August 16, 1978.

East Henan Basin.

At five o'clock in the morning, the dark red sun has hung on the side of Cuiping Mountain, and the stars and moon of last night have converged on the cold light, bidding farewell to the forgotten Dahuangzhuang Commune in the world.

Xia Guizhi, a widow located next to the big lotus root pit at the east end of the village, opened her eyes suddenly, habitually pushed away her youngest son Lin Tianci, who was holding her thigh on her left hand, and Lin Rufang, a little girl who was holding her arm on her right hand, and stepped into bed lightly.

Xia Guizhi quickly put on a blue coarse cloth short-sleeved shirt and khaki coarse cloth pants, and combed her waist-length hair into braids.

"Big hair! Big hair! Xia Guizhi woke up her eldest daughter Lin Ruyue at the east end of the bed, "Today is the first day you go to the Dafeng Harvest Textile Factory to report, leave early, don't be late." ”

"It's not dawn yet, it's so annoying, let me sleep a little longer!" Lin Ruyue turned over with a chirp, leaned against the wall and continued to sleep.

"No, today's college entrance examination score line is coming, that little rascal will definitely go to the city to see the score, I'm afraid he will pester you, you better go with Ermao early." Xia Guizhi whispered, opened the rusty rhubarb lock on the bedside table, reached in, touched the bottom of the layers of coarse cloth clothes and old sheets, and took out a small wooden box.

There is a lock on the small wooden box, which continues to be opened, and there are five pieces of yuan and a neat cloth ticket lying inside.

This is the tuition fee that Lin Yongnian left for his daughters when he was alive, as well as all the belongings saved by the family's frugal food and clothing.

"Da Mao, after you settle down in the dormitory, pull a few feet of cotton cloth and make two new clothes," Xia Guizhi took out a Mao ticket and two cloth tickets, and stuffed them into Lin Ruyue's hands, "You can't let those children in the city look down on us!" ”

"Who still wears the clothes they make? It's corny! Lin Ruyue threw the cloth ticket to Xia Guizhi and muttered dissatisfiedly, "I need to change my clothes, pants, shoes and bag, you give me another ten yuan." ”

Xia Guizhi hesitated, "But ......"

Lin Ruyue was unhappy, "Mom." Our family will rely on me to earn wages in the future, are you not even willing to give me this money? ”

"Medium, medium, I'll give you another one." Xia Guizhi took out another one and handed it to her eldest daughter, who had always been doted on.

Xia Guizhi locked the small wooden box, put it back in its place, locked the bedside table, and whispered to Lin Ruyue, "Don't let Ermao know about this money." ”

"What if you know?" Lin Ruyue snorted disdainfully, "You picked her up, why did your family eat and drink for nothing for so many years, and you still want to fight with me?" ”

"Say no more!" Xia Guizhi hurriedly covered Lin Ruyue's mouth and complained, "What should I do if she knows about it and runs away?" Didn't I raise it for nothing for seventeen years? ”

"Who told you to pick up a drag oil bottle and come back!" Lin Ruyue turned over, covered her head and continued to sleep.

"Dozing off?" Xia Guizhi wiped the sweat on her beloved eldest daughter and said, "I'll call Ermaozi and let her pick it up first, and you can sleep a little longer." ”-

The Lin family had three thatched adobe houses, the west house was a place to sleep and put valuable goods such as bedding, the hall house was a place to put farm tools and a dining table, and three chairs with backrests, and the east house was used to make a fire for cooking and stacking grain.

There are many children in the family, and the only bed can't sleep five people, Xia Guizhi sent Lin Duoduo to sleep in the stove house on the grounds that Lin Ruyue had to take care of her younger brothers and sisters.

The stove house is an adobe thatched house, surrounded by a large tsubaki tree, cramped and low, and dimly lit.

Lin Duoduo's bed was made of thick wheat straw, the sheets were sewn from fertilizer bags, and the sheets were patched black and white plaid cotton heads.

The bed is a little simple, but Xia Guizhi is a well-known widow who loves face.

Don't look at a few houses from the outside look very dilapidated, but the courtyard and the house are all cleaned and tidy, there are no small insects such as lice and bedbugs on the wheat straw bed, but sleeping overnight will cause back pain.

Xia Guizhi lifted the rag curtain printed with magpie and plum blossom patterns and shouted, "Ermaozi is up!" ”

After getting no response, she walked to the bed made of wheat straw, kicked it, and scolded, "Dead Nizi, how many times did you explain it to you last night, today Sister Kai is going to report on the big harvest, you have to get up early and send her to the city!" ”

"Stop shouting, I'm already up." Lin Duoduo was squatting in the fence yard to wash his face, and when he heard Xia Guizhi's shout, he walked slowly to the stove fire house.

"You're smart!" Xia Guizhi walked to the stove, opened the lid of the front pot, and took out four nest heads.

She spread out the cage cloth cut from white filial piety cloth, wrapped the head of the nest, and put it into the bag she had packed last night.

Then he took two red-skinned eggs that he had boiled last night, returned to Xili, secretly stuffed them to Lin Ruyue, and instructed her, "I'm hungry to eat on the road, and Ermao doesn't listen to you on the road, just tell me, come back, I'll clean her up!" ”

Outside the window, Lin Duoduo, who was combing his hair, heard it clearly, and couldn't help sneering in his heart.

From now on, no one will want to clean her up anymore!