There are clumps of reeds on the roadside.
Walking along the path through the reeds, you will gradually reach the stone steps.
There is moss on the stone steps, pine trees on both sides, and an open space inside the pine trees.
There was a half-fallen tombstone in the open space.
This is a very old cemetery. I don’t know who owns it. No one cleans it during the Qingming Festival every year, but it’s always there.
This is on the way to Shangxiecun Primary School.
When Xiaoqi was a child, he liked to come to his grandmother's house and came almost every winter and summer vacation.
My favorite thing is to go to the primary school in my grandmother’s village to play.
The primary school in Shangxie Village is bigger than the one in Gumula Village. It has two playgrounds and two teaching buildings, each five stories high.
The primary school in Gumula Village consists of a small dirt playground and a two-story building, and the teachers live in the small house next to it.
However, the primary school in Shangxie Village has two playgrounds. There are not only ping-pong tables, but also basketball hoops and running tracks on the playgrounds. In the eyes of the young Xiaoqi, the primary school in Shangxie Village is like an amusement park and is very fun.
This is basically my memory from elementary school. After going to middle school and high school in the town, Xiaoqi seemed to change rapidly.
I don’t like going to my grandma’s house all the time anymore. Or rather, I do like coming here, and I still miss the special treatment from my grandparents, who secretly feed me delicious food. But I used to think that it didn’t matter what my uncle and aunt said, but suddenly I have grown up, started to care, and realized that some words are not always nice or pleasant to hear.
I also understand that the elders actually treat us differently.
When she and her cousins from her aunt's family came to her grandmother's house at the same time, her uncle and aunt would be more enthusiastic towards her cousins, maybe just a little bit, but she was very sensitive and felt the difference.
I didn’t see my cousins this time.
My eldest cousin got married, and my second uncle's cousin, who was the same age as her, went with her to become her sister-in-law.
My cousin from my second uncle's family said that he went out to play with his classmates during the summer vacation and has not come back yet.
My third uncle has two cousins who are younger than me and Xiaoqi is not very familiar with them.
My uncle has only been married for two years and doesn't have any children yet.
Xiaoqi remembers that when she was a child, she had some playmates at her grandmother's house. They were the neighbors next door to her grandmother's old house, but most of them came to play during the winter and summer vacations like her, and they didn't keep in touch much after she grew up.
After the banquet, the adults cleaned up and Xiaoqi, who was still in school, ran out for a walk by himself.
Before I knew it, I arrived at the primary school in Shangxie Village.
The wall is still the yellow color I remember, and it looks very beautiful in the sun.
However, when I got closer, I found that it was very mottled. The two tall buildings that were so majestic in my memory now looked like small five-story buildings.
Xiaoqi knew that the primary school in Shangxie Village also had its doors open during holidays. It was not the main gate, but there was a small door behind the school. It looked like it was locked, but it was actually ajar and you could come in by pushing it.
I remember that there was an old man who looked after the school during the summer vacation. The old man came in and out through the back door. He was not in school all the time, but went out to work during the day.
Now after lunch, in the evening, there was no one in the school, and the old man was not there either.
Xiaoqi came in and saw that the ping-pong tables that seemed brand new in his memory were now very old. One of them was even half collapsed and had not been repaired.
The wooden basketball hoop is still there, and the net on top is quite new.
Xiaoqi looked up at the basketball hoop. She had a little secret: she liked playing basketball.
But I'm not very happy about it.
When she was in high school, every time she walked from the dormitory to the classroom through the basketball hoop, she envied the boys who were running and playing freely on the playground.
She also likes playing ball.
Maybe she had played ball when she was a child. It seemed that one time when she was standing here watching a game, someone hit the ball in front of her and she hit it back.
Later, she came every time, and when there were not many people around, she would even play ball by herself.
The ball was placed there, as if waiting for her.
This brought back Xiaoqi's secret memories. At that time, there should have been a little brother, not sure if he was in junior high school or not, but he was much older than her.
It turns out that when she was so young, she seemed to have liked a little brother, but she had actually forgotten about it over the years.
It was only when I looked up at the basketball hoop that I remembered it.
Xiaoqi sat under the basketball hoop, the sun could shine on her. The sunlight in the village did not feel too strong, it was a very comfortable feeling. There was also a mountain breeze, it was not hot, but very cool.
She leaned against the basketball hoop and enjoyed the rare moment of peace.
No studying, no reading, no thinking, no playing with mobile phone.
No memories either.
Looking at everything in front of me, I feel peaceful and at peace.
Xiao Qi stayed alone for a long time, seemingly in a daze, watching the shadow of the basketball board move a long step.
I think I should go back.
The sky in the countryside gets dark in an instant, and if you go home late, your parents will have to look for you.
Xiao Qi stood up and patted the back of his butt, and there was no dirt.
I slipped out from the small door at the back door, went around to the front door, and looked inside the school through the iron gate. It seemed as if no one had been there.
Xiaoqi walked back along the stone steps. The setting sun fell on the old cemetery next to him, and everything became gentle.
When I was a child, I always felt that this cemetery was eerie and a great test every time I passed by it. But now it has become a beautiful memory.
A cemetery without names on it will probably not be lonely as it accompanies students going to and from school every day.
When Xiaoqi returned to his grandmother's house, there was no one there. His father had also gotten up and must have gone to his uncle's house.
Smoke rose from every household, chickens crowed and dogs barked, the big village was very lively. As night fell in the evening, the air was filled with the breath of life.
There weren't as many people coming to my uncle's house as in the morning, and the firecrackers on the ground had been cleared, but there were still quite a few people, and all those there were family members.
Several uncles were sitting at the door chatting, and Xiaoqi found that his father was among them.
She said hello and went into the kitchen, as if the kitchen was a woman's battlefield.
Xiaoqi saw his beautiful aunt making a fire.
My aunt-in-law is very pretty, with an oval face and big eyes. She was wearing a floral skirt with her knees exposed. She must have applied mosquito repellent, otherwise the mosquitoes in the countryside would have bitten her legs all over.
"Xiaoqi, come here." My aunt-in-law called out.
Unlike Xiaoqi who was a little shy, her aunt was very enthusiastic. She asked her to sit in front of the stove and put her arm around her waist.
She smiled and said, "She's getting more and more beautiful."
Xiaoqi has heard this compliment many times today.
I just feel that I must have been so ugly in the past that it left a deep impression on everyone, or there was no impression at all.
The dinner was very light, a big pot of porridge, some green vegetables picked from the vegetable garden, smashed cucumbers, and some leftovers were heated up, but I guess almost no one touched them.
I am tired of eating at noon.
It’s basically my grandmother’s family that eats dinner in the evening.
Sheng Juanhua asked her neighbor Aunt Liu to take care of the chickens and ducks at home for a day, and stayed at her parents' house tonight. It was actually very rare for her to come back because there were a lot of things to do at home, but this time her daughter and husband were there, so she felt more justified than before and still wanted to stay.
My family didn't force me to drink. I could drink a little if I wanted to, and if I didn't want to, I could just eat.
Among the aunts, the eldest aunt is very competitive and has more power. However, today is her daughter's wedding, and she is very busy. Xiaoqi has not felt her power yet. Now it is a family dinner, and Xiaoqi is sitting there, watching the eldest aunt arrange the dishes, and he can subtly feel something.
After a busy day, Xiaoqi pulled her mom and dad to sit together, with her parents sitting on both sides and she sitting in the middle.
As a result, my aunt kept pushing the leftovers from the afternoon in front of the three of them...
These little details in the interactions among relatives are really small, but they are also really helpless.
Su Youfu is a man and doesn't have any feelings.
Sheng Juanhua knew her sister-in-law's character. Today was a happy day in her sister-in-law's family, so she was too lazy to speak.
During the meal, she stood up, added a lot of dishes for her daughter, and brought them directly to her.
There is no taboo for the family to eat at night. They just eat together in the living room. There is also a big TV in the living room. When the TV is on, everyone talks and laughs, which is very lively.
In the afternoon, the men would compete in drinking, and in the evening, the wives would also have a drink. In the afternoon, some tables had some wine opened but not finished, so they would pool the remaining wine together to make two or three bottles.
Preparations for a girl's wedding must start a week in advance, including deciding how many people will come, buying food, borrowing tables and chairs, etc. The young bride basically integrates into the family and the village through these major events.
The wives drank and laughed, and the men chatted about everything under the sun.
Relaxation after a busy day.
Sheng Juanhua has also become someone else's wife from a little girl. Every time she comes, she actively helps with the work. There is no other way. Her husband's family is not strong enough and she can't do anything for him, so she can only work more and talk less.
But she was very happy today. After getting married, she confronted her talkative sister for the first time. Although she made a fool of herself, she felt good.
She didn't refuse when others poured her some wine.
Xiao Qi watched as her mother picked up a glass beaker filled with half a cup of white wine and drank it in one gulp...
Then someone else poured it for her, and she drank it again...
She glanced at her father, who had a glass of beer in it and was still sipping it. He had been drinking for a long time, but the beer had not been reduced at all.
There was a glass of coconut milk in her cup, and she implicitly said that drinking alcohol was not allowed to children who were studying.
We drank until around eight o'clock, almost nine o'clock. Women really go crazy when they drink, especially the wives in the village.
I've been working a lot these days, so I'm just finishing up with a drink and no one says anything.
The men drank less at night and were laughing and joking. The main reason was that their wives were different when they were drunk. They would not give them face and would still be aggressive outside.
Of course, I would curse a few words and ask him to drink less.
There were a table full of elderly ladies, but Su Youfu was a little worried about his wife, so he refused to leave the table. He sat there to keep her company and even considerately served her some food.
Why did Xiaoqi go to see grandma? To help.
At this time, the TV forecast that the next program was "Appointment Along the Way", and the beautiful opening credits were hosted by the female host Jiang Yiru.
"City people are still the best. They dress up beautifully every day, wear nice clothes, and have slim figures."
Several people started talking at once.
The men couldn't help but look at the TV. Jiang Yiru is really famous in Lushan City. She can be said to be the pride of Lushan City.
A rare female host who is worth mentioning.
The opening credits played, followed by commercials, and then it began.
This program is quite interesting. It's boring country life. I almost go home to watch TV at this time, and I often watch this program.
But when the opening credits finished playing again, Jiang Yiru emerged from the camera with open arms. They could see the little girl sitting next to her. She looked incredibly familiar, and they all felt like they had seen her somewhere before...
Then Sheng Juanhua, who had drunk a little too much, pointed at the TV and said, "Xiao Qi, why are you sitting there? Come over here and sit next to Mom."
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