The old lady was making glutinous rice meatballs in the stove house, when she suddenly heard a faint cry outside.

She looked out, "Who's crying for the New Year?" ”

Susie listened, as if she was really crying.

The old lady wiped her hands, "I'll take a look." ”

When she came out of the stove house, she heard the cry more and more vividly, and it seemed to be outside the courtyard.

The old lady followed the sound and walked out.

Xu Zhiqiang glanced at the old lady and stopped talking, thinking about it or continuing to chop wood.

When the old lady went out, she saw a woman shrunk under the wall, holding her head and crying.

The old lady walked over, "Whose girl are you, what's wrong?" ”

"What's going on in the New Year?"

The old lady's voice was full of concern, and Yu Xue didn't hear that it was Xu Zhiqiang's mother, so she raised her head with tears in her eyes and made eye contact with the old lady.

The old lady saw a yellow and thin woman at a glance, and almost didn't recognize Yu Xue, but when she saw that it was Yu Xue, her face immediately pulled down.

She turned and went into the yard, picked up a broom by the door and came out again.

came out and waved a broom and greeted Yu Xue, "Let's go, cry at the door of the New Year's Eve runner, bad luck or not, what kind of heart do you have!" ”

The broom shot on Yu Xue's body was not heavy, and Yu Xue didn't feel pain, but she couldn't say how embarrassed she was.

She stood up and ran as fast as she could, crying.

The old lady took the broom into the house, threw the broom by the door, glanced at Xu Zhiqiang, who was still chopping wood, and then went into the stove house.

Early the next morning, Xu Zhilin's family came back by car.

The old lady and Xu Laohan were still very happy to see their two grandchildren.

Chen Yun called his father and mother affectionately when he entered the door, and then went to the kitchen to help with things.

Although the old lady was faint, she still smiled.

At twelve o'clock at noon, the meals were all on the table, Xu Zhiqiang took his two nephews to set off firecrackers in the courtyard and closed the door to eat the New Year's dinner.

After eating the New Year's dinner, the old lady gave Susie and Xu Hang and Xu Jian a red envelope.

Xu Zhiqiang also gave red envelopes to several nephews and nieces.

Xu Hang and Xu Jian took the money and ran away, afraid that Chen Yun would ask them for it.

After eating, Chen Yun and Xu Zhilin sat at home for a while and left.

Susie and they were watching TV at home.

In the evening, Susie went to the collective household for New Year's dinner.

When I entered the courtyard, I felt deserted.

Chen Changqing went to his father-in-law's house for the New Year, Tian Xiaohui, Zhao Tingting, and Yuan Gang returned to the capital, and even Niu Jianguo and Zhang Weidong also went back to Haicheng for the New Year this year.

This year, there is a lot of food, and the value of work is high, so everyone has more or less some money in their hands, and they also have money to buy train tickets.

There are five rooms in a row, and only the stove house has the light on.

Susie walked in, Qiao Mu was burning the fire, and Zhu Zhicheng was frying bacon.

Susie put a bowl of glutinous rice meatballs on top of the urn and heated it.

After a while, Zhu Zhicheng finished the dishes.

A bowl of fried bacon with garlic, a bowl of preserved fish, an egg custard, a sauce radish, a stir-fried cabbage moss, plus the glutinous rice meatballs brought by Susie, a total of six dishes.

Zhu Zhicheng said with a smile: "Six dishes are good, six dishes are good, and we will all be smooth and smooth next year." ”

Qiao Mu lit a pot of charcoal, put it at Susie's feet, and then went to open the red wine that Susie had brought.

There were no goblets, and three enamel jars were taken, which were filled with red wine.

The three of them sat at the table, raised the enamel jar and clinked glasses, drinking and eating lively.

While eating, Yu Xue came in.

When she came in, she went to the stove to make a fire first, Zhu Zhicheng looked at her back, only felt that she was alone and pitiful, and whispered to Susie: "Or, call her to eat together?" ”

Susie had no opinion, "Okay." ”

Zhu Zhicheng said loudly: "Yu Xue, don't make rice, eat with us, I cook a lot of rice today, and the dishes are enough to eat." ”

Yu Xue, who was squatting on the ground and burning the fire, stiffened for a moment, didn't look back, and said in a low voice: "No need, you can eat." ”

Zhu Zhicheng didn't say anything more.

Yu Xue finished cooking, went to the backyard to pick the vegetables and put them in the stove house, and went back to the room by herself.

A few people in the stove house were eating and talking, Zhu Zhicheng was a little emotional, "Qiao Mu is gone, Susie doesn't live here now, Chen Changqing always lives in his father-in-law's house, and there are fewer and fewer collective households." ”

Susie raised her glass, "There is no banquet in the world, and we will all have to go our separate ways one day." ”

Zhu Zhicheng shook his head, "Maybe, but I should be in this small mountain village for the rest of my life." ”

Susie smiled, "It's not good to say. ”

"By the way, Brother Zhu, I have high school textbooks there, if you need it, you can take it and read it."

Zhu Zhicheng waved his hand, "It's been almost ten years since I left school, and when I was in school, I didn't study well, and now I really have a headache to read." ”

He smiled helplessly, "I may be the kind of person with a simple mind and well-developed limbs. ”

It's fast to learn kung fu from grandpa, but it's not good to learn culture.

Last time, Susie reminded him that he had time to learn more knowledge, and he also tried to flip through the book that Qiao Mu got back, and when he saw those mathematical symbols, his head was big.

Susie sighed inwardly, and it was hard to say anything more.

Everyone has their own destiny, and all she can do is mention it. Uncle Liao once told her not to intervene in other people's cause and effect, it may not be good for herself or others.

Everyone comes to this world with their own mission, and the calamity of the calendar cannot be less.

After eating, Susie got up to clean up the dishes and chopsticks, and Zhu Zhicheng stopped her, "I'll come, I'll come, you're a guest now, how can I let you wash the dishes." ”

"It's cold, you go to the house and make a fire."

Qiao Mu was about to leave, and he wanted to leave some space for the two of them to be alone.

Susie smiled and went next door.

Qiao Mu brought the charcoal basin into the house, put it at Susie's feet, closed the door, and then sat down next to Susie and took her hand.

His father sent a letter asking him to rush to the capital before the tenth day of the new year.

The current train is not good, and sometimes it can be delayed by a day or two, so he has to leave on the fifth day of the new year.

The ticket was bought yesterday, and he was going to leave in a few days, Qiao Mu looked at Susie with a look of reluctance.

In the stove house next door, Zhu Zhicheng washed the dishes slowly, washed the dishes, boiled water in the stove house, boiled several pots of water, and filled all the hot water bottles in the stove house.

After grinding for almost an hour, Zhu Zhicheng came out of the stove house, walked to the door and coughed lightly, and waited for a while before pushing the door in.

Susie sat by the brazier, her face flushed, as if she had been roasted by a charcoal fire.

Qiao Mu's face was also a little red, and his eyes were looking at the ground.

After a while, Susie got up, "I'll go back to watching TV." ”

Qiao Mu then stood up, "I'll send you." ”

There are no street lights on the small road in the village, there are no people in the dark, the weather is cold, everyone is at home to eat New Year's dinner, and no one is running outside at this time.

The two walked hand in hand, and Susie suddenly saw a figure passing by at the fork in the road in front of them.

Her eyes narrowed, and she whispered: "Qiao Mu, did you see that figure just now, I feel a little uneven when I walk, could it be Boss Yang?" ”

(End of chapter)