Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven New Year's Eve

one It's the holiday and the Chinese New Year, and Liu Junqing is in a particularly good mood.Although he only took the third place in the exam, the day before the holiday, Inspector Ji specially called him to the Inspector's Office, took his hand and said: "Junqing, teacher is bored, very bored! Teacher is difficult, great How did a school like this come to be like this? What’s going on? The teacher in this school has completely given up! The teacher has only one thought now—you, don’t go to those messy new education When you have a concept, you must be down-to-earth, study hard, get a good score in the test, and win the teacher's breath. As long as you study hard and show yourself, when the time comes, your future depends on the teacher!"

"Your future depends on the teacher!" These words inspired Liu Junqing like the gospel from heaven, and he seemed to have seen his own brilliant future from these words.Can't wait, he wants his beloved to share his good mood. At the corner of the small street not far from the tea shop, Liu Junqing and Zhao Yizhen cuddled together under the faint moonlight and said intimately: "In fact, the first, second and third names are not all the same, why do you have such high demands on yourself?" "But I promised you that I will take the first place in the exam."

"I don't care what grade you get in the exam." "But I care." Liu Junqing sighed, "You know what? Normal students have a way out, to be an elementary school teacher, elementary school teacher! Unless I have outstanding grades, otherwise, I can't change this fate." "But the primary school teacher is also good." Liu Junqing couldn't help smiling wryly, "Standing on the podium for a lifetime, eating chalk dust, getting a small salary, and dealing with a bunch of snotty dolls, is that not bad? Even if I can bear it, I can't let you live like this with me Forever!"

Yizhen held Liu Junqing's face and shook her head: "I don't care, Junqing, I really don't care, no matter whether there is someone with better grades than you, no matter whether you have taught for a lifetime or not, in my heart, you will always be the best ,forever." Looking at Yizhen's innocent face, Liu Junqing couldn't help kissing her gently on the cheek: "Yizhen..." Yizhen buried her head in his arms. "I won't let you down!" Looking up at the moonlight, Liu Junqing muttered to himself, as if she was making an oath to Yizhen, but also as if she was telling herself.Suddenly, Yizhen jumped up in shock: "Dad?" Liu Junqing turned his head abruptly—Boss Zhao's face was frosty, and he was standing at the corner!

Since Boss Zhao took Yizhen away that day, Liu Junqing has never seen Yizhen again.Although he thought about Yizhen all the time, he didn't have the guts to go to Zhao's tea shop.It was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye, and at the door of the simple shack, Liu Junqing was wearing a brand new long gown, holding a pair of Spring Festival couplets, comparing the position of pasting them to the adobe wall—the Spring Festival couplets were written in his neat handwriting. "Junqing, are you hungry? Or, I'll make you something to eat first." Father Liu San greeted his son distressedly.

Liu Junqing said sensiblely: "No need, let's wait for Axiu to come back and have a reunion together." "That's good. For Chinese New Year, his Wang family will have to reward some delicious dishes again. It's better to save your stomach and eat when your sister comes back." At this moment, with the sound of hurried footsteps, Yizhen's voice came: "Junqing." "Yizhen?" Liu Junqing was taken aback: the one who appeared in front of him was really Zhao Yizhen who was running out of breath, "Why are you here?" With joy and even a little bit of shyness, Yizhen calmed down his overly intense breathing: "I...my dad said...please come to our house for a reunion dinner!"

"What did you say?" Liu Junqing couldn't believe her ears.After a pause of two seconds, he finally realized: "Is this true?" Enduring excitement and breathing, Yizhen nodded vigorously.The huge surprise caused Liu Junqing to open his mouth wide, and after a moment of stunned, a happy smile bloomed on his face: "Hey, I'll go, I... I'll change my shoes and go!" After the New Year's Eve dinner, Yizhen was packing up the leftovers.The sophisticated Boss Zhao picked his teeth, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a puff of smoke. Then he stared at Liu Junqing, who was sitting awkwardly in front of him, staring at the tip of his leather shoes with some hope, and said kindly: : "Have you eaten well?"

Liu Junqing nodded quickly.Boss Zhao glanced at Yizhen who was still standing aside while holding the bowls and chopsticks, and Yizhen had no choice but to go into the back room with the bowls and chopsticks.Boss Zhao smiled and said to Liu Junqing: "Eat well, then I won't keep you anymore, you can go." This made Liu Junqing a little confused.Boss Zhao's next sentence seemed to give him a blow to the head: "After you leave, don't come again." Liu Junqing couldn't help being dumbfounded! "Why, don't you understand? I mean if you step out of this door today, you won't have to come here again in the future, let alone look for Yizhen again." Boss Zhao's tone was cold and unquestionable.Inside the curtain, Yizhen, who was holding the bowl and chopsticks and eavesdropping on the conversation outside, froze for a moment.

"Uncle Zhao, but...why is this?" Liu Junqing still wanted to ask. "Why don't you need to say any more. In a word, I invite you to this New Year's Eve dinner today, even if I make a break between you and Yizhen, as long as you don't have any contact with Yizhen in the future, I will treat the past as nothing. happened before." "Uncle Zhao, I... I am sincere to Yizhen... I really am sincere..." "Why, do you want me to be so clear? Do you think I know about you? Okay, then let's talk about it: Liu Junqing, you have a father and a sister. Your father sells stinky tofu at a small stall, and your sister Dian Being a maid for others, you are studying in a normal school that doesn’t charge money, and your family owes a lot of debts—do you need me to continue?”

Liu Junqing's face suddenly turned pale.Behind the curtain, Yizhen's face was also ashen - this sudden blow was obviously completely beyond her expectations. "Why did I send Yizhen to Zhounan to study? Because it is the best girls' school in Changsha, and all the young masters with status in Changsha marry female students there! My Zhao family is a small family, but there is also a small family in a small family. The family’s hope, I’m just a daughter, I don’t want her to live in such a tight and poor life like mine again! I live frugally, and I support her education, just to let her marry a good family! Not like you people!"

Yizhen rushed out: "Dad!" Boss Zhao stood up abruptly, pointed at his daughter and cursed, "Go back! Do you think you didn't embarrass me enough?" Yizhen was stunned.Glancing at Liu Junqing, Boss Zhao stood up, threw away the cigarette butt, and stomped it out: "You are not qualified to marry Yizhen. You can go. Don't come here again." As if his body weighed a thousand catties, Liu Junqing finally stood up with trembling legs, bit his lip, and walked out the door.Yizhen called out "Junqing!" and raised her leg to chase after her, but Boss Zhao slapped her sideways: "How dare you!" Covering her face, Yizhen's tears rolled down... two In Yunwan Town, across the river from Changsha, the mother and son of the Cai family are warmly preparing for their own New Year. Facing the mirror, Ge Jianhao put on an old-fashioned scarlet dress—a flag-style dress with toga and large sleeves, exquisite embroidery and gorgeous fabric.She opened a rather exquisite but old jewelry box, took out several pieces of silver jewelry inside, and put them on her head.Behind her, Cai Hesen was holding up a bright red tiger paper-cut window grille, gesturing in front of the oil lamp and asking if his younger sister Cai Chang looked like him. On the old wooden table next to him, there were scattered red paper and scraps of paper. The cut "spring" and "fu" characters. "Huh—it doesn't look like it. You won't know what the Year of the Tiger is until I cut it out!" Cai Chang said while cutting the window grilles in his hand, "Thinking of the past in the countryside, those window grilles are called beautiful. Well. When it comes to Chinese New Year, the front and back of the house, such a big yard, so many houses, doors and windows, are all plastered everywhere, and I can’t see it.” Cai Hesen laughed at his younger sister: "At that time, you only remembered asking for New Year's money, and you still remember looking at the window grilles?" "Who only remembers asking for New Year's money?" "I still don't admit it. That year—the year Dad brought you a big doll from Shanghai. On the night of the New Year, you and a group of children in the clan played hide-and-seek and hid in the gardener's house in the back garden." In the house, you fell asleep there alone, and I couldn’t find you even after the New Year’s Eve dinner.” "That's why you forgot me." "Who forgot you? Search everywhere. I still remember the housekeeper ran to me and yelled: 'Master, Master, Miss Fourth is missing, what should I do!' The servants and maidservants of the whole family came to you to find them for several miles. Go, wait until I find you, you'll be fine, just remember to ask: 'Have you run out of New Year's money, I haven't taken it yet.'” Cai Chang was quite proud: "Hmph, I got the most lucky money that year, and I didn't use it all up in a year!" Cai Hesen said: "That's because the elders are afraid that you will cry, so they doubled you on purpose." "You're not bad, isn't your suit brought back from Shanghai that year? There are so many masters in my hometown, and none of them have worn it." During the conversation between the siblings who became happier as they talked, Ge Jianhao looked in the mirror, wore jewelry, and combed her hair. At first, she was still moved by the joy of her children, but gradually, her smile disappeared. The hands also gradually stopped.Her gaze swept across the simple room, the pieces of worn-out furniture, the bowl of sweet potatoes on the window sill, Cai Hesen's worn-out suit that was obviously a bit small and already patched, and Cai Chang coarse cotton padded jackets, old cloth shoes with patched uppers... Cai Hesen, who was in high spirits, was awakened by the slight knock of the door. When he turned around, he found that his mother had already left the door.In front of the mirror, there were several pieces of silver jewelry that had been taken off. The delicate flag-style women's dress had been folded and put aside. Cai Chang didn't notice all of this, and was still in high spirits: "Hey, by the way, brother, do you still remember that we hung a big lantern at the door, let's cut one?" "Okay, you cut it first." Cai Hesen put down the scissors calmly, "Brother, go out and help mom with something first. Cut it well." Cai Chang: "Don't worry, it must be cut like that." Sitting by the wall, Ge Jianhao stared blankly at the night sky.There were two lines of tears on her cheeks.Silently, a hand gently took her hand. "Binbin?" Suddenly finding his son standing beside him, Ge Jianhao quickly wiped away his tears. "Mom, what's the matter?" "It's nothing, it's nothing." Ge Jianhao concealed it, but tears welled up again. She tried her best to hold back the tears, wiped away the tears, and smiled, but unexpectedly, the tears became more and more. She wiped them several times, but the tears never wiped away. She was exhausted, but suddenly her nose was sore, and she couldn't help covering her face—it was a sob that a strong woman couldn't suppress, suddenly feeling tired, helpless, weak and guilty. "Mom." Cai Hesen squatted down and grabbed his mother's hand tightly, "Mom, what are you doing? What's wrong?" After a while, Ge Jianhao raised his head and looked into his son's eyes: "Xiao Bin, have you ever regretted it? Come out with mom, leave that house with mom, and live such a poor life, have you ever regretted it?" "Mom, why do you think so suddenly?" "It's not that mom wants to think this way, it's that mom can't think about it. All my life, mom has done everything neatly and simply, never thinking about the consequences, and never regretting her choice. The only thing that matters is bringing you two brothers and sisters out. I have always been uneasy in my mother's heart." She sighed, and then said, "It doesn't matter whether you leave home or suffer or suffer, it's all voluntary by mother, but you are different, you are still children, as long as you still Staying in that house, you can eat well, dress well, and live carefree. In fact, my mother always thinks in her heart, did she hurt you, did she owe you too much, did she take it away? The happiness and joy you should enjoy..." "Mom." Cai Hesen interrupted his mother, "Who said we are not happy now?" "But...but following Mom, you won't even have a decent year..." Cai Hesen stood up suddenly and said, "Mom, you really don't know if we're going to be happy?" Ge Jianhao nodded. "Then come and see for yourself." Hesitating, Ge Jianhao stood up, followed Cai Hesen's gaze, and looked into the window. In the room, Cai Chang had put down the scissors at some point, and was standing in front of the mirror that his mother had looked at just now, wearing the big red flag dress that his mother had just worn, imitating his mother's appearance, wearing those few red flags on his head. pieces of silver jewelry.Facing the mirror, she gesticulated, admired, and made all kinds of innocent expressions——with the adults not around, her little girl's nature was so clearly revealed at this moment. A bright, spring-like smile filled her childish face.Cai Hesen asked: "Mom, do you think Xiao Chang is not as happy as Xiao Chang in the past?" Ge Jianhao couldn't help laughing. "If there is no mother by my side, can a son or a daughter be truly happy? Mom, coming out with you is the most correct choice in our life. You have never owed us anything. On the contrary, it is you, Keep this happiness and joy for us.” Holding his son's hand, Ge Jianhao nodded.She suddenly pressed her son's hand to her face, tightly, tightly... three Cooking smoke curled up from the roof of Mao's house.In front of the stove, Wen Qimei was squatting on the ground, squinting her eyes to avoid the smoke from the firewood, and blowing fire into the stove... A pair of footsteps stopped behind her.Wen Qimei seemed to have sensed something just now, she suddenly turned her head—— Standing behind her was Mao Zedong in a long gown with a burden on his back! "mother." "Hey... hey!" At this moment, Wen Qimei was suddenly at a loss. She wiped her dusty hands and was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly opened her voice and shouted, "Shunsheng... is back... Shunsheng... is back!" Mao Yichang appeared at the door of the back room with a straight face: "Why are you screaming? I'm not deaf!" His eyes moved to his son. Mao Zedong: "Father." Mao Yichang let out a "hmm" in his nose. "Big Brother...Big Brother..." The younger siblings yelled happily and got out of it. "Ze Tan, Ze Jian!" Mao Zedong swung the two young siblings up one by one, and circled in the air. "Brother?" Outside the door, Zemin, who entered with a load of water, was stunned for a moment, then put down his load and rushed up, "Brother!" Mao Zedong put Zetan down and put his arms around Zemin.The four siblings laughed and chattered into a mess. Looking at her children, Wen Qimei rubbed her hands and murmured: "I'm back, hehe, I'm back..." A smile flashed across Mao Yichang's face. The next day came the New Year. In the courtyard of Mao’s house, Mao Yichang was wearing a half-worn robe and mandarin jacket, and was straightening his melon cap; Under the command of Ze Tan Zejian, I am pasting the couplets I just wrote. Walking out of the kitchen with the dishes, Wen Qimei looked at her family with a happy smile, and quickly brought the dishes into the side room.Holding Ze Jian's little hand, Mao Zedong used incense to light a section of firecrackers hanging on a tree.Amidst the sound of firecrackers, the family entered the wing room, and the table was filled with sumptuous farm New Year's Eve dinner. Five people, father and son, sat around the table, only Wen Qimei was still wearing an apron, busy serving dishes. Mao Zedong took out a cloth bag from behind: "Father, I also brought back some gifts from the provincial capital. They didn't cost much, and they were all simple things." Taking out a bag of sesame candies, Mao Zedong said: "Ze Tan , Zejian, this is Jiuruzhai's sesame candy, the most famous in the provincial capital, it is fragrant and sweet, I brought half a catty for you to try." Mao Zedong took out another copybook and a stack of tracing paper: "Zemin, you are at home and busy with farm work all day long. I am afraid that you will forget the words you know. This is for you. Practice more when you have time. Later, you will learn more about it." It’s useful for the school exam.” Zemin said, “Hey, thank you brother.” With a sullen face, Mao Yichang added: "Practice after finishing the work, don't just remember a few words, it's nothing to eat." Zemin nodded and said with a smile, "I will, father." Mao Zedong took out another pack of cigarettes and handed it to Mao Yichang: "Father, this is for you." Taking the cigarette, Mao Yichang frowned and looked at it—he obviously didn't know what it was: "What guy?" "Foreign cigarettes, foreign paper cigarettes, I heard that they are easier to smoke than dry tobacco." Mao Zedong said. "Is it expensive?" Mao Yichang raised his head and asked. "It's not expensive, only two cents." Mao Yichang weighed the light cigarette, and threw it on the table: "Twenty cents? You bought a lot of cigarettes, this one is fresh!" "Oh, Sanya, didn't Sanya give you a fresh picture?" Wen Qimei just served the last dish, she pushed her husband, and said to Mao Zedong, "Good buy, very good, very good." Untiing her apron , she also sat at the table. Mao Zedong finally took out a brand new copper thimble: "Mother, this is for you." "Me?" Wen Qimei was a little incredulous, "What do I want? No need, no need." "Mom—I bought it just for you. Didn't your thimble break? I went to many shops before I picked the best one. Try it and see if it fits." Taking the thimble, Wen Qimei's hands trembled a little, she put the thimble on her finger tremblingly. Mao Zedong asked: "Mother, is the size suitable?" The thimble was obviously too big on Wen Qimei's finger. Wen Qimei covered the thimble and quickly took it off: "It is suitable, it is suitable, it is quite suitable..." She endured it. Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he quickly picked up the jug and poured wine for Mao Yichang: "Let's eat, have a reunion dinner, the family is reunited..." "What are you in a hurry for?" Mao Yichang interrupted her, and cast his eyes on Mao Zedong again, "Just take some sesame candy and foreign cigarettes to pay for business? What about the school report card?" Mao Zedong handed over the report card.Mao Yichang flipped through the report card carefully, and there was a long list of scores in various subjects on the list, all of which were full marks or in the 90s. His expression softened, and a smile floated up.Turning over a page, he continued to look at it, but suddenly frowned, and moved his eyes closer to the report card, which was poor grades in mathematics and other subjects that were ranked at the back. With a "bang", Mao Yichang slammed the report card on the dinner table, startling his wife and children! "Mathematics 61?" Mao Yichang stared at his son, "What are you doing, huh?" Mao Zedong lowered his head. "You're taking a lot of exams for messy homework, and you play the piano for accounting homework! What did you do in math class? Sleeping?" Mao Yichang became more and more angry, and when he slapped the table, he slapped on the pack of cigarettes. Picking up the cigarette, "What kind of foreign cigarettes should I buy to fool me, I will block my eyes when I see it!" With a wave of his hand, he threw the cigarette on the ground! "Oh, what are you doing?" Wen Qimei hurriedly got up and picked up the cigarettes, "I didn't do well in the doorknob's homework, and I will catch up later. New Year's Eve, be happy, why are you losing your temper?" She took the box The cigarette was stuffed into Mao Yichang's pocket again. Looking at the whole family with their heads bowed and speechless, Mao Yichang also felt that the atmosphere was not right. He snorted heavily and looked away from Mao Zedong. Wen Qimei hurriedly laughed and said, "Come, eat, the reunion dinner—the dishes are cold, eat them all." She touched Mao Yichang with her arm, and Mao Yichang then picked up the chopsticks and held a fish with them: "Come, There is more than enough every year." The children finally breathed a sigh of relief, and everyone stretched out their chopsticks: "There is more than every year." In a blink of an eye, the winter vacation was over, and the whole family got up early, busy preparing for him.In the wing room, Wen Qimei was packing up the dry food brought along Mao Zedong's road, while Mao Zemin and Ze Tan were bundling Mao Zedong's luggage. Ze Jian carefully brought a bowl of hot boiled eggs into the wing room, while Wen Qimei was filling the bag with eggs, she told Ze Jian, "Go and see your elder brother, why are you still in the house, don't delay the boat. "Ze Jian pushed open the elder brother's door and shouted: "Brother, mother is urging you." There was the sound of a file, Mao Zedong was sitting at the table concentrating on something, without raising his head, "Got it, wait a little longer, I'll be fine." Squatting beside a wheelbarrow at the door, Mao Yichang was holding a cigarette under his nose and smelling it.In his hand, the pack of cigarettes was unsealed, but he never smoked a single one. It seemed that the smell was enough, and he planned to put the cigarettes back into the cigarette case. At this moment, two neighbors happened to pass by, "Old Man Shunsheng, you three sons are going back to the provincial capital to study, right?" Mao Yichang nodded: "Hey, hey, let's go now, I'm packing things in the house." As he responded, he hurriedly took out a match and lit a cigarette. "Hey, Mr. Shunsheng, what kind of novelty is this?" The neighbors raised their heads. Mao Yichang had a look of disapproval on his face, and raised his fingers holding the cigarettes high, showing: "This? Foreign cigarettes, Sanyazi bought them from the provincial capital to honor me. Xiaoyazi, ignorant, only knows how to spend money. The money map is fresh." The neighbors got closer, "Is this what foreign cigarettes look like? Hey, old man Shunsheng, if you ask for one, we will also open foreign meat?" Although Mao Yichang was frugal in food and expenses, he was not stingy with his fellow villagers.My son brought a box of foreign cigarettes from Changsha, which just happened to let the villagers try something new.He proudly handed the cigarette to the two neighbors, then put the cigarette in his pocket and pressed it with his hand, and then added: "Try it, see if it is better than Hanyan." The two neighbors smoked cigarettes, lit them and savored them carefully. Mao Yichang was also smoking a cigarette contentedly, watching the two neighbors go away from afar.When the neighbors disappeared, Mao Yichang quickly snuffed out the half of the cigarette left in his hand, and carefully stuffed the half of the cigarette back into the cigarette case. Here Zemin and Ze Tan loaded the bundled luggage onto the wheelbarrow beside him and tied it up.Seeing the actions of the two sons, Mao Yichang looked dissatisfied, "I don't know how to tie anything! Stand aside, I'll do it." He neatly tied up the luggage several times. Mao Zedong was still working intently.Stopping, he picked up the thread that had been measured to the size of his mother's finger, compared it, and then picked up the file and began to file.Wen Qimei pushed open the door: "San Yazi, what are you busy with?" "It's all right." Mao Zedong filed a few last times, then turned his head, "Mother, try again, it should be suitable." In his hand was the thimble that had just been polished. Looking at the brand-new thimble and her son's smiling face covered with beads of sweat, Wen Qimei was stunned for a moment.Picking up his mother's hand, Mao Zedong put the thimble on it—sure enough, it was not too big or too small, just right: "Mother, look, it's just right." "This boy..." Touching the thimble, for some reason, Wen Qimei suddenly felt her nose a little sore...