The farmland that had been silent for a winter was being reclaimed and renovated. The burning wheat straw was blown into the air by the wind, flashing red, causing the orange and white fat cat to jump up to reach it, but it turned into ash before its paws touched it. A little ash also fell on the stubborn and wet nose, and he sneezed several times in a row, shaking his head.
The air was filled with the smell of fresh soil, plants and smoke. The men were used to this smell, fresh and hot, which made them full of energy. They used the hoes in their hands to dig up a large lump of fertile and dark mud.
The sunshine in early spring is very warm, shining on the farmers' heads without being too hot. When the sunshine changes from light gold to rich golden yellow, the work in the fields comes to an end.
This vegetable field was opened by the villagers themselves, and everyone worked hard, unlike the past when people slacked off on public land. Moreover, working with Xie Zhao was very worry-free, and the work that usually took three or four days was completed today.
After finishing the work, it was not yet time to go home. Xie Zhao carefully checked it and said, "Let's go home."
Everyone was very happy. They picked up their hoes and lunch boxes and joked, "You are so kind to make a girl wait for you for so long!"
Xie Zhao wiped his sweat, picked up the tools and snakeskin bags scattered on the ground, and listened to the teasing of others without replying, his happiness obviously evident.
"You are jealous, let your wife come and wait for you too!"
"No, my tigress is watching me. I'm so scared that I can't even lift my head!"
The men's rough banter scattered across the fields, and they carried their hoes home. Xie Zhao ran in the opposite direction of them, toward Cheng Yaoyao at the other end of the field.
Cheng Yaoyao sat downwind, reviewing silently with a notebook in hand, her rosy lips moving silently, as if she was whispering the most beautiful love words in the world. Only when you got closer could you hear that she was reading chemical formulas.
I lost interest in reading, and I felt that life was meaningless. The stubborn ones were paralyzed beside her, and they slept more and more soundly under Cheng Yaoyao's hypnosis.
The review materials that Cheng Yaoyao had obtained were already thoroughly studied by them. Cheng Yaoyao felt that her knowledge reserve was sufficient for the college entrance examination! However, she could not tell this to Xie Zhao and Grandma Xie. Her laziness was mistaken for laziness and blind self-confidence, and they monitored her more strictly, making Cheng Yaoyao want to cry without tears.
Grandma Xie also said: "You have learned it all, right? Zhao Ge'er, give her a few questions to test her!"
Cheng Yaoyao was not good at math, physics and chemistry. He could not solve the same type of questions with different answers. Grandma Xie made a prompt decision: "Do ten more questions every day!"
Cheng Yaoyao sighed again. She had no interest in studying in her previous life, but she graduated from a normal university. Among the subjects in the college entrance examination, mathematics and Chinese were not difficult for her, and English was even easier for her. The most difficult subjects were politics and physics and chemistry - the former required her to memorize a lot of quotations and correct thoughts, and the latter she had already returned to the teacher.
Xie Zhao was good at math, physics and chemistry, and he broke down the questions carefully and taught her in a simple and easy-to-understand way. With Xie Zhao by her side, Cheng Yaoyao found the subjects not that difficult after studying for a while, but she still preferred to stay with Xie Zhao and do something else.
As he thought about this, a shadow was cast on the revision book, covering the boring formula. Cheng Yaoyao looked up and saw a sweaty vest wrapped tightly around a sturdy waist, and above that, Xie Zhao's distinct jawline and a high nose bridge.
Cheng Yaoyao leaned back and finally saw his sweaty forehead and a pair of eyes that were shining after being washed by sweat. The heat was rising, and the youthful and vigorous hormones shot into her heart like bullets.
Cheng Yaoyao closed the notebook and held out his hand: "Are you done with work so early?"
"I was afraid you would wait." Xie Zhao glanced at Cheng Yaoyao's slender and white hands and hesitated. Cheng Yaoyao had already grabbed his rough big hands covered in mud and used the force to stand up.
Cheng Yaoyao said coquettishly: "My legs are numb from sitting so much."
"I'll give you a massage when we get home." Xie Zhao packed her things, picked up the basket and said, "Let's go."
There was a hint of green on the river bank. The water was still very cold at this time, and small, thin fish could be seen swimming in the clear water.
Xie Zhao placed the basket on the deep bank and crushed a small piece of dried steamed bread into the water. Soon, the water surface was shimmering, and if you looked closely, you could see many small fish swimming over and pecking at the steamed bread crumbs.
Cheng Yaoyao said: "There's a fish!"
Xie Zhao said calmly: "It's too small. Wait for the bigger fish."
Cheng Yaoyao reached out and fiddled with the water, releasing some spiritual spring water. Xie Zhao grabbed her hand and wiped it twice: "Don't play with the water, it's very cold."
"Your hands are so hot." Cheng Yaoyao held his hands and studied them, "Why aren't you afraid of the cold?"
Xie Zhao held Cheng Yaoyao's hand again. The two of them were so busy playing this childish trick that they didn't notice the fish basket suddenly shaking. A big fish put its head into the mouth of the basket and ate the steamed bun crumbs floating on it.
Jianjian had been squatting beside him. His pointed ears suddenly stood up, and he lowered his front paws and leaned forward to stare at the big fish. The fishy smell kept coming, and he couldn't help licking his mouth. The big fish finished eating the steamed bun dandruff, but found that his head was stuck.
This basket has a small mouth and a big belly, specially used for catching fish. The big fish struggled violently, its silver tail slapping the water surface. Jianjian made a quick decision, kicked with his hind claws, and rushed over with a "wow" and bit the big fish's head.
The mouth of the fish was so small and the fish's head was so slippery that it missed its bite and used its own weight to put the fish back into the basket. With a loud bang, the basket sank directly back into the water. The fish screamed and stomped on the basket with its four claws, but still couldn't escape the fate of falling into the water.
Water splashed up, Cheng Yaoyao turned around and saw Jianjian struggling in the water while howling. Xie Zhao had already jumped into the water and picked up the kitten.
The water was only knee-deep when Xie Zhao stood in the water and picked up Jianjian. The little fat cat's fur was all wet and stuck to its body in clumps, dripping water continuously. Only its face was still chubby and full of fear.
Cheng Yaoyao was shocked, holding his heart and said, "What are you doing? You don't have to jump into the river even if I don't give you meat to eat!"
She whimpered stubbornly and buried her head in Xie Zhaohuai's arms, mumbling something. From the back, she looked very aggrieved.
Xie Zhao wiped the water off Jianjian's fur, lifted his clothes to wipe it, and said, "It's okay, it's not stinging."
Xie Zhao held Jianjian in one hand and pulled the basket out of the water with the other. The big fish was still struggling in the basket: "It's very big."
Jianjian secretly raised his head to take a look, then buried his head again with a sob.
Cheng Yaoyao was really angry and amused, and said to Jianjian: "I'll make you fish balls when I get home, don't feel wronged. Xie Zhao, come up quickly, the water is very cold."
The weather was still cold, and when Jianjian fell into the water, he had to wipe himself dry quickly. The two of them stopped fishing and hurried back home holding Jianjian.
As soon as we entered the room, Grandma Xie asked, "Yaoyao, why did you come back so late? Your two educated youth friends just left."
Cheng Yaoyao asked, "Who is it?"
"Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin came to our house. They were so polite and brought snacks. They are on the table." Grandma Xie pointed to a net bag of canned snacks on the table.
Cheng Yaoyao said happily: "They are back?!"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Jianjian couldn't stand this grievance anymore and cried out in Xie Zhaohuai.
Cheng Yaoyao slapped his head and said, "Hey, let's not talk about this for now. Grandma, bring me a dry towel."
Grandma Xie then noticed the stubborn Jiao Jiao inside Xie Zhaohuai. Jiao Jiao was wrapped in a coat with only his hairy head showing. He looked very wet and trembling. "Hey! Jiao Jiao, what's wrong with you? Come to grandma and see, quickly!"
Grandma Xie quickly took Jianjian into her arms and rubbed him vigorously with a dry towel.
Cheng Yaoyao said: "It jumped into the river to catch fish."
As if Jianjian had found someone to back him up to complain to, he pursed his little ears and started to complain to his grandma with a howling tone, using the tone of a kitten.
Grandma Xie wiped it while saying: "Are you feeling wronged? Grandma knows, Grandma knows. It's all Zhao'er's fault! He was so stubborn for not paying attention."
Xie Zhao changed into a pair of clean pants and was shot for no apparent reason. Grandma Xie even called him, "Brother Zhao, go kill the fish that Qiangqiang caught and make fish soup for him in the evening."
Xie Zhao had no choice but to take out the big fish that he had "caught stubbornly" and cut it up in the yard. After a winter, the fish had grown to a weight of five or six kilograms.
After scooping out a large bowl of fish maw and roe, Cheng Yaoyao threw the fish intestines to the chicken and said, "We can't finish this fish in one meal."
Grandma Xie said she would keep most of the fish and invite Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin to her house for dinner tomorrow. They brought a lot of snacks today, which cost them a lot of money.
Cheng Yaoyao and Grandma Xie wiped the baby's nose for a long time, then carried it to the stove to dry it. Finally, they washed the baby's nose until it was fluffy, soft and fragrant.
Grandma Xie smiled and said, "It would be good to give it a bath. Ever since we went to Suzhou, it has refused to take a bath and has been crawling on the bed every day."
He kept saying "hmmmm" and ran to the stove to sit down. He looked up at Grandma Xie, as if to say, "Where is the fish meat you promised me?"
Fish roe and fish maw were braised with chili peppers, and the aroma made Jianjian sneeze. Cheng Yaoyao cut another fish, minced it into fine meat paste, and made meatballs. He cooked a bowl of white and clear fish meatball soup, sprinkled a handful of coriander and chopped green onions, and the fresh aroma was overwhelming. Jianjian, as a hero, got a bowl of fish meatballs without any seasoning, and an egg yolk. He ate so much that his little face was almost buried in the bowl.
Because Xie Zhaoyong rescued Qiangqiang, Qiangqiang let him touch his fat belly and let Xie Zhao hold him all night. Who knew that when they went to bed at night, Cheng Yaoyao felt sorry for Qiangqiang because he was frightened today, so he allowed him to go to bed, but Xie Zhao refused to let him go. Qiangqiang then pushed Xie Zhao again, and their short friendship broke down again.
The next morning, Cheng Yaoyao invited Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin to his home. Zhang Xiaofeng had more flesh on his face, and it was obvious that he had a good year. Han Yin, however, did not look very good, and had lost weight.
Grandma Xie took her needlework and went to Auntie Yingui's house to sit and make room for the girls to chat. The three of them hadn't seen each other for several months and had a lot to talk about, especially Han Yin, who was a chatterbox and chattered non-stop.
Han Yin's brother was an educated youth in Guangzhou, but he fled to Hong Kong with others. Han Yin found out about this when she returned home, and she spent the whole year in worry. In those days, the border between Guangzhou and Hong Kong was like a net. After hearing about the prosperity and gold everywhere in Hong Kong, there were always people who wanted to escape from here to the new world in Hong Kong.
Those who fled to Hong Kong were all young people, and the sentries were also all young people. Sometimes they would just turn a blind eye and let people go.
In fact, after a few years, fleeing to Hong Kong was no longer a serious political problem. Many people who went to Hong Kong to seek their fortune sent back money that helped their families live well, and later returned home with wealth and clothing.
Cheng Yaoyao spoke eloquently, describing the glamorous world of Hong Kong in an extremely moving way: tall buildings, busy traffic, restaurants, movies, songs, young people dressed in fashionable clothes, and high salaries for hard work, which made Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng stunned. Han Yin slapped her thigh and wished she could run away with her brother.
Although she knew Cheng Yaoyao was just trying to comfort her, Han Yin's mood still improved a lot. She remembered another thing and started to complain: "Why did Cheng Nonuo drive you back?"
"I came back by myself..." Cheng Yaoyao was suddenly stunned: "How do you know?"
Han Yin took a sip of water and said, "It's a long story."
Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin lived close to each other, so they took the same train back home. They stopped in Shanghai and wanted to go find Cheng Yaoyao together to hang out for two days before returning together. They didn't have Cheng Yaoyao's address, so they went to Cheng Zheng's workplace, but Cheng Zheng wasn't there either, so Cheng Zheng's colleagues asked them to go to Shen Yan's father's workplace to look for him.
Unexpectedly, instead of finding Cheng Yaoyao, he saw a good show.
The scene that day was extremely chaotic. Cheng Nuonuo and Wei Shuying first went to the conscription office to stir up trouble, and then posted a big-character poster at the door of Shen's father's unit. Wei Shuying rolled over in front of everyone, crying and complaining about how Shen Yan messed up and abandoned her daughter. This kind of explosive and erotic gossip was more explosive than a new movie release. The crowd gathered in three layers, listening to Wei Shuying's long-drawn howling voice.
Shen Yan was still wearing his green military uniform, which was torn and wrinkled, and stood aside with a blank look in his eyes. Shen Yan's parents heard the news and rushed to see the scene. Shen Yan's mother fainted on the spot. Unexpectedly, Cheng Nuonuo was not to be outdone and also fainted on the ground. Among the people watching the excitement, there was an old Chinese doctor who came up to help Cheng Nuonuo feel her pulse and found out that she was pregnant!
Cheng's father had been an intellectual all his life, respected and admired wherever he went. When he rushed back from work, he saw this scene and wished he could faint on the spot. He managed to handle it, his face pale.
Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin never expected to see this drama and left in embarrassment. They had been playing in Shanghai for two days before returning, but they didn't expect Cheng Nuonuo and Shen Yan to return to Tianshui Village before them.
Cheng Yaoyao suddenly realized: "No wonder they came back suddenly!" Shen Yan's father was a straight-forward man. He didn't want his son and daughter-in-law anymore and let them go back to the countryside to fend for themselves.
Ever since Shen Yan and Cheng Nonuo came back, the gossip in the village has never stopped.
Cheng Nuonuo still lives in the Lin family. Because she occupied the house of Lin Ranran and her three siblings, Lin Wuxing's family was in chaos. The villagers talked more and more about her, and their impression of her became worse and worse. Shen Yan became gloomy. He used to be very lively and lively with friends every day, but now he doesn't care about anyone. He just sleeps after work all day.
Cheng Yaoyao had also heard these discussions, but when he saw Master Shen Yan yesterday, he realized that the gossip in the village was not exaggerated. In just half a month, Shen Yan had become a different person.
Now I understand after listening to Han Yin's explanation of the whole process. Shen Yan was originally going to join the army with great fanfare, but Cheng Nuonuo and her daughter messed up his future and reputation. No wonder he lost all his energy and spirit.
Cheng Yaoyao suddenly thought: "Cheng Nuonuo is pregnant, why would the Shen family let her come back?"
Zhang Xiaofeng also said: "They didn't report their marriage when they came back, and they still live separately. When the belly gets bigger, won't it be..."
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