In 1976, on the third day of the third lunar month, Qin Rou took her two children to her sister's home in Dajiao Village.

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head, and on the third day of the third lunar month, a new life is born. This is a significant day. Perhaps other people are not sensitive enough to this day, but on the third day of the third lunar month every year, the neighboring provinces of Guangdong Province generally have a short holiday of three to seven days, which is enough to explain how important this day is.

As for why there are so many days off, it is because the third day of the third lunar month holiday is often combined with the Qingming holiday. If companies and schools are more conscientious, the third day of the third lunar month holiday plus the Qingming holiday and no overtime on weekends can make a seven-day happy short holiday.

When seeing people from neighboring provinces showing off their short holidays, Qin Rou was also envious.

Of course, there is no holiday on March 3rd now, but there are common celebrations in the village, such as singing, drinking rice wine, and dancing bamboo poles... There are many Li people in the village. Aunt Fu, who gave Qin Rou passion fruit seedlings before, is a Li people. Many Li people have the surname Fu.

Qin Rou met a classmate from Qiongzhou Island before. Her surname was also Fu. Every time she introduced herself, it was very interesting. What is your surname? My surname is Fu (surname Fu).

It is not only the Li people who celebrate March 3rd. In Qin Rou's impression, the Zhuang, Yao, and Miao peoples, or in other words, most of the ethnic minorities in the southwest will celebrate March 3rd. This is a relatively traditional and important festival.

As mountain girls, Qin Rou and Qin Mian used to listen to people singing folk songs on March 3rd. So March 3rd can also be called the Folk Song Festival.

"Auntie, Auntie!"

Zhou Zhou and Dumpling ran into Auntie's house and immediately shouted happily.

Qin Mian, who was busy working, looked up and smiled at Qin Rou, "Sister, did you bring the children here?"

"Come, quickly, I have cooked mustard greens and eggs here, you and the children should have one quickly."

"I also picked fresh mugwort early and made mugwort cakes. You and the two children should have some."

Qin Rou brought her children here to eat today. She didn't like eating mustard greens and boiled eggs very much, but she liked eating mugwort cakes. She picked mugwort around the Qingming Festival, boiled and crushed it, added glutinous rice flour and kneaded it into a ball, then coated it with crushed peanuts, crushed sesame seeds and sugar to make it into the shape of glutinous rice cakes. The final soul is to steam it on pomelo leaves. The glutinous rice cakes steamed in pomelo leaves are very fragrant.

"It's just out of the pot, be

careful not to burn it." Qin Rou and the child shared the egg, each holding a green glutinous rice cake, because there was a pomelo leaf underneath, so they could pull the two sides of the pomelo leaf to avoid burning their hands and blow it.

"Zhou Zhou and Dumpling, eat slowly."

"Mom, it smells so good."

"Smells good, right? The smell of pomelo leaves."

Qin Rou lowered her head and sniffed it with her nose. She lowered her head and blew a breath, then took a bite of the glutinous rice cake in her hand. The green glutinous rice skin was soft and sticky, with a slight bitterness. After biting through the skin, the sugar filling inside was exposed. The sugar juice was wrapped with sesame seeds and peanut crisps, and the sweet fragrance was refreshing.

When eating this kind of glutinous rice cake, you must eat the skin and filling together. The soft and sticky bitterness, the juicy sugar, and the crispy peanuts and sesame are mixed together. It is sweet but not greasy, bitter and sweet, and the rich aroma of grapefruit leaves is delicious.

Although this kind of sugar glutinous rice cake is delicious, you can't eat too much, because you will feel greasy after eating one.

Zhou Zhou and Dumpling also like to eat it, and eat the glutinous rice cake while blowing.

"Dumpling, little snack, the sugar filling is going to flow out."

Their hands are still small, and they can't hold the glutinous rice cake in their hands steadily, and the juicy filling inside flows onto their hands without paying attention.

Dumpling licked his little hand, sweet, and he smiled at his mother.

"Sweet!"

"Sweet, right?" Qin Rou smiled and pinched the two children's faces. Eating egg glutinous rice cakes today was just for fun. Her sister Qin Mian liked to follow traditions. It was said that there was an old saying that eating mustard eggs and mugwort glutinous rice cakes on March 3rd was called "hitting the snake's eyes?" "Stepping on the snake's eyes?" Anyway, after doing this, snakes will not bother you for a whole year.

There is such a saying in the mountainous areas in the southwest where there are many snakes.

This is a good meaning, and you must bring your children to eat it.

"I also cooked five-color rice. How about we cook bamboo rice for lunch?"

"Okay, sister, I'll cook bamboo rice. I brought some bacon, beans and radish today." Bamboo rice is Qin Rou's favorite. The bamboo rice cooked with firewood is very fragrant. Bamboo rice is the same as clay pot rice, and soul bacon is added.

Five-color rice is also a tradition of March 3rd. However, the color of five-color rice is beautiful, but it is not particularly delicious. In the past, during March 3rd, friends from the Zhuang tribe would give Qin Rou five-color rice. They have the habit of cooking five-color rice.

In modern times, cooking five-color rice in the city can also cause strange dangers. For example, if you accidentally add cleaning alkali as edible alkali to the water used to soak rice, it is easy to... very dangerous behavior when eating it.

"No radish, no radish." The two little guys discovered the word "radish" and immediately started to make a fuss.

"Okay, okay, no radish in your bamboo tube rice."

Qin Mian smiled at her sister and two little nephews. She tucked her hair behind her ears and said softly, "Sister, the two children will be four years old soon. Do you want to consider giving Zhou Zhou and Dumpling a sister?"

Zhou Zhou and Dumpling looked up at the adults and asked curiously, "Sister?"

"Sister, you don't want to give birth yourself, but you want me to give birth." Qin Rou really didn't think about having a second child for the time being. Zhou Zhou and Dumpling were still young, and by the 1980s, family planning should be officially implemented.

"I already have an older daughter, Juanjuan, but you don't have one yet. Don't you want to give your two children a younger sister?"

"Zhou Zhou and Xiao Dumpling, do you want a younger sister?"

"Sister?"

"Tiao Tiao and Nian Nian are also sisters..."

Qin Rou said to her sister, "Tiao Tiao and Nian Nian are children from the orphanage, a little younger than them."

"The younger sister that mommy gave birth to is a real sister, sister, you see, it would be great if you gave birth to a beautiful little sister now, she would have two older brothers to spoil her from the moment she is born, our Zhou Zhou and Xiao Dumpling will definitely be able to take good care of her..."

"Really? Little Zhou Zhou? Little Dumpling?"

Zhou Zhou and Dumpling said "hmm" twice in a daze.

Qin Rou smiled, thinking, what are you saying "hmm"? These two silly kids, especially Xiao Dumpling, are little brothers who need to be spoiled by their older brothers, and they still want younger sisters.

Qin Mian tempted, "After you have a sister, you will be a brother, Xiao Dumpling."

"Huh?" Xiao Dumpling's eyes lit up, and then he subconsciously said, "I am Zhou Zhou!!"

"Whether you are Zhou Zhou or not, you can be a brother..."

Qin Rou stopped her, saying, "Sister, stop teasing them. What sister? I'm busy. I won't give birth."

At this moment, a loud voice suddenly came from outside: "Auntie, auntie!!! We are back!! "

Xia Mingxi came to his good brother Chen Jingyi's house to play yesterday. Today is March 3rd and the village is especially lively. These children are going crazy.

Xia Mingxi and Chen Jingyi walked into the house one after another. The two children are now nine years old. Xia Mingxi is a little taller, and Chen Jingyi is thin and has very black hair. At this time, Jingyi no longer has a watermelon head. There is a neat black hair on his head, and the hair around his ears is close to his handsome and gentle face.

"Aunt." Chen Jingyi, holding a sketchbook, smiled softly when he saw Qin Rou.

"Jingyi, come on, come and eat eggs with Xiaoming."

"Aunt, why do you call me Xiaoming?!"

"We've eaten."

Although Chen Jingyi doesn't like to talk much in front of outsiders, he is usually quiet and likes to paint in the corner, but he will smile and speak softly in front of his family. Chen

Jingyi is now learning painting from his grandfather, Chen Laoyezi.

But Mr. Chen despised him very much: "This child has no talent for painting."

"Why don't you have any talent for painting?"

"The things he draws are too dead, without spirit."

Qin Rou and Qin Mian are not critical artists, but Qin Rou thinks Chen Jingyi's paintings are very beautiful. Compared with painting flowers and birds, Chen Jingyi likes to paint various buildings more.

Last year, Chen Jingyi went to Coconut City and painted many buildings in Coconut City after returning. They are very beautiful.

The Coconut City on Qiongzhou Island still has many exotic buildings built by Chinese in Southeast Asia. For a period of time, Chen Jingyi painted a lot of such buildings. When Grandpa Chen saw them, he didn't like them and didn't allow him to paint, but Chen Jingyi still liked to paint buildings.

Chen Jingyi is silent and seldom talks, but he is as stubborn as his father. He will not stop painting just because his grandfather told him not to paint. He still paints his favorite Nanyang buildings.

He also gave a painting to Qin Rou.

"Do you like this kind of building?" Qin Rou asked him with a smile.

Chen Jingyi nodded, "I like it, but grandpa won't let me draw it."

"If you want to draw, then draw it. Jingyi, do you want to try to draw a building you like? You can design it yourself and add your own ideas..."

Qin Rou encouraged him. There is nothing wrong with liking to draw architecture. Chen Jingyi likes houses with different styles. He is interested in these buildings. Maybe if he cultivates his skills, he can become an architectural designer in the future.

Chen Jingyi agreed to her.

"Aunt, I'll get a painting for you to see."

Qin Rou nodded, and Chen Jingyi went to the room to get the painting. Xia Mingxi wiped the sweat off his face and shouted, "I want to drink coconut. I just danced outside for a long time, but I was exhausted. I asked Jingyi to dance, but he didn't come..."

"They were just dancing with bamboo poles outside."

"Aunt, do you want to dance?"

"No, you guys go have fun. Look at you, you're all sweaty. Wipe it off. Are you wet? Go change your clothes..."

"No, we're going out to play later. Just dry off some sun."

That was a body full of sweat.

Chen Jingyi showed the painting to Qin Rou. Qin Rou looked at it carefully and saw a beautiful four-story building with clear lines, which looked like a Western building. She smiled and asked him, "Have you ever thought about what the inside of the house looks like?"

Chen Jingyi was stunned for a moment, and then said, "I'll think about it later."

"Well, think about it more."

Qin Rou patted his shoulder.

At this time, someone else came outside. It was Aunt Fu. She was holding a big bamboo basket in her hand. When she saw Qin Rou, she smiled and said, "Sister Rou is here. Come, try the wedding cakes made by my family. My little daughter is getting married. Come, try them, eat the wedding cakes, and the two children should also try them."

Hearing that Aunt Fu's little daughter was getting married, Qin Rou and her sister both spoke to congratulate her.

Aunt Fu smiled brightly and called out, "On such a good day, don't stay at home, come out and play."

Aunt Fu chased them all out like a herd of pigs. Now the village was filled with laughter, some were dancing bamboo poles, some were singing songs, and men and women were talking and laughing.

March 3 is also Valentine's Day.

They walked to the square in the village, where a group of people were dancing around a couple. Aunt Fu pointed to the woman standing in the middle and introduced her with a smile:

"That's my daughter, Menglan."

Menglan was a girl born and raised in the village. Her skin was a little dark, but her facial features were beautiful and her eyes were sparkling. She was wearing a Li ethnic group brocade costume. When she smiled, there was a bit of shyness in her eyes.

Standing next to her was a man of medium build, with a slight overbite. His appearance was not outstanding, but he was not ugly either. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt. Qin Rou had seen this man before. He was an educated youth in the village, named Zhou Yuanfang.

Previously, Zhou Yuanfang had gone to her sister's and brother-in-law's house with Wang Zhiqing to borrow books. Compared with the silent and book-loving Wang Zhiqing, Zhou Yuanfang was lively and funny, and he could tell jokes, which made girls like him.

Aunt Fu said that the person her daughter was going to marry should be him.

"His name is Zhou Yuanfang, an educated youth from outside. I didn't want Menglan to marry someone from outside, but my daughter likes him, so we have no choice..."

"Come on, you guys go and dance too."

"We can't."

"If you can't, just follow the team."

Aunt Fu pulled them and the children to join the team, circling around the man and woman in the middle, singing a few lines from time to time, and finally everyone put two beautiful wreaths on Menglan and Zhou Yuanfang's necks.

"Menglan, come and hug these two children." Aunt Fu pulled Zhou Zhou and Dumpling up. These were the two children she had been eyeing for a long time. She wanted her daughter to hug them now so that she could have these two big fat boys after she got married.

Qin Rou was already very familiar with this kind of thing, so she asked Zhou Zhou and Dumpling to be the flower girls for a while.

"Look at how smart and clever these two children are."

"Aunt Fu, you are so lucky, come and hug your grandchildren."

...

After a group of people had some fun, they went to the rocking wooden bridge. There was a wooden bridge made of ropes and wooden boards in the village. This kind of bridge was very shaky. As long as you walked on it with a little more movement, the whole bridge would shake along with you.

When a group of people stood on the wooden bridge and shook it vigorously, it shook even more.

Children especially liked to jump on this bridge. Qin Rou took Zhou Zhou and Dumpling up, and they were immediately shaken to grab the rope. Zhou Zhou and Dumpling hugged their mother's legs, and followed the people around them to scream "Ahhh..." along with the shaking bridge.

Fearing that the two little guys would get hurt, Qin Rou did not take them to play on the bridge for more time, and returned to her sister and brother-in-law's house to cook glutinous rice.

"Mom, I want to drink some water." After playing outside for a while, the two children were thirsty.

"Water or coconut?"

"Coconut, coconut..."

Qin Rou opened a coconut for each of the two children. Qin Mian also came back, followed by a tall and thin man. The man was as thin as a stick and carried a lot of firewood.

"Put it here. Thank you, Ah Shi."

The man put down the firewood, turned around and left without saying a word. Before leaving, he saw Qin Rou and was stunned for a moment, but he didn't stay for long and walked back with his head down.

Qin Rou saw his face. There was a lot of stubble on his chin and thick eyebrows. Because of too much hair, his original appearance could no longer be seen.

"Sister, who is he?" Qin Rou asked curiously.

"As for him, his name is A Shi, and his family is also pitiful. Of course, you can't say that outside--" Qin Mian came over and spoke softly to Qin Rou, "His family background is not good, and they were also sent down here. It is said that his family used to be very wealthy and owned a large piece of land... Later, his uncle received the news and ran away with his concubine and several other children, leaving their family on the island. His father died, and the young concubine was forced to remarry. Now there are only his grandmother and a mute sister left in his family. The family is quite pitiful. His sister's child is studying at your brother-in-law's place."

"Before, his grandmother fell ill on the road, and was found by your brother-in-law and his son. They were sent to the hospital and rescued. He is very grateful to our family..."

"Anyway, our family background is just like that, so there's nothing wrong with interacting with their family..."

At this point, Qin Mian pulled Qin Rou to a room on the first floor, moved the cabinet away, and dug out a wooden box from underneath. Qin Rou turned away and avoided him: "Sister, you are too unrefined."

Why did he start digging treasures in front of her?

"You are not an outsider."

Qin Mian handed the box to Qin Rou. Qin Rou opened it and was stunned, because there were two large and round golden pearls inside. The

round golden pearls were red gold in color, with a diameter of about twelve to fifteen millimeters. Although they were old, the glossiness was still very high. One had a slight flaw visible to the naked eye, and the other had very few flaws.

"Sister, if you like it, you can take it away. Our house is not suitable for storing these things."

"We didn't want it at first, but he insisted that your brother-in-law take it... Ashi's family used to raise and sell pearls."

Qin Rou closed the lid, "Sister, it's given to you, just take it."

"Okay, then bury it here." Anyway, this kind of thing can't be taken out to show to others. It looks good, but it's useless.

After returning from her sister's house, Qin Rou has been thinking about pearls. She is not thinking about the two South Sea gold beads, but imagining the possibility of raising pearls in two or three years.

She is now in a good geographical location.

No woman can refuse jewelry. Even if it is not suitable to wear it at work, she still has to show off in front of the mirror when she goes home, and she has to dress beautifully when she goes out on holidays.

Qin Rou was particularly obsessed with pearl jewelry for a period of time. She knew all kinds of pearls. She also read a lot of historical data on pearl cultivation and tried pearl cultivation. As a small demolition household with a few houses to collect rent, she still had a small treasury to support her hobbies.

She collected a lot of pearl necklaces, pearl bracelets, pearl ear hooks, ear wires, earrings, and earrings. She also liked to DIY. Compared with black Tahitian pearls and golden South Sea gold beads, the young Qin Rou preferred to wear white or pink pearls. Freshwater pearls and seawater pearls each have their own beauty.

Qin Rou touched her earlobe. After coming to the 1970s, she had not worn jewelry for many years.

In a few years, when all kinds of beautiful red skirts become popular on the street, all kinds of jewelry necklaces will return to everyone's vision.