Out of the courtyard door to the left, turn on a field road, there is a small stream ditch beside the road, the flowing water is murmuring and clear to the bottom, go forward along the stream ditch to the foot of the mountain, only to see a flying bead splashing jade water flow between the two peaks pouring down, forming a pool of water at the foot of the mountain, the pool water is the source of the small stream ditch.

Entering the bamboo mountain, the green bamboo covering the blue sky and white clouds, and many new bamboo shoots under the forest break out of the soil, vigorously upward, showing the vigorous vitality. People stroll in the deep secluded place of the bamboo forest, smell the unique breath of bamboo, and wash their hearts and lungs.

Dawu and Xiaowu led the way in front, and led the three people behind him to the depths of the bamboo forest.

Xiao Wu, who had a black mole on the corner of his mouth, said to Qingyan: "Cousin, I remember that there is also a bamboo at the back of your house, but it is a small and short piece, not as tall as our bamboo, and much thinner." ”

Liu Qingyan replied: "Yes, I have purple bamboo and small wild bamboo at home, and I can't weave things, so I can only build a melon rack to make a fishing rod." He looked around at the Qingqing Zhushan and said, "It's a pity that you only have a creek and no river here, otherwise we would have been able to go fishing and play."

Qiaozhen, who was walking behind, said: "If there is a river, you can see it on the top of the mountain." ”

Xiao Wu also shouted: "There is a river." And he frowned at Dawu and said, "His mother-in-law is on the other side of the river." ”

Dawu stopped in front, turned his head and said with a red face: "It's just decided, how can you call your mother-in-law without passing the door." ”

Xiao Wu shouted exaggeratedly: "Look, I started to protect my mother-in-law before I passed the door." ”

Dawu was in a hurry, dancing his fists to beat Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu hurriedly ran away.

The quiet bamboo forest suddenly resounded with a burst of cheerful laughter, alarming some small animals in the bamboo forest.

Yong Yanzi, who was looking around, suddenly pointed to the front right and shouted: "Bamboo rats, there are bamboo rats." ”

Everyone looked in the direction of his finger, and saw a huge mouse running by at a very fast speed, and disappeared in an instant.

Dawu Xiaowu quickly chased after him, and there was a circular hole in the ground, and it seemed that the bamboo rat had entered the hole.

Xiao Wu slapped his thigh and shouted in annoyance: "I didn't bring a guy when I came out today, otherwise there would be bamboo rat meat to eat." ”

Dawu picked up a dead bamboo branch from the ground and poked it into the hole, saying, "This hole is so deep, you have to smoke it with smoke." ”

Qiao Zhen frowned and said, "Don't worry about the bamboo rat for now, let's go find the bamboo ginseng first, the bamboo ginseng should wilt if it's late." ”

So, Dawu and Xiaowu had no choice but to give up, and everyone scattered in the bamboo forest to find the queen of the fungus with long white legs and a gauze skirt. Dawu acted alone, Xiaowu led Yong Yanzi, Qingyan and Qiaozhen in a group.

Bamboo ginseng is not easy to find, half an afternoon to find a small half basket of bamboo ginseng and bamboo ginseng eggs, a few people broke some bamboo shoots down the mountain.

Back in the small courtyard of the Xie family, Xie and Cai's two concubines had already started cooking dinner in the stove room, Xiao Cai's was chopping chicken, Cai's washing vegetables, Xie was sitting in front of the stove and was responsible for lighting the fire, talking and laughing while busy working.

Liu Qingyan and Qiaozhen carried the basket of bamboo ginseng into the stove room, and Cai Shi smiled when he saw it and said, "I just came back, the chickens are all killed and waiting for your bamboo ginseng." ”

Xie Shi looked at Qingyan's little face flushed from climbing the mountain, and asked distressedly, "Are you tired?" ”

Although Liu Qingyan was physically tired, she was in good spirits, her bright eyes flashed with excitement, and she replied, "Don't be tired, it's fun on the mountain." ”

Xie Shi thought that his daughter might have been depressed for too long before.

Cai Shi took a look at the basket containing bamboo ginseng and exclaimed, "There are also bamboo ginseng eggs, there is another good dish tonight." After finishing, he said to Liu Qingyan and Qiaozhen, who were still standing in the stove room: "Don't be crowded here, you can go to the house to play." ”

Qiaozhen then led Liu Qingyan to her house.

The courtyard of the Xie family is three main rooms, and there are only two wings on both sides, Qiaozhen is living with Qiaomei, this room was originally the boudoir of Xie and the third sister, and after they got married, they were given two small ones to live.

The furnishings of the room are burning at a glance, compared to Liu Qingyan's boudoir, the environment of the Xie family is incomparable with the Liu family.

The two sat on the edge of the bed, Qiaozhen casually picked up the embroidered bandage to make needlework, Liu Qingyan saw that the embroidered mandarin duck playing in the water pattern, and asked, "Yours?" ”

Qiaozhen is fourteen years old, and it is not surprising that she began to embroider her dowry.

Qiao Zhen shook her head and said, "No, it's for the eldest brother to marry." ”

Liu Qingyan remembered that Xiao Wu said on the mountain that Dawu wanted to please his mother-in-law, and then asked: "The eldest cousin marries a daughter-in-law, what about the little cousin?" ”

Qiao Zhen was silent for a while, and said with some embarrassment: "If the family's money is not enough to marry two relatives at the same time, you still need to build two rooms, and the little brother will have to wait for two years to talk about it, if it is not enough, find a suitable family to change relatives." ”

Liu Qingyan was surprised and hurriedly asked, "Use you to exchange?" ”

Qiao Zhen pursed her lips and nodded: "We are poor, there is not enough food to eat, the girls outside don't want to marry in, and the girls inside want to marry outside, so we can only find a way to find a way in the nearby village, and it is difficult to find relatives." ”

"What if the man who swapped relatives was a lame and blind man, or a bad-tempered man who often beats you, do you agree?" Liu Qingyan was so anxious that she jumped out of bed, she had also seen the change of relatives in her previous life, either the family was too poor to afford to eat, or the man had a lot of problems, how could a good family need to change relatives.

Qiaozhen bit her lip and said, "If that's the case, I also accept my fate, and I can't let my little brother fight for the rest of my life." ”

Liu Qingyan shut up and was silent.

Reconciled! In ancient times, women had an underground status, so what could they do if they didn't accept their fate?

Many women marry into their husbands' families and are abused, they can only choose to forbear, they can't bear it anymore, a hemp rope hangs or throws a lot of people into the river, does this quiet and delicate girl in front of her have to bear that fate?

The cabinets, wardboxes, and stools in Qiaozhen's room are all made of bamboo, as well as many knick-knacks she knits herself, bamboo plates, bamboo bowls, makeup boxes, needlework dustpans, etc., all of which are exquisite and elegant, and there is a bamboo wind chime hanging in front of the window.

Liu Qingyan felt sorry and sympathized with this thoughtful girl, if the man who changed her relatives was a vulgar rough man, what should she do?

It gradually got dark outside, and Qiao Mei came to shout for dinner.

So, I went to eat.

Bamboo ginseng stewed old hen, the taste is needless to say, the fried bamboo ginseng eggs with shredded pepper are also delicious and abnormal, the braised fresh bamboo shoots are also delicious, and the mountain treasures do not need too many seasonings, and it is a delicacy after simple cooking.

After eating, my aunt brought hot water for Qingyan to wash her face and feet.

Qingyan's feet had never walked so far, and then she went to climb the mountain, and she was sore early, but she was much more comfortable after soaking in hot water.

slept in Qiaozhen's house, squeezed a bed with Qiaomei, Xie slept in Mrs. Xie's room, and Xie Laohan was driven to squeeze in a room with his two grandsons.

Qiao Zhen and Liu Qingyan teased Qiao Mei to laugh for a while before falling asleep, Qiao Mei was afraid of life at the beginning, but after most of the day's work, she was not afraid when she became familiar with it.

The weather is already hot, and the three of them don't have to worry about catching a cold if they squeeze into a bed.

The next day, she woke up to the roosters and birds, washed up and had a simple breakfast, and Liu Qingyan shouted that she wanted to go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots.

Xie originally planned to go back to Baishui Village after breakfast, but when he saw that his daughter was excited to dig bamboo shoots, he asked, "I didn't eat enough bamboo shoots yesterday, and I want to bring some back to eat?" ”

Liu Qingyan shook her head, "If you don't bring it, just eat it here." ”

Xie Shi understood that the girl still wanted to play here, so he said, "Then stay for another day." ”

When Qiaozhen saw it, she brought a bamboo basket and a small hoe to dig bamboo shoots with Liu Qingyan.

Liu Qingyan glanced at Qiaozhen's bamboo basket and said, "This is not enough, you have to dig more bamboo shoots." ”

Now the people of the Xie family are at a loss, although the bamboo shoots can be cooked, but they can't eat so much!

Xie Shi asked curiously, "What are you going to do with so many bamboo shoots?" ”

"Make dried bamboo shoots." Liu Qingyan looked up at her mother and replied crisply and loudly.

Cai laughed and said: "My son, there are many dried bamboo shoots at home, if you want to eat and bring some back to eat, you can have as many as you want, no need to dig it." ”

"It's not that kind of dried bamboo shoots, it's other dried bamboo shoots, and it's delicious to make." Liu Qingyan replied with a grin.

No matter how delicious the dried bamboo shoots are, the Xie family doesn't believe it, but Liu Qingyan has only come to the house once in recent years, and the Xie family can't wipe her face, just if she wants to play, and the bamboo shoots are everywhere, let her play if she wants to play.

In addition to drying some bamboo shoots and eating them at home, the bamboo shoots all over the mountains and fields can't get a lot of money to sell in the city, because there are too many bamboo shoots here, and every household picks them up to sell, and if there are too many, they can't afford to sell them.

It happened that Dawu Xiaowu also wanted to catch bamboo rats, and after asking Liu Qingyan how many bamboo shoots he wanted to dig, he carried a hoe and a straw fire fold, picked a bamboo basket and set off.

Today there is plenty of time, at the foot of the mountain Liu Qingyan proposed to go to the top of the mountain to see the scenery, the group is a playful young person, there is no disagreement, throw the hoe bamboo basket at the foot of the mountain, cheering to climb to the top of the mountain.

Zhushan is not high, but the road is difficult, the twins are as steady as apes in front, and the two girls are not so easy, and they have to pull a brave man from time to time.

When you come to the top of the mountain, your vision widens, and everywhere you look is the tender green bamboo.

Among the peaks and mountains, ravines and ravines, these bamboos have grown naturally in the barren mountains and mountains with perseverance for thousands of years, endured boundless loneliness and desolation, and went through countless years of scorching heat and cold winter to have this sea-like climate.

Gazing into the distance, I saw the water under the mountain like a belt, winding eastward, it is the green water around the mountains, verdant bamboo to nourish the heart field!

Bamboo with its condensed, subtle, elegant charm conquered a lot of literati and scholars, since ancient times highly respected, there is a poem said: "It is better to eat no meat, not to live without bamboo." No meat makes people thin, and no bamboo makes people vulgar. People are thin and fat, but people are not curable. The poems and paintings that use bamboo as the depiction object are innumerable, and the weight and love of bamboo in people's hearts can be seen.

On the other side of the river there is an open flat with farmhouses, which appear to be more populous than Huangzhu'ao.

Xiao Wu pointed to the village on the other side of the river and said to Qingyan, "Oh, Dawu's mother-in-law is in that village. ”

When Dawu heard this, he wanted to beat Xiao Wu again, and said, "Don't talk about your mother-in-law anymore." ”

Xiao Wu shouted as he fled, "Those who are going to get married after the New Year can't say anything." ”