggs are generally saved up by farmers and sold in the market, which is an important income for the family.

After breakfast, Xia Shouzhi took advantage of his wife's cleaning up and said beside him: "I met my second brother when I was fetching water, and he said that my father called me to go over, and I don't know what happened!" ”

Xia Li replied: "Then you hurry over and take a look, don't let people wait!" ”

Xia Shouzhi went out and walked to his father Xia Jizu's house. Because his family was on a relatively low-lying flat area, and his father's family lived halfway up the hill, he used to walk uphill.

Because of its proximity to the Yingliu River, the low-lying area is easily flooded in the summer when there is a lot of rain, so many families are willing to build their houses on higher ground.

However, 20 years ago, the magistrates who served here organized manpower to build high embankments on both sides of the Yingliu River, and there was no incident of the river bursting the embankment in 20 years, and then people moved down the mountain one after another. Because of the benefit of the township, this embankment was named Su Causeway to commemorate the adult surnamed Su.

Along the winding road, stepping over one step at a time, a house with a courtyard door facing west is where the old man of the Xia family lives.

This place is obviously much better than Xia Shouzhi's house, it is the kind of house made of stones, and the roof is also green tiles instead of thatch.

"Dad, you call us something!"

The old man in a green robe was Xia Jizu, he was basking in the sun on the bamboo chair in the courtyard, and when he saw the fourth son coming, he just motioned for him to sit down.

Xia Shouzhi didn't ask what was going on after sitting down, it was obvious that the people hadn't arrived yet, and the old man would naturally say it when the time came.

"I heard that Little Stone has woken up, it's all right?" Xia Jizu suddenly asked, usually he didn't pay much attention to these grandsons.

"Thank you dad for your concern, Yuan Ding is completely fine now!"

Needless to say, this stone is Xia Yuanding's nickname. When he first fell into a coma, the old man had also seen it in the past, and he had also heard the news of the stone waking up this morning.

Gossip, Xia Shouzhi was still a little restrained in front of his father, and one after another, Xia Shouyi, Xia Shouli, and Xia Shouxin all came.

"Since you're all here, I'll tell you what I'm calling you for." Xia Jizu saw that several sons were coming, and he was about to get to the point.

"Dad, the eldest brother hasn't come yet, don't wait for him?" Xia Shouyi looked at his father and asked.

"Don't wait for Shouren, I called you here to talk about the study problems of my grandchildren, as for Yuanzhi, he is so old and he doesn't see growth, I don't expect it. I mean that I will send my children tomorrow to teach me personally! Xia Jizu touched his beard and said.

"Dad, I'll just forget it, you look at Yuanzhi, I've studied for so long, I can't even do a single poem, when will I be able to get fame. Dad, why bother, make the villagers laugh in vain. Xia Shouyi first felt that this method was not feasible, and they just needed to farm the land well.

"Rebel!" As soon as he heard this, Xia Jizu got angry and asked the old woman to take out a scroll.

Spreading out the scroll, it turned out to be a painting, Xia Jizu pointed to the words on the stone table and asked, "Tell me, how do you pronounce these words?" ”

"This, this word, read ......" Xia Shouyi couldn't say.

"Third child, are you coming?"

"Dad, I know, the second one reads the word 'li'!" Xia Shouli knew the word "li" in his name.

"Bastard, what's the first word I ask you!" Xia Jizu didn't have a good face for this son, "Shouzhi, you?" ”

"Dad, I won't either!" Xia Shouzhi scratched his head and said very simply, he didn't care, anyway, the second brother and the third brother all behaved like that, what else was he afraid of.

"Fool, keep your word!" Xia Jizu threw the question to his last son.

"Dad, don't embarrass us, a few of our brothers, except for the eldest brother, have never gone to Mengxue, how can you recognize those crutches!" Xia Shouxin said with a bitter face, several brothers were scolded as rebels, bastards, and fools, maybe they didn't think of the right words, otherwise he wouldn't be good.

"Tell you, these words are called 'poetry heirlooms', I do this to tell you, our Xia family is a family of scholars, but you can't read words, can you be worthy of the ancestors and ancestors, I am not difficult for you, I will pass on what I have learned to a few grandchildren in the future, do you understand?"

Although the four brothers didn't understand what Dad meant, they all nodded in unison, with a teachable expression, feeling that Dad was so reasonable.

Seeing such a scene, Xia Jizu was very satisfied, although he did not have time to teach these sons back then, but now he puts his hope on his grandson.

"But Dad, Yuan Yi is just one year old!" Xia Shouxin whispered.

Resistance will not end well, Xia Jizu will suppress all noise for the sake of his authority.

After going out, Xia Shouxin asked: "Brothers, tell me what's wrong with Dad, and he summoned us on a whim!" ”

"Fifth brother, dad is not a whim, let me tell you, in fact, dad has always had a knot in his heart, Feng Village at the foot of the mountain to the west knows, right?" Xia Shouyi asked deliberately.

"Why is this still related to Feng Village!"

"Dad was fortunate enough to study for a few years, and there was a classmate at that time, who is now Feng Xiucai from Feng Village, although Feng Xiucai failed to pass the exam later, but our entire county can be admitted to Xiucai, and you can count it on two hands at a time. This Feng Xiucai's ancestor is still a poor peasant, and now that people have become scholars, and their children have chosen to read books when they get married, can my father not be in a hurry? ”

Xia Shouyi's explanation made several people understand that there was still a story in it.

"Alas, it's a pity, if my father had been more competitive in his early years, maybe we would have been a scholar!" Xia Shouli said with emotion.

Of course, there are also messages in private that Feng Yong can show off his talent and shoot well, that is, he can write a few poems that praise virtue, but he didn't expect to be loved by officials.

"Third brother, you better go home and say these words!" After speaking, Xia Shouzhi took a step first.

No matter what the other brothers think, anyway, Xia Shouzhi thinks it's good to let Yuan Ding follow the old man to enlightenment, the child is still young and can't do any work, so it's better to recognize a few words.

"Mother, Dad is back!" There is no need for Xia Yingxue to say, I have seen it all.

"What's the matter with you?"

"It's a good thing, Dad said it, let Yuan Ding follow him to read and write, and Yuan Ding's brothers!"

"That's great, I don't want to learn how well I can learn, but it's always good to be able to read some words!" Xia Li was also extremely happy.

But after hearing the news, Xia Yuanding was very calm and did not show surprise.

"Yuan Ding, what, don't you want to follow your grandfather to study?" Xia Shouzhi saw his son's expression and asked.

"Dad, is Grandpa's knowledge very high?" Xia Yuanding pretended to be very innocent and asked.

"You kid, my father told you that in our Dushan Village, your grandfather's knowledge is the highest."

"What about in another village?"

"Why are you asking so much, I'll go over tomorrow, let me hear that you don't study hard, and see how I clean you up when I come back!" Xia Shouzhi didn't want to talk nonsense with his son, so he used all the intimidation.

"Shouzhi!" Yuan Ding's mother gave her husband a roll of the eyes, but she protected the child tightly. It is said that the father is strict and the mother is kind, and this is indeed the case.

After lunch at noon, Xia Yuanding felt that it was not good to be stuffy at home, so he wanted to go out to play.

"No, you're just right, don't stay at home honestly, go out and run around or something!" The mother said that she did not agree with anything this time.

"My brother is just healed and forgot the pain, and he will definitely get into trouble if he goes out!" Sister Xia Yingxue was also fanning the flames.

"I'm right next to the village, don't go far, or let my sister accompany me!" Xia Yuanding proposed, looking at his mother with blank eyes, like that, as if he would cry if he was rejected.

"Yingxue, you go to play with Yuan Ding, remember not to go far, come back as soon as you have had enough, and be optimistic about your brother!" Eventually, my mother agreed.

"Got it!" As he spoke, he took his sister Xia Yingxue's hand and ran out of the yard.

"Slow down!" I only heard my sister's reminders from time to time.

On the outskirts of the village is a dirt road, which is considered the main road of the village. Dushan Village is built on the mountain, and this smooth road that is stepped on just encloses the village. On the periphery of the road is the farmland, which is now planted with winter wheat, a green carpet that looks like a carpet spread on the ground, and it should be nice to sleep on it.

Walking on the main road, I met a lot of villagers, some Xia Yuanding knew, some didn't, at this time fortunately brought my sister with me, otherwise sometimes some elders really can't shout.

"Oops, isn't this a stone, it fell from a tree, it's good so fast!"

"Hello Grandma Wang!" Xia Yingxue shouted obediently.

"Well, Yingxue is so sensible!"

……

"Uncle Xie!"

"The stone is good, but you have to remember, next time you can't climb that high tree!"

"Got it, Uncle Xie!"

Uncle Xie didn't like to have dirty hands, and caressed Xia Yuanding's head, and he could only bear it silently.

"Stone!"

Again, why are so many people always calling him by his nickname, stone and stone, Xia Yuanding decided to look back and see who else.