In the warm breeze and scorching sun, preparations for the outing festival are in full swing. The breeze blows through the treetops, and the air is mixed with the fragrance of early-blooming mountain cherry blossoms.
Trees of delicate white and pink flowers are dotted among the tender green of the mountains.
About three or four miles away from Zhaojiazhuang, there is a large peach forest that stretches for dozens of miles. No one knows who owns the trees. We only know that it was there when Zhaojiazhuang was formed, and was later handed over to the government for unified management.
The peach trees in that peach blossom forest are not just for viewing. The fruits they bear are plump and juicy, each one is as big as a fist.
When the fruit is ripe, the government office will send people to collect it. Their town is not big and cannot consume so many peaches, so they can only have people pull them outside to sell.
Not only is it time-consuming and laborious to sell the flowers, but there is almost no profit at all. The government originally didn't want to intervene, but the forest is large, and the flowers in spring are large and bright. Gradually, more people know about it, and when the flowers bloom, people from far away will come to visit.
The people made a wish and regarded this place as the customary place for the Outing Festival. They also placed a statue of Yue Lao in the peach blossom forest. Over time, the government office could not get rid of it and could only provide manpower and resources year after year.
A happy breeze blew last night, and most of the peach blossoms in the peach forest came out. Zhu Cuilan seemed to be able to smell the scent. She gathered up the thin bamboo branches and urged Zhao Luochuan and Zhao Fangyu to get up early in the morning to make kites.
Yang Donghu had never played with a kite he made himself, so he got up early and got close to Zhao Luochuan, wanting to see how the kite was made.
Zhao Fangchu was so focused on playing that he told Zhao Fangyu what he wanted by gestures and words before his brother asked.
Kites are flown every year during the Spring Outing Festival. The shapes and appearances of the kites are almost the same, with themes of flowers, birds, and animals, and embellishments of the sun, moon, and stars.
A kite is like a hairpin; the less common it is, the more eye-catching it is. Zhao Fangchu put all his effort into designing the perfect kite and spent half the night drawing patterns on paper yesterday.
The town is small and has few designs. Judging from the painting techniques and shapes, the main ones that stand out are birds. Looking around, they are all the same.
There are so many modern kites that Yang Donghu drew a simple goldfish pattern on paper based on the appearance of kites in his memory.
Zhao Luochuan was still outside processing bamboo branches, removing the sharp thorns on them so as not to pierce the paper pasted on the bamboo strips.
Yang Donghu took Zhao Fangchu into the house and showed him the goldfish pattern. Zhao Fangchu was immediately delighted.
Yang Donghu had only drawn an outline, not adding the fine details. Zhao Fangchu smiled and said, "It looks great. I've heard that kites out there come in many varieties, even butterflies and flowers. It's a pity I've never seen one, and I can't imagine what it looks like. But this goldfish one is definitely rare here."
As long as Zhao Fangchu likes it, Yang Donghu's efforts won't be in vain: "The details on it haven't been drawn yet. I'll add some things to it later, and it will definitely look better."
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
The kite's frame is made of tough, thin bamboo strips bent into a semi-elliptical shape and connected together. A swallow's tail shape is added to the tail, and the paper with the pattern painted on it can be pasted on top.
The brackets are all the same, and changing the pattern doesn't affect anything. When Zhao Fangchu took out the drawn paper, he won a lot of admiration.
Zhu Cuilan knew her own child well, and whether Zhao Fangchu had the talent to draw it or not was clear to her. She happily praised, "It's really beautiful! This idea must have come from Dong Hu. It's so ingenious. Let's make others envious this year."
The family was not short of money, and there was a happy event about to have a new baby. Zhu Cuilan had some free time and was in the mood to join in the fun at the festival.
Zhao Fangchu was very ambitious. In his eyes, praising Yang Donghu was no different from praising himself. He smiled and approached his mother to take credit for it: "Dongge is amazing, of course, but I added all the patterns on it."
Zhu Cuilan scratched Zhao Fangchu's nose and said lovingly, "Yes, yes, you are amazing too."
Zhao Luochuan was closer to Yang Donghu, so he couldn't hug her and give her a good rub in front of so many people. He could only get closer and praise her: "You're amazing."
Yang Donghu's eyebrows curved slightly when he was praised, and he turned his head to smile shyly at Zhao Luochuan.
After the kite was made, there were still some bamboo sticks left, enough to make a smaller one. Zhao Fangyu pulled Zhao Fangchu over and said shyly, "Fangchu, draw me another pattern, just the same. We have some leftover bamboo sticks anyway, so let's make a smaller one."
The goldfish kite looked even better than Zhao Fangchu had imagined after it was made. He held it in his hand and couldn't wait to see it fly.
"We already have them, who are we going to make one for?"
Zhu Cuilan looked at her eldest son. How could she not know what he was thinking? She patted Zhao Fangchu and told him to be obedient and draw another one.
Although Zhao Fangchu was confused, he still went there obediently.
"Is it for An Jin?" Zhu Cuilan asked.
Zhao Fangyu's thoughts were guessed and he nodded embarrassedly.
"We can't meet casually on weekdays, but today is a holiday, so it's an exception. If you want to give me a gift, go ahead. But there's just one thing: you must not do anything out of line. You have to consider An Jin." Zhu Cuilan said earnestly.
Zhao Fangyu hummed: "I know."
Yang Donghu asked Zhao Luochuan to carry the purse he had embroidered early in the morning. His embroidery skills were average, and some parts were even a little crooked. He felt quite embarrassed when he gave it to Zhao Luochuan, fearing that Zhao Luochuan would dislike it.
When Zhao Luochuan received the purse, he gritted his teeth so hard that he could hardly close them. He didn't look disgusted at all and held Yang Donghu close to him for a while.
He got up early, went to the mountain and broke off a few willow branches with tender buds, made them into a wreath, and decorated them with pink and white mountain cherry blossoms. He gave it to Yang Donghu as a return gift for the purse.
Normally boys don't wear such bright flowers, only girls do. But today is a special day, so anything is appropriate.
The Outing Festival is a day for young people, and Zhu Cuilan also had selfish thoughts in her mind. Zhao Fang was already the seventeenth year old, and those who were ready to propose marriage were gradually coming to her house.
Several women have asked her quietly, and if there is anyone they like, they should choose first.
Not only are good girls and boys in high demand, but men are the same. When a good one is found, it will be snatched away by others early, leaving only some ugly ones, which Zhu Cuilan does not even look down on.
Many people came today, and they all came for this matter. Zhao Fangchu was simple-minded and could not make up his mind. If he was deceived by others, it would be terrible. Zhu Cuilan also came to give him a warning.
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