My grandfather's Shayang Village is 30 miles away from the city and is under the jurisdiction of Lushui City. Since it is not close to the national highway, you have to walk two kilometers of dirt and gravel road to enter the village after getting out of the car.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, when the scorching sun was in the sky, my father and I were sweating profusely, and we walked to the entrance of the village with a box of nutritional products in our hands. Seven or eight old people sat around the stone mill at the entrance of the village, and from a distance, I saw my grandfather squatting on the top of the half-fallen rammed earth wall and smoking a dry tobacco pouch. My father and I got closer, and one of the grandparents chatting reminded me: "Mr. Zhou, your seventh child is bringing his grandson back!" ”

Grandpa turned his head to see me and my father standing under the wall, snuffed out the yellow tobacco on the cigarette holder, slowly exhaled a wisp of green smoke and said, "I'm back!" Have not eaten. ”

Dad stretched out his hand to help Grandpa down the low wall and replied, "I ate a bun when I came in the morning." ”

There are more than 20 households in Shayang Village, and everyone in the village knows each other. Along the way, the firewood, the goose, and the oxcart all greeted the grandfather, who just stopped and nodded and continued walking.

Grandpa's house is by the fish pond in the north of the village, with five adobe houses, a small garden in the front yard, and a big yellow dog tied to the door. This big yellow dog was met by his grandfather a few years ago when he was passing by a cemetery, and the yellow dog was lying on his stomach in front of the stone tablet of his dead owner. Grandpa fed the big yellow dog some dry food, poured some wine for the tomb owner to worship, and the dog returned to the village with the grandfather. Grandma left early, and now the children and grandchildren also live in the city, and the grandfather is tough and reluctant to go into the city, and with this big yellow dog company, they feel a little at ease.

Every year during the Spring Festival, my parents took me back to the village for the New Year, and the first time I remember it was when I was four years old. As soon as I entered the door, the big yellow dog circled around me and sniffed me with his nose from time to time. When my grandfather saw the big yellow dog recognizing his relatives, he picked me up and let me ride on the dog's back. The big yellow dog carried me around the garden slowly, as if he was taking my newly met relatives to recognize their home. Grandpa was worried that I would fall off the dog, so he followed me and helped me. The fourth aunt who was feeding the chickens next to the chicken pen saw it and quipped: "Dad, you are a person who understands feng shui." As the old saying goes, when you ride a dog when you are young, when you get married, it rains. In the future, it will rain heavily when Zhou Miao gets married, and I will blame you. ”

My grandfather picked me up from the dog's back, took me in his arms and said, "At that time, I won't be able to see whether I complain or not!" ”

The fourth aunt was told by her grandfather that she stopped talking. Grandpa didn't pay attention to it, and pointed to those mud walls and gray tile houses and told me that this is where your eldest uncle lives, and later your father and sixth uncle live, and this is where your third and fourth aunts live, and this is where your second and fifth uncles live. In the sun, Grandpa's wrinkled face was bronzed, and his silver-white hair shone in the bright light.

When I came back this time, the wrinkles on my grandfather's face seemed to have deepened a little, his hair was much thinner, and his always straight spine was slightly hunched down.

After walking into the chaimen, I touched the head of the big yellow dog and said, "Rhubarb, do you want to eat sugar?" ”

The big yellow dog wagged its tail, and I peeled a white rabbit and handed it to its mouth. The big yellow dog stuck out his tongue and added to it, thinking that he had never eaten such delicious food, and his tail wagged like a helicopter propeller.

My father called me in the hall: "Zhou Miao, come and incense your grandmother and uncle." ”

I wasn't born when my grandmother left, and my grandmother's story was told by my father many years later during small talk.

My grandmother's nickname is Magpie, and she came to my grandfather's house as a child daughter-in-law. In that evil old society, people were like ants, and their lives were like mustards. Grandma bought it from two oceans in the mountains when grandpa poured antiques, and planned to raise it for grandpa's third brother to be a daughter-in-law. That uncle was a big smoker, who lay in bed all the year round and swallowed the clouds, and died in a few years. Grandpa was a businessman, bought two oceans, raised them for a few years, and sold his grandmother to a rich man in his hometown for another fifty yuan. The palanquin that came to pick up the other party was already waiting at the door, and the grandfather knelt in front of the door and begged the grandfather, saying, "Dad, please leave the magpie behind, and I will marry her in the future." ”

Grandpa Tai calculated in his heart, anyway, this kid will spend a hundred and ten oceans to marry a wife in the future, since he promised, it is better to give it to him, and save a sum of expenses. Grandpa Tai said sharply: "If you want to keep her now, he is not allowed to ask for half a penny from the family when he marries a wife." Can you say yes? ”

Grandpa kowtowed and said, "Thank you Daddy, the child promised that he would marry a magpie one day and never ask the family for any money." ”

Grandpa gave the rich man's family sixty yuan back, leaving Grandma in Grandpa's house.

Later, the grandfather returned to the west, and the aunts and wives of the grandfather divided the family property. Grandpa's mother died early, and when the family property was divided, the grandfather did not get any of the family wealth, so he only took his grandmother to move out of the mansion and came to settle in Shayang Village.

Grandpa relied on the fortunate fact that he had studied private school for a few years in his childhood, and he liked to study the I Ching Feng Shui, so he became a feng shui gentleman, and made a living by going to the countryside to help people choose a house for their graves. Grandma was born with a pair of skillful hands, exquisite sewing skills in clothes and shoes, and she took the children at home on weekdays to do some needlework by the way to subsidize the family.

When the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea broke out, the uncle, who had just turned 18, followed the volunteer army to cross the Yalu River to fight the US imperialists, and never came back as soon as he left. Grandma was blinded, and grandpa changed his career to take care of grandma and became the chef in charge of the village's red and white ceremonies.

1969 was the most turbulent time of the decade. The people in the village called Erlaizi a prank, and the grandfather provoked this scoundrel somewhere. Er Laizi reported to the Revolutionary Committee that his grandfather had made a living as a feng shui gentleman in his early years, and he also added oil and vinegar to exaggerate his grandfather's bourgeois family background. When the Revolutionary Committee came to arrest people, it happened that the grandfather was not at home, and the blind grandmother defended all the charges on his grandfather's behalf. The members of the Revolutionary Committee were also indiscriminate, and the grandmother did not come back after she was arrested. Er Laizi learned that it was not his grandfather who was arrested, so he went to report it again. When the Revolutionary Committee came to arrest people again, the leaders of the army before the uncle's death came forward to save the grandfather. It's not that grandpa didn't think about revenge on Erlaizi, but when he thought that my father was still young at the time, grandpa could only grit his teeth and give up.

As the old saying goes, good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with evil, it's not that you don't report it, it's just that the time has not yet come. Erlaizi, a villain who has done evil all his life, can't even stand it. One summer, Er Laizi framed the family again, and went home from the town happily drinking, and just walked to the ridge of the paddy field outside the village, a lightning bolt struck down, burning Er Laizi into a ball of black coal.

When it was time to kowtow to my grandmother and uncle, my grandfather went to the kitchen and beat two eggs with the leftover rice from the morning, and warmed some egg fried rice for me and my father.

My dad and I sat at the low table and chopped rice, and my grandfather sat on the threshold breaking corn, the golden kernels fell, and the big chickens and chickens swarmed in. The leader is a big rooster, this rooster is really like the one sung in the children's rhyme, with a big red crown flower coat, a bright neck and golden feet. The big rooster flapped his wings and pecked away the other companions who came to grab the food, and he monopolized the corn kernels on the ground. Grandpa looked at the big rooster and muttered, "Eat!" Eat! It's good to hit the road when you're full. ”

At this time, my father took some pickles and sat down next to my grandfather with a foreign bowl, first asked about the current situation of other uncles and aunts, and then told my grandfather about my mother's recent business plans. After hearing this, Grandpa didn't have too much expression on his face, but said leisurely: "In this life, the white horse has passed through the gap, and it is good to work hard while you are not old." People cannot stand still, but look forward and move forward. ”

After dinner, my father went to the door to chop wood, my grandfather went to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables, and I buttoned a straw hat and carried a basket to follow my grandfather. Grandpa was tall and broad-shouldered, blocking out the slanting sunlight. I hid in my grandfather's shadow.

The grandfather who was walking in front suddenly asked, "Miao, do you want to learn to cook?" "Grandpa called me only one word, he said, the moon is full, the water is full, the water is overflowing, the three waters in my name are just right, more things will be the opposite. So he was very opposed to my parents calling me by my nickname, Miao Miao. Although my parents knew that these were feudal superstitions, in front of my grandfather, they also changed my name to my full name.

When my grandfather asked me if I wanted to learn how to cook, I was stunned for a moment, and then nodded and replied, "Yes." ”

Grandpa turned around and smiled, although his back was to the sun, but I could see it clearly, the corners of Grandpa's mouth were indeed raised. I have the impression that my grandfather has always kept a straight face, and even in the joyful atmosphere of the Spring Festival, he has always been unsmiling. Grandpa has two crafts in his life, feng shui and cooking, none of the seven children under his knees inherited his craft, and now the youngest grandson is willing to learn, grandpa is naturally overjoyed.

After picking a basket full of vegetables, Grandpa put the basket on the side of the well and sharpened a rusty horn knife on the whetstone. Grandpa raised his face and said to me, "Miao, go into the kitchen and get a bowl." ”

I didn't understand what he meant, so I came back with a foreign bowl for dinner, and stood in front of my grandfather in a daze.

Grinding the edge of the knife to reveal the iron color inside, Grandpa took the foreign bowl and scooped half a bowl of water from the bucket, put the foreign bowl on the ground and went to catch the big rooster pecking alone. Grandpa held down the big rooster, pulled off a few pinches of chicken feathers from the chicken's neck, clamped the chicken's feet with his right hand, clamped the chicken's head with his left hand, and hung the big rooster upside down above the foreign bowl. At this time, my grandfather looked at me and said, "Miao, pick up the knife on the ground and cut it where the chicken neck is feathered." ”

In addition to swatting flies and mosquitoes, and trampling rats and cockroaches, I have never produced such a large living creature with my own hands. I picked up the knife on the ground, and although my hand was not shaking, I was already in fear. Trembling in front of the big, I tried a few times but couldn't do it, and my eyes instinctively turned to the door to ask my dad for help. Dad was still chopping wood, and he obviously knew my fear, but he just shrugged his shoulders and said he was powerless.

Grandpa said in a commanding tone: "If you want to eat chickens, you have to kill them." Miao, move the knife, hurry up. ”

With a moment of flesh, I cut it down fiercely. In an instant, chicken blood gushed out along the knife edge and flowed into the foreign bowl on the ground, and soon the big rooster shook his body and swallowed. Grandpa threw down the big dead and turned to the kitchen to fetch boiling water. And I was still holding the knife in both hands, and there was a drop of half-coagulated chicken blood hanging from the tip of the knife.

Grandpa poured boiling water on the big and clamped the chicken feathers. After the big rooster's colorful sweater was exhausted, the grandfather made an opening in the chicken's belly, and threw the chicken intestines to the big yellow dog.

At dinner in the afternoon, a pot full of yellow stewed chicken was served on the table, and it was mouth-watering to look at. But I was always haunted by it, and my heart was palpitating, as if I had committed a heinous sin by just taking a bite. I really hope that my grandfather or dad can put a few pieces of chicken in my bowl, so that I can comfort myself with peace of mind, I am forced to helpless, not voluntary. But my grandfather and dad just put their own bowls on their own, completely ignoring my thoughts. I hesitated for a long time with my chopsticks, silently reciting Amitabha Buddha in my heart, trembling and holding a piece of chicken into my mouth, it was so fragrant.

In the evening, Grandpa went to water the vegetables in the garden, and the big yellow dog untied his neck and followed behind. Grandpa scooped a scoop of clear water and sprinkled it high into the sky, and the water droplets turned into red agate in the sky. The big yellow dog ran to the place where the droplets fell, drenched and shivered, and scattered the droplets again.

Dad went to the door to chop wood again, and couldn't figure out how a person who had to bargain for washing dishes by his mother on weekdays became so diligent now.