"Spring peach! Do you still have peach blossom crisp at home? Wrap me a bag and go to relatives tomorrow. A chubby middle-aged aunt, wiping the sweat on her forehead with one arm with her sleeves, holding a long hoe for weeding in one hand, stood panting in front of a farmhouse, looking at Zhang Chuntao who was drying beans in the yard.

It's the middle of July, and it's the hottest day. At almost 10 o'clock in the morning, people working in the fields rushed home before the sun rose to avoid sunburn and heat stroke.

The beans in the vegetable field were full of long beans, and they couldn't finish eating, so they were used by Zhang Chuntao to make capers. You need to take out the beans that have been cooked with the ingredients, drain the water, and then put them in a clay pot to marinate.

Hearing someone call herself, Zhang Chuntao put down the basket in his hand.

"No, it needs to be freshly made. Auntie, come back in the evening to get it. ”

The fat aunt was stunned for a moment, "Oh! Good. After saying that, he began to rummage through his pockets with one hand and found a few dollars of change. This is the money for shortbread, and the spring peaches are harvested. ”

Zhang Chuntao excused: "It's not worth a few dollars, put it away quickly." ”

"What are you talking about, girl! Flour doesn't want money? Lard doesn't cost money? If you don't, I'll go to the town store and weigh a pound back. In the future, I will never come to your house again to ask for pastries. "The fat aunt is very angry, others have paid for the labor, and this money should be given.

"Come on, come on, take the spring peach, I'll pick it up at night." The fat aunt forced a few dollars into Zhang Chuntao's hand.

The craftsmanship of the old Zhang family to make pastries is really not covered, every time, he carries the special pastries of the Zhang family to go to relatives, and the relatives do not welcome themselves into the door enthusiastically. is the eldest son's daughter-in-law who married in a big city, and she is used to eating so many delicious things, and she is also staring at the pastries she brought.

It's hard to be gracious, and it hurts to say too much, so Zhang Chuntao accepted the money. Zhang's father and mother finished the work in the field, and then went home. Zhang Chuntao told her parents what she had just done.

Zhang's father, Zhang Mingyi, drank the cold boiled water made with mint that Zhang Chuntao brought to him. This tea was chilled in my own well beforehand, and now I drink it, it is refreshing and cool, especially quenching thirst and fever.

Zhang Mingyi muttered a big bowl, wiped his face with his collar, relieved the heat, and then said, "Peach! It's not worth a lot of money to make these few pieces of cake, don't charge people for it in the future! When the old Li family killed pigs every year, they cut a large piece of pork for our family. ”

Zhang Chuntao was a little aggrieved, "I also said it!" But she doesn't listen, what can I do? ”

"Chun Tao, Chun Tao, come to Grandpa, Grandpa brought you something delicious." As soon as Grandpa Zhang came home with his hoe, he shouted loudly outside the door for his granddaughter.

When Zhang Chuntao heard his grandfather's voice, he immediately rushed out and saw his grandfather standing under the tree in front of the door holding a bag of cherry fruits wrapped in paulownia leaves (a sweet and sour wild fruit that can be eaten). Zhang Chuntao opened it and saw that it was full of a large bag of red cherry fruits, occasionally mixed with a few green and immature fruits.

"Grandpa, half for one person, you can eat too."

Grandpa Zhang smiled happily and said, "I don't eat it, grandpa has already eaten it when he picked it." ”

"Grandpa, let me look at your hands." Zhang Chuntao looked at Grandpa Zhang's calloused hands and a few scratched hands, and said distressedly: "Grandpa, do you see what your hands have been scratched by the thorns on the cherry blossoms, and there is still blood?" I'll get some alcohol to disinfect you. ”

"It's still my eldest granddaughter who loves me." Grandpa Zhang went to wash his hands, moved a bench over, and sat under the peach blossom tree. After waiting for a while, Zhang Chuntao came over with a bowl of homemade cold drinks and medicinal alcohol in the other hand.

There was no such thing as cotton, Zhang Chuntao directly poured the alcohol on his grandfather's hand and wiped it off.

"Chun Tao, I still go to school in autumn. Grandpa also has some money saved here, you take it. Grandpa Zhang looked at his eldest granddaughter, who was almost sixteen years old, and might be married in a few years.

Zhang Chuntao's movements kept moving, "No, grandpa, I thought about it, go out to work early to make money." Besides, my studies were not good, I was not admitted to the high school in the city, and the self-funded money is not something our family can afford. I've heard that you can go to night school while working, choose a study you like, and you can go to university. ”

Grandpa Zhang began to nag about the past again, "Alas, I think back then, our ancestors were also considered to be a big family, counting up the family, there were also ancestors who were imperial cooks in the palace, and then the emperor was gone, and the ancestors took advantage of the chaos to escape." With the ability of a pair of hands, he opened a restaurant. It has been passed down from generation to generation, until my grandfather's generation, with his hard work, life has been prosperous, and there are still people waiting for him at home.

I don't want to, the bandits of the year, a fire, burned down the huge home, and only your great-great-grandpa and great-great-great-grandma survived. Since then, it has been difficult to make a living. Our family is also in a state of flux, and now we can't even afford to send you to school. ”

"Grandpa, at least not like Grandpa now, when he couldn't eat enough and couldn't wear clothes. You see, our family's cooking skills have always been handed down. From the age of seven, my grandfather taught me how to make pastries, and by now, I have learned a lot of ancestral recipes. It's a big deal, in the future, when I make money and open a restaurant, grandpa will go and help me, you say, okay. ”

"Good, good. Only my granddaughter has fully continued her grandfather's craft, and I will wait to be the head chef and direct you in the back. Grandpa Zhang said happily.

"Chun Tao, go pick up some firewood and come back, there is not enough dry firewood at home." Chun Tao's mother, Qian Juhua, shouted out from the kitchen.

"Got it, I'll go right away." Zhang Chuntao responded. "Grandpa, the cold water is not enough to drink, there is still it in the hall."

"Hmmm! , Got it, go quickly, save your mother from having to say you're lazy for a while. Grandpa Zhang urged.

At the dinner table, Zhang's father Zhang Mingyi asked Zhang Chuntao: "Tao'er, if you think about it, I will contact you and go out to work with my fellow villagers." If I want to go to school, I'll borrow some money. ”

Zhang Chuntao shook his head: "My younger brother is still in elementary school, and there are many places to spend money!" In addition, there is a severe drought this year, the harvest in the field is not good, and it cannot be sold for money, so the family cannot live by eating old potato noodles. I've already thought about going out to work early, so that I can earn my brother's tuition fees during the summer vacation. ”

In order to provide for the two sisters and brothers to go to school, the family borrowed all the people who could borrow money. Zhang Chuntao really didn't want to, his father borrowed money from relatives every time he carried pastries, and when he came back, he looked dejected. People who are only in their early forties look like people in their fifties and sixties who have been weathered and exposed to the sun and rain.

In the evening, Aunt Li, who lived on the hill next door, came to pick up pastries and said something about Chun Tao's schooling: "Peach! My aunt also said that if you don't have money to go to school, you can come to your aunt's house to borrow it, and then pay it back to your aunt when you earn money from your part-time job. My Huazi is doing everything, and outside, I have had enough of the hardships of not having a degree, and I have to endure for a few years, and I have a flexible mind before I am promoted to a small steward. ”

"Thank you, auntie, I've already decided to go out with my sister in the early summer of the house next door. When you get outside, you can learn the same. Zhang Chuntao refused, Aunt Li's family had already helped her family a lot, and she couldn't borrow money every time, it was all borrowed money from Aunt Li.

Aunt Li is warm-hearted, but her son is a little calculating, and her daughter-in-law is not very kind to see that her mother-in-law always lends money to irrelevant people.

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On the willow tops of the moon, Zhang Chuntao sat on a thick branch on the top of the peach tree, leaned against the trunk of the tree to enjoy the shade, quietly looked up at the moon in the sky, big and round, and could see the laurel tree above the moon.

"What are you thinking?" The little girl in the peach tree who looks like an elf in a fairy tale asked.

Zhang Chuntao was startled and almost planted from the tree. People who are bold on weekdays are also frightened by this sudden sound. Looking at the family members who were sitting on the beds in the open air, watching the TV with relish, it seemed that they didn't pay attention to the sound.

Zhang Chuntao looked at the one in front of him with palpitations, sitting on a peach blossom, a miniature version of a beautiful little girl who was not much taller than a thumb, wearing a pink costume made of peach blossom petals, and was pleasantly surprised: "Are you an elf fairy?" "After all, it's still a girl's heart, fantasizing about things that don't exist in this world.

"No, I am God. What is an elf and can it be eaten? The little fairy asked sincerely.

"Hmmm! Elves are little people just like you, they live in the forest. Zhang Chuntao patiently explained.

"You're the Peach Blossom Fairy, aren't I sitting on your body now." Zhang Chuntao remembered this incident in hindsight.

"It's not a peach blossom fairy, it's a god. It's the tree that says you're heavier now. "Little Momokie is quite frank." Luckily, it's thick enough to hold you. ”

Zhang Chuntao got up and slid down: "Oh! Then I'll go down now. ”

"No, you don't." Peach Blossom Fairy stops.

Zhang Chuntao sat back in place. Curiosity came up and kept asking: "Is there really a fairy in this world, are there other fairies like you?" Is there still a heavenly court performed on TV? ”

Peach Blossom Xiaoxian was a little distressed: "Why do you ask so many questions?" I don't know. ”

"Oh well! Change the question. Zhang Chuntao continued to ask: "What's your name?" What do I call you? "Zhang Chuntao is very bold.

"Hua Luo, you can call me Hua Luo." Waking up in the dark and staying in this peach tree, Hua Luo watched Zhang Chuntao fall to the ground until she grew up.

Automatically ignore the last two words, "Hua Luo, my name is Zhang Chuntao, you can call me Chun Tao, or Peach." Zhang Chuntao introduced herself.

"I know, you're going to call me a god, or an adult." The little man of Hua Luo put on a cold look, looking a little arrogant. "What are you thinking?"

"Spring peach! Who are you talking to. Chun Tao's mother Qian Chrysanthemum asked under the tree. After an episode of the TV series, an advertisement for the elder will be added in the middle, and Qian Juhua is ready to call her down to talk. Just listen, she muttered incessantly from the tree.

"No, Mom, maybe the TV is too loud, you heard it wrong." Zhang Chuntao prevaricated.

Qian Juhua listened to it for a while, and thought about it, she was really old, and her ears were a little difficult to use.

Chun Tao wanted to stay in the tree for a while, so she let her stay. Anyway, it's just a few words. The head of the family spoke up, and Qian Juhua stopped caring about Zhang Chuntao on the tree, and sat on the bed with peace of mind and watched the boring advertisement.

Seeing that no one paid attention to him anymore, Zhang Chuntao talked about his hesitant future. "Most of the children in the village are like this, they don't study well, so they go out to work. I'm about to embark on this path, half of which is because I'm glad that I can earn money to support my family, and my parents don't have to work so hard. Half of it was going to a completely unfamiliar place, and some couldn't feel at ease at home. I don't know where my future is. Where is the destination? What will the other half of the future look like? ”

Hua Luo couldn't say anything comforting, she was still a stranger to this world. Everything here is different from the previous world, there is no aura, humans have no magic, and live an ordinary mortal life.

"You can take me."

"Really? But how do I bring it? If you are separated from the tree, can you still live? What if you are seen? Zhang Chuntao was surprised and worried.

Hua Luo was worried that the helpee in this world might be a chatter, and said helplessly: "You have a lot of questions. You can take a peach branch with you, and I'll be with you. No one can see me but you. ”