In summer, the night in the small mountain village is also lively, except for the occasional barking of dogs, and the constant croaking of frogs in the fields. At the beginning of the night, before it is completely dark, the farmers who have been busy in the fields for a long time will pack up their farming tools and go home.

Although the mountain village is remote, many news cannot be conveyed here, but the town officials will always come to inform them about the tax changes. In addition to preparing for the monthly payment of military rations, the people in the village also have to collect the field rent once in the summer and autumn, and pay the harvest grain on the first day of the new year every year.

In previous years, only at the end of the year, officials from the town would come to the village to collect the whole year's military rations and field rent, and there would be no other miscellaneous taxes. The surplus grain can also be replaced with corresponding cloth, meat, or other sundries. You can also go to the town market and sell them for silver coins.

However, since the new emperor ascended the throne, in addition to changing the era name to "Cambrian", many national policies have also changed accordingly. The most important of these is the addition of a variety of taxes, which has made the burden on the shoulders of the people heavier.

Still, you have to live your life as you should. Just as Li Tieniu, a strong man in the village, said, "If you are happy, you have to go to the field to do farm work and then go home, and the day will pass happily." If you're not happy, you have to go to the fields and go home, and the day goes by so unhappily. ”

The night in the countryside is not as hot as the day, and some families are preparing their meals early and are carrying wooden tables and benches to eat outside the house, while others are only cooking at this time, and the chimney on the roof slowly spews white smoke outward, and the white smoke curls up, and immediately merges with the night and disappears.

Hercules generally belong to the latter group, and they are busy cooking on the fire in front of the stove at this time. Let's see what Dali is doing, oh, he's breaking dry branches and throwing them through the bottom door. The fire in the stove was blazing, and the gray smoke from the burning slowly drifted out, and he covered his nose vigorously and squinted his eyes.

Dali's mother, who was folding vegetables, suddenly said, "Dali, when I was doing laundry, I saw that you seemed to be playing with that little ghost?"

The people in the village generally call Ling Chen the little ghost, and Dali naturally knows who the person in his mother's mouth is. He coughed lightly, moistened his throat and replied, "Yes, his name is Ling Chen." People are nice. After saying that, he threw a few thicker wooden stems into the bottom door of the pot.

Mother Dali stopped folding vegetables in her hand, she habitually looked in the direction behind the stove, and naturally she couldn't see Dali hiding behind to burn firewood.

"You all know the name of that baby, so did you ask his mother if he was a concubine who smuggled out of a big family, or was there another reason?"

At this time, Dali felt that the fire in the stove was almost big enough, and he quickly got up and walked away, not wanting to be smoked again.

He walked up to his mother and replied that he didn't know, so he helped to fold the vegetables.

Mother Mighty stopped her hand again, not knowing what she was thinking. "This baby is also strange and pitiful, then if you want to play with him in the future, play with him, I guess his mother must have stolen out of a big family, maybe with some gold, silver and jewelry. The corners of Mother Dali's mouth unconsciously turned up when she said this, and continued: "Dali, you have a good relationship with this baby, what else can you help us in the future." Speaking of this, Mother Mighty seemed to remember something again, and said to herself, "No, how can you come to such a remote mountain village wearing gold, silver and jewelry, is she hiding from people?"

Dali didn't see the change in his mother's expression when she spoke, otherwise Dali would definitely think that his mother would also change her face, so he just responded softly and continued to bury his head in folding vegetables. Dali didn't think about it that much, he was willing to play with Ling Ling just because he was good, it was as simple as that.

On the other side, Ling Chen also limped back home with his mother. Although there was still a slight pain in his calf, the little guy was so full of other things that he forgot that he still had an injury in his calf. The mother was drying the laundry on the bamboo pole outside the house, and when she saw the smile on her child's face at this time, she remembered that on the way home, the little guy did not jump and walk in front of him as usual, but followed slowly and unusually without saying a word. Shook his head slightly.

"Why did your calf hurt?" Ling Mu asked knowingly, in fact, she saw everything that happened by the stream.

"I accidentally tripped over a tree root and fell, and my mother was fine. "Morning's answer was a bit hesitant, although on the way back the little guy thought about how to answer if his mother asked, but the first time he lied, he was still relatively inexperienced.

"I'm smiling when I get hurt, you kid. Mother Ling feigned anger, but when she saw that the little guy's face was flushed at this time, and he looked at a loss with his head down. Her eyebrows stretched, and she leaned down and touched the little one's unkempt hair with a smile on her face.

"It's fine. Ling Mu said softly.

When I looked up in the early morning, I was greeted by my mother's bright smiling face, her long brown hair draped down the white turban, covering both sides of her cheeks, and the simple cloth on her body was dazzling. Although I can see my mother's appearance every day, every time the little guy thinks that there may really be fairies in the world. But when I think of what the village children said today, the little guy is like a fish in his throat. He wanted to ask clearly, but he was afraid that his mother would be sad, so he stopped talking.

Her mother's gentle eyes observed the scene, and she was about to speak, when a voice outside the door interrupted her. She looked out the door at the same time as the early hours of the morning.

The person who came was the hunter in the village, Liu Laoshi, as his name suggested, honest. At the beginning, Ling's mother came to the village in the early morning when she was still a baby, orphaned and widowed, without relatives and no reason. It was the house built by Liu Laoshi with the help of several big men in the village, and later he often sent rice, cloth and vegetables, and it was several years after a delivery. Although Ling's mother politely declined many times during the period, Liu Laoshi still came to the house every once in a while to deliver things.

When I saw that it was Uncle Honest who was coming, I finally held back the question I wanted to ask, and called out happily: "Uncle Honest, you are here." ”

Liu Laoshi nodded, smiling "hey, hey, hey". Then he took off the hind leg of the pig on his shoulder and carried it with his hand, and took out a handful of straw from nowhere and spread it on the ground, and then put the hind leg of the pig on the straw, and the whole action was done in one go, as if he had practiced hundreds of times.

"Pork hind leg, fresh, just chopped this morning. It is taken from noon to sunrise. Make up for the baby. Liu Laoshi touched the back of his head and said to Ling Mu and Ling Chen, but his eyes were slanted at the floor.

Mother Ling had already stood up straight, she waved her hand embarrassedly and said, "How embarrassing is this, honestly brother, this is not a New Year's holiday, and the few big fish you gave a few days ago are still not eaten." This can't be wanted. The tone was calm but slightly firm.

Liu Laoshi was even more embarrassed when he heard this, he rubbed his hands and replied: "This pig was hunted by me on the outskirts of the village a few days ago, and I can't eat it alone." Liu Laoshi's eyes lifted slightly and continued. "The neighbors sent it on both sides, and when Chen'er grew up, I chose a hind leg, which has a lot of meat. Don't tighten, don't tighten. After speaking, Liu Laoshi didn't wait for the reaction of the Ling family's mother and son, turned around and walked out quickly.

After Liu Laoshi walked out of the Ling family's house, his pace slowed down a little. He let out a long sigh of relief and smiled innocently. He walked a few steps and happened to pass by the door of Mama He, the most troubled house in the village, and Mama He's family happened to be a family of four preparing to eat outside the house while enjoying the shade.

When Liu Laoshi carried the pig's hind legs to Ling's house, He's mother was setting up tables and stools outside the house to prepare for dinner, and she wanted to make fun of Liu Laoshi at that time, but there was no extra effort. So at this time, she waited for Liu Laoshi to come out and pass by their door, and then make fun of this honest man.

"Yo, honest man, send something to that family again, why don't you send it to our family, pig ears are also good." When Mama He said this, she deliberately raised her voice, and her voice was sharp, so her voice was like the voice of an old hen who was pulling her throat and laying eggs.

Liu honestly knew that this was making fun of him, and he was not angry. He glanced at He's mother and his family of four, and said a few times, "Send it next time, send it next time." Then he turned and wanted to go.

Mother He didn't intend to let Liu Laoshi go, she put a piece of dried bamboo shoots in her mouth and chewed it a few times, and then shouted again: "I said honest! Look at that orphan and widow, you are also alone." In the past few years, I have sent things to their house every day, and I have listened to Mama He's advice, you two are a good match, or Mama He will help you be a matchmaker? Don't be bullied by someone to be an honest person!" While Mama He shouted, Xingzi blurted out with some bamboo shoots and dried slag.

These piercing words also entered Liu Laoshi's ears with a few dog barks, and Liu Laoshi stopped walking towards home and stood in place. He put away the honest smile on his face, "Don't say that! Chen'er's mother is kind to me, I'm just kind to me! Don't be nosy!" It was already night, and Liu Laoshi's swarthy face was almost invisible. But the words reached the ears of He's mother's family. After Liu Laoshi said this, he lifted his feet and left, this time at a faster speed.

After hearing this, Mama He said boringly: "Honest people will lose their temper like this!" After speaking, she spat on the ground, and then the family of four continued to eat.