Chapter 67 Wintersweet Blossoms
On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, Li Ye went to Erliangdian to pick up Wen Leyu and others.
Hu Man and several other girls came over to keep Wen Leyu company yesterday. Li Ye asked them to go to the warm Erliangdian to review their homework, cook and eat during the day, and return to the school dormitory to sleep at night.
When they arrived at the Erliangdian, Han Xia and the others were quite generous and had no objection to spending the New Year at Li Ye's house. Instead, the "main character" Wen Leyu was a little hesitant and unable to let go.
The brave Han Xia immediately started to make a noise: "Oh, this ugly daughter-in-law is afraid of meeting her parents-in-law. Wen Leyu, you are so beautiful, what are you afraid of?"
“Hahahaha~”
Han Xia and Hu Man both laughed, only Jiang Xiaoyan said anxiously: "Don't talk nonsense, it's not good if someone hears it."
Han Xia and Hu Man were a little embarrassed and hurriedly explained: "It's just a joke, don't take it seriously."
But Wen Leyu, who was originally a little shy, suddenly became "cold and aloof".
She glanced at Han Xia coldly, spread her long legs, and followed Li Ye.
After arriving at the Li family, Wen Leyu changed his previous "outstanding" attitude, called people generously, and helped to make dumplings and do chores efficiently.
“It turns out she can cook too!”
Han Xia and others were very surprised. The impression Wen Leyu gave them was always that he was not very down-to-earth and seemed a bit out of touch with the world.
But looking at her now, the little girl is actually very versatile!
The Li family suddenly had four more girls. Grandma Li was very happy. She directed them to do this and that, while whispering to the old man.
"Look at that one, the butt is big enough, the chest is broad and the waist is long, it must be easy to give birth."
"And that, look at how skillfully he works, it's obvious that he's good at making a living."
“.”
"Ah, why did our Xiao Ye like that skinny girl so much? Look at her, she does some work like dancing. She's not as good as the little girl who chops stuffing."
"You know nothing! Stop nagging me. If your grandson hears you, I'll see how you'll end up."
"Can't I take care of my grandson?"
Li Zhongfa's words made Grandma Li Wu Juying very unhappy, but Li Ye happened to look over, and the second half of Wu Juying's sentence suddenly died down.
Now she looks at her eldest grandson, who is truly her treasure.
He is handsome and can make money. I bought him a woolen coat worth dozens of dollars without blinking an eye. He would not refuse it. I am counting on this grandson to be filial to me for the rest of my life!
Although she didn't like Wen Leyu, as long as Li Ye was willing, she would accept this granddaughter-in-law with a smile on her face and would never make things difficult for Li Ye.
However, she certainly could not have imagined that Wen Leyu, who was not as good as Jiang Xiaoyan in her eyes, was as stunning as a "treasure girl" in Li Ye's eyes.
People from two different eras look at girls differently.
Wu Juying believes that a "good girl" is like Jiang Xiaoyan, who can chop meat with two kitchen knives and make loud banging sounds on the chopping board.
But in Li Ye's eyes, the ever-present elegance is what is truly alluring.
Wen Leyu, even when she is cooking, has a subtle elegance.
This is by no means a deliberate act on her part, but rather a habit of some small details.
For example, when she and several classmates squatted down to wash vegetables, Han Xia and the others did whatever they felt comfortable with, with their legs spread out like they were squatting in horse stance.
Wen Leyu, on the other hand, would habitually restrain himself a lot. He would never stick his butt up hard, nor would he stick his feet out like Donald Duck.
Li Ye had seen some women who could cook elegantly in movies before.
For example, Julie in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" had a charm that captivated everyone when she poured out the milk in the kitchen after the gunfight.
But Li Ye always believed that they were all performances and movies.
But now that he saw Wen Leyu, Li Ye believed that such people existed in reality.
Li Ye recalled Teacher Ke's aura and temperament, and finally understood the meaning of "learning by doing".
I have been following Teacher Ke since I was young, and every move I make is natural.
What grandma Wu Juying saw as "unpleasant" was actually a natural expression of Wen Leyu, just like a crane walking in the water, his every move and stillness exuded his elegant nature.
. . . . . . . . . .
The main dish of the Li family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was dumplings, and there were also a few meat dishes, which was already a very sumptuous meal for an ordinary family in that era.
With the hospitality of Li Zhongfa and Wu Juying, several female classmates ate their fill.
Then the men drank and the women played cards. At around nine o'clock, Wu Juying called Li Yue over.
"I'm worried about the children living in school. You should stay with them for a day. Bring a horseshoe watch and bring them here at four o'clock tomorrow. Go with Xiaoye to pay respect to Old Huai."
"What?"
Li Ye was serving tea and water to two people who were drinking in the outer room. He didn't hear anything else but heard someone get up at four in the morning.
Grandma said from the inner room, "What are you doing? Get up early tomorrow and come with me to worship Old Huai and ask him to bless you to be the top scorer in the imperial examination next year."
Li Ye understood.
Old Sophora japonica is an old Sophora japonica tree located in the old city area in the north of Qingshui County. I don’t know how old it is, but it has been there since the time of my grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather.
Over the years, word of mouth has passed on the story, and it is related to the old locust tree in the fairy tale "Tianxianpei". It is very popular among local people. During the Chinese New Year every year, many people rush to burn incense and kowtow.
Li Ye said with a smile: "Grandma, my grandfather and my father are both D members. Are you practicing feudal superstition here?"
“.”
The room was quiet for a second, and then a handful of peanuts were thrown out from the inner room and scattered on the wine table in front of the three men.
"You little bastard, you are talking nonsense and are full of feudal superstition. Get out of here and kneel down in the yard!"
The grandmother, who had always been obedient to Li Ye, suddenly got angry, and scared Li Ye so much that he ran away with his head in his hands.
Of course, it is impossible to kneel down when you come out, you just want to avoid the spotlight.
But soon after, Grandpa Li Zhongfa came out.
He took out a cigarette box and actually handed one to Li Ye.
Li Ye didn't dare to answer. What was going on?
Li Zhongfa lit it himself, took two puffs, then looked into the endless darkness and spoke softly.
"That year, a small team of us was responsible for blocking the enemy, but we were dispersed. After we broke through, only a dozen people were left."
"In that environment, only by catching up with the main group can we survive. We got lost and came to a three-way intersection."
"No one knew which way to go. I just heard that Old Huai's fellow villager kicked me and scolded me."
"We were unwilling to give in to each other, so we went our separate ways. I took the right path, and they went to the left."
Li Zhong's eyes turned red and his voice changed: "Later, I survived and they didn't come back."
Li Ye swallowed and said nothing more.
It was clearly just a coincidence, but for some reason, Li Zhongfa felt awe.
As the grandson of Li Zhongfa, be smart and don't make yourself uncomfortable.
. . . . . . . . .
Late at night, after setting off firecrackers on behalf of the men in the Li family, Li Ye returned to school with his sister Li Yue, Hu Man and other classmates.
Li Yue was a few years older and had been working for a year. He was very active in speaking and doing things, and soon became friends with Hu Man and others.
As they walked, Li Yue brought Hu Man, Han Xia and others to the front, leaving space for his younger brother and Wen Leyu to chat.
Because she noticed that Wen Leyu was obviously in a low mood after late at night.
Li Ye also noticed it and asked her softly, "Do you miss your mother?"
Wen Leyu nodded as he walked.
The communication conditions in 1981 were really too backward.
Ever since the day Teacher Ke arrived in Beijing and sent a telegram to Li Ye and the others, there has been no contact since.
On New Year's Eve, Wen Leyu was separated from his mother, whom he depended on for everything, for the first time, and he felt very uncomfortable.
In this kind of situation, Li Ye could only try his best to persuade: "Don't worry! Teacher Ke is not a child, nothing will happen."
Wen Leyu nodded again and said, "I'm not a child either."
The two walked forward in silence, and when they came to a low wall, they suddenly smelled a faint but refreshing fragrance.
Li Ye stopped and asked Wen Leyu: "Did you smell it?"
Wen Leyu twitched his nose twice and said, "It's the scent of plum blossoms."
Li Ye pointed at the low wall and said, "Although we can't see the plum blossom through the wall, it has already bloomed."
Wen Leyu was confused, and it took him a moment to understand.
She smiled at Li Ye and suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
"You're trying to tell me that the flowers are already blooming and spring isn't far away, right?"
"Don't try so hard to comfort me. I'm actually very strong."
Li Ye: “.”
At the end of 1981, the wintersweet flowers bloomed.
Some people are actually more tenacious and elegant than wintersweets.
(End of this chapter)
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