As night fell, the sound of firecrackers outside woke Luo Yan up from his memories.

He wiped away his tears, walked out of the house, climbed a high ground, and looked out into the densely populated area of the village.

On this night of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, the sound of firecrackers is getting louder and louder, and the sky is lit up by fireworks from time to time, blooming beautiful flowers.

At this time, in the sky above the village, a very peculiar firework suddenly rose, and after it was bloomed, it looked like a red footprint more than ten zhang large, as if as long as you stepped on it, you could step on the entire Redwood Village.

"Hahaha, okay, this footprint fireworks can only have momentum when our waves are released. ”

"When spring begins, we'll use these footprints to trample that little scrap in the east and turn his dilapidated houses into your farm, and now we'll go back to the house for dinner. ”

In the deep courtyard surrounded by a thick bluestone wall, an old man pulled his son to look at the fireworks and said unexpectedly.

The colorful fireworks in the sky continued to bloom, and when one of them exploded, a dragon-shaped card flew out of it, fluttering far away, and finally landed in a small courtyard surrounded by a low wall in the village.

On the stone table in the courtyard, a plate of freshly made multigrain flatbread and two plates of pickled wild vegetables are placed, and a middle-aged couple and a little girl about ten years old sit on the stone bench next to it.

When the girl saw the card floating in, she hurriedly ran over to pick it up and played with it.

"Feiyu, hurry up and come over to eat, the food will be a little bitter when it gets cold for a while. The mother at the stone table shouted.

The girl ignored her mother's words, but said to the middle-aged man next to her, "Father, do you look good on this card?"

"Beautiful, good-looking. Shangguan Hong touched the little girl's head, put down the dishes and chopsticks, sighed secretly, and turned around and walked into the burrow behind him.

When he came out again, he held a set of red coarse cotton clothes in his hand and said to his daughter: "Feiyu, this is your New Year's clothes, go and put them on!"

When the girl saw the new clothes, she jumped up and down happily, took them quickly, and ran into the house.

Shangguan Hong and his wife glanced at each other, and a relieved smile appeared on their faces.

No one knew that behind this smile, he had exchanged it for the two mountain beasts he had caught after squatting in the mountains and forests for three days and three nights, and his frozen legs were swollen.

No one even knew that the two mountain beasts were originally intended to be used in exchange for seeds to go to the ground after the beginning of spring.

After a while, Shangguan Hong saw that the girl hadn't come out yet, and shouted into the house, "Yu'er, hurry up and come out to eat, and after eating, go to the east of the village with me." ”

As soon as Shangguan Feiyu heard that he was going to the east of the village, he immediately replied, "I've finished eating, let's leave now!"

After saying that, she ran out of the house as fast as she could, bouncing and jumping, her red face and the big red new clothes, like a fluttering butterfly.

"This kid ......", Shangguan Hong shook his head.

......

"Brother Luo Yan, Brother Luo Yan, are you at home? My father and I came to see you. As soon as Shangguan Feiyu arrived outside the thatched hut at the east end of the village, he shouted loudly.

Luo Yan, who was standing on the high ground, heard a crisp and pleasant female voice from below, hurriedly returned, and hurried to meet him.

"Uncle Shangguan, Sister Feiyu, Happy New Year, sit in the house. Luo Yan invited the two into the house.

"Drink water. He poured a glass of water for the two of them, a little embarrassed.

The family is really poor, but the guests who come for the New Year don't even have tea.

Shangguan Hong didn't seem to see his embarrassment, and he didn't notice that the teacups were already missing a mouthful, so he took a sip: "Xiao Luo, Happy New Year." ”

"Brother Luo Yan, do you think my clothes are beautiful?" The little girl is at an active age, and with her new clothes, she naturally can't help but want to show off.

"Beautiful, like a little fairy!" Luo Yan said with a smile.

"Child, come, sit here!" Shangguan Hong gestured to the stone bench beside him.

Luo Yan agreed and moved his body over, and Shangguan Feiyu also ran over and sat down next to him.

Shangguan Hong took out a large cake wrapped in hemp paper from his arms, handed it to him, and said kindly: "This is specially left for you by your aunt, and it is more fragrant to eat with some pickles." ”

"Thank you, uncle!" Luo Yan took it and didn't forget to thank him again!

Shangguan Hong said: "You kid, what are you polite to your uncle, I have known your father for eight or nine years, and I am better than brothers." You are also an uncle who grew up watching, and when your father left, he specially asked me to take care of you, alas...... , it's just that I don't have any skills......"

"Don't say that, I know how you treat me well, and in my heart, I have already regarded you as my own uncle. ”

"Okay, let's not talk about this for the New Year. ”

The three chatted for a while, and Shangguan Hong saw that it was almost over, and got up to leave.

He patted Luo Yan on the shoulder and said, "You are wearing such a thin dress, don't freeze, rest early, uncle, I will go back first." ”

"By the way, after the beginning of spring, you should pay attention to yourself, the village chief has not beaten your land for a day or two. In the past, because your father was here, he didn't dare to go too far, but now you are the only one left in the family...... , alas, in short, be careful yourself. ”

"Uncle, I know. He nodded.

After telling him, Shangguan Hongyi pulled Shangguan Feiyu and said, "Yu'er, let's go back, so that Xiaoyan can rest early." ”

The little girl said "um", stood up very sensibly, and when she left, she quickly stuffed the dragon-shaped card in her hand to Luo Yan.

On the way back, Shangguan Hong remained silent.

"Father, why don't we take Brother Luo Yan to our house, he is so pitiful alone. The little girl raised her head and asked innocently.

Shangguan Hong sighed and said, "Yu'er, it's not that I don't want to, but I can't." The village chief's family is powerful and has always wanted to occupy your brother Luo Yan's land, if we take Xiao Luo home, it will offend him......

We are from a small family, how can we provoke the village chief, and your brother is not at home...... After the beginning of spring, stay at home to help your mother, and don't run here if you have nothing to do in the future. ”

On the other side, seeing off Shangguan's father and daughter, Luo Yan returned to the house again, looked at the card in his hand, put it in his close-fitting pocket, and a warmth rose from his heart.

Then, he drew two circles on the ground, found two pairs of chopsticks and put them in the circles, picked up the multigrain flatbread given by Shangguan Hong, and broke it into three parts.

A piece of flatbread was placed in both bowls, and then he knelt down with a "poof" and his forehead touched the ground.

Bang, bang, bang! After three rings, Luo Yan said: "Father, mother, Chinese New Year's Eve, unfilial piety is here to kowtow to you, don't worry, I will take good care of myself." ”

Although he didn't know who his mother was, according to custom, he still worshipped together.

......

In the early morning of the next day, in the open space in front of the Huang family's compound, there were many young men and girls who were refining their bodies, ranging in age from seven or eight to seventeen or eighteen.

Among the children, Huang Yuntao, who was wearing a blue fish-decorated robe, lazily put his feet on the stake, looking arrogant, and his tall figure stood out in the crowd.

On his left-hand side, there was a thin monkey-like young man, born with a pair of rat eyes, black eyes dripping around, kicking and beating the stake while flattering: "Young master, I heard that you plan to open a farm in the east of the village, and when the farm is completed, do you think I can do a handyman or something in it?"