There are flowers and wine, hoeing and farming

Chapter 8

"What's the matter?" Du Shi was the first to react, and hurried to her side with an anxious expression on his face.

The little girl's face turned pale, her lips trembled, and she wanted to cry but didn't dare to cry and said to her mother, "Mother, I'm afraid."

"What's the matter? What's the matter?" Du Shi was very anxious.

Ning's sharp eyes saw the two little black cats trying to sneak out while everyone was watching Ning and Xuan, she immediately stood up and shouted angrily: "Both of you, stand up for me, I heard No?"

The two boys stopped suddenly, and under Ning Shi's gaze, they slowly stood up, bowed their heads and did not speak.

Du Shi didn't care about these two boys, and was still nervous about her daughter, thinking that she was sick or something, but she saw Ning Shi took a deep breath, took out a small square scarf hanging from her sleeve, walked to her daughter, and wrinkled it tightly. He frowned, hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and put the handkerchief on his daughter's little hand on his knee as if he was going all out.

The soft touch made Ning's hairs stand on end. She resisted the disgusting feeling and threw the contents of the scarf on the ground aside. She also wanted to calmly walk to the door and throw the vegetables outside. In the ground, but she really couldn't bear this sticky feeling.

When the bluish, plump worm, which was as thick as an adult's little finger, appeared in everyone's sight, Du Shi breathed a sigh of relief, and softly coaxed the little daughter who was crying non-stop.

Cheng Daman was stunned for a moment before he understood. He walked up to his youngest son, grabbed him unceremoniously, turned around and beat him.

The weather is not too cold, and the clothes are still thin, Cheng Daman's thick big palm just landed on Cheng Zhiyuan's little buttocks, without two strokes, the little mouth opened, looked at his mother, and opened his throat howl.

While howling, he stretched out his hands, as if a person who fell into the water was asking for help.

Ning never thought that beating children should be done. She felt pain in her heart and was about to say something when she heard her elder brother say: "Okay, little boys are bound to be naughty. Besides, if you want to beat them, you should beat them together." Yes, why only hit one?"

"Stop beating, it's okay, it's okay." Du Shi also hurriedly persuaded her.

Cheng Daman withdrew his hand and snorted heavily, Ning immediately took the child into his arms and wiped the tears from his face: "Don't cry, look at how scared your sister is to you, really, it's really annoying Don't worry."

Cheng Zhiyuan was still young, looking at his gentle mother with grievances, he protested unwillingly: "He said it all, he said he asked me to do this."

Children don't know loyalty yet, so they unambiguously betrayed the little buddies around them.

Thinking of Cheng Daman's slaps just now, Ning Yurui shuddered, and also opened his mouth to defend: "You caught the bug, and you let it go. You tell me what I say, why do you listen to me so much? Why do I ask you to do it?" What are you doing?"

Cheng Zhiyuan's little self-esteem was challenged, he pushed away Ning's arm, clenched his fist and shouted: "It was you, you asked me to do it."

"Hmph, you are my little maid, what did I ask you to do?!"

Cheng Zhiyuan's little face turned red all of a sudden, and he rushed over, threw Ning Yurui to the ground, raised his fist and asked, "It's you, don't you admit it?"

While struggling, Ning Yurui yelled, "Don't admit it, don't admit it."

Crackling, the two children twisted into a ball, one up and one down, taking turns rolling, and the clean and tidy clothes were soon covered with mud.

Cheng Da was so angry that he wanted to kick him over, but the scholar Ning Weizhi laughed out loud after a while, "These two brats are really..."

The two of them were only four or five years old children. After being separated by adults, they each ran into their mother's arms and cried. How could they still see the courage and anger they had when they fought just now.

After all, Ning Yuxuan is also an older sister and she is sensible, so she will recover and start coaxing her younger brother.

Ke Ning and Rui are not good boys, so they took the opportunity to make a request: "Then you have to give me the jade ball that Dad gave you last time."

Ning Yuxuan frowned, Ning Yurui wailed immediately, and the little girl nodded helplessly: "Okay, I'll let you play for a few days, but I can't give it to you, I have to pay it back to me."

Cheng Zhiyuan was unwilling to fall behind him, looked at his useless little sister, secretly complained why he didn't have a sister, and at the same time turned his attention to his elder brother: "Brother..."

"En?" Cheng Zhigao responded.

"You have to carve a little wooden man for me, and it must be very similar to my appearance."

After finishing speaking, the little guy deliberately looked at Ning Yurui, seeing that he was looking at him, raised his little chin, and snorted arrogantly.

Cheng Zhigao nodded under Ning's hint: "Okay, I'll engrave it for you."

The little guy's chest stood out even higher.

"Zhi Gao and Xiao Kui, both of you are older children, take your younger brothers to play, don't let them be so naughty again." Ning was thinking about the letter about the second brother that the eldest brother just said , I don't want them to continue making trouble.

After the four children went out together, only the well-behaved Ning Yuxuan and the "ignorant" Cheng Qiaoqiao were left as the younger ones. So, no one was making trouble, and Ning Weizhi started talking.

"Little sister, do you still remember the last letter from the second brother?"

Ning nodded sadly: "I remember, it's been almost five years, and there was a battle on the border four years ago, and I lost news of my second brother at that time."

Ning Weizhi stroked his beard: "At that time, the second brother was just a small corporal leader. Although he sounded like a person with official rank, he was just a junior officer in charge of four or five people. If there is any war, it is bound to be the one who will rush to the forefront, where the people who are most likely to die, so after the war with Baiqiu, even though the army’s death report did not come, we have not completely given up our thoughts. , but he who lost the news is considered to have died there.

But just a few days ago, I received a letter written by your second brother. "

Looking at the excited sister, Ning Weizhi also speeded up and went straight to the topic: "Your second brother is not very literate, so he asked a friend in the army to help write it. He said that he made some contributions to the previous war. Now He has been promoted from corporal commander to centurion, and the treatment is much better than before."

"Then, did the second brother say when he could come back to visit relatives?"

"No, the relationship between us and Baiqiu Kingdom is temporarily stable, and the other small countries are nothing to worry about. With the support of our previous defeat of Baiqiu Kingdom, they dare not make a move. So, although he He didn't say when he would come back, but I'm not too worried that he will be wrapped up in the battlefield. After all, both countries have lost a lot of vitality now, and none of them can't be slowed down for ten or eight years. Wars, especially large-scale wars, in these The year is unlikely to appear."

"Then why didn't the second brother come back quickly, we haven't seen him for so many years... Could it be that he is not here at all, and that letter was made up by his soldiers to comfort us at his behest ?”

Ning Weizhi chuckled: "I also had this idea in the beginning, but you will know that it is not the case when you say two points. First, you still remember that when we were young, we used to smear our hands with ink and put it on the paper. What about the handprints on the wall? Well, yes, but now the handprints are not the small ones when I was a child, but a big palm that almost covered a sheet of paper. Second, this brat never loved Studying, forcing him to write is as difficult as forcing a cow to drink water. Dad didn't know how many times he slapped his palms with that stinky handwriting. This time, although the letter was written by someone else, the final signature But he wrote it himself, crooked, no different from back then, still smells so bad!"

Ning seems to have thought of those things back then, with a smile on her face: "Second brother has always been like that. After learning the characters for a short time, he couldn't learn any more. In the end, he made a fuss about practicing martial arts and was punished by his father to kneel for three days. , she insisted on not accepting softness, or mother was reluctant to let him go and knelt down with him, that's why father invited a teacher to teach second brother."

"This brat has had such a bad temper since he was a child. Although his letter doesn't mention the hardships and pains of these years, I know that in that kind of place, he must have suffered a lot for such a small junior officer. Bitter."

"Well, big brother, I don't know if the second brother has left any contact information. I want to make some clothes and shoes for him. By the way, I would like to ask when he will come back."

Ning Weizhi waved his hand, and Mrs. Du took the words and said, "Don't worry, your elder brother wrote a reply overnight when he received the letter, and asked me to rush to make several close-fitting clothes. As for outerwear, shoes and socks , I didn’t have time to do it, I went to buy it, and let the young man who came to deliver the letter go back for a while.”

"That's good, that's good..." Ning muttered in a low voice, then raised her head and asked, "Brother, have you contacted Third Sister these years?"

Ning Weizhi's smiling face suddenly stiffened, he looked away, and said lightly, "Where are the children? Don't let them go away, they are so crazy."

Ning sighed slightly, knowing that her eldest brother's heart knot had not been untied, so it was inconvenient to mention it again, and stood up holding Cheng Qiaoqiao: "Brother, sister-in-law, come out with me to see my vegetable garden and our several acres outside. Land. I’m afraid you rarely have the chance to see it. My family’s land, let Daman take care of it. The harvest is always the best every year. In addition, he is willing to work. After the busy farming season, he will not be idle , I went around to inquire about looking for work, either as a carpenter or a mason. Although the family is not a wealthy family, there is nothing lacking. Now, I have a son and a daughter, which can be regarded as consummation. Just these three children will do, and I will raise them well and live in peace, which is better than anything else."

As she said, Ning Weizhi and Du Shi also followed her out. Putting aside the inappropriate topic just now, the brother and sister have not seen each other for a long time, and this time they know that the brothers who have not seen each other for many years are living better than before. Happy, chatted and walked out from the vegetable garden at home, and walked along the path to their home.

Looking from a distance, the endless green swayed gently with the breeze, making rustling sounds. Ning had already put her daughter at home. In this unsheltered field, it was easy to catch the cold. I was reluctant to let my daughter freeze again.She pointed to the edge of the land on the left that only allowed one foot to pass: "From there to the other side, it's all the land of the family. It's a total of six acres and five minutes."

Ning Weizhi was taken aback: "So many?"

The Ning family nodded proudly: "The location of the village is good, relying on a large piece of fertile land, so everyone gets a little more. Although the payment after the autumn harvest is a little more than other villages, the situation is still good. A lot, we can save a little money every year, and there are only three children. In addition to preparing the gift money for the two big ones, there is also the dowry for the daughter, so Daman and I don’t plan to have any more. That's enough, just live in peace and stability."

"Well, sister, you have always had your own opinions since you were a child. Back then, you took the initiative to ask to marry Cheng Daman, which really made me reluctant, but now seeing that you are happier than anyone else, I feel relieved."

Ning smiled, took her elder brother's arm, and shook it as she did when she was a child: "Brother, come to my house for dinner today, and I'll kill a chicken for you."

The dozen or so chicks raised by Ning originally planned to let them lay eggs and sell them for money, but today was special, and she was not reluctant. She directly grabbed the biggest one, killed it quickly, took blood, and then shed its feathers. The series of movements were very coherent, without any hesitation. Ning Weizhi couldn't help sighing when he saw his sister, who used to be non-touching Yang Chunshui, without blinking an eye, but when he saw Ning's smiling face It looks like, and I feel that my worry is really unnecessary.

Cheng Qiaoqiao resented her small body very much, and when she saw the big family sitting around the dining table and cooking at a large table, she salivated with envy.

Ning's fried chicken with wax gourd and vermicelli, the aroma, can't be stopped from drilling into the nose, as well as fried small yellow croaker and various other dishes, which seem to attract people's index fingers. He picked up the first chopstick first, and Cheng Qiaoqiao stayed there with that intoxicated look, dripping down his saliva.

But in the end, all she ate was Ning's milk and chewed beans.

After dinner, the children continued to play outside, and the adults continued to chat and reminisce about the old days in the house. Cheng Daman went out to check the situation in the field. It was not until the sun was sinking that Ning Weizhi got up and said goodbye. .

Inevitably, there was another sorrow, and Ning Weizhi persuaded Ning again to let him take Cheng Zhigao and Cheng Zhiyuan to the school, but Ning still firmly refused, and Ning Weizhi's family had to ask them to go to town when they were free. Check it out before leaving.

Ning embraced Cheng Qiaoqiao, turned around with red eyes, and asked her eldest son, "Zhigao, are you willing to go to school and become an official in the future?"

Although Cheng Zhigao had never been to school these years, Ning Shi taught him how to read and read, and taught him a lot of principles of life. After thinking about it, he took his sister from Ning Shi, let her arm rest, and said: "Mom, I don't want to go. I like my life now. I'm with my mother, my father, and my younger brothers and sisters. I will learn crafts from my father in the future. Our family will earn more. If my younger brother has this heart, we can provide for him." his."

"Well, don't worry about mother, if you really want to go, mother will never stop you."

"Mom, I won't go. Li Fu in our village is over 30 now. He is not even a child, and he can't marry a wife. The family has to support him. He doesn't do anything all day long, just for exams. As an excuse, this kind of person, hmph... there is no one who is as powerful as Uncle, who can be a scholar, but I am stupid and know how to work, and I can't learn well even if I go to learn."

"Okay." Ning patted his head: "Come on, follow mother to help."

The chicken was killed at noon, but the chicken blood was not yet used. After Ning finished it, he soaked it in the water, and then asked Cheng Zhigao to tidy up the fallen chicken feathers, and put it outside in the sun.
After making the house more or less, Ning sent a bowl of winter melon vermicelli chicken that was specially served in advance at noon to Xiao Hei's next door. Under the eyes of the sons and daughters looking forward to stay.

"Sister-in-law Zhang, I'm going back first."

"Hey, okay, Gan Ming, if you are free, I'll go to your house to do some work, you don't know, I recently heard a terrible thing, these days, I haven't had time to talk to you about it." Xiao His mother Hei winked and said mysteriously.

"Okay, you can come over tomorrow. I happen to have some work to do, and we sisters can be companions, so it won't be tiring." Ning replied with a smile.

"Okay, go back quickly, your little girl is still young, she is waiting for you to take care of her."

When going to bed at night, the two boys were next door. The husband and wife hugged their daughter and carefully placed her in the middle.

Ning took off her coat, turned her body half sideways and asked, "Daman, do you have any thoughts on elder brother asking Zhigao to go to school?"

Cheng Daman was about to go to bed, and was about to turn off the oil lamp in his coat, when he heard her ask, "No? What's the matter?"

Ning bit her lower lip: "I'm afraid that you want the child to go, but because I insisted on it, you don't feel comfortable saying it. If you have any ideas, please tell me. Don't hide it from me."

Cheng Daman didn't turn off the lights either, and sat outside the bed, chuckled, with a simple and honest vigor: "No, we are husband and wife, so we can negotiate and discuss things, so how can I just have the final say? Besides, my boy Yuan, I read it too. He is interested in carpentry. I don’t think he’s interested in learning how to read characters. So many hardworking people may not be able to get ahead by taking exams. How can he be so half-baked? What are we? Level, don’t expect too much, what should be yours is yours, not yours, you can’t force it, isn’t it good now? A family and He Lele, there are two boys, a handsome girl, and Such a virtuous and beautiful daughter-in-law, in this village, you go and ask, which man does not envy me?"

Ning's face turned red, and she spat at him lightly: "I told you to be serious, what nonsense are you talking about?"

It’s true to see beauties under the lamp. Ever since Ning gave birth to his daughter and started confinement, he has been busy with his work as a mason. The two of them have never had sex until now. This will see the beautiful daughter-in-law Hong With a shy expression on his face, the fire in his heart suddenly lit up.

Thick hands wrapped around Ning's waist, lowered his head and buried her neck, and began to chew unceremoniously.

"You...you don't...the child is still..." Ning's body softened, and she pushed him weakly with both hands.

Cheng Daman muttered something and took a few breaths. Seeing the flush on Ning's face, he suddenly got up, gently picked up his daughter, put her inside the end of the bed, and pulled a quilt around her. A small semicircle firmly blocked her.

After doing all this, he blew out the lamp and rushed over: "See what excuses you can find this time."

Cheng Qiaoqiao opened her big eyes and looked at the top of the bed helplessly.

Really, it's so exciting, I don't think she's ever heard it so live in her previous life, and this will...

Listening to Cheng Daman's rapid panting and muffled humming, Ning's thin grunts and begging for mercy when the action was intense, Cheng Qiaoqiao felt that her little heart had become very strong.

Well, it seems that my father is really good, his stamina is so strong, Cheng Qiaoqiao gradually couldn't hold on in the fierce noise, and fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)