My 1995 Small Farm.

New Year's Day.

Before daybreak, there were shadowy figures moving around in the village.

Looking around, there were little kids running and shouting everywhere.

As for Ruirui, Xiaolizi and Xiaopangzi, they were all still sleeping in their beds.

But the little kids in the village, such as Liu Ni'er, got up early and walked along the corners and doors of each household in the village.

Picking up duds everywhere.

That is, firecrackers, firecrackers and the like that did not explode or were only half-exploded.

The children can pick it up and play with it.

Not only can you play with it, but you can also peel off the shells and collect your own explosives to play with.

……

This is even more so outside Chen Ling's house.

Many of them were no longer kids, but boys as young as fifteen or sixteen years old who ran to the outside of his farm to pick up duds.

Duds are inevitable.

Nowadays, we buy so many fireworks and firecrackers that it is inevitable that there will be quality problems among them.

What's more, Chen Ling's fireworks are very high-end.

Even the packaging is beautiful.

They all wanted to pick it up and play with it.

Chen Ling couldn't help laughing when he saw this scene.

"Ah, Uncle Fugui!"

"We are here to wish you a happy new year..."

When the boys saw Chen Ling, they knelt down and kowtowed on the spot without even entering the house.

This is the custom in the mountains here.

When wishing a happy new year to your elders, you have to kowtow. In fact, you can just kneel on your knees, and you don’t need to kowtow.

These young boys also often hear about Chen Ling's deeds.

When he suddenly caught me picking up firecrackers from his house, I felt a little guilty and scared, and kowtowed on the spot.

Chen Ling quickly pulled Wang Susu away.

It's New Year's Day, and they're doing this. Are they paying New Year's greetings or visiting the graves?

Wang Susu couldn't help laughing.

"Okay, okay, stop praying."

Chen Ling thought to himself, if you continue to bow like this you will send me away.

Then he took out red envelopes and gave one to each person.

"No, uncle. We really don't want it. We are so old, and we still want your money. We will be laughed at by the kids in the village when we go back!"

When these young boys said they didn't want the fireworks, they really didn't want them. They turned around and ran away with the fireworks in their arms.

"Don't run. I don't want any money. I'll give you something fun."

Chen Ling waved his hand to stop them, then threw them a few packs of good cigarettes.

You can't be polite to this group of boys, but you don't need to be pretentious either. The less you care about them, the more relaxed you will feel and the closer you will feel to them.

Sure enough, when they saw the good cigarettes, the guys all laughed and were reluctant to say no.

They were both shy and excited. They picked up the cigarette that Chen Ling threw to them, wiped it and blew on it, then put it in their pockets.

"Uncle Fugui is so nice. He always asks us for help whenever he needs help."

They waved and ran away.

To be honest, these young boys are not very familiar with Chen Ling.

Unlike Liu Ni'er and the others, who spend almost the entire day with Chen Ling.

Most of them are in school.

He said he went to school just to get a diploma.

Chen Ling could often see these boys on the road. They rode on tattered 28-inch bicycles, carrying bedding and quilts, with rice jars and water bottles hanging in front of the bicycles, or carrying a week's worth of dry food and pickles, going to school in the county town or the countryside.

As for why I brought so many miscellaneous things.

One is to save money.

Nowadays, school cafeterias do not charge money, but mostly charge meal tickets.

If you bring food from home, you can bring a week's worth of steamed buns, pickles, flatbreads, etc., which can be used for two meals a day with hot water.

Or you can just have two meals a day, bring your own breakfast, and have dinner in the cafeteria.

Secondly, you should carry it with you and not leave it in school to prevent it from being stolen.

Even though they are just odds and ends and miscellaneous stuff, there are really people who steal them these days.

When Chen Ling was in high school.

Even my shoes and socks were stolen.

In such an environment, people are poor in terms of food, that is, they are very greedy and have never eaten anything good.

In school, some people had to eat coarse food and some didn’t even have pickles. They just soaked cold steamed buns in hot water and that was their meal.

Many young boys can't stand it.

Then he would definitely climb over the wall and steal things everywhere.

Go to different people's homes to steal money or steal things to exchange for money, and then buy food.

This is normal and common.

It is a common occurrence.

Chen Ling had gone out with his friends to steal things before, but what he stole was not from other people's homes, but things like steel bars from the new school.

I bought some miscellaneous items, exchanged some for a little money, and went to have a bowl of mutton noodles.

Then I didn’t think about it for a whole month. I felt so happy and satisfied.

Looking back on it now, it’s really funny.

……

"Ah, Uncle Fugui, who picked up your good gun?"

Chen Ling and his friends had just returned home and were sitting in the living room tidying up the fruit plate when Liu Ni'er and the others rushed in.

"Erbo and his gang from your uncle Jujiang's family took him away."

Chen Ling said this, and he couldn't help laughing when he saw these kids still had dirty cheeks like kittens even after the New Year.

It seems that they all got up early in the morning to pick up firecrackers.

"Well, I can't beat them then."

Liu Ni'er and the others didn't care much about it, and they went up to Chen Ling and Wang Susu one by one to kowtow and wish them a happy new year.

"Uncle Fugui, Aunt Susu, I wish you a happy new year."

The children in the village can't say these words. They also learned these words by watching them on TV at Chen Ling's house.

"Okay, okay, everything is fine!"

Chen Ling was in a good mood. He gave them candies and filled their little bags with them.

The little kids were all smiling happily.

"Wow, toffee!"

"And animal milk candy..."

"The candies at Uncle Fugui's are all so pretty, they're my favorites!"

Chen Ling's family doesn't eat candy very often, including Wang Susu and Ruirui. But Xiao Lizi loves it, and the kids in the village have never eaten this kind of "high-end stuff", so they bought more in the city this year.

really.

They were happier than receiving New Year's money.

They all filled Chen Ling's living room.

After receiving the candies, they all coaxed each other and then dispersed immediately.

Because the first day of the Lunar New Year is special, you cannot stay in other people's homes for a long time.

It will affect the host's reception of New Year's greetings.

They are also sensible and are already satisfied with just the candies.

The main purpose is to wish Chen Ling and his wife a happy new year.

"Xizi also has a gift for Ruirui."

The little kids ran away, but Xizi and Lao Niwai's granddaughter stayed. The two little girls sewed a black puppy for Ruirui that looked like a little black bear.

This is what Heiwa looked like when he was a child.

I didn't expect they still remembered.

Even Chen Ling himself was filled with emotion after watching it.

He fed the dogs so well that neither Heiwa nor Xiaojin stayed in their infancy for too long.

The size started to increase rapidly after three months.

"Thank you, Xizi."

Chen Ling touched the little girl's head and shouted to the kids who ran away, "Come back, why are you running so fast? Uncle hasn't given you the New Year's money yet."

"We don't want it, Uncle Fugui. You give us delicious food every day, and we want to save some money for you."

Liu Nier turned around and shouted.

"Come back soon, you must have the New Year's money, you can't save on it."

Chen Ling called them back forcefully.

There was a brand new one-dollar bill stuffed into a red envelope.

In these days, in the countryside, one dollar is considered a lot of money.

They dispersed immediately. When Wang Wenchao and other younger people came to pay New Year's greetings to Chen Ling, they all sighed when they saw this scene:

"Uncle Fugui, you're spoiling these little brats too much."

"It's okay. It only happens once a year. The kids are very sensible. As an uncle, I have to give it to them."

Chen Ling smiled and didn't care. He waved his hand and let Liu Ni'er and the others go play.

"Uncle Fugui, when will Xiao Lizi come out to play?"

The group of naughty monkeys got lucky money and beautiful and delicious candies, and they were very happy.

They were all so happy.

The snotty kid tilted his face up, asked with a runny nose, hoping that little Lizi would come out to play.

"Snotty kid, you snotty kid, I get angry when I see your two snotty noses."

Chen Ling took out toilet paper, walked up to him and wiped his nose clean.

"Little Lizi is still sleeping, so don't even think about playing with her. Go play somewhere else. Your mom will be calling for help soon."

The snotty kid chuckled, turned around and ran away without any embarrassment.

Distribute candies, melon seeds and cigarettes.

Chen Ling’s candies, melon seeds, nuts, etc. all have a high-end feel.

Everyone who comes to pay New Year’s greetings is amazed and satisfied.

The whole morning was busy like this.

Towards noon, everyone dispersed.

At this time, Chen Ling drove to Liang Yuemin's car while Zhao Dahai and the others got up and cooked dumplings.

First go to Han Chuang's house, then to Qin Qiumei's and Qin Qiumei's homes, pay New Year's greetings to the elders of each friend and give some small gifts.

Anyway, since I go out there on weekdays, it's natural for me to go out there during the New Year.

"Fugui, I have something to tell you..."

When we arrived at Qin Qiumei's house and paid New Year's greetings, Qin Qiumei followed us out.

Seeing her hesitant and embarrassed look, Chen Ling smiled and said:

"What's wrong? Is there anything you can't tell me? When you and Xiaoyun were plotting against me, you were much more eloquent than this."

"No, it's about my husband. He hasn't been home for five or six years. If I didn't send money home every now and then, I really wouldn't be able to sleep."

Qin Qiumei looked very sad.

"Why? He's not coming back this year? He hasn't written to you? I remember we could still talk on the phone, right?"

Chen Ling suddenly had a bad idea in his mind.

Because of Qin Qiumei's physical problem, she is unable to have children, which is a big problem in the countryside.

Especially since they are in a mountainous area, the ideas here are traditional and conservative, and it is difficult to correct them.

Although Qin Qiumei's parents-in-law were nice to her, they were a respectable family.

Qin Qiumei's own job is also a decent job.

But her husband was making more and more money in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

He makes a lot of money but refuses to go home for a long time. It's hard not to think too much.

"I don't know how to explain it... I don't know if my parents-in-law are hiding something from me, but I am the daughter-in-law of this family and have always been here. I have never been back to my parents' home."

Qin Qiumei looked sad and depressed, her eyes were slightly moist, and she was about to cry.

If her family didn't know that she was out to see Chen Ling off, and if there were no rumors about her, Zhong Xiaoyun and Chen Ling, she really would have cried.

"I'm just feeling very upset, and I want you to help me find out what's going on over there, and whether he has other thoughts and is deliberately not coming back.

After all, you have so many friends that I really have no other choice."

"... This, I can definitely find out for you, it's you, ah..."

Chen Ling wanted to say something to comfort him, but he didn't know what to say.

Finally, he moved his lips and said, "If you don't have anything to do during the New Year, you and Xiaoyun can come to my house to play more. There are so many children and they are very noisy. You can also help us."

"Well, okay, you should go back soon. It's noon, time to eat."

Qin Qiumei forced a smile. Wang Susu was almost ready to take care of her health, but the man refused to come home.

She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.

Seeing her like this, Chen Ling knew that it was useless to say anything, so he said nothing more and drove away.

The result.

After returning to the village, not long after lunch, the villagers were saying that there was nothing to do in the afternoon of New Year's Day, so they called Chen Ling and others to go to Professor Zhao's courtyard on the hill to set up a few tables for a banquet and drink and play cards.

The first day of the Lunar New Year was warm this year, with the temperature reaching ten degrees in the afternoon.

Everyone was very happy and felt that it was a great atmosphere to be able to eat and drink in the yard in the sunshine this year.

At this time, Chen Baoshuan ran from the village in a hurry, shouting and yelling, and found Chen Ling crying, "Fugui, it's over, Fugui, my wife ran away, stole all my money and ran away, leaving no money, and also stole the precious teapot you gave me."

A grown man came running over with snot and tears, and others behind him who saw what was happening also followed him.

But Chen Baoshuan only trusted Chen Ling, so he ignored everyone else and went straight to the farm.

"No way, what's going on this year? It's only the first day of the Lunar New Year, and there are already two families that have problems, and they're all caused by families that can't have children."

Chen Ling was also confused and stunned for two seconds.

Then he quickly comforted Chen Baoshuan: "Don't panic, Baoshuan, what's the situation now? Tell me, when did your wife leave the house? Do you want to report the case now or go to her first?

Is Xizi okay? Is Uncle Sangui okay? Come on, tell me slowly what happened. "(End of this chapter)