In August, the sun is still scorching the earth, there are a few thin clouds swimming in the sky, the blue sky filters out all the variegated colors, leaving only a few points of white and slowly floating, the peaks and peaks are stacked under the clear and clear, a clear stream meanders from the belly of the mountain, flows into Taoyuan Village, and merges into a small river in the village, passing through the village and flowing to the outside of the village.

The green mountains are floating in the water, the grass and trees are green, the smooth pebbles in the river are clearly visible, and a person is fluttering in the water to touch the fish.

In the dense and chaotic dilapidated thatched houses of the small mountain village, a girl is running barefoot and running towards the river.

Approaching the shore panting and stopped, not only did she have no shoes, but her thin linen shirt and trouser legs that only reached under her legs were obviously not suitable for wearing, it was because the girl had grown taller and had no new clothes, only two large thick braids tied with red ropes on her head were meticulously braided.

The girl panted and raised her hand with only seven points of sleeves, wiped her forehead sticky with hair, and even the two crescent eyebrows were stained with a little beads of sweat, and simply squatted down by the river to hold a few handfuls of water and rubbed the whole face, and the cheeks were full of mud and dirt like a cat, and only then did she show her true face, a pair of bright and big eyes flickered, like the clarity of the sky, far clearer than the river water, a small and straight nose bridge, and delicate pink lips, that is, the skin tone of the small round face that has been exposed to the wind and sun all the year round is darker, and she is also a delicate and smart girl.

The people who fish in the river are still fluttering.

"Brother, go home quickly, my dad is angry!" The girl shouted at the people in the river.

"Okay, right away!" The person fluttering in the water raised his head, as if he was a young boy, and when he heard the girl's voice, he unwillingly watched a fish that ran away and climbed ashore, put on the shoes that were placed on the shore, and walked quickly towards the girl with the fish basket on his back.

Her name is Hua Cry, nickname Yin, such a poetic name, because she has a father who is a private school gentleman, although Hua Cry is a girl, since she was a child, she also followed her father Hua Changting to read and write, smart and clever and has excellent understanding, and has some opinions, more than ten years of hearing and seeing can often refute Hua Changting speechless, his father often says that if it is a boy, it is impossible for him to be nominated on the daily list, how can a woman be virtuous if she is not talented, Hua Changting had to pin her hopes on Qin Shuyu.

Qin Shuyu is the boy who touched the fish, born with handsome eyebrows, but his skin was tanned and swarthy, his body was stout, the standard country boy, a head taller than Hua Weeping, he was an orphan in the village, and he was picked up by the old man Qin in the village when he was waiting to be fed, the old man Qin said that he was a treasure given by God, and the name brought a jade, when Xiao Shuyu was four years old, the old man Qin drove the crane to the west, lonely and helpless, helping the people in the village to herd cattle, so as to have a bite to eat.

Every time he led the cow through the private school, and heard the sound of reading from inside, Qin Shuyu took the root of the window and watched it carefully, while writing and painting on the ground with a branch, often forgetting the cow, and running away I didn't know where to go, the people in the village no longer dared to let him herd the cattle, Mr. Hua Changting took pity on his youth, so he took him home, and let him go into the school to read and practice calligraphy with the children in the village, and now he has grown into a seventeen-year-old sturdy young man.

"Dad is out of the hall, you don't study the test that your dad gave you at home, and you still run out to play, you can't go back and don't hurt!" Hua Wai complained while dragging the fish basket on Qin Shuyu's back, and looked at a few fish in it with her face close to her face.

"Don't look at it, just one, hehe!" Qin Shuyu grinned, showed two neat rows of big white teeth, smirked happily, and looked down at Hua Weeping's smooth little feet, "Why don't you wear shoes?" Fifteen-year-old girls can get married, do you think there is a girl whose family is barefoot all day? ”

"Don't interrupt, what about you, it's the township exam in three days, if you don't study well to get a reputation, you will know how to play!"

"Yin'er, I'll take you to a place in the afternoon, where ......"

Before Qin Shuyu finished speaking, he was smashed on the shoulder by the fish basket held by Hua Wai.

"Let you know how to play, you won't be able to get on the list when you arrive, and you've been reading books for more than ten years, you're going to be angry with my father!"

"No, you listen to me......"

"Say what to say, say it, it's where to dig a bird's nest and catch a pheasant, hurry up!"

"No, you listen to me......"

"You still want to say, I won't go to work in the afternoon, just staring at you at home!"

"No, heck, you're going to hear me!"

"Say!"

"On the stone wall of that peach grove on the mountain...... Oops! ”

"Shut up!"

The two of them pulled and pulled all the way, and only then did they see their fence gate from a distance.

The fence wall, inside is a house built of adobe and wood thatch, the main house is facing the fence door outside the courtyard, the left and right bedrooms in the middle hall, Hua Changting and Qin Shuyu are one person, there are two rooms on the left side of the courtyard, one is cooking on the fire, one is sleeping, that is the house of Hua Weeping, there is a chicken nest on the right, there is only an old hen in it, laying eggs every few days, only Qin Shuyu can eat, although it is eaten by Hua Weeping every time.

Hua Changting, who is over forty years old, sits in the hall facing the door of the house, and his thin figure is hidden across the dining table, dressed in old linen and green clothes, with an angular face hanging down with a beard, thick sword eyebrows, deep eyes, and a bun on the top of his head.

The master holds a book in his hand, and although he looks at the pages, his mind is not on the book, but he is staring at a certain place.

The Hua family is very poor, although Hua Changting is a private school Mr., but only one hundred and twenty copper dollars per month, five copper pounds of rice, a pound of rice, a family of three is not enough to eat every month, occasionally write letters to the villagers, the neighbors give a few copper thanks, Hua Changting is also embarrassed to receive, knowing that everyone is poor, the villagers respect Hua Changting, often send some sweet potatoes, taro and vegetables, but it is not good to refuse a feeling, the Hua family can barely survive.

In the entire Taoyuan Village, except for the old man Qin who had passed away when he picked up Qin Shuyu and came back, only Hua Changting was literate, but Hua Changting was still only a student, and he had to accept his fate when he participated in the township test twice when he was young and did not make the list, and no one in the village had ever taken the township test, so the people in this village have been poor.

Hua Changting wants to teach the children in Taoyuan Village to participate in the township examination, if he can be nominated for the filial piety and honesty list, the village has hope, although it is slim, but since Qin Shuyu passed the hospital examination three years ago, this hope has suddenly been magnified, this year no matter what, let him go to the exam, and if he wins the township examination, he will have the qualification to enter the official, and he can benefit the village by being an official.

Today is the sixth day of the first month of August, and the ninth day of the eighth month is the township test for three days, but the unnatural boy did not study at home, and Hua Changting was sad about it at this time.

"Let's go! Rub what! Hua Wei pushed Qin Shuyu hard, and the two gently opened the fence door and walked inside.

Seeing Hua Changting sitting in the hall, Qin Shuyu hurriedly snatched the fish basket in Hua Wei's hand, and ran to the kitchen with a swish, for fear that Hua Changting would be called over and trained until dark if he walked slower, so that the three of them would be hungry again.

Hua Wei looked at Qin Shuyu's rapidly disappearing back, shook her head, came to the door of the main house, and shouted, "Dad." ”

"Hmm." Hua Changting didn't raise his head and continued to "read" the book.

Just as he was about to turn around and go to the kitchen to serve food, Hua Changting said lightly, "Where is Shuyu?" ”

"In ...... In the kitchen...... "Hana Weep looked nervously at Hanagatei.