Chapter 8 Spring silkworm.2

The weather continued to be warm, and the sun's rays drove away the young leaves that looked like little fingers on Sang's fist, and they were now as big as a small palm.The mulberry forests around Lao Tongbao's village seem to grow better. From a distance, it looks like a piece of green brocade spread on dense gray and white short fences. "Hope" grew stronger day by day in the hearts of Lao Tongbao and ordinary farmers.The mobilization order for silkworm affairs has also been launched in various aspects.The sericulture equipment that had been hidden in the firewood room for a year was taken out to be cleaned and repaired.Beside the stream that runs through the village, women and children in the village are wriggling, working, shouting and laughing.

These women and children are not very healthy - since the beginning of spring this year, they have only eaten half full; what they are wearing is only some old clothes.In fact, their situation is not much better than that of beggars.However, their spirits are not bad.They have great endurance and great fantasies.Although they are all in debt that is increasing every day, their simple minds always think this way: as long as the silkworm flowers are ripe, it will be fine!They imagined that in a month, those green mulberry leaves would turn into snow-white cocoons, and then into jingling foreign money. Although their stomachs were growling with hunger, they couldn't help laughing.

Among these women were Old Tongbao's daughter-in-law, Si Niang, and the twelve-year-old Xiaobao.The two women had already washed the "group plaques" and "silkworm sacks", and sat on the rocks by the stream, lifting the corners of their shirts to wipe the sweat from their faces. -------- ① In Old Tongbao Township, the bamboo ware as big as the round tabletop and resembling a plate is called "Tuanpian"; another kind of bamboo ware that is slightly smaller and has a hexagonal net at the bottom is called "箪", which is pronounced like "Tread" in dialect When silkworms first harvest ants, they are raised in "tan" and are called "silkworm tan", which is pasted with paper; this kind of paper is commonly called "pasted tan paper". ——Author's original note.

"Sister-in-law Si! Are you also watching (raising) foreign species this year?" Among the group of women on the other side of the stream, a girl about twenty years old called across the stream.The fourth lady recognized Liu Bao, the younger sister of Lu Fuqing, the neighbor across the river.The fourth lady immediately raised her thick eyebrows, and shouted as if she was looking for someone to quarrel: "Don't ask me! Father is in charge! —— Xiaobao's father refused, and only read a piece of foreign money! The old fool heard a foreign character as if he had met the enemy of the seventh generation! Foreign money, too. Yang, he wants it again!"

The women by the stream laughed.At this time, a strong young man was walking across the Lujia rice field on the opposite bank, ran to the stream, and stepped on the rudimentary "bridge" made of four pieces of wood side by side across the stream.When the fourth mother saw it, she put aside the question of "foreign species" and shouted loudly: "Brother Duoduo! Come and help me carry things! These plaques, soaked, are as heavy as dead dogs!" The young man A Duo didn't open his mouth, he came over and picked up five or six "Tuan Plaques", put them on his head wetly, but he swung them like oars with his hands empty, and left.When this Hoduo is happy, he is willing to do anything, and he is willing to do anything when the women in the same village ask him to help him carry something heavy, or go down the stream to fish for something; but today he is probably a little unhappy, so he just I took five or six "group plaques" to go, but my hands were empty.Those women saw him wearing that special big hat-like stack of "plaques", bending his waist, and walking like the women in the town, and they all laughed again. Li Gensheng's wife, Li Gensheng, who was next to Old Tongbao's house, was on the side of the lotus flower. Laughing, he exclaimed:

"Hey, many heads! Come back! Take some for me too!" "Call me nicely, and I'll get it for you." A Duo also replied with a smile, and still left.In a blink of an eye, he arrived at the porch of his house, and put the "Tuan Plaque" on his head on the eaves of the porch. "Then, call you godson!" He Hua laughed loudly when she said that, her remarkably white but weirdly flat face seemed to have only one big mouth and thin eyes that were narrowed like two lines.She used to be a servant girl in the town, and it was less than half a year since she married Li Gensheng, a half-aged man who kept silent and had a sad face all day long, but her love and nonsense with men were already well-known in the village.

"Shameless!" Suddenly, someone among the group of women on the opposite bank cursed softly.Lotus's pair of slender eyes widened immediately, and she shouted angrily: "Which one to scold? If you have the ability, scold in person, don't hide!" "You can control me? Kick the coffin, and the dead will know in their stomachs: I'll scold that shameless slut!" Gexi immediately cursed back, this is that Liubao, another naughty girl in the village. So under the scolding, water was splashed on both sides.The rowdy women are also caught in the middle to help here and there.The children howled wildly with laughter.The fourth lady is old-fashioned, and when she mentioned her "silkworm pan", she called Xiaobao and went home.A Duo stood on the porch watching and laughing.He knew why Liubao was arguing with Camellia; he was very happy to see that "spicy guy" Liubao being scolded.

Old Tongbao came out of the house with a "silkworm platform" on his shoulders. Some of the wooden stems of this triangular-shaped thing were eaten away by white ants, and they were afraid that they would not be firm, so they had to be repaired.Seeing Ah Duo standing there smiling and watching the women quarreling outside, Old Tong Bao's face became serious.His "long-headed" youngest son was immature, and he knew it.What made him especially unhappy was that Duoduo also chatted and laughed with the lotus next to him. "That bitch is Bai Huxing, if you mess with her, you will be prodigal", ——Old Tongbao often warns his young son like this.

"Aduo! Do you want to see the wild scenery empty-handed? Ah Si is behind the 'tail' ②, you go and help him!" -------- ① "Silkworm platform" is a triangular wooden shelf that can be folded up, like a guy with three ladders connected in one place; it is divided into seven or eight grids, and each grid can hold a group of plaques. ——Author's original note. ② "Zitou" is also a dialect, it is made of straw, and silkworms make cocoons on it. ——Author's original note. Old Tongbao roared like a mad dog, his fiery red eyes fixed on Hoduo's body until he went into the room and couldn't see him anymore, then Old Tongbao mentioned the "silkworm platform" to examine again and again, Slowly and hands-on.Old Tongbao knew how to live as a carpenter in his early years; but recently he was getting old and his fingers were weak. After repairing for a while, he raised his head to catch his breath, and then looked at the three silkworm eggs hanging on the bamboo pole in the house.

The fourth lady pastes "silkworm grate" on the eaves of the corridor.Last year, in order to save a few hundred pennies, they bought old newspapers and pasted them.Old Tongbao still said that it was because they used newspapers—no sparing on type paper, so their silkworm flowers were not good last year.This year, the whole family specially ate one meal less, and saved money to buy "paste paper".The fourth lady pasted the goose-yellow tough paper very flat, and then pasted three small pieces of flower paper according to the lettering pattern—these were bought together with the "paste paper", one printed on the other. The color of the first one is "cornucopia", and the other two are people riding horses holding pointed flags. It is said that they are "Prince Silkworm Flower."

"Father Mother! Your father borrowed thirty yuan from a middleman, but only bought twenty dan leaves. The day after tomorrow, we ran out of rice, what should we do?" Panting, Old Tongbao raised his head from his work and looked at Si Niang.The thirty yuan is two and a half cents of monthly interest.Finally, Zhang Caifa, the father of the fourth daughter, acted as a middleman, and the creditor was Zhang Caifa's employer "doing good deeds", so he only paid two and a half cents of the monthly interest.The condition is that the principal and profit will be cleared after the silkworm is done. The fourth mother put the pasted "silkworm grate" in the sun to dry, and said as if angry: "I bought all the leaves! There are as many leaves as last year—" "What are you talking about! You came to Fali City first! Is every year like last year? I only have ten dan leaves at home; five sheets of cloth (silkworm eggs), is ten dan leaves enough?" "Oh, oh; you are always good! I only know that there is rice to cook, and there is no rice to starve!" The four mothers answered coquettishly; for the "foreign" question, she often had to argue with Lao Tongbao. Old Tong Bao was so angry that his face turned purple.The two of them didn't say a word. But the period of "harvesting silkworms" is approaching day by day.This small village of 20 or 30 people suddenly presented a kind of great tension, great determination, great struggle, and at the same time great hope.People seem to forget about being hungry.Old Tongbao and his family borrowed a little from the east and credit from the west, and they actually lived day by day.Not only Lao Tongbao and the others, but which family in the village has two or three buckets of rice at home!Last autumn's harvest was fine, but the landlords, creditors, regular taxes, and miscellaneous donations were exploited layer by layer, and it was over long ago.Now their only hope is the spring silkworms, and all temporary loans are to be repaid during this "spring silkworm harvest". They all prepared for the spring silkworm battle with great hope and fear! The "Grain Rain" festival is almost a day away.The "cloths" of 20 or 30 families in the village are faintly green.When the women met on the paddy field, they all hurriedly told each other in anxious and joyful tones: "Liubao's family is about to 'nest' ①!" -------- ① "Nest seed" is also a habit in Lao Tongbao Township; after the silkworm eggs turn green, you have to pick up the meat. After about three or four days, the silkworm ants hatch and you can "harvest the silkworms".This work is done by women. "Wo" is a dialect, meaning "揾". ——Author's original note. "Lotus said that her house will be 'nest' tomorrow. It's so fast!" "The zodiac priest is going to test a word. This year's green leaves are as expensive as the oceans!" The eldest daughter looks at her five "cloths".wrong!The black sesame-like patch was still dark, with no green shadows to be seen.Her husband Ah Si took it to a bright place to look carefully, but couldn't find out what time it was, so it was "green".The fourth daughter is very anxious. "You should 'nest' up first! This Yuhang species is slower to make fun." Ah Si looked at his wife and forced himself to comfort her.The fourth lady blocked her mouth and did not answer. Old Tongbao cried with a wrinkled old face, didn't say anything, but felt bad in his heart. Fortunately, one day later, when the fourth mother looked carefully at the "cloth", ha, several places turned green!And it's bright green.Si Niang immediately told her husband, Lao Tongbao, Duoduo, and her son Xiaobao.She pressed the cloth to her chest, and sat quietly like holding a nursing baby, not daring to move too much.At night, she carried the five "cloths" into the bed, and drove Ah Si to make a bed with Duoduo.The dense silkworm seeds on the "cloth" stick to the flesh, which is very itchy; the fourth mother is very happy, but a little scared. When she was pregnant for the first time, the fetus was moving in her stomach, and she was also half surprised and half happy! The whole family waited anxiously and excitedly for the "harvesting of silkworms".The only exception is longs.He said: Silkworm flowers must be good this year, but it never happened to want to make a fortune.Old Tongbao scolded him for being talkative, but he still wanted to talk. The silkworm house has already been tidied up. On the second day of the "nest seeding", Lao Tongbao took a garlic head and spread some mud on it, and placed it by the wall of the silkworm house; this was also a practice every year, but this time Lao Tongbao was more devout, and his hands were shaking.Last year their "divination" ① was very effective.But the "efficacy" of last year, now Lao Tongbao dare not even think about it. Now every family in this village is "nesting".Immediately, the women disappeared from the paddy field and by the stream.A "Martial Law Order" was promulgated invisibly: even if the peasants are the best on weekdays, they will not communicate with each other;At most, they exchanged a word or two in a low voice on the paddy field and then walked away.This is a "holy" season. There were also some "Wu Niang" ② wriggling on the five sheets of cloth in Old Tongbao's house.As a result, the atmosphere in the whole family suddenly became tense.That was the day before the "Grain Rain".The four daughters expected to survive the day of the "Grain Rain" festival①.The cloth no longer needs to be "nested", and is carefully placed in the "silkworm room".Old Tongbao peeked at the garlic head lying at the foot of the wall, and his heart skipped a beat.There are only one or two green shoots on the garlic head!Old Tongbao didn't dare to look any more, and prayed in his heart that there would be more green shoots at noon the day after tomorrow. -------- ① It is a superstition in the old Tongbao village to use garlic to "divide" whether silkworm flowers are good or not.Two or three days before harvesting silkworms, smear garlic with mud and put it in the silkworm room. On the day of harvesting silkworms, you can see that most of the garlic leaves are ripe for silkworms, and less are not. ——Author's original note. ②The old Tongbao village called the newborn silkworm ants "Wu Niang"; this is also a dialect. ——Author's original note. Finally, the day of "harvesting silkworms" has arrived.The fourth mother was restlessly washing rice and cooking, constantly checking to see if the heat from the rice cooker was rushing up.Old Tongbao took out the incense candles he had bought in advance and lit them, respectfully placing them in front of the Kitchen God's altar.Ah Si and Ah Duo went to the field to pick wild flowers.Xiao Xiaobao helped cut the rushes into fine pieces, and crushed the wild flowers they picked.When everything was ready, the sun was almost at noon, and the water steam on the rice cooker was beeping, and the fourth lady jumped up immediately, put the "silkworm flower" and a pair of goose feathers in her bun, and she arrived In the "silkworm house".Old Tongbao took the scale, and Ah Si took the crushed pieces of wild flowers and crushed rushes.The eldest lady uncovered the "cloth", took the wild flower fragments and rushes from Ah Si's hands and sprinkled them on the "cloth", and then took the scale beam from Old Tongbao's hand, and put the "cloth" on the scale beam. So I pulled out the goose feathers from the bun and brushed them lightly on the "cloth"; the wild flowers, the end of the rushes, and the "Wu Niang" were all brushed in the "silkworm".One, two,...all brushed off; the last one is foreign species, so put it in another "silkworm basket".In the end, the fourth lady pulled out the "silkworm flower" from her bun, and inserted it together with the goose feather on the side of the "silkworm scorpion". -------- ① It is a custom in Lao Tongbao Township to "harvest silkworms"—that is, to harvest ants. It must avoid the day of "grain rain", either up or down, but not on the day of "grain rain".For what reason, I don't know. ——Author's original note. ② "Silkworm Flower" is a kind of paper flower, bought in advance.These superstitious rituals vary slightly from place to place. ——Author's original note. This is a grand ceremony!A ritual that has been passed down for thousands of years!It's like a swearing-in ceremony, and a month's worth of bad weather and bad luck, as well as a big decisive battle with someone who doesn't know what's going on day and night without a break will begin! "Wu Niang" wriggled in the "Silkworm Tan", looking very strong; the black color was also very straight.Si Niang and Lao Tong Bao all breathed a sigh of relief.But when Old Tongbao quietly picked up that "fate" garlic head to look at, his expression changed immediately!There are only three or four buds on the garlic head!God!Is it the same as last year? three However, the garlic head of "fate" did not work this time.The silkworms from Old Tongbao’s are very good!Although it was cloudy and rainy during the day and night, and the weather seemed to be a bit colder than that of "Qingming", those "babies" were very healthy. The "babies" of other people's homes in the village are not bad either.Nervous joy permeated the whole village, like the flowing water in the creek was like laughter.Only the Lotus family is an exception.Their family saw a piece of "cloth", but "Chuhuo" only weighed 20 catties; before "Da Mian", people saw that the silent and gloomy husband abandoned three "silkworm sacks" In that creek. -------- ① "Chuhuo" is also a dialect, referring to "three sleeps" after "two sleeps"; because the "sleep" is very short, it is called "chuhuo". ——Author's original note. This incident made the women of the whole village "martial law" against the Hehua family.They deliberately avoid the road, do not go in front of the lotus, and quickly dodge when they see the lotus or her silent husband from a distance; these lucky people are afraid to see the lotus or talk to them. Just a few words can infect bad luck! Lao Tongbao strictly forbids his youngest son Duoduo to talk to Lotus. ——"If you talk too much about that thing, I'll sue you for treason!" Old Tongbao stood outside the eaves and shouted loudly, deliberately trying to make Lotus and the others listen. Xiao Xiaobao was also strictly instructed not to run to the door of He Hua's house or talk to them. Hoduo ignored the old man's nagging morning and night like a deaf man, but he was secretly laughing.He is the only one in the whole family who doesn't believe in those ghost taboos.But he didn't talk to Lotus either, he was too busy. "Da Mian" captured three hundred catties of Mao, and the whole family of Old Tongbao, including the twelve-year-old Xiaobao, did not sleep a wink for two days and two nights.Silkworms are rare. Old Tongbao, who lived to be sixty years old, remembers that they were the same only twice. One was the year he got married, and the other was the year Ah Si was born. The "babies" after the "big sleep" ate seven dan leaves on the first day, and they were all green and strong. However, the whole family of Lao Tongbao lost a lot of weight, and their insomnia eyes were full of red threads. No one can guess how many leaves these "babies" will have to eat before going up the mountain.Old Tongbao and his son Ah Sishang are together: "Master Chen can't borrow it, so why don't you ask for a fortune?" "There are still ten loads of leaves on the ground, enough for a day." Ah Si replied that he really couldn't hold it anymore, his eyelids seemed to weigh hundreds of catties, and he just wanted to close them.Old Tongbao grew impatient, and shouted angrily: "What nonsense! I just ate old silkworms for two days. Tomorrow doesn't count, I have to eat for three days, and I need thirty dan leaves, thirty dan!" At this time, there was a sudden commotion in the rice field outside, and Ah Duo bet on the newly distributed five dan leaves.So the conversation between Old Tongbao and Ah Si was interrupted, and they both went out to "stroke leaves".The fourth lady also hurriedly got out of the silkworm room.Gexi Lu's family didn't raise many silkworms, so the eldest girl Liubao came to help as well.At that time, the sky was full of stars, and there was a little wind. There were intermittent shouts and laughter from the front and back of the village, and a rough voice shouted in the middle: "The price of leaves has skyrocketed! This afternoon, the town sold a load of four oceans!" Old Tongbao was able to hear it, and felt anxious for something.Four yuan a load, thirty loads cost one hundred and twenty yuan, where did he get so much money!But thinking that the cocoon can always be picked up more than five hundred catties, even if it costs fifty yuan and one hundred catties, there are still two hundred and five, and he feels relieved.Suddenly there was another small voice from the group of people "stroking leaves" saying: "I heard that the east road is not very good, it seems that the price of leaves will not increase much!" Old Tongbao recognized the voice as the Lu family's Six Treasures.This made him feel relieved. The Six Treasures stood beside the same basket with Ah Duo and "stroked the leaves".Under the half-dark starlight, she and Hodor got very close.Suddenly she felt that under the cover of the "bar", a hand twisted on her thigh.As if she knew who screwed it up, she held back her laughter and kept silent.Suddenly that hand touched her chest again, Liubao jumped up and cried out in surprise: -------- ① "Gang Tiao" is also a dialect, referring to those mulberry branches with leaves.Usually leaves are cut off from the branches. ——Author's original note. "Ouch!" "What's up?" The fourth lady who was also stroking the leaves by the basket asked, and raised her head.Liu Bao felt that her face was hot, she gave A Duo a sneaky look, then quickly lowered her head, stroked the leaves quickly, and replied: "Nothing. I guess a caterpillar stung me." Hodor bit his lip and smiled secretly.Although he was half full and slept less in the past half month, and lost a lot of weight, he was still full of energy.He will never have the sadness of old Tongbao.He never believes that they can pay off their debts and have their own fields by relying on silkworm flowers or familiarity in the field once. He knows that only relying on hard work and thrift work, even if the back is broken, they will not be able to recover.But he was still working happily, and he felt that this was also a kind of joy, just like flirting with Liubao. The next morning, Lao Tongbao went to the town to try to borrow money to buy leaves.Before leaving, he discussed with Si Niang and decided to mortgage his family's mulberry field that produced fifteen dan leaves.This is the last property of his family. Ye bought another thirty dan.When the first batch of ten loads came, those healthy "babies" were already hungry for half an hour. The "babies" pointed out their small mouths and swayed left and right, making the four mothers feel sad.The leaves spread on the bed, and immediately the silkworm room was filled with the sound of Sa Sa Sa, and people couldn't hear clearly when they spoke.After a while, those "group plaques" were all white again, so another thick layer of leaves was spread.People just "shangye" are too busy to breathe.But this is the last five minutes.In two more days, "Baby" can go up the mountain.People squeeze out the remaining energy and work hard. Although A Duo didn't sleep for three consecutive days and three nights, he still didn't feel very tired.That night, he alone stayed in the "silkworm house" for the first half of the night, so that Old Tong Bao and Ah Si and his wife could go to rest.It was a fine moonlit night, a little cold.A small fire was lit in the silkworm room.A Duo guarded the second watch, and after eating the second leaf, he squatted next to the "fire" and listened to those "babies" eat the leaves.Gradually his eyelids closed.Hearing the knock of the door in a trance, A Duo's eyelids twitched, he opened his eyes to take a look, and then closed them again.In his ears, he could still hear Sa Sasha's voice and the strange sound of rustling.Suddenly staggered, his head knocked on his knee, he woke up with a start, and just heard the clatter of the reed curtain in the silkworm house, and seemed to see someone.Hoduo jumped up immediately, and looked outside, the door was open, and there was a man walking towards the stream in the rice field under the moonlight.A Duofei also seemed to jump out, before he could see who that person was, he had already grabbed him and threw him to the ground.He decided it was a thief. "Many heads! I don't blame you if I kill you, I just ask you not to say it!" It was the voice of the lotus flower, and when A Duo heard it for real, the hairs all over his body stood on end.Under the moonlight, he saw a pair of thin round eyes fixedly fixed on him on that strangely flat white face.But there was no horror in those eyes either.Hodor snorted and asked: "What are you stealing?" "I'll steal your baby!" "Where did you put it?" "I threw it into the brook!" Hodor also changed his face now.Only then did he realize that this woman's malicious intent was to destroy his family's "baby". "You are really poisonous! Our family has no enmity with you!" "No? Yes, yes! My family is not good at silkworm flowers, but it didn't hurt anyone. You are all good! Why do you treat me like a white tiger? If you see me from a distance, don't turn around. Face? You don’t treat me like a human being!” The woman got up after speaking, the expression on her face was more terrifying than anything else.A Duo stared at the woman for a long time, then said: "I won't hit you, just go!" A Duo ran home without looking back, still guarding in the "silkworm house".He wasn't sleepy at all.He saw that those "babies" were all fine.He didn't think that lotus was hateful or pitiful, but he couldn't forget what lotus said; he felt that there was something between people that could never be right, but he couldn't figure out what it was or why.After a while, he forgets everything. "Baby" is strong and healthy, eating and eating like magic, and will never be full! Afterwards, no accidents occurred until the East was about to die.Old Tong Bao and Si Niang came to replace Ah Duo, and they took those "babies" whose bodies were gradually turning white and shortened and illuminated them in the bright place to see if they "got through".Their hearts were swollen with joy.But when the sun came out, the four mothers went to the stream to draw water, but saw Liu Bao running over with a serious face and quietly asked: "Last night, after the second watch and the third watch, I saw that slut running out of your house from a distance, with Hoduo following behind, and they stood here talking for a long time! Fourth sister-in-law! Why don't you care about things? " The fourth lady's face immediately changed, she didn't say a word, she picked up the bucket and went home, first she told her husband, and then she told Old Tongbao.This thing actually sneaked into someone's "silkworm house", that's okay!Old Tong Bao stomped his feet angrily, and immediately called A Duo to question him.But Ah Duo refused to admit it, saying that Liu Bao was dreaming of a ghost.Old Tongbao asked Liubao again.Liu Bao insisted on seeing it.Old Tongbao had no idea, he went home to see the "baby", he was still very healthy and could not see any signs of failure. But the joy of Lao Tongbao and the others was dispelled by this incident.They believed that Liubao's words were not groundless.Their only hope was that the slut was just hanging out with Hodor on the ledge for a while. "But there are really only three or four stalks on the garlic head!" Old Tongbao thought so in his heart, and felt that the future was only gloomy.No, it's good to eat a lot of leaves, and it's good to fall all the time, but it's common to go up the mountain and get stiff.But Old Tongbao didn't dare to think about it no matter what; he thought it was unlucky even if he thought about it in his stomach. Four "Baby" went up the mountain, but Old Tongbao and the others were still sweating.They have spent all their money and exhausted their energy, but whether they will be paid or not is still uncertain at this time.Even so, they still bite the bullet and do it. The "mountain shed" was on fire, and Lao Tongbao and Ah Si squatted down slowly from side to side, and then from side to side.They could not help but want to laugh when they heard some thin, rustling voices on the shed, but after a while they could no longer hear them, and their hearts sank heavily.In this way, my heart is anxious, but I dare not look up the mountain shed.Occasionally, a drop of silkworm urine will be dripped on their upturned faces. Although they feel a little sad, they are happy in their hearts; they wish to get more rain. -------- ①When the silkworms are heated on the mountain shed, they climb up the "Zitou", so there is a sound of scrambling.This is the first step for silkworms to make cocoons.Those who cannot climb are not healthy silkworms, and most of them cannot make cocoons. ——Author's original note. ② It is said that silkworms must urinate before making cocoons, and the urine is yellow. ——Author's original note. A Duo had secretly lifted the reed curtains around the "mountain shed" to look several times.When Xiao Xiaobao saw it, he grabbed Ah Duo and asked "Baby" if he had made cocoons.Hodor stuck out his tongue and made a grimace, but didn't answer. Three days after "up the mountain", the fire ceased.The fourth lady couldn't bear it any longer, she also sneaked a peek at the corner of the reed curtain, and her heart immediately jumped.It was so white that you could hardly see the "head decoration"; it was a "beautiful silkworm flower" that the eldest mother had never seen in her life!Lao Tongbao's family immediately burst into laughter.Now they have settled down! The "babies" have a conscience, and a load of leaves from all over the world is not for nothing; their family's hunger and insomnia for a month is finally not wronged, God has eyes! The same laughter rose up everywhere in the village.Empress Silkworm Flower blesses this small village this year.Twenty or thirty families can get seven or eight points, and the old Tongbao's family is even more different. It is estimated that they can always get one twelve or three points. The streamsides and rice fields were now full of women and children again.These people are much thinner than a month ago, their eye sockets are sunken, and their throats are sandy, but they are all very happy and excited.When they chatted about the "struggle" of that month, piles of snow-white foreign money would appear in front of their eyes from time to time, and such calculations would flash through their happy hearts: jackets and summer clothes are in the pawnshop Here, this can be redeemed first; maybe a yellow croaker can be eaten during the Duanyang Festival. The tricks of Lotus and Ado that night were also the material of their conversation.When Liubao saw people, he advertised the lotus's "Shameless, send it to your door!" The men laughed roughly when they heard it, and the women chanted a Buddha, cursed, and said that the old Tongbao's family was finally lucky and did not commit any crimes. That is the blessing of the Bodhisattva, the ancestors have spirits! Then every family "waved to the top of the mountain", and their close relatives and friends all came to "look at the top of the mountain"①.Lao Tongbao's in-law Zhang Caifa brought his youngest son Ajiu to the village from the town.The gifts they brought were soft cakes, thread powder, plums, loquats, and salted fish.Xiao Xiaobao is as happy as a puppy in the snow. -------- ① "Langshantou" is held one day after the fire is stopped. At that time, the silkworms have become cocoons, and the reed curtains around the shed are scattered. "Lang" means "shine out". "Wangshantou" means to visit "Mountaintop", which means condolences and blessings. There are also rules for the gift of "Wangshantou". ——Author's original note. "Tong Bao, are you selling cocoons, or making silk yourself?" Old man Zhang pulled Lao Tongbao to sit under a willow tree by the stream, and asked quietly.This old man, Zhang Caifa, is known as a person who "seeks happiness". He has heard a lot of lumpy things from the open-air "storytelling field" in front of the Town God's Temple in the town; In the smoke and dust", Cheng Yaojin was a firewood seller and a salt smuggler, and he was an anti-king in Wagangzhai.He has always said "no seriousness", old Tongbao knows; so now when asked whether he is selling cocoons or making silk at home, old Tongbao didn't take this seriously, and just replied casually: "Nature sells cocoons." Old man Zhang patted his thigh and sighed.Suddenly he stood up, pointed to the wind and fire wall of the cocoon factory protruding from behind the bald mulberry forest outside the village and said: "Tongbao, the cocoons are picked, and the gates of those cocoon factories are still tightly closed! This year the cocoon factory will not open the scales! - The 18th Route Anti-King has already descended to earth, Li Shimin has not yet been born; the world is not peaceful! This year the cocoon factory is closed , no business!" Old Tongbao couldn't help laughing, he didn't want to believe it.How could he believe it?Could it be that the "five steps and one post" cocoon factories, which seem to have more open-air hair pits, will all close their doors and stop doing business?Besides, I heard that we have already "settled together" with the Orientals, that there will be no more wars, and the soldiers stationed in the cocoon factory have already left. Old man Zhang also changed his subject, talking about the "news" in the town, interspersed with Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin from the "storytelling field".In the end, he demanded the thirty yuan debt on behalf of his employer, because he was a "middleman". However, Old Tongbao was a little worried.He hurried out of the village to look at the two nearest cocoon factories on the "Tang Road". Sure enough, the gates were closed, and there was no one there. According to previous years, the counters should have been opened by this time, and a row of shiny black ones had been hung. scales. Old Tongbao also panicked, but when he went home and saw those white, shiny, thick and hard calluses, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.Excellent cocoons!No one would want it, he didn't believe it.Besides, he was still busy picking cocoons and thanking the "Silkworm Flower Market"①, so he gradually stopped paying attention to the cocoon factory. -------- ① It is a custom in the old Tongbao township to worship the "Lishi" once after "Da Mian", and once again after picking cocoons.People who are in financial distress only hold "Xie Canhuali City", and "Baili City" is also a dialect, which means "Thank God". ——Author's original note. But the air in the village is changing day by day.The people who had to laugh a few times are now full of sorrow.The news that the cocoon factories were not open came from the town one after another, and from "Tanglu".At this time in previous years, the "cocoon collectors" toured the village like a revolving lantern. This year, no "cocoon collectors" were seen, but creditors and food urging officers came instead.Creditors, please just accept the cocoon, and the creditors put on a straight face and ignore it. The whole village is full of cursing, cursing, and sighs of disappointment!People would never dream that the "silkworm flowers" will be healed this year, but their life is more difficult than in previous years.This is a thunderbolt from the blue sky to them!And the more like Old Tongbao and his family, the more silkworms are raised, the better it is, the more difficult it is——"The real world has changed!" Old Tongbao beat his chest and stamped his feet.However, the cocoons cannot be kept for a long time, so one has to think quickly: either sell them or make silk at home.Several families in the village have taken out the silk carts that have not been used for many years for repairs, and plan to make cocoons into silk by themselves.The Liubao family also plans to do the same.Old Tongbao also discussed with his son and daughter-in-law: "Stop selling cocoons, and make silk at home! What are selling cocoons, it was originally made by foreign devils!" "We have more than 400 catties of cocoons, how many silk carts are you going to set up?" The fourth daughter objected first.She was right.Five hundred catties of cocoons is not a small amount, and it is absolutely impossible to make silk at home.Please help?That costs money again.Ah Si is of one mind with his wife.Ardo complained that the old man had made a mistake, saying: "I've followed my advice, holding on to my fifteen dan leaves, and only looking at one piece of foreign species, how good it is!" Old Tongbao was too angry to speak. Finally, a glimmer of hope suddenly came again.The Huang Daoist in the same village got the news from nowhere, saying that the cocoon factory at the foot of Wuxi still collects cocoons as usual.Huang Taoist is also a farmer, not a "Taoist" who eats ten directions, and has always been the most compatible with Lao Tongbao.So after Lao Tongbao went to ask the Taoist Huang in detail, he discussed with his son Ah Si to sell the cocoons at the foot of Wuxi.Old Tong Baohu raised his face, and shouted like he was in a fight: "The waterway is more than thirty-nine! It takes six days to go back and forth! Damn it! It's like exile! But do you have any other way? The cocoon can't be eaten, and the debt before the silkworm is pressing!" -------- ①The calculation of the distance in the old Tongbao countryside is based on "nine"; "one nine" means nine miles. "Nineteen" means ninety miles, and "thirty nine" means more than thirty "nine miles". ——Author's original note. Ah Si also agreed.They went to borrow a bare-chested boat and bought some reed mats. It was a fine day and they brought Ah Duo with them.Their cocoon-selling "expeditionary army" set off here. Five days later, they did come back; but the boat was not empty, and there was still a basket of cocoons in the boat that had not been sold.It turns out that the cocoon factory that is more than thirty and nine waters away is very picky: a load of foreign cocoons is only worth 35 yuan, a load of soil cocoons is 20 yuan, and thin cocoons are not required.Although Lao Tongbao and his cocoons were of the highest quality, the cocoon factory picked up a basket and refused to buy them.Old Tongbao and the others actually sold it for 110 yuan. Excluding the Panchuan on the road, there was only 100 yuan left, which was not enough to repay the debt they borrowed to buy Qingye!Old Tongbao fell ill with anger, and his two sons helped him home. Of the eighty or ninety catties of cocoons that came back, the fourth mother had no choice but to make silk at home.She went to Liubao's house to borrow a silk cart, and was busy for another five or six days.The rice at home is finished again.Ask Ah Si to take that silk to sell in the town, but no one wants it; even pawnshops don't accept it.After saying many good things, I finally exchanged a stone of rice that was supposed to be there before Qingming. 就是这么着，因为春蚕熟，老通宝一村的人都增加了债！老通宝家为的养了五张布子的蚕，又采了十多分的好茧子，就此白赔上十五担叶的桑地和三十块钱的债！一个月光景的忍饥熬夜还不算！ １９３２年１１月１日。