The Little Widower (farming)

38

On New Year's Eve, apart from going to the mountain to worship, most of the people in the village closed their doors and prepared for reunion. No one would wander around the village.

They discussed this year's New Year's Eve dinner and decided that it would be richer than in previous years.

"Bake some meatball soup, soak some of the mushrooms you dried before, steam some pork belly, cut a plate of bacon, make some stew, and put some corn tortillas on it." Aunt Sun counted on her fingers, this should be enough Three of us ate.

Chen Qing nodded. On New Year's Eve in previous years, he and Aunt Sun just fried meat and didn't watch the New Year's Eve. They went back to their houses to rest. They would go out to set off firecrackers at midnight, and the New Year would be over.

It was rare to celebrate the New Year with such solemnity this year, and they had been preparing for it all afternoon.

When night fell, all the dishes on the table were ready. Just when Aunt Sun wanted Chen Qing to call Zhou Yuan, Zhou Yuan had already arrived.

In his hand were two jars of wine and a pack of candied fruits.

The New Year's Eve dinner was served in the main room, and a charcoal basin was placed under the table. Although there was no earthworm in the room, it was still warm.

On the shrine in the main room were the memorial tablets of Meng's father and Meng Tao, and Aunt Sun placed two pairs of bowls and chopsticks.

Zhou Yuan poured wine for all three of them. Chen Qing waved his hand and said he had never drank. Aunt Sun wanted to be happy during the New Year and asked him to try it too.

Zhou Yuan also said: "This is not a strong liquor like Shaodaozi. I bought it from outside. The shopkeeper said this is osmanthus wine. It is not intoxicating. After drinking it, you can still smell the sweet fragrance of osmanthus."

Hearing what he said Said that Chen Qing was also a little eager to give it a try.

While eating, Zhou Yuan told them about his trip to the capital. There was not much to say about his trip to the capital, but the trip to Xixin Mansion really impressed him.

"Have you used the seasonings you brought back?" Zhou Yuan asked.

Chen Qing shook his head: "I don't know what they are, and I don't dare to use

them for fear of wasting them." Zhou Yuan said: "I heard from people over there that this thing is called chili pepper, and it can produce a very stimulating flavor when cooking with it. I've tasted it. It's very unique and delicious." Chen Qing

shook his head: "I don't dare."

Aunt Sun said, "Ah Qing, you have to be brave to accept new things. Let's try it next time."

I was a little embarrassed, so I picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. It was still spicy when I first took it in, but it had a long lasting aftertaste, and it really had the aroma of osmanthus.

This time during the meal, Chen Qing was not silent like the last Mid-Autumn Festival. When Zhou Yuan talked about interesting things, Chen Qing would ask him a few questions, and Zhou Yuan answered them patiently.

Aunt Sun didn't speak much when Zhou Yuan was talking to Chen Qing, and just looked at them lovingly.

The two jars of wine brought by Zhou Yuan had been finished. Aunt Sun was a little drunk and looked at Chen Qing. Chen Qing also drank a lot, but his eyes were clear now, as if filled with water. , but Zhou Yuan's face was a little red.

"It's all gone, A Qing. Remember to set off firecrackers when you get up. The coming year will be prosperous." Aunt Sun stood up, collected all the leftovers on the table into the kitchen, and boiled the hot water. Before going back to the room, I told Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan to let them soak their feet before going to bed.

Chen Qing's eyes were very bright. He held his head and looked at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan just thought that he had a good drinker, so he stood up and walked in front of him.

He touched Chen Qing's hair: "Do you want to stay up tonight?"

Chen Qing tilted his head to look at him, and then said: "No."

Zhou Yuan laughed: "What should we do?"

Chen Qing thought for a while: " Can we go see the stars?"

"Okay."

Zhou Yuan found some thick clothes for him, put them on casually and went out with him.

"Where are you taking me?" Chen Qing followed him. Although he looked very awake, he was actually very dizzy and almost fell into a ditch while walking on the path.

Zhou Yuan simply threw the person on his back and carried him away. Only then did he realize that he was drunk, but he was not in a drunken state and could not tell at all.

"Last time I wanted to walk out into the fields so you wouldn't see me." Chen Qing hugged his neck and said.

Zhou Yuan laughed: "Fortunately, the mice in the village are not big, otherwise we, Qing, would have to go through mouse holes when we go out in the future."

Chen Qing also laughed: "I just don't like places with too many people, no. I like strangers but don't like strange things."

"Why?"

Chen Qing thought for a while and said, "My father was not liked by my grandmother before. All the uncles in the family had sons, but my youngest father gave birth to me. , we used to get together during the Chinese New Year, and those older brothers and younger brothers all bullied me."

Chen Qing, who drank too much, seemed to talk a lot, almost telling all about his childhood: "But my father and my little father were very kind to me. "Well, it's a pity that my father passed away unexpectedly."

He then talked about the darkest days: "I had to walk a long, long way, and there were many people who looked down on me because I was too short."

Chen Qing said and laughed again: "Fortunately, they didn't take a fancy to me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to come here and I wouldn't have met my mother."

Zhou Yuan just listened quietly, but he didn't expect Chen Qing to say the next sentence: " I won't meet you either."

"You know? When I first saw you, I thought you were Meng Tao."

Zhou Yuan felt a chill pouring into his neck and realized that it was Chen Qing who was crying. .

"At that time, my mother was sad, and I was looking at you. What a bastard I was." Chen Qing sniffed.

But Zhou Yuan understood everything.

She obviously looked at him secretly, but couldn't avoid him; on one side she was heartbroken, and on the other side she felt guilty.

This little person hides everything.

There were no stars in the sky today, and the sky was completely dark. Chen Qing told him a lot of things that he would never say when he was awake. He said that he missed his father and little father, that his mother was suffering, that Li Xin's marriage was not voluntary, and that A lot.

I don't know what his reaction will be when he wakes up tomorrow.

Of course, the stars were invisible. Zhou Yuan carried him on his back and walked on the path between the two houses over and over again. Finally, when he heard the steady breathing in his ears, he carried him back home.

Aunt Sun happened to put on her clothes and came out. When she saw them coming back, she was startled: "Is A Qing sleeping?"

Zhou Yuan nodded: "Drunk."

Aunt Sun asked him to carry Chen Qing back, and Aunt Sun changed his clothes. At that time, Zhou Yuan consciously retreated outside.

When Aunt Sun came out, Zhou Yuan said he wanted to say goodbye. Before leaving, he helped Aunt Sun light the firecrackers. After a while, the whole village rang with the sound of firecrackers.

But Chen Qing slept well in the room.

Aunt Sun sent Zhou Yuan out and patted him on the shoulder.

On New Year's Day, the first day of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year, you can't stay in bed. When Chen Qing woke up, he only felt a splitting headache. He didn't know how he fell asleep.

The impression was that he drank some wine, and what happened next? Why can't he remember anything?

"Aqing? Are you up? When you get up, you will come out to eat." Aunt Sun called him outside the door.

"Here we come." Chen Qing rubbed his brows, put on his clothes and got up to wash up.

Aunt Sun cooked three poached eggs in the morning, and there was a bowl of sugar water in the bowl. She drank one bowl, and there were two bowls left on the stove: "You can send a bowl to Zhou Yuan later."

Chen Qing nodded.

Aunt Sun said again: "I am going to the temple with Aunt Liu today, are you going?"

Chen Qing shook his head: "No." He was not interested in the temple fair, and his head still hurt at the moment.

"Okay, I won't be back for lunch, so you can eat by yourself."

"Yeah." Chen Qing was still eating, and she had already gone out.

After Chen Qing finished eating, he went to Zhou Yuan's house with a bowl of poached eggs. Zhou Yuan also got up and was feeding the cows: "Just wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

Unlike usual, there was no one in the village today, Chen Qing said. Qing didn't enter his house, he just stood at the door and waited. When he saw someone coming over there from a distance, Chen Qing subconsciously wanted to run. When someone approached, he realized it was Li Xin.

Chen Qing hadn't seen him since the day he got married. He probably came to play with him now, but he didn't see Qi Shuning behind Li Xin.

Li Xin approached with a narrow smile on his face: "You have been waiting so eagerly so early in the morning."

Chen Qing went to nudge him, and Zhou Yuan also came out after feeding the cows. When he saw Li Xin, he also greeted him: "Come and do it." What?"

Li Xin choked him: "What do you care about us?" Then Li Xin took Chen Qing's arm and went home with him. When they arrived at Chen Qing's house, he said, "Let's go to the temple fair

?"

Qing wanted to say he didn't want to go, but Li Xin took his arm and shook it. Chen Qing had no choice but to agree to him.

He was changing clothes while Li Xin sat on his bed and waited for him: "These are the clothes you made yourself? They look good."

This dress was made of the same fabric he bought last time, and Chen Qing was reluctant to use all of it. I made it, mixed it with something else, and it looks good. This is the first time I've worn it after making it.

After he put on his clothes, Li Xin volunteered to help him comb his hair, and saw several hairbands of different colors in his originally empty wardrobe.

Li Xin smiled narrowly: "They are all gifts from my cheap brother."

Chen Qing was a little embarrassed: "I also made them myself."

"Yes, yes, you made them yourself, and those are black, indigo and blue. " You did it yourself, I know." Li Xin tied up his hair with the moon-white hair tie.

Dressed brightly and with her hair neatly tied up, Li Xin blinked and was surprised to realize that Chen Qing was also so good-looking.

"Oops, I'm a little afraid to take you out."

Chen Qing was still shy easily. He patted Li Xin on the shoulder: "Then I won't go out."

"No, I'm just joking. It's the Chinese New Year. What are you doing at home?" Li Xin pulled him out of the house.

Chen Qing then remembered that Li Xin was already married, and he wondered: "Where is Qi Shuning? Why doesn't he accompany you?"

Li Xin curled her lips, as if she didn't want to mention him: "He was reading and said that there will be exams in the spring. You have to study hard."

Chen Qing suddenly realized: "So that's the case. "

In fact, it's not like that at all. Qi Shuning wanted to go with him, but he told him how he could get into the exam because he wanted to go out and play all day long.

So Qi Shuning could only read at home, while Li Xin went out to play without any burden.

Chen Qing asked again: "How is Aunt Yin?"

The smile on Li Xin's face faded a little: "It's almost the same as before. It's too cold to go out. It's warm at home."

Chen Qing was still a little worried, but Li Xin didn't If he mentioned it again, he would stop asking.

When they passed Zhou Yuan's house, Zhou Yuan had already parked his car and was waiting for them.

"We didn't say we wanted to ride in your cart." Li Xin said this, but she still climbed onto the cart without any burden.

Zhou Yuan ignored him, just looked at Chen Qing, and said, "It's very beautiful."

Chen Qing lowered his head, still shy.

Li Xin couldn't see Zhou Yuan like this: "Humph, it's not yours to look good."

Zhou Yuan glanced at him: "It will be soon." Chen

Qing still lowered his head and pulled Li Xin who still wanted to speak: "Don't I said it."

Li Xin could only do it.

Then Zhou Yuan drove the cart, while Li Xin and Chen Qing were muttering behind. By the time Li Xin realized that he was going the wrong way, the cart had already arrived at the door of Li Xin's house, and Qi Shuning inside was closing the door happily.

Li Xin looked at Zhou Yuan in disbelief: "You!"

Zhou Yuan said lightly: "Why don't you go to the temple fair with your husband and follow your brother and sister-in-law?"