As soon as Cheng Yaoyao finished speaking, Xie Zhao came out from behind the wall, his tall figure blocking the sunlight in front of her. In front of Cheng Yaoyao was a strong chest wrapped tightly in a black sweater, like a wall.
Xie Zhao, holding a basket in his hand, first glanced into the yard. Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, "Everyone has left."
Xie Zhao breathed a sigh of relief without making a sound, and then met Cheng Yaoyao's mocking eyes again: "Looking at you will definitely cost me a piece of meat, why are you so shy? What's in this basket?"
Xie Zhao picked up the basket and opened it. Inside was a handful of shiny purple-black water chestnuts, a bag of dried sweet potatoes, and a few bright yellow tomatoes.
"This persimmon is so big." Cheng Yaoyao picked up a big persimmon.
The two of them were not in a hurry to go into the house. They first sat on the doorstep and peeled persimmons to eat. Oil persimmons are local persimmons. They are very large and their skin is not very smooth. The skin with black spots is thicker than that of ordinary honey persimmons and can be torn apart like orange peel. Xie Zhao broke the persimmon in half, revealing the orange-red and translucent flesh inside. In the sunlight, you can still see the delicate veins.
Cheng Yaoyao took the persimmon and first picked the small tongue inside the persimmon to eat. The translucent soft seeds were crunchy and smooth. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction: "You went out to give holiday gifts and brought back so many delicious things. Who gave you this persimmon?"
"From the secretary's house." Xie Zhao put his half persimmon to Cheng Yaoyao's mouth, and Cheng Yaoyao bit off the little tongue in the persimmon in one bite.
Cheng Yaoyao didn't even notice the juice staining her fair face, and her surprised expression made her look particularly adorable: "How dare you go to the secretary's house? Didn't he kick you out?"
Xie Zhao said: "No."
Cheng Yaoyao told Xie Zhao what Grandma Xie had just said, and Grandma Xie saved Lin Lulu's face in public. It seemed that the secretary's family would no longer hate Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao just nodded after hearing this: "That's how it should be. It's not good for a girl to be talked about."
Cheng Yaoyao groaned, "You're fine with being talked about?"
Xie Zhao wiped the juice off her cheek, and the stain expanded to half of her face. Xie Zhao took his hand back calmly and said, "I am a man."
Cheng Yaoyao was even more unhappy: "They even said that I was the one who kicked the matchmaker out."
Xie Zhao stared at her pretty face, and the corners of his lips curled up: "Then I'll go beat them up too?"
"Disgusting, what are you laughing at!" Cheng Yaoyao raised his sticky hands to hit him. Xie Zhao raised his hands to block, he was wearing new clothes today, if he went back, he would be beaten to death by his grandmother.
Cheng Yaoyao was jumping around like a little kitten, chasing people, and Xie Zhao was trying to fend him off with a smile on his face.
As they were quarreling, Auntie Yingui came out to splash water, and laughed at the scene: "What are the young couple quarreling about? They're fighting right after getting engaged?"
"No, no!" Cheng Yaoyao blushed, turned around and ran back to the yard. She had always presented an image of being noble and cold to the outside world, but today it was all ruined by Xie Zhao!
Grandma Xie was holding a basket of melon seed shells and was laughing at Xie Fei: "Look, you cracked so many melon seed shells! Luckily your brother bought a few pounds of melon seeds from the city. ... Ouch, be careful!" Grandma Xie was almost bumped into by Cheng Yaoyao. She took a closer look and said: "What's wrong with your face?"
"I ate persimmons." Cheng Yaoyao ran to the sink. Xie Fei, who was washing cups, saw her face and almost laughed out loud. She hurriedly scooped water to wash her hands.
Cheng Yaoyao scooped up some water and washed her face, which became as white and delicate as a lotus.
Grandma Xie was still muttering: "You are such a grown-up girl, but you are still so reckless. Is there a wolf chasing you outside?"
Cheng Yaoyao puffed up her cheeks, but saw Xie Zhao walking into the yard with his long legs. He happened to hear these words and looked at her with a smile in his deep eyes.
Cheng Yaoyao scooped up some water and splashed it on him.
Grandma Xie took out the trash and said with a smile, "Stop making a fuss. Eat quickly because we have to go up the mountain in the afternoon."
Cheng Yaoyao was stunned: "Go up the mountain?"
The mountain behind Tianshui Village is a long mountain range. The products are rich, and villagers and children often go into the mountains to pick mushrooms, wild vegetables and fruits, and catch rabbits and wild boars. Further in, the century-old pine forest blocks out the sun, and there are wild boars. Even the most experienced hunters may get lost in the mountains, and villagers dare not go in easily.
Cheng Yaoyao got lost in the back mountain when he first came here. It was winter, and the pine trees were still green, but the vines and trees that blocked the sunlight had withered. The sun shone through the pine forest, which was as beautiful as an oil painting. The soles of his shoes stepped on the dead branches, making crackling sounds. The ground was covered with pine cones, which were half the size of a palm.
Xie Zhao carried a large basket on his back, holding Grandma Xie with one hand, while Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei followed behind. Cheng Yaoyao looked around curiously, and after walking for nearly 20 minutes, he suddenly saw a clear view and arrived at the foot of a small hill.
Xie Zhao put down the basket and went forward to clear the dead branches, revealing a few inconspicuous bulges of soil. Xie Fei also came forward to help Xie Zhao, carefully clearing the fallen leaves and dead branches on the soil. Grandma Xie took out the things from the basket one by one, three wine glasses, a plate of snacks, a plate of rice balls, and a pot of rice wine, and placed them on the cleared space.
Xie Zhao's deceased relatives are buried here. Although no monument can be erected, no incense can be burned, and no sacrifice can be made, the scene before our eyes is still filled with solemnity and dignity.
After doing all this, Xie Zhao walked back to Cheng Yaoyao and whispered, "I'll take you to meet my parents."
Cheng Yaoyao quietly reached out and held Xie Zhao's rough, muddy hand. Xie Zhao laughed softly and wiped her cheek: "Don't cry."
Cheng Yaoyao sniffed and couldn't help but lean towards Xie Zhao again, looking at the land where Xie's family was buried with him.
Grandma Xie muttered to the grave mound for a long time: "...This is Zhao'er's granddaughter-in-law who has not yet married into the family. I brought her here for you to see. Yaoyao is a good child. Ever since she came to our home, our life has been getting better and better."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaoyao hurriedly walked forward with Xie Zhao, still feeling a little inexplicably nervous, as if the elders of the Xie family were really watching her.
Grandma Xie said, "Zhao'er, today in front of your grandfather and parents, you have to promise me to be nice to Yaoyao."
Xie Zhao said solemnly, "I will."
Cheng Yaoyao was a little dazed. Does this count as meeting the parents?
Nowadays, superstitious activities are strictly prohibited, but the few people still worshiped properly. Cheng Yaoyao even picked a bunch of small wild flowers that are rare in winter and placed them on the grave. After the worship, Grandma Xie poured wine on the open space, and Xie Zhao cut some more branches to cover the grave.
It turns out that those dead branches were put there by Xie Zhao himself?
Seeing Cheng Yaoyao's puzzled look, Xie Zhao explained, "Some people think that my family buried the gold in the cemetery." In order to prevent these people from disturbing the dead, Xie Zhao did not bury his family members in the ancestral tomb, but cremated them and buried them in the uninhabited wasteland in the back mountain.
Cheng Yaoyao gritted his teeth in hatred: "Shameless thing! Don't be sad, wait two years, we will repair the ancestral tomb and move the grave back."
Xie Zhao stared at her, his eyes softening: "Okay."
Today was a sunny day. The reeds on the hillside swayed in the wind, which carried the scent of dried grass and trees. The family was not in a hurry to go down the mountain. They sat on the hillside to bask in the sun and eat rice balls.
There was a wild persimmon tree not far away. The fruits were not much bigger than hawthorns. Most of them were ripe and fell to the ground, attracting a bunch of sparrows to chirp and peck at them. Cheng Yaoyao picked some unripe persimmons and ran to show off to Grandma Xie.
Grandma Xie took a look and said with a smile, "This needs to be put in the rice jar to soak. It will take ten days or half a month before you can eat it."
There are other edible fruits in the mountains. A hawthorn tree grows diagonally on the hillside, with red fruits hanging from its branches, gleaming like rubies. Xie Zhao climbs up the tree, chops off a few branches with a hatchet and throws them down, while Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei happily pick them up below.
Fresh hawthorns are not washed, just wiped and put into the mouth. After frost, hawthorns become more crisp. When you bite them, the sour taste makes your mouth water, and then you can taste the sweetness.
This small hillside and forest is a great treasure. Grandma Xie led Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei to dig wild Platycodon grandiflorum. Platycodon grandiflorum dishes are a regular on the Xie family's dinner table. Although Grandma Xie is old, her eyesight is very good. She can dig accurately and point out wild astragalus and other medicinal herbs to Cheng Yaoyao. Soon, the three of them dug a large bundle of Platycodon grandiflorum, tied them with ropes and put them in a basket.
Xie Zhao picked up his hatchet and went back to the pine forest. After half a day, he carried out a large piece of dead tree trunk. The trunk was oozing with transparent oil. This was pine torches, which were chopped into fine wood chips and were excellent materials for starting fires.
Grandma Xie smiled and said, "Such a big tree! It will last until next year!"
Xie Zhao wiped his sweat off his forehead and handed Cheng Yaoyao a large branch of strange fruit. The fruit was brown and shaped like a twisted chicken claw.
Cheng Yaoyao looked over and over again: "What is this?"
Xie Zhao said: "Turn."
Xie Fei smiled and said, "Honey claws! They are sweet."
Cheng Yaoyao was skeptical, but she picked one and put it in her mouth. The skin was slightly bitter, and she sucked it, and she got a mouthful of molten honey. Her eyes lit up immediately: "It's really sweet! Grandma, you eat it."
Grandma Xie said cheerfully, "Grandma doesn't want to eat. I'm really tired. I'll take a rest and you guys can play by yourselves."
The breeze was gentle and the sun was warm. Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei ran around on the hillside, hoping to find another jujube tree. Xie Zhao took off his coat and split the trunk of the big tree into small pieces to take down the mountain. Grandma Xie sat on the hillside, watching the scene with a smile.
Xie Zhao finished splitting the pine torches and put them into a large basket, sweating profusely. He saw Cheng Yaoyao waving at him not far away. Xie Zhao wiped his sweat, picked up his coat and walked over to see what treasures she had found.
It turned out to be a nest of eggs.
The nest was made of twigs and feathers, with five or six pure white eggs lying quietly in it.
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei were arguing over whether to take the egg away. Cheng Yaoyao thought that in such a cold day, the egg must have been left behind, so why not take it back and roast it.
Xie Fei thought that the mother bird must have gone out to look for food, and when she came back she found that the eggs were missing. How sad she must have been.
Xie Zhao took a closer look and said, "It's a pheasant egg. It's almost hatched. We can't eat it."
Cheng Yaoyao was a little disappointed. Xie Zhao rubbed her head with his big hand and immediately said that he could set a trap and catch the wild chicken in one fell swoop when it came back.
Xie Fei expressed strong protest. In the end, the two had to give up the idea of hunting pheasants and instead dug up a few perilla frosts. The perilla frosts in the mountains grew luxuriantly, with purple leaves on both sides and a particularly strong fragrance, much more fragrant than the green-fronted purple-backed perilla frosts at home.
When the first rays of light appeared in the sky, the family returned home with a full load. The small courtyard at the end of the alley stood quietly. A small fat orange cat had jumped down from the wall and was running over on its short legs.
From the second day to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the villagers would pay New Year's greetings. Xie Zhao brought back several kilograms of melon seeds and peanuts from the city, otherwise there would not be enough to eat. The people of Tianshui Village pay attention to the excitement during the New Year. The more guests a family has during the New Year, the better their luck will be in the new year.
In the past, the Xie family was always deserted during the Chinese New Year, with only the three of them. Now that there is a female host, there is more laughter in the family. Several families that Xie Zhao had saved also brought their children to pay New Year's greetings, holding a bag of snacks or persimmon cakes in their hands, and the Xie family was quite lively for a while.
The woman who was basking in the sun in the alley began to grumble: "Ever since Cheng Yaoyao moved into the Xie family, look at what the Xie family has been like. Tsk tsk."
"Why didn't I ask Cheng Zhiqing to live in my house?"
"Look at Xie San's face, and then look at your son's appearance!"
The women laughed and joked, half-heartedly. But what could they do? The radio had said that there were no more "five black categories" and the Xie family had been stripped of their title of landlord! The only advantage that the villagers had over the Xie family was gone, and they could only watch as the Xie family prospered.
One morning, Cheng Yaoyao was adding water to the chicken feeder when he suddenly saw a white, round object sticking out from the straw.
"Xie Zhao! Grandma! Xiao Fei!" Cheng Yaoyao screamed.
Xie Zhao almost rushed out of the room and saw Cheng Yaoyao, who was very happy, holding an egg in his hand: "It's laid! The hen has laid an egg!"
Xie Zhao covered his chest and let out a long breath without making a sound. Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were very happy. They wiped their hands on their aprons and hurriedly took it. The egg was very small, white and warm: "Hey, a hen that is only a few months old has laid an egg! Go and look for it, maybe there are more."
Xie Fei quickly used a broom to drive the hens away, and together with Cheng Yaoyao, they searched in the straw and found eight eggs in total.
These hens are only five months old, but they have already laid eggs. Grandma Xie praised Cheng Yaoyao for feeding the chickens well and said happily: "The first eggs of these hens are the most nutritious. I will give them to you to mix with your rice."
As he was talking, a voice came from the door: "Is anyone home?"
"Who is it?" Without waiting for Xie Zhao to speak, Cheng Yaoyao handed the egg to Xie Fei, ran to the door and unbolted it. When he took a closer look, his smile froze.
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