When it was still gray, the loud crowing of the neighbor's rooster sounded behind the house. Not long after the rooster crowed, the Luo family began to move.

I used to get used to urban life, and I didn't bring the alarm clock four or five times. When he first came to this primitive ancient farmhouse, Luo Xiaoqiao opened his eyes at the first sound of the rooster and breathed a long sigh of relief.

The fresh air, the coolness of the early summer morning, and the smell of earth, this sleep is too comfortable, this feeling makes Luo Xiaoqiao like it in his heart.

Luo Xiaoni had already gotten up and started to prepare the family's breakfast, which was actually corn paste, boiled soybeans, and a small piece of tortilla specially set aside for her.

Luo Xiaoqiao touched her head, it didn't hurt much anymore, she got up and walked slowly to the yard, looking at everything around.

The three small earthen houses of their family, just in the southernmost part of the whole village, pushed the door out, a narrow dirt road at the door, separated by a ditch, are patches of green crops, which look like wheat, and already have ears of wheat, but the wheat mangs are very long, and the grains are not particularly full, and the difference between them and the varieties of modern hybrids is very large.

Further afield, there is a continuous mountain range, as the saying goes, the mountain eats the mountain, and the sea eats the sea, but on the high mountain as far as the eye can see, the wild fruits are all picked by the children.

The village as a whole is poor, and it seems that it is a little stronger than when it ate tree bark in a certain era.

"Sister, it's time to eat." Qiao Xiaoni came out of the kitchen, saw her in the yard and called her.

The grandparents and younger brother had already come out, and the whole family sat around the stone bench in the center of the courtyard, eating at a flat stone table.

This set of utensils was made by his father when his parents were alive. At that time, with their father's craftsmanship, their family could often hear laughter, and their life was better than that of ordinary villagers.

Since his father was injured while picking stones in the mountains, the family began to tighten up, and after spending all his savings, he still could not save his life, and his mother, in grief, also followed.

It's really a family worthy of sympathy, Luo Xiaoqiao shook his head and didn't think about it.

"Second sister, give it, I found it in the yard, it's delicious." The younger brother's thin little hand stretched out, and in the palm of his hand were a few grains of black oil oil nightshade, which they called "oint oil" in dialect, a black one, which tasted sweet and sour.

"Second sister, eat." The younger brother Luo Niuniu saw that she didn't take it, and raised his hand again.

Luo Xiaoqiao smiled, his eyes shining, "Okay, I'll try it." ”

She pinched a few and put them in her mouth, the wild ecological nightshade, such a small one, couldn't race between her teeth at all, but she was warm in her heart, and she felt that the feeling of hunger was not so strong.

"Grandpa, grandma, eat." Luo Xiaoni was very sensible, and after serving everyone half a bowl of porridge and some beans, she scraped the edge of the pot herself.

"Eldest sister, I can't eat so much." Luo Xiaoqiao gave her a part of the beans in his rice bowl.

"You're sick, you need to eat more", Luo Xiaoni hurriedly picked up her bowl and moved it aside.

Luo Niuniu glanced at the yellow flour cake in Luo Xiaoqiao's hand with some envy, but tried to withdraw his gaze.

"I was too full yesterday and I'm not hungry now. You're going to go down to the ground later, so you can eat more. Luo Xiaoqiao also insisted very much, "Brother, this piece of cake will give you half."

"This?" Luo Xiaoni is a little embarrassed, the family conditions are poor, the younger brother is still a child, and he only eats two meals a day with the adults, when he is growing his body, he is hungry like bean sprouts, he is hungry for some extenuating circumstances, not to mention that the cake is not a good thing, but Xiao Qiao has just woken up, his body is still weak, and he must need to make up for it.

"I don't want it." Niu Niu shook his head resolutely, "Second sister eats, after eating, she will get better, and she will continue to be with us when she is well." ”

"They say I'm not hungry." Luo Xiaoqiao said with a smile.

"You eat, there are no other good things at home to make up for you" In the end, it was the grandfather who came out to speak.

Grandma didn't say anything, but from the action of turning her back to wipe her tears, it could be seen that she was not feeling well.

"We are all worried about you, our family is dependent on us five people, you can't wake up in bed these days, my brother doesn't know how many times he has cried. You eat and take care of your body, and we will all be better in the future. ”

Luo Xiaoni's thin shoulders and lack of confidence conveyed hope to her.

Luo Xiaoqiao saw her yellowed face and thin figure, and picked up the bowl and ate it without saying a word. After a while, I will go out and see if there is a chance to improve my life.

As soon as a few people put down their rice bowls, a female voice came from the door: "Old Luotou, let's ask today, when will you be able to return the one or two pieces of silver you borrowed to us." My family Yongchang is going to be handed over this year, but I can't afford to delay! ”

There was something caustic about the voice, and there was something ill-intentioned.

"Yongchang Niang, look, our family of five, the old and the young, I really can't help it now, you can see if you can wait, my old man will try to find a job, and I will pay it back to you as soon as possible."

"Old man, don't blame us for being ruthless, Yongchang's bundle costs one or two halves of silver a year, and pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, which costs a lot of money." The man next to him also spoke up.

Old man Luo squatted down helplessly and sadly with his head in his hands.

"Old man, folks in the township, who doesn't know whose family's situation? I'm not forcing you, don't you still have two girls at home? Sooner or later, it's someone else's, if you really can't pay it back, just take Xiaoni's girl. ”

The woman was babbling outside the house, and her voice was loud for fear that her neighbors would not hear her.

"Aunt Liu, don't you know why my father went? If it weren't for the fact that he was pushing away your family, he would have been stoned? You lend us a hundred dollars, and after a few years, it will become one or two, do you have a conscience? Aren't you afraid that my father will look for you at night", Luo Xiaoni looked at Aunt Liu with red eyes.

"Don't be embarrassed, you borrow a hundred wen, haven't you made a profit all these years? When your father is sick, it's not us, who has the money to lend you," Aunt Liu shouted in a rough voice.

Luo Xiaoqiao looked at his grandfather's appearance, and his heart became angry: "Debt repayment, it is a matter of course, you say one or two, and we will admit one or two." But you have also seen that now the family is in this situation, and we have eaten the last meal without the next meal, and we will pay back your silver in half a year! But today, if you dare to beat my sister's idea, in a while, I will hang myself at the door of your house with a hemp rope! My dad doesn't go to you, I'll go at night. ”

"You, you little girl!" Aunt Liu was so angry that her eyes rolled.

"Are you going to pay it back then?"

"No, I'll sell myself to you!"

"Sister, no!" , Luo Xiaoni hurriedly stopped her, in ancient times, selling oneself was a lowly status, and the children and grandchildren were inferior, no matter how poor they are now, they are still good citizens!

"Just you? I can't see it yet! Aunt Liu snorted, looking at Luo Xiaoqiao's small body, sick and crooked, what can she do? If you buy it, you may be tortured to death in a few days.

is not as good as this Luo Xiaoni, although her face is yellow, but if you look closely, you can still see that she is a good-looking girl, diligent and capable.

"If it's your sister, I can give you half a year's grace, after half a year, I can't pay back the money, and I won't do anything to you, I have a relative in the distance, and I lack a daughter-in-law, and your Xiaoni is almost time to get married, and we don't want a dowry, and then she will directly say it to my relative's nephew."

Aunt Liu purred her eyes and said treacherously.