The continuous sound of firecrackers and firecrackers the following morning was a celebration of the first breakfast of the new year.
We stayed up too late watching the fireworks last night, so this morning the firecrackers outside were deafening. Wenheng and I slept like logs, unwilling to move an inch from our blankets.
It wasn't until Grandma Zhou finished preparing breakfast and knocked on the door several times to remind me to eat that I reluctantly shifted my body and sat on the bed for a while before impulsively pulling back Wen Heng's blanket.
I dragged the sleepy Wen Heng out of bed with the mindset that if I couldn't sleep, neither could he, not to remind him to have breakfast.
But after I pulled Wen Heng up, he woke up and stared intently at my breasts for a long time.
She even remembered what happened yesterday, pointing at me and saying, "Ahua has a rabbit on her..."
I was so startled that I was wide awake. Before he could finish speaking, I quickly covered his mouth. I was a little puzzled as to how he could still remember when he was so drunk yesterday.
If outsiders found out, would I ever be able to face anyone?
I yelled at him very seriously, "Listen to me carefully, you're not allowed to say I have a rabbit on me again! It's not a rabbit, it's just a lump of meat that's bigger than what you have! Don't tell anyone about this, understand?"
I pointed at his chest, not knowing why I was so annoyed.
Seeing that I was a little angry, Wen Heng nodded obediently with a flustered expression.
After finishing her breakfast, Grandma Zhou smiled and said she had New Year's gifts for everyone.
When she took them out, I realized that they were the clothes she and I had worn a few days ago when we sat around the fireplace doing needlework. Now they were two finished products in front of us.
One is a pink cotton-padded jacket for women, trimmed with white rabbit fur.
One was a men's blue cotton-padded jacket trimmed with black wolf fur.
Half of the men's version was made by my needlework skills, like ants climbing a tree.
Half of it was a simple repair done by Grandma Zhou, so it still looks acceptable.
Undoubtedly, this was for me and Wenheng. After I put it on, Grandma Zhou praised me with a look of satisfaction: "It looks good."
I also felt incredibly warm, and the outfit Wen Heng was wearing was particularly eye-catching, making him look full of energy.
Then, Grandma Zhou took out a pair of fur knee pads and handed them to Grandpa Zhou, saying, "With these, your rheumatic leg bones won't get hurt by the wind when you go into the mountains to collect herbs."
After a moment of delight, Old Man Zhou took out a brocade box from his sleeve and said, "I also have a gift for you."
When Grandma Zhou opened the brocade box, she found a sandalwood hairpin with an antique color.
She was somewhat surprised, but couldn't hide the joy on her lips: "When did you make this? How come I didn't know? And it's made of such precious sandalwood?"
Old Man Zhou just smiled and picked up the wooden hairpin, putting it on Old Woman Zhou's ear and temple, his eyes full of doting: "It looks good, only it can match you."
Grandma Zhou lowered her head shyly: "I'll be happy with anything you give me, no matter what it is..."
Wow, this display of genuine emotion is truly enviable...
Since everyone has given gifts, I don't have anything to give in return.
The only thing we can do is give them a loving hug!
So I gave each of them a big hug.
Wen Heng awkwardly mimicked my movements and gave everyone a big hug.
When it got to me, I don't know what possessed it, but it clung to me tightly for a long time before letting go.
He almost strangled me to death. I coughed for a long time with dead fish eyes before I recovered.
What's wrong with that brat lately?
Why do they always seem to be copying what I do, whether intentionally or unintentionally?
The rich festive atmosphere of the New Year quietly dissipates as spring returns to the earth, and in the February spring breeze, green bells ring.
The greatest joy for children is seeing long strings connecting kites of all shapes and colors in the azure sky.
The boys who couldn't fly kites could only lead their family's big yellow oxen at the foot of the mountain.
While herding livestock, he looked up at the paper kites high in the sky and smiled wistfully.
There is the exquisite paper-crafting skill of Old Man Zhou and Old Woman Zhou.
Wenheng and I are the kind of kids who have no shortage of kites, making other children envious.
Wenheng still followed me around like a little shadow, running freely in the fields while holding the kite string, having a great time.
I looked at the kite that I had skillfully launched, soaring high in the distant sky, and felt a sense of pride and self-satisfaction, while Wen Heng just kept facing me and grinning foolishly.
Looking at his sunny and clean smile is like holding a string in my hand, pulling a sunflower on a kite in the sky. It warms the tender feelings in my heart.
But at that moment, the kite string in my hand suddenly snapped with a "bang".
The kite in the air behind him swayed and drifted down slowly with its slack line...
I gazed into the distance as a kite slowly landed at the foot of a mountain ahead of us. Old Zhou, who had gone into the mountains to collect herbs, was carrying a bamboo basket full of herbs on his back.
What a coincidence!
I smiled and waved to Old Man Zhou, pointing to the kite that had fallen to the side.
Old Zhou understood what I meant without me even realizing it. He smiled kindly and walked to where the kite had landed, then bent down to pick it up.
But when he lowered his head and bent over.
But I saw the big yellow ox behind him with its eyes burning with scarlet flames, staring intently at Old Man Zhou's back, poised to attack.
Sensing danger, I ran in that direction while shouting, "Father! Run! It's dangerous!"
But it was too late.
I watched helplessly as the crazed ox, head down, rammed its powerful body into the back and waist of Old Man Zhou, who had just stood up.
After being struck by a powerful impact, his body was thrown a great distance through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
I ran ahead while Wen Heng clumsily chased after me. As we headed in that direction, that damned ox began to exert all its strength and attacked Old Man Zhou again.
As Old Man Zhou lay on the ground, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to stand up and dodge, but he couldn't keep up with the speed at which the beast rammed into his sternum from the front.
He had been thrown far away and was now at the feet of Wen Heng and me, who were still some distance away.
Blood gushed from Old Man Zhou's mouth, splattering onto the hems of my and Wen Heng's clothes.
Old Zhou stretched out his hand at me with a vacant look in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
"Father!"
I quickly bent down to check his injuries and found that they were all internal injuries.
I couldn't even do the most basic thing like bandaging his wound to alleviate his pain.
But then they heard Old Man Zhou's hoarse voice struggling to speak: "Take me to see your mother..."
When I looked up to ask Wen Heng for help.
But they found Wen Heng with a flushed face, his hands bracing against the two thick horns of the big yellow ox, the two forces clashing against each other.
Seeing that Wen Heng was struggling and could no longer hold on, he fell to the ground, and the yellow ox changed direction and attacked Wen Heng as well.
The anger in his heart suddenly ignited into a raging fire.
I picked up a stone from the ground, stood up abruptly, and struck the yellow ox hard on the head.
The cow let out a low moo.
He tilted to one side and fell heavily to the ground with a "thud," closing his eyes.
I knocked him unconscious.
In a daze, I saw a wisp of black demonic energy float up from the bull's forehead and then disappear in an instant...
This seems to be a demonic puppet control technique...
But now is not the time to study this.
After dealing with that damned ox, I hurriedly returned to Old Man Zhou and instructed Wen Heng to find a doctor.
She bent down to carry him on her back, saying, "I'm taking Father home to see Mother."
But I couldn't lift him up no matter what I tried. After several unsuccessful attempts, Wen Heng stood still, not understanding the meaning behind my words. He probably didn't understand what the doctor I was talking about was.
I squatted on the ground, so anxious that tears were welling up in my eyes.
At that moment, Old Man Zhou was suddenly carried on Wen Heng's back. His burning gaze fixed on me, he said, enunciating each word clearly: "Zhou Lang, carry me, Ah Hua, find a doctor..."
His words brought me a sense of comfort.
But I'm worried that he might encounter other problems he doesn't understand along the way or get lost, and then I'd have to find the doctor and them again...
Just then, Aunt Wang from next door, carrying a hoe, passed by on her way back from working in the fields.
Seeing the cow lying on the ground and Old Man Zhou with blood all over his face on Wen Heng's back, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, but they still maintained a bit of enthusiasm.
He feigned composure and called out in a trembling voice, "Oh dear, what's wrong with Old Zhou right now?"
As if seeing a glimmer of hope, I wiped away my tears and said to Aunt Wang, "Aunt Wang, please take my father and Zhou Lang home. I'll go fetch a doctor!"
Aunt Wang was slightly taken aback when I suddenly spoke.
It only snapped out of its daze after I called it again and responded with a soft, "Okay, okay."
I turned to Wen Heng and gave him a trusting look: "Quickly take Father home, I'll go find a doctor."
After nodding, Wen Heng ran towards home like a gust of wind, leaving Aunt Wang far behind.
After seeing that Aunt Wang and Wen Heng were rushing in the right direction,
Only then did I feel relieved and run towards the direction of Old Man Zhou, who occasionally asked me to deliver medicine to the village's only barefoot doctor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com