pastoral fragrance

Chapter 3 Love Is Thinner Than Paper
Xu Qiulin lay on the bed for eight full days before gradually regaining his vitality.

During these eight days, Qiulin finally found out from a few words from her family and her deliberate inquiries that the village she lived in was called Luoshui Village, a remote village east of Qingcheng.

Qingcheng belongs to the southwest area, with beautiful mountains and rivers, rich products, and spring-like seasons, it is a good place to live.The surname Xu is the common surname in Luoshui Village. Except for a few people who come here, everyone here is surnamed Xu.

Last summer, the original owner's grandfather choked, and several brothers of his father separated, and now they are all married.Since the original owner's father, Xu Nanshan, was an honest and honest person, those brothers who cheated, raped and played tricks took advantage of his father.When the family was separated, they only got the courtyard where the family lives today and a few acres of Susukida.

Counting on the little Susukita to make a living, the family is afraid that they will have to drink the northwest wind.So this year, just after spring started, Xu Nanshan went to the carpenter in the town to ask for some logging work.After only a few months of work, Xu Nanshan's legs were broken by a felled tree in the early morning. The carpenter gave his father a tael of silver and sent him back.

After Xu Nanshan's legs were broken, instead of donating money to help the innocent family, his brother took advantage of the fire and looted the family's few acres of Susukida.The original owner of this body is also a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. Hearing that this matter was done by her uncle, she bought her big yellow dog and ran away to his uncle's house.

But when she went, not only did she fail to please her, but her own life was at stake.That's why she took advantage of the opportunity to get on this little girl's body.

After knowing the ins and outs of this, Qiulin finally understood why the sisters and brothers all put on a tiger face when they mentioned the uncle's family.Qiuhe's scolding is really right, this uncle's family is really not a thing!This family is almost out of food, and his uncle can do such a detrimental thing, this family relationship is really thinner than paper!
Now the family mainly rely on mother Han to embroider handkerchiefs, sachets and purses, and father to weave baskets, bamboo mats and dustpans to sell in the town for a few money to survive.

Fortunately, this Luoshui village is located in the south, and it is summer with lush vegetation, so it is naturally rich in products.Houttuynia cordata can be seen everywhere in the fields, and welt, bracken, shepherd's purse, and Wowohong also grow lushly, one by one.The eldest sister and the second brother not only help the Han family with some housework within their ability, but also go to the fields and forests to dig some wild vegetables to make ends meet.

Qiulin lay on the bed for seven or eight days, until his bones were falling apart. Being stuck in the room for so long, he longed to go out and see the outside world.

On this day, the sky was still hazy, and when Qiulin woke up, she saw that the elder sister and the second elder brother were carrying their own baskets on their backs, and they were about to go out with a sickle and a small hoe in their hands.Qiulin knew that they were going to dig wild vegetables in the fields and woods again.So she took a pair of shoes and hit the straw curtain and chased after him, "Eldest sister and second brother, Ah Lin's illness is almost cured, I also want to go dig wild vegetables."

Qiuyue didn't even look at her, she frowned unhappily and said: "Your illness is just right, your body is very weak, and the dew is heavy this morning, so don't follow along to join in the fun."

Even Qiu Song, the second elder brother who has always been stable, refused, "Little sister, you'd better recover from your injuries at home. It rained yesterday, and the ridges of the fields were covered with mud, which was very slippery. Wait until you get well in the future." , the second brother will take you to touch the loaches and catch fish in the stream."

Ever since, Qiulin could only watch helplessly as the eldest sister and second brother disappeared in front of her eyes with their backpacks on their backs.In the midst of disappointment, she seemed to hear a soft snort, and when she lowered her head, it turned out to be her big yellow dog.

At this time, it was lying on the ground weakly, its eyes were wide open, but they were out of focus, and it looked devastated.Qiulin leaned over to look at the coarse porcelain bowl in front of it, and as expected, the big yellow dog didn't eat anything.

It seems that not only is she a picky eater, but even the family dog ​​is picky eater too!
For peasants, the fields and land are heaven.This is because the family doesn't even have half an acre of land, so life is naturally unsatisfactory.Most of the time, the family eats the kind of thick and hard corn tortillas, with some home-made sauerkraut and wild vegetables planed from the Tiankan forest.The rice paste that I disliked that day can be regarded as a good meal in this family.

Looking at the untouched dog food in front of the big yellow dog, Qiulin couldn't help frowning. After all, she was her benefactor, and she couldn't bear the big yellow dog getting thinner and thinner.

Qiulin knelt down slowly, and took a look at the dog food in the bowl. It was already rotten, and even a slight smell could smell a rotten smell.Qiulin remembered that there were two corn tortillas left in the cupboard last night, so she turned around and went straight to the stove. "Ah Huang, come quickly." Qiu Lin took the cornbread and returned to the main room, squatted down and said to the big yellow dog with a smile.

The big yellow dog was so hungry that his eyes were dazed, he raised his eyes in a daze, and glanced at Qiulin waving corn pancakes, and the dog's eyes stared straight away.The dog's physiological function made his mouth secrete saliva quickly, but he didn't rush towards the food like other dogs, but squatted in the distance and carefully stared at the corn in Qiulin's hand Pancake, but no further action.

Judging from the saliva secreted from the big yellow dog's mouth and the dog's tail wagging non-stop, he was clearly eager for this food.But why did he refuse to go forward, but squatted where he was?Qiulin couldn't figure out why.

"Little sister, this dog is so arrogant, he won't eat dirty things. Last time, mother gave me a piece of roasted sweet potato and it ate half of it, but it fell on the ground, so it didn't eat it." Qiu He yawned from his shoes. Coming out from the straw mat, he glanced at the cornbread in Qiulin's hand, his eyes glowing.

Qiuhe is the worst monkey, he is alive and kicking all day long and he is hungry very fast. Now he is so hungry that his stomach is croaking.

"So airy?" Qiulin smacked her lips and sighed.Then he said to the big yellow dog in a serious manner: "Ah Huang, my tortillas are clean, so you can rest assured."

When Qiulin said this, the big yellow dog walked towards Qiulin as if he could understand what Qiulin said.The halazi in the mouth flowed more, and the tail wagged a lot more cheerfully.

Qiulin was amused by the inconsistent appearance of the big yellow dog, put the cornbread in his hand into the big yellow dog's mouth, grinned and said: "Our Ah Huang is really good, not only clean, but also understand Human words! What an extraordinary dog."

The face of the big yellow dog that was eating happily suddenly froze, but its facial expressions were all covered by that layer of fur, and nothing could be seen.Then, as if it didn't hear the words, it ate up the cornbread that Qiulin gave.

"There are more here." Satisfied with the big yellow dog's performance, Qiulin gave it another piece of corn cake without hesitation.

Two or three bites of a corn pancake were wiped out by the big yellow dog. Seeing it, Qiu He felt distressed, and secretly swallowed, "Little sister, you gave all the pancakes to Ah Huang, what shall we eat?"

Qiulin raised his head and looked at Qiuhe in bewilderment.There are many people in the family and there is little food. It is really difficult to raise a dog and not eat what they have left.

As the saying goes, it’s hard for a smart woman to cook without rice, and there is no field at home. Even if she wants to use modern and advanced agricultural technology to increase the yield per mu of the field, it will be useless.Qiulin frowned inch by inch.Now relying on these odds and ends to sell money can still last for a while, but it is not a long-term solution after all.Father's broken legs should allow him to recuperate, but he is still working hard for his livelihood; mother Han has always been weak and sick, and she has to do some needlework after finishing farm work for the family's food and clothing.At night, I was reluctant to light the kerosene lamp, so I moved the stool to the yard to do work by the moonlight.Mother is not young anymore, if this goes on, her eyes will burn out sooner or later.

The faces of the two children in the main room were solemn, but at this moment they ignored the complex look in the dog's eyes.

"Third brother, don't we have half an acre of land in our family?" Qiulin asked with a fluke, half an acre is fine, and then we can grow high-yield cash crops. Although we can't get rich by relying on it, we can It's an income, and the family doesn't have to work so hard.

Qiuhe thought for a while with his small head, and finally shook his head helplessly.

Qiu Lin was furious. This uncle and uncles have gone too far. They are so wolf-hearted. After all, they are their relatives, so they can't help but say it. "So, after Grandpa's death, what exactly did our family get?" Qiulin yelled wildly.

Qiu He looked dejected, "After my grandfather died, my uncle was in charge of the family affairs. Our family only divided the yard and Susukida. Later, when my father fell ill, they also took the field. Now, there is only this yard. It's gone." Qiu He sighed old-fashionedly, and there was a touch of melancholy between her slightly immature brows.

At the third brother's age, in the 21st century, he is a treasure in the palm of his parents' hands.But now, not to mention not having enough food and clothing, but also worrying about food and clothing at home.It is said that the children of poor families are in charge of the family early, which is indeed true.Although the third brother did some shopping, he also rushes to share some housework for his parents.Thinking of this, Qiulin's heart felt sore as if it had been pricked by a needle.

Seeing Qiuhe's melancholy expression, Qiulin comforted her with emotion: "Third brother, you will be fine. Our family will have a good life in the future." She believed that with their hardworking hands, as long as If you work hard, you will definitely have a good day.

Qiuhe's words of only treating her as a little girl were comforting herself, but how easy is it to live a good life?So he didn't take it to heart, and said perfunctorily: "Yes, I will, little sister, your illness is just right, don't think about it. Mother said that the hen at home laid eggs yesterday, and when she picks them up The water will make steamed custard for you."

Seeing that Qiuhe didn't believe her, Qiulin tried to explain herself, blowing her beard and staring angrily, "Third brother, I'm serious, our family will have a good life!" She seemed to feel that the momentum was still not enough, and suddenly she stood on tiptoe She wanted to look at Qiu Lin with her toes, but when she realized it was impossible, she stomped her feet angrily.

Six years old, why is she only six years old!This small arm, small body, and shoulders can resist the hands and cannot be lifted. In other words, she is still a milk baby with a milky smell. At such a young age, what can she do for the family?Qiulin suddenly became discouraged. No wonder the elder sister and the second brother didn't take her to dig wild vegetables in the field, because they were afraid that she would cause trouble for them!
(End of this chapter)