On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was cold and windy outside the window, and the courtyard was also deserted......

It's like yesterday's excitement, but it's just a flash of fireworks, fleeting.

Li and Hua's father hid in the house, and the mother and son opened the small stove by themselves, and the smell of hot meat wafted out through the crack in the door.

The twins, who were sweeping the snow in the courtyard, sniffed their noses.

The cold smell of wind and snow, mixed with the smell of hot meat, provoked the two of them to swallow saliva one after another.

Hua Xiao remembered that on the day of worshipping the mountain god every year, the milk would always bring back a large piece of meat, and then the next day, she would put on the hot pot and cook the meat pieces until they were fragrant and soft, and she could smell the smell of meat for a day.

This year is no exception......

It's just that the people who eat meat this time have changed from three to two milk and father, and Huashi, who has already fallen out with milk, has no share this time.

Hua Xiao squeezed the hand of the broom stick and unconsciously used force.

She couldn't tell what mood she was in right now......

Hua Li on the side swallowed saliva directly, and his stomach, which had not been dripping in the morning, made a cooing sound after smelling the fragrance at this time.

Hua Xiao came back to her senses and glanced at him.

Hua Li covered his stomach, his face was a little hot, he lowered his head and said, "Hua Xiao, I'm hungry." ”

Hua Xiao shook her head and said, "I'm also hungry, there are still melon seeds and peanuts in the house that I got back yesterday, and I'll go back to eat after clearing the snow later." ”

Hua Li pursed her lips, and her gaze unconsciously fell on a corner of the hall.

Hua Xiao followed his line of sight and saw the closed door of Hua Shi's house.

Immediately after, she heard Hua Li's low voice: "Hua Xiao... Do you think she'll secretly make food for us? ”

When Hua Li asked this sentence, his eyes were shining, and the emotions hidden in them were easy to understand.

For more than a month, Hua Shi hid his milk, and would always secretly cook food for them, and Hua Li didn't say it, in fact, in his heart and stomach, he had already been attacked by Hua Shi's round of food.

Ever since she fell out with her milk, she suddenly seemed to be a poop, although it was like pooping when she broke her head, but after that, it became especially obvious.

They will be given food to eat, so that they will not go hungry, and they will also buy them clothes and quilts to protect them from the cold, and even get coal that can be burned in the house, so that as long as they are in the house, they will no longer be shivering from the cold, and their bodies will be cold......

In the past month or so, it has been the most comfortable period of time in Huali's memory.

You won't be hungry, you won't be cold, and you won't have to look for food like a little beggar in the winter......

No one will not waver in such a drastic change......

Hua Li thought about it, but deep down he longed for it.

He hoped that the change in the time of flowering, if it was because of the ghost's mind, then he thought, let the time of the flower be a little longer.

"I don't know."

Hua Xiao shook her head and said.

Although her face was tightly broken, in fact, in her heart, she vaguely knew that the time would definitely be ......

When the two stood in place, they carried the long ladder from the backyard, and walked back step by step, and the footsteps attracted the attention of the two.

"Second Brother ......"

Hua Xiao turned her head to look, shouted, and reached out to pull Hua Li on the side by the way, made a look, and motioned him not to say any more.

Hua Li nodded knowingly, reining in her thoughts.

He, like Hua Xiao, didn't dare to say good things in front of his second brother.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the second brother is still the second brother before, and the second brother has no intention of forgiving her from beginning to end for the change in flower time......

It was he and Hua Xiao who rebelled because of the warmth they had never received......

Hua Xiao and Hua Li quickly converged their mixed moods and greeted them in small steps.

Hua Yu lowered his eyes, his expression did not seem to change, he set up the long ladder on the eaves, took a small shovel to sweep the snow, and prepared to climb up.

Hua Xiao and Hua Yu hurriedly stood by themselves, reaching out to hold the edge of the ladder.

As long as the snow fell a little heavier, the three of them would get up early to sweep the snow from the roof, so as to prevent the fragile beams from collapsing after three or two days of not sweeping like last time.

Occasionally, when the wind and snow were heavy at night, they would wake up in the middle of the night and bring a ladder to clear the snow from the roof.

Therefore, for more than a month, the snow has been carefully cleared, and the beams of the roof have never collapsed......

…

In the house in the southwest corner—

If someone approached, they could hear the bubbling sound of boiling water through the thin wooden door.

When the flowers are in the house, they don't know what is happening outside.

She woke up when the day was slightly bright, but the bed was too warm and too cold outside, so she stayed in bed and got up after a while.

She heard the sound of snow clearing from the yard, and other bits and pieces.

As long as it wasn't for Li's loud voice and big movements, Hua Shi could know that nothing big had happened, and a few people outside the courtyard were fine, so they didn't rush to get up.

Besides, yesterday she was busy all day, and at the end, when she returned to the house, she hastily washed her face, fed the three little ones in the house, fed some meat to eat, and lay down in the bed, and fell asleep.

Yesterday, after looking around, what touched her the most was that she was surprised by the unity of the people in Shoushan Village and the unexpected sense of identification with the legendary mountain god.

Although in the information she has learned so far, she is still more inclined not to believe that there is really a mountain god, but it is undeniable that Lin Haishan does hide unknown secrets......

Hua Shi thought about it, and the action of making dumplings in his hand did not stop at all.

Yes, after lying in bed for a while, she got up and started to boil water, knead the dough, mix the meat filling, and make dumplings......

In one go, she estimated the time, and two hours had passed, and her legs were a little sore when she stood in front of the simple wooden table.

"Woo Woo ......"

The little white dog gathered at her feet, barking lowly, tilting its head, and biting the corner of her coat every now and then.

You don't have to look at her to know that the corners of that dress must be full of its saliva.

If it has been almost two months, among the three, the biggest change is the little white dog, from the small puppy, eating and drinking, raised several times, into a middle and young dog.

You must know that when he was first rescued, the skinny little white dog was smaller than Xiao Hei, and now he has grown meat and eaten strong, and he is about to catch up with the size of two little blacks.

She had never had a dog when she was young, and she didn't know any dog breeds, so she didn't know if the little white dog would grow taller and stronger when it became an adult......

"Woo Woo ......"

The little white dog, who had circled around her several times, saw that Hua Shishi ignored him for a long time, so he stopped, grabbed her trouser leg again, and tugged hard.

Hua Shi raised his foot and kicked it, looking down: "What are you going to do?" Pestering me all morning. ”

"Woo Woo ......"

The little white dog raised his wet eyes and looked at her innocently.

When he was flowering, he pinched a piece of meat ball filling and threw it into its mouth.

"Wow ......"

The little white dog immediately caught it, and the meat ball was chewed twice in its mouth before it was swallowed.

Hua Shi saw that it stuck out its tongue, and wanted to come over, so he hurriedly raised his foot and kicked it: "Don't stick to me, it's really." ”

I don't know if it's because she has been drinking spring water for nearly two months, and the little white dog has been wary of her from the beginning, but now she is becoming more and more clingy.

It can be clearly seen that the little white dog was not very able to understand her words at first, sometimes she said something, and the little white dog just looked at her stupidly, but now he can basically understand her words, but he always likes to disagree with her.

She wouldn't let it do it, it preferred to against itself......

Just like now, if she doesn't let her stick to herself, it just wants to stick to her leg like a dog skin plaster.

Hua Shi sighed helplessly, and arched it with his calf again, and the guy leaned on her leg, not moving.

I couldn't, I couldn't catch it, so I had to let it stick.

It's just that the hand that spends time making dumplings has sped up a lot.

If it weren't for the fear that the Li family would notice something wrong, Hua Shi would want to take it out and let Hua meet a few of them to come and share a bag with her.

Chinese New Year's Eve are busy worshipping the mountain god, and on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I have to eat a fragrant dumpling......

In the past, every festive season, she would have a meal with her friends outside, drink a little wine, laugh and play, and after being full of wine and food, she would go home and sleep comfortably for a few days.

To say that I went to such a strange place, I didn't have anything to remember about the world before, and there were no people who didn't remember it, and there was nothing to remember.

Therefore, knowing that she has entered a strange world, deep down in her heart, she is actually more from a strange world to another even stranger world.

has lived alone for more than 20 years, and she is also used to Buddhism, and she has no special pursuits, so she actually quickly accepted the status quo, except for the sense of belonging that she has never had, which makes her always feel that everything she sees in front of her is a little ethereal......

If it weren't for Lee's increasingly paranoid desire for control, restrictions on her freedom of access, and outrageous behavior, she might have endured it a little longer.

But now......

"Knock Knock ——!"

There was a knock on the door outside.

Hanashi suddenly came back to his senses and turned his head to look in the direction of the door.

She first glanced back at the room, and after not seeing the white fox and the black cat, she stretched out her foot and kicked away Xiaobai, who was sticking to her, and lowered her voice: "Don't stick to it......"

After a while, only two knocks were heard outside the door, and there was no other movement.

You don't have to guess when you spend it, you immediately know who is knocking on the door.

She asked in a low voice, "Little Shadow?" ”

"Hmm... Yes、Me。 ”

Sure enough, in the next second, through the door, the familiar little milk voice came in.

"What are you looking for me?" Ask casually when you spend time.

I also know in my heart that this little guy is looking for her at this time, and nine times out of ten he is crying out that he is hungry......

"Hmm... Hungry. ”

The little voice that is straightforward and bold is becoming more and more skillful to listen to.

Before Hua Shi could answer, Hua Xiao's voice came from outside the door again.

After a while, Hua Xiao dragged the person away from Shenglaying.

It could be heard that Little Flower Shadow's voice was full of reluctance.

The speed of making dumplings has been sped up a bit, and there is not much dough left on the table, and after a while, it can be wrapped and boiled in one pot.

Do you want her to say it......

In fact, there is nothing wrong with having four more siblings, provided that these guys can be well-behaved and obedient......

…

"Wow...... What is it?! ”

In the dimly lit house, Hua Li's deliberately suppressed exclamation couldn't stop his suddenly bright eyes.

When the lid of the pot is lifted, the aroma of the noodle soup and meat comes to the nostrils.

Hua Li was at the front, and she was also the first to speak.

He looked at the pots, one by one, as if they were wrapped in dough, and his eyes were full of curiosity and surprise, and there was a little more doubt.

He looked at the dough kneading, why did he still smell the smell of meat, could it be that this soup was stewed with meat bones......

Hua Shi looked at him with a surprised and puzzled expression, which didn't seem to be fake, and he was ignorant, he really hadn't even seen dumplings?

"This is a dumpling." Flower time said.

When he heard the word dumplings, Hua Xiao on the side couldn't stand still, probed and looked at the bottom of the pot.

She had heard of dumplings, and Niu'er had told her, but she had never eaten them herself......

It turns out that the dumplings are really kneaded with dough, one by one......

Hua Shi picked up the bowl on the side and divided it one by one.

Xiaohuaying, the first to take the bowl, squatted in front of the low wooden table, carefully touched the edge of the hot bowl, and intently sucked the soup in small sips.

Hua Xiao and Hua Li held their bowl of dumplings, their little faces were red, and they looked at the dumplings floating in the bowl with the same eyes, and their eyes were full of joy that they couldn't hide.

To say that among the four, the most calm is still Hua Yu, and no expression is shown on his face.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the dumplings with white smoke in the bowl, but his thoughts drifted far away......

In fact, he had eaten dumplings, it was a long, long time ago, he couldn't remember clearly, he still remembered that when his mother was still there, once during the Chinese New Year, his mother secretly made a bowl of dumplings for him and his father.

What does it taste like......

He had long forgotten about it.

I just remember that it was delicious, he was probably as old as Xiaoying now, and when he ate something delicious, he couldn't wait to swallow his tongue in his stomach......

After a round of flowers, half of the pot was left, and she packed enough to hold two bowls for one person. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, you have to eat enough.

Hua Li, who was bored eating, didn't forget to praise sullenly: "It's delicious... Delicious! ”

Although Hua Shi didn't say anything, his eyes still unconsciously revealed and smiled with satisfaction.

She was still very happy to hear the compliments.

In their house, although it looks not small, there are very few things, and you can see the bottom at a glance.

There was only one wooden table, only one chair, the youngest Huaying sitting, and the remaining four people were all holding bowls and standing to eat.

Although the conditions are simple, listening to the sound of falling snow outside, eating fragrant meat-filled dumplings, no one disturbs, and my heart is still very satisfied.

After a full meal, Hua Shi did not pack up his things and leave as usual, but looked at a few people and asked the doubts that had just passed by:

"By the way, I suddenly thought of something and wanted to ask you."

Hua Xiao and Hua Li, the two of them brushed their eyes together.

After filling her stomach, the sense of happiness and satisfaction rose, and the two seemed very happy to answer her questions.

The little flower shadow on the side was already holding her round belly, took off her little shoes, turned over and rolled into the quilt, and she was alone, and she had a lot of fun, eating and drinking, and she had no intention of having a chance to be around.

Hua Yu, who had the most indifferent expression, glanced at her gently, and it didn't seem to mean to solve her doubts.

Hua Shi took in the expressions of the four people, paused, and said, "Wasn't it a mountain worship ceremony yesterday?" I'm just curious about who is the person wearing the red cloak on the ceremony? ”

Although she guessed that it might be some kind of priest or other character in the village, she was still a little curious.

After all, everyone present at the time seemed to obey her orders, whether it was the village chief or the four old patriarchs.

This person, who seemed to be more prestigious than the village chief and the patriarch, in the hearts of the villagers, really made her curious......

Hua Xiao and Hua Li glanced at each other, and they both saw the meaning of confusion in each other's eyes.

Hua Shi groaned: "What's wrong?" Can't you say? Or ......"

Hua Xiao shook her head: "It's not that you can't say anything, it's just that you don't even know this...... Oh yes, you have amnesia, you don't remember a lot of things......"

The little girl muttered in a low voice, and then continued: "That is the old goddess in the village, that is, when she conducts the ceremony of worshiping the mountain god, she will only come out once, and she usually does not appear, I only know this, I don't know anything else." ”

Hua Li nodded, and said: "Xie Wanqing was curious about where the old goddess lived before, and secretly took us to see it, it was in a thatched house at the head of the village, she usually doesn't come out, and someone in the village will send her food to eat, so she doesn't have to go out at all." ”

Hua Xiao also recalled for a while, and then continued: "I remember that someone in the village said that the old goddess is over ninety years old, very old, and I heard that before she dies of old age, she will choose a new heir, and she will choose it in the village." ”

Hearing this, Hua Shi paused.

In her nineties, in a place where she is backward in all aspects, she can live to this age, not to mention in her time, it is very powerful......

Hua Li continued: "I remember that when I went to see the old goddess with Xie Wanqing last year, she could still walk around in the thatched house, and Xie Wanqing said that she was not so easy to die of old age, at least she could live to be a hundred years old. ”

Hua Xiao shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.

A hundred years was too long and too long for her, and she couldn't think of it that far......

After listening to it for a long time, I slowly let go of the confusion in my heart.

She just wanted to know more about the situation in the village, and she was really a little puzzled by these strange inheritances in Shoushan Village.

She had never seen such a custom, especially after watching the ritual of worshiping the mountain god, and after learning more about the villagers' unusually blind worship of the ethereal mountain god, she felt a little strange and uneasy in her heart......