The drought ended with the abundant rains, and the river returned to the water level before the drought.

After experiencing this disaster, the people of Xiaojiazhai began to think about whether the only way to survive was to face the loess with their backs to the sky and rely on the sky to eat. Soon after the first commissary opened in the sound of firecrackers, the news of reform and opening up spread throughout the corners of the mountain village with a spring breeze and spring rain. Before and after the dinner, people no longer discuss what the harvest will be this season and what to plant next season, but what business to buy and sell to make a fortune. Unable to withstand the daily broadcast of the Prosperity Sutra on the radio, the enthusiastic young people dreamed of getting rich overnight, leaving the village where their ancestors had lived for generations in droves, and plunged into the world outside the mountains without looking back, in pursuit of the depicted rich life. The older generation still adheres to the ancient adage of "the land is the best reliance", and rests from sunrise to sunset as before, diligently managing the work of the banker throughout the year.

No matter who left or who came, the village still has men and women weaving, night dogs and morning chickens, and they are happy.

At the age of ten, Xiao Duxue had already recognized all the herbs and tasted a thousand flavors. She can remember the names of herbs she has seen, and she can identify herbs by taste, and she rarely makes mistakes. Su Shi'an was very happy and secretly glad that he had a successor. In addition to visiting the doctor, he spent his spare time explaining pharmacology to Xiao Duxue. Strange to say, Xiao Duxue is not as annoying as other children, but she likes to listen to him nag about the medicine scriptures. Other children's songs are either their mother's songs or grandmother's stories before they go to bed, and she either listens to cases or prescriptions. The most surprising thing is that she only needs to listen to it a few times to memorize it.

In view of this, Su Wanyan was a little more worried: Hui is extremely easy to die, and his love is long. Seeing that the villain has no disease or pain since he was a child, he blames himself for caring about it.

Later, Su Shi'an went out to collect medicine, as long as it was no more than two days away, Xiao Duxue would inevitably follow. The grandparents and grandchildren searched everywhere in the deep mountains of the forest, just to find a good medicine. In the medicine basket that Xiao Duxue carried with her, there were several thick yellowed medical books, and when she encountered medicinal materials she didn't know, she had to follow the map and find out the door. In the past few years, the medicinal materials she knows are not much different from Su Shi'an.

Spring goes to autumn, the sun and the moon are on duty, Xiao Duxue is already a student in the sixth grade of primary school, and Yao Mubai also graduated from high school this year.

On the weekend, after breakfast, Yao Mubai packed his bags and prepared to return to school. He had to walk to town to catch the earliest shuttle bus so that he could get to school before the evening self-study. He attended a well-known key high school, known for its strict school rules and high admission rate.

Xiao Duxue played with braids and watched him sort out his bags: "You brought such some clothes, are you enough to wear?" You'll have to stay for a month before you come back. ”

"Enough. There are two sets of washables, and I can wash them if they are dirty. ”

"Why don't you bring your mother's new set with you?"

"I'll put that set first, I'll get it next time." Yao Mubai handed over a few reference books, "They are all good books, you can use them in the future." ”

Xiao Duxue flipped through it and put it down: "By the time I can understand it, it is estimated that they have been eliminated." ”

"That's right. The question bank is now updated quickly. Yao Mubai looked around the room to make sure that nothing was left behind, "I'm about to graduate, are you sure you can get a good score in the exam?" ”

Xiao Duxue said listlessly: "It's just a junior high school exam, so you don't need to be so nervous." ”

"It's right not to be nervous, but it's not to be taken lightly. You and Hanchuan have never been able to distinguish between winners and losers, and this is a chance to test and see which of you wins and who loses. ”

"As long as I can get into the school I like, it doesn't matter if I win or lose."

"You can't let your uncle hear this, or you'll be reprimanded again."

"My dad has been teaching all his life, so he knows all kinds of preaching, and he can't stand it!"

"He said you're also for your own good, and you shouldn't be too naughty."

Su Wanyan came into the house and put a can of fried pickles into a handbag: "This is your favorite spicy kohlrabi, there are only so many." I'll have some fresh pickles when I'm free in a few days, and I'll bring them to you when someone comes into town. She handed over a roll of wrapped change, "This month's living expenses." ”

Yao Mubai put the money bag close to his body: "Then I'll go, otherwise I won't be able to catch the car." ”

Xiao Duxue grabbed Su Wanyan's arm and lowered her head to knock the tip of her shoe.

Yao Mubai greeted Xiao Lanshu and Su Shi'an, and walked out of the village with a backpack in a few steps.

Xiao Duxue retracted back into the attic until Ye Hanchuan came to her to review her homework.

"Mu Bai is gone? You don't have to wilt like this every time he leaves, like a frosted eggplant, ugly to death. ”

"Don't look ugly. I didn't want you to see it either. ”

"You think I want to see it? Whoever told you to be so close to me, sit across from me. ”

Xiao Duxue put the Chinese textbook in front of her face: "I can't see it now, right?" ”

Ye Hanchuan pushed the book down: "The exam is coming, you still haven't reviewed it well?" ”

Xiao Duxue shook off a pair of white eyes: "The exam is the exam, and you want to take care of me." ”

Su Wanyan tidied up Yao Mubai's room and came out, holding the clothes to be washed in her hand: "You two are really enough, meeting each other is like fighting cocks." Since you don't want to see each other so much, you can separate and save some saliva. ”

"Don't!" Ye Hanchuan jumped up, "I didn't want to see her, I just couldn't see her wilt like that." ”

Su Wanyan smiled: "It's no wonder she." She grew up behind Mu Bai, and her relationship was really good. ”

Ye Hanchuan looked unhappy: "What about me?" Didn't she and I grow up together? Except for going home and sleeping at night, I spend almost all the other time at your house, and I spend much more time with her than she does with Mu Bai, and I was born with her on the same day, the same month, and the same year! I didn't see her give me a good look. ”

Xiao Duxue pursed her mouth: "Don't say that I was born on the same day, the same month, and the same year." You are the sun at noon, and I am the snow at dusk, and we are destined not to meet. ”

Ye Hanchuan raised his eyebrows: "If you say something like this again, I'll put caterpillars in your stationery box." ”

Xiao Duxue immediately sat up straight, smiling carefully and flatteringly: "Read, read...... Let's read the book. ”

Ye Hanchuan glanced at her and calmed down to memorize the passages of the text.

This year, there is plenty of rain, and the fruit trees in the yard are lush and fruitful. Birds and finches were jumping up and down the old almond tree with crooked necks, chirping and singing songs they didn't understand. The temperature of the sun is also getting more and more abundant, and the sun makes people drowsy.

Xiao Duxue propped up her head, and her eyelids were no longer obedient.

Ye Hanchuan knocked on the table: "Sleepy? ”

Xiao Duxue simply lay down, half-opened her eyes, and said lazily, "Yes." What's wrong? ”

Ye Hanchuan rolled his eyes: "I don't want to read anymore." Why don't we catch birds? ”

Xiao Duxue's eyes immediately lit up, and she came to her senses: "Okay! Go to the back mountain or the bamboo forest? ”

"The back mountain is too far away, and I can't come back for a while, and grandpa should look for people everywhere again. Let's go to the bamboo forest in front of us, and come back after a little fun. ”

"Let's go!"

The two of them dropped their books and slipped out of the courtyard.

Su Shi'an chased out with two eggs: "Where are you going?" Eat the eggs and go again. Seeing that no one responded, he

Paused and said, "Oh, Hanchuan has brought Xue'er too wild!" Climbing trees on the wall all day long, how can there be a girl? ”

Su Wanyan smiled: "Dad, don't blame Hanchuan." As far as Twilight's temperament is concerned, it's the same with or without Hanchuan. ”

"Who said that! How well-behaved Cher was when she was a child! ”

"When I was a kid! She had a lot of tricks when she was a child. You just protect her and turn a blind eye. ”

"How can I protect her? Xue'er is so obedient, and she should protect her. ”

"Okay! If you want to protect it, you can protect it, but don't protect it. ”

"What's wrong?" Su Shi'an put the egg on the desk. "It's time for the exam, you can cook something delicious for the two children at noon. I went to collect medicine. ”

"Don't worry, you can't lose them. It's just rained, so stay safe. ”

Su Shi'an picked up the medicine basket, put his hands behind his back, and hummed, "I am watching the mountain scenery from the city tower, and I can hear the chaos outside the city......" and left.

At lunchtime, the two who were tired of playing came back smelling the rice. Xiao Duxue had a snake wrapped around her arm, and Ye Hanchuan was carrying a pheasant, all covered in mud and full of grass.

Su Wanyan was already used to seeing it: "I said, girl, what are you doing when you catch a snake again?" Craving snake soup? ”

"Didn't grandpa say a few days ago that you need snake gall bladder medicine?"

"Then you don't have to catch snakes for guts. That snake is venomous, watch out. ”

"You don't want to? Then I'll let it go. Xiao Duxue raised her hand, and the snake flew to the pomegranate tree a few steps away, "Go find a place to hide, don't let others catch you for meat." She patted the soil off her body and said, "Ye Hanchuan, next time you dare to trick me into drilling holes, I will stuff you into the belly of the snake." ”

"Drilling? Where did you drill the hole again? Su Wanyan was angry and funny, "Twilight, you're about to go to junior high school, can you settle down a bit?" Yesterday, I just climbed up to the beam of the third uncle's house to dig out the swallow's nest, and today I went to drill a hole again. I gave birth to a daughter, not a monkey. ”

Xiao Duxue leaned over, salivated and said, "Our family belongs to Brother Mu Bai, and the monkeys belong to me." Mom, you're on the way. It's about to eat, so it's not easy to get angry before eating, so beware of accumulating food. She gave Ye Hanchuan a look as she spoke, and the two of them ran to the laundry sink to wash their hands with oil on the soles of their feet.

Xiao Lanshu pulled out a handful of chives and came back, and as soon as she entered the courtyard gate, she saw Xiao Duxue gesturing at herself with Su Wanyan behind her back, and immediately understood: "Are you educating them to study hard again?" Don't worry too much about it. The dragon gave birth to nine sons, each with its own strengths. Twilight is a little naughty, as long as she doesn't delay her studies and keeps her heart, that's fine. ”

"You can think about it. Now that the competition is so fierce, she doesn't concentrate on studying, what will she do in the future? ”

"We will talk about the future later. It's useless for you to think so much now, so why bother yourself? ”

"Yes, I'm looking for trouble, I'm a mere person, I'm worrying about nothing. I can see that you two are now working together to deal with me. In the days to come, I don't have to worry about it and just ask, as long as I am the Minister of Life of our family. As for the rest, you can do it. Su Wanyan ignored the well-behaved Xiao Duxue, stepped into the kitchen, and prepared to eat.

Xiao Duxue and Ye Hanchuan clenched their fists and gave a thumbs up, and they almost fell to the ground and bowed. Xiao Lanshu ignored it, cleared his throat, and paced into the kitchen.

Ye Hanchuan said: "Don't look at Uncle Xiao, who is usually a serious pedant, he is quite accommodating at a critical time. ”

"You don't understand this, this is called one thing descending one thing. In our family, my mom listened to my dad, my dad listened to my grandpa, and my grandpa listened to me. In short, I'm the one at the top of the food chain. ”

"No, I think your dad listens to your mom."

"Say you don't understand, you're still not convinced. They call this love, do you understand love? Don't understand? If you don't understand, just stand by the dung pit and let the strange fragrance wash your brain. Xiao Duxue ran up to the attic, leaving Ye Hanchuan still there to wash his hands.

When the last apricot on the crooked apricot tree landed, the entrance examination for elementary school to junior high school was over. A month later, the postman delivered the score report to the candidate. Xiao Duxue glanced at the transcript and handed it to Xiao Lanshu casually.

On the milky white piece of cardboard, a few lines were written in a red pen: the county ranks second, and the girls rank first. Admitted as a student in the first grade of Ningnan Junior High School.

Su Wanyan asked, "Ranked second?" So who is the first? ”

Xiao Lanshu said: "First place? It should be coming. ”

As soon as the words fell, I heard Ye Hanchuan shouting: "Twilight snow, twilight snow...... Twilight, what are you doing? You wait...... You wait for me to finish! ”

Su Wanyan smiled: "If you think about it, there will be no one else." ”

In the yard, Xiao Duxue had cucumbers in one hand and green onions in the other, chasing Ye Hanchuan everywhere.

Su Wanyan and Xiao Lanshu looked at each other and smiled, and went about their own business.