The midsummer in the south of the Yangtze River was originally a picture of a paradise in the sky. There are golden ears of rice with the fragrance of the sky, and dark green mulberry forests.

Flowing water bypasses the village, and in the small pond, thick lotus leaves and small water chestnut leaves float on the water.

The woman who pulls up her trouser legs and picks lotuses is happy to get a supper.

The feet are steaming in the summer and the sun is burning in the back. I don't know the heat, but I regret the long summer.

In the Ming Dynasty, where productivity was extremely low, the common people did not know what a beautiful scenery was, but only knew that there was no day and no day. Fan Niangzi worked hard all day, and in the evening, dragging her tired body, she used scissors to cut peppercorns in her yard. Wild peppercorns can be used as seasonings, dried and sold in the city, and some bits and pieces can be used to subsidize the family.

Fan Niangzi's hands and feet were nimble, and after a while, there were many clusters of peppercorns as many as a hill in the dustpan.

"Fan Niangzi, are you still busy?" Outside the courtyard, a forty-year-old man led a buffalo and greeted him.

Fan Niangzi snorted and ignored him, with a look of annoyance on her face. There is an old cow in the house, so he always leads it around in front of the house.

The man sighed and said, "Fan Niangzi, why are you holding on alone." I told you a long time ago, find someone to help you......"

Fan Niangzi grabbed a handful of cut pepper branches and threw them off the road.

The pepper trees were full of spikes, very sharp, and the man hurriedly dodged.

Fan Niangzi was dumbfounded and scolded: "You lazy Yuan Buer, five years since the death of the old lady's husband, you are innocent, Hugh wants to come to me to chew the root of the tongue, and if you say another word, what you throw down is not a stab but a knife." ”

Yuan Buer didn't leave, and said with a salivating face: "Fan Niangzi, what are you struggling with alone." I went to Jiangning City to help out this time, and I heard from the housekeeper of the Dong family, Chen Yuan, your family, is going to be a son-in-law. ”

Fan Niangzi stood up, the stool turned around a few times and fell to the ground, her hands crossed her waist, and said angrily: "You are talking nonsense, he is a single heir of the Chen family, how can he go to the door." The Dong family wants the old lady to ask for a daughter to marry a daughter, the old lady is not rare, and the little fool has always been sensible, so he doesn't do this kind of insulting thing. ”

Yuan Buer sniffed and said conclusively: "I lied to you to do something, if I lie to you, let me thunder and crack in the sky, and tomorrow I will become a loach in a dung pit." Your son skipped class twice in three days, and my nephew is also studying at Chongwen College. Xu Fuzi was going to be so angry that he fired him. ”

"Whoa." Fan Niangzi threw four or five pepper thorns, still angry.

Yuan Buer dodged in embarrassment, shouting: "Listen to my advice, your son can't count on it, it's better to go with me, I have a buffalo, I won't let you ...... Uh, woman, woman, spare your life. ”

The sword was cold, hanging on his neck, rural people, where to see this meeting, he was so scared that he almost urinated. As long as the sword is crooked, he can imagine that he is now like a pig lying on a chopping board waiting to be slaughtered, with white knives going in and red knives coming out, blood splattering Lao Gao.

Chen Yuan didn't have any feelings for this cheap old lady, but when he arrived at the door, this man looked obscene and very bored, with a thug next to him, he gave Wu Yuehe a look, her sword crossed a graceful arc, and the cold light was cold.

"Let me see you walking in front of my house again, and make you regret coming into this world." Chen Yuan said sharply. He is rarely so angry, and hates this kind of lazy person the most in his life, a dignified seven-foot man, with hands and feet, who does not work pragmatically, but bullies orphans and widows, and thinks he is a savior.

"Don't dare, don't dare." Yuan Buer fled in embarrassment, and even threw away the big buffalo.

When Fan Niangzi saw her son, her face was like frost, her eyebrows were raised, and she was even more angry than just now. grabbed him by the collar, like a chicken, and scolded: "You little fool, the old lady pulls you up with a handful of and urine, and your father has no chance to seek death." Why don't you have the opportunity to go to the door, leave the old lady alone,, follow me to kneel in front of the ancestors. ”

Chen Yuan's face was full of sadness, and he waved his hand again and again: "That's what he said nonsense, I didn't go." ”

"Didn't go? If you don't go, will others talk nonsense? There is no such thing, how can it be spread, and Yuan Buer is not the only one who said it, the old lady has already heard about it. I'm thinking about getting you back tomorrow, okay, you're back by yourself. ”

"The Dong family wants me to get into the fold."

"What?"

"I didn't say yes."

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Chen Yuan reassured again and again, and motioned to Wu Yuehe to help him speak.

Wu Yuehe saw that Chen Yuan was usually witty and calm, like an old pedant. I've never seen this before, my little face is flushed, and I want to laugh and endure it.

It's over, my glorious image is gone, Chen Yuan wailed. took over the original Chen Yuan, and this cheap old lady still had to admit it.

"Auntie, Chen Yuan is right, he didn't agree to join the Dong family."

Fan Niangzi noticed that there was another person next to her, who was simply a fairy, so she was shocked, pulled Chen Yuan a few steps, and reprimanded in a low voice: "Little fool, where did you go to deceive a fairy-like girl, let me tell you, human trafficking is a crime, and if the official doesn't come to arrest you, I will send you to the government." ”

Chen Yuan vomited blood, and it turned out that this Chen Yuan was cowardly enough, and even the old lady didn't trust it. Said helplessly: "Mother, where do you want to go, this is my friend, named Wu Yuehe, who came to Nanjing to seek refuge with relatives, and has not found relatives yet, so he came to my house to borrow for two days." ”

"Really?" Fan Niangzi was skeptical.

Wu Yuehe held back a smile and hurriedly said, "Yes, I'm sorry to disturb my aunt, if it's inconvenient, I'll go to Jiangning to find my relatives." ”

Fan Niangzi let go of Chen Yuan and said enthusiastically: "Where does the girl speak, what's inconvenient, except for this little fool and me, there is no one else in my family, the family is simple, the girl doesn't dislike it." ”

While beckoning Wu Yuehe into the house, he took a stool and asked her to sit down: "I'm at home alone all the year round, I don't have to pick it up, don't mind, girl." It's going to be dark, the girl is alone outside, it's not safe, I'll wronged you tonight. She pulled Wu Yuehe and chattered, treating Chen Yuan, the "son", as a transparent person.

Although the farmhouse is poor, it is hospitable and warm.

Chen Yuan couldn't speak, so he silently added firewood to the stove.

There was a burst of chickens flying and dogs jumping, and Fan Niangzi had already slaughtered the chickens. She suddenly remembered something, and asked Chen Yuan again: "Little fool, Yuan Buer just said, you skipped school for three days and two ends?" ”

It's not three days and two ends, it's running every day, Chen Yuan didn't dare to answer, and hurriedly changed the topic and said: "The water is boiling." He added half a basin of hot water, took it up, and went to pluck the chickens.

"Down, this is your job." Fan Niangzi scolded, snatched the wooden basin, and brought it to the edge of the yard to repair the chicken.

Chen Yuan is helpless, the gentleman is far away from cooking, in the eyes of the ancients, scholars can not do rough work, although the old lady is fierce, her love for her son is also strong, he re-added water to the pitch-black kettle, and continued to add firewood to the stove.

In the past, Chen Yuan had always been heavy and calm, as if he was watching everything, and when he scolded himself, he hated it like an elder, it was rare to see him deflated, and Wu Yuehe looked angry.

"Scolding deeply, loving deeply, the old lady treats her son like this." Chen Yuan argued indiscriminately, which made him have no sense of existence at all.

"This dead thing, feed you food for three months, go to the mountains every day, and you don't have any meat." Fan Niangzi plucked the feathers, turned the chicken over and over again and looked at it twice, weighed the weight, it was very light, and scolded at the same time.

"I didn't say what I just said, you didn't hear anything." Chen Yuan's head was black, and he hurriedly added.

Wu Yuehe couldn't hold back any longer and giggled.