The New Year is coming, but Pei Ji'an still hasn't returned. The Pei family feels a little lonely this year. Not only the Pei family, but also the families in the military region whose men haven't returned, have joy mixed with worry and anxiety.

Mother Wu has obviously been chanting Buddha's name more often in the past few days.

Lu Nong didn't want his children to be too affected by the adults' emotions. In this era of material scarcity, the Chinese New Year was considered the happiest and most joyful day of the year for children.

At the same time, life always has to have some sense of ceremony. Celebrating the New Year is a national ceremony for the Chinese, a romance unique to the Chinese, and Lu Nong wants his children to feel it.

Since we are going to celebrate the New Year seriously, naturally the whole family should get moving.

A few days before the Chinese New Year, Mother Wu, Lu Nong, and Pei Zheng went to the town supply and marketing cooperative and the village market to buy a lot of New Year's goods, including chicken, duck, fish, tea, wine, sauce, dried fruit preserves, and firecrackers.

After preparing the New Year's goods, Lu Nong led Pei Zheng and Xiao Huai to clean and decorate the house. The house had just been renovated a few days ago, so it was very clean after a little cleaning. The key was to decorate the house.

Window paper-cuts, lanterns, Chinese knots and red couplets, the Chinese New Year is all about prosperity.

The main people in the Pei family who are good at cutting paper-cuts are Mother Wu and Pei Zheng.

The flowers, birds, fish and insects cut out by Wu's mother were vivid and lifelike. Pei Zheng was amazed at Wu's craftsmanship and even tried to learn from her. He did a pretty good job and at least the cuts could fool people when they were pasted on the windows.

Seeing how quickly Pei Zheng got the hang of it, Lu Nong pouted, but Pei Zheng and Wu's mother happened to see it. Wu's mother smiled narrowly, and Pei Zheng raised his eyebrows, knowing that there was an allusion he didn't know, so he asked Wu's mother: "Grandma Wu, what are you laughing at?"

Mother Wu shook her head and said that a good godmother would give her daughter some face.

Pei Zheng rolled his eyes and stopped talking. After Lu Nong left, he quietly approached Mother Wu and said, "Grandma Wu, just tell me?"

Mother Wu: "It's not a big deal. Nong Nong just doesn't know how to cut paper-cuts."

"That's it?" Pei Zheng didn't believe it.

Mother Wu smiled but said nothing. She was indeed laughing because Lu Nong didn't know how to cut paper-cuts. Of course, she was also laughing because a funny thing happened during the process.

Lu Nong is left-handed. Other people use their right hands to hold pens and chopsticks, but she only used her left hand to eat and write. Later, she finally learned to write and hold chopsticks with her right hand, but she still used her left hand first when doing other things, such as holding scissors.

As a result, when she first learned to cut paper-cuts from her mother Wu as a child, she learned slower than her right-handed cousins. Little Lu Nong couldn't stand the blow. You know, she has always been the fastest and smartest learner at home, but she failed in the simple task of cutting paper-cuts. In a fit of anger, she never touched paper cutting again.

Later, every Chinese New Year, when the children gathered around Mother Wu to cut paper-cuts, Lu Nong would run out. For several years in a row, not only his cousins ​​but even the adults were curious and would come to ask Lu Nong for the answer. However, Lu Nong insisted that cutting paper-cuts was boring.

But she was still young, and couldn't hide her expression as well as the adults, so her uncle soon figured out what was going on. When he found out that Lu Nong was left-handed and couldn't learn as fast as right-handed people, everyone was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Her stubbornness was truly adorable.

How can one be proficient in everything? Everyone has things that they are not good at.

However, no one exposed her and protected Lu Nong's little self-esteem, so until she grew up, Lu Nong still didn't know how to cut paper-cuts.

After going out, Lu Nong went to the bamboo forest and cut some bamboos. She wanted to use the bamboo and red cloth to make red lanterns. She didn't know how to cut paper, but she knew how to make lanterns, which was easy.

After returning home with the bamboo, Xiao Huai quickly came over and said that he wanted to learn how to make lanterns from his mother. Lu Nong put her hands on her hips and smiled proudly, knowing that she had someone to support her.

In order to thank Comrade Gu Xiaohuai for his support, Lu Nong made the red lantern and taught Xiaohuai how to make palace lanterns, flower lanterns and small orange lanterns. Basically, Lu Nong was the one making the work while Xiaohuai was playing.

The palace lanterns and flower lanterns needed painted screens. Lu Nong gave two to Xiao Huai and let him play with them freely. She also became interested and left two for Wu Ma and Pei Zheng respectively.

Finally, Xiao Huai painted orchids. He has been learning Chinese painting recently. His simple few strokes were quite elegant. Even Mother Wu praised his painting skills. Xiao Huai smiled shyly.

The painting that Wu Ma had put together was of Chang'e flying to the moon. The painting was so exquisite and vivid that Pei Zheng was stunned, as if he was meeting Wu Ma for the first time.

After seeing Lu Nong's paintings, Pei Zheng was already numb, and even had a feeling of "it should be like this". Lu Nong painted a gorgeous frame, fireworks in the sky like bright lights, pear tree flowers flying, and a beautiful woman standing alone on all four sides of the palace lantern.

Mother Wu chuckled, "You are painting a poem, right?"

Lu Nong nodded and said playfully, "Why don't you guess what the word is?"

Mother Wu looked at Pei Zheng, who thought for a moment, "Is it the Qingyu Case by Jiaxuan? The east wind blows thousands of flowers into bloom at night... I look back suddenly, and that person is standing by the lamplight."

Lu Nong shrugged. It would be abnormal if Pei Zheng couldn't guess it.

Finally, it was Pei Zheng's turn to paint palace lanterns. Pei Zheng did not know how to paint in traditional Chinese, so he used pencils to paint. His brushstrokes were childish, but his painting was the most touching.

The Pei family was painted on the lamp face. Mother Wu was sitting on a chair with a little white dog lying at her feet. He was holding Gu Xiaohuai on a leash. Lu Nong and Pei Jinan were standing together, holding little Xia in their arms. The family was neat and tidy and united.

Pei Zheng took Xiao Huai out and hung a big red lantern in front of the door. He also hung palace lanterns in the corners of the garden and on both sides of the path. When night fell, the lanterns emitted a faint light, which was magnificent.

The person who wrote the couplet was Aunt Wu. Lu Nong was good at the thin gold style of calligraphy, which was not as strong, full, dignified and rich as Aunt Wu's Yan style regular script. The couplet she wrote looked festive.

Pei Zheng watched Mother Wu write the couplets with his own eyes, and his admiration for her reached its peak. He could never have imagined that the old lady was not only clever and skillful, but also good at cooking and cutting window paper-cuts, and could also write calligraphy and paint. Could she be an ordinary old lady?

Absolutely not!

Pei Zheng felt a little depressed for the first time. He thought that he had also been called a "genius" since he was a child. It was no exaggeration to say that he was invincible in killing all his peers. This was always the reason why mothers in the compound beat their children: "Look at Pei Zheng, and then look at you..."

But from Wu Ma to Lu Nong and then to Xiao Huai, each of these three is more amazing than the other. Not to mention Lu Nong, who was personally crowned a "genius" by the professors. She is multi-talented and has a great interest in life. No matter what the environment is or where she goes, she lives a leisurely and comfortable life.

Take his younger brother Gu Xiaohuai for example, a child under five years old, who has a photographic memory and can read, read, do arithmetic and draw effortlessly. Oh, and he can also juggle a ball.

And he originally thought that Mother Wu was the most ordinary person, but it turned out that she was a hidden master. After all this time, he was the worst person in the family.

Pei Zheng was depressed (or emo in today's terms).

He picked up Gu Xiaohuai and looked at him from left to right, then said with a suspicious look, "Second brother, don't tell me you have any hidden tricks that you haven't revealed yet, so that you can surprise me someday. I can tell you, I'm not surprised at all."

Mother Wu: “…”

Lu Nong: “…”

Mother Wu was helpless, "He is still a child, how can he have any special skills?"

"That's not necessarily true," Pei Zheng shook his head and said slowly, "Grandma Wu has kept this secret until now. Xiao Huai's photographic memory is already exaggerated enough, and it may be even more exaggerated."

Not wanting to pay attention to his antics, Lu Nong stuffed the dried couplets and the cooked paste at Pei Zheng, "Take your brother and go and paste the couplets. By the way, both of you should wear your hats properly and don't catch a cold."

"Yes! I guarantee to complete the task!" Pei Zheng put on a large tiger-head hat for himself and a small tiger-head hat for Xiao Huai.

The tiger-head hat designed by Lu Nong and handmade by Wu Ma is windproof and warm. After it was made, Lu Nong was afraid that Pei Zheng would refuse to wear it, so she had already thought of a corresponding strategy. Unexpectedly, Pei Zheng liked it very much.

Si did not mind that the tiger-head hat was childish and ruined his image, and he even put it on his head very actively. In the past two days, the number of times he and Xiaohuai went out for a stroll wearing the tiger-head hat increased significantly.

He was not afraid of being laughed at. When others looked at him, he would proudly shake his head towards them and asked Xiao Huai to cooperate with him in shaking his head, showing off his tiger-head hat in all aspects.

"Yes! I guarantee to complete the task!" Gu Xiaohuai imitated his brother with a serious face.

One big and one small, the big one is cute and naughty, the small one is silly and cute, the two of them walked out of the door with their heads shaking, followed by a little white dog.

Lu Nong shook his head, they really are two funny guys.

On New Year's Eve, children wear festive clothes and adults are more low-key. This year is 1966 after all, and even if there are fewer chaotic incidents in the army, we still have to pay attention to what we should pay attention to.

Lu Nong has always paid attention to this aspect. Even though his family had a major makeover a few days ago and bought some more furniture, the furniture is all made of solid wood, maintaining the original color of the wood, with a few more ingenuity at most, so that people will not associate it with wealth when they see it.

In the evening, Mother Wu was the chef, Pei Zheng and Lu Nong assisted her, and Xiao Huai was in charge of acting cute on the side. They cooked a table full of delicious dishes.

After eating and drinking, it was time to set off firecrackers. Lu Nong specially brought Xiao Huai out to watch. Soon, the "Four Olds" campaign would begin and superstitions should be stopped. In ancient times, firecrackers were used to drive away "Nian", which belongs to the category of ghosts and gods in traditional culture and should be expelled.

This year may be the last year we can set off firecrackers.

After setting off firecrackers, the family sat on the sofa, eating melon seeds and chatting. Lu Nong asked Pei Zheng about his plans for the coming year.

Pei Zheng is a very opinionated person. Nowadays, college students are scarce talents, and the state assigns jobs to them, and Pei Zheng is no exception.

But Pei Zheng wanted to join the army. After graduation, he refused the good job assigned to him and chose to go south to join his father.

Lu Nong had no idea what he and Pei Jinan had discussed, but she really wanted to know whether Pei Zheng would go to Yu Shui Brigade as an educated youth like in the book.

Being an educated youth means that he will meet the heroine and the supporting actress. What if the plot is unstoppable and Pei Zheng falls in love with the cunning heroine like in the book, and attracts the supporting actress who is also cunning...

It makes one bald.

But Lu Nong couldn't do anything like stopping Pei Zheng from becoming an educated youth and changing his destined marriage.

She can choose to change the trajectory of her life because she only needs to be responsible for herself. No matter what happens in the future, she will bear the consequences of her own choices.

But she has no right to deliberately change the fate of others. Whether the male protagonist Pei Zheng and the female protagonist Xu Yuehua love each other or not should be decided by themselves.

"Not sure. My dad wants me to go to the countryside, and I want to join the army directly." Pei Zheng pursed his lips and said.

He wanted to join the army directly, but without the old man's approval, how could the people in the conscription office dare to accept him?

But Pei Zheng is not afraid of going to the countryside to suffer. He can endure the same hardships that the old man endured when he was young. It is no big deal.

Lu Nong patted his shoulder with a look of sympathy. Pei Zheng thought that Lu Nong sympathized with him for not being able to join the army, but he didn't know that Lu Nong sympathized with him for having a colorful life in the future. It would be even more exciting if he really went to the Yu Shui Brigade as an educated youth.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, children from every household came to pay New Year's greetings. Unlike other families who only prepared melon seeds and pumpkin seeds, this year was the first year that their family moved to the military area, so Lu Nong not only prepared melon seeds, but also candies and snacks.

Every child who comes to pay New Year's greetings can get a handful of candy and a snack. In the beginning, there are few children who come because they are not familiar with the Pei family. They are asked by their mothers to go to the Pei family. Some children come honestly to say hello and say auspicious words, while some children turn a deaf ear to their mothers' words and simply do not come.

But after the first children who came to Pei's house got candies and delicious snacks, the news spread quickly, and children of all ages flocked to the house. With more children, Pei's house became lively.

Pei Zheng is a very charismatic person, and he is the absolute king of the children in the Beijing compound. Unless he doesn't want to be in the limelight, as long as he wants, he will definitely gain the trust of the children.

It was the same here. Several young men who came to Pei's house with their younger brothers and sisters only met and chatted with Pei Zheng for a few words. After Lu Nong greeted the children, he looked back and saw that Pei Zheng had become a brother to them.

The young men of the same age as Pei Zheng looked at him with stars in their eyes, full of conviction.

A handful of candy and a piece of snack helped Pei Zheng and Xiao Huai start making friends, which was worth it.

Afterwards, Pei Zheng left with a group of people, and he did not forget to take his tiger-head hat and his younger brother Xiao Huai with him.

He was really not afraid of being laughed at. What was even more amazing was that later on, several families came to ask Aunt Wu how to make the tiger-head hat. More and more people were wearing tiger-head hats outside. For a while, tiger-head hats with large cotton jackets inexplicably became a popular outfit.

Lu Nong: “…”

A group of boys left, but some girls at home were reluctant to leave. They loved Aunt Lu's house so much. There were beautiful lanterns, fun swings, and delicious candies and snacks.

The wives of the soldiers also came to the Pei family to pay New Year's greetings. After seeing the decorations of the Pei family, they praised her endlessly, praising her for her generosity and saying nice things for free. Lu Nong accepted all of them with a smile and only said, "I just came this year, so it's my duty."

After the Chinese New Year, more than a month has passed. Lu Nong is about to go back to work, and Xiao Xia will soon be five months old. Lu Nong and Wu's mother have discussed stopping her from drinking milk at night, otherwise Lu Nong will not be able to rest well at night and will not be able to work during the day.

However, the comrades in the Propaganda Department knew that Lu Nong was breastfeeding. After getting the definite answer that Lu Nong would work in the Propaganda Department, they comforted her and told her not to worry and to recover her health before coming back to work.

Lu Nong would not joke about her own health. She also wanted to wait until her body recovered before going back to work, so she was not in a hurry and rested for another two months after the Chinese New Year.

Hu Mei heard at home that comrades from the Propaganda Department had personally come to the Pei family to deliver a message. Although she was unwilling to accept it, she also understood that what Lu Nong said that he would work in the Propaganda Department that day was not bragging, but was all true. She was envious and jealous, and vowed to get into elementary school.

But she was a rigid person who was inflexible and only knew how to study step by step. Coincidentally, the principal's questions this time were much more flexible, and she had to work very hard to finish half of the questions, and lost to another young girl who squeezed in to take the exam at short notice.

After years of unfulfilled wishes and having to review for a long time, Hu Mei was so angry that she fell ill. After she recovered, she hid at home all day and dared not go out to see anyone. She felt that the people in Lu Nonghe Military Region must be laughing at her.

This was something Hu Mei was worried about, as Lu Nong didn't even think about her.

In the blink of an eye, it was March, and Lu Nong's secret garden was no longer bare. It was covered with lush flowers and leaves, and the green plants wrapped around the entire garden. This place really became a secret, with flowers blooming on the branches, decorating the garden.

Large clumps of roses climb up the walls, on the shelves... and hang down to the ground.

A breeze blew by, bringing with it bursts of fragrance.

The low vegetation on the path exudes a rich green, like a carpet. After a few days, purple and pink flowers bloom on the carpet. From a distance, it looks like layers of mist covering the path. It is beautiful.

Lu Nong was busy asking Pei Zheng to trim the garden. The garden was large and beautiful, but the only drawback was that it was very troublesome to water the flowers and trim the garden.

The weather was good that day, and after dinner Lu Nong went outside to water the flowers. There was spring water in the garden that Pei Jinan had brought from the mountain. He put a hose on it and could spray it as much as he wanted.

Pei Zheng went out early in the morning before dawn, saying that he was going to the town to pick someone up. When asked who he was picking up, he was mysterious and refused to say anything.

Judging from the time, we should be home soon.

After watering the flowers, Lu Nong went into the house to take Xiao Xia out, and called Xiao Huai and Wu's mother to go to the garden to breathe some fresh air.

Such a beautiful garden, such good weather, if you don’t come out to enjoy it, it would be a disservice to the garden that Lu Nong worked so hard to create.

The family was laughing happily in the garden. Little White went into the flowers to chase butterflies and accidentally crushed a few flowers. Gu Xiaohuai followed behind the little white dog, stopped it and taught it a lesson, with the aim of not destroying the flowers and trees.

Lu Nong smiled. Sometimes she always felt that Xiaobai could understand what Gu Xiaohuai said.

"Ahh..." Little Xia stretched out his white and tender little hands from his mother's arms, trying to grab a small pink flower that was growing on the branch beside his mother.

After trying for a long time, he finally caught it. Little Xia was happy and held the flower in his hand.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening was heard and Lu Nong turned around to look.